Monthly Archives: September 2010

How can I be a New Creature with all the Stuff that I am Still Doing?

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. (2 Cor. 5:17)

            Can I be real with you guys today? I always have a little problem with this verse; you know why? Because, even as there are new things in me that were birth from the moment I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior; I still have plenty of the old. So, how can I be a new creature? How can I accept that the old me has pass away when I can see that it is obvious that some of that old stuff is as real as the fingers that are typing on this keyboard right now? What does this verse mean? It must be something deeper! Romans 6:11, has the audacity to tell me that I am dead to sin. Can you believe that? You may be dead to sin, but I know I am not! Surely the Accuser of the Bride has more than enough evidence against me. However, Revelations 12:11 declares that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony.

            To be a new creature is to no longer be judged by my sinful nature; that the accusations that Satan has against us, even if they are true, are ineffective in the eyes of my God. Before Christ I was bound by sin, my sinful nature was who I was; it was the final product on the building of my life. I stood guilty without hope and on my way to hell. However, when I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior the power of sin was demolished out of my life; I am no longer bound and destined to hell because of my sin.

            The reality of me being a new creature has very little to do with my behavior, what I do or don’t do; but it has everything to do with what Jesus did for me on the cross at Calvary. It sounds unfair; I am sure it drives the devil crazy, but sin no longer has the power to affect who we are, our destiny and where we are going. We are a new creature because God said so. You may say, but Angel, you don’t understand, I still do this and I still do that; it does not matter; if you accepted Jesus you are a new creature.

            You may ask, does that mean that I can do whatever I want and get away with it? Absolutely not! God disciplines those that He loves. Let me illustrate what I am trying to say this way. A good friend of mine told me how he finds himself in love with his wife more than ever and how his wife, even as she makes more money than him, respects him enough to ask him before going shopping at the mall. These two really love each other and they allow no one to divide them; however, neither one of them is perfect. My friend said that there are times when they need to lock themselves in the bedroom and confront each other with their mess; he adds that it gets pretty ugly in that room sometimes. However, when they come out of that room they are a united front and whatever they discuss is nobody’s business. That is exactly what God does with us; He deals with our sin with grace and truth and in that, He gives us correction and some painful consequences. When the devil comes to accuse, I can hear the Father saying: “Get out of here this is not your business.”

            So we still have some issues, some of these issues are deep and serious. The teaching that interpreted being dead to sin as if we don’t sin at all, is completely un-biblical. If anyone says that he has not sin, he is a lair, the Apostle John states. Paul speaks about doing the evil that he doesn’t want to do; so it is clear that we still carry that old man or woman around. However, because we are new creatures, the Bible tells us to regard no one after the flesh. (2 Cor. 5:16) Much can be said about this topic, but I want to end with the words of Paul in Col. 1:21-23:

 

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister…”

Why Are We So Scared of Grace? Part 3

“Demolishing the Mockery against Grace”

             We are not called to judge anybody; God will Judge everyone. We are not called to take our revenge; that belongs to God. If you receive His grace, He will not be fair with you, as He will give you the blessings and salvation that you can’t ever deserve. If you reject His grace, He will be fair with you, as He becomes your terrifying judge from the great white throne. Perhaps that is why the Bible encourages us to pray for one another and that includes our enemies. No one will get away with anything, unless they sincerely embrace God’s grace; then their hearts will be truly changed. Is that not what we want? Why do we keep adopting Jonah and the Pharisees attitude of being more excited about God’s judgment and punishment than about the releasing of grace? Heaven rejoices over one person getting saved; it seems like we get up-set when salvation and blessings are flowing over the people we don’t like.

            We are all at times anxious for the sounding of the trumpet of God’s judgment, but how do we change our view when we are the ones standing guilty with no justification for innocents and with no justification for freedom. It is then that we cry out for God’s grace! It is perhaps the reason why some times God has to allow us to go through hell and back so that our hearts can be soften and more willing to extend grace when others are caught in sin. Jesus needed to remind the people that were ready to stone the woman caught in adultery about their own sins. That very action caused them; from the old to the young, to drop the stones of judgment. Perhaps we need to learn to drop our own rocks. So, people in authority; relax! Embrace the grace of God; extend the grace of God; teach the grace of God and let God’s grace do the work. Don’t be impatience because you feel that changes are not happening fast enough; ask the Lord to search your own heart and you will quickly realize that we all desperately need His grace; that everybody has issues in their hearts; immature souls and shameful fleshly desires.

