Facing Fears for God's Glory

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." ~Psalm 34:4

The above verse was my mantra for the majority of last week. I spent the week going through raft guide school, a period of time that I thought would be a stepping stone for a new summer job. There's truth to the fact that it was a stepping stone, but not in the sense that I expected, as you'll all soon come to realize.

The week started out well enough. I met the other raft guide candidates and we all received our cold weather gear that included a wetsuit, booties, and a splash top. March isn't exactly the ideal time of year to go rafting, especially when the water is 47 degrees Fahrenheit, but I figured after a week of volunteering in 16 degree weather in Tennessee, I'd be alright. The first day we were taught paddle strokes and then the instructors took us down the channel of Class II and III rapids. It was a little unnerving at first, but I survived and slowly became more comfortable. By day two, I was doing a decent job of guiding and catching mandatory eddies, minus the fact that I decided to briefly abandon ship when I got bounced out of the raft during a Class III rapid. What I wasn't ready for, though, was our last task of the day: swimming underneath the raft. I totally understand why it is required because we need to be put in every possible situation that someone might experience while whitewater rafting. But for someone who has a fear of getting trapped beneath an object underwater, to the point where I have a hammer in my glove compartment on the off chance my car goes off a bridge into a body of water, this was a terrifying endeavor. I attempted to do the length of the raft, but after about two seconds of being underwater, I freaked out and shot out the side. I did my best to regain my composure and the instructors and I decided on me doing the width of the raft, which I completed, but my mental state was in shambles. I held it together until I reached my car, which is where I crumbled into uncontrollable sobs for my 45 minute drive home. I knew I was okay, but I was allowing Satan to infiltrate my brain and play tricks on me. I knew the next day involved swimming the Class III rapids, and I was petrified and convinced that I wouldn't be able to do it. 

When I got home, I attempted to calm down enough to call home. I was calm for a matter of five seconds before the panic attack returned. Thankfully my mom was able to get me to talk about what I had accomplished that day, which helped alleviate my panic, until I had to discuss what had caused it. I was able to calm down again, but I was at a real low point, actually asking if I was a horrible Christian for getting so anxious and fearful for my life and the thought of death, even though I was aware that the likelihood of me dying at guide school was minimal. I was reassured and told that I wasn't a bad Christian, but that I really needed to pray, and pray a lot. It had become very apparent that I wasn't going to be able to complete guide school in my own strength. 

That night I had a very fitful night of sleep. I was dreading guide school because of the swim portion, and to make it even more fun, it was about 50 degrees and cloudy. Did I mention that the water was 47 degrees? I arrived and was thankful that we just spent time talking inside for two hours, but then it was time to venture outside. I was shaking partly because of the cold and partly because of the idea of having to swim through the rapids. I was doing my best to pray for God's strength and for him to wrap me up in a little bubble and take away my fears and anxiety. The first portion of the swim wasn't too bad, but then I got caught in an eddy, which really exhausted me when I tried to swim out of it. Combining the fact that I was tired with the fact that I still had to swim the largest Class III on the channel made me start doubting myself, which I voiced to one of the instructors. He remained patient with me and promised to float a few feet behind me to make me more comfortable, so I waded into the frigid water, said a little prayer, and began floating toward the waves downstream. As I descended, I held my breath and prepared for my body to get held underwater momentarily. Thankfully I popped up within five seconds and was able to swim to shore feeling like I accomplished something. I was thankful that God got me through that, but the anxiety soon returned knowing full well that swimming a Class IV rapid was on the docket.

As I sat and ate my lunch, another guide began discussing the Class IV rapid that was awaiting us. He mentioned how you really didn't want to go left or else you'd experience what is known as the "spin cycle," which pretty much meant you'd get tumbled underwater a couple times before resurfacing. This put my mind in overdrive and I attempted to pray, but the fear and anxiety lingered in the recesses of my brain. I began to shiver again partially from cold and partially from the thought of the swim. I tried to warm up in a hot shower, but by the time we were to go outside, I had reached my breaking point and told one of my instructors that the water was making me anxious, which of course lead to some tears on my part. Another one of my least favorite things: crying in front of people. He was kind and asked me what about it made me anxious and I explained the unpredictability of the currents. Instead of forcing me to go back on the water, he suggested I go talk to the raft guide scheduler in order to decompress. She was very kind and allowed me to express my concerns and she voiced how she was also scared to swim under the raft. She also said that the instructors weren't there to make me miserable and that if there was anything that made me feel uncomfortable, I didn't have to do it. That seemed to alleviate some of the stress I was feeling. She also encouraged me to not give up so fast and to at least finish out the week, even if that meant just riding along as a passenger in the raft and not actually guiding considering I fell out pretty much once a day as a guide for some reason. I was able to motivate myself into going back out and rafting the rest of the day, thankful that we weren't swimming the Class IV that day like I suspected. I made it through the rest of Wednesday and was less anxious than the day before, but still not at all myself. I had a discussion with Chrissy when I got home, and we both determined that this wasn't the job for me with all of the tension that was clearly wafting off of me. I desired nothing more than to just be done with guide school, but still knew that I couldn't just throw in the towel. I needed to see this through no matter how anxious I was.

Thursday morning rolled around and I started my day by writing Psalm 34:4 on the back of my left hand. To go with it, I also wrote on there 1 John 4:18 in order to remind me of these words: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." That last sentence stings a bit to consider, but in essence, it's true of my life. I don't fully understand the love of God and I think I fall short in truly embracing it at times and trusting God to protect me every step of the way. It's certainly a shortcoming and an area in my faith that I need to improve through studying my Bible, but I digress. 

