The thoughts of a 'Jesus Freak'.

God did not save me from the bottomless pit to live my life in superficial comfort and peace. He did not program me to be a 'people pleaser'. When the Lord changed me from the worst of sinners to a devout Saint- it did not happen over night and it was NOT easy. I had to fight tooth and nail, sweat and tears to finally break through all the sin I was in and the Lord gave me strength to do it. All I had to do was be obedient. 

There is more to being a child of God than believing in Him. You must come to terms with the fact that your life is NOT your own. When the Lord puts you on a mission you do it. Don't hesitate, don't reason... GO! You will face giants that you would rather walk away from. It will happen. But to stand on the principles of God means to walk it like you talk it- no matter how hard it gets and no matter how lonely the road.

 I understand that people have insecurities that hold them in bondage. Ok, well once you discover what your insecurities are then what? Do you cloth yourself in them daily and expect everyone to constantly cater to them? OR do you decide not to let those insecurities hold you in bondage and challenge yourself to face them? Sometimes people hurt you. That is a part of life. But you can not let what has happened in the past dictate your life. You must face your problems head on and not sweep them under the rug or carry them around for the world to see, and expect others to be sensitive to your personal insecurities by avoiding the problem & not helping you through it. Truth is- your friends should be there to help you fight through those thoughts that beat you down. Catering to negative thoughts are not going to make them go away and it is not gonna help you finally find freedom from it.

What is love?

In the Western world, when we say, “love,” we can mean many different things. I can love my cat, my husband, my music, my friend, my job, my country, or my car. But I don’t love my husband in the same way I do my car. See, things can really get mixed up! So, let me break it down for you the best way I can. I'll start with "eros" love aka "sexual love" or "passion"... In American culture, Eros is also romantic love & is the main reason people get married. It gets more interesting... over half of both American men & women maintain that not being in love (eros) is grounds for bailing out of marriage! Eros is a multifaceted mixture of anger, sexual urge, joy & jealousy. Strangely, in the Bible teaching about Christian love, eros is not mentioned in the NT Greek. Bible teaching about Christian love is different than the Greek notion of the highest form of love – or religion. For Christian love, the highest form is "agape". That’s next.

Actually, this NT word (agape) is opposite of eros, and is rarely used outside the NT. It means to highly value & unconditionally have at heart the genuine welfare and best interests of the object loved. It includes a rational commitment and motivation to maintain a relationship even in the face of problems. It directs kindness, respect and loyalty toward the object loved. Agape stands at the heart of what is commonly referred to in the Bible teaching about Christian love. The concept of this kind of experience was in Greek and Roman culture, but not the actual word, agape.

God expresses Christian love toward us (John 3:16; cf. Romans 5:5, 8), and Jesus explained this self-sacrificial love, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12, 13).

According to Jesus’ definition, agape can be expressed in patriotism, as in soldiers laying down their lives for their country. The Bible teaching about Christian love indicates it should form the foundation of believer’s relationships with one another (John 13:35). Agape love demonstrates our friendship with Jesus (John 15:14), and expresses our Christian love toward God (1 John 5:1-3).

But, there is more to Christian love than this.

In a nut shell- eros love is a conditional love. It is loving only when you get something in return or you feel like you are on the receiving end. Agape love is to love unconditionally without regard to self. Agape love is to give freely and is the same kinda love that the Lord shows us. Eros is a love that revolves around us. Agape is a love that revolves around HIM and is then expressed through us to others to benefit, not ourselves, but those being loved and the Lord- for His glory. I have experienced both kinds of love. I have given both kinds of love. But after really digging and learning the difference b/w the two... I would like to eliminate eros love. It is plastic.

Christian Livin'

A Christian lifestyle is a daily challenge, there will be times in your life that feel like you are climbing Mount Everest but rest assure with God there will always be a recovery time. Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
1Corinthians 9:24-27 

A Christian lifestyle is a daily challenge, which is where the importance of Christian friends comes in, to keep you accountable, just like a running partner keeps you accountable to keep pushing forward. Christian friends who keep each other accountable are not only there to encourage, but to lift you up in prayer during the hills in your life when you feel like giving up. Even if you don't always run side by side through everything the important thing is that you pick each other up when we stumble and finish the race together, our heavenly home. Our world is full of temptations that can make it very easy to stumble and fall, we need to keep each other accountable and be an encouragement through example and prayer.

During your walk with God you may wonder why you put yourself through such a challenging lifestyle. Just think of it this way, right now you are on a difficult path that requires you to run up many hills when your are so exhausted, but there will always be a recovery time because God will not give us more than we can handle nor will He ever leave you when you're climbing those hills. So next time you feel like taking off your running shoes I encourage you to put on the armour of God (Ephesians 6: 13-17) and know that the biggest trophy of all is there for you when you finish the race, eternal life with God!

 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me-the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
2Timothy 4:7-8