Types/ Kinds Of Biblical Discernment

Part 2 in the "What is Discernment" series.

What is discernment? Is it as simple as just telling the difference between what is “right” and what is “wrong”? If so, then what is “right” and what is “wrong”?

Ultimately, yes, discernment is telling the differences between what is right, be it lawful, good, meaningful, needed, desired or any other word you place on something that needs a decision to be made between two or more options. That leads to another question - “Does discernment have to be between something that is “good” and something that is “bad”? Could discernment between two or more “good” things? Which, at the surface level, would be answered with a yes.

This series of questions is why the Charles Spurgeon quote:
“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
has rung in my mind for years. This quote puts into focus verses such as Matthew 7:15 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which we are told that their will be teachers, preachers, leaders that will so much appear to be men of God, but are actually tools of the enemy who have come to deceive, to kill and to damn.

So, this first post in this series on discernment I would like to define what Biblical discernment is and what the types of discernment are. In the upcoming lessons we will dive in and see why if we need to be discerning, should we be discerning and why we should be discerning. Although I do not want this series to be an all out assault on false teachers and things that are perceived as Biblical by many within evangelicalism, that will invariably happen as I use examples that are all around us. Daily.

The dictionary’s definition of discernment is:
dis·cern·ment noun \di-ˈsərn-mənt, -ˈzərn-\
: the ability to see and understand people, things, or situations clearly and intelligently

Would this be the same as the Bible’s definition and reasonings for being discerning? To a certain degree it would be as we are to discern each of the things listed in the secular definition of the word. Of course, scripture goes into more detail.

Let’s look at the different types of discernment listed in the Bible.

The first is what I will call “learned” discernment. This is not to say that discernment is something in and of itself that can be taught, but that learning brings discernment.
Hebrews 5:14 makes this point, that “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil”. The writer of Hebrews is talking about those that have a stunted growth, who are not growing in knowledge, who are not discerning. Paul also touches on mental growth in Ephesians 4:14 equating lack of knowledge in the things of God as being tossed around, deceived by everything that we hear or that proclaims to be of God.

Paul links knowledge and discernment in Philippians 1:9-10 and that we may “approve the things that are excellent”, which would be the things of God, Kingdom things. Paul also gives the straight forward definition and goal of discernment in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 telling us to “test all things” for the reason of holding onto what is “good” which are the things of God. 

This type of discernment is gained knowledge of the Word of God, gained through the study of scripture, prayerfully seeking God’s guidance. Knowing what God says, within context, about all things. Knowing the heart of God in all facets of your being while here on this planet. This is where so many professing Christians fail right off the bat in their walk. They are ignorantly deceived into accepting all professions of being “Christian” as true, because they do not know what being a Christian truly is. Every wind of doctrine is blindly accepted as orthodox because there is no desire to prove something or someone in light of what God has said in His Word. 

Knowledge is lacking in the non-discerning. This does not mean that these people are not Christians, but their reaction to being confronted about their lack of discernment and willful acceptance to things blatantly anti-God will be very telling, which we will explore in the next section. Gaining knowledge in the things of God, through study, through discipleship, through prayer are all a must. We cannot be lazy and expect to grow in knowledge to be able to be discerning as God wants us to be. 

Sadly many people want to stay in this willful state of ignorant bliss. They grasp onto the ear tickling false teachers on TV or pick up the latest trending book at the local Lifeway. They usually grasp hold of teachers, books and things that make them feel good about themselves or give a false stamp of approval to something they enjoy, which more than likely is something that does not bring glory to God. This is the reason the prosperity “gospel” is so rampant these days, because it is all about “me”. Who do we love more than anyone else when we are self focused? Me. How can I make “me” richer? Healthier? Successful? More loved? God takes a backseat to “me” and the only time the Bible is mentioned is as a proof verse, out of context, to say “Hey, see that, God wants you to have money”. That is not saying that someone with money is not discerning, but the desire of the heart for personal prosperity really exposes the desires of the heart, which is in polar opposition to the desires of the heart that mentioned in Psalm 37:4. 

In summary of the first “type” of discernment - It is to “know” what God says in His Word and to properly test all things against His Word, to actively and purposefully judge what we do, consume, say, desire, read, sing, listen to, talk about. Basically how we live our life in light of God’s Word in pursuit of knowing Him more and becoming more Christlike each day.

The next “type” of discernment I see in scripture is a “spiritual discernment”. This is when the Spirit bears witness with a Christian and they just “know” that something is of God. This is NOT merely a “feeling” or emotion, but the Spirit of the living and True God “making real” to someone what is true of God. This is the exact thing that Paul exhorts us to in 1 Corinthians 2:14

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Jesus also addresses the Spiritual discernment aspect of a believer in Matthew 13:11-17. He equates knowing the mysteries of God as a gift given to us, when it has not been given to the worldly person, the non-Christian. This is why a believer can read the Bible and be moved, enthralled, encouraged and more as opposed to someone who does not have the Spirit of God reading and in that the Bible is seen as dull, boring, full of rules, full of hate, etc. Jesus calls this in this passage as “eyes to see and ears to hear”, which are gifts of God, given by the Spirit, not learned, not “knowledge” from study or academics, but purely as Spiritually imparted. 

John sums this up perfectly for us in 1 John 2:27

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

There may be other “types” of discernment in scripture but they will stem from these 2 branches from the same vine. Ultimately discernment is simply “knowing” what God says and desires for us, His children, Christ’s body, to bring more glory to Him. There are also only 2 ways to have true godly discernment; given by God Himself, training and studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Continual pointing and reliance on the Word of God as our “proof” for anything is the motivation and desire. The goal is to glorify God. 

In the next post we will look into the desire for discernment. Should we have that desire? What if we do not have a desire to be discerning? What does it mean if we are complacent, seemingly feeding on milk and never growing in knowledge of the things of God? 

Footnotes and citations:

Matthew 7:15

New King James Version 

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

New King James Version

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discernment

Hebrews 5:14

New King James Version 

14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Ephesians 4:14

New King James Version 

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Philippians 1:9-10

New King James Version 

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

1 Thessalonians 5:21

New King James Version 

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

http://www.notafan.com/ 

Psalm 37:4

New King James Version 

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

1 Corinthians 2:14

New King James Version 

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Matthew 13:11-17

New King James Version 

11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

1 John 2:27

New King James Version 

27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

To The Breaking Point

I've seen it firsthand. Actually I am seeing it more readily now. The bending of morality to the point of breaking. Once a person's morals are weakened then it makes it easier for them to bend and break in other areas. So, what is the reason for this? Let's explore it together.

