Declaration of War

I love music.  I honestly believe it is one of the most powerful influences over our lives, whether we know it or not.  At my church the pastors who oversee the music are awesome!  First of all, they are willing to step outside of the box and worship Jesus with all sorts of different styles or genre's.  Let's face it, doesn't matter if you are playing the spoons.  If you are praising the King, then it's worship.  But more importantly, and I think this is huge, it's not to whip you up into some frenzy to make you worship the music itself.  The importance, I believe, is always centered around Christ.

So much for a preamble, the reason I started this way is because of a certain song, and even more a certain line in the song itself.  "Sin is a declaration of war" it says.  I was eating a chicken cordon blue from Arby's and pondering these words, when low and behold, my mind began to think of how this has personally affected me, and how I see it affect the world.  Now obviously, getting into all of these issues is impossible, but I just wanted to speak on a few that popped in my head.  So...

Personally, I have seen time and time again how sin causes one to believe that the Father did not put into our bodies, the perfect amount of endorphins, natural opioids and receptors, and all the other "feel good" parts of our brains.  It started harmlessly, I thought.  Twelve years old, drinking and smoking weed.  Dude, I was cool, all the older kids loved me.  Well, by fourteen it was acid.  By seventeen coke.  By twenty ecstasy.  And last, but definitely not least, opiates!  Twenty plus years of relying on substances to help me "deal" with life.  Friends die, go to jail, and all the other glamorous shit with drugs.  But yet this lie, this sin, holds on like a freakin tic, trying to suck out all of your life, and silly me, I thought I loved it.  I don't.  I love how I feel right now, even though I know that feelings are fleeting.  I'm clean, and at random times in my day, I think about the wonderful life that can be had RIGHT HERE because of Jesus.  We are free.  I can always enjoy a good beer.  Sin however, if we get cocky, will twist and distort any good thing that God Himself gave us to enjoy.  FYI, if you are shooting up heroine, you aren't "enjoying", you are "escaping".  Call me dog, I will try to help.

Next on my little list, sex.  Unfortunately, I am so far from pure it makes me cry.  Let's think about how natural this is supposed to be.  Now, let's think about pop culture, and what "pops" into our minds.  We are in this boat together, I do not know of a person with absolutely no "desires" whatsoever.  Sex, in the Biblical context, is the most pure, awesome, and enjoyable act we have been blessed with!  Of course, I say this as someone who has no idea what that means at all!  Can you say, healthy conviction?  Obviously, I am humbled by His Grace.  Instead of listing all of these sexual acts that are clearly outside of what God's Word says, I would rather think about how I've thrown people under the bus for committing one of the "others", and ignoring mine.  Good possibility you know what I'm talking about.  Not only has sin warped our understanding, confidence, and trust that sex is supposed to be an act of worship, it has us hating other people for the same sexual sin we are guilty of.  I am personally guilty of all of the above.  I am now asking for help.  Help to love and pray for anyone struggling.  Help to pray before I act on the impulse of sin.

Ok, that's enough.  Just in these couple paragraphs I think most people can relate and say, we took the bait.  The devil, the enemy, he is the one who presented this plague we call sin.  We are still taking the bait.  And as a matter of fact, we can't escape our flesh, which is sinful in itself.  I know I have friends who may read this who don't even believe there is such thing as sin, or God, or whatever.  Not to be a dick, but look around.  And if there is this "all powerful God", why would He leave us here to rot?  He didn't.  Dude, if you've heard "all the stories", and you think you know about Jesus Christ, please do me a favor.  Read the book in the Bible called Hebrews.  I'm convinced that every piece of His Word is mighty to save, but I love this book because I can feel how God went out of His way to show us that He understands.

Make no mistake about it, sin IS A DECLARATION OF WAR!  But we already know the end.........

So I'm Eating Salad Now

Dude, what the hell is going on here?  I'm a blogger???  I'm starting this at the request of a buddy, but admittedly, it's been on my mind for sometime.  Not blogging necessarily, but some way of explaining my inner thoughts to others, or even just getting them off of my freaking chest for my own sake.  So with this opening post, I'm gonna start with a brief but honest background of me.  If you are easily thrown off, please don't read because I'm not out to hurt your conscience, but I am out to talk freely about sin and redemption.

So, for starters, I'm a man who has been best known for things that really don't mean jack shit in the broad scale of things.  I'm a recovering heroine addict.  I drink too much sometimes.  I'm not nearly as loving as I would like to be.  On and on and on.......  WHY AM I SAYING THIS???

Because for starters, my entire life has been surrounded by a "natural" family that has supported me through the depths of my depravity, and they have loved me unconditionally.  Most importantly, I was drawn to a God who is so much bigger and loving than I can explain with my tiny understanding of Him, and He has not stopped doing His crazy and awesome work with me since He started.  And last, but def not least, He has thrown me into a body of other believers who are just as supportive and loving as the whole "natural" family I was blessed with to begin with!  We are open.  We are as honest as we can be.  We pray.  I AM NOT ASHAMED BECAUSE OF HIM! 

Am I sin-free?  No, but I am free from my sins.  I'm really just putting this out there as another way to be transparent to the people who need to find encouragement from a self admitted screw up like myself.  As my life and inevitable struggles continue, I will try to find a way to express my thoughts as I work through them myself.  I do know this, I'm being changed by His grace.  That is not cliche, I promise you.  It is the Truth from the depths of my heart.  I'm actually changing so much, I'm eating salad now, as the title promised.