I Hate You With The Love of Christ

I love the South.  I love it for its natural beauty, warm client, and for the most part its culture.

But, a part of me hates the South, not its people but that secret semi-hidden culture, the one that has never acknowledged racial equality, especially in personal relationships.

I have dated outside of my race. I am open about it. Why shouldn’t I be? Some of the men have been Southern. A few I loved. A few loved me. But I noticed a pattern in most of these relationships. Some families, a few black, mostly white, have a special rule when it comes to dating here in the South.

You can be friends but never date.

You can have sex but never fall in love.

This rule has been the demise of a few of my personal relationships. I know why this ends something potentially good but I will never understand it.

A person who breaks this rule risks everything. They could lose their family, business and friends. By going against what is socially acceptable, they risk becoming an outcast.

You’re probably thinking: Is this 1950?

Yeah, my sentiments exactly.

I was sad with the ending of each relationship, not only because I lost another love but also because people can’t or won’t accept each other for their character. They vainly cannot see past the color of their skin.

Part of me wanted to hate my suitors for not standing up for what they truly believe and not breaking that cycle of hatred and prejudice. Part of me understood that it is a lot to ask to be that brave soul who finally tells the truth.

But I wonder…

I wonder what kind of heaven these people think they’re going to.

I wonder how they will answer when God asks if they loved everyone.

How will they explain the exceptions?

I wonder if they will even go to Heaven.

Yes, most of these people say they are Christian. There are some in the pulpit, preaching and teaching love. But, they would never speak to their daughter again if she brought home a black man to marry. If Jesus shows no preference, who are you to do so? (Acts 10:34)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

For years, my parents were stuck in this thinking. They were guilty of making distinctions among themselves as it is written in James 2. I remember my mom telling me that “the Bible said to love them; but it didn’t say fall in love with them”. I always thought it was an ignorant thing to say. And, I never found that verse.

I wonder how could they? How they say they love God, say they are Christian and hate someone solely because they look the way God made them? Thank God she repented before she died. My father had a change of heart shortly after. They finally understood and trusted in scripture like Galatians 3:28.

My parents, like so many, twisted the scripture. The love of Christ is not conditional. His love for his creation is without prejudice. He commands the same of us.

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: James 2:8

My question is: If the Holy Spirit truly lives in you, why is there so much hatred? Can the Holy Spirit dwell in a hatred filled environment? To quote the Apostle Paul, “God forbid”!

I don’t hate anyone. I hate the practice. In fact, my heart breaks because they are all victims, blinded by the lie. It will always be my prayer that we learn to love each other and turn a blind eye to the lie that has been passed on for decades and continues to be passed on, yet poisoning another generation.

Who will break the cycle?

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Remember Your Purpose

Tags

Afterlife, Bible, Christ, christianity, gospel, Heaven, Jesus Christ, lifestyle, Love, religion, Saved

What would happen if all of the churches closed their doors for one Sunday and went out to minister to people just as Jesus and all of his disciples ministered? Who are we to tell people to come to us? Why can’t we go to them?

Yes, it is good to fellowship with people with your beliefs. But bond together in brotherly love and not vain glory. What good is it to have “church” and only “minister” to the same people over and over?

What about Monique, a self confessed prostitute with several children? When she was told that Jesus loves her, all she could do was fight back tears. “I only hear ‘I love you’ from my children. They gotta love me. I’m they momma.” Monique wants to experience God’s love but everyone in her neighborhood knows her occupation. She can’t go to the church. They’ll judge her.
Pam was on the Homecoming Court in high school. She made it to graduation but married a man who beat her. She lost sight in her left eye. She keeps to herself, avoiding crowds at all cost.

Shirley has always been talkative and quick to voice her opinion about almost everything. When asked to talk about herself, she shuts down. In her 52 years on this earth, she has spent 27 of them going in and coming out of mental institutions. Do you know Jesus, Shirley? “Yeah, he’s that white man in the picture.”

How do we get to these people if we are sitting in our buildings week after week basking in our own vain glory? We call it praising God…giving God the glory. Really? How does God get the glory from you obtaining yet another title from your church? What glory does God receive by you calling yourself ‘Doctor’ or ‘Bishop’ or ‘Evangelist’? Especially when you sit on your title after you’ve earned it.

You are in charge of this program and that in your church. You can raise this much money for this department and that. Your congregation adores you. Your church organization respects you and sends you across the world to annual conventions and meetings.

Meanwhile, Pam, Shirley and Monique die unsaved and unaware that “by grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8-9) they could have been saved. They could have experienced a love greater than no other.

What do you plan to say to our Father on judgment day? What will you tell Him when he asks:

“They died on your watch. Where were you?”

“Lord, I was in church.”

My lovely brothers and sisters, sealed unto the day of redemption, called by Christ himself. Let’s not be selfish. Let’s take our honored position and share the good news.

Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

To Thine Own Faith Be True: Why are we willing to sell our souls for the sake of conformity?

Tags

Bible, christianity, church, Death, Encouragement, homosexuality, Love, lyrics, peace, Pink, pop culture, relationships, salvation, self esteem

Some of my more conservative acquaintances give me funny looks when I say I like Pink (the pop singer). Sometimes I think she is the more liberal, paler version of myself. If you are not familiar with this artist, I’ll give you a brief description. She is the blonde pop singer who pretty much rejected the typical Hollywood and music industry image that was given to her and decided to go her own way. Her record label had tried to make her like Brittany Spears, plastic surgeries, dolly images and all. But Pink refused to conform and stayed true to herself. She is a white girl with the short blonde hair, no implants and short skirts. Her music is mostly about what she feels and believes. And once Pink decided to be true to herself, her music career exploded. She is now a multimillionaire!

Now, as most of you know, I am not a multimillionaire. I am not a blonde. But what I like about this woman is that she in a way, represents what we Christians should do in our own lives. One of my favorite Pink songs is the radio version of Raise Your Glass. Check out the lyrics:

Raise your glass if you are wrong

in all the right ways

all my underdogs

we will never be, never be

anything but loud

and nitty gritty

dirty little freaks

Won’t you come on, come on and

raise your glass

Just come on and come on and

raise your glass

See, that look on your face right there…is the same look I get when I say this to my conservative Christian friends! But please do, allow me to explain.

I am not all for hard partying and drinking as this may imply. But what I gather from this song is to forget trying to fit in. Don’t you dare allow anyone to steal your joy! Do not conform!

The problem with many of us is that we can’t accept being the “underdog”. We have to be on top. We have to be with the “in” crowd….even if it means selling our very soul. Too many churches have compromised the gospel of Jesus Christ in efforts to fit in. They are more interested in trying to get along with the world. They are more interested in making deals with the devil in exchange for a large building, lots of wealthy members, a cool band and a nice paycheck. They are willing and have chosen to conform to this world.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 Some of us try to justify our wrong by saying it is for the sake of peace. What peace will one find on this earth except in Christ Jesus?

Some say, we all worship the same God. My God, my Father would not agree with me holding hands with someone while they pray to the universe or the “blessed mother Mary”. My God is a jealous God. He will not have any other God before Him. And by the way, dear heart, if your God is not the Jesus Christ of Nazareth who died on the cross and rose from the dead after three days for your sins, it is not the same God. If fact, your god is not GOD.

Exodus 34:14

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

We have decided to embrace homosexuality as the new normal. We have allowed it in our churches and homes as if it is okay. Now, I will say that homosexuals should be welcome in the church. They, like anyone else, should be afforded the right to the gospel. Let’s be clear, this lifestyle is not of God. (I fully intend to touch more on this subject later. Stay tuned) But the church has welcomed this sin into our fellowship to the point where gay men and women are openly leading churches now. And because the world says it is okay, we keep our mouths shut. Again, we have taken the price that Jesus Christ paid for us and marked it REDUCED.

I understand what it is like to be willing to compromise oneself for the affections of another. I once had a guy tell me that he would be more attracted to me if I got implants, wore glasses and wore my hair a certain way. If any of you know me, you know that my first instinct was to rebuke him and tell him where he could go. But what did I do?

I conformed.

I did not get the implants. But I did change my hair. I bought the little reading glasses and tried them. I never told him, but I did it.

Why? I forgot this verse.

Psalms 139:14

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

 I really liked the guy. So, I wanted to fit into his mold. I had forgotten about the mold that God had already custom made for me. I forgot about that person whom God loved and I loved. I wanted this person to love me. I was willing to compromise myself and my self worth to get that love. So, I wore the glasses and the hair for a little while. One morning, I looked in the mirror with those glasses (I could barely see with them) and I didn’t see myself. Where was my ponytail? Where was my red highlighted hair? Where was my vision? I became so angry with myself. I snatched the glasses off and crushed them under my heels. I was so ashamed of what I had done. It had taken me years to grow to love myself. Now I was willing to throw all of that away and change. No way. So, I repented.

Conforming to this world leaves you feeling empty. It never satisfies you because you know in your heart that this person you have become or trying to become is not you. You know in your spirit that this person or thing or idea that you are trying to accept in your holy walk with the Father, is not right. Sooner or later, you will either repent or conform completely, thereby, loosing the battle. Beloveth please do not allow this to happen. Do not allow the enemy to win over you and your powerful soul! God loves you. God chose you. As born again Christians, we are to offer ourselves up to only further God’s kingdom. God wants us to stand up and stand out in the crowd. Not fade away into it.

