Reflections by Joel Uriel

Wretched

2010-05-31T21:28:00.002-05:00

O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? -Romans 7:24 KJV

Amazing Grace

At a young age, he was a merchant sailor with whose reputation was so bad that it made other sailors blush. Before long, he became British slave trader. So wretched was he, that even his crew was disgusted. Once in a drunken stupor he fell overboard. To rescue him, crewmembers threw a harpoon through his leg so they could pull him back on board.

On another of his voyages, his ship nearly sank in a fierce storm. They lost most of the food, their ability to navigate, and were literally within days of cannibalism. By the time they reached land, John Newton finally recognized God's hand on his life. Newton left his ungodly ways, stopped slave trading, and became a pastor committed to ending slavery.

Saved by grace

John Newton was not being humble when he wrote "that saved a wretch like me." Slave traders are pretty low on the "sinners" list. The apostle Paul tells us in 1^st Timothy 1:10, that enslavers rate down there with those who kill their parents.

Wretch is a pretty strong term; To be wretched is to be hopeless, Despicable; hatefully vile and contemptible.

Q What goes through your head when you sing "a wretch like me"? Do you have an honest recognition of your state? Do you think, "That's me – Hopeless and despicable, in desperate need of God's grace." Or do you think, "That's putting it a little harsh." We should replace "wretch like me" with "wretch like Charles." If we're honest with ourselves, most of think we stack up pretty well in the grand scheme of things.

To those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." – Luke 18:9-14 KJV

We cannot receive God's saving grace until we repent of our sins. I've had a chance to witness to a young man who has trouble understanding this fact. He freely admits that he has made a mess of many things in his life, but he thinks that he can make up for them by doing good deeds. In his case he plans to enter the military. Perhaps the military is where God wants to use him, but he cannot work off his sins in the military. He, just like all of us, must honestly and humbly admit his wretched state to God.

Grace alone can save a wretch like me. (Repeat that with me, but insert your own name.)

Not getting what we deserve

What exactly is grace? We use the word in so many ways: we say grace before meals, credit cards have a grace period, and people have been named Grace.

The grace Newton wrote about is God's saving grace. Grace is to not receive the punishment we deserve for our wretchedness.

Example 1:

Let say you got pulled over for doing 70 down Hospital Drive; not only that, but your tags are expired, your license is revoked, there's no insurance on the car, you're not wearing a seat belt, and to top it off, you swear at the officer and ask him why he isn't guarding Dunkin Donuts.

If he lets you off with a stern warning, you could call that grace.

Getting better than we deserve

But grace is even more. Grace is the application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner (GRACE = Gods riches at Christ's Expense). An undeserved blessing freely bestowed on man by God. It is this incredible kindness that He shows us, in ways both great and small.

Example 2:

Now say you're a server at IHOP and you're having a horrible day; you're late for work (which is why you were speeding earlier), you mess some guy's order, spill water and then pour coffee on him, and swear at him again (Again because your customer is the same officer who pulled you over earlier).

Now imagine he gives you a $200 tip – that's grace. Grace is getting better than we deserve.

Depths of grace

Now back to John Newton: I love stories of dramatic conversions, those 180º changes. We've had some come through our church with such stories. I love them, but I can't fully relate. Most of us have a "three steps forward, two steps back" walk with the Lord. We often mean well, but our actions don't quite match our intentions.

When I told you about Newton's conversion, I left a key piece of information: From the time from when he became a Christian until when he gave up slave trading was six years. And it took 25 more years for him to speak out against slavery.

Perhaps what makes grace so amazing is its depth. God is amazingly patient with frail and failing people, like John Newton, like you and like me.

Q Do you know someone who has been "saved," but never changed?
Q Are you that someone?

God's patience is often mistaken for permission to sin. Paul addressed this in Romans:

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? - Romans 6:15-16 KJV

When we, as genuine believers, take grace as permission to continue sinning, it shows we don't understand sin. Sin is a fatal disease, something to get away from, not something to get away with.

Sin is what destroys us, destroys others, and destroys our relationship with God – that's why God wants us to be free from it.

It is the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit that leads us to holiness, and away from sin, is a gift of grace, not burden.

Grace is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.

As John Newton reached the end of his life and thought back on those six years he spent as a "Christian" slave trader, did he think, "Look what I got away with!"? Or, did he more likely think "Through many dangers, toils and snares, You, Lord, have lead me home; dangers I put myself in, toils and pain I inflicted on myself and others, snares that nearly snagged my soul."?

When it is our turn to stand before God, and we clearly seeing how much damage our sins did, will we say "Wow, look at all I got away with," or will we say, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."

Anything before God?

2010-05-18T15:07:00.002-05:00

Here is another question that was asked by a 9 year old visitor to my old website:

Ok first I know that GOD was here before anything, but how? I mean it's just so confusing.

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 (KJV)

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
-2nd Peter 3:8 (KJV)

Time was created by God. Because God is eternal and outside of time, to him, one day is the same as a thousand years. The Study Bible I use (The Evidence Bible by Ray Comfort) has a very good explanation for this:

    The question of who made God can be answered by simply looking at space and asking, “Does space have an end?” Obviously, it doesn’t. If there is a brick wall with “The End” written on it, the question arises, “What is behind the brick wall?” Strain the mind though it may, we have to believe (have faith) that space has no beginning and no end. The same applies with God. He has no beginning and no end. He is eternal.
    The Bible also informs us that time is a dimension that God created, into which man was subjected. It even tells us that one day time will no longer exist. That will be called “eternity.” God Himself dwells outside of the dimension He created (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2). He dwells in eternity and is not subject to time. God spoke history before it came into being. He can move through time as a man flips through a history book. Because we live in the dimension of time, logic and reason demand that everything must have a beginning and an end. We can understand the concept of God’s eternal nature the same way we understand the concept of space having no beginning and end—by faith. We simply have to believe they are so, even though such thoughts put a strain on our distinctly insufficient cerebrum.
    -"The Evidence Bible" (Bridge-Logos Publishers), Page 769

It is natural for us to think that everything has to have a beginning (and an end) as we are born into the dimension of time. But God, who created time, exists outside of time, and is not subject to it.

How man came to Earth

2010-05-11T12:00:00.002-05:00

Several years ago I ran a website called "Reflections". I accepted Christ as my savior many years ago, but in many cases I was a "Christian" in name only. It wasn't until around 10-12 years ago that I really started seeking what being a Christian meant. At that time, I started doing a lot of research, and I created the Reflection website to share what I had learned. At that time I was blessed to be asked an assortment of questions by several of the visitors to my website.

