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Are You Feeling Squeezed? Sin, Worldly Living, and the Narrow Gate

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Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:34-36 NKJV)

Our “ticket” to heaven or hell is given by God himself. There are no “get-by” passes or a friend standing at the pearly gates “hooking you up” to live in comfort and leisure up in heaven when you leave this earth while you have not done a self check and most importantly given your life to Christ for the sake of receiving salvation and forgiveness from He who is our Lord and Savior. It’s not that kind of party. God does not operate like that.

We choose the route we want to take in life. As well, we choose to do either right or wrong. The decision is ours. Scripture tells us “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13, 14 NKJV)

I need to be squeezed. Don’t you?

Often I find myself asking of the Lord in regards to reproof and correction. I surely am not one who is perfect and I claim to not be perfect though I am made perfect in Him. We all have sinned and continue to sin in some sort whether in word, thought or action consciously and subconsciously. I want to know the error of my ways so that I can change. I want to be forgiven of my sins. I want to be made over daily.

I NEED TO BE SQUEEZED.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16, 17 NKJV)

Many succumb to the ways of the world without fighting for what right. It’s easier to pleasure and please man because we don’t want to hurt their feelings or because we want to fit in rather than stand out for God who has been nothing but good and merciful toward us, who loves us without conditions and who gave us a way out and a way in that we may be washed, cleansed and approved to be united with Him forever where no more tears and sorrow shall reign in eternal glory in heaven. As believers and followers of Christ we are not called to life a life of such. We are not to conform to the ways of the world. (Romans 12:2)

We were made to stand out. We were made to let our light shine for the world to see. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (I Peter 2:9 NKJV)

Unfortunately this place we live in is full of evil and lust. Temptation is always knocking at our door. Will we answer?

Not one of us came into this world without sin so I pray we don’t walk around as if we have never done wrong. God knows all and sees all. He’s merciful and forgiving. He’s loving and patient. This is how we should also be towards others who have committed sin who are in the Body of Christ as well as the sinner who has not turned from his ways and who has yet to receive Christ into their life. The Word tells us:
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16 KJV)

Are you feeling the squeeze yet? I’m not here to condemn one soul but I will not shy away from the truth. I will not accept what God says is wicked and abominable in this world and the ways of it so if I have to walk it alone to be seen as righteous and holy before The One who holds my life in His hands then I will. Temporary pain in this life is far from comparison to the eternal joy I will have in my Fathers kingdom.

I pray this for you too dear Reader. Fight the good fight and don’t give in. You can do it and come out victorious in Christ Jesus. He is our strength, shield, deliverer, protector and provider. Nothing is too mighty for God to do. Amen? Amen!

“Thank you Father, Son and Holy Spirit for being my path and light. I thank You for being my all and leading me in truth. May I cling to Your truths and convictions and lead a life that’s pleasing and honoring. You work as one but in unity giving leadership to all who will receive. Praises I sing on high for You are worthy my God to be praised! In Jesus name I pray. Amen”

Preach the Word

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (II Timothy 4:1-4 NKJV)


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Learning By Example

“Does “hope” mean something like, if I have  a tablecloth on this table and I set it with dishes, I hope it looks pretty?”

The theme for this week at the SafeHouse is “Plans, Future and Hope” based on Jeremiah 29:11. Today is the 2nd day for this semester and my second day on the job. The girls were in the midst of their group project using this theme and one of them asked me the above question after reading the verse. The 2nd girl in the same group then mustered up courage to ask me what the word “future” means exactly, according to the verse. 

I was glad that they had the courage to ask and did not feel embarrassed about it. 

Since working with street people in Lima, my husband and I have come to the realization that when working with street people, guys or girls alike, we cannot use vocabulary that is too “high”. Most of them have the education level of an 8th grader or less and most can’t read or write properly. Some are illiterate. I am thankful that none of the women in the SafeHouse is illiterate, but none of them find it easy to read or write. Some words really confuse them. In teaching the Word of God, my husband and I have learned to use parables of situations and things in their daily life, explained with the simplest words and definitely no “Christianese”. The bibles we use are contemporary bibles and some might argue that certain translated versions do not come close to the original but, I would rather that the understanding of the Word gets into their heart than have them read the spanish version of the King James and not understand anything that they are reading. We then explain every word that might seem difficult taking no word for granted so that the people understand.

