What Will You Give Up?

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Like 13:24). Many will try, but few will make it. The price of being saved is more than many will want to bear. We tend to think that all it takes is to believe in Jesus, and that’s it. However, there is a harsh reality that most do not want to acknowledge. YHWH wanted the same devotion from the Israelites that He wants from us today. Salvation is much more than just believing in Jesus. It is a devotion and submission to YHWH unlike any other. The question is: What are you willing to give up to enter through the narrow door? Many will try, but only some will make it.

This life is but a breath, once here and the next gone. “Why, you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). We get consumed with wanting to have everything in this world, forgetting that our time here is a sliver of eternity. Jesus talked about this as he preached to the crowds of people who followed him. “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25). The more we cling to the things of this world, the less likely we are to give them up to follow Jesus. This is why Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-20a, 21).

In the book of Ezra, we are shown what happens when we neglect the teachings and precepts of God. The nation of Israel was taken into captivity by the Persian Empire. However, the Lord moved the heart of King Cyrus, and the king gave the Israelites permission to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of YHWH. After some setbacks and other kings who disagreed with King Cyrus, the Israelites finally finished the work and were back in Jerusalem as a nation. However, there was a significant problem. Many of the men throughout the tribes of Israel had disobeyed the commands of the Lord and intermarried with other surrounding nations. Israel was called to be set apart. They were to abstain from being involved with other pagan nations. This was the command of the Lord. When Ezra brought the nation of Israel back to Jerusalem and heard that many men throughout the tribes had intermarried with outside nations, he ripped his clothes, threw himself to the ground, and cried out to God in shame and disgrace.

The nation of Israel once again chose to ignore God’s commands and followed after their desires. The consequence of their choices was to send away the women and children who were from different nations. In other words, the men who intermarried had to send their wives and children away, never to be seen or heard from again. The men who chose to stay with their wives and children had to sell all their property, which meant they lost all their inheritance and rights as Israelites. The consequence was harsh, but the lesson was real. When we neglect the commandments and precepts of God, we set ourselves up for failure and hardship. If we hold on too tightly to the things of this world, we lose our inheritance in God’s kingdom.

Jesus made it very clear what it looks like to be His disciple. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 13:26-27). Another version puts it this way, “You cannot be my disciple, unless you love Me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot follow me unless you love Me more than you love your own life” (Contemporary English Version). This doesn’t mean we don’t love our family and those closest to us. What it does mean, however, is that we love and follow Christ more than we do those closest to us.

The commands and precepts of YHWH take precedence over everything and everyone else in our life. They take precedence over political affiliations and ideologies. They take precedence over parents’ wants and desires. They take precedence over our spouses’ wants and desires. There should be nothing in our lives that comes before the commands and precepts of God. To follow Christ and be His disciple is to deny ourselves and those around us, take up our cross, and follow Him.

The price of following Christ is hatred from the world. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). We should genuinely consider our allegiance to Christ if we find ourselves without opposition from the world. We must ask ourselves: “What am I hanging onto too tightly that I should let go of?” As Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Whenever I read Jesus’ words about the narrow gate, I can’t help but think of firefighter training. When I was a firefighter, we had to do training that forced us into very small spaces. The narrowness of some openings forced us to push and wiggle our way through. If we had anything extra on our person, we had to either take it off and leave it behind or push it in front of us. Some of these areas were so small that we would have to take off our air packs and push them in front of us to get through certain openings. The way to Christ is much the same thing. There is no room for extra items. Jesus is our airway and the only thing that will fit through the entrance to eternity with Him. We must “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” us.

Francis Chan showed a great example of what our lives look like compared to eternity (link to the video below). He had a long white rope, and at one of the ends of the rope, he had about an inch of red tape wrapped around it. He explained that the rope represented eternity, and the red tape was our life. We spend so much time thinking only within the confines of our life that we neglect to see the eternal time that lies beyond. Our wealth, toys, relationships, and things are nothing compared to the amount of time we will spend in eternity. But we must be willing to let go of everything we hold on to so tightly to become Christ’s disciples.

To be called a child of God is to put Him first in everything. We must put aside family, friends, loved ones, and even ourselves to obey and follow Him. We listen to His words only. We do not make accommodations for sin in our life or make excuses for sin in our life. We must do what is right, no matter the cost. The cost of being Christ’s disciple is hatred from the world, but the amount of time we have in life is nothing compared to the time we will have in eternity. Let us run, therefore, with our eyes focused on the finish line. Let us not be tempted to hold on to the things of this world. May we love the Lord our God more than we love the things of this world.

Francis Chan – Rope

Refuge

The Bible uses the word “Refuge” eighty-eight times, with over half coming from the book of Psalms. A refuge is defined as “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble” (Oxford Dictionary). With this definition, it’s no wonder Psalms account for over half of the word’s usage. For most of his life, David was pursued by Saul and feared for his life. When life becomes troubled and overwhelming, where do you find your refuge?

There is something to be said for the number of times psalmists proclaim YHWH is their refuge:

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalms 9:9).
“Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge” (Psalms 16:1).
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1).
“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed” (Psalms 57:1).
“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (Psalms 91:9-10).
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Psalms 118:9).

The list could go on. However, we should notice the importance of making God our refuge. The very first Psalm says that God is a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble. The psalmist also mentions taking refuge in God until the disaster has passed. They also state that no harm will overtake you when you take refuge in the Lord. Finally, taking refuge in the Lord is better than trusting others. So the question remains, who do you take refuge in when life seems to be falling apart?

People take refuge in many different things such as relationships, drugs, alcohol, fame, family, social media, etc. The problem with choosing these as a refuge is that they collapse and fall under the weight of the world. They also cause us more harm and create more worry, hurt, confusion, and chaos. When we seek something other than God amid the storms and chaos in our life, we end up further out to sea and even more lost. We want to feel safe and protected. We want the chaos and trouble to disappear.

When we take refuge in anything other than YHWH, we will find ourselves alone in troubles, trials, and danger. YHWH said, “Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter! See now that I am He! There is no god besides Me. I put to death and bring to life, I have wounded, and I will heal, and no one can deliver you out of My hand” (Deuteronomy 32:37-39). There is only One who can sustain us through any trial or storm.

