Tag: Spiritual

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Rise From The Dead

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans 12:2

I saw a video that said, “a neuro-parasite can take control of an insect’s brain and make it walk, even after it’s dead.” The video itself showed a bug whose body had been completely eaten out and yet it was still moving. It was like watching a zombie walk. This is what happens when the Church becomes spiritually dead.

We’re still walking, just going through the motions like a zombie, but we’re not spiritually awake. We have no self-awareness. We’re apathetic. We have no discernment, wisdom, or understanding. This is the importance of Paul’s command to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.

So many in the Church are just going through the motions. They’re in church every Sunday, pray and read the bibles regularly, but have no relationship with Christ. They have no fruit, and they don’t even realize they’re spiritually dead. So, what are we to do?

We humble ourselves before God and ask Him to show us where we are spiritually. We must honestly search ourselves and seek God’s wisdom and discernment to see the Truth of our spiritual state of being.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for being spiritually lukewarm. Please open my eyes that I might awaken from my spiritual slumber. That I might rise from my spiritual death. Please show me my spiritual temperature. Please show me where I am spiritually. Thank You for never leaving me, nor forsaking me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Sense The Aroma

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV

[14] But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. [15] For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, [16] to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, equated the Church to an aroma or fragrance to others. To God, we are the aroma of Christ, among those who are being saved and perishing. Then Paul goes on to say to one a fragrance from life to life and to the other a fragrance of death to death. Did you notice that Paul changes the words he uses depending on who he’s speaking in regards to?

First, he starts with “aroma” (euōdia) to God, then when he talks about how we are to other people he changes to “fragrance” (osmē). Now, aroma (euōdia) means a sweet smell, appeasement, incense offering, or offering, but fragrance (osmē) only means smell, scent, odor, fragrance, or perfume. Why does it matter?

To God, we give the aroma of an appeasing, sweet-smelling incense offering. Throughout the Law of Moses, the Israelites were commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His wrath because of their sin. When Jesus died He took the sin of the world upon him and killed sin in Himself. Then He took that sin far far away to Hell and when He rose on the third day, He gave us the hope of our resurrection to come.

When we are baptized, we are baptized into His death and given the aroma of Jesus’ sacrifice to the LORD God. And just as some perfumes are sweet to some and stink to others so are we who are in Christ. We carry that aroma with us wherever we go. So, to others who have that same aroma smell a sweet fragrance while others do not.

This is why the world hates us. This is why before we even meet people, some despise us. This smell dwells and communicates in the spiritual realm. Our spirit can sense and even communicate with other people’s spirit. Its not you, yourself, the world hates but the aroma of the one dwelling inside of you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sense The Aroma.

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Turning A Cheek

38 You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. ~ Matthew 5:38-42

Turning the other cheek is one of the hardest teachings in the commands of Jesus. It forces you to completely deny and crucify your flesh. Your flesh wants to defend itself. It wants to get revenge. We can see this from the very beginning. Repaying evil for evil, with no restraint. This was the purpose of the Law of Moses.

God began reigning in the flesh by confining revenge to “an eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth,” so that no one would take a life for an eye without facing punishment again. God was preparing us for His final Law “turn the other cheek.”

See, we are called to be the Light of the World. The World hates us, because it hates Christ whom we represent. Therefore, in order to reach the world, we must not act like the world. The world doesn’t fight fair. It’s manipulative, deceptive, and wicked. If we give into our natural urges to slap back and get revenge the world will respond. It will call us out. It will hold us to a standard it dare not hold itself to.

So, what are we to do? Turn the other cheek. Fight your natural instinct. How? Remind yourself that no revenge can compare to the vengeance of the LORD God Almighty. So, be different. Be Christ to the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Turn A Cheek.

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A Forgiving Heart

27 But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ~ Luke 6:27-36

For the past year I have been selling items on eBay. For the most part it’s been good and I do enjoy doing it, but every now and then I have to deal with a scammer. People, who instead of getting a job and actually working hard try to scam hard working people out of their hard earned money.

