Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:13

I love it when God is short and sweet.  I don't really think there are any hidden meanings here, it's just what it says it is, no need to explain, so I won't. I'll just tell a story.  

I was chatting with my boss recently, we were talking about the retail business.  He said something that struck me.  "Show me someone who's worked in retail for over 5 years and I'll show you someone who's stolen, at least one, whether it's an entertainment center or a little jelly candy".  

By the world's standards, that's probably true.  As Christians, we should have a reputation of being honest, totally and immovably.  Working at a store everyday, I have to say, I've been tempted.  It's not like I want to go steal some high ticket item.  It's more like, "Ok, I just grabbed a water from the cooler, I have to remember to pay for it before I leave today".  It would just be so much easier to forget and leave, owing the store only ninety-nine cents, but still owing none the less.  Recently, we had a stealing indecent, where an expensive item was being taken on a continual basis.  Because of my reputation, I passed scrutiny and continue to work there as a respected employee.  Others were not so fortunate.

I don't know how or in what situations you're tempted in this, if at all, but just know, stealing is a sin, no matter how big or small the item is.  Being an upright person above reproach is just another way to show the world the light of Christ.

-Victoria 

          

Honor Your Parents

"Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Deuteronomy 5:16 KJV

Commandment #5, you're probably very familiar with this one.  Between Sunday school and VBS this one is pretty much hammered in good Christian kids' heads.  It's time for a fresh perspective.  Mostly, this verse is taken to mean "obey" you parents and while this is part of it, especially when you're a child, the Lord specifically uses the word "honor" here.  I am so glad I got to write about this commandment because I've been on a quest to find out what it means to honor a person.  To honor someone means to put them before you, to respect them, to put you, and how you feel, and what you want aside, and make a place for them.  So as a teen, young adult, or even full adult, we need to honor our parents, to pay them the respect they are due.  And if we do, God promises us a long and fruitful life.


As a young teenager, I may have obeyed my parents, but in my heart it was far from honor  no matter how good it looked on the outside.  Honor is a heart thing that comes out in your attitude.  I'm 19 years old now, and my parents don't "command" me or "make" me do things, they respect my age, but that doesn't mean I disregard their wisdom, or dishonor them by rebelling against the rules of the household that I still live under.

Honor your parents, if you're just doing what they tell you it's not enough, pray for a heart that is humble and willing to subject yourself to those in authority over you.  

-Victoria       

Mining for Gold

Every Friday we have a Bible Study at our house.  My pastor comes with his family as well as a few other people.  A few Fridays ago we were talking about something that really interested me, the different ways to read the Bible.  When people talk about reading the Bible a lot of terms are thrown around like "meditation" and "study", things like that.  What is the correct way to approach your Bible?  We broke it down into 3 sections and then compared it all to mining for gold.

1. Basic Reading
The title describes it all-you sitting down and just plain reading the Word.  You don't have any particular motive other than to just absorb what you can.  This method is is effective at covering a lot a ground and picking things up here and there.  Great for memorization and getting into the habit of thinking like a Christian.  Sort of like walking along the ground and finding pieces of gold, you don't find much but it's simple and effective.

2. Studying
What my pastor describes as "ripping apart Scripture and then putting it back together again".  You are reading the words, but with the distinct intent of trying to figure something out.  This where we get out doctrine and theology.  You don't just start and chapter 1 and and read to chapter 2, you hop around comparing different verses, taking into account audience, speaker, time line, context, etc.  This is like going deep into the darkest parts of the earth and searching for a vein of gold.  It takes a lot of work and time, but what you find is valuable and deep.

3. Meditating
Eastern religions have made us hyper sensitive to this word.  Meditation is not the emptying of your mind but the filling of it.  You take a single verse or a few verses and mull it over in your mind.  It takes time and it teaches you the meaning of verses that maybe you've heard a million times before.  You stop, think about each word and it's meaning and contemplate it as if you've never heard it before.  You already have your gold here, but now you're refining it.  Heating it, pounding it, weighing it and forming it.

All three of these ways to read Scripture are needed, we need to be strong in all these areas or something about the way we interpret the Bible will be off balance.

