Are you a live fish.... or a dead fish?

How did we get here?  Republicans are saying that we cannot allow Bernie or Hillary win the White House because it will be game over for this country. Democrats are saying the same thing about the Republican candidates (well, candidate at this point). Republicans and Conservatives are so divided that there are threats of riots and general mayhem if Trump doesn’t win, and many others, myself included, would rather write in Daffy Duck than vote for Trump (yet would never vote for Hillary or Bernie either), but when we say that we are vilified by people who say that we will be to blame if the wrong person gets into office because we didn’t compromise our values and support someone that we simply do not support.

Why is it so hard to come to agreement on what is best for this country and the people who live here? How have we become so divided on the issues of right and wrong? When did we lose our grasp of moral absolutes and instead become a nation and a world of random morality? Morality isn’t a tomato (long A) tomato (short A) issue, but you wouldn’t know it by the way we act.

We can’t even agree on how and why this country was founded. There are documents and letters from our Founders available to everyone to read, yet interpretations of these vary widely. Even the words in our Bill of Rights are subject to interpretations so inconsistent with each other as to be impossible to apply. And don’t even get me started on the Bible- there are more “versions” and more interpretations than we can even count… and even with mountains of solid historical evidence, including the incredible consistencies in a book that was written by more than 40 writers from 3 continents over the course of 2000 years there are those that claim there simply is not enough evidence to believe.

I heard a quote yesterday while listening to a Truth for Life sermon called “The Good Deposit”  that I thought was really good.  “Any dead fish can float with the current but it takes a live fish to swim against the current”

With all that is happening in this country, Christians, we MUST focus on being a live fish in order to combat the current of our culture. How do you do that? READ YOUR BIBLE- really read your Bible. Everyday, ideally, but many times a week for sure. I personally find a lot of encouragement and support in various online ministries such as Truth for Life… they have a ton of free resources, an App for both Android and iPhone, online sermons (that you can also get in the App)… and it is rooted in the Bible. Check them out.

If you call yourself a Christian and claim to believe in God and love Jesus you must feed yourself with proper nourishment, and the best food for your soul is God’s Word. End of story. If you’ve let the busyness of life get in the way (as I do often) then let this be your reminder that nothing… NOTHING is more important than serving our Lord. He is the reason we are here, and in the grand scheme of things your life on earth will be over in the blink of an eye. Don’t get so wrapped up in this world that you forget where your home really is, and what the ultimate goal of this life is. Eternity is coming…..

Why God, why?

Today my friend lays her 34-year-old son to rest.  The sudden death of a child; what could be more devastating?  At a time like this even the most faithful Believer finds herself questioning and quite possibly even being angry with the God of her heart.

Over the last week, since I received her call about Ben's passing, I have found myself trying to imagine what my friend is going through.  I, too, have a son named Ben.  He is still a teenager, and not a single one of us is safe from a devastating loss such as this.  I honestly cannot even imagine what it would be like to lose a child. Sometimes I think I can. I can picture it strongly enough that I have cried over it, but I know our imaginations cannot really go there until we have actually been there.

Since becoming a Christian I have spent many hours praying to God for the strength to get through just such a situation should I ever be faced with it.  I'm not talking about the strength to remain upright in the days and weeks following a loss of this magnitude, although to be sure I would need that.  I'm talking about the strength to be faithful to my Father. The strength to find His grace and mercy in something so catastrophic to me that it would threaten my relationship and belief in Him as my almighty King and Savior. My belief in a God that loves and protects us.

I believe with all my heart that pain and suffering does not come from God.  God loves His children and walks with us through our time on this earth.  He wants what is best for us, but He also wants us to persevere and lean on Him in a world covered with sin and suffering. Sin and suffering that comes from Satan. He let's us go through the pain of this world so that we will long for Heaven, which is our true home.

When we go through suffering here on this earth we are in good company.  So many of the men and women in the Bible went through incredible suffering as they passed through this earth on their way Home.  Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers.  Job, whose suffering lasted virtually his entire life.  Noah, being isolated from his fellow man, building an arc and then living on it with his family while all living things save the animals and his family on the arc were destroyed. Paul, giving up everything he had on this earth to preach the gospel, spending many years in prison, homeless, hungry, beaten. Mary, watching her beloved son Jesus be persecuted and then brutally and publicly crucified.  Jesus.

