Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God Alone

I was reading an article on the missing girl, Madeleine McCann, yesterday and something I saw disturbed me. Apparently a meeting has been arranged between the parents and the pope. Later in the article, the pope was referred to as ‘His Holiness’. Come again ? That really burned me because the only One who should be referred to as such a thing is God Himself, not some mere man who lives, breathes, and will die like the rest of us. Referring to him as ‘Holy Father’ and ‘His Holiness’… why ? Is it not realized that he’s a sinner as all men are ? He was born in iniquity and without Christ as his Lord and Savior, he’s hellbound too. Traditions of men get you nowhere. We have to get back to the Bible, those of us who claim to be children of God. Sola Scriptura = Scripture ALONE. We don’t need anything else. We don’t need outside sources. We don’t need another book. The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience… (1689 LBC). Nothing’s changed and there is no new revelation. The only Holy One is God – Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit. Anything or anyone outside of Him is a mere breath.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
Psalms 144:4 ESV

… What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
James 4:14 ESV

Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?
Isaiah 2:22 ESV

Soli Deo Gloria. May God and God alone receive all the glory, not some mere man whose life is not controlled of his own volition.

More Random Thoughts

I haven’t truly blogged in a few days and thoughts are all over the place, hence the title. I also borrowed it from one of Brother Shai’s songs. A lot has been going on within me, around me, and near me lately. This is my attempt to organize it all. I won’t try to make sense of it because honestly, that will lead to more confusion.

Family
A lot’s been going on family wise. My uncle passed a couple of weeks ago. My grandmother’s pretty ill. She’s been ill off and on, but this time it’s much worse. She’s 3 years away from being 90, so her life’s been lived well. I don’t know if this is God’s appointed time to take her, but I am praying for her. With the loss of her oldest son a couple of weeks ago, I can’t help but to think that it has some bearing on her health. She was doing better before then, but it seems her health took a turn for the worst a couple of days after his death. Things between one of my brothers and I are strained at the moment. I have done all that is in my power to strive for peace even though the current situation is not the result of anything I’ve done… I’ve prayed about all of the above and have done what I can, so I pray God will comfort and give peace, open and soften hearts, and continue to shine His perfect light.

Finances
I am in a place where I have bills due, but no money to pay them. I’ve been searching for jobs, but it seems to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I’ve applied with various places in various cities for various positions, but no callbacks. This has never happened to me before. I’d gotten so used to paying my car note, my car insurance, my cell phone bill, putting gas in my car, paying my website bill, etc… and it was just a part of everyday life. Now that I can’t really do any of the above, it’s a scary place to be. I truly don’t know how my bills will get paid, but I’m not panicking. That’s right – Jenn is not panicking. Those who know me know that I have, at times, been quick to ‘freak out’. But right now, I’m relaxed. The only thing that I’m really anywhere close to being upset about is the move to Philly. I’d gotten accepted to my chosen school and found a place to stay. Now, with bills due that can’t be paid, it seems like a pipe dream. However, for all I know, God could still work it out to where my bills will be paid and the August move will be happening. He’s known to do things like that.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
Romans 11:33-34 ESV

I’m still praying and having faith that He will work everything out so that I can atleast pay my bills and such. Regardless of what’s going on, His character never changes. He’s still good; His ways are still perfect. The fact that I am not losing my mind over all of this is amazing to me. Purely His grace. I just trust Him to do something soon so that I don’t end up losing my car or having a gap in insurance or getting my phone cut off.

Bible Study
I am in the process of poring over the epistles of John followed by Jude and then the Gospel of John. I’m trying to read 2 chapters a day atleast. It’s taken me hours to just go through the 1st and 2nd chapters of 1 John. It’s a lot in that little book. 5 chapters of meat; like a can of sardines – just packed in! What sparked my decision to study 1 John in particular was the series of sermons on Biblical assurance by Paul Washer. While studying tonight, one of the things that stood out to me was the way that John refers to the group of believers that he’s speaking to. He refers to them as children, young men, and fathers. These are all different stages of development in the human life, but he uses these to acknowledge the stages of spiritual maturity. He reminds the children that they are forgiven and the how and why. The young men are strong because they are no longer children, so they have a good grasp on the Truth, and because of this, they can stand against and overcome the deceptive wiles of the devil. The fathers know THE Father. They have a deep and intimate knowledge of Him. I really love how John wrote that. There was a lot more that really blessed me, but I’ll have to blog about that when I finish 1 John so that it can all come together.

