Dating is like a rowboat

                   
 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 
                                                                                                       Proverbs 4:6-7
                               
                   I've been on a dating website for six months. I subscribed to another one a month ago. I've actually learned a lot. Looking for someone, I mean seriously looking, like you're-ready-to-marry looking is a lot like being in a row boat. Have you ever been in a row boat? It's nice sitting in it quietly observing the scenery. If you were to stand up and walk around that would rock the boat terribly. Or if eddies came your way, big ones, you're terrified the little boat will turn over. Even though you can swim, you don't want to swim in those dark waters.

                    Here is the meaning of the metaphor: The rowboat  you're sitting in is like your profile page where you are able to observe all the men or women that are available out there. When you start walking around and rock the boat is similar to when you start getting active on the site. Messaging. Sending smiles. Liking those who got you interested. Rocking the boat can be a good or bad thing. The eddies threatening the calm is like the pressure from friends, family and social media, etc., saying the only way to find someone to marry is to "try on" different people. You'll know who's compatible with you or not by diving into the dark waters. Like I said, even thought you CAN swim; doesn't mean you SHOULD swim. 

                               Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find? The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them. 
                                                                                                        Proverbs 20:6-7

                    Whether it's a dating website or meeting people in person and going on dates with them to see if you'd be good together may seem all well and good. Since I've been on these dating websites I have been walking on egg shells. Reading these men's profiles I see they are putting their hearts out there! I want to treat them all with respect. I am strongly aware that all these men are real people with real feelings. This is not a game.  I think a lot of people feel confused when it comes to dating. Is it Biblical? The Bible doesn't say anything about it. Even thought the Bible doesn't say anything about dating and how to find the one you want to marry, it does actually tell a lot about trusting God with finding someone. 

                    Take for instance Adam. He was the very first man on earth. 

     Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was it's name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 
                                                                                           Genesis 2:19-20

                 It's interesting that God did not create Eve yet. We see that Adam was looking. Of course he didn't date the animals. It said 'no suitable helper was found.' Adam observed. I believe he trusted God.  

                 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
                                                                                         Genesis 2:21-22

                Adam did not do anything in the process of getting a wife! God did it all. God did have a job for Adam. To name all the animals. Then God had Adam sleep. There was no way Adam could brag to anyone about finding this woman. God was the one who introduced them.

             The lesson we can learn from this is that God is capable. You can look all you want for a potential spouse but, it's God who brings that man or woman into your life in His timing.

              Lets look at another story of God match-making. 

                Then he prayed, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink , and I'll water your camels too- let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Issac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."  
                                                                                       Genesis 24:12-14

              This story is when Abraham was dying. He told his chief servant to go to his country and to his relatives and get a bride for his son Issac. The verses above describe how the chief servant was praying to God, asking Him for guidance in the escapade of finding the right woman for his master's son to marry. If you want to know the rest of the story it's found in verses 15-67. Before this man was finished praying, God brought Rebekah along. She was the one God chose to be Issac's wife. Now think about it. Just from those two stories we see that God is specific. He's not like 'hmm let's see, eanie meanie minie moe; which little lady should it be.' He chooses one man and one woman to specifically be together for His purpose. I know you can get into discussions about what happens if one of them die or divorce etc. I'm not talking about that. 

             We see that God is capable of bringing a man or woman into your life and leading you in waiting. Believe me. I have been waiting. It's hard; extremely hard at times. Following God's lead is worth it. God continually is giving me the faith and hope to cling to Him and not jump into the dating scene and find someone myself. 

               

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Transgender: Extend Compassion or Disgust

                  It was about two or three years ago when I first heard that men and women can have surgery done to remove their genitalia and transform it to look like the opposite sex. Before that when I saw men and woman dressing like the opposite sex or heard about it I just didn't agree with it and that was that. Now seeing how men and woman are changing their anatomy to actually look the part completely terrifies me.  