It’s so easy to angry and want to wish bad things upon these kinds of people because they deserve it. Then I’m reminded of two things.

  1. I deserve Hell just as much as them because I sin constantly. My nature is evil. The only difference between me and them is Jesus Christ has delivered me, sanctified me, and changed my heart so that my conscience will not allow me to continue in my sin blatantly. Instead, when I do slip up, I repent, and strive to not do it again.
  2. No matter what evil I could with upon them, nothing can bring forth justice and vengeance like the LORD God, who says that vengeance is His. And He will repay. That says that He will defend us. That says that He is the final Judge whom all the world will have to stand before on that last day and give an account to.

It’s easy to become angry and want an immediate judgment against blatantly wicked people. Why? Because your flesh wants to get even. It wants to see those who have harmed you or tried to harm you put in their place. It’s filled with pride convincing you that the you are better than others, when in reality it’s not that you’re better than others, but that the God dwelling in you and through you is.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for speaking evil against those who are still in their wickedness being used by the devil. Please forgive me for wanting (or speaking) a curse of any kind against someone who has done evil to me. Please forgive me and change my heart. Give me a new heart that is soft and loving. One quick to forgive and understand. One that loves the way You love and is humble before You. I pray that You would renew a right spirit within me so that I might have a conscience guiding me into Your righteousness. I pray that You would have mercy on all whole have wronged me and soften their heart so that they might repent and turn from their evil ways and run to You. Keep me in Your arms and safe in the shadow of Your wings. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Seek Refuge In Him

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ~ Psalms 46:1

The Psalmist encourages us that no matter what is going on in our lives, we’re not alone because God is our refuge and strength. A lot of the time it may feel as if the entire world is crashing in on you and you can’t keep going. It may feel like all Hell has broken loose against you and you have no defense. It may feel like you have a target on your back and nowhere to hide. But these are just the feelings the Devil and his kingdom throw at you so that they can overcome you. Why?

Because if they can get you to believe you are defeated, then you’ll give up, give in, and allow them to win. The enemy has no victory over us unless we choose not to fight. Not to keep going. Not to try.

Each day is a new opportunity from God to try again. To keep going. To overcome. Don’t allow the enemy to discourage you. Don’t allow his lies to pollute, corrupt, and overwhelm your soul. Your God is for you, so who can be against you?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Refuge In Him.

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Begin To Work

13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. ~ Romans 2:13

Rain doesn’t fall on empty ground and then magically bear fruit. Fruit only bears fruit after the rain falls on the prepared land … Revival doesn’t come to those who merely listen to good preaching. It comes to those who obey the voice of God.

Therefore, we must be doers of the word, and not hearers only, [and thus] deceive ourselves (James 1:22). It’s not enough to sit in a pew every Sunday and nod in agreement. It’s not enough to sing the songs and clap your hands. It’s not enough to ease your conscience with religious routines.

We can talk about revival with our mouths while resisting it in our hearts. We can sing about fire falling while keeping the altar of our lives cold and empty. But unless we humble ourselves, repent, and obey, revival will never come (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must yearn for it. Long for it. We must hunger and thirst after it. We must forsake our mediocre Christian life.

Jesus is coming back, and He’ll be looking for something … You had better know what He is looking for. It’s not a game. And it’s not a joke. It’s not a vacation. It’s eternity! We are laborers in God’s vineyard. We are workers in His grain field. Therefore, we had better start laboring.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Begin To Work.

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Seek God’s Moral Standard

6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6

Whenever I think about these wise words of Solomon, I usually think about them in terms of teaching your child the things of God, which I agree with, but I think it’s a little bit deeper than that. I often hear atheists claim that Christians actually have no morals because they only do what’s right because they’re afraid of a Hell. Honestly, I think this is quite a silly argument when you think about it.

If we remove God from the equation, we’ve now removed the standard for right and wrong. Morality will no longer be based on an immovable line, but on an ever-moving line. See, when we remove God, morality becomes subjective. Right and wrong are controlled by whoever is in charge, and no one can actually villainize another person because they’ve done something they believe is wrong. Because now it’s just opinions and no fact or Truth. Therefore, without God, there is no morality.

