Home for Christmas

It's that time of year again. Christmas is so fun for me. I still have a hard time not buying too much. I worry that my kids are focusing too much on Santa and not Jesus. I wish there was a way to get them as excited about Jesus as they are about Santa. There are some similarities in Santa and Jesus I observed while watching "Miracle on 34th Street" today. When I was a little girl I always thought that was the real Santa. I have always pictured Jesus being a lot like that particular Santa. He was kind and it showed in his eyes. He understood each individual child's needs and desires. We don't know how he does all he does on December 24th, but we don't ask - we just believe. We don't how God does all He does, why things happen the way they do, what He has in store for us next...but we believe He is perfect and He is good. What are we without faith? Sometimes I hear people say "as long as you believe in something and it makes you happy, it's okay." How can you just believe in anything? Who ever said we had to be happy all of the time? There's a difference in being at peace and being happy. I'll take peace any day. When I think of my relationship with God, it's not some religion that I claim - it's a true faith in Him. God reveals himself daily to me. He is never far away, and I can feel it. His presence means everything to me. To me it's not hard at all to believe in Him. I know that I am nothing without Him. I don't even pretend I could make it on my own! I've tried that route before, and it doesn't work. When you know to Lord, when you've had a relationship with Him, if you start going your own way, it doesn't take long to get homesick. He is my home.

The Search

It's been a while since I've posted. The past month and a half my family and I have been visiting churches. It is amazing how many churches are around, and how different they are from each other! In a way, it's a disadvantage to visit too many churches. You start to get picky! I noticed that after the first couple of churches, I would say hmmm...I like this one but I don't know about being here for two services, plus group meetings. The next one I'd say, let's find a church that starts at 10:00 so that we get out earlier! The next one, we'd say hmmm, I wish there were more people our age. The list goes on and on. I've come to realize that thought it is almost possible to have a "custom made" church now, it's not wise to try to try to find the "perfect" church with the perfect people, the perfect service times, etc. Lately, we've been focusing on the doctrine, the belief in eternal salvation and the pastor first, then the overall feel of the church. Do we feel welcome? Are there ministries available for our kids? Is there a music ministry? These are important. What's not important is what the sanctuary looks like, what time we get out of church, etc. I think we've narrowed it down now to two churches. They are very similar in some ways, and different in others. We are going to attend these two for a little while and hopefully decide on one soon! Basically, what I am saying is not to be too picky about choosing a church. If you are, you may never settle on one. Besides, church is for God, not for us.

The Shack (con't)

Ok - I've had a couple of days to process everything. I do want to be clear about something. I do believe there is a lot of truth in this book, but that doesn't mean I agree with EVERYTHING. Many things do NOT line up with scripture, so I do see this book for what it is -a fiction book. What made me feel closer to God was seeing the relationship one can have with Him (or the Trinity). Also, the question "why do bad things happen?" was in some ways answered. The main character did not want to forgive the man who killed his daughter, but God says He must in order for God to redeem Him. The main character can't see the killer through the eyes of God. So, there are good parts and misleading parts to this book (In my opinion). I've read a lot of bad reviews from the Southern Baptist church, and I understand why. The Word of God is the Bible, not The Shack. I do trust, believe and will always stand by that. When I said many people put "God in a box," The box wasn't the Bible, but just so many people's perceptions are of Him. Sometimes I think we put limitations on God because we just don't understand just how loving and powerful He is. So, by no means am I saying that this book is the gospel. There is only one gospel. The whole conversation between Jesus and the main character about religion is interesting. I've always believed God was not interested in religion, only personal relationships with him. There is a difference though between "religion" and "church." I think there are some churches out there that are just "religious" but I also know there are whole lot out there that are not. There are a whole lot of churches out there that are all about serving others and worshipping the Lord, and everything a church should be according to the Bible. I think a lot of things can be perceived in different ways in the book. For instance, the "church" isn't always referring to a building where people go. It is also the believers in Christ as a whole. So, I'm no expert. The book did move me. It made me feel really loved by God. That can't be a bad thing. It's not some "Oprah" or "new age" book. The author and main character clearly love all parts of the Trinity - Jesus, The Father, and Holy Spirit. It is unique how he describes their relationship to us as well as to each other. I think one has to overlook some of the negatives of the book to really see the overall picture - which is God wants to be with us always, every second, every minute of every day. What more could we ask for?

