Worship Is More Important Than You Know...

I don't know about you but I will often find myself stuck in cycles. I think I have mentioned this before. It becomes a seemingly never ending cycle of really great and not really great....super encouraged, stirred up, hungry, and then feeling far from it all, far from God as if He all of a sudden is past my reach. What is this? Why must I face this cycle time and time again? It drives me to hate my flesh. I hate its barriers, its lazy nature, its self-medicating, self-indulging, selfish ways. I just want to be far from it but how can I when I am trapped inside of it. This exterior that seems to be the one last thing that keeps me from the fullness of God's presence. It's like I can only have so much of Him while inside my flesh and I can't wait to have all of Him. I imagine it must be this way for a child inside a mothers womb, hearing her heartbeat, hearing her voice, longing to see her face and feel her arms wrap around you. No wonder they kick so much...hehehe! We are like a child in the womb waiting to be birthed into eternity with our Abba Daddy!!! 


I am sitting here listening and watching some Hillsong worship and my spirit is again stirred as it was today in service. I have come to realize how slick the enemy is....I fall for this trap many times and probably walk in unnecessary weaknesses that are more like a false weakness but become my reality until I realize the strength and power of God that lay inside of me and had been all along. Wake up self! Wake up people! Wake up and see and hear and know that HE IS GOD!! 


I will often get into a sort of funk and I find it hard to press into His presence and worship Him when it's just me and Him. I don't have much time for this so I press forward because my job is never ending...there is not time for this word called "down" to linger long. I cannot be fake, I cannot present unworthiness to my Lord and to His people...Worship is my life!!! Worship is what blasts away the exteriors that form around the presence of God. The more we worship the more the "walls come down!" 


I have found myself not turning on worship music because I felt I should be able to enter in without other's help...after all it's my job...it's what I do....I lead worship...but does that make me un-leadable? Hmm....oh Lord I never want to become that but in my desire to please You and show You I am Yours, I have pulled away and begun to rely on myself....then BOOOOOM....I am weakened.....


Turn on the Worship...get yourself there wherever you are and allow the Holy Spirit to be stirred in you. You are not weak when you search for the stirring.....you are hungry for God's presence....it will propel you to move forward, hear His voice more clearly, escape the boundaries of your flesh to allow Him to abide. Never Never Never forsake the worship. Yes pair it with the Word, Yes pair it with Prayer, but never forsake the worship. It is the key to opening you up, softening the hardness of your flesh and allowing God's presence to flow FREELY within you. THAT is Freedom! THAT is Worship! 


Worship.......it is more important than you know!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve...

November 23^rd, 2010

So, in lieu of the Thanksgiving spirit/holiday I figured I should share my Thankfulness. I mean everyone else is doing it so why not right? Lol! As I brought my kids to school this morning, parked the car, embraced preparedly the biting cold, waved goodbye as they walked into the building, and made my way back to the truck hurriedly so I could blast the heat….(deep breath)…lol….I looked amidst the rows of vehicles and glanced with a smile over at my truck. I immediately thought, “I’m so thankful to have a truck!” For so long I have desired to own a truck or larger vehicle of some sorts and for so long I seemed doomed to ride in a car forever. There is this little image in my head, ever since Cedric started kindergarten way back when, and I’m beginning to think it will just never be my life. I always wanted to live in a house, the same house that was within eyes view and walking distance to my children’s school. I wanted the whole neighborhood feel, with my kids having school buddies, you know this picture! I was the super young mom, living in an apartment, with only 1 vehicle and it was a car. What accomplishments have I made in my life at this point…(this was 7years ago). I felt inadequate but my success was measured differently. I loved God, was going to church, was still married to the same man I got pregnant by at 16, I mean no one from back in my school day thought we would still be together at that time, and I had baby number 2 who I managed to successfully breastfeed, make my own baby food, cloth diapered for a time, receive the title Mother Earth by my fam because I had learned so much, coming out of an awful depression, changing life around!!! These were my successes!!! They didn’t look like the worlds, I didn’t go to college and get a degree, I didn’t have a big beautiful house, fancy furniture, a luxury vehicle…my dream of being the “go-to/soccer mom” type hadn’t kicked in. The years rolled on…Jaeana came into the picture, Camron started pre-school then Kindergarten. One neighborhood, not in eyes view of the school but in walking distance seemed to be my answer. I was friends with the neighbors, the kids played outside together, we were renting but planning to buy it in the next year, then CRUSH!!!!! We get a foreclosure and auction notice on our garage and that is that! The owners took our money and didn’t pay the rent with it and now were out of luck…it’s been one house after the next. First a grand 6+bedroom with 3 masters, 5 bathrooms, a mini-putt putt course and pool in the backyard…lovely just very expensive and very large. I love large and life was seeming well off with Jerry’s business but then life changed yet again and downsizing was in our future, and now here we are, the end of 2010 in an apartment…poopshnickles!!!!!

HOWEVER….all is not lost…THANKfulness is still to be had. I have a TRUCK…kind of like I have a dream….hehehe! I have a truck and I made it into the club of “mom’s/family’s with trucks”…yeah it’s a club. Haha! I looked proudly at the truck I waited for and I was just THANKFUL….God knows my desires and although He doesn’t hit everyone of them, He hits the important ones on His time…the ones that are according to His will and that life is better than any dream of what I think I want in life. His ways are not my ways, they are Better and for that, for Him, I AM THANKFUL!!!!

This is my story, this is my song…..well one of them…hahaha!

This has been a message brought to you by ChristinaCafe….live life, live life for Him!! J

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVE!!

A piece or something...

I was reading in Habakkuk and I came across the end of this verse. All of what I was reading was hitting me as I felt the Holy Spirit stirring in me, but when I saw this I knew it was time to write and study and dwell. Hab. 1:11  "...whose own power is their god." Now, please do not forsake the context of this passage as a whole but follow me for a minute into the reflection of our own lives. 


How real is this statement? Many of us know of the Ten Commandments, you know the one that says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," yeah that one! Well, how often do we view power as a god? I mean if we actually dig deep, we don't really think about things in our lives being considered a god before God. Ok, maybe YOU do, but at the forefront of your mind are you looking at your cellphone as a god? What about your TV? What about those desserts you indulge on um daily....lol!? Is that a god? What about regular food? You need to eat right, but could that possibly be a god before God in your life? So many things that are a vital part of our daily routine, our daily mantra, the way society functions. How many of those things could possibly be or have been at some time a "god before God"? 