On my way to school, I opted to listen to Tenth Avenue North, particularly the song, "Closer." Within this song is the line, "Come on, let me know You're near, and push away my fear," which ended up serving as my mantra for the day. Again, we began our day discussing things in the classroom before gearing up and scouting the Class III and IV channel on our way to the swim location. I prayed on and off on our scouting trip, partly thinking that the channel wasn't so bad, until I saw where we needed to swim. Then my anxiety revved right up again. My uneasiness was well known to the other participants and other instructors, along with the rafting manager, who tried to give me some encouragement letting me know that my guiding skills were good and that the I was capable of doing the swim. I nodded and decided that I would attempt it despite my mind trying to convince me otherwise. Honestly, the night before I'd practiced holding my breath as long as possible as a way of preparing for a worst case scenario. Soon we all lined up to take our turns at the swim, waiting for the "go" signal from the manager on shore. When it was my turn, I again said a prayer and jumped into the current. I attempted to steer myself towards the right of the pillow of the rapid and held my breath and closed my eyes as I went under. About seven seconds later, I resurfaced and heard my instructor yelling for me to swim to him in the eddy to the river left. I managed to get over there and swirled up to the side and climbed the ladder onto the shore. I was very thankful to be okay and happy about what God helped me accomplish, but that nugget of anxiety implanted itself yet again since I knew full well that I then had to raft the same channel multiple times with others guiding and soon myself guiding. I continued to think about how perfect love casts out fear and that got me to lunch time. With the temperature dropping and it downpouring and windy, we stayed inside for quite awhile. I secretly hoped the storm wouldn't calm down, but alas, it did, and it was on to attempting to surf the Class III rapids. I found myself volunteering to go first, mostly just to get it out of the way. I did a decent job until the current ripped the side of the boat into the rapid and I feared we were going to flip as I got tossed to the left. I tried to lean right, but my paddle came out of the water, causing the right side of the boat to then tip towards the trough of the rapid, and into the water I fell, upstream of the raft. Thankfully I didn't have enough time to fully comprehend what happened and what was about to happen and was able to instinctively hold my breath because I soon found myself pushed underneath my raft. With the training I had earlier in the week, though, I knew what I needed to do in order to get back to the surface and swam frantically to shore, where I climbed onto a rock totally winded, hands on knees trying to catch my breath again. I distinctly remember thinking to myself that this wasn't fun and so not for me, but knowing that it was not because of the instruction, but was all totally mental on my part. Since it was so cold, I opted to only do one more run and then call it a day in order to avoid hypothermia. I was thankful that God got me through yet another day, but was still wishing I was completely done.

Friday rolled around, a day where it was 29 degrees out and windy. We remained inside until 11am, but I already knew in my head that it wasn't worth risking hypothermia for a job I knew I wouldn't take in the end. I prayed about it and knew that I had accomplished all that was necessary for the week. Regardless, I suited up in my wetsuit and multiple fleece layers, but still found myself shivering. God was watching over me, though, because upon mentioning that I was cold to an instructor, he went and chatted with the other instructor and they both decided to have me observe runs from shore to keep me dry until at least lunch time. I was perfectly content with that idea and could feel my anxiety leaving me, knowing that I could wait to face the Class IV rapids a little longer. After lunch, though, I was still a little chilly and requested to continue my observations, which I was allowed to do. I was thankful and actually really enjoyed watching from shore. I maintained my awareness of what the other guides were doing and I had the opportunity to talk to the instructors one on one for a long period of time, which wouldn't have happened otherwise. God answered my prayers and had gotten me through the week and blessed me with a day on shore in order to stay relatively warm and dry.

After the day was complete, each raft guide candidate had a debriefing interview with the instructors and manager. I explained to them that I didn't think that being a raft guide was a good fit for me because the water made me anxious. To my surprise, I found that I was being thanked and complimented for my perseverance and my ability to guide. They told me that if there was anything they could help with in the future that they would in order to get me to feel more comfortable because they believed in my abilities. They also were thankful that I didn't just bail midweek even though I knew that raft guiding wasn't for me because that would have caused them to question their teaching abilities, so I made sure to emphasize that they were very good instructors and that I was just too in my head about certain things. They then complimented me on the fact that never once did I complain even when I was visibly shivering due to the cold. 

As much as I'd like to take credit, I know that God is the one who saw me through my week at guide school. Without Him protecting me, I wouldn't have been able to manage swimming Class III and Class IV rapids in such cold water. I believe this entire week was a test of my faith to see whether or not I would trust God enough. I know I faltered at times, but I think the blessing of a day onshore on Friday was proof that I ultimately passed. 

This week definitely taught me a lot about myself and the power of prayer. True, I still need to trust God more, but we're all a work in progress. It also helped put some of my other random anxieties in perspective and proved to me that they are nothing compared to facing raging whitewater. As my one friend said in a text on Friday, "Who knew that such a small event could have such a lasting impact on the rest of your life." In light of deciding I'm not cut out to be a rafting guide, I was reminded of a piece of advice I was I was given last year: "Sometimes you have to find out what isn't before you can find out what is." My hope for all of you is that you won't run away from your fears or difficult situations automatically. I hope that you'll pray to God to get you through them and that He can be glorified when you accomplish something that you know would be impossible in your own strength. As Paul wrote of God in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "...'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Live Fearlessly

I wear a bracelet on my right wrist that is light blue with black lettering. On it contains two simple words that serve as a powerful reminder: "Be Fearless." I've got a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression, which thankfully has been suppressed through prayer and dependence on God, but can still be debilitating on an extremely bad day. I used to have days where I just wouldn't even bother getting off my couch, choosing comfort rather than facing the day. I knew that was no way to live, which is why I realigned my approach to life. Plans have gone out the window, much to the chagrin of some, and I choose to force myself into situations that make me rather uncomfortable to serve as a reminder to rely on God and not myself. Going to St. John for a month where I knew nobody upon arrival, spending Christmas in Germany with minimal knowledge of the language and my brother being the only other person I know who speaks English, and moving to Charlotte, NC, the beginning of next year, are just a few examples of how I have and plan on stretching my faith in order to live fearlessly. 2 Timothy 1:7 serves as a powerful reminder to not live in fear. In that verse, Paul wrote, "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control."
My job as a Christian is to live a life full of love, not fear. I recently had the opportunity to listen to Christine Caine preach a message at Elevation Church in North Carolina and she spoke briefly on the topic of fear. As she put it, "Fear cripples you and you atrophy and pull back." She emphasized how we all need to avoid shrinking in Spirit due to fear because that hinders our ability to acknowledge and serve God. Every time we allow fear to win us over, we are doubting God's ability to work through us. This essentially limits God and encloses Him in a box. Instead of confining God, we should trust Him to grow us in every situation. When we're scared and fear makes something appear impossible, we must believe that God can see us through. It's an essential step to living without fear.
As I grow closer to God, my spirit of timidity slowly fades away. Dependence in Him allows me to flourish into the person I was created to be and live the life I was meant to live. Over the years I've had to unlearn a few ideas that were implanted into my brain out of fear. It's been a process, but slowly I'm being bolder in my love for others. A simple comment that a friend made to me has stuck with me and served as a catalyst to reach out to others. There's nothing wrong with being thoughtful. How simple, yet how freeing that statement is! Too often I find myself second guessing my kindness out of the fear of how it's perceived by others. The song "Fix My Eyes" by For King & Country comes to mind. This song is about desiring to go back in time and better serve God. At the top of the list of things to be done differently is, "Love like I'm not scared." How beautiful life here on Earth would be if we all chose to focus on loving without fear!
The best way to combat fear when it creeps in is turning back to Scripture for definitive answers. 1 John 4:18 clearly states, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." So the next time you struggle to live fearlessly in love, focus on that verse and keep in mind that fear and love cannot coexist. And always remember there's nothing wrong with being thoughtful.