By the way, I read some negative reviews about God being portrayed as a black woman. I don't think the author is saying God is a black woman. He made himself into the image a woman for the purpose of healing the main character. He even says he can take on the image of anyone or anything He wants. Besides, later the book he was in the image of a white man. I think it's obvious the author is not saying God is a woman.

Speechless...well, almost!

Well, I just the read the book, The Shack, and I must say, I have never been so touched and felt so close to God in all my life. Actually, I'm a little speechless right now (Ha! -that's a first!). No, really, something deep down in my soul knew that there is truth is this book. I know this book will be controversial because in so many ways it goes against what we as Christians have been taught about God and even church. We tend to put God in a box and say this is what God is and this is what we are supposed to do. I'm not going to comment on all that yet. I really need time to collect my thoughts. All I can say is I feel lighter since reading the Book. I feel like I've put too many expectations on myself. Somehow I felt like if I was not doing everything just right, I would not experience a good relationship with God. It really changes, in some ways, what it means to be a strong Christian. All the things I've talked about are important, are good, and are things I'll still strive to do, but I left out the most important thing - allowing God to not be a part of my life, or the biggest part of my life, but taking Him with me many in EVERY part of my life. What is a "strong" Christian anyway? Are any of us really strong compared to Him? The most well known song of all time "Jesus Loves Me" even says, "They are weak, but he is strong...". Being weak isn't always bad. Sometimes it makes us lean on our Rock, our Strength, our Refuge, our God.

Hmmm...I may rename this blog soon...maybe to "My Walk With God"

Just my opinion...

This is kind of off topic, but I just had to comment on how awful the MTV Music Video awards were last night. Why I watched? I don't know - curiousity I guess. That, and once in a while I hope to see a performer I like. I didn't even get through watching the whole show. The host was terrible. It's really embarraring what our music has become. I'm not saying all current music is bad, but a lot of it is. A lot of the music that the younger generation likes is so pathetic compared to what America had in the 60s, 70s, and even some the 80s. I sound just like my parents back in the 80s! Ha! We really do turn into our parents. I just have a REALLY hard time relating to this generation's idea of good music, to all the these no-talent reality celebrities, and most of all the pure lack of morals. Afterall, I would imagine mostly teens and young adults watch the show. All that aside, the show was just bad because it was not put together well. There were a lot goofs, the graphics behind the stage were annoying, even the audience didn't really look that into it. I have learned my lesson. I will not watch it next year. I'd rather watch Spongebob or Elmo. They are much more entertaining. Okay...now that I got that off my chest! I've got to get back to studying!!!! God Bless. By the way, we're still on a new church hunt, and I am SO ready to find a new church home.

My Thoughts Today

I probably will not be posting a whole lot this semester. I am taking online courses that are taking up a lot of my time. One thing that may be changing soon is where we go to church. There are several reasons. My husband and I will be praying about it. We want to be somewhere where we can feel "connected" to other people that can hold us accountable. We want to be where God wants us to be. I'm sad because I was looking forward to starting a praise team, but it means nothing if it's not where we're going to grow and become part of a family.

As far as my personal growth as a Christian, I think I have my good days and my bad days. I get in a mode where I study my Bible everyday and write down verses that help me. Then I'll go a stretch without opening my Bible. I do continuously pray as I always have. I'm still guilty of following my own agenda and not God's a lot of times. I have no excuses. My goal now is to be set apart. Like I posted early in the summer, I feel a lot of times like I don't let enough of Jesus shine through me. I feel like I just blend in with everyone else sometimes - Christians and non-Christians.

I'll end this post with what I read this morning:

...all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24

I am still amazed at God's grace. There is a song called, "Who Am I?" That's the thought that runs through my head everyday. None of us deserve His grace. It just brings me to tears to think about how much He loves us.

Correction

I decided to delete my previous post due to errors. Also I do not want to talk about certain things, people, etc. until I know the facts.


I was wrong about what the perserverance of the saints actually means. I looked back at the website that I mentioned in the last post. Basically, perseverance of the saints is another word for "once saved, always saved" or "eternal security." So I worded it wrong on the last post. I'm getting confused because I keep getting different definitions! Having said that, there is such a thing as "conditional" perseverance of the saints. That is them term that means you are saved on the condition that you don't lose your faith or turn from God. (Lots more to that, but I write it all now). It is amazing how much information you can find on this topic! Well, it's late and I need to go to bed. I just had to correct my mistake from yesterday.

Denominations...how many are there?

