Crucified?

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." John 10:10a

Many know that in coming to faith in Christ, we must acknowledge who we are: sinners.  Yet, I wonder if that admission really brings home the severity of who we are without God.  Even in that admission, we may tend to subconsciously believe our sins are not as bad as the sins of others, that we still had some "good" qualities.  In this way, being a sinner can almost become whitewashed in our minds because, after all, everyone is a sinner.  It becomes no sweat off of our backs to admit because the word can gloss over the reality of what we truly were.

This morning as I pondered God's word, I began to think about how God sees the matter; and it is not in such generalities.  It is an image which is crystal clear via the Scriptures, but it may be hard to reconcile if you have not considered it before.

God didn't just see us as sinners.  He saw us as a reflection of the very nature of Satan himself.  In God's eyes, fallen man had become just like his "Daddy" (John 8:44).  Man had become a thief, a murderer, & a destroyer.

Jesus Was Crucified with Thieves

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

We know from the Scriptures that we are crucified with Christ.  However, only two individuals were crucified with Christ, and they were both thieves.

"And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left...And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:32-33, 39

If we are crucified with Christ - and Christ was crucified with two thieves - then in God's eyes the old man is a thief (Romans 6:6). 

Jesus Took the Place of a Murderer

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." I Peter 2:24

The Scriptures tell us that we are not only crucified with Christ, but that Christ took our place on the cross.  He suffered the penalty that was due to us because of our sin.  Yet, the person whom Jesus literally took the place of was Barabbas, a murderer.

"Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do [unto him] whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified." Mark 15:6-15

If Jesus took our place - yet Jesus literally took Barabbas' place - then God must hold fallen man to be a murderer.

Jesus Died So We Could Overcome the Destroyer

"What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?" Romans 9:22-24

Outside of Christ we are no more than vessels of destruction; and this speaks not only to our end, but to our living.  Such vessels are fit to be destroyed in the end, but are also fit to be destroyers while they live (Proverbs 24:2; Romans 3:16).  Unable to impart life because they are separated from the Spirit of God, they can only impart death to others. By having the blood of the Lamb applied to our lives, we can be saved from the curse of the destroyer.

"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you." Exodus 12:21-23

On the cross, Jesus was crucified as the Passover Lamb, so that those covered by His blood would be redeemed from the destroyer, including being freed from being vessels of destruction (John 5:24; Romans 6:4, 8:6; I Timothy 1:9-10; I John 3:14).

Forgive Me Lord, a Thief, a Murderer, & a Destroyer

Some may say, "I am not a thief.  I have never taken anything which doesn't belong to me."   Yet, if you have tried to attain to righteousness via any other way than submission to Jesus Christ, then you are a thief.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." John 10:1

Others may reply, "I am not a murderer for I have never killed anyone." However, if you have ever had hatred in your heart for another, you are guilty of murder.

"Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." I John 3:15

Still, a few may believe, "I have never destroyed anything."  But the Scriptures say if we do not honor our parents as we should, then we are akin to a destroyer.

"Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, 'It is no transgression'; the same is the companion of a destroyer." Proverbs 28:24

This is why our goal in this life is not to stop committing acts of sin per se, but to be cleansed of the very nature which make us vessels of God's wrath.  The beauty of the cross is that it gives us the ability to live as partakers of the divine nature versus being naturally vessels of destruction (Ephesians 2:3; II Peter 1:4).

The question is, "Are we the repentant thief or the unrepentant thief?"  Remember, both thieves initially reviled Christ and mocked Him (Matthew 27:44; Mark 15:32).  However, one eventually saw the error of his ways and cried out for mercy.

Will we also cry out to God for mercy, or will we choose to stubbornly die in our sin as the unrepentant thief?  Will we crucify that old man as a reasonable service for the life Jesus laid down for us, or will we let that murderer live at the expense of the abundant life Jesus paid for us to have in Him?  Will we be vessels of destruction or will we yield to God daily to be transformed from darkness to light?

Unless we understand the gravity of the need for the cross, we may not understand its importance in our lives and why Jesus commands us to take up the cross daily.  Our problem is not that we have just made some mistakes in life.  The problem is that apart from Jesus - at our core - we are a thief, a murderer, and a destroyer; we bear the nature of Satan and are God's enemies.  If we do not come to the cross - or if we step down from it after having come - such is how we will remain.

What Do You Mean There's No Santa??!!

Gifts Lying Under a Tree

Today, many children - even children of Christian families - will be getting up to see what gifts "Santa" has brought them.  We never misled our children about the myths of Santa.  It didn't have anything to do with whether it was right or wrong to celebrate Christmas; we just couldn't justify lying to our children.

I can remember finding out that Santa was not real at around age 6.  I had gone to my mother's room and was sitting on her bed watching the typical Christmas shows (i.e. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc.).  Also on the bed - unbeknownst to me - were some of the things "Santa" was going to give me in the morning.  I had seen the Toys R'Us bag and the items in them, but just didn't think much of it.  Mom was wrapping presents for the family and maybe those were just some of them.  My focus was on my shows.

However, when my Mom came in and saw me, she became quite excited and quickly pulled the things off of the bed.  Again, I paid no attention as my focus was on the TV.  Then, the next morning, I saw all of those items under the tree marked as things that "Santa" had given.

As the realization hit me, I looked at my Mom and shouted, "These aren't from Santa!  I saw these in the Toys R'Us bag on your bed!" "No you didn't.", my Mom insisted, "Those are from Santa."

"Then how did Santa get in our apartment?  We don't have a chimney?" I asked.  "Santa also has a key for every apartment." my Mom replied.

That one stumped me for a minute.  Then, as I looked more closely at one of the items (a candy cane filled with M&Ms), I noticed the remnants of a Toys R'Us tag and knew.  I then asked, "So does Santa Claus shop at Toys R'Us?!"  My Mom didn't have a response for that one except to say, "Just open your gifts!"

I did just that; proceeded to open my gifts.  However, in the back of my mind, I was really disappointed and wondered why she had lied to me.  I am being completely honest when I tell you that at that very moment, everything she had ever told me became suspect.  If she had lied about this, then what else had she lied about?  What else was I believing which was not true?