Finite vs. Infinite

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." ~1 John 2:15-17

I don't mean to be redundant, but this post essentially is an extension of my previous post on worldliness. It seems to be something that has been weighing on my mind and heart lately, quite possibly because I've been rather aware of my own struggle as of late to focus less on what the world thinks and more about how I should live faithfully for God. It's so easy to get caught up in envy and pride these days with the ever expanding social media that makes you hyper aware of what others have and what you may not. Some desire to have the trendiest fashion sense or the most likes or followers, while others yearn to live someone else's life. I'll admit that half the reason I go on the internet these days is to see if anybody likes my tweets, blog posts, or photos on Instagram, and that's no way to go through life. It's pointless to yearn for someone's approval that is finite and could change overnight. Contentment in what we have and resting in God almost seems to be a thing of the past, and that's where we've all strayed at somepoint and got it all wrong.
This will sound silly to those who know me best, but it was through listening to Taylor Swift's "The Lucky One" that I really started to evaluate what I value most and how silly and absurd it is to desire anything from the world. This song is all about someone who moves to LA to become the center of attention, but once she succeeds, she longs to get out of town and live essentially in obscurity. When she was all over the headlines, she never understood her true worth and value since there was always someone in the wings striving to take her place. Everyone felt that the lucky one was in the spotlight, but at the end of the song, Taylor admits that the one who hightailed it out of town to spare her dignity was the one who was lucky.
I think we all need to realize the fact that trying to be the most popular, trendy, or famous person will only lead to our own self destruction. Trying to please the world is like trying to breathe with a wet blanket over your face; you just suffocate from the frustration of it all. That's because the world lies and schemes against us. It really has nothing to offer us that will quench the desires of our hearts and that's why we must continually focus on Jesus. Jesus not only is the best representation of the love we yearn for, but He is infinite and will never fade away. Just because we don't see Him doesn't mean He doesn't exist. I think that's why so many of us strive for things of the world; they appear tangible, when in reality, they are the things that are the most easily destroyed and ripped out from under us. God's love for us, once we accept Christ as our Savior, can never be destroyed, but so many refuse to trust it because it doesn't appear to be tangible. Many would rather live their lives on their terms because they think they know what is best, but that's the sure fire way to failure. There's a song by House of Heroes called "Comfort Trap" that depicts how so many of us chafe against the will of God during the sanctification process of our lives because we are still convinced that we know best, even though God created us and is the reason we are alive. The following lines really hit home with me and how easily it is to fall into the trappings of the world:

I lost my dream in the comfort trap.

I told my God his will could wait,

I've got one foot in a rich man's grave,

I heard it calling in my sleep at night,

So I killed my dream with a butcher knife,

I told my heart to toe the line,

You had all that time, the rest is mine.

I'm gonna get nice things and get my way,

Even if it means there's hell to pay,

I'm gonna have my cake and eat it too,

And what I don't eat I'm gonna force feed you,

I'm not looking for consolation,

Maybe I could settle for compensation,

Have my cake and eat it too,

And if it's all a lie I'm gonna say it's all true.

It's scary to think that people live this defiantly to God, but they do, including Christians, periodically. It's not easy to go where God calls us. We all want to do things our own way, having our cake and eating it too. And yes, we even find a way to convince ourselves we're on the right path, even when it's quite clear that we're not. It can all just lead to living one big perpetual lie because each and every day we are bombarded with opinions from worldly critics on how to conduct our lives. Everyone offers suggestions about how to get a job, save money, and live up to the American Dream. The problem is the fact that while we are striving for the American Dream, our souls are shriveling and not getting fed the living water that Christ has to offer. Every time we make that decision to listen to the world and its desires before listening to God the Father, we are taking a step away from heaven. As the verses above state, if our hearts are more consumed with worldly desires, then the love of God does not truly reside in us. It all comes down to how you choose to function on a daily basis. You can choose to strive after the things that will fade away and disappoint, or you can choose to have faith and allow God to rule your life and lead you down the right path, even if it isn't a path that is accepted by worldly standards. But that's the whole point. The life and walk of the Christian should never blend in with the world; it should always stand out and look weird. If your life looks too much like that of the popular crowd, you're probably doing something wrong in the eyes of Jesus. He was the original rebel who went against the grain of society, so we must follow suit, but not in a way that we desire to get noticed. We must go against the grain because that is what we're called to do, not because it's trendy. 

So we all have a decision to make. We can either continue to live for the finite things of this world in the hopes that they will fill the void in our hearts, or we can choose to live for God who is infinite and unchanging. It's a very personal choice and not one that should be taken lightly. My hope is that more will realize that abiding in God is the best route to take because it is the only way to ensure eternal life in heaven. It's time to stop living for what's here on Earth and instead look up to God and surrender in faith.

Steadfast Hope

"'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.'" ~John 16:33

One thing we all need in order to survive and endure trials is hope. Desperate times can make people do crazy things or just drive them into a deep, endless depression. Only through hope in Christ can people spot the light at the end of the tunnel and keep persevering day after day.

Today in the trailer park we opted to utilize our time by going to various individuals who had given their lives to Christ back in November to see how they were coping. Many of the people were in need of encouragement and a reminder of the power of the Holy Spirit within them. There was one couple that my heart just broke for because of the situation they are stuck in. Mold has overtaken much of their trailer, the furnace doesn't work, their pipes burst in the cold snap so they have no hot water, and there are cracks in the roof which allows rain into their home during every storm. The living conditions have really impacted their health, with the one guy battling laryngitis every morning, along with constant wheezing due to the mold irritating his asthma. What amazed me, though, was the fact that neither one of them were angry. Their response was pretty much, "It is what it is." They admitted to being frustrated and Jim tried to remind them that their hope was in Christ and that He would provide a way to a better situation. The only saving grace is that they have a car, so they aren't completely trapped in their trailer.

Another couple that we visited were struggling with limited mobility and no form of transportation. I honestly think that the woman has only been outside a handful of times in the past four months because she is in a wheelchair. She is hoping that a ramp will soon be installed so she can at least go around the trailer park and enjoy the fresh air, rather than just sitting inside and staring out the window. We asked how her heart was and she admitted that she was dealing with some depression because she couldn't get the thought of a fight she had with her mother before she died out of her head. I liked the spin that Jim put on it, though. He asked how many years they had spent together and she said 64. Jim then said that she should focus on the happiness within those 64 years as opposed to the 5 minute fight she was choosing to dwell on. Honestly, it's all a matter of perspective, and the only reason you fight with someone is because you love them.