These are but a few examples among many.  Why do I bring these up now, at a time of such sorrow and suffering for my friend?  Because as Believers we must continue to trust in God, even when our hearts are broken in a thousand pieces, and we cannot comprehend the unfairness of it all. BEFORE we go through something like this we really do need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that life is going to get really hard and be really unfair. We must not bury our heads in the sand that terrible suffering cannot come to us such that we do not prepare our heads and our hearts for it.  Satan wants nothing more than to take every single person away from God.  He waits for a time such as this to worm his way into our lives and plant seeds of doubt that could eventually destroy our love for God.

If you read your Bible you know that God warns us of this.  He warns us that life on this earth will bring suffering.  When sin entered the world with Adam and Eve so did death and suffering. But, it does not have to be in vain.  God can use our suffering to help us be a light and beacon to others. God uses such things to glorify His Kingdom and bring others back to Him. We are not promised an easy walk here on earth, but we are promised that He will walk faithfully with us, and then bring us Home when the time comes.

I don't want to leave it here but am at a loss for more words.  It is a little after 6am and I have to get ready for work.  In a little over 8 hours from now I will be hugging my friend along with many others as we help her lay her son to rest.  My stomach hurts thinking about it. I can't imagine how she feels right now, but I believe in our Lord's power to heal us.  With all my heart.

If you aren't a Believer and you are reading this, I will be praying that the seeds of longing for our Lord placed in you at your birth to move you enough that you will be stirred.  If you are a Believer who is going through a season of suffering that brings doubt, I will pray that you will be lifted up by others who can fortify your love for God and help you see His loving, merciful hand guiding you through the darkness.  And if you are a child of God who has yet to experience suffering, I rejoice with you that God is so good and pray that you will use this time to gird your faith and your love for Him.  Study God's word. Pray and prepare your heart for the trials and tribulations that will likely come so you can be strong in your love for Him and not give Satan one sliver of an opening into your heart.

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” Ephesians 6:11

“We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4

"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done." — Luke 22:42

The words from Luke above were spoken by our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Even He called out to God in His suffering.  In the garden of Gesthemane, Jesus got down on His knees and begged God to remove from Him the terrible suffering on the cross that was to come. Jesus knows first hand what we are going through when we face a cross that we believe cannot bear.  Lean on Him, For he understands fully your pain.

Our suffering can bring us closer to God, if we let it.

A Christian gun owner- oxymoron or legit?

It's been a few years now since I shot my first firearm.  Thanks to my husband, I've gotten more and more proficient with this form of protection, and continue to hone my skill should I ever, God forbid, need to use one to protect myself or a member of my family.

Prior to taking my concealed carry class or purchasing my first gun, I had a good long talk with God and many sessions with my Bible.  Being new to true Christianity I am cautious of being tripped up when it comes to God's will for me as a believer.  I wanted to be sure if I went down this path that it would be with Biblical support and not against it.

As you can imagine, I was able to find lots of information and "facts" about what God says regarding the use of weapons for self-defense on both sides of the argument.  I'd like to take a minute to talk about what I found in my research and what led me to conclude that God calls us to protect ourselves and others.  This is not meant to be an expository about fighting gun control, laws restricting who should have guns and what type, what our founding fathers meant by the 2nd ammendment, or any arguments such as these. I'm sure I will get into that at some point as I do feel VERY VERY strongly about these things and think they are important to talk about.  For now, though, I'd like to discuss the very simple matter of whether or not the Bible supports Christians arming themselves with weapons and then using them in self-defense or the defense of others.

First Point: anti-gun anti/violence proponents often claim that the 6th commandment denounces all killing.
Those who believe guns are evil and go against Christian values often cite the 6th commandment as proof of this.  Depending on where you look this commandment can read either "you shall not kill" or "you shall not murder".  Whether the word is kill or murder is not simply a matter of semantics, but actually changes the meaning of this commandment and therefore is of primary importance.

So which one is correct?  It appears that this commandment is one of the most commonly mistranslated of them all.  The Hebrew version of this commandment is Lo tirtzach which, translated, means "Do not murder".  I found example after example that this is indeed the correct translation of the Hebrew and therefore will go with "Thou Shall Not Murder" as the correct translation of the 6th commandment.

Now- what exactly is the difference between murder and killing?  Don't these words mean the same thing? The Hebrew word for “murder” literally means “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice.”  So, intentionality is really what we are looking at when determining whether someone has killed vs. murdered. Even under common law (law originating from custom and court decisions rather than statutes), murder was an intentional killing that was unlawful (in other words, not legally justified), and committed with "malice aforethought."

