A little boy, after watching his father drive, asks if he can jump behind the wheel and drive the car. Because the boy sees his father is in complete control behind the wheel, he wants to take a turn. Driving looks like fun and the boy wants to try it out. But because the father knows that the child is too young to drive, and because the father has the child’s best interests at heart he will lovingly deny his sons request. Making this little boy understand that he needs to wait until he’s a bit older to be able to drive is as hard as making us Christians understand that we need to first mature spiritually in order for God to use us to our fullest potential.
If you guys are anything like me, as soon as you got saved you began crying out to God to use you. You asked Him to give you at least one of the spiritual gifts mentioned by Paul in I Corinthians. When we hear about other people in church dreaming prophetic dreams, seeing visions, and hearing God speak to them clearly we ask why not me? How come God is not using me as mightily as He is using so and so in church? We, like the little boy, ask our Father who is in heaven to let us drive the car of spiritual gifts, to let us take the wheel. But because God has our best interests at heart He will lovingly deny us our request.
But what about those of us who aren’t babies? What about those of us who have been in church for years and years, how come we’re not receiving visions and dreaming dreams? Some of you have been saved for years and still are not being used of God the way you should be or the way you want to be. So what’s the problem, why isn’t God giving you visions and dreams and prophetic words? Why in all your years of being saved have you not heard God’s voice clearly speaking to you or even seen Him in a vision? How come you’ve never once laid hands on someone and they get healed? How come you’ve never interpreted tongues? The answer to that question is easy...
Because you need to first grow up! It’s time for all of us to grow up. Just like the father cannot let the child drive a car he cannot handle, God will not bestow upon you a gift He knows you cannot handle. Though God can use anything, He prefers to use men not boys (and by men I mean adults of both sexes’ not just males). I Corinthians 14:21 says; “In the law it is written, With men (not with boys or with children) of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.” All the examples of people being mightily used of God in the Bible are people who were adults spiritually. Correct me if I’m wrong but never once do we see God using someone who is a baby spiritually in mighty ways. Luke 1:80 says John the Baptist “grew and waxed strong in spirit”. Acts 9:22 says Paul “increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ”.
That being established how do we grow up spiritually?
I Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
The measure of a child’s physical growth is in their abilities or their actions. As children grow older we expect them to be able to do certain things. We expect a child to be able to feed themselves, walk without support, and talk. But because our growth in the Lord is not physical, it is measured by what manifests itself on the outside as a result of what’s going on on the inside. Just like we have expectations of children as they grow older, the Lord also has expectations of us as continue to grow spiritually. From this verse we can see three manifestations of the state of our insides that the Lord expects us as mature Christians to display;
First of all we are expected to stop speaking as children and begin speaking as adults. So how do adults speak? Let’s find out.
Mathew 12:34-37 says; “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
Colossians 3:8-9 says; “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.”
So mature Christians do not lie, they do not blaspheme, and they do not engage in discussions about filthy topics. But notice what verse 34 of Mathew 12 says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. Our words are therefore manifestations of what is in our hearts. A good heart cannot speak evil things neither can an evil heart speak good things. So to speak like mature Christians, we need to make sure our hearts remain clean after we are saved. When we are saved we are given a new heart, a clean heart, our hearts of stone are removed and we are given hearts of flesh. However if we let our hearts get defiled by the things of this world we won’t be able to grow in Christ.
Luke 21: 34 says; “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”
To speak as a child is to speak as you please with no thought to the consequences of your words. Spiritually to speak as a child is to speak according to your will and not according to the Lord’s will. Speaking as a mature Christian therefore, is speaking according to the will of God or speaking with the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. But we can only be inspired by the Holy Ghost if we listen to it and surrender our wills to the Lord, or in other words, let the Holy Ghost reign supreme in our hearts. So to speak as mature Christians we have to make sure our hearts remain filled with God and nothing else.
Secondly, we understand as adults and not as children. So how do spiritual adults understand?
Ephesians 4:14-15 says; “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
Children are easily convinced because they do not understand a whole lot about the world. That’s why you can tell a child that a magical fairy puts money under their pillows when they lose a tooth and they’ll believe it. If we want to become mature in the Lord we need to understand His word in order not to be easily deceived by false prophets.
Hebrews 13:9 says; “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines”. But how do we ensure that we do not get carried away by strange doctrines?
II Timothy 2:15-16 says; “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”
So as we can see, in order to understand the word of God as mature Christians we need to study the word of God and hide in it our hearts. We need to be ready to disprove false prophets by taking them to the word of God and showing them the truth. But how can you show someone the truth in the Bible if you yourself don’t know where it is. There are many principles that have been attributed to the Bible that are not in the Bible, for example God helps those who help themselves, or cleanliness is next to Godliness. Because Christians do not bother to take the time to check these principles out they have been accepted as the word of God yet they are not.
The word of God is meat unto His children so when we are growing as Christians we need to move from milk to meat. Hebrews 5:14 says; “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
I Corinthians 3:1-2 says; “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”
I Corinthians 14:20 says; “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”
We need to graduate from milk to meat. We need to dig deep in the word of God and study it diligently in order to be able to understand as mature Christians and not as children. We should not be satisfied with simply coming to church and hearing God loves you, God will bless you, we should hunger for real meat. We should hunger for the pastor to go deep into doctrinal discussion on Sundays. Unless we progress from our favorite passages of scripture to reading the Bible in its entirety we will remain children in understanding. Our understanding is a manifestation of the word of God hidden away in our hearts. If we do not hide the word of God in our hearts we will be like gullible children easily convinced about this and the other.
Thirdly, we begin thinking as adults. To understand how mature Christians should think let’s first look at how they shouldn’t think.
Romans 8:6-7 says; “For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
Our thoughts are a manifestation of who we are. What we consume ourselves with is what our thoughts will be preoccupied with. Proverbs 23:7 says; “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Therefore knowing we are not supposed to occupy ourselves with worldly things how are we supposed to think?