I've been thinking a lot lately about all the different denominations within the Christian church. Why do we have so many? I've learned that it really depends on the actual church itself and not so much the denomination that makes a church Godly and Biblical. I grew up being "prejudice" against Presbyterians. Ha! I know, sounds funny. But really, my dad's mom went to a Presbyterian church for 40 years or more (my dad grew up in that church). Now, I will say my grandma loved the Lord. She talked to me all the time about Jesus. She also had an addiction to the social aspect of church. She taught a ladies Sunday School class for almost the whole time and had "circle" meetings at her house every Monday night. Nothing's wrong with that at all. It's just that it became the most important part of church to her. That's the way it was with a lot of people at that church. Well, I soon found out it's not just the Presbyterians. It was just those particular Presbyterians as well as certain Methodists, and yes - God forgive me - Baptists! (I am in a Baptist church - that's why I said that). I've been in some dead Baptist churches before. They reminded me of my grandma' s church. Anyway, I'm not knocking the churches (not really). When the focus leaves God and centers on social events, something wrong. Something's even more wrong when the church starts compromising to accomodate the lifestyles of church members. Or even more bizarre - my grandma's church started allowing the Buddhists to meet in one of the rooms of the church one day during the week to worship. What?! Well, I'm a little off track here. I was talking about denominations. Actually, within the Baptists, there are so many divisions I never realized until we started looking for a new church last year. We currently attend a PFWB. If you're not living in the south (or even if you are!), you may have no idea what that means. It's the Pentocostal Free Will Baptist church. We visited it because my daughter is going to go to preschool there. We wanted to check it out. We loved it! I did some research online to find out exactly what they are about. There is one thing that stuck out that I did not like. On the official PFWB website, it says that they believe one can lose their salvation. I've always believed in once saved, always saved - STILL DO. So my husband and I called the pastor of the church. It turns out he believes in Once Saved, Always Saved as well. He said that there are churches within the PFWB church that believe you can lose you salvation. The main reason we like the church is that it incorporates Pentecostal and Baptist doctrine. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church and then later, an Assembly of God church. I've been to Southern Baptist churches that don't allow women to teach men in Sunday School. Then I've been to ones that do allow it. I've been to Assembly of God or Pentecostal churches where people speak in tongues, and I've been to ones where no one speaks in tongues. My girls are going to Vacation Bible school this week at an OFWB church. That means Original Free Will Baptist. There is also just a Free Will Baptist! They're all a little different. The interesting thing abou the OFWB is that they vow to abstain from alcohol and drugs as part of their doctrine. Interesting... Well, anyway, it's amazing all the differences churches have. I guess my point is no one doctrine is going to get us to heaven. The church must believe Jesus is the only way to heaven, and must follow the Word of God. It takes a lot of prayer and really getting into God's Word to make sure your church is Biblical. For instance, the UU church that I talked about before - they are listed as a "Christian" church. God help those seeking Truth in that church.

"To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever." Ephesians 3:21 (Amplified Bible)

By the way, I'm going to do some research on why certain Christians believe one can lose his salvation. I heard a sermon from Charles Stanley that explained how it is Biblical to believe that once saved, always saved. It was a great sermon. You go to his website and download the podcast titled, "Eternal Life: You can Be Sure." If you have any doubts, this is a very good sermon. I guess the good thing is, whether you believe it or not, IF you are saved, we'll all be in heaven together anyway. Charles Stanley said something about that. He said something like at least when we get to heaven, we can say, "Told you so."

Yesterday

Well, all I can say about yesterday's singing is God is awesome. He gave me what I needed to worship and praise Him in front of everyone without getting emotional. I prayed that He would take any thoughts out of my mind that pulls me away from Him and the worship song. Also, it's no coincidence that the pastor played a short video right before praise and worship that said worship is not a concert, it's a response. It's not about me, it's about Him. I needed that so bad. It took the pressure off of me. I worry so much how my voice will sound and what people will think. I just sang for Him and for the people in the congregation. Someone (or more than just someone) out there needed the message God sings through us. I realized that I need a certain amount of confidence, not in myself, but in God. I need confidence knowing He will use me as He wants. The more I doubt myself, the worse I feel. That confidence should carry in every area of my life. There are many times I say the Lord is working and He knows best, and then I still worry and doubt. That is NOT what a strong Christian should do. I think it's human nature to worry, but God doesn't want us to worry. That's something I learned from my mom when I was a little girl. I remember she'd say that worrying doesn't do one bit of good and that God told us not to worry. Here are some of my favorite verses from Matthew 6 (actually vs. 25 -34 is all about not worrying):



Therefore do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?


