He is God. We are not.

My sheep know my voice. They hear me and they follow me.  Matthew 10:27

 

We don’t get to decide who God is. He is who He is, like it or not, simply because, He is God.  We are not.  Exodus 3:14

 

You see, we have the freedom to choose Him…or not. He is God. We are not. We are broken, hurting sinful people who need repentance of sin and submission to God.  We need Jesus. When we truly and fully choose Him, we abandon our ways and want to choose Him and His ways. When we truly and fully choose His ways, we don’t knowingly refuse to follow Him. We learn to give up our will and make His will our will.  We crucify our flesh.

 

He is God.  We are not.

 

His truths are far beyond the “truths” of man.  Man’s own “man made, shaped, and formed” knowledge gets in the way of God’s wisdom.  1 Corinthians 3:19  says,

 

“The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.”

 

Pray for those who cannot/choose not to see Him for who He is.  Choose to love instead of choosing to hate and/or separate.  The veil that hasn’t been removed is what keeps people from seeing Him and His ways.  Pray that God will remove the veil from the eyes of unbelievers.  Pray that hearts will be softened.  God has given us all the opportunity to come to Him.  He has given us all a measure of faith. Romans 12:3   It’s a matter of choice for each of us…not just a few of us…each and every one of us.  We have to choose to set our faith in motion. Choose to repent of our sin and follow Jesus fully.  Choose to love people who are still in sin the way Jesus loved us while we were still in sin. Romans 5:8

 

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23

 

Knowing what sin is and clinging to Him to overcome that sin is following Him, whatever the sin may be. (e.g., gossip, overeating, alcoholism, the occult, witch craft, lying, drugs, cheating, fornication, adultery, homosexual behavior, murder and the list goes on)  We cling to Jesus; trust that He will see us through to overcome whatever sin(s) we need to get rid of in our lives to be more like Him. We don’t wallow in it.  Knowing what sin is and knowingly choosing to wallow in it is not following Him.  We cannot wallow in sin and cry, “God’s grace.”  That is man’s way, not God’s way.  It’s one thing to sin and ask forgiveness while continuing with God to overcome an issue. It’s completely another to knowingly continue in sin without repentance. There is a definite difference.  Don’t choose denial, or bury your head in the sand, or cover your eyes from the truth.  Those are not legitimate reasons.

 

You see, we don’t get to set the parameters. God did that once and for all.    Job 38-42:2 ,     Ephesians 1:3-5  We can change our worldly laws to suit our sinful desires, and believe that “all is well”…but...

 

Don’t allow yourself to be deceived.

 

His silence does not equal His approval.

 

Justice will prevail…sooner or later…it will prevail.

 

I’m only a woman. A woman with very little education, compared to “worldly standards.” I don’t and won’t pretend to know the mind of God.  But, I wonder if His lack of immediate action is kindness and mercy on His part…giving us more than ample time to correct the error of our wandering ways?

 

Again…He is God.  We are not.  His ways are sovereign.

 

Not all who claim to know Him will make it to Heaven.  Matthew 7:20-23  Anyone can call themselves a Christian.  That doesn’t mean that they are.  Only God knows our hearts, but He did say there are ways to discern.  The true mark of a Christian is one who lives a life of submission to God, one who has the evidence of the fruits of the spirit.  Ephesians 5,         Matthew 7:15-20   Don’t allow yourself to be deceived.  His silence does not equal His approval. He loves His children unconditionally.  His children are those who repent of sin, take up their cross and follow Him…daily…not just on Sunday…not just when life throws you a curve ball…daily.  We must choose Him.

For those who are truly seeking His ways, His grace is sufficient.  2 Corinthians 12:9  His grace is not a license to sin…period…never has been…never will be.  A true follower of Christ is consistently working to be like Him. Philippians 2:12 

 

Doing what you want continually and crying “grace,” simply put, is rebellion.

 

Don’t allow yourself to be deceived.

 

Again…He set the parameters.

