WHAT IS YOUR LIFE REFLECTING?

According to Saint Peter in I Peter 4:7, he encourages the believer to live soberly and by doing so they will possess self-control and their life will reflect a life given to prayer. If we live a life that reflects our faith in the fact that Christ could return at any moment, we will not be ashamed to display His truth to others. Because by doing so, our lives will reflect the proper urgency that the scriptures exhort us to have. For we know what the gospel message holds for everyone that longs to be set free and know the truth. The evidence of our love for God is shown in how we treat others. Peter continues in verse 8-19 that when love abounds in God’s children, there is an indispensable element of hospitality and charity that covers a multitude of sin. These virtues need to be exercised by God’s people to each other as well as to those who may disagree with us. Peter goes on to remind his readers that when something unusual or strange happens to them for doing so, to be reminded that all believer’s will partake in some of the same sufferings that Christ had to bear and those sufferings are to be regarded with exceeding joy. Peter testifies that believers should never suffer as murderer’s, thief’s, evil doers or busy bodies but if they are to suffer, to suffer for being a Christian in verse 16 and when they suffer for that reason, then they should not be ashamed. Peter exhorts his readers by reminding them that God provides every believer with all that is necessary to lead a life that reflects Christ’s life within them. He assures them that their profession is made real as their life bears the evidence of what they believe and what they have to say about the risen Savior. How a person regards themselves is often a good index of their character. The closer I draw myself to God, the further I realize how far away I have been.

As an unbeliever, my life was dominated by my natural inclinations to sin against God and those inclinations in my past estimation of myself were sins of no value in my mind. For I had concluded that since I had never killed anyone or considered myself an evil person, I must be alright before God. Yet when I came face to face with Christ, I suddenly recognized sin as God see’s sin and even the tiniest, most smallest sin in my life became pure rebellion against a Holy God and my penalty for those sins, was hell. Words cannot express how a person feels when they meet Jesus on the road to hell and He reveals Himself to them. I think it is best described by the testimony of the blind man whom Jesus healed when he was approached by the Sanhedrin and religious leaders as they tried to compel the man to give false accusations about Jesus, and the man simply said to them, that he knew not what they were talking about or had answers to their questions. All he did know was that once he was blind and when Jesus touched his eyes with a mudpack of spit and dirt, all of a sudden he could see!

Some people want to see oceans part and mountains move in order to put their trust in God. For some, like myself, need only to be willing to see as God sees and when we are willing to do that, mountains become molehills and oceans are lined with boardwalks. I may not have all the answers to all the questions that folks may have concerning the Son of God, even though the scriptures themselves bear those answers,  but for what I do know about Him I will spread the good news until my dying day in hopes that someone just like me will come to meet the man Jesus, whom I met on the road to hell. Once I gave my life to Christ, I then had only one inclination and that was to be delivered from the corruption that my sin nature had me bound to. The scriptures tell us that the regenerated person is given a new nature, a new life and to the largest degree that life can and should be a product of that new nature. Today if you cannot say for sure that your life does not reflect the new nature that is spoken about in the Word of God, then may I encourage to get alone with God and speak to Him concerning your own personal relationship to Him. He is only a sincere prayer away.  

Loving on you today sweet friend,

Bren

WHEN IT ALL FALLS APART

Have you ever found yourself in a life shattering pivotal moment where you feel you are about to lose your footing amidst some unforeseen chaos, loss or sadness brought into your life unexpectedly? Well sure you have, we all experience those times when our circumstances cause us to lose our spiritual footing in the midst of that chaos. There are a couple of verses in the book of Lamentations that reminds me that while my circumstance may be causing me to feel disconnected in some way to the source of my real joy momentarily, that disconnection will only last until I remember something that God’s Word may say about it, and then I am automatically reconnect to the assurance that all things work together for the good to those that love the Lord. Lamentations 3:31-32 says, “For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.” In the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah after he witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the people of Israel being taken into slavery by the Babylonians, became brutally honest as he stated his complaints to God over the events that he saw taking place around him. He basically lamented to God the he did like anything that wass going on in his life at that time. He didn’t like what he saw happening in the land that he loved, or how things were effecting their economy and especially their national security. He lamented that he did not like seeing people hungry and out of work nor did he not like seeing the immorality, injustice and crime that was taking place all around him. But the thing he really did not like was the fact that God’s people was being taken away into slavery to serve the ungodly Babylonians.