                                       "A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this." 
                                                                                         Deuteronomy 22:5

                  That sounds harsh doesn't it? Detest? What does that word even mean?! 

                              Detest-Dislike intensely, abhor, hate, regard with disgust etc.

                  Why would God tell men and women not to dress like each other and exclaim that he hates that? It doesn't seem like a big deal right? It never hurt anyone? Or has it? As we have seen over the years many people have stated their opinions and dislike of Transgender-ism. As Christians, some of us have gotten so heated over the subject that the person is forgotten and it becomes a lifestyle argument instead we focus on our opinions and huffing about them. Let's look at what God says. What is at the core of Transgender-ism.

                                        So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.
                                                                 Genesis 1:27

                 What better place to start then at the very beginning! This verse is as simple as it can get. God created men and women.  Lets break this down. God stated three times in three different phrases that He created men and women. He states that He created the whole race of men. That He started off with one man and one woman.  God said that the man and woman were good. They were just the way He created them to be.

                    Not much later, out of deception, Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, consumed that which they were not meant to eat and sin entered the world. Sin became part of them. Why was the tree in the center of the Garden called "The Knowledge of good and evil?" This is not concrete; I can only guess. What stands out to me is that it's not called the sin tree. It's called "Knowledge of good and evil." Adam and Eve ingested this fruit that made them be able to see God's goodness and Evil's wickedness. They were no longer like innocent children, seeing that perfect world the way it was meant to be. Because of sin they became like paranoid adults.  Of course it's not as simple as that. Their connection, their bond with God in their hearts was shattered. This lie they consumed ruined paradise and the whole earth as well as the lives of every single human being after them. 

                                           Simple as that

                   "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."
                                                                                                               Psalm 139:14

                   "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth." 
                                                                                                               Psalm 139:15

                Okay, so what do Adam and Eve's horrible mistake have to do with transgender-ism? Everything. Sin entered the world. Separating us spiritually from God. We can't relate with Him at all. It's like having a phone with a cord. The cord was cut. To think when speaking into a telephone with a cut cord and believe someone is listening on the other end is delusional. 
                   What does being transgender have to do with this? Lets take a closer look. Read the verses above again. Psalm 139:14 and Psalm 139:15.  The psalmist spoke specifically about being made in the womb. The word "knit" being used specifically is interesting. Anyone that knits follows a pattern written by someone or one they created or memorized. God created the pattern of human anatomy; specifically that of men and women.  In my Bible  (The NIV Study Bible) the notes are interesting;
                            "'Secret place...depths of the earth'. Reference is to the womb: called 'the secret place' because it normally conceals and it shares with 'the depths of the earth' associations with darkness, dampness and separation from the visible realm of life." 
                                               
                      I don't know about you but I believe when a child is being formed in the womb something sacred is happening. 
                                
                              "Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained  for me were written in your book  before one of them came to be."
                                                                                 Psalm 139:16

                              God; when He created you He was putting into effect what He had planned. Creating a little girl or little boy. Not a meta morphing creature that can change from gender to gender. He specifically made you the way you are for a specific purpose as a man or woman. 

                               Now; lets check out the medical world. When was the first  transitional surgery?  Einar Magnus Andreas Wegener  was the first man to transition to looking like a woman. He had the surgery done in 1930 in Germany. He died of complications of getting a uterus transplant.  The first transitional American surgery was in 1966.

                                What a man and woman have to go through to look like what they feel like is a tremendous amount of therapy to get them to, in a way, play the part that they believe is who they are. Then men take Estrogen shots. The next step would be to have surgery done. For men to look like a woman physically they need to have breast transplants, the removal of testicles and their penis be inverted to look like a vagina. They would have to change their voice, remove any unwanted hair and remove their Adams apple. And so much more work has to be done such as after the vaginal surgery to go through physical therapy in a way to keep their "Vagina" flexible and open.  For women to look like a man they have to have therapy, too. Testosterone shots. Surgery to create a penis and testicles. Remove breasts and uterus. If need be they would get a skin graft of their hips, butt and thighs. Total body makeover. Once the surgery is done, the question remains; can you truly become the opposite sex? 

