faith and fitness?

It's amazing how the Lord puts ideas into your mind at the strangest times! So I was working out the other day and this is what the Lord put on my mind. Now, I am aware that not everyone knows about fitness and how exercise works, so let me give you the short version. If one wants to increase muscle and have less fat, you must work out that muscle. Now, for example, your muscles can only grow so much without working out its opposition. Your biceps are only going to go as far as you take your triceps, your chest is only going to go as far as you take your back, etc. I think you get the idea here. Last but not least, you have nothing if you have no core body strength, that is the center of the body. Well my friends, the same basic principles of fitness go with faith. You can read and study the Bible as much as you want, but it is only going to get you so far unless you have obediance. Your "talk" can only go so far without the "walk." You cannot get to step two without doing step one first. First, you must accept Jesus into your heart. Then you follow that by going public with your relationship with Him by being baptized. Then comes the walk of obediance. Without core strength, your body will beome unbalanced; so goes without obediance, your walk with Christ will become unbalanced. It would be like walking one hundred feet high in the air on a small piece of string, impossible to do. Obediance and core strenth in faith are obtained through simple acts of tithing, serving, spreading the word to the lost, etc. As my pastor said this past weekend, "your walk and talk must coalesce.".....Father God, my prayer is that we all learn to strengthen our core faith so that we can walk with you in a way that pleases You. I ptay that we are able to reach those who do not know you. This world is Your toolbox and we are Your tools Father. I pray these things in Jesus' Name, Amen.

How holy are we the other 6 days of the week?

Man, I know that after having a bad week or a week where I let the bad get the best of me, church on Sunday feels like a fresh start. Almost like a long shower after a long day at work, or a nice bath for you women! Just refreshing. I have been to church and then left to only get mad at people in traffic and go nuts. Now granting the fact that I live in Texas, it seems like i get a free pass sometimes in that department. But in actuality, I don't. It is easy to speak and act proper in the presence of Christians, but how do we act when we are alone. When you are all alone, the way we act is the person we really are, our true selves. Now let's talk about leadership. Leadership is not measured by how people act when you are around, but rather they people act when you are not around. How much have you really influenced them. This goes beyond just faith, but in the workplace as well. What kind of Christian example are we setting Monday through Saturday? Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure Philippians 2:12-13. Being a Christian means you cannot take a day off because you never know whose path you might cross and make an impact on. Christ put that person in your path for a reason. So everyday is a Holy one, we just celebrate publicly, as a congregation, once a week, on average. Remember, God is preparing you for what He has prepared for you.......Father, our God, out prayer is that we continue to worship you everyday in a manner worthy of your love so that through us Your name can be glorified....in Jesus' Holy name we pray....Amen

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

This past week during the high school service at church that I volunteer at, Pastor Chris King asked a very powerful question. Why do bad things happen to good people? His answer was simple, why not. God smiles on the just and the unjust alike. I was reading this article about Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church in Flower Mound. I highly recommend this as a must read article. Just go to http://www.usatoday.com/news/2010-02-01-pastor31_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip. We all come at a crossroad in our life and we ask God, "Why me?" Everything in life is a test of our faith. I know what it is like to lose someone very dear to you. Sure, I was angry. But, why blame God? He has a plan set for all of us, and no this does not mean our lives are predetermined; just that He has plans for us as long as our free will does not step in the way. God does have a plan for each and every one of us. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). And it always ends well for every one of us that surrender our lives to Him. But note: it ends well. For many of us the story along the way will have many ups and downs. Jeremiah 29:11 was part of a prophetic word from God that Israel’s story was going to end well. If we are going to apply this scripture to our own lives that is what we must take away. That our story will end well. God has not promised us that all our time on earth will be safe, prosperous, happy and healthy. For some of us it won’t. The journey might be difficult at times but we will never encounter anything beyond what we can overcome in God’s strength. When bad things happen, show the world your unrelentless faith. It is the END we are to be striving for, not what we have here on Earth. Our lives on Earth are short lived, but a life in Heaven is for an eternity......Father, my prayer is that we are able to find the good behind the bad in every situation, or that we can at least make some good come from those situations. I pray that we pass the tests of faith you have set before us so that we may be a light to those who need an example to follow. In Jesus name I pray....Amen!

Is being a good person good enough?

