This Way or That Way...

Just a little something I thought about in chapel one day...

Why do I just sit here trying to think of something clever to write? Why can’t I just let it all go and say, “God you amaze me” and be done with it? I sit here thinking God wants some elaborate poem, prayer, or praise when in actuality all he wants is for me to lay prostrate giving up all I am for Him. So as I sit here listening to this topic I’ve heard so many times, that one about the narrow and wide paths, I wonder exactly where I am. Is it possible to be in both? Trying to hold on to those things I know I shouldn’t but also doing the right things and believing without a doubt that Christ is Lord… Or am I switching between the two, continually looking for some passage that will lead me to the other path just so I can experience it again… Or am I just walking the wide path and trying to justify it, but in vain. This I do not know, so Lord, please show me.

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Freedom - Run Kid Run

~Song's Message~
- Verse 1 - This first verse is speaking about the bonds of sin that some of us find ourselves in, and that sometimes we are so content to stay in our sin that we would rather leave our bonds in place. The song goes on to say that, at times, we seem to live a split personality Christian life where half of us is following and praising God, but the other half is deeply involved in the world's sin. There is only one person we have to blame for our sin, though, and that is ourselves and our selfish nature.
- Chorus - The chorus is an amazing message about freedom. This chorus says we are singing out for freedom, that is, we are crying out to Jesus Christ to grant us the freedom that only his death on the cross could have produced. Isn't it sometimes great to know that you aren't the only person going through troubled times? Well we are never the only person on the earth going through a certain trial. And as this chorus says, the only way for anyone going through a trial to get help is to pray to the One, Jesus Christ, for He is the only one who can truely grant our freedom. The last part of this chorus is saying that we need to be ready for change. Instead of waiting for God to do his changes in our lives, we need to make our own changes and let God work through the changes we make!
- Verse 2 - Verse 2 goes further along in the story, where Jesus has taken off our chains and has set us free. We continue to sit there and hold on to our chain though because it's all we've ever known. So we need to cry out to Jesus and put Him in complete control of our lives, because He is the only thing we need to conquer this sin.
- Bridge 1 - Jesus is patiently waiting for us to let go of our old sin and come to Him. We see Him, He is all around us, but we still cling to our old nature. The first bridge ends with a simple plea from Christ for us to just release...
- Bridge 2 - Now the time has come to let go. Our need to be separated from Christ has been removed by His incredible love for us. So now we need to take His hand and realise that His grace, and His grace alone, has paid for our past sin. We are truely alive now because we have a completely new life with Jesus Christ. Because in the end only one thing matters, and that is the fact that Jesus Christ came to this earth and through His incredible love, died for mankind on that cross.

~Freedom Lyrics~
[Verse 1]
Oh my chains
I can't disengage
And I don't believe that I want to
One hand sings Your praise
The other brings me shame
I have selfishness to blame

[Chorus]
And I'm singing for freedom
I know I'm not the only one
Praying to the One
Who can bring me this freedom
I'm ready for change, change, change, change

[Verse 2]
Looking down I lay
I keep holding my chains
No longer bound but here I stay
I scream, Father please
I need rescuing
I need You and You alone

[CHORUS]

[Bridge 1]
Still You patiently await
Yet I won't just let go
I see You and You alone, just saying
Come follow Me, despair has come so you can see
Release

[Bridge 2]
And so I'm singing for freedom
And so I'm singing for freedom
The time has come
Seperation lost the war to love
Take my hand
Grace has found you where you once began
You're alive, You're alive
In the waking of new life
Take my hand
In the end, there's only love
There's only love

[CHORUS]

[Outro]
Father please, I need rescuing
I need You and You alone

- Psalm 124:7
Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

- John 8:31-36
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Something I Found!

Not many people know that my favorite verse of all time is Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” This verse always gives me peace. As I was walking through a Christian store once I found and read the poem below and loved it. So I thought I would share it with everyone else. :)


God, what do you mean to be still and know you are God?

My child, what I mean is:
Though the earth be removed,
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with swelling,
Though the wind blow,
Though the storm rage;

In other words
Though your bills are due,
Though they give you a hard time on your job,
Though your husband won't act right,
Though your wife won't act right,
Though your children are disobedient,
Though there's sickness in your body,
Though your enemies get on your nerves;
Stop your worries!
Stop your complaining!
Stop your doubting!
Stop your frowning!

Cease your fears, and dry up those tears!
For I'm right there to comfort you,
I'm right there to guide you,
I'm right there to hold you up,
I'm right there to heal you,
I'm right there to deliver you.

So cast your cares upon me for I care for you.
My child this is what I mean by being still and knowing
I AM GOD.

~Author Unknown~

- Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Prayer?

