The Struggle Is Real

2 Cor. 5:17 KJV “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The Struggle is Real

I know a lot of people who think that because you’ve accepted Christ that life will be full of luxurious bubble bath days and happiness. Some know and understand the truth, some are learning, some want what they want and want it NOW! 

Just like the above scripture, there is a simplified version from the AMP explained for us, you know someone else did all of the work and all you have to do is read it to understand the bible better.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMP) “Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].” 

I’m not normally offended when I read scripture but that verse in my morning email struck a nerve with me. I’ll assume that AMP is an amplified bible, (total assumption) and maybe people like having someone else decipher and dissect every scriptural word of the bible for them so they don’t have to do the work for themselves. I totally understand what 2 Tim. 2:15 is saying and don’t need fifty versions of the bible to tell me. Don’t we all wish life was so simple for us, let’s have others dissect our life for us, tell us right from wrong so we don’t make any mistakes? I have cancer, here ya go, take it away from me. Make my job in doing all of the hard work in healing simple for me, please! I can read and learn the protocols in healing but no one is going to do the work for me, but ME!

We think that being a Christian that there will be no struggles, no hard days, that all our days will be filled with knowing, understanding and doing the right thing. I’m here to tell you, nothing in life is simple, not reading the Bible, not being a Christian and certainly not going a Natural path to healing when conventional treatment is out there to make an illness easier for us.

I’m also here to tell you that the struggle is real! Life is hard, being a Christian is hard work, reading the bible is a (fun for me) chore! Nothing in life ever comes easy. If you’ve had an easy life, raising kids or pets, if being an adult has been a walk in the park for you, well then praise be to God, you’re one in a zillion! Yes, I said zillion because no one has an easy road to walk in life! 

Being a Christian doesn’t make the road easy, and it’s not always paved; sometimes there’s gravel on the road and we walk along in our bare feet. Our journey as a Christian is as tough as the non-christian we just have a friend walking along with us at all times. Now some people allow Jesus to walk way up ahead so He can prepare us for what we’re about to go through. Sometimes people allow Jesus to sit on the side of the road to watch us stumble and fall. Others don’t believe there is a Jesus and only allows a god to be sunshine on their bubbly well-lit path. 

See what I’m saying? The struggle is real for each and every one of us, in reading, believing and walking. I myself, and I like to think many others, has the Spirit of the Lord WITHIN us. This way we don’t have to look outside to see where He’s at, at any given moment. If we feel weak, we know He’s our strength to hold us up. If we feel disillusioned, He restores our sight so we see. If we have trouble understanding the Word, He fills us with the knowledge to understand every intricate word.

2 Tim. 2:15 King James Bible “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

There are literally thousands of interpretations, languages, renditions of the bible but in all honesty, there is only ONE Word! With the Word, we have internal and external struggles but all struggles none-the-less. Our internal struggles wrestle with the new life we’ve been given in Christ. We wonder when He’s just going to simplify everything for us, after all, we’ve allowed him on our path, right? Wrong! He’s not there to SIMPLIFY your life! He’s there to fill your life with meaning, purpose and most of all, strength. The task is that you yourself have to do the work but you're never alone!

Ezek. 37:1 “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,”

Our external struggles come when we wrestle with the flesh, the mind on other things not of God. Free-will demands we choose from good and evil, there is no in between. We struggle with understanding the Word and is probably the reason we seek out a simplified version of the bible so we’re sure that we are understanding correctly. 

Ezek. 36:27 “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

Can everyone and anyone understand the bible completely with so many renditions out there? With thousands of years passing the story around, do you believe it is possible that some words got lost along the way? I believe God to be the One and Only word and He places on your heart the understanding so no simplification is necessary. What is the purpose of discernment if we have the Word simplified in many variations? Shouldn’t we FEEL the Word in us and no reason for simplicity?

I could be totally wrong, (as often I am) but I believe over dissection of His Word loses the luster of the meaning SPIRIT-FILLED, for ME. The struggle becomes a battle of differences in opinions and again, lost is the Spirit that was intended in having the Word documented by so many people.

