As a young man, it has been blatantly emphasized that men are suppose to be strong and not show weakness; that’s the culture we live in. Life isn’t always peachy-cream and sometimes it’s extremely difficult to be strong but we can’t show weakness because somehow we have associated weakness with loss of respect. I’m reminded of King David, when his son Absalom was killed. Yes, Absalom stole the hearts of the people away from King David but that was still his beloved son, so it hurt when he heard of Absalom’s death.
The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” 2 Samuel 19:4
The king is hurting and vulnerable, in a weak state. Instead of those around him allowing him to mourn the loss of his son, they basically told him to suck it up or he’ll lose the respect of his men.
Today you have humiliated all your men…now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall.” 2 Samuel 19:5, 7
This is a sad mindset that has not only taken over the minds of men in the world but also men in the church; that the men cannot show weakness or emotion. In working with teenage young men, I hear it all the time. Any male that shows affection, emotion or makes themselves vulnerable are called “gay”, “soft”, “punk” and other words that are no longer in my vocabulary.
In staying with the example of David, look at his life he had no problem showing his emotions. Read through the book of Psalms and listen to how David expresses himself. Christ did not die on the cross for us to keep trying to be strong; he died so we don’t have to try to be strong anymore. I don’t remember what movie it was that I was watching but I remember a scene where the wife had tried for so long to be strong and finally the husband told her she doesn’t have to be strong anymore and there she broke and became weak. I think we as men have a hard time showing others that we are weak. I can personally attest to this because there have been numerous times where I would do things just to prove my “manhood”, knowing that I didn’t agree with or didn’t want to do it.
Fellas, we are the bride of Christ! We must remember where we stand in this relationship; it is a marriage relationship after all. We are the weak one in this relationship. We strive so hard to be strong when on the inside we’re dying for help and Christ is saying, “you don’t have to be strong anymore”... It’s time for a divine exchange!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
We can never tap into the power of Christ until we first become weak. If we’re always trying to be strong then His strength can never invade our lives but the moment we say, “I can’t do it” then His strength is made perfect. 1 Corinthians 1 says that His weakness is stronger than our strength! So can you imagine his strength!! Paul said that he boasts about his weaknesses, he rejoices in the fact that there are some things he does not have the power to do. He does so, not as an excuse but as an open door for Christ to come in and show his strength. When I first learned this I began to confess that I boast about my struggle with pornography because I knew that I did not contain the power to stop watching it but there was one greater in me that was ready to fight for me if I would move out of the way. There are things in our lives that we don’t have the power to change or stop but as long as we keep trying to will it then it’ll never change but when we throw our hands up and say, “God I can’t do it, I need your help!” then he’ll gladly step in.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
An example that I use in the book that I’m writing is that of tag team wrestling. I used to love watching growing up. When you’ve been in the ring fighting for a while and you’re exhausted, what’s the best thing to do? You look to the corner and see your partner, Jesus, reaching for you to tag him but you say no I want to win it. So you continue to take a pounding until you can take it no longer and crawl to the corner and with all the strength left you reach up and tag Jesus. (How long will you take the beating before allowing him to jump in?) He’s been ready to get in so he jumps in the ring and bounces off the ropes to close line the opponent and quickly pins him. Victory! Jesus is standing just outside the ring, stretching, waiting for you to tag him so he can give you the victory. What are you waiting for?!
Aug 30, 2009
Aug 26, 2009
Taken For Granted...
Watching this video truly made me realize how much we take for granted as Christians. How can we be lukewarm and passive about our relationship with Christ when there are young people who are willing to lose their life just to pray or worship in public. Burn us up Lord!
Aug 24, 2009
What do you think about your sister?
“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” 1 Timothy 5:1-2
Paul is teaching young Timothy how he is to treat others and as I was reading this scripture the last line stood out, “and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity”. As I sit and think about my and other young men’s’ dealings with the opposite sex I have to ask if we have truly been treating our sisters with absolute purity. We often try to limit purity to an outward thing such as sex, conversations, physical touching, etc but it goes far beyond that. Purity must be a part of the core of our being. Our thoughts and motives must be just as pure as not touching someone inappropriately.