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 I, for one, am proud to say that I don’t want to be popular. I don’t care about conforming to a world that is not my home. I may be a dirty little freak to all of those who follow the crowd. But, that’s okay. What truly matters is that Jesus Christ made me and you beautifully and wonderfully. It is His opinion of us that counts. It is His judgment of us that will decide our fate. So, my dear Christ centered brothers and sisters, join me as we proudly raise our glasses.

The Love Letter Part 2: What Do You Do When God Is Not Enough

Tags

Bible, christianity, church, Encouragement, faith, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Love, peace, relationship, relationships, religion, salvation

Friends, family, readers,

Lately, I have been put through tests of all sorts, both on a personal and professional level. While I won’t bore you all with the details, I can say that it has been enough to make one throw in the towel completely. Had all of this happened five years ago (before I was saved), I probably would have done just that. Challenges come when you least expect it. They are right around the corner just when you think you have it all together. You have it all figured out and you finally have that peace that you have wanted so long. Then, the enemy comes in like a thief in the night to steal from you.

Typical satan.

This morning, I get a text message with another piece of bad news. It seems that’s all I’m getting lately. Ironically enough, I was sitting at my computer reading jokes online just to get a little laugh. Then I begin to think about the word “strength”. What is it? Where does it come from? How does one get it? How does one loose it?

The Bible verse in Philippians 4:13 came to mind. You know the one. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

But what happens when you don’t feel that verse? What do you do when none of the encouraging Bible verses are helping? What happens when you feel like God is not enough?

I know. I know. That’s blasphemous, right? But if you are really honest with yourself, all of us have felt this way at some point in our lives. All of us have had a “giving it all up” moment. For whatever reason, this is a time when Philippians 4:13 is not helping at all. This is a time when your strength feels depleted and you know not what to do.

Where do we go from here?

People who truly know me, often comment on and give me accolades for my “strength”. My ability to hold things up in my family when things are falling apart. I suppose knowing that people depend on me and expect me to be the “rock” encourages me to do just that. But isn’t that pressure? When we depend on others, we tend to forget that they too sometimes need help. It’s not our fault that we forget. It’s like walking across a bridge. We don’t think about that foundation that is under water, holding that bridge up. We just trust and depend on the fact that the bridge will hold us up.

I may be rambling now, so I’ll get back to my question. What do we do when we feel like all of our strength is gone?

The gospel singer, Donnie McClurkin, answers this question in his song “Stand”. And that’s the answer: stand.

What do we stand on? Our foundation of course, the word of God. We must study daily (as we eat daily) to keep that strength.(1 Chronicles 16:11) It is necessary in our daily walk with the Lord. The word of the Lord should never cease to encourage, love and strengthen us. When we find that it is not enough (as I came close to recently), that is when we “eat” (study) fervently to show ourselves approved and to rebuild that strength.’

2 Corinthians 4:14-18

14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Who Could Ask For Anything More?

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Afterlife, christianity, church, Encouragement, end times, family, God, gospel, Heaven, Holy Bible, Holy Spirit, home, Jesus, Love, music, peace, prosperity, salvation, wealth

Does this title ‘Who Could Ask For Anything More’, place the I Got Rhythm song in your head? I’m humming the tune as I type. I’m stuck on the ‘who could ask for anything more’ part. It makes me think about my life as a Christian. I am far from rich. I have bills galore. I don’t have the latest and the greatest of anything material in this world. Yet, I am happy. All three of my babies are in good general health, as am I. My family is the closest, sweetest bunch of weirdos. I wouldn’t trade them in for all of the silver and gold in the world. Thinking on these things makes me happy. I can say that I am content with my life and its direction. I know who I am in Christ. I know my calling. I know that if I walk outside and get hit by a semi-truck that I will wake up in Heaven.

Who could ask for anything more?

How about you? What more do you need in your life on this earth? We have already established that we are ambassadors, merely renting time and space here. Our real home and our real affections are on things that are above.

Colossians 3:2 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Do you have general health and strength? Do you have family and friends? Do you have a means to take care of yourself and the ones you love? Yes? What more do you need?

Who could ask for anything more?

So your health is not where it used to be. So your family and friends aren’t that close. You still have something around you to be thankful for. Right? Of course you do! Because even if every thing around you is crumbling, remember that you are a born again, precious saved member of the body of Christ, (Ephesians 2:8-9). You have something inside of you that can never compare to anything on this earth. That wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit, your salvation! Your salvation guarantees that you are not lost. It assures you that regardless of what this life on this earth is like for us, we have something to look forward to. We have a home to go to when our Father decides to crack the sky and take us to where we belong.

God has given us the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, to secure our salvation. He only asks that we believe and receive. The Lord Jesus has left us with the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us. No charge. God wrote the Holy Bible through his vessels (much like you and I) so that we may know Him (Matthew 24:35). No charge. So, my brothers and sisters, we have everything we need to get our job done here on earth. We have everything that we need to survive here on earth. Right?

