Identity

"They could retain their identity even when exiled to a foreign land." Leadership by John C. Maxwell

Identity theft is a common occurrence in today's society. It consists of stealing credit cards, licenses, personal information, etc. Basically, it is more of a "paper identity" than your true identity. My concern is the theft of one's true identity. The deeper you that is in your heart and soul. A little more valuable than some plastic cards and numbers. I believe that there is a rising "true identity" theft crisis. Only one problem....no one can find the perpetrator.

I will tell you how you can find out who this mean man or woman is! Go very quickly to the nearest mirror and take a look at the perpetrator that is staring back at you! We are the culprits. We are the ones responsible. The thing is...you can't really steal from yourself can you? It is more of a hiding away. You could very well label it the chameleon effect.

The chameleon effect usually takes place in social situations. I use social broadly, basically anytime we are surrounded by other people(work, church, play). Our closest friends usually do not suffer the wrath of the chameleon. They know who we are and what we are about. Acceptance is common ground. The problem is when we come in contact with those individuals that are different from our personalities. The idea that comes to mind is oil skimming across water. Oil and water do not have a choice. We do have a choice whether we want to mix-in with people. The hindrance comes from within. We come into a group with a preconceived notion that we don't want to blend in. These are not our type of people. Well, I got good and bad news my friend. Bad news is that ALL people are OUR type of people. "For there is no respect of persons with God." Romans 2:11 The good news is.... ask and you shall receive!

Ask for what? A lack of respect! How many times did you ever think that you would be asking Jesus for a lack of respect? Ha! Ask him to take away the stereotypes in your head. Take away the need to be a chameleon. Trash the preconceived notions. Abstain from pushing the different people away and learn to embrace them. Leave the safety of your nets. Jesus did it all the time. He interacted with lepers, the blind, the lame, tax collectors, and all manner of people. He saw them with the eyes of the innocent. Saw them as innocent children that were lost in the chaos of life. A child amidst a maelstrom of sin. We must learn to view everyone as Jesus did.

Transformation will occur. We will actually be like Jesus. Godlikeness is taken on. It is how we actually put Christ on. The diversity of people should be held near to our hearts. Variation is a wonderful fact of this world. We are seeing the different views of Christ. Various traits of Jesus that has been put in each of us. Its like seeing all the distinct facets of the jewel of Jesus shining through people all around. You never know what treasure will be seen in another. What do they have to teach us? Embrace the difference all around you! Don't deny what Christ has to show you through other people.

The chameleon effect cuts two ways. Restricts us from getting to know others and from others getting to know us. God made us each uniquely. Do not hide the personality that God gave you. It is meant to be a blessing to others. The shelf in the back of your mind is no place to be putting it. A facade does not bring glory to Jesus or God. A facade is false, and there is nothing false about Jesus. He is the truth. Live out the truth that God has embedded in you. Bring glory to the Father. Do not dishonor him by hiding the beauty of your soul. On a final note, a lyric came to mind. I'm sure God feels this way. When it refers to "my heart" in this lyric, he's talking about your heart. For it is his when you submit to God. "Quit playing games with my heart..." Backstreet Boys

kenny

Restraint

"Guided by Chesterton, I came to see sex, money, power, and sensory pleasures as God's gifts which, in a fallen world, must be handled with care, like explosives. We have lost the untainted innocence of Eden, and now every good thing represents risk as well, holding within it the potential for abuse. Eating becomes gluttony, love becomes lust, and along the way we lose sight of the One who gave us pleasure. The ancients turned good things into idols; we moderns call them addictions. In either case, what ceases to be a servant becomes a tyrant." Philip Yancey

Restraint is the line crossed between gifts of God and sin. Overindulgence is how we cross God. He gives us what is needed to satisfy the hungers of the flesh. The rebellious self is the perpetrator. One of his favorite words is deserve. The self is always telling us what we deserve. Well I got news for you, He gave us more than we needed or deserved. He gave us His son Jesus, his image, and pieces of his heart that dwell within us. We were and are not satisfied with such. Disobedience was willfully embraced. Knowledge was wrongfully obtained. This is the original example(Adam & Eve) of humans not being satisfied with their place nor quality in or of life. Another way for them to say what God has given us is not good enough.

