Monday, June 22, 2009

In Defense of the TRUE GOSPEL

When the false teachings of someone like Joel Osteen, Tony Jones, or Brian McLaren are exposed to the body of Christ as we test what they teach against God’s absolute truth, we are being obedient to the command of God. Through this, He will preserve His Church and cleanse it of what is evil. We must also be alert to the fact that what we are doing will incur the wrath of our enemy and his seed. He is a liar and an expert deceiver. He has his people spinning lies disguised as prophecies in that they contain some truth, but these are coupled with teachings that tickle itching ears and will never result in their followers being edified or lead into the truth. Instead, they produce followers of men who have created another Jesus and another version of His truth, which is false.


The megachurch model is an example of a spiritual harlot. The Bible makes it clear that true preaching should not be an idolatrous attempt to entice or "schmooze" the sinner into salvation. Harlots are good at enticing. Harlots know how to entice or seduce men, since their survival depends on it. Today's megachurches 'entice' (or seduce) when they seek to conform to the world. They want to offer a gospel which they think the world will like. Megachurch pastors will even go so far as to "tweek" the scriptures in a desperate attempt to please the unrepentant sinner. This kind of compromise has also taken root since there is so much pressure to get the attendance numbers up. High attendance numbers generate more revenue, thus providing a temptation to shrink back into a worldly mindset. But, as the narrow way gets rejected, 'worldly' pastors will often fill their pews with a large number of false converts who fell prey to their own divisive smooth speeches. The smooth speeches sound good, but they do not convict men of their sins. This kind of teaching is contrary to the Bible.


True preaching contends with the world. There is no easy way around it. It is a difficult thing to contend with the world. That is why Jesus said that the way is narrow. It is a narrow path which many forsake since they have been taught that being in God's favor means that they are guaranteed paradise on earth. They are also led to believe that any form of hardship (financial struggle, sickness, or calamity) is always a sign of God's punishment, instead of his refinement. Today's man made formulas have reduced God to a strange idol, similar to an omnipotent Santa Claus, who must always answer us according to our own desires. These man -made formulas reject the notion that God would ever be angry with sin or with the sinner. They are worshipping an idol which resembles nothing more than a waiter in a restaurant, who must answer at their beck and call.


If we look at rebellious Israel, we can see that the people of that time were guilty of the same thing. They wanted all the material blessings, prosperity, and comfort, but none of the sufferings that come with it. They believed that God's favor meant that they were exempt from any kind of hardship. They looked at their material things as an affirmation of God's favor. They were given over to pleasure instead of holiness. This was of the flesh (carnal nature).

I have noticed from the blogs that some still believe that it is better to appease someone if they take pleasure in sin or they fall into error. If you are a blogger, you have probably witnessed some hateful reactions to the true gospel. There are so many different reasons why the unregenerate will justify their sin. They like their sin, so it is not unusual for them to scold you for telling them to give it up. ('Repent' is the best word to say them, even though it can make many enemies) Many unbelievers love their sin, so naturally they will become combative with anyone who tells them it is wrong. You get the typical answer which goes something like this..... "Hey! Who are you to judge?"


The neo-evangelists in our day push their evangelical emphasis to the forefront where it has become the golden calf in their churches. Instead of obeying our Lord to make disciples they seek to multiply their numbers through easy believism. They use shame tactics to get their flocks to bring their friends and relatives to church so they can hear that Jesus wants to come into their lives so they can live abundantly here and now.


If we are abiding in Christ, he will sustain us in the worst circumstances. Hardship is God's way of refining us. As we begin to make our transition from spiritual milk to spiritual meat, he can expose us to some unexpected circumstances. To the regenerate, trials and tribulations are a sign of his ownership. If you have been taught that God can mold Christians without trials and tribulations, then re-examine what you have been taught. God uses persecution and hardship to mold us. Enduring hardship and persecution for the sake of Christ results in patience and humility. Contending in the midst of hardship and persecution results in spiritual maturity.

