Live Holy

The Pursuit of God

2007-01-28T08:11:00.000-05:00

"The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word. We have almost forgotten that God is a person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved in one encounter. It is only after long and loving mental intercourse that the full possibilities of both can be explored.

God is a person, and in the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may...He communicates with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills and our emotions. " -A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of God

He goes on to say, "Because we are made in His image we have within us the capacity to know Him, but in our sins we lack only the power! The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition. Without that heavenly birth we cannot see the kingdom of God. It is not an end but rather an inception, for now begins the glorious pursuit, the heart's happy exploration of the infinite riches of the Godhead. That is where we begin, I say, but where we stop no man has yet discovered, for there is in the awful and mysterious depths of the Triune God neither limit nor end."

Well said.

The God of Great Patience

2006-08-22T23:00:00.000-04:00

God, who possesses everything, has something He waits for...His inheritance in us! (Ephesians 1:11,18) This is the Eternal, Uncreated King of Glory and He waits for us to come to Him!
WOW!

But He's not just passively waiting for a few people to buy an insurance policy from Him so they can stay out of Hell. He wants us to be fully equipped and prepared to share His throne with Him forever! We sometimes think that He is just here for our pleasure...like somehow He only exists to make us happy or comfortable. But, to the contrary, He desires a pure and spotless bride to have forever for His inheritance and will not be satisfied until He has her!

We must begin to walk in this. Jesus is tired of a comprimising, impartial church and is intent on having a mature, lovesick bride that can rule with Him for eternity. This is not the day or the hour to be undecided or lethargic. We must say YES to Christ today, so that He can begin to work in us and accomplish His purposes for our lives.

Remember: He waits on us. He is a Gentlemen if there ever was one and He respects our dignity as humans. He has given us free will because He desires voluntary lovers who, "live this life trusting in the Son of God who loved them and gave His life for them." (Galatians 2:20)

The Grace of Fasting

2006-08-20T14:02:00.000-04:00

I feel the need to talk about fasting. I can't say everything I want to say about this gift of God in one post, but this book does an amazing job of explaining "The Rewards of Fasting".

I am aware that this is the last thing many of you want to read about and many of you will be confused, but that is why I am writing about it. We must start asking the questions that come up in our lives. How long will we continue in ignorance as the world continues to fade away?

We must know what God has given us as weapons so we will be prepared when the time comes to use them. We have a messed up view of many things in America, one of them is the grace of fasting. Just because we think backwards, and believe that we must pamper ourselves in order to be satisfied, we should not make the mistake of believing God thinks that way.

We must, as children of the One who is accomplishing His purposes on the earth, press into Him and contend for the fullness of what He has for us. God is wanting to bring His people nearer to Him and reveal to them the mysteries of His Kingdom. But He will not just throw us the secrets that have been sealed up from eternity past as we run by waving our hands and continue on with our "busy" lives. His strategy is the same today as it was yesterday, He never changes. If we want to know more of Him, we must do it His way. This is one of many ways we contend for more of God, but without a wholehearted repentive heart, fasting will accomplish nothing. Many of the false religions practice the act of fasting, but they don't release the blessings of God. So, I say that if you haven't totally given over your heart to the One who made it...the One who died for it, then you must take care of that before you take this next step. For those of you who have said yes to Jesus and are curious about fasting & prayer, I pray that this will help you.

FASTING:

First of all, let me say that the act of fasting should never be separated from the act of prayer. The two go together like peanut butter and jelly. It is a mystery of Heaven that; when the children of God come to Him in wholeheartedness and say to Him the words that He has told us to say, it provokes Him to act.

Hear what the Spirit is saying though: fasting doesn’t move God. He doesn't say, "Well, if you fast just a little while longer, then I'll know your serious." Fasting, under the grace of God moves our heart. Fasting increases our capacity to receive from God...fasting increases our capacity to give ourselves back to God...fasting, in the context of intimacy with God moves our hearts, this, in turn moves His heart.

We don’t earn a thing by fasting; we position ourselves to receive an increase of capacity at the heart level. The call to fasting is the invitation to wholeheartedness, not at all about earning something.

The call to fasting is the call to the grace of wholeheartedness. Remember, every prophetic invitation is a promise of the enabling. And God is calling us to wholeheartedness (characterized and intensified through fasting and prayer), so He will give us the grace to do it.

-It's A Gift-

The grace of fasting is a gift of God that leads the human spirit into fascination and exhilaration before Him. Unless we have a vision or hope for attaining more in God, we will not fast. God has given us the gift of fasting to position our hearts in a position to receive more of Him. If we don’t view it in that way, we will not fast. Fasting is not intended by God to be something we hate. It is a gift meant to tenderize our hearts and bring great change in our lives! We fast because we know that the Lord desires to give us more of His heart and we know that fasting expresses our desire to have more of God and our pain of recognizing how little of Him we actually have. We fast because we cannot endure living in spiritual barrenness.

