Following Judah's Lion: The Growing Shadow of Cults

Following Judah's Lion: The Growing Shadow of Cults: THE GROWING SHADOW OF CULTS S trictly speaking a cult is any group which follows or worships a person or a religious system. In a ...

-God is Directly Concerned

2 Corinthians 4:8-10, Romans 8:31

God is directly concerned with our life issues and challenges. This statement is personal, for me. With what our family is facing I am working hard to remember, the fact that God works in every areas of our lives. No matter.what. we. face.

As a Christian, I cannot let troubles diminish my faith or become disillusioned about God. It’s a task that can tax even the most faithful of believers when under the pressure of having your entire world crash around you despite your best efforts. While I do not equate my purity and uprightness with Job’s by a long shot. I do recognize that like Job, many of our difficulties weren’t caused by us. They do not represent a reflection of our righteousness or lack of relationship with our Savior. So what is the purpose? What the heck is going on?!

Galatians 6:9, confirms these problems aren’t meant to destroy, but to produce fruit and strength. The only, way destruction can occur is by giving up. Even when we want to give up and let go, we really just need to allow God to bring us through. How do we do this? How do I allow God to take over and bring me through what seems so insurmountable, that our knees are wobbling, and shoulders failing from the weight? How do you indicate you don’t need a hand out but a hand up and a chance from man, while looking for God?

I believe when we let God take over, instead of falling back, we will somehow start to press forward and stand stronger. We become a testament of the power of God to change things. Like Jacob, who wrestled the Angel, our persistence will perhaps allow us to pull the strength and victory over the thing we need to overcome. We should never let go of God, but especially not before we get our blessing. The Word tells us that God is greater than anything we face in the world. He is within us, empowering us towards success.

In the Old Testament (2 Kings 6:8-23), Elisha warns Israel about the strategies the Syrians had to thwart Israel and  weapons. Elisha’s servant was more than just fearful, he was terrified of the attack Israel was facing from their enemies. Elisha did not really offer words of wisdom, or encouragement, he instead prayed that God open the eyes of the servant. He wanted the servant to see the power of the Lord and the host of Angels God had backing them up ready to battle and defeat the enemy on their behalf. The question asked by Paul in his letter to the Romans and by Christians ever since is, “If God be for us who can be against us?”

(SN: We are mistaken when we identify the enemy as a person. God is about defeating our issues and problems not people. God loves people and prefers to show mercy and preserve the person. His  purpose is not about tearing up people, but that is a discussion for another post) 

The reality is fear of uncertainty are a waste of emotion for anybody, but especially for the Christian. God has already seen the problems and issues we face. He has identified them, prepared a route of escape and is waiting on us to walk out what He has provided for our victory. We just have to learn to trust the process. For some of us this is an easy task and for others it can be a lifelong process. Which ever camp we fall into I for one am grateful God is a patient tutor and guide with a customized loving plan meant to bring out the best in each of us.

 

Stay Blessed

Joining the Underdog

Since I tend to have a heart for the underdog ; the one wrongly accused or unjustly treated (after all I’m social worker duh...) I wanted to share something for all of us who have experienced being pushed out of what was rightfully our due...

First, there’s Jephthah (Judges 11) who was the product of his father, Gilead, who slept with a harlot. Then his father’s actual wife had sons & when those sons, Jephthah’s half-brothers, grew up, they threw him out saying because of whom his mom was he wasn’t entitled to the inheritance. Verse 3 says that ‘worthless’ men banded together with Jephthah.

This of course made me think of the men who banded with David after Saul drove him out unjustly. The word says that all who were in distress, debt, and ’worthless men joined with David (I Samuel 22:2)

So what’s my point? David & Jephthah were both wrongly chased out by those whom

1.) Should have received them and

2.) Did not realize how much they actually needed them.

Saul called for David, used him for his talents and in battles then got jealous and ran him out of town.

Jephthah’s brothers ended up needing him after they stole his inheritance and ran him out of the city because of who his mother was. They figured that his mother was worthless which made him worthless as well. Nevertheless, God had placed the victory of Israel within Jephthah hands.

Unlike man God, throughout the bible shows a soft spot for those with a mother of ill repute, and also for the women themselves.

Consider the following the next time you’re feeling bad about your background:

Except for Mary, (who’s rep was also tarnished) All the female ancestors of Christ were prostitutes, adulteresses, incestuous, or gentiles

(Rahab? prostitute,

Tamar? Lost two husbands, shamed by the third, posed as a prostitute, and accused of promiscuity.

