Reading the Bible with understanding

If I asked you what you thought about the Bible, what would you say? Would you say that it's the most influential book in the history of man? Or would you say that it's a storybook made up by men thousands of years ago? The Bible is a book written by men, yes. But these men were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God moved over them. "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16) These weren't just ordinary men. It wasn't "Bob from down the street" who decided he was going to write some stuff and call it 'holy'. These men were chosen by God to record history, law, poetry and prophecy. Because the scriptures are 'God-breathed', it takes the Spirit of God to bring it to full understanding.

Last week I was listening to the great Pastor Anthony Mangun online as he delivered a message to his congregation and he said (paraphrased): "I don't care how well you know the Bible, or how many scriptures you can quote if you don't have the joy of the Lord. It takes the Holy spirit to bring the Word to life!" That may not make sense to some, so I'm going to speak from my own experience for a moment, if that's ok (which I'm assuming it is, because I have the proverbial mic). I grew up in a Christian home, attending a Pentecostal church and a Christian school. Scripture was all around me every day. I heard it, read it, memorized it, studied it to the best of my ability and really thought that I had a handle on it. But I didn't have the Spirit of God inside me. I was barely skimming the surface of the meaning of the scriptures. This past January and February, Bryan and I took part in our church's annual Daniel's fast, and in doing this, we pledged to read our Bible's and pray and sincerely seek the Lord. During this time, I received the Holy Ghost, (if you don't know what that means, I'll cover that subject at a later date, so stay tuned!) and all at once, the scriptures made sense to me! It was like a light had been turned on. All I could think was, "I know I've read this before...how did I not see the meaning?" The answer, the difference, was the Holy Spirit.

I've been reading a lot recently to try to figure out how people can say that the Bible approves of certain issues that are going on in our society. Issues which I won't delve into in this post because I don't want to veer off track. But bloggers, authors, and reporters have been quoting scripture backing issues that are immoral and wrong, but are being praised and uplifted in the name of cultural progress. As I read the scriptures that they were quoting, I thought to myself, "Wow. They are so far off the mark that it's scary." People want to defend their decisions and their actions by taking tiny little snippets of the Bible and saying that they are justified. But, as the chiche'd phrase goes, "The Bible is not a bag of trail mix. You can't take the pieces that you like, and leave the pieces that you don't."

In studying and reading up on this subject, I came across a pretty good quote in a Yahoo! answers post. "In Matthew 4 and Genesis 3, you read Satan quoting scripture. The problem was in his application of the scripture he was quoting. He conveniently leaves out some important context. But unlike Satan, Jesus correctly applies it. It's interesting to note, just because someone quotes scripture, doesn't mean they're imparting truth correctly. Like the devil, they misapply it. But most fraudulent uses of scripture can be exposed by simply reading the context of the passage instead of small bits. It's the number one reason for countless misinterpretations." WHOA. This guy hit the nail on the head with that one!

"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. An evil soul producing holy witness is like a villain with a smiling cheek."
Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Now, I realize that Shakespeare isn't a religious icon by any means, but what he wrote is a very real truth. In the Gospels, there are accounts of Satan trying to tempt Jesus. During the time of a forty-day fast, Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple in the holy city and tells Jesus, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written 'He will give His angels charge over you'." (Matthew 4:6, Satan quoting Psalm 91:11). To which, Jesus shuts Satan down by quoting from Deuteronomy, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." Bazinga.

2 Corinthians 11:14 says that the devil masquerades as an angel of light. He can make himself look holy. He can make himself appear good. Why would Satan try to look holy? Imagine that you're walking down the street, and you are approached by a huge, scary man who wants you to follow him into an alley. Would you do it? I seriously hope that you're answer is 'no'. What if a well-dressed woman pushing a baby in a stroller asked you to help her look for her toddler? She would almost certainly win most people over, at first glance alone. Satan isn't going to appear to you as an obviously evil character, because most of us would run the other way! He's going to put up a facade, be a wolf in sheep's clothing, and deceive.

A person cannot impart truth by quoting scripture if they are leaving something out. I'm sure I could defend any lifestyle by pulling random verses out of context. I think that sometimes people want to treat the Bible as a book of a bunch of feel-good quotes that make everything feel warm and fuzzy and a-ok. But the Bible isn't just meant to be a comfort and an inspiration. It is meant to teach, to lead, to prod. It is an instruction manual on what to do, what not to do and how to live. Are there scriptures that sound like they are opposing each other? Yes, when taken out of context, there might be some confusion. But that's where the Holy Ghost steps in and says, "Here, let me turn the light on and clear this up."

