To Capture for Christ

I don't know about you but I struggle with keeping my mind fully on Christ.  Every single day is a battle between doing what is right and true and living as the world lives.  My life is a constant battle between wanting to have a deeper relationship with Jesus and wanting to have a place in this world.  There are many times I struggle with living in this world yet not being of this world.  This is especially true when I am in constant contact with non or complacent Christians.  Sometimes my life verse is Romans 7:19 saying, "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."

I do not seem to struggle at all when I can be alone or with Christians who encourage me in my walk.  In my time alone, I often am listening to Christian music, sermon podcasts of many preachers whom I respect, or Christian scholar lectures.  I'm sure at this point most of your are saying I need to get a life but the constant influx of scriptures, interpretations of scriptures, and soul affirming music help to keep me centered in Christ.  I constantly crave these times of learning and worshipping Christ.  My soul needs it.  My soul needs Him.


The deepest passion of my heart is to follow Christ in every single aspect of my life.  I want my life to mirror what Peter is talking about in 1 Peter 1:13-16 saying, "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  since it is written,'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"  When I spend most of my day immersed in Christ, I find that I can do fairly well of living this passage.  


The reality is that most of us are unable to live our lives constantly immersed in scriptural teaching, music, and prayer.  So how do we live for Jesus in those times where we are interacting directly with the world?  Paul says in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  When we trust the Holy Spirit to lead our lives, we will notice that He is constantly working to renew our minds.  This verse does not imply that this will be an instant process though because the second part of the verse says you will go through testing to help you discern God perfect will for you.  


Philippians 4:8 helps us better understand what a renewed mind should look like saying, "brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  In the process of striving to live Philippians 4:8, we also have to live 2 Corinthians 10:5b saying, "take every thought captive to obey Christ."  By learning to live fully in both of these verses, we begin to take strength when we are surrounded by the world.  


Though I still struggle greatly with living in these powerful verses daily, I can see the Lord continually drawing me closer to Him.  All of these verses ultimately point us to the idea presented in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13 is the answer to finding complete contentment no matter what situation you find yourself in.  Each day I wake up, I strive to live this contentment in Christ.  Some days are better than others but as I continue to rely on Him, I know He will be faithful to draw me into a closer and more consistent daily walk for Him.


I hope these scriptures will help you to battle waywardness in your daily Christian walk.  I pray that you will memorize and tuck these verses deep in your heart as ammunition against the devil when he tries to pull you into the world's ways.  Take heart Christian for Jesus has overcome the world!  In Jesus you to can walk in strength and boldness daily.  


Blessings,


Greg


  My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

You Caring

  

The Battle Within

The highlight of my day.

Tonight, I am tired.  My wife and I have been working to redo our bedroom in the past few weeks.  Through this process, we moved everything out of the room and have been sleeping in the living room.  We try to work on our bedroom when we get a chance but honestly we are both exhausted when we get home.  I have been working on redoing and painting rooms at my job also, which makes it all the more difficult to want to do the same thing at home.

We both agree that we want the room to be done but do not want to rush back into our bedroom unfinished.  I don't know about you but when I feel overwhelmed with a task or tasks, I have a tendency to want to shut down.  I don't want to work anymore.  I want to get away from what is weighing heavy on me.

Well today was one of those days for me.  When I came into work this morning, I did not want to get started on the project I need to finish.  I didn't want to paint, trim, or tape the room I needed to work on.  There was a war within my heart against the very things I needed to do.  As I battled with the project before me, the Lord convicted me of why I needed to work anyways.  He laid on my heart that the job I do does not only affect people's perception of me but also Him.

I am to work for His honor and glory and sometimes that involves doing things that I may not want to do. I have to lean on His strength and endurance to push through the times I would rather collapse and give up.  I am not writing tonight that knowing this takes away all of my inner battles and struggles but knowing this does at least help me to do what is right despite those inner struggles.

I want my life to be a daily example of Jesus in me.  I want everything I do to be a reflection of His glory and power.  Though these last few weeks have been difficult and the growing pile of tasks I have before me will not be depleted soon, I will rest in my Lord's strength.  I will seek His peace.  And I will trust His Word.  The Bible says that Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:28-30).  The Bible says that in Christ I can do all things (Philippians 4:13).  The Bible also says that I should not be wearied by this world because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).  Lastly the Bible says that God will provide for all my needs through Jesus (Philippians 4:19).  In these scriptures, I will trust and through these scriptures, I will carry on.

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

Knowing God. Truly!

In the last few days, I have truly struggled with what to write on my blog.  I have felt a very real tension between whether to keep going on or whether to just discontinue this blog and chalk it up to wonderful therapy and a worthwhile ministry for a time.  I have had so much going on in my life with a hectic schedule with work, school, teaching, resting, chores, church,  baby stuff, and so much more.  I feel tired and disconnected when I get home and I honestly don't want to do anything but sit on the couch and get lost in a tv show till it is time to go to bed to face another day.

All of this busyness, has truly drained me spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  The ironic part is that that my sleep quality, or lack there of, is directly tied to me level of exhaustion.  The more exhausted I am the worse I sleep.  This cycle does not exactly bode well for relaxing, healing, or strength for a new day.

I have taken up a new routine recently that involves a long soak in a bath before I go to bed.  The reason I began this routine is because I had hoped the hot bath would calm down my strained muscles and improve my sleep quality.  Since I have began this routine, I have also taken up another routine with it.  Each night I soak, I read something that helps me learn more about who God is.  Right now I am chewing on the amazing words of J I Packer in Knowing God.