Any number of "bendings" may start the slide down the slippery slope, which is then followed by any other "bending". All are rooted in either personal gratification or an skewed view of humanity and the Aleister Crowley view of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law". In other words, "If it feels good to you then no one else can say anything about it". You may also have heard this, seemingly harmless, put as "Live and let live". It does sound quite cushy and respective of others, but it can and is very damaging. Of course, this way of thinking is built around the post-modern thinks of "all truths are valid", which is self-contradictory and refutes itself in those 4 words.

Truth is a "static" thing; it doesn't move, it doesn't waver and it is fixed. Nothing can change a truth, nothing can prove a truth incorrect or invalid. Some people today would have you believe that "truth" is whatever you perceive as reality. This could go as far as saying 2+2=5 can be correct to you. Of course, anyone with a 1st grade education knows that 2+2=4 and that there is no wavering and no other correct answer. In that same vein, we know that reproduction of life is by one male and one female, that is a law of nature. Some would have you believe that it is perfectly "natural" for those of the same sex to have "relations" and to have the same relationship that heterosexuals do. In scripture it is called sin and an abomination to God, since He created man and woman to be one, not a perversion for sexual desires between same sex people. But some, even some that call themselves Christians, would say that the Word of God is incorrect, even try to make a mockery of God's Word by pulling in archaic verses out of context while saying, "If you think being gay is a sin, then so is eating shrimp or cutting your hair". Of course this is proof that this person doesn't know the Word of God and that they hold human desires above scripture. This is a very dangerous place to be for a person. It would be better if that person would just deny being a Christian, as their portrayal of being a follower of Jesus is actually blasphemous when they try to speak contrary to the Word of God.

So, the perception that lying is normal is one of the things that some people bend on. Others may be drunkenness, drugs, theft, hatred, gambling, sex outside of marriage, speeding, slothfulness, abortion and any number of other things that go against the Truths of God. Once you have bent and broken one, it is not hard to bend and break another, then another, then another and then end up in the mind state of "Live and let live. To each his own. Who am I to say something is wrong?" That is exactly why we, as the human race, need a solid foundation in which to put our trust - Jesus Christ.

God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), very unlike our human existence. Look at the rise and fall of societies, look at the short life of the U.S.A. for example. See how morality has declined in just the past 40 years. This may be due to the lack of reverence for God or the lack of reverence may just be an evidence of the human quest for independence from God, the view that "we" are god and "we" choose our path. Thing is that "path" is a path to destruction without God. Wavering on just one single fact that is plainly laid out in scripture will always lead to other errors. Laying aside known Truth will always end in destruction, which is where our country and our world is headed.

In 1973 Roe V Wade set the path for infanticide, which  has now led to a President and government that wants to force Christians to pay for this murdering of babies. This one court case, set into motion a series of events, a decline over 40 years that has culminated in 1.5 million baby murders per year, in the U.S.A alone. Our government not only allows these murders, but they promote and provide these murders.  Show me in scripture where killing babies is a "good thing". Show me where telling a lie is acceptable or there is room given to make excuses for telling a lie to try and change the outcome of something. Where in the Bible does it say that "all truths are valid"? None of that is in there and Scripture condemns all of that. So we can only conclude that anyone who promotes the things that God condemns cannot be a Christian at all, they are trying to make a mockery of God and His Word.

The breaking point is always within our reach. This is why we must always rely on and go to God's Word for EVERYTHING. While it may not lay out, in detail, the particular issues you may be facing, the principles are there. Do not try to bend God's Word to fit your stinkin' thinkin'. Turn your heart to the Word and allow your mind to be transformed by the Word

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The Scope Of Your Influence

God has graced me with, what I think is, a good job with a good benefits package that includes vacation time. This week is vacation time with the first 2 days were spent watching our sick grandson instead of sending him to daycare which was a great time. Yesterday and today have been chore days, which makes me think this is not really a vacation after all, but it is good to not be bogged down with “work”.

This morning, before venturing into chore mode, I came across a video of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty/ Duck Commander fame. I was first introduced to Phil and his family via the Duck Dynasty TV series and first heard of the show in my Sunday School class. One of the teens in there said they were watching it and said that they were Christians, so I had to check it out. Now, let me be upfront, I have never been duck hunting in my life and only been any kind of hunting one time, for rabbit, which I felt bad afterward and never went again. I have the luxury of not having the need to hunt, but would and will if the need ever arises, so I do not think hunting is “wrong” and is actually quite “right”. If you watch the video series I post at the end of this posting you will hear just how God designed us as hunters.

During the video I heard a little about hunting, which is to be expected, but then heard a LOT about God. It was awesome and I soon began to realize that God had given these men favor, through hunting, to preach the Gospel. Their scope of influence is broad now, thanks to a love for hunting and God's working in their lives to put them in the a large scope of influence. This got me thinking about my scope of influence.

While my “world' is not as broad as the Robertson family has been given, my task is the same – Preach the Gospel to everyone I come into contact with. This means my job, when I go shopping, to my neighbor, to the mailman, the UPS man, the counter person at McDonalds and in my own home. Just because these men have been given a larger “audience” doesn't mean that we are to have a large audience to proclaim the Gospel. Everyone's audience is given by God for specific reasons. My audience could never be the same as Phil or Jase Robertson as I know nothing about hunting, but not a single Robertson can have my audience or your audience. And please don't misunderstand my use of the word “audience”, which is not meant in an entertainment since, but in a “who God puts in my life who hears my voice and who I can tell about Him”.

So I ask anyone who may happen across this posting, who God has put in my scope of influence, to look around you. Look at the opportunities that God places in your life everyday to tell of His glory. You don't have to keep asking “God please give me the opportunity to....” because He already does, they are already there. Turn that prayer into “God please allow me eyes to see the opportunities you have already given to me, to share your Gospel, to share your love”. I guarantee you He will and while you may never get a reality TV show you will be partaking in the Great Commission of making disciples.

I encourage each of you to watch these videos and see how God has placed hunting in their lives in order to share the Gospel. If you are a Christian you will be greatly encouraged. As you watch pray and ask God to show you the opportunities that you may have to do this same thing, in the scope of influence He has placed before you.  

Phil

(6 videos, about 10 minutes each)

Jase

(Almost and hour long, but great)

SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

(by A.W. Pink) 

It is greatly to be feared that there are

multitudes in Christendom who verily

imagine and sincerely believe that they

are among the saved, yet who are total

strangers to a work of divine grace in

their hearts. 