"I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; and avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive." Romans 16:17-18 (ESV)


"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Timothy 4: 3-5 (ESV)


Those who proclaim the true gospel do not edit it. They do not 'tweek' it either. They know it is inerrant and powerful. They also know that it will not always be welcomed with open arms. Instead, it can bring division and scorn. Jesus, Paul, and John the Baptist all preached the basic fundamentals. They spoke the thing which the world finds offensive...."Repent and believe in Jesus to escape God's wrath against sin." Even today, this kind of message is denounced as being "too offensive" to the unsaved. Proclaiming the untainted gospel of Christ is extremely unpopular because of its nature. This is just the way it is. We should not try to alter it so that we tamper with its nature. If we try to tamper with its nature, then we will be guilty of idolatry. Let the gospel be what it is so that it convicts men of their sins. Anything less than that is not the gospel, but a distortion of the truth, which leads to even more idolatry.


When I watch the videos and read the sermons or comments or interviews with the neo-evangelicals, I do not sense any humility there. Instead, I see arrogance and driven, highly motivated individuals who love their golden calves. These people do not know or understand how poor and filthy they are in God’s sight. Who does God use in His Kingdom? He uses the humble and obedient servants who understand that only God can take a clay pot and transform it into a chosen and useful vessel.


God’s plan for His people is that they become full of knowledge of Him. Knowledge of God is good! That is why we should learn right doctrine. People can have loads of knowledge, but still not be wise. Just look at how well educated many apostates are. People can have knowledge, but lack wisdom. However, there is no wisdom without knowledge. The mind of Christ is the having the knowledge of God in us plus the wisdom of the Holy Spirit leading us into the truth in our walk. When we learn to walk this way we will be those who practice what we learn from God and we will indeed rejoice in the Lord always.


“Giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry may not be blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.” 2 Corinthians 6:3-7 (KJV)


The Bible never teaches cost free Christianity. In fact, the Bible says that adversity (fiery trials) can be evidence that we are being molded to the image of Christ. God tries those he loves in order to work on their character. In God’s eyes, a man’s character is worth more than material wealth or worldly standing. It is God’s sovereign right to remove comfort zones in order to keep us from becoming spiritually complacent, ungrateful, or prideful. Throughout our trials, the enemy, Satan, cannot tempt anymore than God will allow. God frequently allows circumstances which we wish he would not.


“To keep me from being conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (KJV)

Now ask yourself. Could God have removed the thorn if he had wanted? Of course, but he didn’t. Paul explains why God didn’t remove the thorn in verse 7. Paul explains that the thorn was still there to keep him from being conceited. In plain English, it was there to keep Paul from giving himself credit for the revelations, and from becoming prideful. It was also there because it helped Paul deny himself and learn to accept that God is sovereign in all affairs –whether they are bad or good. Paul certainly learned that God is not someone we can take to court when things don’t go the way we want them to. Our mighty humble Lord is a molder of men who knows how to strip men of their pride.


God is calling us to come out of the world. It is our responsibility to separate ourselves from the false gospel as well. If you are a member of Word-Faith, then I want to encourage you to seek the true gospel. God is indebted to no one, and he cannot be taken to court if he doesn’t make you rich. He will give a man what is according to his will, even though your will may not always be the same as his. For this very reason, we should not always assume that what we want is always what he wants. God can (and will) deny a man of what he desires if those desires are not according to his sovereign will. In every case, God knows what is best for you more than you do, so I would not question his judgment. And even though the molding process may be uncomfortable and sometimes difficult, at least you will be more of what God wants you to be instead of what you think that you should be.

