Fickle Love Toward an Unconditional God

I have noticed a growing trend among Christians. While we all know the Father hates idols, we in our "well meaningness" have turned a likeness of Him into one. Yes, we have turned God into an idol. What do you mean Deidra? Well, I'm glad you asked.

I have been in many of conversations as of late where I have heard a Christian say something like "Not the God I serve..." "The God I serve wouldn't do that!" "I know it could only be God because...". Ultimately, that last sentence ends in some sort of "feel good" ending that defies the declared character of Yahweh. And while these statements sound good, they are very dangerous. Making these statements show two things:

1. Conditional love
2. Our allegiance is fickle

Many Christians haven't grown into a mature love for the Father, His Son, or His Spirit. We love them with human nature love, which is often conditional based on how one makes us feel. All of the statements above are conditional. Using those statements, we have put human limitations on the Father such that if He does something out of our fleshly expectation of Him, it's not Him and we can't bring ourselves to serve Him.

"I could never serve a God that would"...for example, kill someone. That god is an idol. That god that someone made up is an imagination that serves our need for a god that does something that we as humans can't imagine. That god placates our desire that Yahweh works for us do to our bidding with the end result being our happiness and comfort.

Want to know why this god is a made up god from our imagination and not Yahweh? Because there are several times in the bible where He did kill someone. So, now what? Does this person stop worshiping the true God to serve the one made up in their mind? Yahweh has killed and ordered men, women, AND children killed. He killed families and whole tribes. He's killed animals. He killed people who thought they were "helping Him out" but yet were being disobedient. Yes, God kills because of His own reasoning, and guess what? He still deserves to be praised, glorified and served by those who say they follow Him.

"I know it has to be a blessing from God because..." - this statement is usually followed by a reasoning that actually goes outside of Yahweh's character, yet makes us happy. Yahweh isn't going to "bless" you with something you can't afford. He isn't going to "bless" you with someone else's spouse (even if they are divorced by man's law). He isn't going to "bless" you with something through deceit. He isn't going to "bless" you through criminal activity. He isn't going to "bless" your same-sex "union". He isn't going to "bless" your false church with your false preacher to have a $65M personal jet while all the other "members" scuffle for everyday living. That god that has done that is not the Father of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. So, now that you find out that Yahweh didn't do those things and didn't make you happy, do you turn to the god that did? That god is an idol and I would go one step further and same that it would be the "blessings" of satan and his minions. Please understand, satan is the god of this world as it stands now and he does have the power (that the Father has granted) to give what seems to be blessings and happiness. Don't believe me, look at how he tempted Yahshua! Look at how those who are evil and doing his bidding prosper. Don't be deceived to think what appears to be "good things" don't come from him as well.

"The God I serve would never allow..." - followed by a statement regarding division, hurt, pain, turmoil, delusion etc. But yes, there has been record of Yahweh doing just that. He asks for an angel to cause delusion. He allows satan to cause division. He allows satan to use the weather to bring about death and destruction. All of this is done for His purpose for He says:

Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. - Isaiah 46:10 NLT

So, what are we really saying when we make these statements? We are declaring our conditional love for Yahweh. That if He doesn't make us happy, we ultimately won't serve Him because the god that we serve will do what we please. We are making room for our spirit to divorce the Father. Much like marriages today that are not built on biblical love, but on conditional love. If that spouse no longer makes us happy, we are willing to leave.

We hear this often through what we watch in movies or TV, from conversations with friends and family, even in church. We hear that if our spouse no longer makes us feel a sense of happiness, comfort etc, it is ok to leave. That is not biblical love. And if you subscribe to that, then you also unknowingly subscribe to the fact that as the Body and soon to be Bride it is ok to turn away from Yahweh when He no longer makes you happy or meets your expectations. The world has told us it is ok to turn from a spouse that no longer makes us happy. But where does the Bride turn? That's just it, the Bride has no where to turn! So, just like Christ asked, I also ask, when your expectations aren't being met and you are no longer happy, who will you turn to?

65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” - John 6:65-69

So, what is the solution? We have to have the mind of Christ in all matters. We can't put our conditions of love and allegiance on the Father and we can't withhold our praise from Him if He doesn't make us feel good or be happy. We can't ultimately say that these out of character blessings that make us happy are from Him because once we find out they are not -then what?

Our love can not be rooted in a mind generated idol. Our love and worship has to be pure, based in an understanding that Yahweh Is who He Is and our job is to understand Him and love Him with our whole heart. We can not reason our love for Him for we love Him because He first loved us. Our love for Him is unconditional - even when it hurts. We have no where else to turn, no where else is worthy.

Love and serve Yahweh with no limits.....