Who could ask for anything more?

Everything else are just those things that the world tells us that we need. We do not need them. We want them. And there’s a distinctive difference between needing and wanting, as you know. The Bible clearly tells us that we don’t know what to pray for. Why is that? Because we already have it all.

Romans 8

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Now, do we really believe the Holy Spirit would make intercession for us to get a new car. How would that profit the gospel of the grace of God?

I take issue with people who claim that we can have it all right now! (A few may and that’s fine. But just because you do not have, it does not mean that you are not blessed with those spiritual blessings in heavenly places).

Ephesians 1:2-4

2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Some people, mostly those preaching the prosperity doctrine, claim that God wants us all to be rich with expensive cars, bank accounts etc. They use some convincing scriptures to support these claims, such as John 10:10. It is easy to misconstrue this verse because of the use of the words like “abundantly”. Some translations replace abundantly with richly making it even harder to see the true meaning. And, the truth is that this verse does not refer to material wealth, but instead internal peace.

Those of us who are studious enough to look into these verses and rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), we know that these verses are taken completely out of context.

Beloveth, God is not interested in you getting all of the material wealth in the world. Why would He even care about such things?

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Apostle Paul tells us to set our mind on things which are above.

Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

The Lord God is only interested in what you believe. He only wants for us to share the gospel, the word of truth with others. Now, if you believe that God does not dwell on your sins when it comes to your salvation. Why would you believe that he cares about you getting a new Mercedes? If you are one of those who preach, God only looks at your heart, why do you seduce yourself into believing that God wants you to have material things that do absolutely nothing for your salvation?

We are the be content with ourselves, focusing on sharing the good news with others. I too struggle with this. Hey, I’m a girl! I love new things! And sometimes I really feel lost without my smart-phone! But when it’s all said and done, I’d trade nothing for my salvation. Nothing.

So, here’s what I plan to do. I hope you will join me. The next time something does not go my way or I do not get that new flat screen, car or even promotion I wanted, I intend to repeat this question:

Who could ask for anything more?

Me: God, I’ve been praying for this new BMW. Why didn’t I get it? Why didn’t you answer me?

The Holy Spirit in me: God gave you His son’s blood. What more do you want? Who could ask for anything more?

Me: Lord, I want to win this lottery. I can do so much for the ministry if I could just win a little bit of money.

The Holy Spirit in Me: God gave you the Blood, the Bible and hey, me! Who could ask for anything more?

Me: God please bless me with a new Iphone. Mine is so out of date. I can’t afford it but I believe you can do it.

Who could ask for anything more?

Grace and peace and so much love!

The Love Letter (Part 1)

Tags

Afterlife, Bible, church, Encouragement, God, health, King James Bible, Love, peace, relationship advice, salvation, suicide

We’ve all had those ‘why do I even bother’ moments. At some point in our lives, most of us have asked ‘why me?’. A lot of us have considered giving up, throwing in the towel and calling it quits. Many people have considered suicide as a means to end all of their problems. I have attempted suicide a few times. Some of them were half baked attention schemes. Others were genuine attempts to end it all. Poof! All of my troubles are gone like me. That was my thinking. But the truth is, my troubles would have just begun.

I would have died unsaved and surely would have been on my way to hell, never knowing peace or true love. Thank God those real attempts to kill myself were unsuccessful. Thank God for seeing me before I was born and directed my path towards righteousness. And guess what? He’s directing your path too! (Jeremiah 1:5) God wants us all to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth. Before the Lord returns, all of us would have had an opportunity to hear the gospel. Whether we accept it or reject is up to us. We have free will. But who would choose sorrow and sadness when there is a path to everlasting love and eternal peace?

Romans 8:

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

 

So, what do we do when it seems the pressures of this life are too much to bare? How do we continue to find peace, joy and love when the god of this world reigns freely, openly, viciously?

The answer is simple. We walk in the Spirit.

Does walking in the Spirit mean we are dead? Literally? No, beloved! Not at all! It means you LIVE!

Romans 8: 13

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

 

I watch or read the news daily. I am a reporter by trade, so I want to know what’s going on around me. Some people want to be oblivious to their surroundings. That’s fine too. When it’s all said and done, nothing happening on this earth aside from our God given charge to share the gospel, matters. So, why do we allow things like the stock market, or senseless killings and various other sinful acts get to us. Because we do live on this earth ruled by the enemy (2 Cor. 4:4), these things will trouble our spirit. But, we must not loose sight of why we are here. Keep the “big picture” in your mind. You beloved child of God, honored member of the body of Christ, you are an ambassador for him. So, we should not dwell on the things that are in the flesh, but things of the Spirit.

 

Romans 8:9

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

If we are obeying the word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to guides us and comfort us, will depression have room in our lives? Would we be troubled for long? We would really care for anything?

