Be Holy

Holiness. It's the key to unlocking extreme potential in your quest for the most effective mastery over life. The importance of holiness can not afford to be overlooked. But I tell you now that it is being overlooked by the majority of Christians and is indeed the foremost cause of ineffectiveness in so very many Christians. Paul put so much substance behind the necessity to be holy for exactly this reason. We as Christians have been set apart as holy. We must live our lives to that end, if we ever expect to answer God's personal calling on our lives. Holy is defined as "one perfect in goodness and righteousness". Quite obviously this does not mean you will not make mistakes. But when you knowingly make compromises in your life for other people's standards, not only do you limit what God is willing to do with and for you, but you show others that the transformation of a person into an active, called Christian; the power of God really, isn't really that intense. I'll give you an example that is easy to see. On myspace.com, there was a profile with a name that was something like "Ready to transform the whole world for God". That was not the exact name, but the point is made. When I went to this person's page, there were worldly things being advertised by the very individual that thought it important enough to name the profile what they did. By clicking on the friends in this profile, I could see the comments that the "Extreme Christian" left for the friends. Things like, "Eff that noise, call me." Eff that noise? What does that mean?! When I heard someone at a church once use that term, I asked them why they chose to use it. "We're at church, this is God's house!", they replied. You may not be that transparent, but that's no better. At least someone who is that transparent has a better chance to recognize the need for change. You could just go through life deceived about what a real, intense, clearly committed life with God is like. Is it any wonder that people experience short term walks with God? Impotent lives that bear no productive fruit? People always look to the world as a source of friction for the Christian. How problematic many Christians are! It's the carnality and the lack of boundaries that set people up for guaranteed failure. You will either have set standards that you follow or you will allow things to compromise your relationship with God. You can't be holy when you allow such ridiculous folly. If you find yourself living a life that a stranger would not be certain that you are holy, you probably are not. Don't justify it, crucify it. Give it to God or have your standards and quality of life further raped by your unholiness. You can never expect God to work great things in and through you when you expose your temple to compromise. And if it seems like God is actively working through you, then consider what He could do if you were holy. Don't be deceived, being holy is the key to igniting those around you. It's the very element that lets God do absolutely fantastic things through you. It is what makes a person unstoppable in their personal growth and it is the gateway to becoming wiser to all things.

Impossibilities!

It Can Not be Done:

Everything that can be invented has been invented.
- Charles H. Duell, an official at the US patent office, 1899.

It will be years, not in my time, before a woman will become Prime Minister. - Margaret Thatcher, future Prime Minister, October 26th, 1969.

That virus is a pussycat. - Dr. Peter Duesberg, molecular-biology professor at U.C. Berkeley, on HIV, 1988.

Man will not fly for 50 years.
- Wilbur Wright, American aviation pioneer, to brother Orville, after a disappointing flying experiment, 1901 (their first successful flight was in 1903).

Everyone acquainted with the subject will recognize it as a conspicuous failure.
- Henry Morton, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, on Edison's light bulb, 1880.

That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced.
Scientific American, Jan. 2 edition, 1909.

It is apparent to me that the possibilities of the aeroplane, which two or three years ago were thought to hold the solution to the [flying machine] problem, have been exhausted, and that we must turn elsewhere.
- Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1895.

There will never be a bigger plane built.
- A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people.

Atomic energy might be as good as our present-day explosives, but it is unlikely to produce anything very much more dangerous.
- Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, 1939.

There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.
- Albert Einstein, 1932.

Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?
- H. M. Warner, co-founder of Warner Brothers, 1927.

The cinema is little more than a fad. It's canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage." - Charlie Chaplin, actor, producer, director, and studio founder, 1916.

It's a great invention but who would want to use it anyway?
- Rutherford B. Hayes, U.S. President, after a demonstration of Alexander Bell's telephone, 1876.

Television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.
- Darryl Zanuck, movie producer, 20th Century Fox, 1946.

Very interesting Whittle, my boy, but it will never work.
- Cambridge Aeronautics Professor, when shown Frank Whittle's plan for the jet engine.

