Are You Slave or Free?

Welcome back heroes! I know it has been a long time; but, I was needed in sector 3412 to help quell the rising tide of the Red Lanterns in that sector. Sadly….Guy Gardner survived the fighting and is still around to annoy the rest of the Coprs; but, thems the breaks. Anyway, I am back and hopefully I have something meaningful and life impacting to say in my little blog. Well, most likely not; but, at least it should be mildly entertaining. That being said, have you ever just stopped and thought about bondage? No, not that kind of bondage! Get your mind out of the gutter and throw out your copy of 50 Shades of Grey. What I am talking about when I mention the word bondage are the shackles that we all allow in our lives that keep us bound up and chained.

Wait Mr. Kiefer did you just imply that I am bound because I allow myself to be bound? Whoa now Nelly, calm down and find your happy place before you burst that bulging artery in your neck; because, yes…yes I did. I am going to assume that a majority of you fine readers out there in the inter-web are Christians and this is why you have chosen to peruse my humble little blog here; and if that is indeed the case, then you have one distinct advantage over those who are not, and that is that you have already been set free.

The Bible says in John 8:31-36:

“³¹ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ³³ They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

It moreover states in II Peter 1:3-4:

“³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

In both the passages of scripture I just referenced, the author-who is the Holy Spirit by the way just to clarify-clearly states that if one comes into contact with Jesus and is transformed into a new creation; then, you are no longer bound but instead have been set free. Now that being said, let me clarify a bit. In both scriptures there are contingencies that must be met in order for one to truly walk out the freedom that has been given to them. For instance, Jesus states in the first passage that only by “abiding in My word” will you be his disciples and that that word will make you free. Now the term “to make” signifies that a process is being started in the person who, if they continue in it, will be made free. If continuing in Jesus Word makes one free; then one can likewise assume, that if a person makes the decision to discontinue abiding in the Word, then they will then stop being in a state of freedom, and will then be back in a state of bondage.

Moreover, in the second passage of scripture we are informed that by the power of God we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises; and through them, we have the power to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Moreover, we are likewise told that we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. So, if we have already been given the power to overcome the world and to live life in a godly manor; then as the passage states, we will escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Or in a different term, we will no longer be slaves to lust and sin; but rather, we will be a people who walk in freedom.

So, if both passages are to be taken as truth and believed; then, we can make the deduction that if we are still slaves to our old sin natures, then it is because we are allowing it to be so. Put those pitchforks down and put the pyre out and let me finish before you burn me at the stake! Honestly, I wish I could blame the devil, my circumstances, Hilary Clinton and just about anything else other than myself for all of the times I have allowed sin to continue in my life; but as I went to the word in order to study up on freedom, I found that 99.9 percent of the time it was my fault and mine alone. Peter talks quite candidly about this subject in II Peter 2:19-22 when he says:

“¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. ²⁰ For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,”^[e] and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

You see, Jesus already paid the price for my freedom when he went to the cross and resurrected from the dead. He already took back the keys of death and hell, and then through his love, grace and power transformed me into a miniature version of Himself. God Himself removed me from the place of servitude and slavery and restored me to my natural and designed place as a son and joint heir with Jesus Christ; and if this is the case, then if I then return to a place of slavery and bondage it is because I have chosen to. Now, that is not to say that without Jesus it is at all possible for me or you to walk in freedom; but what I am saying rather, is that He has already done the work and given us the power to walk in that work. Yes, we all fall and we all struggle; but, as we allow the Word to do its work in us and make us free, then we should find that sin reigns in us less and less and freedom more and more. We often talk about grace and how through it we can have forgiveness of sins, and this is very true; but Paul lets us know in no uncertain terms in Romans 6:1-4 that grace is not an excuse to continue to live as a slave to sin when he states:

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 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.”

Again we see in this passage of scripture the idea that we can and should walk in freedom; or as Paul put it, newness of life. In fact, Paul talks even more about the freedom we have through Jesus further down in Romans 6 when he states:

“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 done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been 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. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Here Paul in no uncertain terms that we should see ourselves as dead to sin but alive through Christ Jesus. In other words, my old man is dead and buried with Jesus and just as He was raised from the dead and death and sin has no hold over Him; it no longer has any power over me because, I have been raised with Him and have that same power of freedom working in me.

Moreover, he goes on to state further down that it is our choice to walk in this freedom or not when he states:

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul clearly states in this passage that it is our choice to walk in the freedom Jesus has given us or not. You see, what we give our lives to is what we become a slave to. In other words, if I continue to give my mind over to thoughts of sin; then, I will continue to be a slave to sin. On the other hand, if I give myself over to Jesus and to the word then I will instead walk in freedom and newness of life. After all, Jesus has already done the work and it is simply my job to walk in what He has already done. So then, if I am still a slave even though Jesus has done the work for me; then I can make the deduction, that it is because I am still choosing to be a slave.

