You may think this is going to be my most negative post. Give me a chance to redeem myself. I discovered a long time ago that the root cause of depression was reality. It took me almost a decade to actually step out in faith and live in the supernatural realm where all things are possible as God wills. Also I learned to quit doubting God because when you do you become unstable in all you do (see James 1:5). You’re either for Him or working against Him, and you can’t work with Him if you are doubting Him. Can I get a big DUH???? The Assembly of God stance on modern medicine is that you go to God before you go to your doctor. So why do christians run to the doctor when they get sick, then not realize that doctors give you medications for every symptom rather than find one that can treat multiple symtoms from a holistic perspective. Then they tell you there is no cure, it can only be controlled with medicines. Anyway, getting off on a tangent. I partly got “delivered” because I learned not to let my emotions control me. The sad thing is I learned what a pastor taught me years ago-when you feel depressed, just shut up!!!! 
I say that in a nice way. From now on, I’m acting like everything is hunky dory like everybody else and any depression I feel will between me and God because Americans are too happy about running to a doctor and get on medicine. We literally have a pill for everything. The funny thing is, the Greek word for witchcraft is “pharmakeia (special thinks to Verneda LIghts for that email bible study that opened my eyes). Anything the world uses to control people and keep them dependent on anything but God. Tobacco, Alcohol, and even caffeine fall into this category. Makes me wonder what the wine was Jesus turned water into. I doubt He would turn it into something people get intoxicated on. I’m sure it was more than grape juice because God doesn’t mince words. Moving on, it’s funny how when you go to an Anonymous group like AA or NA, the first thing you see is a coffee pot. Anyway, why do we humans tend to dwell in the negative? Does depression cause negative thoughts like the world tell you, or does reality which is negative by nature cause depression you become so overwhelmed by your problems that you lose sight of God? Today, one of my clients in my Content writing service thru Elance canceled the job. But thankfully he paid me my money. Amazing how a cliient or a boss can be impressed with you till you say one wrong thing the wrong way, then they turn on you. Anyway, at least he paid me, and another potential client passed me up because they actually told me I underbid and was selling myself short. So why does the human mind tend to gravitate toward the negative? It doesn’t help the news is negative. Thought for the day-ever notice the psychotropic drug commercials that come on during the news? In closing, I’ve been told I have the gift of encouragement. Would I have that gift if I was driven to overcome? That strength doesn’t come from within myself. If it did, I would have succeeded in killing myself years ago. Wjhy didn’t I? Because I knew if it wasn’t my time God would intervene. I just made the mistake of telling people how I felt when I knew the depression would go away on its own. So much for being transparent and bearing your burdens. Us overly emotional artistic types tend to overdo it. Plus when you are an overcomer you learn most of the world isn’t because people get so used to struggling they don’t realize that God actually has something better for them or they’re afraid of change. Ok, my estrogen and womanly mood swings have calmed down now. Sorry for the bitchfest 2012. My testosterone is increasing and I’m going to go find a punching back or throw rocks into a pool.
Monthly Archives: July 2012
No Fear, God’s Gear
Reading “Fearless”, by Max Lucado. Reminded that there are only two predominant emotions in life-Fear & Love. So it stands to reason that the only reason most people have a hard time falling in love with God and trusting Him is because they’re afraid of Him. 1 John 4:18 says “perfect love casts out fear.” He has given us a Spirit of love, discipline, and a sound mind. Although an overemphasis on hell is one way to keep people from trusting in God. If you come to Him out of fear, then you are only seeking fire insurance and not an authentic relationship with God. Corporate America is known for its fear tactics to boost productivity. Sadly, many churches use fear tactics to control people to get them to live right so they won’t embarass the church. The Great Commission is to teach the Word of God. If you do this, then God will do the baptizing in the Holy Spirit, and those that hunger & thirst after God will live right supernaturally. Stress & Anxiety is the underlying issue of nearly all illnesses-at least the ones one isn’t born with. The underlying issue of mental illness is anxiety which is fear based. A man I met on the streerts proclaimed he was set free from Bipolar Disorder by the grace of God and all you have to do is face your fears. Mine is social anxiety. Do you think avoiding people is going to make that go away? If I do that, I will be on meds the rest of my life. The last few nonths I am actually becoming more confident around people and in the process of hoping the devotional ministry overflows into a Web Content Writing business thru Elance, Inc. with the goal of being a Syndicated Columnist someday. Anxiety can impact your body physically if not mentally. It can cause a hormone inbalance. (I can’t reveal how I learned that ). . .Let’s just say since I’m becoming more confident around the opposite sex and I’m hoping to remarry-preferably to the woman that left the marriage almost a year ago right after I started this ministry. Also if it wasn’t for my faith in God I’d be a womanizer (or experiment with other forms of sexual temporary highs). In other words, anxiety can cause a hormonal imbalance and can cause dysfunction in your sex life which could be why a lot of marriages break up if one spouse isnt’ understanding. Ok, perverts, I’m not confessing anything here. Just remember the words of Isaiah. . .”No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
