An interlude... continued...

A great thought was posed to me, and I must bring it forth.  It revolves around the opposite of pride, the "Heavenly Virtue" of humility.  I was forced to ask myself, when it was suggested that I include something specific about it, if I even understood it at all.  Wanna know the truth?  I don't understand it at all.

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."

Philippians 2:5-7

Please understand that when I say I don't understand it, it does not mean that I don't intellectually understand it.  I fully get what the definitions and associated terms are, and I fully grasp the prospect and potential for implementation.  I am capable of knowing what it means to recognize and spot humility.  What I don't understand is how to BE humble.

Anyone who is reading this that happens to know me personally might have just had a chuckle about that admission, but it is the truth.  Humility is not something that one just goes and shows, in my opinion, because it is something that you must BE.  And while I'm certain I am capable of being humble, the application of the principle seems to be slightly lost on me, like 26 hours out of my 8 day week, 13 months a year.  (In case you missed the humor there, I'm pointing out that I don't get the application at all.)

But let's look at it, for real, given the words above as a guideline.  Is my attitude similar to the Savior's attitude?  Sadly, I would have to honestly say no.  I am competitive, and I see the goal as a platform to be reached in almost everything I do.  I believe that I must fight my way to the top, regardless of how difficult or high it might be, and I make certain to keep people informed of my progress.  I don't step down or aside... I push harder.  That is not the attitude of a humble man, but is rather the opposite of it.  Therefore, I need to be more mindful of the attitude to lower myself in order to aid others.

Also, as for the competition and grasping of status, I can tell you that I do believe that salvation is equal across the board.  I can also openly tell you that I don't believe that salvation is something you can earn, or that there is any status in Heaven or as a Christian.  We are all saved sinners, and no one will ever be able to be anything else.  No more, no less.

To the point of lowering oneself to the point of a servant, I am also lacking.  And I lack not just in the physical positioning of it or the attitude, but the nature.  Odd thing is, I serve people every single day, and I serve them at the worst time in their lives as they say their earthly goodbyes to a loved one.  However, if I'm really clearing my conscience on this specific point, I serve them well, and then I go about my business afterward without the same servant mentality.  That shifts the focus from Him to me, and then I cannot be effective as a servant-leader, whether in my home, my church, on the soccer field, or anywhere else.

So normally, I would say right here that I should attempt to gain more humility, or to grow my humility... but those would both be pursuits, and I don't think it works that way.  I think, instead, that one has to stop trying to gain it, and lower the knee with purpose, so that the lowest possible point can be reached while knelt before the Father... and then, we should probably go all the way into a prostrate position... but all in attitude and acceptance of whatever the will of the Father is for us.  We should accept that He knows more and better, and that He understands all that we need (not want, mind you, but need).  In that moment, attitudinally knelt and face down on the floor in submission to Him and Him alone, we will find peace that extends beyond anything imaginable, because we will be living rightly, in humility, and only for Him.

God bless you all!!!

An interlude...

Pride is such an awful thing, is it not?  And I will go ahead and tell you that pride is among the chief problems we face in our lives, because it is something we all fight.  This particular sin sits at the root of almost every other sin, and is a sin itself, and there is no way to be completely free of it.  However, what keeps us going is the example of Christ, and the love of God for us.  This love is embodied in His perfection, through the Atonement of Christ, when He lowered Himself beneath even us to take upon Himself the weight of all of our sin for all time... that, blessed friends, is humility.

"For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly.  For rarely will someone die for a just person - though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die.  But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!"

Romans 5:6-8, HCSB

Another thing I ran across in my pre-studies of these seven sins that have been singled out is that each one has a yang to its yin.  There is an accompanying "Heavenly Virtue," as named by Catholicism, for each sin listed in the text.  As you may have guessed, the opposite of pride is humility, and the greatest example of that exists in Christ.  No one else would have died for all of us, and no one else would have endured all the punishment and abuse, and no one else would have remained above temptation while wielding all the power of Heaven.  No one.

Further, this one Man knew everything there is to know about all of us.  Let me expand upon that for a second, because it might seem odd at first... but Jesus Christ was thinking of you and me when He died, just as He was thinking of the repentant thief.  He is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and immutable.  He sees things in one frame, rather than in a linear sense (something God put into motion for us, but is NOT bound to), and He was, in that form, "God in a bod," as my pastor says.  He was fully man, AND fully God, and He knew everything that could be known for all time already.  Therefore, when He fulfilled the Father's prophecy of redemption, He knew that you and I would need it even in 2012. 

He knew about all the litany of things that I would do in a sinful sense, and He forgave me and absorbed my eternal punishment for it.  He knew that I would violate every single one of the Ten Commandments in some manner, and that I could never maintain a perfect existence.  He knew that I was a flawed, failed, fickle form of flesh that would only be able to fall short of the hopes I would have for myself.  He knew that I would remain on a quest to better my example, and He knew that I would miss the mark FAR more times than I would even get to the outer ring to score any success.  He knew that I would write about it all, while fighting the urge to remain hypocritical in certain areas of my life today (yes, I mean on this exact date).  He knew that it would be harder than anything I have ever faced, even though to just do the right thing and be the good person sounds like the easiest thing in the world.  He knew me, right as that spear pierced His side, and He knew you, too.  

Now, for all the things that I have done, and they are all I can speak about, I know that pride is at the root of all of them.  Oddly, a typo that I corrected has brought forth a new thought, because as I typed the word "at," the "r" slipped in, and I was awakened briefly to how artful our prideful concoctions can be.  It really is a complicated dance, right?  I mean, to take the time to convince yourself that something which CLEARLY is not right is not only fine and passable, but actually the best choice in the given scenario (whatever it may be) is quite the exercise of human will.  That artistry is what makes it all so difficult, I think, when the paint begins to fade and the gallery has to close, as it were.  See, once your gallery goes out of business, all you're left with is crappy paintings that no one else was willing to buy... kinda like when you get busted for something, and the lies that worked in your mind don't hold up for anyone else.  Does that sting for you as much as it does for me?

So the question that remains is where do we go from here?  I once asked that question after making one of my many, many, many mistakes in life, and was informed that I was the one who decided to veer off the road.  It's so true.  As I think about it, I have never been duped into sinning and pridefully thinking I would get away with it.  I have always made the conscious choice to do the wrong thing, even though I knew better and had proof from real experience that it was a bad move.  And I bet if you look back and really dig down to the real truth of it all, you'll find that you can say the same thing.  So where do we go from that?

