Our thoughts are what makes our daily life what it is. If I start every day with doubt, no motivation, and discouragement, that is precisely the kind of day I’ll have.
If I adjust my mind to thoughts filled with promise, encouragement, and hope, I can pretty much count on that kind of day. The point is… you and I become what we think about.
Our mind is a "thought factory" with hundreds of thousands of thoughts each day. Your “thought factory” has two "Bosses". One we’ll call Mr. Yeshua, the other Mr. DeCeefer.
Mr. Yeshua specializes in giving you reasons to face life with a positive attitude, he helps you handle what comes your way, he tells you that you're more than able to face things with strength and courage. "That no matter what comes along in life, he will be with you".
Mr. DeCeefer is an expert in the opposite direction. He whispers reasons why you cannot succeed, he makes you think in the negative sense, he convinces you that you may as well accept that you will always be a failure and everything in life is stacked against you. That you just can't win no matter what! And he is expecting you to believe him.
When you start to work on having positive thoughts, Mr. Yeshua will make sure that one encouraging thought after another fills your thought factory. But Mr. DeCeefer is always hiding out in the shadows...just waiting for something negative to enter your thought factory. And when it enters, he immediately starts with the discouraging, destructive whispering that will have you believing demoralizing and life wrecking ideas about yourself. Like "You only have bad luck" and "the world is against you".
You must understand one important thing. All our thoughts, whether positive or negative, grow stronger each time we think them. That's why some people stay in that negative, depressive mood . . . and why some people always seem to be in a positive good mood. Their thoughts are always the same.
If every day you put some water in the gas tank of your car, the engine will start running rough and sooner or later it will just stop running altogether. Dead on the side of the road... in the world. And Mr. DeCeefer will be waiting with open arms.
But if you put only gas in the tank, your car runs smoothly and gets you where you want to go. And Mr Yeshua will be waiting with open arms to take you all the way home.
By now, I'm sure you have probably figured out that Mr Yeshua is Jesus Christ and Mr DeCeefer is Satan. I thought it may make this more readable to some people and less of a "sermon".
We must remember above all that our thought factory has two "bosses". But one "boss" has a super great foreman... and his name is the Holy Spirit. So if Mr DeCeefer is the boss of your thought factory, may I suggest you quit working for him and go to work in Mr Yeshua's thought factory.
You'll be amazed at how smoothly your “factory" will begin to operate under your new leadership.
This turned out to be a kind of "history" in my Christian growth, or what some may consider...a lack of. And it was written in part by my laziness,forgetfulness and whim. But it was written mostly by accident!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
All potatoes and no meat...
Because there are no “here’s how to leave a church,” instruction books, it’s common to hear those who leave a church described as whiners, resistors and disgruntled people. The churches sometimes try to "convince" people that it would be to the benefit of the those who leave to be silentand just leave. But it needs to be called what it is. Religeous intimidation.
Sometimes the church "covers up" the situation by making false claims about how "other doors" have opened for the person(s) who left or that they had "personal issues". They want "make sure" you are on board with the church's belief, especially if you are in any kind of leadership position.
If not...See ya!At first, after you leave, you may be a bit "miffed" or like me, really p***** off. Most are likely somewhere in-between. The sad part is, most of the people who left...nobody noticed. Easy come, easy go, I guess.
A lot of times people who leave a church have had experiences that caused them pain. Just the fact of leaving is a gut-wrenching expeirience. All the while the church leaders do little to rectify things and then just shrug their shoulders and say "oh well, we hate to see you go", while looking past you at the new person coming in the front door, while giving you the bums rush out the side door.
Some may have left because of the watered-down weak preaching week after week. But I give the church credit...in between the skits, the announcements and while we listen the the "praise team" sing TO God FOR us, they do throw in a scripture or two. And sometimes in relation to what they are talking about! But I don't remember Moses having to balance his checkbook or Jonah being told to read a book about volunteering.
Some folks may have left because of all the "worldly things" the church does to make themselves look attractive so the "seekers" will come. Like free refreshments after the service, and "no guilt" sermons. COME AS YOU ARE!! Wear your pajamas, we don't care! And bring your friends!
And then the church baptizes them, (so the numbers look good), but because they are not convicting the "new believers", they leave after a few weeks and the church becomes a revolving door as unbelievers come and go. So how are they leading "new believers" to their salvation? By baptizing them? All they end up with is a bunch of wet sinners that believe they are saved. Then they stop going to church with the belief they are going to Heaven.
But not to worry, the church is expecting more new people next week, because they just advertised in the shopping guide that it's "MOVIE WEEK WITH GOD" with free popcorn and soft drinks!Boy...that ought to pack 'em in! Anything short of sin to get 'em in, they say!
Some believers may have decided they don’t want to put their kids in the children's program where they will have little or no "Christianity" taught to them, but they will be "entertained" with games, toys and videos in between the snacks and popping balloons.
Lure the kids in and the parents will follow! But do the unbelieving parents read their the bible at home? It's doubtful because, after all, they won't be getting filled with Gods word hearing the message! So it is doubtful.