The deeper we go with God, the more we realize our intense need for Him and how little we actually possess. That is why Paul could say that he was the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). The more light of God we have in our lives, the more easily we can see the darkness in us. As we press into Him with fasting and prayer, He will begin to reveal the secrets of His heart to us and we will be more and more fascinated with Him and disgusted with the wickedness in our own lives, which, in turn, will produce in us an invigorated (uncompromising) spirit that will willingly say no to all that hinders more of His love from entering into our lives. We will radically “rend” our hearts from this world and intentionally position our hearts in alignment with His. (And that’s the whole point!)

Fasting is embracing voluntary weakness and esteeming God’s sovereignty as the only answer for our problem (whether it is a disaster/crisis or just our lack of Him in our lives). We do this in order to experience more of God’s power and presence. It’s a paradox that we become weak in the natural to receive strength from the Spirit! Remember what Jesus told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) When Paul was struggling with God’s call to walk in weakness, Jesus encouraged him by revealing that the release of God’s power in his life was connected to his willingness to embrace weakness.

There is something in the realm of weakness that God will not let us avoid. He knows that we must be weak in order to receive His strength, because we would boast in our own abilities if he gave it to us too easily. Western culture hates weakness; however, God has made weakness mandatory for those who desire spiritual strength (1 Corinthians 1:27, 29). These are the paradoxes of God’s kingdom. He never seems to do things quite the way that the world would anticipate.

The most challenging issue with fasting isn’t even the hunger; it is the physical weakness it produces. We become physically weak and can’t function in the way we normally do. Even David, the great warrior recorded the weakness he felt from fasting. “My knees are weak through fasting, and my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.” (Psalm 109:24)

God gave fasting to weak and broken people because we are ALL weak and broken. Everyone can do this. Fasting is voluntary weakness. Weakness and wilderness are nearly synonymous terms. In saying yes to the fasted lifestyle, we are saying yes to the wilderness. One of the mysteries of God is that in our weakness in the wilderness we can find doorways into His strength. This is revealed at the end of the Bride’s journey in Song of Solomon. She has discovered the secret of His strength being made perfect in her weakness as she arises from her passage through the wilderness and ascends from this journey called life victoriously, leaning on her beloved, Jesus. “Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?" (Song 8:5)

The wilderness of fasting strips us of false comforts, strengths and securities and we come to grips with how much our souls are propped up by a thousand things other than God. As we are stripped of all other lovers, He transforms us into lovers of Him. Are our hearts bloated and lethargic from too little of the Word of God and too much of worldly comforts? Most likely, the answer is yes and the only solution is to enter the voluntary wilderness of prayer and fasting

We must answer this call to wholeheartedness that Jesus is offering to us. If the world is ever going to take Christianity seriously, we must start acting like Christ! I challenge you right now to say no to the lies of this world that tell you your comfort is the most important thing. I break that off of you in Jesus' name. We must act in obedience to the Soverign Lord of Lords, the one who is coming to establish His Kingdom on this earth. Say no to the pleasures of this age and yes to abandonment to Jesus.

We’ve been taught that we will experience more life if we pamper our bodies. This is wrong even from a natural point of view. Nutritionists tell us that the more we eat the less sensitive our taste buds are. We actually taste less when we are not hungry. Moderation in the physical realm actually increases the pleasure we gain from physical activities. (example you eat less, you receive greater enjoyment when you do eat) Remember: Though our soul lives in a physical body, it was not designed to be a slave to physical pleasures and passions. We must deliberately silence the compulsions of our natural man if we want our spirit man to have the upper hand.

God created us to fast. It’s not easy right away, just like a guy who hasn’t lifted a single weight in years can’t lift hard his first day back without hurting himself or someone depraved of sunlight for years (although they crave the light) can’t be brought into the brightness without it hurting them. We crave intimacy with God, we desire more of His presence, but we haven’t cultivated the very tool that He has given us to access more of Him. So, even though we desire it; wholeheartedness (fasting) is hard and even painful at times. We must start small and allow God’s grace to give us the ability to enter into the deeper realms of intimacy through fasting. Start off by asking Him to give you the grace to want to want to fast! Then as time goes by you'll start wanting it, but you still won't be able to do it. So, then ask Him for the grace to actually fast! He wants you to receive more of Him. It's not Him holding it back from you. He did say, "We have not because we ask not." (James 4:2)

Remember: It’s only by His grace that we can enter into the deepest things of Him anyway, why would this be any different?

Just a Reminder

2006-08-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

We receive mercy based on what Jesus did on the cross, not on what we have accomplished. Jesus, the innocent One, became guilty so that the guilty ones who believe in Him may become innocent. God's mercy forgives us and assures that what would disqualify us from our destiny is removed, if we will receive God's grace.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new...For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

Eternal Weight of Glory

2006-07-29T19:50:00.000-04:00

Don't fret beloved, these momentary light afflictions are working for an eternal weight of glory! (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Just remember that this peanut of an earth and all that is in it will pass away in just a minute. Whether it is 70-80 years, our life is just a minute...and then what? What are we serving on this planet? What are we seeking? Press on, lay claim to the rewards you are storing up in heaven. Don't listen to the prince of this world who only confuses and condemns.

