Dating, Romance and The Perfect Guy

Our Beginning

I use to have a lot of gods. I’m not talking about the TRUE God who created Heaven and Earth, I’m talking about the things that we put before the TRUE God – in my case, it was my (now ex) boyfriend. Just like you, I too have put someone before God. I put him on a throne and let him rule my heart. The bed was nothing more than the altar I sacrificed my body on. He was my god and I was his slave. No matter how unsatisfying the relationship was, I couldn’t break the chains he had me in. My FALSE god was a constant liar, couldn’t be faithful even if I begged him too. When I needed him, he simply wasn’t there. I was weak and still couldn’t leave.
Everyone always says, “why are you still with him?” and truthfully, we don’t know ourselves because we’re already asking ourselves the same thing. We’re weak and can’t break the chains, so usually what happens is something else comes along and breaks the chains for us, maybe it’s a guy, a girl, food, money, or even sex, only to make us their slaves. And they do to us, what our 1st ex-god did. In this case lets say weed broke those chains…

I use to have a lot of gods. I’m not talking about the TRUE God who created Heaven and Earth, I’m talking about the things that we put before the TRUE God – in this case, it’s weed. We have put the ground that God created before God himself. We put weed on a throne and let it rule our heart. The couch was nothing more than the altar I sacrificed myself on. Weed was my god and I was weeds slave. No matter how unsatisfying I felt afterwards, I couldn’t break the chains it had me in. My FALSE god was a constant liar, told me it’ll solve all my problems when all it really did was numb the pain for a moment. Couldn’t fix me even if I begged it too. When I needed it, it was always there, to give me the munchies, which is just a sugarcoated word for gluttony. We are weak and still can’t leave it alone.

Everyone always says, “why do you even smoke?” and truthfully, we don’t know ourselves, because the problem we had before we lit it up was waiting for us when we were done.

We’re weak and can’t break the chains so usually what happens is a stronger drug comes and breaks the chains for us, maybe even alcohol, only to make us their slaves. And they do to us, what our 2nd ex-god did.

Luckily for me, Jesus (the TRUE God) came and broke the chains of my first ex-god. And instead of making me his slave, he made me his bride!

Not another Romeo and Juliet Story

God doesn’t remove your False gods out your life so that you can find a “better” False god. God does not remove your boyfriend/girlfriend out your life so that you can find a “better” boyfriend/girlfriend. He removes them so that they won’t be in the way of you seeing that no-one can love you as much as he already does, and the cross is just a symbol of his love. Want a guy who can’t live without you? You were dead in spirit, so Jesus died because you were dead… But don’t get this confused for another Romeo and Juliet story, no, any guy can die because they can’t live without you, but what guy can raise from death to give you life?! See, dying wasn’t enough for Jesus. He rose from death so that you could live again! So that you and him could be together forever!

The Checklist

See, you’re searching for a perfect man and I’m telling you the Perfect man was already searching for you. You’ve made your checklist. Your standards that the guy of your dreams has to live up to. A guy who will remember all the “special days”; Jesus created the days and more than that he’s all knowing, so how could he forget? The perfect man who can provide for you; He created heaven and earth, gold and silver, the sun and the moon. What reason does he need to show a bank statement when he can create the things that money gets you- and so much more!

This Perfect man, masculine, tough, strong but knows to be gentle and considerate of you. The kind of man who you’ll feel safe with, knowing no-one can harm you as long as he’s by your side: Have you heard of Gods wrath? Do you know he will avenge the blood of the slain- his people (Revelations 6: 9-10). Don’t you know he literally fights with a sword? (Joshua 5:13) Have you not heard that he is the almighty, all powerful, sovereign God? Only fools tempt him to anger; but wait, we all live in folly because of our sinful flesh. So should you fear him? Yes. Fear the thought of being his enemy, but rest assured that he’s not only a just God, but a gracious God as well. So not one second of your life is under his wrath but under his mercy; because on the cross, all of God’s wrath that had your name on it, due to the enormous bill of sin that you couldn’t afford, Jesus, being a gentlemen, picked up your tab – even though he didn’t feast with you at the table of sin – and he paid the price for your sin and absorbed all of God’s wrath for you, completely. Your sin is paid in full by Christs’ death. So Jesus has saved you from God’s wrath and eternal judgement by taking whips, punches, hooks and nails to his body so that you can be with him in peace and joy for the rest of eternity. Is this gentle, considerate  and strong enough for you?

You’re searching for this perfect man who will tell you that you’re physically beautiful even if you’re just waking up; don’t you know he loved and pursued you when you were a complete mess?! “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Can’t you see?! He didn’t wait til you wiped the morning crust out your eyes, for you to stop sleeping with your “boyfriend”, for you to stop getting wasted or high. He didn’t wait for you to brush yourself off first, NO! While you are STILL sinning, he loves you, he’s pursuing you and he came in the middle of your complete mess and proposed to you on the cross.

You want this perfect man who will build you up, make you a better person and altogether better your life; don’t you know that he is the better person – that in Jesus is life? He didn’t propose to you for your stuff but for a deep, intimate, loving relationship with you. Why can’t you see that Jesus just wants you? Don’t you know that you defiled your wedding dress with the stains of sin? But that’s okay, because your dress wouldn’t be as white as his robe. His robe you’ll wear on the day of the wedding. And as his robe is, so shall you be- Perfect, spotless, pure and holy, in his sight.

