“LET NO MAN DECEIVE HIMSELF. IF ANY MAN AMONG YOU SEEMETH TO BE WISE IN THIS WORLD, LET HIM BECOME A FOOL, THAT HE MAY BE WISE.  FOR THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD IS FOOLISHNESS WITH GOD. FOR IT IS WRITTEN, HE TAKETH THE WISE IN THEIR OWN CRAFTINESS.  

AND AGAIN, THE LORD KNOWETH THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE, THAT THEY ARE VAIN.  THEREFORE LET NO MAN GLORY IN MEN. FOR ALL THINGS ARE YOUR’S; WHETHER PAUL, OR APOLLOS, OR CEPHAS, OR THE WORLD, OR LIFE, OR DEATH, OR THINGS PRESENT, OR THINGS TO COME; ALL ARE YOUR’S;

AND YE ARE CHRIST’S; AND CHRIST IS GOD’S.”
– 1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-23

For the last few weeks I have been praying for God to teach me.  Draw me closer.  Weed out anything in my life that doesn’t draw me closer to Him.  Use me.

I know now from past experience to brace myself because situations seem to ambush you when you pray.  You may have forgotten your prayer, but God didn’t.  All of a sudden you’re in the middle of something crazy wondering how you got there when all of a sudden you remember that you prayed.  Woah!  Hold on!

“Why is nothing happening??” when one night I flipped opened my bible to get to one passage when I stopped in 1 Corinthians.  I read chapters 3 and 4 and they were basically shouting at me.  Your body is a temple and you are God’s.  You don’t belong to yourself.

“This is so simple, God.  Why is this what you wanted to show me??”

It was so undeniable because I couldn’t move after I read them.  The passages stuck with me for days and it was as if they were loudly jumping off of the pages.

“Why this???”  Apparently, I was looking for Him to teach me brain surgery and I was upset.

Until a week later…

Not everything is as it seems and you have to take one obstacle at a time.  Someone once put it this way:  Did the Israelites in the desert conquer all the giants in one day?  No.  It was day by day they moved forward and when things came up they fought, but it was God who got the glory.  That was a tough lesson for me to learn and I came out with gray hair as I was learning about and fighting spiritual blindness.

It’s like rock climbing:
You focus on where you are.  You can’t think ahead because you will get stuck fearing if you will fall or make it to the next one.  You just pay attention to where you are and fight that one obstacle in front of you at a time.

You cannot make someone believe something.

You can argue until you’re blue in the face, but unless someone’s eyes and heart are opened it’s just as productive as talking to a brick wall.

We were created to worship.  We crave relationship.  We crave that one thing that satisfies and we will search until we find it.  We are either going to chase God or ourselves.

But, there is only one thing that truly satisfies and brings peace.  There is only one thing that makes us whole because He created us for Himself.

A week after reading Corinthians I was talking to a friend who mentioned discussing ‘Insert Well Known Scientist Here’ with someone else.  He asked if I would ever read anything by him and not knowing anything about what he was talking about agreed simply out of curiosity.

You can imagine my surprise after a simple google search realized who he mentioned is a well known scientist out to debunk religion and push evolution while I am a Christian who believes in creation.  My initial reaction was panic and horror because ‘What have I just gotten myself into??’.  After my heart started beating again I told him I would watch the documentary and send him my thesis. He enjoys reading and discussing various topics and responded he would be excited to see my thoughts and that it would be interesting to see the polar opposite viewpoint.

Ok.  But, then I started panicking. Science is not my strong suit and I avoid debates.  The most I know is that if you put too much baking soda in a recipe it is ruined.  I’ve looked up several times why and have tried to read the difference between baking soda and baking powder, but apparently really have no interest in ‘the why’.  I just know to follow the directions because trial and error has taught me not to do that.  It doesn’t matter how I feel about adding more baking soda.  It doesn’t matter if I THINK a half teaspoon more would not make a difference.  It doesn’t matter.  Science doesn’t care about feelings.

(While browning butter one day I grabbed the nearest container I could pour it into before I burned it.  The item closest happened to be a plastic bowl.  As soon as I poured the hot liquid into the bowl I realized it was too late.  “Maybe it won’t melt…?”  Science did not care about my desperate situation.  I watched as the plastic bowl collapsed on itself and butter spilled everywhere.  It was a very cool thing to witness, but science did not have compassion nor did it clean up my counter.)

