4 Arguments that need to be Refuted!

This is a very sensitive topic for me to discuss because I’ve been in debates with people in regards to this topic all too much. This is a very short read that I believe will change your life when it comes to serving God and being a real follower. At this very moment, I feel like God is striking my heart as I write these words down, so please pay close attention to them. This should take you no longer than 30 minutes to read. There is a very particular Scripture that sticks out in my mind as I start to write this short essay, it’s revealed in John 14:15, where Christ says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command”. Now let me ask you this, do you obey what He commands? Or at least make all conscious effort to do so? Sometimes I feel as though we use the “I’m not perfect” argument all too frequently. This argument basically states that since “I am a sinner, then I can continue to be a sinner, and I will be saved”. Unfortunately, this is not how it works, and this is not what Paul intended by salvation, just read Romans 6. If you are continuing to live in sin, would you consider yourself to be one that obeys what Christ taught? The problem is many of you think that because God is a God of love, He will understand any sin that you continue to live in. The problem with this concept is that ignores the fact that God is also a God of justice, of righteousness, of obedience, and of perfection. Just read the Bible to find this information out. For justice read 2 Thessalonians 1:6, for righteousness read Psalm 11:7, for obedience read 2 John, and lastly for perfection just read Matthew 5:48. It’s all Biblical, I promise. I don’t speak unless my authority comes from the word of God. So with that being the case, we can clearly see that God has many other attributes than just love, hopefully you are now starting to see the importance of following all that He says to do. Neglecting to understand this important factor is disrespecting the God in which you say you love with all your heart. Words are deceptive, and prove nothing until they are put into action, which the book of James talks about. I have encountered people in the past that have said to me, “I have Christ in my heart” and then cuss like they don’t even know the name of Jesus, or get drunk and pretend as if Jesus wasn’t sitting right next them, or even deny the fact that we are to strive for holiness altogether. This digs under my skin because I don’t want this kind of preaching going out into the world because it neglects the message of the gospel. It fails to understand the atonement, and the whole concept of washing away your sins. Let me put this into an analogy for you. Let’s say you have a dirty rag, will it become clean just because you shout, “Rag be clean!”? Of course not, it needs to go into the washer. It needs soap and water, not words.  Sanctification is all about your actions becoming more holy. If you just say, I’m going to stop drinking and then not even bother to work on it, then you are becoming sanctified but rather fooled by fake Spirit. Now sanctification is a gradual process, however, if you aren’t improving in your walk with the Lord, then I would evaluate your faith because you may not have God’s grace growing in you. I say the word “may” because I personally don’t know your spiritual background so I don’t want to make an absolute conclusion in your walk with God. However, the odds are; you probably don’t have the true Spirit developing in your heart if you have been continuing to live in sin, rather than alive for Christ. What I just said is all explained in Colossians 3:5-11. So we must remember that the death of Christ not only paid our penalty of sin, but God also used it to break the power of indwelling sin in our life. This now leads me into the next argument I’ve had to deal with and most certainly need to discuss. It’s a 4 letter word that should absolutely bring you to your knees to a true repentance every night, its known best as Fear. Do you fear God? Do you fear God when choosing to get drunk? Do you fear God when cussing up a storm? Do you fear God when you commit fornication? Do you fear God when you steal something? Do you fear God when you have hateful thoughts? Do you fear God when you are feeling jealous? If you say that you do fear Him, and then continue to do just those things listed, then you are committing another act, lying. Did you know God killed a man for lying? Just read the book of Acts. I’m not making this stuff up. Fear is very important to understand, and