Ruth? Descendant of the incest between Lot & his daughters,

Bathsheba? husband killed by David after their adulterous affair)

So what does that have to do with Jephthah & David? Well like those who joined with David & Jephthah, they all made covenants that overrode their backgrounds. Jephthah’s brothers had to eat their words and beg him to lead them in battle against their enemies, making him the Judge over Israel. David as we know became the King over all Israel despite Saul’s crazed attempts to murder, lie, and discredit David.

In addition, all the ‘worthless’ men who had banded with these rejected leaders, also benefited. Both groups gained reputations as selectmen of valor, renown, skill, courage, integrity, and character! More is said about what these people became than of what they were!

On a personal level we may come from the worst families and lifestyles. We may have done all kinds of things in our past; Drugs, debts, violence, sex, stealing...but regardless of our pasts when we turn to God and the body of Christ, we can manifest fruit that endures. Man may call us rejects, but God has called us chosen. Man will tell us we will never be successful, and have no right to our inheritance, but God has made us prosperous. When we make the right spiritual ties and associations-those according to Christ’s standards, NOT man’s- we change our destiny.

We can go from worthless to highly favored. We change our outcome from distressed to select, skilled, and courageous. Our past becomes a postscript in the testimony of God’s re-creation of our lives. Just like at the beginning of creation, lives that were once void, without form and immersed in darkness get called into order and light; given purpose and a destiny. God actually promises to “subdue our iniquity...” (Micah 7:19) He brings those things from our past under control, so that we can bring forth a new heritage - to receive a new inheritance. We can obtain the birthright that Christ redeemed for us to receive. Like Boaz did for his relatives. (Ruth 4:17)

Whom have we joined together with? Who are our names, skills and even our pasts benefiting? Alternatively, are we still walking in worthlessness? Are we still in distress or debt? If so, the devil is lying to you! He like Saul and the brothers of Jephthah is wrongfully robbing you of what is rightfully yours! Those who have misused or abused us will end up calling us back for help. In the meantime, while in covenant with God, allow His healing balm to remove and uproot any hurts or bitterness. Be ready to take your rightful place when the power and will of God open up the door of opportunity.

The bottom line is that God is not hung up on our pedigree, or our filth of yesterday. The question is, are we willing to accept the adoption He offers us today?

Are our hearts hungry and desperate to seek and band with God?

That willingness and openness are what positions us for acceptance and to lay claim on our proper birthright.

Were you low class? Good, let God lift you!

Were you in the upper echelons? Then bring yourself low so that you can be approved and lifted by God on His terms.

Be abundantly blessed,

Raine

Love over the Law

Galatians 5: 6-8, 12-15

I believe the reality of Christianity is:

God’s grace should drive you to do right, not to try to fulfill a set of prohibitive guidelines as a test of perfect Christianity. It isn’t about separating ourselves from those whom we disagree or judging people who don’t believe the same as we do (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). When we separate ourselves and judge as though we live in perfection, we reduce our ability to draw people to the truth of the gospel. The regulations of man only work to distance the very people Christ wants. Christ never once advocated the type of exclusion and division we see. People cannot witness the beauty and freedom of the gospel of Christ through rhetoric and judgment.

Salvation should move us to see the heart of God in others and respond as Christ would. Instead of looking at everyone, that doesn’t match our reflection and try to cross them off the welcome list. I often wonder how we would treat Jesus Christ if he showed up on the scene today. By today’s ministry standards, we would be more likely to kick Jesus right out of the church.

1.) His televangelist ministry would have never taken off in the American appearance obsessed society since He wasn’t considered particularly attractive(Isaiah 53:2)

2.) Most Christians would have avoided hanging out with Christ because He accepted the lowest people in society, hung out and ate with all the wrong people (Luke 7:37, Mark 2:15)(You know the ones we look at strange when they come to church all wrong, dressed in club clothes or don’t know the proper church etiquette

3.) He was a homeless, vagabond, wanderer (Matthew 8:20 & Luke 9:58) (Without the great transportation or fly crib, He couldn’t promote the prosperity gospel. Instead, he would probably told he lacked faith)

4.) Jesus reprimanded the everyone who walked around pointing fingers or looking down on “sinners” (Matthew 16:6-12)

If only we would keep to the word of God and not allow the addition of our own preferences get in the way perhaps we could see more progress in the church. We pretend to have it all together forgetting that people don’t need to be preached at, people need ministry. People need to know what were we healed, delivered, or brought from by having Christ as our savior. People need our story, not our perfection. Most people already know they have weaknesses, faults, and failings and certainly do not need our judgments. The entire purpose for Christ’s sacrifice is love. We are to replicate His purpose not our own, or anyone else’s. Besides, if we can’t draw someone to Christ in the ways, we treat and love others; we really don’t have anything to preach about anyway, do we?

