Todd White of Lifestyle Christianity “Eternal life isn’t just when you get to heaven. Eternal life starts when you have a relationship with the Father here on earth. We live to destroy hell here on earth because the Heavens are open to us, and then one day, we will enter into the glory of the Lord. But we can live and bring God’s glory everywhere we go. You are a divine encounter. It’s time to make the devil wish that he never touched the bride of Christ. Go and terrorize the devil’s camp”.
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”
“And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God”.
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones)”.
“Your sins were forgiven when you got born again. God is not holding your sins against you. The only thing that is holding up the answer to your prayer is our unbelief because we feel so unworthy. We are empowering the devil. We are allowing our conscience to condemn us. And we don’t have the confidence and the courage and the authority that God has bought for us through Jesus. And we are approaching Him like a lost man that doesn’t have a savior.
We pray in the name of Jesus, but the truth is we actually believe that it’s going to be according to our goodness. And so all somebody’s got to do is say ‘Hey, you’ve committed sin. You haven’t studied the Word the way that you should. What makes you think you’re worthy?’ And all of a sudden your total confidence just crumbles because your faith wasn’t in God, it was in you.
If you pray and use the name of Jesus properly, what you’re saying is ‘Father, not because of who I am, but in Jesus’ name. I expect to receive because of Jesus’. You know the scripture says ‘Agree with your adversary quickly while you’re in the way.’ And there’s multiple ways of applying that, but one of the ways I apply it is when the devil comes and says ‘you aren’t worthy. What makes you think God would use you?’
Instead of me trying to justify myself and say ‘wait a minute, I’ve studied the Word more than I ever have, I’ve been praying, I’ve studied, I’ve fasted, I…’ The moment you start justifying yourself and trying to make yourself worthy, Satan has won because you may be better than you were, you might be better than I am, but you have come short of the glory of God and you do not deserve any answers to prayer based on your goodness.
The right way to respond is when your enemy comes and condemns you, agree with your adversary and say ‘you know what, you’re right. I don’t deserve anything. I think I’ll pray in the nameof Jesus. And I’ll get it through who Jesus is. I’ll get it on the basis of His righteousness. I’m standing holy not because I am holy in myself, but because I am born again righteous and holy’.
See that’s using the name of Jesus properly, but if you say ‘in the name of Jesus’ but you’re saying ‘God, I’m worthy, God, I’ve prayed, I’ve done more than ever before, now will You move?’ You have just used the name of Jesus in vain. You aren’t trusting in Jesus, you’re trusting in yourself and you’re taking the name of Jesus in vain” Andrew Wommack.
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations”.
Standing for marriage starts out in an extremely confusing state. Emotions are all over the place, heavy fog a continual companion. And those nearest and dearest can feel the stander’s pain, truly well meant intentions. The human nature in all of us wants nothing more than to end the pain, no matter the cost.
The more I leaned into my relationship with God, the more my emotions settled. And once I made my decision to stand for the healing and restoration of my marriage until my last breath, then and only then did I enter the most calming state of peace, knowing I had made the right decision. Yes, it would be difficult, yes, I would be misunderstood, yes, I would be thought dipsy, but such peace, such amazing peace.
Standing for my marriage has brought me in contact with so many people, Christian as well as non-Christian, offering a mixture of responses when I explain what I am doing and why. At times, what I have said has caused emotions to flare, my not realizing just how much my personal decision, my conviction has touched buried, yet raw nerves concerning their own.
At other times, I have been pulled aside by a person who has chosen to get on with their life, only to have them tell me just how much they regret walking away, wishing they had chosen to stand for their marriage. Sadly, I recall two women whose husbands did return to their marriages. One man’s life was taken by cancer while the other man’s life was taken by suicide. Guilt, remorse, shame,…are cruel and unforgiving taskmasters.
In just about every encounter, the other person has typically taken what I have said about my own situation and applied their own emotions surrounding their own situation. These are the times I have found I must very quickly point out that what I am saying is about my own decision, I am not judging their decisions concerning their lives. Thankfully they just as quickly relax their stance, conviction and condemnation are so closely related and yet so, so very different.
“If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord.”
~~~Jeremiah 3:1 (ESV)~~~
I find my thoughts returning to our wedding vows spoken with naive yet heartfelt conviction, “…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, so help me God…” And I know I have made the right decision.
“Wedding Day August 6, 1983”
Hope you have enjoyed reading this post and will consider sharing your thoughts, following me on social media and subscribing to my blog.
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” Mark 16:16 (KJV).
While I was saved and baptized as a young teenager and loved the Lord, I was just busy getting on with my life, dreaming of the future, college, marriage and family,…I read my Bible, I attended church, prayed and naturally wove the topic of my faith into my conversations and life choices, I truly did believe, but…
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” Ephesians 6:4 (KJV).
