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Jacked Up Trees (Wolves in Sheep's Clothing)

Don't miss the beauty of the forest because you're diverted by the ugliness of some of its trees. (Anonymous)

 

Years ago, there were several scandals involving some well-known televangelist preacher guys. One was caught with a woman who wasn't his wife and another took the money from his own ministry and used it for himself. I remember those transgressions so clearly because I wasn't a Christian at the time and reasoned that their behavior was indicative of all of those "crazy Jesus freaks."

Their behavior didn't turn me off to Christianity, it confirmed my well-entrenched prejudice against the religion and all that went with it.

Clearly, things have changed. I discovered, with the help of the Holy Spirit and believing friends, that Jesus is real, alive and He is my savior. Everything changed once I developed my own personal relationship with Him.

Everything changed.

No matter how far off the beam I've gotten, no matter how great my sin, I know that Jesus loves me. We're human, and even Christians have the capacity to hurt each other. If you've been hurt, don't let that hurt be the reason that you stay away from Jesus.

I will make this message as simple as possible. Don't miss God's love for you because of the sin (or error) of some of the folks that claim to be His messengers.

Jesus warns us about wolves in sheep's clothing in Acts 20:29-30: "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

He tells us to keep our eyes open in Acts 20:31-32: Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

Monika translation: "There are going to be some bottom-feeding, opportunistic, downright liars that will show up to try to hang out and be your friend. Some may even claim to be godly and cool. Keep your eyes wide open and don't be fooled by the hype. You're with God now and He's got your back, and that's gonna lift you up higher than you've ever been before. Your future's looking bright as long as you keep close to God."

Bottom line--don't judge God by the people that represent Him, even if they're at the pulpit. Grow in your own relationship with the living God and see how good and gracious and loving He is for yourself.

Say out loud, based on Hebrews 12:1-3:

"Since I am surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let me also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let me run with endurance the race that is set before me,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Let me consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that I may not grow weary or fainthearted."


 

Purity

If that word is foreign to you, picture this. You go to the local dealership to buy your first car. You've been dreaming of this day for years--now it's finally a reality. You've had your eye on a shiny midnight blue sports car. Leather interior. GPS. Loaded interior and six airbags. 0-60 in .3 seconds.

Bomb car, right?
Here's what you don't know. This car has been used in six bank robberies, three dump runs and has been in multiple car accidents. The odometer has been rolled back illegally so many times that you have no idea how many miles there actually are on the vehicle. That leather that looks so nice? It's actually genuine rat hide. The GPS? A magic 8 ball.
Sound familiar? Let's switch the car analogy to the girlfriend/boyfriend scenario. You meet that "special someone" at a party. They seem amazing on the outside, but underneath, there's a whole lot of wreckage.
Or maybe you're the one with the past. If so, I can relate. My life before surrender to Christ was full of soul-scarring choices.
I had rat-pelt bucket seats.
The Bible speaks of a married couple as "two becoming one". One flesh. When you have sex with someone, you become "one" in the spirit with that person. When it doesn't work out, it's like tearing flesh--blood, scar tissue and pain are left behind. Every time you "hook up" with a new person, you're doing the same thing. After a while, you've got a whole lot of scabby scar tissue and hurt built up.
Imagine bringing your huge suitcase filled with guilt, anger, pain and broken promises to your wedding night. Is it any wonder that so few marriages work out--even Christian marriages?
Here is the Dictionary.com definition of purity:  freedom from anything that contaminates, debases or pollutes. Freedom from guilt or evil; innocence. Physical chastity; virginity.
Notice that the word freedom comes up a few times. That's a promise from God. Purity equals freedom. Freedom from guilt, freedom from STDs (including sexually transmitted HIV and AIDS), freedom from the pain that comes from having premarital sex and freedom from fear of an unwanted pregnancy.
It also means having the freedom to be friends first, freedom to find out what you have in common with your crush before you go too far and the freedom to follow your own dreams and passions without being hindered by a complicated, emotionally-charged sexual relationship.
God doesn't want us to be pure to punish us, but to bless us.
He wants your wedding night and all of the nights thereafter to be amazing explorations of the gift that He has given us through marital sex.
Here's the good news--God is our redeemer!! If you surrender to Him and give your life over to Him by accepting salvation through Jesus Christ, you will be washed clean--sparkly, shiny, new car smelling clean!!
In addition to recognizing the futility of doing things your own way and asking Jesus into your heart, get rid of your old keepsakes from "ex's" and start fresh. Ask God to sever all soul ties with all of those with whom you've become "one."
It's never too late to start on the road to purity. Try it, with God's help, and see where it leads you. I think you'll be amazed!
Based on Romans 12:1-2 say out loud,
I do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind. Then I will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will.
   

