I had such a busy weekend! On Saturday I went down to Kansas City for my cousin's wedding reception. It was very pretty. I didn't know most of the people at the reception, so for a while I just sat at a table with my mom or mingled a little around. One of my cousins who saw that I was off on my own came over and talked to me a little, which was really considerate of him. After a little while, I asked my uncle if he could get me into a group somewhere and he introduced me to some other guys. I had a really encouraging time with people, then. That was a huge highlight of my evening!
On Sunday God really spoke to my heart in Sunday-school. We're going through 1 John. John is writing about living out what we know in the Bible. He uses several interesting contrasts such as light versus darkness and truth versus deceit. I know that God wanted me to be in this class because of the emphasis on putting the lifestyle behind our faith. The teacher made a comment that stuck with me. He said that we need to be careful that our lifestyle doesn't deny Christ. It really got me thinking about how a Christian should walk.
Our lives are like a collection of exhibits in a court of law. There will be evidence that either supports the fact that we are followers of Christ, or eveidence that denies it. How much conflicting evidence do we build up on a daily basis that we don't even think about? How many exhibits are we displaying to the court of the world and of the angels that we're Christians? If someone were to lay out our actions, words and thoughts, would the world be able to make a clear verdict?
Some questions that are going through my mind, are still about media. Is the music I'm listening to clear enough about Christ that someone could understand the Gospel through it? If someone un-saved sat down and watched all the movies in my library, could I tell them that God makes a difference in my life without saying anything afterward? Another question is, "Could I even present the Gospel to them in good conscience?" Does God even make any noticeable difference in me at all? Sure, I don't wear a tee-shirt that says, "Hi. I'm a Christian." But if all my exhibits were pinned up at the mall, could people see a theme about Christ in my life?
After Sunday-school and church, God brought some very encouraging people to me. One young man was sharing with me about his devotional life, which really lifted my heart up to God! Another young man came up to me and introduced himself. He was in the youth group one night when a friend and I shared about our passion for evangelism. He said that he'd been thinking about our ministry and that God had been speaking to him about it. So I encouraged him to read more of the Bible and to practice what he understands. It was completely a God-thing!
An awesome song that's been ministering to me lately, is What Could Be Better, by 33 Miles. Am I the only one who's noticed a lack of songs written about looking forward to Heaven?
I've heard it said today
Is all we're given
Tomorrow may not come
So you better start living
I guess it all depends
On your point of view
Pardon me if I
Just don't listen
To everything the world
Says I'm missing
There's nothing here and now
I'm gonna hold on to
Chorus:
I'm living in the days ahead
I'm already dancing on the streets of gold
Can't stop celebrating in my soul
I'm living in the days ahead
Nothing on earth could ever compare
Can't wait for the day when I get there
When I see Jesus face to face
Tell me what could be better
Tell me what could be better
If home is where the heart
Is then I'm in Heaven
It's the promise of tomorrow
That I've been given
Who is waiting there I am living for
He's everything I love
And I believe in
And I can hardly wait
Just to see Him
And hear Him say well done
I couldn't ask for more
Chorus:
I'm living in the days ahead
I'm already dancing on the streets of gold
Can't stop celebrating in my soul
I'm living in the days ahead
Nothing on earth could ever compare
Can't wait for the day when I get there
When I see Jesus face to face
Tell me what could be better
Tell me what could be better
Life is full of ups and downs
Inside outs, round and rounds
Can't blame me for dreaming about it
Chorus:
I'm living in the days ahead
I'm already dancing on the streets of gold
Can't stop celebrating in my soul
I'm living in the days ahead
Nothing on earth could ever compare
Can't wait for the day when I get there
When I see Jesus face to face
Tell me what could be better
Tell me what could be better
May the grace and peace of our Lord and Jesus be with you always,
~Curtis~
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
A Beautiful Surrender
I used to be a practical gnostic for most of my saved life. And I can safely say that most Christians are. A gnostic is one who believes that the spirit of a man is good and the physical is evil. God is a supreme, distant being who, through a series of emanations, became another being we know as 'Creator God'. He created the universe, but mankind got somewhat muddled up and enslaved in evil. A divine element (also referred to as the 'Divine Spark') fell from Heaven and was lodged in certain people and gave them the ability to realize salvation through the pursuit of gnosis, or knowledge. I didn't hold to those beliefs or call myself a gnostic, but I acted as though the Christian walk was all about knowledge and putting facts into my head. Inside I was shutting out the Holy Spirit and carrying on with the lifestyle I wanted to.