             So, shall we conclude that God has failed? Absolutely not! The choice is ours to reject or accept His grace. For those that embrace His grace, change is inevitable; you will change from the inside, out. His grace will convict you, His grace will confront you, His grace will transform you and His grace will take you from glory to glory. We can’t afford to reject grace; we have done more than enough damage already! Religion condemns us forever; you will forever be remembered for that thing you did with no chance of ever doing anything for God. Religion disqualifies you; takes you away from ministry. Religion will always arrogantly give you that look of disgust that vividly reminds you that you don’t belong. 

             Grace is hope; the hope that declares before heaven that it does not matter what you have done, you can make it. It doesn’t matter what men say, you will be anointed. It don’t matter what little education you have, wisdom will be released in you.   Oh, what else can we say about grace? From your cross as you are getting ready to die in the presence of your accusers; after a life of terrorizing sin; I can hear Jesus say, after your heart turns to Him; after you realize that you are nothing without Him, after you reach out to Him and cry out remember me!: He says to us “…Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”  Nothing else, nothing more; Jesus simply says; today come to me, today I will heal you, I will forgive you, I will restore you; today let me be the lover of your souls, let me embrace you, let me change and love you in the process like none other. May the grace of God be welcomed in our hearts today; in our homes, in our schools, in our programs, in our cities and in our nation. May we embrace grace as the best medicine to mend our broken hearts, our wounded souls and disturbed minds. Let’s demolish the mockery against grace not by tireless arguments, not by proven point, but by resting in God and by a deep knowing that we can trust God with our lives. It is not over; your best days are ahead of you!

Why Are We So Scared of Grace? Part 2

 

“Demolishing the Mockery against Grace”

 

             The law provided us with the unreachable righteousness of God and the consequences of not being able to follow what is unreachable to start with. Grace sounded the trumpet of undeserving favor expressed in the form of blessings and mercy that holds back the judgment that we deserve. Grace goes beyond the law as it fulfills the law. Through grace we are given an opportunity to be saved in the fullness and sincerity of inviting Jesus into our hearts for the forgiveness of our sins! According to the law we have no hope of salvation as we can’t fulfill the law on our own. So, can grace be abused? Can it really be an issue of concern to extend grace? Impossible! Galatians 6:7 states: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.” Grace can be used as an excuse to sin just like we use God’s name to give us a sense of spirituality to justify many of our own doing. Using grace purposely as an excuse to do whatever we want is a clear indicator that we are voluntarily rejecting grace. It is an indicator that we have not allowed the love of God to penetrate our hearts and we are, like many others, rejecting the undeserved gift that God has for us.

            Grace is not risky; grace is the only way to change the human heart and you either receive it or you don’t. The inevitable risk and sure failure is for us not to embrace grace. Whenever your child, your student or any other person under your authority does “good or bad” it does not necessarily reflect you; it is that person’s reflection of their choice. Grace goes beyond “good and bad” parenting; grace goes beyond the injustices we suffer through life. Grace is the power that helps us not only to be saved, but to forgive and to love the unlovable. It is grace that raises anointed ministers out of broken homes. It is grace that causes you to bless the one that sexually abused you as a child. It is grace that causes a marriage to be restored; it is grace that brings forth reconciliations. It is grace that gives you everything that was stolen from you back; it is grace that causes you to give to those that took it! It is grace that causes you to embrace the love of God and to learn to love and accept yourself in the process. How can grace fail? How can we possibly be concerned with allowing grace to flow out of our lives?

