Flesh Denied

I remember getting my first car... the one in my name and that I was paying for. It was a 2006 Jeep Liberty, dark navy, grey leather interior, power everything, 6-CD player, the works. I was unaware how involved getting the new car really worked. I found out quickly that you need a lender and then have to work out all the many details. I was thinking, "People get new cars all the time. This should be a quick and painless process". Little did I know, the next day I went to the car dealership only to see my stack of papers that said, "Loan Denied". I couldn't believe it!

Well, the story goes that I eventually got the car and enjoyed it thoroughly. I kept thinking about the first lender we tried to use... why did they deny me? What did I do wrong? I wanted that new car, but it seemed like I was looking in the wrong places.

This got me thinking... we have all this 'stuff' we can buy and it supposedly makes us happy, but give it time... when the new wears off, we go right back to getting that new car smell in our lives. It's the same with religion and churches today. We live in an age where Christianity has become a product. From Christian mints, to bobble head Jesus figurines, the faith has been commercialized to the point that we go to the church of our choice, we rate the preacher or music, we'll even opt for online community because sacred space and live people seem to be too inconvenient. We've created consumer Christians who are more dissatisfied their spiritual walk than ever.

However, the true Christian message is one of denial, not convenience. A cross-less church becomes stale bread and cheap wine. It has no power and therefore can be easily parodied and marketed.

Jesus said it this way, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself or be cast away? (Lu 9:23-25)

Looking for that new car smell in your life? You must deny your flesh daily. It's not about all the things we want, rather what God wants for us. His will and His timing is perfect. If we deny ourselves, lose our lives, and follow Him, then we will find our whole life and our entire reason of existence in Him. What good are material possessions? It's just stuff... you can't take it with you when you leave this world.

If you're in the market for something new, or the honeymoon stage in your life is long gone, I challenge you to give Jesus a chance. If you give up living for yourself and deny yourself, then your life will really be saved in Him. Deny yourself, and save your life.

J.H.

Genesis II

I've been reading in the Old Testament lately. Reading and rereading to understand God's Word more. As I was reading I was thinking about how all this began. The Bible days, the first man and woman, the very beginning. The first book of the Bible is Genesis... where it all started. "In the beginning..."

Genesis is where it all began. I'm sure at some point all of us have thought about going back and redoing certain things in our lives. Reliving those times where we've made wrong decisions and bad choices... a new beginning of sorts. I wonder how we could have a new beginning...

I looked in John 1:3 - All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. So God made everything. This tells us Jesus' creativity. All things were made through Him and nothing was made without Him. He was involved of every aspect of creation. The Greek word for "made" is "ginomai", from which we get the English word "genesis". It means to come into being, to happen, or to become. God brought everything into being out of nothing. Everything in this universe was spoken into existence by God Almighty.

So if God made everything, that means He made you too; and if He made you once, it is safe to say that He can make you again. All throughout the Bible there are people who failed and sinned greatly, but were still made something great for God. David had an affair, Saul killed Christians, and the list goes on. In the end these men and women in the Bible were still used greatly for God and His kingdom.

Putting this all together... God made you in the beginning. He can make you again. He can and will give you a new start. The mercies of God are never consumed... they are new every morning (La 3:22-23). If you've fallen (and we all have) don't stay down. You're not forgotten and you are not alone. Get up and go on. Your past is over. You can have a new start today! The making of you life story has just begun. Pick yourself up and move forward with your new beginning in Him!

J.H.

Rise Up

As a young boy I had a tendency to fall a lot... Yes, I know it's funny. I usually fell while playing sports or something, but there were those random times I'd just trip and fall for no apparent reason. Now that I'm older, I've graduated from falling to just running into things. You know, doors, walls, etc. I realized as kid that if I didn't get up when I fell, I'd never get anywhere. I would just lay there defeated and never get any better or get past what made me fall in the first place.

Going through this life, we all have our times when we fall down. We face situations and circumstances that test us and put us through what we think is the worst thing ever. However, the Word of God states that tribulation works patience (Ro 5:3). Did you ever think that what you're going through is just God trying to teach you something? It's the testing and trying of our faith that make us strong.

What you have to do is remember what God said in His Word, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (He 13:5). God is with you no matter what. No matter what situation is staring at you, God is right beside you.

Bounce back from your circumstance. You have the power, God is with you, and no weapon formed against you will prosper (Is 54:17). You don't have to sit silently while the enemy screams lies in your ears. You don't have to sit paralyzed with fear of what the devil tells you. RISE UP! Stand on the Word of God, claim His promises, stand against the enemy and he will be brought down by the power that is in Jesus name.