Pushing a Shopping Cart down the Avenue...

 

"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
 
Am I the only one whose worst case scenario is that I'll end up pushing the proverbial shopping cart down the avenue, hair knotted up in dreadlocks, living occasionally in my friend's beater Pinto that she has long since abandoned...you know the drill, or do you? Am I the only one? Oh, and the frightmare continues with my friend occasionally tossing me some cold spam sandwiches out the window so I'll have something to eat and her dog ends up getting to the scraps before I do. (OK, so I have a vivid imagination).
 
 
The Shopping Cart mentality. The worst fear. The bottom line. You know, fear that God won't really take care of me in a pinch.
 
 
I know anxiety--the kind that keeps you up at night, curled up in the fetal position, heart racing, mind spinning out of control. That panic that has to do with what ifs and unanswered questions and possibilities of disaster. The kind of fear that nothing can touch. I also know the free-floating, random, not having to do with anything in particular kind of anxiety.
 
None of that is from God.
 
I'll never forget a night when I was so full of anxiety and fear that I literally felt paralyzed. Couldn't move to pick up the phone because I was afraid of what I'd find out what was on the other end of the line. I couldn't talk about my fears because I felt embarrassed and ashamed to have such anxiety.
 
"God, help me," I heard myself whisper.
 
As clear as the wind I heard in my spirit, "I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and a sound mind."
 
He spoke to my spirit and I was reassured. I was reassured that God was with me, that He saw that I was suffering and that He cared enough to let me know that the spirit of fear wasn't coming from Him, but from another source.
 
Once I asked Him to remove the spirit of fear, in the name of Jesus, I could sleep. The insane thoughts left me.
 
 
The more I study God's word (the Bible), the more at peace I feel. (By study, I mean taking a portion of scripture, asking the Holy Spirit to guide my time in the word and to take notes as portions of scripture "speak" to me). I see that God's word corresponds to His truth and not only that, to His actions in my natural surroundings.
 
 
In other words, He handles the stuff that causes me anxiety. He handles my business, so long as I am focusing on, trusting in and relying upon Him. 24-7.
 
 
My prayer is that someone will read what little I have to say and begin to experience freedom from anxiety, as I have. God's word and His promises are better than any pill, bottle of wine, box of cookies or any other random thing that we use to quiet our minds. This is huge for a woman like me.
 
Huge.
 
Say out loud, based on 2 Timothy 1:7:
 
For God has not given me a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
   

Don't Kill the Wrong Person

 

Chaos and disorder are not from God.


For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:33

God's not confused. He doesn't flip the script in the middle of the game


God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19

If you're in the midst of chaos, confusion, and disorder, that's not from God. It's either from your own set of misguided choices and decisions, someone else's misguided choices (parents, siblings, friends) and decisions or from another source. It's not God.

I write of confusion and disorder because that is at the root of so many suicidal thoughts and plans. Never does God think it's a good idea for any of His children to take themselves out. Never.

There were so many things that I went through as a young person, including thoughts of suicide. The pain was so great at times (particularly when a group of students were teasing me at school) that dying seemed like the only way to get peace.

What I didn't know then was that this time period would pass and that things would get better, through Jesus Christ.

The truth is that if I hadn't found Jesus, even as an adult, suicide may still have seemed like a viable option and here's why: there is no hope apart from Jesus. Even if everything in your life is seemingly OK...you know, the white picket fence, the perfect family, the new car in the garage, etc. Stuff is going to happen in life that can't be explained away, people will die, divorces will happen, children will get sick. When all of those things happen, and even on a daily, hourly basis, I will need Jesus.  And so will you.

No matter what you think as a result of what's happened to you (you've been molested, abused, you've been raped, had an abortion, you've watched pornography, you've been hurt, you're confused by your parents, your clergy have misrepresented themselves...whatever has happened, it's not to big for God to handle and to love you through it, God sees the bigger picture. He sees the whole you and He wants you to know that you're worthy, special, and worth saving.

Before I came to Christ, my mind was clouded over with so many confusing thoughts. So many. My fears would get so huge that I couldn't see past them. I'd beg friends to tell me the truth about my thoughts. (How crazy is that? Like they knew.) I was bogged down with obsessions and anger and it wasn't until I went to the cross (in this case the altar at this amazing, holy spirit-filled church) many, many times that I felt this confusion lift off of me.

Imagine if I had committed suicide before I had a chance to be set free? I would have missed out on so much.

Please, if you're thinking about making the ultimate sacrifice (suicide), please do the following:

1) Pray. Ask God to help you sense His love for you, like this: "God, please let me feel your love for me. In Jesus name, amen."

2) Open your Bible and read the book of John to start. Read at least one chapter out loud.

3) Visit

www.teenhopeline.com

the website started by Joseph Rojas of Seventh Day Slumber.

