Who Do You Think You Are?

 Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States today. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have had their identities stolen each year. There are many companies that insure they will protect your identity.

Secular phycologists have promoted an idea called "crisis identity." An example of an identity crisis emerging from this status is an adolescent who become solitary after his identity as a star athlete is destroyed by a serious injury. There is much conflict between parents and cultural socialists. Our culture is trying to tell us that we should allow our children to choose their sexual identity, But I will leave that subject for another post.

But there is another identity crisis that people are often not aware of. Many people who profess the name "Christian" fail to realize their true identity in Christ. They fail to realize (and live like) they are they are a new person. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 When you are in Christ, you have a new identity. We need to stop living like orphans! WE are a child of God! WE belong to the family of God.

We need to have a new mind set. Romans 12:2 "...but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." We need to rethink our identity. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. --Colossians 3:23

Remember who you are!

Lust

 

I am sure many of you were attracted to this blog due to its title. No question that we live in a sex-saturated society. But what many fail to realize is the word “lust” is basically not wrong. Technically, “lust” just means a strong desire. You might be mowing the lawn on a hot day and you might 'lust' for a glass of cold iced tea! Your neighbor is grilling steaks and the odor drifts into your yard and you 'lust' for a rib eye.

Most people connect lust with sex and that is part of our makeup. Remember 'lust' is a strong desire and without lust, we wouldn't have children! God has created man with a desire for sexual relationships. The Biblical book Song of Solomon speaks about the love and sexual longing between a man and woman. But God designed sex (and lust) to be shared only in the boundary of marriage.

God created sexual attraction but He has clearly stated that it be brought under control. Matthew 5:28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” I once had a “discussion” with a man who said it was impossible for a man to keep from “looking twice” at a scantly clad woman. I disagreed. He challenged me that I personally could not keep from looking twice. I told him that it was a struggle for me at the beginning of my walk with Christ but I found a way to overcome it.

Job 31:1 I made an agreement with my eyes. I promised not to look at a young woman with impure thoughts. I have disciplined my mind that when I see an attractive woman, I change my thoughts.... take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5. After a while it became almost second nature. Sometimes I have to physically look the other way.

Can we live above the desires of the “flesh?” Most certainly. Philippians 4:13 Romans 6:12-14

I Surrender

There are several items that have a universal meaning. During WWII, when a soldier wanted to surrender, they would wave a white flag. It did not matter with they were German or Japanese, both understood what a white flag signified.

But the concept of surrender is not limited to the battlefield. Surrender should be the lifestyle for the Christ-follower. 

When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, they also accept Him as Lord. Which means they surrender their rights to His Lordship. Every day we surrender our rights to Him. James 4:7, Romans 12:2

But we do not only surrender to Christ, but we are also to surrender our rights to others. Phiippians 2:3-4

You Don't Have to Be So Busy

If you are like most people, you feel rushed, overwhelmed with all you have to do, wishing you had more time in your day. You look for the shortest line in the supermarket. Try to decide which lane of traffic is going to move the fastest. The generation has created a new word called burnout. During our hectic pace, we may ask ourselves "Is this the way life is supposed to be?" Craig Groeschel once said, "The greatest enemy to the life you want may be the life your living."

It is not enough to know the truth about Jesus but we should live like Jesus lived. " ...should walk just as He (Jesus) walked. You think YOUR life is busy; Jesus lived the busiest life ever. Listen to John 21:25 "Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the book that would be written." Yet Jesus never ran. Jesus was busy but He was never rushed. Repeatedly we read in the gospels, " As Jesus walked along..."  Mark 2:14 He never ran! Many times as He was walking to minister to someone in need, He crossed paths with people who also needed His touch. Luke 8:43-48 Luke 19

If we follow an unrushed Jesus, we should be living an unrushed life. Listen to The Message paraphrase of Matthew 11:28-30 Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

How many times have you said, "I just don't have enough time to get it all done."? The solution is not more time. The solution is more of what matters most. The reason we don't 'have enough time' is we are spending our time on what doesn't really matter. i.e. Social media, television, video games. You have time for what matters most. 

Challenge you to pray this prayer for seven days and see what God does in your life.

God, help me walk slowly enough to experience Jesus fully and love people deeply. 

Where Have All The People Gone?

 

Some people wonder why they do not have any friends. Some have blamed the invention of the air conditioner. Before A/C, people would sit on their front porches in the evening and try to catch a breeze to cool off. They would wave at neighbors and visit with the ones who stopped to chat over a glass of lemonade. With air conditioning installed, people can stay inside and don't have to interact with their neighbors.

Attaching a garage didn't help either. Instead of walking from our driveways and exchanging greetings with our neighbors, we pull in, shut the door, and we're inside our house. Fences, gated communities, and caller ID reinforced the idea that we want to be left alone. We don't have to interact with people, so we don't. 

But Jesus always had time for other people. He talked to them, fed them, healed them, and forgave them. It is interesting that at least ten times in the Gospels, Jesus was interrupted by people while He was ministering to others. Matthew 8:5-13, vs 14-15 Matthew 9:1-8 are just a few. How did He respond? He stopped what He was doing and ministered to the individual. 

Today take time to stop, listen, and talk with someone you see every day but rarely slow down to get to know. It's easy to make excuses why we don't engage with people in our daily lives. If you want friends, you must take the first step by being a friend. Proverbs 18:24 says, A man who has friends must himself be friendly.