Adventures in Crossfit

Not too long ago, Bryan and I decided that we really needed to get in better shape. I messed my back up last year when I was pregnant with Roly, and all I could think was, "I am too young to have back issues!!" So I decided to start trying to lose weight for real this time. I counted calories, tried medication, and ran/walked several times a week. I had friends that had bariatric surgery and they said their biggest regret was not toning as they lost weight, so I decided to try something new. Enter CROSSFIT.

I'd heard a lot about cf (I refuse to type 'crossfit' 100 times in this post, so cf will have to do), I know people who do it, but I was terrified of it! What will happen to my reputation of doing as little as possible, being a couch potato and being out of breath at the top of the stairs? I can't be ruining the expectations that other's have of me! "Just try it!" the little devil on my shoulder said. Ok, ok. I went to observe a class, and hot dang! My fingers were itching to lift weights and do pull-ups (I have never ONCE in my LIFE done a pull-up, btw)! I couldn't wait! Put me in, Coach, I'm ready! I did my intro session where I was shown the basic lifts and other various workout maneuvers. Then at the end, when I was all sweaty, the trainer asked me, "So are you ready for a little workout?" Ummm...I thought that's what I just did? So she wrote down a beginners workout: squats, sit ups, push ups, rowing. I can totally do this, easy peasy.

HA! What a jokester I am. I was so sore the next day, though not as sore as I thought I'd be. I felt good, for the most part. My first class rolled around and the WOD (workout of the day, for those of you who don't know) was 10 each of wall balls and burpees, then 9 each, 8 each, etc. Then 21 each of box jumps (who are we kidding here, I didn't jump) and dead lifts, then 15 of each of those, then 9 of each. To round it all out, I had to do 50 kettle bell swings, and every time the bell stopped swinging because I needed to rest, I had to run 400 meters. Look up these moves, they are NOT sit ups and push ups! So my trainer is telling me all of this and on the outside, I'm smiling, nodding, raring to go. But my inner monologue went something like this, "You have GOT to be kidding me! I don't do this. You're going to leave my children motherless!!" But guess what? I did it, and I survived. I actually felt great afterwards!

Class 2, I wasn't as much of a fan of. It was mostly weight lifting, and that's not my strongest activity. I overthink the moves too much, then my brain doesn't want to work right and I get confused. I hurt my wrist doing the Snatch lifts, but not too bad. Again, I survived.

Class 3, Whitten Hero WOD. Stop. As soon as they said 'Hero WOD', I was like, "Yeah I'm not going to that class. That sounds scary." And it was. Five rounds of five different workout moves that included running and burpees. Oh burpees, I hate you. I just got home from that workout and guess what? I survived again. I had to find the motivation to keep going...I know I was totally making a monster face complete with teeth-gritting. It was ugly. But I did it.

My motivation today was the harsh words that my ex-husband had said to me: "No one will ever want you", "Man you've let yourself go!", "Good luck finding someone to love you." Well guess what, sir? I am stronger now than I've ever been before. Physically, mentally, spiritually. And in fact, someone DOES want me, and he loves me more than anything. He has seen me at my worst, but heloved me anyway. He celebrates me whether I'm slumped on the couch, or sweaty from a workout.

So to celebrate Independence Day this year (my favorite of all holidays), I pushed myself harder than I ever have. Because I'm not just celebrating America's freedom, but also the freedom that I have from the harsh echoing words of my past. They are quieted a little more each day, drowned out by the encouragement of my friends and family.

Thankfulness Part II: Or "Oh snap! I need to repent!"

Romans 8 tells us that for those who love God all things work together for good. That is comforting...But how much do I love God? In John we are told that if we love Him, we will keep his commandments. Do we? Do I? The ten commandments are pretty straightforward, right?

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me." I don't worship any other gods. But sometimes I put things before God. 
2. "You shall not make idols." I don't make idols. But sometimes I devote myself to things that I shouldn't.
3. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain."  I don't take the name of the Lord my God in vain...oh wait...I need to work on that. I actually do that an awful lot.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." I go to church every Sunday, but do I keep my mind on the Lord? Do I dedicate the day wholly to God? Oh, no...I guess I don't always do that.
5. "Honor your father and your mother." But I'm an adult. This one is just for kids, right? You don't understand...my parents do some dumb stuff...
6. "You shall not murder." I have DEFINITELY never murdered anyone! Well, not physically. But I know I've killed someone's spirit with malicious words.
7. "You shall not commit adultery." Bryan is my one and only! I'm a one man kind of girl! But I've put other things before Bryan. I've been known to give way too much time to social media or television instead of taking that opportunity to strengthen our marriage.
8. "You shall not steal." I don't steal things! But have I stolen someone's joy? Have I ruined someone's testimony by tempting them into gossip? Have I wasted time that should have been given to God? To not tithe is to steal from God...Have I not tithed? (That's a subject for another day!) There are so many ways to steal.
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." I don't lie to people. But what about planting seeds of untruth through gossip? Or speaking of someone/something without full knowledge or understanding? Or accusing? Ummm...I do that sometimes, too.
10. "You shall not covet." This one just flew right out the window. To covet doesn't just mean to want something of someone else's. It also means to wish for, long for or crave. I'm always wanting a car like so-and-so's, or I wish my hair looked like hers, or why can't my house be decorated as nicely as theirs? Yeah. I covet.