I think the one area that most Christians forget is surrender. Modern evangelism over-emphasizes freedom and when somebody gets saved they think of salvation as only 'fire insurance'. With salvation comes a responsibility to grow in Christ. Growth means surrender since our lives were formerly enslaved to sin. Salvation is like the new portal to living spiritually. Most Christians choose to linger just inside, instead of journeying farther to discover the precious comfort that only a closer relationship with God can offer. Maybe they're afraid to let go of the weights they carried in their former life, or maybe they're too afraid of what their friends from the other side will call to them.
If you are a born-again believer, then God has sent His Seal of Salvation, the Holy Spirit, to you. John 14:16-17 says, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." As long as God's law is on your heart and mind, the Holy Spirit will be convicting you about areas that need to be surrendered. The more you know about God's law, the more responsibility you have to surrender whatever the Holy Spirit points out to you. So start getting rid of stuff. Trust me, it's a lot easier if you take the initiative instead of having God come along to cut the dead weight off.
Then there's the area of fearing what people may say, think, or even do to you. A friend of mine told me a catchy acronym for this: FOM (fear of man). The Bible talks about having no FOM in Hebrews 13.6; "So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" God made us all unique for a purpose. We all have an individual way to serve Him in this world. People will appreciate you for being who God made you to be, not who you feel pressured to be like the most. There's no individuality in 'going with the flow'. Form principles and know why they're important to you. Be different! Watch out for FOM.
Personally, music is a really huge area of my life that I've surrendered to God lately. I tried to follow the world with the artists I listened to and it was literally dragging me away from God. Whenever I tried to concentrate on talking to God, music would switch on in my head and distract me. So I just made the decision to stop listening to all secular music except for classical. I have always noticed the life and joy that was in Christian lyrics, but never has it been such a blessing to me as when I'd gotten rid of all the other junk I used to listen to. Glorify God with your music! Remember, it's better to have a song in your head that praises God instead of one that curses or dishonors Him.
I've also been putting up some safeguards for the movies I watch as well. I used to really get into horror flicks and stuff like that. Only now that I think back about it, do I realize the complete degradation of life that was portrayed and glorified on the screen. Comedy is no different. Anything, people, ANYTHING can be turned into a joke. I think one of the biggest successes of Satan, is getting us Christians to laugh at sin and to take it lightly. As soon as you let your guard down, anything can make you laugh if you don't think about God's moral standards for Christians. The Bible is quite clear about staying away from evil. Romans 16:19b; "But I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil."; I Corinthians 14:20; "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature."; I Thessalonians 5:22; "Abstain from every form of evil."
God has been moving my faith to some new frontiers! Every morning, I get my focus on God by talking to Him when I wake up. I ask God to give me a servant's heart and a mind to follow His will during the day. I've also been praying for opportunities to share the Gospel with someone. After lifting His name up and thanking Him for the day He's given me, I pray for my friends and people who need Salvation. Sometimes it takes me a good hour to pray individually for everyone, but it always helps me to put my focus on seeking the needs of other people. During breakfast, I have my devotions so that God's Word will stay fresh on my mind for the day. Recently, I've been leaving the Christian radio station on so that my heart is in a constant state of worship. At night, I talk to God about my day and ask forgiveness for the times I've fallen down (which is usually quite a lot). I also thank Him for the opportunities He gave me to serve my family and/or other people. It is so encouraging to review my day and to see how God answered my prayers from the morning. I always make sure to fall asleep while praying for my friends again and while listening to the Bible on my cd player. God is so good!
So that's the direction my life has been going in lately! I'm slowly learning how to live for God and how to serve other people. I don't even know why I didn't start moving ahead in my faith before. God is faithful, everyone. Don't ever forget that. And He will preserve His people and perfect their faith. It's all about God, y'all. I know that I still need to surrender much more to Him, but at least I'm getting a start on it!
I pray that this will be a challenge to whoever reads this. The feedback I've gotten from you has already been SUCH an encouragement to me! If anybody has anything they need prayer about, please let me know. Just leave me a message or an e-mail and I will be more than honored to bring you before the Lord.