I want you to really ask yourself this because I am and I do. Everyone has something that takes priority in their life. You know like waking up in the morning to turn off your alarm on your phone and seeing a FB message so checking it. What about God first? Or driving to work in the morning jamming to whatever station or CD you popped in that is not bringing you closer to God, is that lost time that could be given to Him? What about just taking a much needed break and flipping through the channels on the Tele? Many of these things can be pointed to ELECTRONICS...dun dun dun....the way, the only way our world functions at this time. We feel naked without our phones in hand, maybe lost or confused. We may even decide to be late somewhere just to turn back around to get it...hmmmm!


I went a bit off course but my mind is turning, turning, thinking...


So many things lead us on a path involving ourselves and not really God centered. I'm not saying these things are wrong, become isolated from all of it and sit in the closet praying 24/7. What I am saying is that how easily we are plugged into the technology source of power and how little we are plugged into THE SOURCE!!


If we are somewhat disconnected or running low on battery life....or better yet running solely on the battery and not taking the time to recharge then isn't it easy to maybe depend on our own power or think that it's our own power? Here we are sometimes, thinking we are fully charged, feeling on top of the world, all the while we have taken away the glory, the shinning light, the focus on God and put it on ourselves, even accidentally. Good intentions don't always count. 


We are to run on God's power and give Him the full glory for it. Otherwise we become like King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel. We begin to praise our accomplishments, rightly so, we did a great job, then we find ourselves looking at ourselves, crying when we have failed, exalting our work when we have succeeded, the focus has drifted away into the wind like a seed from a flower on a windy day. 


It's a bold statement...it's true and whether you believe it or not you have all been guilty of it at some point. I love God with all of me, but our HUMAN love lacks and forgets and needs forgiven when we slip up. You may not be a dirty sinner, but we can all learn to put more attention and focus back on THE SOURCE and credit Him ALL the glory because without Him we are NOTHING. From the dust we came and to the dust we return.




Ok that's my piece for the night...I bid you all adu....

To Dream, To Live...

Europe...the place I so desire to see...seems so far out of reach but yet I must keep living out my dream by turning it into a reality. I don't know what the draw is but the more time goes on, the more I crave it. I want to experience all the beautiful culture, history, art, architecture, every detail of it. I want to see the most exquisite to the lowest street corner. I must! The more I see and hear the more I ask God why? I desire to see but also offer up my heart of worship, my voice, not necessarily in song but the voice of God flowing through me through the many waya He uses me.

I have been playing a Scrabble like game on my phone called WordFeud and I get to play with random people. Now I know the people could be from anywhere all around the world but I just have been playing the game not thinking about the whereabouts of the players. I have had a chat or 2 with some of the players, but only along the lines of "good game" or "you too". Today I see a chat post from a player mid game and she says, "I live in France, where did you live?" I enjoy the cultural grammar differences knowing in my school age studies of language that the English language has the most difficult grammar rules in comparison to learning any other language. It made me smile and think Ok Lord what are you up to! So of course I took an opportunity to converse and shared how I have always wanted to visit France and how my hubby is part French. She was very encouraging telling me I could definitely do it. I shared my goal of being in Europe by 2012. She gave me her email which I admit was a little odd but ah well at most I have made a possible penpal of sorts. I shared that I trust in God to Make my dream a reality so I see an open door. Maybe another game, maybe another chat...I'm not naive and am aware of creepy people online but it made me smile as it was totally random to me. Then the kickoff...a friend, fellow worship leader named Joel just posted FB pics of his trip to Europe and aaaaaahhhhh did my stomach began to tickle and I felt a rush of I need to get there...

I'm not sure where my intense desire came from but I really believe God planted it in me and has a plan. I desire more to follow in His plan and I would think if I have such a desire and dream for it then surely He has something in mind.

Anyhooooo, thought I'd share. I was kind of exploding and now I am good for now! Ha!

Until next time...
Christina :-)

I feel....

November 17^th 2010

Can I just send you out a word of encouragement tonight/today…I am really feeling something deep down in my spirit and it’s welling up inside. I can hardly contain it and I just want to explode, with excitement, with joy, with Trust in God’s work in my life, with God’s perfect plan, with God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises. I am just a bubbling pot on the brink of catapulting myself over the sides and onto the surface.

It all started with today. I have been in desperate need of some much needed, deprived in my life, kind of rest. I kept telling everyone that all I wanted for my birthday was to SLEEP! Why would no one take me seriously? I really just needed to sleep. Well, God with all His Greatness, always provides a way of escape when everything begins to become too much for us to bear. Now I have been leaning on Him and learning to trust Him in new ways, still pushing, not giving up, but sometimes struggling to hold on. Today didn’t feel like an overwhelming day, in fact it was pretty ordinary and I went about my daily routine of getting the kids up and ready to start their day. We were running a tad bit late which always leaves room for disaster, however no such negativity existed. I came home and tried to think of how I wanted to start this day, because for me after the kids go to school is when the day starts. It’s when I make decisions based off of what my own schedule will look like, what things I need to get accomplished, etc. I have had much to do and have not been as successful as I would have liked to be in completing some tasks. Somehow I ended up back in bed and that brought on a super sense of sleepiness which began to easily overtake me. I was succumbing to it and the more I allowed it, invited it in, and entertained the idea of going back to sleep for a little bit, the more I was making the decision with each heavy eye blink. I decided against going to work with Jerry and to just stay home with my own unspoken agenda of going back to sleep for a bit.

