Waging War with Lions

I've Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 04:40:00 +0000

So I moved today to Wordpress. Sad I know, but it was time for me to make a switch to something else. I hope you will still follow me over than and stay in touch. My new blog address is:

http://wagingwar.wordpress.com

and the link to my latest blog post is: http://bit.ly/aiwjE5

Hope to see everyone there!

Much Love,
Publish Post
Luke

Love is the Answer

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 05:11:00 +0000

Leviticus 19:18 “" 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 19:34 “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 10:12 “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”

Deuteronomy 10:19 “And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 11:1 “Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.”
Deuteronomy 11:13 “So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-“
Deuteronomy 11:22 “If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him-“
Deuteronomy 19:9 “because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the LORD your God and to walk always in his ways—then you are to set aside three more cities.”
Deuteronomy 30:16 “For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.”
Joshua 22:5 “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."”
Joshua 23:11 “So be very careful to love the LORD your God.”
Psalm 31:23 “Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.”
Proverbs 3:3 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Hosea 12:6 “But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.”
Amos 5:15 “Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.”
Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Zechariah 8:19 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace."
Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
Matthew 19:19 “Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "”
Matthew 22:37 “Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'”
Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Mark 12:30 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'”
Mark 12:31 “The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."”
Mark 12:33 “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."”
Luke 6:27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”
Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
Luke 10:27 “He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
John 13:34 “"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."”
John 14:23 “Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
John 15:9 “"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
John 15:12 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
John 15:17 “This is my command: Love each other.”
Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Romans 13:8 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.”
Romans 13:9 “The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."”
1 Corinthians 14:1 “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”
1 Corinthians 16:14 “Do everything in love.”
2 Corinthians 2:8 “I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.”
2 Corinthians 8:24 “Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.”
Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.”
Galatians 5:14 “The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."”
Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Ephesians 5:2 “and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”
Ephesians 5:28 “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”
Ephesians 5:33 “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
Philippians 1:9 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,”
Philippians 1:16 “The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.”
Colossians 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
1 Thessalonians 4:9 “Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.”
1 Thessalonians 4:10 “And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.”
1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
1 Thessalonians 5:13 “Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”
1 Timothy 1:5 “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
1 Timothy 4:12 “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
1 Timothy 6:11 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”
2 Timothy 2:22 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Titus 2:2 “Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.”
Titus 2:4 “Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,”
James 2:8 “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.”
1 Peter 1:22 “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.”
1 Peter 2:17 “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”
1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”
1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
1 Peter 5:14 “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”
1 John 3:11 “This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.”
1 John 3:16 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:23 “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”
1 John 4:7 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
1 John 4:11 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
1 John 4:21 “And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
2 John 1:5 “And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.”
2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
Jude 1:21 “Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
I could of made my point without all of those… but I believe scripture makes the ultimate point. Love. All these are commands to love. Love your God. Love your Brothers in Christ. Love your neighbors. Love All. Love unconditionally.
Love does not keep a record of wrongs. Thus the situation does not matter. EVERY situation calls for love. Look to Christ as the ultimate example to follow in. Love is the movement. Love is the final fight. Love is the loudest song we can sing. In this darkness. LOVE is the LIGHT. Be a light so that by it men can be saved. Just my thoughts today.

Much Love,
Luke

As Political As I’ll Get

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:46:00 +0000

The “Tense” posts are going to be continued, but I had a topic laid on my heart recently that I felt needed to be said. Some say that this is a no brainer, others will fight you on this until the day they die. I feel it should be said regardless. It’s Romans 13:1-2.

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

So put it simply: Obey your government and leaders. Obey the laws they make. Pray for your leaders. The leaders are there because God has put them there, good or bad.
I think in a society today that finds it cool to buck authority at every chance, this causes many Christians to flinch. I have to listen to those idiots? They can’t fix this, they can’t fix that, they lie etc. Doesn’t matter. We are told to submit to them.
Submit in this translation is based on the Greek word: “hupotasso”, which literally means place under in an orderly fashion. Submission. This is a huge thing. It’s about listening to those above you because you choose to and want to. It’s about the heart. It’s about your attitude. Are you willing to listen to them?
Many people aren’t, because they miss the part of this verse where it says “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Meaning God is behind them, There is a Boss behind the boss. Thus, we should obey them, by extension because they are there on the Lord’s behalf.
Look at Pilate as an example. He crucified Jesus, yet Jesus made it clear:

"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

There is a not a single ruler who has come to power, without the hand of God making it so.
What am I trying to say? You don’t have to like what your boss/pastor/parent/mayor/representative/president says and does, but you do have to obey him, and with a submissive heart. God has put that person in leadership above you purposefully. It’s not just to watch you suffer, God made that point in Romans 8:28.
If you want to show “resistance”, you do it with Godly living and preaching of truth. Not with violence, demonstrations, sit-ins and similar techniques.
There is only one exemption to civil obedience. When the authority in power, tells us to be in direct defiance to God’s Word. Then, we do not obey.
What does all this mean for you? Well first off, let me start by saying that it’s something I struggle with daily to keep in check, but nonetheless I do fight it. It means that you obey the laws, no matter how stupid, trivial, or obnoxious they are. Traffic laws, speeding, city codes, illegal music downloading, illegal drug use, drinking underage, helping minors drink underage, and so forth. When you break a law that isn’t in defiance to the Bible, then you commit a sin. End of story. Sin is sin is sin.
Why should you care about those “little” sins?

Sin is not to be ignored, nor minimized. It is the most patent fact in life, the darkest experience in the history of the race. It is the root of all the world's tragedies. It is that which makes "conscience a thousand swords," "the torture of an inward hell," "the worm that doth begnaw the soul." -James M. Campbell

That’s why. Because it cost Christ his life and it costs many a human’s connection with their Creator. Sin isn’t a joke. Don’t reason it into one.
So begin working on this in your life this week. See the areas where you don’t put yourself under the authority of those in power, and make a change. You will be blessed in the end for it. Finally, I leave you with this quote that sums it all up exceptionally well:

“We’ll all have to contend at times with unsaved husbands, mean-spirited parents, cranky bosses, and teachers who can’t wait for the end of the semester. Sometimes we’ll work for people we can’t stand. Or live with people who treat us cruelly. Or suffer under a government that consistently promotes evil. What do you then? Actually, you have many options. You can rebel. You can fight back. You can suffer in silence. You can complain to others. You can get angry and try to get even. You can appeal to the authority over you asking for a redress of your grievances. The most important thing is the attitude of your heart. You must submit to the one in authority in the sense that
you must believe that God has put that person in your life for a purpose and that God’s will is somehow being done in your through that person even if you don’t see it and don’t understand it. God says, “By me kings reign.” He takes responsibility for raising up one leader and pulling down another. He stands behind the ballot box and behind the armies that march and the navies that sail. He is Unseen Hand at work in the nations of the world.” – Ray Pritchard

Much Love,
Luke

A “Tense” Conversation…

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:34:00 +0000

It seems every time someone mentions the word theology, people flinch. It’s the stuff of dry academia and arm-chair scholars. I like to think differently. The fact is whether you are pure hearted, Christ-follower or a die-hard atheist, in the end you mess around with theology. As it is the study of God. So for the Christ-follower, he would have a library of thoughts and opinions on theology. The atheist theology is simple: there is no God. That is his study of God. Theology is dealt with by everyone and is needed for a Christian to grow closer and understand their Creator in greater depth. Which is why I hope to present you with a bit of it over the next three posts. Today, Justification.

Romans 3:24-26 - “and are justifiedby his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,whom God put forward asa propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Romans 5:1 - "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

This one you might of heard before. Justification, vindication, etc. There are a couple of different names for it. This is the beginning of every Christian’s life. The moment when they are saved. In the Christian walk, this is the past tense. A common way to explain it is “Just-As-If-I-Never-Sinned”. Hate to break it to those who use that explanation, but it’s a horrible illustration for justification. It’s not as if you never sinned. The best way I’ve heard it put was by one of the pastors here named Nick Floyd. He put it something like this:

You are in court, on trial for crimes against God. God is the judge. You are clearly guilty, it’s almost more of a sentencing then a trial. This is the image we have before salvation. Then Jesus comes and says, “though he is guilty, I will take his place. I will take the punishment meant for him. Let him off.” So here we are, clearly guilty. Waiting for judgment and here comes the man we’ve wronged. Instead of letting us have our deserved fate. He instead puts the judgment on himself. He takes off our prison uniform of sin and puts it on himself, while at the same time clothing us in his suit of righteousness. It’s not that we haven’t sinned. It’s just that Jesus paid the price so that we could walk, we are convicted felons who have had our sentence paid by another. From that day forward, we are seen as new creations. We take on the image of Christ and God chooses to look past our sinfulness and instead see what was paid at Calvary. That’s salvation, that’s the cross, that’s justification.
It’s the single moment in time, when you accept the offer that Jesus has for you to have freedom.
This is followed immediately by adoption.

Ephesians 1:5 -“ he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

1 John 3:1 - “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
Romans 8:15-17 - “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit ofadoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, thenheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

It’s the moment we see God’s motive for love, a deep, authentic relationship with us. We become sons and daughters of God. We have all the benefits and rights that come with being an actual child of God.
People sometimes ask, “How does He stand our continued sin after salvation?” That’s an excellent point, which will be covered in greater depth in the next post, but here is a glimpse of the idea. It’s a three-part system. Justification is the part of salvation when you are saved from the penalty of sin. Sin is still around us and we are still corrupted bodies, but no longer is there condemnation. Justification is the rescue from the punishment. Sanctification is the part where you are saved from the power of sin. It’s where through Christ, the chains and holds that sin had on your life start to break apart. This is the part that lasts the rest of your life. Finally the last part is Glorification, where we are saved from the presence of sin. Christ comes for His children. It’s where we are given the glorified bodies that are perfect and sin is gone in every way.
Try to remember all this today, and let it change the way you live life.

Much Love,
Luke

Prayer to Suffer, Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:49:00 +0000

Welcome back, I left on a real depressing note last week and I did that with a purpose. I’m hoping that purpose was fulfilled, that is to let it sink in. To most of the world, that’s not a depressing statistic. That is life. It’s a life Jesus has called us to reach out to. To try to do all we can for this broken world, for God’s glory. Let’s look at some scripture.
Luke 12:33
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Luke 14:13-14
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
1 John 3:17-18
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
James 1:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

So let’s see. We believe in God and Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Check. We believe that the bible is God’s infallible word. Check. Living out all the things commanded of us in the bible Ch—No. You see the issue here? If Christ is real, and the Word is true, we can not deny what has been asked of us.
How can we stand by Jesus and yet not do what he asks? This isn’t your parent, this isn’t your boss, he isn’t some teacher. This is the God who according to Psalm 148:5, commanded and all things were created. If we believe this then how can we dare make up excuses not to live these? Believe me, I’m no better than anyone else. My eyes have been opened to what’s going on around me though, and I can’t sit still any longer.
I said it last time, I’ll say it again. How can we really love thy neighbor, like our selves, when the world is so broken and we live such pampered existences? Is it just me or do we have a sense of entitlement? Doesn’t it seem like this is our life? Our luxury? Our everything? That we are entitled to it, it is ours, to do with as we please. How can that be so?
The cold, hard fact is when you are born, you are only guaranteed one, sole thing: death. If you at some point come to Christ, then you at that point, you are guaranteed two things: death, followed by life.
You may die the moment you are born. You may be disabled. Life in itself is a privilege. That air you breathe? A gift. The fact you have any place to live at all? A gift. The money you have? A gift. Your family? A gift. Your moments of peace? A gift.
All these things are given to us, as gifts. Gifts with a clause. They are all meant to be used to glorify God and make His name known. They aren’t for us to be lazy, happy, satisfied, unresponsive etc. Our satisfaction is in God alone. Not His gifts.
How can we use our gifts to glorify Him? How can we help the poor and needy in this world? By acting. Not waiting. We are richer than most of the world. We have better educations than most of the world. So what is to stop you right this moment from doing something? Nothing. Jesus took 12 of the dumbest, most ignorant and clueless people he could find, absolute nobody’s, and changed the world as it was known.
He does not call the equipped. He equips the called. You saw those verses, at the beginning of this, you’ve been called. I’ve been called. As believers, we’ve all been called. Do we forget that it’s the God of endless power and miracles from the bible who lives in us?
Are you unsatisfied with the way, we show our “love” for others? I am. What are you going to do?

