Category: Make It Count

Churches, Christians, Depression & the Truth

Ever think some events happen for a reason? Several months ago, maybe a year ago, I came across someone through social media who challenged my belief in God and the Bible. Having read the Bible for the first time a year ago, I’m obviously not a biblical scholar, but I knew of resources with scripture that could “prove” the Bible is truth, outside simple logic (from understanding the purpose of the Bible). That person believed the Bible was created for manipulating and controlling a population (which doesn’t make sense because if that was the purpose, then there wouldn’t have been killings of Believers in the Bible). This person rejected what I sent because the person wasn’t open to exploring and understanding the Bible (being spiritually blind is talked about in the Bible), but their mind was so strongly convinced of this mis-information, it puzzled me. Their belief was SO strong against the Bible, it didn’t make sense to continue the conversation for very long, Faith is a choice: believe or don’t believe, but there are consequences for either choice.

From the Church to Atheism

It turned out this person had multiple negative experiences in their church, so they left the church and things weren’t going well in their life, but since they left the church they said “life is so much easier.” (This makes sense too when you understand spiritual warfare). When I first came across this person, they were promoting atheism after formerly being in some kind of a church. Finding that out was very sad to me because I know the truth found in the Bible (and if they would only consider it, it would BENEFIT them), but they had so much resistance due to their experience, they weren’t open to even viewing those resources. They didn’t believe what was written in the Bible. I see that with many people lately: strong resistance to biblical information and truth. (Is this part of spiritual warfare?)

Lack of Trust

The unfortunate reason many give is “a church experience” which I completely understand, having had that experience myself. Most often the reason given involves lack of trust. Lack of trust is what holds people back from numerous experiences in life, for good reasons too: based on experiences, but it’s not good when it holds people back from something GOOD. That needs to change. This is one of the reasons why I believe it is so important to read the bible individually. Each of us needs to know what’s in the bible so that we are not misled by anyone distorting the information in the Bible. Reading the Bible isn’t a quick read, so if you hear someone say something, look it up, read the entire chapter or the book if necessary so it’s not taken out of context, that way you’ll eventually get through some of the Bible, a little at a time. A little is better than none.

Christians

Christians also turn people away if there is a negative interaction. I’ve seen this first hand from both sides too! Meaning I’ve been just as bad as a Christian of not having a good interaction with those closest to me. So I’d like to explain what happened in my experiences. BEING PURSUED: A person who has never read the Bible may not fully understand a scripture quote, so the scripture doesn’t seem relevant to that person, there is more needed context in the Bible before the quote is clearly understood. (That was my experience) Or maybe the person simply has no interest because they don’t understand the Bible’s purpose, so they are not ready to hear it? Or they are afraid there are too many rules they may need to abide by (I think this is many people) PURSUING: From a “newly” Christian’s perspective, when I found out the purpose of the Bible, I especially wanted to tell those closest to me, and I felt an urgency too. I’ve finally realized I have this internal drive to “protect” people. Most ‘person to person” contact about Christianity isn’t from a selfish, self-serving or self-centered motivation, it is because the person truly cares about the other person, but needs to learn a more successful way of communicating.

Depression/Anxiety

This is something I haven’t seen very often mentioned, but something people should know. Depression, anxiety or sadness can bring us to God, but it can also separate us from God. Often when we seek God, it’s a response to something bad that’s happened in our lives. We look to God to “fix it” for us, as the last resource. In reality, God should be our first resource, but initially He is often the last resource in a time of hardship. Reaching out to God (through prayer) is the best solution because He certainly has the ability to “fix” it for us. But we have to remember: He’s not a “vending machine” or a “genie” there to “grant our wishes” either. He wants a relationship with us first and foremost. Think about how we feel when someone just wants to take from us but never wants to give, it makes sense when looking at it from that perspective, doesn’t it? Depression/Anxiety/Sadness can also separate us from God if we are angry with everyone and God. Identifying the underlying source of the anxiety is the most important part in dealing with it. (see image)

Based on my personal experience, I thought if I simply surrendered to God everything would get better, but it didn’t, it started getting worse. I didn’t consider, or know about, the underlying sources of anxiety when it happened unfortunately or I could have dealt with it much more quickly. Little by little parts of this information was revealed as I was studying/reading the Bible. Ironically, my first start to reading the Bible, I opened the Bible to a random page and decided I would start there. It was the book of Job- and it explained a little bit about the spiritual warfare. What better time is it for something evil to “hit” a person then when the person is first surrendering to Jesus, right? That could easily turn a person away from God. The book of Job is good in understanding this because it showed these bad things can be a “test” of faith. Also the Bible often tells us there is a battle for our minds, so negative thoughts, fears, anger, sin, depression can be present to try to separate us from God. Please understand this so if it happens to you reject those “attacks” and pray to God to overcome them.