Many parents seem to protect the myth of Santa Claus like they are preserving some time of innocence or belief in the impossible for their children.  Yet, I wonder if such parents ever consider the impact of this decision to knowingly and repeatedly lie to their children?  Do they think the children will look back on this time with fondness and joy?  I didn't.  The lessons I learned - at the age of 6 - in realizing that Santa was not real were:

1. People I loved would lie to me when it suited their purposes
2. Lying was okay as long as the motives were "good"

How does it affect a child's 'innocence' to realize that the ones they trust have been lying to them, even when questioned directly in the matter?  What does it do for a child's 'belief in the impossible' to learn that when they believed, there was no truth in it?  Are we not instead teaching our children to carry over these same 'lessons' into Christianity?

Children will remember what we have told
them about Jesus upon realizing that
Santa is not real...and it will cause them
to wonder if belief in Jesus is
just as much a myth as Santa.

How can we in good conscience expect the testimony of our lives for Christ and professed faith in Him to be taken seriously by ones we have defied that witness to by lying and promoting fantasy as truth?  I tell you that - apart from the pagan roots of Christmas - great disservice is done to children whose parents play along with this deception.  The use of 'situational ethics' (vs. the principles of God's word) will be the longest lasting memory you provide them.

situational ethics: a Christian ethical theory that was principally developed in the 1960s by the then Episcopal priest Joseph Fletcher. It basically states that sometimes other moral principles can be cast aside in certain situations if love is best served.   As long as Love is your intention, the end justifies the means.  In Fletcher's mind, situational ethics validated his support of both euthanasia and abortion.

If we have not honored the word of God in our lives (even in so simple a thing as not encouraging our children to believe a lie), then nothing we tell them about Christ will matter.  The most such will produce is religious hypocrites who confess faith with their mouths, but in their deeds deny Him.  They may even grow up to be Christians, but it will be in spite of our example and not because of it. 

I do not mean to come down heavy on those who continue to propagate these lies to their children.  I simply see the pervasiveness of the 'Santa myth' as one of Satan's earliest attacks against children ascribing to true faith in God.  Teaching children that lying is okay, that their parents are liars, and that faith is not based in reality does more to discount a witness for Christ than most anything else for parents are called to rear their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Are we just Christians in name only: going to Church regularly and saying all the right Churchy phrases?  Or, do we really believe?  Do we really believe that we must live as God says we are to live?  Do we really believe that we are to live after the Spirit and not the flesh?  Do we really believe that we must not love the world and neither that which is in the world?  Do we really believe that all liars will find their place in Hell?

More important than the issue of Santa Claus, remember that children see a lot more than that for which we give them credit.  They can see hypocrisy very easily.  What is the governing authority in our homes?  Is it family tradition, the ways of the world, or the word of God?

Put on Garments of Vengeance

A Shaking Should Lead to a Waking

"For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. 

For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. 

And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. 

Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people." Deuteronomy 32:38-43

In the wake of the recent tragedies such as the shootings at Sandy Hook, many ask why this is happening and where is God.  Yet, amazing as it may be to think, this too will soon become a distant memory and life will resume as "normal" for many.  Some might call this return to normalcy God's mercy as He enables us to cope with what has happened.  However, is it?  What if our "normal" was a life devoid of God and with no thought to His will and His way?  What if "normal" was a life filled with lots of religious activity, but with the majority of hearts being far away from God?  What if God lets such things happen in order to shake us from "normal" and wake us from a spiritual stupor?

Much blame belongs to the Church for the current state of the world, for she has largely neglected her position to be light and salt in the earth.  She has merged with Babylon, where it has become hard to even tell the difference between the two.  As a result, it seems as if her "power is gone" and she is ravaged by the enemy.  However, she has not been abandoned.

We are often quick to blame the devil, and it is sure his handiwork to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10).  Yet, Satan is only allowed to do what God permits and the Lord will often use the hand of the enemy to bring judgment.  There is a saying: "Satan is busy"...and he is; but so is God.  When we look to how God dealt with Israel, we can see that in times of their idolatry, God would often let their enemies take them into captivity.  When the oppressor's bondage caused His people to cry out in repentance for deliverance, God would then take the oppressed and use them as His battle axe to wield vengeance on those same enemies (Jeremiah 51:20-24).

Let me restate that; the very enemies God uses to chasten His people are the ones God empowers His people to triumph over once they have been restored in Him.  The oppressed become the vessels of God's vengeance...but the turning point is repentance (II Chronicles 7:14; II Corinthians 10:6).

It is time out for us asking God to bless the Church; the Church must first start to truly honor God.  If God's people will turn to Him in zealous repentance, He will answer.  He will equip us to stand and empower us to exact revenge on our oppressors: Satan and all his demon minions.

"For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence."  Isaiah 59:17-18

It is time to put on "the garments of vengeance" as we prepare to stand in these last days against the work of the evil one.  Bring forth sacrifices of praise, prayer, and fasting to be spiritually strengthened and filled with God's Spirit.  As the pace of evil picks up (and it will), don't look for an escape in the things of the world.  If there is any part of us which still has an affinity for fantasy, Satan will surely provide it (sports, jobs, entertainment, holidays, etc.).  Now more than ever God's people need to have eyes that are single and be girded for war; launching spiritual weapons against all forms of wickedness in the Heavenlies so that others may be set free (Ephesians 6:12).  People's eternal lives are at stake as Satan goes on a rampage to destroy all that he can. 

"For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." Ezekiel 18:32

Are you moved to compassion for those being destroyed?  Then let's not just talk about the war and analyze it from a distance.  Become engaged.  Enlist and strap on your boots.  Ask the Lord to break the shackles of Babylon off of your mind so that you can help to free others.   The voice of the Lord asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Will you say, "Here am I; send me."?  This is where the rubber meets the road.  If God has given you wisdom to perceive the times in which we live, then He is calling upon you to step up for service.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit & power so as not to become a casualty of war.

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:14

Controlling Our Tongues

The following is a message from Pastor Zac Poonen called, "Controlling Our Tongues".

I appreciate Pastor Poonen because God has anointed him to teach the Scriptures plainly, but with great spiritual conviction.  I know that this is an area God still works with me on; to resist the temptation to respond "in kind" to others or to give folks a "piece of my mind" because of how they interact with me.  Sometimes people say to me, "Oh, you are so patient in how you respond to others."  Yet they don't know the inner battle which can sometimes occur between what "I" really want to say and what the Holy Spirit will not let me say.  LOL

If it were not for the Holy Spirit, surely a different "me" would be seen.  And while I am so grateful for the work of the Spirit in this way, I also know that this inner struggle is merely evidence that the old man is not as dead as he should be.  There is still a little too much life left in the flesh, which must be further crucified.  I look to the day when the Holy Spirit no longer has to muzzle me in such instances because even the urge to justify or defend "self" is gone.  That is my prayer.