4) Call 1-800-NEED-HIM.

5) Tell someone that you trust. NOW. Let them know what's really going on.

6) Talk to a doctor AND a psychiatrist, just to make sure nothing physical is going on. You might have a medical issue or a chemical imbalance that can be treated.

7) Say out loud, based on Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

   

Cutting is NOT your idea

 
I'm so excited about this post, I can hardly stand it!!!


Are you or someone that you love and care about a cutter (into self-mutilation)? Huge news!!


For the past couple of days, I've been thinking about the whole phenomenon of cutting. Psychologists are quick to say that people cut or maim themselves because of the internal pain that they have no way of expressing or feeling. It's an outward expression of inner pain.


At first glance, that explanation makes perfect sense, right? Perhaps you're being abused or ignored or bullied and so cutting becomes a way of hurting yourself even more, therefore validating what others think of you. Some say that it's a form of low self-esteem or self-abuse.


I recently read about one teen aged girl who, after being teased and taunted at school for identifying as bisexual, returned home each day to cut herself. In her own personal "it gets better" YouTube video, she is shown holding up her arm to display the hundreds of marks on her forearm.


For most compassionate individuals, the video is heartbreaking, right? Obviously, this girl is going through her own personal hell on a daily basis (on top of the difficult and tumultuous teenage years) and then to top it off, she's inflicting great bodily pain on herself. And yes, it is heartbreaking, but for different reasons then one might intially think.


I would bet that this girl has a huge call on her life and has no idea!! (Can you tell I'm excited?!!) She's confused about her sexuality, she's being bullied and she's cutting herself, which is contrary to our human instinct for survival. I'm guessing that she's probably suicidal too. She probably has no idea about God, let alone His plan for her life. I'm guessing that once she found out about God's amazing love for her, that she'd share that love to the ends of the earth. After all, she bothered to produce a You Tube video to encourage her fellow sufferers.


Yesterday morning, I prayed that God would give me direction as to what to read in scripture. He directed me to Mark 5. More on that in a minute.


I mentioned earlier that I've been thinking about cutting, specifically because I cut my own leg in the shower--a really deep cut. Probably the worst cut I've ever given myself. I'm talking spurting blood and massive pain. (Massive to me anyway..) Right on the ankle. I hobbled around for several days saying out loud, "I have no idea why anyone would willingly cut themselves, it hurts!!!" I guess God was listening to my whining, because of the specific direction and explanation that I found in Mark, Chapter 5.


Here's what I found in Mark 5:1-13 says from the Message version of the Bible:


They arrived on the other side of the sea in the country of the Gerasenes. As Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. He lived there among the tombs and graves. No one could restrain him—he couldn't be chained, couldn't be tied down. He had been tied up many times with chains and ropes, but he broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was strong enough to tame him. Night and day he roamed through the graves and the hills, screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones. (DUDE!!!! This guy that lived 2000 years ago was CUTTING HIMSELF!!!)


When he saw Jesus a long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him—then bellowed in protest, "What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don't give me a hard time!" (Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, "Out! Get out of the man!")
Jesus asked him, "Tell me your name."
He replied, "My name is Mob. I'm a rioting mob." Then he desperately begged Jesus not to banish them from the country.
A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged him, "Send us to the pigs so we can live in them." Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.


Cutting has been going on since the time of Jesus, and most likely before. Notice that when the demons were cast out, the desire to cut was gone too? Read the rest of the story to find out what happened to the man that was demon possessed (Mark 5:14-20):


Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man. (He was NORMAL AGAIN!!!! He had been restored to sanity once the demon was cast out. NO MORE CUTTING!!)


Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.


As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn't let him. Jesus said, "Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you." The man went back and began to preach (this guy who used to cut himself and previously had no hope was now PREACHING!! He, like you or your cutting friend, had a call on his life to preach the Gospel!! If the devil is bothering you, its because he knows how special you are to God!!! Consider this a compliment--it means that God has great plans for you!!) in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.


Cutting is not your idea. It's a lie from the Liar (the devil). The idea to cut oneself comes from a suggestion. Something like, "Hey why don't you carve up your arm...you're a piece of crap anyway. Who cares what your arm looks like." Or, "Maybe you'll feel better if you draw some blood."


It's that same voice that says, "Why don't you just kill yourself. Nobody will miss you anyway."


Who's that voice? The devil. And yes, he exists. The bible says in John 10:10 that,

The thief (meaning the devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I (meaning Jesus) have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.


Tempted to cut? Say out loud instead, based on Psalm 139:1-29 (NIV) (and yes, this is a long one. Go ahead and read the entire passage out loud):


You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.


Please share this with as many young people as possible!! I believe that it will set people free!!
   

Countdown to 10.5.13

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