Much Love,
Luke
“What are you afraid of? Let God act. Abandon yourself to Him. You will suffer, but you will suffer with love, peace and consolation. You will fight, but you can carry off the victory, and God Himself, after having fought with you, will crown you with His own hand. You will weep, but your tears will be sweet, and God Himself will come with satisfaction to dry them. You will not be free any longer to give yourself up to your tyrannical passions, but you will sacrifice your liberty freely, and you will enter into a new liberty unknown to the world, in which you will do nothing except for love.” - Francois Fenelon

Quick Update and a Random Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:59:00 +0000

For the record, I’m not done with the Prayer to Suffer series. It’s just going to take a bit of time to get around to ha. I wanted to give those of you wondering why I haven’t been so quick to write as of late, an idea of what I’ve been up to.

First of all I graduate from Fayetteville High School in two days. So finals. Lot’s of finals. Goodbyes as well. Those will keep you busy. Also, I just started working as an intern for my church, First Baptist Church of Springdale. Awesome. I’m specifically working in the Student Ministry. I may be doing this for a month, or maybe a summer. Who knows?
I just moved this last weekend from my grandmother’s abode, to the church’s intern house. It’s me, two worship band members, and three other interns living in a small house with one bathroom. To be perfectly honest… it’s fantastic. I’m having more fun living with these driven guys seeking to glorify God in all they do, then I think I ever had living with people. It’s going to be one incredible experience.
I realize this isn’t much of a post since after all, I’m not talking much about anything, but I couldn’t stand not updating you with at least why I’m not updating you. Ha. I will try to get another new post around sometime soon. In the mean time, I thought I would share some prose I wrote that my friend, Jessica, suggested I post. Check it out:

These Small Things

Of all the understanding I’ve come to know,

One of the greatest is the life that is in the small things.

Some people go their whole lives without knowing it.

You see, everyone puts such weight in the big things,

and that’s all good and well but they forget the small things.

Lord help them, they’ve truly forgotten the small things.

If I met Death today I would not see those big things,

for most of those I’ve never even reached.

No, I would not look back on them,

for it is the moment that is remembered and not I.

Instead, I will see the small things,

for that is where my life was lived.

Those sweet moments.

Those moments when you look a beautiful woman in the eyes and you both drink in the soft affection.

The moments when the sun shines on the blacktop like diamonds, after a summer rain.

Those moments when out of the blue the wind arrives with a roar and the trees dance like they’ve known since time began,

and if you close your eyes and move with them, you’ll swear you can the music too.

The moment you taste a piece of chocolate.

The feel of a newborn’s hair.

The lonesome song of a mourning mother.

Like the day the Lord was with His prophet,

He wasn’t in the wind, He wasn’t in the tremble, He wasn’t in the fire.

Instead Elijah found Him in that still small voice.

I believe He is found in those small moments too.

So as you go, notice all of this world around you.

The people you love and cherish,

or your lack of such folk.

The bricks and mortar that surround you,

or rivers and woods that free you.

The joy or sadness of your latest state.

Take heed and live those small moments.

Whether you live but a day or a century will never matter.

For each of those moments is a life time,

and at the end you’ll say I lived full and free.

At the end, that will be enough.

Much Love,

Luke

Prayer to Suffer, Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:21:00 +0000

I have an optimistic vision for the future of the Church. The youth are rising up and preparing to take their place in the leadership. They are no longer satisfied with this thing we’ve made, this hypocrisy. They are longing for the gritty, honest, hard, sold-out truth.
They are looking to throw aside rituals, the politics, the rules, all the baggage, even themselves to chase with full abandonment, the new dream. The Christian Dream.
This generation has seen where the American Dream has led Christianity and they are done with it. Instead, they want to give up on that manifesto and seek biblical truth and biblical driven dream that makes up a true Christ-follower. They are believing whole heartedly that they are to die to themselves, carry their crosses and seek God above all else. They want Jesus and only Jesus. None of the “fluff”.
They want nothing to do with the prosperity gospel. This group plans to to take the church to its knees and begin again with a true gospel-driven, Acts living agenda. We aren’t talking about a division or a new sect. We are talking about a revolution from within. There will be no compromising. It’s Christ or bust.
These people are patriots to God. Willing and hoping to lose it all to Christ’s glory. I’m one of them. Interested?

This all comes down to this. If the bible is true, then how can we deny verses like Luke 9:57-62. What about 1 Peter 4:12? How is it that we see all through Acts 2:42-47 the believers living the way they do and God adding to the saved daily, yet we seem to ignore it? Jesus showed us the way to live. He wasn’t rich, yet he was eternally wealthy
We hide behind our talks of abundance and blessing but do we really understand it? God gives us our abundance to steward and use to glorify Him and meet the needs of those around us! Not to watch Flat Screens, spend our money on fast-food and waste our time and money. No. I believe Jesus would look in disgust at such things.
Not with the following facts:
6.8 BILLION people alive on Earth.
Liberal estimate has 1/3 population Christians. (This isn’t talking true Christ-followers, but EVERYONE who says they are Christian, regardless of anything else. However, for the sake of this, we will pretend all 1/3 are living for Christ.)
That leaves 4.5 BILLION people who are lost and on a path to a eternal Hell.
That’s not all though. Let’s look past spiritual need and look at physical need.
850 Million people will go to bed hungry every night.
11 Million kids will die before their 5th birthday.
This means 30,000 kids die daily from hunger and preventable diseases.
This means 1 kid every 3 second dies. 1…2…3… gone.
In some countries 1 in 5 kids die during childbirth.
20% of the world has no access to clean water.
1.6-2.5 million children die of diarrhea that is preventable every year.
In the least developed countries the average literacy rate is 51%
Afghanistan for women has a literacy rate of 12%
More than 1/2 of Africans do not have access to even basic modern health facilities.
This results in 10 million deaths per year from the four most common preventable diseases. Such as Diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria and measles.
Many countries do not have life expectancies beyond age 30.
Other countries, only 10% of the ENTIRE country is able to be formally employed.
Now for the real kicker.
1 Billion live on less than $1 a day.
2 Billion live on $1-2 dollars a day.
1 Billion live on $2-4 dollars a day.
4 out of 6.8 BILLION people are living on less that FOUR dollars a day.
Quoting a book by Peter Greer and Phil Smith “The wealthy, and that includes everyone reading this, lead lives that many of the four billion living on less than 4 dollars a day consider an unreachable dream.”
Can we truly say we are loving thy neighbor as thy self and saying we are caring for the least when we look at all we have and how much they are in need? I can’t. I’m not sure Jesus would either. Think about it. I’m not done with this. Be ready for more.

Much Love,
Luke

Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:38:00 +0000

Leader or Servant?

Leadership, something I’ve always revered. A leader, something I’ve always wanted to be. I asked and thanks to God, I received. He has blessed me with a some excellent leadership opportunities over the last few years. I want to dispense some of those things, I’ve learned in my short time in those shoes.
Jesus was and is, a leader. No doubt about it. He led His disciples, He conducts over all creation, etc. However, for most of the bible, beyond public speaking, you see very little “leading”. What do you see?
Instead you see a servant. He puts others over himself numerous times. Why is that? Well first look to Mark 10:45. Now there is your reason: he wasn’t here to lead. He was here to serve and to sacrifice. That may make you speculate, so was he a leader? Well, it’s clear all throughout the Word that Jesus is, most certainly, a leader.

Sacrifice

The answer lies in that to lead, you must serve and sacrifice. A leader isn’t a station of exaltation, all on it’s own. A leader removes “self” from the equation and instead takes on a role for all who he leads over. His “self” is still there but it’s after everyone else. A leader after doing that, takes on the worries, issues, and situations of the group and makes it his main priority. There lies the sacrifice. You sacrifice “self” and all the baggage that comes with that for the greater good. The honor that often comes with being a leader, is a result of that sacrifice. It’s an honor because it’s laborious. If it was straightforward everyone would be a leader. Leadership as we all know requires an abundance of responsibility and competency. That is because of that sacrifice, it’s not easy to keep and hence takes a whole lot to keep that commitment.

Matthew 20:16 "In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen."

That’s the ticket right there. It fires the old concept of being a leader out the window. The leader will be last, and the servant will be first. This verse has a lot to be said about it. However this is the motif for this material. If you feel called by God to be a leader in some type of embodiment, then listen. It’s not undoubtedly going to be prestigious, it will come at a cost, and you are to be held at a much higher level of accountability. MANY are called. FEW are chosen.
That’s not to scare you, that’s being real with you. I’ve only seen it on a rather small scale and let me tell you, it gets real serious, real fast, without regard to what kind of leadership.

Know Your Faults and Limits

I want to also talk on another matter though. A few weeks ago my pastor, Ronnie Floyd, was discussing generosity. He said that you shouldn’t buy something if you are willing to give it away. If you can’t let go of it, then don’t buy it. It was a word on stewardship and the fact nothing is truly ours. All belongs to God and is given by Him to use for Him.
I want to turn that to leadership. Do not take a position of leadership freely. Discern and work through what it means to have that position before you undertake it. Don’t take a position in leadership, if you can’t let it go. If you can’t step down, then you shouldn’t be up there in the first place. Unlike material goods though, a position in leadership can shift direction and purpose over time. Realize this, and act accordingly. If things change and you feel those feelings invade that are making it harder and harder to let go or making you more and more possessive, let it go. Give it up. That’s often a signal to move on or at least take a break. I can’t speak with certainty but I wonder if that’s a reason why John Piper is taking an eight month leave of absence. If so then, good for him!
You can write novels on leadership and I have volumes of other things that I’d love to say, but this was what was on my heart. I feel that these two points are greatly missed by the leaders of today and tomorrow. This is for those leaders looking to take up the reins in the workforce and in the community, and it’s especially for those looking to be leaders in the Church. Think hard before making your choices. I’m praying for all of us.
Much Love,
Luke

“If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or the twentieth); if I cannot take the first without making a fuss about my unworthiness, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” - Anonymous
“The real test of a saint is not one's willingness to preach the gospel, but one's willingness to do something like washing the disciples' feet - that is, being willing to do those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but count as everything to God.” –Oswald Chambers
“If you serve others for the reward of gaining their admiration and gratitude, then your reward will be fleeting and ultimately dissatisfying. If you serve others for the reward of bringing pleasure to your Father God's heart as you work side by side with him, then you will gain eternal rewards.” - Anonymous

A Testimony to God's Work in Me

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 03:51:00 +0000

I want to first off apologize for not being as diligent as I should be with this. I've for the first time in my life become busy. Something I asked for and something I've received. That's a blessing and at times a challenge. I've begun leading a bible study on Tuesdays and Fridays in the local mall's food court. Most of what I use is off of here. This now makes my schedule, which use to be only busy on Sundays and Wednesdays, busy every day and night except Mondays and occasionally Saturdays. I'm working this in though! God has called me to this, and he still is! It's a lesson in managing time, prioritizing and such.

Also I promise I'll post stuff on my mission trip soon. It was such an epic week and so jam packed, that it has now ran together and blurred so much that it's hard to keep straight. It will happen though!

What I want to talk about tonight though, is a some things God has done for me as of late. This isn't to boast about myself, but to boast on the Lord and His love. All of this is to His glory, not mine. I'm trying to fulfill Jeremiah 9:24. I'll do my best to make the least of myself if you do your best to focus the most on God, deal?