Matthew 6:25



Then in verse 27, Jesus says, Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (vs. 34)

Sunday Morning

Well, it's Sunday morning and I'm getting ready for church. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Our praise team will start for the first time. I'm so excited because I've been waiting a long time for this. I decided I may never be completely unemotional and there will never be a time in my life when NOTHING is bothering me. I've had some events happen in the last few days that I think the devil would love to use against me this morning, but I've made up my mind, this morning is for God and for those in our service that need Him just as I do. I love being in the presence of the Lord. I pray that we will glorify Him today and lift Him up as only He deserves.

Sorry for the typos!

I just realized I've made a lot of typos on my posts! Sorry! The last one I think I said I'm not glad that I don't have to depend on myself alone. Huh? Anyway, I'm going to try to proofread better from now on for the two people that actually read my blog! Ha! The truth is I haven't given it out to many people yet. It's really more of diary as you can see. I'm not even sure if you'd call it that. Oh well...see the post below this for something I learned today about the UU church. Oh boy...

UU worship?

I've started listening to the Way of the Master radio program. I subscribe to their podcast. I am hooked. Of course, there are some things they say that I don't necessary agree with - but nothing that has to do with their core beliefs. The one thing that I didn't quite get was why it's so bad to tell children that Jesus lives in their hearts. Sure, it's not literal. The argument was that it confuses children. Well, frankly a lot of things confuse children - like how are God and Jesus the same person. Explaining the trinity to me is a lot harder than explaining Jesus is in your heart! Anyway, I'm not complaining. I do love that show. Today (or I listened to it today) was especially good. They interviewed a lady from the Unitarian Universalist church. It was great. First of all I have no idea why UU's even have a church. They teach a whole bunch of religions. Talk about being confusing! I looked up their website. They have"worship" service. What do they worship? It's really sad to me. She kept saying there is no real truth. That doesn't even make sense. Even if it's not what we believe, there has to be a truth. Even if that truth is when we die, we all just rot in the ground and that's it. Anyway, the good thing is they planted the seed of the gospel and witnessed to the woman. It amazes me that people still doubt there is a God. I love the way the interview ended. The guy on the radio (can't think of his name now) asked her if she had a cross in her church. She said sure, there were lots of crosses. Earlier in the interview she explained that she believed that people can believe whatever they want as long as it doesn't offend anyone. Well, the interviewer told her that it offended him that she has a cross in her church when she doesn't believe in what it represents. He asked her to take it down - she said she'd consider it. Why have a cross if you don't even believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He is only way to heaven? It would be like my church having a big Buddha at the entrance! What? I don't know, maybe it's just me, but why would anyone want to go to a church that teaches several different religions and makes it our responsibility to pick the right one for us?! The Truth is the Truth is the Truth. I don't want to go worship somewhere where the leaders don't even know what to believe.

No Excuse

Ok - well maybe I have an excuse. I've been at the beach but still I could have found time to post something! I've had the words "His Grace is Sufficient" on my brain lately. I heard a sermon from Charles Stanley on it last week. What a concept! We think we have to know the answers, when something will happen, when it will change, when all along God is saying, "My grace is sufficient." I don't think anyone can really understand that unless they go through something that depends on this statement being true. It's easy for me to say it all day long, but until I have to depend on it, I don't think I know what it means! I have a lot of studying to do on that. I have experienced it a time or two in my life. It's hard to explain in words, but when you feel like all hope is gone and you'd rather just die and go to heaven, His presence is there - and there it is, his wonderful GRACE. If He says it's sufficient, then it is. That's the awesome thing about God, if He says it, it is true. We may not understand it or even make sense of it, but if He says it, it's true. I actually like not trying to figure everything out. I like putting all my trust in Him. What a burden it takes off of me! I've realized that when I do put all my trust in Him, I am never disappointed.

