ezekiel 15:3-5 "shall wood be taken to do just ANY work???"
"behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel, the fire devours both ends of
and the midst of it is burned. is it meet for ANY work?"
"behold, when it was whole, it was meet for NO work!!!!! how
much less shall it be meet for ANY work when the fire has devoured
it and it is burned?"
first lets look at when god talks about whether or not a piece of wood was meet for any work, and when it was whole it was meet or fit for no work at all. the WHOLE piece of wood is a reference to those who are unsaved. obviously UNSAVED means UNPREPARED for ANYTHING!!! our own works attempoting to establish our own righteousness will never be anything more than filthy rags to be discarded by Him
god has created each of us for a special purpose. FIRST we have to be cast into the fire.
this is a reference to our SALVATION. its a no brainer that i had to be born again before god could proceed any further. being devoured at both ends is God getting rid of all the garbage that is holding me back from moving into what God has planned for me. too allow that, the middle, the very heart of me had to be burned to get rid of all the inner motives or whatever that wants me to hang onto all that crap.without first being thrown into the fire i couldnt have been saved. once there i had to dig that i couldnt just continue to be the same old gal i once was. and once there what god had for someone else may be very different than what He had for me.
you see, theres not only conformity from the WORLD but also from BELIEVERS who often make the mistake of thinking that each individual has to conform to what i call a cookie cutter type of mentality. god has a unique plan for each of us as to how he wants to use us.
the revelant thing is................God didnt save any of us to continue doing the same old thing we used to do. a SAFE church presents the message of grace and reconciliation as incomplete or watered down. itll tell you GOD LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.......BUTTTTT itll conveniently will lop off the part....BUT HE LOVES YOU ARE TOO MUCH TO LET YOU STAY THAT WAY. HOWEVER, a DANGEROUS church is going to present the whole message, and make it very plain that if you honestly DO look upon the message of grace as merely a license to overlook, or excuse whatever it is that you dont want to give up in your life, then its time to seriously rethink and wonder about your true relationship with God.
the bottom line is line...if one has had a TRUE encounter with the Living God, then their lives will start to line up with the Word of God. i heard an awesome teaching by a guy named micheal
yusef who presented His word as a love letter to all believers. how can i honestly say im in love with someone if first off i dont READ any of their letters,and if i dont seek TO DO what their letters ask of me?
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
a dangerous church:PUMPIN UP THE VOLUME
i well remember the day when i first decided to start working out at the gym. i had just gotten my rowdy english bull terrier whom those who have been so kind as to tolerate me blathering about like any lovesick parent will. i couldn even handle the little bugger for a simple walk around the block. when people as i was attempting to manage him around the block were standing there laughing at me saying things like"the dog taking YOU for a walk"i was like thinking to myself"this is pretty sad when you cant manage your dog for a simple walk around the block without getting out of breath" thats when the lights came on to start taking advantage of my free membership with pro-health fitness.
so i started, and for a while i was rocking along, lost over 20 pounds, then lo and behold, one day i was told "your stomach is getting bloated again" and i realized sure enough it was. at first i didnt understand why it was happening. then i remember what one of the trainers at the gym told another client, about after a time ones body starts to adjust to the workout regime to the point that it actually begins to lose some of its effectiveness. also, i had began to neglect other parts of my regime, in the way of diet. id almost completely stopped drinking water. also in an attempt to save a few bucks had opted for buying a cheap generic fiber supplement as opposed to the herbal coloncleanz that i had been taking. i realized i had to start doing two things....i had to start making water part of my regime again and i had to pump up the volume in my workout. go back to daily maintenence in diet plus in my workout up the ante.
that was kinda how it was when i rededicated my life to god id reached a watershed point where i realized it wasnt in me to find my own way. for awhile i was rocking along going great guns doing great. then i hit a snag. all of a sudden i was angry all the time at people close to me in my life. i was angry all the time PERIOD felt like i was stuck not going anywhere. THEN TWO THINGS HAPPENED. first God revealed to me on an individual level that i was falling back into an old trap. i was making other people my god..which was IDOLATRY. i already knew that was a road doomed to failure. i was going back to making THINGS and PEOPLE more important than GOD. time to going back to some basic principles in spiritual maintenance.
then pastor gary started teaching the congregation on a new series.....A DANGEROUS CHURCH. God deals with believers both on an individual level and on a collective level. which means when He starts addressing the congregation on something speaking to each of its members individually that many of its members are going thru the same thing as you.
often at the same time when God is telling you to go back to some basic maintenence on some basics with your walk with Him, hes also upping the ante to bring you to a new level. some of the rpoblems i was having was indeed due to starting to become complacent and lazy..self absorbed. it was also due to the fact id reached a plateau and was starting to stagnate. i remember reading a book by a poet sylvia plath called the bell jar which described a state of sour depression where one stews in their own sour air. that was where i was at. GOD LOVES ME THE WAY I AM TRUE. BUTTTTTTTTTTT HE LASO LOVES ME FAR TOO MUCH TO LET ME STAY THAT WAY. theres no middle ground here..its forward or its going back GOD WILL NOT EVER LET ME BECOME COMPLACENT. not on HIS watch.
A DANGEROUS CHURCH is speaking to His church...INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.going back to daily maintenence and upping the ante as He moves us to a new level
so i started, and for a while i was rocking along, lost over 20 pounds, then lo and behold, one day i was told "your stomach is getting bloated again" and i realized sure enough it was. at first i didnt understand why it was happening. then i remember what one of the trainers at the gym told another client, about after a time ones body starts to adjust to the workout regime to the point that it actually begins to lose some of its effectiveness. also, i had began to neglect other parts of my regime, in the way of diet. id almost completely stopped drinking water. also in an attempt to save a few bucks had opted for buying a cheap generic fiber supplement as opposed to the herbal coloncleanz that i had been taking. i realized i had to start doing two things....i had to start making water part of my regime again and i had to pump up the volume in my workout. go back to daily maintenence in diet plus in my workout up the ante.
that was kinda how it was when i rededicated my life to god id reached a watershed point where i realized it wasnt in me to find my own way. for awhile i was rocking along going great guns doing great. then i hit a snag. all of a sudden i was angry all the time at people close to me in my life. i was angry all the time PERIOD felt like i was stuck not going anywhere. THEN TWO THINGS HAPPENED. first God revealed to me on an individual level that i was falling back into an old trap. i was making other people my god..which was IDOLATRY. i already knew that was a road doomed to failure. i was going back to making THINGS and PEOPLE more important than GOD. time to going back to some basic principles in spiritual maintenance.
then pastor gary started teaching the congregation on a new series.....A DANGEROUS CHURCH. God deals with believers both on an individual level and on a collective level. which means when He starts addressing the congregation on something speaking to each of its members individually that many of its members are going thru the same thing as you.
often at the same time when God is telling you to go back to some basic maintenence on some basics with your walk with Him, hes also upping the ante to bring you to a new level. some of the rpoblems i was having was indeed due to starting to become complacent and lazy..self absorbed. it was also due to the fact id reached a plateau and was starting to stagnate. i remember reading a book by a poet sylvia plath called the bell jar which described a state of sour depression where one stews in their own sour air. that was where i was at. GOD LOVES ME THE WAY I AM TRUE. BUTTTTTTTTTTT HE LASO LOVES ME FAR TOO MUCH TO LET ME STAY THAT WAY. theres no middle ground here..its forward or its going back GOD WILL NOT EVER LET ME BECOME COMPLACENT. not on HIS watch.
A DANGEROUS CHURCH is speaking to His church...INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.going back to daily maintenence and upping the ante as He moves us to a new level
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
FELLOWSHIP VS PACK MENTALITY
im really glad ive chosen to take up pastor garys challenge on really getting serious about studying, chewing on, and reflecting on Gods Word. its really neat the way God works! im really seeing how all my innate passions and interests are really coming full circle as He goes into my personal world and really becomes RHEMA and not just dry boring LOGO Word. as i said before im really seeing how,... in their proper context in relation to how my priorities are ordered,...my personal passions and interests were put there by Him. His MESSAGE OF SALVATION never changes. HIS WORD never changes. HOWEVER, our INDIVIDUAL TESTIMONIES differ from person to person. the testimony of a housewife may not be the same as that of a doctor, a nurse, a criminology buff, and so forth. if someone doesnt relate to how god works in MY life, but they get it thru talking to someone else, it wasnt the MESSAGE that failed. with me, they just didnt click. the same also goes vica versa. lets say, for example, at work, a combative resident wont listen to one caregiver, but they follow me like a little puppy dog. sometimes, a different voice, a different approach, makes all the difference in the world
im having a ball with ezekiel. all my natural inner drivings that spawned my fascination with the world of criminolgy.( i have a strong feeling in my spirit that Hes going to pull me into prison ministry at some point, just not yet.)..ESPECIALLY that burning desire to find out how things happen and why...all those hours i spent under the tutelege of my psychology of abnormal behavior professor...are really coming back. walking with God isnt an easy road all the time. but its never boring. all i can say for anyone whos either never walked with Him, or just starting to get serious about it, sit back....youre in for one heck of a ride. theres NO WAY
you can spend an hour with Him...and leave the same as when you came.
i just got thru reading ezekiel chapter 14. two verses really grabbed my attention. i take that back. make it THREE. ezekiel 14:4,7-8. to me, they crystalize two very important aspects of
what God wants us to imcorporate into our collective AND individual walks with Him.
