Daily Surrendering Ourselves To God

Words have a power all their own (Photo credit: Lynne Hand)

People that know me well know that I talk way too much. As a Christian, the Spirit makes his way into some of my communication, but I'm not perfect. I'll stick my foot in my mouth faster than Billy the Kid could ever have pulled his pistol. And then I'll do it again. The Bible says "Whoever keeps his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble." Proverbs 21:23 I am going to ask God to help me with that.

Talking more often means we have less time for listening to God speak to us. Besides opening our mouths to pray, we must truly have time to listen to him. One way we listen to God is by reading his Word. I remember a song we used to sing as kids that comes from Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." His Word and his presence in our hearts is our sanctuary and fellowship with him.

We also need to take time to listen to others. Listening is not just hearing but understanding and engaging in what someone is saying. Several sermons ago, my pastor told a story about his son telling him to listen with his eyes. The head coach for the baseball team I help with always says that to the team as well. There are many reasons to listen and many verses to back those reasons up.

Our listening must not only compete with our words but also our thoughts and our surroundings. And this world isn't going to start moving any slower. As we fail to listen to God and others, we fail to truly live; instead, we exist in our own arrogance and foolishness. We tend to think that we are in control of our own lives, which is one of the many snares of selfishness. One of Satan's best deceptions is making us think that we have everything under control. In doing that, he succeeds in making sure we forget to give control over to God.

When we give our hearts to Jesus, we're supposed to be surrendering our lives and complete control over to him. Of course, what happens is we establish a relationship with Jesus Christ in which we daily make the decision to let him have control over things. It is here where my life verse steps into the picture. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

What we do with our lives is our biggest witness for Christ, and it is important that God be at the helm. We must listen to him, and we must give him control over everything. These two things aren't always easy to do, but we can ask God to help us do them. We often do this when things go wrong. "We felt we were doomed to die and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us." 2 Corinthians 1:9

We need to seek God first, listen, and surrender control to him ALL of the time. There are no limits to what God can do in our lives if we put our faith and trust in him. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Proverbs 2:1-5 says "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

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Spiritual Identity Theft

Identity Theft (Photo credit: Don Hankins)

~This post was written by my sister~ Sarah Letterman

In today's society, we are all too aware of the crime known as Identity Theft. Whether shopping online, using a credit card to pay for a meal at a restaurant, or even receiving a financial statement in the mail, we find ourselves vulnerable to crooks looking for access to our personal information. Once they have it in their grasp, these crooks, under the guise of you, open up bank accounts, apply for credit cards, and make purchases, leaving you holding the bag so to speak. The effects of this are devastating, and it can take several years for you to clear your name, remove the unmerited debt, and restore your credit.

As Christians, we must be aware of Spiritual Identity Theft. A quick comparison reveals that they are similar in nature to one another. Satan, our adversary, enjoys gathering personal information about us. He uses our weaknesses, past failures, current circumstances, and future goals. Not to convince others that he is us, (as secular crooks attempt to do) but rather to convince us that we are not who Christ Jesus says we are: Redeemed, a new creation, children of the promise, more than conquerors, beloved.... His ultimate aim is to separate our identity from that of one who is in Christ. Once our identity is successfully "stolen," we become filled with doubt and confusion, questioning who we are. The end result is spiritual blindness to the joy and peace that comes with knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior, and we are left vulnerable and broken, susceptible to further deceptions.

I must confess that I have fallen victim to this ploy on more than one occasion. In fact, many times in my walk with Christ, he has had to gently remind me of who I am in him. The scriptures, God's written word, are full of promises and pronouncements proclaiming his love for us and our identity in him.

Psalm 100:3 "Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture."

Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

I enjoy the above verses because they remind me that god made me for his pleasure to be my caretaker and my abundant and infinite resource as he leads me home.

Song of Solomon 2:4 "He brought me to his banqueting house and his banner over me was love."

John 15:16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you."

These two verses remind me of my identity as Christ's beloved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."

This verse always reminds me that my past failures, blunders, loyalties, and even successes are not where I find my worth, but rather in being born again by Christ's precious blood.