Update on Becoming a Stronger Christian: I can honestly say I haven't done much other than read more scripture than I used to, stay away from things that pull me away from Him, and starting to sacrifice more time for other people. Okay, well, that's not so bad now that I wrote it down. I heard someone say today, we are on the Christian walk. How true that is. It is a daily walk. We don't just stop and say okay, I'm done. I'm saved, I'm going to heaven, and the journey is over! True, I am saved and I am going to heaven, but the journey isn't over until I get there. Being a Christian isn't easy, if anything, it takes dedication and commitment. Thank God, he forgives us when we don't stay dedicated, but the goal is there. I look in front of me and I don't see this long path full of palm trees and birds singing that goes on and on until I reach paradise. I see one step in front of me. I trust God to help me with the next step. It still leads me to paradise, but I just don't see it all yet laid out right in front of me. Sure, I have ideas, hopes and dreams. The Lord knows the desires of our hearts. I trust Him to lead me where He wants me to be. I'm not thankful I don't have to depend on me - I'd really be in trouble!!!!

Until next time...

Started taking steps...

I've taken a few steps to help me on my way to becoming a stronger Christian. One is I am spending more time reading the Bible. I think this is the most important step because I believe my mind needs to be continually renewed. If I go too long without spending time with God, I begin to slip into the ways of the world. I slip away from Him. I have to admit, being in the world is tempting and fun a lot of times, but NOTHING compares to being close to God and spending time with Him. I feel better all around when I'm living within His will. To help hold me accountable, I am going to share what I learn each day from his word. Sometimes it's something I've learned before, but I needed to read it again. That's the awesome thing about the Bible, it really is an instruction book for life. When you try to do something without the instructions, things can go seriously wrong. I don't see it as a burden, I see it as a way to live, a way to do things the way God would have me do. The other thing I've done recently to help me become a stronger Christian is to commit to being in a Praise Team at my church. It's a new team and I've been a praise team before but many times felt like I was just getting through it to sit back down in my seat! This time, I really want the Lord to sing through me. It's not about me at all. It's all about Him and how He touches others. I love to sing. He gave me that desire and the passion to sing. So I know I need to use it to glorify Him.

In relation to what I just said, here is what I learned yesterday from the Bible:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20

God wants us to sing, even if you don't think you have a "good" voice. That's not the point. The point is singing is praising. We sing because we are praising the Almighty. God could care less what our voice sounds like, it's the soul and passion behind the voice. I thank the Lord for music. Music is what makes me closer to God than anything. When I listen to Gospel in my car, the tears just stream down my face because I am so in awe of His grace, His power, and most of all, His love for me.

One more important point from that verse is the we are to give thanks for EVERYTHING. That is a hard concept to grasp. Everything means everything...good and bad. So, it makes me think that when we sing for the Lord, we don't just sing when times are great in our lives, when sing and praise Him regardless of our circumstances. What we know is that all things (good and bad) work together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Advice from Joyce

One of my favorite people in the whole world is Joyce Meyer. Because of her teachings, my eyes were opened to what a Christian is supposed to be like. It seems like most every sermon of hers relates to me in some way! I heard her say the most powerful statement the other day that I will never forget:

Do the right thing, and the emotions will follow.

I know this is true, because I've done it before. Sometimes when I feel like doing something but I know it's not the right thing to do, if I choose to what right, my emotions do catch and I'm thankful for making the choice. We cannot live on emotions. I used to only live mostly on emotions. If I was scared to do something, most likely I wouldn't do it. If I was mad at someone, I did not want to apologize or act like an adult. I have gotten so much better over the years. Now if I something happens that makes me sad or mad or whatever, I try my best to give it God and focus on something positive in my life. I'm telling you, unless it's something really major, I end up feeling much better. This goes back to the other post when I mentioned attitude. Joyce Meyer talks about attitude all the time. It is so important. Well, this is a short post because it is past 1:00am, and I need to go to sleep!

Not Conforming to this World

Well, I found some verses yesterday but I'm still not finished. It's funny - I'll find a verse that has to do with the topic I'm looking for, and then I keep reading and find new stuff. I've been reading the Bible since I was little, but never with any direction. It seems like when I'm looking for specific topics, it starts to take me somewhere, and God really speaks to my heart.