I want to be a good witness for Christ.  I don’t want to look like an idiot nor want to make God out to be foolish.  My education level is such that I would easily be shot down.  If I was going to enter this mission field it had to be because God sent me.

I could not do this on my own.

This was David vs Goliath and Peter freaking out while walking on water all at once.

“SO SHALL MY WORD BE THAT GOETH FORTH OUT OF MY MOUTH: IT SHALL NOT RETURN UNTO ME VOID, BUT IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WHERETO I SENT IT.” – ISAIAH 55:11

“ALSO I SAY UNTO YOU, WHOSOEVER SHALL CONFESS ME BEFORE MEN, HIM SHALL THE SON OF MAN ALSO CONFESS BEFORE THE ANGELS OF GOD: BUT HE THAT DENIETH ME BEFORE MEN SHALL BE DENIED BEFORE THE ANGELS OF GOD. AND WHOSOEVER SHALL SPEAK A WORD AGAINST THE SON OF MAN, IT SHALL BE FORGIVEN HIM: BUT UNTO HIM THAT BLASPHEMETH AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST IT SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN. AND WHEN THEY BRING YOU UNTO THE SYNAGOGUES, AND UNTO MAGISTRATES, AND POWERS, TAKE YE NO THOUGHT HOW OR WHAT THING YE SHALL ANSWER, OR WHAT YE SHALL SAY: FOR THE HOLY GHOST SHALL TEACH YOU IN THE SAME HOUR WHAT YE OUGHT TO SAY.”
– LUKE 12:8-12″

There are instructions on how to handle that as well:

“AND WHEN YE COME INTO AN HOUSE, SALUTE IT. AND IF THE HOUSE BE WORTHY, LET YOUR PEACE COME UPON IT: BUT IF IT BE NOT WORTHY, LET YOUR PEACE RETURN TO YOU. AND WHOSOEVER SHALL NOT RECEIVE YOU, NOR HEAR YOUR WORDS, WHEN YE DEPART OUT OF THAT HOUSE OR CITY, SHAKE OFF THE DUST OF YOUR FEET. VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, IT SHALL BE MORE TOLERABLE FOR THE LAND OF SODOM AND GOMORRHA IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, THAN FOR THAT CITY.”
-MATTHEW 10:12-15

“BUT AVOID FOOLISH QUESTIONS, AND GENEALOGIES, AND CONTENTIONS, AND STRIVINGS ABOUT THE LAW; FOR THEY ARE UNPROFITABLE AND VAIN. A MAN THAT IS AN HERETICK AFTER THE FIRST AND SECOND ADMONITION REJECT; KNOWING THAT HE THAT IS SUCH IS SUBVERTED, AND SINNETH, BEING CONDEMNED OF HIMSELF.”
-TITUS 3:9-10

A few minutes into the documentary I almost aborted mission because my spirit couldn’t handle the lies being said.  It was mostly heartbreaking at the spiritual blindness which is a small representation of the entire world.  However, I said I would do it.  I couldn’t be a liar or bad witness especially to a nonbeliever as they wouldn’t understand “close mindedness” so I finished the documentary.

Why?

I know as Christians we shouldn’t study false doctrine to learn the other side of the argument.  We don’t have to because God provides His word and we know He never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and as a Christian believes what He says to be truth.  God’s Word doesn’t return void.

A family member (who I am so blessed to be able to talk to about Jesus) once said, “Don’t read their stuff.  When Federal Agents study money they study the real thing so well and spend so much time with it that they can automatically spot a counterfeit when its presented.”

I asked a few simple questions to my friend about the what ifs and whys of how we could have gotten here.  How did nothing come from nothing?  But, that is a waste of time, isn’t it?  I’m not going to change his mind and he’s not going to change mine.