I think that it is because of a lack of fear that we don’t have people truly following the Lord. For example, what happens when a parent doesn’t punish their child for acting like a brat? They continue to do what they want because they have no fear of what is going to happen since they know that there will be no punishment. That’s the problem with these “proclaimed” Christians. They have no fear. If only this could be instilled into the human brain, we would have so many more true conversions for Christ. Having a true fear brings you to your knees knowing you need a Savior because God is just and does send those to hell that don’t obey Him and believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. Now I’m not suggesting that if you slip up and sin, that you aren’t one who strives to obey. Considering the fact that we still live in these earthly bodies we will naturally commit sin at times, just read Romans 7, which discusses this struggle greatly. However, for those that live for Christ, they don’t commit sin in their mind, but rather through their fleshly nature. Your mind (as a true Christian) is set on the things above, not on the things here, read Colossians 3. Whatever I do here, is not because I want to do them, and because I do not want to do them, it lessens the chance of me committing sin. This needs to be every Christian’s focus and goal in life. I would now like to connect this fear with love. While we are to fear God, we are also to obey through love. We obey because we love Him! Fear brings us to Him, and Love keeps us in Him. Jesus wouldn’t have told us to obey if it were impossible for us to do. Lastly in regards to this argument, I’ve also gotten comments in regards to preaching to the point of giving someone else fear. The question is, is that alright to do? According to Scripture, absolutely! For fear of God does all the following: The "fear of the Lord" is the beginning of knowledge - Proverbs 1:7, The "fear of the Lord" will cause one to hate evil - Proverbs 8:13, The "fear of the Lord" will prolong life - Proverbs 10:27, The "fear of the Lord" provides strong confidence and is the fountain of life – Proverbs 14:26-27, The "fear of the Lord" prompts one to depart from evil - Proverbs 16:6, The "fear of the Lord" leads to a satisfying life, and spares one from much evil - Proverbs 19:23 and lastly, The "fear of the Lord" is the way to riches, honor, and life!- Proverbs 22:4. Clearly, teaching a message of fear and reverence is important for one’s life. If the person fears you through the message, than that’s a personal problem, not yours. They need to concentrate on fearing the one in which the servant is working for. The next argument that I’ve had to deal with goes like this, “Well, your walk is not my walk with God, and my walk is not her walk with God”. First off, while you may be in a different pace of sanctification than someone else following Christ, the definition of sanctification doesn’t change. Sanctification is sanctification, meaning to become holy. If there is no progress, then I don’t care what walk you are on, you’ve taken the wrong path, and that path doesn’t lead you to Christ. I feel as if a lot of Scripture is going to be necessary for this statement because I can already tell grumbling is about to arise. The term "walk" signifies the whale of activity of the Christian's life, the direction, orientation or theme of the believer's life (According to GodandScience.org). Now here is the list of Scriptures that explicitly describe a believer’s walk: In Romans 6:4, it says we are to be “raised from the dead to walk in newness of life”, in Romans 8:4, it says we are to “walk according to the Spirit not flesh, in 2 Corinthians. 5:7 it says we are to be “walking by faith”, in Ephesians 2:10, I says we are “created for good works to walk in them”, in Ephesians 5:2 it says we are to “walk in love”, in Ephesians 5:8 it says that we are to “walk as children of light”, in 2 John 4 it says that we should “walk in truth”, in 2 John 6, we are told to “walk according to the commandments in love”. Now there is also a list that describes how a Christian should not walk: in Romans 8:4, we are told not to walk “according to the flesh”, in 1 Corinthians. 3:3, we should not be “walking like mere men”, in 2 Corinthians. 4:2, we should not be practicing “craftiness of adulterating the word of God”, in 2 Corinthians. 