Giving Away Life Just To Live And Lose

Islamic Regime Giving Food Away to Millions for Relief

So, I'm reading a blog that I love to read. In it, he uses this scripture to talk about the fact that what Joseph did in Egypt appeared to "save" the Egyptian people. But, when you really look deeper, he actually enslaved them. Such will be the beast system when it finally settles (believe me when I tell you, it's on the way and many will take the "mark" and choose to flee to it to save their lives and loved ones). As it is said in the Word - there is nothing new under the sun. The Egyptians saw the shadow of the beast system. And now, we are moving from the shadow to the very substance it brings...

Genesis 47:13-26
There was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails." Joseph said, "Give me your livestock; and I will give you food for your livestock, if your money is gone." They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock for that year. When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord how our money is all spent, and the herds of livestock are my lord's. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land won't be desolate." So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine was severe on them, and the land became Pharaoh's. As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it. Only he didn't buy the land of the priests, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. That is why they didn't sell their land. Then Joseph said to the people, "Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Behold, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. It will happen at the harvests, that you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field, for your food, for them of your households, and for food for your little ones." They said, "You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth.

We know there will come a time where food will be too expensive to buy in the way we are used to (Rev 6). We are seeing it now. I saw a chart online not too long ago that showed that just a few years ago (relatively) $20 could buy you a whole shopping cart of groceries. Where now, $20 will only get you a few items. Which means, those who don't have full trust in Yahweh and His Spirit for all provision and direction and are used to human means of survival, will be ripe for the picking. They will either gladly or reluctantly take the mark of the beast to buy and sell as mentioned in Revelation 13. The substance of the shadow of Genesis 47 will have begun.

This is a very sobering thought. The shadow didn't have eternal ramifications, but the substance will - for all who take the mark will NOT see the kingdom of Yah. Now, look at all that the Egyptian people gave away for something temporary. They gave away all they had to save their lives when in all actuality, they were (and did) die anyway.They wanted to live and in turn, gave their life away. Maybe that's why Christ says:

Mark 8:35-38 English Standard Version (ESV)
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

On the surface this seems pretty plain, clear, and easy to understand. But let's put this in context of the days where a choice will need to be made. The choice of life or death. The choice of feeding your children or what seems to be "letting them starve". The choice of making money and working to keep the heat and lights on, or the choice of being unemployed trying to find your own way. The choice of having clothing, or wearing tattered and torn. The choice of submitting to the world's leadership to survive or the choice of being killed for not doing so. Yes, that choice will lead you to either have to be ashamed of Him and of His words or stand for Him and look foolish.

Even now, we are in the shadows of these choices. Many well meaning Christians will sell out and are selling out for the shadow of the beast. Many have left the world in their minds - thinking they have - but not in their hearts. Yes, we all have to work...that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about not being able to look to Yahweh to supply ALL of our needs. I know I'm guilty. He has been showing my husband and I this the last few weeks. We are learning to fully trust Him even when we *think* we can do it ourselves - even with the "simple" things.

Many like to say they are on the Lord's side - but I challenge you while "times are still good" to really evaluate how much you trust Him. If all was taken away and you had the choice to survive the world's easy way or suffer or even die when the simple solution would be to just "give in" - what would you do?

Joshua 24:15English Standard Version (ESV)

15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Pulling Back From Group Think

Group think. We've all done it. We've all been a part of it. It is the phenomenon of a group of onlookers paralyzed and not knowing what to do in a certain situation. It is the mob of angry people marching down the street in protest - yet not knowing why they are angry, or why they are there. It is the church congregation that meets every Sunday to live out their rules (some made up and some not) without giving any thought as to whether they are being biblically lead by the Spirit. It is the high school "mean girls" that constantly pick on others they feel are not up to par with their standards and codes. It is a nation being swayed to view another as the enemy with unfounded proof to make them willing to go to war. It is the American citizens giving blind loyalty to one of two parties or a president. It is the crowd gathered at Christ's illegal trial screaming, "Kill Him!!" Group think. We've all been there.

Psychologically speaking, groupthink is defined as:

a phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. - Wikipedia

More technically:

Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment” (p. 9).  Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups.  A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making. - http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm

According to this same site, there are 8 "symptoms" and "remedies" of group think which are:

Janis' Symptoms of Groupthink

1. Illusion of invulnerability –Creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks.
2. Collective rationalization – Members discount warnings and do not reconsider their assumptions.
3. Belief in inherent morality – Members believe in the rightness of their cause and therefore ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions.
4. Stereotyped views of out-groups – Negative views of “enemy” make effective responses to conflict seem unnecessary.
5. Direct pressure on dissenters – Members are under pressure not to express arguments against any of the group’s views.
6. Self-censorship – Doubts and deviations from the perceived group consensus are not expressed.
7. Illusion of unanimity – The majority view and judgments are assumed to be unanimous.
8. Self-appointed ‘mindguards’ – Members protect the group and the leader from information that is problematic or contradictory to the group’s cohesiveness, view, and/or decisions.