 

He is God.  We are not.

 

Yes, God loves us and His will is that all would come to Him for salvation.   1 Timothy 2:1-4  But, He forces no one to submit to Him.  That is not love.  Love is a choice.  Either you choose to love Him or you don’t. We are free to choose whatever we want.  But…remember this; we are not free from the consequences of our choices, whether good consequences or bad consequences.  It’s totally our choice.

 

We hold the key in our hand.  There are two doors set before us.  One has Jesus waiting for us, beckoning us to join Him.  This doorway and path leading onward is very narrow and not easily traversed.  The only way to continue on this path is with the guidance of Jesus.  It leads to our Heavenly Father.  On the other hand, the other door is easy to walk through.  It’s wide…easy to access the other side…no rules with an “anything goes” attitude.  And, it all looks fantastic from this side. But it leads to eternity in hell.  Don’t allow yourself to be deceived.

 

You see, we choose.  Either way, we choose.  Life on this earth is but a vapor compared to eternity.  James 4:14

 

Eternity is a long time.

 

Choose wisely.

Don't Box Him In...

The Holy Spirit is essential to believers in Christ Jesus. He is fully God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever which means He is still in the miracle working business, if you will. He has not changed. Hebrews 13:8  Only man’s attitude and beliefs about the Spirit of God has changed.

 

Don’t box Him in…

 

When Jesus was in His home town, He could do very few miracles, not because He wasn’t capable, but because of unbelief. Matthew13:53-58, Mark 6:1-5   In John 6:27-29, Jesus said, “This is the only work that God wants from you:  Believe in the One He has sent.”  Father God sent Jesus. Jesus died for all the sins of mankind.  Then He sent the Holy Spirit. John 16:7  Believe it.  His Holy Spirit is here for us…if we believe.

 

Don’t limit what He can and will do in your life due to unbelief.  Don’t let someone else’s personal opinion about what the Holy Spirit “can and can’t” do limit what He can and will do in your life. Don’t be the one who stops the miracles.  Believing is a choice!

 

In Mark 9:17-27, a man brought his convulsing child to Jesus to be healed. Jesus asked him if he believed.  The man said, “I believe, help my unbelief!”  Don’t be afraid to say that prayer for yourself. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve said that prayer…even this very day!!  Ask God to reveal Himself to you, and ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Don’t allow the enemy any room in your asking. 1John4:1  He will not fail us.

 

Don’t take my word for all of this.  Search out the scriptures. Ask God to show you. Trust and believe in Him. Step out in faith. He will lead you, guide you and show you what He wants you to know.

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your life. Too many people, churches, organizations, etc, for far too long have hindered or stopped the work of the Spirit of God due to unbelief. Be the one to say, “The buck stops here!”  Choose to believe the workings of the Spirit of God in the name of Jesus.  He will not lead us astray. He knows what we need better than what we know for ourselves.

Trust and believe. Trust and believe.

 

He will not fail you.    

 

Worship, Not Performance ... Commitment, Not "Going Through The Motions."

There's not a more insulting evaluation that could be made of me than for someone to say, "I think you just love music."  You see...it's so much more than that. (BTW…I forgive those who have spoken about me in this manner.)  It's about loving God and being all that He created me to be...a worshipper of the Most High.  It's about reaching out to others with the idea the common goal of worshipping God to the best of our abilities, no matter what our collective levels are musically. It's about working together as a team to bring glory and honor to the Most High.  And...I don't believe I can find the words to adequately express my feelings about how much I love God and just how important it is to me to bring my best offering.  David said in       2 Samuel 24:24 ... "I will not bring before my God that which cost me nothing."  You see...I learned this a long time ago.  I believe it.  I live it to the best of my ability...not just worship through music, but worship through every aspect of my life.  It's about stewardship and excellence...not perfection.  It's about worship...not performance.  It's about commitment...not "going through the motions."  (One of my favorite sayings is, “Let the worshipper arise and the performer diminish.”)

