When we get this, the rest makes sense

In John Chapter 8, we read about Jesus talking to leader of their time, those who did not know Him and accept Him as Messiah, and we understand Jesus' very point in what is wrong in society today:   Galatians 5:¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy,^[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

John 8:42-4

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴ 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."

Understand this:

• The Devil is a liar
• The Devil is a murderer
• The Devil does not understand truth
• When he lies he is speaking his native tongue
• The Devil is a liar
• The Devil is the father of all lies

No matter what we think, say or do, we have to convince ourselves that Jesus truly means what he says about one of His Angels - the fallen Angel Lucifer - he is a liar.  Therefore, anything that is of God's plan, Satan wants to destroy.  God said to us in Genesis - Be fruitful and multiply!  The devil says divorce, quite, hate (murder) those that you know you should really love.  God says that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, body and strength and the second is like the first:  Love our neighbor as ourselves.  The Devil says that we are to love self and hate others.  He wants us to gossip, slander, malign and be captured by our very lusts and pleasures in life (after all society tells us so greatly how much we need it).

Sometimes we hear people say things like:

• I cannot wait to die and go to hell and be with my friends who love the world
• You Christians are boring, what do you know about pleasure
• Don't be so rigid, live a little
• How can a God of love cast people into Hell and the Lake of Fire?  I don't want to serve a God like that...

Sometimes we hear and see Christians shrink behind God's truth and our freedoms that our forefathers understood what is so important to us in this Country of ours the United States of America:

THE BILL OF RIGHTS

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights, set forth the priceless rights or freedoms that all Americans may enjoy. A brief summary of these great freedoms is given here.

FREEDOM OF RELIGION

The first right, or freedom, guaranteed in the Bill of Rights is freedom of religion. This right is guaranteed in the First Amendment. Freedom of religion guarantees to all Americans the right to practice any religion they choose, or to practice no religion at all.

Congress is forbidden to establish any religion as our nation's official religion. Congress cannot favor any one religion over others or tax citizens in order to support any one religion.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

The right to express your ideas and opinions when you speak is called freedom of speech. Freedom of speech also means the right to listen to the thoughts and opinions of others. This freedom guarantees that Americans are free to express their thoughts and ideas about anything. They may talk freely to their friends and neighbours or speak in public to a group of people. Of course, no one may use his freedom of speech to injure others. If a person knowingly says things that are false about another, he may be sued in court by the person or persons who believe they have been harmed by what he said.

Americans are free to express opinions about their government or anything else. They are free to criticize the actions of the government and of government officials. In a dictatorship, where the nation's government has all the powers, the people have no right to speak like this. They do not dare to criticize the actions of the government. If they do, they may be imprisoned. But all Americans enjoy the freedom of speech, which is guaranteed in the First Amendment.

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

The freedom to express your ideas and opinions in writing is known as freedom of the press. This freedom is closely related to freedom of speech and is also guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Freedom of the press gives all Americans the right to express their ideas and thoughts freely in writing. This writing may be in newspapers, books, magazines, or any other printed or written form. Americans are also free to read what others write. They may read any newspaper, book or magazine they want. Because they are free to read a variety of facts and opinions, Americans can become better-informed citizens.

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

Another priceless freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment is freedom of assembly, or freedom to hold meetings. Americans are free to meet together to discuss problems and to plan their actions. Of course, such meetings must be carried on in a peaceful way.

FREEDOM OF PETITION

The freedom of petition is the right to ask your government to do something or to refrain from doing something. The First Amendment contains this guarantee, also. The freedom of petition gives you the right to write to your Congressman and request him to work for the passage of laws you favor. You are free to ask him to change laws that you do not like. The right of petition also helps government officials to know what Americans think and what actions they want the government to take.

THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

The Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to bear arms. In the early years of our nation, Americans needed weapons in order to serve in the militia, or volunteer armies, that were established to defend our states. The militia provided protection during emergencies, too. Many Americans also believed that without weapons they would be powerless if the government tried to overstep its powers and rule by force.