We go to Jesus.  That's the only direction we should ever go, really, and there is nothing to stop us except ourselves.  We, as Christians, will still be sinners until the end of our life on this earth; but we've been forgiven.  We'll never live a sinless or spotless life... but we also need to own that each and every time we sin, it is a conscious choice, and we should be able to make better decisions with Christ in our hearts.  I know I'll be more cognizant in the future of this, because He accepted and forgave me personally, even though I deserved to go straight to hell.

God bless you all!!! 

The 1st of 7... part 6...

We've looked into pride, where it comes from, what it does, and we looked at our ultimate example of the exact opposite of pride (that'd be Jesus, in case you missed it), and now we must look to the greatest part of this awful monster... the exceptional truth that God has provided us the means to escape it.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it."

1 Corinthians 10:13, HCSB

You see, Christian siblings, the Father knows that we will go through temptations and trials.  He knows what they are, when they'll come, whether or not we'll succeed, and what the outcome will be.  Given that knowledge, He has provided a window of escape in each and every scenario.  The issue, though, is do we take the escape route?  Do we see it at all?  Do we bother to search for it?  Sometimes the way out is a massive and obvious opening, and other times I'm certain it's harder to find... but know this, friend, it IS there.

And I know, you're thinking that this was going to be an encouraging segment that uplifted the mind and spirit away from pride with an amazing nugget of truth that would make the prior segments seem not so bad, but this is just what I promised in the beginning would happen.  See, I'm going to openly admit that there are situations in which I have not bothered to search for the exit strategy from whatever it was I was about to do.  There are other situations in which I not only didn't look for it, but I actually saw it and CONSCIOUSLY CHOSE to walk away from the simple means of escape that was readily available to me.  Can you guess what that's called?  That's called pride, friends.

I told you at the beginning of this that I am prideful, and I know that all of the human race suffers under this.  However, I can only work on/admit to/discuss with intelligence/etc. matters that pertain and affect me.  In that vein, you should know that I am wrestling with one specific point of pride even going through the study, and I noticed it last night as I eagerly searched to see if the previous segment had received any outside thoughts or comments.  It's tough, folks, even when you are the one sharing the study points.

So what is our escape from pride?  It's the looming question that will tie to the verse (one I'll probably use again as we go through each respective portion), and I pray that I'll be able to convey it properly.  However, you should know that the answer FOR ME is all that I can share with you on this point.  With that said, my answer to escape pride is almost always the same: turn around, walk away, and shut up.  Yeah, that's it.  However, as easy as that sounds, I love to talk to anyone about anything, and I love to be in the middle of a great conversation or debate, even if I know I'm going to lose.  That stems from my feelings of inadequacy and insecurity from not having the greatest track record in friendships or relationships, whether with family or not, and so I seek approval from anywhere I can find it.  The approval I seek serves to feed my pride, which I tend to wound all on my own, with little or no help from the outside world, and then I'm stuck in a downward spiral of self-deprecation that only ends in me seeking to find something that will erase the negativity that I am brewing inside myself.  Sounds fun, right?

Wrong.  Yet I still wrestle with the prospect of turning around, walking away, and shutting up.  And sometimes I even look right into the face of the escape route, as mentioned above, and decide that I'd rather get the quick and easy boost to my pride, so staying in the bad situation is better.  The good move, though, would be to simply turn around, walk away, and shut up. 

Let me expand that properly for you, though, because I need to turn away from whatever my pride is telling me I should be involved in; I need to walk away from the world, and walk toward the Father; and I need to just SHUT UP!!!  The irony in that is that Exodus 14:14 is one of my favorite verses to remind myself that I should be quiet, because God will fight for me.  I tend to make things worse by trying to get overly involved in them, and I should just shut up.  My path should be the one that take my family and me to a closer walk with the Father, regardless of how difficult it may become, and my focus should ONLY be on that: the edification of the Father and the Son and the Spirit through a right relationship with Him, which leads to a right relationship with my wife and children, which will lead to a right relationship with others. 

Similarly, the verse used today is a favorite of mine, because I know that God has provided for me a means to escape temptation, even in the area of pride.  But even though I know this to be the truth, I still tend to wrestle against it for some reason... it's because I'm human.  The previous segment shows us that only One was able to face AND overcome all temptations, and we know that He is the only human to ever live a sinless life.  He is the example we are to model after, but we, in our flesh, are incapable of modeling after Him exactly.  Otherwise, this verse today would probably say something like, "Even though you might be tempted, don't sweat it; God's gonna take you right away from that mean old temptation, and you won't have to make any choices to overcome anything at all."  There also would be far less verses in the Bible that speak to how foolish and filled with folly we all are, such as Proverbs 26:11 which reads, "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness." 

Let me tell you, I am a dog.  I am also a fool.  I am a mocker.  I am prideful.  And I know it.  Even typing the admission of it, not knowing exactly who will read it, causes my face to flush and my temperature to rise, because it is uncomfortable to admit in any form, if you're admitting it honestly and without agenda. 

But do you know what else I am?  I am a Christian.  I am a sheep in His flock.  I am blessed and highly favored, and I am able to overcome this sin by His grace and power and love for me.  I am a Christ-follower.  I am in love with Jesus.  I am saved, and no one can change that, because no one can overpower the Son of God!  (And guess what, sibling I may or may not have the pleasure of personally knowing: the same is true of you, too, if you are a Christian!)

God bless you all!!!

The 1st of 7... part 5...

It's about time for some encouragement and example here, and I can think of only one place to turn to... Matthew 4.  You see, as I've been going through all of this, I have listed several examples already about pride and what it does to the person.  I have mentioned the failings in myself, and where pride originated, and shown how the enemy can use pride to influence us (not that we need any nudging at some times).  Now, however, I want to look to something entirely opposite, as related to pride, and we will do so by looking to the ultimate example: Jesus.

"Then Jesus told him, 'Go away, Satan!  For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.'"

Matthew 4:10, HCSB

(The only time you'll ever see me capitalize the name of the enemy is when it is done in Scripture, which I will not alter, just in case you noticed.)