                                           The Big Delusion    
                                    
                                    "For although they knew God they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts became darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator- who is forever praised. Amen"
                                                                                    Romans 1:21-25 
                              
               I'm pretty sure every single man and woman that has ever lived questioned their gender. When I was twelve or thirteen a flitting question wafted into my mind. What if I'm a boy? Instantly I threw the thought away. Not wanting to entertain it, I felt nauseated. The reason for that thought (Satan to tempt me with that fruit) was I didn't really feel like a girl. I didn't have the slim feminine curves like the girls my age. I was way more developed and curvier. Hiding under frizzy hair, bushy eyebrows and baggy clothes (I wore some boys shirts because the girls clothes were too revealing and had too many frilly bright colors and I didn't want to draw attention to myself). When I was a child, I went through some really traumatic experiences all in one year. By that age, all those memories but one was submerged deeply in my consciousness. Fast forward 9 or 10 years. I opened up about the experience I remembered to my family. For the past  5 going onto 6 years God has recovered each memory for me to process and heal from. What if I entertained that thought from earlier in my childhood? If I chose to change myself? Would that have helped my problem? 

                Over the years, I've noticed a lot of those in the LGBTQ group have mentioned some sort of abuse whether sexual, physical or verbal.  ( I know this is not true for everyone) Now, speaking specifically to the Transvestite group, so many have claimed that they would love themselves once they changed themselves and instantly bash in those who disagree with them.  "You aren't accepting me the way I am. I do love myself!" I have heard that spoken so many times over the years. It's eerie. God brought up these questions to me; "Someone who loves themselves does not mutilate and deform their body out of love. That is out of hate." What would you do if you hate the skin you're in? If you hate the way you look? Women do it all the time: Breast implants and plastic surgery to change your appearance. Transitioning is a step further. 

                 We hear so much over entertainment to 'trust in yourself.' 'Follow your heart.' What does the Bible say about that?

       "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
                                                                                                 Jeremiah 17:9

                 You throw your hands up with despair. 'Whats the point, then?' Who is to trust? Read the next verse.

         "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to what his deeds deserve."
                                                                                               Jeremiah 17:10

               Our heart and mind is the starting point of what leads to our actions. That's why we can never follow our feelings when it comes to issues like our gender. There are plenty of people who followed their feelings because they thought that was the best decision at the moment.  Take the Israelite's, for example.  When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the 10 commandments the Israelite's grew impatient.  They did what they felt was right, Making their own god and worshiping it. Because of their decision, 3 thousand people died. (Exodus 32)  What about Abraham and Sarah? Sarah, out of her own judgment, believed that God could do as He promised through her maidservant having a child with Abraham. God said clearly that Sarah and Abraham would have a child. The child Hagar the servant bore ended up being the father of the religion of Islam (Genesis 16). Abraham's nephew Lot. His daughters out of their dark hearts followed their fear of not carrying on God's promise of being fruitful and multiplying their family and took matters into their own hands by sleeping with their own father. And so the Moabites and the Ammonites who were the enemies of Israel came from them. (Genesis 19:30-38).

                It keeps going. So many people in the Bible followed their own thinking and what they felt was right. David, Samuel, Ananias, Sapphira, Adam and Eve. 