How do you take refuge in something you can’t see? Life is not a physical storm that you need to escape from and find shelter. Life is a mental, emotional, and spiritual journey that brings moments of stress, fear, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed. No matter what physical structure you go into, these things will follow you. When we take refuge in YHWH, we run to him when our life feels overwhelming. To seek refuge in God, we come to Him in prayer and earnestness. We lay at His feet every fear, anxiety, worry, struggle, pain, frustration, and hurt. We look to Him as our strength when we don’t have any left. We look to Him as our shelter when our world seems consumed by torrential storms. We pick up His Word and read it to be reminded of God’s goodness, grace, compassion, and mercy. 

A refuge is something you run into. It is something designed to shelter you from the elements. In life, the storms are not physical, but instead, they are spiritual and mental. The storms are unseen, but they are definitely felt. God is the refuge we need to seek in times like these. We must run to Him to seek shelter. When life is uncertain, it is God who stays the same. When everything around us seems to be crumbling, it is God who stands true and strong. When we feel like we are drowning, God stands on the water’s surface with His hand outstretched to lift us out of the waters of uncertainty and fear. Nothing else in this life can bring peace and shelter like that of YHWH. 

There is one thing that I have found that causes the worst mental anguish in life – worry. The fear of uncertainty can ravage the mind and keep us from living a fulfilling life. Jesus spoke directly about worry:

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

There is nothing that is outside of God’s control. When we think everything is out of control, we fail to seek and trust in Him. It doesn’t matter how bad the world may seem, we must learn to take refuge in God. 

Consider the life of Christ. He knew His purpose in life: to die for all humanity and restore the relationship between humanity and God the Father. To do this, Christ had to go through agonizing torment mentally, spiritually, and physically. The closer he got to His impending doom, the more anguish he felt. In the garden of Gethsemane, Matthew writes about Jesus’s last few moments before He is arrested. Jesus knows what’s about to happen, so He takes three of His closest disciples and heads into the garden to pray. Jesus tells his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:36b, 38). Jesus was overwhelmed. He felt the stress of what was about to happen. He didn’t go hang out with his friends. He didn’t drink away his worry. He went into a garden and prayed. 

Matthew continues, “Going a little further, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.'” (Matthew 26:39). Christ’s response to his mental anguish was to fall on the ground, face first, and seek God the Father. He took refuge in Him. He ran to his Father, the only One who could genuinely shelter Him in His time of agony. He asked to be spared from what was about to happen to Him. However, he didn’t finish His prayer with that request. He finished by submitting to His Father’s will. 

When Jesus came back to His disciples, He found them sleeping. Jesus said, “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The men Jesus chose to come with Him into the garden fell asleep. They were not there to support and encourage Him. This is what happens when we decide to take refuge in people or relationships. People will fail us, but God never fails us. 

Two more times, Jesus went into the garden and prayed that His Father would take away the physical pain and torment that was about to fall on Him. However, he finished His prayer with submission to His Father every time. Luke writes, “He withdrew (from His disciples) about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:41-43).

Jesus sought refuge in God the Father. He earnestly sought after Him in prayer. Did God remove the cup that Jesus had to drink from? No, but He strengthened Him in his time of despair and anguish. A refuge doesn’t stop the storm. It keeps you safe while you’re in it. Jesus knew the only way to restore the relationship between humanity and YHWH was to endure suffering, torment, anguish, and death. We take this for granted because if God removed the cup from Jesus, you and I would have to pay the price Christ paid for the world. Jesus suffered so that we wouldn’t have to. Thank you, Jesus.  

When life feels overwhelming, unbearable, and unfair, and worry sets in, take refuge in YHWH. Only He can sustain you and give you strength as you weather the storm. Just as Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, follow His example and seek after God. 

“I can face my darkest night
‘Cause I trust You with my life
I’m not afraid, for You are my refuge
When it’s heavy on my chest
You’re the place I catch my breath
You are the only one I hold onto
Oh, ’cause You are my refuge.”
(Refuge by Skillet)

Compare Yourself

We are always told that we should never compare ourselves to others; the only person we should compare ourselves to is the person we were yesterday. I do believe in the latter statement. However, there is someone we should constantly be comparing ourselves to. We are not comparing who is better looking or who is stronger. We are comparing our actions, words, and way of life. There is only one we should be comparing ourselves to: Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23a). This is why we cannot compare ourselves to each other. Each of us fails to live a good life. We all struggle in our own ways, and comparing ourselves to each other is like the blind leading the blind. This means we need someone who has shown us how to live and what it looks like to live right. Only one individual has given us this example and even stated, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Jesus Christ is our example. It is He alone that we should be comparing ourselves to.

We should ask ourselves: “How do my actions compare to those of Christ? How do my words compare to those of Christ? How does my way of thinking compare to that of Christ? How does my submission to YHWH compare to how Christ submitted to His Father?” These are what we should be comparing ourselves to. The Apostle Paul states in his letter to the Ephesians, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of how we should be living. 

The Apostle Peter wrote, “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'” (1 Peter 1:13-16). How can we know what holy is if we never compare our ways of living to the One who is holy? The Apostle John wrote, “Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:4-6). 

Our daily living should be compared to how Jesus Christ lived his life. Do we love as He loved? Are we willing to sacrifice for others? Do we spend time in prayer alone with YHWH? Are we willing to follow in His footsteps and do what He has commanded? If we can say yes to that, we should constantly compare our life to His. 

We will not always get it right. Referring back to the Apostle Paul again, “We have all sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God.” This doesn’t give us an excuse to stop trying. Instead, it should spur us on to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a). This is why Paul also writes, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act to fulfill His good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13). And again, Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. Therefore, I do not run aimlessly or fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25a, 26-27).

Those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives are still called to strive to be like Him. This means we should be in constant reflection of who we are, what we do, and what we say as compared to Christ. The beauty of being in Christ is that when we fail at being like Him, He sustains us and allows us to try again. The curse of sin keeps us from succeeding 100% of the time. As the Apostle James wrote, “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check” (James 3:2). This is the curse of sin on humanity, and this is why Jesus needed to come and die. He gave us an example of who we should have been before the fall of man. 