Song of Solomon
I really had to pray over this one. Maybe I’m just getting more liberal. The subtitle would be “Let’s get sexual.” Wondering why believers are so embarassed about sex. God invented it. Many don’t marry because the thought of “doing it” makes them feel dirty. Granted, sexual sins are the most damaging and most cases of childhood trauma is sexual. On another hand, many people don’t get married but choose to live together. Proof they don’t know God because if they are “doing it”, then in God’s eyes they are married whether they have it on paper or not. Marriage in the Hebrew means “sexual cohabitation.” I wonder if the Patriarchs had a license. The reason adultery is the only thing that ends a marriage is because of the power of sex. When you sleep with someone, you marry them. When you cheat on them, you take another wife. In fact, if this country honored God’s laws, they would make it so you had to marry each person you had sex with and disregard bigemy laws. That would cut down on teen pregnancy. When Jesus taught that whoever divorces and remarries being adultery, He was referring to the heart. If you intentionally break your marriage vows to be with someone else, you are an adulterer at heart and in need of repentance. Also, sex is more than just intercourse. It is the entire bonding with another person (preferably of the opposite sex the way God intended). Which is why some can live their entire life in consecrated celibacy. Because they have such a close relationship with God they don’t have a desire to marry.
Secret Agent Man (of God?)
There’s a man who leads a life of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
With every move he makes another chance he takes
Odds are he won’t live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name
Beware of pretty faces that you find
A pretty face can hide an evil mind
Ah, be careful what you say
Or you’ll give yourself away
Odds are you won’t live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name
Swingin’ on the Riviera one day
And then layin’ in the Bombay alley next day
Oh no, you let the wrong word slip
While kissing persuasive lips
The odds are you won’t live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your nameSounds almost like the life of a true follower of God/Jesus. A man that lives a life of danger (of spiritual attack anyway). He may not live to see tomorrow in the event Jesus comes back or he gets martyred. Sometimes it seems almost everyone is a stranger since you don’t really know anybody intimately. People can deceive you. Even if they have a pretty face. As the old saying goes-”hot on the outside and cold on the out.” The danger of being unequally yoked in relationships. As the artist says, “a pretty face can hide an evil mind.” Jesus Himself would say the heart. You could end up swinging on the Riveria one day-if you go on a mission trip. Never know where God will send you or what door will open up. As far as being numbered-the only thing numbered is the hairs on your head, and your days but death is just a separation between lives. As far as being careful with what you say (and the whole idea of being a Secret Agent Believer), Jesus had some words to say about that. . .:) “if you deny me, I will deny you before my Father in heaven.” So if there’s any Secret Agent Men of God (or Women), maybe it’s time to be exposed.
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
With every move he makes another chance he takes
Odds are he won’t live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name
Beware of pretty faces that you find
A pretty face can hide an evil mind
Ah, be careful what you say
Or you’ll give yourself away
Odds are you won’t live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name
Swingin’ on the Riviera one day
And then layin’ in the Bombay alley next day
Oh no, you let the wrong word slip
While kissing persuasive lips
The odds are you won’t live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your nameSounds almost like the life of a true follower of God/Jesus. A man that lives a life of danger (of spiritual attack anyway). He may not live to see tomorrow in the event Jesus comes back or he gets martyred. Sometimes it seems almost everyone is a stranger since you don’t really know anybody intimately. People can deceive you. Even if they have a pretty face. As the old saying goes-”hot on the outside and cold on the out.” The danger of being unequally yoked in relationships. As the artist says, “a pretty face can hide an evil mind.” Jesus Himself would say the heart. You could end up swinging on the Riveria one day-if you go on a mission trip. Never know where God will send you or what door will open up. As far as being numbered-the only thing numbered is the hairs on your head, and your days but death is just a separation between lives. As far as being careful with what you say (and the whole idea of being a Secret Agent Believer), Jesus had some words to say about that. . .:) “if you deny me, I will deny you before my Father in heaven.” So if there’s any Secret Agent Men of God (or Women), maybe it’s time to be exposed.