That's why we must be in the Word of God consistently and surrounded by a community of believers...so we will know the voice of our Shepherd and we will not be confused when the enemy is trying to distract us (John 10:5).

Let's live totally abandoned to the only thing that remains after our days are up on this peanut of an earth.

Galatians 1:3-5,

Dave

The Lover of My Soul

2006-07-16T14:35:00.000-04:00

Our God is amazing...Growing in love with Him is unbelievable. I am in awe of His leadership, goodness and kindness. He is all that I want and need.

He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness and He relents from doing harm. (Joel 2:13) He is the One pursuing you this very moment and desiring to know you in a personal and intimate way. It's your heart that He is after, it's your love that He craves.

If this doesn't sound like the Jesus you've heard about, I would encourage you to actually open your Bible and check it out...He will show you how He views you and what He was really after when He came to this earth to die-for you. He didn't leave His glory in heaven to die as a weak human so that we could 'stay out of hell', He wants a relationship with you. Of course He wishes that none shall perish (2 Peter 3:9) but that's not why He was crushed under the wrath of the Father for our sins. He desires YOU. Wherever you are and whatever you're going through, He wants YOU. Is that really too much to ask? (Romans 12:1)

Romans 5:8,

Dave

Jesus and Muhammad

2006-06-22T11:05:00.000-04:00

This is an amazing book comparing what Jesus and Muhammad actually stood for. No longer can we let our ignorance shine brightly as we try to say that these two "teachers" were speaking about the same God.

It won't take you long to uncover the: bloody history (even until now), cruel and degrading treatment of women, contradictions and falacies that are found in Islam.

This book is a very easy read from an extremely intelligent man. If you have questions on what Muhammad taught about certain topics such as, holy war, the treatment of women, proper Muslim conduct and even Jesus Himself, check it out.

Why Do We Doubt?

2006-04-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

"Why do we doubt? Glory, power, victory, salvation and honor are due to the Lamb who was slain and rose again, and with Him to us also, who believe that He was slain and rose again."
-Martin Luther

Why are we afraid? Why do we doubt or fear anything? It is the liars job to doubt and fear. Because it is impossible to defend an open lie against the manifest truth that is found in the Bible.

Jesus desperately wants us to be with Him wherever He is! We don't have to fear anything as a child of God! What a great reward we have, what a loving Savior we have.

Smile,

David
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Can I Vent?

2006-04-16T21:03:00.000-04:00

I was thinking and since I have a blog, I have a chance to vent.

This world (and even the church to some extent) is filled with spiritually barren people. Everyday I see people trying to find substance for their lives in the things of this world. And, of course, they are coming up short. The reason??? Their life was never meant to be filled by the things of this world. There is only one thing that can truely fill and bring meaning to our lives...His name is Jesus Christ.

I don't want to come off overbearing or judgemental, I know first hand what it is like to seek the things of this world and come up empty-handed and I want to expose this lie that corporate America is force-feeding us. The millions of advertisements, movies and T.V. shows that are being pumped into our minds are dictating how we live our lives! Why do you think Jesus warned us to be careful of what we allow into our bodies through our eyes (Matthew 6:22). For whatever is in your heart determines what you say (Matthew 12:34c).

We truely are like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). Wondering around aimlessly being herded wherever the next person with persuasive words tells us to go. THINK FOR YOURSELF! I am tired of watching those who are too lazy to think for themselves just believe whatever sounds smart! It truely sadens me.

I am also sorrowful for those who think this life is all there is. What a hope, huh? Eternal nothingness! Sign me up for an eternity of that. Of course that sounds good to most, it aligns with your flesh. You can do whatever you want and you believe you will never be held accountable. Humans are sinners and humans like to sin. Coming to a Pure and Holy God does not line up with our sinful desires. So humans will run for as long as they can before turning to the One who won't allow sin in His presence.

The funny thing is, He will let you run for as long as you want to. He is very patient! I know it took me 3 separate times (I can see them clearly now) before I finally submitted myself to Him. And that's another thing, we in America don't like the word submit or even obedient or humble. Because what does corporate America tell us to be? Everything but; submissive, obedient and humble. This is where you as an individual need to ask yourself, "Who are they really looking out for: me or their wallets?"

Trust me, I am a Marketing guy and all that I have been taught is how to make somebody want something they don't need. That is all they are doing. Playing off of your emotions to get you to do what they want. Think about this stuff, don't just blindly fall victim to their schemes. Why do you think the savings rate in this country is in the negatives? Because the advertisers and producers are doing a great job of convincing you that you need something so badly that you must get it, even when you don't have the money for it!

I am not a cynical person at all, just tired of watching millions of Americans fall into traps every day. It's really not your fault. Who are you to look to in the world? There is no guidance, no leadership, no direction. The leadership in this country is only concerned about keeping America the wealthiest country on the planet, even at the cost of their own citizens souls.