5:7, we should not be walking “by sight”, and lastly in Ephesians 4:17, we are told to not “walk as Gentiles in futility of their minds”. As you can see, as Christians, we do have basic principles to walk by and not walk by. If you think the context is wrong in any of those verses, then please, feel free to read the entire New Testament, because they will all testify as perfectly aligned and true. Just to take a side step from this comment in regards to context, I think I need to make an important remark. There is a difference between interpretation and application. There is a proper way to interpret, verses applying what you want it to say based on a past belief. I will provide a source for more information on that at the end of this essay. Anyways, walking with God is a path that will lead you into the same direction, not a different one, unless you are suggesting in polytheism, which states there is more than one God. In which, each different god would lead you into a different path. However, this would be heresy, and hopefully, I don’t need to show a Scripture to show that. The last argument that I need to handle involves hindering those that are preaching the gospel. Many of you think that a “Jesus Freak” needs to tone it down a bit. When I say many, I’m referring to the proclaimed saved Christians. Would you walk up to Jesus Christ and say, “Hey, excuse me sir, do you mind sitting down and shutting up I don’t feel like hearing your preaching today”? I sure hope you wouldn’t. Many thought of him as an annoying teacher, such as the Pharisees, but that didn’t stop Him from speaking truth. I’ve been called a lot of names, stuff along the lines like being a Bible thumper. At first, this bothered me, and discouraged me; however, later I realized that even though the person meant harm by it, it was actually a good sign to me. I knew that I was only doing my job as a true Christian. Are you doing your job? How often do you sit back and discuss earthly things rather than heavenly things? It is also important to note that the Bible tells us that some people will be offended at the gospel, just read Luke 12:51-53. If you are one to get offended at someone’s content from Scripture, then evaluate your faith. We are also commanded to share the gospel, and there is no excuse for not doing so, read Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; and 1 Peter 3:15. If you truly love Jesus, you will spread the content, and teach the people around you to repent in the name of Jesus Christ. I say this to you, because I’ve actually been shunned for preaching the gospel by other “claimed” Christians. Can you believe that? I know that I couldn’t. What kind of Christian hinders another Christian from sending forth the truth from directly the Scriptures? The argument then extends into the fact that it can become overwhelming. And guess what? I have news for you: The gospel is overwhelming! We are talking about God sending His son to pay our price; this wasn’t easy for Jesus Christ especially knowing His role. Yet, you complain when one is simply trying to teach you what to practice abstaining from! As I conclude this short essay, there is one question now that must be asked, do you truly love Christ? Based on the above arguments that have been refuted, would you sincerely say that you do? If you feel as though you’ve fallen into deception, take this moment and repent and start over again as a dedicated bond servant for Jesus Christ. Live for His name, and don’t be a Judas at heart, meaning do not fall into the category of not knowing anything about the God whom you serve. This is very important to me because I feel as though spiritually this society is weak. I don’t feel like I should walk into a Church and feel as though there are so many people around me that aren’t fully “there” with Christ. It’s sad when certain individuals stick out among the crowd, when we should ALL be sticking out. I pray that you see this reality because it is very important to understand. Jesus Christ couldn’t have said it better Himself when He said, “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). Think about that for a minute. He said that only a FEW will find it. Not billions of people which have statistically been recorded to follow Jesus Christ. He makes the call, and while many are called, only a few are chosen. Just read Matthew 22:14, it’s all there in the Bible. Hell is no joking matter, and I think we risk our eternity based on one Scripture, John 3:16, while we need to obey Genesis through Revelations. Remember the old expression that states “If you play with fire, you are going to get burned”. Just like if you play with your eternity, you will get burned as well, and I mean literally. 

