As we celebrate the 4th of July and our Independence, I am reminded about how often we can take our freedom for granted. Blood was shed for our freedom and that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

I also have been thinking about the highest price that was paid for our freedom that many will not think about this July 4th… The freedom that Jesus purchased for us at Calvary. There was no greater cost and we must NEVER forget that!

So as you are out celebrating, don’t forget to thank the Lord for the freedom He purchased for you and don’t forget to walk in that freedom.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage”
Gal. 5:1

God bless you!

In life we can find ourselves in many different situations, some good and some bad. It’s a horrible thing to suddenly find yourself in a place that seems to be void of God, you feel numb or even dead…

The worst part is, you don’t even know how you got there. This is when situations and people can dictate who we are and how we feel about ourselves, which then dictates how we think, act and live. What a terrible thing.

But, there is great news! In Phil. 3:8-10 says:
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

Paul seems to sum it all up for us…

What a beautiful picture that is painted, “to be found in Him” and to “know Him”. When you are found in Him, your current situation doesn’t control you anymore! When you are found in Jesus, you aren’t controlled by people’s words and actions because you know who you are in Him and who He is in you.

So let’s break these verses down…

Paul says, he counts all things a loss for the “Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus”. I’m thinking this is a big deal, to count ALL things loss, all things is a LOT of things! Paul had some insight here, all things are as dung compared to the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ. This knowledge is not a knowledge you get by reading a text book or going to school, this knowledge comes from spending time with Him and Him alone. It comes spending time with Him and getting to know Him. You know what He likes and how He feels. When you spend this kind of time with the Lord, something changes inside of you, His word is sealed upon your heart where you know that you know that you are found in Him…. And there is no better place to be found!

Now let me say, there are many that seem to think Paul is cussing when he uses the word dung. Now I realize what the Greek says, but I will argue that Paul was NOT cussing, if he had, he would have contradicted all the things he said in all his letters about the words that come out of our mouths. So if you find enjoyment in thinking Paul cussed, you better check your heart because there is nothing funny about it. And don’t be using that as an excuse to say whatever you want either!

When you are found in Him, there is nothing in you that would want to cuss either. As you continue to abide in Him, He shares His heart with you and you feel what He feels.

Now Paul also mentions something else that is key. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

Once again this “know Him” is an intimate knowing. But now, it’s also about knowing the power of His resurrection through sharing in His death and living a crucified life. As you do, you are transformed into His image in all areas. As you are dead to yourself and the world, you walk in the power of His resurrection. In newness of live with power and authority. It’s a beautiful thing!

When you combined all of the above to your own life, you don’t have to worry about what people are saying or thinking about you. You don’t have to conform to the situations around you. All you have to do if keep standing firm in the confidence that you are found in Him, worshiping Him every step of the way.

Sure, there is more we could talk about, but let’s make it a point to live a life that is completely hid and found in God!

Until next time, God bless!

With the hustle and bustle of life and with so many choosing to pick apart things of no real significance, we have to be careful to continue to seek the Heart of God on matters. From the state of the economy to personal life issues.

I say this because the way I see it, if we make it a goal to continue to seek His Heart and love Him and be more like Jesus every day, we will stay out of a lot of trouble.

I heard a pretty disturbing radio show about a week ago while driving in my car. The topic was human trafficking and it went into great detail how it’s done and how common it is right inside the US and even here in Cali. They were talking about how there is no need to go outside the Country anymore, it’s so easy to get away with it right here in our backyard. It’s a huge money making business for the people who do this, what really got me though was…

They told a story of a 12 year old girl who was befriended by an older man. As time went on, the girl began to trust this man and soon later he took her away and sold her into the sex industry. By age 14 she had been arrested with charges of prostitution numerous times. The craziest part about the whole thing was that the guys or should I say her pimps never once got in trouble. But yet, this 14 year old girl who was kidnapped and sold into slavery is the one with the big police record. Something is seriously not right with that. These little girls and boys are tortured beyond anything you would ever want to think about.