Final thoughts:

If you don't have the $, don't buy it!
Just because you see someone famous do it, doesn't mean your supposed to do it. They are people just like you and I and they fall victims to the same traps that you and I do.
Don't blindly follow! God doesn't ask us to do that with Him, why should you do it with humans?!? Ask questions, the more the better.
If you don't agree with something, say so or at the very least don't go along with it.
Finally, if you don't have a loving relationship with the only God of the universe, you have more to worry about than your credit card debt.

broken and humbled,

David

Act Like a Believer

2006-04-16T09:21:00.000-04:00

It has recently been brought to my attention that my blog is called "LiveHoly" and I am yet to actually talk about living holy! Let me start now:

Do you know that our God is a holy and righteous God? And do know that One who is holy and righteous will not reward another with things that are not holy and righteous? So you can be assured that God will not reward us with impure and unholy things. So, the sin and lust which some believe they will inherit if they blow themselves up for their god would contradict a true and holy God. Needless to say, they will be surprised when they meet the Uncreated, Holy, Righteous, Judge of the Universe.

I got a little sidetracked there, but if we don't first understand that we are serving a Pure and Holy God, we will never desire a pure and holy lifestyle for ourselves.

I feel compeled to give you a lot of Scripture here, I emplore you to look this up for yourself.

First, when you come to Christ, you are a new creation (Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:4-6). Therefore you ought not continue to live in sin, the way you did when you didn't know any better. (Galatians 5:16-26, Romans 6:1-2) Now you are born again, with new life from the Living and Eternal God through His One and Only Holy Spirit (Romans 8:2,11, Ephesians 4:24). And you are to live by that Spirit as a child of God (Romans 8:14-16, 1 John 5:1-4).

That does not mean it's ok to sin as long as you don't think it's that bad! It's not ok to make up your own rules as you go along. If you are going to label yourself as a Christian, you should be ready to walk the same path Christ walked. Too often, we want to change the rules to most benefit us. That's not how His kingdom works. Sin is still spelt SIN, and ironically enough I is right in the middle of it. We can no longer continue to indulge in the things of this world if we are ever going to make a difference in it. Remember; God's grace is not our license to sin (Romans 6:1-2)

So, now that you know that you are a child of God (a new creation) and you know that you aren't supposed to live an ungodly lifestyle, you are now what I like to call; accountable. You have heard the truth and now have the opportunity to obey it or not. I heard a pastor say once, "Our problem isn't understanding what the Bible means, it's doing what it says". Everyday you have the choice to choose Him or to choose the world. You can't have both, unless you would like to be known as "lukewarm" (Revelation 3:16). Dr. Vernon McGee put it like this, "There is something wrong if a Christian is too popular in the world". That may be a little hard to take for a culture who is so concerned with pleasing everybody and not making anyone feel uncomfortable but we as the body of Christ must take a stand for the Truth and not be ashamed to defend it! (Luke 9:26, Romans 1:16, 2 Timothy 2:15)

Of course we can't do any of this without God's grace but I am only talking about our part, which God will not do. If we first, voluntarily choose to follow and obey Him, His grace will abound in our lives. However, He will not force us to love and/or follow Him. We must first choose Him, only then will His grace be available to us whenever we need it.

For more Scripture on this topic:

Matthew 5-7 (Christianity 101)
Ephesians 2:1-10, 4:17-32
Galatians 5:16-25
1 Corinthians 6:9-20
2 Corinthians 5:1-21
Romans 7:14-25, 8:1-17

And there are many more, but this will give you an idea.

Why Do I Need Jesus?

2006-04-15T01:11:00.000-04:00

Newsflash...We Are Sinners!

And because of that sin, we have been separated from the God of the universe who desperately desires a relationship with us. And because our God is a Righteous and Holy God, He will not allow sin in His presence. He requires a penalty be paid for sin and that penalty is far too great for you or I to pay. But because our God is a God of Love and Mercy, He decided to pay OUR penalty Himself so we would not have to.

That is who Jesus is...God, taking our penalty for sin upon Himself! Now we don't have to worry about who is going to take on this punishment, it has already been done. And because of that, we can now come into the presence of the Uncreated, Eternal One who loves and adores us. That's our God! One who took OUR punishment on Himself so we wouldn't have to! (Romans 3:21-31)

If you haven't accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, there is no better time like the present. You can do it right there at your computer, under your breath if you need to. Just thank Him for paying a penalty you never could have paid and dying so that you may have life everlasting! Then ask Him to come into your heart with His Holy Spirit. Then, go to my next post and learn how to live like a believer... ;)

Romans 10:13

David

Just Ask

2006-04-15T00:51:00.000-04:00

Ask. It's a simple position that I am taking. I don't have all of the answers. But if I don't know something, I will ask around and do my own research until I find an answer.

Why are we on this peanut of an earth? What is the purpose of this life? What is going to happen to you when you die? These are questions that must be answered. And if you don't have a satisfactory response to them, I suggest you start looking. Why do you think we have the ability to think rationally or to speak in a manner that provokes others to think? These are features of human composition that cannot be explained by evolution or chance (which are really the same thing). Take advantage of the intelligent design that created you and seek the truth.