ACCOUNTABILITY and EXAMPLE. let me break it down just a wee tad.
ezekiel 14:4"...every man of the house of Israel that sets up his idols in his heart and puts the stumblingblock of iniquity before his face,....I, the Lord, will answer Him according to the multitude of His idols." INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY is very clear here. each one of us is responsible, when push comes to shove, for our own individual walks with God. blaming our pastors, or even each other, when we slip and fall is like blaming mummy and daddy for what happened to us way back when, for the fact, one day, we decided it ws ok for us to do something we KNEW was wrong, and we did it anyway. it just doesnt cut it. for one, and this passage really drives this home. HOW can i POSSIBLY blame another person for my own individual sin and iniquity, which ive allowed to to become MY OWN personal idol, when they may not even be struggling with the same thing that i am? that doesnt make a whole heap of sense. one of the things that make our individual walks with God different is the reason that our individual testimonies are different is the reason that the sins each of us struggle with are different. what i see here is when He talks about working out our own salvations with fear and trembling. its all about our inventories, and everytimne we take our eyes off of our own plates, sand look at someone elses, our just keeps getting bigger. ultimately, it all falls back on us.
ezekiel 14:7"for everyone who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face....I, the Lord, will answer him by Myself" verses 4 and 7 both, once gain being ACCOUNTABLE. i remember, not too long ago renting
a 2 part cd series from netflix that they got from a special that was done on the discovery channel on female killers. there was a particular segment on teen killers who engaged in what is called thrill killing. one notable charactersitic of this particular crime is that it is rarely ever done alone. it is almost always done in pairs, or even more often in packs. the propensity that thrill killers have towards working in packs makes it a prime crime to be committed by teens. because of their natural pull towards solidarity-confirming ones identity in a group. this type of thinking was rife in the backslidden condition of Israel in ezekiels day. fellowshipping with God, and the pack mentality im referring to here, are flips sides of a coin. when we felloship with other believers around the things of god, yes, we do, operate in one mind, one spirit towards a comon objective. however, we also understand, that we are still ultimately the ones, who are accountable before God for each of our individual actions. the pack mentality, on the other hand, often makes it very easy to stay in iniquity......THEYRE DOING IT TOO. its not just a matter of taking the path of least resistance, its also a way of sharing the blame when anything goes wrong.
ezekiel 14:8"and i will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and i will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know i am the Lord." God uses the falings of others, sometimes especially those He initially called for His purposes, as an example of what NOT to do as well as what TO DO. often, we dont see ourselves the way others see us. one of the primary reasons God uses others as an example of what not to do is often its a mirror we can hold up to ourselves so we can see we are doing the exact same thing.
im having a ball with ezekiel. all my natural inner drivings that spawned my fascination with the world of criminolgy.( i have a strong feeling in my spirit that Hes going to pull me into prison ministry at some point, just not yet.)..ESPECIALLY that burning desire to find out how things happen and why...all those hours i spent under the tutelege of my psychology of abnormal behavior professor...are really coming back. walking with God isnt an easy road all the time. but its never boring. all i can say for anyone whos either never walked with Him, or just starting to get serious about it, sit back....youre in for one heck of a ride. theres NO WAY
you can spend an hour with Him...and leave the same as when you came.
i just got thru reading ezekiel chapter 14. two verses really grabbed my attention. i take that back. make it THREE. ezekiel 14:4,7-8. to me, they crystalize two very important aspects of
what God wants us to imcorporate into our collective AND individual walks with Him.
ACCOUNTABILITY and EXAMPLE. let me break it down just a wee tad.
ezekiel 14:4"...every man of the house of Israel that sets up his idols in his heart and puts the stumblingblock of iniquity before his face,....I, the Lord, will answer Him according to the multitude of His idols." INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY is very clear here. each one of us is responsible, when push comes to shove, for our own individual walks with God. blaming our pastors, or even each other, when we slip and fall is like blaming mummy and daddy for what happened to us way back when, for the fact, one day, we decided it ws ok for us to do something we KNEW was wrong, and we did it anyway. it just doesnt cut it. for one, and this passage really drives this home. HOW can i POSSIBLY blame another person for my own individual sin and iniquity, which ive allowed to to become MY OWN personal idol, when they may not even be struggling with the same thing that i am? that doesnt make a whole heap of sense. one of the things that make our individual walks with God different is the reason that our individual testimonies are different is the reason that the sins each of us struggle with are different. what i see here is when He talks about working out our own salvations with fear and trembling. its all about our inventories, and everytimne we take our eyes off of our own plates, sand look at someone elses, our just keeps getting bigger. ultimately, it all falls back on us.
ezekiel 14:7"for everyone who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face....I, the Lord, will answer him by Myself" verses 4 and 7 both, once gain being ACCOUNTABLE. i remember, not too long ago renting
a 2 part cd series from netflix that they got from a special that was done on the discovery channel on female killers. there was a particular segment on teen killers who engaged in what is called thrill killing. one notable charactersitic of this particular crime is that it is rarely ever done alone. it is almost always done in pairs, or even more often in packs. the propensity that thrill killers have towards working in packs makes it a prime crime to be committed by teens. because of their natural pull towards solidarity-confirming ones identity in a group. this type of thinking was rife in the backslidden condition of Israel in ezekiels day. fellowshipping with God, and the pack mentality im referring to here, are flips sides of a coin. when we felloship with other believers around the things of god, yes, we do, operate in one mind, one spirit towards a comon objective. however, we also understand, that we are still ultimately the ones, who are accountable before God for each of our individual actions. the pack mentality, on the other hand, often makes it very easy to stay in iniquity......THEYRE DOING IT TOO. its not just a matter of taking the path of least resistance, its also a way of sharing the blame when anything goes wrong.
ezekiel 14:8"and i will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and i will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know i am the Lord." God uses the falings of others, sometimes especially those He initially called for His purposes, as an example of what NOT to do as well as what TO DO. often, we dont see ourselves the way others see us. one of the primary reasons God uses others as an example of what not to do is often its a mirror we can hold up to ourselves so we can see we are doing the exact same thing.
Monday, January 25, 2010
HAITI:IS IT GOD?
i cant get out of my mind when pastor tony posed the question about what has happened in haiti: IS IT GOD???????? i touched upon this in my last post, and i pointed out about what haiti has done by dedicating its nation to satan. i HAD to do some surfing on the web to research that one, because when pastor tony brought it to our attention, my first thought was ur joking, right mate?? but i looked it up under more than one source, and,yep, they sure did. i had to research it because, one of the reasons i became so disillusioned with evangelical christianity some years back was seeing all too often how too many of us were themselves not above using propaganda
to promote their own agendas, usually finacnially related. one thing i have to credit this congregation on, especially under the tutelage of such men as pastor gary, is, and much more rapidly than id ever thought, to eliminate that patina of cynicsim that had formed such a hard crust around my heart for so long. once i verified this, my next thought was, DOES THIS NATION HAVE A DEATH WISH????? to me, it seemed almost surreal that any nation would so brazenly and recklessly leave themselves open to the forces of evil like this. heck, stan doesnt
even have to disguise themselves as an angel of light, or as being someone else. they KNOW who he is, and they did it anyway.
ive struggled, for many years myself, to comprehend the eternal question... HOW COULD A LOVING FATHER DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HIS CHILDREN OR HOW COULD HE ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN? once again, i think back to my days in early recovery when i was in AA, and this is a very harsh, but necessary truth. no matter how much you may love a son or a daughter you have that is in the throes of addiction, and you see that they dont WANT to break free of it, NO MATTER HOW HARD IT MAY BE to see your child
going through what theyre going through without you, there comes a point and time where you HAVE to let that child go. they may be homeless, going through the pain of withdrawal because theyre in agony with their bodies screaming for a shot. YOU HAVE TO LET THEM GO!!!!!!
were dealing with a nation that has openly rejected God and embrace satan. i dont think God has brought the devastation were seeing here. however, there comes a point where, like any loving father, where what 1 corinthians 5:5 speaks of when it refers to "turning one over to satan for the destruction of the flesh so that in the day of the Lord, they may be saved." life is all about choices. people rarely get saved until they come to the absolute end of themselves. God really didnt have to do anything here. when you dedicate yourself to satan, as i said before, thats like waving a red flag in front of a bull, or befriending a poisonous spider, and not expecting to get bit. ive heard of people who called upon satan and asked them to be their lord and master, and they felt the temperature drop 30 degrees in the room. GO FIGURE!!!!
one of the most dangerous messages were hearing in safe religion is that there are no consequences to ANYTHING!!!!! no one will turn away from anything destructive as long as
its allowed to be a pleasant experience for them. we are to be intercessors for others, and our prayers form protective barriers around others. but, there comes a point, when we see that someone doesnt want to stop doing what theyre doing, to keep rpaying for their protection isnt LOVE its ENABLING!! TURN ONE OVER TO SATAN FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLESH SO THAT IN THE DAY OF THE LORD THEY MIGHT BE SAVED very simply means
there comes a point where you quit praying for them. not quit praying for their redemption, but it means quit praying for their protection. before anyone repents, they almost always have to hit rock bottom. if an eartly parent has the right to decide when they must let their child go, how can we say our HEAVENLY Father doesnt have the right to do the same?
HOW CAN A LOVING FATHER ALLOW HIS CHILDREN TO SUFFER AND BE IN PAIN???? i remember,back in the 90s, in leonardo decaprios early days, i remember one of his first movies the basketball diaries, this story about a heroin addict, who later recovered and became a street poet,...there was this one scene where he was going thru withdrawal, and he was banging on his mothers door, about to break it down, screaming at her, IM YOUR SON!!!!! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL???? CANT YOU SEE IM IN PAIN????!!!!
and you can see the uter devastation on her face as she was witnessing this, wanting so badly to give him that 20 dollars, knowing that 20 dollars would be the shot to give him relief, but also knowing, if she did that, she was helping to kill him. how do you think God feels, right now. witnessing the utter devastation in haiti, watching 1 14 year old girl wail in anguish as she pulls her little brother out of the rubble? and couldnt He stop it at anytime? yes, He could. but God gave us free will. He WANTS haiti to return to him, and many, many of them will come to Him. but it has to be an act of the free will. in order for anything to be rebuilt, it first has to be utterly broken.
one day, things far worse than this will happen, and it WILL be God. ezekiel 12:27..."the vision he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of times far off." and vs 28 "...there shall none of my words be prolonged anymore, but the word i have spoken shall be done" my big problem for many years was i thought i was immortal. one day i was no longer 18, i was 47. the fact that God IS so loving and merciful makes it all the more frightening to imagine of what it will be like one day when His mercy WILL run out, and He means what He says and itsnt saying these things, that Hes been saying for thousands of years just to hear himself talk. nothing we see on earth will even remotely compare to the horrors of hell. hebrews 10:31 "it is dreadful to fall into the hands of the Living God"
but i also know today, it doesnt have to be that way. Jesus gave us the way out
to promote their own agendas, usually finacnially related. one thing i have to credit this congregation on, especially under the tutelage of such men as pastor gary, is, and much more rapidly than id ever thought, to eliminate that patina of cynicsim that had formed such a hard crust around my heart for so long. once i verified this, my next thought was, DOES THIS NATION HAVE A DEATH WISH????? to me, it seemed almost surreal that any nation would so brazenly and recklessly leave themselves open to the forces of evil like this. heck, stan doesnt
even have to disguise themselves as an angel of light, or as being someone else. they KNOW who he is, and they did it anyway.