You’re searching for this Perfect man who will love you unconditionally, for the rest of your life; He is Love, and no love is greater- don’t you know that he wants you, not just for the 80 or so years you’ll live but for the rest of eternity? “Til death do us part”, no! because he already died – but that’s not it! Because he already ROSE from death, having defeated death and sin! And in him you will find eternal life. His love has NO EXPIRATION DATE! “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37)

Ex-gods

So, I’m telling you this now. The beginning of your life is the dating stage. You will move from one false god to the next, being disappointed every time because nothing and no-one, besides God, will ever satisfy you. So when your eyes are open (spiritually) and you love Jesus – and, as a result of your love for him, you pursue him, wanting to be closer to him and know him better – you have said Yes! to his proposal and you’re officially off the market and a bride to the King of Kings. You’ll try your best to keep your false gods out of your life, like an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend who still wants to be “just friends”. Don’t tempt your sinful flesh in committing adultery against a great God.

What other god has committed to you? What other god claims to love you? What other god knows you by name? What other god wants you apart of their family. Know other god has/will ever sacrifice anything for you, let alone suffer and die in your place. They want you as slaves, held captive by them. So keep distance from your ex-gods. Don’t answer the phone when they call, don’t confirm them as a friend on Facebook, don’t reply to their text/email, not even to tell them it’s over, you owe them nothing.

Be faithful in the engagement stage, which is now life here on this earth. Keep your eyes focused on your future husband and your wedding day, the day he returns to earth. In the meantime, learn how to be a wife to the king of kings. You haven’t earned the right to be his wife, that’s why it’s called grace, so don’t mistake this for religion. You ARE by Gods grace, a bride to the king who loves you dearly and in your love for him, you should do things that please him. Don’t hatefully serve him. Hateful obedience doesn’t glorify God, it’s not what he wants for you. Just as you would want an earthly husband to WANT to do the dishes after eating a meal you prepared, so God wants you to joyfully and willingly serve him, not because you have to -because you can’t earn your salvation, its already been granted to you, paid in full- but because you want to demonstrate your love and appreciation to your future Husband. (Ephesians 2:8-9) “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Coward Christians

A lot of people, mainly Christians, talk about how bad things are. For example: they say culture is bad, music (mainly hip hop) is bad, “the projects” is bad, video games are bad, and so on.

This can actually be convincing, because hip hop influences drugs, drunkards, smoking, gangs and other negative behavior. But I will have to disagree with most Christians who think these things (music, culture, etc.) are bad. Hip hop is not bad, not at all. Culture is not bad. The projects are not bad. Video games are not bad.

When we say that “things” are bad, all we are really doing is blame shifting. See, culture can only have a negative affect if the people who influence the culture are negative people. Hip hop can only influence drugs, drunkards, smoking, and etc, if the artist influences these things. By saying hip hop is bad, we don’t acknowledge the artists motives in making the music that is considered bad. So we rarely ever look to the artist to correct themselves but we just stay completely away from the music because its “evil”.

Hip hop is not bad, we’re bad.

We’re to busy blaming things, when we’re the ones who made those things bad. Things aren’t bad, we’re bad.

Baltimore is not a bad city, the people in Baltimore are bad people. Baltimore street is not bad, if no-one acted out in their lust, there would be no “Baltimore street”.

The Devil owns Hip hop? I bet he does, because we “so called Christians” hid in our “safe” houses and let him! Where are the Christians that are a threat to the Devil? God made music and declared it good, but the enemy took people with wicked hearts and had them make music and “Christians” were to scared to challenge him. We’re scared to step into the enemies territories and take back what’s rightfully God’s. Coward christians!

Let the Devil have hip-hop? Absolutely not! The Devil doesn’t have a right to anything and the crazy thing is, he has Christians, God’s people, letting him take what’s God’s. The Devil has manipulated the minds of God’s people, so now Christians say, that kind of music is the Devils, don’t touch it, let him have it. Really?

Devil, you’re slick, I’ll admit that. Even God’s people don’t want to challenge you and they don’t even know they’re really just scared of you. They think they’re doing the “right” thing by letting you have what you want. You’re pretty smooth, very deceitful, that’s truth. But I’m no coward, and there’s no way I’ll ever let it be acceptable for you to claim what’s God’s.

Hip-hop is God’s music. Rock is God’s music. Country is God’s music. You know the dumb thing. When God made music, He just made music. We came up with genres. If it sounds this way, it’s rock, if it sounds that way, it’s R&B. we did that. We separated the different types of music. So, because a certain song has a certain type of rhythm, because the bass dominates, it’s the Devils? That sounds retarded. God made bass, He made rhythm, but when you mix it together a certain way, it belongs to the Devil. NO WAY. The Devil has got some people’s minds wrapped around his finger, and the sad thing is, it’s mainly the so called “Christians”. Followers of Jesus, who hide in their houses and let the Devil have a platform (hip-hop) to deceive people.