Fitness to the Glory of God
I’ve been working out 6 days a week – cardio 5x, stability ball exercises 3x, and pilates 2x. I think I’m actually going to up the cardio to doing it all 6 days and the core exercises 4 days. I’ve been doing well in this though. It’s becoming a priority to me to workout. Now if only I can get myself to get enough rest every night, I’ll be good to go. I haven’t had any fast food, soda, or fried foods lately. I did eat 2 apple turnovers and some chips on Sunday. It was my cheat day, but I feel like I cheated too much. I was worrying myself thinking I ate too many calories. Monday is a cardio only day so instead of the 25 – 35 minutes on the treadmill, I’m trying to go for 40. It really helps to listen to music while I’m on it. Right now, my Slvr is loaded with 116 Clique, Shai Linne, B. Morr, Timothy Brindle, Cross Movement, Everyday Process, Thi’sl, Flame, and others. Thanks, guys, for helping me get it together, haha.

Hm, I guess that wasn’t as much as I thought it’d be…

Grace and Peace.

Pocket Testament League

When you’re out witnessing, it would be cool to be able to give them all a Bible, but that can get kind of expensive. There’s a site called the Pocket Testament League that I’m a member of. You can order 30 gospels of John per month for free… Yes, FREE. They have various kinds of covers and different translations – ESV, NIV, NLT, KJV, and also some in Chinese and Spanish.

So… you can order 30 a month. You don’t have to pay for shipping or the gospels… it’s all free. BUT since it’s such an awesome service, I encourage everyone to try and donate when you can. I’ve left mine places – the car repair place, in the bank drivethrough… Some good material to use and it’s free so we really have no excuse. To sign up, just click the banner.

Grace and Peace.

Disciplines

I rather enjoyed the Tuesday workout – 20 minutes on the treadmill and my favorite DVD – Core Complete. Working out with a stability ball is pretty cool because it works out more than 1 thing. For instance, doing crunches on the stability ball – It works out your legs because you’re keeping balance on the ball, as well as your abs. Everytime you do any exercise on the ball, you’re always working out atleast 2 sets of muscles. I love it. Wednesday’s workout is just cardio so I’ll probably hit the treadmill for 35 minutes or get with a Firm or Taebo DVD. I kind of messed up with my eating Tuesday. My liquid intake consisted of vitamin water, pomegranate blackberry black tea, and lots of water. Foodwise, I had chicken wings (coated in a mixture of creole seasoning, light brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and ground mustard… that I cooked) and a chicken caesar salad from Olive Garden. Now, where’d I mess up ? I had oreo cookies and carrot cake! Ah! Temptation, they name is sweets. Anyhow, I just have to make sure I watch what I eat from this point on… and I really have to try harder to avoid sugary snacks.

I’m excited that I’ve kept up the discipline of constant workout. That’s truly nothing but God because sometimes, I don’t feel like working out, but at 26 years old, I have to be mindful of my health. I don’t want to be 30 having the health of a 60 year old. Now if only I could get my other disciplines going. It seems I have to focus on one at a time until I nail it. I want to get up at 4a every morning for prayer and Scripture. I want to dig deep into the Scriptures every single day. I want to get atleast 8 hours of sleep each night. I want to develop my prayer life more, but all of these things take work and much self denial. It’s so much easier to sit around and do nothing than to work and do something. I’m seeking God that I may be more disciplined in my life in all things. I’ve been seeing a lot of things I don’t like about myself lately that require discipline. I just have to keep praying and keep pushing… but it won’t come easy. It will be worth it though. It will serve to make me fit and healthy inside and out – physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Grace and Peace.

Children of Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — At a recent kindergarten graduation ceremony, young girls smiled behind their brightly colored princess dresses and the boys showed off their best dress shirts. They sipped on juice boxes, played on swings and jumped on and off seesaws.

It was a welcome relief from the war that surrounds them. But when these 5-year-olds spoke, it became apparent just how much the ongoing violence has affected them.

“I’m going to bomb, bomb, bomb the school with everybody in it,” said Omar Hussein, as he clutched a pink toy airplane.

At another point, a girl enthusiastically sang, “I give a knife to my father to slaughter the chicken. He gives me a machine gun and a rifle. Now, I am a soldier in the liberation army.”

Source: Iraqi kindergarten: Smiles and vows to fight

Also, this slideshow speaks volumes: Children of War.

Grace and Peace.

The State of the Church ?

