Counterfeit Christianity!

Baseball season is upon us! Can your eye detect counterfeit tickets? Be cautious as to where you get your tickets from...You want to save money so you find someone selling tickets for a fair price. You pay the money for tickets you think are real, you then walk up to the gate to get into the game, they scan the tickets and BEEP BEEP BEEP, they're fake! You were fooled but the ticket collector wasn't! No game for you...

Counterfeit Christianity will only get you so far also. You prayed a prayer and maybe got baptized as a baby or even as an adult and you think you're good to go. The day comes when you die and stand before the Lord...what will He say to you? You were fooled but the Lord cannot be fooled! No eternal life in heaven for you...

This may seem harsh to some but I am compelled to tell you the truth. Counterfeit Christianity has swept through so many churches and has fooled so many people. I was walking today and this thought came to my mind and I prayed asking the Lord for clarification. How many church don't talk about sin? LOTS! How many preachers talk about heaven and say if you believe in Jesus you will go to heaven? LOTS! How many people are calling themselves Christians and yet have no conviction about sin? LOTS!

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of churches that do talk about sin, preachers who do explain clearly how one gets to heaven, Christians who do struggle with a sin/s and fell conviction not wanting to live contrary to the Word of God. I'm happy to say that I belong to a church that speaks the Truth without fear or shame!

So why am I writing this blog today? My heart is burdened for those who have been fooled...usually the fooled one doesn't know it until "the joke is on you" so to speak. I have to speak up and pray that someone hears the Gospel clearly today! I'm going to break it down as best as I can with the help of the Holy Spirit and then leave the rest to Him.

Read the Bible verses below:

Matthew 4:17
From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Matthew 11:20
Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God.
Luke 5:23
I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
Luke 15:7
In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

First, one has to admit they are a sinner and repent, confessing your sins to the Lord.
1 John 1:8-9, "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." Have you been broken by the fact that your sins are the reason Jesus had to die on the cross?

Another thing counterfeit Christianity says is if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God then you are saved. There is some truth to this but is that enough? Is belief the same as faith? Look what
James 2:19 says, "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."

One last thing counterfeit Christianity says if your good outweighs your bad then you will go to heaven. So do the most good and God will accept you in to His perfect heaven.
Look at Isaiah 64:6, "We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind."

What is true Christianity? We are all sinners, in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ! We don't deserve heaven based on our own goodness and we can't earn our way to heaven by being good enough.
Jesus the sinless Son of God died in our place on the cross. Jesus is the WAY, TRUTH AND THE LIFE no one can get to heaven without faith in Him. The good news is that HE PAID IT ALL! Jesus did what no man could do! The burden of our own salvation has been lifted by the Cross of Christ! Praise the Lord!



When faith compels you to belief this truth, you will be humbled, repentance will be your hearts desire, you will ask Jesus to forgive you and be your Lord and Savior. He will then take up residence in your heart. His Holy Spirit will begin teaching you the things of the Lord and your life will change! Your old desires will be gone and you will desires God and His will!
1 Corinthians 15:22b, "Everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life."
 He has been pursuing you...what are you waiting for? No one is promised tomorrow, but we are promised eternal life in Heaven for All who call on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved!
Romans 10:8-13:
"In fact, it says,

“The message is very close at hand;
  it is on your lips and in your heart.”

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.  For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

Judge Not, Lest You Be Judged!

Matthew 7:1-5 (The Message Bible) DO NOT JUDGE!
Jesus said, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor."
Do we, I'm speaking to those of us who are Christians, understand the impact our critical spirit, or should I say our verbal expressions about what we are against, has on those who are not Christians?
I just wonder how often we think before we speak out against something or someone?
We gossip saying things such as; "I can't believe they are filing bankruptcy and can't pay their bills"..."I didn't know their son was gay."..."This is her third marriage!"..."Their daughter is pregnant and isn't even married! What a shame!"..."He comes from a Christian home! I can't believe he is acting like that!"..."I can't believe he is wearing skinny jeans and has gages, he's leading worship and should dress appropriately"...the list goes on and on.
Someone said to me the other day, I'm paraphrasing their words, it's in our "nature" to judge others but why do we put them on blast? Meaning, we post stuff on social media sites about our disapproval of another's actions...This hit me where God wanted it to, my heart!
Their point: Christians are known for what/who they HATE instead of Who we LOVE...
I hate sin because His Holy Spirit in me hates it! I hate sin because Jesus was crucified for my sins, your sins, the world's sins! Christians are called to flee from all sins, to pray for others, to live worthy of the gospel, to live in peace with our brothers and sisters, BUT above all we are called to LOVE God with all our being and to LOVE our neighbor! We are not called to JUDGE the world's sins! We are called to go into the world and share the LOVE of Jesus and believe that HE IS BIG ENOUGH TO CONVICT THE WORLD OF THEIR SINS and draw them to Himself!
Lets check ourselves before we blast another person for their sin. I have found that I am less critical, less judgmental of others when I am on my knees at my Savior's feet! Why? Because being at His feet, I am reminded that HE DIED FOR MY SINS! We all need His grace! If you have experienced His grace, and yet have an "ugly sneer" on your face, will that draw others to the cross? I know from experience, it pushes people in the opposite direction. So why not silently carry them to the Jesus in prayer...
Lord, I am guilty of this very thing! Please forgive me and help me to live as YOU!
From my heart to yours <3 p="">
 