However, in the middle of all his writings in this wonderful book of complaints, God shows us through the life of Jeremiah’s experiences, how to deal with our feelings when the wheels come off and our own world begins to crumble. For the people of Israel, it was their own personal sins that brought on their calamity. Lamentations serves to remind all God’s people, that though sin is very attractive and exciting for a season and while it is very appealing to eat, drink and be merry, that attitude and practice inevitably brings with it a heavy load of misery, grief, pain and sorrow in the end. God is only faithful to His Covenant that He has established with His people. He is not a god that can be bargained with whenever sin is involved. Though we experience many oppressions and miseries which will come into our lives and our nations when we break that covenant, we should never forget, that God’s chastisement always brings good to the people of God. Sometimes our sadness comes about simply because something is happening in our lives that we are unhappy about. Maybe we have lost a loved one and now feel the sadness of that loneliness and find ourselves questing God. Maybe our sadness comes from being disappointed in someone. Whatever the cause; in long term sadness and disappointments the source is the same. Our lack of trust has been violated by our current situation and we have chosen to lament over a thing longer than we should have. We must move away from those feelings and move towards replacing them with trust and hope in what God is able to do in that situation and not what our eyes see taking place. For God’s children are to walk by faith and not by sight and anytime we choose to let our eyes lead us, we fracture our trust in God and we become unstable. Never be tempted to blame others so that you might feel better and don’t do things to distract you from the problem, because distraction never solves the problem.

Remember that all things will work together for those who love the Lord. You must make your mind up to trust in God in that situation and stay away from focusing on anything other than the fact that God is busy working things out for everyone and everything involved. Busy yourself and dig deeper in finding the hidden opportunity disguised in your setback or ongoing problem. While you may not have control over your problems, you most certainly have control over how you feel and respond to them. For as a child of God you have inside you the strength and confidence that while you may not be able to solve life’s problems, you can rise above them; and when you do, it does not matter any longer that things are falling apart all around you. Your hope is in the One that can sustain you through anything that you will ever go through. God has not cast you off sweet friend, so remember this, never let your situation dictate your joy!

Loving on you today,
Bren

DOES YOUR LIFESTYLE REFLECT REBELLION AGAINST GOD?

 

God HATES rebellion! Rebellion can be depicted in your words or deeds (how you talk and how you live).  Isaiah 63:10 says, “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to become their enemy and Himself fought against them”. If you claim to be a child of God and are bringing Him dishonor by your lifestyle and how you are representing Him before the people in your life, then please take heed to this warning. God is not a simple man made god to be mocked. He will tolerate your rebellion for so long and then beware of Isaiah 1:19-20 “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken”. I believe we have sugar coated the gospel for so long now that folks forget the last part in that verse….”For the mouth of the Lord has spoken”. You don’t have to take my word for it or even  God’s Word, but you (we all) will answer to it! We live in a world where rebellion and lawlessness is normal and some folks seem to have no problem with this type of behavior. It has become a way of life and acceptable to man and even to some of those who “claim” (that does not mean they are) to be the children of God. As a matter of fact, many times it is even encouraged, by them. We will never have rest or peace as long as we are comfortable in our sins and refuse to turn from them, through rebellion against God. As God’s children, we must keep our eternal perspective in view at all times. Life is but a vapor, it appears for while…and you never know how long “your while” may be. Everything here on earth is temporary. If you believe and understand the Word of God then you should know that rebellion is an open door for the devil to wreak havoc in your life, all he needs is a tiny crack. When we rebel, we tempt God and that is not a thing to be done.

 

Is there a place in your life that needs to be reconciled to God? Where has YOUR rebellion against Him or His authority landed you this morning? For the true child of God, need only to turn and ask forgiveness for their rebelliousness and if they are sincere then the Holy Spirit that dwells in them will give them the power to overcome whatever they are tempted with. However, for many, simply need to become born again and receive the new nature that will enable them to overcome, for without His power it is impossible to live for Him. But regardless to what side of the fence they stand, they must recognize and be remorseful over their sin by seeking true forgiveness and be willing to turn away from their old ways and allow God to help them live the life that can only be lived through His power and cleansing. 1 Samuel 12:14-15 – “If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God - good! 15 But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors”. Would you turn to Him today sweet friend and ask Him into your heart; and ask not for His forgiveness only, but be willing to forsake the lifestyle that you know down deep in your heart has lead you further and further away from God? The bible declares that obedience is better than sacrifice. You’re getting tattoo’s with angel wings and wearing T-Shirts and necklace’s with a cross on it and attending church every now and then yet coninue to party harty and live as you want, is not cutting it with God my friend, when you are living a lifestyle that does not reflect the new birth that Jesus paid for. For the day that you realize the cost of His sacrifice, you will either be willing to repent and allow Him to change you by receiving His mercy, love and grace through His forgiveness or you will face Him as your judge. The Bible teaches us that it is a mighty thing to fall into the Hands of the living God!