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14 (KJV)

God still blesses and redeems, no doubt. He can even surprise you out of no where. Those who know God, and have been walking with him for quite some time, know that he is also a 'last minute' God. Sometimes he purposely waits to show up in the very end in difficult situations in order to strengthen our faith, teach perseverance, instill patience, and to learn respect for him. All of these are demonstrations of God’s sovereignty which must be understood in order to mature spiritually. God is certainly not a genie in a bottle who answers to men’s beck and call.

"Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Proverb 30:8-9 (KJV)

EB

(Mike Ratliff, Josh Parker, John Piper - Material taken from these individuals - God Bless)

Friday, June 19, 2009

"Lost at Sea"


What I have realized about myself just today is that I come to this blog when I am feeling weighted down by the demands of this world or by the feelings of unworthiness before God Almighty, or by the intense emotional roller coaster of life..Notice it is all about feelings..That is not a good thing but when I sit at this computer and I begin to unravel my thoughts and ponder over God's will for my life, His CRAZY LOVE for me and the purpose of my existence, I find this to be therapeutic..like healing rain..There are so many things about God that I just simply don't understand and most likely will never understand. His vastness and His Holiness are beyond my ability to comprehend..How can one comprehend the incomprehensible.? You cant..That is where Faith plays its part..See, as we travel through our lives here in earth, we are constantly being tugged on by this world and the demands it places on us and many times I find myself stepping outside of the Grace of God and into my flesh to try and deal with all these demands..and as soon as I do this, I begin to experience emotions of worry, anxiety and fear..The world is antagonistic to God and pulls us in the opposite direction.. and the further we let ourselves wade around in this world and apart from Christ, the further we drift out to sea and into a place of isolation...a place where in all directions there seems to be no safety, no place to rest, no place to find comfort..Imagine floating around in the middle of the ocean with no life preservers, nothing to hang on to, just you and the ocean..How long can you tread water before the burden becomes to much..? Before the ocean swallows you up and takes you over...? That is how I perceive this world.. When I step out into my flesh to handle the world and the problems it has thrown at me, I begin to drift out to sea..If I choose to stay in that frame of mind and allow myself to continue on that path, emotions like doubt and discouragement began to permeate my mind...and that means I am drifting further out to sea..If we do not return to our Faith and the TRUTH , then we continue to drift to the point the world swallows us up and we are no longer in Christ but in the world...and the deception that takes place at this point is un nerving..We slowly allow the Truth to be bent and molded into a version that is frankly no longer Truth..WE become tolerant of certain things that when Steeped in Christ, we would not be tolerant of..We simply morph into a worldly being and leave behind all we know to be godly, upright and moral lives..caving into the mesmerizing drumbeat of a lost society where Truth is defined as whatever you want it to be depending on your lifestyle and a hypnotic like state controls our actions and we simply mull thru each day, day after day, worrying, being angry and struggling against the wiles and wickedness of humankind and satan.. Life becomes a drudge and joy is replaced with discontent, peace with anxiety and love with anger..

This blog is a lifeline of sorts for me that doesn't allow me to get to far off in the distant ocean, without pulling myself back in to safety..the safety of Christ and His Saving Grace..When I sit down here and begin to share my thoughts, I am reminded again and again of where I used to be and where God has brought me to..I am reminded of the darkness that was my life and the newness I now enjoy..I am reminded of my inability to deal with life on my own and God's desire to pull me from the desolate pits and onto a secure foundation in Christ Jesus. I am reminded of my sinful self and how lost I am without Christ my Lord directing my every thought and every decision..It is so easy to allow yourself to drift away and gradually merge with the world..but when I begin to feel myself drifting, worrying, feeling high levels of anxiety, I find myself right back here..The Bible says in Romans 12:2 " Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God"