ive struggled, for many years myself, to comprehend the eternal question... HOW COULD A LOVING FATHER DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HIS CHILDREN OR HOW COULD HE ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN? once again, i think back to my days in early recovery when i was in AA, and this is a very harsh, but necessary truth. no matter how much you may love a son or a daughter you have that is in the throes of addiction, and you see that they dont WANT to break free of it, NO MATTER HOW HARD IT MAY BE to see your child
going through what theyre going through without you, there comes a point and time where you HAVE to let that child go. they may be homeless, going through the pain of withdrawal because theyre in agony with their bodies screaming for a shot. YOU HAVE TO LET THEM GO!!!!!!
were dealing with a nation that has openly rejected God and embrace satan. i dont think God has brought the devastation were seeing here. however, there comes a point where, like any loving father, where what 1 corinthians 5:5 speaks of when it refers to "turning one over to satan for the destruction of the flesh so that in the day of the Lord, they may be saved." life is all about choices. people rarely get saved until they come to the absolute end of themselves. God really didnt have to do anything here. when you dedicate yourself to satan, as i said before, thats like waving a red flag in front of a bull, or befriending a poisonous spider, and not expecting to get bit. ive heard of people who called upon satan and asked them to be their lord and master, and they felt the temperature drop 30 degrees in the room. GO FIGURE!!!!
one of the most dangerous messages were hearing in safe religion is that there are no consequences to ANYTHING!!!!! no one will turn away from anything destructive as long as
its allowed to be a pleasant experience for them. we are to be intercessors for others, and our prayers form protective barriers around others. but, there comes a point, when we see that someone doesnt want to stop doing what theyre doing, to keep rpaying for their protection isnt LOVE its ENABLING!! TURN ONE OVER TO SATAN FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLESH SO THAT IN THE DAY OF THE LORD THEY MIGHT BE SAVED very simply means
there comes a point where you quit praying for them. not quit praying for their redemption, but it means quit praying for their protection. before anyone repents, they almost always have to hit rock bottom. if an eartly parent has the right to decide when they must let their child go, how can we say our HEAVENLY Father doesnt have the right to do the same?
HOW CAN A LOVING FATHER ALLOW HIS CHILDREN TO SUFFER AND BE IN PAIN???? i remember,back in the 90s, in leonardo decaprios early days, i remember one of his first movies the basketball diaries, this story about a heroin addict, who later recovered and became a street poet,...there was this one scene where he was going thru withdrawal, and he was banging on his mothers door, about to break it down, screaming at her, IM YOUR SON!!!!! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL???? CANT YOU SEE IM IN PAIN????!!!!
and you can see the uter devastation on her face as she was witnessing this, wanting so badly to give him that 20 dollars, knowing that 20 dollars would be the shot to give him relief, but also knowing, if she did that, she was helping to kill him. how do you think God feels, right now. witnessing the utter devastation in haiti, watching 1 14 year old girl wail in anguish as she pulls her little brother out of the rubble? and couldnt He stop it at anytime? yes, He could. but God gave us free will. He WANTS haiti to return to him, and many, many of them will come to Him. but it has to be an act of the free will. in order for anything to be rebuilt, it first has to be utterly broken.
one day, things far worse than this will happen, and it WILL be God. ezekiel 12:27..."the vision he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of times far off." and vs 28 "...there shall none of my words be prolonged anymore, but the word i have spoken shall be done" my big problem for many years was i thought i was immortal. one day i was no longer 18, i was 47. the fact that God IS so loving and merciful makes it all the more frightening to imagine of what it will be like one day when His mercy WILL run out, and He means what He says and itsnt saying these things, that Hes been saying for thousands of years just to hear himself talk. nothing we see on earth will even remotely compare to the horrors of hell. hebrews 10:31 "it is dreadful to fall into the hands of the Living God"
but i also know today, it doesnt have to be that way. Jesus gave us the way out
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
more on reprobate mentality;reprobate versus character.
after i posted my blog yesterday, i realized how much more i had left to write, SOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!... let her rip! getting into the books in the Word, such as isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel, has, like i was saying yesterday, incorporated aspects of my personal world that i hadnt thought about THIS actively in a very long time. reading ezekiel takes me back to 1997, to my sociology class, to my instructor dr. hitchcock, when he used to love to show us such documentary videos, such as "the iceman", which was all about a hitman for the mob who specialized in various poisons, and who took special pleasure in watching the effects of the poisons, ESPECIALLY the slow acting ones, on his hits. a textbook case of, what i also learned that same semester in pyschology of abnormal behavior, of a sadistic psaychopath.as ive seen reading, studying, meditating, and blogging on the book of ezekiel, ive been finally come to terms with, and accept, that (and THIS is what REALLY explained to me just what REPROBATE really is in the spiritual realm). that it is entirely possible to KNOW His truth, to hear the Spirit convict you on it, to KNOW the difference between right and wrong, and STILL CHOOSE to do wrong. ezekiel is a frightening picture of just what can happen and DOES INDEED happen when the mind of a sociopath becomes the NORM, rather than an ABERRATION.
i remember hearing pastor tony last sunday, talking about what has happened in haiti, and whether or not, it is indeed a judgement from God. and i was like, when i found out that this was a nation who had actually dedicated itself to satan, DOES IT REALLLY HAVE TO BE A JUDGEMENT OF GOD??? the very fact that this is a nation which has deidicated itself to the devil, is like waving a red flag in front of a bull, and wondering why it comes charging straight at you. OR, befriending, taking in, and feeding a brazillian wandering spider (like i saw this total
idiot do on youtube)and then wondering why you get bit. but i cant even begin to put whats happening here in haiti with what was happening in israel in ezekiels day.when a leader dedicates its nation to satan, its evident youre dealing with a person who is lost. being unsaved isnt the same as being reprobate. being LOST is when you just dont get it, and you keep going back to the same jive over and over because you just dont get it. being REPROBATE is when you know, but you dont care.
God puts in His Word examples of bad as well as good as just that- examples of what to do, but also what not to do. over and over, as ive been studying isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel, what has repeatedly come to mind, when pastor gary was talking about the earmarks of false teachers.
what he was saying about CHARACTER has stuck with me. ANNOINTING isnt enough. KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WORD isnt enough. even CONVICTION isnt enough. His Word ABSOLUTELY MUST be the code we live by, that our values must be based on. if our CHARACTER does not line up with what is in this Book, then we are all nothing more than wolves crept in to decieve the flock. reading ezekiel and what God was talking about in dealing with a people who had turned their backs on Him, and still thought they were a people who were special, and set apart, gives the definition of the criteria for a narcissistic personality a whole new meaning. and often, when people develop the belief that due to special gifts that God has given them,(forgetting they are to be used for HIS glory, not THEIRS), that, somehow, because of the grace freely given to all men thru Jesus Christ.who want it, that, somehow, the rules just dont apply to them. somehow His WORD doesnt apply to them. or, that, due to great works, they may have done in the past, before they turned their backs on Him, that they could just go on living off of yesterdays annointing and works. His Word is crystal clear EZEKIEL 3:20"when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and goes into iniquity(this means returning to a LIFETSYLE of sin), HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL NOT BE REMEMBERED" do i dare think i can live off of yesterdays annointing? THINK AGAIN.
i fully believe many false teachers arent born- they are MADE. and all too often, those cloest to them who recognize early, their special gifts and callings are to blame. many cults are born from these teachers being told over and over YOURE SPECIAL, YOURE ABOVE THE LAW, EVEN HIS LAW, THERES A SPECIAL GRACE EVEN BEYOND THE GRACE ALREADY GIVEN TO YOU, THE RULES JUST DONT APPLY TO YOU. to me, this is really scary. that someone can, for a very long time continue to operate in an incredible annointing, bfore the plug gets pulled on it, even actually being used to bring many into the Kingdom, and all the while lead countless people astray. being reprobate is like having a brilliant mind with no conscience to guide it. when i read ezekiel, and fully understand what a reprobate mind is, and understand what a false teacher is as well, i see, all too often what this is is simply an unchecked version of what God wants me to be. salvation is immediate. character, in line with His Word takes a heck of a long time to build. i dont get right standing or saved by living by His Word, but its expected to follow, and if it doesnt, then i have to begin to wonder about my true relationship with God. books like ezekiel, isaiah, and jeremiah, are examples of what
i can easily become if i DONT regard His Word as my personal code.
i remember hearing pastor tony last sunday, talking about what has happened in haiti, and whether or not, it is indeed a judgement from God. and i was like, when i found out that this was a nation who had actually dedicated itself to satan, DOES IT REALLLY HAVE TO BE A JUDGEMENT OF GOD??? the very fact that this is a nation which has deidicated itself to the devil, is like waving a red flag in front of a bull, and wondering why it comes charging straight at you. OR, befriending, taking in, and feeding a brazillian wandering spider (like i saw this total
idiot do on youtube)and then wondering why you get bit. but i cant even begin to put whats happening here in haiti with what was happening in israel in ezekiels day.when a leader dedicates its nation to satan, its evident youre dealing with a person who is lost. being unsaved isnt the same as being reprobate. being LOST is when you just dont get it, and you keep going back to the same jive over and over because you just dont get it. being REPROBATE is when you know, but you dont care.
