The word love is so ambiguous. We love so many things. {I love the beach, I love Texas Roadhouse, I love the Tarheels, I love Craigslist, I love God, I love my car, I love my job, I love……………………………..}

One of the biggest areas of misunderstanding is how love and sex are interchangeable. First, love and sex are not the same. One may love to engage in sex but  sex is not love. Sex is a venue for an expression. It can be an expression of love or an expression of lust. It can be an expression of control or an expression of submission. Let me add another word to this mix:  What is the difference between love, lust, and sex?

Women in general have the reputation for being more emotional, sensitive, and romantic compared to the male counterpart. I am unsure how many women truly know the difference between love and their receptivity for validation. There are many actions which can assist in conveying love, but can also deceive one if love is not defined within an individual’s framework.

Many times when an affair occurs you hear the statements, “I had no clue” or “I never detected anything was wrong.”

You can receive flowers, gifts, and have an active sex life and still have infidelity taking place because most acts are not the definition of love. The reason I believe love is rarely defined accurately is because the standard of love in our society ”has become“ relative and circumstantial to each person’s needs and desires.

If one desires something bad enough you can portray love for a short burst of time, depending on one’s needs or love language. You can take someone for a romantic roller coaster ride and never demonstrate genuine love.

Throughout the study of relationships and psychology there have been six types of love identified and categorized.

Eros is romantic, passionate, love. In this type of relationship, love is life’s most important thing. A search for physical beauty or an ideal type also typifies this type of love.

Ludus is a game-playing or uncommitted love. Lying is part of the game. A person who pursues ludic love may have many conquests but remains uncommitted.

Storge (STORE-gay) is a slow developing, friendship-based loved. People with this type of relationship like to participate in activities together. Often storge results in a long-term relationship in which sex might not be very intense or passionate.

Pragma is a pragmatic, practical, mutually beneficial relationship. It may be somewhat unromantic. A person who leans toward this type of relationship may look for a partner at work or where the person is spending time. Sex is likely to be seen as a technical matter needed for producing children, if they are desired.

Mania is an obsessive or possessive love, jealous and extreme. A person in love this way is likely to do something crazy or silly, such as stalking. The movie Fatal Attraction was about this type.

Agape (a-GOP-aye) is a gentle, caring, giving type of love, brotherly love, not concerned with the self. It is relatively rare. Mother Theresa showed this kind of love for impoverished people.

Agape love is what I want to focus on for the rest of this post.

This love is unattainable apart from God.

It is rare, yet it should be society’s standard for how we measure love, gauge love, give love, receive love, and interpret love. This love should be our foundation for all acts of love.

Let me submit to you a few amazing studies/polls to validate what I have written and posted.

• Studies of couples happily married for over 30 years showed that couples who rated their marriages as highly satisfactory described their relationship in terms which resembled erotic love more than the other five types.

No wonder we have a divorce rate at 60% plus!  A marriage based on physical beauty, appearance, and sexual compatibility is cursed to fail. Our appearances, our bodies, our looks, our weight, our teeth, our skin, sexual appetite, etc., will decline and change. As important as these components are, they are not foundational principles for marriage or love.

Love is not primarily a relationship to a specific person; it is a decision, an attitude, an orientation of character, which determines the relatedness of a person to the world as a whole…

Here is a poll that is both alarming and points a finger to everyone who professes Christ.

• In a classroom poll, conducted in two American introductory psychology classes of over 250 students each, the first five types were all familiar to over 80% of the students from their personal experience (their own relationships or people they knew). However, less than 10% of students knew somebody who expressed agape love.

Allow me to take issue with the last statement. What should be the standard for love in our society – AGAPE love, is virtually absent from our society, absent in the church, absent in our parenting, absent in our families, and absent in our schools.

My next post will answer WHY agape love is less than 10% and virtually absent from our culture.

