Awake At 30

Identity (Psalm 1) How much does the dumbbell in the middle of the picture weigh? How do we know? About the only way to identify the weight without a label assigned to it is by deduction. We look at the weights around it, notice their label, and we can assume that the one in question is one like those. We would, correctly, assume that the weight in the middle is the same as the one next to it. Why? Because next to it is one with an identifying mark that resembles the weight in question. However, the best way to identify this weight is to compare it to a standard; pick up the weight on either side of it and compare with the one in question. Seems simple enough in this context, doesn't it?  Let's turn the analogy to ourselves spiritually and consider the similarities.  What do people see when they look at us? What sort of people do we surround ourselves with? What identifying characteristics do we have? Are the differences clearly delineated? Are we Christ's or satan's? W

Honor vs Ego "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." ~I Peter 2:11-12 NKJV Honor (n) - honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions I wonder if honor has died in our day and time. How often in business does man lie in order to escape some sort of punitive action (whether real or perceived)? How often do we believe a lie rather than find out the truth for ourselves? Amazing how we can tend to absorb whatever we read, are told, or watch isn't it? Do we ever stop ourselves for a second to check out what has been presented for us to believe, to find out whether it is true? How often do we spread a lie, rather than have the good judgment to fact-check it first? Think for a moment about the things we share onl

In Remembrance I don't want the world to remember me. My thoughts and actions used to be that I wanted the world to remember me for something great. I wanted to leave my mark on this world for generations to come. I wanted people, when they heard my name, to think "Wow, now that was a great man! Do you know what he did?!" and then they'd go on to tell stories from my life. However, I've come to realize that I have had the wrong approach. I've realized that this approach to life is selfish, it's shortsighted, it's missing the point to life as a whole. It's dismissing my call as a disciple of Christ (Matt.5:13-16). Escaping the trappings of sins that used to own us can give us a clarity of mind like we've never known before. Certain sins used to rule my life, they used to destroy me daily, they'd keep me chained down and enslaved. I was held captive in a prison of my own making until one day I hit bottom, I had nowhere to look but arou

Sleeping and Awakening In The Lord's Care  "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." ~ Psalm 4:8 NKJV "Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up." ~ Psalm 5:1-3 NKJV If we are serving God as we ought, we have this comfort. We can pray to God and know that He will hear and He will answer ( Jms.5:16 ). However if we're living unrighteous lives, our Lord will not answer our cries for we are separated from Him so long as we live in sin. Were you able to rest peacefully last night due to your pure state before Him; have you awakened this morning to praise and glorify His name, giving thanks for yet another day to serve Him? Will you live in such a manner as to abide in His care throughout this day, will you d

Becoming A Father (Deut.6; Eph.6:4) So many thoughts run through my mind as I think about my son on the way. So much of my life has been spent worrying about me, fixing my problems, overcoming my issues, forgiving myself, and struggling to keep myself whole before God. The cycle of self-improvement never ends individually; however, as we age and enter new phases of life we should have a good deal of our former issues worked out so we can better focus our time on the new challenges before us. Especially as a man, the childish ways of before are no longer acceptable and one must step up to be the head of his household. Selfishness as head of the household, provider, protector, and as a leader is something that should be far from each of us. Now that I have my own household that I am responsible for, my life and how I conduct myself affects more than me, it directly affects my household. My actions will influence my son, he will learn what kind of man to be primarily by watching and lear

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in  the  thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV Do we live in such a way that we demonstrate our belief and trust in this verse? Or are we like obstinate children in the sight of our God, hopelessly trying to come up with "better" ways to serve Him which He has not authorized? Do we truly believe that His word will be prosperous; do we show our belief in how we carry out our role in spreading His word; are we truly sowing the seed He has given? God's holy will, and His word, shall be done; whether by our hand or not, it shall be done...the question for you and me is if we will be a help or a hindrance? If we are His

At The End Of The Day (2 Cor.5:1-10) At the end of the day... I come home. I come home to my family. I come home to my loving and beautiful best friend, mother of our child, my wife. I come home to my precious, already active, soon-to-be-born son. I come home to our energetic, crazy but affectionate dogs. I come home to our house that keeps us warm, keeps us comfortable, keeps us sheltered from the weather. I come home to where we have food to spare, clothes to wear, and comforts of this life aplenty. I come home to where the Bible is read, the Lord is our bread, and the riches in Christ flow abundantly. I come home to where peace reigns, where gentleness abounds, where care and concern for others and one another are real.  I come home to a woman who knows me intimately, sees my faults and my triumphs, and still stands faithfully by my side; someone who truly loves me. I come home to a woman who is invested and cares what I have to say, truly listens to me, and encourages m