I'm not a writer. Sorta. You see I grew up with a hatred for writing. It made my hand hurt, it was boring and I was much more interested in other things. Also, I had a huge issue with handwriting. Teachers cursed my handwriting for years. Even in 8th grade, teachers tried to give my parents those book that teach you to write. It was embarrassing. It's been improving slowly over the last few years but I'm still incredibly self conscious of it.

Over the last year or so though, I've been transformed. It started with letters to a friend, then grew into letters to myself over thoughts. This led to essays more articulated on those ideas. Those ideas led to declarations, which led to sermons, bible studies and this. I could of never seen this coming or planned it, but God took a weakness of mine and made it something of His own. I look back and I see signs and hints at this path he's put me on, but I wouldn't believe it, if not for the fact I'm living it. To be able to encourage others with words and ideas, is a blessing, but more than that, the true blessing is the Lord. The fact that He chooses to use me and in such a way that I can in no way take credit for!

This leads me to my next point. I grew up in a neighborhood with very few kids and far away from town and others. I lived a very solitary childhood as an only child. I became incredibly shy and timid. I've always been uncomfortable in crowds, talking with strangers, and speaking up. I also had issues when I was young with pronunciation and even had to be in speech therapy. Speaking was not a talent of mine or so I see it. God on the other hand, chose differently and it has been his will to change that.

I never believed I would become something of a speaker. Now God has blessed me with so many things. I'm a legitimate voice of advice in a bible study I attend, God has called me to lead a bible study of my own. I've received an internship with my church which will give many opportunities to speak before others. I've shared Christ with perfect strangers and I've spoken with boldness and authority that I sat down shaking, because I was surprised with my own speech.

Yet I realize now, it's not myself who speaks but Christ in me. As I grow in Him, I become less and he becomes more. I am able to do more, because I'm disappearing and the Spirit that lives in me is being revealed in greater view.

Many compare God to an ocean and how we see but the shore of the waters of His infiniteness. It's very true. As I dive in and become lost in my God, others become found by Him. I know it sounds strange, but I'm finding more and more the aim of a life for Christ is to get lost. It's only then we are found.

My point here is simple. You have hopes and dreams and ideas and visions and goals and all these things! We all do! If you want to accomplish them, quit trying to do it yourself. Give in to God. Worry first about him and losing yourself in Him and two things will happen. Some of those things you wanted, will disappear and you won't care that it happened. Other things you wanted, God will equip you to gain or receive. He also may give you things to do that are beyond your dreams and so much more fulfilling.

I am a modern day remake of story of Moses. I have all the classic themes he had and God has made me into something he wants. Like any good remake though, I'm my own story and have my own twists and turns. I'm a work in progress. So are you. God is writing a masterpiece at the center of it is Jesus and we all play an important part of in it. Regardless of what you are going through, beyond what you can or can not do, past your own understanding God has a story for you. He considers you important enough that He let his main character be murdered so that you could have a significant part in His work. Everything that holds you back, no longer holds you back. Your story is unwritten friend. Time to let the ink flow.

Much Love,

Luke

P.S. Yes I rambled a bit. Deal with it. =)

"The mercy of God is an ocean divine,
A boundless and fathomless flood;
Launch out in the deep, cut away the shore line,
And be lost in the fullness of God." - A hymn

"Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges and the infinity in which he is engulfed." - Blaise Pascal

What Is the Central Unifying Message of the Bible?

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 01:32:00 +0000

I want to introduce a friend of mine that I've mentioned in my blog before, Demian Farnworth. He has been kind enough to write a guest post. I know you all will enjoy it, and I'll be writing about my mission trip in Oklahoma City real soon. Stay tuned.

**Guest blog by Demian Farnworth from Fallen and Flawed.**

The Bible. It can be one of the most difficult texts you've ever read. But you know what? It doesn't have to be.

You can learn the the basic point behind the complex message of the Bible… without reading the whole thing.

In fact, I can tell you what it is in three simple words. But you have to promise me something. You have to promise me you’ll dig deeper beyond this simple cheat sheet.

You have to promise me that you’ll sink some intellectual and emotional capital into reading the Bible.

Promise?

Now, a host of suggestions have been made as to what is the central unifying concept that runs through Scripture. Let’s look at several attempts.

Holiness
Sellin, a German scholar, said the central theme of Scripture is the idea of holiness. There is no doubt that holiness is indeed an important concept. But that's not it.

LORD
Some scholars suggest the central theme is the word “LORD,” the Hebrew word Yahweh—the LORD, the covenant God. While a central theme, were not quite there.

Election
God elects Abel and Seth over against Cain. He chooses Shem over against the other brothers, Abram out of the many, then Judah, and so on. The principal of election runs right through all of the Scriptures. But it's not the central theme.

Kingdom
From the kingdom of Israel to the kingdom of God, kingdom is a reoccurring concept. But it's not the central unifying concept. There's more.

God and Community
Others say that what ties Scripture together is that God rules over his community. True, but there's something even more central.

Confessions
Still others argue that the Bible is simply a collection of different confessions about who God is. In other words, there is really no unity in God’s revelation. This is wrong.

Covenant German Old Testament scholar, Walter Eichrodt, says the theme is covenant. Close, but no cigar.

No Unifying Theme
And German Lutheran pastor and Old Testament scholar Gerhard von Rad says that there is simply no unifying theme. Again, an incorrect position.

So, what is the single unifying concept of the Bible. The deal is it's not just one concept--it's three.

See, the unifying themes of the Bible are covenant, kingdom and mediator. Throughout the Scriptures God makes a covenant with his people to create a kingdom where he will serve as mediator.

Why is this important to know? If you keep this fact in mind as you go through Scripture, you will understand more readily and easily what God is saying and doing in each text you read.

You'll immediately spot the covenant. Then the kingdom will emerge. And, of course, you'll see the mediator. Not necessarily in that order. But all three are almost always there.

In addition, as you preach and teach, it's helpful to keep these central concepts in mind and ask yourself, “How does my passage particularly relate to these three themes?”

This will naturally cause Scripture to come to life. Words will pop off the paper. Pages will zing by. And the stories will carry you up, up and away.

Now, go give it a try like you promised.

Through a Glass, Darkly

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:27:00 +0000

Hey everyone, sorry for taking over a week, busy stuff lately. I'm hoping the 20^th through the 28^th to provide everyone with something pretty cool. That event I talked about before, MOTION? We are going to Oklahoma City to share the gospel for the second year. Lives will be changed and God will move in that city. During that week that I'm there, I'm hoping to have some pictures for all of what's going on and provide some details and stories throughout the week. I just got to get a hold of a camera. Either way, prepare to hear some great stuff then. Anyway, enough with that!

What I want to share with you all is some insight God has revealed to me this week. First I want to share with you a story.

I've had glasses since 6^th grade. For the last year, I've really started needing them. I can do okay at school squinting and such and driving is pretty good, without them. Night time though, and if I need to find streets in an unfamiliar place, I'm blind. I'm nearsighted. All my life, I've been terrified of getting things near my eyes. I refuse to open my eyes in water, I've never used eye drops, fingers and other objects near my face make me fidget. I had a slight eye proximity phobia. Nothing I would let anyone see, but I guarantee if any of those things would happen the little guy in my head would be screaming himself deaf. Contacts were the tools of sadists and the devil. Just saying.

Well, I also have a huge disdain for glasses though, which is why I ninety-nine percent of the time was out and about half blind. Sometimes they caused headaches, other times they fell off. I didn't like how I looked, etc. They bugged me. So I finally came to the end of the rope. Contacts or live in my personal blurred cage.

So I did it. I made an appointment to get contacts. My entire drive there, I had some serious fears going through my head. It's going to hurt! It'll get stuck! Grotesque infections! I lose them! You get the idea.

Well I went into the eye clinic got my eyes checked and got to the point of sticking this thin little piece of plastic onto my eyeball. Lord help me. I did it though. Pretty quickly and effectively too. Then I did it again. After that, I popped them out (not literally popped them…eek.) and then put them in a second time. Awesome.

Here's the point though. When I put those contacts in, it was like I had never seen in my life. It blew what I had seen through glasses out of the water. I felt like a new man. I wanted to run and see everything I could, because it felt like I was seeing for the first time. It was such a great feeling, that I didn't go back to school that day. I decided it's a beautiful and nice day, I can see, I want to live in this moment. So I went about taking everything in for the day. I felt like I was seeing Fayetteville in a completely different way, a whole new perspective. That's what this story is about. Perspectives.

You see I had become blinded to what was going on around me. At some point I figure I had at least as good of vision as I had with contacts, if not better. Through time though, my vision waned until I came to where I am now. This didn't happen overnight. I didn't just wake up unable to see. It was a slow progression. For how many of us is that the case for our spiritual life? How many of us have had a slow progression into blindness? How much is that true for us as a whole? As a society?

The fact is humanity has been on a slow slide into blindness since the day we took the fruit. We wanted to have knowledge, but instead have become blinded with ignorance. Look at Romans 1:19-22 and Matthew 13:13-15. The word of God shows the same thing.

Back to you personally though. You can't hope for society to change if you can't even do it yourself. It's like the Casting Crowns' song "Slow Fade". "Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid, when you give yourself away.
People never crumble in a day." You don't become a murderer, a gossiper, a thief all in one day. You make a progression to a point where finally you reach a threshold which from where you use to be standing seemed to be impossible to cross, but now is but a mere footstep. We have to realize every time we have a sinful thought, we need to resist. Every time a righteous idea comes to mind, we need to go for it. It may seem like its just one idea, but they add up. One sin adds to another and suddenly you are something you never imagined you could be. One great God-given idea adds on top of another and suddenly you don't have to even think about doing it. You just do. We are creatures of habit. We need to always keep things in perspective. Every sin counts. Every good work counts. Neither truly matter in terms of salvation, except that Christ died for every last sin and that we are free of them. They do matter in a believer's walk.

I challenge you to open your eyes. Open your eyes and SEE. Break down paradigms. Listen\read\see thought-provoking ideas and challenging notions. Look into yourself and what you think you have down pat, rethink it. Look at every action you take, every thought you think. Take it back to the bible and check yourself against it. It's the only true perspective. Be courageous and ask others what they think of you. Ask them to tell you the good things and the bad things. Don't get upset; try to take in their perspective. Next time you see that bum on the road. Don't be quick to judge him. Think about all the different paths life could have taken you and realize you could have been there. Challenge the way things are. Ask what does it mean to worship? What does a relationship with God mean? What does it mean to love? You will be surprised at what you will find. What is God really like? We may only be at the shore of His Ocean, but it only takes 6 inches to drown. DIVE! Your world will only grow that much more beautiful and vibrant. Always remember to check yourself against God's Word though. It's infallible. Regain the sight you've been losing spiritually. So what do you say? Are you going to face your fears and see the world for what it is? Good and bad? You have my two cents, tell me what you think.

Much Love,

Luke

"When a mother saw a thunderstorm forming in mid-afternoon, she worried about her seven-year-old daughter who would be walking the three blocks from school to home. Deciding to meet her, the mother saw her walking nonchalantly along, stopping to smile whenever lightning flashed. Seeing her mother, the little girl ran to her, explaining happily, "All the way home, God's been taking my picture!" Fear is often caused by our perspective."

"Rather than saying "God, here is my problem," we should put the problem into perspective by saying, "Problem, here is my God!"

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - Henri Bergson

"Was blind but now I see." – John Newton

The Triune God

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:37:00 +0000

The Trinity. I've been putting off this topic for quite a long time. You see, I love theology. I find it fascinating. I spend nearly my entire school day, reading up on such things. I however deal with a few issues. For one, I feel anything that I could say, for the most part can be found other places, better said. Secondly, I usually don't get the full gist of it all. Finally, I have an even harder time trying to explain it then I do trying to learn it. I would consider myself fairly intellectual, but my realm of intelligence is emotional and inter-personal. Laws, processes, and definitions are tough for me. My theology is a very emotional theology. Not one that is swayed with my mood. Nor one similar to a impassioned church service invitation. Those are emotions from my head. I'm talking about the emotions of the heart. A God-centered heart specifically. So rather than giving you a textbook answer on the theology of the Trinity. I'd much rather give you my layman's theology, and if you hunger for deeper understanding, I'll point you in the right direction. Fair enough?