When the Lord left this earth and gave man kind up to their own sin (Satan began the god of this world), He promised to leave us a Comforter.

John 14:16

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

This Comforter, this Holy Spirit, this peace that dwells within us once we are saved (Eph. 2:8-9), is a reminder that Christ lives in us. We are a part of His body where love, holiness, righteousness conquers all.

 

Bah Humbug! Don’t teach those lies to my children!

Tags

charity, Christmas, education, holidays, public schools, seasons, thanksgiving

A lot of people are singing “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” right now. This so called holiday cheer and seasons to be jolly begins around the beginning of November.

Not for me. I’m pretty much a happy person most of the time. I credit that to knowing who I am in Christ. But I digress…on with the blog.

For some odd reason many people get the urge to suddenly show joy, appreciation and compassion for their fellow man. Never mind the other ten months out of the year was spent raising hell and ignoring the homeless man on the street. Oh but now! We want to take that homeless man out and buy him and new set of clothes and a meal.

Bah! Humbug!

Aren’t we Christians the worst? A lot of us are busy year around making sure we get to Bible study on time, checking our checkbooks twice to make sure we wrote that tithe and offering check. Oh yeah, make sure we donate that 10-year-old coat and hat set we hate to the “charity” garage sell. Then right around the fourth Thursday in November, we look around at our comfy cozy lives and start to feel “thankful”. We make a list of all of the things we’re thankful for. We share those lists with our friends, comparing all of our blessings as if it is a contest. And it is a contest. You know, in the back of your mind, you’re comparing your list to hers envying some things and hoping she feels the same about you.

It’s okay. You don’t have to admit it to anyone. God knows. Right?

I have been one of those people described above. In the past, I really believed that I lived a somewhat devout, dedicated life. All of the special things I did and said during this time of the year was righteous. It made me a good Christian. I’m not one to hold an albatross around anyone’s neck. We all will do what we please…obviously. But I am proud to say that I’m a “holidanomic” in recovery. And I will now take the opportunity to be what some may call a hypocrite and tell you what I am thankful for.

FREEDOM…from lies (about the Bible), conformance, religion, speech, life…

This list could go on forever. And since we don’t have that time, I’ll get to my point.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Freedom is a word we throw around so voluntarily. The second we are chastised for doing or saying something, we want to scream what we have a right to do. (self included) But where is the line drawn when it comes to allowing others to use this freedom to influence our children?

My children attend a public school. It is a great school. They have wonderful scores and ratings. I adore the teachers and staff. But, for the past couple of years, I have taken issue with the schools’ and the teachers’ handling of this time of year. A week ago, my youngest came home and told me about the first Thanksgiving. Of course, he retold the watered down vanilla version of the tale. Everyone joined hands, sang and dance and had a feast. He’s only in primary school, so I fought the urge to tell him what really happened when the Europeans invaded the native American’s land. Rest assured, I will tell him when he’s ready. So, I swallowed that pill and let it go.

A couple of days ago, the same child came up to me with something I was surprised to hear.

“Mommy, I want to go to the parade and see Santa Clause,” he informed me.

“Now, you know what we believe about Santa Clause, don’t you,” I reminded him. I’ve never taught them to believe in Santa, but we all need refreshers.

“Yes.”

“Is Santa real?”

“Yes.”

I pause, staring at him in disbelief.

“No, he’s not!” I hadn’t realized my voice had raised.

“Yes he is,” he countered, frowning at me.

“NO, HE’S NOT!”

So we have a brief stare down. I compose myself and decide to go over the whole December thing with him again.

“We know that Santa is just a story. You don’t believe that?”

“He’s real, Mommy. My teacher said he’s going to be in the parade.”

Maybe this is partially my fault. His teacher and I have a pretty good relationship. I trust her to educate my child. Although I should have known, it never occurred to me that my son would take her word over mine. I tried to come up with a good way to show him that his teacher was the right person to listen to, except now. I could come up with nothing. So, the whole family had an impromptu Bible lesson right then and there.

We discussed the meaning of Christmas and what it is not. It is not about Jesus’ birth. It is not about decorated houses, trees, doors, reindeer etc. I was pleased to see that they recalled our lessons from the past year about the subject. They understood that Christians adopted this pagan holiday and slapped Jesus’ name and birth date on it. I was pleased to hear the responses to my questions. So, I go back to my young confused son.

“So, if you believe this, why would you say Santa is real?”

“Mommy, he’s got a face and hands and skin like me,” he answered.

Now, I am picturing the guy at the mall sitting on his fake throne. My skin is starting to burn.

“But baby, he’s just wearing a costume. He’s not a Santa. Santa is not real.”

“Yes!” My little boy is laughing now. “It’s a costume like a Halloween costume. But he’s still a real person.”