One church stated they had an almost 300 person "cleansing" of the church that year. That's "church-ese" for a bunch of people left! And even less became regular attenders.
You can say anything you want to about the people like myself who saw things we did not like in our particular church and left because of it. But I find it difficult to see how we are whiners, resistors and troublemakers. And when we do leave, do they try to keep us? Hardly. It's "don't let the door hit you when you leave". You can be a Pastor, elder, deacon or ministry leader in today's churches and if you step down, they don't miss a beat and cover up why you left with some absurd story. Or just not mention it at all. We wouldn't want to make the church look bad, would we?
If we walk away from the church, seeking God's Word in other ways and places, are we really being traitors? We have not turned our backs on Jesus or lost our faith. In fact, many of us have become stronger in our faith since we left the church because we are getting MORE meat and less potatoes!
By seeking other believers and joining together, having "church" amongst ourselves and doing what we should be doing, studying the scriptures, having fellowship, I fail to see how that makes outcasts to God!! We are the church!!
I myself, have joined the ranks of the DE-Churched and find that I am in a much better position to serve in God's Army and serve proudly.
Sometimes the church "covers up" the situation by making false claims about how "other doors" have opened for the person(s) who left or that they had "personal issues". They want "make sure" you are on board with the church's belief, especially if you are in any kind of leadership position.
If not...See ya!At first, after you leave, you may be a bit "miffed" or like me, really p***** off. Most are likely somewhere in-between. The sad part is, most of the people who left...nobody noticed. Easy come, easy go, I guess.
A lot of times people who leave a church have had experiences that caused them pain. Just the fact of leaving is a gut-wrenching expeirience. All the while the church leaders do little to rectify things and then just shrug their shoulders and say "oh well, we hate to see you go", while looking past you at the new person coming in the front door, while giving you the bums rush out the side door.
Some may have left because of the watered-down weak preaching week after week. But I give the church credit...in between the skits, the announcements and while we listen the the "praise team" sing TO God FOR us, they do throw in a scripture or two. And sometimes in relation to what they are talking about! But I don't remember Moses having to balance his checkbook or Jonah being told to read a book about volunteering.
Some folks may have left because of all the "worldly things" the church does to make themselves look attractive so the "seekers" will come. Like free refreshments after the service, and "no guilt" sermons. COME AS YOU ARE!! Wear your pajamas, we don't care! And bring your friends!
And then the church baptizes them, (so the numbers look good), but because they are not convicting the "new believers", they leave after a few weeks and the church becomes a revolving door as unbelievers come and go. So how are they leading "new believers" to their salvation? By baptizing them? All they end up with is a bunch of wet sinners that believe they are saved. Then they stop going to church with the belief they are going to Heaven.
But not to worry, the church is expecting more new people next week, because they just advertised in the shopping guide that it's "MOVIE WEEK WITH GOD" with free popcorn and soft drinks!Boy...that ought to pack 'em in! Anything short of sin to get 'em in, they say!
Some believers may have decided they don’t want to put their kids in the children's program where they will have little or no "Christianity" taught to them, but they will be "entertained" with games, toys and videos in between the snacks and popping balloons.
Lure the kids in and the parents will follow! But do the unbelieving parents read their the bible at home? It's doubtful because, after all, they won't be getting filled with Gods word hearing the message! So it is doubtful.
One church stated they had an almost 300 person "cleansing" of the church that year. That's "church-ese" for a bunch of people left! And even less became regular attenders.
You can say anything you want to about the people like myself who saw things we did not like in our particular church and left because of it. But I find it difficult to see how we are whiners, resistors and troublemakers. And when we do leave, do they try to keep us? Hardly. It's "don't let the door hit you when you leave". You can be a Pastor, elder, deacon or ministry leader in today's churches and if you step down, they don't miss a beat and cover up why you left with some absurd story. Or just not mention it at all. We wouldn't want to make the church look bad, would we?
If we walk away from the church, seeking God's Word in other ways and places, are we really being traitors? We have not turned our backs on Jesus or lost our faith. In fact, many of us have become stronger in our faith since we left the church because we are getting MORE meat and less potatoes!
By seeking other believers and joining together, having "church" amongst ourselves and doing what we should be doing, studying the scriptures, having fellowship, I fail to see how that makes outcasts to God!! We are the church!!
I myself, have joined the ranks of the DE-Churched and find that I am in a much better position to serve in God's Army and serve proudly.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Abandoned...
In the ghetto stands a run down house. Broken windows, shingles missing off the roof, front steps rotting in the weather. It has a sign on it. ABANDONED.
There is a little old lady sitting in her rocking chair in a nursing home on her birthday. No family singing happy birthday, no birthday cake, no candles to blow out. She’s been abandoned.
A small child is taken into an office by a social worker. As she looks around, confused and frightened, she hears the adults whisper “she was abandoned”.
A wife discovers emails sent by her husband to another woman.
