Have We Missed It?

 Have we missed it? Have we been caught so off guard by the culture of today, was once our family known as Christian or Christ followers been so diluted that we don't really understand what being a Christ follower really means anymore? I am struggling to find the answers that in this I am looking for, so many unanswered questions, so many thoughts go flipping through my head and no true answers, because the church of the west is based on numbers not based on what it is to be a Christ follower, not based on what it truly means to follow Jesus. God looks at our hearts, not what I give on Sunday morning in the tithe plate, He looks at does my life reflect the love that He shows me each and every day. I am saddened by the actions of church, I am saddened by what is happening, the church is growing because they are looking for blind people to fill the plates, but we are not called to fill the plates or the pews with people, because they are blind, we are called to teach them about Jesus Christ. 

I love the way the Iranians are doing it, they teach the people about what it is to follow Jesus first. They don't convert and then teach to make a disciple, they teach and then convert. They made a great point, the disciples were not believers before they followed Jesus, they were after. Why do we make them before and then try to teach them what it is to follow Jesus? Maybe we have it backwards, maybe that is why people come and go from the Christian faith, they don't know what it is like and what it means to serve Christ, they give an alter call, people go forward, give there life to Christ and then they tell them they have to give up their sinful life, they have to do this and that to continue to follow Christ. Are we doing it wrong? 

Maybe we have it wrong? We are making Disciples first instead of Discipling people to become Christ followers. A disciple that is made will follow till the end, a person that is thrown into it, will give up because it is too hard, because they don't want to give up there sinful lifestyle, because that is not what they signed up for, it is a different way of thinking about it, because they gave there life to Christ without knowing the impact of their life. See we do have it wrong. We just want numbers, but God wants commitment. 

What if instead of doing an alter call for conversion we do an alter call for discipleship and teach these people what it means to be a Christian, what it looks like to follow Christ. What if we change our ways now? Do you think it would make a difference? I do, maybe it is time to make a change. I don't know, what church would do this, what church here in the west would make a change so impactful, it would change the way they did things across the board, no more would be about the numbers of conversions, it would be about the number of disciples that they were teaching to follow Christ on a daily bases. What a story that would be. 

Spiritual Wakeup Call

 I have a wakeup call for you, nope not one that you get at a hotel, but one that comes from heaven. This one is so impactful, that listening to it will cause you to think twice about where we are today in America and what are we doing. Is there any way to change the path that we are currently on? I don't know if there is the answer to that, we have started asking that deep question, because our hearts have become so soft, so turned from the truth, that are we able to see the truth of who God really is? 

I urge you to listen to the video that I am going to attach, there is a longer version and I would recommend listening to that one too, but this one is just a taste of the other one. Both are so impactful, both are full of the movement of God, but not here in the United States, but in Iran. I believe it will change your view of many things, I would love to hear your thoughts after you have listened to it. 

Thank you

Negative Test

 I am stuck on the negative impact thing, because I think negativity has more of an impact than people realize, more than anyone will really admit. Lets admit it, if the devil gain serious power from the negative thoughts of people, do you really think that he will allow people to put out much research on the impact of the negative side of it? I really think that it will just be swept under the carpet like so many other things that have such a negative impact in our lives and that we continue to go along with, because that is just how life is. Like choice, we don't have choices, that is how we were raised... There are so many lies that have become so engrained in us, that we are no longer able to fight for the truth anymore, because it is just the easy answers that we look for. The devil made me do it, instead of looking for the truth, we blame others, instead of realizing the reason we did it, was because we made the choice, we became angry, because we allowed the other person to get under our skin, we made the choice to react. The truth is, this is so much more then the negative test, this is so much more then it all, this is life in a nut shell.

Back to my point at hand, if people realized that being negative took years off there life, would they continue to be negative? Yes, probably. If they realized that it gave them bad skin, would they continue to be negative, maybe they would start realizing that the impact of being negative was not just effecting the person they are on the inside, but it starts affecting the person they are on the outside. Can I prove it? No, but look at someone that has spent years being negative, they are starting to be that negative thought they portray, but look at the person that is being the positive thoughts they they portray, they have a light about them, they are different. Why is that? It is because the air they breath is not about the negative, it is about something much richer. I think us as Christians should be living in the positive, because that is where God calls us to walk, but sadly, I don't think that is where people are today, they are lost in themselves, lost in the "I", not the Christ that lives in them. I am not trying to judge, just trying to call back to Him. 

Maybe my Mom was right, I am to hard nosed, to straight forward and that is why people don't read this. I am called to be compassionate and loving. I am struggling with all the love talk and I am afraid we are losing site of the truth talk, what is the truth of the gospel. Yes we are to love, but not love the sin, not continue to sin and not live in sin. We can not serve two masters. 

They say you can do the test with even store bought fruit, I have not tried it, but I would encourage someone too. Let me know, speak negative to one and positive to the other. See if it matters. 

It Is Well With My Soul

This song keeps going through my head, I am not sure why, but I wanted to post it. Sometimes, we have songs that play in our head for a certain reason, sometimes it is for a certain person, other times it is because we just heard it. I didn't just hear it, so I know it isn't that one. I wanted to share it.

It is Well With My Soul

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ (yes, He has) has regarded my helpless estate
And has shed His own blood for my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought (a thought)
My sin, not in part, but the whole (every bit, every bit, all of it)
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more (yes!)
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

Sing it as well

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul!

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

Sing up to Jesus, it is well!

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

Negativity

 Negativity in a Christians walk has no place, God made it very clear and when we live in the negative, we are not walking according to God's plan for our life. If we cannot walk seeing the way He planned for us, because all we see is the way we did not go, we see what the devil wants us to see. It holds us back from the true meaning from which God has planned. We need to break free from the bonds of the negative, we need to do the work that God has for us. I truly believe that it takes work and pray to break the bonds of the negative, but today people do not want to do the work it takes to break the bonds, because it is too hard and it costs. Yes it costs, it doesn't cost money, nope it is free from all financial loss, it will not set anyone back a cent, but it will cost the freedom of being able to give into the power of the flesh, which will cost you the freedom of self, it will no longer be about "I". 

I think that is the bottom line, people want to be selfish, they want it all about self, not about bottom line. The bottom line, is that Christ lives in me, that He is the ruler of me, that He is the King of my life and that He is the reason I am here today. If I look at everything as negative, what am I gaining Him? What am I showing others about Him? That is really the crux of this whole thing, it is time to break free from that, it is time to let go of the negative and move to the positive. Yes we live in a fallen world, but it isn't going to get better, but we have the opportunity to change who we are based on the God we serve. We have to rise up, just as He did. We have a chance to stand and be known, but we have to be willing to die to self to live for Him and that means being willing to die to the "I" and live for Him. Be willing to die to the negative to live in the thankfulness in all things. Be willing to say, yes we are in a bad situation, but God is in control, He knows and He has a plan. 

We do that by simple things. By changing our negative thoughts, by stating things like. He gave me a brand new day, it may be raining out, but He made the rain to make the grass grow. It may have snowed, but we need the water. It may be warm and the sun may be out, but we need the vitamin D. We need to be willing to think outside the box and be thankful in it all. Our car may break down, we need to thank Him in it all. I lost my Mother, Father and stepfather, hard all in 8 weeks, hard to be thankful, but God had a reason for it all. Thank you Lord, your plans are bigger than mine, your ways are greater than my ways, I don't know your reasons, but I thank you for taking them home before this world turns on itself they got to see You sooner.

We have to stop looking at everything as the worst things and start seeking God in it all. Stop giving into the Devil and start standing for God, be thankful in it all.