To be continued…

Why Are We So Scared of Grace? Part 1

“Demolishing the Mockery against Grace”

 

            Why are we so scared of grace? The Bible tells us in First John 4:16 that “God is love.” As we look deeper, we’ll find in First Corinthians 13:8 that one on of the most powerful characteristics of love is that it “never fails.” The foundation of everything that God is and does flows out of the amazing reality that the nature of God is love and that He has never lost a battle. Love is undefeated! Why are we connecting grace to love? Nelson’s New Illustrated Dictionary defines grace as: “Favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one who receives it and in spite of what that person deserves. Grace is one of the key attributes of God. The Lord God is “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.” (Ex. 34:6). Therefore, grace is almost always associated with mercy, love, compassion, and patience. Jesus represented the Father’s greatest expression of love to the world (John 3:16) and He manifested that love to humanity in two ways, as explained in John 1:16-17…

“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16-17)

            It seems like there is a great concern that grace is ineffective because it can open doors for people to abuse it. We rather embrace a system of punishments with rules and regulations designed to change us from the outside, in. This system of punishment gives the punisher a degree of power, control and authority. It satisfies the person in authority with being able to see outer behavior changes; rather than changes deep in our hearts. There is, without a doubt, a place for laws to be enforced for the safety of our communities. The Bible clearly encourages us to obey the law of the land. However, when it comes down to changing the heart, nothing is more effective than the grace of God! Moses brought us the law, even as he himself was not able to follow the law, which became a typology of how ineffective that system was. Jesus, on the other hand, brought us truth and grace as He himself fulfilled the whole law which became a typology of the heart changing power of grace.

To be continued…

Loving God Above All Things

How is your personal relationship with the Lord? The answer to this question is the secret to the condition of our churches, our city, our nation and ourselves. It seems like we can’t get to the point of actually developing a relationship with God that goes beyond “Thank you God for this food that I am about to receive!” We are call to love God above all things; but, do we really?

            Some of us are very faithful in our church attendance. Some do a good job in keeping themselves busy in, what we like to call, “The things of God”. Some of us find ourselves approaching God like children approach Santa Claus during Christmas; it is all about what I can get. Coming before the Lord with a list of prayer requests is not enjoying intimacy with Him.

            What about those that love to read and study the Word? That is good, and a Christian “Must do”.  However, consider and judge for yourself what the Holy Spirit told me some years ago, as I struggle with my own personal quality time with God:

            “The soldier took the time every week to write to his wife. The couple was just recently married before he was deported to Iraq. After eighteen months, he could not wait to see his wife again; to embrace, to kiss, and to enjoy intimacy with her. The soldier was finally home and every time he approached his wife; she quickly stop him by saying: “Wait honey, I want to read the letter you send me back in January.” After a few minutes, the husband tried again and again, the wife was more interested in reading another one of his letters than in having intimacy with her husband. After a while, how do you think that soldier felt?”

            Our personal relationship with God can’t be substituted by church programs, ministries and/or activities. Our relationship with God can’t be delegated to our pastors, leaders, wives, husbands, the TV Evangelist and/or friends. Jesus gave his life, not only to save us, but to give us the amazing and indescribable opportunity to have a personal relationship with HIM. May the first commandment become a reality in your heart and mine.

Above the Mountains and the Seas; Faith is!

“Inspired out of Hebrews Eleven”

Faith gives us the assurance that what we hope for will become a reality. Faith is not limited by what our eyes can’t see.

Faith caused the ancients to be commended in the mix of their humanity.

By faith God spoke the words that form our universe; He spoke what was not and it became substance.

Faith makes our acts of worship more than a religious Sunday exercise; it goes beyond our natural lives.

Faith is what pleases our Father.

Faith looks straight at our hearts and causes us to believe that our God is real and that our reward is sure as we earnestly seek Him.

Faith is the premonition of things yet seen; causing you to go to unknown places.

Faith challenges the ages of men and causes them to be fruitful when science runs out of explanation and the logic can’t be explained.

Only faith causes seas to open, walls to fall, great kingdoms to be conquered by the least and the mouths of the lions to be shut.

Faith prevents the rage of the flames and the edge of the sword.

Faith turns the weak man into a terrifying army; calling out the dead and they come into existence once more.

Faith stood valiantly against the hateful torture of its enemies. Mockery could not bring it to a standstill.

Faith took the beating, the chains and the humiliation of the prison.

The stones of disgust could not touch its power. Even when faith is cut in a million pieces it will never lose its integrity.

Faith overpowers silently the denial of the comforts and the injustices of our days for the sake of an invisible promise.