Can we not admit, we as believers have FAILED? Don’t blame the church because that gives us an excuse. The church is composed of You and Me. Lets take total responsibility for our failure to be instruments and models of agape love.

1 Corinthians 14:1 instructs us to make love our highest goal and calling. If this was being adhered to, we would not be discussing the absence of authentic love, the inability to define love, and misreading eros as authentic love. We are without excuse because God’s Word accurately defines love and in simple clear instructions tells us how to demonstrate agape love.

The good news is its never too late to start demonstrating AGAPE love. Let the people around us SEE God’s love in action. We need to decide to “deny ourselves” some comforts, desires, titles, foods, hobbies, and accolades. Ask Holy Spirit to teach us and show us agape love. We need to be an apprentice to Holy Spirit and learn agape love so we can influence our world.

One of my daughters describes it this way - having your “way of thinking” turned completely upside-down–pulled apart . . . ripped and shredded after having lived that way for so long is…….. traumatic.

I started teaching in 2010 on developing a “Biblical World View.” Everyone has a worldview but very few have a biblical foundation which we view all of life through. Attending church for 25 years does not give one a Biblical World View and that is the dilemma.

Let me start by posing a few questions:

1. Why do you believe What you believe?
2. How did we get to the current condition America and the church is in?

See what I’ve done? I’ve given you a job to do among nations and governments–a red-letter day! Your job is to pull up and tear down, take apart and demolish, and then start over, building and planting.” Stand Up and Say Your Piece (Jeremiah 1:10) MSG

This is truly another amazing Scripture. God is informing us of a job description. Far too long the body of Christ has dodged their responsibility. People have attended church and some have participated further by getting involved in various ministries. As commendable as this involvement may be it is below the Biblical command and expectations.

God said I have given you a job. Isn’t it amazing how so many are clueless in knowing what God wants them to do?

Your job is to pull up and tear down, take apart and demolish, and then start over. I believe based on Scripture the primary expectation of the Kingdom of God is personal and community “TRANSFORMATION.”

The reason we observe and experience very little transformation is because of one word – SELF.

Self-belief, Self-worth, Self-image, Self-love, Self-acceptance, Self-potential, Self-help, Self- improvement, Self-fulfillment. We are encouraged to come to a higher view of self,  to feel good about yourself,  to get in touch with your inner-self, and to gain a sense of personal value and worth.

One of the indicators of ” Self” is recognized by the LACK OF GROWTH both intellectually and spiritually, resulting in perpetual Christian adolescence.

How did we get to the current condition America and the church is in?

I am going to share (8) key traits operating in America and the church. Unless we seek the Cross of Christ and deal with SELF, we will continue to digress.

INDIVIDUALISTIC:       a person who thinks about himself or herself, and not about his/her role in the community

• Does not care how his/her actions will affect those around him/her
• Rarely consider themselves part of a group or community
• Rarely can be depended upon, counted on, or committed to anything other than themselves
• Seldom seeks to do good for the group

SELF-CENTERED:         a person who believes everything exists to make him/her happy

INFANTILE:      a person very preoccupied with his or her body, appearance, and with pleasure. They are obsessed with their attractiveness, food, etc.

• Very childish showing immaturity in their understanding and cooperation
• Stretching out a 4 year degree to 5-6 years
• Delaying marriage and children into their 30’s
• Constant need for entertainment and attention
• Instead of adults they are “KID-ULTS”

NARCISSIM:    a psychological disorder that causes a person to have an extremely high opinion of oneself

• Education and church participation are evaluated on the basis of personal fulfillment 
• Believe that they’re superior to others and have little regard for other people’s feelings 
• Exaggerating your achievements or talents 
• Failing to recognize other people’s emotions and feelings 
• Being easily hurt and rejected 
• Trouble keeping healthy relationships 

PASSIVE:         a person who is a consumer of entertainment and incapable of creating. They get bored very easy by themselves or with others if they do not have a movie, game, video, or some crutch.