It is one thing to have clear intellectual

conceptions of God's truth, it is quite

another matter to have a personal, real

heart acquaintance with it. 

It is one thing to believe that sin is the

awful thing that the Bible says it is, but

it is quite another matter to have a holy

horror and hatred of it in the soul. 

It is one thing to know that God requires

repentance, it is quite another matter to

experimentally mourn and groan over our

vileness. 

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

only Savior for sinners, it is quite another

matter to really trust Him from the heart.

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

'sum of all excellency', it is quite another

matter to LOVE HIM above all others. 

It is one thing to believe that God is the

great and holy One, it is quite another

matter to truly reverence and fear Him. 

It is one thing to believe that salvation

is of the Lord, it is quite another matter

to become an actual partaker of it through

His gracious workings.

Altar-ed Call

I've set through a lot of altar calls in my life. Some of these altar calls were bad, in the baddest sense, others were worse, but none worse than the one I set through last night. It was actually three altar calls strung together over about an hour and a half.

Being raised in a typical “American church” I grew up with altar calls after every service. It was just how the service progressed: Singing, prayer, preaching, altar call with soft music, proclamations of salvation, leave. Of course, I use the “preaching” and the “prayer” in loose terms as they were both usually man-centered. But hey, it's all I knew as a child and I was a fine product of the “modern gospel” for 30 years, believing I was saved because of an altar call. I was “held over hell on a corn stalk” being told how terrible hell was, literally having the hell scared out of me and driving me right to the altar to say the prayer. It was just “how it was” and that's all I knew.

Thirty years later, when I actually had an encounter with God He began to show me things. I had returned to the church of my youth and had heard the same messages, seen the same methods, witnessed the same results. People flocked to the altars to “get saved” or “rededicate” their lives to Christ. The altar call trip when I was 8 was my only one, but I would say 50% of the other altar calls I set through I was praying that prayer all over again. As a mater of fact my prayer before going to bed each night usually had some form of, “God, if I'm not really saved, please forgive me and don't send me to hell”.

The extended altar call last night really struck bad to me. I had just enjoyed a great concert from a Christian band that I really like. I made my way to the merch table to pick up a t-shirt and have the band sign my CD cover before I left. The guest “evangelist” began to speak and they shut down everything, no sales, everyone stop and pay attention. I was told that, “We can't sell anything now, this is why we put this on tonight, right here”, with a head nod to the stage area. The “evangelist” started out making fun of how a few girls had laughed at other events that he had been a part of. I would say that if any of those girls had been there they would not have been very flattered by the words he was saying. He was after laughs and he received laughs. I guess this was his ice breaker routine to grab attention of everyone. It worked, because my attention was fixed on him, wondering why he would be squandering this opportunity to share Christ with the crowd before him. He did speak a little about the bible, told how God's sheep hear His voice and then the altar call commenced.

“Do you want to hear God's voice?”

“Do you want to go to heaven when you die?”

That's about it in several different forms. By this time a brief shower had started falling, so he was rushing to get to the altar call and rushing, somewhat to get to “the prayer”. He asked everyone to bow their heads, raise their hand if they wanted to be able to hear God's voice an commenced the text book “sinner's prayer”. He then did the next thing in the “Altar Calls 101” play book and asked those that said the prayer to stand up, “nobody's looking” after all. Then after a few had made it to their feet began to tell them, “OK, now don't be ashamed, come on forward.” Typical psychological manipulation. I would guess that about 35 kids went forward and were passed off to the events counselors at the side of the stage.

The rain had stopped, so the second altar call commenced. This time it was geared at those that “have heard God's voice, but now listen to the voice of the world instead”. He was giving the altar call for people to rededicate their lives. This was filled with a story about scaring girls when he was younger and was played into “don't be scared to live for God”. Not much of a reaction to this part of his extended altar call. He ended it with “prayer” and handed the mic to the promoter.

I was ready to buy my t-shirt and hit the road for the hour drive back home. But, alas, the promoter must not have thought that the second altar call was good enough. He began with the same “don't be scared” ploy. This was followed by “we have to do....”, “why aren't you.....” and “If you don't.....”. This man was filling these people's heads with works and trying to lay guilt trips on everyone. At one point he said, “If you are not out evangelizing then you are sending people to hell”. My head was about to explode because I had yet to hear anything, in the three altar calls, about God's holiness, God's requirements, man's sinfulness and rebellion, Christ's perfect atonement, the blood of Christ that takes away all of our sins, the grace of God in even allowing us to have a breath because of our rebellion. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. No Gospel. No call to repentance. Nothing of the true Gospel whatsoever. Only a emotional call and guilt trip to garner decisions. I prayed during all of this that God would save despite the false message. He saved me despite the false teachings I was sitting under, so I know He does it.

If I were a confrontational person I would have been in a serious discussion with the promoter and staff last night. If there ever was a time I wanted to confront someone it was last night. It was probably for the best that I did, at that time, not say anything. But, I will probably say something if I ever happen to be at another event that this guy puts on. I know that this false gospel is sending millions to hell. I also think that most of these people mean well, but also that the “road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Unless someone repents and is born again they will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus made it clear that you must follow Him, lay everything aside, even the love for your family is to seem like hate in comparison for your love for Him. The easy believism that permeates most “churches” and “Christian” events must be addressed and must be stopped. Then again, this may just be part of the judgment of God, giving man over to their own self centered desires and works mentality, trusting in themselves for salvation and not on Christ.

We must stand on the Word of God alone. We must not water down the Message of Christ. We must not tickle the ears of others and tell them what they want to hear in order to get them to commit to a decision. We must not play people's emotions and instead preach the full council of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in convicting them, God made it simple enough to trust in Him. Sell it all and follow Him. Do not give regard for the things of this life, but instead have the mind of a pilgrim, just passing through, making disciples, pointing to Christ in all that we do, exalting His Name, preaching the Gospel in season and out of season. Proclaiming The good News to this lost and dying world. Are you ready? Then Go!  

God's Amazing Grace

If I were to have started this blog today, instead of years ago I would probably have titled it “That Grace May Abound”. Not that I wasn't aware of God's grace(s) at that time, but He was showing me so much truth from His Word and about what I had been living for the bulk of my life. Today, my 44^th Birthday, as I reflect back over the past years of my life I see the signs and evidences of God's grace throughout. Yes, even when I was lost and in rebellion to my Lord, He was still pouring His grace and His love out in my life. Grace is often attributed as "unmerited favor" or a reprieve of guilt and with those I totally agree with, but it is also the natural extension of God's love to His children. 