Reflections has been off-line for several years now, but I came across a copy of the site I had stashed away. As I looked over the information, some of the information was definitely written from a Christian "newbie" perspective, others were pretty well researched. I thought I would share some of those here. I figure that these might help someone who is new in their faith, who are asking the same questions I had.

While running Reflections, I was asked several questions by a 9 year old and her family. I thought I would share one of her questions and my answer to her.

Do you watch scientific shows? Well I do with my dad. If you do than maybe or maybe not you've wondered which story is true about how mankind came to earth. Well that was my question.

I love Science and Science Fiction shows, but often both attempt to come up with their own ideas as to where we came from. The two most common look for ungodly reasons as to why we are on Earth:

A) Aliens – The common idea in this is that we were either planted on earth by an alien race, or that we are an experiment by aliens, or that we are somehow descended from Aliens who came to earth. Of course this doesn't answer the original question. If any of these three were true, then where did the original Aliens come from? Something (God) would have had to have created the Aliens.

B) Muck/slime/ooze – This idea suggests that we came about by random chance, that somehow after millions or billions of years nothing, some form of life randomly appeared. Then, after yet another million or billions of years pass, somehow that randomly created life managed to randomly mutate into a Professor with a PhD. Without intelligent, creative input, lifeless chemicals cannot form themselves into living things. This theory, known as spontaneous generation, was disproved by the great creationist founder of microbiology, Louis Pasteur.

The True Story of How Man came to Earth can be found in Genesis:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
-Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV)

On day six of creation, God made man. We were created on the same day as all the land based animals (yes, this includes dinosaurs!).

I hope that this is helpful information. If your parents allow you to access the internet, I recommend the following web sites that can help with further studies:

ChristianAnswers.Net - http://christiananswers.net

Answers in Genesis - http://www.answersingenesis.org/

The Institute for Creation Research - http://www.icr.org/

The Christian Apologetic Research Ministry - http://www.carm.org/

Creation Super Library - http://christiananswers.net/creation/

Archaeology and the Bible - http://christiananswers.net/archaeology/

As always, the first place to look is in God's word itself (the Bible). I am honored that you have asked me these things. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

"The more I study Nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator"
-Louis Pasteur, "The Evidence Bible" (Bridge-Logos Publishers), page 1454

Guilty until proven innocent….

2010-05-07T13:18:00.002-05:00

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution)

Often we hear the phrase "innocent until proven guilty", especially in various legal movies and television shows. Unfortunately, with the recent explosion of Police License scanners, Red-light cams and the assortment of more and more surveillance cameras that are starting to pop up, it seems that those with the power are taking the position of "We know you're guilty, we just need to catch you".

Don't get me wrong. I fully support banks and businesses that put these devices in place. But these are not places that have anything to gain. A bank monitors to protect its customers. A restaurant that puts such up in their parking lot again is protecting its customers. And should I decide that I don't like one of these places using such devices, I can always take my business elsewhere.

The problem is when government gets involved. Many of these Red-light cams are being used to generate revenue, and if revenue is down, what stops a corrupt government from misusing these devices for their own purposes? There are only so many alternate routes one can take if they are against these red-light cameras, and those routes are becoming fewer and fewer. Please don't get me wrong, I do not map my route to avoid these cameras, I am just using this as an example.

This is just a minor infringement. I have always had these same concerns with regard to the Patriot Act put into place by the president George Bush. I had disagreements with some of the things he did, but overall, I had trust in our president. I never thought of him as one to be against his own country. But I have concerns for our current government. Daily my respect for our elected officials diminishes. As Peter Parkers uncle in the movie "Spider Man" says, "With great power comes great responsibility" (oddly reminiscent of Luke 12:48). I do not see our current government coming close to acting worthy of the responsibility it has been given.

In the eyes of God, we are definitely guilty, and God is everywhere, so God sees every transgression we make. But that is God's right, not government.

Trust….

2010-05-03T13:27:00.003-05:00

I enjoy listening to Politics. I also obviously enjoy discussing religious topics. One of my favorites personalities to listen to is Glenn Beck. I believe that he is spot-on with the issues facing our country. And I can disagree with him on the religious issues (He is a professed/practicing Mormon), yet can stand next to him in defense of our country.

Lately Glenn has been quoting a lot of scripture. On one hand, I applaud him, as too many these days won't take a stand for their faith. And to his credit, he has not started quoting the book of Mormon (sticking to the bible, and being pretty good with keeping things in the correct context). But I have one word of warning for both him and those who have the same political stand. Glenn has pointed out how the founding fathers felt that government was a necessary evil, and that we shouldn't put out trust in Government to solve our problems, but in the American people. Many times he has referenced the following:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12, KJV)

He is correct in this, but I also wish to point out the following:

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:8-9, KJV)

This passage in Psalms reinforces not over-trusting leaders, but it also warns us that we should not refocus our trust in man either. It is God whom we need to turn to. It is God where we need to be placing our trust. Our country has gone out of it's way to remove God from the minds of men, thus if we can't trust government, most will put their faith in their fellow man. Many men may have good intentions, but often the wickedness in their hearts will deceive them (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).

Glenn, keep up the good work, but remember to not over emphasize man, and make sure you are putting your faith in the correct God.

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

2010-04-25T19:38:00.001-05:00

Lent Conclusion and Resurrection Sunday

2010-04-07T00:14:00.004-05:00

I came across the information below that I thought was an appropriate way to make my final look back at my Lent fast. According to a Rasmussen Reports 4/4/10, the following information is something to consider:

Of Americans in General:

78% of Americans believe that Christ arose from the dead
10% of Americans do not believe Christ arose from the grave
11% are not sure

85% of Americans believe that Christ actually walked the earth 2000 years ago
6% Do not believe Christ walked the earth 2000 years ago
8% are not sure

81% believe that Christ is the son of God
10% Do not believe Christ is the son of God
9% are not sure

51% of Americans believe that Easter is one of our nation's most important holidays

I bolded what I thought was most important: ONLY 10% of Americans do not believe that Christ rose from the grave. If this is true, then as Glenn Beck would say, "We surround them!" If this is true, why do we allow non-Christian religions and Atheists to push us around? Why have we allowed our courts and leaders to take us down this road where Christians feel like they are a minatory?

One would think the above to be encouraging, but remember this:

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. -James 2:19 (KJV)

A lot of Americans say that they believe that there is a God. Many say that they believe in Christ, but so do the demons! How many who are professing these things will yet end up in hell? Belief is not enough. Trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation is what they need to do! Anything less results in their damnation!