I have heard some people preach to or talk to people who work the streets or live on them and preach as though they are preaching to a church congregation that has existed for 20 years. Most street people will just pretend to understand and will either walk away at the end of it or agree to everything the preacher says without a complete understanding so as not to offend someone they perceive as being more educated than them. 

We, as Christians, need to learn to get to the level of the people we are reaching out to. We cannot assume that everyone has gone to church and have heard preachings about Paul, Peter, Deborah and Jesus. Depending on where and to whom we are teaching, preaching or sharing the Word of God with, we need to get to the level of the people and how they understand things. Oftentimes, we are accustomed to speaking in a certain way as Christians that we forget that the rest of the world has no idea of what or whom we are talking about. 

We forget to ask if they understand us.

We forget to assure that asking questions is welcomed.

We forget to listen in our zeal to speak.

Just like the Ethiopian eunuch to whom Philip was sent to explain the Word of God, so many do not understand the Word even if they do read it. I remember as a teen, I would constantly fall asleep every time I started reading the bible. How then, can people understand what has been given to them for free through love and grace if they cannot understand what they are reading?

All of us, like Philip, have been sent into the various parts of the world (our neighbourhoods, schools, towns, worksites, families, friends, a different province or state, or a different country) to do as Philip did with all the Ethiopian eunuchs in the world hungry to understand what the Word of God says but not understanding it and carrying in their minds a negative misconception about it. Just like Jesus used parables of everyday customs in the Jewish culture of that day to teach in simple ways that were easily understood, so must we ask for wisdom to know how we can share the Word of God in various formats to the people around us so that they can understand. 

We need to get down to the level of the people and not expect them to come up to our level. This does not meant that we dilute the Word or change it. Jesus’ example is one we need to learn from. 

 He came down to our level. 

His Provision Diff. We Thugt


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The Provisions Of God

His Provision Diff. We Thugt

“I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.”  Psalm 132:15 (NKJV)

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19 (ESV)

What comfort there is in knowing that our God will provide for our every need!!  It is a safety net I gladly accept.  He will feed the poor and help us through every adversity.  We merely need to pray and wait for Him to work.  Answered prayers are answered in His time and in His way.  Therefore, have faith and trust He will provide.  It is a promise! 

Paul writes in Philippians 4:11 that contentment occurs when we learn to be satisfied with every situation and circumstance.  How is it then that God promises to provide for our needs and yet Paul speaks of being hungry?  God provided many trials for Paul to test his faith and love for Him. God’s provision was a supernatural strength that enabled Paul to withstand the hardships.

If you are experiencing financial hardship, there will be provision.  He will feed you and clothe you.  He may be putting you through a test of humility, but there is the encouragement that says humility comes before honor. 

During my recent medical trial, I lost my job, house, and health insurance.  Faithfully, God provided for my every need.  I had to do my homework but I qualified for a medical assistance program called Prescription Hope.  Having this need met provided me with a greater hope for my future. They have paid for my insulin, a very expensive drug but necessary for diabetics.  The Lord has also provided jobs for me, and a house with a mortgage I can afford. 

When we are in the middle of a trial and issues are whipping around us like debris in a tornado, it is hard to calm our anxieties.  Even so, make an effort to breathe and ask God to quiet your anxious thoughts.  When you can take even a minute to petition the Father, help is on the way. 

The enemy wants to use the chaos and fear to devastate you, so fight back!!  The children of God are not to be lukewarm.  Put on the armor of Christ so that you can be Christ minded and identify the lies of the enemy.  Ephesians 6:10 commands us to “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”  The word STAND is written four times in verses 6:11-14 of Ephesians.  When a word is repeated that many times we ought to make a note of it and do what it commands.

I urge you to stand against your worries and frets today.  I encourage you to stand on the promises of God, including the one stating He will provide for you needs and give you strength.  No adversity or test is sent your way that cannot be overcome with the provisions of your Father. 

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”   Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

 “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?”  Luke 12:25 (NKJV)

 “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’”  Hebrews 13:5 (NAS)

 


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Tangled

“casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

This past weekend we spent some time with family who live on the water. Our whole family loves to visit for various reasons. My favorite place in this world is the beach and so I love going there. The kids love fishing off the dock. They catch and release little fish and love the experience. I’m excited that they are finally at a point where they can do everything themselves. They cut the bait; put it on the hook and fish away. They have even gotten to the point that they can get the caught fish off the hook and return him to his life under the sea. The other day I was sitting out there watching them while I read and prayed. I was actually praying and asking God to give me some devotionals for this week when my son came and asked me for help. He had tangled his line. This was no small tangle and he had tried to undo the mess, but he just couldn’t and came to me for help.