I cannot see the rationale in just brushing these questions off and worrying about what I am going to wear today or what car I am going to buy next, or whatever else is going on in my own little world! There is more to this life than what we see. We have a limited period of time on this planet; then what? I am pleading with you to just ask. You don't have to ask me, there are plenty of others who can probably tell you more than I can, just ask! What other system in this world makes that claim?

There is only one truth out there and if you seek it, you will find it.
Matthew 7:7

Salvation is Here

2006-04-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

What is this free gift of salvation? It is the gift of God that He offers to sinners. Salvation is deliverance from the penalty of sin, also called redemption. The gift is not forced upon us by some dictating overlord; it is offered, we still have to accept it. We accept this gift by acknowledging what Jesus did for us on the cross and by admiting that we are in need of His saving power (in other words, admiting you are a sinner).

REMEMBER: Salvation is by GRACE. There is nothing you can do to make Jesus love you more than He does right now. His love is so overwhelming, we will need eternity just to grasp a portion of it! Nevertheless, He knows that we are going to mess up...we're human. What He expects, however, is that we come back to Him (in repentance) so He can help us to avoid messing up the next time. That is how He designed this life, in such a way that we would have to depend on Him in order to live it. It is through a relationship with Him that we find TRUE LIFE.

The Bible isn't a just nice book to be browsed through once in a while... it is our lifeblood! It gives us strength, power, wisdom, confidence, faith, hope and LOVE (not to mention the spiritual armor that we so desperatly need). In order to have all that Jesus wants us to have, we must search the scriptures consistently...on a regular basis, how else are we going to know what God has for us? The Bible has promised to reveal that information if we will just read it.

Amazing Love

2006-04-05T18:58:00.000-04:00

Jesus is in love with us. That is the reason we believe. If it wasn't for Him loving us first, we couldn't love Him. When you encounter that love, there is no other alternative than to love Him back. The God of the universe desires a relationship with YOU! It's you that He longs for, It's you that He cares about and It's you that He wants to be with for eternity, It's YOU!

Whenever you are going through trials or troubles remember that. Don't jump ship the moment the waters get rough. Stay in the boat, it's the safest place to be. Jesus doesn't ask us to know everything during our time here on earth, all He wants is a relationship with us. We will have eternity to learn all about the majestic, omnipresent, omniscient God of the universe who individually created us and everything else there is!

Defining Islam

2006-03-24T18:26:00.000-05:00

As I promised in a prior blog, I am going to do my best at defining Islam. If you are a Muslim, I want to thank you for taking the time to see what your religion really says. If there are any further questions when you reach the end of this blog, please email me.

With a thankful heart, I start off by saying that here in the Western world we have the freedom to express ourselves without the fear of persecution. To understand Islam you must understand the 7th century Arabian culture that Muhammad lived in. Islam imposes that culture in its political expression, family affairs, dietary laws, clothing and language. Muslims are compelled to impose those traits on the rest of the cultures in the world. There was no concept of personal freedom in the tribal life of 7th century Arabia. That is why Islamic law today doesn't recognize freedom of religion, speech, press, etc. This is also why non-Muslims (Christians) are physically attacked or jailed.

Background of Allah

First, let me say that linguistically, the word "Allah" comes from the Arabic Al-Ilah, meaning "The God." It has the Semitic root, ilah, corresponding to the Hebrew eloah (singular form of the plural Elohim). "Allah" is the word for God currently used in the Arabic Bible and has been reverently used by many millions of Arab Christians since the first century A.D.
Muslims believe that the only God of the universe is "Allah". This is actually part of the five pillars of Islam (Affirmation). This may be a correct translation of the word 'God' into the Arabic 'Allah', but theologically this is not the same God that Christians worship. The term Allah is a purely Arabic term and was used in reference to an Arabian deity. Allah was known to pre-Islamic Arabs as one of the many deities that already existed in Mecca.
The tribe that Muhammad belonged to was particullarly devoted to "Allah", the moon god. The idol was represented by a black stone which "came down from heaven". The black stone is still worshipped today.
Allah the moon god was "married" to Arabia the sun god and they had three children who were known as the "daughters of Allah". The happy family was viewed as being the top of the pantheon of Arabian deities. When Muhammad took control of Mecca, he destroyed all the idols that pointed to the daughters of Allah and kept only one...Allah. Hence the symbol of Islam which is proudly displayed as the crescent moon.

Background of Muhammad

Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born in 570 A.D. and lived for 62 years. He was a poor camel driver until the age of 25 when he married a wealthy 40 year old. He ran the family fruit business in Mecca for the next 15 years. At the age of 40 he claimed to recieve revelations in a cave about 3 miles north of Mecca. It was there, according contradictory Muslim tradition found in the Koran, that an angel of light, they now say it was Gabriel, appeared to him making him a prophet to the Arabs. After he recieved the "revelations" Muhammad would go into epileptic fits. (That's what the Muslims believe they were) He would shake, perspire and even foam at the mouth.