God puts in His Word examples of bad as well as good as just that- examples of what to do, but also what not to do. over and over, as ive been studying isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel, what has repeatedly come to mind, when pastor gary was talking about the earmarks of false teachers.
what he was saying about CHARACTER has stuck with me. ANNOINTING isnt enough. KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WORD isnt enough. even CONVICTION isnt enough. His Word ABSOLUTELY MUST be the code we live by, that our values must be based on. if our CHARACTER does not line up with what is in this Book, then we are all nothing more than wolves crept in to decieve the flock. reading ezekiel and what God was talking about in dealing with a people who had turned their backs on Him, and still thought they were a people who were special, and set apart, gives the definition of the criteria for a narcissistic personality a whole new meaning. and often, when people develop the belief that due to special gifts that God has given them,(forgetting they are to be used for HIS glory, not THEIRS), that, somehow, because of the grace freely given to all men thru Jesus Christ.who want it, that, somehow, the rules just dont apply to them. somehow His WORD doesnt apply to them. or, that, due to great works, they may have done in the past, before they turned their backs on Him, that they could just go on living off of yesterdays annointing and works. His Word is crystal clear EZEKIEL 3:20"when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and goes into iniquity(this means returning to a LIFETSYLE of sin), HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL NOT BE REMEMBERED" do i dare think i can live off of yesterdays annointing? THINK AGAIN.
i fully believe many false teachers arent born- they are MADE. and all too often, those cloest to them who recognize early, their special gifts and callings are to blame. many cults are born from these teachers being told over and over YOURE SPECIAL, YOURE ABOVE THE LAW, EVEN HIS LAW, THERES A SPECIAL GRACE EVEN BEYOND THE GRACE ALREADY GIVEN TO YOU, THE RULES JUST DONT APPLY TO YOU. to me, this is really scary. that someone can, for a very long time continue to operate in an incredible annointing, bfore the plug gets pulled on it, even actually being used to bring many into the Kingdom, and all the while lead countless people astray. being reprobate is like having a brilliant mind with no conscience to guide it. when i read ezekiel, and fully understand what a reprobate mind is, and understand what a false teacher is as well, i see, all too often what this is is simply an unchecked version of what God wants me to be. salvation is immediate. character, in line with His Word takes a heck of a long time to build. i dont get right standing or saved by living by His Word, but its expected to follow, and if it doesnt, then i have to begin to wonder about my true relationship with God. books like ezekiel, isaiah, and jeremiah, are examples of what
i can easily become if i DONT regard His Word as my personal code.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
REPROBATE:WHEN ABNORMAL BECOMES THE NEW NORMAL
over the past 13 years when i FIRST came to know Jesus as Lord and savior, i often wondered just what exactly REPROBATE MENTALITY was. over this past year, the connection finally
began to click into my mind, just as to what it really was. and i have my years-long fascination
with anything involving criminolgy..particularly the areas of forensic psychology and criminal
profiling..to thank for this. its really amazing just as to how God will go into our individual worlds, and make His truths revelant by revealing anaolgies that make all the difference in taking his LOGO WORD, and the lights suddenly kick on,and it becomes RHEMA. to me, this shows that all of our deep seated interests and passions are those that God has instilled in us, as He uses each one of His children in different ways.
well, anyway, ive done alot of studying and research on the antisocial, or sociopathic mentality. one of the most frightening charactersistics is that they are fully able to distinguish right from wrong, but they just dont care. if they are given the choice between right and wrong, and it is within their best interests to do wrong...according to a prominant FBI profiler.......they will ALWAYS choose to do wrong. they also fully expect to get away with what are often atrocities
totally foreign to that of a normal person. they fully comprehend the legal sanctions and cultural mores/social norms of the world we live in, but they feel that they dont apply to them. theyre special, unique, and the ordinary person is "stupid" i did alot of things over and over before i got saved because i just didnt get it..thats the area of strongholds. this type of person just doesnt care,theyre like SO WHAT????AND YOUR POINT IS??? and, theyre often stunned when they sit in a courtroom, and hear the sentence over their horrific crimes, never, ever expecting theyd ever be held accountable
its really laughable when we pride ourselves, in our human arrogance, in discovering what we feel is "new" knowledge. reading in the Epistles..romans 1:28, when they talk about being turned over to a reprobate mind, because they dont like entertaining God in their thoughts, we see the truth of what was spoken of in ecclesiasted "there is nothing new under the sun" reprobate is just a less cosmopolitan term for a sociopath. even worse, because with the reprobate mind,were actually dealing in an area where ones eternity is at stake, they KNOW it, and, somehow feel that the rules just dont apply to them. they KNOW His words, His ways, but, being one of HIS people, theyre speical, His grace has them covered, so the rules are for other people. having the annointing of God in your life, without also having the character built around building ones life on His Word, is like what ive read all too often about the antisocial personality, who often possesses a brilliant mind, with no conscience or scruples to guide it. and often, that annointing is tremendous.and the reprobate mind may move and operate in it for awhile. God is merciful. for those who dont see how a LOVING God can wipe our a nation, critters and babies included...need to ask themselves a very important question...how many of us would have given nations such as assyria 400 YEARS to repent. God will often wait a long time before He pulls the annointing off of us, because He loves us, and wants us back?
the antisocial personality, thank God, makes up only 1-4% of the american population. right now, im in the book of ezekiel, and the picture that it paints of a backslidden Israel, is downright scary. imagine how frightening it is knowing we have that 1-4% running loose in our country.
NOW, THINK OF AN ENTIRE NATION BEING LIKE THAT!!!!!! matthew 6:23 "when the light in you be darkness, HOW GREAT IS THAT DARKNESS?" the sociopath is unable to exist within the norms of society, and one of its trademarks is a pattern of behavior which is grounds for arrest. well, in the case of the israel that men like jeremiah, isaiah, and ezekiel lived in, THE ABBERANT BEHAVIOR of Israel was what was normal. anyone who chose to be obedient to the Word of God were the ones viewed to be abnormal. ive read alot about murders being commited in packs. think of an entire nation wanting to gang up on you and killing you because you dared to stand behind His truth even when it goes against the norm.
there were two verses in ezekiel that i feel perfectly captured the collective, dangerously reprobate mind of a nation, who, when confronted with right and wrong would consistently choose wrong, KNOWING IT TO BE WRONG. it just didnt matter to them
ezekiel 8"then said he unto me, son of man, see what the ancients in the house of israel do in thr dark of the chambers of his imagination? they think the Lord doesnt see them, for He has forsaken the earth." i see alot of this thinking TODAY in the mentality of people, who believe they can use the grace of God to excuse themselves, especially, when they have a special annointing, because the honestly beleive the rules just dont apply to them. i fully believe many false teachers arent born, they are MADE!!!!! all too often, theyve been surrounded by others, from very early in life, who keep telling them "youre special..the rules just dont apply to you....God will overlook whatever it is in your life that doesnt line up."a prime example are spoiled, narcissistic brats like samson. and he grew up believing it. i can only imagine the rude awakening he got when he got his eyes dug out after delilah whacked off his hair. STUNNED
was an understatement
ezekiel 5 16" moreover i will make you a waste, and a reproach amonst the nations" Israel
was raised as a people who WERE special , SET APART. they were the ones, in ezekiels day who carried the evangelism of the coming Messiah to the rest of the world. guess what, whoever God raises up as an EXAMPLE of what He wants us to be, as well as to speak to others of His grace and mercy. when we fall, especially if we take others with us, we will also be held as an example
of His sanctions. this especially applies to those who think His grace as a license to excuse whatever they were doing. THINK AGAIN!!!! leaders always get held to a higher, often harsher set of standards than those who arent. to whom much is given, much is required. law enforcement rarely goes after the individual users, they want the dealers.
reading books like ezekiel make me realize two things. how unbelievable Gods mercy really IS..AND HOW FRIGHTENING IT ALSO IT IS WHEN IT RUNS OUT
began to click into my mind, just as to what it really was. and i have my years-long fascination
with anything involving criminolgy..particularly the areas of forensic psychology and criminal
profiling..to thank for this. its really amazing just as to how God will go into our individual worlds, and make His truths revelant by revealing anaolgies that make all the difference in taking his LOGO WORD, and the lights suddenly kick on,and it becomes RHEMA. to me, this shows that all of our deep seated interests and passions are those that God has instilled in us, as He uses each one of His children in different ways.
well, anyway, ive done alot of studying and research on the antisocial, or sociopathic mentality. one of the most frightening charactersistics is that they are fully able to distinguish right from wrong, but they just dont care. if they are given the choice between right and wrong, and it is within their best interests to do wrong...according to a prominant FBI profiler.......they will ALWAYS choose to do wrong. they also fully expect to get away with what are often atrocities
totally foreign to that of a normal person. they fully comprehend the legal sanctions and cultural mores/social norms of the world we live in, but they feel that they dont apply to them. theyre special, unique, and the ordinary person is "stupid" i did alot of things over and over before i got saved because i just didnt get it..thats the area of strongholds. this type of person just doesnt care,theyre like SO WHAT????AND YOUR POINT IS??? and, theyre often stunned when they sit in a courtroom, and hear the sentence over their horrific crimes, never, ever expecting theyd ever be held accountable
its really laughable when we pride ourselves, in our human arrogance, in discovering what we feel is "new" knowledge. reading in the Epistles..romans 1:28, when they talk about being turned over to a reprobate mind, because they dont like entertaining God in their thoughts, we see the truth of what was spoken of in ecclesiasted "there is nothing new under the sun" reprobate is just a less cosmopolitan term for a sociopath. even worse, because with the reprobate mind,were actually dealing in an area where ones eternity is at stake, they KNOW it, and, somehow feel that the rules just dont apply to them. they KNOW His words, His ways, but, being one of HIS people, theyre speical, His grace has them covered, so the rules are for other people. having the annointing of God in your life, without also having the character built around building ones life on His Word, is like what ive read all too often about the antisocial personality, who often possesses a brilliant mind, with no conscience or scruples to guide it. and often, that annointing is tremendous.and the reprobate mind may move and operate in it for awhile. God is merciful. for those who dont see how a LOVING God can wipe our a nation, critters and babies included...need to ask themselves a very important question...how many of us would have given nations such as assyria 400 YEARS to repent. God will often wait a long time before He pulls the annointing off of us, because He loves us, and wants us back?
the antisocial personality, thank God, makes up only 1-4% of the american population. right now, im in the book of ezekiel, and the picture that it paints of a backslidden Israel, is downright scary. imagine how frightening it is knowing we have that 1-4% running loose in our country.