Remedies thought of by experts

• The leader should assign the role of critical evaluator to each member
• The leader should avoid stating preferences and expectations at the outset
• Each member of the group should routinely discuss the groups' deliberations with a trusted associate and report back to the group on the associate's reactions
• One or more experts should be invited to each meeting on a staggered basis.  The outside experts should be encouraged to challenge views of the members.
• At least one articulate and knowledgeable member should be given the role of devil's advocate (to question assumptions and plans)
• The leader should make sure that a sizeable block of time is set aside to survey warning signals from rivals; leader and group construct alternative scenarios of rivals' intentions.

Let's look at how these symptoms and remedies may look in a Christian setting taken from - http://www.missionarycare.com/brochures/br_groupthink.htm:

Symptoms

1. Illusion of invulnerability, such as “This can’t fail because God is on our side.”
2. Collective rationalization of warnings that challenge assumptions.  For example, if a secular consultant says that money will not come in for the project, group members agree that she just does not understand faith promises.
3. Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, such as “Because we are God’s children, what we are doing must be an ethical or good thing to do.”
4. Stereotyping people outside the group as weak, biased, stupid, or even evil.  For example, nationals opposed to building a church in their neighborhood may be characterized as under demonic influence.
5. Pressure on dissenting group members to conform by suggesting they lack faith if they do not support the decision.
6. Illusion of unanimity among group members because the silence of others is taken as agreement even though most of the committee may think the idea is doomed to failure.
7. Self-censorship in which members do not express doubts because of the apparent consensus among other group members.  Because it looks like the whole field committee agrees, no one is willing to look like a Doubting Thomas.
8. Self-appointed “mindguards” who shield the group from problematic information. Committee members who are in favor of the project may take it upon themselves to see that conflicting financial reports are suppressed or taking aside any missionary who expresses doubts and pleading for unity behind the field director’s project. 

Remedies

• Leaders do not express their opinions or preferences when assigning the task.
• Leaders encourage each group member to express objections and doubts when the group meets.
• Members of the group routinely discuss plans or progress with trusted persons outside the group...
• Outside experts should be invited to meetings on a staggered basis and encouraged to challenge views expressed.
• At each meeting a different member of the group should be the “Devil’s advocate” assigned to point out possible flaws and suggest alternatives.
• Before final approval at least one meeting should be devoted to consider all warning signals members can think of.

Of course, in avoiding groupthink, people must not go to the opposite extreme and be so cautious that they get caught in gridlock and do not approve any solution.

If you read my latest blog, I spoke about a magnified perspective, or being in "too deep" to be able to see the bigger picture. If I would take that writing and apply that to this one, I would definitely say that group think is the "magnification" of a relationship and the remedy is the ability to pull back.

In any relationship whether it be of 2 people or 2 million, there will always rise a leader, even if briefly, and there will always be followers and the two together will always produce, if not careful, groupthink. The leader could be a husband, a boss, the foreman of a jury, a preacher, someone appointed or who steps up in a crowd, or the President. Anyone in a position of unchallenged authority will become the leader. This leader has an awesome responsibility to always make sure he or she does not become a dictator, but to make sure that they look out for the overall well being of a group.

Naturally, those under that leader will look to that person for direction. Maybe they do it because they feel the leader is more learned, more courageous, stronger, faster, well spoken, or more wise. When the people look to their leader to fulfill those things they believe they lack in themselves, they start to put that leader on a pedestal. They begin to have the need to protect and elevate the leader because he or she protects the group.

What are some biblical examples of groupthink?

We just ended a world wide "celebration" of Jesus' death. No matter what you feel about the appropriateness of the day, the events surrounding his persecution before death is very congruent with this particular writing. Let's look at scripture:

Luke 22:66-71, 23:1-25
Jesus before the Council
66 At daybreak all the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council,[f] 67 and they said, “Tell us, are you the Messiah?”
But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. 68 And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.[g]”
70 They all shouted, “So, are you claiming to be the Son of God?”
And he replied, “You say that I am.”
71 “Why do we need other witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”
23:1 Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. 2 They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
4 Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”
5 Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”
6 “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. 7 When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.
8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)
13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”[a]
18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”
23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.

Here we can see the hallmarks of group think. First, we have the leaders and we have the followers and a situation. Next, we have an outside person (Pilate and Herod) giving their unbiased opinion based off of independent investigation (or having the ability to pull back and not be sucked into the group), however, it is not accepted. There is a question placed before the leaders and the crowd as to what to do, but before this even happened, the leaders already had come to a conclusion of what they wanted to happen without input from the crowd. Therefore, the crowd shouted with them (although some may not have had an opinion) to "kill Him".