Christians don’t do good and avoid evil simply because they’re afraid of Hell, but because their hearts have been changed. The majority of people don’t come to Christ because of a fear of Hell, but because Christ has touched their hearts. The reason we even have a sense of morality is because God has written His Law on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). If we look throughout the world, we’ll see that cultures differ greatly, yet we feel deep within us that something is wrong. Why? Because the Law of God has been written on our hearts.

This is why it’s important to train up a child in the way he or she should go.

We’ve been taught right and wrong from a young age. Why? So that when we’ve grown up and we’re on our own, we’ll hear the conscience inside us and listen to it. God gave us a warning of Hell just as our parents gave us a warning of a time out or a spanking, and when we’re older, we are promised jail time if we break the law of the land.

Morality isn’t something subjective left up to each person. Morality is measured by an immovable standard, or it’s no longer morality, it’s now subjective opinions and propaganda. Therefore, without God, there is no morality.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek God’s Moral Standard.

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Build On The Rock

Matthew 7:24-27

[24]  Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

Over the years I’ve debated many different belief with many different people. Each and every debate started with the other person telling me I was wrong. And each time ended with me showing them Scripture after Scripture of why I wasn’t wrong to which they, 90% of the time, get upset, deflect, or straight up insult me then refuse to believe what the Bible says. Now, I don’t say all of this to make myself sound more than I am but show that it’s more important to base your beliefs on the Word of God than on our own personal opinions and feelings.

When we argue and debate on options and feelings instead of the word of God, it’s now no longer seeking Truth but seeking to prove yourself right out of pride. No matter how wise, smart, knowledgeable, or a genius we think we are, we cannot even compare to God’s foolishness, let alone his wisdom.

Therefore, build your life on the Word of God in Jesus, not on yourself. You, just like all of humanity, is only dust. We one day use all stand before the Creator and Judge wiser beyond comprehension or understanding. How can we try to compare ourselves to the Creator of knowledge and wisdom, when we are like the flower, here today and gone tomorrow?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build On The Rock.

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A Leader Matters

[12] Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. [13] But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. [14] Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” ~ Daniel 10:12-14NIV

When Daniel was in the land of Persia under the reign of the pagan leader his prayers were held up by spiritual beings in the heavenly realms that had authority over the land because of the king. Paul tells us to pray for our leaders and those in authority over us so that we have peaceful lives living in all godliness and holiness (I Timothy 2:1-2).

Therefore, when there is a president or leader in office that aligns with your views, it’s not the time to back off or relax. It’s time to push in because it’s at that time that we have more opportunity to get our prayers answered.

Dear LORD, please guide the hand of the leader of our nation and those who make the laws and judge our people. Please open their eyes to Your Truth and soften their hearts to things of Your Kingdom. Direct their paths that they might not seek evil but chase righteousness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

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Ignorance Destroyer

6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” ~ Hosea 4:6NIV

I heard a quote the other day that said, “The ignorance of the church is more dangerous for the culture than the decadence of the world” (Schaffer). God told the people of Hosea’s day that His people were destroyed because of a lack of knowledge. He went on to say that even though the number of priests increased in the land righteousness decreased. The people were engulfed and consumed with wickedness. They had given up the True God for idols of wood carved by their own hands. Today is no different.

The people of God today are consumed with other perversion, unforgiveness, hatred, fear, depression, and even the occult. Why? Apathy. The Church no longer cares about the Truth because if they acknowledge the Truth they’d have to change. They’d have to crucify their flesh. They’d have to I give up their own desires and truly follow the LORD God, so they embrace ignorance and allow apathy to control them. The religion that does not change you, cannot save you. Therefore, forsake your flesh and cling to the word of God.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for every time I’ve allowed my flesh to control me and numb me into apathy. Please be me to sacrifice my own desires for Your good and faithful plan for my life. Give me a desire for Truth, a hunger for knowledge, and a heart set solely on You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

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