“So, you’re saying the man is real? Not Santa?”

“He’s only Santa when he’s wearing the suit, Mommy.”

He’s looking at me as if I had lost my mind. And maybe I did step out for a second or two. Maybe I overreacted to his comments about Santa. But this interaction made me realize that I have to work twice as hard to make sure my children don’t swallow the lies this world will feed to them everyday. I’m a working mom with limited means. I don’t have the luxury of sending them to private school (if it were any better) or staying home with them. I can’t expect these schools to respect my beliefs and teachings. After all, these are the same people who made it illegal to pray in school. Yet, they have the right to push their pagan beliefs onto my children. It is not right. But what can I expect from a world that is governed by the enemy.

 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

My children will get a taste of the real world a little early (as most kids in school do). Their exposure to things outside of the home is inevitable. It is my job to prepare them to combat those evil elements with the word of God.

Identity Theft: Does Jesus’ True Identity Matter?

Tags

Bible, church, history, Jesus Christ, race, relationships, religion

I will preface this post by saying first that the subject I plan to address is indeed heartbreaking to me. The issue of skin tone, color, race—whatever you want to call it—is still unfortunately tabu. For some reason the upcoming election has brought the subject to the forefront in many conversations. While with my human eyes, I do see and notice that we are all different shades of beautiful. I try not to speak about “race” because to me it does not and should not matter. I teach my children to ignore “race”. I wish that we could all see each other as God sees us. But because we live in a world occupied and controlled by the enemy and we have been conditioned to discriminate, we do not.

Some of you may stop reading this post right here. You may say that it doesn’t matter what Jesus looked like. We are all his children bla bla bla.

I agree. It should not. But…!

It does matter when you take the truth and distort it! It does matter when you change the Bible for your own selfish and vain purposes! It does matter when your recreation of Biblical truths causes someone to loose their soul!

A recent conversation with a dear friend made me realize that a lot of people do not talk about the true identities of the people in the Bible. For some reason we keep this information under lock and key. Whatever the reason maybe, it is a form of false teaching to withhold information that may cost someone to loose their soul.

How so?

Let’s use a young “black” man who was raised religious and taught to worship a Jesus who has bright blue eyes, that long dirty blonde hair and “white” skin. This young man grows up and begin to question why he has to worship this “white man”. He comes across another religious group who tells him that he should not worship this white man. They tell him that the real god is black. They turn him on to worshiping another image who looks more like him. The young man forever turns away from that white Jesus. He is now just as lost of the cult he has joined. Why? Because someone withheld the truth from him.

What is truth?

The truth is that the images that so many of us have identified as being Jesus is false. The portrayals of Biblical characters in most books and movies are wrong. The ancient Israelites came from Egypt, a land in the continent of Africa where the people had color.

A brief history

The ancient Israelites (sons of Jacob) were descendants of one of Noah’s three sons, Shem. Shem, whose lineage would lead to Abraham who fathered Isaac who father Jacob (Israel) who fathered 12 sons who would become the 12 tribes of Israel:

Reuben,Gad,Simeon, Asher, Levi, Naphilti, Judag, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, Dan and Benjamin. The Bible repeatedly tells us that these people looked like the descendants of Ham, second son of Noah. Ham’s descendants settled in different parts of Africa after the flood. Ham’s sons became: Cush (Ethiopians / Cushites & Nubians), Mizraim (Egyptians / Khemet),Phut (Ancient Libyans or Somalia), and Canaan(Canaanite, the original inhabitants of the land of Israel).

Why wouldn’t they look alike? They were, after all, family.

Here are a few cases:

After Joseph (youngest son of Jacob/Israel) was sold by his own brothers into slavery in Egypt (the descendants of Mizraim, a son of Ham), his family did not recognize him. They could not pick their own brother out from this country filled with dark skinned people! They saw him as another Egyptian.

Genesis 42:8 And Joseph knew his brethren but they knew him not.

Moses who led Israel out of bondage was also mistaken as an Egyptian. He grew up in Pharaoh’s house. When he ran away to Midian, he was mistaken as an Egyptian.

Exodus 2:16-19

18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

Paul (an educated man from the tribe of Benjamin) was also mistaken for an Egyptian in the book of Acts.

Acts 21: 37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?

39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.

Finally, I’ll share the verses where Jesus Christ himself was also mistaken as an Egyptian.

Matthew 2:

13And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Could Jesus, Mary and Joseph really have hidden in Egypt if Jesus really was a blonde little boy with bright blue eyes? Nah.

Skin color changes

In fact, there is evidence in the Bible suggesting that “white” skin was not only a minority but the result of a disease to these people. Sadly, for years “black” people were taught that dark skin was a result of a curse. The reality is that the opposite is true.

When God showed Moses some examples of the wonders he could release upon His people, He gave Moses a temporary disease, leprosy (or today called vitiligo).