I love your soul and I love you….we are not our own, we were bought with a great price and for those who understand that …..happy are they! For one day, we will all stand before Him without excuse! I dare not be fearful to share the truth in love, for I know that it is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe it. I leave the rest up to you sweet friend! Lord, never let me get used to seeing men, women, boys and girls go to hell!

Bren

WHEN GOD SENDS FIRE

WHEN GOD SENDS FIRE – PART ONE

It was a very dark time in the history of God’s people. False idols soon replaced spiritual worship of the one true God. Ahab, one of the wickedest kings that Israel ever had, sat on the throne. Because of the horrific sin of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel and their leading God’s people into sin, Israel was experiencing about 3 and a half years of drought through a prophetic decree by Elijah, God’s prophet during that time. Out of fear of Jezebel for his very life, Elijah fled to a wilderness place to hide from the threats that Jezebel was pronouncing on his life. After Elijah’s little sabbatical on the back side of now where and as he realized that with God on his side, he had no reason to fear, God told Elijah that he was to go and show himself to king Ahab with a message. Elijah went and told Obadiah a faithful servant, who was the governor of Ahab's house to go and tell Ahab that Elijah wanted to meet him face to face. Obadiah delivered the message to Ahab and the king went right away to meet with Elijah. When Ahab arrived, he immediately starting blaming Elijah for the drought and the hardships that had come upon Israel over those past three years. You see, it’s always easier to blame others for our own sin. Ahab referred to Elijah as a “troubler of Israel”. Elijah responded to him by telling him that it was not him that had made trouble for Israel, but that it was brought on from Ahab and his own father's family. He told him that it was because he had abandoned the Lord's commands and had followed the demonic god Baal and their false goddess Asherah and had lead God’s people into doing the same thing.  Elijah told Ahab to go and summon the people throughout the land of Israel and meet him at Mount Carmel and bring all the prophets of their false god’s Baal and Asherah with them. As the hot sun beat down on the parched earth, the crowd gathered under a cloudless sky to watch the God of their fathers do visible battle with the powerless gods of stone. So there they were, silent spectators about to see God himself send fire from heaven to consume the one thing that He requires of His people; a sacrifice of obedience, in which was the very thing that Elijah had given by obeying what God had told him to do. As the people sat watching and waiting and even wondering if their side, “the prophets” of Baal’s antics and effort would make a difference and persuade the god of lighting and fire to fall down on the alter and consume what was there. At one point they began to cry out and demand that Baal show up by sending fire to consume their sacrifice. Yet still, there was no answer. Undaunted, they continued to plead as they jumped upon the altar cutting themselves in a vain attempt to prove their sincerity to the demon god and prove them right. Finally, their weariness turned into disappointment and defeat. Then to make matters worse, the prophet of God made fun of their god Baal as he taunted them. Elijah simply wanted them to realize how utterly ridiculous they were to put their faith and hope into powerless gods of sticks and stone. When it was Elijah’s turn, he prayed, and according to I Kings 18:38,  “ Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” God’s response shocked all the people as conviction feel on their hearts that God is right and that their worthless effort to worship and serve man made gods were useless. For you see they had stop worshiping God because they wanted things their way. It’s easy to create gods in our lives to fit our lifestyles and suit us. Yes, even today we are making up our own gods. A false god is anything or anyone that takes the place of the One true God, in our lives. False gods are always created in the hearts of man and represents what they love and idolize. Then, man turns what they love into some form of a graven image of that love. Yet God requires His people to be faithful and wise and stay true to Him.