Some people want me to blame God for this disease I carry while others want to blame evil, darkness, and negativity while I myself blame no one except my life choices! The lusts of my free will ran rampant and I lost the battle. No, wait, I haven’t lost the battle, the struggle is still on, day after agonizing day, night after aching night, the struggle is REAL! 

Pss.119:50 KJV “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.”

I don’t want the Word simplified and I don’t want this journey made easy for me, it is what it is, upon me and the path I chose. Good or bad, right or wrong, simple or hard, this journey each of us is on is never easy and can never be simplified. The path can only be embraced for what it is, a completion of our journey home. Remember, He never walks in front, beside, or behind, He always remains within!  You are spirit-filled from the moment of rebirth in His name! 

All praise and Glory to God

Pss. 119:92-93 KJV “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction. I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.”

Simplified - “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life” (Psalm 119:93)

Be Not Conformed

Rom. 8:4 “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Be Not Conformed

Yes, not choosing the mainstream chemo/slice and dice method is my choice and I have to live with this choice while people swim upstream to bask on the sunny beach along the shore. I see my battle from inside my own mind and never really thought about how it looked to other people on the outside looking in.

To some I appear a little bit crazy probably because they’ve never seen anyone take a diagnosis like this and tackle the healing part on their own, it’s just not done! If I were truly alone, I can assure you, I would have never gone in this direction.

Rom. 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

To me, the conformists I’ve read about can be Christians but they’ve conformed to the ways of the world. They read the Bible, see all of the amazing miracles, works, jobs, or duties of the men and women written about but for some reason, I guess they think God stopped working miracles when the man physically stopped writing the bible. 

They might believe miracles still happen but ‘to other people’, you know, those rare instances where the media pushes the story, or people are so loud a person hears about it via word of mouth. Yeah, miracles only happen to ‘those people’?

What about infants? I always hear people saying ‘what a miracle’ a baby is but do they really believe that? What concept do you believe that miracles happen to other people and infants are miracles? Look at the whole picture, we were all infants once; we were just a passionate thought of two people and God blessed the joining of two and out came…YOU! Yes, that’s right, you are a living miracle. It is what we conform to that makes us a not so special miracle anymore.

Do you ever think of the Lazarus story? He was a miracle, brought back to life. We’ve read about it, believed it, but what happened ten years down the line? Did he go back to being a ‘man of this world’ or did the miracle of Jesus bringing him back to life change him?

We have to think about these things if we are ever to become devout Christians. Too often I’ve read ‘be not conformed to this world’ yet when I look around all I see are people, conformed to this world, whether they’re Christians or not; conformity thrives and is very much alive.

While no one is perfect and we’re all out here just striving to live, to me be not conformed takes on extreme meaning. Conformity to me is being like everyone else, following the herd, walking the same line, and thinking inside the box. Well let me tell you, I’m not a rebel, I’m a ‘thinking outside the box’ kind of person. When you see a box as square I can show you how it is really round as the globe, with infinite possibilities, whereas you see the box as square because that is what you were taught. You take everything at face value.

Do you see what I’m getting at here? When I look up the word conformity, it gives me this meaning: action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices, etc.. Can you see by the definition, that you have been conformed to the world? Even though the very bible you read daily tells you not to be conformed, you conform anyway because that is what everyone else is doing and for some reason, you have a need to fit in with this society. 

Rom. 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

As you can imagine, I’ve never fit in. Growing up I was called the rebel, I was always the one who thought about the broader spectrum of life, like of an infinite cosmos or eternal life. To me, these things were real as for others they were just a part of what they conformed to or were taught. Do they actually live and believe? Ask yourself that question when judging my choice in this diagnosis and treatment.

The other night it hit me pretty hard how I might be seen by other people when a friend (thank you Angela) directed me to a movie, Trolls. It was a kiddie movie (cute as all get out nonetheless) but it held a deeper meaning to me and helped me to see how some people might be viewing my incredible route I’m taking. Thank you for seeing outside the box! 