 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:13-16 NKJV

Half and Half

Here at Dedicated Christians we are really big into evangelism.  And I completely agree with that.  A word of caution though, when sharing the precious gospel with non believers, please make sure you know what you're saying.  Especially if the person you're talking to has no predetermined ideas about Christianity, because you will be the one creating those preconceived notions.  No pressure.

I had the opportunity a while back to have a very sobering yet joyous conversation with an acquaintance of mine who is slowly turning into a friend.  She's a spunky young woman who is searching.  She came over to my house to spend the night.  At 11pm she got the urge to straighten my hair with the flat iron, "just to see what it would look like".  The next thing I know, I'm plopped down in a chair, yawning my head off as a hot piece of metal comes frighteningly close to my ear.  Suddenly she asks, "So I don't really get the whole Christian thing, I mean, I know we're all sinners, but then what's the point, if we're already going to hell?"
-1st thought: I am SO glad you asked
-2nd thought: What a weird time and place to share the gospel......
Whatever I told her about what I knew to be true was going to dictate not only how she viewed me, but also how she responded to "religion" from now on.  I told this woman the truth, the truth about the the gospel, the WHOLE gospel.  And I can only pray she finds what she's looking for in God. 

And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  
Mark 4:26-27

I know too many people whose hearts had been hardened to the truth because of the hypocrisy and self righteousness of some believers.  And I've also met too many people who have only heard half of the gospel.  That saddens me because the half of the gospel that breaks down, leaves you broken down unless the healing part is included.  The opposite is equally as dangerous.  Only giving half the gospel is like tilling the ground but not planting the seeds.    
Please, when you share your faith, make sure you don't share one half without the other.  Walk to walk and be genuine.  With the gospel it's either all or nothing.

   

Should we "dance" in church?

Mrs. Pastoor sent us an e-mail asking what we thought of dancing in church. Here is what she asked:


" Some people think that dancing in church is a sin. Do you think you can write something about dancing to show that dancing in church is good as long as you are dancing to god praising to him. That would be very wonderful if you did that because that is something that has always confused me."

Below are the responses from several of the authors.

From Matt: 2 Samuel 6:14 says "Then David danced before the Lord with all his might....."

David worshiped the Lord with dancing. We can worship God in song and in dancing. God wants us to give him Glory in everything that we do. If you dance, then you should dance in a way that glorifies God and brings Him honor. If you play the piano, you so pay in such a way that brings honor and glory to God. The same with Football, and anything else.

Dancing to praise God is great, but I would say that it is not appetite to dance in front of everyone in church. You should be aware of what you are doing, too. Some dances are not appropriate or meant to bring glory to God. Exodus 32:19 "So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain." Lots of dances are made to worship idols, not the one true God.


I would conduct your own bible study on dancing and see what conclusions you come up with.


From Victoria: I think it’s obvious that dancing for the Lord is a positive thing. It’s accounted so many times in Scripture as a legitimate worshiping of our Lord, I think it’s pretty undebatable. Things become less obvious when we start talking about dancing in church. So is dancing in church a sin? The short answer: no I don’t think it’s a sin. Is it wise? That depends. Like everything we do in church from singing, to raising hands, to clapping, to testifying, I believe there’s a time and a place. Church is for the saints, and more specifically for the edification of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:12), so whatever we do in church must be to encourage and lift up our brothers and sisters. Does dancing in praise to God fit that bill?

Before you start dancing in the aisles ask yourself these questions. Am I doing this for Christ and will this edify my church, not causing dissension? If the answer is yes to those, then I believe you are perfectly in the right to rejoice. "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." 1 Corinthians 14:33 I don’t believe dancing in church fits into the “confusion” category of this verse. I think if entered into with discernment and the right heart attitude, rejoicing before the Lord in the house of God can edify your fellow believers and bring much glory to Him.



From Josiah: Just like Matt quoted from the Bible, David did dance to glorify the Lord. He danced along side the ark of the Lord! Now I have mixed feelings about this topic, and hopefully I'll be able to clarify what I mean in the following paragraphs.


First off, glorifying the Lord in anyway, whether by dancing, singing, or praying, is wonderful; however I don't think that we should be a "scene" or make others marvel at what we do. Don't be like those rock stars who draw people's attention to yourself. You are doing it for God, not for man. Keep that in mind.