Discipline is a must in the relationship with God and Jesus. We are riding in his buggy of Life. Jesus is the one with the reins. Adequate driver and navigator would be the understatement of the year. Unlike most men, He will not get lost for He knows the path of your life! Dissatisfaction rises up within us, and we rise up to jerk the reins out of Jesus' hands. We "know" what is best for us and we "deserve" more. This attitude got us in the predicament that we are in today.

We must accept that there are gifts lying in wait in this world that have requirements and restrictions. There are laws surrounding them. We must not only have discipline but respect concerning these. Respect for the Father's wishes. Respect for what Jesus did on the cross. Think on this question! What if Jesus said, "I don't deserve to die or suffer in this manner!"? Where would we be? Restraint and submission to God's will is a must. It gave us the freedom that we have now. Do not trample on God's heart. The Father knows what is best for His children. He gave us the best, and we stomped on it. Then, we were given God's first fruit-Jesus. STILL, proper respect was and is not given. The question you must ask is, "what right do I have to demand what I need or desire?"

The One who made you and the One who saved you gave adequate resources to be used in moderation. I once heard a song say the moderatin is a bad thing. Excess is en vogue. It is the thing to do. Here is a few things to think about. Excessive eating leads to obesity. Excessive lust(sex) leads to STDs. Excessive drinking leads to alcoholism. If not curbed, these results can lead to death. Death is never a good thing when life could have been so much longer and more fulfilling. Focus is a requirement of day to day living. We must keep our eyes on the boundaries that God established so very long ago. They say hindsight is 20/20. Well, we've seen the errors of those in the past.... what's our excuse?

kenny

Psalm 139:14

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...." Psalm 139:14

We are lovingly knit together in our mother's womb. All that love and compassion that goes into the process, we feel that love. It comforts our budding soul in the womb. We innately know that we are safe. Our first nine months of life are spent in the full love and security of the Father. Then, we are shoved into the world with much wailing and gnashing of gums. We are separated from our safe haven. Separated from God. Emptiness is a steady and ready spot in our hearts. As we grow up, disquiet looms large in our soul. The acknowledgement of a NEED is realize quicker by some than by others. The NEED is Jesus Christ.

The NEED could be compared to a puzzle piece. We are the puzzle with a missing piece. Jesus is the missing puzzle piece. We cannot be complete without him. He makes us whole, complete, and the masterpiece that he intended us to be! In all our vanity and outward beauty and intelligence, we think we can do it on our own. In all our spirituality, we think we can attain it with enough works. It is akin to running into battle weaponless and armorless. We will be taken out without Jesus. He is our armor and sword. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God..." Ephesians 6:13 "....and the sword of the Spirit..." Ephesians 6:17 Jesus is a requirement to successfully make it through this battle of life.

We are aptly called fools in the Bible. We were never given all the physical or spiritual pieces to make our life abundantly alive. Faith(in Jesus Christ) is the ticket. He is the puzzle piece that got knocked under the table, pushed under the carpet, or kicked under the couch. It is a searching and seeking process. Given the time and willpower, God's light will illuminate our path to find that piece to plug it into our soul. He will take us then(His missing piece) and plug it into Himself. Instead of walking around in the darkness of our souls, He will hand us a lamp. The lamp will shine full upon the face of Jesus. Home will be found. Completion upon the Master's table will be accomplished.
kenny

Proverbs 22:3

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." Proverbs 22:3

We must never underestimate our ability to fall. A relapse into our old ways can happen at anytime. It often happens without our realization. Personally, I was blindsided by my own desires in a time that I thought I was strong in my walk with the Lord. Prudence was thrown out the window. The fact is that I relapsed into simplicity for a brief time. My eyes were fixed on my own desires and not the desires of my Lord. Caution is required when we see something we think we truly want or need. It can happen to anyone at anytime.

Women have always been a weakness for me. I know this and usually I am cautious. In this case, I was sidetracked without even realizing it. There was not anything untoward that transpired. A shifting of attention occurred. My focus was taken off the Lord, and fixed upon the lady. I didn't even realize that it had happened. My time and energy went towards her, and God and my friends took a back seat. I distanced myself from people. Guilt was a major reason, playing its melancholy tune in the background. Thankfully, time does work wonders.