Rom. 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Let me share the lyrics of one of the songs in the movie with you, I’ve colored them to fit my story: 

I really hope I can do it

'Cause they're all depending on me

I know that I must leave the only home I've ever known

And brave the dangers of the forest

Saving them before they're eaten

I mean, how hard can that be?

Looking up at a sunny sky, so shiny and blue and there's a butterfly

Well, isn't that a super fantastic sign

It's going to be a super fantastic day

Such marvelousness

It's gonna bring a pocket full of songs that I'm gonna sing

And I'm ready to take on anything

Hooray!

Some super fun surprise around each corner

Just riding on a rainbow, I'm gonna be okay

Hey!

I'm not giving up today

There's nothing getting in my way

And if you knock knock me over

I will get back up again

If something goes a little wrong

Well you can go ahead and bring it on

'Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again

Whoa oh oh oh, get back up again, whoa oh oh oh oh oh

I'm marching along I got confidence

I'm cooler than a pack of peppermints

And I haven't been this excited since

I can't remember when!

I'm off on this remarkable adventure

Just riding on a rainbow

What if it's all a big mistake

What if it's more than I can take

No, I can't think that way 'cause I know that

I'm really really gonna be okay

Hey!

I'm not giving up today

There's nothing getting in my way

And if you knock knock me over

I will get back up again

If something goes a little wrong

Well you can go ahead and bring it on

'Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again

Quotation Saturday ~ Thanksgiving

Pss. 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

CHANGE

“Therefore, dear Sir, love your solitude and try to sing out with the pain it causes you. For those who are near you are far away... and this shows that the space around you is beginning to grow vast.... be happy about your growth, in which of course you can't take anyone with you, and be gentle with those who stay behind; be confident and calm in front of them and don't torment them with your doubts and don't frighten them with your faith or joy, which they wouldn't be able to comprehend. Seek out some simple and true feeling of what you have in common with them, which doesn't necessarily have to alter when you yourself change again and again; when you see them, love life in a form that is not your own and be indulgent toward those who are growing old, who are afraid of the aloneness that you trust.... and don't expect any understanding; but believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.” 
― Rainer Maria Rilke

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.” 
― Paulo Coelho

“We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.” 
― C. JoyBell C.

INSPIRATION

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” 
― Kurt Vonnegut

“It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” 
― Lou Holtz

“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control.” 
― Elizabeth Gilbert

“And still, after all this time,
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe Me."

Look what happens with
A love like that,
It lights the Whole Sky.” 
― Hafez

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” 
― Marcus Aurelius

SPIRIT-FILLED

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” 
― Mother Teresa

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 
― Francis of Assisi

“How hurtful it can be to deny one's true self and live a life of lies just to appease others.” 
― June Ahern

“What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.” 
― Hans Urs von Balthasar

THANKSGIVING

“Because thankfulness is the tonic that always cures the cancers of greed, envy and jealousy, it should be taken in liberal doses daily.” 
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” 
― W.T. Purkiser

“I pray for you, that all your misgivings will be melted to thanksgivings. Remember that the shadow a thing casts often far exceeds the size of the thing itself (especially if the light be low on the horizon) and though some future fear may strut brave darkness as you approach, the thing itself will be but a speck when seen from beyond. Oh, that He would restore us often with that 'aspect from beyond,' to see a thing as He sees it, to remember that He dealeth with us as with sons.” 
― Jim Elliot

“The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps constant communion with Him will see many reason for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long.” 
― Warren W. Wiersbe

May the Spirit of Thanksgiving dwell in you today and always, God Bless!
~ Joni

Col. 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

Lent: Day Eight ~ Born Again

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Born Again 

I remember that day I became born again quite vividly. When you are born again in Christ, it’s not a day you can ever lightly forget. Christians worldwide can’t quite remember when they became a Christian, but being born again? They never forget that day.

I told my family in my excitement and they responded negatively to my announcement, 'I’m born again!' They said mean things like, “She’s being brainwashed,” “Don’t be spitting that Jesus stuff on ME.” And “Now she’ll be a Jesus freak.”

