Tag: heart

I know you not

Matthew 7:21-23 KJV — Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

If I had a favorite movie star and I kept track of all that happened in their life, studying up on all their favorite things, what would happen if I just showed up at their front door and asked to go into their home? They would probably ask me, “who the heck are you?” I could tell them my name and that I’m their greatest fan, that I know their favorite color, their favorite food, every movie they were in, how many kids they have, how many times they married, and to whom, if they ever battled addictions, where they like to vacation, etcetera, etcetera and they still would not open their door embracing me and call me their friend.

It’s more likely they would call the authorities and have me arrested for stalking. They would say, “I don’t know you and you’re creeping me out.” No matter what I say at this point it would not convince this movie star, that never met me in their life, to just open their door and let me in. You can bet there’d be a restraining order put in place so they will never see me at their doorstep again.

Those of us that are socially self controlled understand this is not something acceptable to do. Sadly, This is what so many think is OK to do to Jesus. Those of us that call ourselves Christians but choose not to read His Word, or choose not to pray and live our lives completely surrendered. Some of us can tell you all about Jesus, what He did here on earth, and how loving, healing and forgiving He is. Yet we choose to entertain ourselves with the world and harden our hearts to any change that we need to make within ourselves.

Matthew 25:11-12 KJV — Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

I have experienced relationships in my life that have proved to be very one sided. As long as I was willing to join them in what they wanted to do, or go to their house every time, then they were willing to be my friend. If I wanted them to come to my house or do something I like they always had some reason they couldn’t. They were never really interested in me or what was going on in my life but they loved to talk about themselves and their lives. These friendships only lasted until I got tired of feeling like I didn’t matter.  At which point I would just stop trying and instead move on to friends that really cared about me too.

If I truly want someone to stay in my life and they really mean something to me, I will give them the most precious thing I have in this world to give them, my time. I would be interested in what they are interested in. I would want to know everything about them and would want them to know about me. If someone meant that much to me, I wouldn’t want to go one day without them in it. Once a week for a few hours certainly wouldn’t be enough time to know each other. More than likely this someone and I would be inseparable. If you saw me, you’d see them and vice versa.

As Christians, we want to be accepted into heaven where Jesus lives. We don’t want to hear Him turn us away saying, “I never knew you.” The question really is, Have we become friends with Jesus? How much time are we willing to give Him daily? Do we truly love Him, or is it our intent to just use Him to get into the door of heaven?

Faster than anyone wants to admit everything we spend all our time doing in this world will be gone. The only currency we actually have to give in this world is our time. No matter what excuses we try to use to excuse our choices we will still be confronted with the consequences of what we choose to do with our time. Did we invest it in the world and our current, vapor sized life, that’s here today but may be gone tomorrow? Or did we invest it in Jesus and our eternal, never to end, ever, life that comes immediately upon our exit from this life?

Matthew 19:29 KJV — And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Father God didn’t create us to be distant or indifferent from Him. No he wants relationship, a very close, intimate relationship with us. This is why He sent His Son to pay the price for our reconciliation unto Him. Have you ever loved someone so much it felt like life wasn’t worth living without them? If so have you ever loved someone that much but they didn’t return your love?

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

How can anyone expect to enter into His house if all they ever did in this current life was turn their nose up at getting to know the one person who truly loved them enough to sacrifice everything just to be near them. We can’t even love ourselves with this kind of perfect love.

So we must ask ourselves once again, have we made Jesus our friend?

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you as you seek Him with your whole heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lines clearly drawn

The battle lines are being more clearly drawn every day. No one will be able to sit on the fence for very long. There will not be a peace option.
[Read Mathew 10:34-35]

No, we can not all get along. Following the rules will not constitute social acceptance or the right to be free. Being quiet and agreeable, not rocking the boat, will not guarantee you will keep your life.

When you take God out of society and out of our kids’ education, His attributes are no longer taught as right, good, best, or most individually profitable. As a result, you have chaos of values, hardened hearts, and self-righteous entitlement that grows like mold, taking out all the good, and leaving it no way to reproduce itself in the future.

When you shut out disagreeable views, when you shut up those with the courage to stand alone for what they know is right or just, when you run away from what makes you uncomfortable or causes you to feel, ultimately, when you lean on your own understanding instead of seeking Father God’s understanding, your fall is Inevitable. Your understanding is either rose-colored, like cattle up to the very hour of slaughter, or you’re leaning on Father God’s understanding. [Read Proverbs 3:5-6]

Don’t mistake God’s understanding as rated G. GOD IS TRUTH no matter how hard it is to know, realize, watch, or follow. Unfiltered, unsweetened, no added preservatives, just 100% raw, organic, truth. Trust me, friends, that truth is not G-rated. That truth is not based on opinion or acceptance of it. That truth is absolute, universal, unavoidable, and governed by He, Himself, Creator, Almighty, God.