If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said 'you can't do this'.
- Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M "Post-It" Notepads.

The most critical point here is that each of the people who made the claims of improbability were the most knowledgeable, respected men in their fields. These are the people who had it all together. When they talked, people listened. If Albert Einstein tells you something can't be done, it is with finality that you naturally except it as truth. The theme here is that success came from ignoring the naysayers. In some of the cases that I've listed, the people were actually held back by their own admission. In other cases, people saw it done, tried it, and still didn't see the worth! What I'm really getting at here, is that in life, and especially with the things of God, you CAN NOT allow the things that are standard to define and determine what is possible and what will be. You cannot allow circumstance, state of mind, a belief system, or lack of belief to get in the way. If you have a vision, a dream, or a direction from God, you must throw logic out the window in its entirety. It is because God's thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways, that there is no logic behind trying to determine and measure that which God will make of and for your life. You must let go of human belief. Human belief is not good enough for what God has planned.

Quizzical

As I look over these posts of mine, I realize that they aren't in the least "Newbie Christian" friendly. If you're a younger Christian, these posts probably aren't for you. There is some great material out there for the "Baby Christian", and you should definitely give it a look. Joel Osteen puts out some nice stuff that is right up your alley. As I was saying, these posts are mainly for the purpose of awakening and strengthening the person who is already going to church, possibly even someone who has been for years. They are for the person who forgot who they're supposed to be. The person who got too comfortable and changed their name to "Compromise", or "Watered-Down". I always write from my heart because I've been so many things in the past. Everything that I write about comes from experience. Anyway, I just felt I should clarify that because these posts appear on my other site, and I've been asked questions like, "Who is this enemy that you refer to?". These posts aren't for evangelism. For this I thank God. I am called to this, and I am answering that call. Evangelism is an awesome thing to do for God, but it's not my calling. What I'm about to say is in no way out of pride. None of what I exalt is born of me so it can't be! I doubt that I can convey this properly, but just know that I've died and am dying in so many ways to the flesh that I am close to God in a way I could never describe. And I promise it will cost me more than I can imagine. I am on the path to selling out to God like Elijah, David, Keith Green, Oswald Chambers, and other people who let go of themselves and straight up leeched off of God for EVERYTHING. This is in no way boasting, except as Paul said, boasting on God. Everything good in me is from the Father. I point all this out for the purpose of telling everyone who reads these and turns away, be careful, it may be that you're supposed to be reading them, and not turning away, but instead implementing them into the tangible and applicable. Furthermore, I don't expect comments really, but as many subscribers as there are, it does get me thinking: if we were all sold out, we wouldn't be able to stop spurring one another towards good things. In the future, some people will unsubscribe to these blogs, one has already, and that's okay, because the level to which I seek God before and as I write these assures me that they are written the way they should be. I tell you this with the utmost sincerity, the things of life that are not related to Him seem so insignificant when you start to sell out, when you die to the flesh. I know it's not just me that has seen what God wants to do. Come along with me if you've got the unction. I know that someone reading all these blogs certainly does.

Weak

The enemy will try to curse ANYTHING that God tries to prosper. That's just the nature of the game. Satan has been succeeding at this since the fall of man. The thing that really gets me though, is that the attacks are always the same. Nothing new . . . ever. Every attempt Satan makes at robbing you of being in close contact with God has been used by him a million times. No, that's an understatement. It very well could be hundreds of billions. There will never be anything new in his arsenal to use against you. God has restricted the devil to what you already experience of him in most cases. He lies. But he also tells the truth. He accuses you, usually of something you are indeed guilty of. This makes it all the more effective. At times, you ARE the flake he called you. You ARE a hypocrite. You ARE selfish. He points out the truth, but only in shards, and only when it has a chance of effecting you. He doesn't want you to answer his charges with scripture, he'd rather you dwell on what he tells you because, "Hey, it is true". He doesn't want you to tell him that The Word already told you that you weren't good enough and that you're glad you're not required to be. He prefers it when you don't remind him that you are saved by grace and not by works; whatever he says to knock you back can be answered by Truth. His best stuff is focused on dividing and conquering. He wants to separate you from God and what God desires to share with you. He lusts to get you alone and defenseless, that he might influence you to hopelessness. He is bitter that you, a weak, insignificant being, are able to share a relationship with God, and that he, a far more powerful being, cannot. He is bitter that God receives joy from you having a relationship with Him. This relationship makes Satan sick. His attacks are weak and reek of desperation. He has his limited set of attacks to draw on, and he hopes with all his might that you don't discover how weak and pathetic his attempts are. Because the moment you do realize that, he has no chance. For every lie he tells, The Bible presents a multitude of truths that individually are enough to overcome that lie. God is all about "more than enough". It's His nature. It's the enemy's nature to retreat in fear when you follow the simplistic biblical approach. It works every time. Stop making the devil out to be something he isn't. He relies on you to crumble under his tired routine. He needs you to participate in his ruse or he has nothing. He does have one thing; the weak and tired routine with absolutely nothing capable of being effective against you unless you choose to make it so by your acceptance and inaction.