II Corinthians 10:5 says; “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
Psalms 19:14 says; “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord.”
Philippians 4:8 says; “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Romans 12:3 says; For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
We are to think pure thoughts by occupying ourselves with godly things. As mature Christians we should be contemplating, thinking, meditating upon, and occupying ourselves with God and the work He has assigned each and every one of us. We cannot let ourselves be consumed by worldly thoughts because we know where such distractions lead. A child thinks only about the right here and right now. Children rarely look to the future to see the consequences of their actions. When a child wants to do something, they’ll do it without a single thought about the consequences of what they are doing. Children eat as much candy as they can sneak past their parents without thinking twice about cavities and dentists. Children will argue they want to stay up all night playing without thinking twice about how tired they will be in the morning or how the lack of sleep affects their performance throughout the day.
But adults think about the future. Adults calculate their moves before taking them, and understand that doing A will result in B and doing C will result in D and since D is the favorable outcome I’d rather do C than A. We as mature Christians should begin thinking about the future as well and the consequences of our actions.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Living for God results in eternal life, not living for God results in death, since eternal life is the favorable outcome we’d rather live for God than not live for God. Rather than complain about how sister so and so gets visions and I don’t, let us concentrate on growing into spiritual adults so that God can use us to our fullest extent. We tie the Lord’s hands and hinder Him from using us by choosing to remain babies spiritually.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
World's Apart
In my quest to live for God and walk with Him I have come across many teachings urging the children of God to live separately from the world or, in other words, to be in this world but not of it (Ac. 2:40, II Cor. 6:17). And so I came to God asking Him to make me holy, to free me from earthly cares that I may live in this world but not be of it. I asked at first without understanding why this needed to be done, but the more I ask to be cleansed and separated from the world the more God reveals to me the importance of separating myself from this world.
As you all know, our bodies are the temple of the Lord and our hearts His dwelling place (I Cor. 3:16, 6:19). The Lord stands at the door of our hearts and knocks waiting for us to hear His knock and invite Him in (Re. 3:20). Once we invite Him in He makes our hearts His dwelling place, He fills us with His spirit, and walks with us wherever we go (Eze. 36:27, Jn. 14:17, 1 Jn. 2:27). Seeing as how we are the temple of the Lord and it is in us that He longs to dwell, how then can we subject the Holy of Holy’s, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords to an unclean living environment?
The Lord our God is holy and everything about Him is holy (Ex. 15:11, Ps. 99;9, Is. 6:3, Re. 4:8, 15:4). By virtue of His holy nature, God cannot commune with the unholy, He cannot dwell with the unholy, He cannot live together with anything unholy because to do so would be to pollute His holy name (Ez. 39:7, Hab. 1:13). To dwell with ungodliness is against the Lord’s nature that is why His dwelling place, our hearts, must first be made clean before He can enter in. Our bodies, His temples, must be purified for the Holy of Holy’s to be able to enter in. Much like we prepare our houses when we’re expecting guests, so should we prepare our hearts when we’re expecting the Lord. You wouldn’t let you mom sleep in a filthy room if she came over to visit you, let alone live with you, how then can you let your creator, your Father, your provider, and the source of your life live in a filthy temple?
But how do we clean ourselves you ask? How do we prepare for the King of Kings? How do we make ourselves ready to receive the one who sees all, knows all, and created all? How in our limited power and wisdom can we ever make ourselves pure enough for the purest of pure, the one in whom there is no sin (I Jn. 3:5)? Simple, we can’t! We do not have the power to forgive ourselves of our sins; neither do we have the power to cleanse ourselves. Only one thing can wash us white as snow, only once thing can cleanse our hearts and our minds, only one thing can purify our bodies that we may present them to the Lord blameless, that being the precious blood of the lamb (Mt. 26:28, Ro. 5:9, Col. 1:20, 1 Pe. 1:18-19, Re. 7:14, 12:11).
We go to Him who can forgive all sins, to Him who died and rose again, to Him we go and asking for the forgiveness of our sins (Pr. 28:13, Lu. 13:3-5, Ac. 3:19, 26:18-20). If His people, who are called by His name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways; then He will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin (II Chr. 7:14). If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:9). After God has washed us in His blood and has cleansed from our sins only then can we proceed to live holy lives untainted and unblemished by this sinful world (Mt. 7:6, Ac. 2:40, Ro. 12:1-2, II Cor. 6:17, 7:1, Ep. 4:22-24, I Th. 5:22).
Once we are cleansed and made whole we become new creatures in Christ: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Cor. 5:17). Once we have been cleansed we cannot then revert to our sinful ways like a dog that returns to its own vomit. We must remain holy because He who has called us and saved us from our sins is holy (I Pe. 1:15-16). We cannot as new clean creatures have fellowship with the evil of this world. We cannot after being washed return to filth and roll around in it; this defeats the purpose of salvation and makes the blood of Christ of no effect in our lives. We must separate ourselves from the evil that is in this world, separate ourselves from our old wicked ways, and look onto the Lord in whom lies our strength and our salvation. Just like God, being the Holy of Holy’s, cannot have fellowship with unholy things neither can the spirit of God which is in us have fellowship with the unholy things of this world.
To love the world is enmity to God because good and evil cannot dwell together (I Jn. 2:15-16, Ja. 4:4). We must be careful about the lives that we live, what we let into our lives, and what we let influence our lives. For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he and out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks (Pr. 23:7, Mt. 12:34, 15:19-20). Whatever we spend our time doing, whatever we talk most about, that which we think about daily, that is what consumes us and motivates us. As children of God our motivation should be the Lord and nothing else. We should be consumed by God’s very presence in our lives and His work. Therefore, we should think about God daily, talk about the Lord always, and spend our time working for and serving the Lord; only then can we live holy lives (Ps. 19:14, II Cor. 10:5, Ph. 4:8).