                                                 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." 
                                                                                                         Proverbs 3:5-6

                  Read Romans 1:21-25 again. The reason Paul is talking so blatantly to these Roman Christians about God's wrath on all of man kind because of their sin, is because they were steeped in this sin before coming to Christ. During this time, homosexuality was  running wild much like today. Nero, the emperor while Paul wrote this letter, married a young man named Sporus, who dressed like a woman. Historians here and there over the years have said that 15 Roman emperors had homosexual affairs. These first Christians were not ignorant of that lifestyle.  God's truth that is clear (men and woman being made for each other alone to marry) is being ignored. People are following their hearts which are dark because of sin. God's wrath is still real and present. This is not just old historical myths and standards.  Look at the diseases that have been coming up over the years from promiscuous sex either with same sex or opposite sex partners.

               The big question then is why. Why can't you live like this, doing what you want when you want it. Why doesn't God let us live the way we see is best? 
               
               "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
                                                                                                                            1 Corinthians 10:31

               "For from Him and through him and to him are all things. To Him be the glory for ever!  Amen." 
                                                                                                                              Romans 11:36

                 As you are reading this you may be a follower of Christ, you may see yourself as spiritual and not religious. Or you may believe in God and acknowledge His existence. Are you living your whole life for God? Honoring Him and going to Him in everything you do? Here's a good way to start off how to know where you stand with God. 
                 Would you call yourself a good person? Here's some of the Ten Commandments;

            You shall not misuse the name of God ( OMG, Oh my god)

            Honor your Father and Mother

            Do not murder

            Do not steal

            Do not lie

            Do not commit adultery  ( that includes in your heart) 

              
          Can you say you have never broken any of these? If you said yes, you just lied and broke one which means you broke them all. Do you know what you deserve for that? Hell. Is there any hope? Jesus; God's only son came down to earth over 2,000 years ago and lived a sinless life. Died a sinners death and bore every single one of our sins and God's wrath. He rose again on the third day, defeating death and the grave. God is a righteous judge. He will not let any sin go unchecked.  You, the guilty criminal, is going to have to pay that heavy price for your sin: Eternity in Hell forever separate from God. Jesus is there willing to take your fine and pay it for you. The gift Jesus is offering you means yo have to confess your sin to Him, acknowledge that it was wrong and follow Jesus. Making him Lord over your life. Yes, that means turning from transgender tendencies.  

            If you refer to yourself as a transgender person, please do not go down this road of your own judgment of what's right and wrong based on how you feel.  151.600 million people die each day. Don't set aside this to think about. If you sense God is knocking on the door of your heart, offering you salvation, do not hesitate. Open the door and let Him in. 

                               
                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pxxBQm114k

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The Beginning of Wisdom

                 

                             Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them to understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.

                                   Proverbs 1:3-4  

                            Wisdom. What is it exactly? There are those who claim that wisdom is only for the old and grey. Others that wisdom is learned through education and schooling. And still others that say  wisdom is gained through supernatural means. Where does wisdom really come from?

                                              The True Source
      The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
                                                                                                                                  Proverbs 1:7

                          The book of Proverbs talks a lot about people who are fools and people who are wise. I know at one time or another all of us have been offended or our feelings have been hurt reading it. But, in that time when you were hurt or offended; did God's word start seeping into your mind? The knowledge you just couldn't shake off? You actually wanted to know more what God had to say?

                        We all want to be wise don't we (there is the exception of those who don't care)? To be able to know what the situation calls for. The one that everyone seeks, for advice. It would be splendid to be the wise man or woman whose advice people traveled far and wide to seek. But, that's not gonna happen. What did the verse above just say? Verse seven. The beginning of knowledge is fear of the Lord. No, it's not being afraid of God and hiding from Him scared. It's having a holy and healthy fear of God. Knowing who He is, that He created you and knows you and all the secrets of the world. That He is all powerful, all knowing and all seeing. 

                     Wisdom Shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate: " How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish mocking? How long will you hate knowledge? Come and listen to my counsel. I'll share my heart with you and make you wise."
                                                                                                                                Proverbs 1:20-23

                   Wisdom here is shown to be a woman crying out for people to listen to her, to get to know and understand her. That is an example of the heart of God. Jesus was like this. He beckoned for people to come and listen to Him, to get to know and understand Him. A lot of people listened. A lot rejected Him. Let's take a look at what the word "simpleton" means, hmm? 
        
