I haven't blogged much in quite sometime. Many excuses why. None of them hold water. As of late, however, I've really had to evaluate myself, my blog, my heart, my direction, my life. Does it reflect Christ, in a way, that would lead others there?
My answer is a solid no. My life however, is a solid yes.
I was sent an article from a friend, regarding a Pastor that our family watches in the morning. Really, we'd watch any Pastor that comes on at 7 a.m. because it's the time our family gathers in the living room, eating breakfast, just prior to us all walking out the door at 7:30 a.m. for work. We used to watch Joyce Meyer, but she was replaced with James McDonald for the 7 a.m. slot. The last couple weeks, a new Pastor for us, Robert Jeffress has now moved into that slot, and we've continued to enjoy listening to his perspective on Christ and life. I did however, wonder what happened to James...until I received this article from my friend.
This article, and several others I researched, basically ended stating James was a demon from hell...
I thought about my own life...and I quickly shot out a text to my trusted circle of people I lean on for wisdom and to help me sort out my thoughts. These people are people I've learned, have my best interest in mind, with Christ as their forefront, and are able to tell me when they feel my thoughts or actions are not really lining up with Christ. Sometimes they give me warm fuzzies, sometimes, a kick in the pants, sometimes their advice is not for me, sometimes it is, and sometimes, yes sometimes.... they are wrong.
Does that make them demons from hell?
Wait, let me take a look at my own flawed life. It's full of daily, "I wish I hadn't said, done and thought that's". It's full of mistakes, it's full of inappropriate F bombs on occasion, it's full of not Christ like characteristics, it's full of impure thoughts, actions, deeds. If you were to analyze my life from a media standpoint, you would probably have very little evidence I even believe in Christ.
Folks, I can't be anymore honest with you than that. That's my heart in a nutshell.
So back to that text I sent to my trusted circle.... "I sincerely don't want to blog anymore", I wrote..."I don't want to be a stumbling block to others, nor do I want to try to convince anyone that I look remotely like Christ, when I don't". The reply simply said... I sincerely hope you process this in a healthy way... we could all use that excuse to stop using our gifts".
Yep...my trusted circle. Left me with something to take to God....
Because that's what you do in life folks...you follow Christ, and not people. You test their words and your own, up to Gods. We weren't meant to sit on God's pedestal, not to the right or the left of it either, I mean not even in the chairs surrounding His throne. That alone is God's. We were meant to be imitators of Christ, but certainty not Christ. I mean, otherwise, why would we have a need for him.
A few months ago, Lauren Daigle was in the "spotlight" for saying she didn't know if homosexuality was a sin. I believe her music reflects she is a Christian artist and as far as what the Bible says is sin...homosexuality falls in line with lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, fornication, drunkardness, lust, coveting and many many others... yes it's sin...and we are called to point it out. What we do with it from there, needs to be left up to God, who is in control, even when we are not. So her answer, though wrong, certainly did not make her a demon from hell....or an unbeliever for that matter. How quick we are to jump to that statement.
Instead, it pointed towards our desperate need for Christ...for all of us, in all of us, on a daily basis.
People tell me what I should blog about all the time. "Don't blog about other people, or use other people to tell a story"....they say. But that's what I do. Real life, authentic emotions...
process....
all of it....process, my process, my perspective. Not God's...mine...but hopefully, through that process, you see my struggles between my flesh, my thoughts, vs Gods. They are definitely not in the same ballpark, but through process, hopefully they are getting closer.
I find it amusing that we will put Lady Gaga, or P!nk, Current President Trump, Prior President Obama, Hillary Clinton, or others on a pedestal, and we will fight each other to prove that what they say, do or sing, is gospel... have you tested it to the Word of God?
I'm not meant to be followed folks. Neither is your Pastor, a pop star, an actor or any other person sharing Christ or otherwise. Stop looking at their lives to see perfection...you won't see it. If a brother is "caught like a fish" in sin... those of you who are not struggling in that area, or have found the way to escape the fish hook, should gently restore them... because you will need them when you've stumbled upon your own snare...
Instead...look to Christ. Seek wise council, and then measure it to Christ...look at your own heart, does it need Christ...yes...look at this world, does it need Christ....yes.
We are not demons from hell...we are Christ followers...or looking for a purpose to be, if correction needs to take place in our lives, and it does, then gently restore that person...don't condemn them...Satan does a good enough job on his own, he doesn't need our help.
