consequences

A little look
Opens the sight,
Filled with wonders;
But minus the light.

A little touch
Senses arise,
Hearts are flushed;
But filled with lies.

A little crush
Emotions engage,
Arousal interests;
But ends in rage.

Oh eyes so full!
Oh touch so flushed!
Oh crush so engaged!

Had I but turned.
Had I but listened.
Had I but stopped.

Too late to change?
A life to mend.
God waits with love,
My rope to end.

Repentance in full
My sins to cast;
All to give,
To Him at last.

where's the bondage?

have you ever had a verse of scripture simply jump off the page, slap you silly, then meekly return to the passage? well I have and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. actually I've had several do that and if you haven't had this same experience then I question your salvation. mine was Galatians 4:9. it reads, "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" now Paul the Apostle is asking the church at Galatia why they what to return to slavery under the law. in chapter 5:1 he tells of how we are not under the law because of Christ's payment on the cross. he even goes a step further as to refer to the law as "bondage."
now why it jumped off.

God, in His grace has saved me. in His mercy He took me back even when I left Him, despite the abominations I committed. last night I had a relapse with this sin (alone). I submitted to my feelings and emotions instead of submitting to the Holy Spirit. today we; ie: God, the Holy Spirit and I; had a chat. God slapped me around with that verse and serveral others in my Bible reading. the Holy Spirit then launched into a much needed tongue lashing. not fun on my end. I realize I need to stand on the promises God had given in Romans 6, 7 & 8. especially the verse stated above.

my sin was bondage. bondage to self, pride, the flesh and my lusts. God has loosed those bonds once and for all. now I need to claim, in His power, the liberty with which He has provided. now one topic I did bring up in this chat is the spring and summer months. very much a feast for the eyes and the flesh! I've been told to not worry about the future but to rest on God and let Him give me the strength to walk through the pending trial. it is scary. not in putting your trust in God but to see how He will work. we are so much a visual-based society that even faith gets tested more by us than externally.

now I am by no means perfect, just forgiven as a sinner saved by His grace. I agree with Paul as he states my bondage needs to be only to the Saviour who died for my sins than to this fleshly abode in which my soul dwells. even so come Lord.

cleansing

Psalm 119:9 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."

automatic ambassador

december 2007. it began to crumble like cookies succombing to a steamroller. I was realizing that the relationship with the person I had lived with for almost 7 years was swiftly coming to an end. love, or the likeness therof, was no longer evident. I was not flatscreened, widescreened, or pixelated by any means. hi-def maybe but not in the way that provided joy. I knew going into this 7 years prior that it would not last. God, via the Holy Spirit had made that very clear. it was a lust of the flesh that was being satisfied, solely and purely. the Spirit wanted no part in this sin. yet I chose to dive headfirst into it thus dragging Him through it. once in He constistantly whispered how to escape. I chose to ignore. the only reason the Holy Spirit gave voice was because at the age of 14, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I trusted in His payment for my sins and gave my life to Him. I was no longer mine own to do as I pleased. little to my knowledge I had automactically become an ambassador. II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." a new what? yep, a new creature. see I had given my soul to Christ but had chosen to keep my life for myself. I refused to accept the fact I was a new creature and had become an ambassador.

II Corinthians 5:20 & 21, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made righteousness for God in him." see I enlisted as an ambassador whether I liked it or not. that's why it was crumbling. God was tired of His ambassador serving the prince of this earth, satan. Jesus Christ didn't leave heaven, be born into this world, live a perfect & sinless life, minister for 3 years, die on the cross for my sins, and then rise from the grave only so that I could be redeemed thus to continue in my sin. it wasn't going to happen.

so, december 2007. the beginning of the end? no, the beginning of my reconciliation to God and the start of my fulfillment as an ambassador.

a whosowhat?

Its plain and simple. Children can understand it. Teenagers have given into it. Adults of all ages have chosen to accept it. From tribes in the depths of Africa to the cold streets of Russia and even across the deserts of India people have realized this one prevailing truth. Jesus Christ died and rose again for everyone's (yours and mine included) sin. Romans 10:13 states, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” At the age of 14 in a Baptist church in Kokomo, IN, I became a whosoever. Now I had been raised in this church yet I never could actually pinpoint a time when I accepted Christ as my Saviour. Yes, my mother told me I had done it at the age of seven. That didn't make me saved. So I took that step of faith, realized I was a lost sinner, and asked Jesus to take away my sin and come into my heart.

Have you become a whosoever? Could you actually say there was a time in your life when you chose to accept Christ's payment on the cross for your sins? Not what the church, your parents or even your neighbor told you was the way to salvation, but what God Himself told us is the ONLY way to salvation. I wish you would accept this gift. It will truly determine where you spend eternity. First you must realize you are a sinner. The bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” This includes everyone even myself. Next, Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” Death? Yes, as punishment for our sin we will die. Not just an earthly death but if we do not accept Christ's payment we will die a spiritual death in hell. Now I don't want to go to hell, do you? Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” What was that? While we were yet sinners... we weren't even born when Christ died. True, but God did know that one day you and I would be. So He made provision for that day by sending His Son to take our place and pay for our sin. I know I could never pay for all my sin, could you?

Now if at this point you have realized you are a sinner, you agree that you will one day spend an eternity in hell as payment for this sin, and you believe that Christ paid for your sins on the cross then there is only one thing left to do. What did I mention was in Romans 10:13? “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” Yes, simply say either out loud or to yourself: Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I know that my punishment is hell but I accept your payment for my sin on the cross and I ask you to some into my heart. I accept you as the only way to heaven and life everlasting.

Now if you prayed that prayer then you are now a whosoever! Praise God! I might never see you here on this earth but one day in heaven I will.

you and what army

I honestly think that warmer weather feeds road rage. over the winter one tries to drive carefully. watching the road and those who seemingly have never driven in an Indiana winter. odd how that at the first sign of tulips everyone pushes the speed limit. the mirror reflects our lives. we push the envelope with God just to see where it leads. will He bring the hammer down? is it this time He chooses to correct? living on the edge in the fast lane does not always bring the benefits one desires. just look at the multiple fender benders.

Romans 8:37 tells, “In all things we are more than conquerers through him that loved us.” who knew that when Jesus died for our sins we would become the benefactors of His death. we can be conquerers and live in His “lane” with His power. with God all things are possible so who is to say we cannot become obedient to His word by allowing ourselves to be Spirit controlled. the bible does say in ALL things. last I checked all meant all. so you and what army will stop me? if I yield to the Holy Spirit, none.

escape equals obedience

temptation. the Bible says that temptation is bound to happen to Christians. I Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." if you are never tempted then you probably are not alive.

I love this part of the verse! "But God is faithful," praise Him for being faithful even when we choose not to be, "who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able."

here comes the good part! "But will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it." HALLELUJAH!

God always has a way to escape temptation, but only if you want to escape. He will not force you to escape and He won't even demand it. He does give us the Holy Spirit to convict us that we should escape. that is enough for me. escaping equals obedience. I choose to be obedient no matter the cost!