Second, today's culture in America (not sure about other cultures, but they are probably the same) dancing is a form of drawing closer to someone intimately. If you were dancing on your own in church, then it might be okay, but if your dancing with others then that is probably not okay in a church.


Overall, I would just be careful, don't dance in a church because you want to show off your skills, dance with someone, or be popular; dance because you want to glorify the Lord in what you do best. I wouldn't say that dancing for the Lord has to be done in church, you could do it at home also! :-)


From Matthew: Throughout the Bible and throughout our culture, dancing has been used as a form of expressing joy and having fun. My friends have expressed that in their responses. I do not have the time to go into all of the concepts and topics I would usually like to, but I do want to go into a few things that have not been covered yet.


When I read the question, the words "in church" stick out at me. I am not against dancing as a whole, and usually enjoy doing it. But in church is a different matter entirely. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 14:40.


"Let all things be done decently and in order."


When in church, our affections should be set on the Lord Jesus. When I dance, it is usually at an organized event where everyone dances in sync... to a degree. But if one person is dancing in church and another is singing, etc. That does not seem orderly to me. When worshiping, we worship in order. When we dance, we disturb that worship. That brings me to my second point. Let's look at Romans 14:13.


"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."


When we are in church, it is a place of fellowship with other believers. Though a lot of true Christians disagree on several minor points, we all get along together with the unity and love of Christ. The second part of this verse talks about not being a stumbling block for another. I have several friends who do not believe dancing is something they should do. This falls under a minor point in theology, meaning it is not something that determines Salvation. But we should still be considerate of another's Christians beliefs. If you are dancing in a church where others have convictions against dancing, it can hurt their spiritual walk.


So I would not recommend dancing in church... but dancing as a whole is alright in my opinion.

From Tirzah:

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

Personally I love to dance; I think that to truly dance for Jesus, and Him only, is an incredibly beautiful sight. I believe that certian kinds of dancing, however, are not pleasing to Jesus. Some kinds of cultures only learn certain dances though, so I think that your dance, if it proves to be a stumbling block to others, should be done someplace where it is just between you and God.

"A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;" Ecclesiastes 3:4

Hopefully these responses answered your question Mrs. Pastoor!


God bless!


The Dedicated Christians Team

Killing the Shame

Something I have seen so many people struggle with, and something I have tasted myself, is guilt. Or rather shame is the correct terminology. The feeling of such utter despair for your sin that you run and hide from God.

That feeling is so painful, replaying that one sin in your mind over and over, beating yourself up for it, mentally, or even physically. Shame, it's a heavy burden to carry, and maybe you're carrying it. What causes this hurtful emotion and what can you do to kill it?

Let's take a hard look at why we feel shame. We sin and that thing inside us, the "c" word (our conscience), lets us know we sinned. So far, so good. We feel guilty because we know sinning is wrong, very wrong. We need to be punished for it. Still on the right track. But then, consciously or not, we throw away God's precious gift, deny HIS punishment in our place, and decide we can do it better. Our sin is too great for God's sacrifice, our own punishment is better. So we fall into shame, the carrying of our own sin, trying to atone in whatever way we can. Denying ourselves, giving to others, cleaning up our act, all right things done for the wrong reasons.

So if you dust it off and really take a look at it, shame is really pride, thinking we can save ourselves, how conceited is that? And that realization could drive us into feeling even worse. We not only carry shame, but now pride as well!? And no amount of good work is going to fix that because we already established trying to atone for our sin is the cause of the problem.

So that's shame, self righteousness. Now for the real question, how do we get rid of it?

The short answer? Lay it at the foot of the cross, along with all your other junk. Jesus can take it, He already paid for it.
The practical, everyday answer? Preach yourself the gospel every day, or whenever you catch yourself beating yourself up about the past. Stick a sword through it. Learn and move on. Trust God will use your sin and weakness for good, and for His glory. Memorize Scripture that assure you of God's gift and your freedom, or write them down on sticky notes and put them on your bathroom mirror.

Whatever you do, just kill it, and not by yourself, let God do it.