These are some of the scriptures that Christ has shown me during my walk with him to bring to remembrance my identity in him, and give me assurance of my place by his side. I encourage you, brothers and sisters in Christ, as I admonish myself, to remember who you are, and rejoice daily in the security of your identity in Jesus Christ our Lord. May Jesus bless you.

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There Is Plenty Of Money To Go Around

Money (Photo credit: 401(K) 2012)

I watched the movie "In Time" a few days ago, and it sets up a society in which time is used as the currency instead of regular money. People that hoard time become immortal, and then there are millions of people constantly on the verge of running out of time. They use time to pay for everything, and the rich just keep driving up the cost of living so that people run out of time and die. After all, time is money right? One of the characters in the movie has lived for thousands of years, and he decides to give his time away, realizing that he needs to die. "But the day comes when you've had enough. Your mind can be spent, even if your body isn't."

It's a shame the parallel you can draw between this movie and society in the real world. We treat money the same way, hoarding it, while millions of people die from lack of water and food, and from simple diseases that could be avoided. And before we start staring down the billionaires and the superstars, we have to take a good look at ourselves. We live in a society in which the price of a coffee can equal the days wage of a person in some other countries. It's on all of our heads. I'm willing to say it. Our politicians will never fix any of these issues. We either elect a Democrat who ushers in more government assistance and control, or we elect a Republican who promotes free enterprise. Neither of these parties addresses the real issues we have, and they never will.

The truth is, there is plenty of money to go around, and that chokes me up as I write this. No one has to die. How will we stand collectively in front of God justifying the many systems we've created? Paul writes: "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction." 1 Timothy 6:9 We have all been blinded, forced into the belief that the system we have is as equal and as fair as can be attained. If we do feel as though we have "enough money," then we find ourselves without enough time. It is a shame we follow instead of lead. With Jesus in control of enough lives, we could make the necessary changes. If our country really was "under God," then we would be moving in the right direction.

It is only Jesus inside of each one of us that can help us collectively make the changes that need to be made. Proverbs 22:16 says "He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty." Can we come together and stop this cyclical nonsense of greed and destruction? Most people approach issues like this with the idea that they can't make a difference, or that the world is just lost; Jesus returning is its only saving grace. I have news for those people. The eternal life that Jesus gave us starts now! Love has won. Victory arose in the Son! This means we have an accountability to do everything we can to (once again I'm quoting my pastor) "make up there come down here."

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Christ's Resurrection: Let The Redeemed Of The Lord Say So

Psalm 9:10 (Photo credit: [Share the Word])

I enjoyed many great Easter egg hunts as a child. There was one in particular that is forever etched in my memory because of a certain incident that really made an impression on me at the time. I was out at my great uncle's church in rural Kentucky, and my sister and I were getting ready to hunt for eggs. Several minutes after we began the hunt, my sister found this enormous golden egg, and I remember hoping that there was another one just like it. After the hunt, we all came together, and my sister opened up her golden egg. Inside was a five dollar bill. I'm not saying I didn't have any good thoughts, but one of the main reasons why I remember that day so vividly is because she found the golden egg and I didn't.

That incident doesn't stand alone, as I distinctly remember my sister catching the biggest bass in family history with a cane pole right next to the bank of the pond. From what I've told you so far, you would think my sister was the lucky one between the two of us. Truth is, I was the golden child, and everyone always paid attention to me. How selfish I was then, and how selfish I still am now. I would like to say that I put others before myself, but that is only with God's help. We need him to do everything! "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 It's like that old hymn "Without him I can do nothing, without him I'd surely fail, without him I would be drifting, like a ship without a sail."

Easter is a time when we remember his sacrifice on the cross after the Passover, and we claim his gift of eternity in the power of his name. It is a time in which we celebrate and witness to the power of Christ's resurrection and the life in him that it brings. It is human nature to be selfish, but he wants us to live for him instead of ourselves. "And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." 2 Corinthians 5:15 Living for Jesus helps us as Christians to lose our selfishness, sacrifice the pleasures of the flesh, and love our neighbor. As we remember Christ's resurrection today, let us focus on everything it means. His resurrection brings us life and the promise and certainty that we too will be resurrected one day. The dead in Christ shall rise, so let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

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True Life Is In The Blood Of Jesus

There have been times in my life when I've denied Christ. I asked Jesus into my heart when I was seven years old, but that didn't stop me from occasional self-destruction. Aren't we all guilty of denying Christ from time to time? I mean, I always hear people talk about whether or not they took the opportunity to witness. If we don't, isn't that denying Christ in a way? I have to say that in certain situations, I have not only failed to mention that there is life in the blood, but I have quickly agreed with words spoken against God just so I didn't have to stand up strong and witness for him. Isn't that how Peter felt when he denied Christ three times at the crucifixion?