Let me just say that I have one amazing husband. He took Cedric with him for the day and I was able to SLEEP!!! (For those unaware, which is probably most of you, Cedric is being homeschooled now. We are still completing the process of paperwork for his online schooling but that is our new life and we are settling into it rather nicely!) So anyhooooo, I totally slept the rest of the morning! I did not wake up until 12pm-ish once my phone started ringing. Finally by 1pm I was moving around like a person, but feeling so extremely refreshed. Due to some scheduling issues I ended up having to walk to get my kids but for some reason it didn’t bother me. I embraced it, as it was such a lovely day and I had been privileged with a day of rest. My bro-in-law had taken the day off and so he picked me and the kids up and dropped us off. (my niece goes to school with Camron and Jaeana). So no worries about the kids reaction the walk home, and that left us with more time. We did homework and then Jae rode her new birthday bike outside for a bit, where I was welcomed by my hubby with a delicious meal. I was craving a salad with grilled chicken. Did you know Boston Market made salads? Well I didn’t and it was DIVINE!!!! Just what I needed. Then later Jaeana and I made dinner for everyone. She helped cook everything and even named the new dish. We made elbow macaroni noodles and dressed them with a diced tomatoes sauce, smoked sausages, corn, and shredded parmesan cheese. She titled this dish, “Speghetti La La La” and the kids loved it. It was kinda spaghetti and kinda warm pasta salad. So on went my night of getting the kids showered and settled, cleaning up the house, studying my music for Wednesday’s practices, and going back and forth on my Word Feud scrabble phone game with random people. I just kept thinking, Wow, I haven’t been this happy in a while. I have been grouchy and stressed and trying to push past it but failing miserably!

This brings me to the intensity of what I am feeling. Have you ever felt like you were on the cusp of something so large and grand beyond what you could really think about and just know God is about to open up the heavens and pour out upon You straight from His hands? I have been feeling this but the stresses of unpaid bills, financial struggles, needs and wants, LIFE, has been playing tug o war with my knowing of God’s plan. We so underestimate God’s ability to be sovereign and just and faithful in our lives, moving mountains and oceans and making room for us to walk freely on dry land. God is keeping us and covering us and just when we feel we are going to snap, He comes in and scoops us up and shows us that everything is going to be alright, keep pushing, keep trusting, keep moving forward toward the prize. His gentle and powerful voice is so calming and soothing and just what we need to hear to help us keep going. It gives us the fuel to push forward and it’s amazing! I just love how God cover us.

“Let the Light of Your face, shine down upon my heart, and let me feel it….” Ahhh God just to be “…surrounded by Your presence, what will my heart feel, will I dance for You Jesus, or will the awe in me be still, will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall, will I sing Halleluia will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine…” Because “Jesus I’m desperate, for You, Jesus I’m hungry for You, Jesus I’m longing for You, cause Lord You are, all I want!!!”

Let my heart sing and dance for You Lord!!! Stir up a new song in me Holy Spirit that I might outpour upon the people, upon Your land. Let me spill out as the bubbling pot I am. Let me spill out and let Your spirit in me shine brighter than any star. Thank You Lord for Your refreshing, renewing, life giving spirit that fills me Joy and turn my weeping into gladness.

I want to encourage you all to keep pushing, keep pressing, keep moving forward…the time is NIGH and God is about to release upon His people, upon those that have diligent sought after Him and are still pressing forward, trusting in His faithfulness. Let Your example prove He is God and God alone!!!

Until another time folks…

Loves and Hugs,

Christina

Compassionate or Compassion-less...

November 8, 2010

Compassionate OR Compassionless…

I have the hardest struggle with my emotions in regards to being compassionate. I get frustrated easily at things that I have a right to be bothered by but not a right to be so bothered by it…does that even make sense? I pour out so much of myself and I push past so much to operate in all that I do that when I hear the excuses of others I get frustrated. I mean seriously, that’s your reason??? Ugh! But somewhere along the line I remind myself that everyone is not and will not be me. They will not give what and how I myself give. They will not pour out how I myself pour out. I also have to remember that not everyone has my call? Actually no one has MY call. My compassion begins to kick back in and then I remember when I was in the position of the other person, or if I was in the position of the other person at that time in their life. I don’t want to be judged for the limits I have that overwhelm me, or push me to step away, or cause me to regress, or just hit my breaking point. Once I change my stinky mind into this more rational and more righteous, more compassionate mindset, I feel the frustration leave and I can move on about my business much lighter than the moment before. Like a really good poop! (I think I use this phrase often, but it’s what comes to mind for a comparison). The real issue that proves more important than what people do or don’t do,  is what I do or don’t do. I have to nip this frustration thing in the booty!!! It controls too much of my life, and I would love to say uninvited but I guess I kind of invite it.

As I peer closely into myself, inspecting every nook and cranny, I find my time with God has decreased and it was giving more room to my flesh. Ugh! Why must I continue this flesh cycle…so annoying! It only takes one thing, like tiredness to throw it all off!!! You miss some needed time and then you can’t seem to make time for the important things, like GOD!!!

Just stay focused, just stay focused, what do we do, we fooooooooo-cus! (sung to the tune of Dory from Nemo singing “Just keep swimming…”)

It’s easy to become Melancholy and pull away to myself, but well I don’t really have many of those opportunities in my life at this point. So tough up Chris!!!! LOL! Hehehe!

Way too long...not length, time!

Oh my goodness...it's ridiculous how long it has been since I have had a post. Have you all forgotten about me...LOL! Eeeesh! Well here is blog I created on November 3rd...figured I would start there and then I need to do MUCH BETTER from now on. Enjoy...

Luke 24:36 “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself

stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”

As I opened up my esword this morning the book of Luke was opened. I scrimmaged through just wanting to see what I had been reading last before I moved on in my Bible Time. As I looked at verse 36, it popped out at me. I read some of the commentary to see what it meant by the words. Have you ever looked at a particular word(s) or phrase in a sentence and wonder why it was worded that way? I do all the time and it leads me to some powerful revelation within God’s word. Mmmmm, kind of like finding your favorite piece of chocolate in a bowl full of assorted candy, if you like chocolate. Lol!

So, I read this verse over a few times and read around it as well. I was stuck on the part where it says, “And as they spake,” It is the first line in this verse and although the power seems to be in the next line I was still drawn back to the beginning. “Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” Jesus, when He speaks is so gentle yet so authoritative. He is so powerful yet so covering. He is the Ultimate balance in every way. He enters a room suddenly, standing in our midst, and says, Peace be unto you. Can you feel that power? Ahhh! Well still I’m drawn back to the beginning, “And as they thus spake,”

I think of how easily we allow ourselves to become consumed by this temporary place, called earth, and all that’s in it. We are going, going, going, and for what? I was imagining a few different images as I read this line. One was of a group of people standing and talking about life, circumstances, situations, instances, happenings…Life, being blinded to all else around them until, suddenly Jesus appeared in their midst, in the center of their talking. Another image I saw was just one person, standing in the middle of their own life. The things in it seemed tangible and seemed to be slowly closing in around them. They were talking about what they were seeing, focusing on different areas of what was around them, failing to realize that all of a sudden here was Jesus standing next to them.