The Truth

Each of us was created by God, out of love. No person is accidently created; God is the Giver of Life and intentional in giving life to a person. God wants us to seek Him and communicate with Him through prayers, building a relationship. Once we have a relationship with God, He also wants us to help others. God has a purpose for each person He creates, each of us is valuable to God, it may take us awhile to figure out our purpose, but that’s just part of the growth process. The Bible is a resource, a guidebook for life, with the “secret” to eternal life for those who read it and take action. Eternity is not just about life, it can also be eternal pain, if we don’t choose to have a relationship with God. The Bible reveals some aspects of the spiritual realm. It contains thousands of prophecies that happened already, but also has prophecies regarding the future. A “Believer” is more than someone who simply believes Jesus, the Son of God existed, died for us, rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven after His physical death so that we could have eternal life with God. “Believer” means someone who understands that and out of immense gratitude decides to live in a godly way, choosing Jesus as the role model of how to live. The Bible is a resource showing us how Jesus lived and what He taught. The Bible is wisdom and essential for every single person.

by Categories: Face Fear, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Work, Wealth and Labor Day (USA)- thoughts…

I woke up on September 8, 2020 the day after Labor Day, way too early in the morning with these thoughts in my mind, when I wrote this: “I’m curious if anyone else shares my perspective or has similar thoughts? What is Labor Day truly about? How does the Labor Day celebration and values compare to what we learn from God through the bible? What does God say about “work” in general? “

I finished this post on 9.8.20 but decided not to publish it because there was frustration building in me as I wrote this and I prefer positivity over negativity. So I’ve waited a month now and still feel the same about this. Leading up to September 8th, around the end of August 2020, Democratic leadership chose to omit “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance when addressing certain groups who may not respond positively to “God.” This has bothered me ever since then and I have been angry about it. The fact is, those words are in the Pledge of Allegiance and removing them is going against God. It’s deceptive and manipulative in speaking to those certain people and that action was ungodly and concerning to me. I can’t stay silent on this.

A personal note (so you might understand my perspective)…

It is a little embarrassing to admit how much of my life I just “went with the flow:” I accepted things how they exist, not giving much thought to it: traditions, teachings, religion, holidays, work days, the way people lived, etc. I accepted many things blindly from “trusted” sources of authority from childhood, but as I grew up, I personally felt there are a lot of “gray areas”; nothing seemed absolute, and rules were only guidelines. I didn’t necessarily agree with everything, but letting it exist “as is”, kept me away from conflict most of the time. I thought I was better off living my life, my own way. Looking back, I didn’t have a strong direction in life, I was continually trying different things, hoping to figure it out someday. I now realize my past was existing in a state of “blindness.” I can’t call it “living” now, it was “existing” in a meaningless state, focused on obtaining happiness….but all that changed…

Now back to the significance of Labor Day in the USA, what it’s about...

“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” US Dept of Labor

“The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.” US Dept of Labor

What influenced my thinking…

I look at everything in life differently now. Ever since I started studying the Bible many traditions, teachings, religion, holidays, work days, the way people live, etc. are not truly how I viewed them before. Reading the bible literally changed my thinking- it wasn’t just one church or a person who did this. There were about seven influential people and churches I found online, after personally reading the bible front to back. I was searching topics of interest which led me to compare what they said against the bible. There is so much online, so it is important to read the bible personally so you know if what someone is saying is truly in the bible or if it is being taken out of context and used in a false way. Seeking answers was an internal drive in me: “What is the Truth?” This opened my eyes to so much false information, teachings and values that hit all of us so hard daily. Modern day culture falsely presents many things as the the “right way,” when it is not true, from a biblical perspective- it is the “wrong way.” This bothered me; I don’t like being lied to and I don’t like it when others are lied to and they accept this ignorantly, just like I did. Not because it affects me, but because it effects every individual in a personal way, a way that can be harmful to each person. This is the reason I write and make videos about different subjects, hoping to open up someone else’s eyes, like mine were opened.

Getting back to the Labor Day holiday and biblical teachings about work…

First, here’s the Labor Day holiday description:

“a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

This is celebrating workers, those who contribute to the well being of others. Here’s what the bible says (it obviously isn’t silent on being a “worker” and the value of a worker):