• The most powerful factors contributing to passivity is television – watching TV encourages a passive stance toward life
• The average American spends 25 hours weekly watching TV

SENSATE CULTURE:  the physical sense-perceptible world is all there is

• Has no interest in arguments for truth, usually a closed mindset
• People  know more about celebrities than their history, truth, and teachings

ABSENT INTERIOR LIFE: people have become more concerned about external factors (possession of consumer goods, celebrity status, image, power) rather than development of their interior life

• Lack of internal traits – virtue, morality, character, acting honorably 
• Focuses on reality TV, celebrity news/magazines, fashion,  
• People are not judged by their internal traits but external – appearance and possessions 

BUSYNESS: a hurried, overly busy life

• Little time for reflection  on why and what one believes
• Thrives to stay busy to keep from evaluating itself
• A mask for emotional emptiness and spiritual hunger
• A form of IDOLATRY — Anything that stands between a person and their relationship with God; it is an over-attachment to something that is in itself good

Warning: As soon as our loyalty to anything leads us to disobey/dismiss our God, we are in danger of making it an idol. It replaces God with things God has created.

My next post will directly address what God’s Word instructs us to do about SELF, how to break the love and idolization of SELF, and practical ways to become a world changer in today’s world.

If you sense a “world changing spirit” inside you then you must become equipped and informed. It will take more than youthful zeal void of knowledge.

I would like to talk about a Scripture which has been overused and misunderstood. It is one of my favorites because it inspires me to be bold and be strong in my faith.

I want to dissect this verse and look at it from different translations. The body of Christ has memorized this passage and over-applied it with the result being ineffectiveness.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (Amplified)

The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. (Message)

We fight with weapons that are different from the weapons the world uses. Our weapons have power from God. These weapons can destroy {the enemy’s} strong places. We destroy {people’s} arguments. And we destroy every proud thing that raises itself against the knowledge of God. And we capture (catch) every thought and make it give up and obey Christ. (Easy Read)

Under all three translations I underlined some key statements. It tells us

• WHAT our God given weapons are FOR
• WHAT we are to target with our weapons
• WHAT the result should be after we have engaged our target

In 1 John 3:8b it states… The REASON the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].

Yes, Jesus came to redeem mankind, but Jesus could not redeem mankind until the authority, power, and legalities were destroyed. Jesus did what man could never accomplish. Here is where I believe we have misunderstood the works of Satan. Again we agree that Jesus shamed Satan and redeem mankind but……………… it is mankind’s “spiritual responsiblity” to maintain what Jesus did. If not, evil and darkness will reemerge.

These 2 verses inform us that our responsibility is to engage, confront, and refute every argument, theory, interpretation, and attempt for darkness to regain a platform, position, and foundation to rebuild its anti-Christ culture.

We FAILED!  We aborted the mission! We retreated and surrendered!

People quote this Scripture… I am mighty in God, NO weapon formed against me shall prosper, I can destroy everything that rises up against me, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

This is a compilation of bits and pieces of three or four Scriptures misused, misapplied, and will produce no results.

The weapons God has equipped us with are for destroying the arguments, theories, strongholds, lies, etc., that rise up against the truth of God. It is not for our personal armor. God gave us personal spiritual armor in Ephesians 6.

We are to demolish arguments and every pretension (scientific naturalism, ethical relativism, biological evolution). We (the body of Christ) are to take an intellectually offensive position and demolish the deception and lies of (feminism, planned parenthood, ACLU, Acorn, KKK, abortion, sex education, going green).

The body of Christ overall has been too selfish and too ignorant to stand and refute theories, reasonings, and philosophies which arrogantly raised its fist toward our God – the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Today we live in a nation like the times of Goliath when he marched out every day and taunted the Israelites. Goliath mocked, scorned, belittled, and intimidated the people of God. It wasn’t until a David came on the scene and called Goliath what he really was……an uncircumcised Philistine!

