The Hypocrisy of Religious Pride

In light of the World Vision charity organization sweeping church culture like a dusty attic, I find myself kind of rolling my eyes at every homophobic sensitivity I come across in the Christian Community.  A Christian organization allowing gay married couples to participate in operations concerning starving children in poverty stricken areas of the world seems to intimidate the most religious, traditional mind sets.  I’ve read several article so far, and it’s the same judgmental nonsense that religion has reared its ugly head from since the beginning of time.

The traditionally proud, and self righteous will use verses like Romans 1:26-27 to condemn homosexuality as darkness, and evil; without even looking over the verses in the next chapter that say;

“Those people are in a dark spiral downward.  But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again.  Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself.  It takes one to know one.  Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection of your own crimes and misdemeanors.” Romans 2:1-2 The Message

Are people really going to sit there and place more value on their ideology than the mission of helping the less fortunate?  Talk about a JESUS FACEPLAM!  This is the opposite of pure religion as described in James.

The problem is the religious obsession with sin.  If we make sin the obsession of what we need to change, there is no progress.  There is no love.  There is no selflessness.  Religious pride only brings about hurt and condemnation.  When are we going to get it?  Casting judgment upon people because they sin differently than you makes you just as internally disgusting as you think they are.  I’m not defending sin, I’m defending the very core of Jesus’ character which is love and selflessness.  Love and selflessness will never cause you to place yourself above someone else’s behavior.  It’s not about you.

Sin management and self introspection has become the security blanket of the modern church culture.  People go to church in search of safety in community.  Instead, they’re pointed into the direction of a pointless effort to meet some kind glorious social standard, when God already seems to be pleased on the account to His sons blood.  The Cross worked once and for all.  If people make themselves responsible for God’s opinion of them, they have a tough road ahead.  Instead, trust that God loves you.  He already sees you as pure and Holy through Jesus.  Focus on Jesus.  He’s the center.  Sin just falls off, fruit grows, and you’ll be too busy loving others to even notice.

While we gripe and argue over ideological views, I’m pretty sure a child dies of starvation and malaria every 30 seconds in some third world country somewhere.  Through my own experience, I’ve discovered that my pride had me running around in circles for years.  So I know what I’m talking about.  Regardless of who’s sleeping with who, or who’s married to whatever gender, I’m 100% sure that every staff member of World Vision has done more than I have for the sake of starving children.

When you look at Him, we are free from the law that condemns us so.  When we focus on Jesus, there’s nothing else but freedom.  To love others, and to love Him.

 

I write this for the sake of clarity.  There is a common misunderstanding that the Grace Message teaches that it’s ‘okay’ for Christians to make poor decisions, and act irresponsibly without any repercussions.  “Cheap Grace” is the term law bound religion fearfully labels it.  Well, I’ve yet to meet a Grace leader or teacher that has said it’s okay to go out and act a fool.  That’s not wisdom.  That’s not Jesus.  So let’s take a minute to make this real.

Here’s the truth of the matter, and I hope this really gets into some skulls.  The thinking that “I can make bad, unhealthy choices because God forgives me anyway…” is NOT grace, it’s self-righteousness.  Look at all the ‘me, me, me’ mentality in that.  There is no freedom found in ourselves.  Only the cross.

How is it any different than the obsession with sin management held all too commonly in churches these days?  “I’ve done this, and that, and I’m so far from God, because I do this wrong, and I sin.  I’m inherently evil, so how can I ever be right with God?”  Well if you stop obsessing with something God already put to death (yourself), you’ll stop acting dumb.  Whatever a man believes in his heart, so he shall be, right?  Replace your self-condemning thoughts with “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, and that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” (Romans 6:6) and “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under Grace.” (Romans 6:14)

Or was the cross not enough for you?

JESUS CRUCIFIED!  That’s our focus!  The Grace Revolution is central to that.  That’s the ONLY place salvation is found.