Quiet Rumblings

Whenever you take a stand for God that is higher than ever before and that will require more of you than ever to get to the next level in your journey of answering God's call, you're guaranteed more opposition from Satan. I think this is known by most people who have striven for more. But I want to focus on another aspect. The opposite of the opposition from the enemy, it comes from the Holy Spirit during the same period of time. You're praying more, reading more, growing more. But the Holy Spirit is quietly calling you to further change, usually in part based on your reaching to God for more. It starts with a vision, a personal vision that is sometimes so faint or so inconceivable that it is easy to dismiss as something else entirely. Perhaps as a fantasy or a tangent of whimsical thoughts.
For God to increase your capacity for Him and His ways, you must decrease in ways that are contrary to Him. God will desperately want you to be ready to handle more, He celebrates that. But He won't give you more than you're ready for, especially in areas of advancement. I'm reading a book right now (Becoming a Pioneer of Success by Tracey Armstrong) that talks about how you can't expect to move on to bigger and better things in God when you allow areas of compromise into your walk. His book goes into that in depth, and is worth mentioning here as there is a connection between what he is talking about and the quiet rumblings of the Holy Spirit. You should first put an end to those things that stick out plainly to you. We know that God gives wisdom out in spades when you're working towards His cause, so it really isn't difficult to do.
After that process, and sometimes during, those rumblings of the Spirit within your soul start to whisper more and more. That's really just God pre-approving you for promotion in Him, since you are capable of all He asks of you. When God gets excited for what's next for you, He starts presenting more and more ways for you to achieve more and more of His destiny for your life. This is evident in those quiet prods from the Holy Spirit. As a parent, I know a unique level of joy in wanting great things for my son. You're simply seeing and feeling God's heightened version of that joy. Isn't that spectacular to know?! It's worth getting excited about for sure. How great a thing it really is that God gets STOKED at the possibility of your personal growth!
How much do you help something happen when you have a passion for it? That's nothing in comparison to how much God will help great things happen in your walk when you allow Him to take action by grabbing on to what the Spirit is trying to show you. I'm not at all talking about tangible things that you can touch. I'm talking about God unlocking your destiny for you as an individual being. Is there really anything more important than locking in to God? Close your eyes and grab His hand and run with Him. Your own views will just get in the way of what I'm talking about anyway. The Lord is faithful to complete the work He begins in you!

What is possible?