I wonder if God posted our thoughts, concerning our brothers and sisters, on a movie screen would people be able to sit through and watch it? We may never make a pass at our brother or sister in Christ but what thoughts do we entertain about them? Do we have lustful thoughts about them? When we hug is it out of a heart of purity or hormones? Love or lust?
In the previous chapter, Paul told Timothy that he must not only not allow people to look down upon him because of his age but also to be an example to other believers. One of the ways to which he is to be an example is in purity. We, too, are called to be an example to other believers in purity. If we truly desire to take on the character of Christ then our purity must extend beyond being outwardly pure. We must ensure that we are treating each other with absolute purity; that our motives are pure.
Search our hearts O God! Reveal those places of impurity in us that we may repent. Help us to regard our brothers and sister with absolute purity, in our actions, thoughts, and motives. Grant us your grace to cover our past mindsets. Invade our hearts, O God, with your love that we may seek to love sincerely and honor one another above ourselves. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Paul is teaching young Timothy how he is to treat others and as I was reading this scripture the last line stood out, “and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity”. As I sit and think about my and other young men’s’ dealings with the opposite sex I have to ask if we have truly been treating our sisters with absolute purity. We often try to limit purity to an outward thing such as sex, conversations, physical touching, etc but it goes far beyond that. Purity must be a part of the core of our being. Our thoughts and motives must be just as pure as not touching someone inappropriately.
I wonder if God posted our thoughts, concerning our brothers and sisters, on a movie screen would people be able to sit through and watch it? We may never make a pass at our brother or sister in Christ but what thoughts do we entertain about them? Do we have lustful thoughts about them? When we hug is it out of a heart of purity or hormones? Love or lust?
In the previous chapter, Paul told Timothy that he must not only not allow people to look down upon him because of his age but also to be an example to other believers. One of the ways to which he is to be an example is in purity. We, too, are called to be an example to other believers in purity. If we truly desire to take on the character of Christ then our purity must extend beyond being outwardly pure. We must ensure that we are treating each other with absolute purity; that our motives are pure.
Search our hearts O God! Reveal those places of impurity in us that we may repent. Help us to regard our brothers and sister with absolute purity, in our actions, thoughts, and motives. Grant us your grace to cover our past mindsets. Invade our hearts, O God, with your love that we may seek to love sincerely and honor one another above ourselves. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Aug 10, 2009
Work in Process
I know the last 2 blogs were quite sombering but I did want to thank those who contacted me to make sure I was doing alright. All is well! God is still great! In the midst of adversity vision and drive burst forth. As you can tell by now, I love to write and it's been a joy since childhood. As I ended my college years, I had a desire to write a book, at the time it was a book of poetry. Since then, that desire has come and gone. Well.....last month it came back and while it was here I jumped on it! So I am in the process of writing my 1st book! I won't disclose the title of the book because I don't want to get title-jacked! LOL But the book will be about my journey in overcoming my addiction to pornography, a must read that hasn't been fully written yet! :) For many years I was ashamed and embarassed to even mention it so for God to bring a book out of it is nothing less than God! We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The plan is to have it out by the year's end so PLEASE keep me in your prayers.
The current word for my life is AGGRESSIVE. I considered myself a "laid back" person which excused my passive behavior in pursuing life. Being passive lead to me being inconsistent which lead to compromise and God gave me a quote a few weeks ago that says, "a life of compromise is no life at all". This won't be overnight, nor will it be easy but if my motto for life is "living everyday on purpose with purpose" then I must begin to live life Wide Awake. With many other changes occuring in my life that will come to light in due time, I must remain in a place of total nothingness that God might become everything. I place myself back on the Potter's wheel that I might be broken down and made again.
I'm currently a work in process...
Jeremiah 18:4 "But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him."