It was amazing to see God working today and utilizing us to provide hope in a broken community. God can overcome any hardship and any disaster that befalls our lives if we just open up to Him and communicate through prayers, allowing the Holy Spirit into our hearts. 1 John 5:4 states that, "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." We must never forget that by our faith in Jesus Christ we have the power to tackle any obstacle along our path through life. Satan can try his best to wear us down and whisper lies to us in our despair, but through the power of our faith in Jesus, anything and everything can be conquered.

Satan: The Father of Lies

"'He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'" ~John 8:44b-44d

Every Christian needs to know and be aware of the fact that any fears they have in this world are not of God, but derived from Satan. Satan knows our weaknesses and tells us lies in order to keep us from getting close to God. He is the prince of manipulation, even going so far as to twist God's own words to deceive Eve in the Garden and to tempt Jesus after his time in the desert. Like Jesus, we must rebuke Satan as a liar in order to keep him from having the upper hand in our lives.
Earlier this year, I penned a post entitled W.A.I.T. Part 8: Fear of Man, which outlined how fearing our fellow man causes us to stumble in evangelism. Some of my more recent posts also have the underlying theme of Satan utilizing our weaknesses to stall our progress as a Christian. I believe the reason behind my dwelling on fear and Satan is not only because we all need to be reminded of its origin and his existence, but also because it has been a personal struggle of mine as of late.
Doubt and fear have been all too familiar to me in the past. I believe I have allowed them to hinder me because rather than resting in God's love and joy, I insist on analyzing and reanalyzing my past failures. Through this unnecessary hyper-analysis of the negative, I believe I have developed within myself a touch of athazagoraphobia, or the fear of being forgotten or ignored, much like the psalmist who penned Psalm 31:12a, "I have been forgotten like one who is dead." I agree that this seems ridiculous and almost laughable, yet I know the fears that haunt my brain when I allow Satan to have his way. Satan likes to remind me of all of those who have walked away from me in life in order to make me doubt myself when I forage new friendships, especially with fellow believers. In moments of weakness, I can convince myself that certain people wouldn't possibly want to be friends with me or stay friends with me if they truly knew all about me, or I might drive them crazy by keeping in touch too frequently. Deep down I know this isn't true because I have maintained some strong friendships over the years, but I wanted to present a demonstration of how fear can infest one's whole train of thought and completely skew reality.
In order to keep Satan at bay, it is very important for Christians to utilize fellowship with other believers and to turn to God and the Bible. Fellowship and communication with other Christians is important because it doesn't allow us to become isolated, which is Satan's goal. The only way his deception can completely control us is if we separate ourselves from others and we keep our fears locked inside. As my pastor said in one of his sermons, "Suppressed fears can conquer us; speak out about your fears." Having Christian friends to go to with your fears is essential for overcoming them and growing closer to God. I'm thankful to have someone with whom I can be completely honest and receive valuable advice on how my thinking is skewed. When I expressed my fear of being an annoyance to friends, I was so thankful for her encouragement and her honesty. Some of the best advice I've ever received was this: "If you annoy them, they aren't the right people. You need to let go of it and just be yourself. You're not annoying, you're never a bother. You just seem to have friends that are jerks to you. Don't change yourself to accommodate someone else, especially when there is nothing wrong with you."
The amazing part about fellowship in the body of Christ is that advice from one member can help another member, even if they have never met, but have mutual friendships. This occurred recently in my life. Using the advice I received from a friend on my own fears, I was able to repackage and present fresh advice to another friend dealing with her own fears. In presenting my advice, I also encouraged myself to not be a hypocrite. I can't tell someone that "living in fear of screwing up isn't how to go through life and that the best thing you can do is be yourself," without being impacted by my own words. I must practice what I preach in order to bring life and meaning to my words so that I myself am not spewing out lies.
In our struggle with internal fears, it is also essential that we turn to God and His Word. As C.S. Lewis put it, "To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?" God is bigger and stronger than our deepest fears, the great conqueror of the father of lies. In order to remind ourselves of this, we must delve into the Bible for instances where God assisted others plagued with fear.
Last week I came across the notes I took on a sermon back in May. It centered around the chapter of Joshua 8, and was aptly entitled "Facing Fear." My pastor spoke on how Joshua was fearing the upcoming battle at Ai due to his past failure there. He was reluctant to press forward because he was paralyzed by memories of failure. Joshua was in need of God's encouragement in order to get him to continue on rather than hesitate. God was aware of Joshua's fears, which is why God came to him in Joshua 8:1 and said, "'Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land.'" This is exactly what Joshua needed to hear. He needed a reminder of God's faithfulness and that through Him, Joshua would be granted success in the future.
Getting caught up in past failures can put a damper on your future. Instead of dwelling on what's gone wrong in your life, get closer to God because He is greater than your fears. Only God can provide the soothing words that we need to press forward in life. Remember that God is always present in your life and won't forsake you. Take comfort in Psalm 139:1-3 ~ "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways." Knowing that God is completely aware of your being and each aspect of your thoughts should draw you closer to Him. By having a relationship with Jesus, you will remain safe in the Father's arms, far from the reach of Satan. As Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote, "When the heart is flooded with love there is no room for fear, for doubt, for hesitation." By filling your mind with thoughts of love, your brain won't have time to process all of the fear and lies that Satan is trying to use to deceive you.
So continue to read your Bible in order to come to a better understanding of the ways of Jesus. In doing so, you will become enveloped in the joy and love that are ever present within Him. Building a strong bond with God is the best defense against the deception that Satan bombards you with.  Remember the words of 1 John 4:18, which says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." Since God is love, fear will be far from Him. Those who live close to God reside within His love and won't be prone to unrelenting ambushes of fear from Satan. But if you ever do feel that fear is creeping in, rebuke Satan and discuss your fears with a close friend and God. They will help you through the difficult times and serve as a reminder to dwell in love, not fear.

W.A.I.T. Part 13: Do You Attract Moths or Bats?

