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Father, husband and currently in-between jobs. Just relocated to Michigan from Nebraska and am on the hunt for work! These are my musings about life so far and what I've done.

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~

25 comments:

Jessica said...

Hey Bro, Welcome back!!
Wow that was long but moving and here is my list of notes so I hope you were prepared lol.
First of is there a balance between being a gnostic and surrendering all? What I mean is that I believe that people are generally good inside but that the world is generally bad. I want to surrender all to the Lord, but not to this world, thoughts?
Something I sometimes struggle with is kind of goofy but I want to get a bro in Christ opinion. The thing I struggle with is this, I grew up a Christian and although I made the decision to believe, to me there was never any question. Is there something I miss out on or something that makes me have less to relate to than with people who become believer later in life. I never had a miracle transformation per say, just something to always lean on. Thoughts?
Also how do you know that the music and Movies have gotten to the point of entertainment and are now hindering your relationship? I listen to plenty of music, in fact I am listening to Superchick as we speak, how do I know the perfect balance Brah?
I want you to know how meaningful your piece was. You had such wonderful tips and life lessons that I will probably reread it a couple of times to make sure I caught everything. You definitely have a gift Bro, don't ever let it go.
I am glad to here from you, you always inspire me, whether with a laugh or wise words. Hold true Bro, God is going to do amazing things in your life. As he reminds us in Jeremiah 29:11 " I know the plans for I have for you. Plans to prosper you not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future"
With love,
Your sister in Christ,
Jessica

Curtis said...

*I'm putting your Q's in quotes so that I can keep them all clear, lol*

"First of is there a balance between being a gnostic and surrendering all?"

No, I don't really think there is. God calls us to "present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship." (see Romans 12.1) I don't see any room for the pursuit of knowledge without intention of obedience in that passage. Another very challenging (IMHO) passage is John 14.15; "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

*And again, I don't mean to be picking apart your comments here, but this one kinda jumped out at me :-)*

"I believe that people are generally good inside but that the world is generally bad."

Nobody is good on the inside. The Bible makes this very clear. Romans 3.10-12 says, "As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." People may look good on the outside (and I know it's easy to judge people by the outside because that's all we can see), but God (who looks at the heart) says that no one even wants to seek after Him. James 3.11: "Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?" Mat 12.34b "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Personally, I think the Biblical case is too strong in the Total Depravity of Man (see the Five Points of Calvinism).

I too, was/am raised in a Christian home. But I had to admit the guilt and the sin in me before I actually became saved. Everyone has to realize their need for forgiveness before they can be forgiven. Like I blogged about though, I lived for several years in a 'practical gnosticism'. I thought that since I had a good Christian upbringing and since I didn't have 'big, blatant sins' in my life, that I was 'good to go', so to speak. And then it took a little while of actually stumbling big time to realize my capability of messing up royally, lol. I think that people and Christians, especially, should never underestimate the depravity of their soul.

"Also how do you know that the music and Movies have gotten to the point of entertainment and are now hindering your relationship?"

Well, Christianity is basically a relationship with God. Inside any relationship, you need communication. God communicates to us through the Bible (which means we need to read it, lol) and His Holy Spirit. We communicate to God through prayer. Another essential part which not a lot of people get, is comprehension. If a person comprehends what God is telling them, then they should have the lifestyle behind it. If you didn't know me and you looked at the music I listened to and the movies I watched, you would have probably thought that I wasn't saved, or that I had no comprehension of what was in the Bible. If the Holy Spirit is in you, then the world should be able to see it. And the world will be looking for it in the movies you watch and the music you listen to as well as whether you act like one. I could go on and on with different examples, but I won't. *grins* The important thing, is if this all makes sense to you.

Thanks for the encouragement, Jess! I love you like my own sister and I'm in prayer for you every day! Glory to God for the Spirit that unites us all to His calling!

Grace and peace be to you,
~Curtis~

Jessica said...

