Are You Drawn To Jesus?

Hello Guys and Gals!

I guess it's been a while since I blogged. I have had so much going on and my head spins around at times.

My question for you today is, are you drawn to Jesus? What I mean by that is have you felt His magnetism drawing you closer to Him, His word, and a real relationship with Him?

See, I think that Jesus had a powerful magnetism about Him. Not only as a person, but also as God. In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus tells Peter and Andrew to follow Him. They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Think about this. A man whom they've never met comes up to them and tells them, not asks but tells, to follow Him. And they do! Powerful! In Mark chapter 5, it talks about a large crowd following Him. Again, powerful magnetism!

In church this morning, my pastor talked about being drawn to Jesus which queued this whole chain of thought for me. He wasn't preaching on it but stated it during his sermon. I thought about this. I know that Jesus has drawn me to Him. I know that I feel this magnetism from Him whenever I read my bible, talk about Him to others, listen to a sermon about Him, and definitely now when I'm writing about Him. I know that others have testified that they feel this powerful drawing of themselves to Him as well.

So again, my question to you today is, are you drawn to Jesus?

Today, in this culture we are all striving to exist in, there are powerful forces lined up against Jesus Christ and His Church, us believers in Him. And we're being told that our beliefs are wrong on the basis of their beliefs. Yet when we try to tell them that their beliefs are wrong, then we're accused of being intolerant. We need more people who have been drawn to Jesus to stand up for Jesus and His Church against this oppression that is assailing us! We need to stand up, doing it in love, but also in truth, against all these forces opposing us and say, NO! You are wrong! Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven! And no matter what the consequences may be, no matter what danger we may face, we need to stand up for Jesus and His Church and tell the world that this is where we stand and we will not be swayed into thinking that our beliefs are wrong or that the truth that is Jesus Christ is wrong!

So if you are drawn to Jesus, and have been saved by His sacrifice, then stand with me against all that assail Jesus and His Church!

God bless you all this day!

I Remember What It Was Like!

Hello Guys and Gals!

I just finished watching a movie about some teens in high school that came out in 1987 the year I graduated high school. In watching this movie, I saw the various cliques that we all were part of at that time. I saw all the emotions we were all being bombarded with. I saw love infatuation and power struggles and culture clashes and all the different hair styles from back then. I saw the different emotions of each of the characters as they interacted with each other. I saw confusion in the character's attempt to understand the others who were interacting with him in the movie. I saw realization dawn on the main character's face when he finally realized that what he was looking for was not in the very pretty girl from the elite side of the school, but instead it was right there with him all the time and he was just too blind to see it.

I remember what all that was like! I remember my own struggles as well as my own treatment of others. I know I was probably more like the guy who sought to demean those not in his clique rather than the guy who just wanted to be accepted and not be the outcast. But I also remember some of the feelings the outcast guy went through. I remember how at times I felt humiliated. I remember how at times I caused the humiliation to others. I remember the awkward feelings in asking someone on a date. I remember how those feelings spiked high when the girl said yes. I remember it all very clearly.

What a confusing time it was. I don't know if you remember those times as well, but maybe if you tried you could. I think even more now than ever before that all that stuff is much more difficult today for kids in school than it was in my day.

But just because I remember, does not mean I want to go back. I know that God has changed my heart, my mind, my character, my very nature. I know that I am a better person today than that silly, shy, obnoxious teenager that I used to be back then.

Do you also remember? Do you think that you are better or worse or even the same as you were back in high school? What do you remember?

The movie I watched was 'Some Kind of Wonderful'! It did bring back all those memories and emotions for me. Maybe you guys should watch it as well and see if it does the same for you.

God bless you all this day!

A Beautiful Reminder!

Hello Guys and Gals!

I was saving some things to be able to use should something bad happen. I do this type of thing as a subconscious act for the most part on my behalf. The things I was saving were not valuable but they were useful. Well, they were tossed out this past weekend. When I asked my friend about them, he tells me, 'Why don't you just use these other things?' Then I said to him that I didn't want to take them up in using them when he might have need of them. He tells me that he bought them for 'me'!

It hit me like a ton of bricks! Here I am working towards a 'just in case' moment and with that statement to me, he showed me that I would never even have to worry about a 'just in case' moment with him! I know I'm probably reading more into it than is really there, but yes, it meant a lot to me.