To be separate from the world is to draw close to God; to keep your eyes from taking pleasure in evil, to keep your conversation godly, to keep your heart undefiled, and to keep your thoughts pure (Ps. 101:2-3, Is. 33:15-16, Lu. 11:34-35, I Jn. 2:16). To be separate from the world is to keep your heart free from the thorns that chokes out the Word of God in our hearts and make us unfruitful (Mt. 13:22). We need not be distracted by the riches and cares of this world for this world will one day pass away (I Jn. 2:16). Let us instead keep our eyes fixed on the one whose kingdom is everlasting, the one in whom we have an everlasting inheritance (Ps. 37:18). A visiting pastor from Calcutta recently told this story at church to illustrate the danger of being distracted by the world.
There once was a crow that lived near some doves. He looked at the doves and saw how happy they were and how loving they were towards each other. Envious of their joy and love the crow tried to join the doves. He flew next to the doves and tried joining them in their daily activities but unfortunately his black feathers gave him away. The doves, sacred of the crow, flew away from their perch and went to another tree. So the crow flew back to his nest and thought hard. Flying around the city one day he noticed a painter painting a wall. A light bulb in his head flicked on and he flew straight into the paint covering himself with the white paint. Immediately he flew back to the doves and joined them on their perch. Though the doves noticed his odd beak and his odd size they accepted him as one of their own and let him perch with them. Noticing that the doves were no longer threatened by him the crow decided to ask the doves why they were so happy. The doves then told him about a journey they were getting ready to make. They explained to the crow how their destination was this magnificent place where food was always in plenty and the water that flowed through this land was like no water they’d ever tasted. The doves told the crow that they were preparing to make this long journey to a land where all their worries would be wiped away. The crow, eager for such a place, asked the doves if he could join them on their journey. The doves warned the crow that the journey was a very, very long and hard one but the crow insisted that he would make it. And so the next morning the doves and the crow woke up very early and got ready for their journey. They began flying high up above the earth. They flew for miles and miles and miles and miles with no rest. While flying over the ocean the crow began to get hungry. He looked down at the ocean and saw some dead animals floating to the ocean banks. The stench of the dead animals below made his stomach growl and his flying grew slower. The doves urged him to keep his eyes fixed on the destination and not to look down but the stench from below overwhelmed him. The doves warned the crow that if he stopped there and went below to feed on the carcasses in the ocean he would die there and never reach the promised land. The crow now so overwhelmed by the stench of decaying bodies below, and so blinded by the sight of the animals’ fat bodies waiting to be fed on, decided it was best he stopped. He looked at his dove friends and bid them goodbye saying he wouldn’t mind dying there in the ocean. And so the crow began his dissent down to the ocean. While feeding on the dead animals he had seen from above a creature from the ocean attacked the crow and he died there with the carcasses that had lured him in.
The moral of this story is, as we make our journey through this world we need to keep our eyes fixed on our destination (heaven) and on our tour guide (Jesus) lest we give the devil a chance to attack us. Only Jesus, our tour guide, knows the way to this joyous land because only He has been there. If we let ourselves get distracted by the flashy things of the world below we risk never reaching the Promised land and being devoured by our adversary, the devil, who like a roaring lion walks around seeking whom he may devour (I Pe. 5:8).
As you all know, our bodies are the temple of the Lord and our hearts His dwelling place (I Cor. 3:16, 6:19). The Lord stands at the door of our hearts and knocks waiting for us to hear His knock and invite Him in (Re. 3:20). Once we invite Him in He makes our hearts His dwelling place, He fills us with His spirit, and walks with us wherever we go (Eze. 36:27, Jn. 14:17, 1 Jn. 2:27). Seeing as how we are the temple of the Lord and it is in us that He longs to dwell, how then can we subject the Holy of Holy’s, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords to an unclean living environment?
The Lord our God is holy and everything about Him is holy (Ex. 15:11, Ps. 99;9, Is. 6:3, Re. 4:8, 15:4). By virtue of His holy nature, God cannot commune with the unholy, He cannot dwell with the unholy, He cannot live together with anything unholy because to do so would be to pollute His holy name (Ez. 39:7, Hab. 1:13). To dwell with ungodliness is against the Lord’s nature that is why His dwelling place, our hearts, must first be made clean before He can enter in. Our bodies, His temples, must be purified for the Holy of Holy’s to be able to enter in. Much like we prepare our houses when we’re expecting guests, so should we prepare our hearts when we’re expecting the Lord. You wouldn’t let you mom sleep in a filthy room if she came over to visit you, let alone live with you, how then can you let your creator, your Father, your provider, and the source of your life live in a filthy temple?
But how do we clean ourselves you ask? How do we prepare for the King of Kings? How do we make ourselves ready to receive the one who sees all, knows all, and created all? How in our limited power and wisdom can we ever make ourselves pure enough for the purest of pure, the one in whom there is no sin (I Jn. 3:5)? Simple, we can’t! We do not have the power to forgive ourselves of our sins; neither do we have the power to cleanse ourselves. Only one thing can wash us white as snow, only once thing can cleanse our hearts and our minds, only one thing can purify our bodies that we may present them to the Lord blameless, that being the precious blood of the lamb (Mt. 26:28, Ro. 5:9, Col. 1:20, 1 Pe. 1:18-19, Re. 7:14, 12:11).
We go to Him who can forgive all sins, to Him who died and rose again, to Him we go and asking for the forgiveness of our sins (Pr. 28:13, Lu. 13:3-5, Ac. 3:19, 26:18-20). If His people, who are called by His name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways; then He will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin (II Chr. 7:14). If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:9). After God has washed us in His blood and has cleansed from our sins only then can we proceed to live holy lives untainted and unblemished by this sinful world (Mt. 7:6, Ac. 2:40, Ro. 12:1-2, II Cor. 6:17, 7:1, Ep. 4:22-24, I Th. 5:22).