Tonight I read about the immutability of God.  God never changes. (Ps 102:26-27)  God has no need for change because He is perfect.  He is exactly the same today as He was at the creation of the universe. (Hebrew 13:8)  Have you ever truly mulled over that truth?  God was not formed.  God did not grow up.  God does not grow old, feeble, or unstable. (Jas 1:17)  God is not dead!

In Knowing God, all of these truths come together to explain the need and validity of reading and understanding the Bible.  Many of us have picked up the Bible, read it for a while, and struggled with the fact that there seems to be no connection between the world of biblical times and today.  Many of us have questioned how a time that seemed so much different can speak to us where we are and in the life we live.  I have struggled with this at times and I have even longed for those simpler times, technologically speaking, in the Bible.

Though there is so much that is different between the Bible time and now, God is exactly the same between the two of them.  The Bible is our way to understand God personally. (Exodus 3:14)  He has shown us Himself through His divine word. (Ps 33:11)  He has shown us what He expects, what He desires, and how very much He loves us.  We can take all of His promises to the bank.  We can trust that the truths that were spoken about Him then are still true for us today. (Ps 119:89, 151-152)  Finally and most importantly, we can know that through what He, Jesus Christ, did for us then we can have complete peace and assurance of what He fulfills in us when we put our full faith and truth in Him today! (John 3:16-17)

Through this new routine, God has given me exactly what I need to find true rest and strength in Him for each day.  He is reviving me, not through the bath, but through His Word and filling the core of my being with Himself.  He is showing me who He is and revealing the truth of the Bible to me in a new, simple, and tangible way.   All I desire is to know God fully and completely.  I want to live and breath Him throughout every facet of my life.  I want to fully die to self and allow Him to live through me daily.

So I will continue to write this blog and be faithful to what the Lord has set on my heart.  I now understand that this blog is both for my healing and the healing of others.  I also understand that, through the example of the Bible, I am to continue where the Lord has me and remain faithful in that task.   Please pray for me as I seek to walk closer with Him and have the strength and courage to continue writing each day.  I pray that you to will discover a new way to connect with God through prayer and I hope you will also develop a new passion and hunger to know God as He is and has always been in His Word.

Blessings,

Greg

Don't Relax in Your Faith

Today I had the day off because my wife and I both had doctor's appointments we needed to go to with only one car.  I also have to work this weekend so my boss wanted me to take the day off to break up the schedule so I wouldn't be working 10 days straight.  I am so thankful that I had a break today because my back had really tightened up last night and I needed a day to allow the muscles to let go and allow me to do my job to the best of my ability.

After my wife and I finished all of our doctors appointments, I decided to take a muscle relaxer to help encourage my back to return to normal.  I know that a muscle relaxer can make you drowsy but I was not prepared for how drowsy I would feel the rest of the day.  A couple hours after taking the pill I decided to take a nap but I did not want to wake up after taking it.  I felt an intense desire to sleep.  I literally had to force myself to get up and start moving.

The rest of my evening has been one long struggle to stay awake so that I can get normal sleep tonight.  I definitely do not believe I will be taking a muscle relaxer during the day again even if I am off work with no where to go.  I do not like the feeling of my energy being drained from me.  I also do not like having to focus to keep my attention on things.

As I sit here still in my muscle relaxer stupor, I can't help but think about how my walk with Jesus feels like this sometimes.  Sometimes I struggle to stay close with Jesus.  I feel like I have no strength to walk in Him.  I feel like my mind focuses on everything but Him.  Have you ever been there?  Has the distraction of work, school, holidays, family, friends, tv, and music caused you to struggle in your walk with Christ?  Have you ever considered that maybe like my muscle relaxers these things are used by the devil to lull you away from a passionate walk with Jesus?

Unlike the muscle relaxer, the devil only has power over us when we give it to him.  We allow ourselves to walk off the narrow path.  We allow ourselves to be distracted by the many things of this world.  We take our eyes off Jesus.  The devil cannot make us do any of these things.  As followers of Jesus, the devil has no power over us.  James 1:13-14 says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire."


We allow ourselves to be pulled away from Christ.  We allow the devil to have power over us.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  As I had mentioned in my blog yesterday, we already know that we can do all things through Christ in Philippians 4:13.  The power we have against the devil is fully shown through John 16:33 where Jesus tells the disciples, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."  


So if you are sleepily struggling in your faith, take heart because Jesus can help deliver you from any struggle you are facing.  He is strong enough to deal with any situation you find yourself in.  He is strong enough to overcome the devil's hold on you.  Just completely trust and lean upon Him (Proverbs 3:5).  Put your complete faith and assurance in Him and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6).  


Blessings,


Greg

Relational Breakdown

For most of my life, I have felt like a loner.  I have friends but most of them seem to be friends of convenience.  What I mean by this is friends at work, church, and through my wife.  I don't want to come across as cynical but I always feel like the friends I have are only there because of the shared connection.  I believe that I have come to this belief because of the multiple times this has been true in the many moves of my life.  I can count on one hand the friends I have in my life in whom I believe wouldn't change or disappear if I moved towns, jobs, or churches.  

I had a brief conversation at work today about one of my coworker's disdain for cars.  I made the case that cars were wonderful and that no one would really want to go back to walking and/or riding in a horse and buggy but she claimed that she would.  We continued the talk by discussing how going back to a horse and buggy time wouldn't be all bad because everything would've been much closer.  Our towns would shrink back to the horse and buggy radius.  You would only know a limited amount of people because of a limited travel ability and it would be necessary to depend on the people you knew because of these limits.