These revelations were recorded in the Koran. But it wasn't until years later because Muhammad himself was uneducated and probably did not know how to write. His message was twofold: (1) There is no God but Allah and (2) Man is God's slave [That is where you get "Islam" which means submission in Arabic]
When the people of Mecca did not take to Muhammad; the "Prophet of Allah", they tried to attack him and he fled to Medina in 622 A.D. (That is when the Islamic calendar started) While he was there, he tried to get the Christians and Jews that were living there to follow him. (As an apostle to the Christians and a prophet to the Jews) He told them they could pray to Jerusalem, but when they rejected him as a prophet, he rejected them and began telling every one to pray to Mecca, Allah, his tribal deity.
Also interesting to note, after this occured, Muhammad received more "revelations" which are recorded in the Koran. He was told to loot and steal from caravans that were passing through. (Historical record and the Koran report that he killed tens of thousands of people in over 60 batles.) In one revelation, Muhammad was told to kill and drive out all the Jews! (Again, historical record says Muhammad had 1,000 Jewish men brought together and beheaded.) Islam became known as the religion of the sword. In 629 A.D Muhammad raised an army of 10,000 men and returned to Mecca and conquered it. By force, he imposed Islam on the rest of the Arabian tribes. Muhammad died in 632 A.D. and the religion spread by the sword across North Africa and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.

What Do Muslims Believe?

I have already went into the Five Pillars of Islam in my "Top 5" blog. But briefly they are: affirmation, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and the pilgramage. Some have added a sixth Pillar of Faith known as the Jihad or Holy War. As we have seen, both in the early days of Islam and today, the intent is to spread Islam by force.

There are also six beliefs of Islam that we must understand.

God-There is only one and his name is Allah.
Angels-They are servants of God and through them He reveals His will. Everyone has two "recording angels": one to record our good deeds and one to record our bad deeds.
Prophets-"Allah has spoken through many prophets", the greatest of these include; Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and of course Muhammad.
Holy Books-The Koran or Quran is the holiest book of Islam believed to be Allah's final revelation to man. It contains 114 chapters (Suras). Muslims also recognize the Torah (Law of Moses), Psalms and the Gospels (The first four books of the New Testament) but consider them corrupted.
Day of Judgement-A terrible day on which each person's good and bad deeds will be weighed to determine his fate.
Decree of God-Allah determines the fate of all. "If Allah wills it" is the comment of a devout Muslim on almost every situation or decision he faces.

Islamic Practice

There are many rules and practices associated with the Islamic faith. Whether it is praying five times a day while facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia (which is intended to remind the Muslim five times a day that he must bow in obedience to Arabia) or fasting or going on a pilgrimage to Arabia at least once to worship in Mecca. Historical evidence is strong in showing that Muhammad adopted these pagan religious rites which were being widely practiced long before Muhammad was even born.

One of the biggest knocks against Islam is its barbaric and cruel treatment of their women. Women are considered property in the fundamental sects of Islam. As I stated before, 75% of Islamic women suffer female circumcision in a painful and terrible ritual designed to make them obedient and docile. Women are dressed from head to toe in clothes that cover all but the eyes. (It is interesting that what an "illiterate nomadic tribesmen wore in the desert in 7th century Arabia is still mandated as the dress code for Muslim women today!")

Conclusion

Many people today are saying that it doesn't matter what you believe, just believe something and you will make it to this "mysterious god and this place called heaven". And in doing so, they are saying, "Allah is just another name for God". I think after seeing the tradition and history of Islam, we can be quite confident in saying that Allah is the name of another god, very different from the God of the Bible.

Besides the fact that "Allah" was a made up, carved idol in the middle east, Islam teaches that Allah is so far above man in every way that He is virtually unknowable. Islam also teaches that Jesus was a messenger of God, not the Son of God. Muslims deny that Jesus is the Almighty God come in the flesh. With such distinct differences in teachings, one cannot say that, "Allah is just another name for God" becuase Allah is the name of a different, imaginary god that cannot save you.

There are so many fallacies in the doctrine of Islam that I have probably hit on 20% of them all. I strongly urge you to look into these false teachings of Islam as well:

Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified, but rather it was Judas Iscariot (the one who betrayed Jesus) who was hanged. They also obviously don't believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. Bible Scripture: Matthew 26:28, John 19:20, Mark 15:32, Galatians 5:24, Galatians 6:24.
Muslims deny that Jesus is divine. Bible Scripture: Colossians 2:9, Matthew 26:63-64
Allah is an unknowable being, impossible to approach or understand. The orthodox Muslim cannot say that God loves them. Bible Scripture: John 3:16, 1 John 4: 7-10, Ephesians 3:19, Nehemiah 1:5, Psalm 136:26, Romans 8:39, Romans 9:25, Romans 5:8, and there are many many more!

