After celebrating yet another year of our country’s independence I find it fitting to talk about another type of freedom that we often take for granted. The freedom I’m referring to is the freedom given to us when Jesus died on the cross. It’s sad that we don’t celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice the way we do the fourth of July, there are no fireworks or remembrance of his actions or any of the brave and faithful servants of God. We often just assume that freedom from sin has always been there and reserve our celebrating to Easter which has become a commercial nightmare for the Easter bunny. When I asked a class in an elementary school the reason we celebrated Easter a majority credited it to none other than …. The Easter Bunny. So is Easter really a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and atonement for our sins? In my opinion no, it like every other holiday has become too secular and people in the church too readily accept its influence in the church, it burns me up to see plastic eggs trying to be explained away as representing Jesus.

            Now don’t get me wrong I do appreciate the sacrifice of our founding fore fathers, but I think we should go a step further and celebrate also our Lord and Savior who made it possible for them to do what they have accomplished. I believe that everything happens for a reason and God guides and directs our paths as we make and face trials and tribulations in our lives. Our country was founded on the principles of God so that means that out on the battle field it was God who was guiding them to victory. I would like to imagine heavenly representatives marching side by side with our soldiers giving them a clear head, steady hands and a warm heart. Bravery is but one of the adaptive traits humans posses; we fight or flight and in most cases when we know that we will not survive it takes something other than ourselves to choose to fight.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, ⁴in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:11

Ø  I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Ø  I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.

Ø  I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

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            Thursday evening at our monthly Women of Purpose meeting Sister Denise was the speaker. She told us that God had impressed on her at work one day that His people needed to be renewed. When thinking about the word renew many ideas come to mind; a renewed mind, heart, spirit, etc. With renewal it requires us to first clean out all the sins that have bogged down our hearts and restore within ourselves a right spirit with God. When David wrote Psalm he touched on this very subject, he being a man from God’s own heart and a man of many sins knew what it meant to ask for forgiveness. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. - Psalm 51:10 (KJV)

            There are some out there telling people that they don’t have to repent for their sins and not to take a side on the Baptist/ Pentecostal debate on Salvation I fully recommend one to take advantage of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and approach His throne boldly asking forgiveness for one’s sins. When Jesus died on the cross He made atonement for our sins and keeps us in the modern era from having to sacrifice animals. The shedding of His blood rent the veil that separated us from God which allows us to be able to contact Him personally and have a close relationship. There in my mind would be no other reason why the Bible would instruct us to pray without ceasing. As much as we would all like to deny our sinfulness, it is there we are flesh and as long as we are in this flesh we will sin and sin a lot. Like any Psychiatrist will tell you the first step to solving a problem is first admitting you have one. Yes, Jesus already knows that you are going to sin and what you’re going to do, but He wants to hear you acknowledge you’ve done wrong. The repentance process does not on the other hand give one the license to sin; one can’t live like the devil all week and repent on the weekend only to repeat the process afterwards. God is just to forgive our sins, but only if we ask humbly and have no intention of repeating it.

pray without ceasing, - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

            To give an illustration of the renewal process, picture a white heart and the sins of our lives begin to collect on it like a brown and black paper mache until it completely covered; there is no white left. But if we daily acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness it allows our heart to be “renewed” like new and white. So today if you have any hidden sins that is interfering with your relationship with God there is no better time than now to do some spring cleaning and reconnect. Don’t wait too long so you won’t have to endure God’s judgment and this applies to me as well. I too have some spring cleaning to do!

“There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow.”~ Martin Luther

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            On this wonderful Memorial Day I spent it buying plants and enjoying the rain. Most people would complain about it, but I see it as God’s way of watering His garden. After I finished planting everything I looked up in the sky and saw a rainbow, the first thing that came to mind was the story of Noah. We’ve all heard and read Noah’s story, God asked him to build an ark and up until that time there had never been rain on the earth. So when Noah told the people it was going to flood not only did they not know what rain was, but they also thought Noah was crazy. Although Noah did not know what rain was and the ultimate purpose of God’s plan he faithfully built this large boat in the mist of ridicule. In the end God made a bow in the sky promising never to destroy the earth by water again.