  • Proverbs 31:27 (NLT)She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. (This may not be what Labor Day is about, but the contributions of someone who “stays home” and runs a household does contribute to the well being of the family and is equally as important.)
  • Ecclesiastes 10:18 (NLT)Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
  • Ezekiel 16:49 (NLT)Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.
  • James 1:22 (NLT)But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
  • Proverbs 10:26 (NLT)Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
  • Colossians 3:23 (NLT)Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
  • Colossians 3:17 (NLT)And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
  • Proverbs 10:4 (NLT)Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
  • Proverbs 12:24 (NLT)Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
  • Proverbs 21:25 (NLT)Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.
  • 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”
  • James 1:23 (NLT)For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
  • Proverbs 6:6 (NLT)Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!
  • Proverbs 10:5 (NLT)A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
  • Proverbs 13:4 (NLT)Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
  • Proverbs 18:9 (NLT)A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things.
  • Proverbs 19:15 (NLT)Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.
  • Proverbs 20:4 (NLT)Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.
  • Proverbs 20:13 (NLT)If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!
  • Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT)Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
  • Ephesians 4:28 (NLT)If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
  • Genesis 2:15 (NLT)The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
  • Hebrews 13:16 (NLT)And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
  • Exodus 5:17 (NLT)But Pharaoh shouted, “You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’
  • Romans 12:11 (NLT)Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
  • 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
  • Proverbs 15:19 (NLT)A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open highway.
  • Proverbs 19:24 (NLT)Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
  • Proverbs 24:30 (NLT)I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense.
  • Proverbs 26:15 (NLT)Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
  • Proverbs 26:16 (NLT)Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
  • Proverbs 12:27 (NLT)Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.
  • Proverbs 22:13 (NLT)The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!”
  • Proverbs 26:13 (NLT)The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
  • Proverbs 26:14 (NLT)As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
  • Matthew 25:26 (NLT)“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,
  • 1 Timothy 5:13 (NLT)And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t.
  • Titus 1:12 (NLT)Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.”
  • Exodus 5:8 (NLT)But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NLT)Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
  • 1 Timothy 5:8 (NLT)But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.
  • Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. Galatians 6:4 (NLT)

And Jesus said:

But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”John 5:17 (NLT)

And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”Matthew 12:12 (NLT)

and then there is this about resting/taking a day off work…

  • Genesis 2:2 (NLT)On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.
  • Genesis 2:3 (NLT)And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
  • Hebrews 4:4 (NLT)We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”

“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.Leviticus 23:3 (NLT)

Jesus said:

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.Mark 2:27 (NLT)

Working is obviously an important part of our country and an important part of the bible. But there are also important parts of scripture giving warnings to people about their “work” :

WARNING #1: Rest and acknowledge God, we need to remember God, recognize God, acknowledge that God provides for us:

  • Exodus 20:11 (NLT)For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
  • Exodus 16:27 (NLT)Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food.
  • Exodus 16:30 (NLT)So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.

The last two references, showed how people who disobeyed God’s commands did not find food on the Sabbath Day, because they didn’t recognize God as the Provider of their basic needs.

WARNING #2: Don’t let work become your idol (something more important than God)

Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.Proverbs 11:28 (NLT)

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.Matthew 6:24 (NLT)

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”Hebrews 13:5 (NLT)

“Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold?Job 31:24 (NLT)

“They will throw their money in the streets, tossing it out like worthless trash. Their silver and gold won’t save them on that day of the Lord’s anger. It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their greed can only trip them up.Ezekiel 7:19 (NLT)

Greed causes fighting; trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.Proverbs 28:25 (NLT)

WARNING #3: Don’t let pride drive us in work, serve others, don’t do it to glorify ourselves, but give the glory to God, when pride takes over, we become idols to ourselves instead of worshiping God, here’s what the bible says about this:

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.Proverbs 11:2 (NLT)

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.Proverbs 16:18 (NLT)

Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.Proverbs 29:23 (NLT)

Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time,ever since people were first placed on the earth,the triumph of the wicked has been short lived and the joy of the godless has been only temporary? Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens and their heads touch the clouds,yet they will vanish forever,thrown away like their own dung.Those who knew them will ask,‘Where are they?’ They will fade like a dream and not be found. Job 20:4-8 (NLT)

And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:20-23 (NLT)

Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment.Isaiah 2:11 (NLT)

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.1 John 2:16 (NLT)


If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.Galatians 6:3 (NLT)

The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished.Proverbs 16:5 (NLT)

WARNING #4: Accumulating wealth – if we are blessed with wealth, it’s not bad as long as we use it for others, but if we accumulate it for ourselves or by corruption, then we get into trouble with God:

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?1 John 3:17 (NLT)

Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.Proverbs 1:19 (NLT)


The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.Proverbs 10:16 (NLT)

Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me (God). Exodus 20:23 (NLT)

“What sorrow awaits you who build cities with money gained through murder and corruption!Habakkuk 2:12 (NLT)

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.1 Timothy 6:17 (NLT)


Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NLT)

Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life.Ecclesiastes 7:11 (NLT)

“What sorrow awaits you who build big houses with money gained dishonestly! You believe your wealth will buy security, putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger.Habakkuk 2:9 (NLT)

Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.1 Timothy 6:18 (NLT)

In conclusion: There is so much more in the Bible about work, wealth and God being the priority in our lives, this would be much longer if I included all of it. Recognizing people for their contributions is important, building people up rather than tearing them down is important, people having time off is important, and there is nothing wrong with wealth (if it is used for others, not acquired corruptly and God gets the credit for the prosperity.) It looks like the Department of Labor forgot that part: the creator is ultimately God. Most importantly, God must be recognized as the Priority above all else. Hopefully with all the information above, it’s clear why it’s important for the future of the USA to continue to recognize God and keep “One Nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Understanding the Meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance Words - Historyplex
by Categories: American, Careers, entrepreneur, FAITH, FAMILY, God, Improvement, Labor Day, Make It Count, priorities, USATags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

God and Relationships: Healing, Forgiveness and Love

Last night before I went to sleep, when I prayed, I asked God if He would inspire me with something meaningful to share because I haven’t written in this blog since June, I wanted to write, but I haven’t felt inspired for awhile. Well, God answered that prayer at 6 am this morning when the title of this was the first thought I had as soon as I woke up.

