Where is the truth?

In reading the stats on the ezraproject.net page I wasn't surprised at all, but it was further confirmation from the evidences I have seen throughout my life. Here's the stats I read:

* Only 16% of Americans read the Bible daily
* Only 29% of men and 43% of women say they read the Bible either weekly or daily
* 75% of Christians overlook the Bible when shaping their worldview
* 41% of Americans rarely or never read the Bible anymore

That's sobering when you read it. Some may say "that's no big deal" - but if you know and cherish the Word like I and others do, you can never respond that way. There are so many evidences, the list is nearly endless of evidences, with the archaeological evidences being unearthed often, that solidify the claims of the bible as true. The testimonies of hundreds of thousands of people as to the life-changing truth in the bible can't be refuted. Just in the past year I have watched the truth of God's Word transform several people in my life. Nothing I could have said or done would have done what the Word of God did in their life. I couldn't have explained to them the feeling or the power that is known through knowing His Word - it had to be experienced - by faith.

If we agree that Satan is against the church (the Christ-followers), than you must admit that much of these statistics are in direct correlation to his own plans to remove truth and provide deception in it's place. What better way to marginalize "christians" and leave the rest of the world grasping at every passing wisp of "truth" for some sort of foundation to life than to remove absolute, life-giving truth from their lives? Socialism/communism/humanism have as a kingpin to their regulations a removal of the Truth - just another ploy of our great enemy of our souls.

My challenge in all this is what am I going to do in my life that can help change this statistic for the better? Here are a few things that I am challenged with:

* Read the bible daily, but not just for readings sake, but for transformation. The bible is written for our transformation, not information. Go into it as a treasure seeker would - having faith I WILL find truth - transforming truth.

* Read the bible to my family regularly. Spend lots of time studying God's word with my children - help solidify the life-changing truth in their lives. Take time away to study the word 1-on-1 with my wife - we need to be unified in and by the truth of God!

* Constantly evaluate my walk according to God's word:
Ephesians 5:10-12
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
I need to make sure that the bible I am communicating to others is clear and uninhibited by hypocrisy and rationalization (I may be the only bible that some people read - thereby the only truth that could draw them to Christ)

* Constantly evaluate my environment (i.e. - know what's coming, not so I can live a sterilized life, but so I can be ready for the spiritual battle)
Colossians 2:8
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ

* Share the truth with others - knowing the Word, I can't help but share the truth with others. How can I watch the pathetic excuse for purpose that the devil has proposed to this world and not seek to displace it? EVERYONE is seeking for truth - when they are presented with it they WILL react, I can't be surprised but encouraged knowing that the persons soul is caused to think.

May God work these out in me - by His grace and power.

I challenge whoever is reading this to the same - where is the bible in your life? Is it a token of your religion or is it the very rock and foundation of your daily walk of life?

Foe or friend

In my previous post I talked about being a friend of God and what that means in relation to heaven admittance. I now address the "foe" portion. Many people ask the question "If God is so loving, how can he send a person to hell" This is a question that is so often asked but I'm sad to say it isn't always well answered by many. The statement is flawed in many ways, let me address a few. Number one, God doesn't send a person to hell. Here's the deal, no matter what anyone believes (belief doesn't change an absolute - i.e. - if I jump off a building believing I will fly, I still splat on the ground) we have two choices for our eternal resting place. One being spending it with our creator, friend and most of all LORD. The second is in hell with our tempter, destroyer and lord. We spend our time in eternity with who we chose to follow in this life. If we choose to follow satan then we get to be with him, it's that simple. You say though, "I didn't choose satan." You didn't? Sure you did, if you didn't choose God, you chose satan. "Well that's narrow minded", you say. Is it? It may be but it's true. There are many many roads to take to get to satan, but only one to get to God. "See, you're being narrow minded again" Am I? If I said "To get to the south pole from Florida you have to go south" you would agree right? Right. You narrow minded person!!! I don't want to go south, not in any way, I want to go east and east alone. "You can't" you say. That's what you think! I think I can get there going east. "But you can't!" Yes I can. "How can you say that?" I feel like it's the way for me, you can go south if that works for you but I am going east. (See how stupid this sounds?) Think of it in a spiritual sense........................how many ways are there to heaven?