With summer approaching, I think of the times I have watched moths dancing around a porch lamp or a campfire. They are completely drawn to the light, to the point in which they are occasionally consumed by their interest and desire to be close to the light. This desire to draw close to the light should be how Christians react to Jesus. We should have a desire to draw closer to the light of Christ so that he might shine through us. A good self check on whether you are thriving to shine with the light of Christ, or whether you are living in darkness, can be found in Luke 11:33-36: "'No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.'" This is reminiscent of the new song by Kari Jobe, entitled "We Are." The chorus of this song states, "We are the light of the world. We are the city on a hill. We are the light of the world. We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine." It is our job as Christians to shine as beacons for Jesus in order to guide the lost to Him and glorify our Father in heaven.
On the other hand, a winged animal that completely avoids the light, but prefers to come out in darkness, is the bat. Bats can always be found sleeping in the rafters of homes during the day, only to come out at night when it is utterly dark. Sure, these are nocturnal animals, but it reminds me of John 3:19-20, which states, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." There are many in the world who are afraid to have their pasts exposed, so they flee from God. Instead of realizing that Jesus is the only one who can bring healing and forgiveness, many assume they will be harshly judged for their actions. As Christians, we must help to alleviate this misconception in order to allow others to be drawn to the light of Christ.
Christians must also be aware of some warnings that are found within the book of 1 John. These warnings should help Christians to focus on whether or not they are honestly drawing closer to Christ and reflecting Him in order to thrive. 1 John 1:6-7 tells us that "If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." We cannot claim to be walking with Christ if we are deliberately sinning and choosing to not change our ways because our personal desires trump our desire to live a life pleasing to God. The other verse to be aware of is 1 John 2:10-11, which says, "Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." I'll admit that this is a verse that I need to remember and focus on some days. I don't necessarily have outright hatred for any of my brothers and sisters in Christ, but I'll admit that I can get rather frustrated with people in certain situations. When I find myself in those moods, I think it's important for me to reflect on the fact that I'm not reflecting Christ if I am seething over a silly situation or misinterpretation. A song that helps me during these difficult times in my life, and serves as a good reminder of how to thrive in the light is "Spark" by The City Harmonic. The opening of the song goes like this: "Could a spark of Your love light a fire in me? Just a spark, warm my cold heart. It's the living that breathe."
If you find that you are living more in the realm of darkness, take your cue from Paul when he spoke to the church in Ephesus. In Ephesians 4:17-19, Paul said, "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed." We are to flee from darkness and into the arms of Christ. The closer we are to Him, the more closely our actions will mirror His and bring God glory.
So after analyzing your current life situation and your day to day lives, are you attracting frantic moths or do you have bats in your belfry? My hope is that you are attracting moths because that means that your relationship with Christ is growing and thriving, which is glorifying your Father in heaven.

Post 100: Sugar Coating

I've encountered a lot of sugar coating in my day. Back when I used to compete in cross country, even if I had a poor performance during a race, either my parents or coach would say, "You tried your best and that's something to be proud of," or something to that effect. This was the kinder version of saying, "Today wasn't your day, and that race did not go well at all." When you're young and frustrated by a race, sometimes sugar coating isn't such a bad approach.
Recently I have also experienced some sugar coating, but this time, it's in the form of rejection emails from jobs. Responses range anywhere from, "After review of your application, it has been determined to continue our search," to "Thank you for your resume to be considered for a job. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate you at this time." Then there is my personal favorite, which said, "We have reviewed your application and found you qualified for the position listed above. However, your name was not referred to the agency because...you were not among the most highly qualified candidates." Although these responses are all written in a different format, they all convey the same message: better luck next time. As much as sugar coating can be beneficial in this situation, there is still that sting of rejection.
A place where there should be no sugar coating is in church. A pastor should not try to sugar coat the Word of God in the hopes to gain more members within the congregation. Sugar coating can be misleading, and only the truth should be spoken in regards to God, even if it's hard to stomach at times. Nobody should downplay any particular sin just because they assume it isn't serious, and nobody should deny His wrath. Psalm 7:11 is very up front about this because it says,  "God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day." One can tread dangerously by denying God's wrath because as unnerving as it can be, it is the truth that must be spoken.
Yes, God is love. There is no denying that because it is explicitly stated in 1 John 4:8, "...because God is love."  But love should not overshadow or lessen God's other attributes of holiness, grace, glory, sovereignty, or justice. Unfortunately, this tends to happen more frequently than we might think. Rob Bell came out with a book called Love Wins, which could drastically impact many because of its poor theology. What is most misleading is Bell's attempt to pretty much eliminate the existence of hell, and consequently, God's wrath. As Kevin DeYoung said in his review of the book, "When God is shrunk down to fit our cultural constraints, the cross is diminished. And whenever the cross is diminished we pain the hearts of God’s people and rob them of their joy."
Jesus died in our place because we are unrighteous, unworthy, sinning scoundrels. In order to not encounter God's wrath, Jesus died in our place so that we might be reconciled with our Father. If we deny God's wrath, we deny the reason behind Christ's death. Yes, Jesus loved us and that was part of his motivation for accepting the Cross. But God's wrath was also involved in the picture. God is just and holy, making His wrath just, which is something that a handful might try to deny. What we should focus on instead is what is written within John 3:36. This verse states, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." This concept should also be remembered whenever we are involved in evangelism. Yes, we should share with others about God's undying love for us, but we must drive home the reason behind humanity needing a Savior. The truth about how God reacts to sin and our unrighteousness if we are not covered by His grace needs to be expressed. One of the best examples of how sin can impact not only one person, but an entire nation, and how God responds to sin is found in Joshua 7. This entire chapter outlines the sin of Achan and how God responded.
Passages like the sin of Achan should be used as instructional tools, not glossed over or sugar coated. We all need to be honest with ourselves and others about God and how He is Lord over all. Our focus needs to be on expressing the Truth, not on trying to gain the greatest number of followers. Pastors and evangelists alike need to avoid having a Mary Poppins' moment by adding "a spoonful of sugar" to make the Gospel go down. We are all rebels making it impossible for the Gospel to be easily digested, so we might as well share the Truth as it's presented in the Bible.