I didn't include all of the text from this amazing moment in history, but the short version goes something like this... all rolled into one, the devil decided to throw a bunch of scenarios at Jesus to try and get Christ to use the powers available to the Son of God, and Jesus shut the enemy down.  He slammed the door each time, and there is no room for argument in His reasoning.  Hunger, death and fatigue, and then wealth and possessions were all tossed in front of Christ by the deceiver, and each time the Word used the Word to stand upon firmly.

Looking to all of the possible stories we could about pride in the Bible, starting with the enemy and then Adam, going to Adam's children, the king Nebuchadnezzar, the long, LONG line of kings and leaders who fell to idol worship, Jeroboam, and all the way through to the Pharisees... and even today to you and me... there is only one that showed the best restraint at all times, and even when face to face with the devil, never lost sight of the true prize.  He never waivered, even for an instant. 

This gives us something to think about, folks, because if Cain had the power to do whatever he wanted, I don't think he would ignore the temptation.  If Adam had that power, once his eyes had been opened by original sin, I think he wouldn't be able to resist it, either.  And we all know that if the enemy had the power of Christ, there would be nothing to stop the evil that would flow.  The truth in this, Christian siblings, is that the lack of humility in each of these examples (and on through history right up to us) shows that none are capable of wielding the power of God responsibly.  More important than that, though, is that with all the power of Heaven behind Him, Christ chose to endure the things we face daily, and His humility and complete absence of pride serve as examples to us all.

If I'm really honest with myself, I know that there are tons of things I have wished for, and prayed for, that were completely meant to benefit me.  Please notice, I didn't mention my family in that, because I am trying to get as close to the heart of this matter as I can, and if I'm being really and truly honest, I have wished and prayed more for good ole me than for anyone or anything else ever... it's human nature to look out for yourself, right?  And oddly, no one ever taught me how to be selfish, but I sure am good at it.  That's because of my pride, and that truth exists in each of the examples listed, as well as all those that are not. 

Christ was not this way, though, and He is our example.  He is the one we are to look to in all things, so that we might better emulate His life and responses to situations, regardless of what that may bring.  After all, if He is our example, and He received the best that was possible to receive AFTER this life was done on Earth, then why should we expect anything different?  Ponder that one, folks... and then let's all strive to kneel a little bit lower today, and find a deeper point of humility for each of us.

God bless you all!!!

The 1st of 7... part 4...

We've seen the original offender in the enemy lucifer, and now we must look to his very first victims, the progenitors of the human race and completers of original sin, Adam and Eve. 

Side note, isn't it interesting that lucifer isn't capable of doing what Christ is capable of doing?  Think about this for a second, and realize that in the garden, satan had to "convince" the woman to eat of the fruit.  The enemy needed another party to affect change.  Christ, on the other hand, began and completed the work of salvation with no assistance from any other human being.  And we believe now through the witness of the COMPLETED work, rather than believing like Adam and Eve did, through the wiles of a used-goods salesman who is only interested in commission.  Jus sayin...

"'No!  You will not die,' the serpent said to the woman.  'In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,'  Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom.  So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves."

Genesis 3:4-7, HCSB

Talk about some pride, huh?  We'll start with the serpent, who arrives in the garden and calls the two humans to the only tree they are forbidden to eat from.  Placed in a strategic area, he says only what is necessary to say in order to convince the woman to take the first bite.  The explanation he gives speaks only to immediate consequences, where death in concerned, and doesn't include the long-term problem that will arise.

Then there's Eve, standing there, listening to a serpent reassure her that she will be just fine if she only takes a bite.  She hops onto her high horse and decides that the fruit is fun to look at, and it must be good, and what would be wrong with knowing about good and evil?  I mean, if we get to be like God, isn't that a good thing? 

But the worst part here is not Eve's fault... it is Adam's.  He is the protector, but failed to stand in the way of the serpent.  He is the one who should have spoken reason into the situation, but decided to be silent.  His pride allowed his wife to fall.  The thought process was probably something along the lines of, "well, if she does eat it, and then she dies like God says, I can just tell Him that He made a bad creation, and then we'll go on just fine... but if she eats it and lives, then He must be wrong, and perhaps I can eat some, too.  Of course, if God walks up in the middle of it all, I can just say that she was disobedient to me, and then it won't be my fault.  Let's see what happens!"  What happened was Adam's complete abdication of his role as the leader, and the original sin occurred.

Adam's pride is to blame in this scenario, for he should have been willing to stand in the face of danger, harm, and death if necessary to protect his wife.  He should have been the man that God created him to be.  He should have swallowed his "I don't want this to be my fault either way" attitude of pride, and stepped right in the middle.  Of course, we know he did not, and that is where the knowledge of good and evil began, and the labor of the land and the pains in childbirth, etc. with all of the issues we would face (ref. Genesis 3:8-Revelation 22). 

(It should be noted that at many places throughout the Bible, points of amazing grace and forgiveness and the eternal salvation of all believers do come to pass... I use the entire Bible as a reference above, because it all tells the stories of the disobedient and the obedient, and the strife and hardship that exist in the lives of both the sinful and the faithful.  This is the reality as inspired by the Spirit through those whom were chosen to pass God's Word down throughout the ages, and it all must be referenced in order for the greatest love story ever told to make sense.)

And you know, if the enemy had said much more about it and been honest (yeah, right), then Eve may not have bitten the fruit.  If the enemy had admitted that the death to come would not be instant, but would rather be a limitation of mortality that will come for everyone, eventually, they may not have been so easily swayed to the point of violating the one rule they were given.  However, since they feared an instant death from the bite, and satan was able to prove that one small point wrong (which is a point of lacking human understanding), he was able to gain a foothold.  And when lucifer comes after you in the arena of pride, a foothold is probably far, far more than he needs.

You know, on another side note, both of my dear friends (who don't know each other, by the way) made a solid point yesterday... the exact same point.  They both stated at different times that we probably don't need a lot of encouragement from the enemy in the area of pride, as we're born with that ability.  It's super easy to be prideful, and when any human being is left to their own devices, as they and I have said many times to many people, that human being will do the one and only thing that he/she is capable of doing: they will sin.  We're sinners from the moment of conception, folks, and it's our natural and default setting.  That's why we so desperately need Christ!