Grace and peace be with you,
~Curtis~
I think the one area that most Christians forget is surrender. Modern evangelism over-emphasizes freedom and when somebody gets saved they think of salvation as only 'fire insurance'. With salvation comes a responsibility to grow in Christ. Growth means surrender since our lives were formerly enslaved to sin. Salvation is like the new portal to living spiritually. Most Christians choose to linger just inside, instead of journeying farther to discover the precious comfort that only a closer relationship with God can offer. Maybe they're afraid to let go of the weights they carried in their former life, or maybe they're too afraid of what their friends from the other side will call to them.
If you are a born-again believer, then God has sent His Seal of Salvation, the Holy Spirit, to you. John 14:16-17 says, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." As long as God's law is on your heart and mind, the Holy Spirit will be convicting you about areas that need to be surrendered. The more you know about God's law, the more responsibility you have to surrender whatever the Holy Spirit points out to you. So start getting rid of stuff. Trust me, it's a lot easier if you take the initiative instead of having God come along to cut the dead weight off.
Then there's the area of fearing what people may say, think, or even do to you. A friend of mine told me a catchy acronym for this: FOM (fear of man). The Bible talks about having no FOM in Hebrews 13.6; "So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" God made us all unique for a purpose. We all have an individual way to serve Him in this world. People will appreciate you for being who God made you to be, not who you feel pressured to be like the most. There's no individuality in 'going with the flow'. Form principles and know why they're important to you. Be different! Watch out for FOM.
Personally, music is a really huge area of my life that I've surrendered to God lately. I tried to follow the world with the artists I listened to and it was literally dragging me away from God. Whenever I tried to concentrate on talking to God, music would switch on in my head and distract me. So I just made the decision to stop listening to all secular music except for classical. I have always noticed the life and joy that was in Christian lyrics, but never has it been such a blessing to me as when I'd gotten rid of all the other junk I used to listen to. Glorify God with your music! Remember, it's better to have a song in your head that praises God instead of one that curses or dishonors Him.
I've also been putting up some safeguards for the movies I watch as well. I used to really get into horror flicks and stuff like that. Only now that I think back about it, do I realize the complete degradation of life that was portrayed and glorified on the screen. Comedy is no different. Anything, people, ANYTHING can be turned into a joke. I think one of the biggest successes of Satan, is getting us Christians to laugh at sin and to take it lightly. As soon as you let your guard down, anything can make you laugh if you don't think about God's moral standards for Christians. The Bible is quite clear about staying away from evil. Romans 16:19b; "But I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil."; I Corinthians 14:20; "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature."; I Thessalonians 5:22; "Abstain from every form of evil."
God has been moving my faith to some new frontiers! Every morning, I get my focus on God by talking to Him when I wake up. I ask God to give me a servant's heart and a mind to follow His will during the day. I've also been praying for opportunities to share the Gospel with someone. After lifting His name up and thanking Him for the day He's given me, I pray for my friends and people who need Salvation. Sometimes it takes me a good hour to pray individually for everyone, but it always helps me to put my focus on seeking the needs of other people. During breakfast, I have my devotions so that God's Word will stay fresh on my mind for the day. Recently, I've been leaving the Christian radio station on so that my heart is in a constant state of worship. At night, I talk to God about my day and ask forgiveness for the times I've fallen down (which is usually quite a lot). I also thank Him for the opportunities He gave me to serve my family and/or other people. It is so encouraging to review my day and to see how God answered my prayers from the morning. I always make sure to fall asleep while praying for my friends again and while listening to the Bible on my cd player. God is so good!
So that's the direction my life has been going in lately! I'm slowly learning how to live for God and how to serve other people. I don't even know why I didn't start moving ahead in my faith before. God is faithful, everyone. Don't ever forget that. And He will preserve His people and perfect their faith. It's all about God, y'all. I know that I still need to surrender much more to Him, but at least I'm getting a start on it!
I pray that this will be a challenge to whoever reads this. The feedback I've gotten from you has already been SUCH an encouragement to me! If anybody has anything they need prayer about, please let me know. Just leave me a message or an e-mail and I will be more than honored to bring you before the Lord.
Grace and peace be with you,
~Curtis~
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