David called Goliath’s bluff and refuted his arguments and reasonings. David knew Goliath was not in covenant relationship with God therefore he could not win and had no backup. Only a fool would conduct themselves like Goliath.

When we see and hear what media, music, news, commentators, movies, and government are speaking from their mouths we should discern that they are fools. Why has the church been intimidated by fools? You may feel my language is too hard but my language is God’s language.

THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. (Psalm 14:1)

Have you paid attention to how much propaganda that is pure godlessness? There is a new TV series on Sunday night called Life. It is a National Geographic special narrated by Oprah Winfrey. They never make any reference to God or creation but every reference is linked to evolution, a godless theory. When we encounter arguments made by fools we should take a stand in faith and refute their godless rhetoric.

In order to refute an argument requires one to have knowledge, confidence, courage, and a backbone. It is time to become knowledgeable, skilled, intellectual, and have a solid foundation of Why we believe What we believe.

Where do we start? Not with National Geographic! But we can start at home, work, and our local and city government.

My prayer for you, me, and the body of Christ is that we decide to become students of God’s Word and learn His ways, His nature, His creation, His culture, and His Word. We must demolish every lie that defies our Living God.

Yes you can do this!

I have heard most of my life the “rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” Do YOU believe this statement? I do not believe this statement for a couple of reasons. One, it goes against God’s Word. It sounds true and one can look around and start to believe it is true except what you see and hear does not mean it is true. What God’s Word says is ABSOLUTE TRUTH!

I believe there are principles we must operate in and out of to attain God’s BEST. I am not going to list every single one in this post but I will throw out 2-3 starters.

In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. (Matthew 5:45)

This verse tells us God operates off principle, not feelings, emotions, or moods. He is just and true all the time. He is good to the godly, ungodly, wealthy, poor, kind, and the unkind. Therefore, for life to go well with me I need to learn His principles.

But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19)

Work is absolutely essential to producing an abundant harvest. Scripture tells us laziness, procrastination, and poor work ethic will cause poverty to overtake us. WORK is one of God’s 4-letter words.

Lets get back to Redistribution of Wealth. Where does this term originate from? You can find “redistribution of wealth” in capitalism, socialism, and communism. Some methods of distribution are through nationalization, taxation, and welfare.

Stay with me - We have observed all three systems of government in operation and are still in operation today. Russia was communist and it totally collapsed, Germany was socialist and collapsed. China, Vietnam, and Cuba are communist/socialist nations.

North Korea has removed references to Marxism-Leninism from its constitution and officially describes itself as following the ideology of Juche. Vietnam is “in transition toward socialism in the light of Marxism-Leninism” and Cuba is “a socialist state guided by ideas of Marx, Engels and Lenin and in transition to a communist society.” China calls its system socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Time nor space will allow me to go through the list of countries past and present that are or were communist/socialist. The point of this post is they have either failed/collapsed or they are in authoritarian rule. So why do we as Americans, why do we as the church want any of these traits?

The term “wealth redistribution”, equated to socialism by some, could be defined as taking money from the rich and giving it to the middle class or poor. Whether you agree with this definition of wealth redistribution or the use of the term itself, Jesus Himself supports it, but in reverse.

For those who are good stewards or managers of the financial resources God has given them, wealth redistribution is a very exciting thing. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-28), Jesus speaks of three servants whose master gave them money to manage while he went on a journey. Two of the servants made their money grow while the master was away, but the third servant did not. The master returned and, after seeing that the third servant did not manage his money in a way as to receive increase, commanded that the money be taken from him and given to one of the other servants. Verse 28, 29 – “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

The servant who initially received the ten talents became the recipient of reverse wealth redistribution. The money was taken from the one who had less and given to the one who had more. Just the opposite of the wealth redistribution we hear about in the news. This was not an injustice, but rather an example of rewards and consequences of individual behavior. Take personal responsibility for your finances, make wise money management decisions, and more money will come your way.