Faith goes beyond our dimension of life; gives us an eternal prospective and is not bound by our present circumstances.

When the miracle doesn’t happen right away, faith is! When all that can be done, is done; faith is! Above tangible results, above success or failure, above the mountains and the seas…faith is!

 

Am I Disqualified from Ministry?

The mechanic is able to fix everyone else’s car, but he keeps his own with mechanical problems. The lawn worker and gardener can’t keep his yard looking as good as the yards he works on. The Doctor has a hard time going to other doctors when he is not feeling well. However, as long as these guys are effective and good in what they do, no one recommends for them to step-down or to take a brake outside of the normal vacation times.

            It seems like we all embrace the trap of the Devil so easily. After we give our lives to Jesus we immediately find reasons for not serving the Lord: I don’t have seminary, I still have issues, my marriage is not straight, my children are acting crazy, etc. And just like that, time continues to pass on as we run from the responsibility of using our gifts for the glory of God. We turn our backs from the call of God for our lives. The Devil certainly will use the ones closest to you to accuse you of being a hypocrite as they are able to see your humanity more than anybody else’s.

            Our problem as ministers is that many times we are comfortable with people placing us on a pedestal and we refuse to embrace transparency and share our own challenges; it is then that we become hypocrites as we present to others an image of us that we are not.  We neglect to follow the example of the great apostle Paul in Romans 7:14-25. Paul actually declares in verse 19, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Can you imagine one of our great leaders today going to TBN confessing that they do the evil that they don’t want to do? Nevertheless, Paul did not disqualify himself from ministry, why? Because he understood the Word that the Holy Spirit gave him personally to share with the world in Romans 11:29

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

          God does not change his mind about you; we change our minds about ourselves. Sin has consequences; brutal consequences. When we openly sin, even as we do not lose our gift and calling, we do lose credibility. However, before the Lord, if we truly repent, we are able to be restored. Have you not read 1 Corinthians about the man who had sex with his step mother? Paul recommended for him to be kicked out of the church because this man was walking around like he had done nothing wrong. However, in 2 Corinthians this man repented and Paul called for his complete restoration. Some are just facing the tragedies of life; dealing with open rebelliousness in their own families and as leaders they are condemned for it. Is that fair? What do we do with the many people that rebel against God? Is God failing to have the people He created in order? If men are bold enough to rebel against God; do you think that we will not rebel against each other? The problem did not start on earth; it started in heaven as Lucifer was the first one to rebel against God. So, how can a minister, called by God, turn his back on ministry because his children are coming against his teachings or because his family is out of order?

            What do we do with David? Did he stop being the King? Did he stop writing psalms after all his many personal sins and family mess? What do we do with the great Prophet Samuel whose two sons completely rebelled against him?  What do we do with Josiah and many others? We have countless people in the Bible whose children rebelled against them; many others who rebelled themselves. The question is, what made them persevere; why did they not fall under the guilt and turmoil? God does not take away your gift and your call; He will never do that! Your audience may change; in some cases minimize or disperse; but that call will be burning in the inside of you until the day you die. First Peter 4:10-11 puts it this way:

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
           Being called by God does not mean that you are required to be perfect and have a perfect family. Are we not tired of the hypocrisy? We are vessels of clay; it is not about us. We make fools out of ourselves. We must take the attention away of us and make it clear that it is all about, Jesus. If your church is not able to function unless you are there doing the preaching and teaching, you are placing too much attention on you. Most like it, you are pretending to be what you are not.

              In these last days, I strongly believe that God is raising a group of men and women with the anointing of the Samaritan woman. Men and woman with nothing to offer in the natural, with no credibility, even ministers that have fallen from grace,  people with no seminary; perhaps with little personality yet, has an obvious anointing that will truly “break the yoke” out of people. This woman had three divorces and was in a forth relationship; nevertheless a true encounter with Jesus gave her the anointing to evangelize. Her ministry was so effective that at the end, the people that she brought to Jesus stated that they came because of her words, but now they believe because they have heard Jesus for themselves. One of the greatest problems we have in the Body of Christ today is that we are delegating our spiritual responsibility to the Man of God so that our Christianity depends on how effective our mask is. The problem is that this mask does not last long; sooner or later, the world will know our true issues; it is then, that we will use the “fall of the Man of God” as excuse to justify our own falling and moving away from God. How many people out there want nothing to do with God for what a minister did or did not do? It is obvious that they put their faith and trust in man and not God.