Lent – Day 39

2010-03-27T12:46:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I last posted. As to Lent, for the most part I have been successful. Can I say I've been perfect? No, but I can say that the success I have had is only through the grace of God, and the failings I have encountered have only been due to my own sinfil nature coming through.

The study with Setting Captives Free has been focusing on the last words of Christ. This has caused me to think much. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that no matter how much you may have "head" knowledge of salvation, too often I allow worldly ideas to creep into my way of thinking. Today's lesson really made me think on this.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 KJV)

The Last action of Christ on the cross was to bowing His head and giving up his spirit. This is God, who is in control of everything! This is Jesus, who spoke everything into existence! This is the Lord of Lords who could have called legions of angels to his defense! This is He who could heal the sick and make the blind see, yet would not heal himself or step down from the cross. All this, Jesus did for me. But this is the thing that stands out today: Even after all that Jesus had done in his earthly ministry, when the time came, He did not call out to God the Father and remind Him of all that he had done in His earthly ministry. Jesus bowed His head, and trusted in God the Father to accept his spirit.

How often do I sit around and make "deals" with God, trying to bargain? How often do I reflect back upon my actions and think "have I done enough to warrant Gods favor?" The answer is that there is no amount of good I could do to earn favor with God. I need to have the same trust in the atonement of Christ alone, and at night, bow my head and just trust in Him.

Movies:

I am going to write about two movies today that I have watched since last time. This First is the Passion of the Christ. When watching this movie on a smaller screen (compared to the theater), something is lost in grandeur. None the less, it is an incredible movie. There are a lot of Catholic over-tones in the film that do not reflect scripture. And Mel Gibson does add other features that are also not in scripture, but over-all, these additions only add to the demonic influences that were in effect. And as brutal as this movie is, it is yet mild. Scripture tells us that Jesus was so disfigured that he did not even appear to be a man (Isaiah 52:14).

Another movie I saw (and recommend) is called Never back Down. This is not a Christian Movie by any means. It is your typical Fight-club style movie. But it does have a lesson that I find important for today's world. The hero of this movie learns that it is easy to blame others for the situation we are in, but the reality is that we are ultimately responsible for how we respond to the situations we find ourselves in.

Lent – Day 15

2010-03-03T15:49:00.005-06:00

Just an update on some if what I have been during over Lent.

First I continue to stay on the fast. I have been sticking to liquids only with the exception of last Friday, which had been planned in advance (the marriage counseling retreat that I mentioned in the previous update). There have been a couple of days where I felt moved by the spirit to really cut back even on the juices (drinking mostly water on those days). I can feel the Lord working in me. How? First, I couldn't on my own maintain a fast like this on my own. In the past I have been able to fast for short periods, and have done a juice fast before, but I am now going longer than I ever have in the past. If God was not in this with me, I couldn't make it this long, nor could expect to make it the entire time of Lent on the dietary schedule I am currently on. It must be God who is making this possible. And when Lent is over, it will be God who gets the glory for this.

Another thing I have noticed is that I am thinking more about things around me. I have been getting onto my son for his language, and have become aware of more of the things in my life that I have either allowed in my life that God wouldn't approve of, or taking note of the things I have done in the past (habitual things) that I never thought about and if those things are pleasing to God.

Another "odd" thing I have started doing this week is watching a different Christian movie each night and then considering what I have learned (if anything) from these movies. I will share briefly what I have seen so far and my thoughts on these.

The Nativity Story – This is a story about the events leading up to the birth of Christ. As a Christmas story, it is great. It have everything that you would expect. While not 100% percent accurate to scripture (example, the 3 Wisemen did not show up until possibly 2 years after the birth of Christ), it gives a lot of insight about Joseph and Mary. They portray Joseph as a man who sought after virtue, and while he was not perfect, was a man that lived his walk. Mary was the prime example of one who was willing to be a servant. The movie brings out the stigma of being pregnant and unmarried at that time. She was looked down upon the people she had grown up with, and Joseph joined into that once he declared that he would not turn his back to Mary. Both of them were willing to submit to God, accepting the ridicule that wispers about them. They were willing to submit to God and do what God told them to do.

The Book of Eli – I don't want to give away any plot twists for those who haven't seen this film, but it does show a man who is nowhere near perfect, but one who yet strives to do as God calls. One of the things that stands out most to me in this movie comes at the very end, when Eli is praying. He is dying, but has complete the task that had been set before him. His prayer is simple and can be summed up as follows: Thanks for giving me the strength to do what you needed me to do, thanks for the good things you allowed me to do and forgive me where I have fallen short.

Time Changer – The basic premise is that we cannot teach the things of God without and remove his from those teachings. For example, in one scene the main character catches a little girl who has stolen his hotdog. He asks the child if she knows that stealing is wrong. Her answer: "Says Who?" If we take god out of his teachings, then whatever we consider right or wrong is open to individual interpretation and debate. We can't take the teachings of the bible and treat them as just "good ideas". We need to remember that it is God who declares these things, and that He never changes. God is our authority behind these things, not us.

There are some more movies I plan to watch yet this week, as follows: Gospel of John, Passion of the Christ, and Left Behind.

I will write more later on how Lent is going, and my thoughts on the other movies.

Lent – Day 11

2010-02-27T21:17:00.002-06:00

Our church has been having a marriage counseling retreat the last couple of days. I wanted to share a little on what was taught last night.

There is a hierarchy of priorities that we must always remember:

God – We are to keep God first and foremost.
Family – Family is second. Before the church was ever started, God created the family. A Father cannot expect his family to be right with God if he is not being the spiritual head of the household, being an example to his family.
Church – We are to be in a bible teaching/believing church, learning the word and supporting our church (tithes, offerings, helping where needed)
Others – This is a broad area, but it includes work (being a good workman, living a godly live as an example to others, helping and witnessing, etc.)
Self – We should be servants. We should be last on the list, but When we have the above four things in order, we will be right with God and we will be taken care of.

That's just a brief sampling, but one I wanted to post, not only to share with others, but to be a reminder to myself.

As to Lent, For the most part, things continue well. I have been fighting some weakness in the flesh by wanting to eat more, but have mostly fought that off. Not perfect, but when I make a mistake, I must remember to confess, seek God, and get back on the band wagon.