They were right, not about being brainwashed but about becoming a Jesus freak. As I’ve said before, I was being raised Catholic and the day I became Born Again I converted to Christianity. I was giving my life to Christ and my family didn’t know, didn’t understand what that meant.

My new school was a Christian based school and I was learning new things I had never learned about in my eight years during my Catholic elementary school. I had NEVER in my life heard the term Born Again. I didn’t know what it was. How can someone become BORN again?

The change began in my eighth grade year. I was on my way to completing one of the seven sacraments that it takes to be, I guess, initiated (?) into the Catholic religion. Confirmation was important to the teachers and nuns and the priests and all year long we worked on the meaning of Confirmation.

My mind swirled like storm-warning clouds as you can imagine for a thirteen year old. I was feeling the Lord deeply in my soul. He was moving within me and confirmation was confusing me especially when I was asked to tell a priest my sins. I had had a private meeting (like all of my classmates) with the priest and since I didn’t/couldn’t answer his questions I was deemed unconfirmable, which means one strike against me being confirmed.

The second strike came when we were to go to the church and have confession. You might call me defiant or stubborn, but I WOULD NOT tell the priest my sins! Sister Margaret Mary asked me why, “Why Joni, why?”

I bluntly told her that a priest cannot forgive my sins, only God had the power to do that. She rolled her eyes with a tight smile on her face and said, “You’re right.” A long pause, then she said something that changed my life, “God has a special plan for you, Joni. You don’t conform, I like that. Maybe you’re not meant to be in the Catholic religion. Only God knows.”

She had the sweetest smile when saying that. Any other nun would have been shocked and aghast but not her, she and Sister Karl Ann had said over the years that they saw something special in me. So my saying this did not shock her like I thought it would have.

That year, I was denied confirmation. I should have known that since I had picked Saint Joan of Arc as my patron saint. She was a persecuted saint. She talked with God on a regular basis (not much unlike myself) and she was burned at the stake. Sister Margaret Mary had wanted me to pick St. Christopher (the Christ bearer) or Saint Francis of Assisi (patron saint of animals) but no, I chose the patron saint of my God given name, St. Joan of Arc.

Being denied confirmation, I was told by my father that I had shamed the family, the only one in his memory who had EVER been denied confirmation in the Catholic-in-name-only family. Persecuted, I felt persecuted.

The night my classmates were confirmed, Sr. MM had told me I could sit up in the balcony and watch the service and that is exactly what I did. This was the night I was confirmed by God! Not by a priest, not by man, but by God himself. As the Spirit of the Lord washed over me tears fell from my eyes landing in Sr. MM hands as the procession of classmates cleared the church, she looked up at me and smiled. She knew, God had confirmed me.

It was the following year at Christian Liberty Academy that I became Born Again. We had watched a heart-wrenching movie on salvation and afterward we (all 28 of my fellow classmates) gathered around in a circle and fervently prayed. Tears were shared, emotions were high, the power of prayer consumed me, and as the Holy Spirit filled the room, satiated my soul, I gave my life to Christ. I was not just confirmed by God this time; the entire trinity wrapped warm arms around me and welcomed me to the family.

My life would never be the same again. As with all born again Christians, we remember distinctly the day we gave our life over to God, we distinctly remember the day we were ‘Born Again’. We became a newborn all over again, living for Christ and nothing else. Christ, our birthmark, would mark our every move. We wear Him on our skin for all the world to see. And like a newborn babe, everyone looks at us too see the beauty that we hold.

1 Pet. 1: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Lent Day Six ~ Communion with Christ

Eph. 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

A lot of people think when I talk about all this spiritual stuff I’m not leading a Christ-filled life because I’m too wrapped up in all of this Spirit mumbo jumbo. Spirit mumbo jumbo, huh. So you think that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, is a bunch of mumbo jumbo?

Let me try to elaborate a little if I may. I grew up in a house that was not filled with God. We had drugs and alcohol and each one of us kids, six in all, strayed to the dark spirit that called us. I will only speak of my journey because it is mine to tell.