NOW, THINK OF AN ENTIRE NATION BEING LIKE THAT!!!!!! matthew 6:23 "when the light in you be darkness, HOW GREAT IS THAT DARKNESS?" the sociopath is unable to exist within the norms of society, and one of its trademarks is a pattern of behavior which is grounds for arrest. well, in the case of the israel that men like jeremiah, isaiah, and ezekiel lived in, THE ABBERANT BEHAVIOR of Israel was what was normal. anyone who chose to be obedient to the Word of God were the ones viewed to be abnormal. ive read alot about murders being commited in packs. think of an entire nation wanting to gang up on you and killing you because you dared to stand behind His truth even when it goes against the norm.
there were two verses in ezekiel that i feel perfectly captured the collective, dangerously reprobate mind of a nation, who, when confronted with right and wrong would consistently choose wrong, KNOWING IT TO BE WRONG. it just didnt matter to them
ezekiel 8"then said he unto me, son of man, see what the ancients in the house of israel do in thr dark of the chambers of his imagination? they think the Lord doesnt see them, for He has forsaken the earth." i see alot of this thinking TODAY in the mentality of people, who believe they can use the grace of God to excuse themselves, especially, when they have a special annointing, because the honestly beleive the rules just dont apply to them. i fully believe many false teachers arent born, they are MADE!!!!! all too often, theyve been surrounded by others, from very early in life, who keep telling them "youre special..the rules just dont apply to you....God will overlook whatever it is in your life that doesnt line up."a prime example are spoiled, narcissistic brats like samson. and he grew up believing it. i can only imagine the rude awakening he got when he got his eyes dug out after delilah whacked off his hair. STUNNED
was an understatement
ezekiel 5 16" moreover i will make you a waste, and a reproach amonst the nations" Israel
was raised as a people who WERE special , SET APART. they were the ones, in ezekiels day who carried the evangelism of the coming Messiah to the rest of the world. guess what, whoever God raises up as an EXAMPLE of what He wants us to be, as well as to speak to others of His grace and mercy. when we fall, especially if we take others with us, we will also be held as an example
of His sanctions. this especially applies to those who think His grace as a license to excuse whatever they were doing. THINK AGAIN!!!! leaders always get held to a higher, often harsher set of standards than those who arent. to whom much is given, much is required. law enforcement rarely goes after the individual users, they want the dealers.
reading books like ezekiel make me realize two things. how unbelievable Gods mercy really IS..AND HOW FRIGHTENING IT ALSO IT IS WHEN IT RUNS OUT
Thursday, January 14, 2010
more on relational idolatry.
relational idolatry isnt just a matter of placing PEOPLE in general over GOD. whenever people get into relational idolatry, its usually a perversion for the sole trust and reliance we are supposed to place in God. this was a dynamic that led me to become so male driven. just as the reliance and trust we should place in God alone should become an all-consuming fire, whatever romantic interest i had at the time, became an all-consuming fire as well. im well into my renewed walk with God for well over a year, and im just now beginning to fully realize just how destructive this dynamic was, not just to myself, but to those around me. this was one of the factors that was at the root of my obsessive bipolar disorder. medication is,at best, a bandaid solution, if the deeper spiritual and psychogical factors arent first addressed. and recognizing it is only half the battle. the new birth is instant, but, after the new birth, we are often left with the nature of the flesh,one part of which is a mind diametrically opposed to the Word of God, to retrain. and this process can take a long time. to pereservere, one often has to just keep renewing their mind daily and keep ones eyes on the prize.
medication DID bring me to a place of normalcy for me to see it had to stop. but i had still yet to see it would never be within me to find my own way sans God. like most people, prior to accepting Jesus as lord and Savior, i had to come to the end of myself to realize this. its not enough to take meds, and to say, "im not going to do this, or do that anymore". it had to come from a much deeper place inside of me, where i had to say, "i dont want this kind of dynamic anymore" at the time, i return to the Lord, i wasnt out on the streets, and id been sober for three years(BEING SOBER was an important factor, in being brought to a place where i saw i HAD to submit), i was in a stable, loving relationship. theres all sorts of ways one can come to the end of ourselves. the bottom line is, that its sort of like max dugan when it comes to God (and God IS persistant) YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANT HIDE!!! it was basically God telling me He loved me and wanted me back.
relational idolatry is Satans way of, not just COUNTERFEITING the sole reliance God wants us to place upon Him, but also PERVERTING it. making God the center of ones life, brings joy, fulfillment, and a sense of completeness. unbelievers view the God of the Bible as one who wants to TAKE YOUR LIFE AWAY FROM YOU. the opposite is true .God GAVE MY LIFE BACK to me!!!!!! making PEOPLE important parts of your life..theres nothing wrong with that.PEOPLE are Gods most valuable commodity. relational idolatry is totally different. its when you take one person, place that person at the absolute center of your life. THIS brings
frustration, disappointment as you look upon each one of them as one failure after another,( not understanding that its impossible for that person to meet your demands) its a stronghold- a pattern of thought you cling to even when its apparent its not working( only SATAN can have you persistantly clinging to a revealed lie), and ulitmately DESPAIR. IT TAKES YOUR LIFE from you, including other people.
relational idolatry is the dynamic behind people who end up stalking their target of interest. a key factor in the life of a stalker, is that they have either no close friends, except for family, or they have very few close friends. having no network outside of that one person, they pursue something that is impossible, making that one person the answer to all their problems. only GOD can do that, IF youre willing. i STALKED people. why???? well, its like this. we ALL deal
with disappointments in friendships and relationships, when one person just isnt as interested as the other one is, and they pull away. most of us, even though we experience the sense of loss and disappoinmtents, they move on. they have other people to balance out that sense of loss.
however, relational idolatry robs you of other things in your life, including other people that God may place in your life to help you. i wound up feeling swamped by that disappointment, and consumed by the obsession to obtain that relationship, which included anger i was uable to let go of if they werent satisfied with everything i did. this came from my world just not being full enough to combat it.
i remember the movie FATAL ATTRACTION, and one scene that really stands out in my mind,
is the scene where glenn close is sitting, glass of wine in her hand, listening to madame butterfly, and you could see the obsession, frustration, and, most of all, the deep loneliness,
that was at the very root of her obsession. you could see THIS MAN was her God..if only she could have him, all hesr problems would be solved. most people, when going through something is in the company of friends. but relational idolatru, in its futile attempt to make ONE PERSON the answer to all your problems, almost always leaves you with few or not friends. its a frightening place to be...for others who are the target of this obsession, but also for the person consumed by this feeling of being utterly out of control.
relational idolatry is a countefeit for the One who CAN meet all my needs..IF i let Him
medication DID bring me to a place of normalcy for me to see it had to stop. but i had still yet to see it would never be within me to find my own way sans God. like most people, prior to accepting Jesus as lord and Savior, i had to come to the end of myself to realize this. its not enough to take meds, and to say, "im not going to do this, or do that anymore". it had to come from a much deeper place inside of me, where i had to say, "i dont want this kind of dynamic anymore" at the time, i return to the Lord, i wasnt out on the streets, and id been sober for three years(BEING SOBER was an important factor, in being brought to a place where i saw i HAD to submit), i was in a stable, loving relationship. theres all sorts of ways one can come to the end of ourselves. the bottom line is, that its sort of like max dugan when it comes to God (and God IS persistant) YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANT HIDE!!! it was basically God telling me He loved me and wanted me back.
relational idolatry is Satans way of, not just COUNTERFEITING the sole reliance God wants us to place upon Him, but also PERVERTING it. making God the center of ones life, brings joy, fulfillment, and a sense of completeness. unbelievers view the God of the Bible as one who wants to TAKE YOUR LIFE AWAY FROM YOU. the opposite is true .God GAVE MY LIFE BACK to me!!!!!! making PEOPLE important parts of your life..theres nothing wrong with that.PEOPLE are Gods most valuable commodity. relational idolatry is totally different. its when you take one person, place that person at the absolute center of your life. THIS brings
frustration, disappointment as you look upon each one of them as one failure after another,( not understanding that its impossible for that person to meet your demands) its a stronghold- a pattern of thought you cling to even when its apparent its not working( only SATAN can have you persistantly clinging to a revealed lie), and ulitmately DESPAIR. IT TAKES YOUR LIFE from you, including other people.
relational idolatry is the dynamic behind people who end up stalking their target of interest. a key factor in the life of a stalker, is that they have either no close friends, except for family, or they have very few close friends. having no network outside of that one person, they pursue something that is impossible, making that one person the answer to all their problems. only GOD can do that, IF youre willing. i STALKED people. why???? well, its like this. we ALL deal
with disappointments in friendships and relationships, when one person just isnt as interested as the other one is, and they pull away. most of us, even though we experience the sense of loss and disappoinmtents, they move on. they have other people to balance out that sense of loss.
however, relational idolatry robs you of other things in your life, including other people that God may place in your life to help you. i wound up feeling swamped by that disappointment, and consumed by the obsession to obtain that relationship, which included anger i was uable to let go of if they werent satisfied with everything i did. this came from my world just not being full enough to combat it.
i remember the movie FATAL ATTRACTION, and one scene that really stands out in my mind,
is the scene where glenn close is sitting, glass of wine in her hand, listening to madame butterfly, and you could see the obsession, frustration, and, most of all, the deep loneliness,
that was at the very root of her obsession. you could see THIS MAN was her God..if only she could have him, all hesr problems would be solved. most people, when going through something is in the company of friends. but relational idolatru, in its futile attempt to make ONE PERSON the answer to all your problems, almost always leaves you with few or not friends. its a frightening place to be...for others who are the target of this obsession, but also for the person consumed by this feeling of being utterly out of control.
relational idolatry is a countefeit for the One who CAN meet all my needs..IF i let Him
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
my viewpoint on a dangerous church
for me to understand the difference between a SAFE CHURCH versus a DANGEROUS CHURCH, its not that difficult. to really get it, some great analogies can be found in our unsaved past via the people we THOUGHT were our friends as opposed to the people who REALLY WERE our friends.
this is how i see a SAFE CHURCH!!! a SAFE CHURCH is sort of like that group of girlfriends many of us unsaved gals used to go partying with, whenever we wanted to whine and cry in our beer over whatever flame we happened to be obsessing over at the moment. we all know these fair weather type of friends. they spent alot of time murmuring, clucking sympethetically, ALWAYS telling us what we WANTED to hear, all the while thinking OH HOW I WISH THIS PERSON WOULD JUST GO AWAY THEYRE RUINING MY HIGH or I CAN LISTEN TO THIS AS LONG AS THEY KEEP BUYING. this is exactly what a SAFE CHURCH IS LIKE.
it neither makes demands on its members nor wants demands made on it. there is a barney-like mentality pervading it, as they preach a "social" Gospel. I LOVE YOU YOU LOVE ME IM OK YOURE OK.....a Gospel of NO CONVICTION. at best, it presents IMCOMPLETE truth. it claims GOD LOVES YOU THE WAY YOU ARE......umm, somethings missing at the end there.
a DANGEROUS CHURCH-its like that type of friend or loved one that you may end up hating for awhile when they tell you something that may rub you the wrong way, you may even HATE that person and not talk to them for a lomng time, BUT, later, often, you end up THANKING them for it. they may not always tell you what you WANT to hear, BUT they will always tell you what you NEED to hear. i think of my sister alot, when i think of what a DANGEROUS CHURCH is like. wheneve i wanted to cry in my beer over some guy, or whatever self-defeating situation i kept landing myself in. not alot of murmuring sympathetically here...instead i got alot of being told needing to start looking at patterns that kept repeating themselves, looking to see where i was always the lowest common denominator in every one of these problems. thers always RISK whenever one is willing to step out in the area of TRUTH and CHANGE. a DANGEROUS CHURCH is all about RISK and conviction. im currently in the book of ezekiel and one verse stands out in my mind "do not be rebellious like the others...but rather EAT ALL of what i give you." a DANGEROUS CHURCH doesnt deal with watered down, partial truth. it deals with the whole thing. it takes GOD LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.....and adds on the other half of the statment...BUT HE LOVES YOU FAR TOO MUCH TO LET YOU STAY THAT WAY. a DANGEROUS CHURCH allows the Holy Spirit to use the Word like a mirror, where you look into it, and, NO, youre not always going to like what you see.
often, it really is much easier to deal with outward persecution from the world, than it is to look in the mirror and allow the Holy Spirit to use His Word to tell us that the one who needs to change is ME. well, its like this...a SAFE CHURCH allows us to keep doing our own thing, cluding shifting blame. a DANGEROUS CHURCH carries one of the most important factors
required for TRUE repentence...............THE BUCK STOPS HERE!!!!!!