Lent – Day 9

2010-02-25T10:04:00.003-06:00

Just a few thoughts from the fast so far:

In regards to building my relationship with the Lord, on the plus side, I have been doing the bible studies as originally planned at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/. This study I have been taking is an in-depth look at the Cross, and examples from the old testament that point to the meaning of the sacrifice made at the Calvary. While some has been review, there has also been a lot of good stuff presented. When I finish this study, I will write about some of the things that stood out to me. At the same time, my time in prayer has not improved. I know the reason for this… I have a high degree of pride. Not such that I am boastful around people, but in that I have been raised that you only ask for help when it is something beyond your ability to fix. God wants me to come to him in all things, yet I want to try and take care of these things, even the minor ones, on my own. I need to swallow my pride and truly turn to the Lord in all things.

In regards to the fast, I have had a couple of minor slips (I had a coke slushy at the movie the other day without really thinking about it before hand), but for the most part I have been doing well. On Sunday (when I could eat), after not eating for 4 days, food had a incredibly good taste. And so far I have lost 9.9 pounds.

Lent – Day 1

2010-02-17T10:46:00.002-06:00

Well, with yesterday being Fat Tuesday, I tried to make it a point to enjoy those things that I was going to be giving up during this time. I really enjoy both Coke and Mt. Dew, so I made it a point to have a couple of these. I also ate some of my favorite foods. I had hoped to have a steak dinner last night, but my son was sick, so I had to settle for a BBQ Chicken pizza from Papa Johns.
I have thought more about what I plan to do during this period of Lent, and will list these now:

Soda – No Soda (none, zero, zip until Easter. My son has been telling me how bad soda is, so hopefully I will lose my desire for soda by Easter, and not return to is (or at least drastically cut back on my intake).
Drinks allowed Monday – Saturday: Fruit juices, some milk, occasional Hot Chocolate, water, tea.
Foods allowed Monday – Saturday: Almost none, but I will allow limited fruits (banana's, apples, grapes, etc), vegetables (I hate most vegetables, so I will have to be very hungry to partake of these). I will also allow soups (plain soups such as tomato, no soups with meats or noodles, etc).
Sundays: Will allow for intake of any food and drink (no soda). I must remember to east responsibly (no pigging out, but enjoy the food I do eat, and no snacks or junk food).
Bible Study – I will at a minimum do a daily bible study (The Cross at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/) . I have taken courses at this site before. The average time to complete one study will range between 35-45 minutes. I also have a Reese Chronological Bible. I plan to start reading the New Testament in this bible (this bible put the events of the bible in chronological order).
Prayer – Make a point of spending more time in prayer.
Internet access – As a computer tech, I essential need to access the internet for work. Outside of work, the only time I will access the internet is to complete my studies at http://www.settingsaptivesfree.com/, Update the church website (I run the website for the church I attend) and for occasional needs such as looking up movie times (for family events and so forth). There is to be no internet access for simple "browsing" or wasting time.
Television – I will continue to allow myself television in the morning (I check the weather and local events to make sure there are no road closings or school cancellations). In the evening, I will only allow myself to watch television when:
1. My Bible studies are complete
2. Someone is watching with me (thus as a family event)
3. No one is home (thus Television is not taking me away from my family)
Listen to the Holy Spirit – As this time progresses, I need to make sure that I am listening to the Holy Spirit, and adjusting my life as directed by the Holy Spirit during this time (and work to make sure that I continue to listen to the Holy Spirit in the future).

I will share that I have taken part in Fasts before. I have done water only fasts (up to three days) and I did 18 days once with Juices only. I plan to approach the Lent days (Monday – Saturday) with the same mindset as when I did the juice fasts in the past. I hope that I am able to avoid all solid food during these days.
I must remember that the whole purpose in the is to place Christ front and center in my life. I have for too long done things my way. And my way doesn't work. The following are the goals I hope to achieve during this time:

Greater relationship with Christ: My son and I often have disagreements. Many times I have told him that if he was living his life the way scripture told him to live, then he would not have any problems with his family. I need to follow that same advice. I hope to get my relationship with Christ in order, so that I am living as He wants me to live. If I do so, then I believe that the following will take place:
1. Peace of mind knowing that I am truly living as Christ would want me to live.
2. By living as Christ would want me to live, I can be a better example to my family
3. Growth in relationship with my family.
Control of eating/weight loss: My weight issues cause the following:
1. Lack of self control (gluttony) hinders my witnessing, by being a bad example to others, and affecting my self confidence to witness.
2. Lack of energy prevents me from being all I can be for my family.
Gaining time: By getting away from my television and internet "addictions", I will gain time, Time for the family, time to do other things I know need to be done, and more time for prayer and study.
Restoration:
1. Restoring my relationship with God
2. Restoring my relationship with my family

Anyone who reads this, please keep my in prayer during this time.

Lent

2010-02-15T12:04:00.002-06:00

What is Lent? Well, according to Websters 1828 Dictionary, lent is:

The quadragesimal fast, or fast of forty days observed by the christian church before Easter, the festival of our Savior's resurrection. It begins at Ash Wednesday, and continues till Easter.

Okay, I guess that's right, but while normally Websters can make things clear to me, I am still in the dark. I am not Catholic, but I married into a Catholic family. Of course I am not aware of any of them actually doing anything for Lent, so I I'm not sure I can get a good answer from them either. Thus I did as I so often do, and turned to the internet. After doing a few Google searches, I came across a website (http://www.wilstar.com/holidays/lent.htm) that gave me some good, quick and clear answers. I will give a brief summery from what I have gathered:

The highlight of the year for Christians is Easter, the day when our Lord rose from the dead. Lent is a forty-day season of preparation for Easter. Lent always begins on a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday.

Why 40 days? Because, Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Lent, then, is our time of fasting, prayer, temptation and repentance. Lent is not required anywhere in scriptures, but it has been a custom, which Christians have practiced for most of the last two thousand years.

In many languages, the word "Lent" actually means "fast." This is where the custom of giving up something for Lent originated.

However, just to confuse things, Lent is actually 46 days rather than 40 days. Why? Because the 40 days of Lent are supposed to be days of fasting, which means days of discipline and self-restraint. But Sunday, the Lord's Day, should never be a day of fasting, but a day of celebration! So each Sunday we suspend our Lenten disciplines and celebrate. Lent is 40 "fasting" days spread out over a total of 46 days beginning on Ash Wednesday.

The focus of Lent was always threefold:

It was a time to prepare new converts for baptism through intensive classes and instruction.
It was a time for long-standing Christians to review their lives and renew their commitment to Jesus Christ.
It was a time for backsliders to be restored to the faith.

In every case, it is a time for serious, disciplined self-examination, a time spent in intensive prayer and repentance before the cross of Calvary.