Anyway, I hope this message is a blessing to you!

• We must to glory in the small things while ignoring the weightier things of God.
• The way you know that you are walking in the light is that you get personal light or revelation on your own spiritual condition.
• The word being a two-edged sword means it cuts me (applies to me) before it cuts others (before it can be applied by me to others).
• Many professing Christians still do not have control over their tongue.
• The new covenant began in Acts 2:4 when "tongues" of fire appeared on every man.  God did this to illustrate that this is the part of the body we must be most careful about as it is what God will use the most in the new covenant.
• The gift of the Holy Spirit can not only give you the ability to speak in other tongues; it will give you the ability to control your mother tongue.

• People don't have power because the Spirit of God leaks out through misuse of the tongue.  You cannot be spiritual while not controlling your tongue (James 1:26); all your Christianity is worth zero.
• While the role of a prophet is a special calling, God's word says that all can prophecy (meaning to bless others through the sharing of God's word - I Corinthians 4:13).  Some try to stifle the voices of women in the Church, yet the Scriptures say they shall prophecy.  So do not hinder God's works by silencing women in this way.
• If we understood that Jesus is always listening to what we say, we would be more careful in our speech.
• Only when we have gotten control over the tongue can we be God's spokesman (Jeremiah 15:19).
• It is a shame on the men of Israel that He had to use Deborah as a judge because He could find no man.  A lot of loss comes to Churches because people falsely believe that God only uses brothers.
• Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).  If you love death then you will gossip, criticize, backbite, etc.  If you love life then you will speak life, encouragement, edification, etc.
• Your tongue can defile your whole body.
• Your tongue can be set on fire by the power of the Holy Spirit or set on fire for Hell (James 3:6).
• Oftentimes gossip can be hidden under the guise of "prayer".  A faithful man conceals a matter and doesn't become a talebearer (Proverbs 11:13).
• A wise person is not quick to anger, but stays calm when insulted (Proverbs 12:16).
• Even the grieving of the Holy Spirit is cited in Scripture in relation to the tongue (Ephesians 4:29-31).
• Some are so concerned that they do not speak in unknown tongues, yet are not bothered that they do not yet control their mother tongue.
• It is more spiritual to answer with a gentle word even than just keeping your mouth shut when someone is angry with you (Proverbs 15:1).
• The biggest fool of all is the one who is hasty in speaking (Proverbs 29:20)
• What comes out of your mouth is merely the evidence of what is in your heart (Matthew 12:34).

The Right Attitude To Money

The following is a message from Pastor Zac Poonen on, "The Right Attitude to Money."

• People used to think that all wholehearted Christians must be poor.  Now there is the teaching that wholehearted Christians must be rich.  Both are unscriptural extremes.
• The two masters Jesus tells us we cannot serve (we must hate one and love the other) are God and mammon (which is money).
• If money rules over you, you cannot serve God.
• If you are not faithful in unrighteous mammon, how will God trust you with the true riches of Heaven: revelation from God's word, transformation into Christ's character, and anointing for the ministry.
• To be devoted to God is to despise money.  You must come to the place where if you gain money it doesn't excite you, and if you lose money it doesn't depress you.
• The flesh is a fantastic lover of money.
• People are reluctant to give to God because they have not been properly taught what God says in this area.
• Everything you possess on earth (your money, your property, etc.) belongs to God and not to you.
• The mindset of a tither equates to the mindset of a thief who thinks that they can take what belongs to God - and what they have only been able to earn through God's grace - and give Him only 10%.  God deserves it all because it all belongs to Him.
• We are not doing God a favor when we give money to His work or His children.  We are merely giving back that which originally belonged to Him which He gave us as a loan to use.
• Not all believers are going to be equal in eternity (I Corinthians 15:41b). Each will be rewarded based on how they have lived in this world.
• We must learn to be righteous with money like Zacchaeus.  If we have taken anything unrighteously, we must repay it.
• Work hard to earn well (II Thessalonians 3:7-14).
• Do not become undisciplined and lazy.  The glory of God has departed from many a believer because they stopped obeying in the small things. 
• Don't be wasteful (i.e. time, money, etc.), but be faithful with what God gives you. 
• Many Christians have debt because they have not lived disciplined lives. 
• God's riches will be given to you if you are faithful in little things.

The Right Attitude To Correction

In a recent conversation with fellow believers, we spoke of how many are unable to take Godly correction.  I am not speaking of the type of soulish control that others may try to wield over you as so-called "correction", but that discipline which through conviction, the Holy Spirit confirms is from the Lord.

The following is a message from Pastor Zac Poonen on "The Right Attitude to Correction."  The wrong attitude can make the difference between those who are sons of God and those who are not.

• There was no good thing Jesus could say about the Church at Laodecia.  Yet Jesus says that He still loved them (Revelation 3:19).
• Rebuke & discipline from the Lord is a sign of His love so that we zealously repent.  It is the proof that we are not bastards, but one of His children (Hebrews 12:6-8).
• God gives you little warnings to save you from head on collisions (spiritually) later in life; do not be offended by them.
• The Lord is so interested in making us perfect that He is not happy with just 99.9%.
• You have to be very high-minded to tell God that He must correct you directly and not through any of His servants.
• The purpose of all discipline is that we may share in God's holiness.
• The principles of psychology do not belong in the Christian Church.  Psychology tells you that correction should be done in private.  Jesus was often public in His praise, but He was also often public in His correction.
• When you get a chance to serve the Lord, serve Him.  You may not get another chance.
• Both Peter and Judas failed, but Peter became a lead Apostle while Jesus said it had been better if Judas was never born.  The difference is that one could take correction and the other got offended.
• Receive correction with humility and brokenness, recognizing that these are the words of eternal life.
• Love for a person is the only way Godly correction can be given; never try to correct another in anger for such disqualifies you from being used.

Shedding of Innocent Blood

"That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee." Deuteronomy 19:10 

Congress singing "God Bless America" in the U.S. Capital steps
as part of a 9/11 tribute.

I post this, not in some insensitivity to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but for us to take an honest look at the spiritual condition of our land...and our hearts. No one could look at the loss of life in that shooting and not be touched by the sheer senselessness of it.

Surely the type of mourning being experienced as a result is heavy - especially for the life loss of little children.  We should keep the families affected in our prayers, for God's healing, comfort, and grace.

However, was this just an anomaly or have we allowed a spirit of murder to be released in this country by our own actions...and inaction?  If we do not recognize the spiritual underpinnings of what we see in the natural, then how will we ever be empowered to overcome it?