Here’s the part that baffles me: the Christians that say, hip-hop is the Devils music, some of them listen to it, but when a Christian artist steps in and raps, they back away from it, they don’t touch it. To them it would be so wrong for them to listen to someone rapping about God/Jesus/The Gospel, but it’s fine to listen to regular rap artists talking about sexual immorality, club hopping, popping molly’s, getting drunk, SINNING. A Christian raps about loving God, how Jesus died for their sin, their struggle to follow Jesus as a sinner, and Christians back away from it. That’s insane. It’s ok for them to listen to who they know is for the Devil, but when someone brings God into it, they back away from it. They dance and play around to typical rap artists music, but when someone comes on talking about Jesus dying on the cross, they get serious and religious, and start talking about how hip-hop is the Devil’s music. Are you for God or not?

Mathew 12:22-26
“Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?”

If Satan sets up artists to encourage people to love God, hate sin, worship God, accept Jesus as your Savior, then his kingdom is divided. Stop listening to the beat to determine whether it’s good, but listen to the one who is speaking the message. What are they saying? What’s the purpose of the message?

It all comes down to this: regardless of the beat, sound, rhythm, etc. – when they speak, are they for God, or against Him?

Jeremiah 10:1-16
“Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”

God is saying, we build things, we create, sculpt, and make things, but those things cannot move and they cannot speak, they have to be carried because they cannot walk. We create music, combining sound waves and poetry, music cannot move to create it’s own rhythm, nor can it speak to make it’s own lyrics, it has to be carried by people. By us. Don’t be afraid of hip-hop, it cannot do evil or good, by itself. But it is the person behind the rhythm, behind the lyrics, it’s their motive. What are they speaking through music?

Music is simply a tool. A powerful tool, if the right person/people use it. Music doesn’t have a voice unless someone is crafting the words of the rhythm, sculpting the flow of the poetry and combining the sound waves to speak a message. But what message? That’s up to the artist, it’s not up to the music.

God gives us authority over all creation. But it is because we are wicked that the things He created are seen as wicked (though they are still good). We have authority, especially us Christians, so let’s stop hiding in corners and letting the Devil take what he wants. Let’s stop being coward Christians and start redeeming God’s gifts to us. Take them back and use it for the glory of God!

How Do I Know If I’m Saved?

A lot of people talk about being saved, but some of them don’t understand what they’re being saved from. They don’t understand the point of salvation. All they know is Jesus died so that they can be forgiven and that’s the furthest they go. So now we have people who accept the cross but not Jesus. They accept what Jesus did, but they don’t accept Jesus himself.

The purpose of the cross was to save us from sin so that we can be reconciled to the Father through Jesus. Many people don’t go beyond the cross. They never reach Jesus and as a result, they never have access to the Father.

People have no problem accepting the cross because the cross says that you’re a sinner but you’re forgiven. But people have a hard time accepting Jesus because He says, repent. Jesus says, turn away from your sin and turn to Him. So people draw the line at the cross. They want to be forgiven but they don’t want to change. So they say, “Jesus forgives me”, but they never change. They’ve accepted the cross but they reject Jesus.

People say, “Jesus died on the cross, I’m forgiven”, but that’s the furthest they get. Really, it’s just an excuse for them to live their life comfortably in sin. If you’re comfortable sinning, you may want to question whether you’re even saved. The cross is not a free ticket for Christians to sin, but it’s a free ticket to be saved from our sin. It’s not grace so that we can keep sinning, it’s grace so that we can get back up, worshiping God, when we’ve fallen into sin. It’s an assurance that when we sin, we can still be in a loving relationship with Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

People today, could care less about Jesus. You start talking about Jesus and they don’t want to listen. They reject Jesus but Jesus forgives them and they’re saved? They don’t even care about Jesus, they don’t want to talk about Him. They don’t care to have a relationship with God, but Jesus died on the cross, so they’re forgiven?

Everyone knows, or should know, that to truly be saved, you have to actually accept Jesus. People claim to be saved but could care less about Jesus. How is that acceptance? They throw “Christian” as their religious views on Facebook, but avoid any real conversations dealing with the founder of Christianity! What is that?!

People don’t realize their contradiction. They say they’re “saved” but no part of their being truly wants to be saved. Being saved, like I said earlier, is being saved from your sin so you can be reconciled to the Father through Jesus. But most people don’t even want to be saved from their sin. They don’t want to turn away from it. They don’t want to give up fornicating, they don’t want to let go of the ciroc, the weed, the drugs, the girl, the guy, the porn. People today, don’t truly want to be saved but claimed to be saved.

People think it’s as simple as saying, “I accept Jesus as my personal savior” and then thats’ it, they can go back to their normal sin filled lives, rarely ever thinking about Jesus. They think that’s Christianity, being all talk and no game. You say you accept Jesus but you don’t even want to talk about Him. What’s that phrase?… Talk is cheap… Actions speak louder than words. There’s truth in those phrases. You can say anything you want, but it’s your actions, the way you live your life that speaks volumes about where you stand with Jesus.

How can you be “saved” if you don’t want to be saved?

The reality is, you are not forgiven for your sins unless you REPENT. To be saved is to be completely forgiven by God and forgiveness only comes through repentance. Well, what does it mean to repent?

Google Definition: repent

“Feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin.”

To feel or express remorse for your sin. Do you ever feel remorse for fornicating or do you feel pretty good about yourself after you “smash”? Do you ever express (with your life) to God your remorse for your fornication? Meaning, you feel so horrible about it that you actually try not to fornicate. Do you ever do that? Some of you, no, because you don’t feel bad about your sin, so you never have remorse, so you never truly repent, meaning you’re never truly forgiven and as a result you’re not truly saved from sin.