A SAFE CHURCH-A FORM OF GODLINESS, DENYING ITS POWER. WERE STILL RUNNING THE SHOW.
A DANGEROUS CHURCH- AGOD THAT CAN OPEN THE EYES OF THE BLIND, HEAL THE SICK, TURN WATER INTO WINE. RAISE THE DEAD. GOD IS THE ONE RUNNING THE SHOW
this is how i see a SAFE CHURCH!!! a SAFE CHURCH is sort of like that group of girlfriends many of us unsaved gals used to go partying with, whenever we wanted to whine and cry in our beer over whatever flame we happened to be obsessing over at the moment. we all know these fair weather type of friends. they spent alot of time murmuring, clucking sympethetically, ALWAYS telling us what we WANTED to hear, all the while thinking OH HOW I WISH THIS PERSON WOULD JUST GO AWAY THEYRE RUINING MY HIGH or I CAN LISTEN TO THIS AS LONG AS THEY KEEP BUYING. this is exactly what a SAFE CHURCH IS LIKE.
it neither makes demands on its members nor wants demands made on it. there is a barney-like mentality pervading it, as they preach a "social" Gospel. I LOVE YOU YOU LOVE ME IM OK YOURE OK.....a Gospel of NO CONVICTION. at best, it presents IMCOMPLETE truth. it claims GOD LOVES YOU THE WAY YOU ARE......umm, somethings missing at the end there.
a DANGEROUS CHURCH-its like that type of friend or loved one that you may end up hating for awhile when they tell you something that may rub you the wrong way, you may even HATE that person and not talk to them for a lomng time, BUT, later, often, you end up THANKING them for it. they may not always tell you what you WANT to hear, BUT they will always tell you what you NEED to hear. i think of my sister alot, when i think of what a DANGEROUS CHURCH is like. wheneve i wanted to cry in my beer over some guy, or whatever self-defeating situation i kept landing myself in. not alot of murmuring sympathetically here...instead i got alot of being told needing to start looking at patterns that kept repeating themselves, looking to see where i was always the lowest common denominator in every one of these problems. thers always RISK whenever one is willing to step out in the area of TRUTH and CHANGE. a DANGEROUS CHURCH is all about RISK and conviction. im currently in the book of ezekiel and one verse stands out in my mind "do not be rebellious like the others...but rather EAT ALL of what i give you." a DANGEROUS CHURCH doesnt deal with watered down, partial truth. it deals with the whole thing. it takes GOD LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.....and adds on the other half of the statment...BUT HE LOVES YOU FAR TOO MUCH TO LET YOU STAY THAT WAY. a DANGEROUS CHURCH allows the Holy Spirit to use the Word like a mirror, where you look into it, and, NO, youre not always going to like what you see.
often, it really is much easier to deal with outward persecution from the world, than it is to look in the mirror and allow the Holy Spirit to use His Word to tell us that the one who needs to change is ME. well, its like this...a SAFE CHURCH allows us to keep doing our own thing, cluding shifting blame. a DANGEROUS CHURCH carries one of the most important factors
required for TRUE repentence...............THE BUCK STOPS HERE!!!!!!
A SAFE CHURCH-A FORM OF GODLINESS, DENYING ITS POWER. WERE STILL RUNNING THE SHOW.
A DANGEROUS CHURCH- AGOD THAT CAN OPEN THE EYES OF THE BLIND, HEAL THE SICK, TURN WATER INTO WINE. RAISE THE DEAD. GOD IS THE ONE RUNNING THE SHOW
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
being the lowest common denominator
matthew 5:44"love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who despitefully use and persecute you" this is all about REACHING OUT!!!!! and dont you know that all too often reaching out to your enemy can be like reaching out to pet a brazillian wandering spider, hoping you wont get bit ( i had the pleasure of seeing one of them suckers on discovery, as it barreled up this poor guys broom, and zinged his hand. this is not a mild manner tarantula. this critter is aggressive). and, roger that, we live in a day an age, where those of us who embrace Jesus as THE way to God, not A way, who believe in shaping our values around the Word, not vica-versa etc. is NOT going to be modern mainstream societys cup of tea. this aint a popularity contest, i dig it. BUTTTTTTTTTT, AND I PLACE A HUGE EMPHASIS
ON THE BUT HERE, when we come across a difficulty in life, where we feel compelled to grab for good ole trusty matt 5:44, for that feel-good attaboy, i found it also highly advisable to remember hebrews 4:12"the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.....it is a divider of the thoguhts and intents of the heart" sometimes this doesnt
give us that attaboy feeling, but rather, an OUCH!!!!!!! we all can relate to being persecuted.
but nobody likes to look in the mirror, seeing theres no guarantee, theyll like what they see. but,
true forgiveness and love of ones enemies is never going to come if we dont also have the willingness to allow God to search our hearts, to allow the Spirit to convict us, on where if the shoe fits, we happen to have fallen into a pattern of destructive behavior with others that is actually contrary to being in His will. true forgiveness is only going to come when we see where we are the lowest common denominator in the situation.
the TRUE litmus test as to whether or not i have truly forgiven someone: MY part in it suddenly becomes HUGE!!! if i dont balance matthew 5:44 with hebrews 4:12,matthew 5:44 becomes nothing more than a way of shifting blame, and feeling justified in doing so. the Gospel is pretty simple, common sense. its the ABCS of our walk with God
A. I CANT
B. HE CAN
C. I THINK ILL LET HIM.
after that comes learning to LIVE THE WALK, not just TALK THE TALK. this is largely inward,
and, trust me, when youre in a job situation, where you have charge nurse who is willing to frame you in order to get you fired, hebrews 4:12 is going to be alot harder to put into practice than matt 5:44. no one likes looking in the mirror, and seeing where he or she is the lowest common denominator in the matter. and the tragic thing, is many believers lose job after job, even one loved one after the other, and still not get it, as far as being able to accept responsibility
for their shortcomings. and, what happens as a result, they look forward to a life of defeat, and all they tell the world by this is "this DOESNT work" lack of humility, unwillingness to relinquish destructive interrelational patterns paint a picture of a very UNchristian christian.
trust me, satan KNOWS exactly how to push your buttons. why do you think that the people closest to you can be the HARDEST to forgive????? they can send you from 0-glad to 10-boiling mad in a nanosecond. this is especially hard when dealing with strongholds of relational idolatry, where ones world became so centered around people that one word from them could ruin your whole day or even your whole weekend. the problem with that sort of perspective is that its ME-centered,and you drain people dry, or they flee from you. like i said before, and hebrews 4;12 sums it up, the chief cornerstone of daily picking up that cross daily, and following Him, is finally getting the fact that is isnt other people i need to try to be CHANGING. who really needs to CHANGE is ME. my job with other people to to SHARE MY FAITH!!!
ON THE BUT HERE, when we come across a difficulty in life, where we feel compelled to grab for good ole trusty matt 5:44, for that feel-good attaboy, i found it also highly advisable to remember hebrews 4:12"the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.....it is a divider of the thoguhts and intents of the heart" sometimes this doesnt
give us that attaboy feeling, but rather, an OUCH!!!!!!! we all can relate to being persecuted.
but nobody likes to look in the mirror, seeing theres no guarantee, theyll like what they see. but,
true forgiveness and love of ones enemies is never going to come if we dont also have the willingness to allow God to search our hearts, to allow the Spirit to convict us, on where if the shoe fits, we happen to have fallen into a pattern of destructive behavior with others that is actually contrary to being in His will. true forgiveness is only going to come when we see where we are the lowest common denominator in the situation.
the TRUE litmus test as to whether or not i have truly forgiven someone: MY part in it suddenly becomes HUGE!!! if i dont balance matthew 5:44 with hebrews 4:12,matthew 5:44 becomes nothing more than a way of shifting blame, and feeling justified in doing so. the Gospel is pretty simple, common sense. its the ABCS of our walk with God
A. I CANT
B. HE CAN
C. I THINK ILL LET HIM.
after that comes learning to LIVE THE WALK, not just TALK THE TALK. this is largely inward,
and, trust me, when youre in a job situation, where you have charge nurse who is willing to frame you in order to get you fired, hebrews 4:12 is going to be alot harder to put into practice than matt 5:44. no one likes looking in the mirror, and seeing where he or she is the lowest common denominator in the matter. and the tragic thing, is many believers lose job after job, even one loved one after the other, and still not get it, as far as being able to accept responsibility
for their shortcomings. and, what happens as a result, they look forward to a life of defeat, and all they tell the world by this is "this DOESNT work" lack of humility, unwillingness to relinquish destructive interrelational patterns paint a picture of a very UNchristian christian.