I am desperately flawed...Christ is not.
My answer is a solid no. My life however, is a solid yes.
I was sent an article from a friend, regarding a Pastor that our family watches in the morning. Really, we'd watch any Pastor that comes on at 7 a.m. because it's the time our family gathers in the living room, eating breakfast, just prior to us all walking out the door at 7:30 a.m. for work. We used to watch Joyce Meyer, but she was replaced with James McDonald for the 7 a.m. slot. The last couple weeks, a new Pastor for us, Robert Jeffress has now moved into that slot, and we've continued to enjoy listening to his perspective on Christ and life. I did however, wonder what happened to James...until I received this article from my friend.
This article, and several others I researched, basically ended stating James was a demon from hell...
I thought about my own life...and I quickly shot out a text to my trusted circle of people I lean on for wisdom and to help me sort out my thoughts. These people are people I've learned, have my best interest in mind, with Christ as their forefront, and are able to tell me when they feel my thoughts or actions are not really lining up with Christ. Sometimes they give me warm fuzzies, sometimes, a kick in the pants, sometimes their advice is not for me, sometimes it is, and sometimes, yes sometimes.... they are wrong.
Does that make them demons from hell?
Wait, let me take a look at my own flawed life. It's full of daily, "I wish I hadn't said, done and thought that's". It's full of mistakes, it's full of inappropriate F bombs on occasion, it's full of not Christ like characteristics, it's full of impure thoughts, actions, deeds. If you were to analyze my life from a media standpoint, you would probably have very little evidence I even believe in Christ.
Folks, I can't be anymore honest with you than that. That's my heart in a nutshell.
So back to that text I sent to my trusted circle.... "I sincerely don't want to blog anymore", I wrote..."I don't want to be a stumbling block to others, nor do I want to try to convince anyone that I look remotely like Christ, when I don't". The reply simply said... I sincerely hope you process this in a healthy way... we could all use that excuse to stop using our gifts".
Yep...my trusted circle. Left me with something to take to God....
Because that's what you do in life folks...you follow Christ, and not people. You test their words and your own, up to Gods. We weren't meant to sit on God's pedestal, not to the right or the left of it either, I mean not even in the chairs surrounding His throne. That alone is God's. We were meant to be imitators of Christ, but certainty not Christ. I mean, otherwise, why would we have a need for him.
A few months ago, Lauren Daigle was in the "spotlight" for saying she didn't know if homosexuality was a sin. I believe her music reflects she is a Christian artist and as far as what the Bible says is sin...homosexuality falls in line with lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, fornication, drunkardness, lust, coveting and many many others... yes it's sin...and we are called to point it out. What we do with it from there, needs to be left up to God, who is in control, even when we are not. So her answer, though wrong, certainly did not make her a demon from hell....or an unbeliever for that matter. How quick we are to jump to that statement.
Instead, it pointed towards our desperate need for Christ...for all of us, in all of us, on a daily basis.
People tell me what I should blog about all the time. "Don't blog about other people, or use other people to tell a story"....they say. But that's what I do. Real life, authentic emotions...
process....
all of it....process, my process, my perspective. Not God's...mine...but hopefully, through that process, you see my struggles between my flesh, my thoughts, vs Gods. They are definitely not in the same ballpark, but through process, hopefully they are getting closer.
I find it amusing that we will put Lady Gaga, or P!nk, Current President Trump, Prior President Obama, Hillary Clinton, or others on a pedestal, and we will fight each other to prove that what they say, do or sing, is gospel... have you tested it to the Word of God?
I'm not meant to be followed folks. Neither is your Pastor, a pop star, an actor or any other person sharing Christ or otherwise. Stop looking at their lives to see perfection...you won't see it. If a brother is "caught like a fish" in sin... those of you who are not struggling in that area, or have found the way to escape the fish hook, should gently restore them... because you will need them when you've stumbled upon your own snare...
Instead...look to Christ. Seek wise council, and then measure it to Christ...look at your own heart, does it need Christ...yes...look at this world, does it need Christ....yes.
We are not demons from hell...we are Christ followers...or looking for a purpose to be, if correction needs to take place in our lives, and it does, then gently restore that person...don't condemn them...Satan does a good enough job on his own, he doesn't need our help.
I am desperately flawed...Christ is not.
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