A thought

So many times we complain about how people are too harsh,

your hear the people say "How come you didn't do .. " or  "Why don't you do this.."  or  "Why are you being this way.. "   in cases we will hear, "Your wrong!!" or  "Maybe if you'd try harder.."

and we say to ourselves why - do I need to put up with people / parents / teachers, who say this to me .. "Do they know better, do they even know the whole situation. Maybe they should just stay out of my buisness"

and i realized something - sad - but  my birthday passed not more than a couple of days ago, and i realized that over the years those kind of comments have come and gone. And there are a rare few who would even say it to me anymore, one being my parents and family, the other being the pastor.

What I've learned is this.. "Overall I miss those kinds of remarks."

Truthfully, you should realize that when people are saying those things there are two motivations behind them.

1. People just want to make themselves feel better, so they condemn and comment on how other live there life.

2. People just care about you.

the first of the two will eventually disappear - because eventually you will stop surrounding yourself with people like that.

The second however becomes more interesting. If those still exist and they stop telling you those things, than you should ask yourself be saying to your self,
          "I win!! they have stopped, and i don't have to worry about them anymore".
 
          OR
 
           The person stopped careing ...

and if they stopped careing.. was it really worth it? and shouldn't you worry more about the fact that they stopped careing?

Sadly to say that when a person stops careing, it means usually that they come to the point in life, where they just don't think (or you) is worth the heartache and pains anymore.

 I guess my really question would be "can you really tell which of the two a person is.. the one that has bitter pain and want to lower you for their own uplifting.. or the ones that care?".

Currently Reading The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel The Main Thing By C.J. Mahaney see related

Cross Centered Life

Wanted to share apart of this book  (or at least something I found interesting)

The book starts on about we should live a "cross centered life" - but truthfully we don't it breaks the it down to 3 things that keeps us from from it.

1. Legalism :  basing our relationship with God on our own performance
2. Condemnation:  being more focused on our sins then on God's grace.
3. Subjectivism: basing our view of God on our changing feeling and emotions.

What caught my eye - was the part on condemnation.

Romans 8:1  "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"

but as the book states it we have a tendency to carry our "baggage around" that we all in sometime or another will become condemned over any sin, past or present, great or small.  Sometimes we beat ourselves to a pulp condemning ourselves of  these sins, even after we repent them. The thought is that if we believe that Christ died for our sin, and we repent our sins than how come we still condemn ourselves of these sins?  Romans states clearly that that "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"

Thus we have to put down our baggage and such that we will allow the enemy to use our self condemnation as a foothold or stronghold against us. When we accepted Christ - we who were are aliens to this earth came home to the comfort and grace of the Lord our father, when we repent, we give this baggage to the God the father and tosses them aside and gives us new clothes.

But remember we have to do our part first

1. Know that Christ died for us and when accepting that he is our Savior we have been justified by his death and resurrection
2. Thus when we begin our santification - we have to repent all of our sin's so that the Lord will throw out our baggage to free us from condemnation.
3. Praise God that his mercy and grace so great that even in our unfaithfulness he is faithful
4. Because of God's mercy and grace - repeat step 2 daily, and not to confuse anybody but step 1 doesn't need to be repeated.

God is a merciful God, and he deserves more praise and honor than we can ever give him, but he rejoices so much when we come to him with a heart of worship.

Prayer...

I've come to the conclusion Prayer is important -- "okay now most of you guys are probably going a duh"..  but truthfully .. prayer has been one of the most difficult things to do in my life time.

But the Spirit lead me to the truth recently that the way I was seeing God and my relationship through prayer was coinciding with my relationship with my father.

I love my dad, basically nobody can ever say anything bad about my dad without me getting upset, to be honest you can't even hint towards it. Anyhow my conversation with my dad are very limited. I rarely go to my dad for advice (not saying he doesn't have good advice but more that we've been taught to be independent and figure things out on our own - thus removing dependencies) and if I'm in major trouble than I call him for help.  I think because of that I carry the same with my father as my FATHER in heaven. I come to him when I need him the most but rarely come to him on simple thoughts, or to sit and talk.

Which when we pray is what really were doing with God the Father, we can cry out to him, as for forgiveness from him, or sit and talk ..

But of late.. I've been spending more time in prayer.. praise prayer, repentence prayer, intercessory prayer and just many other types.

I think the relationship is through prayer, meditation.. ro be honest i think understanding the bible is through prayer..

so much to learn so  little time, my lack of knowledge or understanding in Christ .. saddens me..

Todd Bentley and Lakeland Revival...

Don't know how many of us have been paying attention to this the Revival that's happening down in Lakeland .. but if you have a chance Google it or I think you can watch it on Godtv.com or freshfire.org.

Todd Bentley is the Pastor that's leading the Revival down there - people are coming by the hundreds to be a part of this and is growing daily.  Now Bentley isn't your normal Pastor or what you may think of as a Pastor - Full of tatts and piercing - but  seems like a man of God - (what do i know i live in a backward Relationship with God and pray everyday that he would correct it for me)

Anyhow the thing that seems to be catching - the major debate right now is the fact that - he reading testimonies and testimonies over the resurrection of  people because they have been part of this revival, last I checked up 21 different resurrections - Praise God.

But what's starting to becoming interesting is that proof is now being asked of these resurrection - thus if proof exist than they can have faith.

(caution - because i don't want people to think they can take it by faith and by asking for proof we lack faith)

But truthfully - the Bible does state that one should test all spirits - If people are being resurrected - than wouldn't they want to give testimonies (or does God just want them not to speak) Many times when Christ did miracle he was cautious to warn them not to speak.

See I think to myself that God - is working and God is setting a blaze down there at the Revival - but also the enemy is working to cause disruptions, God will works with all aspects of the world.

I'm just amazed at God setting a blaze a simple man to start a revival where people are probably changing and turning back to him.  But I have to believe that where the Holy Spirit move - so does the enemy - and we have to earnestly pray that be able to distinguish between both.

Side Note:  I did some searching on Todd last night, something of interest came into play.. in one case a man with Colon Cancer felt like something was happening and believed a healing was occuring, Todd brought him on stage and then proceded to knee him in the stomach "in claim that the Spirit was leading him to do that" , in other testimonies from Todd - he makes mention on how he took a lady's leg and beat it on the ground like a baseball bat - to get the cancer out, or the fact that he kicked a person in the face, or charged a towards a man and knocked him down and procedeed to chock him  .. all of which the spirit had lead him to do.

I guess my question would be this, "What do you guys think would the Spirit lead a man to do this, and if it was you who was told this would you do it ?"

McDonald's Vs Christians..

On the New's front - apparently Christians are boycotting McDonald's because they are supporting same-sex marriage.

"The company has givein $20,000 to the National Gay and Lesbian Chambers of Commerce and placed on of its executives on that group's board.."

Kind of was thinking about this - every business - has to deal with what's right and what's wrong - moral , ethically and legally. The thought that's been in my head is that McDonald's is stuck in the middle of this and so would any other business that did or didn't do this.

if they retract and pull out the money and the board member than i'm sure there will be people running around wanting to boycott them because they don't support - and then if they keep supporting them the there will be people that will want them not to do it and boycott them.

it's like this Plan' the enemy uses to divide the nation in what's right and what's wrong.

Granted I don't think a public boycott and banishing is really a plan of God - I think we as Christian don't have to agree with it - so we can silently choose not to go to McDonalds- but i'm wondering if God is really saying picket infront .. (granted God can ask us to do anything but do we really see it to be the Lord moving)

Thoughts.. thoughts.. need to mull over..