So, we see group think in the bible, but is it biblical?

Biblically speaking, yes, we should all be on one accord and of one mind - but that one mind should be the mind of Christ led specifically by the Spirit of Yah. That mind should not be of one person, denomination, or group. This is why the Father warns us constantly to not put anything before Him. This is also why He tells us to conform to Christ, not men.

Many will argue that Paul said to be like him and he's a man that is, of human nature. But what we also have to remember is that Paul tried to walk as closely to Christ's walk as humanly possible. He admittedly had faults. But Paul always urged those to not look at him, but to look at our Savior and to pattern ourselves after Him, just as he was doing. If those under one's leadership doesn't remember that, they will become drawn "into" that leader. They will begin speaking like them, acting like them, thinking like them, believing like them. They will start to pattern themselves after that leader instead of Yahshua as we are told to in the bible. The admiration of that leader becomes so strong, that faults won't be able to be seen. And if this leader has other alternatives ,say control or power, other than serving and looking out for the well being of those under their leadership, it will be easy to take advantage of that group and turn them into groupthinkers. And that is not biblical.

How do we avoid becoming groupthinkers in our walk with Christ or in our daily life? 

I believe that if we take into consideration the things we learn from the bible, and even think about the remedies posted above, the things that are in common is having the ability to "pull back" and see the wider view.

In the remedies given, there was often a suggestion of having someone from the outside to look in and evaluate the situation. That would be the equivalent to having someone in church with the ability to discern and see the bigger picture. For discernment isn't just about "seeing spirits" but also the uncanny ability to objectively observe a situation and put pieces together to distinguish what is true versus what is almost true. We must be willing to admit, we are human and we have weak spots, and not be afraid to look for them. We must be willing to admit to ourselves when we have allowed ourselves to be patterned after a "man" rather than Christ. We must be able to understand that sometimes in our relationships, we can become too deep and look for those willing to help us to pull back. But before we can even invite someone with a wider view in, we have to admit there is or could be a problem and be willing to set up an atmosphere where opposite views can be spoken freely.

Time and time again, you will have many church goers get angry at someone from the outside who says "something isn't right about this church". If you are the person becoming angry, vexed, and ready to go to war at the thought of someone "coming against" what you are a part of, chances are, you have fallen into group think. Stop, reevaluate, correct, repent, and move on by the Spirit of Christ. Don't shun those trying to help.

We also have to be careful to not elevate people and thereby helping to puff them up into thinking more highly of themselves than they aught. Many leaders are known to have a quality that makes them either desire control, power, or to feel important. It is their "drive" or "motivation" if you will. And it is not always a bad thing. We need people who want to take control of certain situations. Think of a Fire Chief leading his men to devise a plan to safely put out an apartment building fire. Or, think of someone on a crowded street yelling instructions to different people on how to help a family trapped in a car from a car wreck. But sometimes those desires can become misplaced and twisted. Because of that, the enemy can use others to help that person fall (spiritually speaking). The enemy can use people to insulate that person's thinking, make that person feel unmerited power.

If you are in a leadership capacity and truly have a heart to serve rather than be served, I urge you - be careful of who you surround yourself with. I am reminded of the story of King Ahab and Micaiah...

1 Kings 22:10-14 

10 King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them. 11 One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!”
12 All the other prophets agreed. “Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”
13 Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”
14 But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

If we read further down in the chapter, we see that the king chose the counsel of his prophets - those who elevated him instead of keeping him grounded - instead of the godly counsel of Micaiah. Because there was no room to speak truth and Micaiah did anyway, the king ordered him to prison.   In doing so, it lead him to his destruction and death. This whole scenario is what happens to leaders who fall into groupthink by surrounding themselves with people with the inability to see a "wider view".  To be a good leader, you must not allow those who counsel you to fall into group think. To surround yourself with "yes men", people who will do anything to protect you and your image, is certain destruction. Always be willing to have those willing to disagree, or see the wider view within your circle and listen to them. Only leaders with an elevated sense of self-importance will allow the latter. Reason being, their heart isn't to serve the people, but to look after and protect their own self interest...but that is another writing for another time.

All in all, we must watch ourselves carefully. Not all will have the ability to pull back, evaluate a situation, and not form an opinion or solution based on group think. For those people, it is important that you learn to not shun dissenting voices. They add balance to every situation. For those who have the ability to pull back, never be afraid to stand - even if it is you standing alone. Your voice is needed. Don't fall into the pit of "groupthink".

Magnified Perspective

Do you know what this is? I'll give you a hint....it's not what you might think. Pull back a little to get a better view. Now do you see it? No? Keep reading...

When you are too close, it's hard to get the broader view and to see that the reality of what you see is something vastly different than what you think you see.