We must always be in reflection on how we live our lives. As the Psalmist writes, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways” (Psalms 119:15). To be more like Christ, we must study and learn His ways. The disciples lived lives that mirrored Christ’s because they were with Him, followed Him, and watched Him. Jesus might not be physically present, but He is with us through the Holy Spirit. We have a written record of His life from four dynamically different perspectives. To be like Christ, we must study, seek, and pursue Him. As Jesus Christ said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Unless we fervently seek after Jesus, we will never know how we should live our lives.

Do not compare your life to those around you. Compare your life to the only One who gave us the perfect example of how we should live. If you are unsure what Christ’s life was like, I encourage you to grab a Bible and read John. This is a significant first step to understanding what your life should look like. If you are like me and accepted Christ when you were young but have neglected your relationship with Him and forgotten what living for Him looks like, I encourage you to grab your Bible and reread it. Dive into the extraordinary story of Jesus, the disciples, the Apostle Paul, David, and many others. Go back to what you once knew and relearn the amazing lessons and convictions of our amazing God! It’s never too late to redirect our focus back to Christ. If we still have breath in our lungs, God is giving us another opportunity to live for Him and be like Him. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1‭-‬2).

You Were Warned

Many Christian sects like to state that Jesus was a pacifist. He taught us to love others and sacrifice oneself for our friends. He turned the other cheek to the Roman soldiers who beat and abused him. He stayed silent when accused by the Jewish leaders. He told Peter to put away his sword when he defended Jesus at his arrest. He was never violent. Instead, he promoted peace with everyone. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “Why?” Why did Jesus encourage love and peace? Why did He live a pacifist lifestyle? There is a good reason why Jesus taught, lived, and promoted the pacifist lifestyle. However, there is something that many people miss when reading and understanding Christ Jesus. He warned of impending judgment that would not go well for those who did not follow and believe in the Son of God.

Jesus taught love. He lived love. He loved the sinner, the disabled, the demon-possessed, the sick, and many others. He lived his life in service to humanity. He taught us to love each other and to serve each other. He was the perfect example of what it looked like to live a life utterly devoted to God. He chose to submit to His Father’s authority and do his works. Everything Jesus did is what the Israelites were called to do in the Law. Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly. He loved the world because he knew why the world was suffering. 

The disciple John wrote, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18). We tend to read verses 16 and 17 but neglect verse 18. Those who do not believe are condemned already. The purpose of Christ’s life was to bring the world to Him. He did not come to condemn the world but to save it. However, condemnation remains on everyone who chooses to reject Jesus.

Condemnation has multiple definitions in the bible, but in the circumstance of John 17 and 18, it refers to judgment. This means that judgment remains on everyone who chooses to reject Jesus Christ. The purpose of Jesus’s life was to open the door to salvation and a whole relationship with God the Father through His Son. Jesus didn’t need to live an aggressive life, as that would have been counterintuitive to the purpose of His life. The truth is that Jesus knew what would happen to those who chose to reject Him. His Father was clear about the consequences of not listening to and abiding in His Son.

As Jesus sent out his disciples, He said this regarding those who reject Him:

“But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me.” (Luke 10:10-16)

Jesus was clear of the impending doom of those who rejected Him. Judgment awaits all those who reject Him. You see, Jesus didn’t need to Judge the world. The world will determine if they are judged based on their acceptance and belief in Christ Jesus. Paul talks about the day of God’s wrath:

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good, seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” (Romans 2:5-11)

The Apostle Peter also shares what is awaiting those who choose disobedience rather than obedience to the Father:

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.” (2 Peter 2:1-10)

Jesus’s life was about giving us an example by which to live. He was a pacifist in his interactions with the world because He lived the way God intended for us to live. As Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Jesus knew that his life was meant to be everything we could never be. The ways of this world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life – create a world focused on selfishness, division, and sin. Jesus was beyond all of this. He chose to do what His Father commanded. He walked with His Father, obeyed Him to the point of death, and never wavered in his commitment to His Father’s commands. Even when sin scratched at the door, Jesus denied sin its power.

If the first commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,” then Jesus’ lived it to its fullest. Love is not aggressive. Love is not controlling. Love is not angry. Paul stated what love really is, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). Jesus was the perfect example of love.

However, there comes a point in every person’s life where we will stand before the throne of God and be held accountable for everything we have done. For those who believe in Christ Jesus and seek to follow His example, judgment is passed over, as that judgment was already placed on Christ Jesus. But for those who reject Christ Jesus, the wrath of God will be poured out on them. 

You might say, “That’s not very loving,” and you would be right; it would be just. We are all given the opportunity to believe and follow Jesus. We are all given the opportunity to submit to the authority of YHWH. God gives each one of us a chance. His love is patient and kind. However, if we deny Him, we have chosen condemnation and judgment. 

It’s like telling a child not to touch a hot stove. The child can listen and submit to the parent’s authority and follow the instructions, or they can ignore the instruction and touch the hot stove. Now, did the parent or the child choose the punishment? If the child refuses to listen and obey what they have been told, they have chosen their judgment – burning their hands. The parent showed love by warning and explaining the consequences of what would happen if the child touched a hot stove – love always protects and is not self-seeking. The parent then allowed the child to make their own choices. A child is saved from pain when they listen and obey their parents’ instructions. The same goes for the world and God’s commandments and precepts. 

We have been warned of what will happen if we choose to continue to listen and follow the ways of this world. We have been told that we will select the wrath and judgment of God if we deny Jesus and choose not to follow and believe in Him. God’s love was shown in His Son. God’s wrath is saved for those who choose it.

Choose wisely this day whom you will serve!

Do Not Love

The Bible is very clear that love is an essential part of God’s purpose, desires, and commands. After all, Jesus Christ stated, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples; if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). John also writes in the famous passage, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Matthew writes, “Jesus answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Matthew 22:37-38). Love is an essential part of God’s goodness. However, there is something definite that we are commanded not to love.