It amazes me how the Bible shares wisdom with us “scattered” throughout the book, through different messengers, but all giving the same message.

This topic is consistently timely because we interact with people on a daily basis and need God’s help “dealing with” people, and more appropriately “dealing with” ourselves. I’ll explain the image for this article and how it relates:

We need God in our relationships: any relationship with God as a part of it equals love.

God is love.

MAKING EXCUSES

I believe in being accountable for my own actions, not making excuses (understanding what leads me to something, but not blaming my actions on someone or something else). I’m responsible for my own actions no matter what happens around me. I personally choose to react the way I do. So why is it that I allow different standards for others? I allow excuses for them. Excuses justifying other’s actions or behavior, when I wouldn’t allow myself to act that way. I made excuses because I thought trying to be a Christian meant accepting other people as they are, and not being judgmental of others, which it does, but there is more to this:

A Christian should help others be aware of the wisdom from God through the bible (awareness only -not judgement nor retaliation- that’s reserved for God) – don’t be silent, speak up, but don’t do this in anger, do this in a loving way to build up the other person, in the knowledge of God, not tear them down.

DO NOT JUDGE:

GO TO THE BIBLE AND IN PRAYER GO TO GOD FOR ADVICE, STRENGTH AND WISDOM:

HEALING

I had to think: which comes first: healing or forgiveness? It’s a challenge to forgive someone if we haven’t healed from what happened. But we also can’t heal from it unless we forgive it (let it go). So maybe it’s a combination of healing and forgiveness, but first and most importantly seeking God. This is where we NEED God: to heal and to forgive. There is no question about that. I often think of this simple statement which is so true:

Hurt people hurt people.

Pastor Rick Warren

It’s something I keep in mind whenever someone hurts me. It’s important to have that perspective, it makes it easier to accept someone for who they are. We can’t know everything that happened to someone during their life. If someone was loved throughout their life, they wouldn’t hurt. So because they have been hurt (and haven’t healed), they hurt other people. So it’s so important for all of us to heal from the hurt other people caused in our lives.

FORGIVING

If we want a great relationship with anyone, we need to be able to forgive, regularly! Forgiving someone doesn’t mean allowing what they did to continue as if it doesn’t affect us. But if the other person who hurt us is truly sorry, that person will do their best to not do it again and ask for a second chance. If the person truly wants forgiveness and tells us how they have changed and why they have changed, then we need to offer forgiveness. (If this is an abusive situation, we may need to offer forgiveness but not remain in that person’s life for safety reasons. This type of situation requires other qualified individuals’ assessment of the situation.)

WHY WE NEED GOD FOR HEALING, FORGIVENESS AND LOVE (and Eternity):

HOW WE GET THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

On our own, we are going to fail, that’s the truth, but if we have the Holy Spirit in us, we will succeed. So how do we receive the Holy Spirit? God sends the Holy Spirit to us if we ask and OBEY God:

And this is why we need God in all of our relationships. We need a relationship with God so that we can have good relationships with other people through the strength of the Holy Spirit in us.

Once we have a relationship with God, he will protect us until the end of times.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN TELL IF SOMEONE HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (these qualities will be evident in that person’s life):

We obviously need God as the priority in our life, so the rest of our life can fall in place. As in any good relationship, there is an exchange of giving and receiving. This is no different with God, we aren’t going to receive the power of the Holy Spirit unless we obey God’s commands (sin keeps the power of the Holy Spirit from us). God always loves us, but the power of the Spirit is reserved for those who obey Him. The power of the Holy Spirit makes our lives more peaceful, provides joy, wisdom and enables us to love in a more godly way than we could on our own.

I hope you found this helpful for your relationships!

by Categories: Dating, Entertainment, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, Marriage, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Character Not Color!

Yes, I’m finally going there. I held off following the crowd and posting about a “color” but what I see bothers me. Why? Because everything repetitive turns into only “noise” in my opinion, the initial intended meaningful message gets diluted then it doesn’t solve anything: there will be supporters and there will be those opposing. Opinions are rampant, everyone’s got one and most people dismiss someone’s opinion unless it aligns with their personal viewpoint, so does it really create change?