God has a plan and purpose for you and your life. The callings from God you feel on your life are irrevocable. They never change or expire. You're not here by accident. You are here to fulfill a divine purpose that God Himself has designed for you.

Wait on God's timing, listen to His voice and follow His instructions, then watch what He does with your life. We pray and ask God to guide our steps, but we have to be willing to move our feet in whatever direction He takes us.

You are here for a reason. Don't doubt that for a second! Don't question what God has already told you. You may slip and fall, but don't stay there. Get up, dust yourself off, and rise above it. It's time to rise up!

J.H.

You Got The Right ONE Baby

When I was 16 years old, I had a job working as a pharmacy technician. I loved it! It was so cool all the things that are involved in medicine and the medical industry as a whole. One of the things I learned was reading scripts. A doctor would write an order for a patient and then it comes to us. After all the information is entered in the system I'd have to see which drug to dispense. On the order would say, "Dispense as Written" or "Substitutions Allowed". This was for generic or brand name medicine.

I was thinking yesterday about how people have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof (II Ti 3:5). Basically they're substituting things for God and the things of Him. They're sacrificing things instead of having the whole gospel and the whole truth. Instead of having Jesus and Him crucified (I Cor 2:2), they have a 'substitutions allowed' form of God and church.

The title of this post probably makes you laugh... It refers to the familiar 1991 jingle of Ray Charles about Diet Pepsi. They sing about having the right one. It's irresistible, simply sipable, etc. Still, to me something is wrong with this. It's DIET Pepsi... it's just a form of the regular Pepsi. Same with Coke, Dr. Pepper, or any other diet drink. No matter how many commercials say that Diet Dr. Pepper taste the same as regular Dr. Pepper, it still doesn't compare to the real thing.

Same with God!!! There's nothing that compares to Him! Nothing comes close to being the real thing. You can try different things in your life to try and make it sufficient, but at the end of the day it's still not the real thing. There is only one God, there is only one way to heaven, and it's the real thing!

The only thing that will save you, the only thing that will help you and turn your life around is Jesus... The real thing. The one, true, genuine God Almighty and His holy ghost in you. There's love, joy, peace, and power in the holy ghost. If you don't have it, you can get it. It's promised to you by God Himself in His Word. It says to repent, be baptized in Jesus name, and you will receive the holy ghost. It's a promise to you, your children, and to everyone that's far away (Acts 2:38-39).

Jesus and His holy ghost! There's no substitutes for that. You can try other things and try to fulfill your life. No matter what, drugs, sex, money, alcohol... none of that will ever compare to Jesus. He won't make you feel empty and alone. He will never leave you or forsake you (He 13:5).

Try Jesus. With Him you got the right One baby... uh huh.

J.H.

Just Like You

A lot of times people come up to me and tell me I look like someone they know. I've been told I look like Vince Vaughn, the guy off the E channel, and a few others. Then there are those people who could swear that I'm their long lost third cousins brother's wife's step-nieces great uncle... twice removed. The fact still remains that I am just plain ole me... no matter who people say I look like.

I could be like a lot of people. I could mimic their actions and how they talk, even dress like them. It's safe to say that I could be just like them, but then I wouldn't really be myself. The truth is that we're all alike in some way or another. Whether a little or a lot, we all resemble someone else. The choice of who we resemble is ours. Who will you look like?

Everyone has their share of life's problems. There are people who do you wrong, there's things that happen that can't be helped, and there are things that the enemy uses to attack you and your life. What you will do when this happens makes the difference. You could be mean, angry, fake, cold, ruthless, weak, senseless, etc. Or you could be different...

I've always tried to live by a simple question: "Why blend in when you were made to stand out?" The reality is that God called each and every one of us to be different. We are told to come out from among the world and be separate (II Cor 6:17). You could be like those that hurt you and take advantage of you, or you could be like Jesus and turn the other cheek. You could be vengeful and to those that harmed your life, or you could forgive.

We could all be just like them or just like Him! We are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26). It's said that if you get close enough to a person and look in their eyes, you can see a reflection of yourself. We are the apple of God's eyes. We can see ourselves in Him because we were made in His image... but can He see Himself in us???

Jesus overcame the world (John 16:33). So that tells me no matter what your situation, no matter how your life seems right now, you were made to overcome! You were made to rise above! You can do it, you can make it, and nothing formed against you shall prosper (Is 54:17). It's time to rise up! You don't have to stay in the same situation you're in. You will have problems, but you don't have to stay down. When you fall, you will get back up (Mal 7:8).

Take courage, child of God. There is always hope in Him. It's time to rise up and be like Him! Let it be said that you are just like Him!

J.H.