I am not saying to replace your time with God and the Precious Word...because I firmly and absolutely believe that reading the Word is paramount..however I am suggesting that we can also find supplemental ways to keep us grounded and close to God...and the ironic thing is that all this time I thought I was doing this to also help others and what I realized today is that it is for me..to keep me close..See as I woke up this morning, I begin to tackle the duty of paying the bills and this has become more and more stressful for me because when you have less coming in than you owe, then it becomes a task that is painful and truly avoided at all cost until it cant be avoided no longer...so as I was adding up what we owe and what sits in the bank account, I found myself drifting out to sea...but with a tailwind that was whipping up behind me pushing me much faster than normal.. If I would have allowed this to persist through out the day, then I would have lost touch with the joy and peace and Love that the Holy Spirit pours on me...but Thank Goodness God's Mercy is boundless and his Love is overflowing and His Grace is infinite..God does not want us living a miserable dull drab life..He desires for us to rest in His Peace, to abide in His Love and to stand firm on His promises to His children..

Allow yourself to draw near to God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you...God has given this to us as a gift, and even when we falter or screw up or even when we have doubts..God is there to remind us of His Omniscience( All Knowing), Omnipotence (All powerful), omnipresence( limitless presence), Immutable (never changing), Infinitetudeness ( Boundless, measureless).

Let me end these thoughts with this paragraph from a book I am currently reading that is totally transforming the way I know and understand God Almighty..The book is called "The knowledge of the Holy" by AW Tozer.. This book is taking my perspective of how I perceive God and expanding and stretching it to the proper perspective and taking the God I once had in this "box" and busting Him out in all HIS GLORY and SPLENDOR..Whew!!! It takes my breath away just knowing this VAST God, this CREATOR chooses to love me

"Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite, while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other in the scale of created things, are nevertheless one in they are alike created. They both belong in the category of "that which-is-not-God" and are separated from God by infinitude itself."



Lord I admit my weakness and my lostness without you and I am so very grateful for the Saving work of Jesus Christ. May I draw near to you and rest in the mastery of your peace and abide in your LOVE, a love that knows no bounds. Will you hold me close and share with me, the glories and riches and blessings of your perfect will..and allow me to bask in that perfect knowledge..In Jesus name I pray





EB

Friday, June 12, 2009

Cake decor once more!!





I Love you as you are...not as you should be!!


Can we just get this out in the open and in the air...We ALL FALL SHORT!! as much as I understand that verse intellectually, I still try desperately to win God's approval...How do I? by going thru each day acting religious..I say acting..I mean by doing religious things..such as reading my bible, praying with my girls, taming my tongue, lending a hand to another in need..or even possibly writing this blog..although I have a burning passion to share my struggles and victories, my insights and curiosities with others...I do all this hoping that in the back of my mind, God will find favor in me for acting in such a way..Why do I do this? I believe the human carnal flesh is so strong and so against God's nature that it is completely normal for us to want some control..To give God entire control is antithetic to our own nature..so we devise ways to have a pseudo control..We mask it in items like this...Religious TO DO LIST's..or TASKS that make us feel better about ourselves. As I sit here and ponder the various trials that are currently going on in my very own life I often find myself desperately trying to find solutions to the trials all the while praying to God for guidance and wisdom.. HAVE I MISSED THE FOREST FOR THE TREES.. I believe I have. I believe I have allowed my ADAM nature to try and fix the broken aspects of my life all the while bringing God along for the journey..you know to keep Him abreast of my progress..Good Grief..( I think I have used "good grief" like in every single blog I have written lately..that tells me I am constantly enlightened by the word of God ..revealing to me my own ignorance and arrogance). In my heart if hearts I don't believe I have any control of my own life once a child of God's, however I continue to act like I do..I pretend that I need to be a godly Man in order for God to help out..That God would not love a ragamuffin like myself unless I was worthy enough to be Loved..What misguided doctrine is that!!! again good grief!!


Did not Christ come to save the sinner..not the righteous..? Christ came to set us free from ourselves..He Loves us as we are, and not as we should be! Amen Praise God..