Many times people have argued that Jesus won't send them to hell because they have tried to be a good enough person in life. I have never hurt anyone, or I have always helped those in need, or I do not believe that God is a God that would send someone like me to hell. Doing good deeds are great and the Bible speaks of how doing good deeds to someone is as if you did them for Jesus Himself. Jesus also says this, "For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast" 2 Ephesians:8-9. We can do all the greatest, humanly things imaginable, but it is the relationship with Christ that saves us. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God" John 3:17-18. So no, God does not send us to hell, we do. If we choose to live a life separate from God, then so shall we live out our eternal life the same way, separate from God and his love. We all die and go through judgment, the punishment is where it differs for a lot of people. I can't possibly fathom God sending His Son to be brutally tortured, criticized, and ultimately, crucified on a blood-stained cross just so that we may go to heaven for just being a good person. And believe me, I know that there are many, many Christians out there that are just being "good enough" and thinking that is good enough to get by! God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in order to forgive us of our sins. All he asks for in return is a relationship with Him. You may be asking how do I enter into a relationship with Him. It's simple. You can begin right now. With all that you are, tell Him that you know that you are a sinner. Tell Him that you won't to let go of the burdens your carry and that you cannot do it without Him. Ask that He come into your heart and take over your life so that you may no longer be separated and so that you may spend every waking second together for an eternity. If you just said that, please, feel free to call me or e-mail me and we can talk about the next step and what this means. With God in your heart, there is nothing you cannot do and there is no mountain you cannot move........Father, our prayer is that whoever is apart from you reads Your message and takes it to heart, and whoever accepts Your love will go out and saves the lives of others. Make us "fishers of men." We pray this in Your Sons' Holy Name.......Amen.

P.S.
Many reasons poeple say they choose to not be Christians is because of Christians themselves. I cannot speak for anyone else but me, their choices are between them and God. We are not the Judge, the Creator is!

Forgiveness

Did you know that one of the greatest acts of obedience and love towards the Lord is to show forgiveness? I know how hard it can be to forgive someone for the things they have done to hurt you, or someone you may know. I also know what it is like to feel the need of being forgiven. The Bible tells us that we are to treat everyone as we are to be treated, and even goes as far as saying that doing something to someone is just the same as doing it to Jesus himself. I know I pray for forgiveness every night, so why should I not forgive anyone who has wronged me? "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:44-45). When you forgive someone, then our Father in heaven will forgive you. He did not send His only Son down to us, to die on a blood-stained cross for us to be forgiven, only for us to not forgive others. "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25-26 NKJV). Now, just because you forgive someone, that does not mean you have to forget, in time you will be able to do that. Remember, we are all in need of forgiveness just as much as the next person, so spread the love the Lord has bestowed in your heart so that we can glorify God.......Father, our prayer is that You give us the strength to do Your will and be able to forgive as we ask forgiveness. Help us to love others as You have loved us, and in return, for us, to be able to glorify You in our daily lives Father. In your Jesus' precious name we pray Father, amen!

Obedience

Since we were children we, we're taught to obey our parents, our teachers, our elders. Once we become Christ-followers, obedience is the most important way we can attempt to pay back a debt that we are all unworthy of. It is our best way of showing our love to our Lord and savior. Many people will go to church and drop a nice amount of money and assume it pays the debts of their sins. Money is not what He is after. "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. Peter answered: May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money. You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right with God" Acts 8:18-21. Once we become Christ-followers, me need to get our hearts right, so that in return our obedience becomes more of a gift to God than any amount of money. Don't get it twisted though, obedience does state that we must return a mere 10% of what we make to the local church. We must forgive those who have wronged us so that we may be forgiven. There is nothing more powerful than the act of forgiveness. This will lead to me to my next blog to come. Forgiving........Heavenly Father, our prayer today is that we learn to be obedient so that we can reap the glory you have prepared for us Father. So that our walk with Christ can become more personal. We pray these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, amen!

Inevitable Change

Change! Poeple are, for the most part, afraid of change. I don't mean the changes in getting a new home or a new car, but the changes in life like: jobs, church, relationships, etc. The changes that have significant impact on our lives and the lives of others in many cases. I for one had a life of partying and fun that I didn't want to change, at least in that period of time. I wanted to live in that moment forever. Like the Toys R Us song, I don't wanna grow up,I'm a toys r us kid. Then I had some life changing moments that led to me giving my life to Jesus Christ. Many new Christ followers ask the same question, "Does this mean I will have to change now"? Here is your answer. No, you do not have to change. On the contrary, if you surrender and give your life to Jesus, YOU WILL CHANGE! You will become a new creation, and this leads me to my favorite scripture in the Bible. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come" 2 Corinthians 5:17. Let this be our prayer, whether it is for us or for someone we know........ Father, we ask that you bring change into our lives and the lives of others so that we may shine the light you have flowing through our bodies. In the dark, even the smallest light will shine. We pray that we are able to take the bad from our life and turn them to good. In Jesus name we pray father, Amen!