It's a funny thing to me that many Christians you come in contact with are more obsessed with curses than any person you could imagine that was very superstitious!  I have seen that many times we really feel that we are victims of curses or of doing things wrong and being punished by God.  I have found that punishment seldom does much good for anyone as far as being a lesson is concerned.  The bible says:  ...the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentence (Romans 2:4).  It is written in the bible itself that Gods goodness is what leads us to repentence...not being punished.  I do know that there's such a thing as cause and effect.  If you fall off a building it's likely that you're going to hit the ground eventually...it's a fact.  The same thing is true that destructive lifestyles that are contrary to the Word of God will lead to negetive things in life but God is not bringing a curse on you to teach you something...rather we're doing dumb things and getting bad results.  God isn't going to withold blessing from you as a Christian because He knows this isn't productive.  The church seems to think holding people in condemnation is the only way to keep people from doing wrong...I challenge that viewpoint.  I believe that if we had even a quarter of the revelation of Christ's love for us...a love so strong that He would give himself for us we wouldn't ever chose to sin.  The bible mentions fear of the Lord but I believe this is not talking about being terrorized but rather respecting God.  I have been so humbled by God's deal love for me...how could I not give Him my life in return?  Why would I choose to hurt someone who loves me so?  This is not a dictatorship but a relationship...a loving Father and His children.  No matter what the mistakes in life the bible says it so well in Proverbs (26:2 New Living Bible): " Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow an unfair curse will not land on it's intended victim."  Satan is the accuser of the brethren.  He's the one bringing the unfair curse while God is busy bringing us unconditional love!  Satan's power comes from our belief in the devil and his word.  If we chose to accept Christ and His Word then this unfair curse can't land on us!  I'm like anybody else in that I've made mistakes...I continue to make mistakes but God in His mercy is faithful and just to forgive me (1John 1:9).  I have no problem telling the Lord about my mistakes because I realize that I'll meet with His mercy, not His judgement.  I take courage in this and claim it for myself, my family and my church!

It's time and past time to get another entry here today.  There's been a lot going on at the church that's really been interesting and I know God is on the move.  It's obvious to me that there's got to be some changes in the way I've been thinking about things.  We have a tendency to associate faith with the things we're comfortable with but in my experience faith seldom has anything to do with what's comfortable.  I think of the times when faith is required and isn't it when there's times of need?  Times that we need to seek God?  Times when we don't know what to do?  Faith seems custom fit for the needs of mankind and the generosity of God to meet those needs...not necesarily our wants but our needs and those things which are best for us.  Lately I've seen so many examples of the tragedy that comes from association with the Word of God and with God Himself without actually knowing Him at all.  Sadly our children will be the victims of our own ignorance of God.  There is no good apart from God so if we don't know Him we don't know anything good...there's no middle ground.  I found this promise in Acts and was so blessed by it:  and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh: and your sons and daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2: 17).  This is a familiar scripture but I love to read it when that's just what I need!  There's such hope in these scriptures.  God has no intention of allowing anyone, no matter what the age go without His intervention in their lives.  The only way we are able to avoid God is through a heat's decision to do so.  He's always there making Himself known and working on our behalf.  There are hard things that happen in life but it doesn't have to make you a worse person.  I think of people I've known that have come through impossibly hard situation but are such awesome people today by God's grace while there are others that have every opportunity to be great and they are really awful people.  This proves to me that circumstance in itself can't make or break you.  We have the choice to become what God wants us to be...young or old.  What choice will we make?

I truly believe that in everyone's life they need someone to have faith in them or it's pretty hard to get your foot in the door and amount to anything.  I am very fortunate to have had this person be in my own family and in fact, be my own mom!  It was because of my mom that I received Christ in the first place.  I overheard a conversation between my grandma (another very Godly woman) and mom and they were discussing Jesus.  I was so fascinated by this that I immediately thought I'd go and try to talk to Jesus.  This was an experience that I've never forgotten though it happened even before I was five years old.  I asked Christ in my heart and had the deepest sense that He'd been waiting for me for the longest time....the Saviour of the universe...waiting for me?!?  There was a tremendous feeling of being alive in ways I'd never even imagined...beyond any roller coaster ride and from that point on my life was changed.  I have been many places since then and seen many, many thing but I'll never forget the impact my mom made and still makes in my life.  My mom has passed on to me the joy of my salvation and the wonders of communication with the one true and living God.  I wish that there was a way in which words could express my gratitude for my mom that would do her justice but I know of none.  God bless her and the other moms out there that pray for their children and never give up hope.  There's no treasure that's worth more than a parent like that!