Johnny Rivers/Secret Agent Man (1966)
From Law to Grace and back to the Law
Not what it sounds like since in one sense we are not under the Law of God. However, Paul said we pursue the Law by faith. In other words we don’t do it to exalt ourselves by establishing our own righteousness. In the words of St. Augustine in a Philosophy book I’ve been reading by Father Frederick Copleston-”the Law was given that Grace might be sought; Grace was given so that the Law might be fulfilled.” The Law is a schoolmaster to show us our spiritual bankruptcy apart from the Living God and point us to the need for His sacrifice. Jesus taught that He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it and that if we love Him we should obey His commandments. At that time the New Testament wasn’t written yet so His commandments were in the Old Testament. A quote from “a History of Philosophy: V. 2″-’when man tries to live justly in his own strength without the liberating Grace of God, he is conquered by his own sins.’. (p. 83). Some legalists preach Grace but then try to follow the Law and condemn themselves when they mess up (which they inevitably will). God is a God of second chances and when you sincerely repent, it’s as if it never happened. However we should observe the Law out of devotion to God since sin is transgresing the Law and we don’t want to make Grace a license to do what we want. Several verses in Psalms and Joshua 1:8 talk about meditating on the Book of the Law so as to be successful in all we do. To sum up: following the Law will not make you more spiritual; it’s all about a relationship where you learn to put God first in everything. Jesus teaches that to be a disciple is to love Him more than anything else and to carry your cross daily. If you obey His teaching you show yourself to be a true follower and not just a professing believer.
Free On The Inside
That title came from a Bible that’s being handed out in prison. Usually when we think of prison we think of a stone structure that houses people who have broken the law. From a spiritual perspective, there are many form of prison; also spiritually speaking, the only way to imprison yourself is to break the Law of God. Adultery/Fornication enslaves you to illicit sex and bad relationships (yes I said sex), problem with authority leads to disobeying parents, discontentment leads to coveting and lusting after what is not yours, fear of tellign the truth leads to one lie which leads to another lie then another. Any sin you become enslaved, or imprisoned to, becomes an idol which breaks the first two commandments. The first apostles preached that if you broke one law you break all of them. It’s a downward spiral that pulls you further from God. Worshipping God in Spirit and in truth is the only thing that sets you free. All worship is is acknowledging the One True & living God who revealed Himself thru His Son, the Promised Messiah. God told Cain if he did what was right in God’s eyes sin wouldn’t enslaved him. When you take a Holistic approach to it, the only real sin is not trusting God. “Holi” is th first four letters in holistic and holiness. Society teaches you “once and addict, always an addict.” Jesus taught that He was “the truth and the truth will set you free on the inside.” (E’s Paraphrase).
Shabat Shalom in Yeshua’s name.
Happy Anniversary
One year of Blogging this month. Special thinks to all my followers for keeping me encouraged. This week also marks 11 years (July 16, 2001) since I lost my maternal Grandmother who first taught me about Jesus shortly after my Grandfather died in 1990. I don’t think it was just a coincidence the Bible Study the day after she died was 1 Cor. 13 which the reverend said was her favorite passage at the funeral. Also, I was baptized at Canyon Lake, New Braunfels in South Texas on July 28, 2001 by my care group leader at the time in a church I was going to. His name was Stephen Blue. He’s still one of my spiritual leaders (though being 7 1/2 months younger)depsite some of our different views on Theology. Not sure if he reads these or not but I’m sure I’ll find out. Goals for the next year: 1) To publish Evotionals-Year 1 into an ebook. 2) To find more clients for my Content Writing business through Elance.com 3) to find a good paying part-time job until I make enough writing 4) to finish my Undergraduate degree in what I started out majoring in back in 1997-Communications. 5) not to let my writing business get in the way of the devotional ministry which inspired it. God Bless (Baruch Hashem) to all those that read this and let’s move into Year 2.
