Has God heard from you lately?

Imagine a world with no communication. No phones. No e-mail. Not even our voices. Now take away all meaning from nonverbal communication. What does that leave? A world of darkness. Everyone living for only themselves. No relationships. No companies. Not even a building that takes more than one man or woman to create. Ask yourself if this is the kind of Christian world you live in. Do you speak to God daily? Weekly? Monthly? Reading the Word is important. We learn from God, but God wants to hear our voices.

Jesus taught his disciplines to pray. He felt prayer was important enough to give them step-by-step instructions (Luke 11:1-4). He prayed himself. Hebrews 5:7 states, "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." He prayed to all night before choosing his apostles (Luke 6:12,13). When was the last time you prayed all night before making a decision?? Jesus prayed when he was distressed (Mark 14:32-41). James 4:13 commands us to do the same: "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray..." Jesus prayed for his disciples. In fact, Jesus prayed for you and me (John 17)! That's so exciting!!! We should also pray for one another. 1 Timothy 2:1 states, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—"
Prayer is an important and powerful tool. For one, it is the strongest medicine you'll ever run across. James 5:14-15 states, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." We hear about these miracles a lot. A person with cancer is suddenly cancer free. A man gets his neck sliced with a barbed-wire fence yet the cut misses both his main artery and jugular. A woman gets shot in the head but lives. Some doctors might chuck it up to their mad doctor skills but we all know who the real Physician is... The actual healing power came from the Most High through the prayers of saints on their knees.
Talking with and petitioning to God is one of the most important activities we can do as Christians, yet we often ignore God for days, weeks, months... This cannot continue! We need to accomplish the opposite scenario.
1 Thes. 5:17--"Never stop praying."

Boogie Man

Are these words familiar? "God is bigger than the boogie man. He's bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on TV. Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man, and he's watching out for you and me!" If not, you probably aren't around kids enough =). This is a popular Veggie Tales song called, God is Bigger. The song is silly but very powerful if you think about it.
Unlike what Monsters Inc would have us believe, there are no monsters in our closets or under our beds. We all know there is no such thing as the boogie man. However, some of us--namely me--love to get scared. I admit to being a fan of the horror genre. It is becoming more and more of a challenge to have a truly scary movie anymore (blood bath movies aren't scary--just gross). You know, one that makes you look behind your back even after the movie's happy (or not so) ending. You still can't get me to watch a Chucky movie. The doll thing hits a little too close to my childhood.
Fortunately, the world is not secretly full of vampires, zombies, werewolves and the like. UNfortunately, Satan and his demons are real. Hollywood likes to blow up these threats to unrealistic standards, creating a  false security that demons only act in extraordinary ways or possess people. We, regular people, are safe. NOPE. I Peter 5:8-9 says otherwise: "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. (emphasis added)" Christians EVERYWHERE are being attacked. What are we to do???

Let's go back to the silly, but powerful song above. Although I believe we need to be aware of the spiritual warfare around us--Peter said to stay alert and stand firm--we do not need to fear. Christ has already become our conqueror. Ephesians 1:21-22 states, "Now [Jesus] is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else--not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church."
So how to we stand firm? Ephesians 6:10-18 is the manual you need to be prepared. Put on the armor of God: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the word. These things must be in your life, fixed to your person so that you can resist the devil. Remember that the only weapon is the word of God. All else is for defense.
Think of the Bible as bug spray. Last night I had to defeat a huge spider in my house. I was frightened (yeah, I know...horror movies don't scare me enough but spiders do...sigh), but I ran to the cabinet and grabbed my bug spray. After the first squirt, that eight-legged monster fled, but I kept pulling the trigger and it finally died. That's sort of how the Word works. Jesus used it to make Satan back off. So can we. =)

Are you prepared?