I think about my childhood, about how He put me in a church, to learn the bible stories that showed His power and how He worked in people's lives like David, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Noah, Moses and many others in the Bible. I never really learned, though, why these stories were in the bible, that they all actually pointed to Christ, but nonetheless, they were laying groundwork in my life to point me to Him later in life. I think of my “rebellious” years, which were actually all my years until He saved me. But the ones that stick out are when I openly flung my fist in the air and said, “I'm doing this my way, I'll do what I want – when I want”. All the time thinking that I was saved because of a profession as an 8 year old in that same church's youth group.

The years passed and I can honestly only think of only a single night that, as I lay down to sleep, I did not pray to the god I had created in my own mind. The reason? I dozed off drunk. I would always pray for forgiveness, for the same sins, for the life that I lived and for the multitude of sins I committed each day. God was still graceful to me, He kept me safe, He kept those around me safe, He still allowed me the days until I would finally and truly know Him.

I see the signs of God working my life through the years. Even though, at the time, I didn't realize it was Him. The things I prayed for that never came to pass, the things I did pray for that actually did. The staying of His wrath against me as I defiled His Name by professing to know Him, all the while living in open sin to and with those I was making the profession to. I know first hand the deception of a false convert, which is again by His grace. I attribute this to my “zeal” for truth. I just so greatly want others that live in deception to be awakened from their slumber and meet the One True God.

I have in my recent past, since God saved me, seen His grace in many ways. Today He has shown me that a lot of times His grace is shown through people He has put in my life. I think about people that for many different reasons should have had their anger heightened toward me, in my zeal (misdirected zeal) said and did things that I should have actually stopped to think about beforehand. But God in His richness of Grace allowed these people to react with the grace that I lacked. These occurrences have made a huge impact on me and I now see that these, too, were an act of God's grace in my life. God has used these people in many ways and without that grace shown I would not be where I am today. I still have the “zeal” for His truth, but also have a fresh zeal for His Grace. It is through His grace that I have a better understanding of how to interact with others better. Not perfectly by a long shot, but better.

In 2010, on my birthday, I set out on a year long journey on this blog titled “A Year In MY Life ThroughPictures”. It seemed like a good idea at first, but soon became somewhat tedious. I do not regret doing the series, but it did leave a sense of antipathy ($2 word alert) to me, I just didn't want to write any longer. I was burned out and I was spent. I needed a break. So, since finishing the year long series in 2011, on my birthday, I have been sporadic, at best, with my postings. A few things here and there have sparked me to bang something out, but no real inspiration. Until now. Why? I have no idea, but I feel the need to start posting again.

Let me say something again that I have said from the get-go on this blog. I AM NOT A WRITER. I hated English class in high school. I hated diagramming sentences. I can't spell. I do not properly punctuate. I make up words. I ramble on and on. I lack sentence structure. I lack any sense of writing ability that would characterize someone that anyone else would want to read. But I think of Moses, who had a speech impediment, whom God used anyway. I think of Jeremiah who tried to talk God into not using him:

Jeremiah 1:4-9 

4 The word of the Lord came to me: 5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. 6 But I protested, “Oh no, Lord, God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.” 

7 Then the Lord said to me:

Do not say, “I am only a youth,”

for you will go to everyone I send you to

and speak whatever I tell you.

8 Do not be afraid of anyone,

for I will be with you to deliver you.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

9 Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and told me:

I have now filled your mouth with My words.

Not that I should be compared to Moses or Jeremiah, but God is still God and I am still feeble. Moses and Jeremiah tried to talk God out of using them and I have done that too. But I see that God can use whoever He pleases, however He pleases, whenever He pleases and I don't want to miss that. I want to be aware when He is using me and actually, willingly and openly be used of Him in whatever capacity that is. I don't want to miss God like I did 38 years of my life.

So I ask anyone who ventures upon this blog site to be graceful of my mistakes, I make them often. Please do not hesitate to correct me grammatically or if I have something wrong spiritually. I would actually prefer that you correct me, so I do not continue in error. But some things you may be in error in as well and I ask that you seek correction too. God is still graceful to the humble, but not the prideful. I have learned that the hard way, through my stubbornness and through my lack of grace to others. God has been very good to me and has corrected me through His grace and through His grace through others.

What better way to describe grace than this:

Ephesians 2:4-9

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

A Damaged Testimony?

Have you ever damaged your testimony? You know, damaged your story of your walk with Christ? Do you even know what that means or have you never heard of damaging your testimony?

I used to hear that a lot growing up at my childhood church. It seems that was the appeal to the members of the church, don't do something that will make you look bad in front of others. Of course at the time it sounded really good, then again so did the idea of just saying a prayer and getting it “all taken care of”. Now, looking back, I can see why this was a popular saying in the realm of the “modern gospel”. It is directed at “self” just as the “gospel” was directed.

So, what is wrong with this? Why am I now, 30 something years later bringing this up? Because I had an epiphany today about “damaging my testimony”. I don't know why it popped into my head at work today, other than it lead me to write this blog and shed my thoughts on the matter. I've never really thought about damaging “my testimony” before, so this was kind of out of the blue as I was thinking back over how God has worked in my life, through childhood, my teen years, my young adult life and now my middle years. I can see how God has guided me through the years, even when I was not yet His child.

First the phrase, My testimony, is directed at self. Just as the easy-believism message prominent in my childhood and which has grown to the “norm” now, so was this admonishment to not “damage your testimony”. This was said to those rebellious teenagers out on the weekends doing stuff they shouldn't be doing or the person cheating on their taxes or husband cheating on their wife. It addresses a great problem in the world of professing Christianity (churchianity): If you do not preach a message of repentance, new birth, faith, sanctification and holiness then you have to continually address a lifestyle of sin. Of course ,to those that are truly a child of God this idea seems foreign, to have to continually tell people NOT to sin, the same sins... over and over again. To try and reach a mind and conscience that doesn't grasp the idea of sin in the first place.

The cause of this message is the false gospel that creates false converts that give lip service to the name “Christian”. They said a prayer, walked an aisle, have been in church since they were born, their parents are Christians, or any other number of things that lead someone to believe they are “saved” but actually are still under the wrath of God. I have seen it a thousand times, people make emotional decisions, are pressured into saying a prayer, raising their hand, walking an aisle and their name is jotted on a decision card, they are paraded in front of the congregation and the “preacher” pronounces them saved. The emotionalism reaches its peak as the crowd erupts into applause, tears flow and another person has their fate of hell sealed under the guise of making a “public profession”. They are told to write the date in the back of their bible, and show the devil that page any time he comes sticking his nose in their business. Only thing is the devil never got his nose out of their business and was along side the congregation in applause for the false profession. As the days go by, the weeks add up things change. The elation of the applause was gone after shutting the car door in the parking lot. The handshakes and back slaps lasted a few services, but were quickly diminished. Life resumed as normal. The temporary halting of some sins halted itself and the sins came back, even greater than before. After all, you “got saved”, you live under grace now and all you have to do is ask for forgiveness and it's all taken care of.