Hey Curtis,
Thanks for replying for fast and I am going to love batting this back and forth with you lol.
Okay so if people are generally bad inside than what? Do we go through life trusting no one and assuming the worst of people? Why doesn't got just wipe us off now? I mean I understand that absolutely no one is clean or that there is nothing we can do to be worthy of the gift of forgiveness that God has given us, but still, isn't there a core in the heart that must be loving and kind?
I know I am not perfect and never plan to be. That is what I love and what is so wonderful about God. The verses you gave me helped a lot and make a lot of sense. The best one was ""Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?" Mat 12.34b" When I read that I was like, oh good point lol.
It is nice to have someone who I can bat these ideas with and get confirmation at least. Thanks for caring and thanks for the prayers Bro. The Lord knows I can sure use them. May God bless your path today as well as the people you meet.
Love Bro!!
Your Sister (twin) in Christ,
Jessica

Curtis said...

"Okay so if people are generally bad inside than what? Do we go through life trusting no one and assuming the worst of people?"

Well, lol, it isn't quite like that. See, man has always wanted to assume the best of themselves. If you ask someone if they're going to Heaven or Hell, they'll almost always say Heaven because most people think that they're good enough to get there on their own. Nobody can fully remove God from their life, though. Romans says that God gave mankind a conscience. Romans 2.15; "They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them." Besides all that, pretty much all of our law and judicial systems were formed from the Old Testament, so man has obligations to the government and society for obedience. People are naturally sinful, but they like to pretend like they're not because they don't like the idea of being held accountable to a holy God.

"Why doesn't God just wipe us off now?"

*grins* Grace. God's grace. Acts 17.30, 31; "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." God did wipe everybody out one time. That was at The Great Flood during the time of Noah. After that, God promised that He would never wipe men again.

Romans 9.22, 23; "What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory."

God is enduring the wickedness for the sake of those He's elected to salvation (which is a whole 'nuther subject *grins*). But the point is that it's all because of God's grace.

"I mean I understand that absolutely no one is clean or that there is nothing we can do to be worthy of the gift of forgiveness that God has given us, but still, isn't there a core in the heart that must be loving and kind?"

Sadly, there isn't. Mankind has always wanted to believe that deep down, there's something good in all of us, but there isn't. Just look anywhere you go and you'll see the same message in the world. If you think about the actual core of people, you'll see that a seemingly generous or compassionate act of kindness is really motivated by guilt, social pressures, pride and/or the effort to get to Heaven by works instead of faith. There are tons of kind, compassionate people who are all under condemnation because they're trying to get to Heaven their way instead of God's. I Samuel 16.7 "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.'"

Just remember that man will and does sincerely believe anything other than the truth and yet God will still require his soul at judgment. What's truly fair may not always be fair to us... lol.

I hope I answered some questions! If you're still foggy on anything or you have more Qs, just shoot them to me! I'm actually in the process of writing a huge research and writing paper on Limited Atonement (probably Christianity's most controversial doctrine *grins*). You should look it up! I believe that it has un-believable Scriptural support.

Love ya sis!
~Curtis~

Jessica said...

Okay Here is a big one Curtis,
Are you saying deep down that I am a bad person? I am mostly asking this to make you squirm lol, but I would also like to see your response.
You have answered my questions so well it is amazing. I have truly never met someone who could explain it in such great detail and not make me feel stupid or angry. You have a gift Brah!!
I don't know about that Limited Atonement thing, remember the last subject you had me check out lol? But I will look it up and let you know. ANy tips of where to look, or should I just google it lol?
Be safe, sleep well, dream sweet dreams bro!
With love,
Your sister,
Jessica

Curtis said...

Hehe, yes, deep down, you're a bad person. I believe firmly that the Bible is very clear about the Total Depravity of Man. Just read the first 3 chapters of Romans and you'll find the list, lol.

See, the hard thing about being raised in a Christian home, is that it's so easy to feel sheltered and almost pre-sanctified (if that makes sense). Christian values are already wired into us, so we feel like we've been doing a pretty good job of being Christians before we actually get saved. It's a little hard to describe, lol. It's easy to just have faith in our parent's Christianity instead of discovering it ourselves. I got saved at a very early age, but I almost wish that I wasn't, because I was too young to understand all the implications and the lifestyle that needed to follow my faith.