                  Simpleton-A foolish or gullible person.

                   Know anybody like that? Are you like that? Do you believe whatever new diet plan or pill that is shoved into your lap? Do you drink in the gossip in magazines? Do you mindlessly buy the latest gadget? Or how about when it comes to relationships, do you believe every single man or woman that tells you they love you? No matter how many times you've been terribly hurt? Even deeper, do you trust in politicians? Their honey words and sweet speech? It's all there. Proverbs talks about wisdom with discernment between faithful love and inappropriate desire. About being teachable, and being distasteful. Honesty and hatred. It even talks about compassion for animals! If you need clarity about something in your life, read Proverbs. 

                  You can try as hard as you can to be wise. You could even try being a good person. Minding your manners. Eating your vegetables and going to church for good measure. No, my friend, God is the beginning of wisdom. James 1:5-6 says, 'If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.     
                    That says it all. If you ask God for advice and want to hear what He says, good! But if you become impatient and end up seeking another means (a person, or anything else) of gaining the wisdom you seek then, you are the person it talks about. As well, God is not a genie in a bottle. You can't go to God and ask Him whatever you want and expect Him to answer or give it to you like you deserve it, and that includes wisdom. If your heart isn't right, if you seek God's knowledge on how to hurt others, or selfish means of gaining wealth, etc., God will withhold it from you. But, even if your heart is completely in the right place and you want to glorify God with all your heart; sometimes God still may withhold from you whatever you asked of Him. And that is why part of wisdom is patience. Think of Jesus. He was God in the flesh. Wisdom in the flesh. One of the only things I know of that Jesus asked God for was that the cup He had to bear would pass Him. But He knew, He knew very well that if that came to pass, all of humanity would be condemned to Hell. And that is why He said, "Not my will, but yours be done." 

                   That is the beginning of wisdom. Wanting not what we want, but what God wants.  

                 

                      

Deceived

                  "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.

                                                                                                                   Jeremiah 17:9-10

                      My Dad told me about a professor who was trying to get his point across about our thinking and logic, so he gave them this little scenario. There was a man who had two perfectly strong and healthy legs. The thing is, he didn't feel like someone who had two legs. He felt more like a one-legged man. The question the professor then asked his class was, if you were the doctor, would you remove one of his legs so that his body matched his perception of himself. The whole classroom went crazy. "No!  That's delusional!" They cried, horrified at the idea of a doctor mutilating a patient's body over just a feeling. The professor got his point across. 

                  But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. 

                                                                                                                  2 Timothy 3:13  

                                                   Stop and Think!

           Transgenderism is when a man or woman doesn't feel like they fit the gender they were born with. I know some Christians have been confused about how to approach this issue. What do you say? How do you react to this? Well, first we should go to God's Word. Take Psalm 139. In all 24 verses we see that God is purposeful in everything about us. He is part of the growing process of when we were forming in our mother's wombs. He knows every thought. Every movement. We can never escape him. Never hide. Why then do we let ourselves get confused when someone says that God messed up? If God is so powerful as to know us before we were born, know us, and are part of every moment of our lives; we should not share in the confusion,

               God is all powerful. The Bible is full of beautiful, mighty, and even horrifying events of God through history. Is it God's fault? No! It's sin's. Satan plays a good hand in it as well. He's not called the great deceiver for nothing. Take Jeremiah 17:9-10. It's at the top of the post.  Now, the message version is staggering.  

                 The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.