Once we are cleansed and made whole we become new creatures in Christ: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Cor. 5:17). Once we have been cleansed we cannot then revert to our sinful ways like a dog that returns to its own vomit. We must remain holy because He who has called us and saved us from our sins is holy (I Pe. 1:15-16). We cannot as new clean creatures have fellowship with the evil of this world. We cannot after being washed return to filth and roll around in it; this defeats the purpose of salvation and makes the blood of Christ of no effect in our lives. We must separate ourselves from the evil that is in this world, separate ourselves from our old wicked ways, and look onto the Lord in whom lies our strength and our salvation. Just like God, being the Holy of Holy’s, cannot have fellowship with unholy things neither can the spirit of God which is in us have fellowship with the unholy things of this world.
To love the world is enmity to God because good and evil cannot dwell together (I Jn. 2:15-16, Ja. 4:4). We must be careful about the lives that we live, what we let into our lives, and what we let influence our lives. For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he and out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks (Pr. 23:7, Mt. 12:34, 15:19-20). Whatever we spend our time doing, whatever we talk most about, that which we think about daily, that is what consumes us and motivates us. As children of God our motivation should be the Lord and nothing else. We should be consumed by God’s very presence in our lives and His work. Therefore, we should think about God daily, talk about the Lord always, and spend our time working for and serving the Lord; only then can we live holy lives (Ps. 19:14, II Cor. 10:5, Ph. 4:8).
To be separate from the world is to draw close to God; to keep your eyes from taking pleasure in evil, to keep your conversation godly, to keep your heart undefiled, and to keep your thoughts pure (Ps. 101:2-3, Is. 33:15-16, Lu. 11:34-35, I Jn. 2:16). To be separate from the world is to keep your heart free from the thorns that chokes out the Word of God in our hearts and make us unfruitful (Mt. 13:22). We need not be distracted by the riches and cares of this world for this world will one day pass away (I Jn. 2:16). Let us instead keep our eyes fixed on the one whose kingdom is everlasting, the one in whom we have an everlasting inheritance (Ps. 37:18). A visiting pastor from Calcutta recently told this story at church to illustrate the danger of being distracted by the world.
There once was a crow that lived near some doves. He looked at the doves and saw how happy they were and how loving they were towards each other. Envious of their joy and love the crow tried to join the doves. He flew next to the doves and tried joining them in their daily activities but unfortunately his black feathers gave him away. The doves, sacred of the crow, flew away from their perch and went to another tree. So the crow flew back to his nest and thought hard. Flying around the city one day he noticed a painter painting a wall. A light bulb in his head flicked on and he flew straight into the paint covering himself with the white paint. Immediately he flew back to the doves and joined them on their perch. Though the doves noticed his odd beak and his odd size they accepted him as one of their own and let him perch with them. Noticing that the doves were no longer threatened by him the crow decided to ask the doves why they were so happy. The doves then told him about a journey they were getting ready to make. They explained to the crow how their destination was this magnificent place where food was always in plenty and the water that flowed through this land was like no water they’d ever tasted. The doves told the crow that they were preparing to make this long journey to a land where all their worries would be wiped away. The crow, eager for such a place, asked the doves if he could join them on their journey. The doves warned the crow that the journey was a very, very long and hard one but the crow insisted that he would make it. And so the next morning the doves and the crow woke up very early and got ready for their journey. They began flying high up above the earth. They flew for miles and miles and miles and miles with no rest. While flying over the ocean the crow began to get hungry. He looked down at the ocean and saw some dead animals floating to the ocean banks. The stench of the dead animals below made his stomach growl and his flying grew slower. The doves urged him to keep his eyes fixed on the destination and not to look down but the stench from below overwhelmed him. The doves warned the crow that if he stopped there and went below to feed on the carcasses in the ocean he would die there and never reach the promised land. The crow now so overwhelmed by the stench of decaying bodies below, and so blinded by the sight of the animals’ fat bodies waiting to be fed on, decided it was best he stopped. He looked at his dove friends and bid them goodbye saying he wouldn’t mind dying there in the ocean. And so the crow began his dissent down to the ocean. While feeding on the dead animals he had seen from above a creature from the ocean attacked the crow and he died there with the carcasses that had lured him in.
The moral of this story is, as we make our journey through this world we need to keep our eyes fixed on our destination (heaven) and on our tour guide (Jesus) lest we give the devil a chance to attack us. Only Jesus, our tour guide, knows the way to this joyous land because only He has been there. If we let ourselves get distracted by the flashy things of the world below we risk never reaching the Promised land and being devoured by our adversary, the devil, who like a roaring lion walks around seeking whom he may devour (I Pe. 5:8).
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
That Thorn In Your Side
My prayer for a while was “Lord make me a mighty person in you, use me mightily oh Lord that I may one day hear you say well done thou good and faithful servant”. As I prayed this prayer I didn’t realize what it meant to be a mighty man in God. I didn’t realize that to become mighty in God I had to accept my weaknesses and let God use me in my weaknesses. There I was waiting for God to remove everything in me that was weak, all my faults, my flaws, and my troubles. I was waiting for God to say “Ok you want to be mighty? Then I must first remove this flaw, this weakness, this problem, and that trouble.” As I waited I grew impatient and anxious and I began crying out to the Lord even louder saying “God, remove anything in me that does not please you that I may serve you with a holy heart and mind.” I was so desperate for God to make me a new creature that I kept saying “God, give me a new heart like you gave Paul.” It is not until I started writing this message that I realized what God had really given Paul.
Yes, God transformed Paul on the road to Damascus and started using him mightily; however in II Corinthians we see that He didn’t remove all of Paul’s flaws and weaknesses (II Cor. 12:7). Paul had a flaw, a weakness of some sort that according to him “buffeted” him. In other words whatever the thorn was disturbed him, pounded him, battered him, pushed him around, and bullied him; much like my own weaknesses were doing to. Paul besought God three times for his thorn to be removed (II Cor. 12:8). He probably cried out to God the same way I did saying “God, remove this thorn that I may serve you with a holy heart and mind.” Three times, he cried out to God.
