Tag: #Faith

Love without Hypocrisy #1 Servant

For space and reading I will not type out all of the scripture from John 13:1-16. This is based on Jesus Christ our Lord washing the feet of the disciples. You see he loved them so much that he washed their feet. Now I am not by far not a foot person, actually if you want to get technical I hate feet. So if I have to show you that I love you by washing your feet, then I am in a whole lot of trouble.

Now lets thank about it 2000 years ago, and the conditions they were in at the time. You see they wore sandals only oh and they did not have any socks either. So they wore only sandals walking the dirty sandy streets of Jerusalem. Their feet were dirty and nasty and yet he stilled cleaned them. So he shows us no matter how dirty and gross our loved ones our, we are to clean them.

To me what stands our more than anything during the time that Christ washed their feet was that he knew Judas was going to turn him in. Now, Christ knowing that Judas was the one he still washed his feet with love. Do you think that Judas felt a difference in thee way Jesus washed his feet from everyone else’s? Do you think that Christ himself scrubbed harder, or maybe he didn’t clean them as well as he did Peter’s?

Also, what this shows is that God himself serves us so we should serve. No matter who you think you are. No matter how big you think you are. You are NEVER to big to serve your friends or your family. Just as Christ, God in the flesh came here to serve in love. We are to serve in love.

The problem is compared to the world because the world says we that we have to love ourselves before we do anything. The world tells us that we come first before anyone else. That our well-being and our happiness comes first, then we are able to love everyone else.  But you see this conflicts with what Christ shows us.  We our to deny ourselves and chase after Christ.  We seek first His kingdom then all the things will be given to us. We seek Christ first not ourselves.

This 14th serve the ones you love anyway you can. Why?

You see Christ showed us that he loved us by laying down his life for the ones he loves. What better way to show that love then to serve the ones that He died for?

Now so are harder that others that is why we …………

Love without Hypocrisy

Romans 12:9 Let love be with out hypocrisy, Detest what is evil and love what is good.

You see the last 4 weeks I preached a series on Matthew 22:37 Where Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. So I preached on the Heart the soul and the Mind. But to a bunch of teens in a rehab center how can you tell them to love God if they don’t even know what love truly is?

When we see Romans 12:9 to me that takes on a whole new meaning as in we can’t love like the world loves, we have to love like God loves. If we love like the world loves then there is Hypocrisy at the very foundation of its love.

Webster’s dictionary Says Love is an intense feeling of deep affection, and that it is an interest or a pleasure. It actually states that a similar word is weakness. But the most disturbing is that the world tells us it is a deep romantic sexual attachment. So the world’s love is based on sex, and is a weakness. Yes this is completely opposite of what our Lord God says what love is.

We only have to look at John 15:13 when Jesus says ” there is no greater love than this, that one lay down his life for his FRIENDS. He didn’t say mother, father, brother, sister, wife, daughter or son. No he said FRIEND. I would not thank twice about giving my life for my wife and kids. But my friends is something completely different. Thank of it like this, your friend sleeps wit your friends wife, robs a bank, and then kills the guard. Would you spend the 15 years in prison so he didn’t have to? You did not have anything to do with it would you still spend time in jail so he didn’t have to? Now before he did all of these things I bet you said you would have died for him? You see we have stolen, we all have committed adultery, and we have all committed murder. Remember that to have hate in our heart for another brother or sister is murder in the eyes of God. When we have lust with our eyes we have committed adultery

That is what Jesus did for each and everyone of us. So, if we are to look at what the true meaning of love is then we only have to look at the one that laid down his life for his friends. Jesus Christ is Love, he created love, is the foundation to what love is. We can spend months on how Christ shows us what love is. But, our Lord laid down 3 things on my heart. So over the next few weeks we will break these things down. I thought it would be good time with Valentine’s day next week.

Men I hope you have something prepared.. Friendly reminder.

From Pain there is Always Growth Part 2

January into February as we tried to grapple with the tragedy that happened around my wife’s family was extremely tough. And as I looked back at the horrendous year of 2018 I just kept remembering what God promised me.  That it was going to be a tough year, but that I would grow closer to him then I ever have. I believed Him at the time no doubt. But what I did not realize till the end was how tough the year was.  But beyond a shadow of a doubt I drew in closer to our Lord then I ever have been.  Now even better than that was I saw my family draw in closer to the Lord as well. So everything he told me and showed me came true. Our God is a God that fulfills the promises he bestow’s upon us.