When I think about it, the commandments aren't just  about physically stealing, killing or stepping out on my spouse. I feel that the commandments are there to cover my psychological and mental humanity also. I know none of us deserve the blessings that we are given. I know I've never done anything to deserve my healthy children or my handsome, loving husband. But all of a sudden, I am hit with just how much I don't deserve it. Anything that the Lord blesses me with, He gives me because he is gracious and merciful. With this knowledge, how much more grateful should I be for my blessings? I get so mad when my children are ungrateful for the things they have! But aren't we God's children? He provides for us, yet we are always wanting something more. Sometimes it isn't good enough. Isn't it easier to do nice things for someone when they are THANKFUL for it? When they appreciate it? 

I need to be more thankful in my blessings and humble myself in repentance and contrition before God. I see myself, outwardly, as a pretty good person, but I also see an awful lot of room for improvement in my soul.

Thankfulness Part I, or: "If it looks like a duck..."

Whenever we are sitting in church, especially in a really powerful service where the presence of God is almost physically tangible, I am sometimes struck with the memory of a sermon that my cousin, Pastor Rich Price, shared with our church many years ago. I don't recall the scripture reference that he used, but I do remember a little story he told. Forgive my memory, I'm going to tell it how I remember it. It went (something) like this:

Once upon a time, there was a little country church. But this was no ordinary church. It was a church of ducks. Every Sunday they would waddle from their ponds with their families. Church would start, the ducks would quack and tap their webbed feet to the music, then they began to raise their wings in praise. By the time the service was at it's peak, the ducks were flapping their wings and flying around the sanctuary. They were full of joy! They rejoiced in this feeling of thankfulness! God had done so much for them. He had brought their chicks into the world safe and happy. He had provided ponds for them to live in. He had kept them safe and provided plenty of food. God was with them always. How could they not fly around the altar in praise and thanksgiving? As they prayed, they quoted scriptures of power and authority, like 1 John 4:4 ("Greater is He that is in me that he that is in the world"), Mark 16:18 ("they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover") and 1 Samuel 17:47 ("...For the battle is the Lords..."). Then service would wind down, the ducks would visit with their friends and talk about their blessings and how good the Lord is. Then they waddled home to their ponds. They waddled through their week. They talked about how their ponds weren't big enough. They talked about how they were tired of eating the same thing. Their chicks were getting on their nerves. God seemed so far away. By the time the end of the week came around, they had forgotten that feeling from their Sunday service. They had stopped rejoicing. They waddled everywhere and wondered why they didn't feel like flying. Life had gotten in the way and made them forget about their joy. They forgot about the power that God had given them. Because of this, they didn't act or look any different from the ducks that didn't know the Lord.

This may not have been EXACTLY how Rich told the story, I'm sure he told it much better than I did. But the point remains the same: that feeling that comes when you are around the altar, that joy, that faith, that doesn't have to leave you when church service is over! Don't let life get in the way of your joy! Things may not be 'perfect' in your life. You might not have the job you want or the car you want. Your house may not be big enough for you (I am totally speaking to myself here!).

The last couple of years has brought so many changes to my life. Bryan and I made the decision to return to our (my) roots and be part of the church that I grew up in. We lost my Gran. I made a career change. We branched out and made a lot of new friends. We had a baby! All of these things changed our lives completely! We have had our hardships, but we find ourselves blessed. I try to be as thankful as I can be, but I've found myself being, not necessarily ungrateful, but dissatisfied with a lot of things in my life. I wanted another baby, and the Lord gave us Roland, and I am so thankful for him! But now our house is too small, formula and diapers cost too much, we had to get a larger car, we had to add a bedroom. I wanted a different job so that I could be at home with the kids more and not have to work evenings and weekends, and the Lord provided me with an opportunity to work within our school system. But the pay is less, we can't afford any extras, we're falling into debt, and daggone it I'm spending WAY too much time with my children!! Does someone want to take them for a while? I need some alone time!