Wow..My mind has exploded...an array of thoughts have flooded my mind as I try and work thru this message bottled up inside me..I find myself flailing about, looking for the right words to accurately depict the point I desire to make.. It seems this is a "hinge" point...meaning the Love of God is the top of a branch with hundreds of smaller branches falling underneath this concept. Many different lessons could be taught or thoughts pursued off this single idea of God's love...and because of all the varying directions we could take, my mind has become overwhelmed..I have literally sat here and stared at this screen for 20 minutes..stuck...looking for the words..the direction I originally set out to take..(I just want to say in this moment how awesome God is and how powerful His ways - that my simple mind can so easily be overwhelmed by the vastness he represents)


I had decided to take the girls to the bookstore yesterday after a very difficult morning of life circumstances..to be honest..an all out frontal assault by satan on my mind..Discouragement and Doubt had found a suitable place to anchor themselves in my mind. Satan has managed to gain a foothold on me and cast doubt on my Faith, my understanding of God and His willingness to take care of His people(ME)..Financial Strain (would be a light way of putting it), my role as a Man (Leader, Protector and Provider) had been exposed with all my inherent weaknesses. Hope was sailing away like a small boat on the ocean of life, barely visible in the far distance.. I felt myself succumbing to the wiles of Satan.. Nicki( my wife) sent me an email that placed an instant STOP on the slippery slope I was on..I had earlier sent her an email more or less laying out my morning and all the failures I felt as a man...and her subject line was titled " WE ARE BEING ATTACKED" and she directly confronted evil with God's Glory and evil was simply no match.. She quoted Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.


I read this and felt the power of the Spirit of God come over me and begin to replace the "feelings" that were rooted in my mind so deeply..Then her ever so encouraging words that followed were no doubt a gift from God Himself ( I hope she doesn't mind me posting parts of her email here..although they were not words from her but words given to her by God)


Her words reprinted exactly as they came to me - no editing at all

**We are not supposed to live defeated…we have HOPE!! Jesus Christ has come so that we can exchange our spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise! When we do this…we glorify God! What more could we ask…than to glorify him?!

I know that I may be beating a dead horse here. But I feel like you and I are being attacked and you know as well as I do that this life is a spiritual battle... put on the armor with me…and lets use the word of God to fight this off. Let’s hold up our shield (of Faith) and maybe knock out a prideful or self pity thought. Is my faith so small that I can’t even fight off comparing my possessions to that of other people?? I have not been using my shield…and I’m certainly not using my sword. So right now…I’m done with allowing evil to throw my mind around like a wave crashing on the shore…God’s grace is sufficient to withstand whatever Satan plans for us…my faith, my hope is in my Savior…and I’m not going to let worry or discontentment rule my mind…don’t you let him in yours either. **


Just reading this again brings about a triumphant smile..what power we have in Christ..if only we will allow Him to rule and reign in our heart unrivaled and unchallenged..So now we are at Books a Million and I walked up to the table that has all the Christian books, while my girls began to rummage thru the kids section...I began to look over the books and ponder each title looking for the perfect book for the state of mind I was in..I wanted to sit down and read something that would reinforce the ideas that Nicki had left me with...As I poured over the numerous titles..my eyes landed on "brennan manning : The furious longing of God". I had no idea what I had just done by choosing that book, but once again a direct result of God's grace and mercy on me in that moment..because that book was the "perfect" one for that day in that moment..Allow me to share a few bits of this tremendous read with you..I would recommend that any who read this post to please find a way to read this book..I will be straight up honest with you..I don't have the financial means to even buy this $16.99 book but I do have the gas and the time to drive down to Books a Million and sit and read it all the way through for FREE..I read 3/4 of it yesterday and will be going back today to finish it..I cant wait.. :)


Here is how the book starts


I'm Brennan. I am an alcoholic. How I got there, why I left there, why I went back, is the story of my life. But it is not the whole story


I'm Brennan. I am a Catholic. How I got there, why I left, why I went back, is also the story of my life. But it is not the whole story


I'm Brennan. I was a priest, but I am no longer a priest. I was a married man but am no longer a married man.