"NO-QUARTERING" RIGHT

The Third Amendment states, "No soldier shall, in times of peace, be quartered in any house. . . ." Under British rule, the colonists sometimes had to feed and house British soldiers against their will. As a result, Americans wanted this practice forbidden under the Bill of Rights.

THE RIGHT TO EQUAL JUSTICE

The Bill of Rights contains many rights that are guaranteed to persons accused of a crime. Amendments Five, Six, Seven, and Eight are all concerned with these rights. Our nation places great importance on these rights in order to guarantee equal justice for all Americans.

A person must be indicted, or formally accused of a crime, by a group of citizens called a "grand jury" before he can be brought into court for trial.

A person accused of a crime is guaranteed the right to know what law he is accused of breaking.

A person accused of a crime has a right to a prompt public trial by a jury of his fellow citizens.

An accused person cannot be put into prison and kept there for weeks or months while awaiting a trial. He has the right to leave jail, in most cases, if he can raise a certain sum of money, or bail, as a pledge that he will appear at his trial.

An accused person has a right to a lawyer to represent him in court.

All the testimony and evidence against an accused person must be presented publicly in court.

The accused person has the right to call any witnesses to appear if their testimony will help him.

The accused person cannot be forced to testify or give evidence against himself.

If the accused person is found guilty, he cannot be given cruel or unusual punishment. If the accused person is found not guilty of a serious crime, he cannot be tried a second time for this same crime.

THE RIGHT TO OWN PRIVATE PROPERTY

The Fifth Amendment guarantees Americans the right to own private property. No person may take away anything that we own. Nor can the government seize our land, money, or other forms of property without cause, or without paying for it. The right to own private property is one of America's basic freedoms. Our free economic system is based upon this right.

THE RIGHT TO ENJOY MANY OTHER FREEDOMS

To make doubly sure that Americans should enjoy every right and freedom possible, Amendment Nine was added to the Constitution. This amendment states that the list of rights contained in the Bill of Rights is not complete. There are many other rights that all Americans have and will continue to have even though they are not mentioned in the Bill of Rights. Among them are the following.

Freedom to live or travel anywhere in our nation

Freedom to work at any job for which we can qualify

Freedom to marry and raise a family

Freedom to receive a free education in good public schools

Freedom to join a political party, a union, and other legal groups

As a final guarantee of our rights, the Tenth Amendment set aside many powers of government for the states. This Amendment says that all powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution, nor forbidden to the states, are set aside for the states, or for the people. This provision leaves with the states the power to act in many ways to guarantee the rights of their citizens.

SUMMARY

Government is the authority or power that people establish to help them run their affairs.

Governments serve many important purposes, but the most important one is that government makes it possible for people to live and work together. Government provides us with rules of conduct we can follow. Government makes it possible for people to live by known laws, and helps provide many services that citizens acting alone could not perform themselves.

Our nation's government is based on the American Constitution. This Constitution, together with its Bill of Rights and other amendments, provides us with a workable plan of government. The Constitution also guarantees to all Americans many priceless rights and freedoms.

Our nation's government is based upon the approval, or consent, of the people who are governed. It is a federal system in which certain powers are given to the national government and other powers are left to the states and to the people. Certain powers are shared by both federal and state governments. In both federal and state governments, powers are separated and balanced among three branches of government.

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Understand this:  The Devil wants to destroy the very essence of God's will for our lives - to have an abundant life and to be saved by His Son - Jesus Christ.

• Love the Lord
• Let Go and Let God
• Repent, turn and serve God
• Seek first the Kingdom of God
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

Don't forget, the devil wants to destroy every good and righteous things in your life.

Blessings,

D

A time for everything

Ecclesiastes 3New International Version (NIV)

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:  2     a time to be born and a time to die,  a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3     a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4     a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,     a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6     a time to search and a time to give up,  a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7     a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8     a time to love and a time to hate,  a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.  15 Whatever is has already been,     and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.[b] 16 And I saw something else under the sun:  In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.  17 I said to myself,  “God will bring into judgment     both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity,     a time to judge every deed.”

18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

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Some things that we can learn from the wisest man that the world has ever seen - Solomon:

• God does not change
• No matter how much we desire, God's plans may differ from our plans (and usually do)
• The world will never make sense until the Lord returns
• We need to find contentment
• His timing is perfect
• Above all, we need to fear the Lord

What are some of your thoughts?