A really good resource that I'm using now, is Wikipedia. Here's a link for Calvinism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism#Five_points_of_Calvinism I can tell you that the information is very reliable. Actually, I might just post a series of articles on my blog about the Five Points of Calvinism sometime... *daydreams* Lol. Tell me what you think of it after you read it! It's very hotly debated. *grins* I'm sure that you'll have tons of good questions.

Love and prayers,
~Curtis~

Jessica said...

Okay Buddy I was going to let you off easy and just make a comment about you saying I am evil lol. But tham you had me read this link and now I have a whole new can of worms for you... Be afraid be very afraid.
First off, not so eloquently, I was trying to say what this passage right here says "The term "total" in this context refers to sin affecting every part of a person, not that every person is as evil as possible" Agreed or more thoughts lol?
I actually agree with the main point of Calvinism "which emphasizes that man is incapable of adding anything from himself to obtain salvation and that God alone is the initiator at every stage of salvation, including the formation of faith and every decision to follow Christ." This I get and agree with. The part I am a little shaky on is the fact that it keeps going back to the fact that there is no way to insure a place in Heaven. Doesn't it say in John 3:16 "Whoever beliefs in him shall not perish but have eternal life"? The whole predestination thing makes it seem like God is going to be like "Okay count yourself off into to groups. The number ones go on to heaven, as for the number twos, well sorry about it" I mean I understand that I can never earn my way into heaven and that all of man is sinners, but than why are we Christians? I mean what was the point in Jesus dying on the cross if in the end he was just going to pick and choose anyway? Why do we as Christians need to tell me people about Jesus and have them accept him into their hearts if in the end God is going to do the ultimate eeny meeny miny mo?
Brah help me out with this one, I am not promising that I will believe every thing you say but I am open to what you have to say. You have provided me with so great info before so I know you will come through this time!!
With Love from Your Twin,
Jessica

Curtis said...

"The term "total" in this context refers to sin affecting every part of a person, not that every person is as evil as possible"

I would agree with that. Even though everybody is capable of murder (and everybody has, in fact, murdered--in their heart) nobody has murdered every single person they've come across. If you go down the Ten Commandments and apply them to your heart and mind as well as just your actions, you'll be no doubt surprised that you (and everybody else) have broken all of them. Now maybe you just haven't broken all of them at every chance you got, but you still broke all of them at one time or another. That's what they're talking about.

"Doesn't it say in John 3:16 "Whoever beliefs in him shall not perish but have eternal life"?"

Yes, but look closely at it. The verse makes it sound like the free gift is offered to the whole world, right? It is. But just because a cure is offered to, say, a room full of people, doesn't mean that everybody in the room is going to accept the cure. There will be people in the room who don't think that they're sick; there will be people who think that they can cure themselves; there will even be people who had their iPods on and didn't even hear the offer, lol.

Now, if God is omnipotent (all-powerful), then He would have created those people who didn't believe and didn't hear. And if God is omniscient (all-knowing), then He would have always known which people He would create who wouldn't be ABLE to accept the offer. Uncomfortable yet? Lol. Here's a verse to back it up:

John 10.25-29 "Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.'"

The first thing you see in this passage, is that Jesus tells the Jews there that they do not believe. Why don't they believe? They've seen the miracles. Jesus says they don't believe because they are not part of His flock.

The second thing you see, is that Jesus' sheep hear His voice, He knows who they are and they follow Him. This is known as Irresistible Grace. It's also important to note that Jesus knew who they were before they followed Him. (We'll call them the Foreknown, because Jesus knew who they were beforehand.)

Thirdly, Jesus gives eternal life to only His Foreknown. This is Limited Atonement. I'll expound on this in a minute.

Fourthly, Jesus says that the Father gave Him the Foreknown. He also says that the Foreknown can never be lost. This is our assurance of salvation (see the fifth point, the Perseverance of the Saints, in Calvinism).

Fifthly and finally, lol, this passage says that God had already decided to give the Foreknown to Jesus. This is Unconditional Election. Predestination (predetermined destination, lol) is also very closely tied to Election.