To sum it up; there is a God and that God loves you with all of His being. He is the one TRUE God, and He came to this earth to reestablish a relationship with YOU. Islam is man actively pursuing an unknowable, imaginary god but Christianity is the God of the UNIVERSE actively pursuing YOU! He loves you and really cares about YOU. This is a statement that cannot be made by Islam. I urge you right now, no matter what you have done in your past to come back to God. He is patiently waiting for you and is longing for the day that He can welcome you back with open arms. For Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to the REAL God without Him. Try His love on, I guarantee it will fit perfectly.

Romans 10:9,

David

Top 5

2006-03-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

Top 5 Beliefs (In no particular order)

Hinduism- All things are one, all things are God, all things are impersonal.

Why its not truth: If everything is God (the clouds are God, the dirt is God, the trees are God, I am God, my dog is God, the dirt is God, you get the point) then what do I become equal with? What about my human individuality? How do you account for that?

Buddhism- 4 Noble Truths (1) Life is Suffering (2) Suffering is caused by desire (3) the cessation of desire eliminates suffering (4) You stop desire by following "The Middle Way" (Eightfold path of rigtheousness...I'm not going that in depth here)

Why it is not truth: Well, beside the fact that "Buddha" himself was an atheist and felt that the very concept of God or gods was holding people bound to this physical world of karma and suffering, and the fact the he never intended to start a religion, but was seeking to reform Hinduism...Man cannot save himself no matter how many "Noble Truths" he thinks up, no matter how at peace he lives.

Jehovah's Witness-Founded by Charles T. Russell in the late 19th century. Don't believe Jesus is God, don't believe the Holy Spirit is God, don't believe Jesus died on a cross (but rather a pole), don't believe Jesus was resurrected bodily but only as spirit. Believe that heaven is only open to 144,000 people, believe that Jehovah is the only name for God, believe that hell is only the grave.

Why it is not truth: There are numerous reasons. To keep this short, the basic reason is that this religion is centered around all the parts of the Bible that its founder liked. Being raised in a protestant church, Russell was exposed to the Bible at a very young age. As he grew up, Russell said that he didn't like certain things in the Bible (i.e.-the teaching of hell, eternal judgment or the teaching of the trinity) so, ironically enough they are left out of his religion.

Islam-I will go in depth with Islam in another blog, but for now remember these basics. There are 5 Pillars of Islam: Affirmation (No God but Allah), Prayer (Required to pray 5 times a day), Almsgiving (Worthy muslims must give 2.5% of his income to the poor), Fasting (must fast from dawn to dusk every day during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan, which is sacred), and the Pilgramage (Expected to journey to Mecca at least once in their lifetime)

Why it is not Truth: Islam is a religion that is what they in the business world would call a "fighter or flanker brand". A product released into the market strictly to compete against another. I am not even taking into account the horrendous practices that are carried out (75% of muslim women suffer female circumcision in order to make them obedient and docile) or the confusing, contrasting, impossibillity of their "Holy Book" the Koran (Trying to define the Koran is like trying to pin jello to the wall). Allah is a God you cannot know personally. You know only the laws and commands of God given through his prophets (those prophets include Jesus even though he clearly said that He was: The way the truth and the life and that no one comes to [God] in any other way but through Him- John 14:6)
Islam is a works-based religion that will never lead you to God. That's why it is not truth, because in the same way that man cannot save himself through Buddhism, man cannot save himself in Islam. In Islam, you must strive and work to get to God. And you will never really know when you have made it. As I said before, I will go in depth with Islam in my next blog but this should be enough for you to do your own research and come to a conclusion for your self...If you have any questions feel free to email me.

Christianity-God love's you and has a plan for your life. But because of sin you are separated from His Love and the corresponding plan that He wants to work out in your life. There has been a gap wedged between you and Him. And there is no way we can bridge that gap on our own...it's too big. So God sent His only Son to bridge that gap for us and in order to cross that bridge you need Jesus. You can find Him at any time by accepting what He has done.

Why it is Truth: Christianity answers the longing that everyone has in them; to be loved. This is not an impersonal, imaginary, uninteresting, feeble god. This is the God of the universe who loves and cares about you! That is not even including the fact that the Bible was written over 1500 years by 40 different authors. The parity and perfection of the Book is worthy of a lifetime of studying.
This is the simplest way I could explain Christianity. I will go into a more in depth study when I compare it to Islam, but for now I hope this is enough for you to ask questions for yourself and seek the truth on your own. Don't just take mine or any one else's word for the way you are going to plan your salvation. This mediocre life we live on earth is only a vapor and there is an eternity after it. I think we should do our research to determine how we should live our lives here on earth so that we will be prepared for what is going to happen after we die.

Again, if you have any questions email me. I pray that you will have a curiosity sparked within you that will desire the truth. Seek it, for there is nothing on this planet more important than knowing what we are living for.

with humility,
David

My Testimony

2006-03-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

I think its important for every believer to share the story of how they came to know Christ. It gives hope and encouragement to all who hear it. I pray that my humble story does the same.

