self

The great surrender

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This is shown throughout history. Any that deny this deny their very nature. Why this is, is due entirely to the act of Eve eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Each and every human seeks to please only one person: themselves. This is why certain sins are stated within the Bible as to not allowing those that perform them entrance into heaven. For they have no true understanding of surrender.
Yes I said surrender.
We must surrender our desires, our wants, and our lusts. Thus forsaking them for our own survival.
Jesus is asked what are to two greatest commandments.
The first is that we are to LOVE GOD with ALL or our heart, mind and soul.
How can we do this if our first love is ourselves?
The second greatest commandment latches on to this.
We are to love our neighbor, known as all those other humans about us, as we love ourselves!
This is what it means to surrender ourselves, first to God and then to our fellow humans.
Any that seek to dominate, control and influence “Because they know what is best.” Has not surrendered unto God and in fact seek to be their own gods.
Those that say that the unborn has no moral rights are acting as their own god. For they know what is best for the mother of this unborn life. They are in control and so are the ruler, the master, the god.
These are the actions and the words of those on the left in the United States. For they know what is best for the common person. They are what is best for the continuation of the human race. All the wording and actions of those that see themselves in their own minds as gods.
There is only one God and He sent us His Son for our salvation form enslavement to ourselves.
So turn to Jesus Christ and surrender unto everything, especially yourself.

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: “Dear younger me.”

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As I listened this morning to this Mercy Me song I started thinking, for at time in my past I have contemplated desiring to do that very thing.
Then I really thought, and I really reflected upon my fifty plus years of live within this temporal plain of existence, and I came to a startling conclusion.
For the most part, I wouldn’t want to talk to my younger self.
“Why?” you question.
Would I have given myself some finical advice? If I had, would I have ended up where I am now? No, most likely not. Then I would not be happy where I now am for no telling what riches would have done to me.
Would I have given myself romantic advice? For the most part I again would say no. Even though I am now into my third marriage, and might I add, my final one. For without going through the two previous marriages I would not have the children that are now within my life, nor would I even be living where I now live, and had the opportunity to have met my current spouse.
The real question comes down to my spirituality then. That is the toughest of all to answer. Would I have been equipped to serve God and His Son if I did not go through all I have gone through? There was a very long pause here just for your information.
Again I have to say no, I would not say a thing. Have I been though some rough patches? Yes, most definitely yes. However, I honestly feel I had to experience these minefields to be able to make people understand that what is within the Bible is real. That every word when taken in context and applied to ones live as well as the very acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Savior is something that is real and required to achieve spiritual growth and understanding of what God has mapped out for us in our lives.
So, I can say this without doubt or question.
I would never wish to talk to my younger self, for the road he took brought me here, to now, to this place, to God.

Seeking to please only the self no matter the cost… a tale of destruction

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For decades people have been taught that to succeed to become answerable only to oneself is the ultimate goal.
Yet this is not what the Bible teaches.
Humility. Seeking to help others especially those within the Christian family, but not limited to the Christian family is part of the ultimate plan from Christ Himself.
In fact when Christ added two more commandments, oh you didn’t know there is actually twelve commandments now, oh well let’s go there.
The greatest commandment per Jesus Christ is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul. It was actually taught in Deuteronomy 6:5, but called the greatest and a commandment by Christ.
The second commandment Jesus then goes on to say is that we are to love our neighbors as we are to love ourselves.
This means to place all humanity as our equals, but as Christ Himself says about His task upon this temporal plain was this:
Matthew 20: 28 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Since we are to strive to be Christ-like then should we not too seek to serve our neighbors, our fellow humans as best we can?
The answer is yes.
So to seek to have success to seek after wealth, to tread upon our fellows not caring if they are hurt, finically destitute or even killed is the total opposite of serving God.
Then if it is opposite it is seeking not after Christ and salvation, but death and destruction.
Yet this is how most in the world think, many of which call themselves “Christian.”
This makes those that do call themselves that hypocrites, and liars not only to themselves but to everyone else and especially to God.
Revelation 21:8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
1 John 4:20 – If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

Any who teach “self-worth” teach hypocrisy

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“Self-worth” is a teaching that states “you” can achieve entrance into heaven by your own actions and deeds. It is teachings like this that are blinding those that call themselves “Christians” when in reality they may not be. By the way it is not in the Bible. Those that teach things not in the Bible and state it is “Christian” are teaching the world.
Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
The only way to achieve entrance into heaven is by acknowledging that “you” can do nothing to get there. You must humble yourself. You must not try to do things on your own. For they will lead into the world and the world is corrupt.
1 John 2:15 – Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
When you seek out the world. You seek out the temporal and fleeting rewards of this life we now live.
Revelation 3:17 – Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Try to understand. This life is only a test. When compared to our true life that is to come. It is but a blink of the eye. Can you cherish a blink? No you cannot. It is there but a moment and then it is gone and repeated once again.
Our eternal live is not a blink, but an actual live. A live that will last for all eternity. Not 100 years, not 1000 years, but more than 1,000,000,000,000 year.
When you humble yourself before God, and learn to place all others before yourself you quickly learn that by doing so you realize that all are equal to you. So if they are your equal why do you seek to esteem to be better than them? Especially when we are taught within the Bible to place all others before ourselves.
Seeking out “self-worth” is seeking to hold onto a blink. When you do this your eyes are closed and you are blind to all that is real and perfect in the sight of God and His Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Journey of Salvation

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The quest for salvation begins with an understanding that we as human beings are corrupt. We all sin, but there are degrees of sin. Those sins that actually change the path of our existence are the worst of these sins.
Sins like taking the life of another human being. Sins like choosing to be with someone of the same sex instead of the opposite sex. These sins turn you down a path that is hard to turn from, but that must be turned away from.
At the core of all sin is the desire to satisfy yourself. Your wants and desires.
In the Bible, we are taught that removing the “self” is a core element to do in the journey toward salvation. However, how can we ever get there on our own? We cannot. We must turn to the only person that was perfect. For only something pure and clean can remove the impure and filthy. Do you not use a clean rag and water when cleaning a mess?
Who is this perfect being? It is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Can you still come to God once you have committed the worst of sin? Yes you can, but it will cost you dearly. You must emotionally suffer greatly as you go through the rest of your life, but realize this life we now live is temporal. Our true rewards are promised us not in this life, but in the next and eternal life.
You will be tempted to return to your previous lusts and desires. You may falter, but turn away and repent and then strive forward toward God. All you need do is ask Jesus into your life, and to read the Bible. It will already be difficult, but if you do not ask Jesus’s help or learn from the Bible the struggle may tear you apart from the inside. In many ways, it already will especially when turning from a major sin. It must be done so you can one day as you explore the universe say to yourself:
“I am here because of Jesus.”