.....::::: CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE? :::::.....

Ever look at yourself in the mirror and think, "wow, I have changed?" Have you ever realized the changes your body goes through over the years? Amazing right? It's even more amazing when others can tell the difference as well! The same thing goes for your walk with Christ. Have you ever worried about whether or not you really are a Christian, if you have changed or are you in the same place you were before you experiemented Him?

But what is a Christian though? A Christian is anyone who has the Spirit of God living in him or her. Some people believe that to be Christian, one must be perfect. But that is far from the truth.

No one is born perfect. Whether you are a believer in Jesus Christ or not, no one comes close to perfection but Christ himself. But how do you differentiate your lifestyle to that of those who are not Christians? What makes your walk any different than others?

In the Bible, in Ephesians 5 verse 8, we are called to live as children of the light. The Apostle Paul told the Ephesians to leave behind their sinful ways and their old life of sin. Yeah...I know it's hard, especially when everyone else around you is doing the cool and seemingly fun things but at what cost?

Living the Christian life is a process. It's an everyday thing. Yes, we do fall short of God's glory everyday but that shouldn't be the reason one decides to give up and do what he or she wants while screaming, "yolo" to the sky. Being a Christian means that our new nature and identity are found in Jesus Christ. Although we have a new nature, we don't automatically think all good thoughts and express all right attitudes right away. But that is the beauty of it! If we keep listening to God, the beautiful change is bound to happen with help from the Holy Spirit.

Looking towards the future, you can't help but feel positive and optimistic! Why? Because our old way of living life before we believed in Christ and His mission on Earth, death on the cross and His resurrection, is COMPLETELY in the past! Like clothes that have become too small for us, we should outgrow our old sinful lives and find peace and tranquility in Jesus. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, He was the replacement for your old life! Our "old self," our sinful nature, died once and for all, so we are freed from our past. We need no longer live under sin's power. For us to return tk the things we used to do in the past is basically making Christ's actions on the cross be for nothing. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots and we may even sin but our sin does not define us! The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Jesus Christ.

To conclude, we need to seek the One who can help us change. The way the world we live in functions, it does the exact opposite of what God recommends that we do. Instead of loving, society often discriminates. Instead of finding joy in God, it tells us to find joy in almost everything but Him. Instead of being at peace, patient, kind, good, faithful and gentle, the world demonstrates the opposite. And when it comes to self-control, it tells us that we "only live once". Think about a time before your walk with Christ and look at yourself now. Do you see the changes? And if so, how are you helping others seek that change too? Even if you can't see the changes now, hope is not lost. Let God speak to you today. Have a blessed day and stay in faith!

Ephesians 4:17-24 "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

.....::::: WHY SETTLE FOR LESS? :::::.....

We humans are a very incredible and perplex creation. From us being able to take action and even the emotions we are able to feel; everything is just so amazing! God really did an amazing job! But the choices we make don’t always reflect God’s character though. It often leads me to ask this question: “When your standards are fulfilled, why settle for less?” 

What does settle mean exactly? To settle is to accept or agree to something that one considers to be less than satisfactory. In this post I will give you 5 examples of how NOT to settle for less. Crazy thing is that the 5 examples are actually true stories. Haven’t you noticed that when you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for? Pay attention.

First, I have a friend named Bray. He dated this girl named Sandy for almost 3 years. Bray loved Sandy. He did anything and everything for her. He would work a part time job and most of his paychecks were either put into providing for her (even though she had a job already) or to spend time with her. He put so much energy into their relationship that he even began to lose friends until she was the only friend that he had left. Of course, like every couple, they had their differences but their differences were always resolved because Bray looked at the bigger picture; his love for her. At that point in time, neither Bray nor Sandy’s faith in Jesus Christ was solid. So then came a very crucial moment in Bray’s life. Bray decided to enroll himself into University. What this meant for Sandy was that she would spend less time with Bray. So what did Sandy do? She settled for less. After almost 3 years of love, regardless of the hardships, she cheated. She cheated on Bray because she would see him less than usual (even though Bray made the effort to still see her as much as he did before getting into University). She had everything she could ever ask for in a man but wanted more, regardless of who she hurt in the process. Hmmm can some of you relate? Moving on…