To Test or not to Test
Another one of the Bible “contradictions”. In Malachi God says to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse and He will throu open the floodgates of heaven. Jesus says when Satan’s tempting Him not to put the Lord your God to the test. This could be the difference between God making allowances to sin (which is Grace) and making Grace a license to sin. As always, in Jesus’s teaching, He always dealt with matters of the heart. Intentionally making Grace a license to sin shows and unregenerate heart before God. One sinner asked “what do I do if i sin?”. Answer: get back up and ask forgiveness. Another one asks: “what do if I keep habitually sinning?” Answer: Get right with God. This is the problem with “Once Saved Always Saved”. See 1 John. God making allowances when you sin means He doesn’t hold your past against you when you are sincerely repentant. God is a God of second chances. If you are seeking a third chance and so on it means you keep making the same mistake multiple times and are not learning anything. Like my weakness for new cars which got me into debt and nearly bankrupt at least twice. The right way to test God is to claim His promise and step out in faith. Make sure the Spirit is leading or you will likely fall on your face. The wrong way to test God is to do something that goes against His Word just to see what will happen. I.e.; hope for the best.
Future Blogs:
Spiritual Pride
The Whole Duty of Man
Fear Not
Party of a lifetime. An invitation to die for.
You’ve heard it all your life. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Nearly everybody “believes” in Jesus. But to believe in your heart (which refers to the mind, will, and the emotions) is more than just head knowledge. Many are called and few are chosen. With the many, the knowledge of salvation stops in their head. Or as one pastor put it-the difference between heaven and hell is 18 inches. The Gospel is more than just a Savior dying for your sins. It has to affect your emotions; but be careful not to get too caught up in your emotions or you could fall away at the first sign of tribulation. But feelings & emotions are still important. It has to affect your will to lead you to turn away from sins and turn over to God. Many church leaders tell you to invite Jesus into your heart. The Bible nowhere says you invite Jesus into your heart. I just read in Isaiah 55 (I could be off by a chapter or two) that salvation is God’s invitation to us through the once for all sin offering He provided. The marriage feast when the Lord comes back is like a party and everyone’s invited. However the deeper you get into your sins the less you hear the call of God on your life. Only those with the will to want to change but realize their need for God because they don’t have the power to do so on their own. We’re invited to partake in the life of God and to help build His church. Jesus said in John 15 “I know longer call you slaves but friends because a slave doesn’t know his master’s business.” When you hit bottom you open your heart to God and His Holy Spirit tugs at your heart. It’s up to you whether to receive His gift or not. If you resist you may never have another opportunity because of the destructive power of sin over the world till Jesus comes back and defeats Satan. You can’t just get right with God whenever you want but you have to trust in God and make a decision to pursue Him. Although the will to want to do right is in every person and is put their by God before they’re even born. The deeper you get into your sinful human nature, the more inhumane you become and act like more of an animal with no self-control because you’re not sensitive to divine conviction. Does this sound like the good life? Some people have actually put off receiving salvation because they wanted to enjoy their life. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that it’s good for a man to enjoy life. Judaism is one of the most festive religions. If I wasn’t allowed to have any fun in life, I’d rather just go to hell. But reality in and of itself is negative and most people are too serious so they think God is serious all the time. Proverbs says a merry heart is like medicine to the bones. Part of how I overcame mental illness is a sense of humor.
Future Blogs:
-The Whole Duty of Man
-Taking Jesus too literally
-Spiritual Pride
-Angels & Demons
Holistic Spirituality
Sounds like a New Age term. I can safely say that if I didn’t believe in Jesus Christ I’d be into the New Age. They are probably the most spiritual (somewhat) except that their spirituality is more self-centered and Jesus calls us to deny ourselves. Holistic actually means treating the whole person. The very idea of salvation is Holistic. The first four letters are the same as Holiness. The idea is to be made whole. “Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Jesus said. The idea of Holistic Spirituality is that instead of treating every individual symptom in our life, there is in fact only one underlying issue that causes most of our problems. It’s a way of simplifying our life. We humans are anything but simple and for some reason like doing things the hard way. Then we complain about how hard life is when we get frustrated; which explains why we are lazy and take the path of least resistance. In leading simple lives, it actually frees us up to get rid of anything in our life that is pulling us back and only pursue those things that enhance our life. So we end up accomplishing more by doing less so to speak. My old motto in the grocery business was “the less I have to do the more I get done.” “Work smarter not harder” was my supervisors. Also commonly called an Efficiency Expert. It’s probably also no coincidence that I had a spiritual revival 19 months ago when I started to get into Judaism and I’ve had more energy since. They can call it Bipolar all they want. Try medicating the Spiritual High with Antipsychotic “mood stabilizers”.
Future Blogs:
-The Great Commission: Our True Calling
-Spiritual Pride: Forgetting where we came from
-Beware of the Pharmakeia
-Taking Jesus Too Literally? Is It Possible?