Warriors and heroes we have been given freedom and salvation and it is now our duty to go out into this world of slaves and bring them the same freedom we have been given; but we cannot do that, if we are still walking around as slaves ourselves. Ours is a message of hope, restoration and freedom, not one of bondage to sin. We offer more than just forgiveness and love, but freedom and salvation as well. After all, if all our God has to offer is doctrine and theology, then what are we doing here? Thankfully, He is far more than just words on a page or a religious concept. No He is the All Powerful God who crated heaven and earth. He is the God who came down to earth in the likeness of a created man and paid the price for our sin. He is the God who raised Himself up from the grave and overcame death and hell; and He is the God, that has the power to back up all He said he will do for us and in us. You see heroes, He is the God that backs up our message of hope with the power that makes it more than just hope, but truth. 

Heroes Rise!

Welcome back true believers! Wait, I think that’s someone else’s catchphrase. How about: welcome back Heroes! I like that better. Why you ask? Well, because one thing I have learned over the last few decades of this life; is that we all have the potential to be heroes. We may not all have the opportunity to run into a raging inferno to save a lost puppy, or have the great misfortune of taking a bullet for a wayward kitten who has found itself owing a loan shark money; but, we can all be the hero in the story that is our life. Heroes take on many different forms and some are very outwardly noticeable; while others exist, hidden in plain sight never receiving the accolades they deserve. No matter the vintage of hero God has designed you to be, today is the day to suit up and get in the fight.

For years I wore a plastic Green Lantern ring that I had bought for a costume party. It was kind of bulky on my finger and I think it was even noticeable from space. (Well, at least it was from the spy satellites that I am sure are watching us. Seriously though, I am not paranoid. WHAT WAS THAT?? Never mind, it was nothing. ) A lot of my friends chided me on my fashion choice; but, I dutifully put it on my finger as often as it was prudent to wear; which for me, was especially when I was leading worship. My geekdom aside, I had a very specific God inspired reason why I wore the ring. You see, we all have a choice as to what kind of person we will be in this life. This choice is not just a onetime event where we are called by God to some grand and extraordinary calling; but, it is an everyday, every moment choice. You see, we are not defined nor made by just one event; but rather, by every moment no matter how small that moment is.

Why did I wear that ring? I wore it to remind myself of whom and what I was. I wore it, so that when sin, disappointment, fear, anger, hatred, sickness, trials and tribulation or anything else that this life and my enemy can levy my way raises their ugly heads; that, I would remember who I was and what I had to do. I am, and so are you, a child of the Living and All Powerful God. I am, and so are you, a Christian. The term Christian was first coined in the city of Antioch as a nickname to describe followers of Jesus. The term literally means: little Christ or little anointed one. Whereas, it was first used as almost a novelty term; it, later on became a term of hope that stuck and is now considered the most widely used cognomen for a follower of Jesus. There is no definitive historical date that one can look to to show where exactly this term became the predominant name to describe the church; but for me, it is telling that it did. In my opinion, the term describes perfectly what God did inside us and who we should be as CHRISTIANS; and that is, little clones of our Heavenly Father.

Before you fall into the current diatribe of the church and tell me that we are nothing more than sinners saved by grace, I would like to show you in scripture where God tells us we are so much more than that. In II Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes:

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

Moreover, in II Corinthians 3:18 Paul likewise writes:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

 I could quote a hundred such verses; but for posterity, I will just use these two. In both of these verses Paul describes the process of salvation. In the first verse he tells us that the old person that we were has literally passed away and we have become new. In the next verse he tells us that the longer we behold Christ the more and more we will be transformed into the same image. Do you see the correlation here? In one he tells us we have become new; and in the other, he tells us that what we are becoming is like our father in heaven, which is the image we are beholding in the mirror.

Now, I am not buying into the false doctrine  that states that we can become gods like Jesus was; but rather, I am saying that Jesus made a way for us to be transformed back into what we were always meant to be. He made a way for us to be transformed back into what we were created to be from the start; and that is, children of God who were designed and fashioned in His image. It stands to reason, that if Paul understood, as all Jewish people did; that if God created man in His image, than the image we are being transformed into is the image we were always designed to be.

Now, Paul does describe this transformation as a process that happens from Glory to Glory; but, what exactly is this process. The process, is not God constantly having to do a work in us; but rather, it is in us walking out the work that has already been done in us. This is why Paul likens it unto looking into a mirror. The more you look at the image, the more you become like the image. If Jesus had to somehow find more power for you; then, His sacrifice on the cross would not have been enough. Since we know that Christ does not have to go back to the cross daily; we can make the assumption, that the work has already been done. In fact, the bible states in II Peter that, “he has given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness.” This is where the choices I was talking about earlier come in. Every day we have a choice as to whom and what we will be. We can either give in to the sin nature that killed us to begin with; or, we can walk in the work God has already done for us on the cross and live as Christians who walk in the same power and authority as the God who created us. You see, God has already provided the power for you to break the chains of sin in your life and to choose to live free from it. Paul expresses this process very well throughout the entire book of Romans; but for me, Romans 6:6 states it the best.