Jesus commanded His disciples and followers to “Love one another.” Jesus also stated that the greatest act of love is to lay one’s life down for his friends. This statement, of course, was a future telling of what Jesus would do for the world. Either way, there is a great emphasis on loving one another. In my last post, I discussed the goal for humanity: “Live with love for God and one another and all creation” (Drimalla and The Bible Project). Love is at the center of everything, but the Bible is also clear that we should abstain from loving something very specific with every fiber of our being.

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

If you are like me, you just read that and thought, “But God loves the world, and He called us to be like Him. Why are we being told not to love the world?” Some might see this as a contradiction in the Bible. Let me assure you, there is no contradiction. We must understand what “World” John is talking about.

“World” in the New Testament is translated as kosmos. The Bible uses three definitions for “World .”First, “World” can refer to the physical world. This contains the Earth, creation, and the cosmos. This can be seen in verses such as Matthew 4:14, 13:38, and Acts 17:24. The second use for “World” refers to those who inhabit the Earth, humanity. John 1:10 shows how kosmos can be used in multiple ways. “He was in the world (Earth), and the world (Earth) was made through Him, and the world (humanity) did not know Him.” The third definition of “World” refers to abstract things that have spiritual and moral or immoral values. Paul uses this terminology in 1 Corinthians 1:20, 2:6, and 3:19. This terminology is also what John uses in 1 John 2:15-17.

We are called to love the world – humanity. Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples by the love we share. There is, however, a love that we should never entertain. John wrote, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world.” There is an unseen war that is taking place all around us. This war is fought in the spiritual realm between the YHWH and the prince of this world, Satan. The earth is filled with deception, temptation, lust, and immorality. These are the things of this world. Satan uses these to entice humanity away from the goodness of God. The ways of the world are divisive, destructive, and deadly. As John stated, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but from the world” (1 John 2:16). All of those things are from the one who opposes YHWH. Those things are what place our wants and desires over the wants of God the Father.

Notice that John says three specific things that come from the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. The first two deal with inner desires. The third one is all about outward desires. All of them are heart issues.

The lust of the flesh pertains to the sexual desires of humanity. Our society is overrun with sexual immorality, and sexual immorality is more than sex. Sexual immorality is anything outside the design and order that God intended. For example, “God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). This is God’s original design and order. It was the ways of this world that perverted this design and made it something that it was never meant to be. The ways of the world have twisted, corrupted, and degraded the natural, God-given design for false ideologies and lies. Paul speaks to this in Romans 1:

“For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts became darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:20-25).

Humanity rejected the ways of God for the ways of the world. We began to love the world’s ways, rather than to love God. It has become so perverse that humanity no longer sees gender as God intended. Instead, it is seen as a social construct in which people can identify as whatever they want. Paul explains what happened because of humanity’s love for the ways of the world: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with men and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:26-27). The ways of the world says, “Do what you feel is right. Ignore the truth and create your truth. You get to decide what is true and what isn’t,” and most importantly, the ways of the world say, “You are god, and that is all you need.”

The second idea that John states for the ways of the world is the “lust of the eyes.” To lust after something is to want it with every fiber of your being. The lust of the eyes refers to wanting what we see. This could be material and monetary possessions and even personal physical desires. Sin comes when the desires of the eyes overtake us and make them our idols of worship. This doesn’t mean money or wanting to own a house is bad. It becomes a problem when all we think about and want to do is pursue the lust of the eyes. The prince of this world will use the world’s ways to turn our eyes and desires away from YHWH. This is why it is essential that we become spiritually aware of what becomes our main focus and desire.

The third idea that John states for the ways of the world is the “pride of life.” The first two are inner habits; the third idea is an outward habit. The pride of life can be summed up with one term – selfishness. In the Garden of Eden, the first humans lived peacefully with God. They served God and each other. It wasn’t until the Deceiver and Father of Lies convinced them that they were more important than each other and the God they served. This lie brought about the pride of life. 

Humanity has bought into the lie that the self is more important than anything else. This was never the intent of God’s design. When God made man and woman, He stated, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. That is why a man leaves his Father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:15, 22, 24). We are meant to serve and be helpers to each other. A husband and wife are to become one flesh. This means neither is more significant than the other. Jesus took this deeper when eating the Passover Festival with His disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. While eating, Jesus got up, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He then went to each of His disciples and washed their feet. Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:15-17).

We are told not to love the ways of the world. The world refers to abstract things with spiritual and moral or immoral values. The prince of this world uses the ways of the world to detract humanity from loving and believing in Jesus Christ and YHWH. The ways of this world make us think that what we want is better and more satisfying than the ways of God. Ultimately, we choose to be the god of our own life rather than allowing the Creator God to be the Lord of our life. The lies of the world subvert the truth. And what is truth? God gave us the answer in Isaiah, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God!” (Isaiah 45:5a). No matter how badly we want to be our own gods, the truth is that there is only one God. 

James said, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Let us learn to love God and each other and despise the ways of this world. Let us make YHWH the Lord of our life and seek Him. Let us turn our ears to the voice of Truth and deny the lies from the prince of this world. Let us learn to love that which is good. 

Drimalla, S., & BibleProject Team. 2023. What Are Sin, Iniquity, and Transgression in the Bible?. https://bibleproject.com/blog/sin-iniquity-and-transgression-in-the-bible/

The War Unseen

There is a war taking place all around us. This war is unseen by human eyes. It is being fought in the spiritual realm between the gods of this world and the one true God. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, “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” (Ephesians 6:12). This war has been raging since the dawn of time. You and I are at the center of it. 

At the beginning of time, humanity was created to enjoy the wonders of this world. We were called to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28). The earth and all of its glory was made for humankind. We were created to be in relationship with YHWH, the God of gods. We were meant to walk and talk with God. We were meant to see God and basque in His glory. We were meant to be people who knew no sin and lived righteously in the presence of God for all time.

When God created the world, He called everything “Good.” When God made humanity, something very significant separated us from the rest of creation. God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Genesis 1:26). We were made in the “Image of God.” Nothing on this earth has this same characteristic. However, this all changed when we allowed sin to rule our lives.