             You are not disqualified; if your issue is sin; repent and let God heal, restore and use you again according to the measure of His grace. Get up and sing, get up and preach, get up and teach, get up and evangelize. The world is waiting for somebody real, for somebody that will tell them the truth in humility and love; for somebody that can identify with them just like Jesus was able to identify himself with the sinners. Are you disqualified from ministry? Absolutely not! The devil is a liar.
 

My Irrevocable Gift and Irreversible Call

Like an unannounced tsunami, I see the destruction of everything around me. I see pieces of broken relationships, everywhere. Through the crumbles I see hidden secrets of loved ones un-covered. My own humanity and weakness is spreading everywhere for everyone to see. I place my hands behind my head; the desperation is obvious for all witnesses to glimpse. “I knew you were a fake!” someone loudly shouted with no mercy in her voice. You try to find strength for the overwhelming task of cleaning up. “Ha! And you call yourself a Christian?” Someone else shouts from a seemingly untouchable palace for those who go through life with an apparent shinning perfection. “Let me guess; you are a Christian…Right?” Another voice sarcastically whisper to my ear.

The scorching heat and the hopeless smell of death is everywhere as the final declarations of judgments against you are announced in every corner: “This is “all” your fault; you surely reaped what you sowed.” Even the Word, they use to kill whatever life is left in you. Can I ever be used by God again? This mess has got to be cleaned-up before I can do anything for God once more. How can I have time for God with all this mess around me? My children are misbehaving, my wife is asking me to curse God and die, and my friends are blaming me for everything. Is it over?

It is here, my friends that we start living a life of condemnation; a life of guilt and a life where we move away from God instead of surrendering to Him in our mess. It is here where the life of misery begins. Condemnation is the greatest weapon that can kill our destiny in God; it is the end-result of a life focused after the desires of the flesh. Romans 8:1 tell us:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Condemnation is defined as: “The judicial act of declaring one guilty.” Walking in the flesh will always point at our guilt; however when our walk is in the Spirit, condemnation cannot stand even after the end-results of a great tsunami.

This is a word of encouragement for those that find themselves in the center of great misery surrounded by accusative voices. From the rubble of your tired heart, look around and listen to the terrifying cry of the youth that are taking their own lives over worthless fashion statements, geographical places or ethnic differences. Walk in the Spirit and look at things you will never see in the flesh. Can you see the blood of the innocent babies? Can you see the destruction of the communities you once loved? Can you stop looking at your lost and look at the eyes of those around you? Walk in the Spirit and hear the cry of God for His people. It is in the place of our own brokenness where God takes away our selfish agendas; where numbers and the size of buildings are no longer important; it is there that God can prepare your ears to listen.

Can you hear them? They are so tired and so broken that they can’t even judge you. Religion will not pick them up; little outreaches designed to increases the size of ministerial portfolios in our local churches can only temporarily satisfy their hunger and quench their agonizing thirst. They need God; not you, but the God in you! Open your mouth and speak the Words of your heavenly Daddy; reach out and use your arms and legs to pull out the yoke of Satan from over God’s people.  People are hurting and they don’t need your cute and useless testimony of how everything is so nice and perfect in your life; your degrees and great achievements. They need God, not you, but the God in you! Can they see the dust in your hair? Can you relate with what they feel? Have you made an emotional connection to their pain? Jesus did as He wept. Ministry is personal, making disciples is personal, not a thing that you do as it relates with increasing the numbers in a local congregation; they need God; not you, but the God in you!

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29)

God has not changed His mind about your gift and your call; you know why; because it continues to be in His heart for everyone to be saved. Our gift is not about putting up a show; it is a responsibility; it is an instrument of God’s love to rescue humanity from hell. It is above your pain, your circumstances, your weaknesses and even your rebelliousness. God is calling us at this hour to give our lives for the sake of others; to abandon “Self,” for the benefit of strangers and even for those that hate us. God will use you in spite of you and in the process God will deal with you personally. Your gift is the instrument God uses for the expansion of His family. Your call has to do with the particular way that God will use that gift.