As a small child I believed in ghost, who amongst us wasn’t curious about ghosts? A few of you I’m sure, but in all honesty, I was intrigued by spirits and the pull that they had on my life. I’m certain that God didn’t just create all good spirits, it is written that there will be a legion of evil spirits walking the land, after all He did condemn Satan for giving Eve that apple didn’t He?

It is through the communion with Christ, my comforter, the HOLY Spirit that I find my saving grace. When I died of alcohol consumption, it wasn’t satan who saw to it that I came back, it wasn’t the bible that saved me, it wasn’t wisdom and knowledge all crammed into my head that saved me, it wasn’t ideology either, no it was the Holy Spirit that blanketed me, surrounding me with Angels that warmed me and pulled me out of the abyss.

Talk about breathing new life, Spirits will do that once you experience them first hand, the good ones AND the bad ones. Yeah this is the point in my life where people started calling me weird and crazy but I was okay with that because I knew the Holy Spirit had great plans for me otherwise I would be dead right now unable to relay important messages.

I think the problem that society has is that they’re under the false assumption that they can read the bible, fill themselves with all the scriptures, gain wisdom and knowledge and that that is their communion with Christ; THAT is their saving grace to them. They don’t have to live Christ-like, be Christ-like or bear ANY cross.

To be FILLED with the Spirit is a whole different ballgame. Think of yourself as the batter, you’re preparing to swing as God is the pitcher and his Angels are surrounding you on the bases. He throws the word at you, you swing, hit and it’s a pop-up going long (that would be you filling yourself with the bible/wisdom/knowledge.) It’s soaring, you’re feeling good about this one but then it falls flat in the outfield right into an Angels hand. You’re OUT

He winds his arm ready to toss another one. You look Him dead in the eye, determined to hit a home run with this one. He throws out material treasures, you see all of them dancing in front of you. You go to swing but you’re too consumed with the penetration, the strong pull of seeing treasures not the ball. He threw the ball three times but you were distracted. Strike three, another out.

Okay, we’re at the bottom of the ninth; tie game. The demon spirits are cheering from the stands every time you fail. They let out a roar of applause as you hang your head in shame for the failure that you’ve become in this game. You think you’ve done good but those demon spirits are filling you with doubt and embarrassment. You know you’re trying your best, but again, the demon spirits pull out all their ammunition to distract you. They even line the sidelines (unseen in baseball) with half naked cheerleaders that you see as beautiful but really, they’re demon spirits trying to lure you away from being the best, the VERY best you can be.

God winds His arm, a sweat brow has formed on His lips, this is it, will you or won’t you? The ball is now filled with Christ, His Son! The ball leaves His hand, you see it coming at you full force. Your eyes are focused. As the stadium falls silent, you take in a deep breath; focused, you swing, you miss. Strike one.

Revving for another pitch He tosses the cross at you. Your focus is on the cheerleaders, the commotion in the stands, everything around you begins a slow motion movement. You swing. Strike two.

You see another ball coming straight at you, but blood is dripping from your eyes. You kneel and look up at the cross and it is not your blood, but the blood of Christ dripping down on your face. A deep inhale as tears swell in your eyes. The game, your surroundings, the ball coming at you is gone, you’re now inhaling the very soil that the Cross is buried in.

You look up and see a spiraling vapor ascending from the cross. At first you feel scared but when the vapor consumes you, fills you with confidence, surrounds you in peace, comforts you with love, blankets your soul, your eyes…they now see the ball more clearly. You swing, hit the ball with a strength you never knew, snapping the bat into shards.

Home run! No one in the stands is cheering for you, but the other team (God and His Angels)? They are rejoicing in your overcoming the distractions. They are delighting in your achievement of winning the game…the game of LIFE.

You now play a lot differently because you know the meaning of Communing with Christ.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

God calls us to DO His work

^ BigStock photo ^

Rev. 3:15-16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

God calls us to do His work

Have you ever woken up on a cold brisk morning, felt the comfort of the warm soft blankets surrounding you wishing you could rest for the day right where you are? Sure  you have. Nobody feels like waking up and embracing the cold, getting wet, or facing yet another back-breaking day at work. Rest, you just want rest.