It is so hard for me to conceive of a time when everyone in a town knew everybody else.  I think for most of my life these towns have been disappearing.  With the telephone, the automobile, airplanes, and the computer, we have had the ability to travel and communicate in ways not really imagined by most of historic humanity.  Ironically in all this new found travel and communication breakthroughs most of us in the western world have actually reverted to a state of less personal and real communication and friendships.  

The distance has created more of an opportunity to not communicate instead of an opportunity to meet more people.  The cell phones, texting, internet, and more have seemingly created an impersonal form of communication that makes us feel connected and yet has succeeded to make most of our friendships superficial.  We find ourselves wanting to communicate through text, emails, and within massively multiplayer online role playing games instead of meeting people, calling people, or even picking up a pen and writing a personal message.  Many of us have become recluses from direct contact desiring to only develop deep relationships through a computer or cellphone screen.

The implications to Christianity, in my opinion, has been devastating.  Many of our friendships within the church are acquaintance level at best.  We no longer want to take the time to know how the person next to us in the pew is actually doing.  We have lost the community aspect of church.  We also have developed a great fear of deep conversation with another human being in the flesh.  The idea of having to go out meet people and tell them about Jesus terrifies the average church goer today.  

If Jesus, the disciples, Paul, and all the prophets of the Old Testament had been afraid of human interaction or having tough discussions, Christianity would not exist today.  Christianity requires relationships.  There is no other way to truly show another person the love of Jesus that resides within you.  If you find yourself falling into any of these traps that tend to pull you into yourself and away from others, I implore you to run to Jesus and pray that He open your heart to His will.  Paul said in Romans chapter 10:14-15, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news," is taken from Isaiah 52:7.  The Bible always intended for us to tell the good news to others.  This was the original purpose of the Hebrews.  They were to be the people who would demonstrated God's glory to the world.  Jesus also came to demonstrate God's glory to the world.  Through these examples we can see the importance of us demonstrating God's glory to the world.  Though I do believe that texting, Facebook, twitter, etc can have a positive influence in evangelism, a direct personal relationship will always be the most effective tool for the kingdom of Christ.  Spending the time to share your life with another and live Jesus' love to them is ultimately the most effective way to touch a person for Christ.  So I hope you will turn off you computer, cell phone, and tv for a while, even if it means taking a break from my blog ;), and go out to spend some time with people in the flesh, and share the love and salvation Jesus gave to you.  Like in the picture at the beginning of this blog, you may be the one who has the opportunity to reach down and help a brother off the steep cliff they are struggling with.

Blessings,

Greg 

Through the Eye of the Needle

Today I had to take our cats at work to the vet to get their vaccinations. In order to get the cats to the vet, I had to put them in cardboard boxes and tape the tops. Gilbert, our male cat, spent the whole drive meowing loudly and trying to escape through the hand hole in the side. When we finally got to the veterinarian, I opened up the box and Gilbert just sat there quietly in the box while the vet gave him his shots. I then closed the box again and Gilbert proceeded to begin meowing again and stuck his head out of the hand hold again. When we got back to my work, I took the box out of the car, put it on the ground, and took the top off. Even with the top off Gilbert tried to get out through the hand hold. He did not realize that I had made available to him an easier way of escape even when I petted him on the back. Ultimately my coworker pulled him out of the box and Gilbert finally was able to run off to freedom.

This got me thinking about Jesus' comments in Mark 10:25 about it being as hard for a rich man to get to heaven as a camel going through the eye of a needle. Maybe when Jesus was saying this he wasn't saying that it is impossible for a rich man to get to heaven but that most "rich people" will, like Gilbert, try to get to heaven worshipping God and the world instead at the same time instead of just letting go of the world to fully have Christ. In relation to Jesus' day most of us in America would've been considered rich.  In this world, most of us want to have our cake and eat it to.

We see how difficult fully following Jesus can be for the rich in the story of the rich young ruler just before Jesus spoke about the camel going through the eye of the needle.  Though the rich young ruler was a good and moral man, Jesus asked one more thing of him for the rich young ruler to be His follower.  Jesus asked the ruler to sell all his possession, give them to the poor, and then come follow Jesus.  In this passage the rich young ruler sadly left Jesus and was never mentioned in the Bible again.  Though I do not believe Jesus asks each of us to give up all we own, I do believe he ask that we live knowing that everything we own is His.  He has the right to demand for us to get rid of all we own if He chooses because He is the one that blessed us with our family and possessions in the first place, which is evident in the book of Job.

I believe this why Jesus taught the principle that in losing your worldly selfish life, you will find your full life in Him. There is nothing in this world that can compare to the worth of heaven and being with God. When we try to have all this world and eternal life offered by Jesus, we are essentially telling God that the eternal life with him, that He has offered us, is not sufficient or good enough for us. It is in letting go of this world and giving our complete devotion to the ways Christ that we showJesus that all we want is Him. It is not that Jesus made it difficult to get to heaven. It is that we want to get to heaven through the little hand hold with all our stuff instead of the huge open top with our lives completely surrendered to the one who gave us salvation.