Dante

S P R I N K L E D

Hebrews 10:22 (NIV) 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.1 Thessalonians 4:1-11 (NIV) Living to Please God:  " 4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.   Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.  3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.   9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,"

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Clearly we all need to be SPRINKLED WITH GOD'S LOVE AND TRUTH AS FOLLOWS:

S - Set your minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God

P - Put away the earthly things that turn your love from Him

R - Rid yourselves of those things that turn you away (get rid of the fruitless things)

I - In Christ

N - not what we do, but Christ in us through His Spirit

K - through his knowledge through his word and the kindness that he gives us to do to others as we would have done to us

L - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

E - Every Christian should clothe ourselves with God's Fruit (Read Galatians 5)

D - In whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all for Jesus

Be blessed,

Dante

Pure Religion instead of men's traditions...

John 5:30-47New International Version (NIV)

30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Testimonies About Jesus

31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.  33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.  36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study[a] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.  41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[b]?  45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Where did Moses write about Jesus?

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

New International Version (NIV)

The Prophet

14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”

21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.

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To give you some background on the Scripture in John Chapter 5, we read that Jesus just healed a man who was a beggar who was crippled and could not walk.  Jesus healed him on the Sabbath and told him to pick up his mat and walk.  The religiuous leaders of the time were angered that someone healed a man on a Sabbath.  How dare this healed man carry anything on the Sabbath.  They later found it was Jesus who healed this man and then they wanted to destroy him.  Let's think about that for a moment:  Jesus healed a man, told him to get up and walk and carry his mat and what he said to do - HAPPENED.

The Author of Life was before man and was saying to them - don't let religion get in the way of the truth.  Jesus is the truth.  Jesus is the way.  No man can come to the Father (God) but through Jesus.

I agree with Lance on his previous post, Religion is the problem.  We let tradition and practice get in the way Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  We let our insecurities and pride and anger and search for significance and lust in the way of true faith.  Jesus said to these leaders that they search the scriptures daily (a lot of these leaders even memorized books of the Bible.  In their very own brand of religion, they missed the one and only true Messiah.

What are you holding to?  Are you missing the very one who calls us to be his?  We should listen to God's Son as He is the way, the truth and the life.  Moses had so much to saw about this man:

• Jesus is represented as the Passover Lamb (why we need the perfect Lamb)
• Jesus testified that He is the bread of life (Moses prayed for Manna)
• Jesus is the Living Water (Moses struck the Rock for water)
• Jesus is the prophet that Moses spoke about

From Genesis to Revelation please don't misunderstand that Jesus is the reason, the way and the only truth we should believe to be saved.  Religion will not,  could not nor ever will replace Him.

Be a true disciple,

Dante

Religion Is The Problem

One of the questions I've struggled with and chewed on for the past few years is why do so many people seem to have shallow faith?  Why do many Christians spend their time and energy fighting each other and arguing minutia in theology rather than advancing God's kingdom and helping others.  The reason, I believe, is that many people are learning and practicing religion instead of faith.

Recently, I stumbled upon a Christian website with numerous members whose sole activity was to belittle and attack any other Christian or Pastor who has written a bestselling book.  They'd take passages out of context and find one line or word in a 300 page book to basically label the author as a false-teacher.  They prided themselves in "outing" this author and they claimed to have the "true faith." They seemed to favor a legalistic, rules based type of religion and held everyone else (except themselves) to impossible standards of perfection.  My question was "who were these self righteous people and how can they claim to practice the same faith as me?"

I often work and talk with atheists and former Christians and when I ask them to describe their experience with Christianity they describe an environment of strict rules, assimilation, judgement and hypocrisy.  One recent comment on this site states "The most rewarding thing I've ever done is abandon the lies and falsehoods of the Christian faith and embrace atheistic skepticism. When you've been captured by religion whether through indoctrination or emotional epiphany you generally don't see the grip it has over you but once you've broken free of it's hold the delusional nature of Christian belief becomes glaringly obvious. You feel at once liberated and yet embarrassed to have been duped by such irrational dogma."