Here are some verses I found on not conforming to this world:

For the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God's sight. (1 co 3:19)

I needed this verse because lately it seems that the world takes the opposite view. They seem to say God's wisdom is foolish. Once we realize that truth, that He is wise and the world is foolish, then it's easier to stand by the Word of God. Why should we go along with foolishness? You know what I think God would think is foolish based on this verse? That book A New Earth or the Secret. I think any practice that gives a person sole responsibility for his or her own life, does not acknowledge God and the fact that without God, we are nothing. Another foolish thing is to believe that God is not an actual being, but we define our own God. I think that is a spit in the face to the Almighty. If the Bible is the Word of God and describes the characteristics God, then how can we define who we think He is? There is a lot of controversy now about Oprah's "religion." Oprah says it's not a religion, but it has to be. You can't possibly be a Christian and accept that we don't need God - all we need is our own self. I know that the book does acknowlege "a God" but not Jesus. It puts Jesus in the same category with any number of "gods." Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God, and know can get to the Father except through Jesus. If you don't believe this, by definition, you are not a Christian. That's how I conclude that Oprah is not a Christian. (along with many other things)

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. (John 15:18)

This is a powerful verse. Jesus was hated and crucified and most people did not believe He was the Son of God. The same is true now. So we as followers of Christ are hated by many. I know it because I see it everyday, especially in the media. People who don't know Christ and want to make a point of how ridiculous it is to believe, go out of their way to put us down. They say that only God can judge (which is true) therefore, we should not judge certain things like fornication or homosexuality. No, I think we should not judge anyone, but we know God does. His word says what He thinks of these sins - just like any sin. Sin is sin. You can't make it not sin just because it's what everyone is doing. You can't redefine sin to the 21st century. God does judge. It amazes me how people say what they think God thinks or what God would say - not based on the Bible, but based on their own reasoning. Yes, I have several gay friends, and I love them to death. Just like I have several friends that live together but aren't married, and I have many friends that aren't Christians. We all sin, but if you choose to live in the sin, and not repent, God will judge. Sometimes I think it's unfair. I see gay people that are in love and happy and probably have happier relationships than most straight people. I don't understand God's wisdom, but I trust it, and I trust Him. I've stopped asking why, but just trusting that He knows what's best for us. It makes me sad that our country has turned against God so much in the last decade especially. No matter what our religious views, our political views, our personal views, until we line our core values up with the teachings of God, we will not be in the will of God. We can't live victoriously without being in the will of God.

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world..." (John 18:36)

No explanation needed.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

The world and it's desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)

I've never tried to be controversial, and I'm not an "in your face" kind of person, but if I am to become a stronger Christian, I have to defend my God. I have to stand up for the Truth. The old saying, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything, that is so true. I'm tired of conforming and trying not to offend. The Bible says that Christians will offend. I mean, the non-believes have no problem standing up for their beliefs. We see people speak in favor of abortion, marching for homosexual rights, and all kinds of things that people are really passionate about. I admire them for that. At least they have the guts and drive to stand up for something. I just wish more people would do that for the right cause and not the wrong. It also says that we as Christians are to be set apart. That's my big problem now, is I don't feel set apart. I think my non-Christian friends see me as anyone else. Sure, I go to church and sing with the choir and I wear a cross - but so do many people who just go through the motions, but are not passionate about Jesus. I want to step it us, and be the soldier I'm supposed to be for Christ.

I ended up writing so much about this topic of not conforming to the world, that I won't go into the other verses on this post. Today I'm going to pray for wisdom and revelation. I pray that if I have said anything wrong in His eyes, He will reveal it to me.

By the way, I know that if anyone reads my blog that does not agree with me, will obviously be offended. I've read enough blogs and you tube comments that I know how many people are against the teachings of the Bible. I'm not going to argue with anyone. The point of this blog is for me to grow as a Christian and possibly help anyone else that wants to do the same thing. It also for people who are going through what I am or in any walk in their Christian life to help me also. So, if you don't agree with me, you certainly don't have to read this blog. I can't argue against the Bible, because it is what I believe.

Characteristics of a Strong or Victorious Christian

Okay, now I'll tell you first of all what a strong Christian according to God's Word.

A strong Christian does not conform to this world.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

What more could I ask for but a good, pleasing and perfect will of God. If it's perfect, I know my will is less than perfect. (Probably far from perfect!)

Another characteristic of a strong Christian is one that bears the fruit of the spirit: love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

I have to remind myself of these fruits often. I think almost everyday I lack several of these fruits. I used to say I'm a kind person, I'm faithful, and gentle. I am to a certain degree, but I find myself gossiping, not being faithful to God, and sometimes not being gentle with certain little people in my life. That's also relates to patience. I used to be very patient until I had kids. Self-control is a whole category by itself for me. If I could just practice self-control, my worries would be few. I'll go into that more later.

A strong Christian also is not ashamed to be a Christian.