Two weeks into this ordeal, God started smacking me around. Dropping little notes. My writing was affected. Thoughts did not flow like they used to. Understanding of the Word was not there. I was straining to write, instead of being inspired. Guilt began to rise, along with unrighteous thoughts. The longer that I stayed in the friendship, the more that I regressed. My thoughts took a turn for the worse. The first TRUE wake-up call that I received. A cosmic smack across the cheek. God hit me with the glove of Temperance. Thank God that He is soooo very faithful.

The reeling-in process began. I severed the friendship. Apologized to the friends that I had wronged. The sun began to shine in my dismal world again. Birds were singing. Clouds dispersed. I hadn't even realized how dreary my life had become. How weighted my soul felt. How much I had betrayed God. A new relationship had caught my eye, and I allowed myself to be whisked away from the One that means the most in my life. The heart is a truly deceitful thing. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 It can alter our course, and we not even know it. The rocks looming ahead is a late warning. Luckily, Jesus is always there to look out for us. He was definitely there in my time of need.

Temperance is what I learned. Temperance is self-control. We must never put more or all of our time into something(hobbies, sports, video games, people) than into Jesus. It means you are investing more into the world than into Jesus. The world becomes your priority. God and Jesus should always be #1 in our lives. The more you invest into the world; the more the world invest in you. The smaller God becomes in your life; the smaller the afterlife grows for you. Remember everyone, TOO MUCH of the world is a BAD THING. TOO MUCH of God... well....NO SUCH THING!!!

kenny

Words

Our language and word use is built up through our years of living. We are accustomed to our vocabulary and the way in which we use it. When Jesus moves into our heart, a major vocabulary overhaul takes place. Especially in my case, I lost seventy-five percent of mine. A great deal of the words that I commonly used were struck from the data banks. Those words were mostly profane. It is common words that we have to watch out for!

Our familiarity with these common words. Familiarity with the way that the world uses them. The way that I used and still use them abound. The hidden connotations and innuendos of words is the problem. We have a tendency to continue the use of innuendo even when we are in our Christian circlesl The problem is that unbelievers my overhear. A stumbling block appears in their life. They see how us Christians are speaking. It does not matter if we do not take it to heart or believe in it. The hindrance of the Gospel is reason enough to discontinue use. Words become a destructive force instead of an uplifting force. Innuendo has the power to take us down a path that leads to unrighteousness. Strays us from God. Estranges us from the Jesus within our hearts.

The path has been laid out before us. Jesus walked it perfectly. We have to think before we speak. A question posed....Would Jesus utter out the words that I'm thinking of speaking? Or, we look at Job's question. "Is there iniquity in my tongue? Cannot my taste discern perverse things?" Job 6:30 Familiarity is our enemy. The more we become accustomed to the world, friends, and family...the more our guard is let down. Our old lives or the new one(the world has to offer) creeps into our speech. We have to recognize our thoughts and hearts. Continue to view everything as a child. Do not let the world jade your perception. Use words at face value, with no hidden agenda. Jesus came to this world with an agenda. His agenda was driven by the purity of God. His words uplifted and offered hope in an evil world. Jesus was not a stumbling block. He was and is a stairway that connects us to God. Let us all take an example from the Perfect Lamb.
kenny

How to Read the Epistles

How to Read the Epistles

"The uncertainty lies always in the intellectual region, never in the practical. What Paul cares about is plain enough to the true heart, however far from plain to the man whose desire to understand goes ahead of his obedience." George MacDonald

We always want to gather the intel up and store it on a shelf in our mind. It does us no good there. Practical application is the key to understanding. Obedience is practical application. The more a person loves another person, the more that person can probe the depths of love. He can learn all about it from the inside, from practical use. Full understanding comes from using the tools God gave us to become more like Christ and to help others. Not only to become more like Him in deed, but in understanding. We will learn to think as Jesus did. Perceive people with his attitude. An attitude of love. An attitude of the Father. We must never do things just to copy Jesus, but to gain a better understanding of him through practical application. Common practice builds confidence. Frequent us also instills joy. Jesus was ever the servant that served out of the sheer joy of the Father.