Beware of False Teachers

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." ~1 John 4:1

Before continuing on with the W.A.I.T. series, I wanted to briefly touch upon something that has been weighing on my heart recently. We are living in a world where everybody is striving for attention and wants to be known for the next great revolution, whether it be thinking, economic movements, or avenging the wrongs of a military extremist in Africa. No matter what it is, somebody is always striving to   capture our minds and attention in an almost spellbinding manner.
What we need to be careful of, though, is when this starts to happen within the Christian faith. New ideas and concepts are promoted to try and get us to think of things differently, which isn't always bad, until these new ideas lead us astray. For some reason, it seems like few in the church are willing to use discernment to weed out the false teachers that we are warned about. Why is it that we are more apt to fervently research the background of the CEO of Invisible Children, yet we aren't willing to research those who teach us the Bible, whether it's a pastor, teacher, or author?
Quite honestly, this lack of diving into the Word on our own could deeply impact someones faith and future. By believing somebody simply because they used a piece of Scripture that might be one of your favorites could possibly lead some believers astray. Not everybody who speaks about the Gospel knows what they're trying to preach. Some are simply spewing out their own beliefs and trying to back it up with the Gospel, while others try to claim that only certain passages in the Bible apply to them, much like the Jefferson Bible. We need to remember that we can't pick and choose what to believe from the Bible. We must be obedient to the entire text, not just portions.
To guard ourselves, what we all need to do is to open our Bibles after every sermon or while reading a book to double check and make sure that the Scripture was not taken out of context. We must also make sure that what was taught does not contradict other pieces of Scripture, or neglect them all together. I hope that whoever reads my blog will take out their Bibles and read the verses that I utilize in order to grasp their full meaning and understand what God is trying to convey, instead of trusting what I am typing because my opinion is not truth. God's Word is truth.
Too often people will gravitate towards certain teachings because it's what they want to hear. This is exactly what Paul was talking about in his second letter to Timothy. Within 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul writes, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." Try not to be one of these souls who only focuses on the teachings that they want to hear. Instead, search out the complete truth of the Gospel, even if it is difficult to stomach or understand. Don't believe everything that you hear or read from somebody who claims to be schooled in the Gospel. Very often, the true Gospel message can become twisted when half-truths are infused with Scriptures. Beware of the contradictions and use the discernment that God blessed you with in order that you do not stray from His truth.

W.A.I.T. Part 8: Fear of Man

According to Anxiety Disorders Association of America, there are 40 million adults in the United States dealing with anxiety disorders. People can have anxiety for all sorts of reasons, but my assumption is that social phobias and fear of the unknown are the top reasons behind most anxiety. I speak from experience because I am an introvert by nature and I have to force myself into certain situations that usually make me uncomfortable. Sometimes I try to focus on Proverbs 29:25 which states, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." I would rather not be hindered by my fear of man because it keeps me from enjoying life to the fullest and it gives me unnecessary stress.
For those of you who know me, you are probably aware of the occasional stress I feel under certain circumstances. One of my least favorite things involves talking on the phone. I'm not sure why I have this particular fear, but it exists in my life. What's humorous, though, is the fact that God keeps putting me in jobs or situations where I must talk on the phone. I had to call campgrounds to make reservations on my cross country roadtrip, I had to use the phone working at my summer campground job to verify reservations and boat counts, and I currently have to use the phone at my temp job, which has proved interesting with two incidents of a man making harassing phone calls. By submersing myself in these situations, my fear has slowly subsided because God has been with me the whole time. He presents a reminder in Isaiah 41:10 stating, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Knowing this, I try to dive into new situations even if I feel ill at ease. With music as another motivator, the song "Miracle" by Paramore has a line that says, "I don't want to run from anything uncomfortable..." This mentality has proved especially useful recently, and I'm thankful for that because the uneasy feeling in my heart has since subsided.
I think what many don't realize is how living in fear caters to Satan and his minions. Satan is a master at taking advantage of us during our weakest moments and infusing our minds with fear and doubt to further put a strain on our lives. I think in the song "A Dustland Fairytale," The Killers hit the nail on the head with the lines, "God gives us hope but we still fear what we don't know. Your mind is poisoned." This is exactly what the devil does; he poisons our minds with meaningless garbage in order to create stumbling blocks. This can hinder both our relationship with God, along with our ability to share the Gospel with those around us. By creating doubt in our mind, we question God's sovereignty and authority, which limits our ability to trust Him in times of need. Also, if we have an unnecessary fear of man, we will never reach out to them in order to determine if they have heard about Jesus Christ and the importance of building a relationship with Him. Instead of fretting over people and their opinions, focus on Jesus' words in Matthew 10:28, which tell us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One both soul and body in hell." It is only once you realize how this fear hinders your life that you can move towards change and a different framework of thinking.
No matter where you are in life, you are bound to be surrounded by people who don't like you for some reason or another. Most people would avoid contact with these people, but I think it would be beneficial to analyze the Parable of Weeds in Matthew 13:24-30. This parable says, "Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 'The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy did this,’ he replied. "The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?' "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" The weeds symbolize the unpleasant or evil people that Satan sprinkles into your life, and according to Jesus, it is actually better to live among them than avoid them. It builds character and patience when you spend time with people who you don't always agree with, or don't even really like. Some might actually be enemies who try to break you down, but if you trust God and don't live in fear, you can serve as an example to God's sovereignty in your life, which will glorify Him at the end of the day.
The bottom line is that in order to thrive in the Christian life, one must face their fears and realize that they are holding you back in the long run. We must allow God to be glorified through us by holding our ground in the midst of our foes. By trusting God, you will be able to hold your ground instead of running the other way. I think Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best when he stated, ‎"Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes." It is our job in life to try our best to exemplify Christ in our actions in order to try and bring others closer to Him. If we live in constant fear, others will doubt the greatness of God. By embracing God's love, fear can diminish in your life so that you can thrive, for 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

W.A.I.T Part 7: Clouded Vision When Consumed by Self-Righteousness

"If God's the game you're playing

Well we must get more acquainted

Because it has to be so lonely

To be the only one who's holy.

It's just my humble opinion

But it's one that I believe in

You don't deserve a point of view

If the only thing you see is you."

~"Playing God" by Paramore

In today's society, it is too easy to get caught up in all the finger pointing and believing that we are right and everybody else is in the wrong. All you have to do is watch any political ad and you can see just how far we've fallen in our great nation to resort to slandering others in order to paint ourselves in a better light.  The unfortunate part is that this has crept into our everyday lives and we may not even realize it. 