Blessings,

Greg

Just Can't Make Up it's Mind

One of the greatest and worst attributes of Indiana is that it's weather never stays the same.  Everyone who has ever lived in Indiana has heard the phrase, "If you don't like the weather, wait a while and it will change."  This has been especially true of this fall so far.  We have had days in the thirties and days in the eighties all in the same week.  We had snow tonight and we will have temperatures of sixty-five degrees this coming Monday.  We have had days that start out freezing and become perfectly pleasant t-shirt weather and days that start out perfectly pleasant and end up frigid and windy.

Most of my job involves working outside and I have to admit that I am having trouble acclimating to the constant weather changes.  My sinuses and my ears have been all messed up.  I have been getting headaches from the weather changes also.  All of this is compounded by the fact that, even on the coldest of days, I have to walk into the house where I work and shed layers of clothing or I will be burning up because the average temperature of the house where I work is 75 degrees.  It is such a funny sight to see coworkers quickly walking to the house in essentially summer clothing even when it is freezing cold outside.

Have you ever struggled with your Christian walk feeling like this?  Sometimes you are passionate for the Word and resting in the Lord and other times you feel far from Jesus.  These mountains and valleys or hot and cold moments can make a walk so difficult.  I don't know about you but I struggle much more in these times than I do when I have a consistent daily walk with Jesus.  When I am disciplined and spend time in the Word, speaking to the Lord, and relying on Him throughout my day, week, and month, I find that I am much more at peace and centered in who I am in Christ.  This is not so when I have a day of intense prayer and devotion followed by a week of nothing.

Our walks in Christ and outward witness should not appear to the world as Indiana does with weather.  What I mean by this is that the world should not expect that how we are acting or who we are will change in the next few moments.  We should be consistent in Christ.  We should walk a life full of love, grace, faithfulness, peace, and self control.  Our walks should model a daily walk with Christ that is unhindered by the ebb and flow of the world.  We have to be so careful to make sure that we are not letting each little life crisis pull us away from our daily walk with Christ.

Through reading the Bible, spending time growing in Christ through small groups, regular church attendance, constant prayer, and complete faithfulness to Christ, we will be able to weather the ups and downs and heat waves and cold snaps of the world.  I have been working to be more consistent in Christ through following a daily bible reading plan.  I am trying to store up the words of the Bible in my heart for those times of fluctuation.  I am trying to drop to my knees in prayer when I encounter daily struggles.  I am trying to build strong Christian relationships to help give me strength in my time of struggles.  I still have a long way to go but one step is still one step.  I hope you will work to draw closer to Jesus on a daily and consistent basis also.  May Jesus help to protect and uplift you in all you encounters each day.

Blessings,

Greg  

What if Jesus Had Come in Our Day

I was thinking about what if Jesus had come in our modern day.  I though about how His ministry would've been different.  I thought about whether he would've travelled the world.  I wondered if He would've utilized social media and modern day technology.  I thought about how His message might have been different.  I wondered what the parables would've been about in our day.

I honestly do not think Jesus would have done much with Facebook or Twitter.  I doubt he would've created a website for himself or worried about campaigning to be the top religious person in the world.  It seems to me that Jesus' strengths focused on sharing one on one relationships.  Sure, Jesus would've been able to provide perfectly thought out comments and questions to make people think on Facebook and Twitter but I don't believe His ministry was about hits, likes, or followers.

In the Gospels it seems that Jesus' main draw was His authentic and consistent life that gave His words authority.  He meant what he said and His character backed up the kind of person he was.  His power was in real life conversation and interaction.  I believe it was experiencing the love and compassion on His face, the power of His words, and the healing in His touch that changed the opened hearts and changed the world. I believe he would've used a phone only to plan a meeting in person.  He would've understood that love is best demonstrated face to face.  In doing miracles in our modern world, He probably would've told the people he healed not to go to the newspapers, TV stations, and online forums.

I believe His ministry would've been in all the places many of us have no interest driving through much less having to walk through and engage people.  He probably would've visited the local bars, the casino's, and the crack houses.  I doubt he would've have been afraid to talk to the professed atheist, the homeless, the addicted, or the gangs.  Jesus made it clear that he was not here for the well but the sick.  He probably would've offended many churches as He choose to spend time with the people on the street instead of preaching and fellowshipping with the people in the church.

I believe Jesus still would've spent most of His time mentoring a group of 12 men.  He had no intention of bringing the truth of His gospel to the whole world himself but through the Jews and those He poured His teachings into.  Chances are that Jesus would've never set foot in America.  He probably still would've been born, raised, and died in Israel.  We probably would've only heard about Him in the states as a passing mention in the evening news around the time He was crucified.  Chances are most of us wouldn't have even heard about His teachings unless we had gone to Israel on vacation.  For those who have problems with that last sentence, remember that Christianity wouldn't even exist if Jesus had come in our time instead.

I don't know about you but many times I have wished that Jesus would've came in our modern era.  I wish that I could've spent time getting to know Him in the flesh.  I wish that I could've seen the miracles He performed and heard the sermons and parables He taught.  The reality is though that Jesus came to bring the Gospel to the Jews and intended for them to bring it to the world.  Because of this fact I still would've likely only heard about Him or truly had a chance to know more about Him after He was gone. More than likely more of His words would've been available.  There might have even been youtube footage of the sermon on the mount.  Who knows we might've been able to listen to Jesus' messages on podcast after He died.

I guess the point of what I am writing is that even if Jesus had come in our modern era, His words and teachings would've still been the same.  His ministry would've been to the same region.  He still would've died a horrible death by today's standards.  And many would've seen Him, met Him, heard Him, and been healed by Him and yet still fell away.