We deserve hell, but Jesus wants us to have Paradise.

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'” – Luke 23:39-43

A lot of people miss some significant details in this story. I think most people take this and think, “I can wait until I’m on my death bed and then give my life to Jesus, Yes!”. In this, your heart is exposed. You don’t care about Jesus and you don’t want to be saved from sin, you just don’t won’t to go to hell and the only other option is heaven so why not, right? For those who think that, I say to you again, even if God gives you a heads up on when you’re about to die, you still don’t truly want to be saved from sin, you won’t truly repent, you won’t truly be forgiven, you won’t truly be saved. Don’t risk it.

Back to the point though. In this story we see two sinners, both next to Jesus, receiving the same punishment, crucifixion. So they may have committed the same sin but God says to the last one, “you will be with me in paradise”. Why is it that only that guy gets to go to paradise? It’s because, in his words, his heart is exposed. The first guy sort of mocks Jesus, he “railed” at Jesus, basically saying if you are God why don’t you save yourself. He’s calling Jesus helpless. He has no remorse for his sin or acceptance of Jesus but the last guy says, don’t you fear God…  “for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds”, we are getting what we deserve, our sin is so horrible that we deserve to be crucified but not Jesus. The last guy has remorse for his sin and he ends it with, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”, in this, we see he accepts Jesus. He could have ended it with being remorseful but he asks Jesus, personally, to remember him. He has remorse for his sin, acceptance of the cross and acceptance of Jesus. Instead of continuing in his sin like the first guy did by mocking Jesus, he seeks the kingdom of God in his last moments of life. He turns away from pursuing sin and asks to be remembered by Jesus. He truly wanted to be saved from his sin, he has true remorse for his sin, he truly repents with his actions, he is truly forgiven and is truly saved.

Jesus never told us to say sorry and keep sinning. He said repent, turn away from your sins and turn to God.

This does not mean, if you don’t have remorse for your sin that God won’t save you but when you actually want to be saved from sin (all sin) because you want to be reconciled to God, that’s how you know you have been saved.

God, Bless Me or Else…

Titles are amazing, or an other cases, labels. They tell something about you, like Mrs. means you’re married. People with titles are treated differently, depending on the title. Someone with the title “Dr.” is definitely respected, a “Mrs.” might get less flirts or jealous looks from single women, the title “pastor” will open up the doors for people to tell you their life problems or start a religious debate.

You put a title/label with your identity and people treat you based off of how you’ve labeled yourself. You say, “I am” a veterinarian, people will be more likely to bring their pets to you than anyone else and, ask you for your wisdom on how to keep their pet healthy, maybe even invite you to some dog shows. You say “I am” a director, you will, more likely than most, to get invited to movie premiers, meet celebrities, and of course direct movies. The title you carry or how you label yourself, will in most cases determine how people interact/treat/approach you.

What you have to understand is that, since we choose our titles, people can gain a little bit of knowledge/insight about us just based off of our title/label. The title we choose, has everything to do with what we want. You want to direct movies, be a director. You want to act, be an actor. You want to dance, be a dancer.

Here’s where it gets a bit… dangerous. People go to church, and here these “prosperity” gospels, which is pretty much the preachers saying, “God wants to make you rich, keep you healthy, He wants you to enjoy your life, have an awesome spouse. He just wants you to live the most comfortable, happiest, friendliest life, you just have to believe, you have to be good, obey God’s rules… you have to be a Christian”. There’s the danger. Now we have people who label themselves as Christians because of what they want. Who wouldn’t want that life, right? Money, health, awesome family, comfort. Sounds good to me. But that’s not the Gospel! That’s not Christianity!

Some people here the prosperity gospel and try to be the best people. They try to be “good”. They get good grades, obey the laws, respect adults, don’t drink, don’t smoke, and they think they’re good with God, but let something bad happen to them and their heart, their motive for being a “Christian”, is revealed. “God, I helped that person out, I was good to my children, I obeyed my parents. I did this good deed, I did that good deed, I behaved in this situation. Why didn’t you let me get into the school I wanted to get into, why did they break up with me, why is nothing going right?! I was good! YOU OWE ME!”

Sad thing is, some of the true Christians get caught up in the prosperity gospel. Like our good deeds makes God owe us a blessing. Rack up x amount of good deeds and God will bless you with a house, that car you dreamt of, the perfect spouse. Keep praying and God will get you out of that situation. You’re not even in it for God, your in it for His stuff! You’re just using God to get what you want out of life. In your heart you’re saying “God, I’ll call myself a Christian, I’ll be “good”, I’ll even go to church on Sundays, as long as you bless me, (in other words), as long as you give me what I want”. You’re really giving God an ultimatum? And if He doesn’t bless you, you’re out. You’re done with Christianity.

You bow your head to pray and you pull out your wish list. After you finish telling God what you want out of life and how you want your life to go, although you say “amen”, in your heart your saying “God, bless me or else I’m not praying anymore. Bless me or else I’m not goin to church anymore. Bless me or else I’m not helping anybody anymore. Bless me or else I’m not forgiving that person or loving that person. God, bless me or else.”