We work because we have to; it puts food on our table, a roof over our head and gets us to the next day where we do it over and over again. Kinda mundane isn’t it, but you get rewarded with food, warmth and comfort. The necessities of life are what carry you through your day-to-day life. Without them you’d be homeless, right? Day after day you trudge along, reaping the rewards, sometimes the smallest of rewards but you know your work at the end of the day was worth all the toil and trouble.

Here lies the difference between a mere believer and a Christian/follower of Christ; a believer believes, has faith and reads his/her bible. A Christian is one who works for God, strives to be Christ-like, and WORKS to be a better person. A believer wakes up, eats, takes a nice hot shower, goes to work, comes home, eats, and rests knowing he paid his dues to society.

Isa. 2: 8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:

A Christian wakes each day and glorifies God. He/she begins their workday for God. “Lord do with me what you will,” they say. Whether in the workplace where every person surrounding them becomes an opportunity to shower them with God and do His work; He’s in the boxes you stock on shelves, He’s pushed out in the inkjet printer you use, He is the guide at your fingertips as you type. God is everywhere to a Christian!

Sunday arrives. We did our work throughout the week and Sunday arrives in flaming fire! There may be no sun but it arrives; it is our day of rest. Do we sit at home on Sunday because it is the day of rest, no, we go out in numbers and worship the God who gave us a fruitful week.

Jer. 7: 13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;

A Christian doesn’t attend church to show everyone, “Look at me, I’m here. Look at my new shiny shoes. I wore my new dress. Hey, look at me!”

No siree, a Christian wakes on Sunday, puts on his jeans (possibly from the dirty laundry) puts on his/her tee-shirt, same old sneakers they’ve worn all week to the work place then heads off to visit his family and worship with them sharing their love of God.

You might say, “What? You go to church looking like THAT?”

I might say, “Does God care what I wear? If the people there are judging me for my clothes, they NEED to be there, to learn the Truth! God doesn’t care what you wear! He cares that you’re THERE!”

To a Christian, a church is a family of Christ. You might rejoice in another building in another state, but to you, your brothers and sisters are rejoicing in a building somewhere out there praising the same God that you praise. The believers are sitting at home, tucked under their covers awaiting the sun to shine in their window so they can trudge on yet another mundane day. “I wake, I have faith, I read, I believe.” Such an empty life.

A Christian has a spirit-filled, God-filled life to live. Sunday is our payday, our reward for all of our work we did throughout the week. We get to celebrate the day by rejoicing in all the blessings the Lord bestowed upon us throughout the week with our family, our brothers and sisters and most importantly, with our Father!

Can you imagine a Buddhist calling himself a Buddhist but never doing the work of a Buddhist? Can you imagine calling yourself a Jehovah’s Witness, never doing the work required to BE a Jehovah’s Witness? Then why do Christians call themselves Christians when they don’t feel the need to do the Lord’s work for Him?

Rom. 16: 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Did you know that upon doing a word search of the word WORK, there are 964 entries in the Bible? Why is that? Because it is asked of ALL Christians (not just some of us) to do the Lord’s work. He calls to us, we are honored to act.

Pastor said something like this, “Do you know why the atheist are gaining strength in society; Because people calling themselves Christians don’t look Christ-like. They are demeaning a faith by their gossip, drinking, cursing and sinning.”

Even churches across the world are separated; teaching/preaching one thing then doing another and it confuses those who are seeking the One true living God. Yes atheist are searching for SOMEthing to believe in. Believers are searching too, but they sit at home forming their own truth.

Let me ask you this. Back when Jesus came into the world, do you think people sat at home in the comfort of their beds, READING the Bible or did they wake, embrace the cold or heat and walk miles and miles to HEAR the gospel, from the Messiah who was delivering the message? They sat around in groups of listeners, thus forming the first Christian Church, becoming the first Christians.

Jesus is the CHURCH that they went to for comfort, a message of hope, of promise, of everlasting love. They couldn’t get THAT from their safety net called home. They LIVED for Christ, strived to be like Christ, sinners were now accepted in Christ.