With all that I have been through in my life, even with my own family, I never really expected to find someone who takes friendship that seriously, as seriously as I have taken it. It was a beautiful reminder that God can and will bring good people into my life!

God bless you all this day!

Hypocrisy on the Left!

Hello Guys and Gals!

Have you guys seen the new Newsweek magazine cover? On it, it has all these labels by which conservatives view President Obama. The story then goes into depth on how these labels are 'definitively' wrong and that President Obama is none of these labels. Now I'm not going to talk about the story, that is for you to go read and use your discretion as to whether you believe the author or not. What I am going to talk about is the reaction from this story.

On the right, Conservatives are upset because it assumes that it has the authority to declare America's definitive answer to those inquiries about President Obama. But on the left, Liberals/Progressives are upset because these labels that Newsweek used, even though they were used by the author to prove a point and make a statement, they will 'STICK' to President Obama in a bad way simply because of the shock value of the cover.

What gets me is that the Liberals/Progressives have been using this shock value for years. Their politicians and spokesmen have been making outlandish statements about a topic or person in order to deliberately label them with the shock value aspect in an effort to make it stick to that topic or person. They know the value of shock! They also know that if they say a lie loud enough for long enough, then the public begins to view that very lie as the truth because all they seem to catch is the shock value statement or story.

Knowing all this, the Liberals/Progressives are very upset with Newsweek for using this shock value against President Obama because they KNOW that it will have the same effect on him that it does on their intentional targets. This screams 'HYPOCRISY' in my mind so loudly that I cannot let this pass without commenting on it.

But let me be very clear about this next point! We, as Conservatives and especially as Christians, should not use shock value in an attempt to discredit someone. However we should be truthful and stand up against this type of mudslinging that is going on. We should also make sure we do our homework and research into the truth or lies behind any story by any author and be discerning with our own judgment as to whether or not any story is an attempt at mudslinging or simply good reporting attempting to get the word out about any person or issue that happens today.

Pray daily to God and make sure you treat Him like your BFF, Best Friend Forever, and go ahead and talk to Him about the little things in your life as well as the big things. But also ask for a discerning heart and mind so that you can find the truth in what you are hearing and seeing. I believe that if we keep God involved in our lives, and we seek to do His will, then we will be just fine with whatever trouble comes our way!

God bless you all this day!

Some Medical Issues!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while my friends. I have been having some medical issues, not the leaky kind but issues as in problems, that have been keeping me kind of groggy. When I can think clearly enough to give a logical post, I will post again. Please keep tabs on me and pray for me. Thank you guys so much for your loyalty in reading my musings!

God bless you all!

Thankful!

I am thankful today. I have been in contact with many of my friends growing up. I am thankful to God that He has brought them back into my life. Now I know that I have made many mistakes in my life. I have also burned many bridges with the things I have done. Yet, today, God has shown me that even a burned bridge can be rebuilt.

Are you also thankful for the blessings of God in your life? Even in today's political and religious climate, we can have that sure knowledge that God is working all things for the good of those who love him and follow his commandments.

God Bless you all this day!

Is Being Gay A Sin?

Hello Guys and Gals!

I'm going to comment on another difficult topic today. The question is, Is Being Gay A Sin? Let's see what the bible does say about this first.

'You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.' Leviticus 18:22.

Here we see that God has it in the Law that it is a sin for a man to lie with a man or a woman to lie with a woman.

'For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.' Romans 1:26-27.

Here Paul talks about how God gives those who do exchange the natural for the unnatural over to their passions and lets their sin rule their lives and as such they receive their 'due penalty of their error'.

'Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.' 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. (Note: effeminate in this instance refers specifically to effeminate by perversion.)

'For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.' Ephesians 5:5.

Paul speaks here about how those who are unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. More to the point, those who are in these sins will not go to Heaven.

Okay, so now that we know what the bible says about this, let us discuss this in more detail. I'd like to point out that every person, be they man or woman, are born along a scale of effeminate to masculine. Everyone falls onto this scale some where. Men can be either effeminate or masculine or anywhere in between. The same can be said for women.

But does this make you gay? I say no. But that is not the question we are talking about. The question is, Is Being Gay A Sin? But what do we then mean by 'being gay'? I believe that people define this as a man who is effeminate or a woman who is masculine who prefer the company of their own sex instead of the opposite sex. I may be wrong about this definition, but that is how I will define it for the purposes of this discussion.