“BECAUSE THAT WHICH MAY BE KNOWN OF GOD IS MANIFEST IN THEM; FOR GOD HATH SHEWED IT UNTO THEM.  FOR THE INVISIBLE THINGS OF HIM FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD ARE CLEARLY SEEN, BEING UNDERSTOOD BY THE THINGS THAT ARE MADE, EVEN HIS ETERNAL POWER AND GODHEAD; SO THAT THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE: BECAUSE THAT, WHEN THEY KNEW GOD, THEY GLORIFIED HIM NOT AS GOD, NEITHER WERE THANKFUL; BUT BECAME VAIN IN THEIR IMAGINATIONS, AND THEIR FOOLISH HEART WAS DARKENED. PROFESSING THEMSELVES TO BE WISE, THEY BECAME FOOLS, AND CHANGED THE GLORY OF THE UNCORRUPTIBLE GOD INTO AN IMAGE MADE LIKE TO CORRUPTIBLE MAN, AND TO BIRDS, AND FOURFOOTED BEASTS, AND CREEPING THINGS.” – ROMANS 1:19-23

I can’t explain why this happened or why that happened, but what I do know is that God rescued me and He is real and I can’t convince anyone.  Faith is believing without seeing.

“IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH.  AND THE EARTH WAS WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID; AND DARKNESS WAS UPON THE FACE OF THE DEEP. AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED UPON THE FACE OF THE WATERS. AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE LIGHT: AND THERE WAS LIGHT.  AND GOD SAW THE LIGHT, THAT IT WAS GOOD: AND GOD DIVIDED THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS.  AND GOD CALLED THE LIGHT DAY, AND THE DARKNESS HE CALLED NIGHT. AND THE EVENING AND THE MORNING WERE THE FIRST DAY.” – GENESIS 1:1-5

“SO GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD CREATED HE HIM; MALE AND FEMALE CREATED HE THEM.” – GENESIS 1:27

“FOR WE ARE SAVED BY HOPE: BUT HOPE THAT IS SEEN IS NOT HOPE: FOR WHAT A MAN SEETH, WHY DOTH HE YET HOPE FOR?” – ROMANS 8:24

I could have started watching all kinds of science vs christianity debates to sharpen my knowledge.  I could have started reading all kinds of material about evolution vs creationism.

I could have done those things and learned to debate and still can for a potential scenario later.

“Only one truth.  Too arrogant to believe you know the truth”
“Not believing in God is your truth.  Is that not arrogant??”

You live your life and love God and let Him guide you.  Loving God is a witness of itself because the world cannot understand your lifestyle.  This situation wasn’t what I planned or expected, but God did use it to teach me several things.

I’m not interested in arguing for the sake of arguing.  I can’t stress about making you see that you were born with a purpose and that you are loved deeper than you could ever imagine while you are searching for it.  That’s not my job.

“BUT GOD HATH CHOSEN THE FOOLISH THINGS OF THE WORLD TO CONFOUND THE WISE; AND GOD HATH CHOSEN THE WEAK THINGS OF THE WORLD TO CONFOUND THE THINGS WHICH ARE MIGHTY; AND BASE THINGS OF THE WORLD, AND THINGS WHICH ARE DESPISED, HATH GOD CHOSEN, YEA, AND THINGS WHICH ARE NOT, TO BRING TO NOUGHT THINGS THAT ARE: THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE. BUT OF HIM ARE YE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO OF GOD IS MADE UNTO US WISDOM, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SANCTIFICATION, AND REDEMPTION: THAT, ACCORDING AS IT IS WRITTEN, HE THAT GLORIETH, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD.”
– 1 CORINTHIANS 1:27-31

“I will respond more in depth later.

This is all I know:
I started doubting and questioning everything. I wasn’t praying. I wasn’t in church. I don’t do organized religion.

I was in a deep depression with no way out and could see how people could become alcoholics and drug addicts to ease the pain.

I couldn’t go anymore and as a last resort cried out for God to help me. I didn’t care how or why or what or anything. I just couldn’t do anything anymore on my own because I was failing.

The next week someone fell into my life and the year after was miracle after miracle. And one day it was as if Jesus pulled me out of a pit and everything was the same but everything was different. I can’t explain it because I can’t. It’s an indescribable feeling.

So I don’t believe in organized religion where you follow
Man made rules. I believe in a relationship with God. He loves me.”

Rock climbing metaphors:

It’s one day (rock) at a time.

But, not everything is as it appears to be.  But, God will catch you when you fall.  One day you will make it to the top, but until then be content where you are getting stronger in your faith one step at a time.

😀