Too often we focus too much on the preachings and teachings of Jesus and forget that he lived his life with a great love for the people. When we are centralized on all that Jesus taught instead of on how he lived, we gain this "holier than thou" attitude that can get us into trouble. A perfect Scriptural example of this is Matthew 7:3-5, where Jesus says, "'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.'" We are very apt to believe that we have done no wrong in a situation, placing the blame on someone else, when realistically, both are at fault and should take notice of personal fault before pointing fingers. It is then important to meditate on Romans 3:23, which serves as a reminder saying, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 

We need to remind ourselves that we are not fit for the throne of God, so we must not act like it when dealing with our peers. When we begin to focus too much on the legalism of Christianity, that is when you become prone to pointing out all the wrong others around you are doing. This is much like the Pharisees who lived during Jesus' time. They were so blinded by the laws everyone had to keep and had a trumped up view of their own goodness based upon the amount of theological knowledge they possessed that they could not see their Savior when He stood right in front of them. How easily it is to lose focus on the purpose of Jesus when we focus inwardly on the knowledge we gain about His teachings and what He expects of His followers. Even the great theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, fell prey to this line of thinking early on, and even felt devoid of even being a Christian yet because his vision was so clouded. There is a quote in his biography Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, that states the following: "For the first time I discovered the Bible...I had often preached. I had seen a great deal of the Church, and talked and preached about it - but I had not yet become a Christian...I know that at that time I turned the doctrine of Jesus Christ into something of personal advantage for myself...I pray to God that that will never happen again." It is scary to think that even Bonhoeffer could be so internally focused on his own knowledge, with a doctorate in theology no less, that he felt that he was not a Christian because he lost focus on Christ's true purpose.

What we need to turn our focus towards is the fact that God is love and that the one strict command we must follow is to love one another. If we are caught up in condemning each other for supposed wrong actions, we forget to love the people around us. Life is not supposed to be lived out by pointing out everybody's flaws and mistakes. Instead, we are called to embrace one another. 1 John 4:7-21 describes this beautifully: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." (emphasis mine)

My wish is that more and more we will remember to love those around us. It won't always be easy because of past hurts, but God commands us to stick with one another until the very end. If we can't do that, then there is no possible way to thrive as a Christian in this dark world. 

I'm leaving you with a lyric from a song that I discovered last week, and I don't believe it was a coincidence. I played it numerous times yesterday to ingrain the concept into my brain. The song is entitled "Dark Design" and is performed by the band Among Savages. The piece that struck me and that I now hold dear to my heart is, "I would rather live with you as my friend, than someone that I was trying to condemn." 

Coalescence of Idolatry and Pride

Psalm 31:6 "I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord."

Like the psalmist says, idols are worthless. We are warned numerous times to separate ourselves from or flee from idols. Particular verses that come to mind include 1 Corinthians 10:14 "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry," and 1 John 5:21 "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." But what exactly are idols? Many people are familiar with the term, especially in the title of the hit show American Idol, but few understand its true meaning. There are some who believe that idols are just other gods that people choose to worship. They aren't wrong in this assumption, but they are missing a portion of the picture. Idolatry is not just worshipping false gods. Idolatry involves anything that you focus on or depend on more than God. One definition lists an idol as, "one that is adored, often blindly or excessively." Some people focus too much on celebrities, musicians, or athletes compared to God, which in a sense turns those objects into idols. Others seem to worship knowledge, technology, or themselves. The most prominent idol in society today, though, is money. So many people try to store away this so-called precious commodity without realizing they are truly worshipping it. The devastation that comes from idolizing money and getting caught up in greed is devastating. At the beginning of the Great Depression when the stock market first crashed in October 1929, numerous people committed suicide because they lost their life savings. It's scary to think that people are so willing to give up on living when all of their money is stripped away. Then again, I'm not surprised because we are warned about the power of money in 1 Timothy 6:10, which states, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." We must not allow our love of money and wealth to hinder our walk with God. Eternal life is much more precious than anything that can be bought here on Earth. My request is that you try to steer your focus away from your idols and back to God. No matter what the focus, if it isn't on God, there is definitely a problem. I think Jonah expresses this best when he states in Jonah 2:8,  "Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them." If we are constantly placing everything else before our love for God, then we are really losing out and missing the point of our life here on Earth, which is to glorify Him. 

I will be the first to admit that I have struggled with keeping God a priority in my life. I didn't realize it at the time, but there was a portion of my life where I relied heavily on other people, whether it was family or friends, to help get me through difficult times in my life. Forming close relationships with people is not a bad thing, but when you become dependent on them and turn to them in the face of chaos before turning to God, then something is bound to give way and implode. And that's exactly what happened to me. God definitely got my attention when he stripped away my closest relationships in order to get me to focus completely on Him. God knew I wasn't depending on Him in my deepest times of need, so in an effort to recapture that focus, God took away my distractions. It was staggering the impact it had on me, but I have become a better person for it. In hindsight, now that the cloud of devastation has cleared, I realize that it was necessary for my path to diverge from certain relationships in order to get back on the narrow path towards God. Now that I'm in the rebuilding phase of my social life, I am much more conscious of God and what He wants for my life. I am careful not to get caught up in that dependence of people, though going to friends for council and comfort is not a bad thing, as long as it doesn't trump my need for God.

What I have learned about myself, and what I assume about others, is that idols sprout up in our lives because we feel that we know what is best for us. Instead of remembering Scripture and the fact that God knows what is best for all of Creation, we become arrogant and prideful assuming that we know better than God. This is definitely not a good place to be in. Author, C.S. Lewis, put it this way in Mere Christianity: "It was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind." We must not forget that we are mere, imperfect humans. In the grand scheme of things, we don't even know what good is, let alone what might benefit us in the long run. Lewis continues by stating, "As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you." This is exactly what happens to those prideful humans who are caught up in the fog of idolatry. They can't see anything outside of their idol because they are completely consumed by it and do not understand that it is essential to focus on God for their needs, as opposed to believing they know what is best. Lewis's concluding thoughts related to pride are expressed in this way: "For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense." Pride is a disaster because it prevents us from being able to follow through with God's greatest commandment, which is to love one another, as God loved us (John 13:34). This is probably why God has such strong opposition to the proud. We are to follow His commands and bring Him glory, but if we spend our time here on Earth trying to glorify ourselves, we fall short. The next time you consider that you have a handle on your life, check yourself. Remember that God is sovereign and should always be glorified. And keep in mind what is stated in Proverbs 16:5 ~ "The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished."

Communication is Necessary in Any Relationship

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate." ~Cool Hand Luke

I think it is human nature to long to have one person in your life that you can always count on. It is natural to want to have that kind of close relationship with another person to the point that you don't even hesitate to call them when something good or bad happens in life. But that kind of relationship takes time and effort to build. One cannot expect a friend they met yesterday to drop everything to help in a crisis. It takes months or even years to build a solid relationship with anybody, and steady communication is the glue that holds the foundation of that relationship together. It would be ridiculous to assume a close bond existed with someone you only talked to once every couple months. You would be mere acquaintances at best. No, a close relationship requires communication at least once per week to remain strong. That doesn't necessarily have to be face to face, but nor can it be superficial. There must be genuine interest on both ends to set aside time for certain people who are important in our lives.