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord...(2 Timothy 1:8)

What good is it to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed on him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:25-26)

I would never admit that I'm ashamed, but my some of my actions (or lack of) would conclude that I am ashamed. I don't share my faith much in fear of offending someone. That is something I must overcome.

A Strong Christian loves the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind and all his strength. He also loves his neighbor as himself. There is no commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31)

The word love is mentioned so much in the Bible. If you look it up in the glossary, the references go on and on. I'm sure someone somewhere knows that exact number of times it's mentioned. It is a bold statement to say I love the Lord with ALL my heart, ALL my soul, ALL my mind and ALL my strength. Also, to say I love my neighbor as myself. I'm frustrated right now with a next door neighbor literally right now. This verse hits home. I know neighbor refers to those we share the earth with, not just the people in our neighborhood or our friends. I see why it is so important. How else will people see Christ in us, if we don't show love?

A Strong Christian is humble, not self-centered. He gives - not just money, but time. A strong Christian will sacrifice his own wants, needs and desires to glorify God and carry out His will.

I don't have a particular reference because a whole lot of information was in those few little sentences. There are plenty of verses to support that statement.

This is a huge problem area for me. Another thing I don't like to admit is I am self-centered at times, I do not give enough to other people and I don't sacrifice a whole lot. It shames me to even write that. I have a problem sometimes stepping out of my comfort zone. I think God wants us out of that comfort zone. I know He does. We can't possibly grow as Christians without stepping out in faith - without giving up something.

A strong Christian can be steadfast and faithful and keep a good attitude regardless of circumstances.

Sometimes this is easier for me than other times. I will say that I have grown in this area over the last few years. It is 100% true that our attitude and faith in God will get us through whatever circumstance comes our way. I have also learned that this is much easier for some people than others. One consistent trait I've noticed with the ones that let circumstances get the best of them - they are typically not happy. How could you be happy if every time something goes wrong, you dwell on it, stew in it, talk about it, and get worked up even more about it? There are circumstances that are much harder than others like death, divorce, or tragic accidents. I don't judge anyone in the way they handle circumstances such as these. The truth is though, God will help us through even the worst. He is right there holding our hands and wiping our tears. I know, because I've been there. I've felt Him right next me mending a broken heart that I never thought would mend.

The list goes on and on, but I'm not going talk about everything right now. I think I have a good start here. The things I listed are things I personally need to work on, and if I could just become better in these areas, I'll be on my way. My goal is not to reach perfection because I know we are not perfect and we will not be until we go to heaven. I just want to be a stronger Christian than I am now. I want to be in the will of God.


The good thing is the Lord says over and over in the Bible that He will reward us for our obedience. As if eternal life is not enough! I know I have been rewarded for being obedient many times in my life. I also believe that God's grace as saved me many times. I am still in awe of his Grace. I will dedicate one whole post to His grace soon. As far as salvation goes, I believe that once I am saved, I will always be saved. So do I still think I should live as a strong Christian? Of course! If I love the Lord, I want to please Him. Also, I believe that no matter what we do, if we've been saved, we'll go to heaven BUT I don't think that we will live in victory and I don't think we'd build any treasures in heaven by living without honoring and glorifying the Lord. What I mean by victory is exactly what it says, living a fulfilling life, a life that God meant for us to have, a life that we enjoy, where circumstances don't rule our lives. I want to live in victory. I don't want to go to heaven and bow before the Lord and be ashamed.

A STRONG CHRISTIAN = A VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN

I think I've shared enough for now. My goal for today is read these characteristics that I desire again and pray for the Lord to help me with each one. Without Him, I am helpless. I can't do this on my own. I am going to find as many verses as a can about all the characteristics I listed. Just so I'm help accountable I will post my verses tomorrow.

Whatever happen to Faith?