Something that was brought up in this show was that there was a lack of SAFE places to truly help these girls.

I bring this up because, we need to be praying for this serious problem, we need to be seeking the Lord’s heart and going to war for these kids that never stood a chance.

So I am asking each one of you that read this blog, seek the Lord and see if this is your fight. Because unfortunately when things are kept secret no one thinks to pray.

So let’s stop bickering amongst ourselves over stupid matters and remember we are in a real war, let’s act like it! We must never take our Freedom for granted, too high of a price was paid.

My good friend and fellow soldier Kenny shared something with me the other day. I haven’t been able to shake it…

He said on Sunday, that’s what the Lord was telling him, “hold the line”. How very true that is for each and every one of us. As I was thinking on “hold the line”, I started thinking about how easy it is to get so bogged down with things of this world that we forget we are in a very real war. Something happens when we allow others and situations to dictate to us who we are and what we do.

I have been experiencing this recently…

For the past few years I have been on this journey of business and entrepreneurial ways. I never wanted to go that route, but the Lord had other plans. ? Anyways, I have learned TONS and now love it, but at the same time in the world of business when you must look and be professional, it’s very easy to get civilized. What I mean by that is, it’s easy to start to adapt to what is common to man. Take the recession for example. The media screams that we are going into a recession and people freak out and stop spending money. Everyone is affected…

But, what does God have to say about all of this? Did we forget to ask Him? With all the business owners I talk to on a daily basis, the economy is in the forefront of their minds and the first thing that comes out of their mouths.
With all these facts floating around, it becomes very easy to adapt to a different way of thinking. The way the world thinks and sees things. This is where our faith becomes civilized and it’s a very dangerous place to be. When we start to become civilized we forget there is a war going on, we stop fighting the good fight and we stop representing Christ and His Kingdom in the way we should, we lose our Kingdom thinking.

It’s a very scary place to be…

We can’t allow things to desensitize us! We just can’t! There is too much at stake! When we allow our faith to become civilized, most of the time we don’t even know it. We still think we are all big and bad, but in reality, we can become prideful and pathetic. We may even pick fights with other Christians just so we can still feel like a warrior. What a bummer deal that is!

Please remember, Christianity can be messy and brutal and yet, the best thing you could be….A child of the living God!
So let’s hold the line and dig our feet in deeper than ever before, because our King didn’t die for nothing!
Let me hear a war cry!!

In our recent Bible studies we have been covering the topic of being “more than conquerors”, which means above and beyond the average conqueror. Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

It’s awesome that what God says, is what we are. But what happens when we don’t feel like we are? Why is it we can read that and still walk in so much defeat? There are so many areas we could talk about from conquering sin and the flesh, finical issues, the devil, insecurities, etc. Then we could even take it deeper to matters of the heart and emotional things like bitterness, unforgiveness, hurts, depression, lust, gossip, cussing, and the list goes on.

Most of these things plague the body of Christ and the really scary part is, many never walk in true victory or freedom from those things. That’s sad!

So how do we walk out Romains 8:37? The first things that is so important is to know what God says you are and own that verse, not just read it but own it. Where the Word becomes a part of who you are and you live that out. Despite what comes at you or how you feel or what that person said about you, Jesus sealed the victory at Calvary. Because of that we have been given every spiritual blessing to stomp on the things that step up to us. Once we start realizing this and the Holy Spirit begins to bring up more and more verses on this matter, it?s transforming! Isn’t God good!

Did you know it’s our inherited right to walk in victory and freedom? It is! And that’s very good news for us!

In Eph. 2:6 says we have been seated in heavenly places in Christ. That’s far above all principalities and powers. We have been positioned to walk in victory and the newness of life. It comes down to continuing to grow in grace as 2 Peter 3:18 talks about. As we do that, we are not trying to get the victory in our own power or might, its all Jesus doing it through us!