You say in your heart “I have to be good, I won’t drink, I won’t go to parties, I won’t do drugs or get high. I’m going to get good grades, join a few of my church ministries, be better than everyone else. Then God will bless me! Then He’ll give me the man/woman of my dreams. Then He’ll bless me with a house. I’ll be good, then God will bless me.” Then what happens when God doesn’t bless you? You began to ask yourself “Is God real? Does God even love me?”. Doubt comes into the picture, then you say to yourself, “This isn’t real. God isn’t real. Christianity sucks. This isn’t working. This isn’t worth it. I’m out. I’m done with the church, I’m done with Christianity, I’M DONE WITH GOD.”

This is your heart exposed. The moment you realize, God didn’t give you what you wanted, you’re out. You quit. You turn your back on God, and pursue whatever else will get you what you want. You run to your job, working more hours because you figure money will get you that house God didn’t give you. You stop praying for a spouse and start dating multiple people to see who fits your lifestyle. You stop praying for christian friends you can have fun with, and you start going to parties, getting more friends to fulfill your desire of having “fun” (pleasure).

It was never about God, it was never about Jesus or His church. It was all about you. God seemed like a good resource to get what you wanted out of life. So when you prayed, you didn’t ask God to help you resist temptation to sin, you asked God for friends you could have “fun” with. When you prayed, you didn’t ask God to send you a spouse that would help make you more like Jesus (the reason for marriage), you prayed that He would send you someone who would “fit your lifestyle”. When you prayed, you didn’t ask for a place to worship God, you asked for a house so that you could finally shut the door on God.

If God gave everybody everything thy wanted, nobody would want God.

Do you know what it means to be a Christian? It means you follow Christ. A lot of people will say, “I do that. I follow Christ.”. Then they pull out a list of things they do, like: feed the homeless, take care of their family, counsel the broken hearted, donate to charities, involved in ministries, tithe, go to church, lead a ministry in their church, etc. And all those things are good things to do, Jesus was involved with things like this, but there was a difference with Jesus. Jesus didn’t do these things just to say He did it, but He did it because He loved The Father and He loved us. He wasn’t concerned if people looked at Him with approval., He only sought out The Fathers approval. He did these things so we could be saved, it didn’t matter what people thought of Him. Whether they loved Him or hated Him, He was going to care for us, He was going to love us. Thank God He didn’t care what people did, because then He would not have died on the cross for our sins.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” – Mathew 6:1-3

A lot of people do the works of Jesus but don’t do it for the reasons Jesus does it. They don’t do these things out of love, they do them for the approval of other people. They don’t do these things because it’s the Fathers will, they do it so it can make them look like a good person. You can do everything Jesus did, but if you don’t have the same motive Jesus did, if you’re not doing it for the reasons Jesus did it, you’re not truly following Jesus.

Following Jesus is more than feeding the homeless, it’s caring for them, learning their names, getting to know them, treating them like God’s children. It’s more than joining a ministry, it’s loving the Father enough to submit to His will for your life. It’s more than loving your family, it’s loving them enough to consistently point them to Jesus. It goes beyond providing for your family, it’s praying for them, praying with them, asking God to have mercy on them and to forgive them, guide them, keep them. Following Jesus goes beyond your actions, it penetrates your heart, leaks into your mind, changes your soul and takes over your spirit.

Following Jesus goes beyond the physical, it’s following him in the areas that are unseen to the world. Following Him with your heart, mind, soul and spirit. That’s why it’s hard to tell who’s really living for God. You can’t look at that person’s heart. Their motive is not written on their forehead. It would be helpful if it was.

So now we have people who label themselves a follower of Christ (Christian) but don’t even have a relationship with Christ. Sad thing is, those people are fine with not having a relationship with Christ, as long as their getting what they want.

God is not Santa Clause. He’s not the big guy you send a wish list to. He’s God. Although Jesus came down and humbled himself to serve us, God was not made to serve us, we were made to serve Him. There’s a saying, “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” I know it’s corny but that’s the approach we should have with God. Don’t focus on what God can do for you but what you can do for Him. He already made you (among the rest of humans) rulers of this earth, He already invented pleasure so food can taste good, so playing can be fun, so laughter would be enjoyable, so sex would be awesome. God has already been showering blessing on mankind, don’t try to keep squeezing Him, seeing if you can get a little extra.

What have you done for God lately? And I’m not talking about charities or ministries but did you at least spend time talking (praying) to Him, trying to get to know Him, showing Him you actually care about Him and not His stuff? That’ll be a good place to start if you haven’t.

I’ll end it with this. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” – Mathew 5:45

God blesses His friends and His enemy, it’s just who He is. He’s going to bless you regardless. May not be the house of your dreams but it’ll be the breath of life He allowed you to have for another day. It may not be the car of your dreams but it’ll be keeping demons away from you even while you sleep peacefully at night. It may not be the spouse of your dreams but it’ll be Jesus suffering and dying on the cross in your place so that one day you’ll actually stop worrying about His stuff, and focus on knowing Him.

Yes, titles tell something about you, because it has everything to do with what we want. Christian means follower of Christ, so no mater how hard things get, we don’t give up because we see Jesus in front of us. The title, Christian, should only let people know that you want Jesus.

The next time you bow your head and pray, make sure your prayer does not end with “God, bless me or else…”.

Misconception: Homosexuality

The word “thief” is in the Bible about 26 times.