Before we can continue, we must ask, “What is sin?”. The Bible Project does an excellent job answering this question:

“The Hebrew word khata’ is most commonly translated as “sin.” Khata’ means “to fail” or “to miss the goal,” and the word is not always about morality. So if sin is missing the goal, what’s the goal? When God created humanity in his divine image, he set the goal. Genesis 1:26 captures an interesting statement from God, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness,’ reminding us that this single God exists in three different yet undivided persons – Father, Word, and Spirit – inseparable but distinct, forever together in unbreakable love. To be created in the “image of God” like this suggests that humanity’s most essential nature is divine love. Living with love for God and one another and all creation is our primary human goal (emphasis mine). Choosing not to love invites corruption in the goodness of creation, so it is khata’ – sin” (Drimalla & BibleProject Team, 2023).

The first sin entered the “Good” world when the first humans chose to serve themselves rather than trust and follow God. You see, they were given a choice to disobey God and eat the fruit they were told not to eat, or eat the fruit and have their eyes opened and become like God – knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). Many people believe that the fruit caused sin to enter the world. In actuality, the choice to follow after temptation and disobey God’s command led to sin. From that point on, humanity’s soul would be in a constant state of war between good and evil.

After the fall of humanity from God’s glory, the image we were created in was broken. Think of it like looking at a broken mirror. The image is still there, but it is incomplete and shattered. This means that humanity still has the “good” we were created with but now must contend with the evil of sin. Remember, sin is when we “miss the mark” of doing good. We are born into sin, but it doesn’t mean we must choose to sin. That is where many get confused. We are still given the freedom to choose. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). 

The creation story is a visual representation of humanity as a whole. We are all given a choice to take the forbidden fruit and disobey God, or we can trust God, believe in his words, and choose righteousness. Here’s the kicker, we are fighting a war on the enemy’s turf. This means that making righteous choices is more challenging than it sounds. Jesus Christ knew this well. Before he proclaimed himself the Son of God and the world’s savior, he fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). While he was in the wilderness, the devil came to tempt him. Jesus knew that the battle that was being fought was not in the physical realm. The battle was being fought in the spiritual realm. Notice that the devil, a god of this world, came to tempt him. It wasn’t another human. It wasn’t himself. A god of this world was trying to tempt Jesus into sin. Jesus overcame the god of this world by responding to every temptation with the precepts and commands of God. 

The wilderness was not the only place where the gods of this world tempted Jesus. When Jesus told his disciples that he would be killed and raised to life on the third day, “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'” (Matthew 16:22-23). Did you notice that Jesus saw through Peter and focused on the root of the problem? It wasn’t Peter; it was Satan. The god of this world used Peter to tempt Jesus away from being the savior of the world. That battle was an unseen battle between spiritual forces, not physical forces. When Jesus was with us some 2,000 years ago, he knew that the war had nothing to do with the people he was with. The battle was unseen to human eyes, but Jesus was very aware of the unseen.

After Jesus’s interaction with Peter, he turned to his disciples and said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26a). Jesus told us exactly what it took to win the unseen war – deny ourselves and follow Him!

You may think, “There is no way I can do all that perfectly!” You’re right. You can’t. Even though the choice is yours, you won’t. This is the power of the unseen war. We are tempted beyond measure by forces much greater than us. The gods of this world flex their power to make it near impossible to do what is good and holy. Their number one goal is to keep you “missing the mark.” Due to our inability to do “good” perfectly, we needed a savior to redeem us from the unseen war by doing what we could not. 

Remember, the goal is to live with love for God and one another and all creation. We fail at this when we place ourselves above God and live how we think is right. Jesus Christ came to be what we can’t and to save us from ourselves and the sin we choose to live in. His death on the cross was necessary to repair the broken relationship between God and humanity. Jesus’s death opened the door for us to live in the presence of God once again. You see, Christ’s death didn’t automatically provide salvation for everyone. It offered salvation if WE chose to accept Him as Lord and submit to His authority. Return to the beginning when the first humans were given a choice – surrender to YHWH and follow his precepts, or choose their selfish desires and be removed from God’s presence.

The world’s gods want nothing to do with the salvation that Christ Jesus gave through His sacrifice on the cross. They also want humanity to be blinded to the salvation that was offered by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. This is why the world is filled with hatred, disease, gluttony, sexual immorality, selfishness, pride, and so much more. These are the powers of the gods of this world, and humanity chooses to focus on their powers rather than the saving grace of Jesus Christ and YHWH. There is a reason there is so much discord and division among humanity.

Here’s the clincher. Sin is a choice. It is a choice to lose the unseen war. It is a choice to fight for the gods of this world. We have been given the opportunity to stand up and fight for the King of kings who has already won the war. We are given a choice to be on the winning side or the losing side. Every time we choose to follow after our selfish desires rather than submit to the ways of YHWH, we choose to be on the losing side. As long as this world is still here, the unseen war will forever be fought. 

However, there will be a day when Christ will return and gather unto Himself all who have chosen to live for Him rather than the ways of this world. He will then establish His kingdom forever, and everyone who has chosen to live for the gods of this world will once again be cast out of His presence for eternity. However, there will be no more second chances. Christ’s death and resurrection are the only chance we have at reuniting with YHWH and being in his presence again. If we choose not to believe in Christ Jesus and submit to the authority of God in the time we have been given on this planet, there is no second chance. John, the disciple, quoted Jesus saying, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me” (John 5:28-30). Remember, the “good” we are to do is to “Live with love for God and one another and all creation.”

We must wake up, see the forces at work in this world, and realize that you and I are at the center of this unseen war. If you are just starting to wake up to the deception that the gods of this world keep pushing, and you want to fight for the winning side, start by focusing on these two precepts – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as you love yourself. This is the starting point. Open your eyes and heart to the one true God, believe in Him, love Him, and remove yourself. 

If you have been struggling to stay on the winning side, I encourage you to open the Word of God and drink deeply from it. John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-2, 14). Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'” (Matthew 4:4). Deny the gods of this world and submit to YHWH. 

Drimalla, S., & BibleProject Team. 2023. What Are Sin, Iniquity, and Transgression in the Bible?. https://bibleproject.com/blog/sin-iniquity-and-transgression-in-the-bible/

What’s Wrong With Society?