Exodus 4:5-7

5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

6 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

I’d say this is pretty obvious. If Moses’ hands were “white” before, why would the Lord say it turned white? Interesting.

In Numbers, God cursed Miriam (Moses’ sister) with leprosy because she spoke out against her brother marrying an Ethiopian woman. I know that here people use this passage as “proof” that Moses and his brother and sister were white. You see the word “Ethiopian” and your mind travels to the images that you have been taught and may have seen on TV. I made the same mistake a long time ago. But look closer. Remember, we study to show ourselves approved!

God chastised Aaron and Miriam for what they were doing. He came down in a cloud, according to the Bible and corrected them. He left poor Miriam with a little reminder.

Numbers 12: 10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

She was not white before, but she stayed that way for seven days. I’m sure it was a lesson learned.

I did not add this part to say that white skinned people are diseased. Never! I am only pointing out facts from the Lord through His word in the Bible.

Now having provided all of this proof, where do we get that false image of Jesus? I honestly cannot say for certain but it is definitely a painting of a mere mortal man who lived and died and is still dead. Most scholars say that it is in fact a painting of Cesare Borgia, the son of the Catholic Pope Alexander VI. The likeness of Cesare’s portraits and the false Jesus portraits are so similar, the claim has merit. The false image of Jesus evolved and changed many times before it was finally “settled” into the inaccurate one many people use today. At first, Jesus had short hair and was beardless. Over time (maybe 4-6 centuries) longer hair was added along with the beard to fit a more European look. Some say that this look was actually borrowed from the Greek god Zeus. Surprise. Surprise.

But again I say it really should not matter what Jesus looked like. Would your faith change because you discover that his skin was colored and he had an Afro? Christ’s blood is what saves and not his skin or hair.

Colossians 1:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Regardless of what the Biblical characters looked like or what color Jesus’ earthly body was, when we hang these false images in our homes, offices and places of worship, are we certain that it is God were are honoring? In the passage above, Paul calls the Lord, the invisible God. We all know what invisible means.

After it is all said and done, will we see skin color in heaven? I think not. I started out by saying that it does not matter what Jesus’ body looked like. I stand on that. It does not! But creating a false image of Christ, thereby creating a false god, does matter. A lot of us have been doing so in ignorance. That’s okay. But when you learn the truth, you have a duty to cease in doing what it wrong and educate as many as you can about what is right. That’s the gospel.

In 1 Timothy, Paul instructs Timothy not to indulge in “endless genealogies”. If we are all honest with ourselves, most of us could not accurately and definitively trace our genealogies anyway. By now, it is so polluted with lies after years of cover-ups. We don’t know who we truly are except for whom we are in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:

3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

And it is out of love (charity) that I share this post and a portion of my findings with you. Grace and peace. Blessings and love.

 

Let Religion Die! Rise With Christ!

Tags

Afterlife, Bible, books, christianity, Encouragement, Inspiration, religion

I am a little fed up with religion and the laws thereof. Let’s get something straight right now!

Fact 1. Jesus Christ died for your sins and ALL of them..the ones you committed today, yesterday and 10 years from now. So, there is no need to keep asking for forgiveness! He already gave it to you! Did you hear it the first time?(This reminds me of the first time I discovered the Dollar Tree as a little girl. I couldn’t believe that EVERYTHING was $1. So, I kept asking the clerk, “How much is this?” and she would respond with an amused grin “$1.00.” I couldn’t believe my luck so I went kept going back to her and asking to make sure. Soon, she began irritated. Her smile faded and her tone became shorter and shorter. I finally caught on and stopped asking.)

A lot of us are this way with our salvation. It is too hard to believe that salvation is a GIFT from God. You cannot earn it. You cannot buy it. He’s not going to take it back! So, stop asking for forgiveness. You already have it!

Fact 2. You cannot lose your gift of salvation. So, stop letting people tell you that you have to go and “get saved” over and over again. What is that anyway? Once you trust that Jesus Christ died for your sins and you need not do anything to earn that gift, you are SAVED. Period. Case closed. It is permanent. You can’t do a thing to loose it (regardless of how many sins you commit). Oh and here’s the caveat I know some are thinking and some have voiced to me. Once saved always saved gives people an excuse to do bad things. First of all, if you’re thinking this way…hmm. Second, saved individuals give honor to God. We appreciate our gift and treasure it. If someone gave you a precious jewel as a gift, would you write on it? No way! You would wear it and take care of it. It may get bumped while you wear it etc. But these things happen. That’s life on this vile earth. It does not mean, you appreciate it any less. It does not mean you loose possession of it either.