I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. - Genesis 9:13 (NKJV)

            Noah’s story is a wonderful reminder of just one of God’s promises to His children. One thing I’ve learned throughout my life is if God makes you a promise you can take it to the bank. He never lies and never forsakes us. I’ve heard others say that God has forgotten the promises He’s made, but I think it’s the other way around I think we are the ones who forget. We forget that God’s time is not our time; we forget that His thoughts are not our thoughts; we forget His ways are not our ways. If we can throw all of our expectations out the window and just take God at His word our lives would be so much easier. I will admit that there have been times that I’ve become impatient with God and forgot that He doesn’t work the way I think He should. He’s never late, even when we think He’s four days late He is right on time. So today If you are waiting on God to fulfill His promises like Abraham let’s not take matters into our own hands and wait patiently for Him to make good.

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.- 2 Corinthians 1:20

God never made a promise that was too good to be true.
Dwight L. Moody

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            When the Lord impressed on me to begin working with the youth I didn’t quite understand why. I love children, but never really considered myself the teacher type. I’ve learned not to question God, but the questions still plagued my mind. Working with three year olds are challenging to say the least and it is a learning experience and the first thing I’ve learned is that no matter how many plans you make they always go out the window. The biggest lesson I’ve learned about children is that they are the heart of God and to dismiss them would be a great disservice to us.

            We should take time for our children and have a special interest in their spiritual welfare for they are the next generation of our church. We may not always see the fruit immediately, but over time their actions will come to fruition. The most important thing I think we can teach our children is to worship God. As adults we sometimes let pride and what other people think of us hinder our worship, children on the other hand are in a position where they don’t have to be held back by our downfalls. Let’s teach the next generation of the church the concept that we were made to worship God and how to keep it pure and unadulterated.  

            Worshipping God is not about who is the best, it is about blessing God and welcoming His presence into our midst. If we fail to worship Him the trees and rocks will cry out in our place and I don’t know about anyone else I’m not about to let a rock take my place. Especially after the grace and mercy God graciously gives me every day, it’s not a question of whether He is worthy of our praise. He commands it!

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. - 1 Chronicles 16:29

But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. - Psalm 5:7

Worship means reverence and humility it means revering your real self and humbling delusions. ~ Bodhidharma

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In the world we live in today it is easy to be overwhelmed and seemingly defeated by huge or “giant” obstacles in our lives. Just this morning as soon as I woke up I was hit with all the things I had to accomplish before the day is through, but I know with hard work and prayer that me and God will get the job done. At this moment I feel like David when he was looking up at Goliath, I have the unshakable faith that with Christ all things are possible.

But if we were to break down the concept of giants it could be summed up in a variety of things: sin, worry, doubt, fear, and guilt. So today if you are facing a giant I urge you to take up your sling and rocks with unshakable faith in Christ Jesus and face them head on. I’ve started the day with prayer and thanked God for another breath of air with that incredible mercy He has already shown me my problems don’t seem so hard to overcome.

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands. - (1 Samuel 17: 47)(KJV)

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.-(Mark 9:23)

Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.- (Job 15:4)

“Take care, your worship, those things over there are not giants but windmills.”~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

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            As I sit here in my living room and take in the silence I use this time to reflect on the goodness of God. If I were to explain my life’s story most wouldn’t understand how I made it through such an ordeal or the final plan God had in mind when placing me through adversity. I truly believe that we go through different things in order to shape and mold us into the people God envisioned us to be before conception. God uses circumstances to humble us and ultimately bring us to Him. Then, by His grace He continues to use life’s twists and turns to reshape us into more Christ like forms.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. - Rom. 8:29 NIV

            I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying that God is the potter and we are His clay, but few realize this as being a life changing concept to our everyday living. Suddenly those trials we face don’t seem so insurmountable and actually have a meaning. When God revealed to me the calling He had for my life it was in that second that everything I had been through finally made sense. The potter cannot fashion a pot, but by fire. There cannot be a testimony without a test! If your life has seemed to take an unexpected turn just remember in the hands of God we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:10). We are like the children’s song ‘God’s still working on me,’ we are but unfinished works of art. He works daily on us to make manifest His glory, for by life’s fire are we made more like Jesus!

Read: Romans 8:22-30

Lord, I may not always understand the plan You have for me, but I will trust that in the Potter’s hands I am being shaped into what You want me to be! ~ Amen

What we are is God's gift to us.  What we become is our gift to God.  ~Eleanor Powell

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            As a youth minister I find it simply amazing how many young people are in the church today. In most places the children outnumbers the adults and personally I find it refreshing. It shows that God still has love for human kind and that His church will still go on regardless. I believe God has a special fondness for children and young people; they haven’t been completely corrupted by all the things in this world and are in the process of being molded into what He wants. It seems most of us older Christians have dug our heels in and have become closed minded to the things of God, we’ve become set in our ways and it sometimes prohibits God from working the way He wants to.  