How I got to those places, why I left those places, is the story of my life too. But it is not the whole story.


I'm Brennan. I am a sinner, saved by grace. That is the larger and more important story. Only God, in His fury, knows the whole of it


This passage is the genesis of his life and the book


I AM MY BELOVED'S

AND HIS DESIRE IS FOR ME

Song of Solomon 7:10


Over the past thirty years, I have prayed that passage in soaring 747's, monasteries, caves, retreat centers and deserted places. I believe His desire for you and me can best be described as a "furious longing." If you don't get anything else out of this book, I hope you begin to pray that passage. When you take those words personally, I mean very personally, a number of beautiful things come to pass:

* The drumbeats of doom in your head will be replaced by a song in your heart

* You will not be dependent on the company of others to ease your loneliness, for He is Emmanuel - God with us

* The praise of others will not send your spirit soaring, nor will their criticism plunge you into the pit. Their rejection may make you sick, but it will not be a sickness unto death

* In a significant interior development, you will move from I should pray to I must pray

* You will live with an awareness that the Father not only loves you, but likes you

*You will stop comparing yourself with others. In the same way, you will not trumpet your own importance, boast about your victories in the vineyard, or feel superior to anyone

* You will read Zephaniah 3:17-18 and see God dancing for Joy because of You

* Off and On throughout the day, you will just know that you are being seen by Jesus with a gaze of infinite tenderness


I am a witness to these truths


The furious longing of God is beyond our wildest desires, our hope or hopelessness, our rectitude or wickedness, neither concerned by sweet talk nor gentle persuasion. The furious longing of God, as Dan Berrigan writes, is " not to be reduced to a thing, a grand ideal; it is not to be reduced to a plaything, a caged songbird, for the amusement of children." It cannot be tamed, boxed, captivated, housebroken, or templebroken. It is simply and startlingly Jesus, the effulgence of the Father's Love.

The seldom stated truth is that many of us have a longing for God and an aversion to God. Some of us seek Him and flee Him at the same time. We may scrupulously observe the Ten Commandments and rarely miss church on Sunday morning, but a love affair with Jesus is just not our cup of tea.



Ok..This is just the first page or 2 but as this book unravels it opens up the mind to explore Jesus..as a being that "furiously longs for us.". I was able to get a glimpse of "Abba Father" and to finally understand that God is Love and He loves us...the same yesterday, the same today and the same tomorrow..God's love is not segmented based on who you are today as opposed to yesterday..It is not based on whether or not you had your morning devotion or quiet time..God is love and He furiously longs to love us..to share with us the abiding love of the Father..God's love does not grow or lessen..His love for you is always "furious" and is certainly not based on your own doings..but simply because you are His child..That is all..


Lets stop worring about our worthiness or our favor with God and lets have a LOVE AFFAIR with our Lord and Savior..Let us reciprocate this Love back to God...and unleash the fury!!


I pray that the Holy God of Eternity will open your minds to this message and allow you to feel the love of Christ like never before..That you and I will seek to abide in His love and to not allow our carnal nature to block or impede the flow of His abundance..In His Name..Amen


EB

Monday, June 8, 2009

Oh But By MY GRACE...You Would !!!!!


The title to this blog should cause you great pause and reflection..Think about those words just for a few moments before embarking on the rest of this entry..


Let me set this up.. I wrote a blog, oh I don't know, some few weeks back and it was an attempt to ascertain "Grace"..what it is and what it means... You see intellectually I felt as if I could at least explain what Grace is, but internally I was still and still am struggling with the concept of Grace and how it plays out of the lives of God's children. Grace is probably one of the most misunderstood concepts to the common man and we (at least I have) use the term frequently without really understanding it's true meaning and function...