Fact 3. The Bible (KJV preferred) was not entirely written to us! If you try to apply everything in it today, you would be lost! The entire Bible was written for us to get to know God and where we come from. But our instructions come from the epistles of the disciple chosen by Jesus Christ to teach us, Paul, in Romans through Philemon. If you have to have a rulebook. There it is. Jesus tells us (through Paul) to rightly divide the word of truth. Divide means to separate. Separate the letters and rules that were for Israel (the Jewish of the Old Testament and part of the New) from what is written to you. Have you ever opened a piece of mail that was addressed to someone else? Did you read it? Did you understand what it meant. No? Exactly. The Bible gives many instructions. Some may seem to contradict others. Malachi tells someone they must pay a tithe and not just any tithe, a certain percentage. 2 Corinthians says give what is purposed in your heart. Which one is it? I’ll give you this one. Malachi is not YOUR mail.

God’s chosen people Israel were given a promise. They were God’s chosen people. But after so many failures to obey on their part, God temporarily set them aside.

1. They rejected God and the law in the Old Testament
2. They rejected Jesus Christ
3. They rejected the Holy Ghost with the stoning of Stephen. (Acts 7)

God set old Israel aside and offered the dispensation of grace to everyone, both Jew and Gentile. Before this, Gentile (everyone who is not Israel) were saved and adopted into the promise by blessing Israel. But now in the dispensation of grace, anyone can be saved just by trusting in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection for your sins. SIMPLE. No additives.

**This is a note from one of my social network pages.**

Think Like A Man?

Tags

Bible, christianity, lifestyle, men, music, pop culture, relationship, religion, women

Since Jennifer Hudson’s Think Like A Man song was released earlier this year, I have been singing along and dancing to the beat. I like the melody. I adore Ne-Yo’s voice. But I am a bit skeptical about the lyrics. Sure, I am the girl who has mostly male friends. I am the girl who likes guns, action movies, football and “trash talk”. But these are a few of the characteristics that define me. I’m not trying to be a man or act like one. I’m a woman who happens to like these things.

So, here’s my dilemma.

In the song, Jennifer and Ne-Yo are basically having a “where has this relationship gone” conversation. Apparently, they had been “friends with benefits” but decided to test a real relationship. The shift from just friends to boyfriend/girlfriend didn’t work out so well. The song implies that Ne-Yo’s character wanted to keep the relationship as is but agreed to try it the woman’s (Jennifer’s) way. The end result? Because Jennifer could not think like Ne-Yo and leave well enough alone, they both wound up with nothing.

(From Think Like A Man by Jennifer Hudson, featuring Ne-Yo, Rick Ross, Epic/RCA Records)

(Ne-Yo)

Now I’m gonna keep it realer with you now than I ever been
We should of never been, girl we was better friends
You didn’t have to tell me what, where, why or when
Um why I didn’t need it,
Cause you wasn’t my girlfriend, we had a good thing
You were a come by and kick it, ooh give me that good thang
Then after we were finished,
You go your way, I go my way, it was whatever
Tell me what ever happens
Think this wanna gonna be better
And now i’m telling you lies,
All because I hate to see the tears in your eyes
Of course I want my cake, and eat it too, i’m a guy
And of course, you don’t understand,
But you would if you thought like a man in love

In love? Hmmm…

Don’t get it ladies? I know. I know. If he’s in love, how could he…?

The “friends with benefits” conversation is a whole separate blog and I assure you I will address it. In the meantime, let’s stay on task. Shall we?

Is it Biblical for a woman to actually try to think like a man? Are we meant to understand each other? If we were all completely in sync, who would we be, really?

As I stated before, I happen to love some things that are considered to be guy things. I also like to dress up and wear make-up. I cook a lot but you will never hear me say that I love it. All of us have a preference. Yours may be the opposite. But when it comes to my thinking, I have a genetic make-up and the mental capacity to think like a female typically thinks.

We will come to understand some things and from that predict and assume to know what’s on a man’s mind. But let’s be honest with ourselves. Women may try but we can never fully comprehend a man and vice versa. It is the way we are made.

In a perfect Christian world, there is an order to things.
God. Jesus Christ. Man. Woman.

1 Corinthians 11:3
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

We are made beautifully different because we fit together like a puzzle, mentally and physically (if you know what I mean).

Can you imagine kind of world we would have if we all thought alike? Ladies, do you really want to have your man’s idea of a clean house? Most of us would say no. What guy wants their woman to think they he thinks? With a few exceptions, most guys I know ask a female for advice about clothes and grooming. Because they want a different perspective.

Are matters of the heart or lack their of, any different? No. You think and feel the way you were made to think and feel. Women are from Mars,men are from Venus. It’s merely a metaphor but has some truth.

Grace does not void nature. It does not cancel God’s plan. The Lord gave us all a body and mind unique to each other but joined perfectly together. We are created to have different roles.

Ephesians 5:21-25

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Again, it is all a part of God’s plan, His holy order to things. We all know what happens when we stray from His will. Look around.