We have everything we need to know about Jesus at our fingertips.  We have been given such a blessing to see His ministry from four different Gospel perspectives.  We have been given the Holy Spirit and a complete Bible to understand God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a way that the early church couldn't have imagined.  Each one of us has the ability to own a copy of the Bible, which has only been the case for about 500 years.  We have missed nothing by not having Jesus in the flesh with us today.  Jesus provided everything we would need to know about Him and the Gospel truth.  Though the idea of Jesus coming in our day is interesting, I am so glad that Jesus choose to come when He did and how He did.

Blessings,

Greg

Cluttered Heart, Inconsistent Walk

My wife and I are not particularly great at keeping up with the chores in our house.  Our main motivation to clean the house, is in response to people coming over.  Luckily we have people come over weekly so the house never gets insanely bad but there have been many times when we have run out of most of our clothes and dishes.  Sometimes our dirty house can be blamed on busy schedules.  Sometimes it is due to tiredness and apathy.  But mostly it is because we are undisciplined and lazy when it comes to maintaining the cleanliness of our home.  As I sit hear planning out the many cleaning tasks I need to accomplish today, the Lord nails me with this question, "Is this the only part of your life that is undisciplined and unkept?"  I shutter knowing that much more than my house ends up dirty and cluttered due to laziness and lack of discipline.

There have been so many times that I have made it through the week only doing what was necessary in my prayer and devotion times with God.  My Christian walk would best be exemplified by a rider on a fast horse barely hanging on as the world rushes by.  I tend to choose TV over reading, music or contemplative silence, and social interaction over intense time alone with God.  I often times substitute a Christian book over reading the Bible and many times prefer sermons to having to wrestle with the truth's in scripture myself.

I do rely on the Lord daily and constantly put my hope and security in Him.  I know that He is daily guiding my life, my job, my friends, and my opportunities for ministry at church.  I wrestle greatly with the scriptures through podcast, music, and books as I seek to walk more like Him.  I love talking to God and seek to know more about Him daily but I tend to fail in the task of listening.  The problem I most suffer from is inconsistency.  One day I will be walking closely in God the whole day and another day I will think very little about Him or my walk.

Have you ever struggled with this?  Do you find yourself missing days and maybe even weeks without thinking about or focusing on who God is and how He is working in your life?  Have you ever taken a self inventory to find that your heart had been filled with things that do not belong there?  Have you ever woke up to the realization that you were far away from the narrow road and in need of much direction to find your way back to the heart of Jesus?  If you can answer, "yes" to any of these, then I am here to tell you, your not alone.

I believe even the most fervent Christian struggles and strays occasionally.  Even Paul said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."  You are not the first and will not be the last to have times of struggle in your walk with the Lord.  I beg you not to believe the lie saying, "you must not be in Christ if you have struggled in your walk or been tempted."  The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  Hebrews 12 is also a great chapter to read to help encourage you in your walk with Jesus.


Though our body, minds, and souls are weak at time, there is perfect strength in Jesus.  I find that the days I am closest to Him is when I rely on Him fully for all parts of my day.  We can walk without God daily but we cannot fully live or reach our full potential without God.  He knows what we are capable of and what will bring us the greatest joy in life.  He knows how to lift us up and set our feet in right paths that we may live fully in Him and for His kingdom daily.  If you ever feel like your heart and your walk are a mess, then submit yourself fully to Jesus and allow Him to pick you up, dust you off, and prepare you for a closer walk with Him today.


Blessings,


Greg

Cornered by Time

Have you ever felt like your life is too busy?  Do you ever find yourself getting to the end of your day and realizing that there were so many things that you intended to do and never got to?  I have an intense desire for either more hours in the day our an extended weekend but I know that even if either one of those wishes were granted I would only fill them with other things.  I would like to say that I manage time well but honestly I do not.  A more accurate statement would be that I survive each day by the skin of my teeth and am lucky if I get all I intended to do done.

In all this craziness that is my day, I find myself skipping a much needed quiet time with my Savior.  I spend much of my day at work listening to Christian music, podcast sermons, and audio bible chapters but none of these things qualify as quiet time.  I never seem to take the time to just dwell in God.  I always seem to be busy to worship and relish in His glory.  I wrestle with what He is teaching me and how he is leading my heart daily and yet I spend my rest time in tv, shopping, laziness, and games.

All of these things have contributed to my lack of posts in the last few days.  I get to the end of my day and want to rest.  I want to do nothing.  No chores, no devotions, and no spiritual searching.  Have you ever been there?  I am so thankful that God is gracious to call my heart back to Him.  He is so loving to convict me of my distance from Him.  I find that I have to be able to give all of my life to Him both my work, my ministry, and music, and my rest, my relaxation, and my entertainment.

Lord, help me to focus completely on you.  May I give my all to you.  May I rest in you always.   Please forgive me for my selfishness with the time I am given.  May I learn how to truly be still and know you. I love you and thank you for all you teach me daily.  Amen

Blessings,

Greg

Many Blessings

Today was a normal day.  I enjoyed being productive as I drove our zero turn and mowed the property.  I enjoyed listening to music and sermon podcasts while I worked.  The Lord taught and blessed me through the sermons I listened to today.  I shared a sermon with the youth and I think they enjoyed and learned a lot from it.  The Lord showed me that there are just certain times that it is best to let someone else teach.  I enjoyed playing guitar in our worship practice tonight and was glad that practice went smoothly.  I ended up being pleasantly surprised as our young adults stuck around a while to play hang man, hang out, and listen to some crazy fun music.