Sometimes pulling back from things will give you a different perspective. I have always known that. I'm the kind of person that sees the big picture rather than the details (that's my husband's department! lol). Also, I am very visual. I have discovered how to recognize when I'm "in too deep" in a situation - it's usually if I can't "see" wide enough. I'm not going to lie, sometimes it takes me a minute to realize I'm in too deep. But, Yah has always been faithful to call my attention to this and begins to pull me back. When this happens, I am able to look at how all the details come together. This ability has served me well and I thank the Father that He has allowed me to have it.

In my spiritual walk lately I have pulled back to see the big picture. I once was in "way too deep" if you will. I focused on many things that ended up making me prideful, even arrogant. I zoomed in on how many "boxes" I could check off. In trying to become "more spiritual", I actually became more soulish. In my past surroundings, it was easy to do - sometimes even encouraged. After zooming out to see the big picture, I realized that if I had died in that moment, I don't think I would have entered the gates like I thought I would. Many believers make that mistake - zooming in, in order to start checking off boxes. It reminds me of this parable that Yahshua told:

Luke 18:10-15 New Living Translation (NLT)
10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I was that Pharisee. I had the comfort and ability to pay too much attention to the "checked boxes". I didn't understand the wider view that Yah has for those who want to live by and through His Spirit. Somehow I had it in my mind that because I had so many boxes checked, that my walk lead me to be a "true believer". Did you get that? Being so far in, pride grew in me to actually put classifications on the level of "believer-ship"! There is no such thing to the Father. You are either a believer, or an unbeliever. There are no varying degrees.

After the Father allowed me to pull back, He showed me my fault so I could repent. How dare I have such a spiritual elitist attitude? Now, yes, those things that were checked were very relevant to my walk. I would say, the checked boxes would have been detrimental to me had I not nixed them from my life. But the Father did not make me aware of those things so that I could puff myself up. No! He made me aware so that those things would be written in my heart as a remembrance of how not to sin against Him and live by His Spirit. He did not show them to me so that I could compare myself to others and place myself in a different and elevated category.

Had I stayed deep in the situation I was in and not had the ability to pull back to see the bigger picture, I would have missed that completely!

Oh! And what you saw above? Yep, it's sand! Tiny grains of sand magnified and close up. Amazing. Yah's creativity never ceases to astonish me.....

Heart Transplant

From this: http://www.wsbtv.com/…/teen-talks-channel-2-about-jo…/nbFRN/

To this: http://www.wsbtv.com/…/police-suspect-hits-pedestria…/nkjbq/

At first I was speechless. But look at this spiritual implication as we get ready to celebrate on Passover our Passover Lamb, Yahshua (Jesus Christ).

Transplants are miraculous. The thought of someone being able to take a body part from one living being and put it into another, and make it work? Nothing but knowledge from Yah. Many transplants, the donor can give the organ and live. But not so for a heart transplant. Unfortunately, someone has to die. Often times when I think of heart transplants, I think of the movie, John Q. The story of a man who's son needed a new heart. They tried everything and he watched his son grow sicker. The father finally makes the decision to sacrifice himself for his son to live. And while it didn't end that way (spoiler alert), it showed the sacrifice needed for another to live.

For this young man, someone had to die in order for him to have a "new heart". Yet, he squandered that gift. While this steams my clams in the natural world, I understand, it's not all that uncommon in the spiritual.

So as we think about pastel colors and church suits, sun-worship breakfasts, Ishtar's ham, fertility goddess eggs and fertility bunnies - remember, there was a REAL person that died that you may have a NEW heart. His Father gave up the most precious gift He had for us in the sacrifice of His Son. Don't squander that gift....

Ezekiel 36:26New Living Translation (NLT) 

26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 

2 Corinthians 5:15,17New Living Translation (NLT) 

15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them...17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Have a good one!

The Proper Context Of An Apology

Ok, so, personal experiences and reading this blog  helped to spurn my fire for this one. Everyone is apologizing these days. If you turn on the news, you will see several stories of people who said something they really meant, get backlash, and come back with an apology. A child takes back what's rightfully theirs, and the parents tell them to say "I'm sorry." Spouses are found cheating and the cheated on says "just say you're sorry". Apologies abound. Many of them meaningless because they have no clue of why they are apologizing or even worse, the person has every intention on doing whatever they did again.

How many times have you heard, "Look, just say sorry, ok?" or "Did you say sorry?" as if, the magical word will instantly make the problem (or lack there of) go away. Take the blog for example, the mother took her child from the park (who was having a good time may I add) because the child who accidentally bumped into him didn't say "sorry". Keep in mind, both children were involved in the activity, yet, the mother deemed the other child rude, and not worthy to play with anymore because he didn't say "sorry". What has become of our society? Has political correctness effected our reasoning so much that at any hint of hurting someone's feelings we must be compelled to say "sorry"? Society has taught us to place our emotional value and give power to that one word and the one that "owes us an apology". That's a problem.