Jesus is always there, Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Jesus is with us and He has given us a precious gift, Peace. With Jesus in our midst we are promised peace. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” We MUST remember who is with us. We must know that He dwells and abides IN us and that He is in the midst of us. If He abides IN us then it’s like He is in the middle of us…the middle of our lives, the middle of our circumstance, the middle of our problems, the middle of everything we are, why then should we be afraid? Why then should we become consumed by the things of this world when we are not even of this world? Jesus came to the earth to fulfill a purpose, to bring us into Him! He was not and is not OF this world but only was here temporarily. So the same is for us, who are IN Him. We are here temporary until He comes here once again and brings us into that eternal life with Him. We live In HIM, not in this place we see before us. Trust not in your eyes, the eyes of your flesh, but see with the eyes of your spirit, as His Spirit dwells within you.

MMMMmmmmm…just a daily dose today! Hope you enjoyed it and I hope it sparked something in you to dig into God’s word and find your fav piece of chocolate in the bowl of assorted candies.

LOVES & HUGS,

Christina

A painted picture perhaps...

Luke 24:38 “And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled?

and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?”

Imagine for a minute an image, a painted picture. Here in Luke, the disciples were on the boat out in the middle of the water when they spotted something or someone off in the distance. A ghost, something terrible, what could it possibly be? Not for one second did they think it would be a live person, let alone Jesus walking in the middle of the dark waters. But it was in fact Jesus! And this is the story of Him walking on water. I won’t go into details about it, you can go read it for yourself, but let’s look at it from another perspective than just a story of faith in Jesus and the miracles He continued to show the people. Let’s look at the waters as our many troubles, our many woe’s and worries, our fears, all those things that keep us un-rested and weary. Then picture Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, our very present help in the time of need, our Counselor, our everlasting peace, our joy, our strength, all those things He is or can be for us and to us. Jesus is walking in the middle of our dark and troubled “waters” saying, “Do not be afraid, it is I. Come out unto me and meet me for I will be with you wherever you go.” Ahhhh! I mean what a picture right? That is why I love the Bible, God’s word so much….there is more to it than words on paper, more to it than stories of different people, there is so much more and God wants to show you. He says, “Call upon my name and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you haven’t known.” (Jer. 33:3).

What water’s surround you? Are they troubled or stormy? Are they quiet and stagnant? Jesus is walking out in the middle of them and you need but, “Be still and know HE IS GOD!”

I’m reminded of that song, “You’ve Been So Faithful”

            I can never repay You Lord for what You’ve done for me

            How You loosed my shackles and You set me free

            How You made a way out of no way

            Turned my darkness into day

            Been my joy in the time of sorrow

            Oh, for my tomorrow

            Peace in the time of the storm

            Strength when I’m weak and worn

            You’ve been – Oh, You’ve been so Faithful!!!

PRAYER:

Oh Abba, no matter what the weather, You are my EVERYTHING right in the middle of my waters. Thank You for Your faithfulness and Love towards me. 

Where you go from there is up to you...

          In continuing my study in the book of Hebrews I have found myself hungering for more. I keep partaking of this Word and I’m finding myself yet still hungry. Have you ever eaten such a delicious meal that even when you are full you just can’t stop eating it? It’s like your stomach cannot contain anymore but your taste buds are watering at the remembrance of every bite, every taste, and every flavor. That is how I have been feeling about this book. At first, I just read it and it doesn’t always hit me with such power of intensity. Then I read it again in a different translation. Then I begin to study the different commentaries that explain the context of the said chapter. It translates me back to that era understanding why those things were stated and what the author meant by them. We have to remember that originally this book, the Bible, was not written in English. It was written in both Hebrew and Greek, and upon translation into an English language, we must dig deep to know the actual meaning behind certain words and phrases. I look back to a time when my understanding of the bible was ‘open it and read it’ and not really understand half of what it said or how it was supposed to pertain to me. I cannot imagine doing that now when I know HOW to study the scripture. How can you truly partake of the richness of the meat when you do not even have an understanding of the meat itself? It’s like a connoisseur of wine or coffee or food or dessert, someone who has studied the origin of something. Someone who has taken an interest, turned it into a passion, and really grasps the fullness of that thing and then compares them to a person trying it for the first time with no prior history or understanding of it. How can they fully appreciate all that is represents, all that makes it so exceptional, if they have no TRUE understanding of it? Do I make sense at all? Well why should it be any different for a Bible, a compilation of words, revelations, and prophecies, something that was written over the course of thousands of years? So many people take things out of context when they spout off a scripture. I mean did you look to see when it was written, what era, what was happening at that time that would have caused the author to say something? At first mention, this seems too tedious a task. I mean who would be drawn to read such a material with so much effort needing to go into it? At first for me, I felt this way. Ugh…I already don’t understand most of this Bible and now I have a whole process I need to go through in order to understand it! Turn off right? WRONG! Well, ok at first it was, but now it’s like breathing. I cannot just read it without digging in to know why or finding the meaning behind words I don’t know. How can this be for me, I must know. “O taste and see that the LORD is good...” (Psalms 34:8). The bible is like a great mystery full of many secret passageways that need unlocking. It’s like a video game with many levels that even if you have played the full game and completed it (or read the entire bible), there are things that you missed or did not unlock because maybe you needed a certain amount of points or needed to unlock something else before you could even know about it. Why do you think games have “cheat codes”? Lol! I played a game on the xbox360 where I had defeated it 4x, but I still was unable to unlock everything. Every time I went back in from the very beginning I discovered more, happened upon something I hadn’t seen in prior times, gained new powers, opened up a secret door by accident that was hidden, stuff like that. The bible is just like that. The cool thing is the unlocking is endless because God is too vast for our mere human minds to fully comprehend. God wants to show us all of it…how much do we want to dig? How deep do we want to go? How much of ourselves are we willing to invest into this Bible? All you can do is start. I mean you can’t begin any other way than to just start. Where you go from there is up to you. I can guarantee you one thing though…the deeper you press in…the deeper you will go and the more your desire will grow.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

What do you find when you dig deep?

