My Heart Is Broken But My Eyes Are Open

The news and images coming out of Afghanistan these last few days are gut wrenching, heart breaking, soul crushing. I cry myself to sleep at night praying for those trapped, those who will be or are being persecuted for not being Muslim, for working with US forces while our troops were there, for being women. 

Stories of Taliban fighters going door to door and searching for Christians. Searching people's phones for signs of Bible reading or Bible study. Searching for those who dared to help our soldiers over the years. Killing women who aren't wearing a full face covering. Setting old women on fire for failing to cook adequately enough to please them. Forcing young women to marry Taliban fighters. 

Images of people so desperate to leave that they're climbing in through half closed aircraft doors, packing into airplanes like sardines. Images of tiny frightened children, terrified women whose freedom has been stripped from them overnight. No more working, no more education, no more liberty of any kind. 

Christians who KNOW they'll be slaughtered in the coming days for daring to believe in Jesus...for refusing to recant and go back to being Muslim. Followers of Christ gathering together to worship in secret. 

And then there's the American church...

What can I even say about the American church? We have everything. Nice comfortable buildings in which to gather. Freedom to worship openly. Freedom to have as many copies of the Bible as we choose to have and display them in our homes. Freedom to put a bumper sticker on our cars that tells people to "Follow Me To Church". We can talk freely to others, openly, without fear. We might face some laughter or ridicule, we might even lose some friendships over our faith in Jesus...but- generally speaking- we don't have to fear for our safety, for our lives JUST BECAUSE we love Jesus. 

And yet we skip church because we're too tired. Because we don't feel like going. Because we have something more fun to do. We see people suffering and don't tell them that Jesus loves them because we're embarrassed, because we don't want to be made fun of. We're unsure of how they'll react so we remain silent. 

We don't read those Bibles we so proudly display around our home. They sit and collect dust, still looking brand new 20 years after they were purchased, the spines never creased from being opened. How can we have a relationship with someone we don't know? How can we get to know God without reading His Word? 

How can we complain when we have so much and why are we so unwilling to help those who need some of what we have? We live in a country full of people who NEED Jesus...yet we keep Him to ourselves and turn our backs on those in need. 

We should be ashamed of what we've become. We had so much and we've turned out backs on the blessings that God gave us to share with others as we hoard them to ourselves. 

God, forgive us. Please open our eyes to what we've done. Break our hearts with what breaks Yours, Lord. Help us remember our first Love. Set our hearts on fire for You.

Why is Hell so bad?

I've had quite a few people ask me why a loving God would create a place like Hell. Why a loving God would send people He claims to love to such a horrible place. 

So let's take a look at the why's...

Hell was created as a place to punish Satan and his demons. Matthew 25:41 says: 

25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

So initially, Hell was not a place for people. The Bible also says in 2 Peter 3:9 

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

So you see, God doesn't want anyone to die apart from Him. He wants everyone to come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him. But because of man's sinful, rebellious nature, that is not to be. We are all born with an eternal soul and that soul has to go somewhere. God cannot be in the presence of sin. The blood of Jesus covers the sin of those who repent and believe in Him. So those of us who've put our faith in Christ are no longer considered defiled- we are redeemed and, thus, able to be in the presence of God. 

Those who don't put their faith in Him will be separated from God for eternity in a horrible place called Hell.

And why is Hell so terrible? Hell isn't terrible because there's pain and anguish. The Bible says in James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Read that again. EVERY GOOD THING is from God. So where you see good things, feel good things, experience good things, God has provided those things. EVERY good thing. 

Hell is horrible because God is not there. There is no part of God in that place which means it's full of nothing good. It's full of only horrible, awful, things. Pain, suffering, anguish, evil, torment...because EVERY GOOD THING COMES FROM GOD. 

1 John 1:5 says This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Darkness cannot dwell in the presence of light and Hell is the darkest of dark. If God is 100% light, there is no where for sin in His presence. God cannot dwell in Hell and unrepentant sin cannot dwell in Heaven. 

God has offered us a way out of eternal suffering. Make no mistake, when the Word of God says eternal, that's exactly what it means...Forever, unending, ETERNAL! And once you've passed from this earth it's too late to change your mind. I'm sure there will be many people on Judgement day who wish they'd done things differently in life, while they still had the chance. 

Jesus Christ left His place in Heaven and came to earth as a baby to grow up among us, to experience life as we do, to face temptations and to love and grieve and die. His death paved the way for us to escape that terrible destination. He offered himself freely so that we might live in paradise with God instead of inescapable torment in Hell...separated from God. All we have to do is reach out and accept His gift. Believe that it's true. Acknowledge that you've sinned, that you're a sinner, that you need to be saved...and He will save you. Turn your back on sin and live for Jesus because He died for you. 