I think that God loves all of us. Yes, even gay people! But what is it that he hates? As we can see above, He hates the ACT of a man lying with a man and a woman lying with a woman. In other words, He hates the sexual immorality aspect of the thing. Let me be clear, He hates the act, not the person!

But does being effeminate as a man or masculine as a woman make you gay? Well, in today's society it does imply the stigma that is associated with that word. But I still think it falls to the choice of the person. See, the sin is not being on the wrong end of the effeminate to masculine scale; it is not even enjoying the company of the same sex as opposed to the opposite sex; it is more the CHOICE that each person makes to be immoral, or actually commit the ACT, and do that which is unnatural that is the actual sin and that is what God actually hates.

Now I do not have anything against any 'gay' person. I believe that if you're 'gay', then you are facing issues of sin just like a straight person faces issues of sin in their lives as well. We all face these issues. It's just that the issues are different for each person. But it is how we approach these issues and how we deal with fixing these issues that makes us having these issues in our lives sin or not sin. God knows your heart. God knows your actions. Do your actions match up with what is in your heart? Only you and God knows this.

So the question again, Is Being Gay A Sin? I say no it is not! I believe it is the ACT which is a conscious CHOICE of the individual that is actually the sin in God's eyes! So choose not to commit any immoral act and choose by doing so, not to sin!

God bless you all this day!

Terroristic Regimes And Their Shields!

Hello Guys and Gals!

I am concerned today with something that is definitely going to be a touchy subject. But just because it is difficult, does not mean that we should not talk about it. I want to talk about fighting against countries or regimes that seek to do America harm but at the same time hide behind the lives of the 'innocents'. You notice that I put italics around that word. I did this because I don't think that all of them are all that innocent.

I recently read a book about a regime that hid a nuclear warhead factory underneath a hospital in an effort to keep it not only hidden, but if it was ever discovered, also to keep America from destroying it because the hospital had 'innocent' people in it. This is a very deliberate and deceptive thing to do.

First off, we know that the regime does not have the welfare of their own people in mind by the very evidence of them placing the facility there in the first place. What do they have in mind then? They have in mind the thought that even if America were to take out the facility, then they would be able to tell the rest of the world that America purposely targeted civilians and innocents.

Secondly, the people who live under such regimes do know what is going on. You can not tell me that they are not as smart as Americans. Therefore having some modicum of intelligence, they do know what type of people run the regime that they live under. They know their motivations, their true intentions, and they also know that the regimes purposely place these facilities using their people as a shield against those who would stop their aggressive actions against the free peoples of the world.

Yet we live in a society where our freedom was bought and paid for in the blood of our soldiers and sailors who serve to keep that freedom in place. They also know that they stand up to protect the right of every citizen in America to express their beliefs freely without oppression. Yes, they even protect the Liberals and Progressives who protest against the very soldiers and sailors who are protecting their right to do so! Our soldiers and sailors know this and they choose to protect even them from tyranny!

So now the Liberals and Progressives take a stance against any military action that would threaten the lives of those 'innocent' people who work at the hidden facilities and are being used as a shield against those who would put an end to the regime's tyranny. This confuses me because these Liberals and Progressives are ultimately protecting the very regimes that would seek to end their right to speak out against anything. Why would you support any regime, in any way, that is seeking to put an end to you and the very principles you stand for?

These shields, or 'innocent' people, who are being used by these regimes KNOW they are being used by the regimes. As such, they are no longer innocent but accomplices to the very aggression against the free peoples of the world. If they do not want to be viewed as accomplices to these terroristic regimes, they can do something about it. They can speak out. They can quit their jobs. Or they can simply leave! They have no excuse whatsoever when they stay and support these terroristic regimes and act as a human shield protecting them in their aggressive terrorism!

The simple fact of the matter is, they are using America's Liberals and Progressives in an effort to keep terrorizing the free peoples of the world without fear of retaliation. Yet these very regimes that are doing this do not hesitate to make Total War against America! They will not hesitate to bomb civilians, women, children, and elderly people in an effort to promote their causes. How then do we as Americans not have the right to make Total War against them? If we did make Total War against them, and the peoples of the world knew that Total War was imminent when America is attacked with Total War, then the terroristic regimes of the world would be more hesitant to attack America knowing that we would retaliate with the full force of our might as they did against us!