          I was reading in Hebrews Ch. 1 during my study time and I was curious at its contents. I began reading the commentary from Albert Barnes on the chapter as a whole and was fascinated at a particular comment. The Chapter talks about the dignity and exalted nature of the Authorship of the Christian System – the Son of God, Jesus Christ. During that time the Christians were in great danger of relapsing back to the old Jewish ways under the Mosaic system instead of following along with the now Gospel and Christian system under Jesus Christ. This really caught my eye…I began to ponder this statement of “relapsing back to the old ways”.

          During the course of time God spoke through the prophets and through great leaders such as Moses, Abraham, Elijah, and so many more. However, when Christ came into the picture God now spoke through HIM. He is the living Word, He is the Son of God, He IS God. I started to put myself in the shoes and mind of the people of the day who were taught laws and rules and order and directed by the people who heard from God. Now everything they have known is seemingly changed and maybe that is a bit scary. I mean it is one thing when you have people who are hearing from God and directing, but the mere fact that God Himself, in the flesh, as Jesus the man, whom they could tangibly see, taking and heeding to His Word, which was the same, but supposedly hearing straight from the source…woah!

          

          I also began to look into my own life. What areas have I allowed myself to “relapse back to the old ways”? I follow Christ, His Word, His will, His purpose for my life. I daily put OFF the former things and put on HIM. I die to my flesh that I might live in Him. I know that I am not perfect and that without God my Father, without Jesus Christ my Savior, without the Holy Spirit connecting me to Him and guiding me in His perfect will, I AM NOTHING! If I know this than I know there are still areas in my life I haven’t fully surrendered to Him.

          Pastor Joseph spoke over the church on Sunday a word from God. He said God showed him that He wanted to do 2 things during this fast. He wanted to 1. Destroy all Rebellion in our lives, and 2. Release a Spirit of Holiness upon us. I want this!!! I want all things opposite of Him that still remain in my life to be destroyed. We all can be rebellious because we want to do things our own way. We are stubborn and there is no room for it if God is to do a full work in us. I want a Release of the Spirit of Holiness…I want to revere God in a stronger and deeper way having a greater revelation of His Holiness that I might also be made Holy and walk in Holiness. The scripture calls us to that life, a Holy life.

1Thes 4:7 “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”

2Tim 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”

Heb 12:10 “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.”

Heb 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

          It’s time to be renewed and re-evaluate where we are in our lives. We need to make sure we are aligned with God in all areas and not relapsing back to old ways. Let’s move forward and trust in Him like we have not before. Let us go further than just believe He is God, but let us walk in Faith, putting our belief to Action through our works and surrendered life.

Daniel’s Fast Day 2…

Until the next time,

Christina

I have no one to blame but myself....

Man 2 posts in 1 day...this is craziness! Lol!

Well in lue of some recent happenings or Life-innings as earlier posted...I had to write! I have been working and working and working and working and trying to make this deadline...Thanks Hubby! Haha! Actually it's whenever I'm done, but he is kind of waiting on me so he can move forward. I aim to please!!!! I try anyways! Well as I also mentioned previously I have been a bit rebellious this week and not sure what I was thinking, but it has caught up with me and bit me in the....well many places....RASH!!!

I have No One to blame but myself for this one. Why did I think I could push the limits and test the waters I know I had no business going into in the first place? Gah!!! I ate a King Sized Reece's this afternoon while getting my work done. I was only supposed to have one but Jerry bought the big one and I warned him it would taunt me and I fell for its callings. It was SOOOOOO Yummy but now I'm sitting here itchy with a spreading rash...why??? Why did I do this to myself??? So Benadryl and the 1 1/2 steroid pills I had left and hopefully by the weekend I'm good!

Now without a shadow or inkling or anything else in the doubt area...I'm allergic to the said things...I get the message LOUD and clear. And the Fast is coming up starting Monday so even better. (We are doing a corporate all church 21 Day Daniel's Fast - if anyone wants to join in and have the corporate support backing you up...I urge you to try it and see where you are with God at the end).

On a brighter note.....as tired as I am I can remind myself to just get through tomorrow's early wake up routine because come Monday the kids have Fall Break. If anything I at least can sleep in past 6am so I'm pretty stoked about that!

Alright, that's all for now folks, just wanted to get my rant out before the nights end. No more complaints from me! I am strictly following my body's rules and onward forward march!

Loves, Hugs, & Nighty Night,
Christina

Life, and all that's in it......Life-innings...

Well Hey, Hi, and Hello!!!

I have been on a ride of emotions lately as my body has tried to regain balance from No meds. It's been almost a whole week (up until last night when I had to breakdown and take some Benadryl). I must also admit that during this week I have been slightly rebellious to my restricted diet and that's probably why the need for Benadryl...darn it! It's my own fault but OH HOW I ENJOYED EVERY REBELLIOUS BITE! I think I'll be done for a bit. Haha! I just refuse to be limited so extremely forever. I mean healing is healing and I'm believing I can walk in it more than just not experiencing ridiculous outbreaks. For now I probably need to continue being obedient to my body. Ugh, Fine!!! Lol!!!

Like I said though, emotions have been somewhat on the Crazy side this week. It has been a mixture of goods and not-so-goods but I'm still here and still standing on the Word for my life. I just think that Satan is trying really hard to bring me down in any area he can. Well let me just state right now...ALL FAILED ATTEMPTS...GIVE UP!!! Even when I feel like I'm swaying about with the chaos of the storms as they continue to blow all around me, I'm rooted in Jesus and I will not be shaken out of my foundation. You can bring the winds and the rains and the fire and still HE REMAINS STRONG IN ME!!! I will keep looking to Him and leaning on Him. I know the strength does not come from me so I don't really know why you are trying so hard. I mean, you tried with Job and well, YOU LOST that battle! I'm starting to think that your tired old ways are all you got! I mean, I may struggle and have a hard time dealing with things in my flesh but the moment....I said MO-MENT I look to God and give it to Him....well let's just say it's all over for you! SO JUST GIVE UP...Like I have said before...IN THE END YOU LOSE!!!!

Ok, done with that rant! Now on to other Life-enings....(happenings). Lol! I like making up new words!

I was walking with Camron and Jaeana to the playground this morning, as usual, and Big Brother was playing with Little Sister making her laugh. It was cute and as they walked in front of me holding hands I had to stop them and take a picture. You know, capturing the cute moments. Of course Jae wasn't content to stay turned away from me and as the picture snapped it was a capturing of her face...my little princess! :)

My little ones bring smiles (and other things) to my face...haha! I love the Brother - Sister love! At least someone gets it...Camron will let me sneak a hug in real quick each morning now, but only if I ask, and always with an "Oh gosh Mom" look on his face. Lol! That's fine...keep the look...I get my hug!!! Ha!