When the lifestyle of sin rears its head once again, what is a preacher to do? Go back to the emotionalism once again. Set up a meeting with the one living in sin. Address the emotions once again, something along the lines of “Bubby, you know you shouldn't be doing those things. You can't hurt your testimony like that. What's your mama gonna think if she finds out you been drinking again? Does your wife know you've been dancing with those other women? Don't you feel bad about doing those things again?” Appeals to the emotions to not “damage/ hurt your testimony”, just as the emotional plea to “Come to Jesus. All you have to do is say this prayer”. It's a never ending cycle Why? Because it was a false gospel, by a false teacher, making a false convert.

A major issue with the statement “damaging your testimony” is the fact that you don't really have a testimony. A true believer has a testimony to God about what He has done to you, in you, through you. So how could you damage something that God has done in the first place? A Christian that does sin, who repents, will give testimony to how God, once again, graciously pulled them out of sin. It will not be focused on “me” or “my” anything, but on the One that actually did something, God. Which counteracts the whole message of the easy-believism message today.... It's all about ME. When the true Gospel is all about God.

The whole belief structure of easy-believism/ American gospel is based on self. This goes all the way through the life cycle of the false convert of this system. I say a prayer, I ask Jesus into my heart, I cleaned up my life, I stopped drinking, I stopped smoking, I started going to church every Sunday morning, I got baptized, I sang in the choir, I taught Sunday School, I went to Sunday School, I went on a mission trip, I, I, I. When it should be God saved me, God pulled me out of the mire and changed my heart, God took away my vices, God cleaned me up, God used me to teach other about Him, God, God , God. This mentality follows through when the false convert returns to sin and the leaders or friends see that something is wrong. It's often called “back sliding”, but honestly it is just a returning to the sin that never was washed away in the first place. But damage control has to start and the emotional appeals start again.

If the majority of “preachers” today would actually preach the Gospel then they wouldn't have to continually meet with people to appeal to them to stop sinning. Divorce rates would drop, if not completely go away among those professing Christianity. There would be no more “re-dedications”. There would be filled pews instead of only filled membership rolls. False conversions would be the exception instead of the norm. People would have testimonies of God's greatness instead of having “my testimony”. Sinners would repent. God would be glorified.

The remedy? The Gospel. God. Christ crucified. Repentance. Re-birth, a new creation. Sanctification. Faith. The Blood of Jesus.

Scanning The Globe

Day 355 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

These things are really cool. They are QR Codes that can be scanned with your smart phone that can do any number of things. Scan this one to see what it says. First person to reply what it says gets...... absolutely nothing. Sorry, I have a tight budget on this side of the keyboard.

Technology is amazing. To see how far things have come since just my youth have been amazing. Although we didn't have to crank up the phonograph with a handle to listen to music, I have lived over several different types of music players. When I was young we only had a record player, then we added a console stereo unit that had an 8-Track player. While we still had that unit cassettes came out, in which I had to get a cassette adapter to play them in the 8-Track slot. Then came the walkman and car stereos with cassette players, which were the top of the line when I got my drivers license. Next up were CDs when I was about 20 years old, but were too expensive to put a CD player in my car, so I recorded them to cassette for portability. Now we have made the jump to iPods, MP3 players, jump drives and SD/ Micro SD cards that can hold many CDs worth of music on them. It has been amazing. I can even remember telling my son, when he was young, that when he got older he would probably have something about the size of a stamp that he would slide into a stereo for music, so I was right about the memory card.

I wonder what the next 20 years will hold technologically wise. I can only imagine that TVs will be paper thin and you will be able to roll it out on whatever wall you choose. Video games have already advanced to no controllers needed with the XBOX 360, so where those go will baffle me no matter what advancements are made. Wireless seems to be the newest thing, which I was told by the DirecTV installer to be ready for wireless Satellite TV in the next 5 years, no wires and the signal would be broadcast wirelessly through your house.

No time in history has the ability to reach everyone on the planet been able. Satellites and computers can take the Gospel anywhere across the globe. This could very well be the "end of days" as the Lord returns for His bride. I will not set dates, but will say that Day will probably be soon. I am ready, are you? Do you know the true God of the Bible? Have you seen your utter sinfulness before the Holy God of the Universe? Do you realize that just one little lie is enough to damn you for eternity? We are wretched people and in need of a Savior, because we are sinful through and through. We can't make a payment for our sins no matter how hard we try. We can never be good enough to deserve forgiveness. We can never do enough good works to buy our way to forgiveness. We can't do anything except see our state before God and cry out to Him for mercy. Repent and turn from your sinful life and turn to Him. See the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary as the payment for your sins and trust in Him. Only the blood of Jesus can pay for your sins. It is a legal transaction in which Christ takes everything you did on Himself, even though He never once sinned. No prayer will save you. No walk down an aisle will save you. No affirmation by a evangelist or preacher will save you. Only Christ can. Turn to Him. Repent and believe.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I can help you find a solid bible teaching church in your area to start learning what the bible really says about you and me and more importantly what it says about Christ.

Washed

Day 334 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Laundry..... not my favorite thing to do, but it is one of those things that must be done. Today I must needs to do my laundry. I was out of shirts and I needed a decent one to wear to church tomorrow when I get off work to help with serving dinner to the flood victims in our area. So, I did a single load and still have about 3 more that need to be done. Yes, that is a lot of clothes. Yes, I do my own laundry.

Looking at the mounds of clothing that is mine I can't help but see how God has blessed me and my family. It's not that I have expensive clothing or anything, but that I have a lot of clothing and many people would be fortunate to have a couple of days worth of clothes. I can go weeks without needing to do laundry, which means I have A LOT of clothes from every category including socks, skivvies, shirts, pants and even work clothes. So, yes I am blessed... greatly.

I do not realize that near as much as I need o. I should be thanking God every time I open the refrigerator, lay down in a nice bed, feel the coolness from the air conditioner, sit down in my car, get a paycheck, think of my wife and kids and turn a light on. I have been blessed by God so much and I am so thankless most of the time. I have "stuff" sitting on other "stuff" that I haven't touched in years, just collecting dust. I had a felt need for something, got it, then forgot about it, which could probably be seen as excessive or wasteful.