               Wow, just like in Psalm 139. He knows everything about us! When you mix sin, our flesh and Satan together; that creates chaos. There is no peace. Take Bruce (Caitlin) Jenner for example. The slow fade of him turning himself physically into a woman. Then when he finally got what he thought would fulfill his life by becoming a woman but he was sorely disappointed. I've read a letter someone wrote to one of the help columns in the newspaper a year ago asking the counselor what to do. They had just become a woman and now were experiencing so much sexual harassment. The writer was beginning to doubt if all the surgeries and counseling sessions were worth it. The columnist replied with; "Welcome to a woman's world." You see? The world screams for us to follow our hearts, follow our feelings. Where is that leading us? To hopelessness, Depression, and suicide. 

                 What can we do? Reach out to those who are confused and hurting. I'm sure everyone probably knows at least one person that is thinking of changing their sex, or who already has. You don't need to scream facts at them. Listen to how God may want you to reach out to them. What they need is someone who sees them where they are. Tell them what's great about being a man or woman. Ask them why they want to change? How do they think they'll feel fulfilled if they changed?

                I could give you a whole list. Just remember  God knows the heart. He'll lead you. Trust Him and watch Him work. 

                                                                

                 

                             

Excuses

                              Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

                                                                                                     Hebrews 13:8

                                      Many people have said that the Bible is outdated. God is old fashioned and this is the 21st Century. Things are different now. Is that true or is that just an excuse?

                          

                                        Always the same

 God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change His mind. 

                                                                                                      Numbers 23:19

                                 Fashion comes and goes almost every day. Genres of books and movies become the biggest raves then fade. People are born and they die. What about God? Isn't He old fashioned? Isn't this whole God in the sky, judging man kind and ruling us  long overdue ? Is God an excuse that people use for life? Is it a security blanket? Is it? Or is there more?

                               You know, some Christians actually think that some things about God is old fashioned. Is that the right kind of thinking if you believe in Jesus? 

                                When you cook or bake do you believe that every single ingredient is beneficial for the delicious outcome? Or do you just pick and choose what ingredient sounds good? Of course not! If you left out baking powder in chocolate chip cookies they wouldn't be able to rise into fluffy yumminess. If you left out cheese from lasagna it just wouldn't be the same. See my point? We cannot pick and choose what we like and don't like from the Bible. What would those who don't believe in Christ think?

                                Have you ever disagreed with the Bible? You thought that sounded too ridiculous or this sounded too strict or harsh? So what do you do? You don't think about it. You don't accept it. You don't believe it. The Bible is God's Word. His letters to us. To man. Yes man wrote it. So what? Man wrote the dictionary, instruction manuals, history books and other things that you believe wholeheartedly. What's so hard to believe about the Bible? Because God wrote it. It all comes down to that. He is Lord over us, and Sovereign. Even as a follower of Christ you have to admit that it's hard sometimes to accept that Jesus is Lord over everything about us. And that's why we need God and His Word. Because of forgetfulness. Every generation needed and now needs God's instructions and standards. The Bible is our guide to life. If ever you feel confused about what the meaning of life is; Ecclesiastes gives us insight into the truth that meaning comes from God. If you need encouragement or affirmation that you're loved just the way you are, read the Psalms. If you need guidance on wise living read Proverbs. If you want to know who Jesus was read the New Testament. And on and on it goes. 

                               People, the Bible has never changed because God has never changed. We can absolutely trust Him. You know you can. Satan will tell you otherwise. My brothers and sisters, don't listen to the changing cultural morals and thoughts. Don't listen to the useless excuses they have. Stay grounded on Who God is and how He has never changed.     

                                          

               

                       

All Religions are the Same

                          There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

                                   Deuteronomy 4:28

                           Have you ever heard of the term, 'all religions lead to God.' Ask yourself this question: Do all roads lead to Japan? Of course not! You can't get to Japan on a road unless you're in Japan. So, are all religions the same? Can we coexist with other religions?

                                       I Don't think so   

                           But, from there if you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

                                                              Deuteronomy 4:29

                                 
                               I have heard so many times in my life that term; 'all roads lead to God.' I'm not very old but I know that is not even accurate. We should say all roads lead to a god. If all roads lead to the one true God why is all of humanity still in a mess? Why do we not understand each other when we talk about religion? It's because Satan, the great deceiver, has put it into many minds that there is no one true way, misleading us to think, That's not fair, and That not right! 
   