Ok..Now I understand that it is by God's Grace I am able to call Him Lord and Savior...and it is by God's Grace that my marriage has survived and become one of the most enjoyable aspects of my life...and it is by God's Grace that I have been give the opportunity to Father three Girls...so that was essentially my basic understanding of Grace...but check this out..


I was sitting in church this Sunday and we had our Student Pastor fill in for Jeff to preach the message..His name is Ryan Brice..anyway He taught on Romans 1:18-23 about God's Wrath on Unrighteousness...How God has already begun to unleash His wrath on the people..Some of us think that when we hear the word wrath, we think total destruction and annihilation...but that may be more of the human terminology instead of God's use of it..at least till the day Jesus comes and splits open the skies and bears a Sword riding on a white horse..to finally destroy evil and sin.. Popular belief of God's current wrath is Him turning us over to our debased minds and allowing us to do whatever we desire without His intervening.. Just read Romans Chapter 1 versus 24-32 and you will get the picture of God's Wrath being poured out...but let me digress back to my original point about Grace..It ties into the Wrath of God but there is a more profound lesson here for us to see...


Ryan gave an illustration of a pastor friend who he admired and respected a great deal..even having him over to his home to visit...This was a man who had preached the Gospel and proclaimed the Word of God like few others he had ever heard...A man many would look up to and admire for their ability to harness the Scriptures so handily and spill out such clarity to those who listened...and then the unthinkable..It was found out that he has been covering up a major part of his life for 2 decades...(Ryan not really mentioning what this was but it seemed based on his description to be something of sexual promiscuity).. This made Ryan very ANGRY..and so he said this anger led to Pride in that he was saying to himself..I have never done anything like that...How could he do this to his wife and kids..I would NEVER put myself in a position like that..I mean what was he thinking...and then he said the Spirit of God fell on him and said to him....


"Oh, But by MY GRACE, you would do the exact same thing".


Do you see this..Here is Grace played out in all its clarity for us to see..After hearing this, my mind became overwhelmed with thoughts of my prideful self..I had been pulled from the desolate pits in September of 2006 and I give God all the credit for saving me and my life and my family..however I have been giving myself all the credit for staying on the proper path...in living my life in accordance with God's will..I would say to myself..I don't put myself in places or situations any longer that would cause me to slip and falter..I don't fill my mind with worldly things any longer such as filthy music or TV programs..I don't chase all the wrong things anymore..Do you see the pattern here..I..I...I..I..I was giving God the credit for saving me and giving myself the credit for staying "clean" if I can use that word for lack of a better way to describe it..but that is exactly what got me in the problems I was in before he saved me..I was taking credit and control of my life and Good Grief..what a disaster that was..and in my "righteous" thinking now, I once again have allowed myself to feel like I have something to do with my own current well being..How could I let this happen..God spoke to my heart this Sunday and said DIRECTLY to me.... "Oh, but by My GRACE, you would be exactly where you were before I saved you..It is not you who keeps you safe, but ME...I am the reason you are living the way you are..I am the reason you are spending time with me..I am the reason you are even writing these blogs..I am the Reason that anything Good has happened to you at all ...and it is by my GRACE, my Child..that you are no longer being a servant of this world...


How could I be so arrogant as to believe I had anything to do with my ability to do anything that glorifies God and keeps me from the wretched grasp of evil itself..This is the epitome of how strong the sinful heart is and how evil we are as people...We are evil filthy rags without God's Grace and Mercy..and the second we deviate from this understanding is the perfect opportunity for satan and his legion of demons to attack us and deceive us into believing something so utterly false, that it just seems implausible..YET we do....


Lord, I am so thankful that you spoke into my heart and allowed me to see the TRUTH as it is proclaimed in your Word..I am so undeserving of your Grace yet you allow it to flow in me anyway..I am so Thankful that you are a HOLY GOD, with powers and abilities my mind can't comprehend and that you have chosen me to be a child of Yours. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting life
EB