The second example is actually that of Adam and Eve. We all may know the story but there is so much more to it than what we may know. Adam was the first human being on Earth. Fortunately, God didn’t let Adam be alone for too long before presenting him with an ideal companion and mate, Eve. They were complete, innocent, one and without a hint of shame. One of Adam’s first conversations with his delightful new companion must have been about the rules of the garden of Eden. Even before God made Eve, He gave Adam complete freedom in the garden, with the responsibility to tend and care for it. But one tree was off limits, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam would have told Eve about this, so when Satan approached her, she would send him running. Wrong! Even though she knew, even though she had everything she could ever ask for, she did what? She settled for less. Wait…how is this “less”, you might be asking. What is one single fruit compared to a whole garden? Does that answer your question? Eve ate the fruit and then offered some to Adam. At that moment, the fate of creation was on the line. Adam then ate the fruit as well. Man was separated from God by his own desire to act on his own. Hmmm…

Then there was David! David was a shepherd, poet, giant-killer, king, ancestor of Jesus - in short, David was one of the greatest men in the Old Testament of the Bible. He is remembered and respected for his heart for God. God even referred to David as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). But do not be fooled, David was a man. He made mistakes as well; enter Bathsheba. Bathsheba was the wife of a man named Uriah the Hittite. But how is she linked to David? She later became David’s wife. She is most known for having committed adultery with David (king at the time). Like I stated before, we tend to make crazy choices. David, a man after God’s heart, ancestor of Jesus, greatest king of Israel, settled for less! He could have had anyone he wanted, but he chose another man’s wife. He settled.

Like they say, “the apple never falls far from the tree…”. What this means in this context is “like father, like son”. David had a son; his name was Solomon. Solomon is our 4th example. He would go on and ask God for wisdom. But choice after choice, one could really ask if Solomon put into action what he asked for. Before David died, he told Solomon to obey God’s laws and to “walk in His ways”. Just because Solomon had this wisdom, it did not make him immune to making mistakes. He had been given great possibilities as the king of God’s chosen people, but with them came great responsibilities; unfortunately, he tended to make mistakes and neglect his responsibilities. How? He made many agreements with foreign leaders by marrying women that did not worship God but idols. He even allowed his wives to affect his loyalty to God. Solomon, one of the wisest of them all, settled.

And last but not least…"you and I". If you have read the Bible or not, it is filled with promises of the things God has in store for us. All He asks is that we stay obedient and have faith. But when those two things don’t really sound fun anymore, especially when others are doing the opposite, we settle. For example, God asks us not to have sex before marriage. Sex is an act reserved for those who are married right? But as time goes by, you get impatient. You are tired of waiting for the person God is reserving for you, and since all your friends are doing it, why not?! Well…let me tell you…you just settled! All that does is “open doors” that should never have been opened! Especially if you don’t see yourself getting married with that person. God is more than happy to give you what you NEED in His timing but we tend to settle for the “right now” instead. 

So basically what this post was intended to show you was that regardless of the situation, either in love, at work, promises that were made etc, do not settle! God has a plan for you. Be patient and have faith. If you already received, believe you received or have received confirmation that “something” or “someone” is God’s will for your life, why would you go after something less? Why choose the number 3 at McDonald’s when you’re on the road, when God is saving a juicy steak for you when you get home? Think about it! Stay blessed and in faith!

.....::::: YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE :::::.....

Let’s face it…if you are a Christian, there is no UNIQUE or SINGLE way to preach the Gospel to someone (evangelize). Why? Because there are many! One of them is actually with your testimony or past experiences. Even if you aren’t, you will still relate. (I guarantee it!)

What is a testimony? A testimony is a recounting or telling of experiences. 