To represent the dark and serious business of Lent, one custom has been to strip the sanctuary of all flowers, candles, and colors during Lent. This custom helps us to turn inward and examine ourselves, even as it reminds us of the dark and colorless Sabbath day when Jesus lay dead in the tomb.

Put simply, Lent is a time to examine ourselves carefully. Here are some questions upon which you might pray and meditate during Lent:

Am I sharing gladly what I have with others, especially the stranger and the poor?
Do I have a gracious and patient attitude with others, especially those who irritate me?
Do I feel the power of connection to God and the church in corporate worship?
How is my devotional and prayer life progressing? Am I listening to God more and complaining less? Is it time for a change or a growth in my Bible study and prayer life?
What are the lurking sin problems, which still plague me?
Am I as thoughtful and forgiving of family as others, or do I take my frustrations out on them?
Do I speak up for the maligned and oppressed, or do I remain silent in order to remain popular?

So what does all this mean to me? Well, it gives me a guideline, a starting point for something that I have needed to do for a long time now. You see, I hold to the view of "Once saved, Always saved", so I don't question my salvation, but I do question how healthy my relationship with the Lord is. There was a time when I wanted to go into the ministry, but the Lord has shown me that I am not ready for this. Paul writes to Timothy regarding the Qualifications of being a minister. One of these is that a minister must have his household in order, as how can a minister expect to lead a congregation when he can't lead his own home. There are many problems taking place at home. No, there are no plans of divorce or anything like that, but there are nonetheless many issues that show me I am not yet ready for ministry (on a side note though, this last Sunday, due to bad weather, I was given the chance to fill in and teach Sunday school class at church, which tells me that the Lord does still have plans for me). As such, I plan to take the spirit of Lent as described above and apply it to my life, starting on Wednesday (02/17/10) thru Easter (4/04/10).

What do I hope to gain from this? I have quite a list, which I will share with anyone reading this.

Rebuild my relationship with God.
Get back into a routine of Bible study. One way that I am going to do this is by going to Setting Captives Free (http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/) and doing their online study titled "the Cross". This is a Bible study course designed to help you get focused on Christ. This is a 60 day course, so it will be going on after Lent actually ends, but hopefully by the end to Lent, I will be in the habit of setting aside time to have personal bible study.
Overcome personal sins. There are those "besetting sins" that I constantly battle with. One example is weight. There have been many times when my weight has prevented me from doing all I could, either for God (as when I have been on missions trips). There are also times when my weight has kept me from being my best with my family (either I'm too tired or in a bad mood because of my weight). These "besetting sins" need to be put under control so they no longer come between me and my relationship with God or my family. As such, I plan to follow my understanding of fasting during Lent. I will primarily consume juices and soups, but will also allow myself some fruits and vegetables Monday – Saturday. Sundays I will eat normal meals (but eat "wisely, not as a glutton).
Other areas I need to restrict is cutting back on television viewing and internet browsing. Way too much time is wasted in these activities (and all too often one can get drawn into areas they should avoid anyway), focusing this time gained into doing things with my family or in prayer and meditation with God.
Read my Bible more!!!

During this time of Lent, I will be using this blog as a journal of my experiences and thoughts during Lent. I pray that this will lead me to where I need to be, and will be a help to others.

We the People - Ray Stevens

2010-01-08T22:18:00.001-06:00

Music that matches my views!!!

Diet Update:
Starting weight: 270
Current Weight: 267
Total loss: 3 pounds

Turning to God from idols

2010-01-03T06:04:00.002-06:00

For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (1 Thessalonians 1:9 KJV)

In various other books written by the Apostle Paul, Paul writes in order to correct actions or to answer questions those churches had. In 1^st Thessalonians Chapter 1, Paul writes to praise theThessalonian people. They are overcoming. They are growing in their walk with the Lord, and in verse 9 he shows us how this is being done: the people have turned to God from their idols. Notice it is not the other way around: The people did not turn from their idols, but rather they turned to God.

Idolatry is a sin, and it is easy to turn from sin. WHAT? Did I really say that? Yes. The problem is that we often turn from one sin to another sin. How often do we hear about one who has stopped drinking, but takes up smoking? Or stops smoking but gains weight because they are now over eating? All too often, when we turn from one sin, we sink into another darker sin. For instance, if you read about King David in 2nd Samuel Chapter 11, we find that David should have been off to war. Instead, David sends Joab and the troops, while David himself "tarries" in Jerusalem. I'm sure that David thought he had valid reason to lag behind. He was the king. He could have thought that he deserved some time off from battle. Perhaps, by resting, he felt he would be refreshed, being a better leader in the times to come. But scripture doesn't tell us how David felt. Scripture cuts to the chase – David tarried. Tarried means that David chose to delay, to wait behind, to procrastinate. How many of us have not done this before. And while we may not want to call that a sin, we often don't see things the way God sees things.

David procrastinates. By doing so David sees Bathsheba, This leads to David falling prey to lust in his mind for Bathsheba. That lust turns into adultery, which next leads to the planning and finally murder of Bathsheba's husband Uriah. At any point had David turned to God, this downward spiral would have been broken. Instead, David turns from one sin to another, sinking deeper and deeper.

The Thessalonians were turning to God. Turning to God first will automatically keep you from other sins.

In a previous post (The Vomit of your sins…), I address this topic, and at that time I mentioned that we often fall back into our sins (Psalms 26:11). The only way we can stop the cycle, to stop either turning form one sin to a deeper, darker sin, or returning to the same "pet" sins that we favor, is to turn to God.

Normally Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year, but this year was not, at least not in regards to how I felt things should have been at home. But that is when I remembered IT. IT happened again. It took problems with my family to remind me that it was not about what I wanted Christmas to be like (a quiet day at home with the family, opening gifts, watching videos and such), but that I needed to be keeping HIM first in my sights.

I need to remember that I need to keep Jesus first. Jesus can fix all my problems, but Jesus is not some little genie that I can pull out and command to fix my problems. Only when I am walking with Him will things be right. Jesus is going to make things right for me, but this takes place only when I am in perfect fellowship with Him, doing as He commands, following His directions, being in God's will. When I am in harmony with his plans for me, in the proper fellowship with Him, all other troubles with either work out, not seem so large, or I will have the understanding to know that what I believe is a problem is not truly an issue.

I need to turn to God. I need to do this first for my family, but also for my health and testimony. Whenever I get depressed, instead of turning to God, I often turn to food. I had originally hoped to maintain my weight over the holidays, and then start a diet. Instead, when problems arose, I turned to food, and as of this morning I weight 270. No more. I must put God first. I must turn to him rather than to food for comfort from my other cares and concerns.