While googling, looking for something else, I found this article. The title does contain the ‘h’ word for those who may be struggling with profanity. It gives a secular view of the church which is unfortunately all too accurate. The article was written in 2005, so if it was like that then, it’s much worse now. Another article, written on May 13, gives a Christian view of the church. With so many so called ‘pastors’ preying on flocks, and it being a well known thing, I wonder why the members of the congregations turn a blind eye. I know many caught up in the Kenneth Copelands and Creflo Dollars who, when given the information – FACTUAL info – they continue to defend them. I cannot stand wolves. It angers me and grieves me. They have people who are quicker to defend them than they are to defend Jesus Christ. I know that being a Christian is not glitz and glam, but it’s real. It’s life saving. It’s eternal life through Christ Jesus. It’s not about money and temporal pleasures. These ‘pastors’ have people duped into thinking that they’re supposed to be rich. They have them scared to leave because of threats that God’s hand is over that ministry and that ministry alone, and if they leave, He’s going to take His hand off of them. You have false converts who, when everything’s going good, they love some Jesus, BUT when things go bad – Forget a Jesus Christ. Man, I HATE it. I hate it so much. I hate turning on TBN and seeing that trash that they purport to be Christianity. We were bought with a PRICE. We weren’t bought to be caught up in the material, making idols of things that won’t last forever. I’m tired of hearing amens from people when the ‘pastor’ makes a joke that they can relate to. Do you know what ‘amen’ means ? People just throw around these phrases and turn them into nothing but Christianese! And how many times do I have to turn to my neighbor and say… ? Ah… sorry for the rant. I’m just seeing this garbage more and more daily. I know God isn’t pleased with it because the person they make out to be Christ is not Christ at all.

At times, I pray to the Lord that it would please Him to ruin their ‘ministries’. This is why those claim Christ must be like the Bereans… seeing if the things that these ‘men of God’ say is so.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Acts 17:10-11 ESV

I pray that the Lord would be ever so merciful and gracious and save through the foolishness and deception of man.

Maranatha.

Saved to Praise

If you are a Christian reading this, I have a question for you: Have you ever meditated on the purpose for which God has saved you? Why did He choose you before time began (2 Tim. 1:9)? Why did God go through all the trouble of sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins and then raise Him from the grave in order for you to be declared righteous in God’s sight (Romans 4:25) ? Why did He send His Spirit to regenerate you, bringing you to faith in Jesus (Titus 3:5) ? Why is God presently at work in your life to ensure that you will be preserved through the trials of this life and make it all the way to resurrection ( Phil. 1:6, Jude 24) ? I ask because we often think of the purpose of our salvation only in terms of being rescued from hell. Or perhaps we focus on the positive benefits of eternal life, everlasting joy in the presence of God, and continuous fellowship with God’s redeemed, glorified church throughout eternity. All of these things are true, of course. And they are all glorious realities for the believer. However, these things don’t really get at the why of salvation as much as they describe the what…

To read the rest of the entry by Brother Shai, check the source out — Saved to Praise.

Grace and Peace.

Biblical Assurance

Today, I listened to part 2 of a 5 part sermon series by Paul Washer called Biblical Assurance. In the sermons, he breaks down 1 John into 10 tests that will help one know for sure that they are indeed saved and indeed a Christian. Part 1 covered the 1st test. If we proclaim to be Christians yet we live a life of habitual sin, we walk in darkness. To walk in the light is to walk according to what we know about the character and will of God which is revealed through His Word. If our lives contradict what we know about God, then we walk in darkness. Those that walk in darkness are not in Christ.

Part 2 covers the 2nd test, referring to verses 8 – 10 of 1 John.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:8-10 ESV

Paul Washer pointed out that John repeatedly refers to what we say. “If we say” this and “if we say” that and “whoever says” are all throughout 1 John. What we say means nothing. I can say that I am a pro basketball player, but that means nothing if there is not something in my life that backs up what I am saying. The same goes for our professions of Faith.

In elaborating on the text, Brother Washer explained that the Christian will be sensitive to sin in their life. Their sensitivity will cause them to be broken and repentant. This in turn drives them to confession which leads us to being cleansed by God. Our hearts must be open and receptive to Biblical correction though. If the Lord uses someone to point out our sin to us, our response speaks volumes. If we’re defensive and immediately deny it, we call God a liar. The proper response is to accept the correction and confess that sin before God. What is confession ? Paul explained that the Greek word means to “speak the same thing”. In other words, it’s agreeing with what God points out to you that you are. When the Holy Spirit points out our sin, if we say that it isn’t true, we call God a liar. Let’s say that I have a lust issue (Praise God I do NOT… purely His grace). If the Holy Spirit points this out to me, I can respond 1 of 2 ways. I can either agree and say, “Lord, this is true. I have a problem with lust”, or I can say, “I do not have a problem with lust”. The 1st response is confession. The 2nd is denial, the denial that verse 10 refers to – If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Godly people acknowledge the sin in their lives and the Lord deals with them.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Psalms 32:3-5 ESV

And we shouldn’t be discouraged when the Holy Spirit so graciously points out our sin. God is not against the believer; He is FOR the believer. He WANTS to help you; He doesn’t want to leave His child hanging. He is not like man; what He does is pure, righteous, and right. Jesus forgives us and consequently removes our guilt. We have a beautiful Savior who is just and righteous and faithful. The Word of God says that once we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of them. We must remember this; this sets us free! We don’t have to mope around and feel like, because we have sinned, we have to wait to go before our Lord. His Word says that once we have confessed it, He forgives us. He’s faithful and true. He does not lie. If we don’t behave as though we believe this, we paint Him to be a liar. To call someone a liar doesn’t say that they lie. That’s an action. To say someone’s a liar defines their character. If we ignore our sin as if we don’t have any, we call God a liar because He makes our sin known to us. We must be careful of that. When the Holy Spirit points out our sin to us, we have to make sure we don’t harden our hearts. Accept the correction, acknowledge the sin, confess it, and realize His forgiveness and cleansing.