Another point to look at here, and this one is huge, is that the couple were given only ONE command in the garden, and that was to not eat from that specific tree.  Now, if I were to give you one rule, and you were to break it, would that show that you were a prideful person?  Any other day I would say "yes," but today, I'm just gonna go ahead and say "YES!"  The only thing that was not supposed to be done is so tempting and so viral in the heart, mind, and soul that it becomes so easy to walk right across that line and sin.  Adam sinned by not moving, due to his pride.  Eve sinned by biting of the fruit, pridefully wanting to be "like God."  And the enemy just is sin, because he is the embodiment of pride, as we've seen in Isaiah. 

Yes, Christian sibling, this passage shows the three-fold pride that all contributed to the original sin and the fall of man.  This is why we get sick; this is why we feel bad; this is why we grow old; this is why we work and work and work, and sometimes nothing comes of it; this is why childbirth hurts; this is why we are allergic to things; this is why the world is in a slow but constant state of decay, both physically and morally; and it is 100% due to the root cause of pride.  And this is truly the greatest reason for me to seek and fight to remain in a spirit of humility about all things... because all I can control is me, and I don't want to be like the first Adam.

God bless you all!!!

The 1st of 7... part 3...

There have been two segments focused heavily on self awareness and examination, and now I think it's time we look to the original offender.  I'm reminded of a commercial for the Olympics this year, where the voice-over is discussing that the finish isn't nearly as important as the first beginning into any given sport, giving homage to the parents that support their children into the games and the pursuit of excellence from an early age.  If you took that heart-warming commercial and flipped it around, though, you would see that there is only one way that sin truly begins... and it is with the fall.

"How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!  You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!  You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.  I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'  But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit."

Isaiah 14:12, NIV

Now I know you probably thought I was going to reference Genesis and the fall of man, but even that began right here.  When you think about it, there would not have been a tempter in the Garden if the enemy had not fallen.  Without that fall, the first fall of the morning star, there would not have been an attempt to convince Adam and Eve to have the knowledge of good and evil, which we will get to in a later section.

For now, I'm going to run by you the short version of my interpretation of the story of this fall, just as I ran it by a dear friend of mine (a Seminary professor I checked with to make certain I was on point, and not inventing extra things), so that the basics can be put into play.

See, there was this angel... you've probably heard of him... lucifer was his name.  He was the first among the angels, and was called the "morning star."  One day, he decided that he should be able to sit in the same place as the Father, and so he began to rally other angels around himself and his cause.  When he brought this matter forward, however, God the Father sent lucifer and his company (1/3 of the angels in Heaven) straight to hell for their pride.  They were literally brought low, as low as they could possibly be brought to a place beneath everything else, just as it says in the verse above.  From there, we have our enemy; the prince of lies; the great deceiver; the devil; satan.

In researching some of this before my initial thoughts began to flow, I actually ran across an interesting piece of information from Peter Binsfield in 1589, who paired each of these deadly sins with a specific demon.  Pride, as I'm certain you can imagine, was paired with the demon lucifer.  I haven't decided yet whether to use all of these references, but this one seemed to fit right in, given that the same name for the angel who was once, for lack of a better descriptor, the number one angel, the leader of the worship of the Father, is now the name ascribed to the demon who brings forth pride within us all.  Humbling, right? 

Truth be told, we all wrestle with pride.  Two of my closest spiritual friends, both mentors to me, have been reminding me (and encouraging me) that all humans fight this issue, and that all humans want other people to think that it's not a big deal, which drags ALL HUMANS right back into the fight with their own pride, respectively.  Sadly, as I am a firm believer that demons are very real, and that Spiritual Warfare is very real, this would mean that we have a demon by the name of lucifer attacking us at a vulnerable point... but it doesn't always seem like an attack, does it?  I mean, I deserved that promotion that the other guy got, so I should be mad, right?  And I work harder than the lady across the hall, so I should be the one with the better assignments, right?  And I should be getting the praise and glory for the idea that is now taking shape across the landscape of the company, because I thought of it, right?  And it's just not fair, not fair, not fair that another person gets credit for all the things that I have worked so hard to accomplish and achieve, and I am left sitting here with nothing to show for my efforts, right?  I should be mad, right?

Wrong.  Here's what you are left with, Christian sibling: the other people that "took the credit" or whatever the case may be have been blessed by your efforts, and (Shakespeare moment coming) there art thou happy.  Another human being has been lifted through your effort, and there art thou happy.  Perhaps an entire organization has grown and improved through your keen insight, and there art thou happy.  But most of all, as a Christian, anything you do, regardless of what it is or what realm it is in, as long as it is done with a Christian spirit to serve others more than and before yourself, further edifies the Kingdom of God, and there art thou JOYFUL!

Oh, and by the way, life isn't fair.  Fairness is not a Biblical concept, because if we were to receive that which we have actually earned, we'd all be fireside buddies with the aforementioned demon and his pals.  Be grateful and blessed that the Father is not fair, but rather looks at us through the blood atonement of Christ.  I know that point stings, but the truth is that way sometimes... hurts me every time I type it to think of all the times I've complained about things being fair or unfair.

The enemy is real, friends, and although there are many names for him and his evil, the one we all know and can relate to is pride.  I would ask, though, that you look to his story and see if it's one you wish to repeat in your own life.  Getting to the place where you are referred to as the "morning star," then throwing it all away because the praise and name you have received from the Almighty just doesn't feel like quite enough anymore, and becoming the chief liar and offender in the history of history across the universe just doesn't sound like fun to me.  Yet every time any one of us associates with pride, we associate with this story and it's subject... and that hurts. 

Focus on Christ, friends... keep all your focus on Christ, and emulate Him in all things.

God bless you all!!!

P.S. - I refuse to capitalize the name of the enemy, in case you were wondering why it wasn't done.  He has been brought low by the Father, and so I purposefully use only lowercase letters.

The 1st of 7... part 2...

A dear frIend poInted somethIng out on a comment left about the fIrst portIon, and he made an obvIous showIng on the central letter In the word prIde.  The whole thIng he wrote had all the I's capItalIzed, and It gave me a bang-up Idea... I'm gonna copy that motIf today (as best I can) to sIngle out the central problem with prIde.  That problem, folks, Is me.

"He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble."

