Independence or Victory

 Don't get caught up in the idea that you are independent and can do it all on your own. I am that person and I will tell you that it will cause you to struggle far more than you should. Why, you ask? Well, it's simple really. Many times the answer we are begging, pleading, and sometimes even fighting for is right in front of us but, we are so consumed with what issue we're dealing with that's all we see. Sometimes if we teach ourselves to be reliant on an outside perspective to see what we can't, it actually gives us an advantage due to the fact we don't have to fight an immovable object. Just simply step to the side and go around. Again, it's easy to say and much harder to do. If you don't have someone to ask or a higher power to consult, then you're doomed to struggle. If you refuse to ask someone that you do have access to for help, you are also doomed to struggle. Many of us are unaware of the resources we have as humans that comes from our creator. That help comes simply from asking and believing. You might say well, you don't know my situation. While technically true it doesn't remove the fact that I myself have been in a similar situation and took the hard road. 10 out 10 don't recommend. We all need advice from someone that is wiser than us, stronger than us, more spiritual than us. That's not a negative thing although society tells us it is. We all need a mentor that helps us along the way. It's equally important to become a mentor to someone that is going through something that you have successfully overcome. Whether that be addiction, anger, lust, pornography, etc. It is our duty to help those affected by us overcome things so that in the end we rise together. Society tells us to be out for number 1, ourselves. Culture says screw everyone else as long as you benefit from it, however, that will come at price in the end that will be too heavy to carry and too costly to pay. 

Two pulling the wagon are far more powerful than one. You might say, "well of course because there are two." However, it goes beyond sheer numbers. If one = 1 power then two = 2.5 power. One might say how does that compute. Other than sheer strength, there is also built in motivation. One protects the other, and there are fewer blind sides to worry about. It's not good for man to be alone. If you've watched the popular TV show Alone, you have witnessed the battle in the mind when people are removed from their support system. It's more of a mental battle to be there than it is a physical battle. Such as it is in life as well. Be strong and do as much as you can do. However, ask for help and guidance to maximize your steps so you can be a good steward of the time, effort, energy, and resources you are given. 

Independence or Victory. Rarely you will have both. True freedom is giving control to our creator. Battles then are fought on our behalf under the protection of his love and by his power and authority. 

I lift my hands and believe again

Lifting your hands is a universal and international sign of surrender. When I was young, my pastor always said something that for some reason always irritated me. Every chance he got in service he said, "everyone lift your hands" and I never did. Call it rebellion, call it disobedience, call it sin, but it was simply a boy saying why do I need to lift my hands? Ironically the answer was never given by my pastor that I can remember. It doesn't mean that it wasn't important or that he didn't think of it, perhaps I missed church that day. Thing is it wasn't till I was well into adulthood that I finally did  figure it out. 



There are many different reasons lifting your hands is important when it comes to worship. The first and most known reason is that it's a sign of surrender. We all know that an international signal that you are wanting to surrender is raising your hands. Many of us have either seen footage of one of the world wars where soldiers are being escorted with their hands up or waving white flags in the air. When it comes to worship it is important as a signal that you are surrendering control to God. To realize that you cannot overcome on your own and that you need help, you lift your hands to say okay God take over. Critics would say if God is God, then shouldn't he already know? The answer in short is yes, he knows but it takes us realizing that we need help to invite God to take over. We are given free will and God does not violate that...EVER. why do we have evil people? (free will to follow God or follow Satan).

Next, in order to lift your hands to surrender, you have to have faith. It takes faith to lift your hands and say, "okay God, I can't do it on my own and I need help." simply lifting your hands takes faith to say I'm lifting my hands expecting a response. Psalms 28:2 "Hear the voice of my supplication as I cry to thee for help, as I lift up my hands toward thy most holy sanctuary. This was King David saying that he lifts his hands toward heaven. Although it seems like it, it's not an act of defeat. Quite the contrary in fact it is an ultimate act of faith to say even when everything seems bleak and there is no hope, lift your hands and leave it with the only God who is able. Did you read that? HE IS ABLE. In essence it's kind of symbolic of meeting God halfway.

BUT WAIT!!! there's more! Not only is it surrendering the control, the worry, and the stress from the problem, not only is it an act of faith saying God will take care of it, but it's also an act of obedience. It's an act of worship in the fact that God, you are ultimate. You are absolute. There is none other than you. It is an act of blessing God. Look here - David lovingly calls to his faithful God: "So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name" (Psalm 63:4).

There are more than 28 verses specifically dedicated to lifting your hands in the Old Testament alone. search the word of God and look at the importance of lifting your hands in worship and obedience to God.