trust me, satan KNOWS exactly how to push your buttons. why do you think that the people closest to you can be the HARDEST to forgive????? they can send you from 0-glad to 10-boiling mad in a nanosecond. this is especially hard when dealing with strongholds of relational idolatry, where ones world became so centered around people that one word from them could ruin your whole day or even your whole weekend. the problem with that sort of perspective is that its ME-centered,and you drain people dry, or they flee from you. like i said before, and hebrews 4;12 sums it up, the chief cornerstone of daily picking up that cross daily, and following Him, is finally getting the fact that is isnt other people i need to try to be CHANGING. who really needs to CHANGE is ME. my job with other people to to SHARE MY FAITH!!!
a SHEEP knows his masters voice:DOGGIES AND DUCKS TOO!!!!
samson and i have an early morning routine( welllllllllll, we HAVE slacked up on it over the past couple of mornings since BRRRRRRR ITS COOLLLLLLLDDDDDDDD!!!!) i pop about six cups of popcorn, bag it up, along with the brats early morning doggie treats, and we walk down to the park, where there is a huge natural lake. ( in the summertime, i kinda began to wonder if
the ones who actually braved the pond stench could read, seeing there was a huge sign up, saying, DO NOT SWIM IN THIS LAKE, SINCE IT IS A SOURCE FOR PROTOZOA, AMOEBA, AND OTHER MICROSCOPIC PATHOGENS......something like that anyway)
it is a daily ritual to feed the ducks. and they already know me and samson, before i even tie up samson (that is, unless i want to end up going for a swim in da pond as samson takes off like a heat seeking missile after the ducks, two in particular. in 15 degree water? um, dont think so.)
as soon as they see us, here they come.....quack, quack, quack, heres the nice lady who feeds us. ive learned to wear sneakers, instead of flip flops when i come on this expedition, as they like to bite my feet if they feel i aint feeding them fast enough. they know ME and they know THE SOUND OF MY VOICE!!!!! they know IM THE ONE WHO FEEDS THEM!!!!
alan trie coming to the pond one day, minus food, but with samson in tow. they recognized samson, but saw i wasnt with him with the popcorn. so, after the initial recognition of samson, they knew, "nothing here,guys" so, they didnt even bother coming up to alan. first impression ,from a distance, samson may have made the scenario LOOK familar, but, upon closer inspection, the ducks saw there was nothing there, sooooooooo, it was cyalaterbye!!!!
its really funny, man is supposed to be superior in intelligence to a dog or a duck. but, heck, a sheep is as dumb as doggie poop, and they KNOW the sound of their masters voice, and will never be fooled by an imitation, no matter how good of one it is. its ironic that MAN can be fooled by a fake, but you cant fool a duck, or a dog. they KNOW whos going to feed them, and whos not, and will not go up to you, if youre not them , no matter how much you may LOOK
like the real source of the food. Jesus knew what He was doing when he used animals, especially sheep seeing as it WAS one of the dumbest animals on the planet. animals know the real thing in a new york minute, but man often doesnt have a clue theyre being taken in by
a fake, such as a false teacher, even when theyre in the grips of starving to death. A SHEEP KNOWS THE SOUND OF HIS MASTERS VOICE AND WILL NEVER FOLLOW THE VOICE OF A STRANGER BUT WILL RUN!!!!!
a dog or a duck will never have the gift of eternal life, such as we have, but i feel God has given them the gift of distinguishing the true from the false as an example to us. a loyal faithful dog worth his salt can always sense the evil and duplicity behind a false smiling veneer, and is quick to warn their master, no mater how good the package looks on the surface. physical analogies are an invaluable tool as we delve into the spiritual realm via the Holy Spirit to discern spiritual truths theres alot of kooks and whackjobs out there wholl tell us things that are obviously off the chain, and we can laugh, and shake our heads, and rest assured we wont get taken in by a false teacher. but look at the one verse that both peter talked about in his epistiles as well as what jude in the book of jude does as well......clouds without water, carried about by winds.
these are the ones that are hard to spot. on initial inspection, a could with rain thatll nourish you, and prevent dehydration cant be told apart from a cloud that will give you nothing. its like confusing alan and samson together with me and samson together..rushing up to alan and samson because they LOOK like theyll give you something, then...........nothing. thats what a false teacher all too often windfs up doing. they may even quote scripture. they offer something and give nothing. and all too often, they end up TAKING everything from YOU. the prosperity doctrine gone out of hand is well known for that.
distinguishing a real teacher from a wolf that creeps into the flock is impossible without the Holy Spirit, and learning to be sensitive to His voice and conviction. just dry knowledge of the Word, without the Spirit to guide you isnt enough (though you bloody well BETTER know the Word as well) the Holy Spirit is like our english bull terrier or pit bull that warns us of the hidden dangers below the surface of a nice pretty package that at first SEEMS to line up with the Word, but quickly reveals to us when something is hinky ( i LOVE detective terminology)
in other words, when the body of evidence isnt lining up with the body of the crime, so to speak.
it shows us the M.O (modus operandi)
its all about whether or not we end up getting fed, amen
the ones who actually braved the pond stench could read, seeing there was a huge sign up, saying, DO NOT SWIM IN THIS LAKE, SINCE IT IS A SOURCE FOR PROTOZOA, AMOEBA, AND OTHER MICROSCOPIC PATHOGENS......something like that anyway)
it is a daily ritual to feed the ducks. and they already know me and samson, before i even tie up samson (that is, unless i want to end up going for a swim in da pond as samson takes off like a heat seeking missile after the ducks, two in particular. in 15 degree water? um, dont think so.)
as soon as they see us, here they come.....quack, quack, quack, heres the nice lady who feeds us. ive learned to wear sneakers, instead of flip flops when i come on this expedition, as they like to bite my feet if they feel i aint feeding them fast enough. they know ME and they know THE SOUND OF MY VOICE!!!!! they know IM THE ONE WHO FEEDS THEM!!!!
alan trie coming to the pond one day, minus food, but with samson in tow. they recognized samson, but saw i wasnt with him with the popcorn. so, after the initial recognition of samson, they knew, "nothing here,guys" so, they didnt even bother coming up to alan. first impression ,from a distance, samson may have made the scenario LOOK familar, but, upon closer inspection, the ducks saw there was nothing there, sooooooooo, it was cyalaterbye!!!!
its really funny, man is supposed to be superior in intelligence to a dog or a duck. but, heck, a sheep is as dumb as doggie poop, and they KNOW the sound of their masters voice, and will never be fooled by an imitation, no matter how good of one it is. its ironic that MAN can be fooled by a fake, but you cant fool a duck, or a dog. they KNOW whos going to feed them, and whos not, and will not go up to you, if youre not them , no matter how much you may LOOK
like the real source of the food. Jesus knew what He was doing when he used animals, especially sheep seeing as it WAS one of the dumbest animals on the planet. animals know the real thing in a new york minute, but man often doesnt have a clue theyre being taken in by
a fake, such as a false teacher, even when theyre in the grips of starving to death. A SHEEP KNOWS THE SOUND OF HIS MASTERS VOICE AND WILL NEVER FOLLOW THE VOICE OF A STRANGER BUT WILL RUN!!!!!
a dog or a duck will never have the gift of eternal life, such as we have, but i feel God has given them the gift of distinguishing the true from the false as an example to us. a loyal faithful dog worth his salt can always sense the evil and duplicity behind a false smiling veneer, and is quick to warn their master, no mater how good the package looks on the surface. physical analogies are an invaluable tool as we delve into the spiritual realm via the Holy Spirit to discern spiritual truths theres alot of kooks and whackjobs out there wholl tell us things that are obviously off the chain, and we can laugh, and shake our heads, and rest assured we wont get taken in by a false teacher. but look at the one verse that both peter talked about in his epistiles as well as what jude in the book of jude does as well......clouds without water, carried about by winds.
these are the ones that are hard to spot. on initial inspection, a could with rain thatll nourish you, and prevent dehydration cant be told apart from a cloud that will give you nothing. its like confusing alan and samson together with me and samson together..rushing up to alan and samson because they LOOK like theyll give you something, then...........nothing. thats what a false teacher all too often windfs up doing. they may even quote scripture. they offer something and give nothing. and all too often, they end up TAKING everything from YOU. the prosperity doctrine gone out of hand is well known for that.
distinguishing a real teacher from a wolf that creeps into the flock is impossible without the Holy Spirit, and learning to be sensitive to His voice and conviction. just dry knowledge of the Word, without the Spirit to guide you isnt enough (though you bloody well BETTER know the Word as well) the Holy Spirit is like our english bull terrier or pit bull that warns us of the hidden dangers below the surface of a nice pretty package that at first SEEMS to line up with the Word, but quickly reveals to us when something is hinky ( i LOVE detective terminology)
in other words, when the body of evidence isnt lining up with the body of the crime, so to speak.
it shows us the M.O (modus operandi)
its all about whether or not we end up getting fed, amen
Monday, January 4, 2010
MOMMY: WHERE ARE YOU!!!!!
now, back to my doggie. over the holidays, especially the past five days ive had off, i got some special cuddle time in with my doggie, early in the mornings (and no one can tell me he didnt
know his mommy was home), when, as early as 4:30 in the morning, he d wake me up with his pathetic, mommy, mommy, WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME??? wails. and the end to that is his daddy coming into the tv room an hour or so later, to see mommy and the boy, in the recliner, the boy fast asleep in mommys lap, blanket pulled up around him with just his head snuggled on mommys shoulder poking out. ALL THIS, AS ITS BACK TO THE GRIND AS USUAL, FOR DADDY, which im sure is much to daddys dismay as HE gets woke up in the morning, trying to get ready for work, and samson NOW expecting to get the same cuddle treatment hed gotten from mommy over the past week, NOW throwing a fit because mommy isnt there at 4:30-5 am to give it to him.
samson doesnt understand the times, when mommy isnt there, to snuggle and hold him, all wrapped up in the blankey, that it doesnt mean....just because he doesnt feel and smell mommy,
.........that i love him any less, and that im not STILL taking care of him. hes just a baby. hes got that visual and emotional tracking thing going on that most babies have. he sees mommy, he feels mommy holding him, and rocking him to sleep, all snuggled in his favorite blankey, MOMMYS HERE, MOMMY LOVES ME!!!!! but...mommy cant always be holding him. mommy has to work, and do other things. but, like all babies he doesnt understand that. when mommy puts him back in his cage,( and its been cold lately) and hes by himself, hes
thinking, MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?? YOURE NOT HERE ANYMORE. WHY DONT YOU LOVE ME ANYMORE????? he doesnt understand, that, just because he doesnt SEE or FEEL me, or is aware of my presence, that im not still there for him, that i dont still love him.
