So what I am about to share may offend some of you or cause some of you to even dislike me.  I have decided to lay it out here for the benefit of a few who might through their blindness figure out that it may not be too late.  I have noticed by being on facebook for a while that there are those who think it is no big deal to beat their wives!  What kind of man are you?  Those of you that put sports, alcohol, and sex above your wife.  Some of you have not felt the touch of your wife in years, but indulge in partying with a picture, or lusting after women your not man enough to keep, or hang on to. Money will not keep her, and flowers stink from a source whose mind is in the gutter.  What kind of man are you, you who would rather wait for his wife to become more like him, than realize she is a gift from God and it is he who needs to change. What kind of woman will stay with a man whose favorite pastime is self worship.  What kind of women can look at your Facebook account and with pride say, this is my husband!  Let me fill you in. It was a privilege for you for your wife to say "I Do".  And you the one dating your girlfriend, who made you God?  You're nothing!  How dare you degrade a woman with your disgusting actions at so called "socials".  Getting drunk and being a star at your own party!  Shame on you!  What gives you the right to sleep with her, when your not even married?

         Before you respond in your own selfish little world you live in, let me say a few more words.  It might not be too late. Not that you deserve a second chance, but get this straight!  Your wife,girlfriend or any thing else you call her, deserves your Love.  Stop living for yourself and start living for her!  She wants you, not your Castle you can build.  She wants someone who places her above any thing else. Give up your own selfish desires!  And if your fortunate enough to live another day, she might just stay!  And You, yes you who thinks your man enough to sleep with her and she's not even yours, if you want her then move out!  Maybe she will find some hint of a man from how he lives, not who he wants her to be.

    Before you go on crying about how bad I am, and what right I have to post this, listen to this!  The same right you have showing yourself as the real person you are and the women you beat.

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Who are You?

Therefore let us encourage one another daily (Hebrews 3:13). Struggling with our sinful nature can be overwhelming unless we understand where the true source comes from. How do we “live by the Spirit”, and not just according to our emotions? Many Christians mistake the work of the Holy Spirit as works of the Flesh (good works), coming from the soul. Others mistake conviction of sin as coming from the Holy Spirit and do not recognize the work of Satan in our lives (condemnation). It is important we understand that we are made up of three parts, Body Soul and Spirit. Our body contains the soul, and the Spirit. Our Body will eventually die. Our Soul contains our emotions, such as when we are happy or sad. Much of our pleasure and or feelings that we feel every day, come from the soul. It is from within the soul that we make decisions to either live by the flesh, or live by the Spirit. Living by the Flesh is a selfish way of life that looks to us for fulfillment in life. Out of the Flesh come all kinds of Sin. 1 John 2:16. This is our Sinful Nature. Alternately we can live by the Spirit, as in Galatians 5:16, so I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. As new creations we are meant to live from the core of our being, (our human spirit), where the Holy Spirit dwells. If we choose to set our minds on how God views us, as Righteous, then this will always bring the result of good works. We will be known as Christians by the fruits we produce (fruits of the spirit). If we allow our soul to choose the way of the Flesh, then we are acting like someone we are not. The Holy Spirit will convince us of our Righteousness, and show us who we really are. Discerning the difference between spirit and soul is important so we can better understand our standing with Christ. Our inner spirit remains Righteous in spite of our shortcomings. Remember that we are one with Christ and safely hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3) in this state it is possible to still “Grow” and remain Righteous in Christ. (2Cor 5:21, Hebrews 10:4) and we are seated in Heaven (Eph. 2:6) so whether are soul is reflecting the flesh or reflecting the spirit, we are right with God in Spirit.

What are you waiting for

Sadly most people live like the one who sees nothing. Many of us start our day wondering why we are doing what we are doing.  Where has our time gone.  I am almost 50!  What will happen to me as I age?  And then I see the bumper sticker that says, "Eternity.....Will that be Smoking or Non Smoking.  When we are challenged to this extent, there is a immediate response needed.  We will need to make a choice.  Will it be Door number 1,2,or 3.   We can choose Jesus and Faith,  we can ignore everything and leave it to fate, or we can join satan's demons and resist God.  Most people fall into the "we will just ignore and hope this goes away".  Please do not make this mistake.