There's an old Baptist hymn that I remember singing all the time called "Power in the Blood." Power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the lamb. Today is Good Friday, so I am sitting here thinking about the power in the blood. You know, my mother always says it a different way, and it is something that has stuck with me for years now. She says that there is "life in the blood," and I recently heard a sermon about that as well. The only true life available to us is in the blood, as everything else is but dust and ashes.

Many of us claim, including myself, that we would die for certain people. Regardless of whether we would be able to pull that off, Jesus died for everyone. There has never been a greater sacrifice, and there never will be one. On top of that, our dying for someone can't cover the person's sins because we are not without sin ourselves. In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were made, and the blood of the clean animal was shed to atone for people's sins. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11 It is life that is in the blood substituted for the life of the sinner who deserves to die.

In order to permanently cover everyone's sins, Jesus took it upon himself to give his life so that the world might be saved. I'll be honest, I get angry when a Jehovah's Witness knocks on my door. I should take the opportunity to witness, but I just think about Satan's deceptive ways. This group of people can seem like they align with everything a Christian believes, until in different ways, they subtly drop the bombshell on you that Jesus isn't the Savior. That is just like Satan, blending in with the crowd, and then ever so gently trying to rip the life right out of your hands. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

I know that Satan is very deceptive, so I can understand and have been myself drawn away from the Lord by him. One of his favorite techniques is to distract us, blinding us to what is really going on. If he can distract us with impulsive pleasures, then he has won. Think about what that means. We are but useless droids without Jesus. We are inferior fools, running around indulging in instant gratification, failing to see the treasure that is before us. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Doesn't that make you want to tell Satan to shove it? We are not capable of fighting Satan alone. Try it! You will lose. There is life in the blood of Jesus, and it is through him that we "make up there come down here" as my pastor always says.

This is a weekend in which we celebrate both the sacrifice that Jesus made and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Christ can provide so many resurrections in the lives of those who are hurting. He paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, and he is here today to show us a life that is truly worth living. "The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:10-11

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My First Confession: I Am Guilty Of Everything

First of all, I think I have committed every sin known to God counting both actions and desires of the heart. Haven't you? Secondly, I'm bisexual, and self-righteous people don't get along with me. If you haven't hit back on your browser, you should keep reading. I grew up a Southern Baptist in a small town in Kentucky. I'll have to admit that more than once, I came home from a sermon convinced I was no longer saved from eternal damnation. As a child, this played with my head, yet I have to say it also kept me close to Jesus as well. I proclaimed at 7 years old that I was going to become a preacher when I grew up, even giving the occasional sermon.

As time progressed and I got older, I was a rather rebellious person. I mean who can say they've dropped a triple stack of Ecstasy, smoked a blunt laced with cocaine, and finished off almost a whole fifth of Jim Beam in one night? Or how about the time I took some bad acid and thought I was dead and walking by clouds. While most everyone has seen their party days, I definitely had my share, and I was usually the one throwing them. I'll never forget the summer of 1999, and I'm sure I'll never remember most of it either. As the years went by, God kept ahold of this prodigal son, but I was sure I was testing his limits. His love, without conditions, is what keeps all of us within his reach and safe from harm.

I had my experiences with both Pentecostal and non-denominational church settings, and as a mature adult, I went with the latter. This decision, along with my maturing faith, gave me the stance that love is above all. We are nothing without Christ, and all of us are equally imperfect and guilty of sins that cannot stand in the presence of Jesus. While this is my faith, and I know that everyone needs a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I don't find shoving it down their throats to be at all effective. I have always repeated that actions speak louder than words, and people can just as easily be a living witness as they can be a direct witness. Pushing forward, my priority is to love other people, make sacrifices, and to focus more on obedience.

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