These descriptions of a "faith experience" all seem similar.  They seem forced, controlling, legalistic and practiced out of sense of guilt rather than of free-will faith and love.  They describe a religious experience where they feel captive and coerced into practicing and believing.  They describe their experience with God like it was a horrible job they hated going to each day.

Why is their experience so vastly different from my own?  I honestly believe it was because they were practicing religion rather than faith.

Religion is a man-made system of rules, dogma and cultural norms.  Religion seeks conformity, obedience and not questioning or challenging the system.

Religious people approach faith like a college course.  They think the answers lay in showing up each week and spending a lot of time reading, analyzing and debating the intricacies and minutia of the text.  They also throw in some rules and cultural norms which are pleasing to them (but often have no or minimal Biblical basis) and eventually they start developing a judgmental attitude towards anyone who does not fall into line with their opinions or their version of religion.

The problem with this type of religion and churches that practice it, is that they create a "check the box" experience.  You can show up on Sunday, wear the right clothes, sing loud, toss some money in the plate and generally be seen as a "good Christian."

This type of religion is academic and image based - in other words - shallow.  This type of experience is also the #1 reason cited by many former Christians why they choose to leave the faith and why they never want anything to do with a church again.

We need to stop practicing and perpetuating this fallacy of religion and start living and leading a legacy of faith.

Authentic Faith cannot be earned with good behavior or by memorizing hundreds of Bible verses.  It cannot be won by bribing God or by spouting deep theological knowledge on Predestination.

Authentic Faith was paid for at Calvary and is our wonderful gift given by God's grace alone.  It has to be freely accepted at a time and place where the Holy Spirit truly moves your heart.

Once Authentic Faith is accepted, it changes your life forever.  Authentic Faith is illustrated by dying to oneself and giving to others each and every day.  It's caring about your neighbors more than yourself.  It's displayed on a daily basis in our actions, thoughts and words.  It's the choices we make behind closed doors, behind the keyboard when no one is looking and it's choosing to be obedient to God's plan rather than our own ambitions and pleasures.

Authentic Faith can be broken down into four phases.

Phase I is Experienced Faith - this is where we participate in customs and rituals of the faith tradition with other Christians.  Our faith is experienced with our senses through worship, Biblical stories and basic theology.  If you were raised in the church as a child, you were assimilated into this type of experienced faith.

Phase II is Affiliative Faith, this faith develops by being affiliated with a Christian community and fellowship.  Affiliative Faith involves social, spiritual, and service activities, which provide opportunities for people to deepen their relationships with other Christians.  This may also include small groups, Bible studies, retreats and conferences.

Sadly, many Christians never get past these first 2 phases.  They spend the majority of their lives repeating Phases 1 and II on a weekly basis and simply look for "new" or "different" experiences of these first 2 phases.  They are often attracted to the experience that is the most entertaining for them.

Phase III is Searching Faith, this is the phase where faith is questioned and challenged.  Sadly, many Christian youth raised in the church come to this point and when they ask hard questions about the faith, they are given weak answers.  Many Christian adults reach this phase when they become dissatisfied with their experience and instead of asking hard faith questions to someone trained in Apologetics, they instead turn to the internet or friends who will tell them all the reasons why what they believe is wrong.  Instead of objectively looking at all sides of Christianity or the mountains of peer reviewed scientific, historical and anthropological evidence, they will take whatever answers seem more appealing and pleasurable and choose to accept them as truth.  Sadly, many people walk away from their faith at this point.  I think both the Church and the individual share the blame for this failure.  It takes time and effort to truly search for objective faith answers from both sides and most people don't take the time.  The Church also does a very poor job of answering and handling these questions too, so both are at fault.  For a brief synopsis of my own personal journey through this stage, read My Post Here.

If Phase III was done objectively by the participant and the Church did a better job of equipping it's followers, many people would come out of Phase III with a renewed sense of strong faith that can handle any objections and challenges.  This is the point when followers realize and internalize their faith as absolute truth.