Forgive

For most people forgiveness is something we do when the person who has offended no longer is in your company.  Why is it so easy to be angry at someone and so hard to forgive someone?  This morning I look at Jesus who gave us the perfect example of how to forgive.  Jesus was crucified and he had every reason to just think of himself.  I don't deserve this!  This is not my fault! I will get even!  I will forgive, but get out of my face!  You see when he suffered on the cross he could have, and with good reason kept to himself and deal with his misery.  Then as if his time was not worth anything, two others beside him start talking to and about him.  Who knows how much they said, but can't you just imagine them arguing about who Jesus was?  Here Jesus is suffering and these criminals suffering with him, debate about who Jesus is.  Every part of ME would scream out, "Leave me alone".  Why is it so hard  to forgive others who get dirt on our "clean floors".  If this is you and I know this is me, turn to Jesus.  For he not only asked God to "forgive them", the ones who nailed him to the cross, but also forgave the man who asked Jesus to remember him. He took the time from his suffering to look on another who deserved death and forgave him.  "Today you will be with me in paradise".  Brothers and Sisters let us always remember what Jesus did for us today!
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

"He Became Sin?"

I was once again singing this song in church and as always, it bothered me once again.  This verse has been taken out of context over and over again, and Satan is as always trying to undermine who Jesus really is. 1 Peter 2:22 says Jesus was sinless.  He committed no Sin.  John 5:18 says "Jesus was equal to God"  Is someone implying that Jesus became sin on the cross?  1 Peter 2:24 says he bore  our sins in his body as a sacrificial substitute for us.  This is a sacrificial system in the OT where the lamb was offered as a substitute to atone for our sins.  The lamb did not bear our sins itself (It was symbolic), but the shed blood of the lamb was offered as a sacrifice for atonement.  Hebrews 9:26 says "He hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."  The sacrifice needed to be a unblemished spotless innocent lamb. 1Peter 1:9 states "but with the precious blood of the lamb without blemish or defect."  1John 3:5 "He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.  How silly is this idea that Jesus became sin?  First of all in Hebrews 13:8 we read "he is the same yesterday today and Forever"  If we can agree that God is Sinless, and does not change.......how did he become sin?  So...How did he become Sin in 1 Corinthians 5:21?  Ephesians 2:13 "But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ.  The blood is the key ingredient, not our sins, or Jesus becoming sin. Isaiah  53:6 "the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of all" the Hebrew word for iniquity is "deed and consequences."  This verse is saying that Jesus paid the consequences for our sins as the blood sacrifice that was accepatable to God.  2 Corinthians 5:21, back to the verse.... The Greek Word here for Sin means "guilt"  Jesus was made guilty for us as our sacrifice and substitute.  Gal 3:13  "having become a curse for us"  Jesus Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."  The curse of the Law was its demands that no one could keep.  Jesus did what no man could do for themselves.  His work, not ours, removed the curse upon us because of our disobedience to the law.  He shed his blood as our substitute.  He was made to be guilty in our place.  He paid the price!  How foolish to think a Perfect sinless lamb of God, equal fully to God, a God who never changes, could have become Sin.
 

Your not the Man

From the scripture read in Numbers chapter 1. The script of life has already been written for me. I am not the main character in the story. Jesus is the main character. I do not need to rewrite the script of my life. One of the greatest lies of Satan tries to convince me that I need to write my script. What happens to me when I do this is a lot of times,someone else does the writing. Satan has a need to rewrite my script because God's script is the perfect story for my life. My story is always being hijacked by an enemy who wants to write a depressing ending to the story. All through the Bible we find that God lead his people through their story of life. Sometimes people strayed from their script for their life and needed correcting. Peter chopped off an ear, to change the outcome of Jesus' script. Jesus said "don't do that Peter", and put the ear back on. Changing the script of peter's story and following through on his script, stopped Satan from changing the outcome. I need to realize that Jesus knows who I really am, not who I think I am. I am free from the "work" of writing my story. It is up to me to start living my script, which is to glorify God! I do not get to choose my script. The story of my life isn't cheaply created. The story of my life is mastered by my creator who knows what is best for my life. I do not get to avoid trials and temptations, because they will come. I can prepare for what life throws at me, because I believe God has the perfect ending to my story. If I look to Christ, my Savior,and give up my desire to live and write my own script, he will straighten my path. I am not the director. I am just a reflector so his light can shine back on Him. His word will be a lamp to my feet. Stop being the director and be a Reflector!

New Year. New Beginning. New Hope.

Many people will spend the first few hours of new years, contemplating the past year, and coming up with some new year resolutions to make themselves feel better.  In fact this very act is contrary to what Paul taught us in Philippians 3:13,Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal.(NIV). I started thinking about what is so easy for us to take hold of.  We hang on to the past, not just by the memories we have, but also how the year went for us. I often find myself regretting things I did, or did not do.  I look at what could have been, or what should have been.  Base on our shortcomings we make a correction early in the new year and resolve that we will do better in the new year.  But what is the Apostle Paul saying when he says "Forgetting what is Behind"  I believe Jesus always looked ahead.  Our goal in 2012 should not be about changing what we did wrong in 2011, but what will I do for Him in 2012.  I will press on towards the goal, and prize. "My 2012 may very well be nothing 2011 had anything to do about"