If Paul was anything like me, he probably went from being repentant saying;
“God, I’m sorry that I was such a horrible sinner before you found me. I’m sorry that I persecuted Christians for your names sake. But Lord, you have cleansed me and all that is behind me now. Remove this thorn then that I may do even more work for you. Remove this limitation that I may win even more souls for you.”
Hearing a no, he probably became a bit frustrated and decided to change tactics saying;
“Lord, you are all I live for. You are my everything, I live to honor you, and to worship you. I will do anything you ask because you are my all. Please Father, remove this thorn that I may be able to do all the work you ask me to do. Remove this thorn that I may be able to work for you more effectively.”
After hearing another no he probably became angry and frustrated screaming;
“Lord, why won’t you heed my cry? Why won’t you remove this annoying thorn that I may become a better servant for you? It is because of your work that I want this thorn removed. It is because I want to do more for you that I ask you to remove this thorn. Why won’t you answer my cries? You promised that anything we asked in your name would be given to us, why won’t you grant me this request? You came to heal the sick and to deliver the tormented, why won’t you deliver me from this messenger of Satan?”
But still the Lord maintained His answer. All three times the Lord gently and lovingly said NO.
Many of us have besought the Lord numerous times for own thorns to be removed. We’ve cried;
“Lord, heal this disease that I may be able to serve you more.”
“Lord, provide for me that I may be able to do you work more efficiently.”
“Lord, make me braver, make me stronger, make me better that I may truly do your work.”
“Lord, give me a special skill, a talent, a gift that I may be able to draw people unto you.”
I sympathize, I know how it feels to cry out to the Lord and think He’s not listening. I’ve been there and it’s not a nice place to be. You ask yourself why God’s not answering your prayer. What you ask for isn’t bad after all? Did He not promise that anything we ask in His name would be given to us (Mt. 21:22, Jn. 14:14, 15:7, 16:24)? Why then would He ignore our cries, surely He must be ignoring them because He’s not a man that He should lie (Nu. 23:19). All these scriptures we hide in our hearts and hold them against God, forgetting that He has our best interests at heart. Forgetting that He does not think like we think and that His way of thinking is much higher than our way of thinking (Is. 55:8). Forgetting that He knows all and He knows what lurks ahead therefore His thoughts towards us are thoughts of good and not evil (Je. 29:11-13).
Instead we focus on the thorns in our sides that torment us. We look at these thorns as limitations of what we could be doing for the Lord. We blame these thorns for stopping us or hindering us from doing more for the Lord. Like Paul, we cry out to the Lord saying please remove these thorns that we may do more for you. We so absorb ourselves in our cries to the Lord, in our begging, and pleading that we tune out His voice. We ignore His answer saying “no, it’s just the devil trying to bring me down”; “it’s just my imagination because I’m weary”. We pursue God more fervently than ever thinking if we beseech Him enough times He’ll change His mind and thus His answer. But, as many times as we cry out to the Lord He continues to lovingly and gently say NO.
The bad news is God is not going to change his mind. God didn’t change his mind for Paul, all three times He said no until Paul finally understood why God had said no. Now, here’s the good news “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelation…” (II Cor. 12:7). There it is the reason behind God’s no; what He’s been trying to tell us all along.
Lest any of us should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the work God has used us for. Lest any of us should grow wings and become proud of ourselves. Lest any of us should begin to think we have done the work and not the Lord. Lest any of us should draw attention to ourselves and not to the Lord. Lest any of us should take credit for His work. Lest any of us should begin to think we can do this on our own. Lest we do away with God completely and begin to rely on ourselves. For these reasons and more He has given us thorns in our sides. For these reasons and more He will leave those thorns right where they belong, in our sides.
That through our weakness His strength may be made perfect (I Cor. 1:27, II Cor. 12:9-10, 13:4, He. 11:33-34). Because when we are weak, He makes us strong (Ps. 116:6). The Bible says God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. He has chosen the weak things, the lowly things of this world to confound the strength of this world (I Cor. 1:27). God is not interested in using strong people. If you are already strong without Him why do you need Him then? If you can already do His work without him, win souls without Him, live this life without Him what need then do you have of Him? ‘They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick’ (Mt. 9:12). Those who are already strong on their own don’t need the strength of God. It is those of us who are weak, those of us who are sick, those of us with thorns in our sides that need the strength of God.
How much of a miracle would it be for a strong man to do the work of God and succeed? How much of a miracle would it be for a rich man to build a church? Hardly a surprise at all; neither would it draw people to God. But for a poor man to build a church with his empty pockets? People would look and say “surely that is God because that man doesn’t even have enough money to feed himself, where then did he get the money to build this church?”
For a weak man to travel across the country with his disease preaching and teaching people about Jesus, baptizing and laying hands on people that they may receive the holy ghost? Surely that is God because this man does not even have the strength to get out of his bed every morning, how then could he have done all this?
Through the use of the weak things of this world, God ensures that the attention remains on Him and that the glory is His and His alone. We need to be reminded of our dependence on the Lord; we need to be reminded that without Him we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). What better way to do that than to be reminded daily of our weakness? That thorn in our side is a reminder of His grace, of His strength, of His miracles, and of our mission. One author wrote that, “God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut.”
So that we do not lose sight of God’s plan for us, He has left these thorns in our sides. Instead of crying out to God for the thorns to be removed, we should take pleasure in our infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distress for Christ’s sake (II Cor. 12:10). We should, therefore, thank God for Him being able to use us in our imperfect conditions.