In the mix of the destruction of the great tsunami of life’s events and uncomfortable circumstances; I thank God for my irrevocable gift and for my irreversible call.

Angel’s Quotes: Food for the Soul

Angel’s Quotes:

  • We will never be free if we refuse to forgive.
  • Where there is no love, there is fear; where there is fear, there is no faith, where there is no faith, sin reigns; and where there is unconfessed sin, God cannot bless.
  • “We fall in our hearts before God, before we fall publically.”
  • “If that thing is in our hearts and we don’t let God deal with it, it will find its way out and it will be manifested for the whole world to see.”
  • “God uses circumstances and people to bring out the junk that is already in our hearts; it is that simple.”
  • “The fear of confessing comes from the fear of rejection and judgment; how bless we are when we have friends that love us no matter the magnitude of what we are confessing.”
  • “If the confession and consequences of my foolishness can help one person; if in all you are able to see God’s rescuing power and glory, it was all worth more than the gaining of the whole world.”
  • “The Christian life is not about how hard you try or about how much you know, but about how fast you can get out of the way and let God be in control.”
  • “When face with the storms of tribulation there are two kinds of people: The immature who blames, refuse to forgive and embrace the empty, temporary and limited benefits of the victim mentality and the Godly who take responsibility, trust God and find a redemptive purpose through and after the storms of tribulation. You may start immature, but if you end-up Godly you have allow God to do a deep work in your heart.”
  • God is not looking for multi-cultural churches on Sundays,  He is looking for multi-cultural relationships outside of the four walls of a building.
  • “If the confession and consequences of my foolishness can help one person; if in all you are able to see God’s rescuing power and glory, it was all worth more than the gaining of the whole world.”
  • “Talent without the anointing of God is entertainment. The anointing of God plus talent is ministry.”
  • “When we entertain we bring people to ourselves; when we minister we expose people to God’s presence.”
  • “Jesus takes you as you are, but you must repent for what you have done.”
  • “Without repentance there is no salvation!”
  • Hypocrisy, is not to sin and still press on to God, for that is the right thing to do. Hypocrisy, is to pretend that we are what we are not. Should the sick run away from the hospital or ignore the counsel of doctors? 
  • In dealing with sin in the church, the emphasis should not be in confronting sin, even as we must confront sin, but in restoring the sinner.
  • The Lord did not call us as Christians to be spectators; He called us to be active participants of His work as we Minister to Him in Worship and to His people in love. 
  • If you want to be a friend of the world all you have to do is keep Jesus out of it.
  • When we openly and unashamedly declare our love and trust in Jesus we become a target of hate for the world.
  • Members share a building; disciples share their lives.
  • Jesus is not a task; Jesus is a life style!
  • Thank God for the gift of moving on; for the power of a new day! 
  • Confronting you with the truth about your sin, in accordance with the Word of God and in the Spirit of Galatians 6:1, is not judgment, but a bold expression of God’s love towards you. It is such confrontation that is designed to prepare you for the final judgment.
  • You don’t have to finish first in order to be a winner, but you must complete your race.
  • Outside of the direct supernatural hand of God, nothing brings us to a place of humility faster than failure.
  • Christianity is by nature offensive to the world, no matter how hard you work on getting people to like you.
  • If the world is comfortable around you, as a Christian, you might need to re-evaluate your Christianity.
  • Unless I am operating in the office of an Evangelist, I don’t want to be in fellowship with any group where Jesus Christ is not welcomed. 
  • WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS MORE OF GOD, BUT WE WILL NEVER HAVE MORE OF GOD UNTIL HE GETS MORE OF US.
  • Love without the truth is not love!

