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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Stay Strong

So many times we as men get confused as to what is strength? What does strength look like? And even when we figure that out we get confused as to how to use our strength. A few years back this ministry started and then not too long after it was suggested that we have a "name". The basis for this ministry was to help men to be strong in their Christian walk; but not only limiting the ministry to men. So with that I was thinking of be strong, act strong...Well we decided on Stay Strong. hence the Stay Strong Ministry. Not to long after that we heard the song, "Stay Strong", by the News Boys. Which is unofficially the theme song for this ministry. So back to strength, physical strength, being strong physically, muscles. Mental strength, being strong in thinking. In life we need both these strengths! Which is of more importance? Well that depends on the circumstance. If you need to move a heavy object that is on you,taking your breathe away well physical. But really you need both. A great football player is not only physically strong but also mentally, thinking...he is able to "read" the offense or defense or even an individual player; then he able to use his physical to the best use.
For us as Christians there is also spiritual strength. We use words like faith, belief...But it is the actual trusting God. That is trusting God to do what He said He will do and for us to do what God tells us to do. So back to our name Stay Strong. It comes from 2 sections of scripture in Joshua. The first being Joshua 1:1-9. Here God tell's Joshua to be strong and courageous in verses 6,7 and 9. But at the same time God is also telling Joshua to obey the law...That is that Joshua strength is in obedience to God's word, not waivering to left or the right. When Joshua is doing His part God works mightily by using Joshua to do great things. Now the next section in Joshua is chapter 24:14-15"Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for your self today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your father served which were beyong the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are liveing; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
You see real strength is to be determined to serve the Lord God no matter what. When things are going smoothly...or in times or great difficulty...real strength is to obey Him...to put aside our wants, desires...To stand firm on the word of God. Real strength is being like Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego,in Dan.3 this is were the 3 were to be tossed into the firy furnace. Here is what they answered the king in verses 17-18 "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliever us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliever us out of your hand , O king. But even if He does not, let it be know to you, O King, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Now that is strength! Spiritual strength. Someties we need to wait on God...and during that time it is hard not to do things in our own strength...we may even bend the rules a little bit, you know what I mean? Let's not do that any more but instead let us be strong, stay strong trusting and obeying our Lord God and His son Jesus.

Monday, October 31, 2011

They are different

So the serpent did his work! He was able to get Eve to doubt, wonder...if the word of God was true. She looked at the tree, pondered, it seems good...looked good and will make me wise(let me include the word happy). So she ate and he ate, Adam. That's how it all started for mankind. You know even today we fall for the same trickery...We even do the same things in evaluating...or sometimes we just do without evaluating. We see people who are living a life that isn't right...or doing wrong practices...questionable dealings...drinking....or whatever it might be. But it seems that they are happy...and nothing is happening to them...It may even seem that they are "blessed". So many times when we think of these things we take it to the extremes, we over look the little things that are wrongful...and we think as long as I'm not doing it like so and so or like that degree...
In our text it said that they ate(was it a bite, a taste, a whole apple, how about an apple pie) and their eyes were open. Look at what they first noticed? Nakedness. So they covered themselves. Before they were able to walk around naked, both of them being content... nothing of bad intentions. Now their nakedness brings on a whole different reaction or reactions. That is the reaction of shame. Shame of the difference in their bodies...Not only that the shame at how they probably now are looking at each other's body. Let's face it guys here we would definitely have a hard time. Now this effect of our body difference still comes into play even today. But let's not only see the body difference but there is also that difference in the way we act. That is the male____, "ego", thinking...and the female____, "ego", thinking.... Let's face it we are different! So men we need to understand that! We need to live with our wives in an understanding way. Guess what that means? We need to learn, we need to study...our wives. What are their needs, wants, desires, likes, dislikes and... Just like us men are different from each other our wives are also different from each other. So we as men need to understand his own wife! 1Peter3:7 "Likewise husbands , live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the women as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."