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. John 10:28-29

Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. Romans 3:24-25

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

Our Worst Enemy

Satan is our enemy, sure, but I think we tend to over emphasize that in our mind at times. I mean, Satan can only be one place at once, and he's not all knowing, like God. He's an enemy, yes, and a formidable one at that, but he is definitely not our worst. We have an even stronger, more dangerous enemy and he greets you everyday in the mirror. We are our own worst enemy. Our soul is sealed with the Holy Spirit, but our flesh is still in world, free to struggle, free to battle, and free to sin. And we do.
The hard part for me is that we can never totally win against this enemy. And then I start to wonder why God has us fighting a loosing battle. But God has His reasons and I don't need to understand them. All I have to is know is He calls us to war, even if we can never win. I once read somewhere, "We are free to struggle, but we’re not struggling to be free".

We must battle our sin until we are freed from this earth, where we can't be dragged down by own flesh. Then our soul, washed clean by the blood of the Lamb, can share in the victory, rejoicing at the Heavenly throne. And you know what? I bet it will will be worth it and then some.

So for here on Earth, it's not in the winning, but in the fighting.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 7:14-25 NKJ

Fight, my dear brothers and sisters, and when you grow weary, think of the cross, and you will find His strength.

-Victoria

The Hunger Games - Book Review

One of the newest media trends right now is the Hunger Games. You've probably heard of it. If not, it's a series of book following a girl named Katniss. It's set in a time period of the future, after the fall of North America. Every year 2 teens, a boy and girl, from every region must fight to the death for the entertainment of the oppressive and blood thirsty government. The rest of the books tells of how Katniss and her allies defy the evil government and help ignite a long awaited revolution. While this is all going on, Katniss must decide who she loves, and who the real enemy is.

Story wise, the books are immensely entertaining, full of good vs. evil, action, gripping emotion and a bit of romance. Katniss is a self-sufficient survivor and has a deep sense of self-sacrificing loyalty to her family. Theologically, on the other hand, the books experience some problems. Throughout the stories Katniss is exposed to the depravity of mankind. The book clearly states that all men are wicked, even the "good" guys can fall prey to power mongering and greed. The books recognize the problem, but sadly, have no solution. The redemption of God's love and mercy are the perfect cure for the pain the characters suffer. They search, but they never find it. At the very end of the books, after Katniss comes back from the brink of insanity because of all the horrors of war and the loss she suffers, she finds comfort and hope in the next generation, where they won't have to face an evil government. She plays a game with herself, counting all the good things people do on a daily basis, and tries to remove her focus from the horror, and move it to the beautiful.

In the end, good prevails over evil, but the cost is high, sickeningly high.

So the ultimate question. Should we be reading these books and watching the upcoming movies? I think different Christians will have different answers. Here are some of my suggestions, if, in this point in your walk, you are vulnerable to attack in the purity department, the veiled romance in the books might cause you to stumble, so use discernment. If you're having tendencies to feel depressed, again, it might not be wise. But if you are perhaps wanting a sobering account of humanity and the cost of war, no matter how righteous, then I think the books are useful and even captivating.

Here are a couple verses from Scripture for you to make your own decision, and this by all means, not an end all list, just the ones that came to mind for me.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8
 

Grace For Us "Good" Kids

The world get's this idea that kids who grow up in a strong Christian home receive no wounds, no scars, and have no pain. And just because they don’t have any horribly outstanding sins, they must be perfect and happy. That is completely false. All you have to do is live in this world to sin and probably get some baggage along with it, that is just a part of life. Some people’s baggage is just more visible than others. And if people can't see your baggage they call you a "good kid".

“Good” kids have a good reputation, they are the first to volunteer for charity, they are the ones that try to be righteous enough to be a Christian. They play this sort of masquerade with themselves and other people, covering up sin so no body sees it and pain so no body thinks they are weak, because this would wreck their "good" lie. They look smooth, like they have it all together, but inside they are bitter, wounded and dirty. Is this ringing a bell for you? I know it did for me. Sure, Jesus saves, and Jesus heals, but you have to be good or you won't ever get those gifts. That is the mindset of most good Christian boys and girls.