Additional scripture reference: 1Corinthians 5:9-10

Scripture References: NKJV: Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Galatians 5: Christian Liberty

 

Galatians 5 is warning new believers against allowing leaders to make them participate in old rituals of sacrifice required by the law. (Galatians 5:1-4) The Christian leaders, who were Jewish, began trying to force gentile converts to do things such as circumcision and wanted them to adhere to traditions of the law. Paul tells them the old traditions were no longer required or valid as believers in Christ. In fact, he makes it sound like an insult to God. Because, man's created requirements makes it seem that what Christ offered us wasn't good enough. So if they go back to doing any of the rituals, then they might as well do the entire law!
That is why in verse 4 Paul says when we try to achieve justification through subjection to the law we, are more estranged or disconnected from Christ than ever. Why would he say this? Because when we add on a series of manmade requirements and sacrifices, we minimize Christ's sacrifice for our salvation. We are saying his perfect offering is ineffective and useless for salvation. If we need extras to ensure our salvation or even to keep it then we are calling our Savior a liar! And God is not a liar.

Any conditions man places on the gift of salvation actually alienates us from experiencing the blessings of God’s presence, love, and grace. Let’s remember, that the person who says doing or not doing certain things determines your holiness or salvation, are the people furthest from God. They have missed the point that Christ’s love for us unto death is the fulfillment of the entire law. To add anything else to it is simply adding insult to sacrifice.

Scripture References: NKJV: Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Duster Today: By the Numbers: Class Project Fascinating

Beautiful skies

An interesting article on the chances that life happened by chance alone...
Just to create the amino acids needed for one chain of protein that creates life is 1 in 10,451, when you add all 470 it jumps to 1 in 20,163,090! This is for just the simplest free-living organism! How much more improbable the chance for humanity without some assistance?

The Duster Today: By the Numbers: Class Project Fascinating

 

We have seen so many rainbows this year

                                                        

Promises for a REAL Life

God promises us so much in His Word.

Some churches shape their entire mission and core messages around the positive promises of God.The whole "name it and claim it" concept has helped many of today's mega churches achieve exponential growth.  It's spawned an entire generation of believers who think Christianity comes with an automatic exemption from trouble and a big bank account. It has also raised many questions, debates and investigations.

But what about the rest of us who live in the real world? This kind of thinking can make any Christian feel like faithless failures when we go through bad seasons and trials. Where is the balance in this type of teaching? We are not failures for having human emotions and difficulties. On the contrary, Christ empathizes with our frailties and is available to strengthen and carry us through the issues of life- both good and bad.

Condemning each other for struggling is not only hurtful but denies the important role God desires to play in our lives. 

Maybe it's just me, but this prosperity focused perception hinders development of sincere relationship.   

Christianity doesn't make all the evil and hard times magically disappear. It can even feel like the struggles increase as we begin to align our lives with the will of Christ. 

Did we ever consider that, based on the meaning of His names, God has actually promised us difficult times? 

The good news? God also promises to be there with us through it all...

If we were never expected to experience lack, then would we need Jehovah Jireh? (Provider)

God knew in our weakest moments, we would seek Him as, El Shaddai (Our Sufficiency)

If loneliness in a world filled with people, was never a factor, What would be the purpose for God saying He is always Jehovah Shamah? (God is present)

As our bodies endure illness and disease, we are also assured we can call on Him as Jehovah Ropheka (Our Healer)

Wrecked by fear, doubt and worry? He Is Jehovah Shalom (Peace)

If we would never feel defeated by the things of the world, Why can we call Him our El-Elyon

Knowing there would be times we felt confused and in need of guidance? Jehovah Rohi (Our shepherd)

Because we are lost in sin we need Jehovah Tsidkenu (Righteousness)

Without a need for salvation and cleansing we wouldn't get to know Him as Jehovah Mekaddishkem  (Our Sanctification)

Not that I'm against financial blessings, but I'm more comforted knowing he's there through all that I go through. Besides, who wants a relationship that's only validated through faith in the material gain that's provided? 

I don't know about you, but I'm glad that God has the room and time to have a real relationship with someone as flawed as I am...