In other news....I have discovered I can eat Trix Cereal. It contains No wheat, soy, or milk, which is in most every cereal available. I made myself and Jerry breakfast this morning. Eggs with Beans and a little Pepperoni on an Organic Corn Tortilla that was free of Soy for me and mixed with cheese on a flour tortilla for Jerry. Yum! But I was missing a sweetness that coffee wasn't going to hit. I scoured the pantry, as I do all the time, hoping to come across something I can have or even compromise a little on. That's when I found the Trix....it's been in my cabinet for a couple weeks and I have even given it to the kids. I could have sworn I checked the labels before and couldn't have it but I was wrong. Don't tell me God doesn't cover all...because He always provides for me even the small areas. He shows me His love even in Cereal! Lol!!!

Among other things...all my Life-innings...I have been working hard surrounded by papers and Excel and loaded with Coffee....I am helping Jerry get some things done for his website that is a bit more than time consuming but I am enjoying that I can be helpful...I don't have to talk to anyone on the phone so I'm sold on helping! LOL! (I don't like talking on the phone, making calls, customer service, etc.) I can do the face to face interaction but the phones...please just don't ask me! Lol! Today I was more than tired, as were my kiddos. Every night this week has been an extra late night for everyone...it's been a BUSY week. Plus adding the Benadryl I took last night only added to my tiredness. I contemplated going back to sleep once I got home from dropping off the kids, but because I don't just drop them off, I actually get out of the car and stay with them until the bell rings, it kind of wakes me up. I just made a good ol' cup o joe and got busy. I figured once I felt the "nap" coming on I would just go take one! Lol! It's noon and I haven't felt the "nap" yet but definitely felt the "please eat your shaking from coffee" feeling..haha! That was my break and I haven't yet come back to my work. I figured now was a good time to blog so here I am.

Hmmm...yeah work I think I will get back to you later and catch a little nap or at least some lay down time before I have to get the kids and begin the next phase of my Life-innings!

Later everyone...enjoy the rest of your Thursday....may it all of a sudden become Fabulously Awesome!!!!
Loves & Hugs,
Christina

Post #60...let's celebrate with LOVE...

My thoughts from earlier but just now having time to post it...enjoy! :)

LOVES & HUGS,

Christina

What Love IS or What IS Love?                                                                                     October 2, 2010

Love. A great mystery, a word everyone spends a lifetime trying to grasp the fullness of. Love, what IS Love? We ask it, we answer it in our own way, we search the definition given by man, we search the bible. Who can answer such a word as LOVE? In all its greatness, in all its simplicity. What defines it, how can it be accurately captured? Who possesses such a pure form of such a rich word. Love. We want it, we want to feel it, we want to give it, we want to touch it, we want to embrace its very essence. Can depth, or height, or volume measure it? How than do we know it or understand it. LOVE. We look for what Love IS, but we fail to look for what IS Love…

1Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. Love never comes to an end…”

We see what Love IS…so poetically defined. Search the scriptures on Love and find it everywhere. There are different kinds of Love that describe different facets in life. Still does that answer the seemingly bigger question…What IS Love? Are these two questions really one in the same or are there meanings vastly separate?

Love. Love. Love.

The answer is quite simple, however it will take you longer than a lifetime to fully understand its meaning. What can be so simple yet so complex? Love.

God IS Love. Do you know this Sunday School Scripture quoted so familiarly among many?

1John 4:7-12 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

So simply put…God IS Love and it IS His Love for us that IS Love. If we desire to know Love, than we are to know God, and in our knowing His Love IS perfected in us, that we might Love as Love IS.

Search Me, Examine Me, Investigate Me....

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(King James Version)






Psa 139:23  Examine me, O God, and know my mind. Test me, and know my thoughts.
Psa 139:24  See whether I am on an evil path. Then lead me on the everlasting path.
(God's Word Version)




Psa 139:23  Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about;
Psa 139:24  See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong-- then guide me on the road to eternal life.
(The Message Version)






How interesting this passage in Psalms is. Are we bold enough as King David was to ask God to search us, examine us, investigate us, try us, test us, and look for any areas in our lives that are not in alignment with Him? We may say we want God to change us and make us more like Him, but do we really want that to come in the form of a test? Do we want to go through something in order for God to see and our own self to see if we are walking on the right road? We want a life with God and a life of comfort. Is that not the image created for Christians? Or is it the image of when you become a Christian life is no longer fun? What image has the world created of who and what a Christian really is?


It seems to be such a loose term that many people claim to be. "Oh yeah, I'm a Christian". Really? What makes you a Christian? What is a Christian? Are you a Christian because you go to church? Are you a Christian because you believe in God or even in Jesus? Is that what we measure the name of a Christian by? Are YOU a Christian? Why???


The scriptures talk about Christianity once Jesus came into the picture. The word and it's meaning are centered around Him...being that He is Christ....so to be a Christian is to be a Follower of Christ. If you are a follower of Christ than He is the example by which you live. Can you honestly say that in your life, you are exemplifying a Christ life? Does your life look like His in the sense of His morals, His ways, His values, His actions, His principles...? When people see you do they see a Follower of Christ?


There are many men out there who have claimed to be a man worth following. For example you have Muhammad, who many follow and look at as what they see a kind of Christ. There is only One Christ who is God and any other are just people. Jesus was not just a man...He is the Son of God....He is the TriUne being of God. He is the ONLY WAY, the ONLY TRUTH, the ONLY DOOR, our ONLY connection with God. Without Him there is no us....we would have been wiped out. BUT GOD...sees us through the eyes of Jesus, whom having compassion on a broken people in need of Him, brings us back to Him. He loves us and so He has come to save us. No one else has the power to do this....eh I won't go any further into that today.


Can we be bold in our love for God to ask Him to test us that we may prove to be acceptable and without blame because we follow in the footsteps of our Master and Saviour? Just a thought....just a question....what impact in your life will it make?