God loves each and every single person that has ever been conceived from the beginning of mankind. He wants to spend eternity with us but- here's that dark vs. light thing again- He CANNOT be in the presence of darkness/sin. It's not that He could if He chose to...it's that He can't. Darkness cannot live in the light. Sin cannot live with God. He wants you to choose Him but He will not force you to choose Him. He doesn't need us but He wants us because He loves us. 

If you need Jesus in your life, please find a pastor/friend/mentor/family member/neighbor, anyone that you know loves Jesus and truly lives for Him, and ask them to lead you to the cross, to show you the way to Heaven. Ask that person to back up what they're telling you with scripture because the Word of God is solid. Don't be led astray. 

If you have no one in your life that you can reach out to...Reach out to me! I will happily do my best to answer your questions and introduce you to Jesus to the very best of my ability. If I don't have the answers, we'll work together to find them. 

Please, don't spend your eternity apart from God- the God who created you and who loves you more than you can imagine. Let Him into your life, into your heart. Let Him renew you and restore you. Let Him redeem you so that Heaven is your future...instead of Hell. 

America's Lukewarm Church

 Revelation 3:14-22

The Lukewarm Church

14 “And to the [a]angel of the church [b]of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither [c]cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.[d] Therefore be [e]zealous and repent.20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Go back and read that again. Meditate on it. Chew on it for a few minutes and reflect on the condition of the church in the United States today. We often see news stories of some denomination of other that has caved to the world and has agreed to perform same sex marriage ceremonies or teaches that homosexuality is okay in the eyes of God...the same God whose very Word says otherwise. Does He love those who are homosexual? Absolutely He does, without question. But does He condone the lifestyle they practice? No, He does not. We, Christians, Children of God, are called to be holy, as He is holy. Unrepentant sin is not holy. The church has lowered itself to the standards of the world instead of doing its best to bring the world up to God's standards.  Welcome the sinner into your midst, yes, but do not tell that sinner that his/her sin is okay. Do not participate in their sin.  This isn't just about homosexuality either. 

We have a church here locally whose pastor committed adultery with a married woman and then married her after she divorced her husband. The church hired him knowing he had done this. That church, by allowing him to be a shepherd to that flock, is telling the congregation that adultery is no big deal. That sin is acceptable. 

We are called to be set apart from the world. To hold ourselves and those who lead us to a higher standard- God's standard. Our country is, compared to many others, a very wealthy country. We have what we need and much of what we want. We go to church because it makes us feel good about ourselves, because the pastor tells us that Jesus loves us, forgives us, shows us grace and mercy. We put a few dollars in the offering plate and it makes us feel like we've accomplished something good. Pat ourselves on the back and go about living our lives the rest of the week no differently than the rest of the world. 

If someone is watching you live your life and also watching your atheist neighbor, will they see a difference between you? Will they know by watching you that you are a blood bought child of the King? 

Christians in China pray for persecution to come to the American church because they know from first hand experience that persecution makes a church better. We, American Christians, are, for the most part, lazy, complacent, and unwilling to fight for what is right if it means we have to sacrifice something. We like our comfortable lives and we don't want to do anything that might risk it or make us uncomfortable. So we've become lukewarm and if we don't wake up and see what we're doing, we will be spat out from the mouth of God! Be hot or cold! Be on fire for Him or turn your back on Him but do not be in the middle! Tell your pastor you want true Biblical teaching and if he/she won't turn back to God, find a new church. If you continue to be lukewarm, you have to answer to God for that! You! Because you have the power to change your life, to live a life that reflects God's holiness and not one that reflects the garbage of the world. 

What do you choose to do? Today is the beginning of Lent...Spend some time reflecting, praying, looking in the mirror of your life and asking God to show you what needs changed in you. I know that's what I'll be doing because I know that I've spent too much time being lukewarm and complacent. I choose to be on fire for Jesus, no matter what the cost. 

Is it too late to heal our land?

As I was reading through some comments on a news article a commenter posted the verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 and someone responded to her comment and said something along the lines of, "It's too late for that. It's impossible to get everyone in the country on the same page."

So I went and read the verse and prayed about it and the part of that verse that stayed with me was "MY PEOPLE"

"...if MY PEOPLE, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (Emphasis mine)

We don't need the entire country to become Christians for God to hear our prayers and heal our land. We know, and God knows, that isn't realistic because there will always be unbelievers among us. There will always be people here who hate God. 

We just need to get HIS PEOPLE on the same page. HIS people need to humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways, seek His face, pray, pray, pray...and He will heal our land. 

Are you counted among HIS PEOPLE? Are you willing to gather with others who call themselves Children of God, to pray, to humble yourself? Are you willing to turn from your wicked ways? We all have them...lying, gossiping, adultery, sex outside marriage, alcohol, drugs, porn, hatefulness, racism, pride...just a few among the many sin strongholds that are common in today's church. Are you willing to shake those things off and turn back to God 100%? 