I'm more in love with God than I've ever been in my life. It certainly hasn't always been like this. As a matter of truth, it's new, at least to this level. I am constantly hungry for Spiritual food. I go just an hour or two without praying or getting into some praise and worship or a little bit of the Bible; my spirit and soul start to ache. It's hunger pangs. Did you hear that? It's hunger pangs. This is in no form any way of boasting, save for boasting on God's Perfection and Grace. I am amazed by my growth. Make no mistake, it is because of how far God has lifted me up. But it's also due to my efforts. I can choose to settle for less, and there are times that I have. There have also been times in my life when I have sought the will of God for my life, but not like this. I am constantly seeking to be consumed more and more by Holy Fire. I want to grow and shine and be lethal to the enemy. Sounds an awful lot like the 15 year old at a youth camp, no? That's what they sound like, before something else happens to them.
I said to a friend recently that God is getting ready to do some big, big things. Unseen in these times type of things. He said to me that he was tired of hearing that. That he'd been hearing that for years. He'd been hearing it since he was 13, and now at 30, he's still hearing it in today's youth groups. Here's the thing though. God was and is always ready to do something big. It's His people who back off. It's the kid in the youth group that graduates high school, gets a full-time job or gets ready for college. God is waiting for those who are willing to go further for Him than the people before them.
The reason I mention all this is that I have discovered that I am one of those people. God already knew that, He was just waiting for me to catch up. To stop putting limitations on Him. It is imperative that we realize what "apple of His eye" means. It really is a matter of perspective that determines so much about you, about where you're going with God. If you can't see yourself like I've described, then how will your faith increase? The Beastie Boys were right. "The man makin' diamonds out of coal is the one who holds the remote control." How you devour the opportunities that are available only through God determine how far He'll take you.
I've heard it said countless times that there are certain biblical principles that you can benefit from whether you serve God or not. I'm done hearing about that. I've got all I can from that for now. I'm talking about the things that will ONLY happen when you give in to God. Keith Green says in one of his songs, "I want to die and let you give your life to me that I might live." He's talking about dying as fleshly death, the only way for God to truly inspire you to action.
You see, there's only so much God can use you for when you limit Him by not being ready. I don't want to serve a limited God, because it would be completely my fault that He was limited. Dying to the world, crucifying the flesh, getting that hunger; these are the keys to being rocketed ahead towards God's perfect will. The casual Christian mentality will never increase your personal capacity. You'll peak, and rules are rules. That will be as far as you go, your entire life if you so decide.

Harsh

(I realize that this may come on strong, believe me that it's not directed as a generalization, but to those that it is, it's meant to come on strong)

Hunger for God. The Real God. The God that you so many times hold back so that you can live your life more comfortably in sin. I say in sin, although you may not see it that way. It's easy to see your life as "pretty good". As a Christian, it's easy to compare your life to worldly people. You say, "Hey I go to church. I pay my tithes. I don't drink. I don't beat my kids, and I come home after work every night." You even compare yourself to other Christians and rate yourself higher in your walk with God, though no one should do so. These comparisons are dangerous and need to be viewed as though they were stealing your most sacred treasures. They cause and further implement you in your walk with God to slip into a level of existence that only barely gets you by.
No hunger for God! Not aching to be consumed by Holy Fire. You're greedy and selfish. You want the most out of a life with God for the least amount of effort. You allow yourself to be satisfied with the bare minimum. What causes this? You need to thirst for the MOST you can possibly handle of God. Do you remember that hunger? When God first found you, broken, contrite and ready for a new life? Where did that fire go? God holds up his end of the deal, is faithful, blesses you MUCH more than you need, and you soak it all in, making sure that you're the best looking, most stylish person at church. You're far too cool for God. Lukewarm that is.
Revelations says in 3:15-16, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." To vomit is to eject forcefully, violently even, but certainly with the motive of getting the filth far away. This means that God would prefer you in either of those states than where you are, and He prefers it with a passion. It's easy to see why He would want you to be hot. But cold? Well, at least cold is honest. With cold there is no disguise, no concealment of truth, no pretense.
I'd much prefer that to insincerity and hypocrisy. Someone who is cold is more stable, and has better character than the lukewarm. It is easier for a cold person to become hot than for a lukewarm person. Saul, as a murderous, Christian hater became Paul, writing 13 books of the New Testament. Judas, taught by The Son of God for years, was a thief and a fraud. Saul was cold, but Judas was lukewarm.
If you're lukewarm, don't stay there. If you realized the gravity of the situation you'd know that you should actually panic. It is that serious. The trouble is, once you're lukewarm, it's so easy to stay there. The enemy lusts that you would stay in that putrid state. You're no one for him to be concerned with. You can't be used by God for anything. Satan views you as dead, and he's almost right. Almost. See, I've been lukewarm at points in my life. I know of the constant toil that comes with it. I tell you the truth, you must be humble before God and desperately want change to be changed, just like with true repentance. But oh how quickly God smites that, igniting you, instantly propelling you to hot. He wants it more than you do in your most longing moment of desire. He would have to in order to spew you away from Him.