Phase IV is Owned Faith, this is the phase where followers experience great enlightenment in their lives.  This is the stage where faith becomes less about oneself and more about God and helping others.  In this phase, faith becomes about living your life congruent with your faith and beliefs.  In this phase, other followers can hold you accountable to practice and live what you claim to believe.  This phase involves submitting your life to God's will and plan and letting God lead you in your decisions in life.  This phase brings about a spiritual maturity that ends judgement, gossip and destructive, irrational decisions.  Owned Faith breeds confidence, humbleness, calm and clarity and childlike trust in God.  Owned Faith is an absolute joy in your life and never feels like a chore or burden.  I've honestly never met anyone with this type of faith who one day up and left their faith or the church.

So how do we get to Authentic Faith?

1. Be Proactive. Each person must walk through this journey of their own free will.  The Church nor anyone else can hold your hand and get you out of your comfort zone.  Start by looking at your current Faith Phase.  What phase are you in? What phase are you struggling with?  Start by working on that phase and developing your own plan to work on and through that phase.

2. Surround Yourself With Authentic Faith.  Some of the biggest growth in my life has happened when I stepped out of my comfort zone and started associating with people who were at the level I wanted to be at.  Find someone you believe has authentic faith and ask to take them out for coffee.  Ask them about their  faith, their practices, their daily lives.  Maybe even ask them to mentor you or be an accountability partner for you.  If you can find a group of people like this and stay committed and accountable, you will grow and better yourself.  Read The Law of the Lid.

3. Take Decisive Action Now.  What would your authentic faith look like?  Start committing to living that way today. Volunteer for a missions trip or to work with the youth in your church.  Start spending just 5 minutes per day reading the Bible.  Start doing random acts of kindness around the house, at work and in your community.  Start leading your wife, kids, family in a weekly Bible study.  Start acting and living like Jesus was by your side every single day.  Don't think or sleep on it, just commit to it and take action to put the wheels in motion.  I often shoot off emails to leaders committing to things before I have a chance to talk myself out of them, it's a way to keep myself accountable.

If you're reading this and you've yet to experience an Authentic Faith, I pray that you'll take the steps and take action to make it happen.  It's a wonderful and life changing place to be in and you'll never regret the journey.  If you've left the faith because of a bad religious experience, I challenge you to find someone with Authentic Faith and have a conversation with them.  Heck, shoot me an email. I won't try to convert you and I love challenging questions or faith debates.

Wherever you are, I pray that you will know that Jesus Christ was the ultimate example of what we should be living every single day.  No one is perfect but the more we follow His example, the closer and happier we become to living a life of Authentic Faith.

Esse Quam Videri

- Lance

God is able....He will never fail!

James 5:19-20New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

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"God Is Able", from Hillsong

[Verse 1]God is ableHe will never failHe is almighty GodGreater than all we seekGreater than all we askHe has done great things

[Chorus]Lifted upHe defeated the graveRaised to lifeOur God is ableIn His nameWe overcomeFor the LordOur God is able

[Verse 2]God is with usGod is on our sideHe will make a wayFar above all we knowFar above all we hopeHe has done great things

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I am so amazed everyday by the power and awesomeness of our God.  This past Saturday I had the privilege to lead our men's group called Men of Faith.  I challenged the guys at the end of the large group session and am still hearing great feedback from all of it.

Things that were once dead, once hopeless and once left for naught have been confessed and put in the light of truth and are being carried by other brothers.  No longer are we under the weight of that voice of lies that says that we are not worth it, that no one can help, that all is hopeless - just settle?  IGNORE THESE VOICES AND THOUGHTS - they are lies of our sinful past!  They are lies from the pit of hell.

The devil and his angels would like nothing more than for us to be in ambiguity and mediocrity.  They crave for us to live lives filled with anxiety, hopelessness and defeat.  For to have them mute us from our new creation (our redemption) is to convince us that what God did for us through His son was not enough - this my friends, is a lie.

Do not believe these things.  Do not listen to these words, thoughts or evil deeds - for they are contrary to the will of God.  Jesus died on a cross for our sins and paid the ultimate price, only to claim victory over death.  O Death, where is thy sting?  The grave has been defeated - God is able.  The once dead has been made alive in Jesus Christ - He has risen!