It….

2009-12-24T10:36:00.002-06:00

I don't remember the first time I ever heard the story of Christmas, the story of the birth of Jesus, nor when Gods' plan of salvation was first explained to me. In my memory, this is something that has just always been. And there are times when I wish that I did not know the story. You see, with knowing something for a long period of time, there comes a certain level of "callousness" that comes with knowledge.

That is one reason why I love Christmas. You see, even though I get just as caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping and decorating, at some point IT happens. One year IT was while I was up late playing Santa, putting packages under the tree for the kids. Another year IT was while I was driving home on Christmas eve and the roads were empty. What is the IT I am referring to? IT is when that quiet moment hits, when, for just a moment, the Christmas story hits me, and the wonder of it all shines again, when I am amazed at what a wonderful gift that God has given me. And for those few minutes, the callousness of my heart is stripped away. I may not remember the first time I was told the Christmas story, but during this time, I briefly feel the wonder and amazement of Gods' gift to me.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. ([And] this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen [it], they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard [it] wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered [them] in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

This, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary!

- From Luke Chapter 2, Matthew Chapter 1 (KJV) and the Chorus from "What Child is this?"

Perhaps you may believe that this sounds a bit cliché, but this year, remember that Jesus really is the reason for the season. At some point during this busy time you will have a few moments of quiet. At that time, sit back and ponder. Allow IT to happen to you, and remember the joy you had when you first heard the message.

Merry Christmas.

Rumors, Gossip and your Testamony

2009-12-16T10:03:00.009-06:00

It's that time of year again, when people start forwarding all sorts of emails with cute Christmas stories. Add these to the collection of emails I get from people telling me how this senator is corrupt, a representative is doing something underhanded, or that evils of some of the actions our current president is involved in, I find that I spend a lot of time reading emails, most of which are junk. Below part of a message I put together some time ago addressing this topic, and how forwarding unverified email just ruins your credibility. I thought I would share this today…

Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
-Exodus 23:1 (KJV)

When I first became a Christian, many of my friends started forwarding me things they thought were "cute" or "interesting" little Christian stories. As time went on, I started discovering that many of the stories being sent to me were fake. One example went like this:

I am sure that all of you heard about the sandstorm in Iraq Tuesday and Wednesday (the worst in 100 years some say) and the drenching rain that followed the next day. Our troops were bogged down and couldn't move effectively.

The media was already wondering if the troops were in a "quagmire" and dire predictions of gloom and doom came from the left wing media. What they didn't report was that yesterday, after the weather had cleared, the Marine group that was mired the worst looked out at the plain they were just about to cross. What did they see? Hundreds if not thousands of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines had been uncovered by the wind and then washed off by the rain. If they had proceeded as planned, many lives would have undoubtedly been lost.

As it was, they simply drove around them and let the demolition teams destroy them.

Praises be to His mighty name! Thank you God, for protecting our young men and women!

Cute story, except that it is a total lie, and only 15 minutes of searching uncovered this hoax (Urban Legends Reference Pages: Glurge Gallery (Sandstorm)).

Another email still roaming around warns people that they should check their computer for the file JDBGMGR.EXE. If this file is on their computer, it should be delete immediately as it is a virus. Unfortunately, this is not a virus. If you were a programmer who deleted this file, you could no longer debug javascripts. How open is the friend that deleted this program (based on your advice) going to be to the gospel after you have wrecked their computer? Why should they believe you?

Do we bring honor to our Lord when we circulate these little lies? Is this how to reach a spiritually lost and dying world? Spreading these lies ruins our testimony. Why should someone believe us about our walk with God when we are also willing to send them bogus stories of how someone drilled into hell? They question if we really know what we are talking about. God doesn't need us to fabricate something in order to make Him look good. When we pass these "lies" around, (and in the past I have been guilty of this also), do we not become guilty of telling lies, spreading false teachings, and even helping to create a false "god" of our own?

Before you forward that next message about how a little girl needs prayers for her brother, or that some organization will give you money if you forward this email", Or some cute (but totally untrue) story of how God did some action, take 15 minutes to see if what you are about to send is right. The testimony you save might just be your own.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
-John 8:32 (KJV)

The Vomit of your sins…

2009-12-11T13:24:00.005-06:00

Yesterday at work a students came in seeking assistance with formatting on a Microsoft Word Document. As we were working on the document, the student noticed that I had the following proverb written on the white board behind my desk:

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.
-Proverbs 26:11 (KJV)

Now where I work, I can't really get into deep discussions about the Bible, and sharing my faith is somewhat frowned upon, so while I had the text of the proverb upon the board, I did not identify that this was from the Bible.

As we worked upon her document, the student was more and more enamored by these words of wisdom. They held an even deeper emphasis for her as she is a veterinarian student.

I don't know how many of you have ever had a dog, but for those that do, I'm sure that you have enjoyed those times when you pet is sick. One of my favorite times (please read this knowing I am dripping with sarcasm) is when I awake in the middle of the night to the sound of a dog at the foot of the bed preparing to throw up.

When a dog throws up, for some reason they will turn around and try to eat what their stomach has just rejected. What is even worse is that our other dogs will run up to check out the "treat" just deposited on the floor, even attempting to partake of the just spewed "gastric delicacies".

I hope that by now your stomach is feeling just a little queasy about this topic. You see, our sins have the same appeal to God as dog vomit does to us. Both are disgusting. I have no comprehension of why a dog would want to eat its puke. When I am sick, I have no desire to follow in the wisdom of the dog. And fortunately, none of my friends will rush over to fight over my "expelled" food. The thought of it should turn your stomach.

Now let's put this in the view of the Lord. Just as I have no use for dog vomit, God has no use for sin, yet how many of us will continually return to sin, something that we know is wrong, something that sickens our Lord. And how many times have we lead others into sin?

But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
- Numbers 32:23 (KJV)

If we do not turn from our sins, our sins will eventually catch up with us and expose us. In John Wesley's Explanatory notes, he puts it like this:

Sin will certainly find out the sinner sooner or later. It concerns us therefore to find our sins out, that we may repent of them and forsake them, lest our sins find us out, to our confusion and destruction.

Christians must repent of their sins. Christians must confess their sins to God and seek his pardon. In some cases it may be that a Christian must seek out and confess their sins to others also. But if we do not, our sins will hunt us down and destroy us.