Money naturally flows from those who do not manage it to those who do.” (Dave Ramsey)

Remember what I have always taught. Whatever the masses, majority, mainstream, and popular opinion wants to do  will be 99% of the time totally contrary to God’s Word. It is two Kingdoms with opposite principles. Jesus promoted “redistribution of wealth” by taking from the poor and giving to the rich. WOW… that will totally Jack Your Theology Up!

Apart from illegal activities people who have wealth have strong work ethics and business ideas. Successful people work 60-100 hours a week. If you take money from those who earned it and give it to individuals who are ignorant in handling finances (budgeting, investing, saving, balancing) you end up with Biblical Social Injustice!

How do you get in the “rich get richer” crowd?

1. Utilize a spending plan (financial budget). This is the best way to show God that you have a plan for managing the resources he entrusts to you. Without one, your money will disappear quickly, and you’ll constantly be controlled by a “lack of money.” Financial pressure will become a way of life.

2. Cut out unnecessary spending. Creating a budget will shine a spotlight on areas where you have been spending more than you realized. Often times, the problem is not too little income; it’s too much lifestyle. You may not be able to increase your income right away, but you can immediately take action by cutting expenses. You may have to stop buying fast food, downgrade to a less expensive car, and stay away from clearance sales, but God will honor and bless your diligence and commitment in controlling what is within your control.

3. Begin tithing immediately. The first 10% of all your increase is God’s. It is to be given to your local church. God promises financial blessings to those who do this, but many chose to disobey God’s directive in this area. As a result, they are not the recipient of the blessings that He promises. (Key scriptures regarding tithing are Leviticus, 27:30-32, Malachi 3:10, Matthew 23:23, and Proverbs 3:9) Failing to tithe nullifies the benefits of doing numbers 1 and 2 above. Despite your best efforts, it puts you in the “poor gets poorer” crowd because God cannot bless your disobedience. If you wait until you can afford to tithe, you never will. Begin immediately and God will begin to bless you for it.

If you want to receive financial increase, become like the first two servants – properly manage the resources you have already been given. Performing the three steps above will lay a good foundation for your financial success and get you on the receiving end of biblical wealth redistribution.

I shared several weeks ago how the church – body of Christ – has made tremendous advances in their spirituality but have digressed in intelligence. We have fought an intense battle in what we call spiritual warfare but have miserable failed in the intellectual battle.

In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus shares the greatest commandment. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our body, all our soul, and all our mind. We cannot only love our God in selected venues but in every arena. Our MIND, our ability to THINK DEEPLY, is also a vital part of loving our God.

Luke 2:19 states… Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.

Ponder:  to reflect over deeply, to deliberate, to contemplate, or to brood over.

I willingly admit I have been part of the problem. To ponder something is a deliberate and intentional decision. We have become accustomed to our culture where we do not have to think,and all we have to do is respond to the multiple options laid out before us. We are being manipulated and inadvertently being controlled and do not even recognize it.

Think about this question for a few seconds. “When have you removed yourself from the hustle/bustle of media, music, life, family, and reflected deeply about YOU?

• What you are doing?
• Why you are about to make that next choice?
• Where you would like to be in the next year?
• Who God is to you?
• Why do you “believe” what you say you believe?

Not only is your mind a terrible thing to waste but your life is a terrible thing to waste! Unless we start intentionally THINKING about our choices, decisions, and why we select the course we are traveling, we can end up with much regret and little harvest.

Lets dive a little deeper and explore some real truth. Ready?

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Let’s talk some about what God has given us – a calm and well-balanced mind. Other translations state a SOUND MIND. God has given us a sound mind if we desire to have one.

Mind: the seat or subject of consciousness, the thinking and perceiving part of consciousness or intellect. Or simply that which thinks, perceives, feels, and wills.