Prayer:
Lord above all else I desire to be in right standing with You. I want to please You in all that I do, all that I say, all that I am. I want not only to be a vessel for You to fill and use, but an honorable vessel that You can use for Your glory. 
2Timothy 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the master's use, prepared unto every good work.
For I desire to Glorify Your Holy name above all others. My LOVE is for You Abba. I am in Love with the One You sent for me...Jesus....prepare me to be the Bride that He awaits to return unto. Reunite me with Him Father that I may dwell in Your house forever. Thank You Lord for giving me another chance to come unto You. For in my sin, You have seen me and forgiven me. You have lifted up mine head from the ashes, turned my mourning into dancing, given me a song from within. Stir up my spirit that I may bring joy unto Your name. Let the angels rejoice when they hear my praise go up to You. Lord here I am, I am Yours!!
Love, Christina

Hunger and Thirst...

So yesterday I was watching this clip on YouTube about Worship Leading. I like to watch and listen to what other Follower's of Christ are speaking and the things God is revealing to them. I get inspired and stirred up in my spirit and it opens me to my own revelations from God for my own life. Anyways, it was by Darlene Zschech, the leader of Hillsong. She said that to be comfortable was the exact opposite of being hungry...if you are feeling hungry than you are not very comfortable right? Well in the scriptures it talks of those of us who Hunger and Thirst after God, His righteousness, His presence, Him. Mat 5:6 says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." This is so interesting to me. It says blessed are those who hunger and thirst...they will be filled. Carefully looking at that, it doesn't say anywhere in the end that you will be filled and no longer hunger and thirst. We are blessed and filled when we hunger and thirst. It seems to not really make sense, but with God it makes more than sense. I feel like I'm jumbling what I am trying to get out. We cannot live in a place of "comfort" because to do so would be opposite of being hungry and thirsty. We must stay Hungry and Thirsty so we can be filled. When you are satisfied, you have no need. If we are satisfied we will not desire for more of God. We will stop seeking Him, not go any further or higher or deeper into Him. We stop until we "feel" hungry and thirsty again. In order to keep this going continually we must not look to be filled with "fill-ers" we need only to be filled with Him. How easily deceived are we that we think we are "full" and so we just stop eating. We are full...full of fake fillers and processed food that has gone through all kinds of chemicals and genetically modified procedures to supposedly make the food taste better or to preserve it from going bad too fast....see where I am going with this??/

We  must fill ourselves with the ALL NATURAL JESUS! Free of contaminants, free of dyes, free of chemicals, free of debris, free of junk, good for you, 100% WHOLE, just the way nature created it to be...the way God gave it to us, before we got a hold of it......always searching for control we are....!

Are you HUNGRY and THIRSTY for something? Get HUNGRY AND THIRSTY FOR GOD SO HE CAN FILL YOU IN SUCH A SATISFYING WAY THAT CONTINUES TO BRING YOU BACK FOR MORE.....mmmm mmmm mouth watering good!!!

Saturday's Study...

1Corinthians 1:6 "Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:"


I am continuing my study in Corinthians and as I came across this scripture I had to stop. I had to ask myself this question: "Is the Testimony of Christ confirmed in my life?" 


We all should ask this question of ourselves. As I talked about before, are we really accurately representing Christ in our lives, it's along the same vein. I just want to be a vessel for Him. This is a common phrase used by many Christians, but like everything concerning God, we don't fully understand what we ask of Him until He begins to show us. We say we want strength, but with strength comes a way to exercise it. How do you know you are strong if you haven't done anything where you needed to use your strength? It's not like we popped in a can of Jesus Spinach and our Popeye Muscles bulged out for everyone to see. Even if they did, does that mean you are strong? Maybe it's all a fissad, muscles for show on the outside, but no true strength to back them up. 


Did you ever see the episode of SpongeBobSquarePants where him and Sandy are working out and even to lift the smallest pebble was too difficult for him? Well he gets this bright idea to buy these fake, inflatable muscles from TV. Then he goes down to the workout place and shows them off with all the buff creatures. When Sandy sees him she doesn't realize how he could have gained all that muscle overnight, but goes with it and signs him up for a strength contest...SpongeBob, knowing that he didn't actually have the strength tried to get out of it but could not. He ends up looking foolish after failed attempts to lift the heavy weights and then popping his inflatable muscles...


Why do we go to great lengths to prove our strength to others and even to ourselves? Even deeper, why do we think we won't encounter areas where we will have to prove our strength? Hmmm...


We are weak beings in comparison to such a mighty and powerful Maker. Through Him is where our strength abides. Only through Him can we truly be strong. I don't want to be fake strong...haha....I want to be real strong. The only way I can do that, we can do that, is to confirm His testimony in our lives. 


What is His testimony? The Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 1:6 it is called “the testimony of Christ,” because it bore witness to Christ - to his divine nature, his miracles, his Messiahship, his character, his death, etc. The message of the gospel consists in bearing witness to Christ and his work; 

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

"1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" 

2 Titus 1:8 "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;"

Is the evidence of the Holy Spirit present in our lives? Speaking in tongues or miraculous happenings? Does our life SHOW God? Does it say I believe in God and look how He has done things in my life? It's not even about our experiences. Christ's testimony, the Gospel, what He did for us, is that being exemplified through us, confirmed, established, proved, in our daily lives? 

How would we show such a thing? By being "doers of the word and not hearers only." James 1:22. Mark 16:20 "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." When the Lord is working through us, and we are working according to His will and purpose for our lives, than evidence of Him WILL be seen. He shows Himself to those who desire. He shows Himself to a hopeless world who needs Him, but does not realize that is the emptiness they are trying to fill on their own. Who can testify of the Lord but us who are here on the earth for that purpose. Act 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 

God seeks a people who will live for Him, go for Him, move for Him...do we desire only to move for ourselves or do we see a greater purpose behind why we are even here on earth? Do we desire to "confirm the testimony of Christ in our lives" that all who sees us would not see us but see Him and come to know Him in their lives? 

What is the desire of your heart? 

"In light of all this, here's what I want you to do....I want you to get out there and walk--better yet, run!--on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love--like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. And so I insist--and God backs me up on this--that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion. But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything--and I do mean everything--connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life--a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself. Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry--but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. Did you used to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can't work. Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians Chapter 4 - The Message Bible)

Until another time...Loves and Hugs Friends,

Christina Carroll

You may get offended, but I don't really care...

Every day I read things and see people living lives that look just like everyone else in this world. It's the epidemic of the "in moderation justification" crowd. 