Drugs will destroy our bodies. Alcohol can do the same thing (why do you think they call it being intoxicated? If you are drunk, you have in effect poisoned your body). Pornography (Adultery/fornication) will lead to the destruction of the enjoyment of marriage, and can lead to illness (AIDS, Syphilis, gonorrhea). The list goes on…

The above was part of message that I had put together some time ago. I ran across it while digging through a backup of my old laptop files. Shortly we will be coming upon a new year. Many people will make Resolutions to change their life in some way, or set some goal to achieve, but before the end of the month most will have already broken those resolutions. Now would be the time to reflect back on the past year. Take inventory of those things you know are displeasing to God, and seek his forgiveness. That is what Christmas is all about. Jesus came to pay the debts we could never repay. Now is the time to turn from the folly of you old ways. Now is the time to stop returning to the vomit of your past sins.

Current and Starting weight: 261 (I am maintaining my weight through the holidays, then plan to take part in a fast. I will give further details on that come 01/03/10)

The Beam in my eye…

2009-11-24T13:42:00.007-06:00

I find this message a little hard to write. First, I can't find my glasses, which results in all this being a bit blurry. Thankfully I can adjust the font size on my laptop so I can see well enough to write this.

Second, this is the first time I've attempted to post to this blog using the publishing option in Microsoft Office. It looks simple enough. Yes, I'm a computer technician, but I deal primarily with hardware, not software, so I have no clue how this will display when I click on "Publish".

Third, this is a hard blog for me to write personally. Throughout the past posts, I've focused on the idea that we should know what we believe, why we believe it, and then see if we actually act upon those beliefs. Granted that on the grand scale I focus on a combination of politics and religion, but these same methods should apply to how we handle our daily living. Let me share the following story:

A missionary I know has an outreach to teens. He has an incredible life story, and praises how the Lord has worked in his life. He goes into both schools and churches sharing his experiences with alcohol, drugs and the down side of music. It is a successful ministry, and the Lord is working greatly thru this man. I have heard his messages and they are both sound scripturally, and moving. But I have one problem: his size. I would bet that this guy weighs between 350 and 400 pounds. When he preaches, he is very vocal and paces about the podium… and he ends up dripping in sweat. While he is a wonderful minister, but I have found myself wondering how many people judge him by his size? In my case, I agree with his message, but how many kids look at him, don't like what he is saying, and dismiss him as some fat guy screaming at them? And I know kids… they may not like the bible, or know very little about it, but many of them will ask: "Isn't gluttony a sin?" How many more might he reach if he showed restraint in his diet?

I hate hypocrites.

That is why this is hard for me to write. Let me share the following scriptures, and then tie them together:

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things
- Philippians 3:19 (KJV)

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
- Proverbs 23:21 (KJV)

Scripture definitely tells me gluttony is a sin. There are many passages regarding not just overeating, but all gluttony in regards to overindulgence.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
- Matthew 7:3 (KJV)

Did I not just ask how many kids dismiss him because of his weight? Isn't that what I've just done? Yes, the missionary is overweight. And it might help his ministry if he lost weight. But who am I to say this? I am overweight. As of this morning I weight 261. I should be somewhere between 170 and 190. Yes, I believe that being overweight affects how one ministers. And that is one thing that does hinder my ministry (or perhaps I use that as an excuse..?) But you know what? This missionary is doing a LOT more than I am in regards to reaching out to the lost. I have no right to judge him. Before I should ever bring the issue of weight into it, I should be taking care of my weight issues first, and working to improve my outreach to the lost before this should ever be an issue.

Yes, he is overweight. It is easy for me to say he is overweight simply because I am not as overweight as he is. It makes me feel like I am somehow "better" than he is, but if I step back, I can see the truth – we are both overweight, and HE is doing much more to serve the Lord. I need to follow the instruction of the Lord, and take care of the beam that is in my own eye rather than pointing out the mote (splinter) in his. Only once I have my weight under control could I ever approach him about this, and then it must be done in love and kindness, not with an attitude of superiority. So what do I do?

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
- 1^st Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)

I must acknowledge that I need to make changes in my eating habits. I need to rein in my eating so that it brings glory to God (along with everything else I do).

I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
- Job 31:1

Covenant -

A writing containing the terms of agreement or contract between parties; or the clause of agreement in a deed containing the covenant.
- Websters 1828 Dictionary

To do this, I need to make a covenant. Job did this: he made a covenant, a contract that he would not allow himself to look upon other women. He knew how lust displeased the Lord, so he made a contract that he would not do this. Now I do not believe that it was a written contract, but God remembers when you make a contract with him (and how many such contracts have I broken myself?).

Today I am making a covenant: With Thanksgiving upon us, I will take care to no over-indulge during these next few days, and after Thanksgiving, to have a period of hard hitting dieting. By this time next year I want to be at 190 or lower (that 71+ pounds I plan to lose). And while this is first and foremost between me and the Lord, I will post current weight and amount lost at the end of all future blog entries. Should anyone read this, I covet your support.

Current and Starting weight: 261

To our Veterans

2009-11-11T08:27:00.001-06:00

The greatest thing I can say to our veterans this day is this:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13 (KJV)

God bless you for your service and your sacrifice, and God bless your families

Where do you stand?

2009-11-10T16:19:00.004-06:00

I was given the chance to share the following as a brief message at church last Sunday. While similiar to my original first post (Question with Boldness), it is more detailed. I hope this is a blessing to anyone reading this...

Martin Niemöller was a German pastor and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany, in 1892. Niemöller was an anti-Communist who supported Hitler's rise to power at first. But when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemöller became disillusioned. He became the leader of a group of German clergymen opposed to Hitler. Unlike Niemöller, most gave in to the Nazis' threats. Hitler personally detested Niemöller and in 1937 had him arrested and eventually confined in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. Many of you may not know who Martin Niemöller is, but you are probably familiar with a poem he wrote:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
after all I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
after all I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
after all I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
His poem is well-known, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control.

Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
- Esther 4:13-14

Both Pastor Niemöller and Mordecai are saying the same thing: Make a stand. But we can’t make a successful stand unless we know our world view, knowing what we believe and why we believe it. So how do we do this? How can I know for sure what my world view is, and that I am taking a Godly stand?

1) Question your beliefs.

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”
- Thomas Jefferson

2nd Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves. Are you standing firm in the faith? Are you sure? Our actions are based upon what we believe, but how often do we catch ourselves, or worse yet, someone else catches us doing the opposite of what we say we believe?

In this age of political correctness, how often are we afraid to question others about what they believe simply because we want to avoid confrontation? Worse is the fact that all too often we ourselves don’t know the answer, when we are confronted with doubt because we either fail to remember what we have been taught, both in Church and school, or, either accidental or on purpose, we were taught wrong.