You see, I wasn’t raised in a Christian home.  I don’t have wonderful stories of how my family has loved God my entire life.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  When I realized that I had the talent of music, that’s exactly what I considered it…a talent, not a gift.  I was nearly 30 years old before I understood what an amazing gift it is that God has given me.  Up until that point, I had been a performer.  It was about performance…”Hey look at me…look at what I can do.”  That person doesn’t exist any longer.  That’s the “old woman”… not the Christ Follower, Angie.  You see, I am such a different person. Except for the fact that I still look relatively the same, I am not the same person.  I owe all of that change to Jesus.  He has changed me and will continue to change me for the rest of my life.  I owe Him everything.  So it’s surprising to me when someone would criticize me in this manner without making the decision to understand why I live my life so passionately for Christ…whether as a wife, mother, musically, financially, as a servant to the community, etc.  In all truthfulness, if I didn’t have the ability to live as passionately as I do, I don’t believe I would be where I am right now.  Life. Has. Been. HARD.  Hands down!! But Jesus…  Hallelujah!! 


So…I will continue down this path.  I will live my life passionately for Christ. I don’t believe in “going through the motions,” nor do I believe in “pushing people down to get what I want.”  It’s about living passionately led by the Holy Spirit.  In the times that are upon us, we need more passionate people for Christ…not luke warm Christians.  We need people who WILL speak the truth in love, not cover for someone’s lackadaisical attitude.  That’s what the church in the US has been doing for years, and look at the mess that this country is in simply because the church has not been what it should be.  Those aren’t my words.  Look for yourself at chapters 2 and 3 in Revelation.  Only 2 out of 7 churches were doing what Jesus approved of. 


I won’t apologize for my passion any more than I will apologize for being led to speak truth in love from the Holy Spirit.  We’re not to grieve Him.  When He leads us to speak, we either obey or not.  If I remember correctly, people who spoke the truth of God in difficult situations, they weren’t liked very much.  In fact, John the Baptist was beheaded for doing just that.


It’s about relationship with Jesus…not religion or religious traditions


Love God, love people…live passionately for both. Please God, even if it means not pleasing man.       

Superficial? A Wakeup Call to The Church.

Just now, my thoughts were drawn to a situation where someone, because of their insecurities, caused me to feel uncomfortable and unsafe whenever I was in their presence. (That being said, please know that God’s grace is sufficient in any situation.) I won’t describe the situation because that isn’t necessary.  What is necessary is sharing one very disturbing thing I see in much of our society…Christian societies,  The word “superficial” covers it.

 

Recently, I was reading an article and someone quoted a Christian visitor to the U.S. from abroad.  They said, “Christianity in the U.S. is a mile wide and an inch deep.”  I couldn’t agree more.  I think I may have broken out into applause when I read this.  It’s something I have felt and believed for many years.  In fact, although I love my Christian brothers and sisters, this statement is very accurate of, certainly not all, but much of the American Christian Church.

 

I ask you:  Does it matter what someone looks like…how they dress…how they wear their hair…what they drive…what school they attend…what sub-division they live in…what town they live in…OR what church they attend, etc.?  If we judge someone capable or incapable of sharing the truth of Jesus Christ simply because of some superficial characteristic they do or don’t possess, doesn’t that make us superficial?  And, what about someone’s past?  Because they were divorced, abused, physically, mentally or sexually, born poor, not raised in a Christian home, perhaps lived in a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, adultery, fornication, or homosexuality… if indeed, a person totally surrenders their life to God, making a true conversion, why should they be kept from serving God?  If someone is kept from serving God within a church by man because of a man’s inability to look beyond the surface or ones past…isn’t this being superficial?