What do we need to do to overcome:

• Trust in God
• Believe in His Son - Jesus
• Confess our sins to him
• Renounce our former lives
• Tell him our hurts and pain
• Get faithful men to hold you accountable
• Read the word together
• Worship together
• Sing songs together
• Pray together
• Share life together
• Be honest with one another
• Let our God heal you and bless you
• Believe in his abundant life plan for our lives
• God is Able!

Do you believe?

Blessings,Dante

Job's Faith - ultimately shaken but not destroyed....

Often, I find myself reading the Word of God and realizing sometimes how much I shrink my faith, if even at the worst possible times I would have faith at all, given the many situations that life brings us:  Pain, suffering, trial, tribulation, joy, heartbreak, peace, war, and the like.  The week before Easter I spent time in the Book of John and as I said earlier listened to the entire CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters.  The point being, have I ever had that moment where the only place to turn was God?  Have I ever had that moment that brought me to my knees and where did my faith take me.As we begin to read,  Job 1, (ESV) Job's Character and Wealth  1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. ² There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ³ He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. ⁴ His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed^[a] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

As a parent, we learn a path quickly in this journey, trust God, lean not on our own understanding but trust in God no matter what, pray to Him continually.  Lift up prayers to God the Father every day for our children who are walking with Him or walking away.  God loves them more than we, as parents ever can.

As we continue to read, we learn that there is a dialogue between God and Satan,

Job 1:6-22

English Standard Version (ESV)

Satan Allowed to Test Job

⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[a] also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Takes Job's Property and Children

¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants^[b] with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

This is a hard part of the story as we realize that his faith is tested and that God is sovereign and that no matter what, Satan can do nothing without God.  God is in control!!!  The hard part of this story, for me, is that in a shadow of an eye and a blink of the light, everything is gone- Everything.  The only thing left was his wife and him and a few servants bearing the bad news.  Job's response amazes me and makes me question my faith, And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Just when  you thought that nothing could get worse, Job's best friends come to be with him.  At first you think this could be good, they will lay out their hands for him and comfort him and encourage him and urge him to live a life worthy of God, instead they virtually condemn him and say that surely there must be something in his life that is unrepentant and that he needs to turn toward God.  They go on and on in their discourses about the wisdom of God and what God's opinions would be on all this matter.

This should be a careful warning for us all:  Do not try to speak for God, let His words of truth do.  In everything look for God's fruit, if you see it, then don't condemn it.  If you don't see it then help the person(s) look for it.  And if you see the fruit of the sinful nature present, then ask for God's wisdom and discernment in how to handle it (if God wants you involved at all).

There is a moment of that knee bending faith that came to me about 5 years ago and then again 4 years ago - I almost lost my wife to a rare situation that almost brought her body to renal failure.  To this day we do not know how it happens but we know that when she has fevers it triggers that mechanism which breaks down the muscle in her body which overruns the body in which cause life threatening issues, needless to say, thank you Lord that the past few years have been without incident (although this week she has encountered a bad cold which has led to some fevers - praise God that they have not triggered anything!).  After the first episode five years ago, my wife was hospitalized for 6 days.  I had nowhere to go, no place to turn except the Word of God and for friends and loved ones to pray, to pitch in and to comfort my family (I thank God for these people in my life).  My life and my world were turned upside down.  At this time I had a two-year old, and 4 and 5-year-old - what was I to do (after this my outlook and respect for single parents completely changed).  By day four, I was deep into Colossians, Romans and Job and the phone rang and it was the prayer team leader of our church who called to tell me that a few women and her were praying for my wife's healing and for our family.  Right before they called I had this peace come over me.  You see, the night before I wrestled and cried and argued with God and asked him if this was His plan for my life.  After hours of tears and lack-less sleep the words that He was waiting on finally came across my lips - not my will, Lord, but your will be done.  You love her and you know what's best, she is yours, I give everything to you.  After the phone call, I smiled and sang praises to my God.  My wife was still in the hospital for another 30 hours, but I had this unbelievable peace.  What is really cool is that 2000 miles away, my mother-in-law, who was coming back from Florida had this exact time and exact peace that I did - God is in control!!!