I am so thankful for a job I love working with some of the best people I have ever met.  I am thankful for a completely awesome God centered wife.  I am thankful that the Lord shows me what I need to teach our young adults weekly.  I am thankful that He has raised up Christian men in my life to mentor and instruct me on how to become a stronger man of God.  I am thankful for young adults who truly soak up the word of God and want to live more Christ centered lives. I am thankful for being able to have friends who love the Lord and love to hang out with us.  God is so good.  

All these things make me think about the old hymn called, "Count Your Many Blessings."  Thanksgiving is going to be here before we know it.  This year take the time to take inventory of the many blessings and things to be thankful for in your life.  Remember the one who gave each thing to you and thank Him above all else.  As I sit here, I wonder where I would be without the Lord and I shutter.  He has been so good to me.  I know that sometimes it is hard to see blessings in your life but please remember your circumstances shouldn't determine your thankfulness.  No matter what situation we are in today, we can always be thankful for the wonderful love, grace and forgiveness our God has bestowed upon us.  Also remember that there is always hope in Jesus as Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Blessings,

Greg  

Fixer of the Heart

This picture beautifully displays how I feel most of the time when I encounter struggles with people.  Part of who I am and how I have lived most of my life is as a fixer.  In my current job, I am a maintenance technician and if something is broken then I fix it.  If I have any problems at my house, I fix it.  If my car is broken, I fix it.  I think you get the idea. ;)  I get so frustrated when I have issues with friends, family, coworkers, and my wife where I can't instantly fix their problems, which is often.  I don't like tension in my relationships.  I don't like to see someone else hurting and not be able to fix what hurt them.  I don't like to have arguments that don't have immediate resolutions.

When I was younger, I was never able to understand why people are so much harder to fix.  In my mind, most people's problems seemed simple enough.  The Lord has taught me a lot through the years on how to better depend on Him when I encounter struggles with others.  The hardest lesson He has taught me, which I admittedly am still trying to learn, is I am not going to be able to fix the other person's problem.  I am going to have to put the situation in the Lord's hands and trust that He will resolve the situation in His time.

God has shown me that the situation is not always going to be fixed the way I want it to.  Sometimes I am going to have to watch and endure the pain of my friend or family and just support them with my love.  Sometimes the Lord has to show me that I am the reason or a part of the problem.  Occasionally the only resolution to the problem comes in my heart being able to forgive and accept the other whether they change or not.  Many times it takes me surrendering all of my desires and worries to the Lord and resting in His sovereignty.  I don't know about you but I don't like giving up complete control and I especially do not like to wait once I have.  I want things fixed now.  I have to admit though that I have learned so much about myself, my God, and the people involved when I fully trust in Jesus to remedy the situation in His glorious timing.

Romans 12:12 helps put into focus how we should act when facing trying times with another, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."  This verse speaks to me greatly and stings quite a bit because often times, I am anything but patient during tribulation.  1 Corinthians 13:4 takes patience to another level by referring to it as being a quality of love.  This verse helps me to see that I am hurting people by my impatience instead of loving them by trying to remedy the issue quickly.   Many times I feel as though I am being loving by resolving what is distressing me quickly.  I guess that is truly the crux of the matter.  Often times when I want something fixed it is because it is causing me pain not because I care about the needs of the other who is having trouble.  Whenever we face trouble, we have to learn to be loving by approaching the situation appropriately.  James 1:19-20 says, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." When you combine Romans 12:12 and James 1:19-20, you begin to get a better idea of how God wants us to acts during situations like this in our lives.


I am so thankful that the Lord is continually working in my heart to make me more like Him.  He is the ultimate fixer of the heart as he works to fix us from the inside out.  I am thankful that I can place the problems I encounter in His hands and know that He is trustworthy to take care of them.  Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."  I am a witness to God's faithfulness and worthiness to trust in Him.  There is no problem too great for God and no situation too difficult for Him to handle.  


I must admit to you that many times the problem won't disappear instantly but have faith and He will bring you peace as you entrust the problem to Him.  Pray constantly for Him to do a work in you and the person in whom you are struggling with or supporting in their struggle.  He will bless you and keep you daily.  He also will continually work on your heart and the heart of the other person.  He will teach you how to love better no matter the situation and you will grow immeasurably in your walk through trusting Him with your struggle.  


Blessings,


Greg  

www.realchristianwalk.com

Echelon

These lyrics from the song Echelon by Pillar sum up what is on my heart tonight.  Please read them closely.  


You know it's time for us to step it up
Another level now 'cause we finished warming up
So we rise up elevate to maintain fill up with octane
And fan the flame we regain all the names
The enemy took away
And like a green beret we will lead the way
Into battle so have no fear we will draw near
So that we can persevere like a gondolier
We headed straight to the top nonstop
Set shop at the top of the Rock
You'll feel the aftershock after we rock the spot
Cause you forgot these soldiers won't turn and walk
We take hard knocks come back for more
Cause we're hardcore we fight for the One who died for (you)
And like Saigon we're on the frontlines
And we carry on to the end times

[Chorus]
Now that it's on, we're out in the front of this marathon
With our armor on, stay strong we drive on (drive on)
Our echelon pressin' on 'til we reach the top
And you know we don't stop (our echelon)
Now that it's on

We're on the enemy's hit list
I'm hopin' you get this
You're takin' a risk when you resist the one who made you exist
Evolutionists we got love for you too but we're breakin' down
Walls seeking out the truth
I'm a soldier in this army of One
Like I told ya the battle's already won
So about face move outta the way I gotta pray for you
And this is how we do


Do you believe these words?  Are you ready to live like this?  We are at war folks but our war is not against our fellow humans.  Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  We have got to remember why we are on this planet.  We have to remember who our allegiance is to.  In a war you don't just walk back and forth between the enemy and the ally side without consequences.  