Jesus chose sinners to carry on His work. But He DID require them to WORK. Yes you are saved by the blood of Christ, but remember that blood was at a cost, Jesus’ LIFE on the cross. HE did that for you, what do YOU do for Him?

As you seek out to BE a Christian, don’t demean the name of Christ and Christianity. Call yourself a ‘believer’. When you seek out a church that delivers Jesus’ message, and you listen intently as the Truth of the Word washes over you and is filling your soul and you praise the Man that died for you, when you LIVE for Christ, not sin, THEN call yourself a Christian.

“On Christ the solid Rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand…all other ground is sinking sand.” ~ a Sunday worship song

Are you standing on the Rock or on sinking sand? Think about it. I think about it everyday; and I’m STILL not done my work for Him.

Praise His Holy name!

Rom. 8: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Col. 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

To be continued…

Fanning the Flames

The Fire of Hate

Joni Zipp

Feed the fire, fan the flame

No one here but YOU to blame

A frenzied lie; mass delusion

Leads too many to confusion!

You breed corruption; you harbor hate

Watch the world disintegrate.

Infect the world with pure love

Watch the radiant rain above.

As men deliver irrational fears

All that’s fueled is crimson tears.

Imagine the spread of positive flow

The Lord will erupt in a wondrous show!

***

We’re living in a day and age where it is so easy to spew hate instead of spreading love. I dislike many things that are happening in the world, but to keep my sanity, I turn the thoughts of distaste into love to get through my day.

So many people are willing to ‘share’ their hatred that they get others feeding the fire of hate also. It is no different than taking a match and handing it to a dry piece of kindling wood, which gets handed to a log amid a pile of dried heaped up logs, you then have formed a bonfire of hate all with your one little match of hate.

I am not a political person, so I don’t HATE my president that the country voted into office. I do dislike what is happening in our government as a whole, but does that cause me to spew hate? What am I gaining from it? Well let me tell you, it would be turning me away from the very God I profess to love! The very God that declares love is the key to all healing!

My time and energy is better off spent in sharing the gospel truth that so many of these disillusioned spewers need to hear so they can take a more positive path than the anger that they relay to the bonfire awaiting their match.

Granted, not everyone is open to God and bible quotes, so I make it a mission to share a positive spirit that might infect some of these naysayers into being more productive with their thoughts so that together, in the spirit of love, we control the power of unleashing a mass hysteria of LOVE!

As a writer I like to research where all this hate comes from and to see if it is truth that people are spewing. Oftentimes I go to Snopes. Com to debunk these myths. Recently a spewer said that even Snopes is false. So again I researched the truth and found this link Snopes Exposed!

I think we live in a world where so many people are eager to hate that they don’t even care if it is the truth or not, it just makes them feel good to get their opinion, often hate-filled, out there.

If you’re in my circle of friends, do you realize what you are doing? Do you know that with every spit of hatred it causes me to find love in the source of your anger? Do you realize the more that you fill your wall with anger posts, the more room you are giving to satan in your heart? But at least you gain a prayer in doing so because with each fan of the flames I bow my head in prayer for you.

Sure you say you love God, but how can you mix love and hate and feel clean in doing so? Last time I checked oil and water don’t mix well.

On a final note, I love my country and am grateful for every single thing I have. While you spew hate for the government, without that very government, I would’ve starved, my man would have remained blind and a leech of government funds. No, it is BECAUSE of my government my pride took a leap off a cliff and I was able to survive BECAUSE of the government.

I praise the Lord for feeding my soul, I thank my country for not judging me and giving me the ability to live and thrive.

My prayers go up for the military and their families, my prayers walk with my government instead of against them, my prayers go out to my friends (and family) who need to feel MORE of the LOVE that God offers.

Spread the LOVE, change the WORLD!!!!

 

 

Holy Week ~ Holy Life

pic taken from the internet

Ephesians 5:8 “But be filled with the Spirit”

It would seem I am on a Sabbatical. This is the time I am reflective as my New Year is coming on Easter Sunday.