I've had to deal with criticisms of the Trinity since early January. You see I'm living with my grandmother who I love dearly, but who happens to be a Jehovah's Witness. Which in case you don't know. They do not believe that Jesus is God or divine. Instead they believe that Jesus is literally the son of God, as in God created Jesus before anything else and then had Jesus create the rest. They believe that Jesus is the archangel Michael. Not cool.

The Trinity in itself is easy to explain. Jesus is God. The Father is God. The Spirit is God. All three are God. All three however, are different persons. One entity, three persons. Easy to explain, hard to comprehend. Each has it's own personality, but nonetheless, each is still God. All three have been around forever, all three are just as powerful as the other, and no one is higher than the other. Together they add up to the Godhead. Three in one. There is only ONE God (Isaiah 45:5 ), and He since the beginning, has been three separate persons all at once.

There is a separation between the persons. For instance, Matthew 24:36 tells us that only the Father knows when Jesus is to return. This is the clearest example of the difference. There are plenty of others too. Jesus while on earth was fully God and was fully man. A balance beyond our comprehension.

You can't figure this doctrine out from any one verse. No verse will tell you up front, God = Three, same, but different etc. You have to look at the scripture as a whole. Which I believe puts off many people and they just nah, it's false. Shame really.

I've had many people ask, what does it matter? So what if they are or aren't three in one? Simply put: he whole faith rests on it. If Jesus isn't God, then as Christians we are doomed. If Christ isn't God, then what authority can he have to forgive sins, specifically our own? If he isn't God then our sins haven't been atoned and we are still dead in them. If that were true, they might as well have hung me or you on the cross, because that's about as much good as it would have done. If he wasn't also fully man, how could he be the sacrifice for us? Humans sinned, and humans were to pay for it. Christ couldn't just be God, he had to be human to pay a human-owed debt.

The fact is Christianity doesn't make sense without all three being God. The Father, justifiably holds humans rightfully accountable for their sin and expects the debt to be paid in full. (Romans 6:23). The Son, both God and man has a key role in it all. As God he has the right to say what would be an acceptable sacrifice. As man he can be the sacrifice. The Father then can accept that, pour our the full cup of wraith on Christ, and let the payment be fully paid. Thus, giving us the opportunity to have salvation through grace and mercy. The Holy Spirit then works in us to give us faith, and rebirth, letting us be regenerated so that we can lead a life of righteousness. Christianity relies on each and every person that makes up God. Without all three, you don't have salvation. Period.

This isn't easy. For a non-believer I expect this to be all but impossible to understand. Believers, even the best of us, are hard-pressed to understand it. That's okay though. We are human. He is God. God is infinite, why would beings such as ourselves have any clue of who He is? What makes us think we are even capable? The nice thing is though, in time, we will understand it all fully (Luke 8:17 NLT).

The main point is that Christ, as God and man, did die for us and in doing so gave us the ability to be free from the bondage of our sin. Its what you make of that part today, that truly matters. That's where the theology leaps off the books and takes on a life of its own. What are you going to do with that truth?

Much Love,
Luke

"Tell me how it is that in this room there are three candles and but one light, and I will explain to you the mode of the divine existence." - John Wesley

"The best theology is rather a divine life than a divine knowledge." - Jeremy Taylor

Lukewarm Christianity, Nothing Christian About It

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:00:00 +0000

I have a feeling that this post may potentially anger some people. I hope not, I'm not wanting to make people angry, it's against my nature, but if that's a by product of the Truth, then let people be angry. Jesus made plenty of people angry with the Truth. The prophets sure weren't well liked, and God has revealed to me that I have a gift for prophecy. By that I mean not Old Testament, future predicting prophecy, but New Testament "given the power to preach repentance to those who do not want to hear the message and to warn of God's wrath for disobedience" prophecy. Oh and thanks Wikipedia, for the excellent way of wording it. It's safe to say that this would fall into that category.

What this would be is simple. Pretenders and Posers. Or as the hip term for it is today, "Lukewarm and Casual Christianity". I'm sure most, if not all, have read of this or heard of it. It's an affliction affecting the Church in America. It's the idea of halfhearted faith and a lack of commitment to Christ. It's a disease that Satan uses to give people the belief that they are "okay" when they aren't! So many people are illusioned to think they are saved but are they? They can say they prayed a prayer, they can go to church, but if there aren't good fruits. I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe. I'm not here to talk you out of your salvation. I am going to question it though, for your sake, and the Church's. I'm asking you to look into your own heart and ask what's your motivation, what's your drive, where's your good fruit. Because, if you don't, then before you know it, a day is going to come when the Judge will and by then it'll be far too late.

Our nation has become content with churchgoing and religion, but I ask you, where is Christ? He sure is talked about and everyone seems to gather to meet with Him, did He not get the memo? Or is it that we are missing something. I'd say it's best to go with the latter. Where is your heart? The Church in a lot of places is content with believing, showing up on Sunday and Wednesdays, and calling it Christianity. To put it as simple as I can: that ain't cuttin' it. Even the demons believe guys.

In Revelation, Jesus addresses a letter to Laodicea. A church eerily like that of the American church. He tells the He knows all that they do and while they aren't cold, they aren't hot either. He wishes that they would just pick a side rather than toeing the line. He then goes on to say because they choose to sit on the fence, that He will spit them from His mouth. He goes on to talk about their wealth and contentment. He counters them by telling them they are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Ouch. From hero to zero, huh? How many of us are that way? Tell me, if Jesus was before you right now, would He say: "I know you friend, come sit with me." or would he say "I heard you call my name, but who are you?". It terrifies me, but I'm frightened that quite possibly a majority of "Christians" would fall in that second group. I have a sincere deep fear that a few of my most beloved friends are in that group. It comes down to truly calling on the name of the Lord. Something Demian Farnworth makes clear in his article on the subject:

"Ultimately, a genuine Christian, among other things, obeys God’s commands, reject this evil world, longs for Jesus’ return, loves other Christians and discerns between truth and error. Only when a person submits to the will of God can he accurately be described as “calling on the Lord.” And only then can he enjoy great confidence in his eternal salvation."

Need I say more on that?
When it comes to matters of the heart, it always at some point, involves love. Is there something you are having an affair with? Something you are loving more than Christ? You hear people talking about their relationships say: "Oh, I couldn't live with out him or her, they are my world!" Well what about God? The One you are meant to love above all?

Let's talk hypothetically here for a second. What if right this very moment you were told to sell everything you owned and give it to the poor. Would you? What if you were told to leave behind your parents, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, work, and friends and then follow? Would you? What if you were told to cut off your hand or pluck out your eye to keep from sinning? Would you be able to?

I'm not trying to convince you to do these things. I'm making a point. How far are you willing to go for God? How far are you going for God? How much are you willing to risk for this Love? Abraham risked his son. Gideon risked his army. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego risked their lives. When you truly love someone, there are no limits to what you will do for them. You also won't strive for the bare minimum. You would do what was asked and then some! If you love God, you'll follow his commands. Just as Christ obeyed the Father. Are you doing that? Honestly? Or are you putting more time in excuses and defenses and alibis then His Word?

I love the way Switchfoot puts this in their song Yet.

"If it doesn't break your heart
It isn't love
If it doesn't break your heart
It's not enough"

That's how it needs to be with Christ, your heart should be breaking over your lack of commitment, just as it breaks Christ's heart to watch us not live the life He has for us. A man I look up to in a big way, Tony Nolan, showed a picture the other day, of a sign in a hockey locker room that said: "Play the game. Don't watch it." Are we doing this? Or are we on the bench? If so it's not God's doing. He is yelling for us to get out there and get in the game. It's got to be on us. It's time we stand up and say we aren't happy with "okay", we want something more filling. God sure isn't happy with "okay". For some this isn't directed at you, some are doing quite fine, but it never hurts to look into your motivation. Others it's time to step up and decide. Search your heart and make some decisions. I'll be here.

Much Love,
Luke

"I'm finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole defense
Spinning infinity, but
The wheel is spinning me
It's never ending, never ending
Same old story
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?" - The Pretender - Foo Fighters

The Light Shall Not Be Overcome (Spiritual Warfare Pt. 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:39:00 +0000

That would be a reference to John 1:5 if you are wondering. I want to start right in on this. We've learned who we are fighting, and how to be equipped for the fight, it's time to get down into it.

How on earth (literally) do we fight against such things as ourselves? I mean after all, at first glance it seems pretty counter productive. What about the world? Being hostile to the world also seems to give the wrong image. Finally, how do we fight against Satan, when we've never seen him physically? It seems like we have a lot to deal with. Thankfully, Christ is on our side.

To begin with, let me give you some scripture.
James 4:7 says:

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

This passage, while being relatively short, has a lot of Truth packed into it. There are two main points. Submit to God and resist the devil.

Submitting to God may seem to be a no-brainer, but what does that really mean? To submit, in this usage, is to be obedient. How do you be obedient? Well, without going into a whole different discussion... read your bible. Since the whole discussion is warfare, let me put it like this. In war, soldiers who die, often do so because of one of two reasons. One, their commander was foolish and got them killed. Two, they didn't listen to their commander's orders and it cost them. Now when we put this into context biblically, our commander, Christ, isn't foolish. He isn't going to make a false move. That leaves one other way to lose, to disobey his orders. Thus, we are to follow his orders, and resist the devil, so that he will flee.

Now the resisting the devil part. It really comes into 3 parts: Be firm, be bold, and finally beware.

To resist, you must be firm in your faith, don't surrender an inch to any force except Christ (which in that case, surrender all!) You can't be on the line about how far you will go. Either pick up your cross and follow, or sit there, don't just tag along. Christ tells us in Revelation that he has a deep dislike for a lukewarm believer, so much so that he says will spit them out, just like lukewarm water. He would rather you turn away, than to pretend to follow. The reason, he gives in Matthew. He tells us that it is impossible for us to have two masters. So, by being on the line and not committed to Christ, you have in fact picked a side. That may seem harsh, but it's the truth.

Be bold! Proverbs 28:1 says:

"The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."

That's a bold statement in itself! You must remember that both God and Satan are compared to that of lions and for the righteous also to be compared to one too is no small thing. We need to be like lions! Why?

"So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:6)

God speaks clearly in Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Satan does all he can to stop us from doing what God commands. Through fear, doubt, confusion, all these are meant to keep us from moving forward. However with a boldness given by God, we shake off that fear and in essence look all evil in the face and say "You will not overcome." and then we just keep walking. If firmness is our resolve, than let boldness be our battle cry. If you ever want a passionate idea of that boldness, listen to You Never Let Go by Matt Redman. Whom then shall I fear?

Finally beware. I used this wording because it's the way it is worded in 1 Peter 5:8. I've seen others argue differently, but I truly do not believe we are to fear Satan. When we fear God, we have nothing to fear of Satan. I believe when they use the term beware, it is meant as be aware, not be afraid. We are to be aware of him and what he is capable of, when we do not trust in God, and stay under God's protection. We must not try to take Satan on ourselves. Ever. You will lose, if you try. Look at Jude 1:9:

"But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'"

Even the highest of angels, rather than trying to take on Satan himself, calls upon the Lord to fight for him. I'd say it's a pretty good idea not to try to go toe to toe with Lucifer, if the archangel won't go there. Better instead to go with your childhood instinct and tell your (heavenly) Dad that you have a bully picking on you. Let him help you out. He is more than willing to.

This leads to the pinnacle of the fight. We've talked of who we fight, what we are equipped to fight with, and how to do it. Yet we have yet to mention who we fight for, or better yet, who fights for us. That may seem like a pointless place to go, but there is no more important point to make.