It’s hard keeping up those smiling faces and good works, but the worst part about it is that when people act this way, they are rejecting God’s grace. They are being self righteous, somehow thinking that their good appearance is getting on God's good side so He will save them.

God wants to save and heal everyone. We all need saving, in God’s eyes your sin is equal to the convicted criminal sitting in jail right now. And in God’s eyes your pain is as real as a child's from a broken home. No matter how “good” of a life you have led, you need God’s grace. And that means you stop relying on your “good” reputation, works, and attitude to save you, because our works are like filthy rags to Christ. It also means you don’t hide your scars from God because you think they are unimportant and try to do it all on your own. Because you can't. And that is so amazing. You don't have the pressure to be perfect because God knows that you aren't, and that is why we have the Cross.

Accepting His grace means trusting Him to save you from your goodness.

Everyone needs grace, everyone needs healing, and God will give it to you, if you let Him.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

From a recovering good kid,

Victoria

P.S. If you're interested in reading more on this topic, I would recommend the book "Grace for the Good Girl" by Emily P. Freeman, it's primarily for ladies, but the concept applies to everyone. It was a life changing book for me.

Trust in the Lord

  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5

STOP!

Read it again, s-l-o-w-l-y, absorb it’s meaning.

Most of us have memorized that verse and probably heard a Sunday school sermon on it, it desensitizes us to what the words actually mean. Let’s pick it apart shall we?

“Trust in the Lord”, Ok, that doesn’t seem to hard, yeah I trust Jesus….mostly. Trust isn’t a thing that comes and goes. It is rock solid. Think of the chair your probably sitting on. You sat down on it trusting it would hold you up. We need to trust God like that, to let go of whatever we are holding on to and trust that God won’t let you hit the rocks.  He won’t, He gives you His word (too many verses to list here, just check out Psalms, it’s full of promises like that).

“With all you heart”. God doesn’t want a piece of you heart, He wants all of it. You can’t trust God in one area and not trust Him in another. It’s all or nothing.

“Lean not on your own understanding” , this is hard for us brainiacs. Those of us who put a lot of stock in our own opinions and knowledge because, by the world’s standards, we are very smart. Well, it turns out that compared to God’s wisdom, our wealth of knowledge is about as vast as a single snowflake in the North Pole. That’s hard to swallow, but there’s no place for our ego in an intimate relationship with God.

We need to trust God, with our whole heart, or we’ll end up putting our trust in something else. Something that can be as fragile and passing as a winter snowflake.

Tune My Heart

"Come thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing Thy grace"

This is the line of a very famous hymn. I'm sure you've heard it and probably sung it. Did you realize what you were singing?

We are the instrument, God is the musician. Our life is a constant song that our heart sings. Sometimes the music is straight from God full of His holiness and grace, but sometimes our heart gets out of tune, and the beautiful song is ruined by sour notes.

Maybe you've heard an untuned instrument, or a person who can't carry a melody in a bucket. That's what God hears when our hearts get all out of whack. That's when it's time for a tune up.

The lyrics of this hymn are a prayer to God, asking Him to tune our hearts. Think about it, have you ever tuned an instrument? Tuning usually means adjusting tensions in the strings by turning knobs and applying pressure. Not fun, definitely not fun.....but necessary.

God will adjust things in our lives to tune our heart so our life's song is exactly how He wants it. The melody, pitch and harmony are completely in balance, and the theme of our song is grace and the Grace Giver.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Ephesians 5:19 KJV

Leading the Blind

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.  Isaiah 42:16

Out of all the promises in the Bible this one rings true for me.  If I think about it hard it almost brings me to tears because of the comfort and strength I find in this one verse. 

I am legally blind, and in this world where everything is fast paced, going by in a blur, sometimes I feel alone and afraid.  There are so many unknowns.  I don't like the unknown, I can be content just staying home, on my farm, in my comfort zone.  But I know that isn't what God wants for me and the last year of my life has been a time of God leading me on paths that I hadn't forseen.   But He is faithful, he won't just ditch me in a new place.  He makes the darkness, light, before my feet and makes the crooked path passable.  With this promise in my heart I can step blindly, yet boldly out into the unknown and joyfully confront uncertainty.  