Videos are circulating on the internet of people promoting demoralizing and destructive ideologies. The people who try to stand for what is right are not getting the support of authorities and people in power. Instead, the people who are violent, divisive, and destructive are allowed to continue. Everything that was once abhorrent in society seems to be acceptable, and if one tries to stand for what is right, they are laughed at, jeered at, ridiculed, and abolished. What has happened to society to have it set on a course for destruction? The answer will not sit well with many of you, but time has proven what happens when we ignore the Truth.

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, concerted, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power” (1 Timothy 3:1-5a).

Since the beginning of time, an unseen war has been fought for humanity’s soul. On one side, YHWH, the one true God, created humankind in His image and called all He made “very good.” On the other side, the Satan, the deceiver, the Father of Lies and Angel of Light, wanted nothing more than to destroy all that was good. The Satan wanted glory and honor for himself. He wanted to be God and be worshiped as God. Thus, he started down the path of absolute and complete destruction of all that was good. The Satan started by destroying the hearts, souls, and minds of humanity.

The Satan convinced humanity that they did not need God. He claimed that we could be our own gods. The first humans listened to the false narrative of the deceiver and freely chose to disobey YHWH. This disobedience to God led to a severed relationship between the physical and spiritual worlds. That disobedience made humanity carnal and shattered the image of God by which we were made. The greatest deception of all time led to the most significant destruction of society.

The disobedience of the first humans removed us from being in relationship with YHWH. We had chosen to disobey and go our own way. We decided to be our own gods rather than follow the one true God. It didn’t take long for the destruction of the Satan to take hold of humankind. The sons of the first man and woman were born into a life of sin and destruction. Both sons proved that sin and destruction were a choice and didn’t have to control the soul of man. One brother sought after YHWH. He worshiped him and wanted a relationship with him. He built altars for YHWH and gave YHWH the first and best of everything he had. YHWH saw him and blessed him. Because of this man’s diligence in seeking YHWH and honoring Him, YHWH found favor with the son.

However, the second son also built altars and gave YHWH what he had, but he didn’t give him the best of his crops. Instead, he only shared what was convenient. When the second son saw that YHWY found favor in his brother and not him, he became angry. YHWH then spoke to the son and said, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7). Sadly, the brother allowed sin to rule over him, and he eventually killed his brother over jealousy and anger. Destruction won again.

The story goes on throughout humanity’s history. Those who sought out a relationship with God and followed his commands, to them were given blessings and honor and glory. This did not mean they had an easy life. The more humankind sought after YHWH, the more the Satan sought to kill and destroy. There was a man by the name of Job who was “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1b). He was considered “the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job 1:3b). The Satan went and presented himself before God. He challenged God and claimed that if God removed everything he had, Job would surely turn and curse God. Remember, the Satan only wants to take what was good and destroy it. YHWH gave everything over to the Satan except Job’s life.

The Satan took full advantage of what he was given. He took all of his flocks and crops and even killed all his children. The Satan did what he does best; he destroyed everything good. He even cursed Job with painful sores that covered his body in hopes that Job would curse God for all that was happening to him. Even Job’s wife tempted him to curse God and die to escape his misery. Job’s reply is perfect, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10b).

Job had many questions. He cursed the day he was born due to the tragedy that had befallen him. Job’s friends came around him and shared their thoughts and insights. However, everything they shared was mortal words without actual knowledge. Eventually, God spoke with Job, and YHWH summed everything with – “Are you God? Can you do the things of the Almighty? Do you understand the ways of the Lord?” Job’s reply to YHWH was this:

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2-6). You see, what Job realized is that he was not God. He knew nothing of his plans and purposes. We are His creation, and who are we to call out to the Creator and question His actions? You see, when we think we are gods, we question the one true God. And don’t forget, our thinking that we are gods came from the greatest deception of all time that started us on the road of destruction.

YHWH even gave the people of Israel directions on how to be in relationship with Him, live holy lives, and be set apart from the sin of the world. YHWH laid it out in 10 easy-to-understand steps – these are called The Ten Commandments. Not only did He state what the people of Israel should do, but He also stated what would happen if they chose not to follow His commands. You guessed it; utter destruction would be upon them. However, this destruction was not brought on by YHWH but rather by the people for thinking that their ways were higher and better than God’s. God himself gave these commandments to the Israelites. The people of Israel were so terrified of God that they did not want God to speak directly to them. You would think that the people of Israel would remember the power of God and choose to follow His commands. Alas, the nation of Israel would be in a constant battle between following the ways of God and following their selfish desires. And just as God stated, the moment Israel chose to follow after their desires and leave the ways of God, destruction came upon them.

Fast forward a few millennia, and we were given yet another formula for how to live a life of purity, honesty, integrity, and righteousness. The new formula was not really a new one, but rather one that summed up the first set of commands given thousands of years before. During the life of Jesus Christ, he was asked by a Pharisee – a teacher of the religious Law – “What is the greatest commandment?” (Matthew 22:30) Jesus replied by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'” (Mathew 22:37-39). Do you see? The greatest commandment is to put God first in EVERYTHING! To make Him King and not ourselves. To submit to his authority rather than giving ourselves the power.

Jesus didn’t stop there. He gave us a picture of what was to come, and that picture was more of a mirror of the godless soul. Jesus said:

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time, many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:6-14).

Does any of this look familiar in today’s world? This happens when people choose to become their own gods rather than submit to the One True God. God leaves it open for us to decide. We have been warned of the destruction to come when we deny YHWH and live as if there is no God. Even this was stated in scripture:

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing?” (Psalms 14:1-4).

Destruction is what the Satan wants. Destruction creates chaos, bloodshed, and division. It removes us farther from our relationship with God. There is nothing good in destruction. However, destruction is brought on by our choices, our actions, and our selfish intent. Destruction is the cause of us thinking we are gods rather than submitting to the true God. We are not at war with each other. As the Apostle Paul stated, “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” (Ephesians 6:12). We are just the players on the battlefield in the war between sin and death and the omnipotent Creator. But as the players on the battlefield, we get to decide for whom we fight. However, here is the beauty of it all – THE WAR HAS ALREADY BEEN WON!