Update on life:

So things are going pretty good with the Lord right now. I believe He has given the Holy Spirit in writing my new (soon to be published) book. It's titled, "Christian Poems for Guidance" I highly recommend it to all. It's mainly attracted to young adults but any audience could read them. I'm pretty excited about this. If you are curious of how they are written, please check out some that I posted on my blog. Please pray that this gets spread throughout the world, and share the message and gospel of Jesus Christ! I never thought that writing could be a form of a missionary. Other than that excitement, I'm about to be officially half way done with College, in just 3 weeks! I can't believe I'm going to be a junior next semester. My time at Towson University is just flying by. I'm happy about this though, because soon enough I'll be able to get a nice high paying job, I'll be able to live my dream of moving to California, having a condo looking over the pacific ocean, and being able to glorify God in all that I do. When I start making good money, I'll be able to donate so much more to the Churches in the area, to people in need. I love that. I want to be able to provide when I can. Right now, while I still provide, it's still rough because I don't have an income per say. I'm seriously just ready for the next turn into my life, I'm ready for the move. I need this so badly, and I believe God will grant this blessing to me. And because I delight myself in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. I have faith in that truth. As of right now, however, I'm sad because my greatest friend, Christina, hasn't really been talking to me. It's like a sister that just stopped talking to their little brother. I understand she's busy, but I just wish she could find 30 min in a day so we could talk some. I'm not sure what to do about this other than to pray. And now, I don't think I'll be able to go out to Tennessee, because she feels as though it isn't realistic for me to come. I'm not sure how to handle this, because the last trip was so spiritual for me, and so great. I actually felt like I had a legit family, and now I can't even go back. And if I don't go this summer, who knows the next time I'll be able to go. Please pray all gets restored in this relationship, and that all things works out in the purpose according to God's will, if you are reading this. Thanks to my readers out there! Whoever they may be :) God bless.

Sin

Sin takes control over your domain. It has so much power over your brain. Cant you see that the things you do are destroying you. The problem is that many of you think that Jesus was just another wandering Jew. Don't you realize that He shed his blood upon a cross? I don't know why you can't see that He is was most certainly the son of the Boss. Who's the Boss you ask? That would be God the father, and if you can't see that you must be wearing a death mask. Now its time to see how much sin you're really in. I don't even think you know that you have an evil twin. I'm almost positive you've broken God's law several times. And I hope you know that these are very serious crimes. Have you ever lusted for another? You've probably had your mind on your best friend's sister or brother. Have you ever hated someone before? Because that is something that God just won't stand for. You do understand that's the same thing as murder right? Hopefully I just shed some insight. Have you ever dishonored your father or mother? Or what about told a lie to some other? How about when you were jealous of someone else's stuff? And if you try to say never me, then I'm callin your bluff! Now I must ask, Have you ever stopped letting God take control? In other words, have you always loved God with all your heart, mind and soul? Most likely that's a no, and I hope you know that you are part of Satan's show. You may think you are a good person according to society, however, you've been acting defiantly. I've already proven that point. I'm sure you probably partaken in the smoking of a joint. Or what about all the times you've gotten drunk on liquor or beer? And yes, a friday a night is considered apart of the calendar year. I'm not sure why everyone tries to sugar coat their actions...I could try and assume that they are afraid of other people's reactions. Or maybe it's just because they are so blind to see such a valid truth? What bothers me the most, is when I see people trying to say, "well its ok, cuz I'm in my youth". But don't you realize that you may die tomorrow morning? I'm even giving you a forewarning. That doesn't matter though, because nothing I say or do you could make you let go. I do believe that the Holy Spirit could change your heart however. And once this happens, you'll be embracing a new endeavor. In the words of trip lee, "I'm not a robot now", and this means that Satan no longer rules my life, you may ask, but how? I'm telling you at this moment, that I follow only the Lord. And there is no reason as to why you couldn't get on board. Sin is a devastating destruction of your inner being of what you could truly be. Can't you see? I mean just think of how wonderful adam and eve were before they ate that fruit from the tree? God commanded them not to, and yet they just couldn't carry through. Sin is manifested in just so many ways, and people commit it daily as if they are giving Satan a praise. It's time to wake up to the reality of sin. And realize where you have been. It's time to repent from it and simply stop letting Satan make you into someone that's considered unfit. Sin, as deadly as it can come, has a solution no matter what you've become. Don't let sin be that reason for you allowing you to leave the rainy season. Sin may have a stronghold, but it's nothing but fool's gold. Sin can be defeated once you have Christ watching your back, and so it's time to end this spiritual attack.

