No Regrets

I think we have all done something that we are ashamed of at some point or another, I know I have. Maybe it was saying something out of anger that you didn’t really mean, or maybe you made bad decisions after a night out on the town. We have all done something that we’re not proud of. Luke 9:26 NKJV says, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the Holy angels.” I wouldn’t say I’m ashamed of Jesus or the word of God but I have had times where I could have said something and didn’t. Times where I felt like God Himself was telling me to do something and I just brushed that feeling off. Times when I could have spread the word and chose to stay silent. I wasn’t ashamed necessarily, but I wasn’t proud either. That’s not the kind of Christian I want to be. It’s something I struggle with. I can type a message on this computer all day, but for some reason when I get out in the “real” world I clam up. I’ve been praying for the kind of strength that would allow me to stand up and speak in name of God and not be ashamed. The last thing I want to hear is that God Himself is ashamed of me. I pray for wisdom that I would know the word and have the right thing to say at the right time also. I also pray that someone may read this blog and at the very least it would spark an interest in the bible or God. I have felt the power of God, I have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and the change it can have in your life. My only goal for these posts is that in some way I could share my thoughts and experiences with as many people as possible and maybe they could feel the power of God like I have.

Rocking The Boat

Everyone faces storms in there life at some point or another. Some are emotional, some physical, and with the holiday season among us I’m sure a lot of us are facing financial storms. Whenever these storms roll up we need to remember who is really running the show. The disciples faced an actual windstorm while traveling in a boat one day. Luke 7:23-25 NKJV, “But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” They were faced with a terrible storm and started to question their safety. They forgot who was sitting in the boat with them. We do the same thing today. As long as everything is going smoothly, we are fine worshiping and praising the Lord, but the second a storm rolls in we start questioning God. We have to remember that no matter what storms we face in this life, God is with us. He can calm even the most violent of storms, we just have to have the faith.

Rock Bottom

I personally don’t have any experience building houses, but even I know how important the foundation can be. You can build up an awesome house but if the foundation isn’t what it should be, it’s not going to last very long. The same is true for our lives. We must have a solid foundation if we want to be able to stand the storms that this life has to throw at us. Luke 6:47-49 NKJV, “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” That rock solid foundation that Jesus is talking about in this verse is God. When I read this verse it makes me think about what my life was like before I met Jesus and how unstable it was. When I was living without God it didn’t take a flood to destroy my house, all it took was a gentle breeze. I rebuilt my house time and time again, but instead of using God as my rock I used drugs and alcohol. Each and every time I would rebuild my house only to have it torn down in the smallest of storms. It took me hitting rock bottom to realize that God was that rock at the bottom. I’m so thankful that Jesus found me, laying in the ruble of a broken home, and He in all His mercy, helped me build a proper foundation. This verse also makes me think of the direction our country seems to be headed in also. Everywhere I look I see people and organizations trying to remove our foundation, trying to remove God. In schools, in the workplace, and in more and more homes each day, God is being taken out. This country was founded with God in mind, “In God We Trust” is printed on our money. It scares me to think how long our country will hold up if the foundation is ever truly removed. Most of us have heard the word of God before, but how many of us actually follow what it says? I have lived without God in my life, without that solid foundation, and I can testify to how great the ruin truly can be. If you are struggling and everything seems to be tearing you down, you may need to check your foundation. I’m not saying that with God in your life you won’t face storms, I’m saying that when you have God as your foundation, as your rock, nothing will be able to shake you.

Wake up, John

Yes, that is a Halo reference. After finishing up 2 Corinthians today, I wasn’t really sure where to go next. As I looked through my bible, I realized that I had read all but one of the gospels in the new testament. For some reason I have yet to read the book of Luke. The first chapter talks about the birth of John the Baptist, or I should say, the events leading up to him being born. If you haven’t read it yet yourself, I highly recommend it. It has the angel, Gabriel, playing God’s messenger to John’s soon to be parents. Gabriel also visits Mary to tell her about Jesus. Here’s a little fact that I didn’t know until reading this, Jesus and John the Baptist are only a few months apart in age (I always pictured John as an old, crazy looking man for some reason). As I was reading through this chapter, I came to a conversation between the angel Gabriel and Mary where he is telling her about Elizabeth (John’s mom) being pregnant. Luke 1:36-37 NKJV, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” This is a big deal not only because of her age but also because she was “barren”, she couldn’t have kids. That last verse is what stuck out to me, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” That is a powerful verse. That verse wasn’t said by just anybody either, it was the angel, Gabriel, that said it. I think all too often we tend to forget just how powerful God really is. He can part seas, and move mountains. He can walk on water, and make blind men see. This is the God I serve. A God where nothing will be impossible. I look at the conversation between Zacharias (John’s father) and Gabriel in the beginning of the chapter and can’t help but to feel like he is talking not only about what John the Baptist will grow up to do, but to each of us also. Telling us what we, as true Christians, should be doing now. Luke 1:17 NKJV, “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Just like John prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ, we must now prepare the way for the return of Jesus. It says John will “make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” and now that responsibility falls to us. We must prepare people for the return of the Lord. Whether you believe it or not, Jesus is coming back one day. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, maybe in another 2000 years. But the question is not when is Jesus coming back, the question is will you be ready? The last few verses in this chapter are Zacharias’ Holy Spirit filled words to his new born son, John. Luke 1:76-79 NKJV, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” My hope and prayer for this blog is that I may bring someone far from God, closer to Him. That I can give the knowledge of salvation to someone that may not know about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. To give light to those lost in the darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide them to the way of peace.