So, those who would argue that God prohibits killing in all circumstances would not be able to cite the 6th commandment as proof of that statement.  God says you may not MURDER... but there is a such thing as justified killing.

Second Point: God calls us to turn the other cheek
Anti-gun/Anti-Violence people have often quoted passages in the Bible that advocate turning the other cheek, suffering instead of causing suffering, and loving your enemies.  Once again, anytime the Bible is quoted and interpreted for meaning, CONTEXT is critical.

Turning the other cheek as quoted in Matthew 5:39 and Luke 6:29 is not referring to mortal harm, but rather insult.  The Bible is very clear that you are not to retaliate against insult or other personal offenses that do not put your physical life in danger.  Back in the day being slapped via a backhand was a common way to describe an insult.  The Sermon on the Mount, where many people go to cite examples that Jesus calls us to be pacifists, really had nothing whatsoever to do with that.  Jesus was actually clearing up confusion about personal conduct around revenge or taking the law into your own hands. God is very clear throughout the Bible that individual retaliation toward others is not OK, but rather, rests in the hands of the government or "the law".  Killing as a form of retaliation is very different than killing in self-defense, and the Bible makes that very clear in both the New and the Old Testament.  Killing in retaliation becomes murder because of the pre-meditation and malicious intent involved.

Third Point: God calls us to protect ourselves and others from mortal harm
There are very clear directives and examples given in both the New and the Old Testament about our freedom AND obligation to protect ourselves and loved ones from those who would seek to do us physical harm, both individually and as groups.  Exodus 22: 2-3 says that if someone breaks into a home at night when their intent can't be easily determined (it's dark, you have been awoken from sleep and are disoriented), the homeowner has a right to kill in self-defense with no repercussion.  It goes on to say if the same person were to break in during daylight where it was obvious they were there only to steal, then killing would not be justified.  Why? Because, again, killing another must be used as a last resort to protect yourself or another from being killed. Killing to protect your stuff; not on the same level.  Of course, you have to know FOR SURE that you are not in mortal harm, and I would argue that if someone breaks into your house while you are there, there isn't a lot of opportunity to discern intent and to err on the side of caution and protection is always wise.  God knows what you know, so if you are truly fearful for your life, God says you may take the bad guy out.

I'd like to take this a step further, though, and point out that there are many passages that show that not only does God condone using lethal force in self-defense, but that He actually commands us to protect ourselves and others.

"Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:4

"... But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand." Ezekiel 33 

Another example from the Old Testament. When Lot and his people were captured, Abram had no problem rescuing them with force (Genesis 14:13-16). How about Nehemiah?

"Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows."  Nehemiah 4:13

God calls us to fight for His kingdom.  If Nehemiah did not have his men arm themselves while they worked to rebuild the walls, they would have been killed and failed.  The same thing happened when David fought the Philistines and when Moses and the Israelites fought the Amalekites and many other examples in the Bible where deadly weapons were used to defeat God's enemies who were bent on killing them. With God's direction and support men were led to arm themselves over and over again.  "A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well" Proverbs 25:26.... we have no right to hand over our life, which is a gift from God, to the unrighteous. 

What about the New Testament?  Didn't Jesus scold Peter for using a sword to fight off the guards that were taking Him away (John 18:10-11)?  Doesn't that show that Jesus was against using a weapon in defense? Again, context is critical.  Jesus condemned Peter's action not because of his intent to defend Christ, but because Peter was getting in the way of God's plan for the guards to take Jesus.  Note that He didn't rebuke him for having the sword (a gun in today's world), but rather only for using it at that time.  Later on in Luke 22:36 Jesus advises his Apostles not only to arm themselves, but to sell their coats if necessary to do so. That's a pretty strong recommendation considering that the Apostles were going to be traveling and spending a lot of time sleeping outside where a coat would have been pretty important.

To sum up:

• The 6th Commandment states that you should not murder, and the definition of murder is intentionality, along with premeditation or malice- Exodus 20:13...
• Some 50 verses later God calls us to protect ourselves from physical harm using lethal force if necessary- 22:2-3 supporting the fact that killing is different from murder
• Multiple examples of God commanding His people to arm themselves in both the Old and New Testament to protect from physical harm and to protect others from deadly intentions as well
• Multiple examples of God commanding us NOT to retaliate with physical harm to insults and character attacks- further distinguishing how serious the situation must be to justify using deadly force against another

Killing becomes murder when (and only when) it is not properly justified.  Scripture is clear regarding the justification: you can use whatever force necessary to protect your own life from a hostile aggressor, or to save the life of an innocent from such imminent, life-threatening danger. Do not take the responsibility of arming yourself lightly.  We will all stand before God and answer for our actions in this life.  If you neglect your responsibility to yourself and others, there will be consequences just the same as if you neglect to follow God's commands and use the right to self-defense foolishly and without justification.

"Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight" Psalm 144:1 

The Bible? Naw, there's a video for that...

My husband and I attended a Marriage seminar a few weekends ago, and the first speaker of the day was Alistair Begg. This was the first time I had ever heard him speak, and I was so enthralled by his message and his speaking style that I decided I had to seek out more by him. That is when I came across the Truth for Life Bible teaching ministry. You can check this out online, and they also have both an Android App and a iPhone App, making it really easy to find and engage with this incredible ministry.

A few days ago I wrote a post called What is a Christian and How Can I Recognize One Out In The Wild? If you read that post you would know what my take is on the definition of a Christian. As indicated in the above post, I believe we have to get serious about God's truth and God's word if we are going to confess to being a Christian. It is one thing to SAY you are a Christian, it is another thing entirely to actually BE a Christian. Being a Christian is not a passive activity, and that post explains why.

Back to Alistair.... I was checking out his Truth for Life ministry when I stumbled upon a sermon that blew me away. I found it to be so compelling and CONVICTING that I actually listened to it twice in two days and then listened to it again as I wrote this post. It is called The Apostles' Teachings and when you have about 40 minutes you really should listen to it. It gets really good at about the 18 minute mark and forward (the first two times I listened it was in the Android app and I didn't realize I was listening to part 2 which is the last 20-25 minutes or so of the audio linked above and is really the best part of the whole thing).

Essentially, this sermon teaches about how important Biblical doctrine is to the Christian heart. Without a solid and continually deepening knowledge of Scripture we are in big trouble trying to live a Christ-centered life. Getting this right and spending time in The Word is the precursor to getting everything else in life right.... because how we live our lives in ALL aspects of our lives comes from God in Scripture. We have to get serious about God's word if we are to be truly Christian.

This is not something I understood at all until very recently, but it makes total sense if you think about it. There is so much sin and temptation in the world. In our culture what is classified as sinful behavior in the Bible is actually glorified and looked at as a normal part of life (sex before marriage, abortions, living a gay lifestyle, selfishness and pride). Besides all that, there are so many BAD preachers out there; people who teach false doctrine, who turn scripture around to fit a non-Christian narrative, who share only a part of God's word out of context and then skew it some more. It's no wonder we can become easily confused and tripped up.

An example of this are those who try to say that all lifestyles should be welcomed and embraced because Jesus was inclusive and embraced everyone (cue examples like the 'woman at the well' which you can find in John 4). There are even entire churches and church leading pastors who are preaching "inclusiveness" and saying that Jesus only stood for loving everyone and nothing more. Without a solid knowledge of Biblical doctrine you would be at risk of believing these things because this teaching is EVERYWHERE, including in some of our churches. If you simply trusted man to tell you what God says, then you would be at the mercy of lady luck that you get the right man teaching the right stuff. Spending your own time in the Bible and learning what God actually says is your only defense against calling yourself a Christian but not actually being one because you are following the wrong christ.

My point is this: I lived 40 years of my life apart from Jesus. I went to Catholic school from K-12 and yet somehow knew nothing whatsoever about God's word and lived like I didn't. I "knew" how I should behave from years of going to church and Catholic school- but that never translated into changed behavior on my part. I was very susceptible to others' opinions on what God says we should do and made a lot of mistakes as a result. Now, as a saved child of God and a truly born again Christian, I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to understanding God's word- and this catching up involves a lot of reading and studying the Bible. Without doing that myself I would still be susceptible to false teaching.

The examples I have given above are not meant to call you to judge others who are living contrary to God's word. They are merely meant to be real life examples of how we can get confused. I'm sure you have good friends and close family who cause you to question or doubt what is true. I know I do. I have friends and family who fall on the sword over the "love" debate. The problem is, God's word is not that shallow or narrow. Yes, Jesus did love everyone, including sinners. I do not believe this is up for debate by anyone. His hope, though, is that all sinners will open their hearts to Him and repent, turn away from sin, and be saved. He loves them, but there are still standards to meet and laws to obey.

The path we are called to take is not necessarily the popular path and definitely not the common path. But.... God does not call us to take the popular or common path. He calls us to take His path, and we can only know what that path truly is by reading about it in the Bible. We must fact check what others tell us by going to the only place we can trust to be the true and authoritative source on the matter. Scripture.