And this isn't just a "worldly" problem. Christians are good at guilting other Christians into apologizing. They back up their claim to apologize with various scriptures, but they fail to remember one thing that the Father has taught us: An apology means nothing without repentance. And in order to repent, there must be a true sin.

So, while the blog that I read may not be "Christian based" in nature, it caused me to think more on apologies and in what context do we do them, why we do them, and how - in a biblical way. First, I want to look at the differences between sin, sinned, and offense. This will lead us into sorrow, then repentance and finally what a proper apology looks like - in context of the Word of God.
I believe Psalm 51 is a good starting point. Often times when one wants an apology, or one does apologize, the focus is on an individual or a group of people and their feelings. But Psalm 51 shows us the proper focus.

Psalm 51:4New Living Translation (NLT) 

4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.

In Psalm 51 we see the author recognizing that out of all he has done and the people he did them to, it was Yahweh-God (Yah) alone that he actually sinned against.  He says "against you, and you alone...". The first thing we aught to recognize is our being "sorry" or sorrow has nothing to do with people, but everything to do with Yah. He is the one that gave life and rules to it. When we break those rules it is Him that we sin against, and Him that will judge us eternally. Therefore, it is Him that we must seek forgiveness from and repent.

Second, the author recognizes he sinned. Let's look at some working definitions of "sin" and "sinned" to help us put some things into perspective.

Sin is the Hebrew word chatta'ath. This means:

sin, sinful

sin, sin offering

sin

condition of sin, guilt of sin

punishment for sin

sin-offering

purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness

This "sin" is a condition. It is a temptation. It is giving in to do what is evil in Yah's sight. The first time we see this word is when Yahweh is talking with Cain. In His conversation with Cain, He first warns him to get his emotions in check and then do what is right. If not, this condition (sin) would be waiting for him. Here is something interesting of note: Yahweh had a conversation with Cain because Cain was angry with his brother, Abel. But, what Yahweh did not do was seek out Abel to make him apologize for making Cain angry, hurting his pride, and making him upset. Why? Because, Abel did not sin against Cain - or Yahweh. He had nothing to apologize for, even though his brother was angry with him. Now, if that happened today, we would be accusing Abel for causing the problem because "all he had to do was apologize". 

When we take on this mindset ("just apologize and move on") what we really are doing is allowing the person being emotional to offload their responsibility of their feelings on to the one "needing to apologize". When this happens, the emotional person: 

1. Doesn't take control of their own emotions 
2. Invests too much time and energy seeking validation from a person rather than Yahweh and 
3. Doesn't take responsibility when their emotions lead them to sin.
No, the emotional person should do just what Yahweh told Cain to do - get control of your emotions before sin awaits for you at the slightest moment to pounce on you. And, you do what is right.

Now, sin and sinned have two different meanings, so, let's go there and get a working definition of "sinned". This word is chata' khä·tä', which means:

to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness

(Qal)

to miss

to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty

to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, forfeit

(Piel)

to bear loss

to make a sin-offering

to purify from sin

to purify from uncleanness

(Hiphil)

to miss the mark

to induce to sin, cause to sin

to bring into guilt or condemnation or punishment

(Hithpael)

to miss oneself, lose oneself, wander from the way

to purify oneself from uncleanness


Again, the author recognizes in Psalm 51, that he missed the mark, was bringing guilt and condemnation on himself - "your judgment against me is just" - and had wandered from the "way". He sinned against Yahweh-God and was earnestly looking for forgiveness, and speaking of repenting. He realized, there was an infraction on Yah's laws that He had done against Him, even through other people (v.14 - "forgive me for shedding blood").

One thing that many people do is confuse "sinned" with "offend". Many think that when you "offend" someone, you must apologize. This frame of thinking has lead many Christians to take the verse Matthew 18:15 out of context by replacing "sin/trespass" with "offend". But let's think about how much sense the line of thinking you must apologize for an "offense" (as the term is commonly used) makes.

In today's terms, we "offend" someone every day. Say "negro" instead of "African-American" someone is "offended". Marry someone out of your ethnicity, someone is "offended". Hurt someone's feelings, someone is "offended". Tie your shoes wrong, someone is "offended". Eat pork, someone is "offended". Don't invite someone to your wedding, someone is "offended". Say something that is true, someone is "offended". Say Jahova instead of Yahweh, or Yahweh instead of God, or God instead of G-d, or say God at all, and someone is "offended". Shall we apologize every single time? Here is a better question, why do we place so much of our emotional value in someone else's apology? On top of all of this, there is a truth that needs to be revealed. There is a major difference between sin and offense and often times, "offense" is used out of context.
 