 

Rules Are To Be Broken?

 

I am impressed with the men that compete on the TV program The World's Strongest Man. But the world's strongest man was Samson. Judges 13-16 Samson's parents were childless when God told them they would have a son and that God would use him to deliver the nation of Israel from their enemy.

His parents dedicated him to the Lord with something called "a Nazirite vow." Throughout Samson's life, he was supposed to follow three basic rules:

1. Don't drink alcohol.

2. Don't touch anything dead.

3. Don't cut your hair.

Pretty simple, right? But you know people like Samsom who say: "Rules are made to broken." Samson first got us to use his God-given strength to do some pretty cool stuff. But that wasn't good enough for him. But Samson couldn't follow the simplest of rules. He did some pretty stupid things! Just like some of us! Even when we believe God has blessed us, we can turn on Him in an instant. What causes us to choose our own way, instead of what we believe is God's best for us?

Lust makes us think, I want it." Entitlement says I want it AND I deserve it." I deserve a little payback. I'm not getting my needs met at home.

When we start listening to those whispers - we're simply justifying our lust, instead of turning our hearts toward what we know God wants. James 4:1-3

I Can Handle This

 

Samson was the strongest man who ever lived and I'm sure he was famous for his amazing feats of strength. The problem is he began to get proud and believe there wasn't anything he could not handle. At birth, his parents dedicated him to the Lord and gave him three simple rules he was to follow.

Samson wanted to marry a Philistine woman which as an Israelite he was forbidden to marry. He forced his parents to consent and what does every guy needs to get married. That's right - a bachelor party! Samson wanted to get together with his buddies to get hammered. But Samson ignored the first rule given by God for his life.

1. Don't drink alcohol.

Samson was not supposed to drink alcohol at all. But because he figured since he was strong, he could handle it. A guy might believe he's really tough, so he convinces himself that he won't suffer the same consequences as other guys.

Just one drink/puff/hit isn't going to kill me. I can handle it.

Man, I really love this car/house/boat. I can make these payments.

I know I'm not 'suppose to' look at this website/image/video. But it's just this one time.

Because he was the strongest man who had ever lived, he genuinely thought he could handle it. But the fact is: he couldn't handle it! So what makes you think you can?

"So be careful. When you think you are standing firm, you might fall" I Corinthians 10:12

"Above everything else, guard your heart. Everything you do comes from it." Proverbs 4:23

Back to Normal?

 I am sure most of you are tired of all the hassle and inconvenience brought on by the COVID19 virus. And you have probably heard people say time and again, "I can't wait for things to get to normal." But after reflecting on that statement, I wonder if we should be satisfied with 'normal." After all what was so great about 'normal?' I understand we what things to be more structured but if you stop and think, things weren't really that great.

As a Christ-follower, I want to view things from a Biblical viewpoint. Is God pleased with our world being normal? I don't think so. We have become satisfied with survival, while God wants to bring revival. God loves us too much to leave us as we are. Isaiah 43:19 God says He is doing a new thing. He desires that we grow and become more like Him. 1 John 2:6 Galatians 2:20

Yes, I want to be done with COVID 19 but I don't want to go back to things-as-they-were. I'm wanting God to do a new thing in my life. I want a new 'normal' for all of us. 

Had Enough?

 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Most people think that the situation they find themselves in is unique. But the above Scripture tells us that your situation is not unique. That being the case, it behooves us to learn from other people's mistakes. Romans 15:4 says, "And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope."

The Old Testament prophet Elijah can teach us a valuable lesson. He once faced 450 pagan prophets and God honored Elijah by sending fire from heaven and had the false prophets killed. But after that intense encounter, Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah. Elijah was terrified of this woman and ran for his life. 1 Kings 19 Elijah had come to the end of himself!

Have you ever felt like you could not take anymore? What can we learn from Elijah's mistakes?

1. He gave into self-pity. verse 19 verse 10 Remember you are a child of the Most High God. Don't surrender to self-pity.
2. He tried to face his trial alone. verse 3 says he left his servant behind. We are part of the Body of Christ, we need to share our burdens with each other. Galatians 6:2
3. He was physically exhausted. He ran almost 100 miles to get away from Queen Jezebel and was totally gave out. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is rest.
4. He needed proper nourishment. You cannot fight depression without the proper food. 1 Kings 19:6-9 verse 7 Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you. You need spiritual food as well as physical food.

You can overcome every situation that you face. Christ gives me the strength to face anything. Philippians 4:13.

Herd Instinct

 "You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God... Ezekiel 34:31

A Boston newspaper carried the story of a Maine couple whose dogs attacked a flock of sheep of a nearby farm, killing nine sheep and injuring ten others. The sheep in that area are famous for their prize-winning wool but the dogs didn't care. They went for the throats and slaughtered the sheep at random. For days after the attack, the surviving sheep huddled together in a group. Instead of scattering across the field as they normally did, their flock instinct heightened and they circled close to one another.

According to the Bible, God's people are sheep having a strong flock instinct. We need fellowship and we often find safety in close relationships with other Christians. On dangerous days, we especially need to stay close to other Christians. Galatians 6:2, I Thessalonians 5:11

You need to be in a small group. Do you have a few close friends who protect you by their prayers and counsel? It's wonderful to pray regularly for a handful of people who God places in our lives.

Christians may not see eye to eye but they can walk arm in arm.