2) Study - 2nd Timothy 2:15 tells us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

This is exactly what the Bereans did. The apostle Paul had just been forced from Thessalonica because what he taught was different than the common thinking and teachings of his time. There were even plans to kill Paul. But when Paul arrived in Berea, he found a different mind set: here the people would listen to him, then consult the scriptures to see for themselves if what Paul taught was correct. Paul tells us…

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
- Acts 17:11 (KJV)

These Bereans were considered “more noble” because they were seeking the truth. They didn’t not just listen to Paul and then say to themselves “Hey, he sounds like he knows what he is talking about”, accepting his statements at face value. Nor did they think to themselves “I like what he says better then what I’ve been told before” and then blindly follow Paul. They questioned with boldness, searching the scriptures to see if Paul was telling the truth.

So what are the benefits of questioning what we believe and what we are told?

1) We are approved unto God (2nd Timothy 2:15)
2) We are not deceived by false teaching and false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14), knowing the truth, and the truth shall set us free (John 8:32)
3) Ultimately, as 1st Peter 3:15 tells us, we are able to make a Godly stand, because we are able to give an answer for when others ask us why we believe what we believe.

So why is all this important? We live in a time of false profits and false teachers.

Isiah 5:20 puts it this way: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

We find this not only in our churches, but in our schools, with the people we work with, with the news we listen to, and even with family members. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone tells me that our country was not founded on Christian values and principles. I always thought it was, but could never back up my views, because I didn’t know the truth. Partially because I had forgotten what I had been taught, or because what I had been taught had been twisted, I would avoid defending my views. I had to take the above principles and apply them. I had to question my beliefs, and seek answers. Only them could I now only know what I believed, but could defend it.

Here are just a few of the things I came across in that research:

Virtually every one of the 55 writers and signers of the United States Constitution were members of various Christian denominations: 29 were Anglicans, 16 to 18 were Calvinists, 2 were Methodists, 2 were Lutherans, 2 were Roman Catholic, 1 lapsed Quaker and sometimes Anglican, and 1 open deist--Dr. Franklin who attended every kind of Christian worship, called for public prayer, and contributed to all denominations.

In 1800, when Washington, D. C., became the national capital and the President moved into the White House and Congress into the Capitol, Congress approved the use of the Capitol building as a church building for Christian worship services. By 1867, the church in the Capitol had become the largest church in Washington, and the largest Protestant church in America.

It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.
- George Washington

“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.”
     - George Washington, Speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded assylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here.
     - Patrick Henry

"Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian."
     - United States Supreme Court, 1892.

"These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation."
     - United States Supreme Court, Feb 29, 1892, Church of the Holy Trinity v. US

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
     - John Adams

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
     - John Jay

"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."
     - Abraham Lincoln

I’ll close with these two thoughts. Proverbs 14:34 tells us “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Alexander Hamilton, the First US secretary of The Treasury said: “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” My challenge today is, are you ready to take a stand? What will you stand for? And more important is, are you standing for the things of God?

Ronald Reagan speaks out against Socialized Medicine

2009-11-07T22:46:00.009-06:00

President Ronald Reagan unveils the tricks and lies behind the socialized, universal government healthcare proposals imposed by Congress and others in the government. Reagan understood the issue of catastrophic illnesses that are long and costly must be addressed, but they should not be used as a weapon to force all people into a government healthcare system that controls patients' rights and doctors' freedoms.

The Fall of the Republic?

2009-11-06T09:57:00.005-06:00

On October 14, Lord Christopher Monckton gave a presentation in St. Paul, MN on the subject of global warming. In this 4-minute excerpt from his speech, he issues a dire warning to all Americans regarding the United Nations Climate Change Treaty that is scheduled to be signed in Copenhagen in December 2009.

A draft of the treaty can be read here:

http://www.globalclimatescam.com/documents/un-fccc-copenhagen-2009.pdf

Chuck Norris has an article in WorldNetDaily with a good analysis of the treaty:

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=114005

There has been considerable debate raised about Monckton's conclusion that the Copenhagen Treaty would cede US sovereignty. His comments appear to be based upon his interpretation of the The Supremacy Clause in the US Constitution (Article VI, paragraph 2). This clause establishes the Constitution, Federal Statutes, and U.S. TREATIES as the supreme law of the land. Concerns have been raised in the past that a particularly ambitious treaty may supersede the US Constitution. In the 1950s, a constitutional amendment, known as the Bricker Amendment, was proposed in response to such fears, but it failed to pass. You can read more about the Bricker Amendment in a 1953 Time Magazine article:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806676,00.html

Lord Monckton served as a policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher. He has repeatedly challenged Al Gore to a debate to which Gore has refused. Monckton sued to stop Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" from being shown in British schools due to its inaccuracies. The judge found in-favor of Monckton, ordering 9 serious errors in the film to be corrected. Lord Monckton travels internationally in an attempt to educate the public about the myth of global warming.

Seduced by Fascism

2009-10-30T20:44:00.001-05:00

"Seduced by fascism" conceived and edited by Joe Bly. Anyone can be sold to the public as a leader. Good people will follow a bad leader.

Question with Boldness....

2009-10-27T00:02:00.001-05:00

So who am I and why should you even listen to me? I’ve already stated that my real name is not Joel Uriel, so why should you put any faith in anything I have to write?

First, in this age of political correctness, we often afraid to question others about what they believe because we want to avoid confrontation. Worse is the fact that all too often we don’t know the answer. There is an area of doubt caused either by our failure to remember what we have been taught, both in Church and school, or, either accidental or on purpose, we were taught wrong.

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”
- Thomas Jefferson

When we have doubts, question with boldness. If you have the facts wrong, you will learn something. At the same time, If you have the facts right, you will enlighten someone else.

But here is the next thing to remember:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
- Acts 17:11 (KJV)

The apostle Paul had just been forced from Thessalonica because what he taught was different than the common thinking and teachings of his time. There were even plans to kill Paul. But when Paul arrived in Berea, he found a different mind set: here the people would listen to him, then consult the scriptures to see for themselves if what Paul taught was correct. These Bereans were considered “more noble” because they were seeking the truth.

All the world needs now is one more Christian blog, but I am here to seek Truth. When I have time, I will share what I know. And should anyone actually read this, I will gladly discuss what I write.

My point here is this: Question everything. Make sure that what you believe is correct. And then make sure that you are living in a way consistent with what you believe.