The more we know how to embrace His grace, the easier it will be to exude His qualities. Soon, our heart is surrounded by our old friends: volitional love, patience, temperance, and godlikeness. Our heart is infused, and becomes a true heart. A true heart after the Father's heart. The heart will never truly change if you just try to memorize scripture(store it in the memory banks) or copycat Jesus. Thought must go into loving others. It is to be a full embrace of these actions that will allow us to gain the understanding to make it truly meaningful. God made this life to be On-the-Job training. The Bible is His training manual. Obey His Word. Understanding and a life change will follow.

kenny

Wells

Our lives have been planned out before the beginning of time. Everything and everyone have been put in our lives for a reason. Friends and family were put in our lives because we were specifically made to contribute into their lives. In my fledgling stages of Christianity, I continued to hang out with my non-Christian friends. At this point in my life, it was not a wise decision. I backslid in numerous ways. Eventually, the doors will be closed, such was the way in my life. I lived a true single life for a while.

"And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth," Exodus 34:6 God has indeed been gracious to me. He has surrounded me with great, God-fearing friends. They have helped me greatly in my walk. God all the while working on me through His Word and through them. We need friends that constantly challenge. We have a God that constantly challenges us. Challenge is what makes us grow! Strength in the Lord is what is grown. Security in the Lord. Trust in the Lord. He will build us up....for what you might ask?

Funny you should ask! Like I said before, God places people in our lives for a reason. Images flood my mind. Wells galore. God has dug wells in our lives. These wells are my non-Christian friends and family. I have kept in contact sparsely, just enough to not forget them nor they forget me. The relationship hasn't been the same. I'm a different man than I was before. The lay of the land is different. Sometimes, I feel like a spy in a foreign land. Honest truth is that I've been scared. Many different reasons exist: backslide again, lack of knowledge to evangelize and witness, or that I might be forced to compromise my morals. The phone is a wonderful way to keep your distance yet keep in touch. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever make an impact on them. Examine the above scripture Exodus 34:6, one word just stuck out to me: longsuffering. I have done it remotely, but I believe God is now telling me to drop the remoteness. Embrace the longsuffering as He has done for thousands upon thousands of years. Become one with Christ.

The burden upon my heart now is overwhelming sometimes. God has thankfully opened the flood gates of compassion and longsuffering in my soul. I heard his message clearly for the first time the other day! GO BACK TO THE WELLS THAT I HAVE DUG! Go back to those that I've neglected. Be the man that I've never been to them before. I can now be a better friend, son, brother, nephew, uncle, and cousin than I ever was before. For I have a love that I could never share before, the love of Jesus and my Almighty Father. A love such as they have never experienced before; all they have felt is the hunger pangs deep within their souls. Thanks to the work He has done in me, I can show them that love.

The fear is gone. I am not afraid to go back now. God has told me the way and I shall go. I do not always know what to say, but I pray that through the simple act of obedience that God will do through me what needs to be done. Sometimes, that is all it takes. Obedience. I pray that I've been obedient throughout all this and continue to be. I pray that the living water inside the well of my heart will saturate those hearts and spring those wells into action. Jesus, the Living Water, has that ability!

I believe there are dry times in our lives and in our friends and family members lives. When it comes to dinner time, the table has to be prepared. The table of our hearts is in constant preparation. Jesus wants to come in and sup with us(Revelation 3:20). It took time for God to build up my strength and courage. He took time to prepare their hearts. Its almost suppertime. *DING DING* I am heeding the call. Do you hear the ringing of the dinnerbell? Is God telling you to return to those wells? Are their people in your life that it is time to re-establish contact with? Heed the call that God has on your heart! Their are people in need. WE are God's Emergency 911 service. He sends us out to those in need of Him. To many people, we are the only ones capable of getting through to their hearts! Do not miss out on this emergency call! Your services are needed.

kenny

Luke 9:59-62

"And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59-62

Man always wants to do things on his own terms. We always have the audacity to make demands for our SERVICE!! Jesus called these two men to follow him, but they wanted to do it under their own conditions. One wanted to bury his father; the other wanted to bid those at his house farewell. We are not called to bargain; we are called to follow Him!