So, whether a Christian is self-depreciating and calling it ‘humility’, or self-exalting and calling it ‘righteousness’….if the cross isn’t in the equation, it only comes down to pride.  The term ‘cheap grace’ seems to equate it with forgiveness for our wrong doings.  You do wrong, God forgives you, and gives you grace.  As if foolishness was the producer of God’s Grace.  This is false, and still built around self-righteousness.

So what is Grace, really?
Grace (Strong’s G5485: “CHARIS”) Unmerited, undeserved favor and kindness of God as if no wrong had ever been done to begin with.  God’s grace is not a response to us, but to Jesus on the Cross  We just get to enjoy it and the justification that comes with it (Romans 3:24).  The sweetest freedom for ourselves is letting go of ourselves.

The Cross…..what else is there?

Lately there seems to be a trend in feedback regarding the Grace Message built around the finished work of the cross.  There’s a complaint that the Grace Message is somehow redundant.  All we talk about is the cross.  All we talk about is the New Covenant.  All we talk about is Jesus.  My own personal response: WHAT ELSE IS THERE??

The cross completes everything.  So what else is there to talk about?  To me, everything comes from that moment, in the instant that Jesus died.  Everything came together because of the cross.

Ephesians 1:7-10
“Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, His blood poured out on the alter of the Cross, we’re a free people – free from penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds.  And not just barely free, either.  ABUNDANTLY free!  He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making.  He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in Him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.”

How much longer are we going to use Christianity as a sin management based religion, constantly focused on what other people are doing wrong, rather than what God did right on the cross?  How much longer is the religious spirit going to pick and choose verses out of the Bible to condemn others and themselves….when in reality there really is NO condemnation in Christ.  AT ALL.  (Romans 8:1)

It’s time for a change.  There is only ONE absolute in Christianity; Jesus.  Who He was (God), what He did (Died for the past, present, and future sins of the world), and what that did for humanity (Completely, irreversible salvation through unconditional love).  Everything apart from Jesus is bound to be confused with a mixture of Law (death) and Grace (life).  If you mix those up, then you have the living dead.  Zombies.  Mixed, legalistic Christianity is nothing more than a bunch of brain eating zombies attempting to rob us from our identity.  I believe the love of God continues to overcome religious traditionalism, and self righteousness through the spirit of faith, hope, and love.  Just as strongly as it did 2000 years ago.

This is the Grace reformation.

A Message that Tingles the Ears…..

The most obvious element at work in the Legalistic sector of our faith is the evidence of human nature’s need to be ‘challenged’.  People hold themselves underneath this law of sin and behavior modification, and it unfortunately brings some of my fellow Christians to places in their brain where they’re always thirsty.  Always trying to achieve something they’ve already received through their faith.  Nothing but the belief in the finished work of Jesus will quench their thirst, and I passionately hope they find it as soon as they can. I suppose it’s the nature of religion to need more ‘substance’.  By substance, what religion is really trying to say is condemnation because they lack the ability to hold themselves fast to the righteousness of Christ that is in them.  It’s the element of unbelief.  Some people just find the abundant, unending, unconditional AGAPE love of Father unbelievable.  It causes the religious to become uneasy, and afraid.  Calling this ‘new’ Grace movement (it’s not new…it’s the same exact Gospel that was taught in Acts) the teaching that is the ‘tingling of the ears’.

2 Timothy 4:3.  “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

It’s a terrible thing how some Bible verses can be singled out, twisted, and manipulatively used.  It’s only constraining sheep for the religious slaughter set before them by control freak Pastors.  Anybody, even Grace preachers such as myself, can use this verse against any teaching they disagree with.  I could go into how I personally believe that law and condemnation tingles the ears, and Grace tingles the heart…..but it’s far less complicated when you put the verse into context.  Literally.  Examine the verses before it.

2 Timothy 4:1-2  I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Bring it back to the cross.  The famous verse 3 brought into the light of the cross reveals God’s character, presence, appearance, patience, and His Kingdom.  That’s the entire theme anyway, isn’t it?  Jesus?  It is sad that some camps are formed with really weird, out there teachings.  However, I believe in the patience of God.  His redeeming ability to reveal Himself through many different means.  Instead of accusing a theology of ‘false teaching’ with 2 Tim 4:3, we ought to be clinging onto the identity of who God is, and the presence set in our identity.  The “itching of the ears” accusations never mention verse 8, because they probably don’t even know it’s there.  I love this part.