Now, let's look at "offense". This word is skandalizō, which means:

to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend

to entice to sin

to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey

to cause to fall away

to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority

to cause one to judge unfavourably or unjustly of another

since one who stumbles or whose foot gets entangled feels annoyed

to cause one displeasure at a thing

to make indignant

to be displeased, indignant

As by definition, often times, one who comes to say the other has "offended" them, really aren't offended. It is more than likely their feelings and pride are hurt. One should notice, several of the instances of "offend" in the New Testament speaks of making one to stumble or fall away (from the faith), not to hurt someone's pride/feelings or to make them upset.

One more quick thing I'd like to point out. I'm sure many reading will say "well, what about Matthew 5:23-24?" The answer to that is, you must go deeper than what you are reading in your translation. In the King James bible, the translation says "and there rememberest that thy brother has ought against thee...", in the New Living Translation (which I linked to) it says "and suddenly remembers someone has something against you...". The NLT seems a little softer in its approach. The KJV's word and intention behind the word "ought" means a justifiable wrong doing.

Remember, at the time of Jesus speaking of this, they were still under the Law of Moses. There were over 600 some-odd laws that could be pointed to as an infraction against Yahweh and could be proven to be justifiable. They had to keep ALL of them. Most of them were things for which you could be taken to "court". This is why in the next few verses, Jesus warns them to quickly settle the matter so that you won't be taken to court. No one goes to court over hurt feelings or things that can't be proven "justifiable". 

You also see the person was admonished to leave his "gift" there at the alter. This person was bringing a gift of sacrifice. His going to the person who had ought against him, a "justifiable wrong doing", was something that needed to be taken care of so that a sacrifice could be made. Again, this alluding to this situation having to do with the Law of Moses.  And while this point that Christ made in His time is beyond valid, we also have to remember, as New Testament believers, we are no longer to be guided by the Law, but by the Spirit of God (for those who have been redeemed through the sacrifice of Christ). And while the two won't contradict each other, they both have their "place" in a believer's life. The example given by Christ is to show a believer the value of going to your brother seeking reconciliation of a "justifiable wrong doing". But, if we are to right a wrong, it is not so that we can hurry up so we can complete our sacrifice, it is because the Spirit has shown us it is the right thing to do because we have somehow sinned against the Father and need to be forgiven.

Ok, so, let's finish up Psalm 51:4. Last, the author says: "I have done what is evil in your sight". He has come to recognize that it doesn't matter what others think about what sin or offense is, it is what is evil in the sight of God. And because the ultimate goal is to please Him, that is what he is coming to Him about.

The beautiful thing about this passage is that he recognizes how his actions have angered the Father. When we recognize how much our sin angers the Father in heaven, we become sorrowful. We hurt. We are crushed. We are even angered at ourselves for doing what we did to the only One who can give us life and take it away in an instant. These emotions are what He wants from us as described further down in the passage:

16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

This directly corresponds with what Paul says:

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT)

10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

Godly sorrow is just that - it wakes us up to realize our sin and makes us crushed. Thereby making our repentance to the Father, real.

I had no intention on my point of "sorrow" to be so quick, but there is really nothing else to say. So, I think this is a great transition to talking about repentance. Let's explore that a little more and get a good working definition of "repentance".

Repentance is the word metanoia. It means:

a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done

It is with Him that we want to make everything right which then causes us to have a "change of mind". But before we can even have a change of mind, we have to be humble enough to realize we must change. It is pride that keeps us from seeing the need to turn away from sin. Our pride will make us say that we are smarter than God and can get away with our sin. It is our humility that makes us say "God sees and knows everything - and He is everywhere."

Let's consider this verse:

2 Chronicles 7:14New Living Translation (NLT) 

14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Notice, repentance brings healing and forgiveness. The Father gave just those three things to do and look at the huge promise He gave them. All he wanted was for them to humble themselves and realized they sinned, seek Him and repent and He would do all the restoring.

If we are to be truly sorry, we must also repent - humble ourselves and stop doing what we did. It is not enough to just feel bad about what we have done. We now have to feel bad enough to become humble and not want to do it again. If one has not made up their minds that they never want to sin against Yahweh again, they haven't repented. They just made an "empty apology". This is why many will continue to do the same sin over and over. They haven't come to true sorrow and repentance. 

This is dangerous and it is playing with fire. For you can not come into the kingdom of Yah without repenting (turning away) from your sin(s). This repentance leads to restoration, healing, AND being able to be lead and filled with His Spirit that will lead and guide us into all truth. His Spirit is also charged with restraining us and making us aware of those things that anger Him. Through repentance, we literally start to have "the mind of Christ" because we have His Spirit.