Forfeiture occurs! It is an all-out giving over to him. We do not spell out the terms of the contract. There is nothing for us to negotiate with! He gave us everything we possess. What is there to bargain with or bargain for? It's all His! He will not ask us to do anything that would have a negative impact on the kingdom of God. God's kingdom is the most important thing. It is always to the greater glory, not us but others!

How many of us say that we will follow Jesus wherever, but throw in our personal stipulations? I will follow once: I clean up my debt, mow the lawn, wash the car, finish painting this masterpiece, or watching this movie. Any number of things are wanted to be finished or accomplished before we commit ourselves to Christ. Its almost like a "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours!" Let me do this, and I'll do this for you! We are to be servants of God, and His work is our priority in life. Our life is to be given over completely to His service at once. These stipulations hinder our service and growth. We cannot impact fully for God when we are of a divided heart! Nor can we fully reach our potential if we do not give all over to God and quit worrying about what He will take care of. Jesus would not call you unless He planned on meeting your needs. He will meet your needs and the needs of your family!

In the Marines, we used to say, " I didn't sign up for that!" When I enlisted, I signed a contract for 8 years of my life. The contract gave my hide over to Uncle Sam. Negotiations were not offered. The same thing happened with God. I "signed" a contract with God through Jesus to give my soul to His service. I am His vessel for His eternal use. Do not pass Go or collect $200. It is a dropping of everything...a cleansing of what we did that got us on the wrong path. We must hustle to do God's bidding. There is no nitpicking of the contract! Jesus did not try to barter with God before He came to Earth. He heeded the Father's wishes ASAP! You should too!

kenny

The End

The End

"The final end of the separation is not individuality; that is but a means to it: the final end is oneness--an impossibility without it. For there can be no unity, no delight of love, no harmony, no good in being, where there is but one. Two at least are needed for oneness." George MacDonald

We have to be a nation of pairs, a nation of common denominators. The common denominator is Jesus. He is what draws us into oneness with God. He is what brings us together with God. The delight of love is given to us by Jesus. "THOU HAST MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; THOU SHALT MAKE ME FULL OF JOY WITH THY COUNTENANCE." Acts 2:28 A harmonized soul is required, not a broken record of the same old temptations that Satan hits us with. The only good in our lives is God and Jesus Christ. "O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my LORD: my goodness extendeth(1) not to thee;( 1. also means- is nothing apart from thee)" Psalm 16:2

We will never be whole or complete without Jesus. The individual is prioritized above community when there is a lack of Jesus. Jesus gives us the strength to see beyond the walls of our heart. We can see the lights in the windows of God's city of believers(the church). Jesus' light shining through the window panes of other's hearts. It is all about God's community. Heaven has no place for the individual who cares solely about himself. Individuals place emphasis on themselves. They think of themselves first and foremost. If we put ourselves first, God is taking a backseat and a problem is found. "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:" Exodus 34:14

We are here for the glorification of God. The church community is here for His sake and the sake of others. Emphasis cannot be on the individual. Others will suffer and they will be left out for the sake of one! There has only been one time when individual emphasis has ever been approved. God sent his only Son to die on the cross for every individual. He has and will be concerned for every individual's welfare. God is the only one that will ever be able to do this! The community is His main objective. Forget yourselves, and love one another as ye love yourselves. By harmonizing our wants, desires, and goals with God, oneness is on track to being obtained.

kenny

Psalm 73:26

"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

We have a tendency to throw our arms completely around the world, and Jesus is left off to the side. The world is embraced when we should be embracing Jesus. This is how our flesh and our heart fails us time and again. The "treasures" of this world hypnotizes and blinds us to the truth. God knows this and knows how to intervene.