V.8  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

All in all….every teaching, regardless of denomination, ought to be centered by who Christ is, and what Christ did on the cross.  The finished work.  Abundant freedom.  It not only tingles my ears…but every fiber of my being.

Ephesians 1:7-10 “Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, His blood poured out on the alter of the Cross, we’re a free people – free from penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds.  And not just barely free, either.  ABUNDANTLY free!  He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making.  He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in Him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.”

Hold Fast Your Confession….

Just recently read something regarding ‘confession’ while studying through Hebrews.  The common perspective of confession seems to have a negative connotation in the mainstream church.  Possibly because when we think confession, the first word many will think is ‘sin’.  This may have to do with verse 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sin, then He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  A verse widely misused and taken out of context.  The purpose of 1 John 1 is to speak into the lives of Gnostic thinkers in regard to the character of God.  May I also mention that 1 John 1:9 says ‘to cleans us from ALL unrighteousness’, even though many believers continue to hold this verse over their own heads throughout their entire lives.  One sin at a time.  This sounds exhausting.  This sounds like a hard yolk, not an easy one.

As believers, we are not called to continually approach the throne of Grace with shame and self loathing, confessing each and every sin.  If you’re writing down every stupid decision you’ve ever made and then telling them to God, as if He wasn’t aware, then you’re holding yourself under condemnation.  As if forgiveness doesn’t occur naturally from God, because of the cross.  Forgiveness of sins is something worth celebrating.  It’s just that powerful.

Jesus taught us to pray like this, “…forgive us as our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us.”  This is the proclamation of victory to the Father.  It doesn’t say, “Forgive us our sins only when we can confess them, one at a time.”

So what should we confess?

Hebrews 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

There is nothing more beautiful, or poetic then confessing that which is the true nature of ourselves.  Jesus.  Our hope from the Faithful, Living God.  Our words have power.  Whatever we confess has power.  We confess and proclaim our hope, which is Jesus.

I’m actually trying to process this as I type, so please bear with me.  My train of thought began this morning when I was watching one of my favorite Netflix programs in which an argument arose between two Irish men, a young one and an old one.  They’ve had a lot of tension in previous episodes, and the young Irish said to the other, “If you have a problem with me, you need to say it my face.  Let’s put it on the table.”  The older Irish man began to do just that.  Pretty soon, they were both spewing out insults, and pointing out each other’s weaknesses.  Then, the elder man had enough, and punched the young gentleman in the face.  The youth responded with, “Finally….progress,” the most truthful thing said in the episode, and fists began to fly.  One of the onlookers assured their comrades not to get involved.  To let them duke it out, ending the scene with “at the end of there will be Guinness and man hugs.”

This brought me into thought about why ‘duking it out’ has been so suppressed in our American culture.  Sure, they were Irish and that’s just what Irish do.  Maybe it’s the German Irish manifesting itself within me, but I really do believe that these gentleman are closer to living out their intrinsic, masculine design than we tend to believe.  Men were designed as fighters, hunters, as well as lovers.  We’ve been interwoven with a natural ability to fight for honor and dignity.  To hold our territory.  Like beasts in the wild, men fight not to be violent, but to stand their ground.  Also, the progress among men may very well be found at the other end of a good, clean scuttle.  I’ve been in several fist fights myself and each time I’ve finished with a new friend, and the bond was stronger.  Throwing fists is seldom, if ever, the right solution… but it’s definitely progress.  I’m not talking about war, and hatred.  I’m implying a good old testosterone filled battle and a contest of strength.  Psychological, and physiological.