The Apology...

So here we are - we have come to the apology. If we go back to the very beginning, to have a meaningful apology to anyone, we must:

First be lead by the Spirit to recognize that we have actually committed what God has declared a sin and have broken His law (different from "The Law") and therefore angered Him. To apologize and not know what you are apologizing for does no one any good.

Once we have recognized that we have angered Him, we go and find the "evil" we have done in His sight, and repent from it. Sometimes this "evil" is very apparent sometimes not so much. If it is evil that you have done to a person, seek that person out. If it is evil you have done in form of a deed, seek it out. If you are not sure, seek Him out so He can tell you.

Once we have found the evil we must repent. We must decide that we will no longer sin in that way. If you have done evil or sinned as God has said you sinned to a person, then it is necessary to make it right. Sometimes an apology is necessary, sometimes restoration of whatever you took/harmed/did is necessary. Seek the Father on how to make it right.

If these things aren't done, then your apology, or attempt to correct your wrong, is empty and meaningless.

If you have not sinned and done evil in the sight of Yah, then your apology is unwarranted and not necessary. Sure, it is a nice thing to do to make another feel better about themselves, but it is not necessary. Don't get caught up in the "apology game". If someone has some ill toward you and it is not justifiable, that is a problem that person really needs to take to Yah in prayer about. If that person doesn't know Him, it would be a good time to get to do so. It is not your place to validate someone's emotions. You will be another pawn in the game where the enemy gets people to put their hope and trust in man to make them validated rather than Yah.

I know this may not make sense to a non-believer. But for a believer, it should make perfect sense. For the non-believer, I will say this: Many times in our life, we have put too much hope, trust, and validation in a person only to be let down. Human's are not perfect and they fail. They abuse and misuse trust, because that is nature. But, there is One that is perfect and if we put our hope and trust in Him, He will never fail. That One is Yahshua, the Son of the perfect God, Yahweh. They can not lie, they can not deceive. They can not let us down. It is to them we owe all that we are, and it is them alone who can restore and validate us. Stop looking to man to make you feel better, and stop feeling like you have the power to make another "whole".

I hope my interpretation is clear.

Have a good one!

Through It All One Thing Is Constant

Today, I celebrate my five year kidney transplant anniversary with my sister. She was so selfless and gave a part of herself to me so that I can have a little while longer here on this earth. Thinking about her and then my life, I look back and think about how blessed I am to experience life. Even with all it's ups and downs.

Life. It really throws unexpected twists and turns. Really, nothing is ever constant - except the Father in Heaven. Relationships aren't constant, money isn't constant, freedom isn't constant, health isn't constant. Our brother Paul said it best:

Philippians 4:11King James Version (KJV)11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

On emotions: I have lived for over 36 years. In my time here on earth, I have experienced so many tears, but yet so many side-hurting, gut-busting laughs. I have experienced loneliness and I have experienced the pleasure of company. I have experienced the agony of family struggle and I have experienced the joy of family triumph. I have and have been misunderstood and I have been correct and corrected. And through it all, Yah remained constant.

On relationships: I have experienced making friends and I have experienced the fading away and break up of friends. I have experienced the fulfillment of trust and I have experienced the pain of betrayal. I have experienced late night talks and I have experienced the conversation slowing down to a complete stop. I have experienced love and I have experienced heartbreak.Yet, Yah remained constant.

On prosperity: I have experienced financial freedom and I have experienced being bogged down with debt. I have experienced owning my own home and I have experienced a foreclosure. I have experienced eating a wonderful meal and I have experienced sharing meals with homeless men. I have experienced taking two steps forward and I have experienced taking 5 steps back. Yet, Yah remained constant.

On religion: I have experienced being one of the most dreadful of sinners and I am experiencing being one of the redeemed. I have experienced megachurches and I have experienced the fellowship of a few. I have experienced false teaching and I have experienced the lone truth of Yah. I have experienced legalism and I have experienced the freedom of Christ. I have experienced being "spoon fed" and I have experienced feeding myself. Yet, Yah remained constant.

On health: I have experienced perfect health and I have experienced living life on a machine. I have experienced taking handfuls of medicines and I have experienced only taking a few. I have experienced the pain of multiple surgeries and I have experienced the comfort of healing from them. I have experienced doctors telling me I don't have long to live and to call my family and I have experienced walking out that same hospital door giving Yah the praise. Yet, Yah remained constant.

Through all of my trials and all of my triumphs I have experienced in life - the life HE has given me to live - HE has remained constant. Be encouraged. As I celebrate 5 years of my second transplanted kidney, I marvel at how insignificant my life is. It can go downhill in an instant, it can pass away at any moment. But the one "Thing" that will always be constant is Yah. He never began and He will never end. He will remain constant.

Have a good one y'all!!!