Bitterness

Bitterness. Webster's defines bitter as "marked by intensity, cynicism, and pain." Marked is an excellent way to view the effect bitterness has on someone. They are marked, and usually by personal experience. It's that sour experience that causes someone to lock away the very best parts of themselves. Everything good is locked away because bitterness CONSUMES an individual completely, affecting every faucet of their being.
Bitter people are intense. They eventually become dead set on malevolence and spreading pain. It may not start that way, but that is in fact the ONLY conclusion if bitterness is not healed. After long term exposure, being consumed by this contemptuous state can cause you to think higher of yourself than people who don't agree with your cynicism. From your twisted perspective, they slowly become the enemy. From their perspective, they see your hardened heart and are turned away.
Webster's also defines bitterness as "being relentlessly determined and intensely unpleasant, especially in coldness or rawness." The determination of a bitter person is unrelenting because that uncontrollable drive is powered by severe pain, grief, or regret. Bitterness is a breeding ground for self-loss and isolation. In the end it leads to deep, insurmountable sorrow, depression, hopelessness and the immensely overwhelming feeling that emptiness is not only acceptable for your life, but the only option. Bouncing back from this fate can prove more difficult than most anything else. This is due to the fact that with bitterness we naturally harden ourselves, as a protective measure, oftentimes in an attempt to not be hurt again. We vehemently reject any type of reproach, directives, compassion or help offered by others.
When people are bitter about church and church leadership, they see non-bitter people as pawns. Not pawns unto themselves, but of the people representing anything church related. When others don't share their hardened opinions or "see the light", they then become worthless to the bitter soul. This in turn creates a vacuum. It's because of this lockout that only God can rescue someone from this spiraling wreck. It WILL produce a spirit of ill ambition and contention; it WILL destroy any who are ruled by it, and it offers nothing less than complete mastery of you. The Sword of Truth of course, can slay bitterness. Come away from that sickness that can prevent you from using The Sword. The Sword which God entrusted to you, that you might use it! Ask God for meekness, humility and kindness and start melting that resentment away.

Introspection

Introspection. A powerful ally or a daunting enemy. Choose introspection to narrow the wide gambit of areas for self-improvement. Focus on one or two key elements of your findings that you sincerely wish to change. This will transform your entire being a little at a time. It can become really easy to get overwhelmed trying to be a better person, a more solid person of God especially. It's so easy to put tons of pressure on yourself expecting instant change when all you think about is that "The Power of God" is at work and Salvation is instant, so therefore, you should be able to be revolutionized instantly! How misleading this train of thought is!
Looking throughout the Bible, you see many examples of people of God that God had to wait on to fulfill their destiny. This is because they needed to grow into what He envisioned for them. Moses had a great calling on his life. He also argued with God every step of the way as to why he couldn't do it. Jonah was a preacher and a prophet for God. His life was a wreck. If God is speaking through you, He clearly is at work in your life. I'm not saying that you should give yourself excuses to live a "Comfortable Walk" by only doing some of what you know you should do; I'm saying that it doesn't happen overnight (like salvation). The thing is, when that instantaneous transformation of God coming into your heart happens, that's "God's work on you". Changing into a powerful warrior of Christ is partially "Your work on you". Big difference.
So use introspection to mold yourself into a more complete Christian. Take full advantage of the ability to single things out that you want to attack or strengthen. God will provide ample opportunity to see what else needs to be changed when you finally run out of the obvious. Seek wisdom from Him and you will find it.

Good Times

What follows is an excerpt from the book "America is too young to die", by Leonard Ravenhill (author of Why Revival Tarries). It describes these present times, although it was written in 1979. What follows is all too common now, ten fold more than when written (and in just 28 short years!). Take a look around. There's something happening here.