As Christians we can live our lives as examples of what being filled with the Holy Spirit really looks like. Through the truth of Scripture, and a love for others rooted in Biblical honesty, we can help more sinners get into the Kingdom with us. We can do this ONLY through intentional study of the Word so we are leading others down the right path to salvation.

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many that enter through it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14

Sin turned into Glory?

First of all, I really hate that I've become so jaded that I am so skeptical about everything I read (not just skeptical, but SO skeptical). I suppose that's better than being naive or overly trusting in this world today, but it also takes a bit of the joy out of some things, too. Anyway, I'm going to assume this is a true story and with that assumption say this: Wow.

If you didn't click on the link yet- here is a very quick summary: it is the story of a man addicted to sex. He seeks it wherever he can. Then, he finds God and is saved, but still struggles with it. After confessing about an episode with a prostitute during one of his "slips", his Pastor encourages him to apologize to the prostititute. What results is a perfect example of God using our sin-nature to bring Glory to His kingdom. It's not a long story, you really should read it.

What an amazing testimony of the power of our God to redeem and forgive. What an amazing example of our God using weakness and sinfulness to showcase His glory.

How many of us have felt we are beyond saving? How many of us have felt trapped in our weakness and sin and totally separate from God because of it? How many of us have underestimated or, worse, not even considered how God could work through that very sin and weakness to show His love to us and others?

God is longing to forgive, redeem, and use all of us. Don't let Satan mess with you by allowing that doubt to block your relationship with our Lord.

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst."
1 Timothy 1:15

If you are already saved and have a relationship with God- take heart! We are always going to struggle with sin as long as we live on this earth. It is our reality being sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.  The Bible makes that clear- very very clear, so don't fret and beat yourself up about it:

"For all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God"  Romans 3:23

"Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins" Ecclesiastes 7:20

"For as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so that by one man's obedience the many will be made righteous" Romans 5:19

God does not expect us to be perfect.  How do we know that?  Because He sent his son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for us in order that we may be saved and enter His kingdom DESPITE our sinful and wicked ways.  It is a gift from a Lord who loves us deeply.  Accept this give with open arms and open hearts and repent.  THEN- use it to help others enter the kingdom with you.  

If you are not already saved or are skeptical about God- take heart!!  God loves you, too, and as long as there is breath in your lungs it is never ever too late!  God forgives us all, no matter what our sin, and no matter what our age.  I was 41 years old when I accepted Jesus into my heart, I mean REALLY accepted him (I'm the queen of surface level Christians).  I consider myself one of the luckiest people alive that I didn't die before I had a chance at salvation because let me tell you, the things I have done in my life would most definitely land me deep in the pit of hell without it.  

Don't just skate through your life letting "fate" or the power of your own will dictate eternity for you. Consider that God is a real, living God who loves you and pursues you.  How do you know?  You are reading this post, aren't you?  GOD works through people like me, I could never do this on my own power! 

Keep reading about God, keep thinking about God, keep asking the questions that are in your heart.  God will answer, and eventually (hopefully not before it is too late) you will see the truth like I saw the truth, and your life will be CHANGED and will never be the same again.  Thank GOD for that!  

What comes first with God?

A friend of mine shared a blog post on Facebook titled: For Years I Pleaded with God to Make Me Straight, So Why Did My Prayers Go Unanswered?

This blog post is about way more than homosexuality. It is about our hearts. It is about getting our hearts right and being in relationship with God. This is what must come first, before anything else in our lives will start to turn around. If we are living in sin, or struggling with sin; if we are unhappy because what we WANT to do goes against what the Bible tells us to do (if we want to have sex before marriage, if we want to be in a gay relationship, if we want to skip praying for others in favor of everything else that seems more fun, if we want out of our marriage to find a better marriage, etc.) then we need to look at our true relationship with God and what we are giving TO God before we can question why He is not answering our prayers. God does answer prayers, but He expects us to give up EVERYTHING to Him as well. If you are praying for things to change while still living a sinful life, the consequences and results are on you, not God.  It is one thing to stumble and sin (which we ALL do), it is quite another to keep commiting the same sins over and over.  Sex out of wedlock and living in a gay relationship are continuous ongoing sin that you cannot just apologize for and call it good, you must CHANGE your life and STOP the sin.

Galatians 2:20- I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Luke 9:23- And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

1 Peter 4:1-2 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

It took me almost 41 years to get this stuff through my thick skull.  It would be such a great gift if you didn't have to suffer that long.