When the mind gets filled with the things and cares of this world, it no longer is sound, calm, or well-balanced. When it takes on the consistency of, and logical connection with, the concerns and preoccupations of the world, our minds become enmity with God, and we “lose the ability and desire” to understand the things of God.

When our minds are characterized by this “carnal” mode of operation, we are wrapped up in a particular mental and emotional paradox. We become ”ceremoniously insane” going through the motions in life and faith but behaving according to the mindset of the worlds system, which is controlled by the princes and principalities of darkness.

This is why the Apostle Paul clearly instructed us to RENEW our minds. The world’s input is like spyware to our sound mind.

Stay with me…………… Success in life is based on a series of accurate decisions, which begin in our……

1. Thought life – a silent word, which is an exposed thought. Everything in life starts with a thought form. After it is spoken, it is no longer a thought, but has become a word. From our words, we form………
2. Ideas – which are the concepts of our thoughts made real or brought into reality. Ideas make potentials and abilities. However, ideas can come and go and change. It is our………..
3. Imagination – that transforms our ideas into plans. As an idea develops into an imagination, it becomes a blueprint in our minds.

This blueprint is what we follow through life and we base our decision-making on this. Let me put in another word. This blueprint is our WORLD VIEW.

If our world view is based on a sound mind it will build up and advance the Kingdom of Heaven. If our world view is based on an unsound mind it will build up the Kingdom of the father of lies. Therefore, if we do not take time to THINK DEEPLY we can become enemies to the very God we say we love and serve.

2 Corinthians 10:4 states…. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. We refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Is this not awesome? You and I can have a sound mind (calm and well-balanced) but we must be willing to ponder our thoughts and compare them against God’s Word. If that thought does not accurately line up with the Word we must confront it, refute it, and arrest it from rooting itself into our soil.

Our mind is a terrible thing to waste but if our mind is not built upon the soundness of God’s Word, our mind will eventually shipwreck us and we will find our life wasted away and our heart full of regret.

Let me ask a question and I ask you to answer it before reading further with a simple true or false.

Question:  By nature, my mind has been conditioned and programmed to fail?         True         False

This is tough to read, believe, and grasp. I do not want to accept this. But apart from the New Birth of Jesus Christ which makes all things NEW, our mind will lead us to an end result of destruction and death.

Heres the answer… For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Our mind must be reconditioned and reprogrammed by the Word and Spirit of Christ. This requires taking the time to reflect and to THINK DEEPLY about WHY we believe WHAT we believe.

My prayer is for you and I, along with the bride of Christ to halt the input entering our lives through the vast inroads of a carnal world determined to dethrone Jesus. We must take responsibility for our MIND, our life, our family, and our sphere of influence. We must diligently cross-examine our belief system and scrutinize over the current blueprint we are building upon. There is no shortcut in this process. Holy Spirit will lovingly guide us and teach us the way we are to go. Lets trust Him and follow the path He has already given us.

We are not living in a post Christian culture, we are living in an anti-Christian culture!

We have read books, attended conferences, reconciliation events, racial forgiveness services, and think tanks trying to solve the pressing issues facing our communities, neighborhoods, and families. I believe for the most part the intentions are genuine but I believe there are some deeper roots.

Out of feelings of hopelessness, many have compromised their principles and submitted to the god of this world.

Will Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, you will find it to be a stick that breaks beneath your weight and pierces your hand. The Pharaoh of Egypt is completely unreliable! (Isaiah 36:6) NLT

Egypt is a typology of the world and the people of the world’s system and Pharaoh is a typology of the leader(s).

Spiritual leaders, community leaders, and community organizations have become dependent and subservient to the godless government of this nation in order to get a FREE handout. We have sacrificed our voice, silenced our convictions, and sold our vote for crumbs and enslavement.  A government which………………..