Yes, God transformed Paul on the road to Damascus and started using him mightily; however in II Corinthians we see that He didn’t remove all of Paul’s flaws and weaknesses (II Cor. 12:7). Paul had a flaw, a weakness of some sort that according to him “buffeted” him. In other words whatever the thorn was disturbed him, pounded him, battered him, pushed him around, and bullied him; much like my own weaknesses were doing to. Paul besought God three times for his thorn to be removed (II Cor. 12:8). He probably cried out to God the same way I did saying “God, remove this thorn that I may serve you with a holy heart and mind.” Three times, he cried out to God.
If Paul was anything like me, he probably went from being repentant saying;
“God, I’m sorry that I was such a horrible sinner before you found me. I’m sorry that I persecuted Christians for your names sake. But Lord, you have cleansed me and all that is behind me now. Remove this thorn then that I may do even more work for you. Remove this limitation that I may win even more souls for you.”
Hearing a no, he probably became a bit frustrated and decided to change tactics saying;
“Lord, you are all I live for. You are my everything, I live to honor you, and to worship you. I will do anything you ask because you are my all. Please Father, remove this thorn that I may be able to do all the work you ask me to do. Remove this thorn that I may be able to work for you more effectively.”
After hearing another no he probably became angry and frustrated screaming;
“Lord, why won’t you heed my cry? Why won’t you remove this annoying thorn that I may become a better servant for you? It is because of your work that I want this thorn removed. It is because I want to do more for you that I ask you to remove this thorn. Why won’t you answer my cries? You promised that anything we asked in your name would be given to us, why won’t you grant me this request? You came to heal the sick and to deliver the tormented, why won’t you deliver me from this messenger of Satan?”
But still the Lord maintained His answer. All three times the Lord gently and lovingly said NO.
Many of us have besought the Lord numerous times for own thorns to be removed. We’ve cried;
“Lord, heal this disease that I may be able to serve you more.”
“Lord, provide for me that I may be able to do you work more efficiently.”
“Lord, make me braver, make me stronger, make me better that I may truly do your work.”
“Lord, give me a special skill, a talent, a gift that I may be able to draw people unto you.”
I sympathize, I know how it feels to cry out to the Lord and think He’s not listening. I’ve been there and it’s not a nice place to be. You ask yourself why God’s not answering your prayer. What you ask for isn’t bad after all? Did He not promise that anything we ask in His name would be given to us (Mt. 21:22, Jn. 14:14, 15:7, 16:24)? Why then would He ignore our cries, surely He must be ignoring them because He’s not a man that He should lie (Nu. 23:19). All these scriptures we hide in our hearts and hold them against God, forgetting that He has our best interests at heart. Forgetting that He does not think like we think and that His way of thinking is much higher than our way of thinking (Is. 55:8). Forgetting that He knows all and He knows what lurks ahead therefore His thoughts towards us are thoughts of good and not evil (Je. 29:11-13).
Instead we focus on the thorns in our sides that torment us. We look at these thorns as limitations of what we could be doing for the Lord. We blame these thorns for stopping us or hindering us from doing more for the Lord. Like Paul, we cry out to the Lord saying please remove these thorns that we may do more for you. We so absorb ourselves in our cries to the Lord, in our begging, and pleading that we tune out His voice. We ignore His answer saying “no, it’s just the devil trying to bring me down”; “it’s just my imagination because I’m weary”. We pursue God more fervently than ever thinking if we beseech Him enough times He’ll change His mind and thus His answer. But, as many times as we cry out to the Lord He continues to lovingly and gently say NO.
The bad news is God is not going to change his mind. God didn’t change his mind for Paul, all three times He said no until Paul finally understood why God had said no. Now, here’s the good news “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelation…” (II Cor. 12:7). There it is the reason behind God’s no; what He’s been trying to tell us all along.
Lest any of us should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the work God has used us for. Lest any of us should grow wings and become proud of ourselves. Lest any of us should begin to think we have done the work and not the Lord. Lest any of us should draw attention to ourselves and not to the Lord. Lest any of us should take credit for His work. Lest any of us should begin to think we can do this on our own. Lest we do away with God completely and begin to rely on ourselves. For these reasons and more He has given us thorns in our sides. For these reasons and more He will leave those thorns right where they belong, in our sides.
That through our weakness His strength may be made perfect (I Cor. 1:27, II Cor. 12:9-10, 13:4, He. 11:33-34). Because when we are weak, He makes us strong (Ps. 116:6). The Bible says God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. He has chosen the weak things, the lowly things of this world to confound the strength of this world (I Cor. 1:27). God is not interested in using strong people. If you are already strong without Him why do you need Him then? If you can already do His work without him, win souls without Him, live this life without Him what need then do you have of Him? ‘They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick’ (Mt. 9:12). Those who are already strong on their own don’t need the strength of God. It is those of us who are weak, those of us who are sick, those of us with thorns in our sides that need the strength of God.
How much of a miracle would it be for a strong man to do the work of God and succeed? How much of a miracle would it be for a rich man to build a church? Hardly a surprise at all; neither would it draw people to God. But for a poor man to build a church with his empty pockets? People would look and say “surely that is God because that man doesn’t even have enough money to feed himself, where then did he get the money to build this church?”
For a weak man to travel across the country with his disease preaching and teaching people about Jesus, baptizing and laying hands on people that they may receive the holy ghost? Surely that is God because this man does not even have the strength to get out of his bed every morning, how then could he have done all this?
Through the use of the weak things of this world, God ensures that the attention remains on Him and that the glory is His and His alone. We need to be reminded of our dependence on the Lord; we need to be reminded that without Him we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). What better way to do that than to be reminded daily of our weakness? That thorn in our side is a reminder of His grace, of His strength, of His miracles, and of our mission. One author wrote that, “God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut.”
So that we do not lose sight of God’s plan for us, He has left these thorns in our sides. Instead of crying out to God for the thorns to be removed, we should take pleasure in our infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distress for Christ’s sake (II Cor. 12:10). We should, therefore, thank God for Him being able to use us in our imperfect conditions.