During the summer after high school graduation I worked at the little local Carnegie Library. At noon I would walk a couple doors down and eat lunch with my grandparents. Thankfully they always made a point to challenge my thinking. This particular day I had made a bold statement about having my own faith and convictions. I remember his smile and her chuckle. And then my grandmother explaining how I had been living my parents’ faith and convictions. How, now entering the adult world and especially that of going away to college, my faith and convictions would be tested as I developed my own.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6 (KJV).
Leaving our little “Mayberry” and entering the world of academia, my college educated and God loving grandmother was obviously correct. It wasn’t that I doubted her and of course, I definitely trusted her, it was that I just didn’t have a clue, as she herself knew, and as I was beginning to understand.
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” James 4:8 (KJV).
As I initially felt engulfed by all that this new world had to offer, I stayed true to my parents’ faith and convictions. I felt engulfed because I had left the protected and safe world where I honestly had never really dealt with dishonesty, where all the adults could be trusted and truly did care about my well being. While I would end up having college professors who were Christians, I also experienced like a deer in the headlights, professors who introduced me to a very foreign way of thinking. One atheist professor’s agenda was to destroy my faith in God. Yes, I was a (naive) Josh Wheaton being angrily challenged by my own Professor Radisson.
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV).
Did I waffle? Yes. Did I doubt my faith in God? No, but I did waffle a bit. How? I did question my wholesome upbringing by becoming curious about decisions my college friends were making, seemingly oblivious to the consequences for their actions. I mean, I was an adult now. Wasn’t I mature enough and wise enough to dabble in some of the same choices as my free-er thinking college friends?
“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. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” 1 John 2:15-17 (KJV).
I did feel a mixture of emotions, guilt, shame, even regret for some of my own choices. I couldn’t understand what the difference was between others and their choices and me and my choices. How did they seem to not bear the weight of their own choices? Why weren’t they losing sleep and losing themselves?
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:1 (KJV).
It would be years of feeling guilt, regret, self-condemnation and shame as I felt the burden of carrying the responsibility of my poor decisions. I just couldn’t seem to give myself grace. Did I doubt what Jesus had done for me?
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8 (KJV).
I remember the moment the truth became crystal clear. It was not that I had abandoned my faith during my college days, despite for what I felt condemnation. I was wrong! It was not condemnation, but conviction I felt!! God had never left me, He had been there with me all along. He had gently whispered into my ears the truth, guiding it down into my heart. Freedom is a wonderful thing. I am loved by Him for who I am and not my poor choices. I am loved by Him because I am me.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” Matthew 11:28 (ESV).
What makes an atheist an atheist? Losing a child to cancer led Dr. Solomon Harkens (Kevin Sorbo) to walk away from his marriage and family while also blaming God for killing his son. However, losing a child to cancer can also be the catalyst necessary in order to change the hardened heart of the world’s most famous professing atheist as he discovers who God truly is. Written by Sam Sorbo and Dan Gordon, this is such a story.
What actually does it mean to claim the title of atheist? According to Google an atheist is “a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods”. The question always remains the same: if a person does not believe in God, then why blame God when bad things happen while neglecting to give God credit when good things happen? At its root is humanistic pride which says I don’t need God.
Turning his back on his praying wife and loving family Dr. Harkens seems to have it all as he angrily and arrogantly pushes his agenda of God being unnecessary in his life, all the while ultimately blaming God for the death of his son. Giving the impression he has no need of God, Dr. Harkens’ religious credo of “party on” resounds as he chooses to live the superficial life of “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll” yet senses in the depths of his heart something is amiss as late at night and all alone he sarcastically toasts his life of “livin the dream”.
It is clear Dr. Harkens is seeking answers, but unwilling to consider God and Jesus Christ as being a viable option. As he angrily encourages his audience to believe as he does, he makes a harsh correlation between the terrorist organization known as ISIS and that of Christianity having the same agenda (listen closely as he later explains their clear and distinct difference). With a near death experience he now finds it difficult to reckon his atheistic, strongly denounced disbelief of the afterlife as a brief encounter with his much loved deceased son helps him to grasp who God truly is and why He sent His son, thus bringing him out of the darkness and into the Light. “And God said, ‘Let there be light’: and there was light” Genesis 1:3 (KJV).
As anyone who comes to God, Dr. Harkens is a variation of the prodigal son found in the gospel of Luke. While Satan toys with those who are deeply hurting: the bold, the arrogant, the self righteous, the proud,…those who feed into his agenda, God so gently and lovingly never gives up.
Photo Credit: geralt
Hope you enjoyed reading this post and will consider sharing your thoughts, following me on social media and subscribing to my blog.