I said I'd list my steps on this blog, but I just came across something I had to mention. Okay, another brutal truth. I don't have the heart yet I need when dealing with non-believers. This is so interesting. I was just browsing through some blogs on this site and came across Julia Sweeney's page. I guess she was in SNL for a while and she is a writer. Anyway, what caught my eye was a book she wrote called Letting Go of God. I read a few excerpts from it, and I was not so surprised. It seems like many people that refuse to believe in God or Jesus, take so many things out of context. It appears that she learned some false information about the Bible from priest, so rather than reject His words or go to another minister of faith, she accepts it. She accepts that the Bible is full of myths and stories, and didn't like the fact that Jesus was not always calm and peaceful. Oh well, I've read so many stories of people who have lost their faith or never had it to begin with. My first reaction is anger because it hurts that someone would spit in the face of God. God is not some far away being. He lives in my heart and I talk to him so many times throughout the day. It's the same as if someone rejected my own daddy. The second reaction I have is sadness. I feel sorry for people who can't talk to God, who have no hope of eternal life with Him in heaven. What I've always thought is it is a huge waste of time to talk about how God does not exist, because in the end, if He doesn't exist, then we all disappear. In that case, Christians and non-believers will all be in the same boat. What's not a waste of time is spreading the Gospel, because if it is true, then those that accept Christ will go to heaven. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. If's it's not true, what harm has been done by simply believing? In this case Christians (those that have accepted Jesus as their personal savior) will go to heaven, but all other will go to hell. God's words, not mine by the way. I used a lot of "ifs" in my "theories" to make a point. Christians and non-believers as well are not supposed to pick and chose what is relevant in the Bible. We can't come up with our own twists. We have to believe it is the Word of God. If we don't believe that, then what foundation do we have to stand on and how do we defend our faith? The wonderful thing about Jesus, is we only need faith the size of a mustard seed! We are supposed to come to God with childlike faith. Sweeney even mentioned she stopped being childlike and started rationalizing like an adult. (Not her exact words - I don't have it in front of me right now). That's were we go wrong - trying to rationalize God! Just because we, mere humans, can't understand something or can't make something fit into our politically correct world, does that mean it can't be true? We are asked to trust God, not understand everything. That's what faith is all about. Anyway, I hope I did not take anything out of context myself with Julie Sweeney. You can check it out yourself. I think you can just google her name and plenty of info comes up. The last thing I want to do is say something that is not true about someone. I don't like writing from memory alone.

Day 1 continued - brutally honest

I have no reason not to be honest in this blog. What good would it do anyone? One of the biggest obstacles I have is worrying too much about what other people think and not enough about what God thinks. I know that if I could just get over that much, I'd be on my way to being a stronger Christian. I'm tired of being labeled judgemental if I don't agree with another religion. Yes, it says in the Bible not to judge others, but witnessing to people and giving our testimony should not be considered judgemental just because it may offend someone. I say this with ease, but do it with great difficulty. I'm such a chicken when it comes to being a witness to the Lord. I want people I love to know Jesus, but I don't want to be looked at as a religious freak either. I know that the only way to look past that is to actually get closer to God. The closer I am to Him, the less I care about what the world thinks. So at this point in my life I am obviously not as close to Him as I'd like to be. The point is - it's not about what I think or you think or anyone thinks, it's about what God says. Sure, there are things that are happening right now in our country that my flesh says Why not? I don't see the problem. Then I have to remind myself that my reasoning has no weight compared to the all-knowing, all-powerful God. I love Him so much. It feels so good to be able to put all my trust and hope into one being. I mean, talk about security! I agree with the saying, you know that you know that you know. That's how I feel about Jesus. Because I know Him, I know that I know that I know He is real, He is the One and Only God, and only HE is worthy to be praised. I plan to talk about the steps I think I need to take to become a stronger Christian in the next blog. I'll probably add to them as time goes on. I'll also explain what characteristics I believe a strong Christian should have. I'm going to use my Bible because like I said, it's not my opinion that holds the weight, it's His.

Day One - Becoming a Stronger Christian

My name is Allison. I'm 32 years old, and I'm wife and a mom. I have two daughters, 6 and 2. I also have a 17 year old step-daughter. I want to become a stronger Christian, and get closer to God. I've been thinking a lot about starting a blog so I can be held accountable. It's no different than a weight loss blog in the sense that I want to change to become more like the person I want to be. First of all, I am a Christian. What that means to me is that I have a personal realtionship with Jesus, and I have been saved (or born again). I've had this relationship since I was a little girl. I got baptized when I was 11. I went through some rough years between the age of 16 -22. I got away from the Lord, and lived a life I was not proud of. After I got married, and had my first little girl, I rededicated myself to the Lord. It is still is a struggle for me to juggle the world and God. I have heard many preachers say that some people have one foot in the world and the other foot with God - on the fence. I feel like that person. I feel very lukewarm. I want the passion I once had, and I want to grow closer to God. I set some goals that I have to follow through with because I want talk about each one on this blog. On my next entry I will be honest about a lot of things that I think hold me back from being I think I could be. If you can relate to me in anyway please let me know. Maybe we can go through this journey together. It always helps to have support.