What It's All About
A while back the Lord reminded me that it’s not by my power, nor by my might (Zec. 4:6), nor by my righteousness (Mt. 19:17) that He called me. It’s not because of my talent, or because He found me better than everyone or anyone else. It’s not because I somehow proved myself worthy of Him, because I can never, ever be worthy of Him no matter what I do or how long I spend doing it (Ge.32:10). It’s not because He somehow found me fit above all else, no, I am the least fit to work for the Lord. I cannot serve Him the way He deserves to be served.
I cannot worship Him the way He deserves to be worshiped. I cannot, by myself, work for His kingdom and bring glory to Him (Mk. 16:20, 1 Co. 3:9, 2 Co. 6:1). I cannot sit at the Master’s feet and say the things He wants to hear without His help. I cannot love Him the way He should be loved, the way He commands us to love Him, the way He deserves to be loved, the way He loves us. I am weak, I am evil (Ec. 8:11, 9:3, Mk. 7:21) and I am lowly. When good and evil are placed before me I choose evil every time (Je. 4:22). I am selfish, I am rebellious, I am disobedient, I am stubborn, and I am weak. Above all else, I am weak. How then do I expect to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s in all my imperfectness?
How dare I think that I can live for Him, work for Him, and please Him in all my inequity? I am not worthy to even walk into His presence, rather I bow and crawl to Him head low, heart open, arms held high in worship. Why was I such a fool to think that I could somehow walk this path alone, do His work alone, and live this life alone (Ga. 3:3)? God, who started this work in me, will finish it in me. It is His job to finish His work that He has started, not mine. It is the Lord’s job to work through me. It is Jesus Christ’s job to save me (He. 7:25, Lu. 19:10, Jn. 3:17), keep me (Ju.24), redeem me (Jb. 19:25, Ps. 130:7-8, Is. 44:24, 47:4), and use me (Jn. 15:16, Ac. 9:15). It is my job to simply let Him (Ro. 6:13, Ja. 4:7)!
I am not capable of doing anything by my own strength. I have no strength to speak of. I have no talents but the ones He has given me (1 Pe. 4:11). I am weak, but in Him I find strength (1 Co. 1:27, 2 Co. 12:9-10). How then can we continue to lie to ourselves that we can do God’s work? That we can serve Him holy and unblemished? How? Only God can do God’s work through us! Only God can make us, who were born unholy, holy (Ph. 3:21. Only His blood can wash us white as snow (Is. 1:18, 1 Pe. 1:18-19, 1 Jn. 1:7). By my might I can lift nothing and move nothing. But by His might, I will move mountains (1 Chr. 29:12, Mt. 17:20). By my strength I can overcome nothing and succumb to everything. But by His strength I will resist temptation and overcome evil (Jb. 42:2, Mt. 19:26, Lu. 1:37). By my power I can do nothing. But by His power all things are possible.
I need not worry that I am incapable (Pr. 28:26), weak (Is. 40:28-31, 41:10, 13), not good enough, not smart enough (Ro. 1:22, 1 Co. 1:19-21, 3:18-20), lazy, and not righteous enough (De. 9:5-6). Yes, I am all those things, but it’s not about me. It’s not about me, it’s not about you, and it’s not about us. It’s not because of me that He called me; it’s because of His grace and His grace alone that He called me (Ac. 15:11, Ro. 3:24, 2 Co. 12:9, Ep. 2:5, 4:7). By His Mercy I am saved, not by my own merit (Da. 9:18, Ro. 9:16, 1 Ti. 1:12-13, Tit.3:5). It’s all about the one true God, the King of King’s and Lord of Hosts, the one who died and rose again, the one who reconciled man to God (2 Co. 5:18-19).
This life we live? This work we do? These paths we walk? They’re not about us or our measly lives here on earth (Je. 10:23). No, they’re all about our Lord Jesus Christ. Serving Him, worshipping Him, working for Him, pleasing Him, walking with Him, living for Him, knowing Him, praising Him, communing with Him, and above all seeking Him (1 Chr. 16:11, Ps. 105: 4, Mt. 28:19-20, Lu. 18:1, Jn.14:15, Ac. 10:42, 1 Th. 5:17, 1 Jn. 3:23). No, I need not worry, nor be afraid. I need not be discouraged, nor feel insecure (Jos. 1:9, Is. 41:10, Jn. 14:27). I need not waver, nor fall (Mt. 11:28-30, He. 10:23). No, I need not do anything, but rather let Him do everything through me (Ps. 46:10, Ac. 3:16).
No, it’s not about me. Never was, never will be. It’s all about Him who WAS and IS to come. It’s all about the great I AM. It’s all about Jesus! My only prayer is that He will never let me forget this. Oh Lord, remind me each and every day that this has nothing to do with me or my weaknesses and everything to do with YOU and your GRACE and MERCY (Ps. 143:10, Mt. 6:10)!
I cannot worship Him the way He deserves to be worshiped. I cannot, by myself, work for His kingdom and bring glory to Him (Mk. 16:20, 1 Co. 3:9, 2 Co. 6:1). I cannot sit at the Master’s feet and say the things He wants to hear without His help. I cannot love Him the way He should be loved, the way He commands us to love Him, the way He deserves to be loved, the way He loves us. I am weak, I am evil (Ec. 8:11, 9:3, Mk. 7:21) and I am lowly. When good and evil are placed before me I choose evil every time (Je. 4:22). I am selfish, I am rebellious, I am disobedient, I am stubborn, and I am weak. Above all else, I am weak. How then do I expect to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s in all my imperfectness?
How dare I think that I can live for Him, work for Him, and please Him in all my inequity? I am not worthy to even walk into His presence, rather I bow and crawl to Him head low, heart open, arms held high in worship. Why was I such a fool to think that I could somehow walk this path alone, do His work alone, and live this life alone (Ga. 3:3)? God, who started this work in me, will finish it in me. It is His job to finish His work that He has started, not mine. It is the Lord’s job to work through me. It is Jesus Christ’s job to save me (He. 7:25, Lu. 19:10, Jn. 3:17), keep me (Ju.24), redeem me (Jb. 19:25, Ps. 130:7-8, Is. 44:24, 47:4), and use me (Jn. 15:16, Ac. 9:15). It is my job to simply let Him (Ro. 6:13, Ja. 4:7)!
