Shining like stars

Another poem (or quote) that I like to apply to my life is:  “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou.No matter what we like (or love) from this world, we (as Christians) should apply scripture to it to test it and to see if it holds water in our theology and the way that we live as Christians.  That being said, we should take serious the things of this world and identify whether they are building us up as disciples of Christ or tearing us down.

In my men's group (Men of Faith) I had shared that I went to see a movie with some friends that was related (in a distant way) to my work.  The movie really was worldly and ultimately a stumbling block to my other brothers so I felt the Spirit in me calling me to repentance and to confess that to my brothers.  When I tested this movie against Scripture it couldn't hold water.  Therefore, I could be unrepentant about it and hold it back from my brothers or I could free myself and confess to them and repent to God.  There was, at first, a defiant part in me that said that it didn't cause me to stumble nor did it cause me to lust and so on, but when I was really honest, how could I teach and facilitate other men if I could entertain sin?  I could not and that is what the Spirit revealed in me.

How about letting our light shine:

Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV) Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.  14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Philippians 2:12-18   (ESV) Lights in the World

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.  14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Matthew 7:12  (ESV) The Golden Rule

12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

People will always forget what you said and what you did, BUT they will never forget how you make them feel.  So tell me, if you are trying to be the salt and light to the world, what does it take to reach the lost (the sinner) and show them the love of Christ?  If and when we decide to become honest with one another, then we have to ask the question in each of our lives:  What is that sin that we have no mercy for?  For some it could be lust, for others it could be cohabiting couples and for others it could be homosexuality - where we have no love and no compassion.  If we are doing what Scripture tells us (above) we can live in such a way that others will want to know what makes us shine and how we can love (even the unlovable sin).  That is not to say that we have to affirm their lifestyle or be their judge - we don't.

In my men's group, we have what others may refer to as a successful ministry (not by what any man does, but by what God does)!!!  Simply put, we worship (songs in the beginning), then we have large group where facilitators will share either a life experience with Scripture or a theme or an event in their life and then we break out into small groups (pray, share and walking with others).  This, of course, is all wrapped with Scripture.  This is not a program or an event or a scheduled way to build discipleship, rather, this is real men being real with their own lives (not being afraid to abase themselves in front of other men) and sharing life together, confessing sins to one another and loving each other.  We are a family!

If you are going to take you pathway to discipleship to another level then consider doing some of the following things:

• Get into a men's group where these things happen
• Serve in a ministry in your church
• Serve in your community
• Love a sinner (be intentional in their life, pray for them and walk a mile or two in their shoes with them - don't sin with them, just walk with them)
• Read Scripture daily
• Pray often

Try this for the next few months and see where God takes you and I!

Blessings,Dante

If....

If I could change my past....If I didn't do that....

If I could only avoid.....

If I could crucify Jesus just one more time then my sin.....

Sometimes, we as Christians, rely too much on the ways of this world, on our old self (sin nature) and on the influences of darkness that tries to keep us away from the path of righteousness.  Scripture has much to say about this:

• Romans 8 (ESV) Life in the Spirit:  1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh
• John 10:25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you" but you do not believe.  The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never parish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.  I and the Father are one.
• Philippians 2: 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed  not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is GOd who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
• Colossians 3:16 Let the world of Christ dwell in your richly as your teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms ,hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hears to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving  to GOd the Father through him.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do no treat prophesies with contempt.  Test everything.  Hold on to good.  Avoid every kind of evil.

You and I (those of us who profess and are transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ) have put on a new self in Christ Jesus and are called to put our old self (our old sin nature) to death daily.  The flesh wars with the Spirit as the world wars with our souls - Idolatry our choice to avoid or to surrender to God's will instead of ours.

As Christians, it should no longer be If, then, else.  Rather it should be - IT IS FINISHED.  We do not need another crucifixion or Savior or any condition to be put before us.  We need to surrender to God's will in all of our lives and do His will instead of us.

Let go and let God.  Draw nearer to God and He will draw nearer to you.

When you hear that "if" in your life, or that doubt or that guilt or the enemy's attacks and guilt factor, simply say, "guilty" and then say out loud again, "covered in full by the  blood of Jesus Christ!!!"  Your debt, as a born again Christian, has been paid in full.  That means that your sins of the past, the present and the future have been covered.