                           Look at life. There are many things where there is only one way of doing things. When you learn to read and write how does everyone learn? The ABC's. When you are stripping a piece of furniture you have to follow the ways of stripping. You can't try what looks and sounds right. When you play a board game you follow the rules or else anything goes and that's no fun. There is a law to nature. There's gravity, law of motion and thermodynamics to name a few. So then; when it comes to their soul, why are people so careless?  

                          Jesus clearly said that He is the way the Truth and the Life and no one can go to the Father except through Him (John 14:6) Many Christians now act like Christianity is one religion among many. No! Would you forfeit your love for Christ if things got hard? Of course not. Jesus told us it would be hard. Don't act like all these idols are real gods. They're fake and they lead to death. 

                 "If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!"   
                                        John 14:7

                       I know it can be hard to tell people that Jesus is the only way. It can feel proud and arrogant. What helps me to remember that all else is sinking sand is looking at what God has done in my life and how far I've come by His loving mercy and graciousness. 
                       Even looking all around you, if you pay close attention you can see God's hand at work in your life. In the small and big ways.  Here are a few ways to help refocus your attention back to God and guard against being deceived.

                       Read your Bible every single day. Even a couple times throughout the day. 
                        Pray, talk to God through your day. You can even do what I've started doing. Schedule specific times in your day to pray for family friends and yourself. And pray through the scriptures. God loves it when you pray His Word to Him. 
                         And be still. Take even a minute if you have to to simply not be doing something. Turn off music if you have it on. Stop thinking. Just listen for God's voice. I do this through my day. God uses those little points to rewire my thinking back to Him. 

                    If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.   
                                                                Jeremiah 29:13

Identity Fluidity

                               

             I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

                                                                                                                        Galatians 2:20

                                What's the latest news? What's the newest movie? The brightest celebrity? Who's the most popular kid in school? How am I feeling now? Where's my favorite place to go now?

                                We base our identity on the most recent things in our life. Why? Why are we constantly changing like the sunsets in the sky. Always different, never the same. 

                                                                    I'm .....

   And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

                                                                                                                      Ephesians 4:24

                             "Hi, I'm Katie.  What's your name?"

           

                            " I'm Timothy. Nice to meet you. So, who are you?"

                             "Oh, um...I'm an English teacher at the local middle school."

                              "No, no. Who Are You?"

                         I'm sure you've had a couple conversations like that before. I have. Automatically when I would be asked who I am or most often what do I do, I always answer like wise in reference to my job. That would make me feel uncomfortable because my job doesn't make me who I am. 

                          Now it's our gender that is defining our identity. We should already know the obvious answer. Sadly, there are those who want to change their gender and therefore change their identity.

                          Over a hundred years ago, men and woman used to introduce themselves by saying their fathers, grand-fathers and great-grandfathers name for someone to know who they are (it still happens in different countries and cultures). It happened all over the Bible. Especially in the Old Testament. The fact of the matter is, people were defined by the reputations of their ancestry and by what their fathers did. That was like your I.D. But what about now? 

                           Now. As sons and daughters of the King, we are identified by our Heavenly Father. He says that we are free. We are loved. We our adopted into His Kingdom because our faith is in Christ and trusting and believing what He said to be true: Jesus died a sinner's death. He was perfect, He was fully God and fully Man. He took our death so we can have life. He came back and sits at the  right hand of God. And, don't forget the character traits that God has given you that's part of who you are. For example; I'm curious, shy, creative and gentle. God has made you just the way you are, with all of your quirks and weird ways of thinking.    

                            So, who are you? Who am I? 

                            We are children of the King. Ambassadors. Righteous, dearly beloved.