Christian, Are You a Tool for Satan or for God?

As a Christian, when a situation or temptation arises, what weapons of warfare do you chose to fight with?

Weapons of unrighteousness?  Such as: Fear, negativity, bitterness, hatred, selfishness, greed, pride, anger, unforgiveness, gossip, slander, sexual immorality, lying lips, racism, gluttony, etc.

Or Weapons of righteousness? Such as: Prayer, praise, joy, peace, compassion, love, forgiveness, encouragement, servant-hood, faith, walking in righteousness, speaking the truth in love, contentment, etc.

When we realize Whose we are and who we are in Christ, we can defeat the enemy by choosing weapons of righteousness! As Born-again, Spirit-filled Believers, we sound foolish when using the excuse, "The devil made me do it"! This is a lie straight from the pit of hell. The devil can’t make anyone do anything! When a Christian makes excuses for sinful behavior, it makes a mockery of our GOD!

Evil and Holy CANNOT dwell in the same temple, for your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit! Wake up, mighty men and women of God, repent! KNOW He who paid the highest price, His life for your eternal salvation, has equipped you to fight with weapons of righteousness!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV). “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-6, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,  and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

Joel 3:9, "Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up."

The battle begins with us; in our minds! We must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and be ready to destroy anything that is against our Savior! You and I are to be proactive and not reactive. This mentality that has so many Christians living in bondage, in essence is telling the world, "Our God is not who He says He is"…How sad that!? YOU AND I are the reason so many turn away from knowing true salvation…

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT), "For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There is no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death."

I say again, “Wake up mighty men and women of God, repent!"

To bare the name of Christ, is to say I have died to sin and it no longer has a hold on me! "I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20.

We must stop condoning BAD behavior!

For my fellow Christians; I have read several posts, and have heard conversations that condemn or condone/justify the behaviors in Ferguson and around the country. Whether it is the behavior of the police/government officials or the protesters, there is judgment on both sides.
The posts that hurt us the most, Christians, are the ones that condone/justify BAD behavior. Police brutality is NOT alright and should never be overlooked! I agree that body cameras will hold our Officers accountable and I pray for those officers who abuse their authority in any manner, will repent and turn their hearts and minds toward Christ Jesus!
Rioting, looting and burning of vehicles and businesses is NOT alright and should never be acceptable! I read one post that really struck a cord with me: "White people...we learned this from YOU". Have we so digressed that we can get away with VIOLENT acts and call it justifiable because it was taught...COME ON PEOPLE OF GOD!
I just gotta be raw and real about what I learned from the time I was a toddler through my young adult years, before I surrendered my life to Jesus. I know some will say I share too much but this has been burning in my soul; therefore, I must speak!