Let me make myself clear.  This doesn’t mean that every time there’s a disagreement, we should break out the gloves.  In my family, we Williams men weren’t raised to know how to start a fight, but we were definitely taught how to end one.  Whether with fists or thought.  Words are more powerful than muscles.  Forgiveness should always be the priority.  Talking it out takes more strength between two men than to just start swinging at each other.  However, our American culture tends to FLIP OUT when men get physical.  Whether a bar fight among adults, or a children’s fight in our schools.  Kids get arrested or expelled for throwing a few punches, and that’s sad.  Yes, I understand the presence of a higher stress involved, such as gang violence and personal safety.  However, why do we act like boys fighting is so abnormal?  We weren’t designed to always ‘play it safe’.  We were built as fighters.

Then there’s bullying.  Telling a boy that he cannot defend himself is disarming him of his masculine defenses and only filling him with more fear.  I would know.  Being a victim of severe bullying when I was a kid, I now look at how often that “turn the other cheek” quote is thrown out there whenever a little boy is angry at another angry boy.  John Eldgredge, one of my favorite authors, agrees with me that we’ve over-used the “turn the other cheek” quote as a means to emasculate Jesus and our boys.  To ‘walk away’.  My favorite Eldgredge quote is, “how can you turn the other cheek when there’s no other cheek to turn?”  I only wished someone would have whispered that in my ear when I was twelve.  Things would have been a lot different.

A lot of mom’s would disagree with this thought, and they ought to.  They don’t want to see their child get hurt, and that’s their protective nature.  However, disarming a boy with fear of ‘getting hurt’ is a lot more painful long term then an occasional black eye.  To suppress a child to not stand up for himself and to not defend his honor whether verbally or physically, is training him to let the world walk all over him.  To turn the other cheek does NOT mean to walk away, and it doesn’t mean to fight back either necessarily.  It means to stand our ground.  Turn the other cheek, not turn and walk away.  We tear down our defenses when we make the Prince of Peace the Prince of Pacifism.  Jesus never said to walk away from a good fight, but to fight smart and with strength.  He gives us value, and knowing His love for me is an inheritance.  Knowing I am loved makes me want to fight back all the more.  I remember growing up there were several times I was ‘beat up’ and thought the best idea would be to run.  If I knew then what I know now, my value as a son of a King, I would have swung back in my own defense.  Not because I wanted to be violent, or the video games I played, or the music I listened to, or of any hatred in my heart.  I was actually a pretty loving kid, and I still am today.  I would have swung back because I was internally designed to fight for what’s valuable, which is my identity.  Our treasures are in our hearts, and in the heavens.  How much value are we giving our kids when we tell them to ‘walk away’?  I was internally designed, as a man, to be a warrior.  Stand my ground and never back down, or coil in fear.  I wish our culture could get back to that balance.  Instead of medicating our young men and telling them they’re diseased, I vote that we draw out their masculine identity and teach them to fight for honor.  Whether it’s with words or self-defense.  Not for turf, or drugs, or money, or hate; but for the honor and hope of our identity in Christ.  We need to bold, and strong.

There is no room for pacifism when it comes to defending the faith, hope, and love that’s been given to us for free.  The free gift of grace came at the highest value, the sacrifice of perfection.  That’s worth fighting for.  If I ever have sons, God willing, I can only imagine that they’ll have some fight in them.

The Stuff Jesus Never Said

I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus.  As He roamed around healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and fighting against the religious spirit of self-righteous oppression, He said a lot of things.  Over 2000 years and hundreds of Bible translations later, the ‘telephone game’ is all too real in the Universal Church community.  Lately, I’ve spoken to several people on various topics and there are several erroneous ideals that need to be cleared up.  As much as I don’t like turning this into an ‘us vs. them’ scenario, there are just some things that never left His mouth.  Including, but not limited to:

1) “You MUST have a college degree in Theology in order to be a Pastor or church leader.”  Wrong.  The early church was started by fishermen and tax collectors.  In Acts, Peter (the rock upon Jesus built the church) is described as ‘common’ and ‘unschooled’.  Kind of reminds me of the whole “The First will be last, and the last shall be first” factor Jesus went on about. It’s a backwards Kingdom friends, sorry to break it to you.  This whole surface level idea that leadership is evaluated by external status doesn’t come near to what Jesus had in mind when He appointed His disciples.