He promises to do this with all His children, not just those of us who are physically blind.  If you are blind to a situation, blind to God's plan, unable to clearly see spiritually, you fit into this verse.  God promises that even if you have absolutely no idea what you are doing or where you are going, He will be there and guide you ever step of the way.  If you step out in faith, the path will not only be revealed to you, but the road will be made straight.  

I cling to this promise as I'm stumbling through the dark of this life, and believe me, it is better to be blind and have God guide you, then to have vision and choose your own way.          

The Living and Piercing Word

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NKJ

Being the sword fanatic that I am, I have always latched onto the part in the verse about the Word of God being sharper than a sword. Recently I read it and felt like I saw the rest of the verse for the first time.

For starters, read the beginning of the verse. It says the Bible is alive and powerful, it’s not just a centuries old history book that isn’t relevant to the world today. And it's not just words on a page, dead and silent. I love books, but I have never found one that was actually living…until now. I don't even know how a book can be alive! I can't understand it, but it makes me really excited.

As I continued to read the verse I got to my favorite part about the sword. I always thought the Bible was used as a sword to fight the enemy. While this is definitely true, God’s Word is also a sword in the sense that it can convict us. If you have read a verse that was painfully convicting and relate able, you understand that the Bible can pierce through your soul and spirit. The Word is more like a scalpel at that point. A scalpel that God is using to preform heart surgery in areas of your life that need to be altered or removed.

Read the Bible, use it to battle the enemy, but be ready to take the knife to your own heart when God convicts you through His living, breathing Word.

Knighthood, Yeah Right

I think something we have lost sight of in modern day Christianity is the fact that we are called by God to fight like warriors. That is why I take the concept of knighthood and chivalry, very seriously. When I talk to fellow Christians about being a knight, I usually get a response like, "Yeah, right, uh huh, I think you've been watching too much Lord of the Rings Victoria". When I was young, I just liked swords, I thought it was really cool. Now I know it is more than cool. It is a duty we have in Christ that is not to be taken lightly. Fighting the forces of darkness is a dangerous task and most often our worst enemy is ourselves.  The stakes are high, and we can't battle alone, only in Christ's strength are we more than conquerors. Now, as young people, we need to be cultivating the mindset of a knight, whether you are a guy or a girl. Honor, courage, self control, emotional, physical, and mental strength, these are all things that a true knight needs to have. And most importantly, we need to have a heart for our King, we must know His truth, and use our sword in His strength and for His glory. 

I urge you to take your position seriously. Carry yourself as a knight, not in pride, but in humility and steadfastness, caring for others before yourself and serving your King with honor.

-Victoria

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 KJV

Be Careful Little Brain What You Read

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil - Isaiah 33:15 KJV

I love a good book, and more often than not, I download books onto my Ipod so I can "read with my ears". I did that the other day, the book seemed an ordinary sci-fi/fantasy novel full of sword fighting and adventure. The title was "A Game of Thrones; A Song of Fire and Ice". The the description didn't seem to portray anything wrong with the book and the reviews were positive. So I listened, eager for a good read. Chapter 1 was good, so was two, by three I had gone "Yikes" a couple times at the content. By chapter 4 I deleted it off my Ipod and my computer.

A part of me wanted to read on and just finish the book, I mean I had spent money on it, but I am glad I didn't. I was reminded on how careful we have to be when reading books. The thing about books is you won't know if it is bad until you start reading it, and by then it can be too late, it's already in your brain. Even when you do your research and read reviews and the description, the majority of the content is a secret until you read it yourself. That is why for the most part, I read books who's authors are Christians or who have passed away. That doesn't always work either, but it cuts down a lot of the trash.

So what do you do when you are reading happily along and suddenly you run into a lewd scene, or anything else that compromises your values? You STOP IMMEDIATELY. I know how tempting it can be to just read on, but don't! I like to read a passage of Scripture right away so it kind of "covers up" what I have just read and switches the gears in my mind to Holy things. Then I get rid of whatever I was reading/listening to so when I'm bored I don't go right back to it.

Be careful little brain what you read. You will be surprised how much it absorbs even when you "skip over it".

-Victoria