In a war, you must choose sides or die.   In Revelation 3:16, Jesus says this to the church at Laodicea, "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."  There are spiritual consequences to trying to ride the fence.  The absolute worse place you can be in life is indifferent, apathetic, and passionless.  Jesus says that being these things is even worse than being cold, which means hostile to Him and the Gospel!  So are you ready to stand up and live out your love for Jesus so people can see it?  Does Jesus burn in your heart tonight?  Is He truly the center, the passion, and the desire of your heart?  If not, please take the time to seek out why.  There is nothing in this life that matters more than passionately following Jesus.  


I hope you believe this is true tonight.  I hope you life will display this truth daily.  I hope you will talk to me if you struggle with believing this.  I would love to pray for you if you are struggling with Jesus being the center of your life.  We, as humans, are driven by our passions.  We will be passionate about something whether it is family, work, politics, money, hobbies, the environment, technology, Jesus, etc.  I hope Jesus is at the top of your passion list.  If he is not, maybe it is time to reorganize your passion portfolio.  Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  What is your treasure and your passion tonight?  Who's side are you on?  


Blessings,


Greg

Confession

Tonight, I am going to be completely honest with you.  My deepest desire and goal in life is to matter.  I want to make a difference in this world but the thing is I want to make a difference that changes the world.  Some of my highest goals include writing a book, writing a song, creating a work of art, and changing the world for my Savior.  Have you ever had such a deep desire to do something that you could feel it deep in the pit of your stomach.  Have you ever long so much for something that it made you sick.  That's me.

As I watched Courageous last night, I knew that Alex and Stephen Kendrick had been successful in changing the world for Christ.  They could never do another movie again and rest in the knowledge that they have made a profound influence for the kingdom of Jesus.  I can tell from their hearts, which are so apparent in their movies, that they would not be satisfied to stop with Courageous.  I can see that they are completely sold out for Christ and His kingdom.  They want to make the biggest impact they can for Christ in this world, but not them but Christ through them.

I hope that one day I get to meet the Kendrick brothers and shake their hand and thank them for the profound impact that they have made in my life and many other Christians in America.  They are two men that I look up to, along with Jim Ivey, Jonathan MC, David Platt, Francis Chan, Jon Foreman, Paul, and Peter.  Each one of these men have made a mark on my life.  They have each transformed who I am in Christ.  I am a better man today because of the contribution they have made through their submission to being men of character in Christ.

I hope to be able to live a legacy as big as each one of these men.  I don't want to live such a legacy for my own gain but for the impact it would have on the world for Jesus.  In a new song by Switchfoot called, Where I Belong, Jon speaks these lyrics that help to explain what I mean,

On the final day I die
I want to hold my head up high
I want to tell you I tried
To live it like a song

And when I reach the other side
I want to look you in the eye
And know that I have arrived
In a world where I belong

I know this world is not my home and I want to live my life in a way that reflects that.  I am working to cast off the weight of this world for a higher purpose in serving my Savior.  I want to tell the world about who He is and how He has changed my life.  I want my dying breath to be one of love and devotion to Him.  I want to be a man of honor and love befitting the title of being like Him.  I know that I am purely saved by grace and that I cannot ,and do not need to, earn a spot in heaven because Jesus has loving provided it for me through His death on the cross.  I only want to live my best life for Him showing my gratitude for His glorious act.  I want the world to know that they can all share in His love and that He died knowing the sins and failures of each person.

God loved us so much the His only son Jesus became flesh and blood, able to be tempted, to feel sorrow and pain, and able to feel hunger and thirst for us.  He came to live a pure and spotless life, to teach us love by example.  He came to heal and restore us by humbling Himself by obedience to die on the cross.  He held back the legions of Angels that so desperately wanted to stop humans from killing Him on the cross.  He allowed us, His creation, to pierce His skin with nails.  He took our sins upon Himself and died.  He conquered death and rose again.  All so we could have a true relationship with Him.  He restored what we couldn't.  He gave us a way to be able to spend eternity with Him.  He gave us Himself, in the Holy Spirit, if we would only believe in Him.  How loving our Savior is.  How wonderful His love for us.  May you drink His water and never thirst for anything but to share His love with the world around you.

Blessings,

Greg  
www.realchristianwalk.com

Captain of my Soul

Day 51,

In the last few days, I have been focusing on who God wants me to be and how He wants to use me.  He is showing me the many ways He is using my life for ministry which includes: this blog, writing music, teaching youth, preaching, and living His word daily.  In the past couple days the Lord has laid lyrics on my heart for 4 songs or rather poems at this point.  I would like to share one of them with you.  It is called, "Captain of my Soul"

Floating through life, my boat ebbs and flows
I'm looking for you Lord, so far from my soul
Oh elusive love.  Are you around the next bend?
Can I know you dear Lord?  Show me the way in

As I throw out my paddle my life yours to lead
I'm floating along will you fulfill all my needs

Excitement rises in my heart  

I feel your hand as I'm gently towed

Jesus may we never be apart

As you lead me down this narrow river road

May I never be lead astray
Laying back I relinquish all control
Father, I long to follow your way
I'm directed by the captain of my soul




I wish you many blessings today and that you would rest in Jesus today.  FInd your peace, your love, and your joy in Him today.  Let Him lead and have control of everything in this life.  Jesus wants to be the captain of your soul today.  Will you let Him take over control?