My Testimony

I got called on by the Lord, and in turn, I drew out my sword. I put on my armor of God, and my helmet of salvation. I've finally seen the light, and what a realization. The devil thinks hes got me wrapped around his fingers. He constantly lingers. I don't think he realizes who my Master is. Lets be real, Jesus riz. I've got my Scriptures for my Holy support, and I've got the Holy Spirit as my fort. I only follow the truth, not those dirty lies. All that are with me, please rise. Don't be ashamed of your Creator, or Jesus will say see ya later. I'm a solider in Christ, not a bum for Satan, I go all out. God has definitely got my back without a doubt. I use to be a mess, living in sin as if I had a mortgage. I finally realized, that house was nothing but a piece of garbage. I sold it with a gain. I got an appraisal of eternity, and I knew that purchase was most certainly not in vain. That offer is up to anyone who has Christ as their real estate agent. You just need to open up your heart and be patient. Feel free to dial His number, it's 1-800-Pray4HisGrace. Some of you may think that I'm a mental case. That's alright to me, Jesus said it would be the result once He set me free. I love when a biblical truth gets applied from someone else's insult. I don't think they realize that what who I have is much more...than a religious cult. What's even more impressive to me; is that Christ already knew, that people would try to persecute His crew. This is not a Gospel 101 message, this is a reality about your eternity. I'm not trying to preach the "hell" message that you've heard before. I'm just trying to explain that you're currently a prisoner of war. I'm not like one of those hypocrites that only preaches the content, because trust me I'm for sure one to repent. I mean I think it's time to be real, I'm not gonna say that I use to let Jesus take the wheel. I use to be into drugs, and I'm ashamed to admit that I even knew people that were apart of the bloods. I would drink alcohol all the time, and get into all sorts of crime. Almost got a DUI once, how stupid, I should have been wearing a hat that said dunce. I was a fan of telling lies, and then I use to think it was cool to go ahead and assault other guys. I even dealt with sexual sin, and now I can't believe I even felt that way within. And trust me, there is much more, but what's important is that you understand I was a catastrophe. And then the Lord gave me a conviction, thankfully. I must say that I'm grateful for God's decision; in making me a Christian. He chose me, He loved me, He picked me out of a population. And now I can partake in His glorification. This message isn't just for you unbelievers, this is also so the devil can know that I'm not apart of his television show. I've been released. I serve only the great High priest. Read Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14, its very a simple truth that He can make you clean. And before I end this testimony, bear with me. I must ask, Is it worth denying the Savior so that you can continue in your disorderly behavior? and most importantly, Is it worth denying that Jesus Christ is Lord for the risk of what you could get as a reward? Remember, this is eternity I'm talking about; This is definitely something you should figure out.

Let me know what you think! This one took some time to complete, but I think it's my best one so far, next to the one about fire. God is definitely speaking to my heart when I write these out for sure. I've never been a poet, and all of a sudden, I'm writing it like I'm a natural. Crazy. God bless everyone.

Fire

So I wrote another poem, here it goes:

Fire; that spark, that passion, that desire, that burning, that heat, that intensity, that warmth, that sensation, that drive, that light, that flare. For this word alone, can be described by the use of many free morphemes. Free morphemes means words, and this word has a lot more meaning that it seems. Fire can be a very useful tool, it can heat you up when you feel cool. It can cook your food, and even keep a dark room lit. It's sort of like an all-in-one first aid kit. One of the most amazing things about fire, is it's part of God's creation. All natural, and beautiful. Simply stunning. Fire much more than a literal term, it can be used metaphorically as well. For example, Did you know that God used it to pick you up, when you fell? It's that spark in your heart, that removed a side of you that had an evil part. It caused you to worship, to praise and to serve God. And let's not forget when Moses created a snake from a simple rod. Of course this happened after he saw God appear to him in the form of fire from behind a bush. I mean seriously would you really deny that the Lord doesn't use that fire as your salvation sword? This fire is like a lighter that has an unlimited amount of fuel. Another amazing truth about this fire is that He can set you on fire, and you don't need to panic and find the nearest pool. This burning is actually enjoyable, it's like no other, in fact you want more of it, not less. It's truly indescribable I must confess. And to be honest, I don't think I could explain in word just how much it meant to me that He provided such an intense passion of fire to my soul. I truthfully felt like I wanted to stop, drop, and roll. In spite of it all, this fire did something much more to me. It allowed my flesh to finally be set free.