Now, I have to confess I was a smidge irritated. Here I was asking for some divine intervention so I could write a devotional and my son interrupts. I cut him some slack because he didn’t know what I was praying about or even that I was praying. As far as he was concerned, I was just watching them fish. But, I have to be honest when I say that I just didn’t want to be bothered. Well, being a Mom, I looked at his mess and started to access it. I quickly realized this was going to take some time. It was knotted in several places and I had to be careful the hook wouldn’t cut me. And so, carefully I started to unwind the fishing line. I was careful to see where each piece had knotted and wound around another pulling on the twine trying to make it straight again. It took a while and halfway through, my son came to me and made the comment, “I really made a mess of things. I don’t know if you can fix it.” I responded by saying “It’s okay honey. These things happen. I can fix it. Don’t worry.” Then he walked away and busied himself with something else while I worked on the fishing pole.

As this whole event was transpiring, I realized this was the devotional I was praying for. We make such a mess of our lives sometimes. We screw up, a lot. We make mistakes. We become tightly wound and knotted up in our own sin. But when we bring it to God, He doesn’t send us away to fix it ourselves. No, He gently starts to unravel the mess we have made. He doesn’t get tired of working on us because we are His passion. He wants us to be whole. He wants us to be healthy. He wants us to be okay. But He pushes Himself on no one. We have to be the ones to come to Him with the messes we have made so He can fix them. And just like a Mom trying to reassure her son, God reminds us that everything’s going to be okay. He can fix anything. Some messes take longer than others, but they can still be fixed.

I love that God delights in helping us. I love that God takes joy in fixing our messes. It’s not because He’s an arrogant God. It’s because it’s during those times of stress and screw ups that we finally realize we have come to the end of ourselves and we need a Savior. We need a Healer. We need a Provider. God is all of those things and He loves when we come to Him, hearts in hand asking to be fixed. He never does it begrudgingly. He always does it with love and compassion.


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Fire: Keeping the Flame Ablaze

During this summer, I have spent some time clearing out a worship spot at my house in the back of our woods. I must say, I really enjoyed doing it. I wanted a spot that I could go and spend time with God in solitude. I gathered old down trees to use for seating, found various pieces of old furniture to place back there, and Tiki Torches to help keep away bugs. In the middle I built a good-sized fire pit for bonfires. The other evening I went out to that spot to spend some time with God. My brother was with me and we were trying to light the fire. The pit had quite a bit of wood in it so if we ever got it lit, it would be a very big and nice fire. The problem was we couldn’t get the fire lit.  Granted the top pieces were a little wet, but the rest of the pile was dry, so we didn’t think it would be much of a problem. We had pieces of cardboard to help start the fire, but it didn’t work. We lit some of the dry leaves in the midst of the sticks, but it didn’t work either. We even found some straw to light to help with the process, but all it did was burn. It didn’t stay lit and the fire died quickly. So finally after much frustration, we got the gasoline. Now, I realize this is not the smartest choice nor safest, but I wanted a fire! Luckily nothing bad happened! So we light a few more pieces of cardboard and paper just enough to keep it a flame for a few minutes. Then we doused the places we didn’t have lit with some gasoline so with the fire caught it, it would light up. The finally we applied the gasoline on the flames that were going and instantly, the fire went ablaze. We experienced the thrill of getting our fire lit and the fire was glorious…for about ten minutes. But soon, that gasoline had burnt away, the wood had never really caught a flame, and the fire died out again quickly. Now I realize that there are better ways to light a fire, and if I did some other things I could have probably got that fire going. However, I’m glad I tried to light the fire the way I did because God used it to teach me something.

When the fire began to die out again, I was getting kind of irritated. Then I felt God speak to my heart saying, “I need people who will tend and stir the fire, not just light it.” I immediately knew what God was saying to me. In order to keep a fire going, you have to constantly add fire to the pile, you have to stir the fire to keep the fire going, and you have to watch it. Gasoline is a nice help, but it is only a temporary fix. It only lasts for a moment. It looks glorious and the flames are huge, but they don’t have much life. God doesn’t need followers who will be like the gasoline. Who will become very passionate and devoted to God one day, and have a devotion to Him that dies at the end of the week. He wants followers who will fan the flames. Who will keep the fire going, even if that means taking longer steps in doing so. Followers who will spend the extra time in prayer, reading of His Word, and living out the life He calls His people to.