Repent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling and turn toward God.  Surrender your will and listen to His will.

Blessings,

Dante

Watch yourself

There are two poems that mean a lot to me and my walk.  I like them both because they impact my life in the way that I walk and the way I want to share my life with others.  This past weekend I lead our men's group and we talked about discipleship.  I asked three of my leaders to come up to the front with me and to share what discipleship means to them.  Along with that, I asked them so questions like why do they do what they do?  Why do they stand in the gap?  In God's math, do they feel like they get more than they give?

One of the poems that I really like (and quote often) is the 5 watches:

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;watch your words, they become actions;watch your actions, they become habits;watch your habits, they become character;watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”  - Frank Outlaw

W - watch your words - Matthew 12:37  (NIV) 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Psalm 141:3 (NIV) 3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;  keep watch over the door of my lips.  Scripture says what needs to be said here.

A - watch your actions -  1 Peter 2:12 (NIV) 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

T - watch your thoughts - Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Why are we, as disciples, called to renew our minds?  Simply put, we were once lost but now are found.  For those of us that bear the Fruit of the Spirit, we know that there is a war that goes on from our old selves to our new selves (in Christ) and we have to put that old self (and its thoughts) to death daily.

C -  watch your character - 1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV) 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

H - watch your habits - Psalm 119:56 (NIV) 56 This has been my practice: I obey your precepts (a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought).

We are called to go and make disciples.  We are called to renew our minds.  We are called to love our brothers.

As striving to be the disciples that Jesus wants us to be, then we have to understand that nothing we can do can ever erase the debt or earn our way into heaven - Jesus paid it all.  Jesus is the answer.  Therefore, as disciples, what are we called to do:

• to be pure (God is Holy)
• to stewardship (of our time, of our talent and of our treasure) - It's all God's.  What we do with it will either give him all the honor and glory or it will give it to the world.  Whom will you serve?
• to discipleship - how we live, even without words, should imitate Jesus and our lives should point others to Jesus.

I will even challenge you on this.  If we look at our walks in 3 steps:  Biblical purity, biblical stewardship and then discipleship, then I want to challenge you on this question:  How can we be an effective disciple (being more Christ-like) if we do not hone in on purity and stewardship (of a time, talent and treasure) before we can become a serious disciple.  Acts 11:26b (NIV)  says this:"So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."  Did you catch that?  When they first became born-again (profess and confess and transformed) their lives a new in Jesus Christ they were known as Christians.  As they walked with Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for a whole year they were then known as disciples.  A Sensei literally means one who has gone before.  Both Barnabas and Paul were sinners, saved by grace, and went before the others as Apostles.  They met men and women where they were and did life with them together in relationship.  They taught them, shared with them and prayed with them.  They were in Scripture together and talking about real life issues and providing for one another.  They were first called Christians and then, after a year, they were known as disciples of Jesus Christ.

If the world is watching us (and they are), is our life pointing them to our old self (our old sin nature) or our new self in Jesus Christ.  Is our life pointing them to the Savior?  If they look at our purity (are we striving toward holiness as we are commanded?)  If they look at our stewardship (investment, giving, serving, and so on) does that point them to Jesus?  If we have purity and stewardship (this does not mean that we have it altogether and we live perfect sinless lives - of course we cannot), but it does mean that the Spirit and His Fruit is present in our lives.  We show humility and love in all circumstances.  Do you think that would be an effective disciple?  I most certainly do!  Challenge - look at Scripture and tell me whether or not you agree with me?

Watch your thoughts, they do become words.

Watch your words, they do become actions.

Watch your actions, they do become habits.

Watch your habits, they do become your character.

Watch your character, it does become your destiny.