Do I truly want to see a change? YES! Do I truly want to experience unity? YES! Do I strongly dislike labels? YES! How will change happen? Think about it: change is hard, most people resist change and WE CAN’T CHANGE OTHER PEOPLE! WE CAN ONLY CHANGE OURSELVES! Hopefully the people who feel this same way will become a better reflection and more visible to others preparing a better future together. Change starts with me. Gradually through every day experiences, opportunities and conversations change will come about, but it won’t be over night. Every individual has to do their personal part and it’s a learning process. There are always moments of stumbling before people make it through changes, right? As a society, because of “political correctness” everyone is so highly sensitive, offended so easily, and looking to “catch” someone saying something “off”; it makes conversations very fragile, each party not feeling like they can openly share their deepest honest thoughts, experiences and concerns leading to positive change. Not being able to safely express thoughts slows productive progress.

One thing that all of us could do a better job of is LISTENING, truly listening to each other, having EMPATHY, putting ourselves in the other person’s place, think about what their experience might be like. I’ve seen some posts like that and THOSE are affective. Social media can be used for sharing personal stories being honest and looking for positive change. I encourage those of you who are doing that; we need personal stories! We all have our own viewpoints shaped by our “different” life experiences and we see things from those experiences, but those experiences may be the “same” too? Just because some may see others based on personal experiences, doesn’t mean the entire population is that way. Generalization hurts.

What I feel strongest about regarding this topic is: Everyone: please stop making everything “Black” vs “White!” I think enough generations have passed that we should be focusing on “right” vs. “wrong” in regards to people’s actions. We have so many mixed nationalities and “colors” how can we even call it “black” or “white”? Our population is a melting pot, our ancestors have mixed it up quite a bit! We need to focus on ourselves as the “HUMAN” race. What difference does our skin color TRULY make? None!

There is no “good” race, or person, for that matter! The only one who can be called good is GOD! As a society, we need to stop blaming everyone else for everything and start being responsible and accountable for our own actions. I am not denying the fact that there are people who oppress others, who hate, who hurt, who manipulate others, who take advantage of others, etc. Yes, there are those people, and if we will all be honest, I’m sure we can find someone who “looks just like us” and can be described in that way. It all boils down to character not color. And we need to find a way to reach those people doing “bad” things and give them a reason to change! Educate.

There are many who have experienced inequality, and injustice but we can’t make a broad sweeping judgement against numerous people based on certain individuals’ actions. Each person must be held accountable for their own actions and dealt with in a just way, as it relates to the established laws. One person breaking a law does not justify others breaking laws in retaliation; does that truly cause POSITIVE change? Or does it perpetuate hatred? And most of the media coverage I see is a disgrace to society. The media is all about drama, it highlights the worst of the worst and devotes more time to that than anything else, it ignites the problem.

There is genuine frustration felt by everyone.

I want to say the following to the people who are voicing personal racism right now:

  1. First of all, I don’t want to call you by a “color” label! I personally want to refer to you as a person: male or female and that is all. Why do we use a different label? Do you want to be identified with a label? Can we stop that?
  2. I want you to share your experiences, so that others can learn from them and become aware. We need that.
  3. I don’t form an opinion of someone based on their skin color, your skin color doesn’t matter to me. My opinion of you is formed based on my interaction with you and the personal character you present to me.
  4. I’ve met people whom I respect greatly and people that I don’t respect at all, but that is because of what they say or do, it’s all about character not “color”
  5. Many others experience “injustice” at times, you are not alone in this. If you look at history, many have experienced horrible injustice and persecution: Jewish people as well as Christians. In my life, I’ve personally witnessed men, as well as women experiencing injustice solely due to their sex and generalized assumptions. I have strong feelings about this: we ALL need to support what is “right” and be against what is “wrong” and not let “general assumptions” define an entire “group” of people. We need unity, not division.
  6. I’ve personally experienced being dismissed, honestly based on me being a woman, rather than based on my abilities but I will always remember the man who recognized this (without being told by anyone to do this) and he spoke up for me immediately, in the moment. He was an example to me of the character we all should have, and I’ve told others about that experience for years. That is what makes a difference- acting in the moment and we all need to do this, we all need to speak up when we see something happen. I don’t believe that I need to belong to “the equal rights, women’s club” or take on a “strong, forceful woman persona” because of this experience. I feel like that sort of identification and “separation” from men, actually causes more “separation.” So it bothers me when people do that: identify that way. Please be strong in standing for what you believe as an individual, because many people within a group label are different, and you may not want to be labeled the same as some of those people in the group. I didn’t want to be identified “differently” in business; I just wanted to be viewed based solely on my abilities. I believe we need to acknowledge our differences (men and women) and be happy about those differences; we compliment and balance each other! This experience I had was as an Architectural Project Manager on a construction job site, and there weren’t many woman in that type of a role as there are now. I just needed time to gain other’s confidence, working TOGETHER, over time, and it did change. I had to contribute to conversation more so others could view me based on my knowledge rather than on being a woman. Some might say, I shouldn’t have needed to do that, but seriously? Who said life was going to be easy with no challenges? We have to do what it takes to make progress. If we want change, it will happen, but it happens with us as an individual first. Being in that situation required that I be respectful of others during the process, or I would have lost their respect and gained nothing, made no progress.
  7. I will stand up for what is right. I have empathy for people doing what is good/right, who are treated poorly, unfairly and without justice. I will NOT stand up for someone SOLELY based on their skin color; that is wrong. As a “white” person, it would be wrong for me to stand up for a “white” person, just because they are “white” but at the same time, this also holds true inserting any “color”- it is about character, not color to me.
  8. I believe we all achieve more when acting peacefully than acting out of anger. I think we need to reflect on how we can create a positive outcome before immediately addressing a situation so that it happens in a calm manner, rather than in an upset manner, and so we conclude with positive change.
  9. I wish those who say “the white people” this or that, would stop saying that because not all “white people” are the same, nor do all
    “white people” have the same life experiences. And I realize that not everyone says this…so that statement is only meant for those who say it. Again generalizations harm progress. Speak directly to the person who did something bad/wrong.
  10. I believe if those who feel we are on “opposite” sides took the time to get to know the “opposite” side, they will find out, we are the same: there are people who do “good” and people who do “bad.” We need to be unified in opposing “bad”.
  11. I realize I may have not experienced life the way some have, but then again, maybe I have and you simply don’t know me or my life? Don’t assume anything.
  12. The protests shown by the media don’t seem to lead to meaningful conversations from what I’ve seen. If a person doesn’t believe in what the protesters are saying, they ignore them, but the people who ignore them are the ones the protesters want to reach! The people who have the same view are already supportive. This doesn’t appear to be a means to success? I believe in the freedom of speech; but what is the most effective way? Then there are those who resort to violence because they are not being heard….Does yelling at someone with an opposing view point create positive change? Does giving authorities the middle finger work to do anything other than perpetuate hatred? I haven’t seen it do something positive. This is venting anger and perpetuating the problem unfortunately. This violence needs to stop or positive change will not happen. I think we may all agree with this? We can’t be supportive of people who are acting badly. Can we ask ourselves: what are we doing personally to stop people we know who behave like this? How can we reach them?
  13. Lastly, it concerns me when our society/news media continually highlights “black” and “white” as the primary focus….can we please focus on:

Character not Color!

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Am I a “Fake Christian”?

In some parts of the world, being a Christian is acceptable and has a positive connotation; but in other parts of the world, being a Christian is not acceptable and people are persecuted for it. Thankfully, in the US, we currently have freedom of speech and don’t fear referring to ourselves as a Christian. However, being a Christian in today’s modern world has lost its some of its meaning; many think, if I say I believe in Jesus, I’m saved. (But don’t forget, even the demons in the bible believed in God, and you probably know they won’t be in eternal life with God.) Therefore making it to Heaven by believing in Jesus, including his death, resurrection and ascension (faith) is part of the truth, but not the whole truth.

Throughout this article, links to verses from the bible are provided, supporting the statements made.

Many may not know, or never paid attention to the next part: faith without action is dead, or they never heard Jesus’ talk about the wide gate and the narrow gate. I was one of those people who thought believing in Jesus and being a “good” person was enough. But being “good” is not enough, and no person is “good”, only God is “good” – Jesus said that. We can’t get to Heaven just by being “good” because we would never be that good to be in God’s presence. Jesus was the sacrifice, God’s gift to us that makes this possible, but throughout the Bible, we are told to be obedient and change our ways. I didn’t fully comprehend what this meant for many years, so it made me think: maybe there are more people like me who are not fully aware of this either?

The word “Christian” is used very casually today, many of us calling ourselves Christians/Believers, but not acting like Christians/Believers (aka “Fake Christians”). “Fake Christians” give practicing Christians a bad reputation to those who don’t believe anything or follow a different religion. I say practicing Christians because let’s face it, no one is or will ever be the perfect Christian and that is why God sent Jesus as THE sacrifice for all of us who call ourselves Christians. I write this for an awareness most importantly because knowing this affects our eternal life/salvation promised by God. Knowing if we will make it has been so diluted by so many religious authority figures, in an effort to become “politically correct,” it concerns me, especially when it comes to the question: “Will I make it to God’s promised eternal life?” this subject becomes important for every single one of us on earth.

So what is a true Christian, a true believer? A follower of Christ. What does it mean to be a follower of Christ, a believer? If we believe what Jesus taught when He was here then he told us what we need to do. He didn’t just say “believe,” in His first teachings He told people to “repent.” So being a “believer/Christian” means doing a lot of things, such as:

So after reading this above, it’s probably pretty easy to see that being a Christian isn’t easy or effortless. But it’s also important to not become discouraged, to know that no one will be perfect; it’s the true intention we have that matters to God. That’s why regular prayers and connecting with God is important. And correcting our mistakes as soon as we realize we made one.

Studying the bible showed me I had a lot of work to do. It’s much easier to say we are all saved by grace and we don’t have to do anything else…but I don’t believe that is the full Truth: we have a choice, an obligation, and a commitment to make.