I learned that a man can beat you and you are to forgive him each time his hands abuse you...
I learned that a man can leave his responsibilities at home and have multiple woman at his disposal...
I learned from a young age that if I was angry and I wanted to fight my siblings, kids in the neighborhood or at school, I could without any discipline. I carried this learned behavior into my young adult years, so if someone looked at me wrong or if I didn't like you for whatever reason, and I wanted to beat your a$$ that's what I did...I was applauded for it...
I learned from a young age (12) that drinking alcohol was acceptable as long as I did it with adults and if I got drunk...no biggie...
I learned that drugs helped a person cope with life and that if you do drugs just don't get caught...
I learned that stealing was okay if I was hungry or needed/wanted something...
I learned that education was not important...if you don't feel like going to school, don't go...you want to drop out, okay...
I learned that having sex was expected no matter how young...
I learned that lying to the police was expected to cover your butt or a loved one's butt...
I learned to judge people by their societal status; Rich people were evil and poor people were poor because of the rich...
I learned to judge people because of their skin color... It was fine to have black friends but nothing more and all hell broke loose in my family, his family and with some of our "friends" when I started dating Jameson in high school..."It will never work..."
I learned that some black women didn't like me because I married "one of their good black men"...yes, this has been said to my face and I have felt the hate across the room...
I learned that some white people thought I was lower than dirt for dating and then marrying outside of my race...Yes, our family has been victims of racism from both races...

I could go on and on about what I learned from "YOU" the people in my family, circle of influence, and society, but I'll stop there and say this; I AM NOT WHAT I LEARNED! PRAISE GOD!

When I recognized my sin and my need for a Savior, at the age of 28, I called out to Jesus and He saved me, sanctified me and made me right with my Father in Heaven. He could have left it at that but He didn't! He then sent His Holy Spirit to live in me and TEACH me His ways. I am not the same person that was taught to do wrong! The bad behaviors that were acceptable and often praised, God showed me it was sinful behavior and His children are called to live HOLY lives!
I love how Paul sums it up in 1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by God's grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain."
I am changed! I am a new creation in Christ Jesus! I desire to please my Lord and no longer be a slave to sin, self, or man!

When you call yourself a Christian and have any ill will towards another human being, for whatever reason, then I must say, "God's grace toward you is in vain." You see His grace was extended towards us so that we would become ONE with Him, not to stay ONE with the world! His grace was extended to us who believe and we are to extended others!

The Lord has taught me His ways are higher than mine, yours and this world we live in... I don't understand everything about Him but I do understand His GRACE and FORGIVENESS!
Romans 5:8, "But God showed His GREAT LOVE for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

If I trust the God of the Bible, then I trust Him to vindicate all the injustices that have occurred throughout time!

Would You Shun Her or Help Her?

I awoke before the sun to have, "Coffee with my King", my time with my Savior and His word. I realized I was out of sugar so I decided to take a trip to our 24 hour Wal-Mart. I didn't tell my husband because it was just down the road and I would be back before he would wake up.
My daily prayer is that the Lord would empty me out completely of self, fill me with His Holy Spirit and use me for His glory. I prayed this simply prayer on the way to the store. I pulled into the barren parking lot about 4:45 am and as I walked toward the entrance, there was a young lady standing in front of the store. I smiled and said, "Good morning." She then stopped me and asked if I would buy her a pack of cigarettes because she was caught shoplifting and couldn't go back in the store. I hesitated for a second and the Lord prompted me to do it. I obliged and asked what kind she needed. She handed me some money for the purchase and I walked into the store.
My mind was going crazy! "I can't believe this is what You want me to do, Lord!" I proceeded to the sugar isle all the while thinking this was not right. I hate cigarettes and what the harm they cause! But the Holy Spirit was ever present!
I purchased my sugar, her cigarettes and met her outside the doors. She thanked me and I simply said, "You're welcome. God bless you." I then headed towards my van and suddenly I felt as if God had a Holy Spirit lasso that grabbed hold of me and He said, "You're not done! Give her a ride."
I got in my van, bowed my head and prayed. "You want me to give her a ride? Okay whatever You say, Lord."
I pulled up to the entrance, rolled down my window and asked if she needed a ride.
"No. My boyfriend is coming back to get me."
"How long have you been waiting for him?"
"About 30 minutes."
"Honey, he's not coming back to get you. God told me to give you a ride."
She hesitated but took me up on the offer.
"Where do you want to go?"
"I live in Hillsboro which is about 30 miles south."
"Okay. Just show me how to get there."
On the way to her house she shared her life story. How she grew up in an alcoholic and abusive home, that she really doesn't have a place to live but she stays with her mom from time to time when she isn't living with her boyfriend. She admitted that she carries a knife for protection because she's a prostitute. She's also an alcoholic and drug addict and she was stealing to support her habit.
My heart broke for her as I listened to her story. Her pain! Her brokenness! Only Jesus can heal her!
I shared a little of my testimony and how I was raised in a broken home but that when I surrendered my life to Jesus, He began healing my heart and turned my pain in to a beautiful story.
"I went to a church camp when I was younger but never felt welcome at a church" she said.
My heart was crushed even more!
I shared the Gospel with her and how Jesus wants her to come to Him with her pain and surrender it all to Him. She began to weep. When we finally pulled up to her mom's house, I would call it a shack, I asked if I could pray for her.
I grabbed her hands and the Holy Spirit said what He needed to say to her...We both wept and then embraced. She continued thanking me as she got out of my van and stood before my headlights. As tears rolled down both of our cheeks, I drove off and headed home.