I’m strange that way, you know. I never celebrate the New Year on January 1^st because really all that is, is a calendar change. A man-made calendar no less. Easter on the calendar is a man-made holiday, but spiritually it is so much more to me.

I know many of my readers are not Christians, per se, and whatever you believe is fine with me. Don’t judge me and I will surely not judge you and your faith/beliefs/religion.

When I was a child, I was being raised as a Catholic. We were in no way devout Catholics, we went to Church, not as a family, but to put our little envelope in the offering plate, so we’d have reduced tuition for our Catholic school upbringing. Is THAT where I found God? I’m sorry to say, no. It is where I was introduced to Him, but not where I FOUND Him.

Later, when I was about 13 years old, I was sent to a Christian school for my high school years, this is the place I FOUND not only God, but Jesus, in action. I turned myself over to Him and became a born-again Christian, a foreign term to my family. They assumed it meant I was going to be weirded out and a ‘Holy-Roller’ in the process. By no means is that what being born-again means!

(Author’s note: I use the term Holy Roller loosely because we lived across the street from a Church of God, and the people of that church worshiped nightly, praising God.  To each his own.)

Being born-again, means turning your life over to Christ and allowing Him to live in your soul, via the Holy Spirit. In a sense, I did get weirded out, because I was no longer bound to ‘mans’ law, I was bound by God’s laws.

Did becoming a Christian make me a sinless person? Again, by no means. Instead it made me aware of being a sinner; awakened me to my sins. I call myself a Spiritual Christian, only because the Spirit lives and dwells in me, making me aware of all of my surroundings, my actions in life, my mistakes and most clearly, my sins.

I have found inner peace, I am one with nature and the universe, but note I believe that God is the driving force of inner peace, nature and the universe. These truths can be found in the Holy Bible, Old and New Testament, and while many will retort, “The Bible is man made.” I will reply, yes it is, man made, God inspired. Can you deny that? I mean really, I’m a writer with a creative mind, but even I couldn’t come up with the stuff in the Holy Bible and have ancient artiFACTS to back up the testimony, no less.

Matt. 13: 9 “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

That means, since the formation of Earth and before, there has been something out there divinely inspiring us to be better people, to be aware of our surroundings, to be awake in a world that sleeps in the closet called materialistic/consumerism/media-driven life.

So where did I find this ‘Jesus’? I didn’t find Him in a school, a church or even a book, I found Him in…my soul. He was there all the time, I just needed to awaken that spirit, to come alive in me, and practice all that He was showing me.

“…you have to be willing to sacrifice everything to follow God and to follow what He’s called you to do.” ~Patricia Heaton

Ten years ago, I did one of the scariest things in my Christian adult life. I gave up everything: my home, all the materials in the home, my husband, and many cherished belongings. I kept my most precious gift and that was my son and I swept him away because God was calling me to do something. Something against my nature and everything I had been raised to believe, and put my entire trust in Him and where He was leading me.

I could not see where He was leading me and it took a few years to grasp what it was He would have me do, but as I sit here now, ten years later, I have clarity and celebrate the New Year this Sunday as a continuation of my faith, beliefs, and trust in the only being that trusted me, 100%, no questions or doubts.

Throughout the ten years, I was brought into a church, I rejoice with like-minded people, and God’s grace showed me that not ALL churches are built on hypocrisy. Each Church, He chose for us, we attended, and found Spirit-led people, who loved and honored Christ.

In 2007: Roundgrove United Methodist Church (Lewisville Texas), Grace United Church (Lewisville Texas), to the place we praise and worship now, 2009-present: Efree Evangelical Church

As many of you will celebrate Easter in dressy dresses, new shoes, beautifully done hair and accessories, I will walk into church with the same clothes I always wear. Why? Because God accepts me as I AM!

I have changed a lot since I was fourteen and coming to Christ, but one thing that hasn’t changed has been this; I live by the Spirit and will die by the Spirit. Whether you believe or not, we are all interconnected and EVERY-THING happens for a reason.

May the Spirit that lies within you be awakened and guide you through your life. It’s a journey worth living.

Godspeed!

Luke 11:9  "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."