One thing I will say is that I do not believe that this is a "liberal" or "democratic" issue as the speaker implies.  It is a spiritual issue which surpasses race, gender, ethnic background, political view, etc.  The bottom line is that we cannot live as if there is no God, and then expect God's protection or ask why God allows things to happen.  Such is as hypocritical as Congress singing, "God Bless America" on the Capital steps for 9/11 while doing everything in its power to dismiss God from every part of social, public life. 

God warns us explicitly in His word that if we shed innocent blood, then blood will be upon us and our land.  Even America's "safest town" is no refuge when we have allowed evil to guide our public policy and given spiritual license to the devil to step in and fill the voids created by our dismissal of God.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14

For more on this topic, please see the following: Thou Art the Man!

Getting Your House in Order

The below message is audio from the second part of a sermon from Pastor Voddie Baucham on "Legacy" where he discusses the discipleship of our children.

• The most important tool used in the discipleship of our children - in terms of establishing and passing on multi-generational legacy - is the home.
• Like Israel going into the Promised Land, Christians are called to be a distinct people in the midst of a culture of opposition; otherwise, they would be completely absorbed into the culture and no longer bear their distinction.
• God had to raise up a Joshua generation to claim the promises after allowing the faithless generation of Israel to die off in the wilderness.
• The Promised Land was not simply a blessing for that generation, but was to make it possible for them to pass on to their children and their children's children the fear and knowledge of the Lord.
  
• To a born again Christian, the most important thing in their world is knowing & serving Jesus Christ; as such, the most important thing we can do is teach those with whom we have been entrusted by God to know & serve the Lord.
• There is no one more narrow-minded and intolerant than God.
• Adopting the religious practices of the people around them is what drove Israel away from receiving the blessings of God.
• Biblical love is completely at odds with the Greco-Roman myth of romantic love.  Biblical love is first and foremost an act of the will (love God with all your heart), accompanied by the emotions (with all your soul), and backed up by your actions (and with all your might).
• Love is about more than what we feel at a particular point in time.
• God commands us to teach the word of God to our children in our home because such is our job.
• Mark your family as belonging to the Lord by worshiping together as a family in your home.
• Don't forget God when He prospers you.

Receiving the Fire of the Holy Spirit

"But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Luke 22:32

We have talked about doing the works of the ministry, but in order to do that we need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.  Many are attempting to follow Christ, to live a Christian life, but are not availing themselves of the power of God: His Holy Spirit.  It is all just the flesh...or the workings of "another spirit" (II Corinthians 11:4). Now more than ever we need to seek God to be filled and for power to stand against the wickedness of the time in which we now live.

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8

Take a moment to listen to this message from brother Emmanuel K. on "Receiving the Fire of the Holy Spirit".

"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts2:39

Just DO it!

Christianity is Not a Spectator Sport 

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22

When I was a teenager, someone I respected was a moderator at a political event. After the event, a man ran up to him enthusiastically saying, "I was so impressed with you. You have a great understanding of the issues and can speak to them so well. You ought to run for office. You are just the type of person we need."  To that he chuckled and responded, "Why would I run for office when I can just sit on the sidelines and critique those who do?"

I was so disappointed at that moment. I could not understand the mentality of preferring to criticize those who serve instead of offering one's own self for service...and I still don't.  It just seems hypocritical to me.  If you don't have any skin in the game (so to speak), then you are just not in a position to critique anything.

Yet, such is a trait we see even in the churchworld.  You know the type; they always have something negative to say, but don't bring anything of their own to the table.  They do nothing to build up a ministry, but are often the first to start prattling on about what they think others are doing wrong.  They sit in fellowships week after week becoming engorged on the word of God, yet it never translates into practice where the word becomes life to others around them.  They can only [mis]use the letter to bring death (II Corinthians 3:6).

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise." Proverbs 6:6

I am not saying that works define our faith, but I am saying that true faith will produce works (James 2:18).  We are the light of the world, and how will our Father in Heaven be glorified if we do not let our light shine forth?

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

So, I thought it might be a helpful reminder to point out the importance of each of us doing the works of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13).  Has God given you a ministry or put a calling on your heart?  Go do it!  If not, has He shown you a ministry He is using to reach others? Get plugged into it!  No matter the capacity, every member of the Body of Christ is given by God some talents to share and it is God's purpose for each of us to be vital, living, contributing parts of that Body (Romans 12:4-11; I Corinthians 12:4-27).

Consider it this way.  If any part of the natural human body is not alive - is not contributing to the overall health & function of the body, but is instead draining life away from it - that body part would need to be amputated so as not to spread death to the entire body.  So it is in God (John 15:4-6).  As blood brings oxygen to every part of your body to keep it alive, so does the Spirit of God bring life to the various parts of the Body to quicken it for usefulness (Psalm 119:37; Romans 8:11).

In a time where there is a lot of talking, and everybody has a "word", let's keep in mind that if we are the Body of Christ, then we will be actively engaged in His work as He works through us.  Don't be as the mockers and the hypocrites who prefer to sit on the sidelines. 

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21

"For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Matthew 12:50

"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock." Luke 6;46-48

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." John 13:17

"Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." Matthew 24:26

Thank You Lord!

Don Moen is one of those men of God who has touched my life in untold ways and drawn me closer to the Lord over the years. If you are interested in true praise & worship, I recommend you look into brother Don.

Thank you Lord for your glorious mercy & grace.  Thank you for working all things out for our good, even when we don't understand.  Thank you for your sacrifice for us and allowing us to be called your sons and daughters.  Thank you for the blessings you pour out on us each day and that you have in store for us in the days to come.  Receive our praises this day Lord and be exalted in our hearts always!

Balls

I was recently asked why there does not seem to be many messages directed towards men about standing up to be men of God.

First, let me say that we cannot buy into a tit for tat mentality.  If a message is targeted to women, there is no obligation to then give a message that deals with men.  Let us all - men and women - simply be at God's disposal.  If a word comes forth with deals with us - receive it, repent, and change.  If a word is not for us, then pray for those to whom it pertains and move on.  Let us not look to the left nor to the right, but keep our eyes on Jesus and let the Father mold us as He sees fit.

Okay, that said, the following is a message by Pastor Gary C. Price as he teaches a message called, "Balls".    In it, he speaks about the necessity for men to loose themselves from that which disempowers them and take their place in the spiritual war against wickedness.