Friend or foe

When I get to heaven, my "admittance" to the glorious place of tales, of dreams and of truth won't be because I was a good person. It won't be because I said a prayer, or that I went to church and actually enjoyed it too. It won't be because I had a favorite bible verse or talked about God to other people. While all those things are evidences of the "ticket" to get admitted, they are not the ticket at all. My "ticket" to heaven is Him (Jesus) knowing me personally and I, Him. See, when I get to heavens gates and stand there before the Father, my best friends (Jesus) will say "Father, he's ours, come on in Joe" If he doesn't know me, why should I be let in, if some random person comes to your front door you don't let them in, you will turn them away. But if you knew them (say a long time friend or family member) you would immediately identify with them and let them in. Think of it this way, if you didn't think enough of God to pursue Him for a few short years on this earth, why would you want to spend eternity with Him doing the things you avoided for years upon years? You never wanted to read the bible, in heaven that same word is proclaimed all day every day. You disliked church for the most part, in heaven it's 24/7 ultra church. You didn't like most Christians, in fact the ones who were all into the bible and God you thought were fanatics, heaven will be loaded with fanatics (mediocrity doesn't exist in heaven) If you are sitting there reading this and say you are fine, you don't have to be some fanatic person to get into heaven I ask you this: What does it take to get into heaven then?

To seek and save the lost

Over the past week I have been challenged on my mindset on the lost (to be more specific, the people that are following satan to hell) I began to pray for my heart to be broken for them, for my eyes to see them as Jesus does. In those prayers and thoughts I really became frustrated with myself and the church as a whole. Brothers and sisters, we have failed. We (as His church) have taken the call of God to reach this world for Jesus and done very little with it. You may say, "you're wrong! we have missionaries, we have churches galore, etc etc" I say, "yes, and your neighbors are going to hell" That may be harsh, but that's how I deal with myself. Isn't it time we got our focus and our purpose back? Isn't it time we finally said that satan has enough?!?! Do you agree? As a church, we have failed this nation, we have given the role of changing lives over to legislation and court rulings. NO! It is OUR job! We are the world changers, not politicians. There never has been and never will be a politician that changes this world to what God intended. I ask brothers and sisters, check your heart today, ask God to break it for the lost. His heart is broken, aren't we to have the same heart that is in Christ Jesus?

Abortion is murder..........

On my way home today, I drove by three people peacefully holding signs up that said "choice is murder" and "when a mother chooses abortion, she kills her child" and "abortion: america's holocaust". Signs with messages I fully agree with, I can think of many other things that are true pertaining to abortion. I really have no problem with that raw truth. I began to think about what they were doing though. In many ways I don't really see what they are trying to accomplish. Because stating raw fact is only part of the solution. I am all about telling someone what the problem is, but there is no point in that if you aren't stating the solution to that problem. I bet if you were to take a poll of the women who have had abortions, you wouldn't have to go too far into it to find that they truly knew what they were doing. Abortion is a selfish and fearful thing, there is no doubt about that but if you cover it with rationalization you have the recipe for one of the most accepted, heinous and delusional crimes committed in this country, the murder of a truly innocent child that God ordained to be conceived before time began. But you say, "she was raped and conceived, how could you make her look at the product of such a horrible event" Are you telling me that committing murder so you don't want to possibly deal with a bad memory? Continue on, and see that there is a solution to the root problem. These poor women are being lured into a false solution to a "problem" and are so lost, confused and fearful. They don't need a sign, they need a Saviour. They need to know that if they have aborted a baby (or few) they don't have to hold that guilt or that pain anymore, there is forgiveness, there is peace to remove the pain and weight of that choice. The women who haven't committed that abortion yet, they don't have to go through with it. God WILL provide, He always does, we just don't look for it or trust Him enough to ask. There are always some who may say "well the baby would probably be better off" that may be so, but who are we to decide that?! God has a perfect plan for each of His creations. And it is humanism that says we have the right to choose when our last breath is. Friends, if I still draw breath, God has a purpose for every atom in my lungs. The same is true for that life inside the scared and confused mother. I can name many people who were used powerfully and mightily by our awesome God who were illegitimate or abandoned. They never would have been had they been murdered in the safest place God designed, the womb. There are people in my church that I know are here today because the mother chose to trust God outside the abortion clinic. Sure, it was an overwhelming situation, an unwanted or unplanned for pregnancy, but God will provide. Reliant K says it so simply "don't ever underestimate my Jesus"

To those who have or are considering an abortion and don't know this God, know this, He is here for you and cares for you and for that life. Turn to Him and ask Him to give you peace and provide your needs. Follow Him today and begin to listen for His voice by talking with Him in prayer and reading His letter to us, the Bible.