theres time, like, for example in praise and worship, that i feel alot like samson,, all snuggled up to his mommy, under his favorite blankey. of course that that moment, his child-puppy mind KNOWS his mommy loves him, he can FEEL his mommy cuddling him. as he grows older, he
will start to understand she loves him even when he DOESNT feel her holding him, or even when he doesnt see her. in praise and worship, i can FEEL Gods presence. but i cant STAY in the realm of the warm fuzzies. it gets cold and lonely out there in that world. but His WORD
tells me,even when i dont "FEEL" HIM. He will never, ever stop loving me, or leave me Jesus went thru that separation from Him, so, once we accept what He did for us, so WELL never have to. out there in that wilderness, when God is leading us thru a trial to build our characterits hard to not go by what our FEELINGS tell us..."HE AINT THERE" GROWING
UP is belieiving what HIS WORD says, even when its cold out there
know his mommy was home), when, as early as 4:30 in the morning, he d wake me up with his pathetic, mommy, mommy, WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME??? wails. and the end to that is his daddy coming into the tv room an hour or so later, to see mommy and the boy, in the recliner, the boy fast asleep in mommys lap, blanket pulled up around him with just his head snuggled on mommys shoulder poking out. ALL THIS, AS ITS BACK TO THE GRIND AS USUAL, FOR DADDY, which im sure is much to daddys dismay as HE gets woke up in the morning, trying to get ready for work, and samson NOW expecting to get the same cuddle treatment hed gotten from mommy over the past week, NOW throwing a fit because mommy isnt there at 4:30-5 am to give it to him.
samson doesnt understand the times, when mommy isnt there, to snuggle and hold him, all wrapped up in the blankey, that it doesnt mean....just because he doesnt feel and smell mommy,
.........that i love him any less, and that im not STILL taking care of him. hes just a baby. hes got that visual and emotional tracking thing going on that most babies have. he sees mommy, he feels mommy holding him, and rocking him to sleep, all snuggled in his favorite blankey, MOMMYS HERE, MOMMY LOVES ME!!!!! but...mommy cant always be holding him. mommy has to work, and do other things. but, like all babies he doesnt understand that. when mommy puts him back in his cage,( and its been cold lately) and hes by himself, hes
thinking, MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?? YOURE NOT HERE ANYMORE. WHY DONT YOU LOVE ME ANYMORE????? he doesnt understand, that, just because he doesnt SEE or FEEL me, or is aware of my presence, that im not still there for him, that i dont still love him.
theres time, like, for example in praise and worship, that i feel alot like samson,, all snuggled up to his mommy, under his favorite blankey. of course that that moment, his child-puppy mind KNOWS his mommy loves him, he can FEEL his mommy cuddling him. as he grows older, he
will start to understand she loves him even when he DOESNT feel her holding him, or even when he doesnt see her. in praise and worship, i can FEEL Gods presence. but i cant STAY in the realm of the warm fuzzies. it gets cold and lonely out there in that world. but His WORD
tells me,even when i dont "FEEL" HIM. He will never, ever stop loving me, or leave me Jesus went thru that separation from Him, so, once we accept what He did for us, so WELL never have to. out there in that wilderness, when God is leading us thru a trial to build our characterits hard to not go by what our FEELINGS tell us..."HE AINT THERE" GROWING
UP is belieiving what HIS WORD says, even when its cold out there
relational idolatry
IF ONLY "THEY' WOULD JUST ACT THE WAY I WANT THEM TO ACT, ID BE JUST FINE. ive spent alot of time an energy holding other people responsible for my happi
ness OR blaming them for my lack of it. im just now beginning to realize that for any one, or even a multitude of people combined, to be able to fulfil all of my needs....whether it be physical, emotional or whatever.......THATS IMPOSSIBLE. ITS ALSO IDOLATRY. only one source could possibly meet all of my needs (note i say NEEDS not GREEDS, as pastor gary is fond of saying), and thats GOD. in essence, when i rely upon others to make me happy, and blame them when they dont, im making them my God, and of course im going to end up resenting them whenever they fall short of my expectations, because the very expectation is one doomed to failure. even im going to let loved ones down from time to time by being less than perfect. last night while i was at work, i heard the term relational idolatry come up, and it perfectly described the trap that led me to one self-destructive relationship after another in my dealings with people. the fact that i basically made other human beings my God is giving me insight as to why i could never keep people in my life. not only was i expecting to fill that God void thru something impossible for it to do, but, like so,m many people who do such a thing, i was so consumed with self, it was all about WHAT CAN OTHERS DO FOR ME, never, WHAT CAN I GIVE IN RETURN. I COULD ATTRACT PEOPLE BUT I COULD NEVER KEEP THEM.
relational idolatry is probably the most common way that when we are guided by our soulish natures, that we place our reliance on things other than God to validate who and what we are.
when we see others who put THINGS over people, i know in my case this is especially true, its easy to pat myself on the back and give myself an attaboy, that i dont have such a materialistic set of values. i value PEOPLE over THINGS dont you know. LOL. thats a good thing , aint it?
after all, isnt Gods most valuable commodity PEOPLE? its pretty easy for us born again guys and gals to tell, when we start confusing our needs with our greeds when it comes to getting
STUFF. but the line often gets blurred between healthy and unhealthy reliance upon people
for our well-being. im beginning to see that a pretty good indication in my case is when i allow an argument to totally disrupt my equilibrium for days on end. its not being able to cope with
things not always going perfectly, or not being able to deal with people not behaving perfectly
100% of the time. and i realize that not making other people my God, and relying on GOD to
meet my needs, is something that doesnt suddenly happen overnight. i had to go thru alot of wrecked relationships, alot of them with people who, in all probability will never want to see me again, for the lights to finally come on that doing things MY way, rather than HIS way, might not be working as well as i somehow managed to delude myself into thinking, when i still thouight i was shucking and jiving while my whole world was chaos. relational idolatry is just not getting that it isnt THEM that needs to change, its ME. its getting honest with myself, and God, that the problem ISNT that other people are self cenetered jerks who dont value me enough. it IS understanding that it just might me im too needy, im too much!!!!
in confronting this fact about myself, i was also confronted with something else. in my failure
to forgive my mother for many of the things i detested her doing with ME, I WOUND UP INTERNALIZING THE VERY THINGS I HELD ONTO A GRUDGE TOWARDS HER OVER.
i hated her guilt tripping me, and being a martyr. and i wound up doing the same thing. and often, it is true..you DO reap what you sow. my resentment towards her was actually, to a large degree lack of gratitude and appreciation. God has a way of knwoing when i need to understand
some of the concepts of galatians 6:1...basically walking in someone elses shoes.
relational idolatry often leaves the person in the very position they so desperately fear...ALONE.
as they go from one failed relationship, friendship, even marriage after another, in the search for the impossible...for that one PERSON wholl meet all their needs. its not enough to know Jesus is my SAVIOR, i also have to learn to daily know Him as LORD
ness OR blaming them for my lack of it. im just now beginning to realize that for any one, or even a multitude of people combined, to be able to fulfil all of my needs....whether it be physical, emotional or whatever.......THATS IMPOSSIBLE. ITS ALSO IDOLATRY. only one source could possibly meet all of my needs (note i say NEEDS not GREEDS, as pastor gary is fond of saying), and thats GOD. in essence, when i rely upon others to make me happy, and blame them when they dont, im making them my God, and of course im going to end up resenting them whenever they fall short of my expectations, because the very expectation is one doomed to failure. even im going to let loved ones down from time to time by being less than perfect. last night while i was at work, i heard the term relational idolatry come up, and it perfectly described the trap that led me to one self-destructive relationship after another in my dealings with people. the fact that i basically made other human beings my God is giving me insight as to why i could never keep people in my life. not only was i expecting to fill that God void thru something impossible for it to do, but, like so,m many people who do such a thing, i was so consumed with self, it was all about WHAT CAN OTHERS DO FOR ME, never, WHAT CAN I GIVE IN RETURN. I COULD ATTRACT PEOPLE BUT I COULD NEVER KEEP THEM.
relational idolatry is probably the most common way that when we are guided by our soulish natures, that we place our reliance on things other than God to validate who and what we are.
when we see others who put THINGS over people, i know in my case this is especially true, its easy to pat myself on the back and give myself an attaboy, that i dont have such a materialistic set of values. i value PEOPLE over THINGS dont you know. LOL. thats a good thing , aint it?
after all, isnt Gods most valuable commodity PEOPLE? its pretty easy for us born again guys and gals to tell, when we start confusing our needs with our greeds when it comes to getting
STUFF. but the line often gets blurred between healthy and unhealthy reliance upon people
for our well-being. im beginning to see that a pretty good indication in my case is when i allow an argument to totally disrupt my equilibrium for days on end. its not being able to cope with
things not always going perfectly, or not being able to deal with people not behaving perfectly
100% of the time. and i realize that not making other people my God, and relying on GOD to
meet my needs, is something that doesnt suddenly happen overnight. i had to go thru alot of wrecked relationships, alot of them with people who, in all probability will never want to see me again, for the lights to finally come on that doing things MY way, rather than HIS way, might not be working as well as i somehow managed to delude myself into thinking, when i still thouight i was shucking and jiving while my whole world was chaos. relational idolatry is just not getting that it isnt THEM that needs to change, its ME. its getting honest with myself, and God, that the problem ISNT that other people are self cenetered jerks who dont value me enough. it IS understanding that it just might me im too needy, im too much!!!!
in confronting this fact about myself, i was also confronted with something else. in my failure
to forgive my mother for many of the things i detested her doing with ME, I WOUND UP INTERNALIZING THE VERY THINGS I HELD ONTO A GRUDGE TOWARDS HER OVER.
i hated her guilt tripping me, and being a martyr. and i wound up doing the same thing. and often, it is true..you DO reap what you sow. my resentment towards her was actually, to a large degree lack of gratitude and appreciation. God has a way of knwoing when i need to understand
some of the concepts of galatians 6:1...basically walking in someone elses shoes.
relational idolatry often leaves the person in the very position they so desperately fear...ALONE.
as they go from one failed relationship, friendship, even marriage after another, in the search for the impossible...for that one PERSON wholl meet all their needs. its not enough to know Jesus is my SAVIOR, i also have to learn to daily know Him as LORD
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