You see? These things that I wanted, that I prayed for were given to me. But I find myself dissatisfied anyway. I'm too busy focusing on what I WANT, instead of what the Lord has provided. Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply every need of yours, according to his riches in glory in Jesus Christ", and earlier in the chapter we are told to not be anxious for anything, but to bring our requests to God with THANKSGIVING. Not dissatisfaction. Are my needs taken care of? Yes! I have a home to live in, a car to drive, beautiful, healthy children and a husband that takes care of me. Hebrews 13:5 tells us to keep our lives free from the love of money and to be content with what we have. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord. That's so hard for me to do sometimes. It's hard to wrap my mind around it. I have to really simplify it for myself: Do my children worry about having a home to live in? Where their next meal will come from? They don't even give these things a second thought! With God's help, their mama and daddy take care of their needs. So how much more should I trust that God has my world in His hands?

I don't want to leave my worship, praise and thankfulness at the altar. It needs to follow me wherever I go.

I don't usually post things this heavy...

Yesterday at our church was Missions Sunday where we give a special offering for our missionaries and are given updates on their progress or setbacks in their prospective countries. Our Assistant Pastor, Bro. Danny Lytle, made a statement that I have heard many times before: "Some give by going, some go by giving." I thought to myself, "I am so glad that God hasn't called me to the mission field because I am a total wuss and can't even imagine the hardships involved." Then Bro. Danny mentioned the mission statement for the United Pentecostal Church International (which is the organization that we belong to), that I guess I'd either never heard or never paid any mind to. It is: "The whole Gospel, to the whole world, by the whole Church." Again, I had a little inner monologue going on..."Huh...I guess that means me, too." I've never been one to shout from the rooftops what I believe or how I feel about certain things. I like to be peaceful and get along with everyone without making too many waves. I never get involved in political or religious discussions, partly because I don't want anyone to see my lack of knowledge in certain areas, but also because I'm a wuss and I don't want to be challenged. I don't like to 'put myself out there' because I don't like rejection.

I saw a video on youtube a while ago that pricked conviction in my heart. Conviction that I successfully pushed down for a long time. I came across this video again today and I can't ignore it this time. It is a video of entertainer and well-known atheist Penn Jillette speaking about a man who gave him a Bible. In the video, he makes the statement, "How much do you have to HATE somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?" He likens not witnessing to someone to not pushing them out of the way of an oncoming truck. This man, who also says that he KNOWS there is no God, put more conviction in my heart than I have ever had before. If I love someone, truly care about someone, how could I NOT tell them about Jesus? It all comes down to my self-consciousness.

Just in the 3 generations of Pentecostal doctrine that I have witnessed (from my grandparents, down to my first cousins), there are 7 ministers on my mom's side of the family and 2 on my dad's side. I think that I've always been intimidated by this. I was not born into my family, I was adopted when I was just 3 days old. I think the intimidation stems from seeing the ministry as a blood-born birthright. Of the members of my family who aren't ministers, almost all of them have had some sort of other calling: music, teaching, etc. I'm not a preacher. I'm not a scholar. I have no musical ability (as the people who sit in front of me in church are SO well aware of!). I've never really felt 'a calling' on my life.

Fast forward to the past few days. I have come across so many scriptures about being a witness...and then I read Acts 22:15: "For you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard." OK. So I may not have been born into my family, but I was PLACED by God in this family for a specific purpose. I may not have a human, blood-born birthright, but as a saved child of God, I have the same spiritual birthright as the most notable, respected and knowledgeable ministers. Maybe my purpose is just to raise Godly children. Maybe my purpose was to meet Bryan and introduce him to the church. Maybe my purpose is to serve as a testimony that you don't have to have your life together before you give it over to God. I'm not perfect, and I've not lived a perfect life. I can promise you that anything that I have to say will come from a place of humility and love.

The way that Bryan and I have chosen to live our lives has turned family against us. Blood relation that we love and care for. But considering the big picture, we are living how we feel convicted to, and believe with all of our hearts that we are called to live this way and we will obey the calling that God has put on our lives, and that's what matters to us more than anything else. My purpose isn't to step on toes or hurt feelings or thump the Bible in anyone's face. Anything that I say (type), I am doing so out of love for my friends, family and the human race in general, but most of all for conviction of MYSELF. I take the Bible seriously...even the parts that step on MY toes. I'm not flinging verses at anyone because I think I am better, and anyone who truly knows me, knows that to be the truth.

 I am an honest, sane person who, based on the belief that I have, is just trying to keep those that I love from being hit by a truck. I'm not trying to force anything on anyone. Take my thoughts, and do with them as you will.