2) “The world is going to absolutely hate you because it absolutely hates me.  So make sure you hate it back by picketing every single little thing you disagree with, and make sure you shelter yourself from society, because that’s totally what I did.”   Let’s get something straight, here.  Jesus said in John 15 “IF the world hates you, just remember that it hated me first.”  Not one time did Jesus tell us to hate the world, back.  In fact, John 15 in it’s entirety is very thematic to love, growth, and witness.  I could also mention the fact that Jesus sends His disciples to every nation (the world) to make more disciples.  Great commission and all.  The biggest example we could hold, as Christians, is Jesus Christ, Himself.  God put on a flesh body and entered into the world.  He seized the opportunity to interact with His creation so that we might have life.  That does NOT mean to censor and micro-manage every little thing you do, in order to avoid life. That’s not freedom.  That’s fear, and perfect love casts out all fear.

3) “God only blesses those who tithe, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”  Giving to God so you can receive is backwards nonsense.  We give because we HAVE received.  Might I add that if you’re reading this from the comfort of a computer….you have more than 98% of the rest of the world.  Tithing has become such a huge ‘trend’ set in the modern church, that many Christians would be surprised to know that giving a ‘tenth’ to the priests is an old covenant value.  Priests never left their temples, so God (under the law) commanded His Children to give a 10th of their grain, wine, and oil so the priests could take care of themselves.  The law in Leviticus says tithing required ‘every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod’.  During the transition of the New Covenant,  Jesus antagonizes the Pharisees for not tithing, but treating the tithe as if it were above “Mercy, love, justice, and faithfullness”.  In Hebrews 7 it says, “And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it.  For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests.”  This means, plain and simple, that the change in Priesthood (law fulfilled in Christ, who is the new, permanent priest) causes the tithe in Leviticus to absolve.  In essence to the freedom that Grace give us, we should give whatever we can joyfully, because we can and because we have.  The tithe is one of the most clearly defined examples of mixture of law and grace.  Give because you already have received Grace through faith because of Christ.

4) “My yolk is hard, and my burden is heavy.”  It’s been taught in my youth that being a Christian isn’t easy at all.  One of the dumbest cliches, “I never said it would be easy, I said it would be worth it.”  Ummm….huh?   Following the Prince of Peace is suppose to lead to a life of DIFFICULTY!?  I don’t think so.  I was spoon fed the lie that my status with God is defined by how many scriptures I memorized, how many times I went to church, the clothes that I wore, the music that I listened to, the television shows I watched, the conversations I had, the list went on and on.  The biggest burden I’ve ever experienced in life is being part of congregations that burdened me with feelings of inadequacy. Jesus is the Prince of peace and treats me Peacefully.  As I am, who I am, everything that I am, just as I am.  He is my I AM.  Trials do happen, Peace is not the absence of  conflict.  We’re taught that until the ‘conflict’ of our ‘sin’ is gone, we cannot be at Peace with God.  However, the Bible does not say that.  It puts it quite differently.  One example would be, “where sin abounds, Grace does much more.”  God’s presence, His whisper, His son, it always trumps whatever turmoil we feel in our weakness.  Every time.  Just ask Him. Jesus is the Peace of God.

5) “Judge people and hate your enemies.  By enemies, I mean people who are different than you.”   When it comes to human nature, we intuitively draw ourselves to safe communities.  Socially, we bond with like minded individuals.  CS Lewis describes that “friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…”  So when I think of how the crowds were ‘drawn’ to Jesus, it was because they were having that “aha! You too!?” moment.  Our churches are having the opposite affect and the pews are still beginning to empty, because those who are curious to enter only feel ‘left out’.  They don’t feel a sense of belonging.  There is no ‘friendship’.  There is no feeling of peace.  Where’s the draw?  The so-called body of Christ is rejecting the hurt, sick, and hungry.  In fact, the idea of ‘church’ has become such a stereotype of hate and exclusionism that whenever I bring up God in some social circles, I can see the shrink back.  Not because they ‘hated Jesus’ first (please see bullet point 2), but they hate being persecuted by the self-righteous, religious spirit.  These Pharisee attitudes and cliches need to stop.  If the general public isn’t drawn by your love for God, you’re not doing it right.