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin"

Through Jesus Christ we have found love, grace and forgiveness; but, we have also found freedom and power. I have asked myself lately why we have not seen the church growing as they did in time of the apostles, or even like in the time of our fathers. If we are truly honest with ourselves we will see that the church is not really growing at all. Why is this? Currently in the church we have seen a resurgence of the doctrines of love and grace; so much so, that we have even at times taken them too far, and begun to teach that people no longer need to repent and change in order to be excepted in the family of God. Even these extreme doctrines have not really produced any lasting or significant growth in the Body of Christ. So if love and acceptance are not enough to bring people back to God, than what is it we are missing?  

What is missing is hope. What is missing is not Love and Grace, but Power. Why did the term Christian take off and is still with us today? It is because it became synonymous with hope and power. People knew then that if they needed help they could find it from a Christian. People knew that where ever they found a Christian, they found God; and with God, comes all the power and freedom of heaven.  People knew that if they were sick and nothing in this life could save them, then they needed to find a Christian; because, their God had the power to heal anything. People knew that if they were lost in addiction, then they needed to find a Christian; because, their God had the power to free them. People knew that if they were oppressed or even possessed by a demon, then you needed to find a Christian: because, their God has power over demons. People knew then that if they needed grace, love and their hearts healed then they found a Christian; because, their God had the power to bring all of those things and more.

People if we want to see the Church grow and people set free, then let us be heroes again. Let us be Christians again. Let us be people who not only walk in love and grace; but also, in holiness, freedom and power. Make no mistake however, this is not about being perfect; but rather, it is about throwing off the imperfect and embracing the perfect power of God that is available to us through His sacrifice, love and grace. Let us all be little cities on a hill whose light shines like a beacon cutting through the darkness of this life that brings hope to a lost and dying world. My favorite line from Dr Who is from the 50^th anniversary special where the weapon Rose tells the War Doctor what happens when people hear the sound of the TARDIS. She says,

“You know the sound the TARDIS makes? That wheezing, groaning? That sound brings hope where ever it goes. To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone. However lost. Even you.”  

This is what we should be as Christians. We should be ambassadors of our Father in Heaven and His kingdom; the hope and the light. Children of God lets remind this world again that where ever you find a Christian, no matter how lost you are, you find hope and the power to overcome anything, even death itself! Heroes let us rise!

Disappointment the Enemy's Weapon of Mass Destruction

Proverbs 23

Genesis 4

Isaiah 61:3

Psalms 100:4

Have you ever felt like the world is crashing down around you? Like every second of this life is filled with nothing but heart ache and troubles? Have you ever experienced that crippling pain of disappointment and defeat? Has life beat you down to the point that you no longer feel like it is worth living? Are you a person who is literally down on his knees crying out for answers that you fear will never come; and, you scream at the sky questioning God’s love and goodness. Of course, then you realize that the source of your sorrows is merely a small scratch on your brand new car; so, you get up off the ground, pretend you dropped your keys and hope that no one saw what you were really doing. Actual true story by the way.

Come on now, I know I am not the only person to ever allow his faith to be shaken and to throw a tantrum over something that was really just a minuscule incident in the grand journey that is this life. As my pastor in Florida used to say, “Most of us are like the rest of us.” I agree whole heartedly with that statement, and I have found it to be true most of the time. In fact, it is one of the reasons why the enemy always seems to know exactly what buttons to push in order to drive us over the edge.

As a strategist he is a master, because he has been analyzing and engaging with every make and model of person since the beginning of creation. There is no personality type that he has not seen, no anomaly that he has not come into contact with and not mastered how to defeat. This is why our illustrious enemy knows that the most powerful weapon he has in his arsenal to bring us quickly and completely to our knees is DISAPPOINTMENT.  Yes folks disappointment always has been and always will be the most potent assault you will most likely ever face.

Oxford Dictionary’s definition of disappointment is: the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations. So, what you are saying then is that the enemy has the ability to affect the outcome of my life and to actually stop my hopes and dreams from coming to pass? Well, not exactly. The enemy really does not have the power to sway the outcome of your life; only God and you have that power. But, the enemy does have one potent tool that he can and will use against you, and that is disappointment. Disappointment is not so much an act or incident as much as it is a state of perception. You see, what the enemy does is take your circumstances and situations and attempt to change your perspectives on them. If he can sway how you feel and believe on a matter, then he can essentially change your perceptions and annihilate your faith. He can, in effect, make your faith in effectual. When you are seeing your life through the filter of disappointment rather than the filter of faith you will never ever be able to overcome. In fact, if you are crippled by disappointment you will find that even the most minuscule of engagements will send you running with your tail between your legs. The bible says in Proverbs 23:7: as a man thinks in his heart so is he. (KJV) This scripture talks about the power that perception has to influence a person’s heart and change even the very fabric of who he or she can and will be.

Disappointment effects not only what you think and feel, but also your actions as well. A person who is reacting out of disappointment will say and do things that he or she would not normally do, because they are so deceived in their perceptions that they actually believe they are justified in their actions. Even though there are many examples I could cite from the Word of God showing how this principle has worked on people in the past; I will however, only highlight the one story that I feel is the best example of how disappointment can twist a person’s perceptions. That, my good people, is the story of Cain. 