Let me know what you think. God bless.

Depression for His Purpose

I wrote another poem, that expresses God using my depression all for the better. I use to look at my physical condition as a curse, as something that hindered me from being normal. It's an illness of course. However, since I've been medicated, and feeling better, I've realized that this depression has led me to God. It has shown me that I'm in need of a Savior, and that without Him, I am nothing. Without going through this struggle, I don't believe I would have ever realized that I need His love in my life. I truly believe God has used it to bring me to Him. So here it is, let me know what you think:

I'm destroyed, broken, in constant misery.
I'm hopeless, ashamed, sad and I want no sympathy.
I'm empty, lost, confused, and I don't know why.
I'm feeling guilty, cursed, lonely, and mentally I feel like I'm gonna die.

They say I have clinical depression.
They tell me they have medication to fix my mental recession.
They explain that I don't get enough serotonin to my brain.
They express that soon enough I'll have no more pain.

He tells me to have no fear.
He reassures me that theres no reason to shed a tear.
He says that He's made me this way for the better.
He explains that this mood has led me to His shelter.

Finally I realize that I need God most of all.
Finally I realize that without His love I would fall.
Finally I realize that Christ has died for me.
Finally I realize that He paid my fee.

There's not much more that I can say.
There is only the evidence that I'm going to be okay.
There was a divine intervention that He used for His purpose.
There is no reason to continue, but trust me I've only touched the surface.

God, Clinical Depression, Towson, People.

So, these four topics that I created for the subject of this blog are the 4 topics that I'm actually working on right now! And it feels great. Let me begin with God. My spirituality is coming back. The Lord is calling me again, and I love it. I've been listening to worship and praise music, and I'll be going to Church on Sunday, and I couldn't be more happier about that. I'll also be seeing my Christian friends in Tennessee which will only help me even more. This is great and an accomplishment I wanted for the New Year. And the Lord provided it for me. The Lord kept me in His hands as He promised.

The next topic is my Clinical Depression. I'm getting back on track with that as well. I've been on my medication now for over a week. I'm starting to feel better mentally. I'm more stable. I'm not losing it. Finally, things are becoming clearer to me. Of course, I'll be complete in another week, but nonetheless, I can feel its working! That is such a blessing. Thank You God for providing us with the mediciation to cure such an illness.

Now moving onto Towson, so far I'm managing myself there. I'm not fond of it, but I'm coping better there, and that could be connected to the depression not being as severe. However, I'm doing my work successfully, and I'm gonna do this! I'm gonna get good grades again, and I'm making it through this semester. Then I'll have the summer to recooperate. I'm just glad its not feeling as overwhelming as it did. Thats another weight off my shoulders. Amen.

Lastly, People. I've abandoned about 7 to 10 friends in the last month. It took sometime to cut off ties with them. And some were very difficult to do with, but I had to. There was no choice. I had outgrown them, I had realized some didn't even care about me, I've also came to the conclusion that some were negative for me as well. The only people I need in my life is the following: Christina Edwards, Amber Edwards, and your guys family. My immediate family, and my extended family. My friends Christopher Bullen, Mike Carter, Matt Bullen, and Dee Bullen (and her entire family), and I can't forget about, Holly McConnell, and Lexi Cavey. Those are true friends, and people in my life that will always have my back and care for my well-being. I love all of you, and I thank God that He provided you all in my life.