I am not capable of doing anything by my own strength. I have no strength to speak of. I have no talents but the ones He has given me (1 Pe. 4:11). I am weak, but in Him I find strength (1 Co. 1:27, 2 Co. 12:9-10). How then can we continue to lie to ourselves that we can do God’s work? That we can serve Him holy and unblemished? How? Only God can do God’s work through us! Only God can make us, who were born unholy, holy (Ph. 3:21. Only His blood can wash us white as snow (Is. 1:18, 1 Pe. 1:18-19, 1 Jn. 1:7). By my might I can lift nothing and move nothing. But by His might, I will move mountains (1 Chr. 29:12, Mt. 17:20). By my strength I can overcome nothing and succumb to everything. But by His strength I will resist temptation and overcome evil (Jb. 42:2, Mt. 19:26, Lu. 1:37). By my power I can do nothing. But by His power all things are possible.
I need not worry that I am incapable (Pr. 28:26), weak (Is. 40:28-31, 41:10, 13), not good enough, not smart enough (Ro. 1:22, 1 Co. 1:19-21, 3:18-20), lazy, and not righteous enough (De. 9:5-6). Yes, I am all those things, but it’s not about me. It’s not about me, it’s not about you, and it’s not about us. It’s not because of me that He called me; it’s because of His grace and His grace alone that He called me (Ac. 15:11, Ro. 3:24, 2 Co. 12:9, Ep. 2:5, 4:7). By His Mercy I am saved, not by my own merit (Da. 9:18, Ro. 9:16, 1 Ti. 1:12-13, Tit.3:5). It’s all about the one true God, the King of King’s and Lord of Hosts, the one who died and rose again, the one who reconciled man to God (2 Co. 5:18-19).
This life we live? This work we do? These paths we walk? They’re not about us or our measly lives here on earth (Je. 10:23). No, they’re all about our Lord Jesus Christ. Serving Him, worshipping Him, working for Him, pleasing Him, walking with Him, living for Him, knowing Him, praising Him, communing with Him, and above all seeking Him (1 Chr. 16:11, Ps. 105: 4, Mt. 28:19-20, Lu. 18:1, Jn.14:15, Ac. 10:42, 1 Th. 5:17, 1 Jn. 3:23). No, I need not worry, nor be afraid. I need not be discouraged, nor feel insecure (Jos. 1:9, Is. 41:10, Jn. 14:27). I need not waver, nor fall (Mt. 11:28-30, He. 10:23). No, I need not do anything, but rather let Him do everything through me (Ps. 46:10, Ac. 3:16).
No, it’s not about me. Never was, never will be. It’s all about Him who WAS and IS to come. It’s all about the great I AM. It’s all about Jesus! My only prayer is that He will never let me forget this. Oh Lord, remind me each and every day that this has nothing to do with me or my weaknesses and everything to do with YOU and your GRACE and MERCY (Ps. 143:10, Mt. 6:10)!
Mission Statement
I've been praying for a while for God to use me. For Him to open up His will to me, take me by the hand, and guide me to my destiny. I know for a fact my destiny is in Him. I know we have been commissioned to work for Him, to spread His gospel, and to preach and teach His name unto all the nations. I just wasn't sure how God expected me to do this. I've become so confused, and frustrated, and a little let down. I cried out to the Lord, fasted for days, grew anxious and troubled, but I wasn't hearing a thing from the Lord. I wanted to hear God's voice loud and clear telling me to go this way or that way, and to do this, that, and the other. Unfortunately, that just wasn't happening.
Last week however, something incredible happened. While I was letting my prayer life dwindle into nothingness, and I was allowing myself simply go through the motions, God sort of slapped me across the face. The slap came in the form of my Mom's voice, as God's slaps so often do for me. She was telling us about this Indian Pastor who recently went to Uganda and is now holding revival services and being used of God mightily over there. She went on to say that the Pastor had said this to her, "there is a time to pray to be used of God, and there is a time to get up and be used of God". We know what we have been commissioned to do, to 'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you' (Mt. 28:19-20). Knowing then the work set before us, how can we just keep crying to God to use us while not working towards being used of Him? In other words, I couldn't just keep sitting there asking God to use me without taking the opportunities He has given me to be used of Him; I needed to get off my behind and jump right through the doors God has opened up for me and let Him work through me wherever He leads me.
After thinking about that for a while I realized the biggest opportunity God had given me to do His work was the talent He gave me. God, in His infinite wisdom, had chosen to make me a writer and this was the door I needed to walk through in order for me to be used of Him. I needed to give the talent He had so graciously bestowed upon me back to Him so that it could be used to bring Him and His kingdom glory. And so here I am, seeking to be used of God through my writing. Here I am, giving back to God what He gave me so that all that I have may be His. Here I am, seeking to impart to you what God has laid upon my heart. I pray that as this blog progresses the Lord will continue to speak through me so that the words I write down may be His words alone and not mine. Further more, I pray that the Lord of Hosts and King of Kings will open the minds and hearts of my readers so that with spiritual understanding they may be able to understand what the Lord says to them.
I do not wish this blog to become a place for people to debate the existence of God and His power because the fact of God's existence is not somehow discredited by disbelief, it remains a fact despite the growing number of unbelievers. The simple aim of this blog is to impart to you what the Lord has laid upon my heart. If you disagree with me or would like clarification about something feel free to e-mail me only if you truly want to learn more and are not simply looking to start an argument. Do not, however, bombard me with e-mails mocking my beliefs or trying to change my mind about what I believe, doing so will be in vain because I will not let myself be led astray 'through philosophy and deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ' (Col. 2:8).
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