            As forerunners we should be constantly trying to teach the children (next generation) the precepts of God without bias and without prejudice. And we should also expect that things will continue to change regardless of whether we want them to or not. We should hold an open mind to some new things, but continue to be stead fast in knowledge and wisdom pasted down through the generations. As parents we should want our children not to repeat our mistakes and become better than we are. To have all our strengths and none of our weaknesses. The children are watching us and the type of life we lead will be the life they lead, so if you’re striving to walk the straight and narrow and display faithfulness and integrity that is what they will posses.

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. - Deut. 6:7

Train a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. – Prov. 22:6

            Sometimes I believe as adults we stifle the potential of the children, some adults even harbor bitterness or animosity because of an unfulfilled childhood or because of the sins of a few. Let’s get our youth involved in everyday church happenings and show them how things should go and also let them teach us some things. The best way to learn something is by doing it, hands on. Whether we like it or not they are still a part of the body of Christ, they may be the baby toes but they are essential in keeping us balanced. Let’s make sure our actions don’t keep our children and next generation from God.

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. – Matt. 19:14

"Every child you encounter is a divine appointment."~ Wess Stafford

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Read: Exodus 25:1-9

            I asked my son the other day what he wanted to be when he grew up, in response he said he wanted to be a police officer so he could arrest people. I explained to him that being a police officer was more than arresting people although the job requires it sometimes. Then I went on to explain that we are the physical representatives of Jesus here on earth to others and what we become should reflect and glorify Him. Our bodies are the temple of God; His Holy Spirit dwells within us, like we are a little piece of heaven on earth.

            God gave Moses specific directions for building the temple it was so it would be representive of His presence, so His people could sense Him. In every since of the word it was like a little piece of heaven on earth for the Israelites. The temple was a physical example of God’s presence on earth also (1 Kings 5-8). The reason God had these places set up was so that He could dwell among His people. God eventually used Jesus as the perfect temple to dwell here among us on earth (John 1:14).

            When Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent us the Holy Spirit to indwell in His followers (John 14:16-17), so that we could be His temples and tabernacles in the real world (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19). As a representive of God, let’s do our best to spread peace and be a little piece of heaven to someone else. Ask God to show you where you can be a beacon to others and be used in the lives of others. Even if it’s just in your own home!

Holy Spirit of God, visit now this soul of mine, and tarry within it until the eventide. Inspire all my thoughts. Pervade all my imaginations. Suggest all my decisions. Lodge in my soul's most inward citadel, and order all my doings. Be with me in silence and in my speech, in my haste and in my leisure, in company and in solitude, in the freshness of the morning and the weariness of the evening. Give me grace at all times to rejoice in Thy mysterious companionship. ~ John Baillie

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Read: Romans 3

As I was running my errands the other day I saw a bumper sticker on the back of someone’s car that read ‘Christians aren’t perfect just forgiven.’ I’m sure everyone has either heard this saying or has read it themselves, but that day when I read it God began to expound on it. We as Christians, children of God are not perfect in no such way shape or form. As long as we are in this fleshly body we can never hope to attain that perfection, but we should still strive to be more like Jesus every day. When it comes down to it we are all still sinners, but we have accepted Jesus and when we confess our sins with a humble and contrite heart the Lord is just to forgive our sins. This is the only difference between Christians and the unsaved, but because we are saved that doesn’t mean their sins are any greater than ours. We all fall short of the glory of God; our sins are simply covered by the blood. Instead of judging people for their sins, show them a better way; show them the forgiveness you have found!

Unfortunately I’ve been amongst “religious” people who were so bold as to even criticize fellow brothers and sister right in church because they thought they were better than everyone else. It’s this kind of attitude that turns people off from joining churches and I would even go as far as to say in believing in Christ. They ask why should I join in on all that foolishness when I can experience that out here in the world? We represent Christ and when we act unbecoming of a child of God we are not being very good witnesses. It is not our place to judge and we ought not to think more of ourselves than what we are. We are not better than anyone else, we are simply forgiven.

So when they continues asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first case a stone at her. – John 8:7

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. - Romans 3:9

       Dear Lord, help me not to judge others but to extend the love you have extended to me. Let everything I do glorify Your name and let me do unto others as I would have them do to me. Amen

We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God. ~ Harry S. Truman

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