The words “sexual immorality” is in the Bible about 30 times.

The word “adultery” is in the Bible about 35 times.

The word “homosexual”, 2 times, and it is mentioned along with thief, sexual immorality, adultery and/or other sins.

Homosexuality is an abomination to God? True. This is found in chapter 18 of Leviticus, verse 22, where it says “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” The word “abomination” appears in the Bible about 120 times. Leviticus chapter 18 names a list of sexual acts God tells His people not to do, and at the end of chapter 18 He says “But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations” – Leviticus 18:26(ESV). God went over a list of forbidden acts and ends it with “do NONE OF THESE abominations”, meaning everything He named in chapter 18, along with lying with a male as with a woman, was an abomination. God didn’t single out homosexuality as the only abomination, He included other sexual sins (such as incest).

In the 120 other things listed as abominations, it includes: “anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead”- Deuteronomy 10-11(ESV), “all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.” – Deuteronomy 25:16(ESV), “the devious person is an abomination to the LORD”- Proverbs 3:32(ESV), “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”- Proverbs 6:17-19(ESV), “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD”- Proverbs 11:1(ESV), “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD”- Proverbs 12:22(ESV).

Needles to say, the list goes on. God is a perfect God, and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”- Romans 3:23, ESV. Everyone commit acts that are an abomination to God, but I am in no way promoting homosexuality, or any other sin. But for people to go to church, maybe read the bible when they’re home, have bible studies, and they hold up the entire Bible and all they can say is “God hates gays”?! Really? Where’s the Gospel? Where’s Gods loving pursuit of His people? Where’s the cross?

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”- John 8:44, ESV

Jesus is saying lying is a huge part of Satan’s character, he is the “father of lies”, it’s part of his(Satan) identity. Isn’t it funny how we embrace one of the main characteristics of Satan (lying) while picking out one type of sin (homosexuality) and making it the worst thing ever? There are TV shows where the husband is encouraged to lie to his wife. Whether telling her he has to work late just so he can hang out with the guys, or telling her that other girl is only his “co-worker”. Lying is encouraged in today’s society. They put it in everyone’s head that that’s normal for marriage. Treating your spouse how Satan treats people, lying, being deceitful, manipulative, is “normal” for marriage. Yet we fight for the sanctity of marriage?

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.” – Mathew 23:13, ESV

People who condemn the homosexuals, and say God hates them, they’re stating that grace doesn’t apply to homosexual people, God’s love and mercy doesn’t apply to them, God’s forgiveness doesn’t apply to them. These are the modern day Pharisees and scribes, hypocrites, who shut the kingdom of Heaven in people’s face.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16, ESV

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” – Ephesians 2:8

Where does it say “not including homosexuals”? For God so loved THE WORLD. By grace YOU have been saved, YOU the liar, YOU the murderer, YOU the fornicator, YOU the thief, YOU the adulterer, YOU the HOMOSEXUAL!

Is it possible, that people just want to feel like they’re a better person? To say there is a sin above all sins. That one sin makes you the worst person ever. So now those people who condemn the homosexuals can sin and say to themselves “at least I’m not a homosexual”. I hope no-one thinks that’s going to work with Jesus on judgement day. For them to stand before Jesus and say “at least I’m not a homosexual” and they say it with confidence, like that’s what gets you into the kingdom of Heaven.

Someone close to me (a homosexual), asked me, “is there a deeper hell for homosexuals?”. Here’s why they asked; They can’t understand, why people are so focused on homosexuals going to hell, when the people who haven’t truly given their lives to Christ will be in the same hell, tortured for eternity with the rest of the sinners who didn’t give their life to Christ. If a fornicator doesn’t give their life to Christ, they’re going to be in the same hell, so why focus mainly on homosexuals? There’s no deeper hell, because there’s no greater sin. Every sin is wicked. Someone who steals a piece of gum from the corner store is just as bad as a guy having sex with a guy, in God’s eyes. That’s the truth, like it or not.

It baffles me when someone who fornicates, looks at a homosexual like the homosexual is the sinner and they are a righteous person. Didn’t God say no sex before marriage? Didn’t He say don’t commit adultery? That’s actually in the Ten Commandments, along with lying(false witness), coveting, stealing, idolatry, murder. If any sin was to be put on blast, you would think it would be the sins from the Ten Commandments. The reason why you don’t pick on someone who covets is because you’re coveting. The reason you don’t pick on a liar, is because you’re a liar. The reason you don’t pick on a thief is because you stole something before (even if it was a pencil). The reason you don’t pick on an adulterer is because you’ve committed adultery before and for those who think they haven’t committed adultery, Jesus says…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Mathew 5:27-28, ESV.

Think you’re not guilty of murder? “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Mathew 5:21-22, ESV.

Aren’t the people who say “God hates gays” filled with anger? Just throwing that out there.

Think you are not guilty of idolatry? Even Google definition defines it this way

-“An image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.”

-“A person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered:”

So when the bible speaks of idolatry, we’re use to it referring to people literally bowing down on their hands and knees to some statue. That’s correct, but all sin starts from the heart. That’s why Jesus says, if you’re angry in your heart, you’re a murderer, if you lust after a woman in your heart, you commit adultery. So, if in your heart, you bow down to something, you are guilty of idolatry. If, in your heart, you admire, love, and revere something more than you do God, you’re guilty of idolatry.