Yes folks, the first older brother ever to exist. Seriously though, I am an older brother and I find that the enemy used his very same tactic on me. Just because you love your younger siblings does not mean that you do not wrestle with comparing yourself to them. In Genesis 4 God gives us the story of Cain and Abel. Cain’s offering is rejected by God, whereas his brother Abel’s was not. The bible says in verse 5: “Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.” Here we see that almost immediately disappointment’s ugly fingers are making a play for Cain’s heart. Now, we find God’s response to this in verse 6 where He attempts to encourage Cain rather than chastise him when he says, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” We all know the inevitable outcome of the story; but, I do not personally believe that Cain was just always a murderer waiting to happen. I truly believe that what happened was that at this very moment disappointment took root in his heart and drove him to commit an act that he never ever would have committed before this moment. 

In this story we see just how twisted a person’s heart and perceptions can become when they allow disappointment in.  Disappointment so twisted Cain’s perceptions that even though God told him exactly what he needed to do to change; Cain felt, that his only option was to kill his brother. Wait now, how can anyone become so deceived in their heart that they could possibly think that murdering their brother was, not only their only course of action, but justified? It may be hard to fathom, but here we see just how quickly a person can become so deeply deceived when disappointment is in play in their hearts.

I think it is so telling that God uses the very first story of mankind after the fall to show us just how devastating disappointment can be; and even though this story paints a very grim depiction of life, there is hope. You see, for every weapon the enemy can bring to bear against us, God has a far more powerful counter measure. You do not have to be a Cain. You do not have to allow disappointment to cloud your sight and to affect your attitudes, emotions and actions. Moreover, if you have already been a Cain, you do not have to stay one. There is more than hope for you, there are answers.

 The first is to cultivate a heart of thankfulness. Thankfulness is one of the natural counter measures to disappointment. Whereas disappointment tells you that you have been wronged, Thankfulness reminds you that you are greatly blessed. You see thankfulness gets your eyes off of what you feel God and life have not given you and on to all of the good things God and life have brought you. In effect, thankfulness tips your perception back to the side of light and life and away from darkness and despair; and, it works just a quickly and completely as disappointment does. If Cain had heard what God was trying to say to him and had been thankful for the fact that God had lovingly told him the way instead of allowing his heart to focus on only the current rejection; than instead of killing his brother, he would have redoubled his efforts and brought a sacrifice that could have been accepted. 

The second tool God has given us to counter disappointment is PRAISE. I want to make a distinction here, because I am not talking about Worship but praise. Worship is a different animal all together, and even though it is important, it is not the tool God has given to combat disappointment and depression. That distinction is quite clearly given to praise in the Bible in Isaiah 61:3 when it states that we should “Put on the Garment of Praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Praise works almost exactly like thankfulness; because when we praise, we force our souls to get our eyes off of everything else and to put them on to God and how great He is. So in his way praise is also a tool that God uses to change, not only our perceptions, but our very circumstances and realities. In fact, the bible clearly states in Psalms 100:4 that we cannot enter into the Holy of Holies without both thankfulness and praise, that’s how completely important and powerful these two tools are.

 People, it’s time to throw off the chains of disappointment that cloud our hearts and make our lives miserable and unbearable. Through Jesus you can do this; because no matter how far you have walked the paths of disappointment and no matter what you have done, God is greater still and He can and will move to change even the very fabric of reality for you. After all, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the One Who Was and Is and Is to Come, and there is nothing or no one in this life or the next that can stand against Him!

The Process of Regeneration: Old Things Have Passed Away; Behold, All Things Have Become New

                                                             

 II Corinthians 5:17

 Ezekiel 11:19  

There is no human being who has ever lived who has been truly different from any of the others who have come before them. We all want to believe that we are somehow more unique or interesting than others; but no matter how hard we try, we are still the same at the core of our beings. We all have the same appetites and desires. We all share the same basic fundamental biological needs; and, we all desire pretty much the same things out of life. A person can change his or hers appearance through body modification, a person can change the way they dress; but in the end, we are all fundamentally the same.  When I was young, I used to be so jealous of my brother. Everything seemed so easy for him, and everything seemed so hard for me. He was good with people, especially girls, and I was awkward and insecure. He could pick up a guitar or sit down to a piano and figure out how to play it without much help from my parents or a teacher; and me, well let’s just say that people, and most animals, are very thankful that I stopped trying to play. I know that I had gifts and talents as well; but to me, they just never seemed as good as the ones God gave my brother. I don’t honestly remember the exact year or date it happened; but, one day the thought was placed in my little head that God had somehow made me inferior to my brother; and that day, was truly one of the worst days of my life.

You may think I am exaggerating; but I can assure you, I am not. At first it was merely a simple thought that was placed in my mind by the enemy. It was nothing more than just a small little lie that should have easily been identified and rejected; but very much in line with the plan of the enemy, it kindled there in my brain till it became a raging wild fire that eventually consumed my heart and my very identity.