We have to have a relationship with God, if we don’t we may hear Jesus say to us: “I never knew you.” The other important part to know is that only one sin is unforgivable: blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but no other sin is too bad for God to forgive. He willingly forgives and encourages us to do the same with each other, when someone asks for our forgiveness. It’s never too late and it’s what God wants: a relationship with us in eternity.

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Sacrifice?

Here we go again! It’s early morning, on a holiday weekend, but does it feel like the ones from the past? Not to me. Real life experiences and early morning thoughts inspire what I often write. So how appropriate to all of us is the topic of sacrifice right now? I’m betting this topic’s relatable to most of us.

Some words get overused, so while the meaning is known, it’s original meaning is diluted, or no longer thought about. So here is the definition:

sac·ri·fice/ˈsakrəˌfīs/ sacrifice; plural noun: sacrifices

  1. an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural figure.”they offer sacrifices to the spirits”
  2. Similar: ritual
    • an animal, person, or object offered in a sacrifice.
    • an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.”we must all be prepared to make sacrifices“

So the “sacrifice” concept is something that NEVER made sense to me in the Bible, until now. I seriously struggled with this, it didn’t make sense to me, but it does now. Anyone who truly believes there is a God, will understand this after I explain, but if you don’t believe in God, you’re going to have a hard time comprehending this. While reading the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, there is a lot of ugly, disgusting, repulsive stuff that happens and some of it, I don’t want to read again; it’s that bad. It’s historical “Netflix”, documented in the Bible, for real. At least on some of Netflix, a person can think: “it’s just a movie” or a “show” but this was real life and really happened.

I had so many questions: Why would God do this? Who made this “rule/ritual”? Why is “sacrifice” required? Why would God, who created everything and told us “not to kill” be okay with “sacrifice”? It certainly seemed to contradict the messages and made it confusing: “don’t kill”, then “slaughter this specific animal, in a certain process”…What? I think many of us who get that far, may stop and say…”Well I don’t believe in a God like that, so I’m going to ignore that. It doesn’t make sense.” I did that for awhile, but covering up your eyes and ears doesn’t make something go away. So then “why”?

First, let’s start with those who believe in God. If you truly believe in God, you believe in a spiritual being that you cannot see. Let that sink in. Sounds crazy, right? If you believe in God, you need to acknowledge that believing in God, to those who don’t, does sound primitive and crazy. And yes, I personally believe in God, but let’s be honest about it from the world’s view today. Then if you know the Bible, and even if you don’t, I’m telling you right now: The Bible is about a loving God, but a spiritual war that commenced with us in the middle shortly after God created people.

The Bible doesn’t explain, in detail, why this war started, it only tells us there was a dispute and Satan (the devil) was thrown, cast, hurled from Heaven down to earth.

So as I write this, I think, uh this sounds like a fictitious story we tell kids to make a point! I thought that for a long time. There is so much today that makes fun of those who bring up Satan, and maybe solidify or perpetuate the thought this is fictitious, like the “church lady,” which I personally find humorous, but disrespectful at the same time because it presents people who believe in a laughable way – and I’m one of those people, but I always thought we can’t be too serious all the time, it’s okay to laugh at ourselves, others might disagree with me about that? I disregard that comedy, just like it disregards Christians. But as soon as you realize the Bible lines up with history and historical events were predicted in the Bible by prophets and actually came true, and the people in the Bible are real people, with a documented lineage, ancestry; then that concept of “story-time” fails. You have to not only read the Bible, but study the Bible and compare to history books for this proof.

Anyway getting back to the explanation: Satan (the devil) is real, is part of that history and has a role/a place in the Bible from the beginning until the end. We need to acknowledge that, as weird as it sounds; it has a profound impact, back then and today. If you don’t comprehend that, you’re missing the warning for all of us given throughout the Bible. So this dispute between God and Satan occurred and I don’t know why God didn’t just immediately destroy Satan, but knowing God’s character from the Bible, it could be that He allowed Satan to continue in existence possibly because God is loving but just. He doesn’t act impulsively, He is patient, He gives people time, but in the end, God is just.

To put this into a modern day concept: think about a business leader/boss, who has a star performer employee and this star employee is phenomenal, but then pride takes over for the star employee and based on pride, selfishness, and love of money, the star employee starts thinking they are better than their leader – for this example, it is important to use the assumption here that the leader is a good one, a caring one, a fair person, honest, looks out for the employees, provides for them, etc. (because there are many leaders who don’t exhibit those qualities today) – but this star employee is no longer a team player, just out for their own personal benefit. So the star employee leaves and competes with the former employer to prove their superiority. The leader has been around a long time, with a loyal customer base and a proven business, so the leader just lets this former “star employee” have its own way. knowing eventually those character flaws/qualities of pride, selfishness and love of money will self destruct the former star employee. The leader doesn’t even need to fight it, the former star employee’s own motivation and actions will end up bringing the star employee to ruin. Haven’t we seen that today? Does it make more sense now? This leader is like God and Satan is like the star employee. Is fighting or immediate destruction even needed, for God to prove He is right? No. Also, knowing God’s character from the Bible, do you think maybe He loved Satan/Devil/Lucifer at one time? I do. Have you ever loved someone that turned on you? If you really loved them, then you wouldn’t want to destroy them, you’d be more hurt than anything.

