Murdering Controversy

What would you do if someone tried to kill your faith? Would you deny your faith like Peter did right before Jesus was murdered? Or would you keep the faith like Job when he was on the brink of death and his own wife told him to curse God and die? It's easy to say you'd be like Job in the face of evil, but what about in real life?

Recently, my blog was attacked, and this person tried to kill my faith through words of controversy:

You are so delusional that it is giving me a headache through the computer! Come read the truth about your bastard "god" and your perverted bible:

www.bayourabbi.blogspot.com

Many people would find this offensive, and more than likely retort. During Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:38, He says that when someone strikes you on one cheek you should turn the other cheek. What exactly does this mean? Should we be turning the other cheek in a sign of backing down and walk away? Personally I think NOT.

As a warrior of God I know what Jesus truly meant by turning the other cheek. In my personal life, and accepting my role as a missionary, I've come across plenty of people that hate me and God. It wasn't long before I figured out what Jesus meant, and it's simple advice. When someone strikes you on the cheek, whether it be physically or verbally, turn the other cheek and say "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!"

I'm not backing down from my faith, and I'll die sharing the Word of God. When this person attacked me, I wasn't angry, distressed, pissed, or whatever. My heart broke. It's a shame that so many people out there are so blinded by the god of this world, satan, and can't see the truth...

God's Country

Crazy how much we get caught up in our every day lives, and we tend to forget there's a beautiful world right in front of us. Today was a day that I got to experience the surreal nature God created. Esther, Elijah, Jon, and I went to Mississippi for a kayak trip today. I couldn't even imagine how much I needed to relax and appreciate God's creation. Sure Elijah, Jon and me raced each other every once and a while, crazy man competitive nature, but I got to take in nature, chill with real friends, and just simply enjoy life.

Acceptance

For the first time in my life my calling as a missionary has come true. Today, July 4th, I received my official DTS, Discipleship Training School, acceptance letter. To check it out, go to ChrisNickJoy. The letter is posted for all to see!

A Modern-Day Paul

I sometimes wonder, sometimes, if I'm truly meant to be a modern-day Paul more than anything. He spent his entire life on this world witnessing to people, no matter the situation, location, or cause. Because he devoted his life to God he felt everything else was pointless, including a wife. He even says in Corinthians that a person shouldn't get married unless he/she can't control their sexual urges. To be up front, my promise from God seems to be dying. I'm not losing my faith, but still I just wonder. Am I a modern-day Paul?

The Present

For the longest time, and still today, I think about the future. Something I heard a long time along for my youth pastor, Robbie Sparks in VA, is that the enemy reminds us of our mistakes and sins of the past, and tries to trouble us with the promises of the future. I have many promises of the future. Some little, and some lifetime. I have no trouble with the past. I do have my more than fair share of sins of the past, but I know God has forgiven me, so they don't effect me. It's the future that buckles my knees.

You see, a promise of a wife is pure, and spiritual. I will marry once, and ONLY once. She will be my one, and I will be her one. The problem is that I have a promise, and I don't have the faith to see it, nor stop worrying about it, and live the promise of now. In a nutshell. God doesn't promise tomorrow, not even an hour from now, but He does promise NOW!

Something I heard, and has stuck with me since, is an old Chinese saying. That saying is, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why we call it the present." The future is blind, but I promise to hold on to my promises from God. Whether they are inhumanly impossible or not. Because, God loves to work in the impossible and show off His amazing grace.

Hope For The Hopeless

So I got off work early today, and I decided to head over to the Baton Rouge Dreamcenter, Winbourne. I called Craig Boutte to see if anyone was there, and if I could help out in any way. He was at home getting lunch, and told me that a homeless woman had just come into our drop-in center and guys were needed to go to her old home and get her things. Come to find out, she had been living at this house for about a month, and the place was infested with cockroaches. Also, some crackheads had broken into her house and stole her tv, and wasn't sure if they were still there. Craig, Charity, Pastor Adam, and me went with the woman to her house, and us guys busted up into her crib. Fortunately, nobody was there.

We grabbed her things, and headed to this woman's homeless shelter, Ms. Green's Woman's Shelter. By the way, the woman has a 4 year old girl, and a seven year old son (was in school at the time). Ms. Green is on fire for the Lord. She owns this 2 story beautiful home, and currently houses around 20 women, and 40 children. She gave us a tour of the facilities, and come to find out, she owns 7 acres of land behind the house. Ms. Green has been running this shelter for 3 years, and not once has had to pay mortgage for the house or property. God has provided for this shepherd beyond anything humanly possible. As for the homeless woman, Charity told me that when she first arrived at the Dreamcenter, she was depressed, but once we arrived at the shelter you told see a dramatic change. She went from hopeless to hopeful, just because true followers of Christ stood up for her, and helped out in a big way. Glory goes to God Almighty!

God gave Ms. Green a vision, and while praying for her, Pastor Adam confirmed this. The vision was that she will be blessed with a five story home right behind her current one, and will be able to house hundreds of women. Pastor Adam and I both decided that we needed to tell Pastor Dino about making her shelter a must do for this years Servolution.

So much more went on today at the Dreamcenter, but I'm exhausted and I must sleep. God bless, and goodnight faithful!

United We Live

What if God decided to stop caring one day? What if He just turned His back on society and didn't long for salvation to reach the world? Society today believes this has happened. That God has turned His back on them. How else can we explain the single mother of 3 getting shot, or the old man that the neighborhood loves getting robbed of all his possessions? Why would God do this? One simple statement, it's not God, but the enemy. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and Jesus comes to bring life, and life more abundantly. It's not that God isn't in control, but that God already said these will be signs of His coming again.

Satan is the god, lower case, of this world. He's not omnipresent, but he has the fallen at his command. God is raising up an army, to stand and show the world that life's not about sex, drugs, money and power. But about life, salvation, servanthood and worship. As followers of Jesus, we must stand together.

God gave me a glimpse of the future the other night at Jordan Kaiser's house while a group of us came together to worship Him. He showed me division within the church. Not something petite, but doctrine. We as followers much stand firm on His Word, and discern the evil one and his deception. United we live, divided we DIE!