Proverbs 3:34, HCSB

You know, there are a lot of thIngs that can be dIscussed about the topIc of prIde In any gIven study, but thIs one concept Is paramount, In my opInIon.  I say thIs, because I am a mocker.  In the event you are shocked to hear thIs truth about me, please know that I am not lookIng for shock and awe here.  What I want to do Is show how vItal the awareness of self truly Is, so that someone can possIbly learn from my faIlIngs.

I'm gonna insert a thought here, because you should know that it is hard to keep capitalizing all the I's in all the words... it's a little like constantly edifying oneself, and not allowing your faith and works and life to speak for themselves.  The entire process of self-lifting eventually becomes a process of self-loathing, because the self-support has to give way eventually to the truth.  In that spirit, I'm going to stop capitalizing all of the I's, because I think we all get the point now.

So back to the honesty stuff: I am a mocker.  I mock TV, I mock politics, I mock my wife when she says something mockable, I even mock my kids.  I poke fun at everything on the planet, and it all comes from a single source within me, which is my own insecurity.  In fact, I wrote an entire book about this exact issue, and as has been shared with me, I haven't learned as much from it as I should have.  To go the entire length of this honesty, I also wrote a second book, covering traits that I should display instead of mockery, and I have fallen short there, as well.  I'm the equivalent of the tortoise in the tortoise and the hare's second contest, which would be the long jump... that hare, he's all the way out a World Record distance, and I'm back behind making fun of the way he ran up to the line.

But can I even run up to the line?  Can I jump at all?  Am I capable of any of this growth that he seems to have achieved?  Of course I am.  The issue, though, is that while I'm focused on the other guy, I miss the opportunities to work on myself.  I slide right past those, because they are hard.  They require introspection.  They require that I take down the wonderful Berlin Wall that I have built inside myself to keep my facts from mingling with my much-more-popular fiction.  Those moments require me to be the best Christian I can be by humbling myself to the lowest point that I can find.  That low point has been shown to me through the Word in the examples of many, Jesus Christ being the largest.  Paul comes in pretty high on the scale, as well, and so do Peter and Timothy and Stephen. 

As to my fiction, the truth is that the man you may personally know me to be is a real person... he just has an alter ego.  My pride keeps me from telling you all the facts, in this medium at least, but there are facts that even the good guy in me wishes not to face.  This is the essence of pride.  Pride wants to be seen as one thing, when there are many more sides to the polygon.  And, as I am recalling from one of my books, I deemed it far wiser of myself to not try to have witty comebacks, but rather to have prayerful responses.  So, as with the previous segment, I will ask for your prayers again through this process. 

And for anyone who might think that I mean to share instructions on life or living or any other such thing, please know that my experiences are all that I write about.  I am on this journey, and I am blessed to have the companions that I have in each of you, but I am not a pastor or a leader of a church... I'm just a man on a journey, and I share that journey for the primary purpose of being held accountable to it.  I am learning to be humble, so that I can receive the grace spoken of above, and no longer mock that which I do not understand or will think is funny.

God bless you all!!!

The 1st of 7... part 1...

Today, we begin.  And while I did find several different sites that ranked these sins in order, make no mistake about one thing: I am using no specific order.  I said in the beginning of this that all sin is equal, because all sin separates us from the Father.  That is a fact.  Therefore, please know that the numbering system I will use is completely random, and there is no differing level to any of what will follow in this study.  Sin brings death, no matter how large or small, and all of us are guilty of it in grand fashion.

I also promised that this might get uncomfortable, and I'm here to tell you that it already is for me.  Today's beginning was chose solely because it is one of the largest blind-spots in my self-evaluation mirror, and it is high time I faced and did something about it.  Therefore, I have chosen to tackle one of the bigger monsters for me, personally, right off the bat.  But again, please know that whatever God says about these issues in His Word, He is right, and there is no arguing that point.  To argue with God is to question Him, and that, also, is sin... and it relates to how we begin, which would be with pride.

"Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall."

Proverbs 16:18, HCSB

So it should come as no shock to me that every time I have been prideful about something I have or do, it has been taken away from me in pretty short order.  I get arrogant, and then I lose whatever it is I am bragging about.  What's funny, if you want to have a good laugh at my expense, is that this has happened with jobs, relationships, money, belongings, and more than once in all categories, and yet I still wrestle with a prideful approach to things.

You see, I am blessed to serve in my capacity and ministry, both in and out of my office and career.  The problem is that I don't tell people that I am "blessed to serve" as often as I should.  No.  I tend to respond by stating that I am good at what I do, and then I wonder why I don't get the advancements I seek.  I have a problem identifying my own place, which speaks to the sin of being prideful.

Another fault in this, friends, is that I don't pray about this enough.  I know, I should be praying to relieve this constantly, always seeking the face and will of the Father, but I'm not.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I see this small glimpse of possibility that tells me I might just be able to do this on my own, and I fall for my own mental rouse each and every time.  It is such the conundrum, because as a Christian, I know that certain things are in place and secure, like my salvation.  I know that Christ's Atonement cannot be erased by me or anyone else, because no one has the power to outshine Him.  Yet instead of boasting only in the cross (Galatians 6:14), I tend to boast in the cross AND in other things.

I hope you can see how this is difficult for me... but even in that statement (which I deleted from my awareness of it, and then re-entered so I could use it as an example), I am seeking pity from you to soother my now-wounded pride from speaking so openly about the failings of my pride in myself.  It is a vicious and painful circle, but one I hope to break free from through this study.

It is in that light that I will seek your prayers for this portion, for the process, and for the study as a whole.  I need it, and I know it. 

On a different note, though, we need to also look at the classic example of pride, and that is the enemy himself.  That will be saved for next time, though.  For now, remember that self-examination and self-awareness are extremely important in the area of pride.  Boastful people generally end up with either nothing to boast about or no one to boast to, after all... and as "imitators of Christ" (1st Corinthians 11:1), we should really operate in a tad more humility, should we not?

God bless you all!!!

Before we begin...

One thing that I think should be shared before we get started into this study of the Seven Deadly Sins, is that whatever we study will come directly from the Bible. 

Further, if it comes from the Bible, then it IS correct.  God's Word is correct, and there is no one on the planet who can change that.  This means that some of the things that will come up might be uncomfortable for some, and therefore, this is my one caveat moment to warn anyone who doesn't wish to go forward with this for whatever the reason.