"Ok," you may say, "but how do I know for sure that this all ties in like you say it does?" *grins* Two verses:

Romans 8.29, 30; "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

Go look it up! Those are the actual words that God uses in the Bible to describe the salvation process. Isn't that so cool? Let me know what you think of it!

Here's some other really solid verses: Romans 9.13; "As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'"; Romans 9.18; "So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills."; and Matthew 22.14; "For many are called, but few are chosen."

"Why do we as Christians need to tell people about Jesus and have them accept him into their hearts if in the end God is going to do the ultimate eeny meeny miny mo?"

Because wants to use us as the tools of His Grace. Sure, He could do everything, but He's decided to include us in it. Romans 10.14; "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" and Matthew 28.19; "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" Does it sound like all this means an awful lot of coordination and cooperation? Lol, that's because it does. Good thing God is omnipotent and omniscient. *grins*

Tell me whatcha think!
~Curtis~

Jessica said...

So what you are saying is this, God know the number of people who at the end of days will believe/follow him? This I agree with. Good job phrasing that because I am seating here thinking "Wait a second than why am I supposed to believe" lol.
You are awesome at this Brah! And don't worry I trust you I don't need to go and double check lol.
But I do love a good story and so I must ask. For the first time, after visiting you site about a thousand times, I finally noticed the part where you say that God saved you life three times. So I am always up for a good story and this sounds like one. So...
Sweet dreams Bro!!
Jessica

Curtis said...

"So what you are saying is this, God know the number of people who at the end of days will believe/follow him?"

Yup yup! And I'm going a little farther, because I believe the Bible says that God also elected people to go to Heaven and elected people to go to Hell. A common argument that you'll hear, is that God is love, so He wouldn't send people to Hell. It's very controversial, lol, but the simple fact is that God's love cannot over-balance His divine justice. No where in the Bible will you find a verse that says that or implies that.

And it's true... there is a story behind my profile, lol. Basically, I should have died when I was born, but God kept me alive. We've never been able to explain it. It's kind of a long story, lol.

Gotta go and eat so,
Ttyl!
~Curtis~

Jessica said...

Well we agree on that at least lol. Hey we are twins we don't always have to agree lol. But one thing I do know that you can't possibly argue with is this, someday you and I will meet in Heaven Bro!!
Well I for one am glad you were born, no matter what the reasons were. The world would be incomplete were it missing a Curtis!!
However your profile says three and that is only one so I think you owe me two more lol.
With Christ's Love!!
Jessica

Curtis said...

Lol, two more huh? I believe that life starts at conception, not birth. So there's one. And God gave me spiritual life. There's two. *grins* That makes three all together! Yay!

Just for fun, read Romans 9 and see if it reads a little differently! I think it's pretty amazing how an understanding of the Bible can change when you learn about a new doctrine. You don't have to read it if you don't want to, but I think that Romans 9 makes more sense in the light of unconditional election.

Love and prayers,
~Curtis~

Jessica said...

I so Love God, Reading this chapter just confirmed that for me. Sounds like I should have taken some more time to study this before I asked all those annoying questions lol, I mean it says "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? " Although techinally I was talking back to you no God lol, but you were his spokesperson lol.
To me this chapter was also talking about the fact that we are all his children, not just those from Israel, we are all his chosen people. How great is that!! We definitely have an amazing God and father!!
Love ya Bro!! Take it easy, have a good day, and keep fighting the good fight!!
Oh BTW I am going to get a Battle Cry page so I will let you know when I do and you can come check it out!!
Jessica

Curtis said...

Back at'cha! *grins* Have a beautiful day, wherever you are!

Ooh! Battle Cry is pretty good stuff! I have one or two friends who have a Battle Cry page.

Love and prayers, sis
~Curtis~

Jessica said...

Danke Bro!! Oh and I forgot to say thanks for the life stories, I needed the clarification lol.
Night Bro!!
Love!!
Jessica

Jessica said...

I have another worrywart and update so please check it out and give me some good brotherly feedback. I should warn you mine is about double the size of your last post lol. It is amazing how much I can write in one night lol.
Have an awesome day Bro!
Love Ya!
Jessica

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