Saturday, September 6, 2008

The "Bag Job"

2 Corinthians 4-4 In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ ,who is the image of God,should shine unto them. Satan,often referred to as the "father of lies",whose goal it is to deceive the whole world,seeks to accomplish his task thru each and every one of us. Enticing us with what appears to be an easier,quicker, shortcut to all the things that we long for or desire. As with most "shortcuts",the final outcome is usually found lacking. satans number one lie is to convince us that he doesn't actually exist. That we're much too intelligent to believe in all of that sort of stuff.That mindset is satans fertile bottom land. Satan enticed Adam and Eve to eat of the tree so that they would be "Godlike" his game hasn't changed at all. On a basic level its really about control.Control of the world,yourself,and other people. Its a comprehensive deception that encompasses our whole belief systym.Our most closely held beliefs about control are patently false.We may possess the ability to affect the outcome of different situations but its not "real"or absolute,or "that which cannot be threatened".We are constantly confronted with this,things or people or events we believe under our control become "out of control" (a belief systym crash).the only control we should concern ourselves with is the control of our thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10-5 Casting down imaginations,and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. I think the essence of this verse is what i'm trying to express.i'm also talking about the "renewal of the mind" Romans 12-2 And be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Christ. Have you ever thought to yourself,"this is the way things are,I cant't change them,so i'd better learn to accept them" or in another attempt at rationalization,"shit happens"?This is the mindset of man,one that stems from the lie which tells us"you don't really deserve any happiness,or peace,and continuing to struggle is normal,it would be too much to hope for to live life in a joyful way,people who do that are just ignorant". The renewing of our minds means that we have the ability to see life with the "eyes of love",to arrive at diffrent conclusions,subscribe to a diffrent belief systym.Whenever I hear people espouse the hopeless viewpoint,"shit happens", I counter with"when does shit stop happening"?The common answer is,"never". "but it does" I say, "how"? In my mind... I perceive myself as a beloved child of my heavenly father God,Who,as the perfect father,seeks to teach us.The circumstances and events of our lives are nothing less than that attempt. To pursue a relationship with us,while at the same time out of love for us,help us to find our purpose and joy. Seeing your life in this way no longer allows us to see our lives as "shit" but as a divine journey,and the events and circumstances of our lives as the good and perfect will of our father God for our lives. If it walks like "holiness",talks like "holiness",and smells like "holiness" it's probably "holiness", not "shit","maybe we should taste it" (my attempt at humor). many of you are parents,perhaps even of teenagers,whose nature is to re bell against us.What a frustrating experience it is to watch as they"make their own mistakes". There's very little we as parents can do except wait. hopefully,when the rebellion subsides,or they hit the wall, (whichever comes first) we as parents often hear something like this "I don't know whats wrong,every thing is just screwed up,I thought I was doing the right thing but it did'nt turn out like I thought" what a joyous moment in a parents life,because now we know that we have their attention,that they may just listen,and that hopefully,even take our sage advice. Instantly our hearts melt,all past misdeeds forgotten,all that is important is that they have learned something.How much do you want to help that child? Is there any resource you possess that would be withheld?Our heavenly father is no different,(except he never makes mistakes). He's your father too,if you'd let him be, he's concerned for you even though your indifferent towards him.he'd like to help you,but you're in rebellion.He can wait,he's patient.He's not the one living in a "world of shit that keeps happening" Blaming God for our rotten,unfulfilled,joyless lives is also a lie.We made all of the choices,remember?(free will) Of course we made those choices in the context of a dis-functional satan sponsored world where lies are taken as truth.To me, this would seem a hopeless situation,were it not for Ephesians 4-7 Unto every one of us given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. this means that within all of us is a piece of God, of truth,for us to know.That will guide us,and if not ignored,would resonate when turned in the right direction.Is anything I've said caused any resonance?Have you ever heard Gods word and had that feeling of belonging? how foolish we all are to ignore the one thing that can make everything else right,that pearl of great value,that victory over hopelessness and cynicism,that rock for you in the raging sea of your life and the world you live in. Matthew 6-33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God,and all these things shall be added unto you. A meaningful life whose focus is giving instead of taking,a sense of fulfillment and security that cannot be threatened.Victory thru Christ Jesus over over the deceptions of satan which seek to steal our very soul,A true desire for repentance and change in our lives that we've never been able to find within ourselves, a friend,who is closer than a brother,our personal "wonderful counseler" who's office hours never close and who never sends a bill. But there is a catch,oh yes...it requires of us that we realize and confess our current state of depravity blindness,and just basic sinfulness.A realization of our hopeless situation and desperate need of a savior,true repentance,(which means to turn from)and willingness to trust all to him.


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