 

Isn’t it the Bible, God’s word, that tells us that when Jesus died on that cross, He said, “It is finished.?”  Jesus took care of everything when He sacrificed Himself on the cross.  We like to quote those words, but do we use those words in our actions?  Of course God’s timing for each of us is up to Him and He does allow things for our benefit of growth.  Please understand that I do understand that aspect of the walk of a Christ follower.  But, all too often, I see favoritism, cliques and the like within the Church.  I have seen Christians discouraged because of superficial rules and regulations that churches place on people, deeming them, “not good enough” for service.  Really…is this God’s way of doing things?

 

Unlike man, God doesn’t look at our outsides nearly as much as He looks at our insides…our heart.  1 Samuel 16:7

 

About a year and a half to two years ago, I was going through what was probably the most difficult time I’ve had in my life.  And, let me tell you, my life has been a tough ride…not that I take pride in that or cannot look around and see someone else who has had it tougher than I have.  I want to keep a healthy outlook of who I am in Christ, where He has brought me from, and where He is taking me.  A counselor of mine once commented that I had been living in survival mode most of my life.  Once I thought about it, I couldn’t disagree with the statement.  Anyway, a couple of years ago, I was attending a church while all hell broke loose in my life.  Being led of the Lord at a special service, I went forward for prayer.  I explained what had been going on and asked for prayer.  I will say that God has addressed the issue that was at hand and I am seeing miracle after miracle in this situation…a situation that, quite frankly, I had given up on. (Never give up!!)  Now … all that aside … what I had to endure from those whom I asked for prayer from was ridiculous.  The next time I saw these people at church, they looked the other way, wouldn’t even acknowledge that they saw me.  In fact, it was nearly a year or more before they would even speak to me, let alone look at me.  And, to top it off, I was the topic of gossip.  It spread from these people to others who I was directly involved with within the church.  I cannot begin to tell you how hurtful this was.  I was a victim of circumstances, both in the situation I had asked for prayer for and then the ensuing actions of those who prayed for me.  I wanted to leave.  I wanted out.  I couldn’t stand how superficial and uncaring these people were.  All of this instead of support and kindness that I needed because of the issue I had asked for prayer for in the first place.  I couldn’t understand it at the time.  God wouldn’t release me from this church, even though I begged Him.  Eighteen months later, I still don’t understand the actions of these people (although I have forgiven them), but I can see how God is using it in my life.  If we allow Him to do so, He will use the hurts or bad things in our lives for His good.                      Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20  He will grow us and make us stronger.  Hallelujah!!

 

Now, I don’t believe God condones behavior like this.  This is not His way.  This superficial-ness and shallowness in our churches needs to leave.  It needs to be done away with…amputated!! (This is only ONE example over the past many years that I share at this time.)  I don’t say this as someone who is perfect.  I say this as someone who believes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23  This superficial-ness and shallowness within the church is crippling the church!!  I am grateful that I was able to look past these people to God.  Unfortunately, many people leave the church for this same reason.  Many will not enter a church for this reason.  Unfortunately, they don’t realize that they need to look past hurtful people within the church and look to the only One who can heal their situation(s).

 

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus sends letters to seven churches of that time which directly relate to the churches of today.  Only two of these churches were/are doing what Jesus approved/approves of…only two!!  Don’t allow yourself to fall into the category of the five that Jesus didn’t approve of. 

Church, we have got to not only wake up out of our slumber, we have got to get real!!  We have got to deliberately make the effort to get away from being superficial, cliquey and self important.  It’s not about us!!  It’s all about Jesus.  It’s about allowing the Savior of all mankind to work through us to save the lost from eternal damnation in hell.  I would love to tell you that every person in this world I like and want to be friends with, but that would be a lie.  I don’t like every person I meet, although I do make the attempt to make a connection with all.  That is the truth of life in a fallen world.  But…never…NEVER…would I want anyone, even my worst enemy, to spend eternity in hell!!  It’s God’s will that we all would repent and that none would spend eternity in hell.  2 Peter 3:9  God’s heart is that we would all repent and choose His ways.  I truly want my heart to reflect God’s heart. Shallowness and superficial-ness is not God’s heart.