• Removes prayer from the educational system
• Bans the 10 commandments
• Protects rights to murder innocent unborn infants
• Protects gay and same-sex marriages
• Compulsively spends out of greed

It is not a godly or moral system of justice. It has become deceived, hijacked, and taken over by the god of this world.

You can not root out, tear down, destroy, or overthrow (Jeremiah 1:10) until you are free of the ingredient of secularism. The American church has become so polluted, infected, contaminated, and poisoned, it is no longer able to submit effective prayers which can speak to the dry bones and mobilize an army of influencers to interrupt the current course America is traveling. We are too weak, anemic, and out of alignment.

Before we can know “how to” respond to our decaying culture, we must FIRST understand how the Bible relates to our life as a whole, not in bits and pieces.

Most believers have a church view, a church vision, a church mission, and a church life, but they have not let God influence every area of their lives. Therefore, they do not have a world view or a life view from God’s view.

God does not have a heaven life and an earth life. God does not separate the two worlds. He sees everything from a spiritual view and it is a Kingdom view.

Americans have a sacred life and a secular life. A church life and a home life. A spiritual life and a personal life. We do not include God in our parenting, educational choices, career selection, home building, vehicle purchases, retirement, and recreational activities. That is our personal life.

This is the tragedy and downfall of our government, nation, church, family, and our faith.  We have become fearful, scared, intimidated, and paralyzed to release God in any environment outside of “church.”

Let me now set some ground work and biblical roots to PROVE my statements. Maybe I cannot prove them unless you and I can come into agreement on one thing.

Can you and I agree that the Bible – God’s Holy Word – is the only accurate source we have to anchor life to? If not, we are in disagreement. This failure to understand God’s word to be 100% our only source leaves us with no standard of absolute truth. Truth must be accurate all the time and unchanging eternally.

There is no document of American history we can use because America is only 250+ years old. For something to be truth and an accurate moral compass, it must have always been and always will be.

If we can agree the Bible is our universal source of accurate truth then we have a reference point. Let me start here…

What Is Your/My Role In Society?

I believe Matthew 5:13-14 states clearly and simply what our role is in society.

“You Are The Salt Of the Earth.” It does not say some are salt, a few are salt, if you want to be salt, but YOU ARE the SALT!

“You Are The Light Of The World.” Again it does not say some are lights, a few are selected as lights, or if you want to be you can be a light, but YOU ARE the LIGHT!

Abba Father placed us in the world to be a seasoning of God’s love, wisdom, righteousness, character, and goodness. We are to be part of and involved in every arena of society. We are to be proactively participating in……

• Theology – There is a God and teaching what He is like
• Philosophy – Demonstrating what is real, and how to know what is truth and what is not truth
• Biology – Explaining how life originated and the value of life
• Psychology – Giving the reasons why humanity behaves the way it does and needs a Savior
• Ethics – Teaching this generation what is right, wrong, acceptable, and unacceptable
• Sociology – Role modeling strong healthy structures of family for society
• Law – What law rules our lives, why we must submit to law, and understanding authority
• Politics – What is the best type of government and its purpose
• Economics – What are the principles for making, spending, and stewardship of money
• History - What can I learn from the past and where are we headed?

Our role is so much more than being a Christian. By the way, what is a Christian and what do Christians do?

• They go to church
• They own a Bible
• They pray
• They give to missions
• They are Republicans

If you are a Christian then it is time for you to start THINKING again. One of the biggest mistakes I have observed in the so-called Christian community is ignorance. Being a Christian is far more important than a personal, private, selfish, greedy, timid, intimate relationship with God.

It must influence and infect EVERY aspect of life and how you relate to the world.

What Is Your Role In Society? You will find out more as we journey into a real, genuine, tangible, understanding of who God is and why He hand-picked and selected you to live upon the earth.

Father, I ask you to open the wonderful minds of each individual reading this post. I ask you Holy Spirit to expand their understanding of the Bible’s view of life, their life, and they fit into your world.