You can deny it, try to avoid it, you can even cause the majority to rule against it, but it remains true and someday will require individual accountability. Friends, not only is God’s truth not rated G, it also holds no partiality to chosen ignorance to it. We either walk in truth or we don’t, no fence option. [Read Revelations 3:16]

L.L.Q.R.A.P. Is our call to action. Look, listen, question, research, act, and pray.

Look – Information does not come to us by accident, not even the most unrealistic or profound ideas come without reason or cause. We must look at all information, not just what we like to believe or agree with. We must choose to open our eyes and refuse to conform to a majority in the wrong by turning a blind eye to the truth.

Listen – We must choose to listen to all aspects of possible truth even when it’s hard, against the grain, or even when it seems downright unbelievable. This takes courage and faith because we must do this without selfish motivation or preconceived ideas of reality and truth.

Question – We must question everything. Question all motives, loyalties, and desired outcomes without prejudice or close mindedness.

Research – No matter what, we can not stagnate. We must seek truth no matter how horrifying and ugly it may be. We must make it our full intent, our life mission, our ultimate goal to uncover the absolute truth.

Act – We must seek our role, our possible actions to stand upon the truth we uncover. What can we do to cause awareness, to bring sight to the blind and set sleeping captives free? Where is our place on the battlefield?

It is our God-given individual right to choose to die free or die a slave. We choose to submit to the powers that be and thereby enslave ourselves, or we choose to stand against them knowing our very life is at stake.

Prayer – Finally, but most detrimentally important, seek to hear the voice of God. There is no wisdom, and there is no truth apart from Him. If we haven’t heard His voice, we must find out why as if our lives depended on it. If we have heard the voice of God, we must seek to hear Him louder and more clearly every day.

If you are truly, without selfish motivation, seeking God’s wisdom, His truth, then don’t ignore your gut. Pay attention to your instinct.

The most powerful weapon we have against those who try to enslave us through lies, deceit, manipulations and fleshly comforts, is our ability to talk directly to Father God, given to us by Jesus’s life, death and resurrection. We do this through prayer. If we can not take action to stand upon the truth in any other way, we can still be a powerful help by bowing our heads to pray.

It’s time to choose friends. Which side of the battlefield will we fight on? There is not a middle ground. Once we decide which side we fight for, we must seek our position and help in the fight even unto death! No more silence, no more passing the responsibility to another, no more excuses. We must get up, put on our big kid pants, and fight for what we believe!

May God bless you and keep you as you seek Him with your whole heart.

God’s Attributes

The enemy saw God’s attributes and considered Him weak. He really thought he could put himself next to God without breaking a sweat. I wonder, does he regret all he did now? The enemy hasn’t even seen half of what’s actually coming to him in the real near future. He doesn’t know yet, the actual extent, of just how wrong he really was, when he mistook God’s all-encompassing love, goodness, gentleness, kindness, mercy, self-control, patience, etc. as weaknesses.


To overpower a person or take advantage of their gentleness, kindness, patience, or their love, so often wins the battle. But each time someone wins like that, they grow even more blind to reality as they pride-fully bask in the illusion of having won.


Reality is God wins! The war is won by Christ Jesus and those who courageously take the abuse of others, still holding on to His Will, His purpose, His ways, refusing to let anyone shake their faith, they come share in His victory!


You may be able to hurt them, knock them down, break their heart, but you will never be able to take away their victory in Christ.


2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT — We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair. We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.


The attributes of almighty God are not weak!

To turn the other cheek takes more strength than to fight back.


To do good to those who hurt you takes more strength than to get revenge.


To forgive seven times your brother or sister for the same wrongs they have done to you takes more strength than to disassociate.


To continue to serve the selfish and ungrateful takes more strength than to throw up your hands and give up.


In a world that so aggressively teaches and applauses focusing on self, it takes a lot of strength to put aside your wants and needs for others.


I’m stunned at how many people seem to believe that those who live their lives emulating the attributes of Jesus are weak. Wouldn’t it be wiser to remember who is being emulated? Almighty God, Creator, Savior, Judge! If you ask me, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who is weak and who is strong! Does it?


You can win a battle with temporary strength, but to win the war, you need everlasting strength found only in Jesus Christ.


Galatians 6:8-10 NLT — Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.


Until next time, may God bless you and keep you, as you seek Him, with your whole heart!