 

I pray that we would all examine ourselves…examine our motives…compare them to Jesus through the Holy Spirit and scripture to see where we fall short.  Jesus didn’t die, defeat death and resurrect back to life so that we could have a superficial, shallow religion.  He died so that we could have a true, neverending, meaningful relationship with Him.  John 3:16  And, because He laid down His life for us, we should also lay down our lives for others.  1 John 3:16

How do I measure up?

In the book of Revelation in the Bible, John, the author, has been exiled to the island, Patmos.  He was in exile there for speaking his testimony of Jesus Christ.  While worshipping/praying in the spirit, Jesus spoke to him the things that are recorded in the book of Revelation. Although it is a challenging book to understand, it is the only book in the Bible that says:  “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of prophecy, and keeps those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Revelation 1:3 So by simply reading it and doing what it says, one will be blessed.  Sounds like a good thing to me!!

 

Jesus tells John to record what He is speaking to The Church.  There were seven different churches of John’s time that Jesus was speaking to:  The churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.  Revelation 2-3  These are Christian churches that had been under persecution and Jesus is evaluating them.  He let them know what they were doing correctly, but He also let them know what they were doing incorrectly, and how to correct their mistakes.  As I read these two chapters, I can see just how relevant these words of commendation, rebuke and needed action are to today’s church.

 

Below is a summary of the churches, their commendations, the rebukes of Jesus and the actions they needed to take to get back on track.

 

*The church of Ephesus had commendations of hard work and endurance, but the rebuke was that they had lost their first love.  Jesus called them to remember who their first love should be and repent.

*The church of Smyrna:  suffering persecution and poverty was their commendation.  Jesus found no reason to rebuke them.  Even in the persecution and poverty, they were faithful to Jesus.  The needed action he spoke to them was to fear not and to be faithful.

 

*The church of Pergamum remained loyal, but they were a compromising church; worshipping idols (idols of our time are:  money, cars, status, sex…anything put on the throne of our heart other than Jesus) and compromising in sexual immorality(adultery, homosexuality, etc.)  Jesus tells them to repent.

 

*The church of Thyatira’s commendations were love, faith, service and endurance, but they also were compromising and immoral.  Jesus tells them to repent.

 

*The church of Sardis was and effective church, however, they were a superficial church.  Jesus tells them to “wake up and repent.” (Whether in the church, or otherwise, we don’t have to look very far to see superficial people. Let’s choose to be authentic.)

 

*The church of Philadelphia was a faithful church.  Jesus had no rebuke for this church.  He called them to “hold on.”

 

*The church of Laodicea had NO commendation.  They were wealthy and “had need of nothing,” all the while not realizing that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.  Jesus found them to be lukewarm and said because they were neither hot nor cold; he would vomit them from his mouth.  His call to action to them was to be diligent and to repent.  (It’s not difficult to see this in today’s church as well.)

 

Take the time to read chapters 2 and 3 in Revelation.  Ask God to show you what may or may not apply to yourself these passages and apply and changes that need to be made.

 

Out of the seven churches that Jesus critiqued two…yes, only two churches did not need to be corrected.  Only two out of seven churches were doing what Jesus wanted them to do.  What does that tell you about our churches today?  No wonder we see so much negativity going on within the Body of Christ.  We are human…we need Jesus…period!  We need to be humble and obedient to whom He’s calling us to be.  Galatians 2:20 says:  I have been crucified with Christ; it’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Let’s be obedient!

 

If we find ourselves in a church like one of the five listed in Revelation, we need to pray for them.  Pray for their eyes, ears and hearts to be opened.  Pray how the Holy Spirit leads us to pray for them.  Also, and more importantly, we need to be diligent to keep ourselves on task.  We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus.  He will not leave us or forsake us.        

Oops, I did it again...but hopefully not the next time!!