How does idolatry look today? Someone who idolize sex, sex is the object of their worship. Meaning, their thoughts, attention, focus, love, pursuit, is all directed (mainly) toward sex. So someone who idolizes sex will pursue sex more than they pursue God. They’ll think about it more than they think about God. Instead of tithing they’ll spend their money on condoms and/or hotel rooms. They buy their clothes with the mindset, “what will attract the people I want to have sex with?”. They’ll most likely be addicted to porn and masturbation (if you can’t go a month without it, you’re addicted), and sex will dominate their thought process.

Some people idolize hate. The people who are obsessed with telling people “God hates gays”. They spend more time doing that, more time thinking about that then they do God. They spend more time telling people “God hates gays” then they spend telling people God died on the cross for everyone’s sins. They spend more time disrespecting homosexuals, then they do in prayer. They think about hating homosexuals more than they think about loving God. Their quick to gather for an anti-gay event, but are not as likely to jump at the opportunity to feed the homeless, help the sick, mentor kids, LOVE PEOPLE.

The reason people can pick on a homosexual is because not too many people are homosexuals. You can’t pick on a sin you’re guilty of. So you choose the sin you’re not guilty of so that you can feel like you’re a better person. All sin starts from the heart. You know what sin homosexuality is birthed from?… Lust. Don’t you lust? Isn’t lust the reason you look at the opposite sex, trying to undress them in your mind? Isn’t lust the reason you fornicate? Isn’t it the reason you commit adultery? So their sin, is birthed from the same sin that your sin is birthed from. That’s why you can’t pick on them for their lust, because you lust too!

This by no means, is meant to encourage homosexuality, just as this is not meant to encourage every other sin (including my own sin). But this is to say that we “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV) and that “God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV).

A homosexual should not be a shock to anyone. Guess what… They’re a sinner just like you and me. A sinner who Jesus wants to get to know and love, and it’s the modern day Pharisees, scribes, the hypocrites that block Jesus from them.

Those who try to condemn the homosexuals, try to do so by using the word of God. So let’s look at the word of God. The story of the woman caught in adultery and the Pharisees and scribes brought her to Jesus. Lets say the woman was caught in a homosexual act. (The scripture below is paraphrased in order to make a point. The word adultery is replaced with “homosexuality”/”homosexual acts”. These are the only changes made below. Read John 8:3-11)

“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in homosexual acts, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of homosexuality. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Isn’t this what people do today, with homosexuals? The modern day Pharisees and scribes holding stones, ready to aim at the homosexual, but Jesus, being gracious and just, exposed them as sinners without even calling them sinners. He wanted them to be truthful with themselves. He wanted them to acknowledge that they too where sinners and let them see that they were no better than the woman.

We keep trying to stone people for their sins, but what will that accomplish? What good does that bring? Let him who is without sin cast the first stone at a homosexual. Guess what, NO-ONE can cast a stone! because we sin too! step out of Jesus way so that he can be alone with them. All they need is for someone to tell them that Jesus doesn’t condemn them, Jesus loves them and the proof is in the cross! Jesus suffered and died on the cross for homosexuals, like it or not.

If you think Jesus wants you to go around telling homosexuals God hates them and they’re the worst type of people, then you don’t even know the basics of Jesus! What was Jesus’ mission? To save. Who did He come to save? Sinners. What are homosexuals? SINNERS! This is the basics of the Gospel! God IS Love. God loves His people, He loves those that love Him and He loves those that hate Him.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Mathew 5:43-48, ESV.

Jesus is telling us to be like our Father in Heaven. Love your enemies, because even God loves His enemies and He demonstrates His love to His enemies by letting His sun rise on the evil and the good. Don’t you think the cross was enough to tell everyone how awful we are? OUR SIN KILLED GOD. That’s how awful our sin is, it put the God of the Universe on a cross. You don’t have to force that in people’s face, just point to the cross, because the cross is the most graphic event that let’s us see how awful we are.

What reward do you have if you hate someone? Hate doesn’t bring people to Jesus.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31, ESV)

“THERE IS NO OTHER COMMANDMENT GREATER THAN THESE.”

If there was a sin above all sins, shouldn’t the greatest sin be breaking the greatest commandment?

Even if Jesus gave a commandment to go tell homosexuals they’re sinners (which He didn’t by the way), Jesus says, there is no other commandment that you should be more concerned about obeying than loving God and loving people. Telling homosexuals that God hates them is not a commandment in the Bible, yet people are more concerned to do that then to love God and people, the greatest commands. People who go around telling homosexuals “God hate gays”, they are deliberately breaking the greatest commandments. They use the Bible to try to condemn people. This is when you can see how people take what they want out of the Bible. They don’t even try to obey these commandments. They pick and choose what they want to receive, they pick and choose which commandments they want to obey. They twist God’s Word to fit their life, to fit their mission, their will, not God’s will.

Some people would argue that the word “sodomite” is referring to homosexuals, and I don’t know if that’s true or not. I’m not a know it all, I’ll admit when I don’t know something. But even if it is true, it doesn’t change anything I’ve said. The word “homosexual” is still only in the Bible 2 times and it appears in the New Testament. Just for the record, the word “sodomite” is in the Bible about 5 times.