I know what some of you are thinking but your thoughts don't matter. My God was pleased that I obeyed Him and loved on this beautiful broken soul! I was blessed by being a blessing to this woman I will call, Beautiful. Beauty is in the "eye of the beholder" and since God sees us through the eyes of Christ, no matter how ugly our lives appear to the human eye,  we are all made beautiful because of His suffering.
Her face is forever etched in my heart and I often pray that she is free from the bondage of sin. Pray for her. Pray for me that I will continue to see others through His eyes and not my own. Pray for the Body of Christ to stop shunning people who don't fit their "perfect American Christian standard" and start embracing people as Christ embraced us.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (The Message Bible)
"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!"

I'm Holding On, Lord!!

I'm Holding On, to the One Who is Holding Me!
Psalm 18:16--
 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters."

When our children were little and something scared them, they would either jump into mine or my husband's arms and squeeze our necks as tight as they could. In turn, we would hug them and reassure them they were safe in our arms. The more scared or unsure of what was going on, the tighter their grip...their holding on eased their fears.

Lately, God has been reminding me to hold on to Him as my children would hold on to me. I know I'm not the only one who needs this reminder. I am safe and secure in the arms of my Lord!
I keep waking up to David Crowder's song on my heart, "I am Holding on to You". God keeps saying, "You forget to hold on to Me." I thought about that and realized this was true. I know He is holding on to me but I need to remember to hold on to the One holding me. This brought instant peace to my aching, stressed out heart. Like a child who is scared, holding tight to their daddy's neck, I too can "climb in my Daddy's lap and squeeze His neck" as tight as I need to, any time I need to!

His Position Never Changes

“His Position Never Changes”

Isaiah 59:1-2 "Indeed, the Lord's hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear. But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen."

If you ever feel God is far from you, this truth says, He is always close enough to help and hear you...but it is our sin that causes a "wall" to be built up between us and God. WE, not God, distance ourselves from Him because we choose to sin. How often do we say things like, “I don’t feel God anymore” or “I feel as if God has left me”? These are just a few lies Satan wants you and I to believe so that we walk away from God and continue living in sin. The truth is God’s position never changes! He will never leave you nor forsake you. It is our unconfessed sin that separates us from God.

Now imagine with me building a brick wall. Each brick represents our sins. Brick by brick, sin by sin, we build this wall between us and God. Some walls are neatly assembled with care and others are built in a rush and look horrible. However, a wall is a wall no matter how neat it looks. Just as sin is sin no matter if one sin seems more offensive than another. Suddenly we realize there is a massive wall separating us from God and what is our first reaction? We blame God. Your sin, my sin, our sin causes God to hide His face from us and it is quite easy for Him to do so because of our wall of sins!

One thing we must do today is ask His Holy Spirit to reveal any sin that is causing a wall to be built up between us and Him. He is on the other side waiting for us to call out to Him for help! I envision Jesus behind our wall of sins, kneeling down, weeping over our behavior and praying to Father God on our behalf. He doesn’t want to keep hiding His face from you. He wants to break down the barrier so that we are living face to face with our Savior. Repentance is the “dynamite” God uses to break down our wall. What are you waiting for? Simply say His name, “Jesus”! He will do the rest, if you are truly sorry for your sins.

Honestly, this should be done on a daily basis so that we do not build up a barrier between us and our Savior. Sometimes there are unintentional sins, such as not following Jesus’ command to go to all nations or having an unforgiving heart. These are just a few examples and yes I know no one is perfect but we must commit our lives to being a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to the Lord. I don’t know about you but my desire is to see His face beaming with delight, not hiding with disappointment!

This week take the time to allow His Holy Spirit to search your heart. In order for this to happen you must have alone time with your sweet Jesus. Allow Him to speak to you about any sin that is causing a barrier to be built up. Then be honest with God because He already knows who is on the other side. Until we meet again, remember His position never changes!