So…today I was working on a project… silent…listening for that still small voice.  My thoughts ran back to a few recent moments where I was…shall I say…a lot more than a little angry.  In fact, I was completely enraged.  As I worked on this project, my thoughts were, “God, I’m so sorry…it’s no wonder I feel like I’m not gaining any ground.  It’s no wonder I feel like I’ll never be used in the capacity in which I know I was created for.”  I was truly repentant and no, I wasn’t having a pity party.  For a moment, I had let in some bad thinking.  What was happening is...although…or maybe because I am repentant, the enemy wants me to believe that because of my recent meltdown…putting it mildly…I will never get to be all that God created me to be. That is simply not true!!  Guard your mind in situations like this.  Learn to know who is speaking to you.  The enemy condemns.  God convicts.  There is a difference.


Then I heard that still, small voice.  He said, “Even Moses got angry.  He broke the tablets that had the Ten Commandments on them.  You’re only human…which is why you need me.”


I could have just cried in that moment, but I didn’t.  I felt relieved, grateful and loved.  I thanked God for sharing that with me.  I thanked Him for everything.  And, although I don’t see this as a license to continue this behavior in moments of anger at all, I do feel as though I’m in good company. (But, aren’t we all?!  Moses!!  I can’t wait to chat with him some time when I get to heaven.)  


Yes, I had a completely good reason to be angry. But, there is never a good reason for me to sin…which is what I did.  In my anger, I could have reached out to God, but I didn’t.  I was good and angry and I didn’t want to let go of it at that moment.


I think the next time I’ll stop, calm down and call on God to help me out.  Be angry, but don’t sin.


Anger is an emotion that is God given.  Even Jesus got angry.  The difference is that He didn’t sin while he was angry.  I think I better keep that in mind the next time the emotion of anger comes knocking.  Do you ever have this problem…or is it just me?  ;D 

So...who are you in the story?

This morning as I was reading my daily Bible reading, I’ve had a lot on my mind.  The recent terror of ISIS is so surreal to me.  At times I simply cannot believe that I’m living in a time where such atrocities are taking place.

I was reading Mark 5:21-43 where Jesus heals the little girl who was sick, but died while Jesus was on his way to heal her.  When he arrived he asked the people why they were so upset.  He said, “The child isn’t dead, she’s only sleeping.” At that statement the people laughed at Jesus, at which point, he had them all leave except for the parents of the girl and Peter, James, and John.  He then went on to heal the little girl.

So as I was reading this, I felt like the Lord was showing me something.  The world that we’re living in right now is crazy…but God is still in control!! Hallelujah!! As followers of Christ, we need to have a strong faith and trust in God.  Jesus put those followers who really didn’t have true faith or believe in him away from himself while praying for the little girl. 


Not too long ago, an acquaintance of mine was struggling with fear.  I was in a position to speak freely and heard the Lord speak to me what would help this person.  I told her of the scripture the Lord had brought to my mind and suggested that she speak it out loud because God’s Word never comes back void.  She kind of shrugged me off and then another in the group laughed and made fun of me because of what I had said.  Now, please understand that these were people who were on a worship team with me.  I could understand if people who didn’t know God would respond this way, but these were fellow worshippers of Jesus. This is much like the situation with Jesus healing the little girl.  Jesus put those who didn’t believe or take him seriously aside from the situation at hand.


Where we are in the history of the world now, we need to know who we are in Christ.

Do you know who you are in Christ?  Who would you be in this story?  Would you be one of the many who laughed at Jesus…one who doubted him…or maybe one who simply doesn’t believe at all?  For myself, I want to be the one Jesus allows to stay with him while he does the miracle of healing the little girl.  I don’t want to be the one who is asked to leave.


Search your heart.  Ask God to show you who you would be in this situation. 


I just read this morning that each of the 21 Egyptian Christians who were beheaded days ago yelled out, “Jesus is Lord” as they were losing their lives.  We need to know what…or rather who we stand for.  This is real, people.  You’re either a disciple of Christ or you’re not.  Choose wisely.


For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16