Veterans' Day It is on this day that we remember, as a nation, our veterans who have honorably served this country. I thank each and every one for their service to our country, the price they have paid, and the scars they bear daily, both external and internal. I thank and each of you, not just on this day, but for each day I live in a free nation that you have helped keep safe; I recognize that, as a result of your service, many of you live and remember daily their time spent in service to this country. The memories don't go away; many of you have seen combat; you've seen the enemy eye to eye, or scope to scope, or put your training up against his/her; I recognize that those sights, sounds, and smells don't go away. If you came in contact with the enemy, those brushes with death, the fear and the adrenaline, the blood, the possible tears from rage or from the adrenaline of coming so close to death; the flood of all kinds of emotion; the acting on instinct and allowing

Tired of Running  ( Matthew 4; 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7-10 )  Do you ever get tired of running? Get tired of being pursued? Running so hard only to tire out, slow down, and be overtaken time and again by satan and his followers? Are you tired yet? I am. I'm exhausted.  I'm weary of satan's relentless pursuit, his chasing me, catching me, then devouring me. It's time he be the one on the run. It's time to devour him, time to make him and his followers run. Time to stand my ground. Time to take my stand with God and utilize the tools He has given me ( Eph.6:10-17 ). I am arrayed for battle, I'm ready to fight, I'm ready for war. It is now time to fight, and win decisively, against the devil. Time to beat him over and over and over, beat him and his ways to death. Time to slay him, daily. Time to stop running, turn around, face this fierce lion and reject him. Refuse to be kept down to become carrion and the stinking decaying flesh he so desires us

Efficient. I like this word; better yet, I like for things to work in this manner. Here's what it means: "performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable" There is no sense, in my mind, in doing something inefficiently. Why waste time doing something another way? When there is a prescribed way to do something, there's often a very good reason as to why, and to act outside the bounds of that way is illogical. While this word, efficient, is one you'll be hard-pressed to find in scripture, the concept is all throughout God's word. The best way to be efficient is to obey God. To act outside the bounds of God's word is inefficient. That's it. So much, in my mind, is black and white; it either is or it is not; it either is "yes" or it is "no" and I don't believe much else in life is an exception to that rul

Master of Disguise You're going to face satan today (and every day hereafter), are you ready ( 1Cor.10:12-13 )? Beware that he disguises himself and takes on many forms, a master of lies and disguise he is ( 2Cor.11:14 ). Let's look at a few and take note of his tactics and intentions. There's a serpent awaiting you, anxious to deceive, waiting to slither into your life, awaiting the proper time to strike and sink his venomous fangs into your body. He wants to take you down, fill you with his poison that is sin, and watch you die. He'll not be satisfied with one strike, he'll repeatedly sink his fangs into you, striking over and over and over, always seeking to keep you paralyzed and in his grasp. Are you aware of him, are you ready to face him, are you watching out for his cunning ways? Notice that he hasn't changed from the beginning ( Gen.3; Matt.4 ). There's a lion lurking about, ready and willing to pounce and devour you; are your eyes open, are

The Road "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I  do,  forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV Sometimes people are privy to knowledge of things in our past, things which we have worked hard to overcome and moved beyond. Yet, for whatever reason, those privy to this information like to bring it up and discuss it. They aren't aware of the pain rehashing those times brings us, the darkness that looms by remembering such events, the dreaded terror of reliving things that seem like another lifetime ago. They aren't aware of how far we've come since those things, since that nightmare we lived so long ago, since that time which

Figuring Things Out Throughout our lives there are fixed points in time where we realize something for the first time, or for the first time something we've always known or have been told finally clicks for us. Becoming a father has been a transformative time in my life, I've discovered things about myself I don't like, things which I have  determined to change so that our son has the best example possible when he looks at me as his father. I'm sure many parents have gone through this time and many still are going through it. Life is a constantly changing event. Change is just part of life, and when we have the honesty and clarity of mind to realize when we need to make changes, and then act on that knowledge, then that's when I believe we are at our best in many respects. The following are some of those thoughts: I think about Emerson every day, something I know will never change, and I take a look at myself and consider my ways. For my son, I want good role mode