Blessings,

Greg

Day 48, Humbled and Thankful

Day 48,

Today, I was incredibly humbled by my pastor recommending my blog to our church as a, “must read.”  As he began to speak about a blog written by someone in the church, the hairs raised on my arms, I developed butterflies in my stomach, and I held my breath as I waited to see whom he was talking about it.  It was so wonderful to be acknowledged today and yet at the same time his recommendation produced a strong fear inside me.  I instantly faced the many inadequacies I possess in writing this blog.  The devil filled my heart with unworthiness as I remembered all the many ways that I have stumbled and fallen in my own walk as a Christian.  I was faced with how unworthy I feel to even be writing a blog like this to other Christians. 

As I, with a timid voice, explained to the church what the blog is about, I felt Jesus calming and reassuring my soul.  He knew everything I was and all that I am when he asked me to write it.  He knows I am unworthy because we all are and assured me that His strength is strong enough to complete this task He has given me.  I have received so many blessings from Jesus in writing this blog and know that He is fully behind it but for a moment I wavered.  

I questioned why Jesus had me writing a blog such as this?  I wanted to know why the Lord would lead me to name a blog realchristwalk and create a website called www.realchristianwalk.com when I struggle so much in trying to live with Christ in me and shining through me.  In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” I personally feel I also could make the proclamation of foremost sinner.  There have been so many times I have strayed from Jesus.  There have even been times when I have ran from Jesus and the truth of His word.

Through just the short time that I have been writing this blog, Jesus has been teaching me about His love and grace.  He has shown me that His forgiveness really does stretch as far as the east is from the west.  He has shown me that His loving act on the cross was done knowing every way I would sin and hurt Him.  He has shown me that I have no strength without Him and all strength in Him. 

I write this today for a couple reasons.  First, I want you to know that I in no way see myself as a super Christian or believe that everything I have to say should be taken to heart.  Second, I want to encourage you to find strength in Jesus daily.  I imagine that many of you can relate to the many feelings I felt today.  Jesus will never ask us to do anything we can’t accomplish in Him but remember that Philippians 4:13 doesn’t say we have the strength to do all things on our own but that we only have the strength to do all things in Jesus. 

So I leave you with these final thoughts.  All who have read this blog since the beginning and even posted comments, thank you so very much!  Anyone who is new to this blog, I look forward to hopefully getting the chance to know you and hope you will be willing to post comments.  I ask humbly that if I ever write in a way that is not centered and founded in the Word, that you would lovingly comment so I may grow in my walk also and not lead astray any others who read this blog.  I give all the credit to Jesus and am thankful that He provides everything I need.  I hope you all will find strength today to walk in whatever Jesus is asking you to do with the full assurance that He will be faithful to complete any work that He starts in you (Phil 1:6).

Blessings,

Greg

Wonderful Sufficiency

September, 22, 2011

For some reason I did not feel right today.  I wasn't sick but I did feel down on energy and low on emotion control.  There are some days that you have to persevere despite the pain, the fragile emotions, and the desire to crawl into bed till tomorrow.  Today was one of those days and it seemed as though a few of my coworkers shared my sentiment today.  Honestly today was an absolutely beautiful day!  It was a perfect temperature with a smattering of clouds in the sky and a gently breeze.  For all intensive purposes, I should have had an awesome day at work.

Instead I spent most of my day relying of Jesus' strength to pull me through.  Today was truly a day where he carried me because my strength was insufficient.  Have you ever had a day like that?  I was so thankful of the company I work for because they understand that not all days are great days.  There are people to talk with you when you struggle.  They understand when you need to drink water and just take a load off for a little while.  Today our CEO even decided to treat a few of us to lunch.

The Lord blessed me in so many ways today despite how I felt.  He did give me the strength to accomplish the task at hand and filled me with the joy to work to His glory today.  He helped me to focus on what I needed to do and gave me the endurance to continue on in those tasks.  He gave me compliments from a few of my fellow employees and even a client.  He made a perfect day for working outside and gave me the tools I would need to accomplish my task.  Our God is faithful to sustain and uplift us in our time of struggle.

Paul helps us to know how to handle days like this in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.  Previous to this passage Paul pleaded with God to take away a thorn in his flesh.  In this scripture Paul receives God's reply, which helped Paul to reorient his perspective during times of struggle.  The scripture reads as follows: “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  Aren’t you so glad that Jesus is strong when you are weak?  Through relying on Jesus during our times of weakness and struggle, we are able to show the world the faithfulness of Jesus to stay us despite our own weakness.  In my opinion, the point of this scripture is not for us to only rely on Jesus during our down times but to understand that we are always weak without Jesus and should always rely on Him to give us the strength we need for each day.

The psalmist says it best in Psalm 34:17-18, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”  We all have our down days.  It is on those days that we have an extra opportunity to show those around us that Jesus is our strength.  Aren’t you so glad He is always faithful to bring you through? 

I hope the rest of your week is a blessing to you and that the Lord would move in your life in a new and wonderful way.  Keep seeking a closer relationship with Jesus as you learn to trust and lean on Him more and more each day.  If you do not know Him, please take the time to read in the Bible about Jesus and I am always more than willing to answer what questions I can anytime you want.  I also am more than willing to just listen if you ever need someone to talk to. 

Blessings,

Greg