Blessings,

Dante

Selfishness

"Selfishness is being concerned, sometimes excessively or exclusively, for oneself or one's own advantage, pleasure, or welfare, regardless of others. Selfishness is the opposite of altruism or selflessness; and has also been contrasted (as by C. S. Lewis) with self-centeredness." - GoogleWhether you turn on the television, radio, computer or drive around your city and look at the ads around your area on thing is for certain, this world is hell bent on all of us pleasing ourselves and telling us how we deserve to get what we want.  In most secular of situations we see the demand and popularity spillover on the pleasure of self and how we need to take care of ourselves over the so many other people and things in our life.  Here is a list (to name just a few):

• You deserve a break today - McDonald's
• I will what I want - Under Armour (actually this was a good commercial about overcoming negative people)
• Mastercard “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard” 1997
• L’oreal “Because you’re worth it”
• Burger King "Have it your way."
• "What happens here, stays here."  - ad for Las Vegas

Selfishness is something that we are not immune to.  It begins at a very early age with our kids:  "that's mine", "you can't have it", "give it to me, I don't want to share" and so it goes throughout our lives.  These are raw emotions that none of us can escape because it is inherent in all of us.  Look at the divorce rate in America (in the world).  How does this process begin?  How about in business?  How about in life?

We live in a world that is opposite of God's will for our lives.  That is not to say that there is no good anywhere in the world, because there is.  What I am saying is what the Bible says to us, Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  As a Christian, we have to understand that the moment we take a stand for God's truth and his justice and his mercy, then the enemy will take a stand against us.  The very essence of the family is what Satan and his army want to destroy because that is counter to God's desire for us to be fruitful and to multiply.  

When we have Kingdom eyes and Kingdom wisdom and discernment then our approach to our daily lives should start with the following:

• God is in control
• What is God's will for my life today?
• God loves me so much (He sent His Son to die for me)
• How can I serve God today?
• Where do I go to make disciples?
• Not my will, but His will be done
• Love my neighbor as myself

Altruistic means  unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others.  God's love overcomes everything.  When you encounter this love it transform you.  God's love, put into practice looks like this:

1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Instructions for Christian Households

Ephesians 5:²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^{[b] 32} This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Let's take this conversation a different way.  If you are reading this blog and you ask yourself, "Self, do I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior" knowing that if you do, then you know that you have been forgiven much and have been forgiven such a debt that no matter what we try to do in life, we could never earn back for ourselves nor could we ever repay.  Knowing this, then, we have been called by God to forgive others (and in some cases to forgive ourselves of past, present and future sins).  This does not give us a free pass to continue to live in unrepentant lives, because also commands us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  We are called to a life of submission and obedience and to love as God loves us.  To forgive as God has forgiven us!

Therefore, knowing this, who in our lives do we need to start forgiving:

• Ourselves?
• Our Spouse?
• Our children?
• Our boss(es) or work situations?
• Someone who has hurt me in the past?
• Someone who has hurt my loved one in the past?
• ___________ (fill in your blank)

When we hold back forgiveness, we put ourselves in a prison.  We put ourselves in a box of bitterness and we withhold God's best for our lives.  How about instead of trying it our way (being selfish - be honest, when we are living and doing our lives in a way that is anti-biblical, then we are being completely selfish) we try God's way.  Let go and Let God.  Let go of what is holding you back, let go of what is keeping you selfish, let go of what is holding God's best for you and let God move in your life.

Do not jump in front of his working (don't be selfish again once you let go).  Put true accountability in your life and join a men's group (or if you are a woman reading this join a women's group) and/or find a mentor who will walk with you and share God's truth with you and who will be relational with you. Someone who will tell you the truth instead of what you want to hear.  But the someone who will love you through thick and thin!

You may be saying, "I can't", "this will be too hard", "there is no way that God can take this dead thing in my life and make it alive and vibrant"?  Really?  Do we serve a God who is dead?  Of course not!!!  Do we serve a God who takes dead things and makes them live?  Of course we do!!!  God the Father loves us so much that He gave us His only Son to die for us.  The Son (Jesus Christ) loves us so much that He gave His Spirit for each one of us that knows Jesus as Savior and the Spirit loves us so much that He cries out for us to God and Jesus even when we don't know what do say, He says Abba (Father).

If you are being selfish in your life, your marriage or your circumstance - stop!  Confess!  Repent!  And turn toward God to lead you - let go and let God!  If you are being stubborn and unforgiving then stop!  Forgive! Repent of this and turn toward God's plans for you - not to harm you!  Let go and let God!

Blessings,

Dante