The current word for my life is AGGRESSIVE. I considered myself a "laid back" person which excused my passive behavior in pursuing life. Being passive lead to me being inconsistent which lead to compromise and God gave me a quote a few weeks ago that says, "a life of compromise is no life at all". This won't be overnight, nor will it be easy but if my motto for life is "living everyday on purpose with purpose" then I must begin to live life Wide Awake. With many other changes occuring in my life that will come to light in due time, I must remain in a place of total nothingness that God might become everything. I place myself back on the Potter's wheel that I might be broken down and made again.
I'm currently a work in process...
Jeremiah 18:4 "But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him."
Aug 7, 2009
Who's at fault?
“Come on brah! Come on brah! Come back!!” These are the cries of a brother as he stands by while his brother took his final breaths before dying to a gunshot wound to the neck. Out of all the voices that I heard this week, this voice spoke louder than any other. At the time of hearing, they were just words but as this week is sinking in I hear the cry and desperation behind them. As I rode around this evening, I kept hearing that young man crying out for his brother not to die and it nearly brought me to tears. What pain he must have been feeling in that moment of complete helplessness, knowing there was nothing he could do to help his brother.
What unfolded next was not a surprise, his pain turned to rage. He began lashing out vocally to all who were in ear shot, blaming them for his brother’s death. Retaliation became his focus. Two days later the neighborhood was rattled by another flurry of gunfire but no one shot this time. (By no means am I saying he is responsible for this)When we lose someone or something we care about we want the cause of the loss to feel the pain that we felt; usually through retaliation.
As I reflected on these things, Daddy (God) began to speak to me.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” John 10:10a
We must see the bigger picture and what God is saying through this moment. We have all experienced loss or pain even if not through death of a loved one. We must first understand that God only gives us good things, not bad but he does allow bad to happen. Look at Job and all of the terrible things that happen, none of them were allowed until God gave the ok to do so. It seems that when we go through things the first one we blame is God. I can be honest and say that I have done this and at the time I felt so right in doing so. And because I felt it was his fault (maybe not all of it) it drove me from him instead of to him. My retaliation was to withdraw from His presence.
Brothers and sisters, I tell you that your adversary is not God!
“I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b
It is natural to want revenge on the one who caused you pain or loss but that enemy is Satan. This is the most important thing we can realize. Satan knows his end and he wants as many people with him in that end. He comes ONLY to steal, kill, and destroy, that’s his only purpose, nothing good. For every loss or pain that you have had in life it is the devil attempting to steal, kill, and destroy you that you might end up with him. *Let me make this disclaimer: Yes, the Lord can bring pain to our lives to get us back to him but death, sickness, etc are not from God.*
Romans 8:28 says, “that in all things God works for the good…”, not some but all things. At the same time, if we let them, those same things that were meant to work for our good can be used to take us out of that verse by placing bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts. Satan knows that God can take a bad situation and bring something good out of it so he works extremely hard to distort our view so we will not see as God sees.
In my relationship with Esther, there have been times where we found ourselves in compromise/sin. The guilt lead to repentance…
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10
But along with Godly sorrow (guilt) comes Satan’s sorrow (condemnation). Condemnation blinds us to the grace of God therefore holding us hostage to the weight of our sin instead of the liberty through repentance from the blood of Jesus. God did not cause Esther and I to walk in compromise but as we yielded it to him, he was able to work it together for our good; drawing us closer to Him.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
If we let it, the things that happen that should draw us closer to God will push us away from him. God created us to have emotions, to feel. When painful things happen we hurt, we feel. Just as that young man was hurting as he saw his brother die was real, the pain you’ve felt is real. God knows that and Satan knows that. In that moment they are both battling for your attention; which one will you allow to give you a response? Satan says lash out, retaliate, make them hurt like you hurt. But God says,
“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
Whether your pain was self inflicted i.e. sin or from the outside let God avenge and fight for you. If it is sin, walk in the grace provided by the cross; if it is from the outside allow the Holy Spirit to comfort you. If you want revenge on Satan, love harder, bless those who hate you, pursue God with greater passion. When you fall into sin, repent, accept the Father’s forgiveness and immediately be about Kingdom business, go bring someone into the Kingdom.