Thank God He still shows us things through our life and along our path. He continually sanctifies me (us) as we grow closer to Him. He is Light, so it is His nature to expose the darkness in our lives and the closer we get to Him the more gets exposed, even down to the crevices in the deepest regions of our heart. Praise the Lord He still works on us and is so forgiving and so long-suffering. We each deserve a fiery hell, but His love is extended to us, through Christ every moment of every day. We must continue to preach the gospel to ourselves every minute of every day as we need it as much as the lost man does. Thank God He keeps saving me.

Praying For Joplin

Day 327 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

This is not good. At least in our eyes as loving and caring people. Joplin Missouri was hit two days ago by a devastating tornado. Many lives were lost, homes destroyed and people injured. Now, this evening, two days later there are reports that there is another tornado that has touched down. This community that is still in shock from the first tornado is having to find shelter that is not there and depend on a already stretched infrastructure. May God be merciful.

These types of events always seem so devastating to us, and rightly so. Most of have never gone through anything of this magnitude, so we only imagine what these folks must be dealing with. We do have compassion for these people, but we do not truly understand what they are going through. We try to imagine it, our empathy and sympathy are strong for every one of them, even though we do not know any of them personally. But we still care and we still pray for them.

The only thing of this magnitude I have seen the effects of is Hurricane Katrina. I had the opportunity to go to Louisiana for a couple of work trips. While there I made the trek to New Orleans. While the city had made large strides, the outlying areas were still in ruin. Passing by New Orleans, just a few miles saw neighborhoods empty, except for a few homes that had campers outside, people trying to rebuild and make their lives as normal as hey could. Even though they lost everything to a disaster they persevered and looked to a hope. I have no idea of any of their spiritual condition, but as a Christian my heart broke for them. Seeing that type of destruction first hand really makes it different. It no longer is something that is seen on TV, where there is a disconnect for most. It is real and these are real people.

This is why we must reach out to everyone that we come into contact with, with the gospel. Who knows when something will happen that will take the life of someone you know? As Christians we need to take urgency in spreading the Good News to every creature seriously. I admit, I do not like I should. I work with people every day that are dying and going to hell, but yet I act like nothing is wrong. These souls have the wrath of God abiding on their heads, much worse than any type of disaster could ever compare, and yet I do not flinch. I pray that God works in me and opens up that urgency, I see the need, but do I really comprehend it? I would answer no, since I do not live out what I know I should.

Will these people stand before God on judgment day and point an accusing finger at me and say, "He never told me!" Or will they say, "I should have listened." Hopefully they will not be saying either and be singing praises to the Lord for saving their soul and laying all alms at the feet of Jesus. Oh what a glorious day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see.

Can I Get A Witness?

Day 302 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses today in my front yard. It was an experience that I will definitely use to grow in my understanding of scriptures. These two guys were semi-well versed in the JW apologetics department, but still I gave them the gospel and what a true follower of Christ is.

It is amazing how their religion takes scripture and twists it, even changes words and adds words to make them fit into their belief structure. Although they (the Jehovah's Witnesses) are similar to the Mormon religion, they do have some very strong distinctiveness. I have been in contact with a Mormon for about 2 years now and I think I know a lot of their beliefs, but the JWs today did catch me off guard with a few questions and thought processes. I actually thought at some points they were trying to confuse me to get my footing off so they could pour their false doctrines down my throat. I was in prayer the whole 2 hour conversation as king for God to direct me through the conversation. And He did.

One point they were trying to hound into me was there was no hell. I couldn't help but think of Rob Bell, even though the JWs and Bell have different thoughts to dissuade people from believing. They kept speaking of destruction in the sense of obliteration, the second death as just being totally destroyed. We did go to the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 and I think that got them thinking a little bit harder. They did have an "answer", albeit a flimsy one that they didn't seem to confident in. The just of it was that "Abraham's Bosom" was just an analogy to the Kingdom, so speaking of eternal torment was also just an analogy. We did come back to this story a time or two through the conversation and they kept saying they would have to "study" it more, which I took as "take back to someone higher up that can tell me how to refute this".

They left after standing outside for 2 hours, sometimes with small rain showers coming down, so they were at least dedicated to the conversation and I was dedicated to not asking them inside my home. I had my MacArthur Study Bible in hand as I wanted to show them the differences in their NWT and a different one that they are not allowed to read from. I did get the more outspoken one's phone # with the agreement I would call him to set up another meeting, with the caveat that I would give him a topic for discussion as well. The other young man was really the one that I sensed was questioning some things in his own head, he nodded some as I was refuting some of their claims and said on more than one occasion that he would "look into it".

I know God is able to pull any of these deceived people from this false religion, He pulled me from a false religion that I was perfectly content in believing as well. Deception is a wicked thing and those embroiled in it do not realize they are deceived, they simply follow along and believe everything that is pumped into them. God can change that though and that is why I am not fretting over the "I should have said ...." and relying on Him to work in these two young men as He sees fit. I do ask that you pray for Andrew and Nick that they will be exposed to some true theology in places other than my house. Pray that any seeds sown today may take root and sprout into fruit that God will use to break these guys from their bondage. I have the highest faith that God can do this, just as I know that He can save my children and the lost friends and family members I have, even the ones that profess Christ but do not know the True Christ.

I Got You Babe

Day 300 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Isn't technology amazing? The gift that God has given us to explore, entertain, learn and cure is really mind boggling at times. Like my picture today. That is my grandson Elliott, in utero, still about 2 months from making his official arrival on this side of mommy's belly. But look at the detail of his face that can be seen using sound waves through Emily's belly. Amazing, simply amazing.

This little bundle of joy will be making his grand appearance toward the end of June. He already has a lot of fans and those fans have a lot of plans for him. I'm sure for the first year or two he will be readily accepting of others plans, but as he begins to grow and to develop his own personality he will more than likely start exerting his own plans. It's inevitable and expected and all part of the life process as we forge our our likes and dislikes, wants and desires.

Another thing that all babies have born in them is a sinful nature. Yes, even sweet baby Elliott who has not even taken his first breath yet has the DNA of sin embedded in him. It would not be a stretch for me to say that he could be raised without anyone at all telling him a lie or even telling him what a lie is and for him to blurt one out one day. Maybe it will be for self preservation to avoid punishment or maybe it will be to gain something he desires. What the lie will be is a desire of selfishness in whatever capacity that it is exerted, he will sin. He may even sin more than one time, actually I am exaggerating a bit, he will sin many times and will probably sin daily.