WHEN GOD SENDS FIRE – PART TWO

Last week I shared how God had told Elijah to deal with His people and their worship of the false gods, Baal and Ashterah. Ironically, the Israelites worshiped Baal who was supposedly the god of rain and fertility of the fields and yet, they were and had been slap dab in the middle of a drought. Now this is very interesting since for the last three years there had been no rain and the fields had dried up. Ashtoreth was the counter part of  Baal, for she was worshiped as the fertility and moon goddess. The worshipers of this false goddess would take a limbless tree trunk and carve a symbolic representation of her, thus was the birth of the Asherah poles. God had already forbidden the worship of this false goddess through Moses. Yet despite God’s clear instructions in Deuteronomy 16:21 God’s people continued to return to false worship as their hearts were turned from God. According to I Kings 18, there was a mighty contest one day between these two false gods and the one true God. On one side, there were eight hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and Ashterah as well as thousands of thier followers who worshiped at their shrines. On the other side was only one and he was a messenger of the one and only true God of heaven and earth. According to Elijah comments, Baal must have been busy or traveling that day for he ignored his worshipers and never showed up no matter how they pleaded with him. In Elijah’s prayer he ask God to let it be known that day, that He (God) was the God in Israel and that Elijah was God’s servant and had done all of these things at God’s command and not of himself. As he cried out, “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Immediately fire fell from heaven and brunt up the offering and the wood along with the twelve stones and water that had surrounded the altar. After seeing this, the people fell on their knees and proclaimed that Elijah's God is the one true God! Then Elijah told the people to have every prophet of Baal seized. He then had them taken down to the Kishon Valley so they could be executed for leading God’s people into demonic worship. Ahab’s wife Jezebel had already slaughtered many of God's own prophets of whom only one hundred were spared, thanks to Obadiah. Elijah was not acting own his own, he was led by the Spirit of God to do what he did. When it comes to false beliefs, teachings, demonic manifestations and practices in our lives, we must take a personal interest and deal with it, or God will. When the fire of God comes into our lives if we are His people, it’s purpose is to always convict, refine and make us more like Him. His fire is a consuming fire that will not stop burning until it has accomplished what it’s purpose was for. For God will not tolerate sin in our lives and will deal with us when we allow other things to take the place of His rightful place in our lives, if we claim to be His. Don’t think for a moment that we live in a time where God’s people are beyond yielding their hearts to a false practice or worship, because it happens all the time. The difference is once they are confronted by God, they will repent or God will simply remove their light.

Loving on you today,

Bren

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I BELIEVE ANYMORE"

Have you ever heard someone say this: “I don’t know what I believe anymore”? The reason is very simply. They have been swayed in their belief about something and no longer can decipher what they once believe concerning it or what they now are confronted with to believe about it. However, it is very important for us to be able to discern between truth and error. Sadly, that is becoming increasingly more difficult in a day when right is considered wrong and wrong is accepted as right. There are many dangerous and well thought out religions and philosophies that are trying to bankrupt the truth before it crosses our path. Those dangers are cloaked under Christian labels and what may appear to be well meant a good deed. They also, if not careful, will be overlooked as a wave of change and allowed to become part of what we believe. Yet, I tell you that there can be no substitute for personal prayer and faithful study of God’s Word. For we cannot expect to know what is false unless we are sure of what is truth. I recall hearing once that in order to train people to spot counterfeit money, real money is used for them to study. Only when they know what real currency looks and feels like, can they detect what is false. While God offers us salvation, we must work out what we believe and do not believe to be truth about it. Philippians 2:12 says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

One characteristic that predominates all cults and false teaching is their denial of the true nature of Christ and His redemptive work. The apostle Paul agonized over this very issue for the new Christians at Colossi and Laodicea as he prayed on their behalf in their struggle as they worked out what was false and what was truth . He knew that the only way to combat the false teachings that were seeping into the Churches were for them to be sound in what they knew and believed. While there are a number of avenues that are being used to reach us, television has become the most favored and acceptable means in slipping us false teachings right alongside sound truth. Our minds begin to accept those teaching because they are made attractive to us and considering our lifestyles and how we are living, we are able to relate to them on the level where we are. Considering the content of most television today, we are seeing more and more destructive philosophies and false teachings coming in many packages, most of which are quite attractive and very appealing. Yet there is an underlying effort to try and undermined what we believe to be truth. I know that if it were not for the Word of God that is in me, that I have personally place there through personal desire and effort, then I too would be swayed to view what my heart tells me is wrong, as personal preference.

Whether people like it or not, there is always going to be right and wrong and we all have to decide which side we will live on. The appearance of them can be taunted. But only to the eye of the one that does not hold to sound truth, will they be swayed. Deception my friend is nothing more than hiding or distorting the truth and that practice first came on the scene in the Garden of Eden where satan took truth and twisted and turned it so that Eve herself did not realize that she was being beguiled by a liar. John 16:13 say’s “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. If the Spirit of God dwells within you, He will lead you into all truth…but you must be willing to follow Him. Matthew 7:7 tells us this concerning finding and getting answers to our questions; "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. In the end we will all stand before God without excuse and no one will be able to blame anyone other than themselves for not knowing the truth. John 3:19 says this, “And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil.” Do you want to know the difference between what is truth and what is false? Get that Bible out of the drawer or off the shelf and start reading it. Be consistent in reading it and it will be consistent in guiding you into all truth.

Loving on you today,
Bren