"but God is the strength of my heart," What exactly is that strength? Is it physical strength like He blessed Samson with? I think not! It is the strength of God and of Jesus. TRUTH! Truth is the strength Jesus will give to our hearts. The truthful insight will allow us to perceive and cut through the wicked lies and propaganda of the world. Truth has the power to cut like a dual edged sword. "And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." Revelation 1:16 He imparts this truth in our hearts. This is another way that God intends to make us more like His son everyday. It is the truth of Jesus in us that gives our heart the ability to see past the fancy baubles and eye candy of this world. We see past the snares and tripwires of this world. God gives us the ability to see the finish line. Our destination and God are what we can fixate upon. "my portion forever" is etched in our hearts. Forever is the finish line. God gives us the strength of truth, our soul's Gatorade, to cross it strong!

kenny

The Same

The Same

"The former are content to have the light cast upon their way; the latter will have it in their eyes and cannot; if they had, it would blind them. For them to know more would be their worse condemnation. They are not fit to know more, more shall not be given them yet.... "You choose the dark; you shall stay in the dark till the terrors that dwell in the dark affray you, and cause you to cry out." God puts a seal upon the will of man; that seal is either His great punishment or His mighty favor: "Ye love the darkness, abide in the darkness"; "O woman great is thy faith: be it alone unto thee even as thou wilt!" George MacDonald

Man is about self. We are carnal creatures of which the physical world is the only thing that we are sure of from the start. The material things of this world are simple. They can be seen, figured out, and taken apart due to intellectual prowess. Unfortunately for the intellectually proud, the unseen cannot be figured out in the same said manner. It requires an outside influence. The soul is the keyhole, and God has the key. He plugs Jesus Christ into the ignition of our hearts and fires up our hearts with His understanding. It floods into us. Jesus is the key to understanding each other and God. If mere man could figure out these things with his mind, the worse condemnation would set in. He would know that he could figure out man, and think that he could figure out God. How ABSURD!! Man would try to promote himself to a higher level. A level higher than God. Pride leaves us outside the circle of light. We have thrown ourselves outside of God's radiance. Darkness is our new residence, and we did all THAT apartment/house hunting on our own. We did it to ourselves. Man has then sought to become better than his maker. The same folly Lucifer believed and believes in! If we but open the path of the keyhole for God, if we willfully choose to give God his due access, then we will receive His mighty favor and blessings. We will be lifted up in glory, for it is His glory that shines forth from us unto all those in need!

kenny

My My

"My my skin can't take much more of this she says, scaling over me, everytime I wash it off, I find two more underneath." My My Seven Mary Three

Treasures can be found in the oddest places. Curses can too!! They come along before we find Christ, when we find Christ, and as we walk with Christ. Regardless of when it happens, sin is a burden. Burdens take different forms and shapes. Sometimes, I like to think of them as scales. Especially since scales helped get us into the predicament that we are currently in! "Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Genesis 3:1 To me, scales have a special link to evil. They can cover different areas of the body. Mainly, they attack the senses. Eyesight and hearing are the first to go. It has happened in the past. In this circumstance, it was more of a treasure! It was for the greater good of the kingdom. "And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptised." Acts 9:18 Paul was born on this occasion. Scales can be a curse as well.

Usually, these scales of sin are prisons of our own devising. I believe Creed said it best, "I've created my own prison." Regardless of when they come, there are questions that follow. What is so bad about these scales? How can I get rid of them? Who can get rid of them? It is no different than any other treatment plan. First, you need a doctor! Referrals are your best and only key. Sin burdens our hearts, which leads us to believe it is spiritual. Naturally, we visit some spiritual friends or "Christians." Christians have a tendency to send people to the same doctor, or the Great Physician(God). Now that we have a doctor, the next step is to visit this Physician and get a diagnosis.

Prayer is the means to finding out the problem. Some of us know this, and some of us do not. Sometimes Christians sin and do not even realize the scales that have formed over our eyes. God will give us a spiritual chin check via our brothers and sisters. He will proceed to diagnose the problem we have. Sin is usually the answer. It covers our eyes and ears to the problem. It may take God and our friends and family a while to get through to us. The main reason is because of the lies that Satan tells us. These scales, he and we have so aptly applied, are layered thick....or so we believe. Everytime we think we kick some sin or steer clear of it, we find more underneath. Satan wants us to think that instead of one ball and chain, we really have four or five attached to us. He continues to deceive us and make us believe that we can never get clean of all the trash and bad things that we have done in our lives. But, God has a different plan. He has the antidote, and the antidote is Jesus.