We'll be starting soon, and I had to make sure that everyone heard this small truth (which really is the largest Truth), and that is that God's Word is IRREFUTABLE, whether you like what it says or not. 

Period.

God bless you all!!!

New topic...

Well, folks, the day has arrived for us to begin a new study.  This one will be markedly different than others past, because I am going to reference something specifically named by a single Christian denomination which is known (or at least heard of) by almost anyone you ask.  The topic is going to be "The Seven Deadly Sins," as named by the Catholic Church in their Catechisms going back to as early as 1854.  But the term is widely recognized, and given my penchant for studying things in numerical sequence and the recent development of certain cultural questions about our American way of life, the idea of going through these was brought to me.

However, there is one thing that I must make perfectly clear before moving into any of this at all: all sin is equal, and there is absolutely nothing in Scripture that separates one from another.  Sin is sin, and it all separates us from the glory of God.  Therefore, all sin is deadly to the soul, regardless of the size of the infraction or the intent. 

"For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all."

James 2:10, HCSB

I'll say it again: all sin is equal.  I know that I'll have some friends who will disagree with me, but the truth is that from the tiniest of white lies of omission all the way to the worst things imaginable, sin is sin.  And if you have read the Bible, you know that God hates all sin.  Further, since He cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13), and we are born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5a), conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5b), and we are ALL sinners (Romans 3:23), then God cannot look upon the murderer any more than He can look upon the shoplifter, regardless of whether they were caught or not.  Sin is sin, whether overt or covert, discovered or kept hidden... and NOTHING is hidden from the Father!  And if you even step a single millimeter out of line, you are guilty of jumping the fence entirely.  Those are the facts.

So then, how does He look to us at all, given that we are awful and wretched sinners, every single one of us?  He looks upon us through the sacrifice of Christ (Romans 5:8).  Jesus took upon the punishment for us all, and so as Christians, God looks at us and sees His Son instead.  Jesus stands in the way for us, and IS the way for us (John 14:6).  And if Jesus Christ is the Son of God (and He is), and if He is unable to fail (and He is), and if Jesus has offered forgiveness through the only acceptable sacrifice possible (and He did), and you have accepted Him as Lord and Savior (and I have, and I pray you have, too), then you are forgiven... like, for real forgiven.  He doesn't do halfsies, you know?

Now, we also need to know that the freedom of the forgiveness is not an excuse to continue to sin.  Awareness of the sin and the things that lead to the sin are of the utmost importance, as we've discussed recently, mostly for the sake of those who are watching you at all times.  They need your example, and you need to look to Christ alone to deliver any semblance of that example.  And you are probably looking to someone, as well, watching their example.

So for the next several weeks we will look to these specifically named sins, and we will examine what they are and what they mean, not only in our culture, but in the church and the world.  For each one, also, we'll look to its corresponding virtue and look at the characteristics we should seek to display.  No matter what, we'll all learn something through this.

God bless you all!!!

We're all learning something... but what?

A comment was posted to the last post which stirred a thought in me.  This text today will likely cause some people to rethink some things, and hopefully they will examine more closely those ideals to which they cling.  In our American culture, we are so addicted to being right that we've forgotten about being righteous.  I would like to offer some advice in that regard today, and applaud the comment left yesterday in reference to who we listen to and whether or not we cling to what they have to say.

"But test all things.  Hold on to what is good."

1 Thessalonians 5:21, HCSB

There is a commercial currently running on TV that makes fun of the idea that all knowledge found on the internet is correct.  I find it quite funny, mostly because I know some people who will believe just about anything they read, as long as they find an e-article to support it.  Steppiung back from the one article, though, you are guaranteed to find support and opposition in equal amounts for any and everything you can think to measure on the internet.  All opinions surface, and there are just as many factual articles as there are articles with twisted and mangled truths.  One looking solely to the internet could find support for anything, quite literally, and be entirely wrong in fact.  (And the commercial kinda makes me sad, because the guy using the new app on his phone points out that the young lady shouldn't believe everything on the web, but then he just leaves it at that, and allows the young lady to walk away with someone who touted himself as being a French model... no concern for the fellow citizen displayed there, and probably because she wasn't a customer of the organization producing the commercial... jus sayin.)

Examining that commercial doesn't exactly lend itself to my text here, but what if the young lady had been rebuked by the gentleman, and he asked her to find proof of what she claimed to be true from the internet?  Further, what if he asked her to seek the face of the Creator in this, as in all things, so that her conscience could remain clear?  Isn't that kinda what we're supposed to do for ourselves and each other?  I mean, if we were really tuly loving one another, asrist taught us, wouldn't we admonish all people to follow the rule of testing all things?

So now, going back to the thought from yesterday, and who we listen to, it is important to note (as a very astute reader pointed out) that testing of their messages and songs is not just a suggestion... it's a requirement.  You see, if the preacher doesn't line up with the Father, and no one calls him out on it, the entire church could be led astray.  We're all human, after all, and the only thing we are really capable of doing on our own is failing and sinning, so the pastor needs to be held accountable by the church to remain true to the Word.  Please understand, I'm not trying to suggest that you jump and scream at your pastor in the middle of a sermon if you don't think it lines up... go and visit them in private, and seek the Truth in the Word together, so that understanding can be reached by both of you, together. 

Expanding on that thought, just because someone has a big audience does not mean that they are correct and accurate in the Word.  Great inspirational speakers are not always great preachers, you know.  And while some of you may attend one of the mega-churches that exist, you need to understand that celebrity status does not a great pastor make, and that God has no concern with the number of people in the audience.  His concern is for the correct interpretation and application of the Word, and those ministers are just as liable and just as open to rebuke and discussion and correction as the minister of a 15 member church in the countryside.  It might sound crazy to some people, but there are people right now that have misinterpreted messages delivered through television, radio, and other media... and some of those people have a pretty large following.

But going back to the verse itself, you notice that it says clearly to hold on to the good stuff, the true stuff.  So then, what would that mean we are to do with things we find to be PROVEN false by the Word of God?  We should leave it!  Drop it and leave it and never, ever look back!  Anything that you do, say, hear, think, feel can be tested against the Word, and if it is proven to be false by the Creator of the universe, then guess what, folks?  That makes it FALSE, 100%, and no amount of internet-based jargon or other dreamt-up nonsense will ever change that.  Here's a little rule of thumb on that: if God says it's bad, then it is bad. 