A factory worker on the assembly line finds a pink slip in his pay envelope after 25 years on the job.
Abandoned by family.
Abandoned by a spouse.
Abandoned by big business.
But nothing compares to being abandoned by God.
My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?
When Christ said those words, He had been on the cross six hours. At nine in the morning a soldier held one arm while they drove a nail thorough his hand, then the other, then thru both feet. When they lifted the cross, they unknowingly put Christ right where He belonged. Between mankind and God.
Jesus hardly spoke while on the cross. When he does, He forgives His killers. He answers the prayers of a thief and asks soldier for a drink, and gets vinegar.
Matthew 27: 46-47 In the Amplified bible says:
And about the ninth hour (three o'clock) Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?--that is, My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?
We have to ask; Why did God sacrifice his son? Why not a murderer? Evildoers? The perverts and the people who cause pain. Abandon them…not your SON!! Why did God abandon the only sinless person that ever walked the earth?
Because at that moment, Jesus was anything but sinless. But His sins were not his own. 1 Peter 2:24 says:
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Christ carried ALL OUR SINS in His body. Just for a moment lets think about our pasts. Our times of anger, perhaps even rage. Our greed, thievery, lies, gossip, drugs, drunkenness and I’m sure some of us can add other things.
Suppose our pasts were made public? Suppose you stood on a stage while a video of your every secret thought and all your deeds was shown on a big screen behind you. And nobody could stop the video. Would you not want to hide somewhere? Drop thru a crack in the floor?
Then maybe you would become aware of a sin-hating God. Then maybe you would feel just a fraction of what Jesus felt on the cross.
Jesus was suffering a million time more as He hung there and screamed” why have you abandoned me?
He carried ALL the SINS of mankind to the cross. Past, present and FUTURE. He carried YOUR sin to the cross. So when you see Jesus on the cross, you are seeing a murderer hanging there. A bigot, a wife beater, a drug addict, a thief Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Jeffery Dahmer.
You may think I shouldn’t be lumping Christ with all those evil doers. But I didn’t…HE DID! He put Himself in their place. And yours and mine.
Nailed to the cross, he asked God “to treat ME as you would treat THEM”! And God did.
And God gave all the people who ever lived, a gift. The Lamb of God who took away our sins.
MY GOD MY GOD…Why have you abandoned me?
Why did Christ scream those words?
So you will never have to!
There is a little old lady sitting in her rocking chair in a nursing home on her birthday. No family singing happy birthday, no birthday cake, no candles to blow out. She’s been abandoned.
A small child is taken into an office by a social worker. As she looks around, confused and frightened, she hears the adults whisper “she was abandoned”.
A wife discovers emails sent by her husband to another woman.
A factory worker on the assembly line finds a pink slip in his pay envelope after 25 years on the job.
Abandoned by family.
Abandoned by a spouse.
Abandoned by big business.
But nothing compares to being abandoned by God.
My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?
When Christ said those words, He had been on the cross six hours. At nine in the morning a soldier held one arm while they drove a nail thorough his hand, then the other, then thru both feet. When they lifted the cross, they unknowingly put Christ right where He belonged. Between mankind and God.
Jesus hardly spoke while on the cross. When he does, He forgives His killers. He answers the prayers of a thief and asks soldier for a drink, and gets vinegar.
Matthew 27: 46-47 In the Amplified bible says:
And about the ninth hour (three o'clock) Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?--that is, My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?
We have to ask; Why did God sacrifice his son? Why not a murderer? Evildoers? The perverts and the people who cause pain. Abandon them…not your SON!! Why did God abandon the only sinless person that ever walked the earth?
Because at that moment, Jesus was anything but sinless. But His sins were not his own. 1 Peter 2:24 says:
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Christ carried ALL OUR SINS in His body. Just for a moment lets think about our pasts. Our times of anger, perhaps even rage. Our greed, thievery, lies, gossip, drugs, drunkenness and I’m sure some of us can add other things.
Suppose our pasts were made public? Suppose you stood on a stage while a video of your every secret thought and all your deeds was shown on a big screen behind you. And nobody could stop the video. Would you not want to hide somewhere? Drop thru a crack in the floor?
Then maybe you would become aware of a sin-hating God. Then maybe you would feel just a fraction of what Jesus felt on the cross.
Jesus was suffering a million time more as He hung there and screamed” why have you abandoned me?
He carried ALL the SINS of mankind to the cross. Past, present and FUTURE. He carried YOUR sin to the cross. So when you see Jesus on the cross, you are seeing a murderer hanging there. A bigot, a wife beater, a drug addict, a thief Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Jeffery Dahmer.
You may think I shouldn’t be lumping Christ with all those evil doers. But I didn’t…HE DID! He put Himself in their place. And yours and mine.
Nailed to the cross, he asked God “to treat ME as you would treat THEM”! And God did.
And God gave all the people who ever lived, a gift. The Lamb of God who took away our sins.
MY GOD MY GOD…Why have you abandoned me?
Why did Christ scream those words?
So you will never have to!
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