 I actually came to believe that I was fashioned, not only a bit different from my brother, but actually inferior to him. This thought so infected my heart that it spread to every relationship I had. I have to say, it must have been exhausting for my friends and family when I was young. God had designed me with a very active imagination and a mind that never stopped, and the enemy knew just how to exploit the weaknesses in that design. Of course, I now realize that with each distinct personality design comes, not only a weakness, but a great strength as well. When I was young, however, all I could see was the weakness. The truth of the matter was, and still is, that my brother was fundamentally no different than me. He was neither better than me nor made for a greater or more important purpose than I was. God did not look down from heaven when he brought me into this life and say, “Oh angels of heaven watch and see the inferior being I have just created. Well, don’t watch since he’s not worth the time. In fact, just ignore him he’s worthless.” Of course, that’s exactly what the enemy had convinced me had happened, and I spent all of my childhood and a lot of my adult life trying to prove to God, myself and the world that I was good enough. Of course, as anyone who has experienced this knows, no matter how hard you try nothing you acquire, no amount of praise, no amount of earthly love nor anything else you may convince yourself will help will ever fill that deep aching void you feel in your heart.

So, if nothing could fill this void in me, how did I finally break this destructive cycle the enemy had put me on? Well, I didn’t. (What? Spoken in a minion voice.) I could not break the cycle. Jason Kiefer in all of his imagined and real strength could not break himself out of this mental cycle. I could have become president of the United States (Kiefer/Inman 2032) and still in the deepest places of my heart, I would have felt inferior. I could have married the most beautiful loving woman in the world whose sole purpose in life was to tell me every day that she thought I was amazing, and still I would have felt unloved. A radioactive spider could have bitten me and given me super powers, and still I would have felt like worthless failure that had nothing to offer. There was, and still is, nothing in this world that could truly stop the slow and debilitating rot that had infested my heart. Sure, there were things that covered over or dulled the crippling feelings in my heart; but in the end, just like medication that only treats the symptoms of a disease and not the disease itself, the disease still remained slowly killing me. There was only one cure for what ailed me, and that was Jesus Christ. Now, anyone who knows me knows I am not a “Love Conquers All” kind of person. I am a warrior; but, the warrior could not just bear up under this and weather the storm of what was going on inside of me. The warrior could not fight his way out of the disease that was destroying me from the inside out. No, the only thing that could save me was the love of God.

I had a friend once who was praying for me after church and started to cry. She came to me later and told me that God had shown her that my heart was filled with holes and that I was always pushing forward and helping and ministering to others while my own heart was being torn apart. She told me she did not know how I had been doing it for all of these years; but, that God was going to change that for me and heal the holes in my heart. Now, I don’t tell this to too many people; but, I can count on my hand how many times I have actually felt the tangible presence of God when someone has prayed for me. This time, however, something supernatural happened in me. My heart actually began to heal. The only way I can express what happened, and is still happening, is to use a superhero analogy. (I know that’s so not like me.) The process is kind of like Wolverine’s healing factor. At that moment my heart began to regenerate supernaturally like I had a healing factor. It was more than just a healing that leaves scars; but rather, my heart was actually regenerating and becoming new as if it had never been damaged to begin with. In fact, because of the person I was designed to be, I am constantly putting myself into situations where my heart will be damaged; but in true God fashion, my heart is also still regenerating causing my heart to be in a constant state of regeneration and renewal. You see, all of my strength could not bring forth this change in me. Only Jesus could do that; and not only did he give me a healing factor, he helped me shed light on the lie that had been festering in my heart for all of these years obliterating  its power over me. You see, only HIS love could do that. Only by realizing that HE loved me and had made me for a grand purpose could do that for me. The truth of HIS love replaced the lie that I was unlovable and shattered the chains of depression and inferiority that had encased my heart.

We have it wrong when we talk about how God heals. If all God ever did was heal, then we would all be walking around scared and damaged. The very definition of scar is: 1. a mark left by a healed wound, sore, or burn. 2. a lasting aftereffect of trouble, especially a lasting psychological injury resulting from suffering or trauma. 3. any blemish remaining as a trace of or resulting from injury or use. Let me ask you something: when God heals or renews does he leave traces of the old life? No He does not; so by default, his healing cannot leave scars. So, he does not heal, but he regenerates. Everything God has ever touched or ever will touch is completely changed and transformed into a completely new state. The bible is filled with instances, and explanations, of this regeneration and renewal process. When Namen the leper dipped himself into the river Jordan he came up more than just healed of leprosy, but his skin and internal organs were completely regenerated. He was made new. When Lazarus was raised from the dead after 4 days of being in the grave, he came back completely restored and made new. No trace of the sickness that had killed him or the decay that had occurred over the past four days remained on him. Imagine if it had, instead of a renewed man they would have had a zombie. Funny to think about it that way; but let’s be honest, if God had just simply given him back his life, then he would have been a sick decayed body walking around. No, God did more than just give him back his life, he completely renewed him. The three Hebrew children after being thrown in the fire came out with no traces that they had ever been in the furnace, not even the smell of smoke was upon them.