Period.

So please, folks, make certain to be as focused as you can be, and always test and retest everything.  Don't do it because you think you'll find something wrong... do it because you need to be certain it's right!

God bless you all!!!

Someone's also learning... from you...

I have been digging into the fact that people are always watching our actions, and one thing that follows this thought, naturally, is that those who are watching us would be learning from us.  You might not know who is learning whatever it is they are learning, but someone is always learning from what you are doing.

Pulling from the same Scripture used before, I would like to hone the point of our need to NOT fall into idolatry down to the Christian segment, specifically.  You see, this is hard to type, and I'm certain it's hard to hear/read, as well, but it's the #truth, whether it is popular or not.  We fall into the same traps of idolization, even though we call it "study."

Think for a minute: peopl like Beth Moore, James McDonald, Mercy Me, Casting Crowns, and a litany of other popular speakers all teach and preach and praise on a larger stage than you and I have at our disposal.  And for the new believer, the one who is watching your every move (especially if they were skeptical to start with), this is where the problem lies.  You see, the messages brought forth by these people can be so stirring, and they can be so amazing... a friend of mine, a personal mentor in fact, told me that he has fallen prey to putting the importance on the speaker or artist, and not on Jesus.  In my mind, if that can happen to him, then it can certainly happen to me.

In point of fact, it did (in a way) happen to me, with respect to my favorite worship band, #Downhere.  They are just amazing, and for the first weeks of listening to them, that's really all I thought of it.  It took time to realize that they are honoring the gift God gave them, and they are amazing BECAUSE of Him, and for no other reason under the sun.  He is amazing,a nd they are a part of that.

The same is true of speakers like McDonald and Moore: they are both immensely blessed by the Father with great insight, and they have the capacity to reach many, many more people than the average pastor or Sunday School teacher.  But their messages need to be kept in context (which I know is something they preach powerfully to their audiences, and they always drive it back to the Father), and we as the listener need to remember that Jesus is awesome, and Beth moore is a part of that.  Jesus is awesome, and James McDonald is a part of that. 

A new believer might miss this subtle and powerful lesson, and then what happens when a powerful speaker or teacher or singer falls from the graces of the crowd?  All of a sudden, that guy that was filled with the Spirit is just human, and that realization has sent people backwards on their walks before.  Michael English is a perfect example, given that he was the one who entertained the cream of the crop for the Gaither Vocal Band.  People idolized him, and placed him upon an unbelievable pedastal.  He did what any human would... he fell off.  It took years before he would return to the gifted voice he was blessed with, and his return was powerful.  But his own humility had to be brought into the picture, as did the views of some of his fans.  He is human.

I love English's singing and songs... and I love Moore's messgaes and studies... and I love McDonald's work in simple word studies... but they, like me, are all human.  They are following a calling, and they don't need your idolization, folks.  No, they need your prayers.  They need prayers, just like I need prayers, just like you need prayers, and here is the biggest and greatest #TRUTH I can ever share with you as a reason for all of us needing those prayers...

The ground is always level at the foot of the Cross... Jesus is above, and we are ALL below, and that is an absolute #fact.

God bless you all!!!

Someone's still watching...

Continuing from our last thought, I feel the need to expand slightly upon the concept, so that it can be seen for all it is.  The difficult part is going to be that I will be bringing up things of which I have been guilty, but I have learned from those mistakes and grown... I pray that the same result will come as you read along.

You see, it's not just the food in the temple of the idol that causes the problem.  It's also the open-minded acceptance that the idol might have a good point, or be worth listening to.  The funny part of that, of course, is that idols never spoke to the people.  They did not rain down fire from Heaven onto a sacrificial bull atop a mountain, and they didn't speak through a bush aflame but not consumed, and they didn't send a Messiah to save the entire world.  They were nothing more than carvings and/or drawings (if even that), and had no backing for anythng that their followers believed or said.

God has backing; Jesus has backing; the Spirit has backing.

Ponder for me what happens, though, when a person decides that they "idolize" another person for their looks or talent or money or status or whatever the case may be.  Well, if you correctly read the sentence, then you can see that if one person "idolizes" another, then that second person has now become an idol.  Stings a little bit, doesn't it?  And we may not build altars and raise asherah poles to the person, but we certainly know of scenes in movies where a young man or woman has built a shrine of commercially available items to a specific person.  We also know that while we may not sacrifice animals or make blood offerings to the person, we certainly sacrifice time and activities that we could be taking part in just to catch a glimpse of the person we have elevated.  For some people, the obsession gets so bad that they believe they must meet and become close to their "idol," and this has, in the past, led to some pretty tragic deaths and some people that we would term as being "crazy" for their beliefs.

God deserves that kind of chasing; Jesus deserves that kind of chasing; the Spirit deserves that kind of chasing.

Worse than that, though, is when one person refers to another person as "a god" for whatever it is they are good at.  I have been guilty of this, with respect to the percussive talents of a specific, Canadian-born rock drummer.  At the time, I was a teenager, and I thought little of the phrase.  As I've grown, though, I see it quite differently.  It is no joke, and there is nothing okay about elevating a man to the level of the Father... because only God can elevate.  And yet, with the power to bring us up to Him, He instead decided to send Jesus to us, meeting us where we were, in sin and filth and grossness and evil, and lift us up upon Himself.  Look at that, folks: God could've raised us to Himself, but instead allowed us to stand upon Jesus to be raised up.  He lowered Himself so that we could be raised, rather than just lifting everyone to the level we all wish to reach one day.  No man would've done that, because it would be too hard.

God would do that; Jesus would do that; the Spirit would do that.

Humans know hardship, Christian sibling, but God does not.  Nothing is too hard for God.  Nothing is outside His ability.  We are not that powerful, no matter how influential or wealthy or frightening or intimidating or anything else we may become.  And it is only in the realization that we can only trust in Him, and not in ourselves, that we can finally start to let go.  At that point, the storm may well overtake whatever ship we have set sail upon, and the mast may fall, but the storm is not outside the control of the Father.  And right there, in the midst, we need to seek to understand that it is His will that we must seek, and that His love surrounds and envelops us in all things.  Also, if you think about it, the person that you "idolize" isn't usually the one you hope will save you as you go through difficult situations and circumstances... when the chips are down, it's usually the Father that gets the phone call, right? 