I am a Procrastinator (note the capital P). My motivation seems to thrive on the pressure of running out of time. During school and college, I was very successful, but my good grades did not come from weeks' worth of prep before the paper/test was due. No, I usually waited until the last possible moment I could start and get done on time. If I thought studying would take me 3 hours, I'd wait until 9 p.m. with intentions of going to bed at midnight. Most of the time, I'd underestimate the amount of time I'd need and end up pulling an all-nighter. During those frantic hours, my stress level would rise to the point of panic. Somehow, with God's help, I'd survive though and, most of the time, ace the test. Notice that my behavior seems always to be positively reinforced, which keeps me from changing.
This is not only a school issue. I know exactly how much time it takes to get to work. When the clock says 15 minutes til, I leave to get there a few minutes early. I refuse to leave 16 minutes til. Heaven forbid I don't get that one minute of freedom. Unfortunately, it takes only one minute to get distracted enough to not leave until 10 til. Instead of taking my sweet time, I'm pushing the gas petal down HARD and growling at slow drivers. Hmmm, maybe that's why I show up to work feeling grumpy sometimes...=) I even procrastinate cleaning. On Mondays, I host a Bible study at my house. It starts at 7. I have from whenever I wake up until 10:45 to be productive that day before work. You'd think that's the perfect time to prepare the house. Nope. I wait until I get home at 3 and don't start until 4, which leaves me very little time to cook dinner, eat and clean up after dinner.
Then you have my friend. You know who you are... She is the champion at being prepared. You should see her study notes. She types up binders full of notes at varying degrees of thickness that correlate with the time of studying. If it's a month before the test, she's study the thickest one; once she's mastered that, she'll progress to a slightly thinner one, and this continues until she can finally study a bare bone summary the day before the test. I might be exaggerating (let me know if I am), but not by much.

If our opposite tendencies transfer to the second coming of Christ, I just might be the woman at the mill who's left behind (Matthew 24:41). Jesus told us what happens to those who are not prepared. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us a parable about ten virgins who are about to meet their bridegroom. Five of them are prepared and bring flasks of oil with their lamps. The other five don't. The bridegroom ends up being delayed but arrives at midnight. The girls with oil go on to the marriage feast with their bridegroom. The rest must go buy oil and are too late. The door is shut.
Matthew 24:42-44 says, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected." My spiritual life cannot be yet another thing I procrastinate. I must stay awake and be ready NOW, not later. No one but God knows when he'll come back. Sure, Christ gives us the signs. Everyone seems to think they know when the rapture will happen. The truth is that no one really knows (Matthew 24:36). There honestly might not be a tomorrow (whether Christ returns or we get hit by a bus). We must be prepared TODAY for this reason. Is your life right with God.? Are you walking in the holiest life you can? If not, NOW is the best time to repent and allow God to fix your heart.
Don't be unprepared!

Child of God

I became an aunt yesterday. Being an aunt is exciting and kind of like being a grandparent. I get to hold, love and adore my niece, but when she poops, I can give her back to my sister-in-law. =) My job is working with children. While they are in my care, I feed them, change them when they make messes, play with them and discipline them. My responsibilities are to keep them safe and cared for until mom/dad/grandma/grandpa comes to pick them up. Then I get to go home child free (it's kind of nice). Of course I love the kids I work with, but I don't have to keep them with my 24/7. I don't pay for medical expenses or their shelter, clothing, food, etc. The nurturing I give, I get paid to give.

There is a huge difference between being in the care of someone and actually being their child. Thus, when Scripture tells us we are God's adopted children, the message goes deep. God is not our babysitter or uncle or granddaddy. He is our Father! Romans 8:15 states, "So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he starts with addressing God in this way (Matthew 6:9-11). We become God's children by believing (actively) in Jesus (John 1:12). We know we are God's children by the Holy Spirit living in us (Romans 8:16).

What does it mean to be a child of God? God is always there, for one. Not just from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. He loves us unconditionally. When we make messes, he cleans them up and embraces us (prodigal son). It means he provides all our needs (Matthew 6:25-34). Being his children means we have a relationship with God. The difference between the world and God's children is that his children know him but the world does not (1 John 3:1). As his children, we are heirs (Romans 8:17). We will receive Heaven and glorified new bodies. We will never die! Who wouldn't want to be God's child knowing all this?? Answer: People who can't handle correction or discipline. Because to be God's children means he will discipline us when we disobey (Hebrews 12:8). Spankings hurt, I know, but would we rather God give up on us? I don't think so... 