• We must study the word of God without contamination from our own preconceived notions or definitions of the world.
• The woman is an extension of man, which is why she is suitable to be a help meet for man.
• In order to receive the Kingdom of God, one must receive the Holy Spirit.  God the Father wills a thing, Jesus speaks it, and the Holy Spirit performs it.  
• There are only 3 blockages that can prevent one from receiving the Holy Spirit: the flesh, the world, and Satan.
• The flesh is yoked to the world and Satan is the god of this world.  So all one has to do to not be filled with the Spirit is to be in the flesh; as a result, you will remain a servant of Satan.
• The first mission of God when He made man was to make man like Himself.
• The image of man created by God was male and female, and such was necessary for the procreation of the race.  If that image (male & female) is marred, then it no longer reflects what God created, but becomes an avenue for satanic expression. 
• Since God created man as male and female, we can know that He did not create homosexuality, transgenderism, lesbianism, bisexuality, etc.  Such is not the creation of God but a Satanic mutation of the life God initially created.  Instead of getting offended, turn on that demonic invasion, ask God to deliver you from that spirit so that you may be made whole.
• Spirits are genderless, but the spirit governs the tabernacle to which God assigns you and allows you to have fellowship with Him.  Without the governance of the spirit, It is man's soul that rises up against his spirit - not liking the government of God - in an attempt to usurp control of the body and indulge the desires of the flesh. Unless the soul is brought under subjection to the spirit (I Corinthians 9:27), Satan is able to infuse with the rebellious soul and mold you into his image.  
• Satan is a soul man or a soul dweller.  This is why the false church runs on soul power.
• The mutated image of Satan is the fallen nature of man.  A soul man - a man's mind detached from God and ruled by his soulish flesh - is the beast.
• If you are ruled by your soul then you will also rebel against all types of authority, including the reflection of God's authority in the Earth which flows down through men and to women in order to keep the children in obedience producing a Godly seed (Genesis 18:19; Malachi 2:15; I Timothy 3:4-5, 12; Titus 1:6).
• Man is a reflection of God.  The woman is designed to be a reflection of the man; thereby also reflecting the image of God (I Corinthians 11:7).  When there are a lot of loose, whorish women soliciting lust from the men, it is only because men have abdicated their authority in God.
• Women are by nature feminine.  However an effeminate man is abnormal and reflects one who is outwardly a man, but inwardly has characteristics of a female.  Such is a castrated man who has no strength to stand or fight; he has no balls.  These eunuchs then become the reflection of other men, having "man crushes" or "bromances" on the men they idolize (sports figures, entertainers, politicians, etc.).
• We are witnessing the homosexualization of men, not only in the expression of full-blown homosexuality, but in the castration of men through uncontrolled lusts.
• Satan is after Adam, but he must use Eve to emasculate him.  By getting access to Adam, Satan could pervert the entire race of man (Romans 5:12).
• Satan is a sodomite; he is the King of Sodom (Genesis Chapter 14).  Therefore, those who have been mutated into his image share that sodomite nature.
• The only way a man can be a man is to stand on the truth - against what is wrong - and not buckle.  You must personally represent God yourself.  You must be responsible.  You must be what God created man to be in the beginning.
• A woman who fights against this is ruled by the same satanic, sodomite spirit.  This is why many women prefer to be around effeminate men and raise their boys to be effeminate.  They are offended by a normal man.
• A castrated man bleeds lust.  If a man is lusting after you, then you can know you are looking at a guy who is inwardly a girl. 
• When a man's heart turns towards God again, he will not worship you, he will worship God, but he will love you.

The War on Men Through the VENERATION of Woman

For those who still don't see how evil this is after reading, please see the following: The End of Men. 

Notice that she is referenced as "Ms." vs. "Mrs.",
which is a title usually reserved for when it is unknown
whether a woman is married or unmarried.

"Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. 

And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: [Shinar is Babylon] and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base [a pedestal]." Zechariah 5:5-11

On December 1, 2012, Mrs. Jada Pinkett Smith posted a note on her Facebook page called, "The War on Men Through the Degradation of Woman."  It shows in a nutshell how the perversion of womanhood - such as promoted by Mrs. Smith - is contaminating the minds of young girls and is the cause of what she calls the "War on Men".

Pay close attention to her words below and notice what she is really saying.  My comments are in the brackets [emphasis added by me].
_________

The war on men through the degradation of woman.

How is man to recognize his full self, his full power through the eye's of an incomplete woman? [A man's ability to "be a man" is dependent upon how a woman sees him. His power and self-identity comes from her vision of him.]  The woman who has been stripped of Goddess recognition and diminished to a big a** [word modified by me] and full breast for physical comfort only. [Notice that an "incomplete" woman is one who is not recognized as a "goddess".]  The woman who has been silenced so she may forget her spiritual essence because her words stir too much thought outside of the pleasure space. [A man's sole focus in life is the "pleasure space".  In other words, men are filled with lust and need the "spiritual essence" of women to think beyond that.] The woman who has been diminished to covering all that rots inside of her with weaves and red bottom shoes [The man is to blame for his role in this, but the woman is just trying to cover her internal hurts.  Instead of holding both responsible for their own behaviors, she villainizes the men and victimizes the women.].

I am sure the men, who restructured our societies from cultures that honored woman, had no idea of the outcome. [Patriarchy is not the normal way of living and does not "honor" women (presumably, as goddesses).]  They had no idea that eventually, even men would render themselves empty and longing for meaning, depth and connection [Unless men "honor" women as "goddesses", they will continue to be empty and without meaning or depth.].

There is a deep sadness when I witness a man that can't recognize the emptiness he feels when he objectifies himself as a bank and truly believes he can buy love with things and status. It is painful to witness the betrayal when a woman takes him up on that offer. He doesn't recognize that the create of a half woman has contributed to his repressed anger and frustration of feeling he is not enough [Again, a man's identity can only be defined by how he honors a woman (not how he honors God).]. He then may love no woman or keep many half women as his prize. He doesn't recognize that it's his submersion in the imbalanced warrior culture, where violence is the means of getting respect and power, as the reason he can break the face of the woman who bore him four children [Having the mentality of a soldier of war is incompatible with showing love.  Men need to be more matriarchal.].

When woman is lost, so is man [The woman in this regard is the savior of the man; his salvation is dependent upon her.]. The truth is, woman is the window to a man's heart and a man's heart is the gateway to his soul [A man's soul is the product of the woman].

Power and control will NEVER out weigh love.

May we all find our way.