I know that many Liberals and Progressives will probably say that I am wrong for my beliefs. Well I will simply say back to them that they are wrong for their beliefs. What's that? You mean to say that they have the right to tell me I'm wrong for believing what I believe, but I can not tell them that they are wrong for their beliefs? Sounds a little hypocritical to me! The simple fact is, we did not start the aggression and the swifter we can put an end to the aggression, the more lives will be saved in the long run. So let this serve as a warning to any who would target America, we will use the same type of tactics against you that you use against us. If you bring Total War, then we should retaliate with Total War. And to those 'innocents' out there acting as shields, you are not innocent and you are just as guilty as the terroristic regimes who are bombing America and the free peoples of the world!

God bless you all this day!

Are You Guilty Of Feeling Guilty?

Howdy Guys and Gals!

I wanted to talk to you today about guilt and all that it encompasses. But first, I'd like to explain some things that some may not be familiar with.

The Law of God was first given to Moses so that the Jewish people would know when they sin and also what to do to enter God's presence after they have sinned. It is a very complex and codified law. Yet it can be summed up in four sentences which Jesus said to us. "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole of the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:37-40. So now we know the whole basis under which the Law operates.

But who is under the Law? The Jewish people are under the Law! Those who are directly descended from Abraham, through Isaac, and through Jacob are the only people on Earth that are under the Law!

But what about the Gentiles? The Gentiles, or those peoples who are not of the Jewish people, are not under any law at all! 'Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves: she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free: she is our mother.' Galatians 4:21-26. So we see here that if a Gentile does want to be under the Law, then they would be slaves under the Law!

Is there a third category? Yes there is! Those people who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are under the Law of Grace! 'We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God." Galatians 2:15-19.

Why then the Law? The Law is there to show us our need for Jesus Christ and the Grace of God for we are unable to become righteous under the Law and Jesus is the only way to achieve righteousness in God's eyes by God's Grace through Faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. 'Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to who the promise had been made.' Galatians 3:19.

Okay, so Christians, having come from either Jewish or Gentile backgrounds are under Grace and not the Law. The Law then, was there to convict us of sin so that we might see our need for the Savior, Lord Jesus Christ. But once we have accepted Him into our lives, do we then live in freedom as He desires for us? Or are we still feeling the guilt from our past sins and even our current sins? We are to release that guilt once we are saved so that we can go on to be the light of the world for Jesus Christ!

'What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.' Romans 6:1-7.

So if we are dead to sin, then are we not also dead to the guilt of sin? Therefore sin and the guilt from sin should no longer have any control over our lives. So why then do we hold onto the guilt from our sin that has been forgiven by God. Maybe it is because we think that we still have to feel bad about how we have sinned against someone else or even God. This is not true! For if we have been forgiven by God, who is there to say that we have not been forgiven?

You are forgiven! 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.' Psalms 103:12. If our sin has been taken away, then why do we still operate as if we are still sinful in His eyes? Rejoice! For your sin is gone and is no more!

Start today in living your life without sin and show the world the light that is in you so that it may pierce the darkness of the world that is sin!

God bless you all this day!

A Call To Integrity!

Hello Guys and Gals!

By now, you know how important I think a person's integrity is. Not only that, but how important I find it to be a man of integrity in my own life. Let's look at the definition of integrity.

Integrity - in·teg·ri·ty   [in-teg-ri-tee] – noun

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

This definition comes from Dictionary.com. I prefer another definition for integrity that I have heard. Christ says that your tongue is what makes a man unclean because the words of his mouth proceed directly from his heart which show his true motives. With this in mind, my preferred definition of integrity is as follows:

The state of a man or woman where their words and deeds are in perfect alignment, meaning what they say and what they do have no conflict in their eyes and in the eyes of anyone looking upon them.

I prefer this definition because it makes my own personal resolution extremely clear!

'O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; he swears to his own hurt and does not change; he does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.' Psalm 15:1-5 The man who abides with God!

This is an amazing Psalm. I think that it mirrors the definition of integrity which I gave above.

'Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.' Psalm 26:1. This psalm goes on in detail about King David's integrity in the Lord! This is the kind of integrity I am speaking to you about today.

So now, if you fully understand the type of integrity I'm talking about, then I call you to be a person of integrity. I challenge you with the same challenge I have challenged myself with. I call you to stand in your own integrity. If there is any part of your life that you feel you fail in your integrity, then fix that problem and start now being a person of integrity not only in that part of your life where it is lacking, but in your whole character and being. Stand with me in the truth and integrity that is Jesus Christ. Will you take up my challenge?

God bless you all this day!