Thursday, September 27, 2012

A Sea of People

The world is a sea of people
Composed of different shades
Various races
Male and female
Diverse ethnicity
Yet God sees only two differences

Those in the light
And those in darkness
Help us to reach the ones
Lost in the thick blackness of the night

But there are so many
Multitudes fallen
So many are blind to the true path

But we can do our part
We each can reach one
We can make a difference

Snatching brands from the flame
Introducing them to the Way
We can help turn the tide
For this great sea of people

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

I Will Rest


I will rest
In Your promise
I relinquish all my fears
Let the wind of the Spirit
Blow them all away

I place my trust
In Your provision
You’re my Source
My well will not run dry

Streams flow from
Your mountain high
Bringing life

You cause my heart
To experience peace
Stilled by Your great love

I will rest
In You my Father
Nothing is impossible
With Your hand upon me 

I will rest
In Your sure word
You are faithful through and through
I will rest
I will rest

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Pride - Cast it Down!

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV

When the serpent spoke to Eve, he promised her that if she ate of the forbidden fruit in the midst of the garden, she could be like God. He appealed to her pride, yet before this took place, Eve had never been proud. But instead of resisting the enemy's subtle ploy, she yielded to temptation. Adam joined in this act of rebellion. Pride went before the fall.

Anytime we as Christ followers fall, we do so because of pride. Our enemy tries to tempt us with lies that inflate our importance. He wants us to look down on others, to give in to prejudice and envy. But when thoughts like these enter our minds, we have a choice. We can cast down imaginations and reasonings that are an affront to our Lord. We can choose the path of humility.

Jesus described himself as being meek and lowly of heart. Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will enable us to be gentle and humble. Humility is a fruit of the Spirit that is described in Galatians 5:22-23. This means that the fruit of humility is already in us.

When we are tempted to think of ourselves more highly than we ought, we can submit to God and resist the devil. We can speak God's word and say, “I choose to be humble because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. I believe that humility comes before honor. I thank the Lord for helping me to be humble.” We can also take authority over our enemy in the name of Jesus.

Eve had a choice in the garden. She could have chosen humility. We too have a choice when the subtle tempter comes. Let's cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against God. When we do, we will enjoy the unhindered fellowship of the One who gave His life for us.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Your Grand Liberty

It is for freedom
That Christ has set me free
No longer bound by chains
You caused me to reign 

Fully forgiven, fully alive
You cause my way to thrive 

When I was bound in the dark
You chased away the shadows
Your light enabled me to see
Myself a sinner
You my Savior

Your Radiant beams healed me
Light of the World
You resurrected me
Thank you for shining down upon me
Thank you for Your grand liberty

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Finding Victory Over Sexual Temptation

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22 NIV

We live in an age of sexual promiscuity. We have lost our innocence. We are bombarded by billboards, advertisements, movies, and TV shows that seek to draw us away from purity. The Internet, which can be used to do many good things, is often employed as a tool of the enemy to lock many into a prison of pornography. Our society has been blinded into believing that right is wrong and wrong is right.

But God's standard has not changed. Sex before marriage is still wrong. Adultery is wrong. And though it is not popular to say it, homosexuality is also wrong. God is a holy God, and He calls His children to walk in His holiness. What He calls us to do, He also enables us to do. We can all find freedom from the clutches of sexual sin.

Before I speak of the remedy, let me say that God designed sex; He is the author of it. Sex within marriage, between a man and a woman, is meant to be beautiful, passionate, and expressive. God wants us to enjoy this gift, and yet like many good things the enemy of our soul desires to pervert it.

When I was a teenager, I fell into the trap of pornography. Although I never had sex before I was married, I did have a problem with lust. When I became a Christian at age eighteen, these desires did not vanish. I struggled with sexual temptation well into my adult years. I did my best to resist temptation, but fell many times. I was afraid to tell anyone about my struggles, but one day I gathered my courage and spoke to a pastor about my problem. He told me my answer would be found in God's word. He encouraged me to saturate my mind with the truths from Scripture.

This is exactly what I did. I learned to quote the word of God in the face of temptation. I learned to keep myself from things I had no business watching. Little by little the stronghold of lust began to lose its power over me. Today, I experience a great measure of victory in this area.  I once saw beautiful women as objects of my desire, I now see them as precious to God.

Let me say that God loves all of us. No matter how far we've fallen, He loves us. He also does not consider one sin as greater than another. Homosexuality, for instance, is not a worse sin than lusting for the opposite sex. They are the same in God's eyes. All of us have been tainted to some degree. We live in a fallen world that is ablaze with perversion. But God has given us the power to overcome temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” No matter how far you have fallen, God can pick you up. He will help you to overcome. Know that you are not the only one going through this. Your struggle is common to man. The Lord will enable you to win in this battle if you ask Him to.

You must fortify yourself with Bible verses that deal with this subject. Learn to quote them to the devil when you are being tempted (See Matthew 4) . Say, “I choose to flee the evil desires of youth. I choose to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. I choose to follow the Lord.” Declare that you have the victory over temptation in Jesus name. Know that God sees you as a victor. Besides fleeing from temptation, we are to pursue the fruits of the spirit, we are to replace the negative thoughts in our minds with positive truths from God's word.

It is also important that you confide with one or more mature believers about your difficulty. This person can help you, pray for you, and become one that you are accountable to. This can help you to gain the upper hand over your sin. 2 Timothy 2:22 says to flee the evil desires of youth (youthful lusts) and to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those that call upon the Lord with a pure heart. We are to do this in the context of the Christian community. We need to lean on each other in the battle.

My purpose in writing about these things is not to make you feel unworthy or defeated, it is not to bring you condemnation. Instead, I desire to encourage you to shoot for God's standard and to find hope and victory in this area. If you are having struggles in this area, take heart and know that God is with you. He will help you overcome. When He looks at you, He sees a champion. You are more than a conqueror in His eyes. Where you have failed, He offers forgiveness. He will wash you white as snow. Know that He loves you very much and He only wants the very best for you always.