Comfort

How many of us growing up in religion heard all the time when we were scared or worried that we should just trust God, because He is in control. This would be awesome advice if any of us actually believed that God was in control. However, most of us didn't, so when we were being "comforted" by church members saying that everything would be okay because God is in control, we weren't comforted at all. We would think to ourselves, well if I have enough faith in God then I won't be scared anymore because my faith will make God cause good to happen to me and nothing bad will come. I have to control my future based on how pleasing I am to God. 

The problem is, it is hard to trust God to run the universe if you don't in fact believe that He RUNS THE UNIVERSE. So the recent Ebola scare and ISIS scare, which are most likely government agendas for profit on Pharma-Companies and Oil, etc. Can be scary and, I will admit, last night I was even a bit anxious about all of it. I am not scared of catching Ebola, nor am I scared about ISIS. I was scared of my government and what they plan to do. I kept thinking about the end-time prophecies and other things that could happen to me. 

The media only airs negative stories if you have not noticed. This, I believe is to strike fear and worry into us so deeply, that they can sell us all anti-depressants and vaccines. Then they make sure you keep watching T.V. by giving us something to laugh at or feel good about. It is all about money. Now, I do not condemn television at all. I just want to make aware the stuff that happens that we don't even think about. We need to look into things for ourselves, and by doing this it can definitely cause anxiety and stress, until... you get a reminder that God, the same God that formed you in the womb, the same God that knows every hair on your head, the same God that specifically chose us to know the truth, is the One in control of it all. ALL OF IT. So, knowing that God is the One in control, ACTUALLY IN CONTROL, can be the greatest comfort in this eon. Everything that happens must happen for God's purpose to come into fruition. What is His purpose?

To become All in all.

Where there is a Will, there is no way.

I am sure that everyone is familiar with the saying, "Where there is a will, there is a way." That is entirely true...depending on whose will is being addressed. 

For instance, Jonah willed NOT to go to Nineveh. Yet God willed that he DID go to Nineveh. Where did Jonah end up? God had a will, and his way was a smelly belly of a fish. So the saying is true only if it is in accord with God's. If God wills it, there is a way. If God does NOT will it, there is no way. And if God wills it, there is no way... no way that is isn't going to come to pass, that is.

God wills for all mankind to be saved and come unto a knowledge of the truth. God has a will. His way is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. There is NO WAY that it will not come to pass.

Most Christians today will NOT that all mankind be saved, because if all mankind were saved, then they would be no better than anyone else! They will say, but I chose you and they didn't, why do they get to come too? Even though they will (lower-case "w") that mankind as a whole is not saved, they have no way to stop it from happening, although they are seemingly doing a great job at hindering its arrival!

The only Will that will ever come about entirely as planned, is God's. So rest assured that no matter how many people "will" that you burn in hell for cutting them off at an intersection, or for telling someone that Christ was a success and that God actually knows what He is doing, His will is certain and it is going to come to pass.

P.S: In-case you are wondering... 17 times. Started to not sound like a word anymore.

The Ghost of Mankind's Future

This topic should be so easy to understand, but the illusion of "free-will" is so strong that most people deny that God is actually, factually in control of everything. Or at least that He set everything in operation to perfectly play out exactly how He planned it.

Think about it. You can either believe in free-will, or you can believe that prophecy has been and will be fulfilled. It is one or the other. IF we have free-will, then it is possible to stop events that were prophesied from occurring. If you have not heard of the "butterfly-effect" it is the theory that says that if you change even the smallest thing about a past situation, the entire outcome of an event can and will occur differently. Take for instance our diet, if we feel hungry and crave an egg, and then we eat the egg only to find out it was rotten, we end up sick and possibly hospitalized. That is only ONE event. Now imagine our entire diet. Everything we eat affects our bodies. Eventually poor diet can lead to all kinds of things and eventually our death. If we changed one thing about our diet it would change our lifespan. Since God knows exactly how long each of us are going to live (because He Himself numbered those day) then our cravings are going to be in accord with what He wills, and if we "decide" that we are going to get fit and start eating right? Well, where do you think that motivation came from? If you haven't seen the movie, "The Butterfly Effect", then you should watch it. It is similar to the Ghost of Christmas Past/Present/Future story in which Scrooge is shown what life would be like if he didn't change. 

If you don't think that even the tiniest little thing isn't controlled by God picture this: God has a plan He has set out to accomplish. There are specific results He wishes to achieve. Now if anything at all happens differently than He intends the outcome will not be the same. Imagine you are traveling in a straight line. You need to get from Springfield, MO to Faith, NC. If you set the co-ordinates to go only in a straight line to NC you had better get them dead on precise. If you are off by 1°, you will not end up in Faith, NC. Heck you may not even be in North Carolina at all! 