Job faced more pain and hurt in one day than many face in a lifetime. Many would have stood by him if he would have cursed God or blamed God; his wife even encouraged him to do so. But the Bible says, “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Job 1:27
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
Be encouraged, we have a Father who does not change like shifting shadows!
What unfolded next was not a surprise, his pain turned to rage. He began lashing out vocally to all who were in ear shot, blaming them for his brother’s death. Retaliation became his focus. Two days later the neighborhood was rattled by another flurry of gunfire but no one shot this time. (By no means am I saying he is responsible for this)When we lose someone or something we care about we want the cause of the loss to feel the pain that we felt; usually through retaliation.
As I reflected on these things, Daddy (God) began to speak to me.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” John 10:10a
We must see the bigger picture and what God is saying through this moment. We have all experienced loss or pain even if not through death of a loved one. We must first understand that God only gives us good things, not bad but he does allow bad to happen. Look at Job and all of the terrible things that happen, none of them were allowed until God gave the ok to do so. It seems that when we go through things the first one we blame is God. I can be honest and say that I have done this and at the time I felt so right in doing so. And because I felt it was his fault (maybe not all of it) it drove me from him instead of to him. My retaliation was to withdraw from His presence.
Brothers and sisters, I tell you that your adversary is not God!
“I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b
It is natural to want revenge on the one who caused you pain or loss but that enemy is Satan. This is the most important thing we can realize. Satan knows his end and he wants as many people with him in that end. He comes ONLY to steal, kill, and destroy, that’s his only purpose, nothing good. For every loss or pain that you have had in life it is the devil attempting to steal, kill, and destroy you that you might end up with him. *Let me make this disclaimer: Yes, the Lord can bring pain to our lives to get us back to him but death, sickness, etc are not from God.*
Romans 8:28 says, “that in all things God works for the good…”, not some but all things. At the same time, if we let them, those same things that were meant to work for our good can be used to take us out of that verse by placing bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts. Satan knows that God can take a bad situation and bring something good out of it so he works extremely hard to distort our view so we will not see as God sees.
In my relationship with Esther, there have been times where we found ourselves in compromise/sin. The guilt lead to repentance…
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10
But along with Godly sorrow (guilt) comes Satan’s sorrow (condemnation). Condemnation blinds us to the grace of God therefore holding us hostage to the weight of our sin instead of the liberty through repentance from the blood of Jesus. God did not cause Esther and I to walk in compromise but as we yielded it to him, he was able to work it together for our good; drawing us closer to Him.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
If we let it, the things that happen that should draw us closer to God will push us away from him. God created us to have emotions, to feel. When painful things happen we hurt, we feel. Just as that young man was hurting as he saw his brother die was real, the pain you’ve felt is real. God knows that and Satan knows that. In that moment they are both battling for your attention; which one will you allow to give you a response? Satan says lash out, retaliate, make them hurt like you hurt. But God says,
“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
Whether your pain was self inflicted i.e. sin or from the outside let God avenge and fight for you. If it is sin, walk in the grace provided by the cross; if it is from the outside allow the Holy Spirit to comfort you. If you want revenge on Satan, love harder, bless those who hate you, pursue God with greater passion. When you fall into sin, repent, accept the Father’s forgiveness and immediately be about Kingdom business, go bring someone into the Kingdom.
Job faced more pain and hurt in one day than many face in a lifetime. Many would have stood by him if he would have cursed God or blamed God; his wife even encouraged him to do so. But the Bible says, “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Job 1:27
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
Be encouraged, we have a Father who does not change like shifting shadows!
Aug 4, 2009
Humble awakening...
Today, I witnessed as a young man (16) took his final breaths and pass as a result of a shooting just outside of my job. Being responsible first for my children, I had to put them first so I was not able to think about what I had seen until an hour or two later. When it did hit me, I honestly did/do not know how to process it. I am usually outside in the very area everyday with my kids but this day we decided to go out earlier than usual, so we were back inside prior to the shooting. If I had pulled up in my car just 5 minutes earlier I would have been in the middle of everything. There are so many what if’s but God reminded of the I Am. When I woke up this morning, Psalms 135:5 was the scripture in my heart:
“I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.”