Getting back to sacrifice. Sacrifice plain and simple is for atonement.

a·tone·ment/əˈtōnmənt/: atonement; plural noun: atonements

  1. reparation for a wrong or injury.”she wanted to make atonement for her husband’s behavior”
    • (in religious contexts) reparation or expiation for sin.”an annual ceremony of confession and atonement for sin”
    • CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ.noun: Atonement; noun: the Atonement

The presence of sin (starting in the Garden of Eden) caused death, pain and sacrifice. Sacrifice leads to atonement. Sin is also referred to as “death.” There is no death for God; he is eternal. Those who make it to heaven will also become immortal/eternal too. These are concepts given to us in the Bible through prophets and through Jesus. When people choose to sin, people are ultimately choosing death. Death is the experience for sin; sin separates people from God. Satan is competing with God. What better way to separate people from God, than to entice people through sin, separating people from God. Sin is deceptive: it might be fun (for the moment) but isn’t there a time when we look back on sin and realize maybe it wasn’t worth the consequence? If it were this clear to people, people wouldn’t choose sin. But Satan is also known as the ultimate deceiver and then the accuser. Has anyone ever deceived you before? You didn’t expect it, right? When someone is good at deceiving, it’s a surprise when we figure it out. If it’s something no one wants (death), wouldn’t you have to be deceitful to gain people, coax them into death? Then after you deceive someone into sinning…don’t let them turn back “repent” to repair their relationship …keep reminding them (accusing them) of their sin so they feel so worthless and like they can’t go back. (which is also a lie) That’s exactly how Satan operates with his ultimate goal of separating people from God. This was shown to us in the book of Job; Satan was using all he could to get Job to turn away from God!

I’m going to assume that most people would choose living over dying, because people are sad when someone dies. So what better way for Satan to separate people from God, than through death? A sacrifice is exactly that: death of something. Sacrifices started because of sin. God put an end to “living being sacrifices” through Jesus’ death on the cross. That was the ultimate sacrifice: “Jesus/God dying” and what Satan wanted from the beginning, “the ransom” as we understand from the Bible. But that wasn’t the end as we are told through the Bible by prophets and Jesus himself; there is more to come. (Read more about the future in this link).

In summary, God created the earth and everything on it out of love. He created people to love Him back. We all know that forced love is not real love, so God doesn’t force people; He lets people choose. We ended up in a spiritual warzone without knowing this when we were born, but at some point in life, we will figure this out. When we figure it out, then we have to make a choice. Satan is opposing God and working hard to separate as many people from God as possible through deceptive ways. God was not pleased with the living sacrifices and responded to that by offering Jesus as the ransom, the ultimate sacrifice for us, no one has the value Jesus has, so that is what made Jesus an acceptable sacrifice, more valuable than any of us. Jesus’ sacrifice saves those who want to be saved from eternal Hell. But we still have a choice. Do we believe in Jesus? Do we have faith in this? Do we accept this “gift” from God? If you said yes, you are “almost” saved. I felt strongly about making this clear to people, because I think there is a larger number of people who think when they answer this “I believe”, “they’re good to go!” but that is not the full truth based on what I found in the Bible, and I see many churches appeal to people in this way and it’s sad to me, because they are misleading people and possibly keeping them from heaven. It is true that by faith we are saved, but faith alone is death – Jesus’ brother James told us that in the Bible. We didn’t get “off the hook” that easily, there is something more required of us by God: we are required to be obedient to his commands. We can’t do enough good things to earn our way to heaven; that would cause pride and God hates a prideful person. So it is by faith, but proving our faith by our actions. Becoming obedient prepares people for living in eternity with God and shows God we mean what we say. How many people are good at “lip service,” telling us what we want to hear, but not supporting what they say by their actions? Well this is the same between us and God. Are we giving God “lip service” or are we proving it by our actions? The obedience part is probably the most challenging part for all of us. It is not natural for us to be obedient, but God requires it. Thankfully, God is forgiving, so it doesn’t matter what we’ve done; He promises forgiveness, but with forgiveness, He also requires us to change our future actions and not do whatever it was anymore. None of us will be perfect, even after we commit to changing our ways, because we are human, so making mistakes requires us to take personal responsibility for them immediately, apologize and change. If we don’t, then we are going against God, we are just giving God “lip service” and He’s not fooled. He knows our intentions; He created us! So not taking action is not going to be a “success story” for those who give God “lip service”. Sacrifice today is still required though not through the death of a living being, thank God for that, but it still requires painful decisions for us personally. It won’t be easy, change isn’t easy. We want the immediate reward “here and now,” but the reward God has planned is promised to be greater than what we sacrifice “here and now”. What do you chose?

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