Jesus will cut through the deception. He will throw the layers to the side and show us the core. "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26:18 Jesus will show us the ugliness and darkness in us, cleanse and sanctify it, and set us out the front door of that doctor's office. Only Jesus has the power to cut through the ugly layers of our past, the ugly on the inside, and transform that catepillar into a beautiful butterfly.

All this does tend to boil down to one point though! Will. We put ourselves in these positions. Turn ourselves away from God, and bask in the darkness. It is due to our own dark desires. God can change the desires of our heart. He can cleanse the evil and give us a new, beautiful heart. Paul was three days without sight. My question to you is this: How long will your three days be? How long will you go without a Christ-filled and given sight?

kenny

Psalm 90:4

"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." Psalm 90:4

Past failures and successes can be an incredible hindrance to our growth. It does not matter that they are on opposite ends of the spectrum. They affect our psyche in different ways but with the same result. How do they manage to do this?

Failures of the past inhibit our morale. Discouragement sets into our bones, especially if it was a major trial/tribulation. The little trials set multiple hooks of discouragement into the soul. One way or another, the soul is going to be weighed down. Lead weights are tied to our spiritual walk and growth. We are slowed to a snail's pace if any pace at all! One thing should be kept in the forefront of the mind! "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23 We cannot let failure drag us down. God knows we will make mistakes, and He gave us a command! "Repent, and turn yourselves from all you transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" Ezekiel 18:30B-31 Cast away the shackles of old failures and new ones. Do not let them sink you in self-pity!

Success can be an even greater obstacle. It can turn into a slow acting poison! The first mindset is that all the blessings and victories are of God. Over time, Satan uses pride to poison us! He makes us think that we are capable of doing it on our own and it was all OUR success anyways! I got knocked down with this around the middle of the year. I slid into sin. My writing took an abrupt turn. It was a dark kind of writing, that writing which I could muster up on my own. The epitomy of writer's block set up in my head. Change the name to sinner's block! Jesus broke through the clouds and showed me the error of my ways. I had never realized how much my writing depended on the Almighty! He is everything IN and TO my writing. Success doesn't have to be popular success(with everyone knowing)! It can be in your head. The pride of life striking its way to the core of your soul. Pride strikes and filters its way in through any number of cracks in our Godly armor(Ephesians 6:13)!

Success and failure are equally destructive. Success lifts you up to create a bigger fall. Failure already has you down on the ground, wallowing in guilt. Either way, a pity party is likely to come out of either ordeal. One thing must be kept in mind. God is the foundation of our success and victories; He is the forgiver of our failures. Whether we succeed OR fail, He loves us nonetheless. Whether it be pride or self-pity, God gives us a destination for these Satan induced emotions! "He will turn again, he will have compassion on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19 Leave your baggage at the door, and walk free in Christ!

kenny

Translators

Translators are used all over the world. They are used to bring two different people groups together via the bridge of language which spans the river of diversity. The world is filled with numerous languages: French, Spanish, Russian, English, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc. There is another language spoken and authored by God: Love.

Love is a language no different from any of the numerous ones that I listed and the many that I did not! It is a bridge between the Father and His prodigal sons and daughters. The Father is fluent in the language of love while we are not. "We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 We learn of love from reading about the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the bridge of love between humanity and God the Father. He(Jesus) showed us how to love one another as the Father loves us. "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth..." John 5:19-20A

We take Jesus' love and minister to the world with it. We are God's translators to the world of the lost, and even those claiming to be saved who do not possess the love of God in their life. His love must be ingrained in our heart so that it comes out fluently when we interact with people on a daily basis. We must be multi-lingual when it comes to intereacting with the lost and everyone else. Love must come out as naturally as breathing. The Bible and God are our teachers of E.S.L.(Emmanuel as a Second Language-Matthew 1:23). We must use the love of Jesus and be translators to those who are lacking in the language of love. Love is learned by being on the receiving end of it's glorious nature and witnessing it "spoken" to others. All barriers are crossed by love. The greatness of this language could only com from a PURE and DEVOUT heart. Do your best to master this language and walk through life speaking...NAY...shouting love through all your actions to the glory of God.

kenny