Prayer… Is it just superficial in our day and age? We sit at our meals with our families and someone is chosen to say a prayer, and for some of us this is the most of our conversation with God. I think we have lost the meaning of prayer here… It isn’t simply a blessing we throw on our food, instead it’s our conversation with God, our way to ask things of Him, but also to ask forgiveness from Him. I believe some of us, me included, don’t realize that our sin has created a wall so tall and thick between us and God that, even if we wanted to communicate with God we couldn’t. Most of us think that this is just God ignoring us, giving us the cold shoulder, but God can’t have those with un-confessed sin come to His throne. A prayer-less life is also simply foolish! Prayer has power unimaginable, even today! There are times when I truly believe that with enough prayer any illness, any problem, any request can be healed, fixed, and resolved. But do we really believe all this today… Or do we just see it as that activity that had power back in old times? Do we set aside more than just meals and “days of prayer” to pray? Most of the time not, so perhaps we need to change the way we go about our lives. Perhaps there is a place for prayer… For God…

- James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

- James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Musical, Spiritual Messages: Slow Fade

Slow Fade by Casting Crowns:



At times I will be posting songs that mean a lot to me. I will then give my interpretation of the spiritual message of the song. Here is the first one. Lyrics for Slow Fade are at the bottom of the post.

Verse 1 - For some of us this first verse reminds us of that old Sunday School song we used to sing, "Be Careful Little Eyes". Well the first half of this verse is saying that there are certain things men and women should not be looking at. Sometimes, though, these things present themselves in our lives from day to day. Looking the first time, unknowingly, is not what's bad, taking the second glance is what gives Satan the permission to tie us up and make us lust after the person or object we looked at. The second half of this verse is dealing with that person who looks up to you. It might be a spouse, a sibling, a friend, or that little kid who talks to you each week at church. Regardless of who it is, we need to be living a life that will cause our followers to do good for God, because sometimes those who look up to us will blindly follow, even if we are headed in the wrong direction.
Chorus - It's a slow fade when you are giving yourself away to sin. Things may not happen drastically, but before long you realise that you are incredibly far away from God and where He wants your life to be. Your discernment between black and white, good and evil, has been blurred so that now all you see is gray, which has made your life a life not pleasing to God. Those evil thoughts invade your mind and you make more choices that will cause you to stumble, until eventually you have completely faded to black. You will pay a price though, God promises that if you are His, He will pursue you until you come back to Him. He might put you through many trials that seem unfair, but it's only to make you realise the sin you are in. The chorus ends then with how no one ever just broke down after the first sin. It was a series of them heading to the moment they crumbled.
Verse 2 - Be careful ears what you hear, because sometimes that can lead to compromise. When that person you lust after flirts with you, instead of listening to the Holy Spirit softly telling you "no", we instead compromise, saying "It's alright as long as it doesn't go too far." God would much rather us leave the situation altogether. The second half of this verse tells us that we need to watch what we say. When we make idle promises to people with broken hearts, sometimes it pushes them further away from us as Christians and from God in general. So please, do not be the reason someone is pushed further from God, instead be that person that comes next to them and puts an arm around them, telling them that God has a plan for it all.
Bridge - The journey from what our mind thinks and what our hands do is a very short journey. If we dwell on something long enough or lust for someone long enough, we will eventually want to pursue them. You may think you are fine, that you can keep your thoughts to yourself and not act on them, well to you I would say... You just might be sinking, because eventually Satan is going to act on that foothold in your life, and make your lust seem so good. So look to God! Make him what you strive for!

Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

[Chorus]
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

[Verse 2]
Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

[CHORUS]

[Bridge]
The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

[CHORUS]

[Outro]
Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Psalm 101
1 I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will not know wickedness.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.
6 My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
That they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a perfect way,
He shall serve me.
7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.
8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

The First of My Musings...

Well here's my first post, as I was sitting in a chapel one day I began to think about a question that the speaker posed to us all; "What is a Christian?" He asked us to write a brief description on a 3x5 card and then hand it in. He then later read some of the ones he found interesting. Well, a 3x5 card was not sufficient for the thoughts I had on the topic, and the following is what my thoughts came to:

What exactly is a Christian anyway? In the English language we capitalize it, deeming it important, but isn’t it just a word? This somewhat more important word can get you hurt in some places, imprisoned in others, and in some cases even killed. So I guess this word is important, isn’t it… It wasn’t always this way. It used to be an insult to all those who followed Christ back in His time, this word “Christian” meaning “little Christ”. But is that really a bad thing today? Isn’t it alright, at least here in the US, to be “little Christs”? Well it would be if that was its only definition, but in our day and age we have perverted it into meaning things it was never meant to mean, things such as; any good person, those who go to church, and those who give money to charity. This important word has even been adopted by other religions that don’t see Christ as deity! So now as I think to myself what definition fits this word “Christian” my view is polluted by a sinful world that has changed its meaning. Thus, what is a Christian? A Christian is no longer…

- Acts 11:25-26 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

- I Peter 4:15-16 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.