_______

Mrs. Smith claims that men are failing at manhood because they do not recognize women as goddesses.  Notice as well that she doesn't present any balance here.  The woman is lifted up and the man is dependent upon her...even for his own self identity.  The man needs the woman, but the woman doesn't need the man. The man is defined by the woman, but the woman is not defined by him.  The woman is a goddess and the man is the one serving her.  The man is the one in need of salvation, and the woman is his savior.

What she is describing is Babylon (Zechariah 5:5-11; Revelation 17:3-6).  She is promoting nothing more than rebellion against God and what He says is "wickedness" (which makes it only appropriate that Jada belongs to the heavy metal group Wicked Wisdom).

As stated in The End of Men, "Satan does not want equality of the sexes; he is after emasculation for this is the only way he can maintain his illegitimate rule as the god of this world."  Satan rules through the fallen nature of Adam; such is why he must promote female domination over men.  What was Adam's sin according to God?  He heeded the voice of his wife over the voice of God (Genesis 3:17-19).  Adam supplanted God with the woman, making her his god(dess). Is this not the original lie Satan told Eve from the beginning? That she could be as a god herself?

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." I Samuel 15:23a

“When I walked out there and disrobed, I felt
like a queen. I felt like the world was mine.
Like there was this power just emanating
from my person. Like there was nothing
I couldn’t do.” Jada Pinkett Smith

Does no one see the deception that Jada Pinkett Smith is weaving here?  What she offers as the remedy to the issue of women's degradation is in reality its cause.  The only way that a man will worship a woman as a goddess is if he is a "lover of pleasure more than a lover of God" (II Timothy 3:4).  The seat of power for a "goddess" is that the man has been so hallowed out and castrated by rebellion against God, that he is led by his five carnal senses.  He must stay enslaved to the flesh and ensnared in idolatry to remain controllable. 

How clever Satan is!  He is able to transform his ministers into "ministers of righteousness" so that they can appear to stand for what is right, while at the same time slitting your throat (II Corinthians 11:14-15).  Jada presents herself as a friend of women - even depicting the men as the villains behind this degradation - while she herself glories in the "power" of her naked body and urges women to do the same in order to continue this bondage.

The problem is not that men are degrading women, but that man (both men & women) have turned from God to idols and are living selfishly for themselves. The result is that the family structure and society as a whole is out of order.

"As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12

On November 21, 2012, Jada wrote the following about recent controversies surrounding her daughter's buzz cut.

This subject is old but I have never answered it in its entirety. And even with this post it will remain incomplete. The question why I would LET Willow cut her hair. First the LET must be challenged. This is a world where women, girls are constantly reminded that they don't belong to themselves; that their bodies are not their own, nor their power or self determination. I made a promise to endow my little girl with the power to always know that her body, spirit and her mind are HER domain. Willow cut her hair because her beauty, her value, her worth is not measured by the length of her hair. It's also a statement that claims that even little girls have the RIGHT to own themselves and should not be a slave to even their mother's deepest insecurities, hopes and desires. Even little girls should not be a slave to the preconceived ideas of what a culture believes a little girl should be. More to come. Another day.

Do we belong to ourselves, or have we been bought with a price?  Do we have the right to do and live as we please, or are we accountable to God who is our Creator, as well as Judge of the living and the dead?  Should young girls be taught to see their physical bodies as a source of "power"?

Instead of being an example of womanhood and virtue to her daughter, Mrs. Smith prefers to encourage her to do whatever she feels is right in her own eyes, or as she says: "self-determination".  Why?  Because she is a rebel against authority too.  She doesn't want anyone telling her what to do, so she raises her daughter to be the same.  These things are not mere fashion statements or just examples of young people finding their own way.  We are seeing the evil workings of a fallen spirit being who has planted seeds of rebellion in man's heart come to fruition.

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven." I Corinthians 11:3-5

Pray for those who are deceived, but be prepared to stand against these deceptions and war against the spiritual wickedness which seeks to pervert the mind, turning it anti-Christ. The harvest truly is plenty, but the laborers are few.  Are you willing to labor for the sake of the harvest?

Learn more about the spirit behind this deception, how it operates even in the Church, and how to get free from it via the following message from Pastor Gary C. Price:

The Elect Lady - Part 1
The Elect Lady - Part 2

 

Red Table Talks: Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith Talk Love, Family

Begin to Love "Self"

It is only appropriate that - as we have been talking about the need to deny "self" and crucify the flesh - the new agers are preaching about the need to love "self".  We have spoken before about how the need for "self-love" is a major deception leading one to worship what is anti-Christ.

The following was sent to me by a brother in Christ.  Please review this prayerfully with an ear to understand what is happening in the world and a heart to solidify just where you stand.

Make no mistake that as God is preparing His people for these times, so is Satan preparing those who belong to him.  God will have a people who have divested themselves of "self" and self-centered pursuits in order to live for Him.  Satan will have a people consumed with "self" and living only for "self": the definition of a sodomite.

Remember, true love is selflessness; and God is love.  Love "seeks not her own" or in other words, is not selfish (I Corinthians 13:5).
_______

The following is shared from Gideon's Trumpet

This is what the new agers/false prophets in unison believe and teach.  This is the essence of the current 'ecumenical' movement.

Notice that they also speak of a 'they' who are in opposition to this oneness.  They say that this 'they' will ultimately not have further chances of changing - the 'die' is cast for them - 'they' will not change their minds (and let us all be in agreement with that as we stand forever in the Word of the God!).  So in other words, 'they' (we) will have to be exterminated.

They look like a lamb but speak like a dragon saying that 'all must love one another as you love yourself' yet Jesus says: “Thou SHALT NOT AVENGE, NOR BEAR ANY GRUDGE AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF THY PEOPLE, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19v18.  This is further qualified in John 15v12: “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

We know that the biblical and correct interpretation of this ending age we are in culminates with a loosing of evil entities from the 'abyss' (pit or portal) to amass a Satanic, anti-Christ army against the Anointed One and those that are His.  I read that a Mayan 'elder' states the Mayan calendar does not really indicate that the world will ‘end’ on Dec. 21st 2012 - because the calendar is circular (have you ever seen a Mayan calendar?) - but it actually marks the 'return of the Ancestors (or Ancients) and Men of Wisdom’.

I am not giving any credence to the Mayan calendar or the planetary alignments because God’s Word is FIRST!  This is only for the purpose of illustrating how they can only try to twist that which even THEY know is inevitable in an attempt to deceive and deter us from the TRUTH!

May all of God's people be prepared and filled by His Spirit to stand and withstand in this evil day to proclaim the good news of his salvation from this wickedness – and to announce that Jesus Christ is Creator and King!!!