If HIS PEOPLE are willing to turn back to Him, to pray and seek forgiveness, to shed the wickedness we participate in...He will heal our land. It's a promise. That verse doesn't say maybe or might, or He'll think about it. He says I WILL. 

I'm willing. I'm ready to see this country turn back to Him. I'm ready to see a revival in this land, the likes of which has never been seen before. I'm ready to see people turn their lives around and give them to Jesus. Who's with me? 

I'm not the King of the world...

I was listening to the radio this morning when a song by Natalie Grant came on and the words really resonated with me because it's something I've done, something I do...I give something to God to handle then I reach up and take it back because somehow I think I can do it better.

But more often, I try to fit God into a box that I can handle, a box that makes sense to my human understanding. I have to stop and remember that God is so much more than that. He is so much more than what my box of understanding can contain. He created this universe with mere words. He holds it all together even when it feels like my world is flying apart at the seams. He can't even be adequately described with earthly words because He is so much more than our little words can define. We use words like awesome and amazing but we turn around and use those same words to describe a pair of shoes or a new car because those words aren't big enough to encompass the greatness of our God.

Go outside and look around...really look. Find some nature around you, trees, birds, insects, squirrels, flowers, grass, the sky and clouds...things our God created with a word. Think of a new born baby, a miracle, the ocean, a river, mountains. So many wonders that He created for our enjoyment. He created these things for us. He doesn't need them, He has heaven...He made these things for us to show us what He can do and that He loves us and He wants our world to be beautiful and for us to find the beauty in it.

God is bigger than our box. We will never be eye to eye with Him because He's bigger than that. We are not God, we are not even gods and we never will be.

I have to be more careful to remember God as He is...not as I think He should be.

My One True Hope...

Growing up I was surrounded by a myriad of Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents and close family friends that I called Aunt or Uncle. We were a close knit family that celebrated holidays and family events together. I have 11 Aunts and Uncles and close to 40 first cousins and it was always busy with lots of playmates and partners in crime. I loved it! I was so secure in the knowledge that if I ever needed someone, if I was ever in trouble or needed help with anything, someone would be there. It was a glorious way to grow up and I look back on my childhood with such fond memories.

But...as I've grown older I've seen rifts appear in that once sturdy foundation. Cracks of contention, anger, and most of all a sad unwillingness to forgive over petty differences. My security in my extended family has been shaken because I know that there are many members that I can no longer turn to or count on and it breaks my heart. Those same family members that I knew beyond a shadow of doubt would never turn their backs on me...have done just that. Cousins I was once as close to as siblings, I haven't heard from or talked to in years, and I miss them desperately. I've lost too many family members unexpectedly so I know how very fragile and precious life is and how quickly it can be taken from us, leaving us without opportunity to say, "I'm sorry." or "I forgive you." Let alone, "Goodbye."

But...the one thing I have complete faith in is that my Creator will never turn His back on me. No matter how bad I mess up, how angry I get, He will always be there. He will never leave me or forsake me. This one thought, this one hope, this one piece of knowledge is what gets me through each and ever day. I miss my family as I saw it, experienced it as a child. I miss them dearly and even though we don't speak, I pray for them daily, I pray they are happy and healthy and blessed. I pray most of all that they have or will find salvation in the saving grace of Jesus Christ so that we will meet again on the other side of Heaven's gates when our time comes.

Please, if it is within your power to do so, make it your New Year's Resolution to mend rifts in your family. Make amends, offer forgiveness- but do so carefully- and put the past behind you. The loss of a loved one whom you've had a falling out with is devastating. There is only so much time...don't wait too long because too late comes sooner than you might think.

Love Is A Choice

Love is not a warm fuzzy feeling. It's not butterflies in your belly. It's not about happiness and good feelings. Love is not a feeling.

Love is a choice. Love is action. Love is standing firm in the storms as they come and batter you and make you feel weak and tired. Love is looking at your spouse during an argument and choosing to stay...even when leaving might be easier.

Do you think Jesus, hanging on that cross, beaten and bloodied, flesh torn from his body...felt like loving us? Do you think He wanted to endure the punishment that wasn't His? Do you think He was feeling butterflies in his stomach as He thought about you and me?

I don't. I don't think Jesus was feeling love that day...but He sure chose love that day. He reached through the cloud of anguish and unimaginable suffering and took the sin off of you and me. He chose to love us even though we didn't deserve it. Even though He knew we might not love Him back.

So, when your child is throwing another tantrum...
When your spouse does that one thing that makes you crazy...
When your neighbor spouts hateful things to/about you...
When you're ready to walk away, when you think you simply cannot take another moment, when the butterflies died years ago and you feel nothing but contempt...

Choose love.




(Please note, I am not referring to or recommending that people in abusive situations stay in those situations. If you are being abused...get help!)