God deserves that place; Jesus deserves that place; the Spirit deserves that place.

Take time today, friends, to reflect upon what takes the majority of your time, both in thought and in action.  If there is something that outweighs the Father, focus yourself today in prayer to release that item back to the One who created all things, so that nothing can hinder your time with the Father.  Let it go back to Him, and then you do the same... go back to Him for all your praises and all your requests and all your life!

God bless you all!!!

Someone's always watching...

Did you know that every second of every day, there is someone watching what you are doing?  There is.  Someone is always observing you, whether overt or covert, and they form opinions about what you do, and why you do it.  But what if the person watching isn't as stron in their faith as you are in yours?  What happens then?  And what responsibilities do you have, as a mature Christian?

"For if somebody sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, won't his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols?"

1st Corinthians 8:10, HCSB

For starters, we need to know that this chapter in this epistle speaks specifically to food offered to idols in the area of Corinth, which was common in the time of Paul.  Many of the Corinthians thought that they could live a Gnostic lifestyle, embracing the intellectual side of the faith without the physical disciplines.  They tried to be Christian in name only, giving their flesh over to sin while attempting to simultaneously purify their minds.  Further, the only meat in Corinth was generally brought into idol temples, which means that not eating food from those places would make you almost a vegetarian.  And besides, consumption of a certain food doesn't make you holy or unholy, right?  Isn't that what Jesus said?

Yes.  Yes it is.  (Ref. Matthew 15:11)

The problem comes in when an "enlightened" or "mature" person of the faith decides that they can take advantage of the freedoms they have in Christ.  Granted, being a Christian brings salvation, and that salvation cannot ever be taken away.  Added to that, since we are forgiven of all of our sins, it is known already when/if we will continue to eat food from idol temples.  However, we need to look at the heart of why and how we do what we do.  If we boastfully proclaim that we are saved, and therefore this act doesn't matter, then we are wrong.  We are only to boast in the cross and in Christ, and any other braggart-like attitude in pure #epicfail on our parts. 

Now, I use the phrase "take advantage of the freedoms," because it is usually when you take advantage of things that others come to see you as false or fake.  For instance, a proclaiming Christian who goes from church into a sinful life with no conscience issues, claiming that they are "forgiven already" or that they were "made this way" as an excuse for behavior patterns that are contrary to the Biblical life a believer of Christ is supposed to lead... that person isn't going to be effective for the Kingdom.  That life of smoke and mirrors isn't going to help any of the ones who are struggling with whether to give their life to Christ.  That half-hearted Christianity isn't going to reflect an appropriate response to the Son of God dying for you and me and all other human beings who have been or will be created by the Father.  That is #truth.

And imagine the moment that comes when you have been witnessing and sharing and praying to a lost friend, and there is a moment when you're certain that this friend might accept that Christ is the King of kings, and that #Jesus saves... and then you fail.  Your eyes wander to adminre someone or something you shouldn't.  You drift in thought.  You miss the opportunity to either say what needs to be said or pray what needs to be prayed, and your friend watches you allow this failure.  Is he about to make a decision?  Not with a half-hearted witness in front of him he's not!  He may turn away for months or years, and in that time experience great trials and pains, and have little to no hope for escape.  Could you handle that on your conscience? 

We must understand that the freedoms we have in Christ are available to us, of course, but our better discretion and honor to the One who gave all things up for us is paramount to EVERYTHING!!!  Physical wants and drifting thoughts and snappy comebacks and viscious attacks on other people, regardless of the reason, only show that we are not confident in the #truth that Jesus will provide all that we need.  Let me say that last part again: He will provide all that we need.  We are to spend our energy encouraging others, praying always, and giving thanks for everything in life. 

And this is not limited only to food, as I'm sure you realize from the text here.  Advocation of anything that is contrary to God's Word in the New Covenant given to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is counter-Christian, and that is an absolute #fact.  There is nothing you can do to argue it.  But know this, friends and Christian siblings: our charge from the Son of God is to love all, just as He did, while encouraging everyone to come closer to Him.  We cannot and will not ever change anyone on this planet except ourselves as individuals.  So work on you, and I will work on me, and the Father will work on all of us.

God bless you all!!!

Someone needs this tonight...

There are always times in life when you feel like you should say something... something comes up, and you feel wronged on a personal level, and you wish and hope for the moment to say the perfect one-liner to shut down the discussion.  Trust me, I know that this is the case, because it happens to me a lot.  Like, a whole lot.  But then I found a gem inside the book of Exodus a couple of years ago, and I frequently return to it for wisdom...

"The LORD will fight for you; you must be quiet."

Exodus 14:14, HCSB

You know, God is capable of anything you can imagine, as well as capable of all the things you can't imagine.  His power and might and wisdom and intelligence are literally without limit.  He does not fail or fall short.  Ever.  Period.  So if He is fighting for you, why would you get in His way?

You think to yourself, "self, you can handle this one on your own... there's no need to pray this time, because it's all very simple and the solution is so clear, and it should be pretty easy to just handle this one," but then you start out.  Do you know what happens next?  You, like me and every other human ever created (yeah, I said CREATED, because it's the #Truth), do the only thing you are capable of when left to your own devices: you fail. 

But what if you took just a moment to trust that God would handle it?  What if you tried for one second to allow the God that spoke the universe into existence to take a swing at it?  What if you got out of your own way, and got out of His way, and knelt in prayer to center yourself around Him before making a decision or taking action?  Look a couple of paragraphs above, and you'll see clearly what happens... He fights for you.

Granted, this passage is taken from the race across the Red Sea, where the Egyptian army is chasing down the Israelites, and the people were terrified.  However, their fear of impending death by the sword isn't all that different fromour fear of capture by the snare of sin, is it?  Sin brings failure, and that is our enemy's hope for us.  Don't let that happen, Christian sibling.  Just be silent, and let God do what God does best, which is whatever is the very best thing for any given moment, no matter what we may think or feel.

Trust Him, friends, above all else... that is one thing that happens when you are silent and allow Him to work through and in you.

God bless you all!!!