As I wind down my day, this verse still stands. I know my Lord is greater than all gods. The definition one of my teens gave tonight of “gods” is anything you give your attention to. There are often moments in life where things hit us unexpectedly and we don’t know exactly how to handle them; today was that type of day but God is greater. There is a verse in Psalms 119 that reads, “You are good, and what you do is good”. In the end, I stand on the word God gave me this morning, He’s great! In the midst of adversity, trial, uncertainty, pain, loss, our God is great.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2
“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth and it endures.” Psalms 119:89-90
I don’t have any profound words to give, I only believe that God’s word is my comfort. It stands firm and I believe just as it upheld those who held fast to it were sustained, I too will find rest in it.
Daddy, you do all things well. You are good and what you do is good. I do not question what you allow to happen. I know there is a season, time, and purpose for everything let your will be done. Father, I ask that you would open your word to me that I may find comfort and understanding. Your word is eternal and does not change so I believe this day will work together for good. I pray that your word would speak to every heart that is not at peace and we would believe your ear is attentive to our cry. And as we lay our cares upon you that you would lay upon us your peace that passes all understanding. Lord, you are great! Let us encounter a greater measure of your love and grace in our times of adversity and pain. You have sent us your precious Holy Spirit as a comforter, let us never forget that!
Father, I thank you for life. I thank you for the little things that I often take for granted. I thank you for friends and family and even for foes. May I live every day of my life. May your love shine through me like never before as I realize your grace and mercy and love towards me. I repent for being ungrateful and unthankful for the many things you have given me, have mercy upon me! Baptize my heart with a fresh revelation of your love. I have never seen the righteous forsaken and know that you uphold your own. Strengthen us in our times of weakness. When we willingly boast of our inadequacies and inability to do anything on our own, may your grace and power break in. I love you, Daddy. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Amen.
May you find encouragement in the word of God.
“I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.”
As I wind down my day, this verse still stands. I know my Lord is greater than all gods. The definition one of my teens gave tonight of “gods” is anything you give your attention to. There are often moments in life where things hit us unexpectedly and we don’t know exactly how to handle them; today was that type of day but God is greater. There is a verse in Psalms 119 that reads, “You are good, and what you do is good”. In the end, I stand on the word God gave me this morning, He’s great! In the midst of adversity, trial, uncertainty, pain, loss, our God is great.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2
“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth and it endures.” Psalms 119:89-90
I don’t have any profound words to give, I only believe that God’s word is my comfort. It stands firm and I believe just as it upheld those who held fast to it were sustained, I too will find rest in it.
Daddy, you do all things well. You are good and what you do is good. I do not question what you allow to happen. I know there is a season, time, and purpose for everything let your will be done. Father, I ask that you would open your word to me that I may find comfort and understanding. Your word is eternal and does not change so I believe this day will work together for good. I pray that your word would speak to every heart that is not at peace and we would believe your ear is attentive to our cry. And as we lay our cares upon you that you would lay upon us your peace that passes all understanding. Lord, you are great! Let us encounter a greater measure of your love and grace in our times of adversity and pain. You have sent us your precious Holy Spirit as a comforter, let us never forget that!
Father, I thank you for life. I thank you for the little things that I often take for granted. I thank you for friends and family and even for foes. May I live every day of my life. May your love shine through me like never before as I realize your grace and mercy and love towards me. I repent for being ungrateful and unthankful for the many things you have given me, have mercy upon me! Baptize my heart with a fresh revelation of your love. I have never seen the righteous forsaken and know that you uphold your own. Strengthen us in our times of weakness. When we willingly boast of our inadequacies and inability to do anything on our own, may your grace and power break in. I love you, Daddy. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Amen.
May you find encouragement in the word of God.
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