Simply put. Either prophecy will be fulfilled, or we have free-will.

Value.

Do you feel worthless ever? Do you sometimes feel like you don't contribute much to anything, that you are kind of just living waiting for God to take us up? Don't feel valuable? Well if you are reading this blog I assume that you believe the truth of Paul's gospel. 

Now why does that matter? Big deal, you believe something that is so simple and plain that a child understands it. Yet look around. How many other people can you name off the top of your head believe that Christ was actually a success? How many do you know that believe all will be made alive, and that God will be All in all?
That God is not counting our trespasses against us?! Well? How many? 

So why do we understand this simple truth when most of the world doesn't? It is because we are chosen. Now I want you to really stop and think what this means... Seriously, don't just read these words. Stop right now and think. God, the Being who SPOKE and there was light, SPOKE and there was Earth, Sun, Moon, and Stars. SPOKE and there were plants and animals. SPOKE and there were HUMAN BEINGS. The Being who controls all of everything who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and who IS LOVE. The Being who feeds and shelters the birds. The One Who loves you and cares for you more than any bird. HE CHOSE YOU! Imagine it! God BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH.... CHOSE... YOU...

If you ever feel useless, if you ever feel un-loved, just imagine God thinking about YOU before the World even began.

License To Sin?

"Well if everyone is going to be saved, why should I even try to be good? Why don't I just go hire a prostitute to snort crack with me? Isn't saying,"Everyone will be saved eventually", just giving them a license to sin?" 

How many times do you hear this when you try to tell someone about the Salvation of All? First of let me say, that if Paul weren't teaching pure Grace and no works at all, than the people he were teaching would not have asked why they can not sin more that Grace would abound. They basically asked Paul the same thing that we get asked. Is that not then a license to sin?

So many people dance around this question because they don't want to sound like they are condoning sin. Yes, in a way it IS a license to sin. Paul said that all things are allowed us, yet not all things are beneficial. Sure you have you can rob a bank, stab a baby, and even eat all of the red Skittles leaving none for anyone else. But, what happens if you do that? You will have serious jail time and, God-willing, horrible remorse for what you have done (especially for the Skittle thing, that's just pure evil).There are very real consequences for our actions. You can not, CAN NOT, out-sin Grace. 

So you can call it a license if you want, but just remember, most drivers that die in car accidents due to wreck-less driving, had a license.

Scars

The people that do the most harm to the Gospel and to the character of God, are not the ones that curse God. They aren't the ones that question God. They are the ones that "represent" God. They make God look worse than ISIS. At least after ISIS kills you, you are dead. God however is not so merciful. He is going to fry anyone that HE HIMSELF didn't give faith to believe the Gospel. Christians are like children that want to help mommy and daddy cook. They think they are helping, but in reality, they are making things much more difficult. 

When Christ was sent to Earth to be our Savior, He had to endure many, many things that He did not deserve. He remained perfect through it all. He suffered for our sake, He was beaten for our sake, and He died for our sake. Who made Him suffer? Who beat Him? Who KILLED Him? Was it "atheists"? Was it agnostics? No. It was the religious. The religious are the reason there are things like 9-11, ISIS, The Holocaust, The Crusades, The Dark Ages, etc. etc. Christ was scarred from the nails that went through His hands. Just as we are scarred emotionally and some of us, myself included, physically and mentally. Christianity and it's horrendous doctrine of eternal conscious torment, the free-will of man, and the Trinity can cause one to go crazy just trying to make sense of them! Let alone truly picturing what "hell" is going to be like if they don't measure up to God's expectations!  We are all scarred, but one day Christ will heal these wounds. 

This world that to us looks like a jumbled mess, is actually just a fraction of the Masterpiece that Jehovah is creating for His own pleasure. One day the finished product will be revealed, and not one soul will be disappointed...

May I?

I am sure that everyone reading this is familiar with 1 Peter 5:8,"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." I have heard this over and over in Sunday School. I was always told to put on the full armor of God so that when I would be tempted to sin, I could resist the devil and therefore maintain God's good graces. But that is not the point I want to make here. The thing I want to point out is the word may in this verse. When I was in school kids would ask,"Ms. Teacher, can I go to the restroom?" And the teacher's response would be something to the effect of,"I don't know, can you?" To which the student would respond, "May I use the restroom?" And the teacher would then allow the student to excuse themselves. This got me thinking. Satan in this passage is said to seek out whom he may devour. Which, to me, implies that he has to have someone's permission. Someone more powerful than himself. Someone who, oh I don't know, operates all things in accord with the council of HIS will? There isn't much to this blog other than a small thought. The thought that Satan can do nothing without God's permission. This thought should provide comfort. Because if God is the One that chooses what Satan can and cannot do, we don't have to worry. Satan is just a child, and soon enough he will be in timeout indefinitely.