old friends

lo and behold I found out an old friend lives in my town. now this old friend knew me quite well prior to returning to God. she and I used to work together at a restaurant and did many things I am not proud of, nor willing to post.

the first thing the devil did was try to get me to return my thoughts to my past. once the Saviour defeated those thoughts, the devil launched into another immoral act. he said, well at least you can masterbate to memories. NO! Romans 12:1 tells us our body, including the mind, is a temple of the Lord.

this was the final giant from my past for God to defeat. it reminds me of David being used by God to smite Goliath in I Samuel 17. what is interesting is that David took 5 smooths stones. now no doubt he believed that God could kill him with just one, but Goliath had 4 brothers. only several years later did David and his mighty men defeat the remaining giants, II Samuel 21:22.

I can honestly say that God has cleaned me up - from the inside out. it is humbling to know that God has extended grace, provided mercy, and in lovingkindness has cleaned up this sinner. then on top of that has led me in His path. Psalm 25:8 tells us that God will teach sinners in the way. David was all too familiar with God's classroom as am I. but the coolest part is that God is willing to teach sinners if the sinner is willing to be taught. it just has to be in His time and in His way.

Under Grace

Just try to measure east to west
Or to the oceans lowest depth
You'll find no record of my past
You'll find my Savior’s righteousness

Under grace my guilt is gone
The chief accuser lost the war
The record of my sins erased
Its buried deep under grace

I could not meet the laws demands
But God in mercy had a plan
His Son's own blood my sins erased
My pardon now reads under grace

Under grace my guilt is gone
The chief accuser lost the war
The record of my sins erased
Its buried deep under grace

The record of my sins erased
And it's buried deep under grace
And it's buried deep under grace

hello, I am a tree & I am fat

Psalm 92:13 & 14, "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall be fat and flourishing:"

I’ve never been through a 12-step program of any kind, thank God, but I understand the concept. the individual seeking help chooses to enroll in the selected program in hopes of overcoming their addiction or problem. God on the other hand has a different kind of program called the 24-7-365-life program. the concept is much harder to understand, and many people choose not to enlist as it involves a total life commitment. odd because every Christian is enrolled whether they want to be or not.

this 24-7-365 program has only one guideline: complete obedience to the Heavenly Father. the best part about the guideline is Jesus Christ Himself helps you follow that rule! the reason why? He wants you to become fat. yes, fat. rolly polly, plump and juicy, busting at the seams, enormous kind of fat that only He can appreciate.

how does this become accomplished? you get planted. yes, planted. every Christian is a tree planted somewhere in God’s garden. Psalm 1:3, "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season." if you choose to soak up the Son, you grow. if you choose not to, you whither away.

the why of becoming planted? to bear fruit (John 15:8), i.e.: win souls. you see a fat tree bears much fruit – hence being known as a fat tree. the more you soak up the Son, the fatter you become. the fatter you become, the more fruit you bear. the more fruit you bear, the more you need to soak up the Son. vicious cycle yet one that the Father delights to see.

I say all this to bring you to the whole reason to become fat: glory. yes, glory. glory to the Heavenly Father; who in His grace and mercy chose to save your soul from the eternal flame. you in turn must be used to win souls for Him. there is no use of having a skinny tree around. no shade. no shelter. no fruit.

oh may my boughs droop with fruit. oh may I become a fat tree!

but by Grace

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, writer of 13 books of the New Testament, and a former persecutor of Christians, was human. he had emotions, cares and most importantly the trait of sin. in Romans 8:24 we hear him crying out as a wretched man that he knows he is. but by Grace he didn’t stop there. he wrote in verse 25, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

Paul, being directed by the Holy Spirit, allowed us to see his real self. the Spirit within that warred against his flesh. the human that cried out in verse 24 was also the same that gave thanks to God for paying his pardon thus freeing his soul from death and hell. but he also told us his own mind served the law of God and his flesh the law of sin. it is comforting to know that Paul had the same battles I face in this day-to-day Christian life. those spiritual battles that are given to God as I cannot win alone.

but by Grace he didn’t stop there. in chapter 8 Paul writes of being led by the Holy Spirit. verse 14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

currently I am in 7:25. by Grace, 8:14 is approaching.