This cosmic, spiritual war that started at the dawn of time has already been won. The Satan deceived humanity into turning away from God our Father and convinced us that we could become gods ourselves. It was then that YHWH put into motion Operation Redemptive Freedom. YHWH allowed humanity to choose whom they would serve – themselves or Him. However, there was a break in the relationship between humanity and YHWH, and that relationship needed to be repaired. There was nothing we could do to fix what we freely broke. The destruction was almost irreparable. There needed to be a perfect, blameless sacrifice that took on the sin and destruction of the world. That sacrifice, the death of one man, would bring life, salvation, and redemptive freedom to all those who would only choose to believe in Him and follow His commands. Here enters Jesus Christ the Messiah – God’s perfect Son!

Jesus came into this world to be that sacrifice for all humanity – past, present, and future. He chose to submit himself unto his Father – something God has asked us to do, but we continually fail. “Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8) You see, all God asked of us was for us to die to ourselves and submit to his authority, but the Satan knew what would happen if we did that. He did everything he could to keep us from all that was Good. This is why Jesus Christ did what we couldn’t do – ultimately opening the door to freedom from sin, death, and destruction.

What’s wrong with society? Society shows us a growing and ever-expanding belief that there is no God and that people would rather listen to the lie that was told ages ago and believe that they are their own gods. YHWH never has and never will force himself to be the King of your life. We get to decide if we want to submit ourselves to the one who hung on the cross and ultimately submit ourselves to God the Father, or if we continue to believe the lie that was started millennia ago and think that we are gods to ourselves and continue down the path of destruction. The greatest lie and false narrative set humanity on course for destruction.

But fear not. There is freedom, peace, and the ability to see through the lies, deceit, deception, and falsehood by turning back to God and submitting your life to the Creator of you and me by believing and following His Son, Jesus Christ. There is a battle for your soul, and what happens to it is entirely in your hands. You can continue to believe the lies and deception that the Satan has put in place since day one, or you can turn to the One who knows you better than anyone, the One who created you just the way you are, the One who loves you, accepts you, died for you, and wants nothing more than to spend eternity with you.

The choice is yours!

No More Lies!

Trigger warning – this blog may be offensive to some. You’ve been warned!

The United States has fallen even deeper into the pits of deception, lies, and depravity. The U.S. has been heading down the road of deception for decades, but recently it has taken a turn that has led to deeper misinformation, deceit, and treachery. This hard turn further into depravity is wreaking havoc on the country and society. No more lies. We must turn back to the truth and live for what is right. We must become a people who hold to and teach moral and ethical values. Enough with allowing feelings to dictate and determine truth. No more gaslighting and grandstanding on issues to encourage division and more deception. It is time to no longer be fooled by the angel of light and the father of lies. It is time to speak truth in the face of evil.

The idea that we are considering the idea that gender is fluid is beyond stupidity. The fact that there is a group that pushes an ignorant, foolish, and evil ideology – and winning in many aspects – is demoralizing. The fact that our society is even having a conversation about accepting philistine ideologies is befuddling. The lies that have been spread have been repeated enough times for people to consider them as true. A lie that is believed to be true is still a lie. When society pushes for lies to be accepted as truth, impending collapse of said society is soon to follow. When the voice of deception is louder than the voice of truth, destruction is imminent. 

Lies do only one thing – bring destruction. Our society claims that people need to be gender affirming by affirming the gender someone claims to be. This doesn’t affirm anything. Rather, it continues the deceitful lie and encourages the lie to be accepted as truth. There are a lot of truths that are now considered racist, bigoted, and hate speech. I’m sorry, but just because you don’t like to hear the truth doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Here are some truthful statements that are considered “hate speech” today:

Truth – gender is not fluid
Truth – the gender we were given at birth is no accident
Truth – the gender you were born with is exactly who you were meant to be
Truth – you do not get to choose your gender, you are born with it
Truth – you do not have the right to force others to accept your lies
Truth – to think you are something you are not is considered a mental disorder
Truth – evil disguises itself as false truths
Truth – just because you don’t agree with something that is true doesn’t make it less true
Truth – your inability to accept truth does not negate my right to speak truth
Truth – there is no such thing as “your truth”

Dostoevsky wrote, “Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” The more we accept and believe the lies that are regarded as truth, the less respect we have for ourselves and our fellow man. 

Many may try and argue that by not affirming someone’s desired gender is disrespectful. I would argue that by encouraging them to believe a lie is even more disrespectful. Let me ask you, do you feel respected when you are lied to? Probably not. Then why are we willfully lying to others who are obviously struggling in their mental health? Why are we encouraging dysphoria, rather than helping people in their mental struggles? Respect is being truthful no matter the cost. I would argue that we no longer respect each other, but instead are too cowardly to speak truth when it is desperately needed. How long will we water down the truth until truth is no more?

Ray Bardbury wrote in Fahrenheit 451, “But you can’t make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them.” The reality is that the longer we allow this ideological dysphoria to continue, the world will “blow up” and by then, it will be too late. Our society, our country, will lose, and we will be left with nothing but destruction and ruin. I was asked the other day if I thought it was too late for our country. I want to hope that it is not, but when our country has chosen debauchery and depravity over moral and ethical living, nothing good can come of it. 

There is nothing new under the sun. History is on constant repeat. I have learned through my reading and observations that what we do today is no different than what has happened in the past. The only thing that changes is the time and people, but the actions of the past are on constant repeat. For example, the depravity of this country can be seen in the era of the Roman Empire. There was political corruption, economic corruption and decline, and immoral and unethical living that was accepted as normality. The Roman Empire eventually fell, but it is hard not to consider that the acts and way of life of the Roman Empire played a significant role in its decline. As I mentioned earlier, history is on repeat, and the only thing that changes is the time and the players.

Enough with affirming lies and accepting immorality and debauchery as a normal way of life. Enough with renaming mental dysphoria as a gender identity crisis. Enough with pushing philistine ideologies in the education system and through political agendas. Enough with forcing lies to be accepted as truth. It’s time that we return to what is morally and ethically right. It’s time that we stop the decline before we see the ultimate destruction of our country and our society. After all, it was the city of Sodom and Gomorrah that was burned to the ground because of the debauchery and immorality that ran rampant in the streets.