I was very fortunate growing up; I had a great family who loved, supported and provided for me. I played sports all my life and developed quite a competitive personality. I wanted to be the best at everything and even more so, I wanted to be told that I was the best at everything. This attitude didn't get me very far in high school. I didn't have many close friends and I felt that I had to prove myself on the field to feel any sort of validation. Well, obviously that never worked. I always felt empty and alone, even though I had many people telling me how good I was.

This never-ending loneliness didn't make sense. I had a very supporting family, friends (well, I thought they were anyway), and a promising football career. But I went on with this charade through high school (amidst an assortment of legal problems and public embarassments all due to my own internal hang-ups) and somehow made it to college to play football.

I carried the same big head and scorned heart from all that had occured in high school. I desperately wanted to start over. It seemed, however, that the same problems I faced in high school were following me. I had the same arrogant view of myself that resulted in zero close friends and a plethera of acquaintances that didn't want to get close to me because of my apparent cockiness. By this time, I was used to this vicious cycle and figured that was all there was for me. I continued to play football, always thinking that I was better than what I was, and somehow managed to get a girlfriend. I went on with the belief that I would continue on this path, "I don't need friends" I would try to pursuade myself. But no matter how well I played, or how well my girlfriend treated me I could never find happiness.

I decided to leave that school in search of something better. I left the team, my scholarship, my girlfriend and all I had known for two and a half years and went on my search. I ended up back in my home state not knowing what to do and much in the same way I chose my first college, I chose this one. There were NO other options for me but the one I chose, so obviously I went there.

Here, yet again, I was looking to start over. "No one knows me, things can be different." Well, it wasn't long that I started working out with the team and I noticed that I wasn't doing so well. "What's going on, I was All-American and All-Conference at my old school" My big head started to come back, but it didn't help my play any. Around the same time, I heard that girlfriend of mine had been seeing another guy. Needless to say my foundation was coming out from under me. I didn't have anything to stand on, it was all taken away from me.

I had contemplated and even prayed for death many times before and never told anyone about it. But never before had I actually done research and planning on ending my own life until this time. I didn't want to do this anymore, the vicious cycle I was living had to end. I actually wrote out letters to those closest to me and prepared myself for the end. I won't go into details (as I have tried not to this whole story) but by the grace of God I woke up a few hours later with a completely different outlook on my situation.

I immediately knew I needed God. I didn't know exactly what that meant or how I was going to go about doing it, but I set out to find him. The next day, I asked one of the guys on the team, whom I knew was a Christian, if he knew of any churches in the area. He invited me to his "home fellowship" that met on Sunday mornings. I didn't know what that was but it sounded good to me! So I took my roomate with me and heard things I had never heard before: An explaination of who Jesus was and how much He loved us. I was astounded. I still didn't know the extent of what God was doing in me until the next time I went. I shared my story with those who were there that day and it felt so good for me to talk about all that I had been through. (For until that time, I was the only one who knew the WHOLE story) And they actually cared! It looked as if they were hurting just as much as I was. When I finished, the leader asked two of the guys to pray for me. "Pray for me?" This was another thing I had never experienced! As they prayed I began bawling! I sensed a huge weight lift off of me and I was filled with emense warmth, to the point that I was almost sweating. I don't even know what they were saying because I was weeping like a baby! Right then I knew I needed more of this. I still didn't know what it was that I was after, but I knew that it had to do with Jesus. So right there I dedicated my life to Jesus and asked Him to come into my heart.

Needless to say, that experience has changed my life. It hasn't been smooth-sailing since that day but now I have a firm-footing that is rooted and grounded in His love. Guys, this is TRUTH no one or nothing else can change people the way He can. I have poured out my heart to all who read this in hopes that my story will show you even a fraction of the power of Christ. He is real, and He is actively pursuing a relationship with YOU! No matter who you are or what you have done, He longs to be with you!

David
Galatians 2:20

Is There a God?

2006-03-02T00:14:00.000-05:00

Many of us believe there is a God out there somewhere, still many others don't care to think about the subject at all and go on living our lives in whatever way most benefits us. No matter what the view, it is understood by all that we are going to die someday. I know that isn't a topic we like to talk about, but it is true. The day will come when we will say goodbye to this world and all that is in it.

This thought should raise some questions in our minds. "What happens next?" is a good one. And I am prepared to say that without that question there is no reason for God. If this life was all that there was, of course I would want to acquire as many possesions and "pleasures" as I could. But as rationally minded human beings we must utilize the resources we have and look into the possible scenarios.

(1) Maybe there isn't a God and when we die we are no more. There is no such thing as a soul and we just lay in the ground until we are eaten by worms. "Oh well, we were wrong about God."

(2) But what if there IS a God or Judge and we have to appear before Him and be held accountable for our actions here on earth? There will be no more procrastinating, no more time to "not think about it"...Time will be up, will you be excited and anxious to see the Judge or will you be frightened and worried?

The reason I go through this scenario is to show that we cannot run from the truth forever. As much as some of us want to believe that we will not be accountable for the way we live our life, sheer rationality tells us that there is only one alternative that covers us in both cases.