 Moreover, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. He literally states in this scripture that what has been done in us through Jesus is more than just Salvation; but, a complete and utter renewal of our very being. Our old selves have passed away, or died, and we have been renewed, or resurrected, and have been made NEW.  What is new life? Well new life is the life of a new born baby. A new born baby when it comes into the world has not yet been damaged by the ravages of life. It is completely perfect and new. This is what He is saying He has and will do in us. He will make us like a newborn; a person who not only has no visible traces of damage, but a person who was never damaged to begin with. To use another analogy, its like when the Doctor regenerates in DR Who. The old doctor literally dies and a completely new person emerges. Even his appearance has changed. The person he was no longer exists, and he is replaced by a completely new person. Sure the memories of his old life still remain; but for all intents and purposes, he has been completely made new and given a new life. This is what He did and is continuing to do for me. He not only healed my heart, but removed all traces it had ever been damaged to begin with. Now, all that is left are memories, which are only echoes of a past that has no power over me. Its like looking back at a me that existed in some other reality than the one I now inhabit.  I will leave you with a scripture that, to me, proves this process is not only going on in me, but it is a Godly process that all Christians can believe for. Ezekiel 11:19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh. Rich Mullens uses this line in one of my favorite songs and I like how he paraphrases it, “I will give you a new heart and a spirit. Your heart of stone I will remove and put a heart of flesh inside of you. One I can touch, one I can move, and one that beats in time with the truth.”

    

A Tale of Two Brothers

Luke 15:11-32

I am going to take a break from the series I have been working on for a moment to write about something that is very close to my heart. I am not a perfect man and over the years, especially when I was very young, I had issues and did some things that I desperately needed the grace of God to forgive. Even though I have sinned, one thing I never really was was a prodigal. In fact, I always hated reading the story of the prodigal son and would cringe anytime a preacher would have us turn to Luke 15, because I knew what was coming. I know that this current generation is very enamored with this story because they feel that they were lost and are now found; but, there are still a lot of people, who like me, never really strayed from the Lord. People like me can not identify with the prodigal son story the way it is usually taught. Where as, I do understand the need for the story and the beauty of the love and restoration grace of the Father God; I do not however, really identify with the character of the prodigal son. I am, however, a father; but, I have yet to, and don't believe I ever will, face one of my children turning their backs on me and walking away. Since, my children both love and respect me I also do not identify with the forgiving father either. Yes, I do understand that the father represents God; but, there are a lot of people out there that have gone through this type of scenario as a father ,and this scripture does apply to them in that capacity as well. Now, I am not going to talk about the forgiving heart of the father in this post, nor am I going to talk about how we are all prodigal sons who are returning home to a God who loves us; so, if this is what you want to hear then you might want to skip over this post. If, however, you want to understand the other character in this story then keep reading; because, I am sure you will see things about yourself and God that you never really saw before.

First off, the opening line of this parable goes like this, "A certain man had two sons. (NKJV)." Well now, I thought the parable of the prodigal son was just about two people, the prodigal and the father. Don't feel bad if you missed the fact that there are actually three main characters in this story; because, most preachers have always told the story from just the perspective of two of the characters, and have relegated the third to simply supporting character status. In fact, the heading in almost all bibles for this parable is "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." Of course, if the Academy Awards have shown us anything, supporting characters are just as important to the story as the main characters, this is why they have their own awards category. I, on the other hand, believe that the older brother in the story is just as important a character as the prodigal is. As a story teller, I know that God would not have made it a point to declare in the opening line of the story that there were two sons, if both were not of equal importance. God is not someone who wastes time, and if the older brother was not important, He would have simply said, "A certain man had a son." The story would have had the same effect if there was just one son instead of two; but, he made it a point to give the man two sons, and this shows us that both sons are of equal importance to the story.

Now, before I go any farther I want to cover one point briefly that is of the utmost importance for us; and that is, that there are no supporting characters in the story of life as far as God is concerned. What? Are you saying that everyone has the same value in life as everyone else no mater what role they have to play? Why yes I am. This is one of the most devastating traps the enemy uses to, not only keep us back from the fullness of the destiny God has for us, but also to keep us in a state of depression, hopelessness and insecurity. You see God loves us all equally no mater our role in the kingdom and in life. If we were to measure most of the heroes of faith by todays standards, then we would not consider any of them heroes of faith. Paul, for one, was never the senior pastor of a church and had no real earthly success as we would see it today. In fact, he had to make tents in order for him to not starve. Likewise, once when he was preaching someone fell asleep and fell out of a window because he was so boring. Now, Paul did raise him from the dead; but, it was often said of him that his letters were so good, but he in person was lacking. In other words, people found Paul unimpressive and lacking charisma in person. In todays world, Paul would not be a superstar because he did not have the charisma we tend to look for in out great leaders; and yet, he wrote one third of the new testament and is responsible for most of the doctrine we preach today. So, if Paul compared himself to the other apostles, then he would have saw himself as someone who was less then the others and he would not have stepped into the fullness of what God had for him. This was one of the things that the older brother in the Prodigal Son story also wrestles with. When his brother returns and his father goes all out to receive him, he compares himself to his brother and becomes insecure. He mistakenly assumes that all of the attention his brother is receiving shows that he is of less importance, or loved less, then his brother. In fact, I would wager that his brother was always the daring and fun one while he was the consistent one. In life, since the beginning of man, people have always been drawn to the charismatic; and sometimes, people who are consistent and faithful can seem to be over looked. What God showed me about the older brother was that he most certainly had been wrestling with this for most of his life; and the return of his brother, brought all of those feelings back to the fore front. He was unable to see his own worth because he was comparing the response he received from people with the response his brother received. He, however, is not his brother; and, the response that he receives from people will be different. This, however, does not mean that it is somehow less then the response his brother receives. In fact, God goes on to talk about the rewards that the older brother has for his faithfulness.