"In this day of thin theology, gospel peddlers (I hardly dare call them
evangelists) have accented free grace until some such teaching has become a
disgrace.
Men will not always say in clear words what they imply in their
teaching. But the average evangelist, with his eyes on the crowd or on the offering, has a 'gospel' which, in Paul's words, is 'another gospel.'
It goes something like this:
You have done wrong (the ugly word 'sinned' is omitted), this will ruin
your life (not, 'sin will cast you into hell'); come and tell God you are
sorry (not, 'bring forth fruit therefore meet for repentance'). Now don't
sob like that (though God says 'a broken and a contrite heart'), the Lord
understands; now that you have prayed, all is well. Just think of it this
way; your name is now written in the Book of Life. You will have a mansion
over the hilltop, a crown and free ticket to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
and will be a ruler over five cities.
This, if it were true, would classify for the title, 'The Great
Give-Away.'"

Pride

Pride. What do think of when you think of pride? We tend to think of pride as something that we should avoid. A sin that entangles. And it is. I was thinking about pride today, with its ensnaring characteristics, and wondering. If pride is so sly and so capable of sneaking up on us, then there must be other areas of sin where pride is the root cause; however hidden. For example, pride generally must be a ruling element in order for one to take offense. There must be something to offend, and pride is usually it. Without pride, you often wouldn't get offended when "You had every right to".
It's pride that keeps us from being healthier, happier Christians, we all know that. But in subtle ways it works that truth. We fake stuff for the sake of pride, especially around other Christians, like it was a competition! At church when someone asks how we're doing, pride helps us grin like a used car salesman and say, "Blessed and highly favored", but without living it, without even believing it. We can be struggling inside, only to keep up an illusion meant to show everyone that we're still doing okay. Like it's weak of us to need help. At church of all places! (Stupendous is the sin that can cause you to not seek support at church!!) Really though, it just keeps up walls. Walls that we trap ourselves behind and that are difficult to see over, let alone to break down. Because the longer you keep up an illusion, the harder it is to be open, to be real again.
Pride is the invisible dominator. It's power is strengthened the longer it is allowed to take hold on us. We all know of obvious examples of pride, but it likes us to only focus on those factors, ignoring the sick damage it can cause over time when hidden as a fuel for other sins. A gateway to loneliness, it divides and conquers more than other sin. Its specialty is separation, not just from God, but fellow man. Let's raise our guard, absolutely abhor pride, and make it weak. This will create synergy amongst us. You can't put a price on the benefits of that.

Starting Point

I've had a Spiritual Awakening really recently. I'm sure people have them all the time; of one kind or another. It doesn't really matter, it only matters that I feel it is critical to write some things down consistently, at least for the time being. Going into this, I don't know who this is for (possibly just me) or even why it is so important. I do know that this is something I must be devoted to. I will not stop. I will not hold back.
To some of you who know me, you very well may think that you know me (that's funny sounding). You may have opinions of my faults, my weaknesses, my isms. The fact is, If you met me during or after 2002, you don't know me. I haven't known me since then.
I'm not sure even now how to begin this journey, and I don't expect everyone to read it all everytime I post something. It's okay. I'll still do it even if I am the only one who sees it. I don't even know how or when this will end, but it needs to be done. And it needs to not stop. I think that I want people to take it in, and do whatever they need to with it. I think.
None of what I've just said really matters, but this one thing does; When you allow God to demolish strongholds that have defined your life and your very self, all that is left is clay that He can use. I am that clay. All the bitterness, rage, hatred, pride, deception and chaos are gone from me. All that is left now is a willing vessel that God can use, that He can shape to His concept, His vision, His Likeness.

Today I wanted to talk about church. I wanted to talk about what church is to you, what it is to me, and what it should be for everyone. I wanted to talk about people who become complacent. I have many things inside that I must say; they need to come out. I am not capable of holding it in. I am not capable of holding it in! But restraint will be shown, if anything, for the purpose of too much meat not being as effective as it could be. Its effectiveness is nullified a bit in too large a dose. People need time to reflect on whatever they digest if they are to get the most capacity. So that is all I'm going to write today. Well, besides this: Take yourself out of the equation, and be shocked by what God can do.