I was looking at yet another verse that caught my eye.  Proverbs 16:3 which says:  "People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives."  This is in the new living version of the bible which I often read to have a different perspective on the scriptures I've read in the King James or New King James bible.  I've seen so many exercise the right of freedom of speech and they seem so bold and loud.  They have no problem belittling those that don't agree and are already closed minded to the place that they don't even listen to the oppinions of others.  I myself have been very guilty of this and often I can be very brash and forward until I sit and I start to think about where people might have been coming from.  This is where the righteous judgements of God come in because only He can see every point of view.  There's a time for everything and it's not always the time to fight while at other times it's perfect to fight for what we believe in.  There's a fine line between standing and having done all continuing to stand and taking things by force.  The more powerful your position the greater the possiblity to harm others with the decisions you make.  I see president Bush standing making decisions that shape not only our nations but others and all around him are those that criticize witout having to take the heat for the choices they make.  I'm not the president but I do know what it's like to lead in some capacity.  If the burden can be heavy for someone like me what must it be for the leader of an entire country, especially one as powerful as the United States?  I believe that in the end we all are acountable to God for the things we've said and done...can any of us say that we've never made a mistake?  Can anyone really claim that they could stand in a position like president Bush and wouldn't flinch to make the decisions he has to every day?  I know that the duty of all mankind is to do the very best they can to be pleasing to God and do what they feel is best before God regardless of what some may think.  There is great risk at standing for what you believe in but how much greater the risk for doing nothing...think of the parable of the sower where there were some that invested and one that didn't...I would never want to be the guy that wouldn't do anything (Mattew 25:15-30).  Once again I imagine my decisions and the impact being magnified many times over and I try to imagine what greater people than I bear.  Standing on the outside it's easy to criticise but I'd rather believe that God will guide the man whom I feel still is a very great man and honorable president  indeed. 

Today I was reading one of the most difficult scriptures:  Luke chapter 16: 1-13.  It is pretty hard to imagine Jesus telling a parable and then ending it with:  Make friends for yourselves of the mammon of unrighteousness!  I have looked at this parable many times and have really sought God to know what it was talking about.  The servant here in this parable knew that his job was about over so what he did was go and cut the amount that people owed his master so that when he got fired they'd look after him.  The Lord in the parable then commends his servant for being 'wise.'  I think that the religious element of the church would like to hide from scriptures like this but I believe that all the scripture is inspired by the Spirit of God...can the same be said of the religious church of today?  I can see that the point of this scripture is that above the importance of position and above our thought of today should be the relationships we have with God and others and the thoughts of preparing today for tomorrow.  It's obvious that God isn't endorsing dishonesty but rather priority.  If we knew that the positions we had today were nothing more than temporary wouldn't we spend more time with God, our family, our brothers and sisters in the Lord?  The fact is the things we see today are temporary so doesn't it seem best to invest in what God has for us?  The world's system is fading....trends come and go but the Word remains forever (Mattew 5:18).  The teaching today at our church was so good for this.  We all go through things and all of us seem to think that it's more than anyone else is going through but when you break it all down it's all about the decisions you make in life.  We go through thing but what we do about that is what really matters.  Faith isn't a blind belief but an absolute trust in God.  We can't make the right decisions if we don't value what God values anymore than we could make wise natural investments if we didn't know what had value.  Imagine if we valued mud more than gold!  We must chose what God says is best and invest there or we run the risk of a ship wrecked life.  The good news is that it's never too late to change our value system.  Seeking God is valuable!  The fear of the Lord is valuable!  I want what He wants because only His blessing is enduring!

Today I read another favorite scripture!  Who am I kidding?  I absolutely love the Word of God!  This particular scripture is in Luke chapter 14 versus 34-35.  It says that salt is good but if the salt has lost it's flavor how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear let them hear!  I just feel that this is so relevant to us all as Christians because it talks about being different then the rest.  If we are Christian yet we don't know God and we don't behave differently than the world what are we really good for?  Many think that this means we can't have emotion, we can't feel anger or sadness without sinning but I believe that God created all of these things.  Personally I feel that the devil can't create but he can try to abuse the things God has given us that are meant to be a blessing.  Anger itself isn't bad if it's directed at the right thing...Jesus Himself experienced anger(Mark 3:5)but He sinned not...this in fact is a commandment for us:  be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath.  Neither give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26-27).  It is then very clear that we can experience these things but what we do with them is what determines wether or not we please God.  The world simply does what they feel like doing...though this is portrayed as freedom it's really a bondage.  I believe that there's no worse bondage than to be completely controlled by what you feel.  The freedom God has given us is that though we feel things we are able to go to Him and do the right thing every time.  The Word makes it clear that temptations will come but none of them are more than we can bear(I Corrinthians 10:13)!  That's an amazing promise!  The bible says that though temptaion will come He will provide a way of escape!  This is what truly gives Christians the flavor that sets them apart from the world!  The world is tempted but has no help from God but we as Christians have the answer in Jesus!  This is a real wake up call to us when we are so very tempted to let our anger get the better of us or depression or whatever else come our way.  We are without excuse here since there's always a way of escape!  We can certainly make mistakes and fail but God forgiveness is there to catch us even then!  How can we lose?  God ever reaches out to us and never condemns us...Romans 8:1!  Even when we do wrong we can go back and walk in the Spirit and God brings freedom and His love casts out all fear(IJohn 4:18)!  It is so encouraging to me that we don't have to fall victim to our own passions and every high thing that exalts itself above the knowlege of God (2Corinthians 10:5)!  I realize that when it says we should 'cast' down these things that they will come and that isn't necessarily bad...what we do makes or breaks us and as I said before a failure today doesn't mean that we're a failure...it's one thing not the rest of our lives.  I've been through tough things as has everyone but never has there been one thing that God isn't able to help me overcome!  Running away from God when we do wrong is a basic instinct but to resist that impulse and return to God...our strong tower in the time of need is the only way to really live and recover from mistakes.