So as I am reflecting on 2018, the Lord shows me this vision of green fields. I mean beautiful green meadows. The sun beaming bright on its beautiful greenery. As I am in this field I am at peace with joy and warmth all around me. And he presses on me that green fields means its time to plant. Now as we plant we need to be aware that open fields means we are out in the open for attacks. Now I am not speaking of the wars around the worlds or our environment here in the US. I am speaking of the spiritual attack

Now let me give you the run down of 2019 since the scene is set.  And thank of the drum role at this point. Because, well that is honestly how I feel.

In 2018 my wife and I launched a young adults class targeting 18-28 years. This is what God placed on our hearts so we launched it. With everything that happened in 2018 it was hard so 2019 we refocused and hit it hard. It was tough at times there would only be one or two people show up. I would leave heart broke decimated at the simple fact that I was taking time away from my family to step out. But the fruit was not there. I questioned everything my calling, my relationship, and doubt set in. This is how the enemy starts to crack our armor. He takes the promise and word of God and twists it. And once the seed is planted in our minds, which is weak in nature and takes it and runs.

You see once I started listening to God and to the ones God placed around me, things started to change. We went from 1 or 2 to busting out of the seems in our classroom. Yes as our class grew the spiritual attacks grew.  I would be sitting at my desk and all of a sudden smell meth. That is strait from the pit of hell because there was no one at my job smoking meth. I would be driving home and smell cigarettes in my truck or Alcohol. I have not touched anything of the sort since Aug of 2015. Once the enemy realized that the Lord almighty delivered me from my addictions of the sort he changed tactics. He started attacking me with my past. Things I did while I was using drugs. Those images would pop into my mind. And for a moment I allowed porn back into my house. I allowed the Jezebel spirit in and I removed it just as quick.

As similar attacks grew stronger so did we, and I now see why. You see my wife’s practice started to grow, our class started to grow, and I started preaching on Sunday’s at a teen rehab center. All they while we started battling and fighting some battles that became new to both my wife and I.  During this time I allowed the enemy to still my Joy, and became extremely grouchy around my wife my kids. It was almost unbearable for them to be around me. I felt like a complete hypocrite when I realized what I was doing. Yes I was still preaching and still going to church, but I was a completely different person at home then I was anywhere else.

I feel into the trap that most Christians find themselves in and that is we put on the mask while at church. Our family sees the real us but oh no not the people at church.  But that is what the devil wants and when I realized that I stopped it. And once I leaned into Christ to help me through this he opened the door to allow me to be in ministry full time.

Once I stepped through that door and stepped into the lush green field fully exposed I feel the devil has completely allowed his minions free rain on the attack of my family and I.  The finances have been under attack our minds have been under attack, my wife is facing something she never has before and I am battling new things everyday.

But here is the Glory and Beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready? Because I sit here in tears as I wright this. These attacks and battles with anger and depression like we have never faced before. THEY MEAN NOTHING why because MY GOD is stronger and mightier then the minions of the devil. I look at these new battles and I see us being attacked by flesh and spirit both and I truly take great pride in it. I am in tears right now because I do not deserve what I have.

I do not deserve to be able to speak life into the young adults he has blessed us with. I do not deserve to be able to preach to the young men at the addiction home on Sundays. I do not deserve to be able to speak life into the men at the addiction home I work at. I do not deserve to have the beautiful wife and amazing beautiful daughters that I have. Because of the life I lived and had I do not deserve it. I deserve an eternity in hell.  BUT GOD sent his Son who died on a cross so I didn’t have to. And that Son defeated death and paid more my sins so I don’t have to spend eternity in hell.

I don’t deserve the things I have but an amazing loving Father blessed me with an amazing wife, and 3 beautiful daughters. He allowed me to have the strongest mother than anyone could have. (I am biased) He blessed me with an amazing house and people to breathe life into me. He placed me in the greatest church that could breathe life into me when I failed. One that He used to breathe life into my marriage and breathe life into my kids.

You see what I deserve is to be dead in a ditch in Dallas because of a drug overdose. But my God rescued me from that life and planted my feet on a solid foundation of Jesus Christ. And yes the devil can attack that all he wants but the blood of Christ sealed that firm and not even the devil himself can damage that  Why because my God tells me that none shall be plucked from his hand.

All you have to do is believe take that step. And when you step get ready.

2020 the vision he gave me was Death…..And the word he laid upon me was LEAD..