A Christ Follower: The Journey

Making a decision is easy for some, but difficult for others.  Doing so can be especially challenging for people in the midst of dramatic struggle and pain. I have provided Pastoral Care and Counseling for more people than I can remember.  The numbers are significant, and a huge number want to decide not to decide when they are asked  to decide to surrender their will to God.  When they really want is  to be in control of the life wreckage they have created in creating a whole bunch of  their uncontrollable stuff.  Now, keep in mind that to decide to not decide is indeed a decision. This non-deciding decision does not occur in a vacuum, and it will have consequences perhaps more significant than if they had decided to make a healthy choice followed up with a plan. I have seen people in bondage to cocaine not decide to surrender their addiction to the Creator.  Needless to say, they became progressively worse and they cycled downward spiritua...

I   Am The Vine.  You Are The Branches Apart From Me, You Can Do Nothing. Jesus One of the great things about knowing the Son of God, Jesus or experiencing The Son of God, is the power that comes upon a Christ-Follower's life when we actually are IN Him and HE IS in us. This is quite a relationship. Jesus describes this relationship in many ways, and this includes an interesting discussion He has with us in John 15. He actually shares with us the identity we have by telling us who HE is and who we are.  He says, "I AM."  Now that is a biblically accurate name for God, but HE says more.  "I AM THE Vine." It's interesting that HE does not say I AM "A" Vine.  HE is clear that HE is authentically "THE" vine.  There may be all kinds of other creatures out there that are called vines, but it's clear that the Son of God is making an authoritative point. I don't think that Jesus views Himself as a mere anything.  It's ...

Get Your Own Copy of  Rock-Solid Living In A Quicksand World at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FE8J78I/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Get Paperback or Kindle.   Matthew 5:1–12 Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of ...

God is love : 1 John 4:8 S O   W H A T   ? Back in the day, when I was half (or even younger) my present age, a wise old man told me - regarding communicating a message- that the end result of the message should satisfy the answer to a very important  two word question:   So What? I think he was and is still correct today.  It's fairly clear to me that all too many Preachers preach and or pontificate. They take up a lot of people's time with the expression of their verbiage, and what they say means absolutely N.O.T.H.I.N.G to those listening. Why? Because their message simply does not actually make a difference in the life of the person who is listening. So, they bore the listener who walks away with very little of anything to help them authentically live life. I think this true of the statement "God is love." Many pew sitting, hand raising, solem worshipping, pentecostal like praise worshipping or any other kind of "church goer," may be touched...

Who Is God to His Children A Christ Follower's Perspective & Healthy/Holy View of God Many people of faith have an unhealthy (unholy) view of God that hinders their ability to know God. It also causes a resistance within them to turn from their brokenness and sin toward God.  Below is a holy/healthy view of God that I have found helps those traumatized in life. And it helps those who are lost or feel lost to rewrite the bad scripts in their head and heart. It also helps so them pick up their "broken pieces" so they can find and experience more fully solid freedom in Christ. Look these passages up. Make them personal to yourself. Read the scriptures out loud. Reflect on what God is saying to you. I sincerely believe that you will be glad you did. God IS Love.  1 John 4:8 God loves ME!  1 John 4:9-10   John 3:16-18 God demonstrates Love to those who will turn to Him and receive it from him: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 God makes a covenant with us that ...

When I think about successful praying for revival I think of one-hundred and twenty people in an upper room. There were certainly more than two. (Matthew 18:19) They humbled themselves.  They prayed. They sought God's face.  They turned from their wicked way. They wanted God to hear from Heaven. They wanted God to forgive their sins.  They wanted God to heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14.) Like the Widow, who had no standing or rights, who kept pestering a Judge to help her find justice, they kept calling out to God. (Luke 18:1ff)  They didn't consider that "all they could do was just pray." They considered this a season of prayer a power filled opportunity.  Shortly thereafter three thousand people came to Christ by the power of God's Holy Spirit. I have seen God answer such prayers in marvelous ways. Therefore, I have created a prayer that calls on God to give us the gift to find the things He blesses and then join Him.  I call this prayer, the ref...

Faith is the certainty of things hoped for. It is the proof of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 The popularity of a philosophy that has been around for a while is called "The power of positive thinking." People grab hold of this in hopes of being successful in life and more emotionally homeostatic; however, the downside of this is that some find themselves going from the world of reality to fantasy when they follow this means of thinking. Far greater good can be accomplished when we make the power of positive believing the rule for each of our lives. This is true because the infinite God of The Universe is the object of the Christ-Follower's faith; therefore, there is virtually no limit to the spiritual heights that positive believing can take you and me. God bless you. SoJourner