Your Cross Is Meant to Bring You to Self-Denial

The following is a message from Min. David Wilkerson called "You Cannot Carry Your Own Cross" followed by a video sermon from Min. B.H. Clendennen entitled, "Self-Denial".

It goes hand in hand with the message from yesterday.  I hope that both messages encourage you to draw closer still to the Lord and experience His saving power in your life.
 _______________

You Cannot Carry Your Own Cross 

It's very true that Jesus said to His disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me." But Jesus could not carry His cross - and neither can you! Jesus fell under the load of His cross, weary, exhausted, and unable to carry it another step. John said, "And he bearing his cross went forth into a place...called Golgotha" (John 19:17). the Bible doesn't tell us how far Jesus carried His cross. We do know they compelled Simon, the Cyrene, to pick it up and carry it to the place of crucifixion (Matthew 27:32).

Jesus did take up His cross and was led by His tormentors like a lamb to be slain. But He could not carry it for long. The truth is, Jesus was too weak and frail to carry His cross. It was laid on another's shoulder. He had reached the end of His endurance. He was a physically broken and wounded man. There is only so much one person can take. There is a breaking point. Why did they compel Simon to pick up that cross? Was Jesus lying on those cobblestone streets like a lifeless man, with the cross lying over him like dead weight? Did they kick Him, try to prop Him up, and attempt to force Him a step further? But did He just lie there, with not enough strength to move an inch? His cross had become too heavy to bear.

What does this mean to us? Would our Lord make us do something He could not do? Did He not say, "...whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple?" (Luke 14:27). A cross is a cross, be it wooden or spiritual. It is not enough to say, "His cross was different - our cross is spiritual."

Personally, it gives me great hope to know that Jesus could not take up His own cross. It encourages me to know that I am not the only one burdened down to the ground at times, unable to go on in my own strength. If we are going to identify with His crucifixion, we must also identify with the steps that led to the cross. We must face, once and for all, the truth that no human being can carry his own cross.

Don't look for some hidden interpretation; Jesus knew exactly what He was saying when He called us to "take up our cross and follow Him." He remembers His own cross. He remembers that another had to carry it for Him. Why then would He ask us to shoulder a cross He knows will soon crush us to the ground? He knows we can't carry it all the way, in our own strength. He knows all about the agony, the helplessness, the burden that crosses create.

There is a truth hidden here that we must uncover. It is a truth so powerful and edifying, it could change the way we look at all our troubles and hurts. And even though it almost sounds sacrilegious to suggest Jesus did not carry His own cross, that is the truth. What it means to us today is that Jesus, who is touched by the feelings of our infirmities, must experience for Himself what it is like to be weak, discouraged and unable to go on without help. He was in all points tempted just as we are. The temptation is not in failing, not in laying down the cross because of weakness; the real temptation is in trying to pick up that cross and carry it on in our own strength. God could have supernaturally lifted that cross and magically levitated it all the way to Calvary. Then, too, He could have taken the weight out of the cross and made it featherlike. But He did not. The crucifixion scene was not a series of blunders, and though Christ died at the hands of sinners, the entire plan was borne in the heart of God from the foundation of the world. God put Simon there, ready to play his part in the plan of redemption. God was not caught by surprise when His Son could no longer carry the cross and thus fulfill prophecy. God knew Jesus would take up His cross, follow toward Golgotha, then lay it down.

Your Cross Is Meant to Bring You Down

God knows also that not one of His children can carry the cross they take up when following Christ. We so much want to be good disciples; we so much want to deny ourselves and take the cross upon ourselves; we seem to forget that same cross will one day bring us to the end of our human strength and endurance. Would Jesus purposely ask us to take up a cross that He knows will sap all our human energies and leave us lying helpless - even to the point of giving up? Absolutely yes! Jesus forewarns us, "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). So He asks us to take up our cross, struggle on with it, until we learn that lesson. Not until our cross pushes us down into the dust do we learn the lesson that it is not by our might or power or strength, but by His power. That is what the Bible means when it says His strength is made perfect in our weakness. It has never meant that God's way is a little better than ours or that His strength is a a bit superior. It means that God's way is the only way; His strength the only hope.

Jesus looks upon this world, filled with confused children going about trying to establish their own righteousness, trying to please Him in their own way, and He calls for crosses. The cross is meant to break us, to drain us of all human effort. We know we are stronger than Simon who will come at our breaking point and take over the burden, but He cannot take over until we give up, until we come to that point where we cry, "God, I can't go another step. I'm exhausted! I'm broken! My strength is gone! I feel dead! Help!"

Jesus was crucified "through weakness" (2 Corinthians 13:4). It is when we become totally weak and self-abased that we witness we are made strong, by faith in the Lord. Our spirit is willing to carry our own cross, but the flesh is weak. Paul could glory in his cross, taking pleasure in how weak it made him. He said, "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong...For he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).

Paul was not weak and strong at the same time. He grew weak because of troubles and distresses. But when he was cast down to the ground by his cross, he did not despair. It was out of that weakness he became strong. Paul rejoiced in this process of being made weak because it was the secret to his power with Christ. "Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

What is your cross? It is any burden or pressure that threatens to break you down. My junkie friends call theirs "a monkey on the back." That is not a sacriligious reference to the cross. It simply defines their image of a burden that crushes them to the ground. I have often heard husbands and wives referring to their marriage as a "a cross to bear." Others see their cross as an unfulfilling job, an illness, a state of lonliness or divorce. I have heard all kinds of definitions of what the cross is suppossed to represent. I have even heard homosexuals refer to their habit as a heavy cross. Since Jesus did describe the details of the cross we are to take up, I suggest it is anything that will hasten a crisis in our spiritual lives. For example, loneliness can be a cross if it becomes a burden too heavy to bear and it finally brings us to the end of ourselves. It is then that we can allow the Lord to reach down to us and lift us out of our pity and self-destructiveness. Loneliness is a good thing if it makes us weak enough to want only His strength.

"I'm Not Doing Enough for God"

My cross is peculiar but not unfamiliar to many others. I am constantly burdened by a sense of "not ever doing enough." This cross usually becomes the heaviest right after I've written a best-selling book; after preaching to thousands; after launching a feeding program for starving children; after counseling with hundreds of troubled couples. I stop for a few weeks, take inventory of my life and ministry, and something in me gets restless. I get depressed and confess to my wife and friends, "I don't feel like I'm doing anything for God. I'm not as fulfilled as I should be. Sometimes I feel so useless."