I think you would be very hard pressed to find a church, if you asked them, would not want to see people come to know Christ. I mean, that’s just a ludicrous thought. The Church may have many different denomination and beliefs of theology, but I don’t really think there are many people in the Church who do not want to see souls saved. In fact if there are any, I really think those people need to evaluate their life and see if the are in step with the Spirit. But all too often the Church tries to witness to the world with gasoline. With big and glorious displays of various ministries, emotional appeals, etc. Those of you who serve the Lord know exactly what I’m talking about. But those things don’t last. People who come to the Lord on those terms won’t last unless that fire is cultivated. Unless their flames are stirred and wood is added to the fire. If the Church and Christians want to set this world on fire, we first have to cultivate the fire in our own hearts, then also be willing to take the time to minister properly and effectively to help keep the fire lit the hearts of others as well. Jesus told His followers that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and they will be His witnesses. The Holy Spirit gives Christians the power to witness to others about Jesus powerfully. God is the source of that fire. I pray that believers everywhere will submit to the Holy Spirit and allow God move in their hearts. I also pray that Christians all over the world will fan into flame the gifts of God and take the steps necessary to keep that flame going. When the fire rises true and proud, the world around us will catch fire too. Don’t use the gasoline. Cultivate that fire.

“Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.” ~2 Timothy 1:6

“Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not go out.” ~Leviticus 6:13

May God be with you.

-Joey


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Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father's Day!Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.—Ephesians 6:4 (MSG)

Happy Father’s Day to every one you…who are fathers!

Being a father is the most important responsibility we have, and one of the hardest jobs we will ever do. To truly be effective as a Godly father, we must submit ourselves to God first and lead our children in His Way and His Word; this way we will leave a greater legacy that any trust fund! Place your trust in God to help you to do it well!

Have a blessed day!

A Father’s Love

A father is respected because
He gives his children leadership…
Appreciated because
He gives his children care…
Valued because
He gives his children time…
Loved because
He gives his children the one thing
they treasure most – himself.

—Unkown

 

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A Problem in the Church

I was thinking recently. Yeah, I know…amazing right? :)

No, but seriously. I was thinking about how people in the Church today will separate themselves completely from another Christian who commits or is trapped by sin. Or maybe they try to help, but instead just try to find the easy fix. I started thinking, “Well, that can’t be Biblical, can it? Jesus commands us to love one another and be unified in the Body of Christ. And that is true. I started reading Francis Chan’s book, Multiply. In that he said something that I already knew, but it was still just as profound. He said:

“Or when we learn that a friend is struggling with sin, we are quick to explain why that sin is harmful and tell her we will pray for her (whether we follow through or not). But how many of us would take her struggle with sin so seriously that we would walk with her as she works through the issues involved?”

Yes, the Bible is clear that sin needs to be corrected. But it doesn’t end there. We can’t “correct them” and then condemn them. You see, there’s a difference between judgement and correction. Judgment brings condemnation down on the person being judged. Correction is done out of love with the hope of redemption. It’s like a parent. They may spank their son or daughter for hitting someone. A good parent doesn’t spank out of anger. A loving parent will spank (or use other forms of discipline) out of love for the child and to correct a wrong behavior. But the parent continues with loving that child.

It’s the same way with Christians. Yes, we are to correct each other’s sinful behavior. But you had better do it purely out of love and you had better be willing to walk through the issue with them in order to bring them to redemption. I think part of the problem is that many believers don’t want to get “dirty.” They don’t want to be associated with someone who has a sin exposed to the public. It’s the same attitude some have towards non-believers. They don’t want to be seen with the “undesirables.” It might ruin their reputation. Then tell me, how are you supposed to evangelize and disciple them if you don’t associate with them? If they won’t come in to the church, you bring it to them. How can your Christian brother or sister be brought back to the cross if you want to find a quick fix or just blow them off completely? Galatians 6:1-2 says:

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Carry each other’s burdens. That will likely require you to be seen with the “undesirable.” But the attitude I mentioned above is exactly the attitude the Pharisees had. Did you know Jesus had more of problem with the “religious” people than he did with the sinners?

It’s time we get over ourselves and be willing to walk through thick and thin with our fellow believers.

-Austin