When we think of our personal testimonies, we say to ourselves, “who would want to listen to me?” or “no, I don’t want someone judging me because of the things I once did. I am no longer that person.” Even though that may be true, your testimony could serve as a launching pad to build someone’s faith. Regardless if you are a Christian or not, everyone has a testimony because we have all been through life changing situations. 

For example, this is a true story, this happened to me this morning. I work during the night at a corner store. And during my shifts, I see a lot of different faces; some new and some old. Some actually stay and talk to me and some are too busy to care. But last weekend, a girl and her friends came in. Sadly, they had all drank alcohool. The girl could barely stand as she came in to buy a pack of cigarettes. As she took her time (evidently because she was “tipsy”), I observed her friends and even her as she sat on the floor looking through her purse for her debit card. Once she told me what she needed, she proceeded to enter her card number so I could hand her the pack of cigarettes. As I stated before, I observed the whole 15 scenario that had happened when she and her friends walked into the corner store. I was intrigued because she told me that she had just came from the hospital. Hard to believe because she had clearly been drinking but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Then she and her friends left. 

One week later, she and one of her friend’s from the week before made their way into my store again. This time, all of her senses were there but I cannot say the same for her friend. She came to get another pack of cigarettes. Ironically, when she tried to pay for the cigarettes, the transaction was declined because she didn’t have enough money in her bank account. So her friend decided to walk back home and get some money while she stayed in the store because it was kind of chilly outside and she was in her pajamas and a winter coat. So as she stood there waiting, we began to talk. I asked her why she decided to smoke and at what age did she start? She told me that she started at the age of 19. The funny thing is that she actually admitted that the reason she started smoking was because of the influence of her friends. I then asked why won’t she stop even though she knows this. She said it is because of stress. (this next part is where I wanted to get). She then began to open up. She spoke to me about her love life and how her now ex-boyfriend left her for the mother of his child. She told me how she felt; how the guy used her and that he was manipulative and how he constantly gave her false hope amongst other things.

What I wanted to show you guys that are reading this is that there are A LOT of people out there that have gone through this same thing…or even other things. There are  A LOT of people that have problems! 

Someone may struggle with masturbation…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A stealing problem…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
Lying problem…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A sex addiction…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A drug problem…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
Abusive parents at home…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A rape victims…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
The person wants to kill someone or even himself…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
You are a single mother…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
Suffering from depression…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! Whatever it is, you name it and it is probably out there. But these same people need YOU! Not only do they need you to hear them and listen to them but they need you to share your testimony! What do I mean? The girl in the corner store, I could relate  to her! I too had my heart broken on numerous occasions…I too have been manipulated and even manipulated people. I actually ended up giving her advice and trust me, she left happier than she came in! People need your testimony so that they can relate and know that everything will be okay and that they are not alone in this! 

Let’s take a trip to the Bible if I may. In the Bible, there was a man named Saul (Paul). Saul was a Pharisee (a self-righteous person; a hypocrite). He once zealously persecuted Christianity’s early followers and attempted to destroy the movement. But on his way to Damascus, he had a life-altering moment and he even became one of Christianity’s most fervent supporters! 

Where am I going with this? 

A testimony, if you read the definition in the beginning is a recounting or telling of experiences, as in past experiences. Saul was once a “Christian-killer” but then became one that spread the Gospel and life (Word of God). So for us to say that because we were once something bad and that our testimonies will only get us judged or that they won’t help anyone…is WRONG! God turns our MISTAKES into MESSAGES! So what will you do? Will you continue keeping your testimony for yourself? Or will you stand, tell your story and be the help that someone needs?! You never know, the person might be going through the same thing…some people need to see Jesus through you…YOUR STORY IS WAITING TO BE HEARD! Have a blessed day and stay in faith!

.....::::: THE TRUTH ABOUT SEX :::::.....

What is SEX exactly? In the dictionary, it can be summarized to being an act of sexual activity, including specifically sexual intercourse. Our generation sees sex as “recreational play between two consenting adults or people” (John Mark Comer definition). Some might ask, “What’s the big deal?” But like everything on this beautiful yet corrupt world we live in, every action has a reaction. Hopefully this post helps you realize the good, the bad and the in between of sex. 