As God's children, we must obey our Father and stop sinning (1 Peter 1:14 and 1 John 3:9). This is our responsibility as children. You can be sure God will live up to his end of our relationship. All earthy fathers are flawed. But our Heavenly Father is perfect!

How much does it cost?

Ever had sticker shock? I have. I was shopping all day with a friend for a pair of jeans. The hunt was tiring and depressing until I finally I found the pair I'd been looking for. They were perfect. Perfect! I didn't even have to wear a belt (I tend to fall in between sizes and go bigger with belt verses smaller with muffin top). The length was amazing. No need for hemming or rolling. I was so excited, I thought I might just buy two pairs. Then I wouldn't need jeans for a while. That is, until I looked at the price tag: 60 dollars. Who pays 60 dollars for one pair of jeans??! Yes, I know the answer. People who can afford it. Well, I couldn't! I couldn't even afford one and keep my dignity. My friend and I walked out of Gap empty handed, and I even cried. Yes, I was that pathetic.

I've even gotten nutritional-facts shocked. The other day, I had a huge craving for Doritos. Unfortunately, all the small bags at my workplace were expired and stale. Part of my job that day was to make a Walmart run, so when I reached the checkout line, I was very tempted to buy (with my money--not the school's) a small bag of Doritos. It was a bit bigger than your typical small bags. I took a look at the calorie count: 450 for the whole bag! That's almost a meal's worth!! Of course, if I only at a third of the bag, the calories would only be 150, but who has that kind of self-control? Not me. No Doritos for me that day. =(

Sin is like misusing a credit card and paying no attention to the price. You get what you want when you want it and it feels great. BUT, at the end of the month, you come to terms with the cost. And if you can't afford the bill, it'll cost more later with interest. My pastor is a smart man. He has a saying. I don't know if it's his saying or if he got it from someone else (I should have paid attention to that detail), but it's a wise one: Sin will take you further than you want to go and cost more than you want to pay. So true. Usually, my pastor attaches these words to the story of Achan in Joshua. He got greedy and took riches from Jericho when God had specifically commanded the people to destroy everything and take nothing. What did this sin cost him? His life, his family's lives and his possessions. He must have spend a fortune on his credit card...

If only we could just check the price tag or the nutritional facts before we plunge into doing something stupid. If David had known the torment his sins would bring to his family, maybe he would have said, "She's a pretty woman...but not worth that much pain." If Moses had known hitting the rock would ruin his chances of entering the Promised Land, he might have obeyed God to the letter. If I had known some of the consequences to my own sins, I might not have done them. Then again, who knows, I might have anyway.

For an unfathomable reason, our fallible human minds think that the cost of sin is worth it when all that comes is death and misery, yet the cost of Heaven is not. Don't get me wrong, you cannot earn salvation. However, there is a cost to being a Christian. You must carry your cross (Luke 14:27). Jesus told the rich man to sell all his possessions (Matthew 19:21). Why? Because to follow Christ means leaving behind everything; we must lose our life to save it (Matthew 16:25).
Unlike sin, when we give Jesus our life, we will receive the privilege of entering into those pearly gates. We are forgiven! Jesus even promised his disciples that the things a person gives up for him will be returned 100 times (Matthew 19:29). Giving our life to Jesus is like a good investment versus a credit card. In the end, you don't owe, you receive. But unlike sin, the cost is now, not later. No instant gratification. We don't belong to ourselves anymore. Jesus bought us with the price of his blood (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We must live for him, not our flesh. Our attitude should be that of Paul's: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
So, before you decide to sin, check the price tag. I guarantee you it's not worth the cost. If you haven't invested in Christ yet, do it! Give him your life. You won't regret it. The return rate is outstanding =).