Now, how do I know that his brother was faithful; well, because in the scripture it says, "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing." This denotes that his son was faithfully working and keeping his fathers house. While the younger brother was off wasting his inheritance, the older brother had stayed faithful and consistent to his father. No offence, but I would rather be the brother who stayed faithful then the one who left and came back. I don't ever want to be someone who squanders the love and grace of my Father God in worldly living. If this is who you have been, that is fine because God loves you and, after you have repented, He will accept you back s if you never left. But, being faithful is always better then being unfaithful; this is why, he says in I Samuel 15:22 "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams." Now, the problem that the older brother has is not in the fact that he was faithful; but rather, in his response to the return of his younger brother. You see, it is good that the father and the people excepted the younger brother back, and it was cause for celebration; but, the older brother could not see that because he was too focused on how it effected him. He was on the verge of missing out on the joy of restoration because he was being selfish. What? Wasn't he better then his brother because he was faithful? My personal gut response is, yes he is; but, in truth, no he is not. Both are equally as loved by their father; and the older brothers own anger was preventing him from seeing that his father loved him just as much as he loved his younger brother. Wow! you see what I did there I turned the story on its head. You see the problem the older brother had was not that he did not see the love his father had for his brother; but rather, he felt like his father somehow loved him less than his younger brother. How do we know this is the older brothers heart? We know this by his response which is,

"But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

This statement is not about his brother; but rather, it is about how he feels about his fathers love for him. He really believes that his father loves his brother more then him. This sad fact is not only keeping him bound; but it is also, keeping him from having a relationship with his brother. Now, I do not believe that the older brother is trying to earn his fathers love by his works; but rather is simply comparing himself to his brother. This is why the bible says it is unwise for us to compare ourselves one to another, because just because the responses we receive may seem different because we are all different, does not mean that they are in anyway less. This is exactly what the older brother was dealing with and what God wants us all to see here. Just because he killed the fatted calf for the younger brother does not mean that he loved the older brother less. In fact, you see, not only how much the father loves the older brother, but also the rewards he has for the older brother in the fathers response when he says,

³¹ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

In this one statement he lets the older son know just how much he loves him and just what his reward is. First off, he states that the older son will always be with him. This denotes a special level of relationship that he gets  to have with the father because he stayed faithful. Now, this does not mean that the prodigal does not get to have a deep relationship with the father; but, the more faithful you are to the father the greater level of trust and closeness you will be able to have; and at this time, the older brother has been walking in and will continue to grow deeper in that relationship. This is a direct statement of affirmation the father gives to the older brother. Secondly, the father states that everything he has is his. This again displays the principle that the more faithful and consistent you are in relationship with God the more you have access to the presence of God and his anointing. The older brother had access to everything the father had without any constraints being put upon him; whereas, the younger brother no longer did. That does not in any way mean that in time the younger brother would not be able to win back the trust of his father; but rather, that the one who had stayed faithful had always had it. Again this is another statement of affirmation for the older brother who was struggling with insecurity in his own standing with his father, because he was comparing himself to the response his father had given to his younger brother. Lastly, his father reminds him of the fact that he is missing out on the restoration of his younger brother because he is consumed with his own feelings of insecurity.  After all, his brother who was lost had just returned and he was completely missing that fact. I believe after this encounter with his father the older brothers heart changes and he is able to see; not only that his brother has returned, but how much his father loves him. You see, if you are not secure in how much your father loves you then you will never truly be able to love your brother. I believe that the point of this story was not just the restoration of one brother; but the restoration of two brothers. This is why Jesus makes it a point to say that the father had two son. It is the story of how two sons were restored to their father in two different ways. one through returning from his sin; and the other, by realizing that his father loved him just as much as he loved his brother irrespective of the differences of them both. If you are the older brother and not the younger in this story, know that God loves you just as much as he loves the prodigal. Don't let the enemy steal your joy and your relationship with God and your brothers and sisters, because he has you focused on what you feel others are getting, instead of what God has already given you. Just like the older brother in this story, you will always be with God and all that He has is yours; and nothing in this world can ever change that, so don't let the enemy, or your own false perceptions, ever let you feel less then what you are, a child of the living God!

Praise and Worship Part Two: Thankfulness the Key to the Gates

      

Psalms:100

 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;^[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,

    And His truth endures to all generations.