He will be born as all of humanity has since Cain and Abel, with a sin nature inherited from Adam and Eve. That sin nature and essence separates us from the Holy God of the Universe. He is perfect and He requires perfection to be in His presence. That is why without a perfect Mediator we can not have the fellowship with God that we desperately need. The Mediator? Jesus Christ. Christ was born perfect, lived a perfect and sinless life. He bore our sins upon Himself, willingly, so that we may once again have access to the Father. If not for that sacrifice we would be hopeless and doomed, but thanks to God's grace he made the Way for us to regain fellowship. We must only trust in Christ, not just with lip service, but a total upheaval of self and a total casting of ourselves to Him. In Him we place our trust, we trust that He will save us. No amount of working can gain us the salvation that was purchased by His blood on the cross of Calvary. He bore all sins and finished it all, if you would only trust and believe in Him, totally.

Are you trusting in something other than Christ to have saved you? Many place their trust in a prayer or in a profession of faith, as I did for 30 years of my life. Others will point to a preacher's admonishment and affirmation as their proof of salvation. To those things I say you are trusting in a false idol. Only Christ can save you and only Christ can change you. No manner of working, no manner of doing good deeds, no amount of church attendance, no amount of feeding the poor or even reading the bible will save you. Only Jesus Christ. Only the full submission to Him will you find the hope. Is that where your hope lies?

Resurrection Day 2011

Day 296 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Resurrection Day 2011, which some call Easter. I think that Resurrection Day is a more appropriate term anyway, after all it is the day that Christians celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. Without His resurrection Christianity would be just another religion among the others, but Christ arose from the grave and sits at the right hand of the Father and He is coming again. He is coming back one day (looks like soon) for those that trust in Him, not only with lip service but truly trust in Him for everything.

So, it was also an exciting day at church too. Chandra and I were baptized, which has been in the makings for about 2 years. As a child I said the prayer, walked the aisle and was submersed in water, which was just me getting wet. I was not actually converted then and lived like the world until God really showed me who and what I was and who He is. That is when I saw that for 30 years I had relied on my profession of faith as a child, always pointed back to then and was indeed a false convert. I knew I wanted to be baptized, but I didn't want to in the same church I was in, which was also my childhood church. God had been dealing with me about that place anyway, with the man centered messages, the back slapping, buddy system and the sin that ran rampant because most were also false converts. I needed a strong biblical church home and I wasn't getting baptized until I found one.

It didn't take long and God put us at Oak Grove. We started the new members class and through it I remembered that I had never been biblically/ scripturally baptized. With that we agreed, along with the pastor, that Chandra and I would both be baptized with the next baptism service. Well, to make a long story short, Chandra had some health issues at the time set for the first baptism, she was in the hospital, so we weren't able to. Fast forward to the next time and again, she was in the hospital. Today happened to be the next baptismal service set and I told Chandra that there was no way she was going in the hospital this weekend. It worked out well and I got to share about 30 seconds of what I just shared here.

It was a great day indeed. God was good today to us, as always, even though I continually defy Him He keeps loving me. What an awesome God He is and I praise Him for loving me as sinful and dirty as I am. He has done a work in me and continues to do so daily. The closer I get to Him, the more He exposes, the more I see my need to trust Him more and more and turn loose of my flesh. Only by His grace am I where I am and only by His grace do I continue my walk.

Oh, the picture is of one of my favorite hymns that we happened to sing today - "Great Is They Faithfulness"

Awesome Display Of God's Power

Day 287 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I have to confess first thing, I did not take this picture, but wish I had. It is really cool. Probably the first I have ever seen with lightning and a rainbow in the same picture. It certainly beat any picture that I could have taken today.

Pictures like this catch a split second of time that will never be recreated. Now, with this photo, the split second awesome display of our God can be enjoyed for many years to come. I have been noticing more of nature that God has given to us. Even the mighty thunderstorms that rolled through this evening displayed the glory of God. The crashing thunder and winds only are a minimal fraction of what God can do. After all, look at the fastness of the Universe and see His glory on display. Why else would He create so many solar systems, planets and stars except to show us how awesome He is?

It does seem like we are smack dab in thunderstorm alley right now. Somehow our weather patterns have been more intense over the past couple of years. I know that the U.S. is not mentioned in scripture about the end times, but the weather is, so maybe this is one of the signs announcing Christ's return. No other time in history have as many prophecies been fulfilled. Are you ready? Is Christ Lord of your life? Have you seen your utter depravity and lack of ability to save yourself? Turn to Him and place all trust for all things in Him. Today is the day of salvation, you may not get another.

Trees, Seeds, Soil And The Gospel

Day 278 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

While looking out our back window earlier I was admiring the trees standing across our property. Some of the trees still hold limbs that were snapped during the ice storm 2 years ago, dangling in the breeze. Other new limbs have sprouted out of some of the trees and leaves are starting to bud out from the limbs. One majestic oak stands in the background, limbs like huge arms extending across the sky. Some of the trees were very damaged in the storm and are only dead stick protruding through the ground, lifeless, biding their time until they decompose enough to snap and fall to the ground.

All of these trees have similar beginning, roots if you will. They started from seeds, deposited in the ground from another tree. Some of these trees are 100 years old or older and some are only a few years old, but they all started with a seed. That is the law of nature, seeds go into the ground and life springs forth.

This reminds me of the parable of the soil types found in 3 of the gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. There are 4 soil types that the Lord tells us about, 1) Hardened soil that totally rejects the seed (Gospel) 2) Rocky soil that bears fruit for a moment and then burn up for lack of root depth 3) Thorny soil that springs up, but is killed by the thorn bushes around it and finally 4) The good soil, that produces much fruit. Of the 4 only the last is someone truly converted, the others 2 showed momentary hope and died and the other no hope at all. What stayed the same was the seed that was sown, the Gospel. It was not tailored to each individual soil to make it more palatable, but was sown as the Lord commands. The difference in the types of soil can be seen easily as 1) people that are totally resistant to anything of God 2) those that initially show signs of repentance, but quickly get jaded. Most of the time it is those that are looking for temporary circumstances to be "fixed" so they "try" Christianity, which does not work for them since it was not true faith 3) Like the 2nd shows initial hope of true repentance, but is quickly smothered out by people and circumstances.