What’s Your Code?

Different military branches hold to a moral/ethical code, an ethos, or in the case of the Vikings, laws. These codes and laws dictate and determine decision making, actions of the individual, and overall quality of life. Most branches of the military require their cadets to learn and memorize their branch’s code of conduct. What fascinates me is that most codes have the same foundational qualities. Here are a few that I have found to be most influential to me:

Navy Seals:

  • Serve with honor and integrity on and off the battlefield
  • Read to lead, ready to follow, never quit
  • Take responsibility for your actions AND the actions of your teammates
  • Excel as warriors though discipline and innovation

Army Rangers:

  • Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight, and I will shoulder more than my share of the task
  • My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow
  • I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy

Marine Corps:

  • Honor is the bedrock of our character
  • Honor is the quality that empowers Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and moral behavior:
    • To never lie
    • To never cheat
    • To never steal
    • To abide by an uncompromising code of integrity
    • To respect human dignity
    • To have respect and concern for each other
  • The heart of our core values is courage
  • It is the mental, moral, and physical strength ingrained in Marines to see them through:
    • The challenges of combat
    • The mastery of fear
    • To do what is right
    • To adhere to higher standards of personal conduct
    • To lead by example
    • To make tough decisions under stress and pressure
  • Commitment promotes the highest order of discipline for unit and self
  • It instills pride, concern for others, and an unrelenting determination to achieve a standard of excellence in every endeavor

There is a theme from these lists. Firstly, integrity and honor are of the utmost importance. This is then followed by moral and ethical behavior. Finally, self discipline and personal growth are essential. It’s about pushing yourself to be better every day. Another quality that is valued is the care for others and not just self. These codes of conduct provide a foundation for living. Imagine how our society, our world, might change if we taught these principles to our children and lived them out in our own life.

I never had people in my life express to me the importance and value of having a code of conduct with which to live by. In fact, I never knew the value of building and defining a personal set of rules and regulations on which I should build my life. As a child, I was told to do the right thing and respect other people. These are good principles; basic, but good. I was never told why I should do these things. It was as if I was supposed to just know the value and importance of doing these principles. Now that I have my own children, I am building on what I was taught, but instilling in my children the understanding and purpose of having a personal code of conduct.

It wasn’t until recently that I found value and meaning in living my life with a code of ethics and morals. I don’t mean to say that I didn’t have a set of morals and ethics in the past. It wasn’t until four or five years ago that living with a code meant something to me. I started reading books from former Navy Seals, Special Forces, and prominent leaders. I kept seeing the same theme throughout each of their stories – living life with a code of conduct brings direction and meaning to one’s life. It provides a lens by which actions are taken, decisions are made, and words are spoken. A personal code of conduct helps put the focus on our actions, our choices, and our words. It means we learn to take personal responsibility for ourselves.

My personal code of conduct is as follows:

  • Do the right thing no matter the cost
  • Take ownership for my actions, choices, and words
  • Respect everyone, even if they do not respect me (I struggle with this one)
  • Be disciplined in all areas of my life
  • Serve others
  • Above all, seek after the ways of God and live according to his Word (I struggle with this as well)

So what is your personal code? What principles do you build your life on? I would love to read your personal code of conduct, and if you are struggling with building a personal code of conduct, I would love to help you create one and encourage you in your journey of living it out.

As always, stay humble and serve well!

Watch The Company You Keep

“Bad company corrupts good character” (Menander and the Apostle Paul). “Tell me with whom you associate, and I will tell you who you are” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). “Some would argue that you’re as successful as the company you keep. Certainly, there is a connection between our friends and who we are” (Simon Sinek). “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best” (Epictetus). “A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses” (Colin Powell). I could keep going with quotes about the importance of watching with whom we keep our company. There is something to say about who we associate with, when writers, poets, and leaders throughout history are quoted giving warning and guidance about the company we keep.

When I was younger, I never believed that the company I kept would have an impact on who I became. Sadly, I also didn’t have people sharing wisdom about the importance of paying attention with whom I spent my time. Looking back, I can see the disastrous choices I made really were influenced by the people I hung around. Today, I keep a very close circle when it comes to the people with whom I associate. I know that influence happens whether or not I think I am strong enough to avoid negativity or poor behavior. My circle of friends must be people of character and integrity, as I want my friends to help me be a better version of myself. 

Colin Powell once said, “As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you.” Colin Powell was a man of great wisdom. He took seriously the people he chose to let into his inner circle. He understood the power of influence and the consequences that happen when we don’t pay attention to the people we allow into our lives. “The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate – for the good and the bad” (Colin Powell).

In today’s world, friends are considered people who “follow” you on social media. Youth who live in a make-believe virtual world believe that friends are those found in their “friends” list on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc. I have even seen some more mature individuals get caught up in the same fantasy of friendship. Social media is a false narrative when it comes to friendship. The reality is friends are people we spend most of our time with. The question we should be asking ourselves is, “Who am I giving up my time for, and how are they influencing me?” 

Let’s go back to Colin Powell. He once stated, “With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.” The people we allow in our lives have a significant influence on the overall success we have in life. My wife makes fun of me a lot for listening to certain motivational speeches or podcasts. She does it all in good fun. However, there is a reason why I watch what I do. I want positive motivation and encouragement in my life. I want to learn from others and listen to the lessons they have learned in life. I want to be influenced to be better. 

I have learned that the more I sit and waste time on social media, the worse my attitude and mindset becomes. However, when I listen to motivational speeches or watch podcasts of individuals who have gone through tough situations and share the lessons they have learned, I find myself wanting to be better. I also become more aware of people in my life that do not share the same sentiment. If I find myself associating with lazy, apathetic people, I start to see myself becoming more lazy, apathetic, and full of excuses; because that’s what most lazy and apathetic people do…they make excuses. When I see people who choose popularity and greatness over integrity and humility, I find that I become more arrogant and hot headed. If I want to live my life with high standards and expect to become a better version of me, then I need to be very cognizant of the people I allow into my life.

 “Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere” (Colin Powell).

As always, stay humble and serve well! Oh, and be careful who you allow into your life.