After reading and pouring through Job, I had a new-found respect for this unbelievable servant of God:

• He knew Jesus Christ
• He believed that Jesus was to be Messiah and that He alone would be his intermediary
• He defended the weak and poor and the victims of this earth
• He was very content

At this point you are asking yourself, how did he know Jesus, well let me present the following scripture:

Job 9:33-35

New International Version (NIV)

³³ If only there were someone to mediate between us,     someone to bring us together, ³⁴ someone to remove God’s rod from me,     so that his terror would frighten me no more. ³⁵ Then I would speak up without fear of him,     but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

Job 16:19-21

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Even now my witness is in heaven;     my advocate is on high. ²⁰ My intercessor is my friend^[a]     as my eyes pour out tears to God; ²¹ on behalf of a man he pleads with God     as one pleads for a friend.

Job 19:25

New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ I know that my redeemer^[a] lives,     and that in the end he will stand on the earth

Secondly, Job teaches us how we should live in our place in the world:

Job 29:7-17

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ “When I went to the gate of the city     and took my seat in the public square, ⁸ the young men saw me and stepped aside     and the old men rose to their feet; ⁹ the chief men refrained from speaking     and covered their mouths with their hands; ¹⁰ the voices of the nobles were hushed,     and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. ¹¹ Whoever heard me spoke well of me,     and those who saw me commended me, ¹² because I rescued the poor who cried for help,     and the fatherless who had none to assist them. ¹³ The one who was dying blessed me;     I made the widow’s heart sing. ¹⁴ I put on righteousness as my clothing;     justice was my robe and my turban. ¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind     and feet to the lame. ¹⁶ I was a father to the needy;     I took up the case of the stranger. ¹⁷ I broke the fangs of the wicked     and snatched the victims from their teeth.

Some other verses that teach us how to "live"

• Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

• Colossians 3
• Romans 12

He knew the secret to life:

• It all comes from God
• Philippians

I don't ever want to have my faith tested like Job's and I thank God for the blessings in my life.  I have learned to be thankful for the testing of my faith in trials and tribulations.  Sometimes it really hurts especially when the one's we love sometimes are the one's who hurt us most, but then I remember - God is in control!!!

Blessings,

D

Noise

noise

noun

1. sound, especially of a loud, harsh, or confused kind: deafening noises.

2. a sound of any kind: to hear a noise at the door.

3. loud shouting, outcry, or clamor.

4. a non-harmonious or discordant group of sounds.

So expanding this definition to Spiritual noise, one can infer that it is a loud, hard and confused kind usually led by either 1) our old sin nature (past sins, temptations and son on) or 2) demonic influence.  There is Spiritual warfare, whether we want to acknowledge or deny it.  We read in Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.   This past week, as I have been preparing my heart for Easter Weekend, I have been listening to The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis and I have also been reading the Book of John.The central theme that I have taken from both readings is that God loves us so much that He gave us His only Son.   That He sent Jesus to atone for our sins by death on an old rugged cross.  That Jesus was born of a virgin, raised on this earth, died on a cross and in three days he rose again and now sits at the right hand of God.  I have also read that the devil hates the Family (whether spiritual or biological).  The evil one wants nothing more than to destroy everything that is good and from God.  The devil wants to destroy the family.

How do you no whether or not you have spiritual noise in your life:Sexual immorality (anything impure or lustful)

Impurity

Sensuality

Idolatry (of TV, Sports, Travel-League Sports, Hobbies and anything that comes before God that distorts truth in your life)

• Sorcery
• enmity
• Strife
• Jealousy
• Fits of Anger
• Rivalries
• Dissensions
• Divisions
• Envy
• Drunkenness
• Orgies
• And the things like the list above

Some relevant quotes from The Screwtape Letters that highlight Spiritual Noise:

• “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,...Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.”
• “It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.”
• “The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.”
• “Suspicion often creates what it suspects.”
• “Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.”
• “Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them a relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is took weak and fuddled to shake off.”

How much noise do you have in your life? What do you plan on doing about it?  How can you get help?  Why join a men's bible study?

Thoughts?

Dante