So… with that said, can we live / talk / dress / act like the world and be okay with it ? Can we laugh at the things nonbelievers laugh at ? Can we watch things that contradict the character of God and be okay with it ? If so, there’s a problem. If you don’t have a problem with dressing how the world dresses, being profane like the world, living like the world… you’re not in Christ.

This sermon of Paul’s definitely assured me and gave me such peace. I pray this entry offers peace to the saved. I pray it grants unrest to the soul that thinks it is saved and is not.

Grace and Peace.

How can I love Christ more?

1. Meditate on Christ – Direction 1: “Be much in contemplation of Christ.”
   Your first priority is to meditate on Christ. Make time each day to dwell on Him. Consider who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing for you.
2. Study about Christ – Direction 2: “Be much in reading and studying the Scriptures.”
   The Bible is God’s Word to you. It is where you’ll find everything you need to know about your great Lord and Savior.
3. Pray for Love – Direction 3: “Be much in prayer to God for this love.”
   Jesus said, “How much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him” (Matt. 7:11).
4. Lean on Christ – Direction 4: “Get much faith.”
   This goes hand in hand with prayer. The writer of Hebrews said, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
5. Be Filled with the Spirit – Direction 5: “Labor for much of the light of the Spirit.”
   The only way to truly love Christ is to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).
6. Make Your Salvation Sure – Direction 6: “Labor for clear evidences of His love unto you. The full, well-grounded persuasions of Christ’s love to you will, above all, heighten your love to Christ.”
   If you are a true Christian, Christ loves you. But if you lack the assurance of your salvation, examine your life to make sure you are saved.
7. Live in Obedience – Direction 7: “Get much hatred of sin and, accordingly, watch, pray, strive, and fight against sin as the worst of evils, as that which so much displeases your Lord.”
   When you do sin, go to the Lord and confess it so you can experience the joy of restoration.
8. Follow Those Who Love Christ – Direction 8: “Associate yourselves most with those that have most love unto Christ.”
   Simply stated, follow godly examples.
9. Pursue Love – Direction 9: “Be much in exercise of this love; hereby it is increased and heightened.”
   This last principle takes you back to the beginning. If you want more love for Christ, pursue Him by practicing each of these every day. In every activity, in every contact, and in every thought, make Christ your focus.

Resource: How can I love Christ more?
by John MacArthur

Fitness to the Glory of God

I worked out Sunday, Monday, and today. I feel great, BUT I’m in pain. It’s a welcome part of my quest to honor God with my body (eating habits, maintenance of it, etc) because I know that something in there is getting worked on. I woke up this morning and my legs were sore. I could barely kneel to pick things up. Even now as I type this, my legs feel stiffer than cardboard, but I’m excited. As far as the vegetarian eating habits that I’d like to start, I received some help in that department. I read something where someone described eating meat as eating flesh and just referring to it as FLESH messed me up pretty badly. I thought to myself – Ew, disgusting! That didn’t stop me from having an oh-so-delicious teriyaki chicken sandwich from Subway though, lol. I have let go completely of cows and pigs. The only pork I really ever ate was pepperoni pizza, and beef ? I liked a good hamburger every now and then, but I’ve never been into steaks and such. I do have some spicy “chik’n” boca patties in the freezer right now. I must say – I love boca burgers and Silk Dream’s soy milk. I’m lactose intolerant so I can’t drink milk; I’ll get sick. I love cheese and yogurt and ice cream, but eating it comes with a cost.

I’m well on my way to eating better. No more sodas or energy drinks (Goodbye, Red Bull; I’ll miss you! *tear*), but lots of water, vitamin water, and Powerade. I want to stop eating after 8p, but I need to take baby steps first. Unfortunately, I’m used to an unhealthy lifestyle – eating whatever whenever I want, drinking sodas with everything, not drinking enough water. Not to say my health would be perfect, but with such a change in diet and activity, it’d be highly improved.

I’ve started so many times, but I’m praying and committing this to the Lord in hopes that it may glorify Him and that He may help me stick to it. Also, I feel that blogging about it will keep me accountable. To top it off, I don’t want to be married with children and unable to fulfill my duties as a wife and mother. That’s not going to cut it. I want to be healthy so that my body and health can glorify God and so that I can honor my family with it.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17 ESV