Have you ever been disappointed? I am almost positive that every one of you who read that first statement instantly had a pretty strong emotional response to it. I know this most likely happened to you; because, it happened to me when I was writing it. We have a strong response because it is impossible to get through this life without facing some form of disappointment. There is no human being that has ever lived that was beyond disappointment's touch. In fact, Jesus also faced disappointment. If you don't believe me then just check out Mark 14, where Jesus is praying in the garden before he is betrayed and crucified. Here Jesus asks his disciples to pray with Him, and they fall asleep after only a few minutes. When Jesus comes back to where they were sitting, He finds them sleeping instead of praying. He was disappointed to find that they had all fallen asleep in His time of great need. Now, unlike Jesus, we all have a tendency to allow disappointment to fester and grow in our hearts till it becomes the tool the enemy uses to destroy us; or at the very least, to steal our joy from us.  The bible says in Nehemiah 8:10 that: the joy of the Lord is our strength; so when the enemy steals our joy, he likewise steals our strength. This fact is why God made it a point to stress to the Israelites and to us as Christians in Psalms 100, that the avenue with which we enter into his is gates is Thanksgiving. You see thankfulness is the antithesis of disappointment; or rather, thankfulness is the tool God uses to break disappointments power over our lives. 

What exactly is Thanksgiving? Webster defines thanksgiving as: 1:  the act of giving thanks

2:  a prayer expressing gratitude 3a :  a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness. So, according to Webster, thanksgiving is the act of giving thanks. The definition God gave to me is very similar to Webster definition; what He told me thanksgiving was is, the act of cultivating a lifestyle of thankfulness. On the other hand, Webster defines disappointment as:  the act or an instance of disappointing :  the state or emotion of being disappointed. Moreover, Webster defines disappointed as: 1:  defeated in expectation or hope 2 obsolete :  not adequately equipped. So disappointment is literally allowing our hearts to be in a place where we are defeated in expectation or hope. So if thankfulness is the antithesis of disappointment; and disappointment is being defeated in expectation or hope, then thankfulness is cultivating an attitude of hope and expectation through being thankful for what God has already done for us. A person can not stay defeated and without hope if they are constantly being thankful. You can not steal the joy of someone who you can not make disappointed, it just isn't possible. Well, this is all fine and good but how does his apply to

Praise and Worship and entering in? I'm glad you asked, because I was just about to get to that part.

In Psalms 100 God tells us that the only way we can enter into his gates is through thanksgiving; which also then means, that disappointment is one of the things that can prevent us from entering in to His gates. You see what God knew about people then still applies to us today. He knew that when we get disappointed we stop believing and start falling into a place of defeat where we lack hope. When this happens we pull back and stop trusting God. This then effects our desire to be near Him. I don't know about you, but when I feel disappointed by someone the last thing I want to do is be close to them. Well now brother, just because I am disappointed does not mean I believe it is Gods fault. Where as that may true in your mind, disappointment has a way of infecting every area of our hearts; even, our relationship with God. You can not and will not draw close to God if you do not trust Him. Since the very definition of disappointment is to be defeated in expectation and hope; then, it stands to reason that if disappointment has infected your heart, you will not trust God enough to draw near to Him.  Worship is the act of blessing God by worshiping Him for who He is. If who He is to you is a God who disappoints; then you can not reach a place of worship, because there will always be a wall of disappointment standing in your way. The only way to break down that wall is to cultivate a thankful heart. What was it that made the Three Hebrew children and Daniel stand out from all of the other Israelites? It was the fact that they did not allow the disappointment of their situation to steal their thankfulness; and thereby, steal their trust in God. Daniel refused to see the lions den and the wrathful king, and instead decided to be thankful that God had shut the mouths of lions. The three Hebrew children did likewise, and instead of being defeated in expectation and hope by the disappointment of the fiery furnace; they rather, were thankful to their God for their deliverance before they were even thrown into the furnace. All of these biblical heroes knew what God knew when He made the statement in Psalms 100 about thankfulness. They knew that by cultivating a heart that is thankful to God for  what he has, can and will do for us, will shatter the power of disappointment in our lives thereby stopping it from keeping us back from the presence of God.

Moreover, praise and worship are both acts of blessing God and not ourselves. Where as it is impossible to come into contact with God and not be blessed or changed by Him; worship and praise, are institutions that were not designed for our blessing, but rather for Gods. In order to be in a place where we are thankful, we have to be in a place where we are no longer consumed with self; and, how can we bless God with our whole hearts, if our hearts are completely focused on ourselves? The answer is, that we can not. It is impossible to bless the Lord if we are completely focused on ourselves and our own problems. Cultivating a heart of thankfulness allows us to get to that place where we change our focus from ourselves and onto God. Disappointment prevents us from doing this by always keeping our focus on ourselves and what we perceive God has not done, instead of what he has and will continue doing.  I used to believe that the main reason that thankfulness was important was because it drew the heart of God. Whereas, this is a true principle, the more important person it draws is me. Thankfulness cultivates in us a desire to draw close to the Lord and to bless Him; and since Praise and Worship is about blessing the Lord and not ourselves, cultivating an attitude that creates in us a desire to bless the Lord is one of the most important things we can do. These principle also apply to Praise, and it is why God links them synonymously with each other as gateway principles that open up the doors to the Holy of Holies.  So since we now have unlocked the gates with thankfulness lets enter in to His courts with PRAISE...