The same goes for your relationship with God. It is God's will for us to pray to Him in order to maintain a relationship, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~ "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." In order for it to be successful, you must make time for Him on a daily basis, at the very least. Only praying to God out of necessity due to a crisis will not lay the bricks for a solid foundation on which to build a relationship. This only breeds a very inconsistent relationship with God, which lacks any true desire on your part to get to know Him and give well-deserved praise in the good times and bad. 

It is important to be open with the Lord and trust Him. Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." We seem to forget that God knows all and can help us through each and every situation if only we just communicated with Him. By neglecting your relationship with God, you are hindering your spiritual life and impeding any potential growth. Some feel that God simply won't hear their prayers. Again, this neglects the fact that God is ever present in our lives. When you begin to doubt that God doesn't hear your prayers, refer to Jonah 2:1-2, which states, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: 'In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep inside the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry." If God heard Jonah from inside the belly of a fish, I believe that God will hear you no matter where you are in this world. Psalm 145:18-19 can also build your confidence in the fact that the Lord hears your prayers because it says, "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." He is never far away from His creation and those He loves unconditionally. So we must remain steadfast and earnest in our prayer life in order to get to know Him.
What some seem to forget is that selfishness builds walls in any relationship. If you require your friends to always do what you want without ever considering their feelings or opinions, they probably won't remain your friends very long. This relates to your prayer life as well. Selfish prayers most likely will not be answered, unless God has a specific purpose behind it. The best way to pray is to mirror Jesus, whose walk was blameless and in line with the Father. As stated in 1 John 5:14-15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." All prayers and prayer requests must be made in accordance to God's will. God desires to be glorified and should be glorified, and all prayers should express that. Selfish desires with ulterior motives will not be answered and promoted. So the next time you find yourself wondering why your prayer has seemingly gone unanswered, instead of blaming God, look back at how you prayed because you are the flaw in the system. Patience is also key because God has a plan for everything and your prayers will be answered according to His time schedule, and not yours. So go and pray and build your relationship with your Father in heaven. 

Words Have Lost Their Meaning

I'm sure many have heard the phrase, "Use your words wisely," at some point in time; or possibly the catchphrase, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." What I have come to notice, though, is that many in this day and age toss around words and phrases with no thought whatsoever. Due to this extreme absence of thought, I have come to find that I am quite skeptical of words people say.
The pace of society seems to inhibit our ability to consciously think through what we say to eachother, which negates the step that ensures that these words express how we truly feel, along with whether or not our actions will back up the thoughts expressed within those words. I think my skepticism was established back in my early years of college when I happened to be a magnet for pathological liars. After associating with them, it has become much harder for me to believe what people say to me. This is why one of my favorite scriptures happens to be 1 John 3:18, which states, "Dear friends, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth." I know people mean well when they say kind words, but if this has turned into a mere knee-jerk reaction for the majority of people in their lives, then the significance of some phrases can become lost. This is why I find it much more important to express yourself through actions than through nice comments to one another.
Another reasoning behind my developing skepticism towards what people say is the fact that nobody wants to be held accountable for what they say or what others claim they have said. Everyday it seems like somebody is trying to back out of some form of written contract, or even worse, trying to back out of a marriage. The divorce rate today is astounding, which makes me wonder if anybody ever really means, "Til death do us part." It seems more likely that people are searching for their own happiness and once they get tired of their spouse, it's out with the old and in with the new, with no thought whatsoever to those sacred vows they once spoke.
Many feel they can hide behind their words in order to avoid facing other people or bearing the consequences due to their lack of thought. Be warned, though, that just because another human does not catch on to your true motives doesn't mean that nobody is aware of the intentions within your heart. God is always aware of what's on your heart each and every second. He knows when people lie about how they feel about themselves or about others. In Isaiah 29:13, he calls out the people of Ariel: "The Lord says: 'These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." In essence, God was well aware that these people were hypocrites who would say one thing but do another.
For your own sake, analyze your life and what you say to others. Do you truly mean those words that you express, or is it just an easy out for you to move on and avoid conflict? If there happen to be phrases that you utilize but don't truly mean when you say them, restrain yourself and just don't use them. It is best to stop the hypocrisy as soon as possible in order to live a more honest life. In my own life, there are things that I say that aren't true, and it is my goal to refrain from the usage of these phrases. At the moment, it is as simple as stating, "I'm fine," when somebody asks me how I am feeling, when that is not always necessarily the truth. So if anybody happens to hear me use this phrase, hold me accountable to make sure I am not just using a quick answer to avoid expressing how I truly feel.

The Danger of Being an Intellectual Christian

Quote bordering ceiling of Jefferson Library of Congress

There is an unfortunate trend in society in which people feel that being well-versed in the Bible is enough to maintain their Christian faith. They can talk the talk, but miss the importance of walking the walk. Being a Christian is not just about having knowledge of faith, but also living out that faith. James 2:17 states, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Without demonstrating your faith to others on a daily basis and showing the world how Christ can change you from the inside out makes it very hard to convey to believers the beauty, joy, necessity, and purpose of being a Christian. This would be like having a running coach giving you lots of advice on how to run the best race and providing particular strategies, but the coach either not following his/her own strategies, or worse, not even being a runner. This would greatly hinder their credibility in the long run, which is why it is so important to do our best to live out our Christian faith instead of just talking about it. Unfortunately, after this past weekend's events, Harold Camping has made the credibility of true Christians go down the tubes with his radical teachings, making a mockery of the second coming of Christ.
I must say, as of late, I am quite guilty of being an intellectual Christian. For some reason, I have drifted into a realm where I can advise others on how to not allow the temptations of this generation get a grip on their souls, yet I myself struggle to stay afloat above the same tide of temptations and delusions Satan floods into society. I am daily trying to escape the resentment I hold against those who call themselves Christians, but don't appear to live out their faith, when in all honesty, I am no better. Also, I need to escape my apathy towards school and work. To do so, I must meditate on the words of Colossians 3:23 and 1 Peter 4:10, which state, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men," and "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.", respectively. Although it will be a process and will take time, my goal is to do my best to let my work reflect my faith.
My number one priority, though, is to live out the greatest commandment of love. I seem to have issues lately not remembering that people stumble, and not being able to accept them for their flaws and mistakes, which is totally ludicrous. We all experience pitfalls in the ebb and flow of life and I must keep this in mind and close to my heart. Sure our main focus should always be on Christ, but I must not become critical of myself or others when this doesn't happen. I must remain patient and not become anger because that allows Satan to get the upper hand. So in sticking with the theme of this entry, I plan on ditching the intellectual Christian route and will try my best to follow 1 John 3:18 ~ "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongues, but with actions and in truth."