So often I get that "unfinished" feeling. I feel I am wasting too much time doing insignificant things. It's hard to relax when a voice inside condemns you for not "burning out for Jesus." I think of all the things I promise myself I will do; the projects I'll finish; the growth in God I'll achieve - and much of it never gets done. I accuse myself of being lazy. Others seem to be so disciplined and motivated, and I picture them in my mind as all passing me by, leaving me behind in the dust. But God will ask me to keep taking up that cross daily, until it finally gets the best of me. Evidently that's a part of my life that is not yet under His control. One day, I'll fall down in despair and cry, "Lord, I just don't care anymore. Let the world pass me by. Let my dreams all fade. Let me be nothing but an obedient disciple. I don't want to compete with myself or others anymore. No more ego goals. Take over, Lord, and lift my load." That is when our Lord will step in and whisper, "Now David, let Me carry your load."

Spiritual Crosses

Sometimes spiritual pride can be a cross. You take on a heavy load when you begin to testify about the great things God is doing in your life. God gives you a broken and contrite spirit. Others come to you for help and receive blessings. You are used in wonderful ways in encouraging people all around you. It begins to dawn on you, "Wow! I've had such great joy. God has made me so tender and loving. I'm finally learning how to overcome my temptations and I'm growing so much in the Lord. I feel like I'm about to break through into a life of spiritual glory and power. At last, I've reached a lace of trust and peace. I don't ever want to go back to what I was."

A week later you are groveling in the dust; your spiritual balloon busted, and everything seems to have drained out of you. All you can say is, "What happened? I haven't sinned against God; I haven't doubted. The joy just disappeared. I don't seem to have anything in me now to give to others. I'm dry and empty. Why couldn't I have kept the beautiful feelings?"

You Will Never "Arrive"

Hear me, friend - God will never permit you to feel like you have arrived. That's the trouble with too many Christians today. Way back, they received a great blessing from the Lord. God did a wonderful work in their lives. The Holy Spirit came upon them and redid their lives, through and through. It was glorious and they started telling the world about their awakening. And it's been downhill every since. They have been riding out that one great experience, and in the process, they became self-satisfied and complacent. Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. Finally that once-blessed Christian ends up feeling weak and empty. After trying unsuccessfully to invent and recreate the blessings, he gives up in despair. He cries out, "I'm spiritually dead. I'm losing ground with God. I feel like a phony. I can't seem to get back to where I was in the Lord."

Your love for Jesus can put you on your knees, but your cross will put you on your face - on the ground in the dust. God meets you in your prostrate condition and whispers, "I have chosen the weak things of the world; the foolish things; the broken things; the things that are nothing - that no flesh should glory in His presence."

The Cross Teaches Us How to Deny Self

You will have to carry your cross until you learn to deny. Deny what? The one thing that constantly hinders God's work in our lives - self. Look again at what Jesus said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." We are misinterpreting this message if we emphasize self-denial, that is, the rejection of material or unlawful things. Jesus was not calling upon us to learn self-discipline before we take up our cross. It is far more severe than that. Jesus is asking that we deny ourselves. This means to deny your own ability to carry any cross in your own strength. In other words, "Don't take up your cross until you are ready to reject any and every thought on becoming a holy disciple as a result of your own effort."

There are millions of professing Christians who boast about their self-denial. They don't drink or smoke or curse or fornicate - they are examples of tremendous self-discipline. But not in a hundred years would they admit it was accomplished by anything else than their own willpower. In fact, they are quick to add statements like the following: "I can quit any time I want. The devil can't trick me. I know what's right and I try to do it. I keep all the commandments. I'm a clean, moral person. I don't lie or cheat and I am faithful to my marriage vows." They are practicing self-denial, but they have never denied self. In some ways, we are all like that. We experience "spurts" of holiness, accompanied by feelings of purity. Good works usually produce good feelings. but God will not allow us to think our good works and clean habits can save us. That is why we need a cross.

I believe Jesus is actually saying to us, "Before you take up your cross, be ready to face a moment of truth. Be ready to experience a crisis by which you will learn to deny your self-will, your self-righteousness, your self-sufficiency, your self-authority. You can rise up and follow Me as a true disciple only when you can freely admit you can do nothing in your own strength - you cannot overcome sin through your own willpower - your temptations cannot be overcome by your self-efforts alone - you cannot work things out by your own intellect."

Jesus Never Forces a Cross on Us

He said, "Let Him take up his cross." Never once does our Lord say, "Stoop down and let Me lay a cross on you." Jesus is not in the drafting business; His army is all volunteer. Not all Christians carry crosses. You can be a believer without carrying a cross, but you cannot be a disciple. I see so many believers rejecting the way of the cross. They have opted for the good life with its prosperity, its material gain, its popularity and success. I'm sure many of them will make heaven - they will have saved their skins, but they will not have learned Christ. Having rejected the suffering and sorrow of the cross, they will not have the capacity to know and enjoy Him in eternity, as will all the cross-bearing saints who have entered into the fellowship of His suffering.

Those who suffer will reign together. I am not glorifying the suffering and pain - only the results they produce. Like Paul, we should look at the trials and hurts we are now experiencing and rejoice in the knowledge we are going down the only path that leads to ultimate victory and maturity. No longer, then, do we look at our burdens and troubles as accidents and penalties but as a cross that is offered to teach us submission to God's way of doing things. If you are hurting right now, you are in the process of healing. If you are down, crushed under the burden of a heavy load, get ready! God is about to show Himself strong on your behalf. You are at the point of revelation. At any time now, your Simon will appear because God does use people to perform His will. Someone is going to be compelled by the Holy Spirit to come into your path of suffering, reach out to you, and help lift your burden.

Your Cross Is a Sign of His Love

Dear friend-don't think of your trial as judgment from God. Don't go about condemning yourself as though you have brought down upon you some dreaded penalty for failure. Stop thinking, "God is making me pay for my sin." Why can't you see that what you are going through is a result of His love? Are you being chastened? Do you feel like you are being dragged down? Are you in pain? Suffering? Good! That is the evidence of His love toward you. Submit! Take up your cross! Be prepared to go down even more! Get ready to reach your crisis! Get ready to reach the end of yourself! Be prepared to give up! Be prepared to hit bottom!

Please understand you are in Christ's own school of discipleship. Rejoice that you are going to become weak in order to experience His overpowering strength in you.

He laid His cross down; why won't you? For Him, a Simon appears. For us, a Savior appears. We get up and go on. It's still our cross - but now it's on His shoulders.

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up" (Ecclesiates 4:9,10).