Christ. He is the reason forces are up in arms against us. He is the giver of the protection via the armor of God. He is the one who calls us to submit and resist, to be firm, bold, and beware. He is the one that thousands of demons bowed down to and begged not to be tormented! Have you any idea how terrifying a demon might actually be? Yet they all shutter in fear of Him, and bow before Him. When Jesus suppressed the storm, his disciple didn't cheer, they stood in FEAR of man, asking "who it was that the storm obeys?". While he may not look so intimidating, He is God. I can't imagine a more horrific idea than being on God's bad side. That would make a real horror movie. Thankfully He LOVES us. We are HIS! Remember that! We must also always remember that Christ has already won. With his horrific death on the cross, he died as a sacrifice for our very sins, and bore the force of God's wraith, intentionally meant for ourselves. By being a perfect sacrifice and dying, he in fact put Satan on the cross, eternally. It's those two points that should encourage you in this fight against Satan! Remember and be joyful you are the Lord's!

Now all of this is really just a broad overview of spiritual warfare. You could spend a lifetime going over every detail. Some of these things will end up being talked about later in more in-depth discussions, nonetheless this is a good launching pad for it. I hope this series encourages you, as well as makes you more aware of the things going on around you.

Much Love,
Luke

"Spread wide Your wings, O God,
Relieve this scarlet fever,
Catch every tear of mothers in mourning.
Bring life to tired hopes,
Buried in fields of flowers,
Bring many sons of battle to glory.
With every drop of blood,
Caged in this tired body,
I long to bring my father to glory.
I see a new day coming!
Maybe tomorrow...
Woe to the king of nothing.
I see a clean blood running,
Brothers of sorrow.
Here is your kingdom coming!" -Field of Daggers - House of Heroes

The Holy Outfit (Spiritual Warfare Pt. 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:04:00 +0000

Okay maybe the armor of God, sounds better, can't blame a guy for trying though! It's pretty clear what this post is going to cover. Originally this was a two part series, but now I've decided to flesh it out into three. Just to much to cover to not make it that way. Let's jump in though, alright?

Gearing up for battle needs to be the first priority. Scripture tells us that we are to put on the full armor of God, directly for confronting Satan. The armor of God consists of the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness that comes with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, all gifts given through salvation in The Son.

Now I bet you are asking yourself, what does that even mean? Let me give you a little perspective. First we have the belt of truth. Of all the parts of the armor, I understood this one the least. A friend a while back made it pretty clear though. The belt in the armor, holds everything else together, it connects every other piece and it is also the first in the list. Thus, here we see the truth as the foundation of our armor. Biblical Truth keeps us held in Christ much the same way a belt keeps everything held to us.

Secondly we have the breastplate of righteousness, it's our main defense. It protects more than any other piece. Righteousness can be defined as living a life of justifiable actions, a life pleasing to God. This makes sense. As when we stay in accordance to His will, as written in His Word, we are said to be righteous as well as that being pleasing to God. It's interesting to note here that all of God's Word is for our protection. Limits are set and directions are given, so as to protect us from ourselves, the world and Satan. See the connection there?

Moving along, we have the feet readied by the gospel of peace. I love this one. It shows that we are to be light on our feet and ready spiritually, because of the peace that we have through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know what awaits us in the next life and what blessing are on us now, so we shouldn't have anything weighing us down in this fight. You might compare it to Hebrews 12:1 even.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

We also have the shield of faith. It mentions it's ability to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Thiss bit of armor is telling us to be strong in faith. The devil loves to try to play on doubt and fear. However strong faith in Christ, will stop such attacks without fail. Satan attacks from all angles, but deep rooted faith works as an penetrable barrier in our defense.

Our second to last is the helmet of salvation. This one took some time for me to get anywhere with, but after spending a bit of time on it, I realized that a helmet has one job. Protect the head. The head is the most vulnerable area of the body, it gets hit, and you are done. So a helmet of salvation is a protection given by our salvation in Christ from the gravest of injuries, namely that of eternal separation. No matter how grave and ill things may become, but nothing separates us from God's love that we received in our salvation. A good reference is Romans 8:38-39:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Finally, certainly the easiest of all the armor to understand, is the sword of the spirit, that is the Word of God. Here the sword is meant to be used both in an offensive and defense sense. Both to defend our faith, and also to attack that which is evil and corrupt. The Word shows time and time again, what the face of evil looks like, how to avoid it and how to instead follow a righteous path. That is the offense with the sword. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 lists the exact forms of combat in which we use our bible as a sword:

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."

This wraps up this part in the series. The last section will be more in-depth look on resistance and what else God's precious Word says about resisting the devil and all his influence. Be looking for the next part in a few days.

Much Love,
Luke

“I often laugh at Satan, and there is nothing that makes him so angry as when I attack him to his face, and tell him that through God I am more than a match for him” - Martin Luther

A Plea on Behalf of Those Silent

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:45:00 +0000

Hello everyone. I will have the second part of that series sometime tomorrow hopefully. However I have something else I feel like talking about more right now. I went with my friends Thomas and Jessica and her amazing family to see To Save a Life. I'll tell you now, If you haven't seen it, then you need to, it's something that happens every day in many high schoolers lives.

It brought up some good points that I feel are necessary to repeat. We all skip over the little guy, the geeks, the oddballs, the misunderstood. It doesn't matter who we are. Saved or unsaved, friendly or not. We all miss them. We see them and we think at the very most, ugh, I'll go talk to them, so that way I'm being nice. We do it out of obligation or out of image. We want to look a certain way or it's something that we don't want to deal with a guilt trip over. To some degree it affects us all.

Maybe for some of you, you are like that at the worst, but maybe some of you are worse. How many of you have at some point made fun of someone for being different? For wearing something different, looking strange, having different interests?

I won't lie. I have. Sometimes I'm the one guilty of saying it, other times, I've laughed and joined in following friends lead. I even left a school system because of it. I realized what I was becoming and I left. I got rid of doing the wrong thing. I missed the part of doing the right thing though. I refused to stand up for the guy that was being made fun of and discouraged. I kept my head down wanting to stay out of the light. When I did help someone, I did as "charity". I was hoping to look noble from it. I'm sure all you have at least one similar story to that. It's something I myself have to work on. You see as a Christian I skimmed over some really important principles.

If there something that needs to be made clear. It's this righteousness isn't avoiding the wrong thing. It's DOING the right thing. PERIOD. I'm sorry, but we need to get rid of our pharisees' mind set and get off our butts and really be righteous.

James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

Do what God commands. Not just avoiding what He says don't do.

He makes a truth we can't deny in Matthew 25:34-40.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Does that sum it up? That guy you feel "obligated" to talk to? That girl you laugh at for her looks? The kid who wants nothing more than to be liked? You might as well consider yourself talking to Christ. Would you feel obligated to talk to Him? Rather I would fear that I would be taking up HIS time. They say Christ looked unbearable to look at on the cross, yet you say you wouldn't dare laugh at him. Though you laugh at that girl? You want and beg for God's mercy and attention and he gives it openly, lovingly, and freely. Why wouldn't you do the same for another? Who are we sinners to pick and choose? Who are we to judge? We are people who have been adopted in our utter filth by the Holy of Holies, how dare us accuse anyone else of being lesser than ourselves. Do you do it because you are afraid of being persecuted like that person? Are you afraid of being alone? Well for being alone, I'll tell you, I'd bet anything that the person you stick up for clings to you harder than you could ever imagine. For persecution, look to God's word:

Matthew 5:10: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I don't even need to explain that one.

I'm going to share with you a little story of mine, that happened not too long ago.

My dad got remarried last May, it terrified me. Last time I had a mom in the house, my life was horrible. I had been an only child for 17 years and suddenly I'm told to be a brother. I had no clue how to handle it. My dad was stressed out trying to make sure it all worked out that he never realized the toll it was taking on me. I was freaking out because I wasn't sure how to be a good brother to these two siblings and my dad kept telling me be a big brother Luke! He didn't realize it was tearing me apart like this. My dad also isn't an emotional man, he's very stoic and so we had issues of just being understood.

Then I did somethings with my girlfriend that I'm not proud of...and before long, her parent's found out. Within a week, it seemed like everyone I cared about had shunned me. It seemed like the church had shunned me, her parents (who I was desperately seeking their love) shunned me, and a few friends did too. I knew I had done wrong and I felt ashamed before God over it, then when the church wasn't talking to me, I felt as though I wasn't good enough anymore to be a Christian. I thought if the children reject me, then what hope do I have with the Father? Her parents who didn't know it, but I was putting all my hopes in receiving love from them, refused to speak to me, I went from being the cool kid, who was well liked, had his act together and was someone you would take home to meet the parents, to a broken insecure wreck who couldn't find hope, and remember I was saved. I always thought I was a good person until that day came and then suddenly I thought maybe I had it wrong, maybe I was a really bad person, I questioned if Paul was good the moment of conversion or if he had to earn it etc.

With myself being too ashamed to go to God about it, and with no one to turn to, I tried to kill myself by swallowing a bottle of hydrocodone. I was scared though and wasn't willing to take them all at once. I planned to take a few, then a bit later take some more, and then more and then more and so on. I took three and never made it to taking more, I fell asleep and woke up horribly sick the next day. I got really lucky that time. I never got the nerve to try again but for the rest of the summer I wanted to so badly. Then school started, and two things happened. One my girlfriend at the time (the one I got in trouble with) broke up with me and soon after she told me some potentially life-changing news (which we soon found out wasn't, thankfully).

I was down and I got kicked again, you can see. Instead though, something happened that saved me from where I was at. Rather than being content with standing by. Someone did something. Jessica Schneider was a girl who I was told wasn't the type of person to hang with and she might look down on me and she thought I was the kind of guy you that was asking for trouble. However, she posted a status update on facebook that I saw, and connected with over switching schools. I took a chance and just told her I knew how it felt. She even with her inclination to view me as the wrong type, invited me to a football game.

Before long I was at her bible study, and now she is my best friend. When I was worried about the possibility of dealing with BIG issues, she was getting me whatever I needed and willing to stand by me as much as needed. When I couldn't quit beating myself up over what I had done and been. She refused to let me settle with it and she insisted that I was a better person than that. She provided me with a person to talk to, she redeemed my faith in fellowship. I can honestly stand here and testify that she saved my life. Now we've come a long way since then. I'm back to where I was before I met those obstacles, smarter and wiser. You see there are a lot of things we could learn from what Jessica did, but one thing sticks out to me the most. The world wants to see miracles and wants to see Christ. Christ left 2000 years ago. He told us He was leaving, and He promised to send his Spirit until He returned. Christ is in us. What Jessica did was a miracle, they use to heal the blind and deaf, and she healed the heart of a guy on the path to destruction. You might say, well anyone could do that, and you're right they could. Yet she did do it. She reached out and offered a hand when it wasn't cool or beneficial. That's a modern day miracle. People miss the biblical heroes, I'll tell you now, people like Jessica are biblical heroes. We can all be one too. It just requires you to take a step and act. Be the hero in someone's life. I guarantee their are people all around you crying out for help, just look! Maybe they are the popular kid who is in a tough time in his life, maybe it's the teacher who is treated poorly by all the students, maybe it's the kid who doesn't have lunch with anyone or the pregnant teen. All it takes is one friendly, hello and you never know it could change everything. This goes for adults too. So as you go on with your day, just think about the difference you could make in someone's life. It had happened to Jessica, it can happen to you. Let God move within you, all you have to do is let him. I want to end with a verse from a song called Hero by Superchick, it's a remix of it actually. Think about this please.

Little Mikey D. was the one in class who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years until he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door, grabbed a four four out of his father's dressing drawer
And said I can't take life no more
And like that life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sit back and watch it happen
Thinking' it's not my responsibility to solve a problem that isn't about me
This is our problem
This is just one of the daily scenarios which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice for those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged
Now it's our time to pick a side
So don't keep walking' by
Not wanting' to intervene
Cause you want to exist and never be seen
So let's wake up and change the world
Our time is now

Much Love,

Luke

“It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.”