Beyond the Limitations of the American Dream

At 42 years old, I find myself in the mix of four great struggles. I surely have much respect for the people that have kept these four areas of their lives in check:

  1. Sexual purity
  2. The handle of personal finances
  3. Anger
  4. Physical Wellness

            I find it amazing how, when we are young we walk in such arrogance, but as we get older we start to realize that we are really a mess. All of these four categories are deeply connected to one thing: “What we want!” The more we pursue what we want, the deeper we get into our mess. Sometimes I desire to have another chance and start over from childhood; but unless I can start with the privileges of knowing what I know today, I am sure that I will make the same mistakes all over again. The reality is that we get in trouble simply because we refuse to accept that God’s ways are irrevocably superior to ours. Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories:

  1. What God has to say about sexual purity? Ephesians 5:3-4 establishes that not even a hint of sexual immorality is allowed simply because; it is not good for us. How many people have engaged in relationships just because the sex is good, but then find themselves slaves to a tormented lifestyle of jealousy, endless arguments and even domestic violence? However, if we allow God to help us pursue sexual purity, we will enjoy a more satisfying, peaceful and deeper “love life” for it will not be sex as our primarily motive, but true love will become the centered factor in our marriages.  But that is not what we do; we look for that beautiful woman that looks a certain way, with specific physical qualities and that sweet and special voice and we throw everything else out the door. If this system is working, why is the divorce rate increasing?
  2. Why do you think we have all of these problems with our economy? We can blame Bush or even Obama, but my personal financial issues are a direct product of my own doing; why? It is not complicated; I don’t need a degree in economy to figure this one out. I spend more money for my pleasures than what I have in terms of income? I wanted things and even when I couldn’t afford them, I would still buy them with credit as a direct violation to God’s Word, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” (Luke 13:8) The Government has very little to do with our financial issues. Let’s form an equation: sexual impurity = bad financial decisions = bad relationships.
  3. What about anger? Anger is the direct result of not getting what we want. (James 4:1-3) It is that simple! If we don’t get what we want, we get angry! Little by little we become consumed with selfishness and bound by wrath. Again, to add to our equation we can say: Sexual Impurity = Bad Relationships = Bad Finance’s Decisions = Anger and Wrath.
  4. Physical Wellness: Finally, let me give you an overview of the over Ten Billion Dollar a year Industry in the USA alone; that is: everything that has to do with the losing weight industry! I called it the Wellness Money Machine. We keep spending money in Gym’s Memberships, diets, pills, exercise equipment, etc. but there is a problem; it’s not working for the whole. http://www.helium.com/items/704229-a-proposal-to-end-obesity-in-american-children  reports the following:

“The statistics are terrifying. In 2001, 25% of all white children were overweight, with 33% of all Hispanic children overweight as well. Up to 45% of newly diagnosed diabetes in children is Type II, the type connected to obesity.”

http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/statistics-obesity.htm Reports:

Latest Obesity Statistics

USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions

  • 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
  • Eight out of 10 over 25′s Overweight
  • 78% of American’s not meeting basic activity level recommendations
  • 25% completely Sedentary
  • 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990
Obesity Related Diseases

  • 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
  • 70% of Cardiovascular disease related to obesity
  • 42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
  • 30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
  • 26% of obese people having high blood pressure
  

      Without a doubt these numbers are speaking loud and clear. What does the Bible has to say about our bodies?  “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

As we add to our equation what do we see?

Sexual Impurity = Bad Relationships = Bad Finance’s Decisions = Anger and Wrath = Bad Health = DEATH (Spiritual and Physical)

The order or even the equation itself is not important, as a matter of fact things could appear bountifully, but the end-result is all the same: DEATH.

How then do we change this Equation?

Salvation + Surrendering to God’s Will in Prayer = an amazing and abundant life even in the midst of great storms and tribulations.

            There are many lessons to learn and many applications as we grow in the Knowledge of God and His Ways. For now, we must know that, it is God and only HIM who have the answers to all of our troubles. It is only “In Christ” that we will be able to find the freedom with real possibilities and an endless supply of His abundant life. The American Dream is limited to what you have and don’t have. God’s abundant life is present in-spite of the good times, in-spite of the bad times and in-spite of the ugly times. His abundant life is not subject to who is the President; if He is a Republican, Democrat, Tea Party Member, Black, Puertorrican, White, male or female. The abundant life is not limited by who loves or who hates you, the color of your skin or your socio-economic up-bringing. The Abundant life that Jesus freely offers, gives you peace in the mix of the storm, wisdom in the mix of great confusion, provision in the mix of famine and love in the mix of vicious attacks.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

(John 10:10)