Taking up our Cross daily is huge in conquering; we must come to a place of complete surrender. Where we lose sight of our desires, concerns and feelings and make them all about Jesus. It’s a walking in agreement with God kind of a thing.

Being a conqueror doesn’t mean you never have problems or troubles, in fact you will have them. It’s all about of training to conquer, it would be hard to be more than a conqueror if there was never anything to conquer! When you understand you have been positioned to win, you can walk to adversities with joy and peace, all the while keeping the devil under your feet. For that is your inherited right! It?s up to you if you want to walk in it or not. When this become a part of who you are and how you live, it doesn’t matter what people say about you, it doesn’t matter you didn’t get that job you wanted, or that bad thing happened? You are MORE than a conqueror! And you walk in the peace of knowing God’s got it. You can walk in the joy of knowing the Lord is being perfected in you. And you can walk in the victory Jesus purchased for you and not allow the enemy to take any ground.

So next time you are feeling defeated and you aren’t going to be able to make it, remember you can’t. But Christ in you the Hope of glory can and will! The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is in you! How can you fail!?

God is so good!

In Gird Up Part 1 we covered hoping to the end, now I would like to cover the rest.

We are talking about 1 Peter 1:13 says, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

This verse sticks out to me so much because it has become so apparent that we as Christians aren’t taking our thoughts captive, which then leads to many unholy things that put so many in bondage. In other words, we aren’t taking ground and possessing our own minds for the Lord.

James 1: 14-15 says “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Before sin can be brought forth, it is conceived, but where? In the mind, in the heart, those thoughts that were not held captive, but instead where put above Jesus. And notice the end result? Death. No way around that one huh?

This is why it is so important to bind up the loins of your mind. To truly understand what you are supposed to bind, we need to talk about the loins of your mind. What a weird thought isn’t it?! Loins of your mind!? Whenever I thought of loins, the “mind” never came to my mind!

But what this really comes down to is, you are binding up your mind in such a way that when God births something in you, it doesn’t get jacked up. The loins of your mind is where stuff get’s birthed. It is a creative thing, but if you don’t gird up, James says the end result is death. What a shame that this has been the case with so many. God gives someone a Word, a dream, a passion or desire and because they didn’t Gird Up, the enemy was able to come in and twist things around and they never knew it. They think they are still doing the Lord’s work, but in all reality that just simply isn’t the case.

We must be and remain sober with a clear mind (Cool, calm and collected). When I think of the meaning of the word sober, I think about someone who is not drunk. When someone is drunk, they can’t think straight, they don’t feel things, they can be unpredictable and can become dangerous. That?s exactly what happens when we don’t gird up and keep a sober mind. We end up living in a delusion. . . It would be like saying ?I hear God well!? But, really you are listening to spiritual AM and FM signals at the same time. It’s just not going to work very well.

The thing I want to make very clear is, this stuff happens so easily, because we aren’t completely separating ourselves with things that contaminate. We aren’t living in the Word of God where are minds are renewed.

It’s sad so many Churches that started out as a good thing have gotten jacked up because they didn’t gird up. Very small, un-biblical thoughts, teachings and philosophies crept in and no one paid any attention to the seducing forces around them.

Now they are messed up in a spiritual stupor just like some drunk guy and they have become dangerous. Any Church that isn’t teaching people to live a separated life unto Jesus Christ, is one of satan’s counterfeits.

Anyways, don’t get me started!

What I’m getting at is the mind is such a complex thing, yet the instructions in what we are to do about it are so simple. The mind is where thoughts and imaginations happen and God can speak through those things, but if we aren’t girding up and casting down vain ones. We will walk around confused thinking we are advancing the Kingdom of God.

So Gird Up! Don’t allow the enemy to cause death to those things God has spoken to you! Get in the Word, keep your mind on the things above. And with your thoughts, make it a point to live more abundantly for the Lord.