Knowing the Enemy (Spiritual Warfare, Pt. 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:24:00 +0000

This is a topic I feel that is the most important to begin on considering this is the premise of the whole direction of the blog. I feel that if we started anywhere else on any other topic or idea, we would be getting ahead of ourselves. I'm making it into two posts though because there is a lot to talk about and it breaks it up a bit. So let us have a little talk about spiritual warfare shall we?

Before I begin into this, I want to make one fact perfectly clear: The war is already won. Christ gave that final blow on the cross two thousand years ago.

Colossians 2:15: "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross".

Hebrews 2:14: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil"

Satan knows this, and he is trying to take every single man, woman and child he can down with him. He plans to show no quarter, no mercy to anyone. Now I'm sure some people are really skeptical about the idea of spiritual warfare. They think it's a bunch of hocus pocus that isn't very biblical. I believe they may have gotten that view from seeing the other side of the issue, those who make too much of it. The people who focus to much on demonic forces and rely on rituals and such to deal with it. I can tell you now that we are certainly in a war at this present moment.

Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Does that not make it clear what we are at war against? It's not with nonbelievers, or other religions but against Satan. Behind all of it is him. He is a coward and he'd rather send others than do it himself.

This is a war we fight on multiple levels. We fight this war against the flesh, the world, and Satan and his forces. You see the flesh is our own mind. It likes to work against us. Check out Romans 6:12.

"Therefore, do not let sin rule your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires."

This is where evil manifests in the form of doubts, fears, pride, lust etc. Think of it as the undercover agent of the evil opposition. It works within us, against us. It can be the hardest side to face. To realize you yourself can be the enemy. However there are the other two fields of battle which we have to contend with.

The world is one of the last two. Look into 1 John 2:15-16.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world."

The world feeds the flesh. The two work hand in hand with each other. The world is our pop culture, the ways of society, the ways of those not in the faith. Often times the ways of this world seem to be harmless but in reality they are but a snare.

Finally we have the big one, the one that in essence is the cause of which the other two are formed: Satan and his demonic forces. This one has a lot of scripture and I feel that it's one of those things you can't skimp on so let's get into it.

Ephesians 2:1-3: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."

Now this one has a lot in it. The key part is where it mentions how we use to follow the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit at work in the disobedient. That's Satan. Notice it mentions how we were objects of wrath, which is all we manage to be on his side. You can see how this verse incorporates all of the fields of battle in it.

Colossians 1:13: "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

One thing this verse shows, that we will go into more in a bit is that he uses deception as one of his main tactics, he loves to fight dirty.

1 Peter 5:8: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

This is one of the two lions for the inspiration of the title Waging War with Lions. It's to me one of the most complete pictures of his true nature, in comparison to his outwardly nature of that of an angel. These three verses give you a clear portrait of the final side of the fight. However, here are some names used to describe him, that are rather fitting: The Accuser, The Adversary, The Deceiver, Father of Lies, Murderer, Ruler of This World, The Serpent, Son of Perdition, The Tempter. These are all biblical and all show who he really is.

Now we see what are battles are against. It's time to get into what weapons these areas use against us. Satan's number one weapon of all is deception. He appears to the lost as something beautiful or worthwhile and once you fall into it, he ensnares you. For believers he uses guilt and the weight of your sins against you, even though Christ had made it clear that your sins are forgotten. He uses fear to freeze us in our place. Satan is a master of propaganda. He mocks Christ and all he stands for. Where there is the Holy Trinity, their is also the evil trinity consisting of Satan, the false prophet and the beast. Both sides have a throne and temple, both have apostles. They are near opposite copies of one another in all ways except in one aspect. God is almighty, all powerful and trumps Satan. However, this doesn't stop Satan from perverting the minds of others into thinking what they see is the real Truth.

This perversion is even seen in this very topic; spiritual warfare. He likes to trick people into focusing far too much on the darkness and the wishy-washy side of it all, so as to divert and disorient others. He tries to make people focus on rituals to rid demons etc, rather than on the one True Way, Christ. He also likes to make himself appear bigger than he is. I'll say it again. Satan has LOST. The war was won before you were ever born. Him and his minions aren't things to fear. They have no legitimate power, remember they tried to take the throne from God and He threw them from heaven. The only power they have is the power God let's them have (which isn't much in comparison) and one day he will strip it from them for good.

We'll pick up from here on the next post over resistance. I suggest you take a break and think all of this over and contemplate it for a while. As always comments and personal input are welcome as well as encouraged.

Much Love,
Luke

“The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.” - Albert Camus

Time for War

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:54:00 +0000

As you can very clearly see, this place does not look the same one bit. I've decided to refocus this a touch. I came out of a fast last weekend and I had one thing really shown to me. The direction for this blog. Thanks to a few friends I'm bringing this vision to life now. I want to share this vision with you all to give you some idea where this is headed.
Originally this blog was just a general thing. I posted lessons, insights, random things etc. I'm taking the focus off me now though (which is why their is a title change and more) and I'm directing this towards a ministry. I want this place to be a place where those saved or unsaved can come with questions and be able to get answers in safe non-condemning way. Maybe a believer has a subject or an idea they don't know much about and would like to learn more about it. They are free to ask it or it could be something they are afraid to talk to a pastor or someone they know and want the truth. Others may come looking for answers to the questions of things in their life and they want to know the Gospel. I'm glad to help. I want this to be able to have open conversation and dialogue among the readers in the comments discussing the things talked about. I want those who want to learn, grow or explore, to have a place that they can come and ask questions and get a biblically truthful answer to put it in a nutshell.

There are plenty of ways to ask questions. You can reach me via facebook, email, twitter, the comments or in person if you are around me during the day. It's my goal to hopefully be able to answer every question. Whether that means a series of questions to a post or a whole post for just one topic and question. I do still plan to post lessons occasionally, after all this is a learning environment. You also can't exclude the occasional poem.

Now as for the title. Waging War with Lions. I look at it this way. All of this comes down to spiritual warfare. In this war, we have two lions. The Lion of Judah. Our Savior, our Redeemer, our Hope. The other is the prowling lion. The one we do battle with. That's why the title is such. Waging War with Lions. Satan uses ignorance, stubbornness, and condemnation against us yet this blog would wage war against him by exposing our doubts and weaknesses. We turn our ignorance into knowledge and understanding. We shine light on stubborn views. We take the high road and rather than condemning others, we choose pray for and to help those in need with love and gentleness. We flip the script on the idea of war. No longer a physical, earthly war, but a biblical war. A spiritual war. A war we are in at this moment, regardless of your beliefs, whether you like it or not. We are choosing to wage war on Satan and ourselves with Christ as our commander. Make sense? The perfect verse came to me while I was thinking over the title, Psalms 91:13:

You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet.

That's our motto you could say, or maybe battle cry would be more appropriate?

Anyway be looking over the next week or so for some new content about The Trinity, and some talk on the End Times. Please get in touch with me with your thoughts, ideas and questions! Thanks!

Much Love,
Luke

The Heart of Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:11:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I know I personally had a great one. I found out some really crazy, amazing news. I am going to be a brother again! As I've mentioned before, my Dad remarried in May, and I went from being an only child to having a 14 year old step-brother, 17 year old step-sister, and a 20 something step-brother (Sometimes I don't add him to the count because I've seen him once at the wedding and once at Christmas). Friday I found out that I'm going to have a new sibling. I'm extremely excited. This sibling will share the same blood that runs through me, which to a guy who's been an only child, that's a mind-blowing concept. I don't know the gender yet and while I'm hoping for a little bro (as is the rest of my family), I'll be extremely thankful either way. The crazy thing is I'll be 37 when this kid turns 18. His or her's birthday will be sometime in August. All I gotta say to that is go God! =D He is good.

However, down to business! I want to give you an idea of how I came about this post and how I've come about a few others, because it's one of the most enjoyable times in my week. I work in a certain ministry called MOTION. Which is where the students use dancing, singing, instrumentals, Step, and a few other things to witness to others and share the Gospel. I myself however am highly uncoordinated and instead found my use in the tech crew, helping set up and tear down for the band and running the sound board for them. The best part of this is, while they are practicing, I have free time just sitting behind the board. Across the hall people are dancing, a few rooms down people are singing, and here I have this band working hard trying to perfect the music to glorify Christ. Everyone is doing their thing, but all with a common goal in mind. Glorify Christ, Bring others to Him. It's great. So while I'm sitting their in this amazing atmosphere, I like to spend time there either reading or memorizing Scripture, or letting God speak to me about this blog. Now Sunday, I was doing all 3 and I came to a verse. Jonah 2:8. It caught my eye and since then I haven't been able to leave it alone.

"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope for steadfast love"

It's interesting I found this verse when that morning the song during worship that took me the most was The Heart of Worship:

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

This coupled with that verse is incredibly compelling to me, because of the fact that it's more relevant today than ever before. It's one of society's biggest issues now. I want to ask you a question, so that you will really ask yourself it. What idols and vanities are you worshiping? Take a moment if you will and think about it. Is it your job? Maybe a boyfriend\girlfriend\spouse? A sport or team? Inward things like looks, opinions and talents? Maybe T.V. or maybe like my amazingly cool sociology teacher was kind enough to reply to my question with: Facebook. You see it doesn't have to a big thing to give it too much place in your life. I struggled far too much with giving my last girlfriend too much love. I worried more about that relationship than I was about my relationship with Christ. People are often times far too caught up in the small stuff. Atheist hate to admit it, but they too worship things. Whether it be themselves, Atheism or any cause. We are built with a nature to worship. The problem when you don't worship God is you worship something that won't ever be enough. Any other thing will eventually fail us, all will pass away, and none will ever fill us. In the end it will leave us feeling empty and burnt out. Relationships can be an emotional roller coaster ride, our bodies can't keep a sport forever, our looks eventually wither. Opinions from others are fickle and you have no control over them, leaving you at their mercy (which usually there is none). Talents go out when we do, if not sooner. T.V. everyone is willing to admit is killing our heads to some degree. Facebook, everyone who has spent plenty of time on it find they have times of burnout with it. We were given that need to worship, to worship the One who will fill that need, never fail, and always be here.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John: 4:13-14

How's that for filling?

The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4

How's that for never failing?

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalms 48:14

And how is that for being eternal?

Why would we ever want to worship things that are so incomplete? Why worship the creations when you can worship the Creator? It's like Solomon in Ecclesiastes where he is constantly saying "This too is vanity." Be thankful to God for all that He has created but don't get caught up in the things He's created. I promise you, God is way more interesting than the creation could ever be!

Much Love,
Luke

“Popular culture is the new Babylon, into which so much art and intellect now flow. It is our imperial sex theater, supreme temple of the western eye. We live in the age of idols. The pagan past, never dead, flames again in our mystic hierarchies of stardom.” Camille Paglia

Here I Stand

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:16:00 +0000

Here I stand at a well known place,

surrounded by the cold morning chill,

I'm walking the road where I accepted Your grace,

leaving behind a life of prideful thrills,

its this path where I was told all my pain was erased,

all because You so gladly were hung atop the hill,

with that You took my hand like a father with an assuring embrace,

You whispered that no longer would my mind and soul be ill,

Yes, I walk this way to remember You've pardoned my case,

some days my eyes close and I can feel the worries bringing me still,

You know well, Friend, the struggles of this race,

where every battle is all uphill,

its clear that only through You, I'm able to keep pace,

no matter how far I run, without Your hand it all adds up to nil,

if I lack You, I'm as lost as a boy gazing up in space,

the hardest lesson though to instill,

was that all this world has to offer, is just a mere chase,

with realization, I decided, no longer Your guidance would I kill,

instead I accept the provision you give of an eternal base,

no, my future will never depend on my skill,

Instead, Your heart will be to my soul, a welcoming brace,

in this life I ask for no frill,

for rather, I know your words will speak soft as lace,

I'm waiting and longing for the day, I walk with You by a quiet rill,

its joy to me, as I know I'll sing out praises to You with heavenly bass,

So here I stand Lord, at the end of the road, I pray, You do with me, whatever You will.