It seems, in the Old Testament, they didn’t have a proper name to call a man who had sex with a man, so maybe they called them sodomites, after the city of Sodom that God destroyed. I don’t know. It would make sense for them to come up with a name for it. Someone who has sex before marriage is called sexually immoral. A married person who has sex with someone that isn’t their spouse is called an adulterer. Someone who takes something that doesn’t belong to them is called a thief. Someone who worships false gods is called an idolater. It would make sense for them to have to come up with a name for someone who has sex with someone of the same sex.

If it is true, people would argue that God hates homosexuals because of verses like, “And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.” – 1 Kings 14:24

If sodomite is referring to homosexuality, it says they did according to all the abominations. It doesn’t make sense that they would be talking about a person in the act of homosexuality because the bible says “all the abominations”. Homosexuality is one abomination, but these people did “ALL the abominationS“. They didn’t say these people did one abomination. They did every abomination, which would likely mean they were involved in homosexual acts, but they didn’t limit themselves to that one abomination, therefore it doesn’t seem likely to only call them homosexuals when they were doing so much more.

“There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.” Deuteronomy 23:17

This would suggest that sodomite is the male version of “whore”. So maybe, sexually immoral females were referred to as whores and sexually immoral males were referred to as sodomites. But I don’t know. Whether sodomite refers to homosexuals or not, this still doesn’t change anything. In the beginning I acknowledge homosexuality as an abomination, calling them sodomites doesn’t make the homosexual act more – for a lack of a better word- abominable.

Some people would bring up the fact that God killed people for being involved in homosexual acts. And I agree that In the Old Testament God was known for killing sinners. When Israel was in the wilderness, people started fornicating with Moabite women and God said to Moses,

“Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.” – Numbers 25:4, KJV (Read Numbers 25:1-9)

Also, God sought to kill Moses because Moses didn’t circumcise his son. (Zipporah is Moses wife) “And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.” – Exodus 4:24-26, KJV.

Zipporah circumcised their son, so God let him go.

To say God REALLY hates gays because there are events where He killed them, doesn’t work either, because sometimes sinners provoke God to great anger and He kills them (in the Old Testament, before Jesus comes to bring repentance). Whether it be on the grounds of sexual immorality(fornication), not obeying a covenant command, homosexuality, idolatry (worshiping other gods). There are tons of events in the bible where God just kills sinners. He doesn’t treat a fornicator special, just because their sleeping with the opposite sex.

Here’s the crazy thing. Earlier I mentioned one of the things that are an abomination to God: “all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.” – Deuteronomy 25:16. Who can honestly say, they have never acted dishonestly? Even if you’re still in school, you just got some new pens because everybody kept asking for your pens but never returned them to you, and someone asks to borrow a pen and you look at them, with a pen in your hand, 5 more in your book bag and say to them “this is my only one”. See, if we want to look at what’s an abomination to God, we have to look at everything God see’s as an abomination, and by looking at everything that’s an abomination, it will result in you looking at yourself. So if you truly believe that “God hates gays” based off the fact that it’s an abomination to God, you have to believe He hates you, because every time you act dishonestly, you’re an abomination. And remind yourself that, next time you lie, because you will lie.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” How are you being merciful to people?

Are you a hypocrite? A modern day scribe or Pharisee? Do you look at people and in your heart, you condemn them, not wanting to share the Gospel of Christ with them just because they sin differently then you? The Gospel does not exclude anyone. Christ died for the sins of the people (including me), because HE LOVES THEM. No-one is excluded from the Gospel, but everyone has a choice to accept and trust in Jesus. No-one is greater and no-one is worse than the next person, even if they feel like they are.

Here is where people’s thinking is, again, shown to be flawed. Jesus says…
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” – Luke 5:31-32

So, IF homosexuality was the sin above all sins, wouldn’t that mean Jesus would be more focussed on saving them? If they are the ultimate sinners, that mean everyone else is not as “sick” as homosexuals, so we don’t need Jesus like a homosexual would. So Jesus would be pouring out His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness, mainly on them. He didn’t come for the “well”, but for the “sick”, and if someone’s “sicker”, Jesus would be focussing more on them, than He would the rest of us. The cross would be more for homosexuals than everybody else. Jesus didn’t say, I came for people that are sick but not that sick, he said He came for the sick. So if we classify homosexuals as the “sickest” people, we’re indirectly saying Jesus was more concerned to save homosexuals than He was to save everyone else.

The Pharisees and scribes saw the rest of the people as really sick. They didn’t want to hang around sinners because they thought God didn’t like sinners. See how that turned out for them. So now, we’re back in the same position. Religious people or church goers (modern day Pharisees and scribes) don’t want to hang around homosexuals because they are “the worst type of sinners”. If they’re the worst, then that’s who Jesus came for, it’s as simple as that.

Want to know the real “sin above all sins”?
Jesus says…
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. – Mathew 12:31

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin. Jesus says, that’s the sin you won’t be forgiven for. So to say homosexuality is the sin above all sins is really belittling the Holy Spirit and rejecting God’s word as Truth. It evens says “EVERY sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people”. Is homosexuality a sin? Yes. Repent and it will be forgiven just as fornication will be forgiven if they repent. If you think homosexuality is worse than blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, you need to go before God and be in His word more.

Just a side note, God says “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; IT is an abomination”, not the person.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” – 1 John 4:7-12, ESV.