Point being….the ‘what would Jesus do’ mentality needs to end. If the church wants to ‘do’ what He did, then the church needs to take the focus off of themselves, and put others first.

God’s Will

Someone has to say it.  “God’s will” in some Christian circles can be a cliche, and a crutch.

I’ve been asked and/or told the following things when I want to make a decision in my life:

1. “Is it God’s will?”

2. “What does God say about it?”

3. “Make sure you’re doing what God wants you to do.”

4. “If it’s not in God’s plan, He won’t bless it.”

5. “Let God take control, and guide your life.  He has a plan for you.”

I could spend hours knit-picking with where my problem lies in each of these statements.  However, I’ll try to keep it brief.  Overall, one thing I’ve realized through prayer, study, and experience is this.  Father is NOT a micro-managing control freak that influences every single decision I make in my life.  This wouldn’t be relationship.  It would be bondage, and a result of religion.  What seems to occur is a Christian asks God about what decision to make.  They base the decision off an emotional reaction to that prayer and either call it peace, or conviction.  Then they call it ‘God’s will…’.  However, in my own experience, I ask Father what His will would be in my life.  I’ve continually asked Him, “What’s your plan, God?”

The only response I get is this:

“Jesus.”

That’s it.  That’s the plan.  When we live in the shadow of the Cross, we’re already there.  You see, many Christians waste their time trying to accomplish ‘God’s will’ when it’s already been done for them.  You’re too late.  There’s nothing else you can do.  All we have to do is to ultimately believe it.  That’s it.  Don’t get me wrong, God’s voice can be heard giving direction and counsel.  However, that isn’t an experience gained through emotion and fear.  It’s gained through the cross.  Yes, decisions have to be made in each of our lives.  We all make good decisions, and bad decisions.  However, we cannot make decisions based on ‘fear’ and ‘hesitation’.  Then when it doesn’t work out we, we say things like, “well it just wasn’t God’s plan.”  Before I get into “Decision making 101”, let’s knock out the cliche (and overuse) of Jeremiah 29:11.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you…”  Let’s understand that this verse has been used incorrectly.  We’ve applied it to ourselves individually, and honestly it’s beginning to look like a cop-out to actually do anything to make a change.  Like we’re suppose to sit here and twiddle our thumbs while we wait for some great, cataclysmic event to occur, “God has a plan, I’m just waiting for Him to do something about it.”  You’re right.  He did have a plan, and He executed it a looooong time ago, before the ‘foundations of the earth’, Christ was chosen for us.  It all points to His son.  The cross gives us hope, and a future.  Although God does have great provisions for our own personal lives, we cannot keep repeating this scripture to ourselves.  The cataclysmic event already DID happen.  On the cross.  Believe it.

You see, friends.  The will of God cannot, and will not be tolerated as a fear tactic to cause us to hesitantly make decisions, and walk around egg shells.  Jesus said it Himself.  “Seek ye first the Kingdom of heaven, and all else will be added unto you.”  God’s plan for your life is not a list of things you should or shouldn’t do.  This is law living and Jesus accomplished the list of rules, already.  Freedom lies in the cross.  Freedom isn’t worrying about whether or not you’re marrying the right person, going to the right church, living in the right city, etc etc.

Make choices on your own, without using ‘God’s will’ as a crutch or an excuse.  Your emotional fear and hesitation in decision making has nothing to do with “God’s will”.  Perfect love casts out all fear.  He’s a loving Father that wants His kids to live in wisdom, and freedom.  Rest in that.  You don’t know what to do?  You ask God to give you the answers?  The answer will always be the same.  “Jesus.”  What did Jesus say?  A lot of things, but the greatest commandments were these.

Love Him. Love others.

Base your decision making on that.  That’s God’s will.  All of which is a direct influence of the Cross.  Amen.

Atonement

Spoken Word. God wants to be one with His kids.