Amen.

Ask for Miracles!

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:04:00 +0000

Ahh, I'm updating on my Grandma's ancient early 2000's desktop. You see I had one of the fastest laptops in the world before, but I'm lending it to a friend temporarly, so it was this or drive to the library. I love it though. I like "roughing it" like this with technology, it always makes me feel closer to my work that I do with it. Anyway, I have two posts to show. I figure you'll end up reading this one second, but oh well! One is that poem that I nearly went insane over, but still managed to thoroughly enjoy making and this one is just another post. =D So let's begin shall we?

I'm hoping to have a less intense topic this time round. I want to talk about coming to terms with God's infinite nature. I realize we will always fail to truly comprehend the true scale of Him, that its beyond our minds' capability. We can though, strive to remember that fact. It seems to me from my experience as well as the experiences of those around me, we tend to underestimate our God, and in doing so, load blanks into one of our greatest weapons: prayer. My church's worship band had their ministry set around a single idea: God is bigger. Anything we face, do, don't do, think, ponder, misunderstand, believe, see, etc. God is bigger than all of it. We still manage to underestimate Him though. We underestimate what He is capable of, what He is willing to do, and how He's willing to do it. Here's an example from the book: "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson. Which is a great book by the way. You know Elisha? Elijah's assistant? Guess what his first miracle was. Making iron float. He was around laborers near a river. One of the guys' axehead flew off and fell into the river. Now the laborer mentioned how it wasn't his and he was obviously considering it lost. Elisha had other plans though and I bet he started praying. Now if I'm Elisha, I'm hoping for at best that either the guy he borrowed it from won't be mad or that he'll manage to get a new axehead. Elisha though, I figure, would be praying bigger. Once he was done, he throws his stick in the water and then, up pops the axehead floating on the water. Iron is unbelievably heavy. Trying to make it float would be a big task. Yet God is bigger. We need to pray to the infinite God, not a tiny god. You can't underestimate him, because he will always flip the script. We have to stop boxing in God. Maybe the reason prayers are often times unanswered is because we choose to limit them! Let your prayers be filling! We have to start believing that with prayer we are talking to the same God who built us from dirt, brought pillars of fire, brought city walls crashing down, gave rain in a drought, healed the lame and sick, fed thousands, and sent his only son, the holiest of all things to earth to the most degrading death so that we could find peace. We got to trust and have faith with that. We are talking to GOD! Think about it! I keep saying it, but I don't think everyone is getting it! Now he might not grant all our prayers, because we don't always pray according to His will, but he does say:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

Is that at least not enough of a reason to take everything before Him? Your wants, needs, fears, failures, doubts, sins, hopes, dreams, ideas, all of it. He already knows it, so why not tell Him anyway?

I'll admit, sometimes these posts may seem basic, and down right obvious, but you know what? I don't believe where we are as believers can handle anymore than that. I believe our current situation as a whole requires us to return to the elementary principles. We've been trying to much to one up one another with new ideas that we've forgotten the basics. We may seem to know how to do these things, but knowing and putting it into action are two very different things. Prayer isn't a wish list. Prayer isn't an emergency 911 button. It's a daily, constant connection between you and your Creator. You speak and He listens AND you listen while He speaks (I think we forget that last part a lot too!). Guys we have to live by the basics of faith, we can't handle more than that. We need to have faith, simply. We can't keep on adding on to things to appear new! Nothing is new! We have all we need and let us stick to it! Think it over and PRAY over it!

Much Love,
Luke

"Common sense as well as common values all lead us. Our future depends upon it and our present is going to be vastly better when we get back to these basics." - Joan Blades

"I had to spend countless hours, above and beyond the basic time, to try and perfect the fundamentals." - Julius Erving

A Call to Urgency

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:07:00 +0000

Hello everybody! I've been working on a poem for English about God that well has had me stumped and so I've been diverting a lot of time to that, still haven't gotten it finished yet but I did manage to take some time to get a new post ready. This one is one I might bring up a lot. It's one of the biggest things on my heart. Urgency. I have an unbelievable urgency about things. Also thank you to everyone with your kind words at school, on facebook and on here, they mean so much. Please tell others about the blog! But I digress...

It's time we get our priorities straight. It being a new year, now's a perfect time. Friends tell me all the time, you are doing too much. Your going too far with the Word. Sincerely, I don't believe I've gone far enough. I can't count the number of times I've decided to go back to sleep, rather than having a quiet time with God. So many times I've seen where God is commanding me to be obedient, yet I refuse. Either out of fear, anxiety, pride, apathy, or laziness. To say I'm going too far with the Word is ridiculous. We can never go to far with it, we all can and need to go further in fact, and it all begins with your priorities.

Look at Colossian 3:1-2:

"So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, no on things that are on Earth"

Those two verses are a great start, we have got to take in the big picture. Ask yourself is it necessary, and if not will it matter later on? If no, then ask what might I be doing that matters more? I'm not talking about what matters an hour from now, or a week, month or even a year from now. I'm talking about what matters on the Day of Judgment. What will that extra hour of sleep really matter in Heaven? Instead couldn't that hour have been spent having time with the Lord? Who knows what he might of revealed in that time. The possibilities are truly endless and they DO matter in the Kingdom. Is the football game essential? No. Will it matter later on? Probably not. Is there better things I could be doing? Surely.

Now believe me, I'm not saying don't have fun and relax. Scripture tells us to enjoy life for instance:

"There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God." Ecclesiastes 2:24

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly" John: 10:10

What I am saying though is don't let the pleasures of life get in the way of your focus and priorities on the One who made it possible for you to have those pleasures! Christ never guaranteed us happiness or fun. He did promise us the ability for joy though. This is to our benefit. We need to be reminded by our issues, pains and problems that we only have so many seconds on Earth left. We need to make the most of every single last one of them. Every second we are here is for a purpose greater than ourselves. What are we doing both individually and as the Church to pursue that purpose? This is NOT something to say "I'll get to it tomorrow" or "I'm not ready yet" or " I might screw up" No. It's time to do whatever we can however we can, with whatever we have. Do those in Haiti have until tomorrow? The people who are blind to the Truth in China? What about the sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers of our own country? Do they have until tomorrow? I'll tell you right now. This country DOES NOT have until tomorrow. If this message sounds desperate, it's because it is. It's nothing new, it's the same message Paul has preached and many other men greater than I since him. It's still just as urgent. As Paul put it: The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. Now I can't possibly tell you what God is calling you to do. Maybe it's surrender to ministry, or give to help those in Haiti, or maybe come back closer to the Lord, or any number of things. I don't know. It could be anything. Part of your purpose in life is spent figuring out what it is! Hebrews 12:1 says to

"Lay aside every weight and sin that easily entraps us, and run with perseverance the race that is set before us."

All the sin, the fears, worries, insecurities, distractions, misconceptions, judgments. We have to lay them down to God and start running. Right. Now. We can't have them hold us down today because that's all we will ever have. Today. Yesterday is only in our heads and tomorrow never comes. All we will ever have is this moment. It's a very true, yet ironic fact that as Christ followers, we are naturally a desperate people. We only have so long to let our light shine before men.

If it's possible I'm going to break down this whole thing to as simple as I can make it. Whatever it is you do, let it be to the benefit of the advancement of the Kingdom of God, to your relationship with Christ and to God's glory. We are the children of an Awesome, Infinite, God. Not only that, but we are co-heirs with that God. It's time we dress the part as well as act it and put aside our deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Be an ambassador for YOUR kingdom, everyday until you return to it. So focus, and get your priorties straight.

Much Love,
Luke

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." - Leonardo da Vinci

Through Hell and Back

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:53:00 +0000

I'm going to tell you a particularly dark and tragic story from a time in my life to help get a point across. This story is about my childhood, but before I began to tell it, I have to first go back a generation.

My mother has had a rough life, to put it VERY nicely. Her real father was a mean and cruel man. I don't know the full details but he wasn't kind, but to to get the idea though, when he was dying in the hospital, my mom, who had been taking care of him up to this point was late getting there. Some of his last words were cursing her not getting there in time. That should give you an idea of him. He and my grandma got a divorce when my mom was very young. She remarried to another man. This man was nice, but he abused my mom for years. I'll leave that part at that, I think you get the picture. My mom at 16 ran away from home and hitch hiked barefoot from either Arkansas or Louisiana up to South Carolina. By 19, I believe, she tried to commit suicide once. My mom had some demons, most of them she managed to hide away and lock up tight. Fast forward a bit and she meets my father, and marries him. Fast forward even further and I'm born. Finally fast forward to about the time I'm 4-5 years old. This is where things get real ugly.

Now before I jump in though, I want to put a disclaimer, this is only a portion of the things I dealt with, the full story would be a novel. Also I don't remember everything that had happened as it went on for such a long time and started at such a young age. For the most part though this was a weekly occurrence with many nights a week having episodes.

Anyway, when I was five, a neighbor up the road was walking down our road. Her name was Liz, she had alcoholic tendencies and a partying lifestyle. She met my mom that day, and this sis the moment things changed. My mom started going over to her house to party and drink. Some times she'd get so wasted, she would just stay the night, Dad and I would have to fend for ourselves those nights. Occasionally, she would pick me up with Liz, from school, both drunk. The alcohol clearly brought back those demons. My mom is bipolar and very possibly schizophrenic. From the age of 5 until I was nearly 15 these occurrences were a normal thing. If we got out of school early, I'd wait for hours because my mom got drunk and would forget. My father tried every thing you could imagine to get her help. She ran from counselors, refused to take the medicine etc. My parents fought a lot. My mom knew how to push my Dad's buttons just right., my dad didn't have the patience or the ability to deal with that. There were nights where my mom kicked holes in the wall, shattered plates, spat at my father, scratched him until he bled. Most of the time, I would hide in my room. Other times, I'd be yelling for my mom to stop. Usually that would result in me crying near the stairs. My mom was so sure that everyone was against her and that I was being brainwashed by my father. She use to call me so many horrible things when she was drunk. Usually after the fights she would make a quick getaway, yell I'm leaving, grab her keys and purse and make a dash for the car (while usually drunk) and fly down the road to a friend's house to party. Sometimes she would instigate these fights so she would have an excuse to leave. We started making it a habit to disconnect the battery early on if one of these fights occurred.

Her driving record wasn't the best, she managed to get two DWIs and a year and half suspension of her license in total (a year being the longest at any one time). This made getting to school difficult and embarrassing. When I was about 13 or so, my mom ran off to her mom's for the weekend to go party, late that Sunday she called saying she had, had a wreck. my mom had been drunk with an open bottle of gin in the car. She ended up in the other lane on an S-curve and ended up rolling the car three times when she tried to correct. The car had settled upside down. My father and I got to the wreck before anyone else. We managed to crawl in and get the gin bottle out to avoid her losing her license for good. She ended up cited with Public Intoxication.

There was a night when my mom tried to commit suicide. She swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills and she went around the house smiling and telling us what she had done. We called 911 and they pumped her stomach at the hospital. I still don't know if this was for attention or not.

Another night, she held a knife to keep my dad back from getting her keys. She was yelling and waving it everywhere. My dad realized this wasn't going to end well if he didn't get that knife away from her. When she threw her hand up in the air, my dad grabbed her wrist to keep her from swinging the knife anymore. She then looked him in the eyes, smiled and then grabbed the blade with her other hand. I still remember the loud "POP" when the skin bust and blood started running. I doubt I'll ever forget that. There were more "typical" nights though, those without dinner where my mom had left. Holidays where she would leave. I had ulcers all through my childhood and I missed school quite a bit, due to anxiety.