"Oh I only drink sometimes."

"I only have the occasional glass of wine."

"I only smoke pot sometimes."

"I only smoke Hooka sometimes."

"When I _______ I feel the Holy Spirit and pray and stuff."

"I'm gay and I love Jesus."

"I LOVE horror movies." followed by... "I have insomnia!"

"Tattoos, Tattoos, Tattoos, and more..."

"Piercing, Piercing, lips, eyes, chest, head..."

"Liquor + friends + smoking = good times....and we all love Jesus."

I look around at a people who do everything the world does. You listen to the same music, drink the same drinks, wear the same things that let you define or express yourself....ugh....what separates you from the world? Now I'm not speaking from a hypocritical stand point as if I am on some higher level and free of the things I do. It's just I find myself always asking....where does the line draw? I mean everyone's definition of that line is so completely different. We base the line off of what we justify as ok in our lives not the Word of God - the Bible. I mean REALLY we do this!!! We can go far into it and dissect every area of life from Food to Movies to Music to Drinks to Lifestyle. "Defiling the temple" could be abusing what you eat and being very unhealthily obese. Or it could be abusing alcohol and drugs. Or it could be cutting, or tattooing, or piercing, or any number of things really. It could be eating too much Chocolate Cake everyday which is not good for your body but we do it. Where does the line draw between the way God intends for us to be and the way everyone and everything else says to be? Did you make the line? Do you have the power to make the line? 

1Corinthians 6:9-11 Amplified Version

6:9  Do you not know that the unrighteous {and} the wrongdoers will not inherit {or} have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure {and} immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality,

6:10  Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers {and} slanderers, nor extortioners {and} robbers will inherit {or} have any share in the kingdom of God.

6:11  And such some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God. The basis for our obligation to Christ could not be stated any clearer. He gives three reasons: 1. Verses 9-11 show what put us into indebtedness to make redemption necessary. 2. Verse 19 says that our body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. 3. Verse 20 states that, because of redemption, we now belong to the One who redeemed us, and we must glorify Him in body and spirit. Concerning our bodies being "the temple of the Holy Spirit" it is good to reflect on the Old Testament symbolism that God abode in the Holy of Holies within the Temple. Paul reminds us that God now lives in us (John 14:7, 23), and we are obligated to live with the utmost circumspection so that He in no way is defiled by our conduct. So it is with Christ: We are obligated to consider His demands in every area of life all the time and under every circumstance. What an honor! Do we really uphold it as an honor though? I mean it seems like we would much rather please ourselves, our needs, which is glorifying ourselves and putting ourselves before the One who we need. When our life is looked at from an outside perspective what is it that is really seen? Could someone tell from a distance that that person is a Christian? When you see someone standing across the street how can you tell what kind of person they are? What about when someone has a casual conversation with you? Can they tell that you love God, that you are a follower of all that represents Jesus, in that conversation? What about when you are talking about your life to people around you be it at work or school or wherever you spend your time? What do you look and sound like? Does it represent Jesus?  You may be thinking yes, you may be thinking sometimes, or even no. You may even say that how can you look and sound like that all the time? Again I ask you WHERE IS THE LINE? In the end if it doesn't match up with the Word, than we have crossed it. None of us, not one of us is perfect or even worthy in the smallest sense to "make it to heaven" or "measure up to any standard" in the bible. We all fall short...all of us! (Romans 3:23) WE NEED JESUS!!! HE is the Way, HE is the TRUTH, HE is the LIFE, HE is the ONLY DOOR....JESUS! Our whole purpose in life should be to look like Him. He is the role model we should be working towards "growing up to be."  Look, I said I'm not perfect...guess what....I watch Harry Potter movies. I don't let my kids but I watch it. I have issues with anger. I constantly have to push past myself, and I do fail at times, to not react in a negative way. I DO NOT drink or smoke or tattoo or have any other piercing besides 1 in each ear and my nose. I listen only to Worship Music, I read only Christian books outside of the Bible, I try to eat healthy, I do indulge in yum foods, although not so much right now with my allergy issues. My life is one of NEVER GIVING UP ON BEING WHO GOD HAS CALLED ME TO BE. I will admit when and where I am wrong and if I don't see things about myself I ask God to show me or help me. I know I need Him. I want to live a life that shows that...it's my desire to represent Christ while here on this earth. When you see me I want you to see what a person who LOVES God and LIVES FOR HIM Only, looks like. I have imperfections but I am willing to change. It's not an easy journey and that's what makes the path narrow....many give up and turn back. I refuse to turn back. I want to sometimes but really what am I going back to....like in The Matrix....once you know the truth even if not knowing was simpler, why would you put back on the ignorance cap and re-enter the Matrix? I mean what kind of life is that? Sure in one sense life seems easier when you are not concerned about pleasing anyone or following anyone's rules. Isn't that the real American Dream --- Do Whatever The Heck You Want To Because You Can? Lol! THAT IS OUR FLESH...THAT IS SATAN...THAT IS WHY SATAN IS HERE AND CAST DOWN FROM HEAVEN. I don't want to adopt Satan's views.....didn't you hear? IN THE END HE LOSES...Yeah Satan loses to God.....so if victory is yours on God's side...isn't the push and hard work and effort put in worth it? I guess you have to decide. I'm sure I have pissed some people off....oh well...I just get intolerant of what I see when I know that doing those things DO NOT PLEASE GOD. Yes, God I would give up Harry Potter movies for You...what do You want of me, what do You ask of me? How can I represent You BEST? Show me and guide me that way and whatever the cost, whatever the pain, whatever I must suffer and go through and endure...I will do it for You!!! YOU MAKE IT WORTH IT ALL!!!!! Now I need Your help to accomplish this, but You promised me You would help me and that I wasn't alone and that You are with me wherever I go so I trust in Your promises and walk with You. (I'm being facetious with the Harry Potter thing but so serious if it's something God says has also got to go....just to clarify...I was using it as an example that I have asked myself about. I will not go see Twilight or watch True Blood or Vampire stuff because the whole point is seducing you. Vampires are seducing creatures that trap you and defeat you...but some of you like that draw, that tempting naughty trap thinking you can escape it but more being so consumed by it you can't distinguish truth from lie. But then Harry Potter is witchcraft so you can see my example making sense as a question and a desire to not be hypocritical. That Line...where is it?)