I was also venture to say that most of the professing Christians today fall into the 2nd and 3rd soil types. They made a momentary profession of faith, but have since fallen or never even showed the fruit of a true child of God. The thing is is that the modern "Gospel" message that permeates church buildings and crusades today is perfectly fine with these types of professions and readily calls these folks Christians. They give the hope needed in these poor souls that they are "OK" now and have "taken care of it", as long as they "really, really meant it. Really". These people hope lies in faith in a prayer, a proclamation by an alter worker, a walk down an aisle, signing a card stating they "accepted Jesus", but not actually in Jesus. Their faith is in their faith or the words of a man. All of these lead to hell and many are being sent there because of these heresies.

These people are who my heart breaks for. I was one of them for 30 years as I had faith in my faith and in the acknowledgment of a man. False converts are deceived, they believe a lie as truth and are therefore unwilling to believe the truth as the truth. That is why God has to change someone. He changed me, changed my perception of the lies and actually saved me from me, hell and my dishonoring life of sin. These people need much prayer and also need the seed of the True Gospel sown in their hearts, so God can make it take root and sprout in the good soil that He prepares.

Please pray for eyes to be opened. Pray that you are made aware of those around you that are lost and deceived so you can till their hearts with the Good News. Cast the Seed far and wide and leave the results to God. Do not expect yourself to be able to change someone's mind or heart, that's God's job. Just be a mouthpiece for what God has done for you and to you, share the Gospel of scripture then watch God work.

Braggin' Dragon And Days Gone By

Day 269 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I came across the shirt pictured today. I had purchased it from ebay a year or so ago, but was too big to wear it then. It is a size Large Tall, so it should fit a little different than a regular large shirt, but I am probably still too large myself to wear it.

In case you don't recognize the emblem it is a dragon, from the Sears line of clothing from the 80s. These were released back then when Izod Lacoste and Ralph Lauren's Polo brands were making headway like gangbusters. These were Sear's attempt to make a little money in the "look at what brand I'm wearing" war. Only thing is, they were from Sears and like today the "preppy" look does not usually come from Sears. The one I have still happens to have all of the original tags on it and still in its original plastic bag. Maybe that means it's worth a little more, maybe it doesn't. I do know that these pop up on ebay every now and then and sell in the $30+ range in worn condition, so this may be worth in the $50-$75 range.

I guess the reason I wanted one of these shirts was to try and regain some of the days from yesteryear. After all, I'm not getting any younger. That's something a lot of people try to do and why so many toys and things from our youth go for a lot of money now. We didn;t think of keeping stuff back then, so those that did happen to stick something away for 20-30 years is sitting on a small fortune. Everyone wants something to remind them of their youth, to take them back to days gone by.

The shirt happens to come from the time period that I was learning a lot about the world, first hand. I wanted to fit in really bad, but couldn't afford the high dollar brands that all the "popular" kids were wearing, so we got either plain clothes or the cheaper priced alternatives like the Dragon brand. Also during this time I started learning a lot about sin and it was no imposter, it was the full fledged sinning and I was diving in head first.

I had not really lived a sheltered life, but a life that really didn't see a lot of sin. It was the 70s and 80s, so we weren't exposed to as much as kids these days, but I soon learned that I wanted as much sin as I could get. I also "knew" at the time that all I had to do was ask for forgiveness and I was ok. That's what I was taught in church, by professional men, who wore the real deal Polo shirts. They made a lot of money, so they had to know what they were talking about. Right?

I didn't have a reason to question anything back then. I was really liking my sin and I was really liking the fact that I could sin as much as I wanted to and still go to heaven. I wasn't interested in holiness and really didn't know what it was anyway. All I know is I was doing what I wanted to do and I was happy with me. This train of thought carried on until God truly converted me and saved me at the age of 38. 30 years of living for me, but believing I was "good" and heading to heaven. Maybe not as many crowns, but at least I wasn't going to hell.

I still wonder why God chose me to grant His grace on. Why He chose to love me and send Christ to die for me. It is a mystery and I'm sure one that will take the first 1,000 years in eternity to explain. What I do realize is that there are countless millions living in deception as I did. These poor souls are living a "good" life in the eyes of the world and maybe even attend church or are deacons or even pastors, but they do not know the God of scripture, the Creator of the Universe. They were lied to as kids and lied to throughout life. They live in deception and will one day say," Lord, Lord haven't I...".

So, what to do about this. All it seems can be done is to pray that God opens their eyes like He did mine. Pray that He uses me and my testimony to open the eyes of others that live in the same deceptive realm as I did for 30 years. These folks are on the way to Hell. Why can't the true children of God comprehend this and proclaim to these people their true state before God? That would be the most loving thing anyone could do for their friends, family, acquaintances or just someone on the street. We must not compromise the Word of God to make someone feel good about themselves. They must see their utter state of vileness in the sight of God. That is love and that is laying your life down for someone. Telling them without thought of your own self and faithfully proclaiming the truth of the Gospel and not the watered down "gospel" that is prevalent today.

Please be bold. Please proclaim the truth of the Word. Please do as God has commanded every believer and GO! Make disciples!

Just Another Day?

Day 259 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Well, the day had to come. I've been to work, I've been home, I've been busy. I have not taken a picture all day or night and hence, have nothing to write about. It's been 259 days after all, it had to happen some time. I could have rushed around at a hectic pace and tried to snap a picture, but didn't feel right about doing so. The purpose of this series is to share in my life through a picture a day, so this is some sharing. It was almost a failure today.

Actually as I write, this post is actually sharing my day. It has been somewhat the same as any other day. My mother-in-law did come into town for a visit, so that is something I could have written about, but I never captured a picture of her and she's fast asleep. I did get to talk to her for an hour or so before my wife made it home, which was really nice talking to her. We have never really had in depth conversations about much of anything and I am glad that we had the opportunity to talk.

I did have more time today to commune with the Lord, which is always great. I go through periods where I feel like I am further away from Him than I was when I was unrepentant. I then have to rehearse in my mind that my feelings are from the flesh and can be deceptive. It could actually be oppression from demonic forces too, trying to infuse confusion in my mind about my standing with God. Today was sweet in that manner though. I have been asking God to renew my heart and I believe that He is answering. I am an emotional kind of guy (even though my wife says otherwise), so I do have to watch how my feelings manipulate my thought patterns. I can come up with something and run with it, spinning it into a whole story before I snap out of it.

I can not put faith in my feelings, only in God. He is faithful and just and loves me and has adopted me. I was once a God hating sinner and now I am His son, joint heirs with Christ. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is more of a picture of grace than that. While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. For me? Yes, for me. I praise Him for that and I can't thank Him enough for bestowing on to me His love and His forgiveness. Oh, what a Savior!