What is sex exactly? Sex is actually the coming together of two people so they become one (no pun intended) body and soul. The two people become “fused” together at the deepest level. Let me start off by saying that sex is NOT bad. On the contrary, it is good because God created it. It is man that took what God intended for good and made it become what we see today in movies, music videos and other forms of media that we can get our hands on. It becomes bad when we use it in a context other than that of what God intended. He intended it to be used inside a covenant. What is a covenant? A covenant is an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people. The agreement that we all can think of and should think of is MARRIAGE. Speaking of context, while reading Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker’s book, “Every Man’s Battle: Winning The War of Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time”, it said something that truly caught my attention.

“Because our own standards on sexual purity have been so mixed with God’s, and since many Christians (sadly) don’t read their Bibles very often, many men and women have NO CLUE about God’s standards for sexual purity. 

Did you know that we’re commanded to avoid sexual impurity in nearly EVERY BOOK of the New Testament? […]”

And then the book goes on and literally gives you all the passages referring to sexual immorality. (I may give them all in the second part of this post).

THE GOOD. When something is done in the right context, there is no guilt, no ill after effect or regret. For example, have you ever had an exam coming up in school and you really worked hard, went to ask the teacher questions and even studied all night and all week just for this exam? And when you get to the exam, you pass it with flying colors? Isn’t it one of the best feelings ever?! Why? Because you did the right thing: you prepared for it. You could’ve cheated. You could’ve used your phone on the test. You could’ve chose to not study. But because you didn't, the reward was 10 times better. Hard work pays off! It’s the same with sex. If you wait and stay reserved, the feeling it gives will be much more fulfilling and satisfying. What if you decided to wait until you were married (even if you already had sexual relations before), and when you finally marry that special someone that has your heart, that you know will take care of you in every way possible and that you will spend the rest of your life with, having sex will mean so much more because you reserved yourself for God and that person. Sex can be used and seen as a form of thanksgiving to God for blessing you with your “other half” that is your partner. 

THE BAD. Sex shouldn’t be used as a form of pleasure before marriage. I, personally, am not saying these things because I am perfect. I am sharing this information because I have been there and sadly, one of the most enslaving sins that our generation is suffering from is sexual sin. Like I mentioned, I have been there and it is not something you can just get up and run from on your own. The act of having sex before marriage can cause chaos rather than being beneficial. It creates spiritual ties with every partner that we are with. Outside of marriage, sex can be dehumanizing. One person may see another person as an object because of self-gratification etc. Going back to what I said about spiritual ties with a partner, every time these relations happen, do you feel empty? Like a part of you has left you? Well that’s the spiritual aspect of sex kicking in. It’s as if one person comes and takes a little from you every time. It is stealing basically. For example, when we have sex before marriage, we are stealing from someone. The person we are having these relations with may or may not be our future husband or wife. That person does not belong to us. He or she belongs to God and eventually someone else. The image that I use is this one: What would you do if you dated someone or even if you didn't, had sexual relations with them but in 10 years, you got invited to their wedding and had to stare in the eyes of their partner to say congratulations? I know. It would be the most awkward feeling ever, right? Well that’s how it is. Do you walk into Walmart, open a box of soap, use it and put it back? No. So why not wait and make sure that this is the soap we need and wait for the right time to “buy” it? 

Sex isn’t bad when used in the right context. If you are one of those people, don’t worry, all is NOT lost. It is up to you to admit that you need help and that this is a problem. Then you must repent. No one likes a cheater. What do I mean? We are in a relationship with Jesus. When we have sex before marriage, we basically cheat on Christ. Our bodies are not our own. So to give ourselves away to anyone before a covenant or marriage is wrong. Even to those that aren’t Christians that may read this article, sex does not equal love. Sex is a benefit that comes from love but it is not love’s definition. Hope that helps. Stay blessed and in faith!

(Devotions/ Devotionals)