The worst fight I remember though, was when my Grandfather's death occurred. My grandpa died on a Monday, my Mother's birthday was on a Wednesday, and my grandpa's funeral was that Friday. I was heartbroken over losing the man I considered a second father, my dad was bottling up all his grief. That Thursday my mom was upset because we hadn't done anything to celebrate her birthday. She started arguing with my Dad while he ironed shirts for the funeral. She antagonized him until finally the bottled up grief ruptured and with tears he cried and yelled. Grief mixed with anger filled my father while my mom continued on with her arguing. I was in 6th grade at the time, and had seen quite a few fights, but to see my dad in tears and his voice hoarse with grief and his words of anger at my mom's equally angry words, it brought me to tears. I bawled so hard. Eventually I became scared and I dialed 911. My dad was mortified by it all and tried to hold his composure through the grief. My mom was still very angry and defensive. The cops told my mom to stay somewhere else that night. However, my dad couldn't find his wallet that night. He wouldn't find it for a year or so when my parents divorced and my dad was moving her dresser into an apartment and it fell out of drawer. She had hid it from him that night. I think that was the hardest moment for my father.

The hardest for me though was when he left to go on business. I didn't have my protector, my superhero daddy. Mom would get drunk and I'd either be in the woods hiding, or there was the time I hid under a HUGE thing of blankets and prayed that God wouldn't let her find me. Thankfully God answered my prayers that day. Other times, I would be so scared that I held a screwdriver so she wouldn't come near me and then took the first opportunity to run to the neighbor's house and hideout. After negotiations between my Mom and my Dad in Baltimore, I went home. I brought my dog to bed with me that night though for protection. (Dogs are superheros, you know.)

Now this is a good point to make it clear, I LOVE my Momma. She had two sides to her, One side, she was the greatest cook, awesome playmate and when it came to mean teachers and bullies, NO ONE messed with my momma. She had such an amazing good side. Her darker side, tore her heart to pieces, you could see in her eyes she hated what she would become. Even if she didn't talk about it. The other side though...ugh. It's as close to the idea of a demonic possession as I've ever come. It was like flicking a switch. The look in her eye changed, she walked differently, carried herself differently, smiled differently. It was literally two different people. Scary.

Now I didn't tell you all of this to have you pity me, so don't . I don't pity myself. I did this because people ask: Why does God make us suffer? Why do we have pain? The simplest answer is: To serve a larger purpose. I've been through hell, I've suffered more than any child should ever have to suffer. I lost quite a large chunk of my innocence far to young. Those 10 years were awful. I have every right to be bitter, resentful and angry for what I've gone through. I'm not though. Quite the contrary, I'm, thankful for what I've been through. Much like Christ embraced his cross, I am thankful for the hardships that I've faced. I've walked through the flames and rather than coming out burnt, I've come out of it tempered and resilient. Crisis', panics, and fear no longer take grip on me like they would've. I've seen how deep the valley can go, I've passed through it, I'm not in fear of anything else to come, because either it won't be any worse than what I've already faced or I know that I will rise to the challenge and with God's help adapt and survive it. Before I was saved, when I knew of Christ, yet still did not understand him, he was still sheltering me. Why shouldn't I expect this as a man now who knows Him as his Lord and Savior? I continue to laugh and smile. I know that the Lord plans to use those skills and attributes to to serve Him. The Lord usually doesn't just give you skills and tools free of charge. He has you earn them, so you can learn them. In fact, I'd say nearly everything in life one way or another is earned, except for grace. If you are going through suffering, you may have done nothing wrong. Look at Job, he was a godly man who endured great suffering. It may be that God is simply trying to make you rely on him more, draw you closer to him. It could be he is preparing you for something. He may be trying to tear you down so that he can build you back up more than you were. In the end you will find that suffering will prove to serve a purpose greater than you or me, or this world, or this life. It serves something real, pure and eternal. These next few verses I lay out. I stand out as a testimony to there truth.

Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: therefore despise not you the chastening of the Almighty, for he makes sore, and binds up: he wounds, and his hands make whole. Job 5:17-18

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Psalms 9:9-10

Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
Ecclesiastes 7:3

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1 Peter 4:12-13

These verses, I don't have to look at and dwell on to understand. God wrote those verses on my heart. I'm a better man today for it. Rather than being hindered by what I've been through, I feel as though God blessed me with an advantage over others by what I've been through. It's safe to say, If I had to go through it all over again, I would, because in the end it works all to God's glory. If you have gone through something tragic or are in the midst of suffering. Talk to God, he will be the shelter to your heart. I promise you, he will always give you a silver lining in whatever you are facing in life. All you have to do is call upon his name. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to email me at the address in my profile. I check it daily and would love to talk.

Much Love,
Luke

"We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things." -Henry Ward Beecher

Shhhhh... Be Still and Listen

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 04:13:00 +0000

I've had a verse in my head for a few weeks. It was on one of my previous posts. It's Exodus 14:14.

"The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still."

This is such a sweet thing. Our Lord will never let us down, instead he will fight in place against sin, persecution, Satan, the world or anything else that stands in our way. THe thing is we have to be still. We can't fight him, period. If the Lord chooses to in a certain directionwe need to have the courage to follow. Sometimes the Lord likes to move in such a far out way as to test how bad you are truly wanting Him. You say you want Me to break the addiction, but how badly do you want that? Are you really willing to do whatever it takes to change it? I believe God says yes to our prayers more than we really think, however I think we turn around and say never mind right after He answers.

That's only one side of being still though, we have to be still for another reason: to sense. When you don't move, you have a greater view of your surroundings. You aren't moving or taking your attention to focus on your body. Instead you have the ability to hear more and see with greater focus and your body is ready to react. Apply that to this verse. God will fight for us, but we need to be focused so that we can hear what He wants of us. Whether that be to run from danger, to go forward boldly etc. If we are too busy running around to hear what He wants us to do, then how are we to expect Him to fight?

Finally, We need to be still, humbly. I see too often in myself as well as others the problem where we ask for God's intervention at some place in our lives, He intercedes and once we see a bit of improvement we take over. We say thanks, but think we can take it from here. We got it under control. It's foolish, it's prideful, and it's certainly not being still. How can we really be so dumb sometimes to think that we can take over and finish better than the crazy, awesome God we have? The God who only made EVERY single thing in the universe, oh and don't forget the universe itself! He is THE Creator, THE Reconciliator, THE All in All. How can we be so prideful to try and finish what he starts, ourselves with no direction or influence from Him? I believe all of us always have some part in our lives where God is calling for us to be still. It's one of those things if you do it right, God will show you things you never thought possible. You do it wrong and it may just well break you.

Here are some things you can do though:

1. Ask God to make it known where to be still in your life. If there are things in your life troubling you, lay them down to Him and let him intercede, follow where he tells you to, reevaluate your movements when He shuts doors in your life.

2. Most of all try to really look, listen and feel what God has to say to you. Focus less on the results and more on the journey and the insight that comes from it.

Much Love,
Luke

“Uncontrolled, the hunger and thirst after God may become an obstacle, cutting off the soul from what it desires. If a man would travel far along the mystic road, he must learn to desire God intensely but in stillness, passively and yet with all his heart and mind and strength.” - Aldous Huxley

Plan for Strength + Perseverance in Times of Struggle

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:04:00 +0000

I wrote this last spring for a friend in need of a boost, I found it again today looking through some of my old Word documents. I did a bit of editing and here it is. Ha. I believe it's still just as relevant. So enjoy. Also just want to say thank you to Patrina for commenting on my posts. They have been hugely encouraging and uplifting, thank you very much! I also want to say that if anyone would like to contact me they are free to email me at the address listed on my profile, I'd love to talk to the people who read this and get to know them more. Thanks.

Times are tough. Life is though. Economy is bad. Jobs are bad. Health and Flu are bad. Family problems. Relationship problems. Personal problems. Everything is tough! But not forever. I could write you an entire novel on Job. Just about all of us are going through some version of Hell, but he was broke down in the middle of Hell, in comparison.

You can see, though he went through so much, it ended up better than before his world fell around him. The thing that led to his suffering was Satan. God allowed Satan to have power so that he could test Job. Satan is the reason for all of your life’s problems right now. Look at two verses Ephesians 6:12 and 1 Peter 5:8.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8

In Ephesians, Paul makes it clear, your problems and struggles are not with other people and events, it is with Satan and his demons. The devil seeks out for your weak spots, whenever he can see them, he pounces on the opportunity.

After reading 1 Peter 5:8, it can kind of make you feel like your odds aren’t good. The truth is, so long as you have God on your side, you cannot fail. Look at these two psalms.

Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand. – Psalms 37:24

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
       Why so disturbed within me?
       Put your hope in God,
       for I will yet praise him,
       my Savior and my God. – Psalms 42:11

Is that not at least a bit comforting? It is from here things will improve. Once you have hope that God will make the wrongs right, it’s time to go on the offensive. Read 1 Peter 5:9, the verse just after the last one.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. – 1 Peter 5:9

It calls for active resistance. Do not give in. Fortify and build up your faith, take insight in the fact you aren’t facing troubles alone. You know I like to throw a lot of verses out so here’s another: Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. – Hebrews 12:1

The next step is to let go of the burdens of your sins. Pray to God for forgiveness and lay them at the feet of Jesus. Don’t beat yourself up about them because then you are just picking them up from where you left them all at. Instead set your mind on the challenge set before you. Realize you can’t win by being swift or strong, but by endurance in faith alone (Sola Fide). If that seems unmanageable and scary look to Exodus 14:14

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. – Exodus 14:14

I absolutely love that verse. Do you feel the quiet power in it? I see that verse and I think of 1 Kings 19:12 for some reason. Just use that endurance, keep your trust in him and he will do the rest. Remember 1 Peter 5? Look at 1 Peter 5:10, the final verse we’ll show from Peter:

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. – 1 Peter 5:10

The God of ALL grace! You can’t put value on even an ounce of grace, yet he has all of it! He will use it! He will use it and he will bring you into his glory. Once there he (note HE, not one of his angels, cherubs, or any other servant, but THE God Almighty, HIMSELF) will restore (make you whole), support (keep you from falling back into dismay), strengthen (make you better than before), and establish you (root you in him). All of that is guaranteed if you have faith. Comforting isn’t it? Read Psalms 18:28 and Psalms 71:20-21.

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
       my God turns my darkness into light. – Psalms 18:28

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
       you will restore my life again;
       from the depths of the earth
       you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor
       and comfort me once again. – Psalms 71:20-21

The darkness will never penetrate because he stands over you as light. I suggest you look up this skit called the Everything Skit on tangle (formerly Godtube), as I mention some things from it here. At the end where Jesus holds off the sins, temptations and doubt; that’s this verse in action. He will never break and darkness will NEVER touch you. He will increase your honor (meaning beyond what it was) and bring you comfort! He is speaking DIRECTLY to you here. I’m going to leave you with one final verse. It’s my favorite in the whole bible: Micah 7:8-9. Replace “O my enemy” with Satan. Say this both as a rebuke to Satan and as a prayer to God. Remember this verse.

Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy
   Though I fall I will rise;
   Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.
   I will bear the indignation of the LORD
   Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me
   He will bring me out to the light,
   And I will see His righteousness.

Micah 7:8-9

Take Action

I suggest if you wish to take this lesson further trying some of the following:

Write down on a piece of paper, all of your struggles and problems. Anything big or small that comes to mind. Pray to God for them. Rebuke Satan from coming near any of those areas of your life.

Write out separately all the comforts God is bringing you in your life, big or small or promised. Keep this with you as a reminder.

Ask yourself what reasons might God be putting you through struggles? Pray to God to reveal the reason so that you may grow and learn from it and that it will bring you closer to him.

Remember to let go of your burden and weights, they will pull you away from him and they cast doubt in your heart.

Hold on for dear life to your faith! You’ll never be as desperate as you would be if you gave up on the real Hope.

Rejoice in small comforts and say thanks to Jesus for them.

Remember, I’m praying for you too.