Space and and a clear station

Many times I have looked at the heavens in all its glory and thought, "wow, how insignificant am I in comparison to this!" I'll admit that I can be easily impressed sometimes when it comes to the vastness of creation, but nothing impressed me more than one night on a long road home looking out the window and watching the stars rotate around me, occasionally seeing the streak of green or amber in the sky showing me that the atmosphere that God created to protect us on earth from space junk was on the job and effective. Listening to christian radio seemed to help pass the time, people were sharing their personal epiphanies regarding their faith and suddenly I realized that this was one of those moments I really needed to listen deeper. I turned off the radio and continued on the road dimly lit by the moon beyond where my headlights reached and heard a voice speak to my spirit. The interesting thing people get hung up on when it comes to the voice of God is if it is audible. That subject will be for another time. In this case, my spirit was tuned in to the correct channel and the signal was clear (for I had cleared my mind just for this occasion) God has his own way to remind us who we are are and this night he did more than that. He spoke to my spirit saying, it is true that I created all of this, the heavens and the earth, I created everything to work in unison in perfect harmony. It is true that it can be overwhelming but I want you to remember that I created you with the same care that I created all of this. Nothing is chance. You were created on purpose and to me you're more majestic than what you are in awe of.

Remembering a tragic event in history that you have experienced can be a depressing experience. Thing is you want to make sure that you remember the event out of respect to those who lost much and at the same time, you would like to forget the pain and agony we faced, wish even that it had not happened. The greater thought process would be what if. Well, as Corrie Ten Boom once said, "There are no ifs in God's world." So keeping that in mind, we have to transition our thought process to how can we take what we have experienced, even the tragic ones, and turn it for good. Each and every one of us have the choice to either be debilitated or be empowered by tragedy. Just under 3000 people lost their lives on 9/11/01. Many have penned great tributes to those affected and I wish that I could better convey what was on my heart. Truly what we must all understand is that we have a choice each and every day. To either follow the trend which never has sustenance, or follow the greater good. May we each and every one take in consideration our fellow American's when we think of our great nation. May we request from our maker mercy and grace for our people. May we all be able to see past agendas and selfishness and all live for the people so that others may know that we are indeed united.

  

Christmas Wish

Obviously, I have not posted on this blog in quite a while. Almost a year to be exact. Quite frankly, I was not sure that anyone even read it. I still am uncertain to that, however, if one person is able to see light in an otherwise dark situation, well then it's worth the effort. As we approach the coming celebration of the birth of a savior that would give all of us a choice in where we wanted to spend eternity, I think it is important to pause in the hustle and bustle of buying gifts for family friends and significant others and realize just what Christmas actually means. The birth of a savior. The beginning of an intimate relationship with God. The ability to actually have a part of God in our hearts. Until the birth of Christ, there was no possibility of having God in us. We had to go before a priest to request our sins to be pushed back for a year with a sacrifice. Mind you, our sins were not eliminated, just put on standby if you will. The Birth of Jesus changed that very idea that you could not be cleansed. For the very first time in the history of the universe, there was a way being created to have a direct connection to the creator of the universe. I cannot use enough words to express the magnitude of the birth of this little baby. Born to a virgin. The king of kings. Lord of Lords. Healer, creator, and finally the ultimate sacrifice for your sins.
    Some say, okay great, wooo. Christmas, the time of the year when everyone says Merry Christmas, well fewer now than before. You may actually get lucky and see a nativity scene. With atheists being given free reign with no one to challenge their ideas, all mention of Jesus is being removed. However, the name of Jesus will never be completely erased. This goes being on the winning side or losing side. It is important to express to others what it means to have a relationship with Jesus to the ever growing number of people who have no hope, have nothing to look to, don't understand what great peace that we get when we decide to put our faith in God, are forgiven by a savior, and invite the Holy Ghost to come in and help us, to guide us, to protect us. Christmas goes beyond a spirit of helping our fellow man, Christmas was created to SAVE our fellow man. I fear that we have all lost direction when it comes to the calling we all have. Stand up and be bold in your faith. Christmas in heaven's language means saving grace. Christmas for the saints already gone home means a permanent eternal forgiveness. It means everlasting life. It means a way out of a bad situation. It means hope for the hopeless. It means forgiveness to all of us that do not deserve it. It means being united with our creator. It means LIFE.
         Before you go any further in life, before you make the horrible decision that you can make it on your own, before you fail repeatedly because you aren't all knowing, all seeing, turn to Jesus. He, in his mercy has the ability to guide you in life and help you make the correct decisions. He in his mercy has the desire to bless you, and keep you, and SAVE you from pain. TO save you from destruction. To save you from that addiction that you just can't seem to let go of. To break the chains of bondage that is weighing you down and has you on the verge of going under and losing the fight. DON'T GIVE UP. Give it to a higher power. Life does not have to be hard. DO NOT CHOOSE difficulty. Do not be stubborn like me. There is an easier way. Choose Life!! Choose Help. Choose wisely. Trust in the baby that changed everything, the very blood of our creator spilled for you. Just for you. The ultimate gift born just for you.