Where do low moods originate? It seems as though they come upon us suddenly and often without much warning. In my experience, the low moods seem to begin with an event that is the impetus for what follows; that event starts slowly and then builds to the point where one day the low mood comes, falls over us, and often seems to blindside us. That event that begins the process most likely is something we didn't expect or it's a misstep we took somewhere leading up to that day of despair/low moods. The initial event could be something sinful we did, or was done to us, or it could just be a part of life for which we were unprepared. We then move from that one event, often unaware of the valley it will inevitably lead us to, and compound it with daily life; those daily issues and otherwise normally occurring moments of life that, for whatever reason, we now take more to heart as it piles on that event. All this until, one day, life seemingly all comes crashing down upon us, throwing

Hedonistic "Christianity" "For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,   unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,   having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! " ~2 Timothy 3:2-5 (NKJV) Hedonism:  the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life [ Merriam-Webster ] A while back, the famous false-teaching power couple, Joel and Victoria Osteen were in the headlines and many were (rightly) outraged over Mrs. Osteen's comments in a "sermon". Mrs. Osteen made this observation (quoting her whole comment so as not to misrepresent): " I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God-I mean, that's one way to look at it-we're d

Temptation "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren."  James 1:12-16 NKJV Temptation. Here is one thing we all have in common, and no one is exempt. So how do we control and combat temptation? Well, I believe it begins by what we allow to be a desire of ours and how we control those desires. Desires that are good and natural have a place where they are allowed to be carried out. Jesus Himself was tempted by satan in Matthew 4 . Reading over how He handled the temptation shows us how we must also combat

Questioning Our Mindset "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3 NKJV How are your thoughts this morning? What have we consumed our time with doing, our minds with thinking, our tongues with speaking thus far? What are our plans for the day? Is God the focus as we go about our earthly duties, or is it carnal things? Are we thinking and acting carnally or spiritually? Are we ordering our day, this day of life God has graciously granted us, around carnal things? Or, are we preparing ourselves in such a fashion that we order our lives as to get to heaven and making sure each action, thought, and word of this day fit into that plan? If someone were to ask us today, "How do I get to Heaven?" are our lives such that we can say, "Follow me! I'l

For Eternity Consider that your conduct today may be the very thing you think about, for eternity. Consider that if you are unrepentant of your sins, and either the Lord returns or your life ends, you will be lost for eternity. Based off the discussion the rich man has while in torment in the text, this is what I infer ( Luke 16:19-31 ): Your thoughts there will be of your sin. You will have knowledge of where you are. You will know there is no crossing over. You will know that you are unrighteous. You will know you are eternally separated from God. Hence the following, according to your sin: you'll acknowledge your foolish actions and rebellion to God, but won't be able to do anything about it; you are forever reaping the consequences of your actions, the result being your separation from God for eternity; the realization that there is no relief and you cannot repent and be saved once there (hence the weeping & gnashing of teeth - Mk.9 ); all those missed

Training And Admonition "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."  Ephesians 6:4 NKJV What will my son see when he looks at me? Will he see a man; or will see a boy, posing as a man? Will he see me as a man of God; or will he see me as a man of the world? Will he see one who is Christ-like; or will he see a liar, a fake, a poser? What will my son see as he looks at me? Since finding out that we're having a son, my mind has been filled with so much, but primarily my charge before God and how I am to raise this son to serve God faithfully. What has gone through my mind these past few days is that it is my charge to teach this boy how to become a man, which infers that I must first be a man myself in every sense. This means putting away childish things, standing firm in my life, being unwavering in my standards before God, and that I speak the truth always and speak boldly. It means t

Social Media Usage "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being."  1Cor.10:23-24 "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 1Cor.6:12 Paul speaks of that which is lawful, but not helpful nor edifying. He speaks of that which is right to do, but which he will not allow himself to brought under its power. Right actions can be used in a wrong manner. Now, before the wall is put up by those reading, allow me to explain. Social media and usage of the internet, in general, are not inherently wrong in and of themselves, I believe these fit rightly into matters of liberty and lawfulness. As with anything that is lawful, and especially in matters of liberty, these are perfectly right so long as we do not stray off into areas of abuse