If You're Messy And You Know It...Be Converted! Part 2

3. Folks who feel like they can live any kinda way and "make it in" - seriously need to review the lists in 1 Corinthian 6:9-10 and Galatians 5:19-21.


"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

4. Folks who just wanna be startin something and run with the wrong crowd should read  Romans 1:28-32 and re-read NO. 3 above again.

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.  They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,  foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."

Finally, Jesus said something that trips people up. A lot. At the end of His teaching in Matthew 5:48, He admonished the crowd and disciples to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Theologians and Bible scholars have studied the Greek word used here: τέλειος téleios  (tel'-i-os).

Simply put, it means complete, full grown. And, indeed it is a process. It means we are not to remain the same. It means, if we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves, we are fulling the whole law. (Matthew 22:36-40, Romans 10:4, Romans 13:10).

There is a standard of living for Kingdom citizens. Let us not be fooled into thinking a change will happen suddenly - we must be about a renewed mind, right now. Christ made it possible for us to live eternally and not suffer damnation, if we would just allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth...and transform us.

I am messy and I know it, folks. And I'm convicted, and pray every day for a fresh anointing and conversion. S/he who hath ears, let them hear.

If You're Messy And You Know It.... Be Converted! Part 1

The problem is, messy folks (drama queens, kings, hate mongers and gossips) rarely know what a detriment and burden they are to themselves and their social group.  NEWS FLASH - if you call yourself a Christian, or even an "enlightened", "freethinking" individual - you still have to get to a place of maturity where the dumb stuff has to cease. There must be spiritual growth taking place in the life. And if there's confusion about what constitutes "dumb stuff", keep reading.

Because I am confident that I can embrace both enlightenment and free thinking in Christ (It's the truth that makes us free - John 8:38, and He sets us free, indeed! John 8:36), this is for Christians and those who might be interested in knowing what the Lord says about the following:

1. Folks who call themselves Christians yet harbor (and nurture) hatred and unforgiveness - need to read 1 John 4:20-21, Matthew 5: 44-45, and Colossians 3:13.

"If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

2.  Folks who do good deeds for show, please check Matthew 6:1 -5

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward." 

I submit this today because I look around and see so many who are being deceived by smooth messages from pulpits that are meant to keep the status quo - allowing things that ought not to be happening in the Body of Christ. I submit this because, thankfully, it is not my opinion. Anyone finding fault with my writings, should take it up with the Lord.  Anyone who is seeking, as I am,  to live a victorious life, please, keep reading...

72 Hour Hold

Before the book, "72 Hour Hold", by the late Bebe Moore Campbell, came out, a girlfriend of mine had introduced me to her coping mechanism for whenever something emotionally devastating happened in her life. My friend is a nurse, and she'd worked for some time in the Psych Ward. My own work in mental health also made me very familiar with the term "72 hour hold." In short, the 72 hour hold (also known as the 5150, involuntary detention, suicide hold) is an involuntary emergency hospitalization for evaluation in a treatment center, typically a short intervention for a fixed period of time.

And though I found Campbell's book compelling, well written (and I recommend it), this post isn't about the clinical definitions or the original purposes or application of this term. It's about what I have found to be a healthy way to deal with emotional trauma, of the relationship variety.

When going through a painful divorce, and left with two children, my friend, the nurse, said she felt her world had come to an end. But she still had to get up in the morning, attend to her children, get them to school and go to work. It is true that divorce feels like someone has died (but the kicker is, they're still walking around above ground, having a life without you!). A breakup is painful whether married or dating. So she decided to give herself 72 hours to "get it all out". 72 hours to scream, 'sling snot', moan, get in the fetal position on her bed and just rock and cry herself to sleep. She'd planned it; for a weekend she didn't work. Took her children to their grandparents for that weekend (grandparents are a blessing).  And when she got back home, she locked herself in, turned off the TV, internet and land line - and sat in her robe and fuzzy slippers with her quart of double chocolate ice cream, and wept. And she slept. And she vented, had one-sided conversations with herself, and said all the things she'd wanted to say to him. Then she wrote her feelings down, read them, and tore the paper into tiny pieces.

She told me, "It was such a release! I began to feel so much lighter, so much better. My reality was still my reality. I was still a divorcee; my husband had still left me - it was all still so true. But the pain was way less. I knew I could deal with it." Then, she said that on the last day, she opened the windows, reconnected the phone, turned on the internet, threw on her favorite gospel CD, took a shower, put on a new outfit she hadn't worn with some cute shoes, did her make-up, combed her hair and walked outside into a new day, her new life.

I believe the 72 hour hold is necessary. In this context, it's voluntary. When we lose someone, it hurts. And especially in cases where the person has not actually passed away, I believe it's possible and reasonable to utilize this 72 hour time period to get into some serious mourning - get it all out, scream and shout. (I would not suggest that one could or should employ this when a loved one has died) Then emerge from that emotional release with a renewed sense of direction, a new plan, or at least the skeleton of a plan. As a believer, I would also highly recommend praying through. We need supernatural power to gain the victory over emotional wounds, and to avoid falling into depression.

Acknowledging the pain, and yielding to it - not denying it - is good, and healthy for us mentally and emotionally. The bad thing did happen. It is devastating. Our hearts are broken, and we are in pain and the tears won't stop. Even after the 72 hours, pain is likely to linger. But not to a paralyzing degree; we've given ourselves permission to let loose. And we've made a promise to ourselves to move forward.

The important thing is to take the time to mourn. It can be however long you decide. I like 72 hours. It could be less - but not too much longer than 72. We have to count our blessings, remember we are still alive. And God is with us always.

When the time is up, we must get up from that place of despair, wash our faces, go outside in the sunshine, and take on the life God has given us. One day at a time.