Changing Sides

The game has been set, it is already in play and you find yourself on the sidelines ready to join. Both sides call to you. Who will you join, what will you fight for? Life may not seem this dramatic, but it is. There has been a spiritual match going on since the moment that the seeds of sin grew in the mind of Satan. One side seems to offer the pleasures of life and an easy path. The other warns that you will be tested and that life may not always be easy, but you will have support. Your advantage is that you know the outcome of this game. One side will lose and will be punished with death and the other side will win and be rewarded with life eternal.


Whether you think you have decided or not, the terrible truth is that we were born onto one side. Our very nature is in constant conflict with the winning side.


“We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. In fact, I don’t understand why I act the way I do. I don’t do what I know is right. I do the things I hate.” Romans 7:14 – 15 (CEV)


We are weak and incapable of winning. Despite our loser status we are still sought after by both teams. One side pursues us out of hate and promises death and the other pursues us out of love and promises life. This seems like a daunting task to rebel and fight against our nature. It seems that it is impossible for us to win and it is impossible for us to do this alone.


“What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me. So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.” Romans 7:24 – 25 (CEV)


The choice is yours. There is only one way to win, it is with the help of God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.


“The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.” Romans 8:2 (CEV)



To being wise,


Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

The Middle Man

In our last post we made a reference to Charlie’s Angels and we would like to continue with that theme. In Charlie’s Angels the girls never saw Charlie, they only heard him through a speaker, but he did not leave them completely alone. There was a middle man, Bosley, who helped the girls carry out Charlie’s wishes and commands. We are of course likening God to Charlie, the girls to us and Bosley to………….the Holy Spirit.



So why is the Holy Spirit important? Like Bosley, the Holy Spirit is there to help you navigate through God’s plan for you. The Holy Spirit is there to interpret God’s will and direction, to comfort and encourage in difficult times, to prepare you for the task at hand and to make sure the mission is completed. The Holy Spirit is our only physical link to God, just like Bosley was the angel’s only physical link to Charlie. Let us explain how the Holy Spirit is a physical link to God. We are not implying that you are going to see the Holy Spirit walk through your door, but you will see the physical evidence of the Holy Spirit in your character. What will the physical evidence of the Holy Spirit look like?


“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22 (KJV)



These attributes, which are physically evident, are a result of the Holy Spirit writing God’s laws in our hearts and filling us with God’s love. When we are filled with God’s love and have His laws written on our hearts, following His laws are no longer an obligation but an impulse. They become our desire.



The Holy Spirit is a necessity in our lives. If there is no seed planted, then nothing can grow. If we do not accept the Holy Spirit, God cannot enter. When we do not allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, when we do not allow God to enter we are committing spiritual suicide. The Holy Spirit is vital to us because when Jesus returns, He will be looking for Himself contained within us. His carbon print in us is purity and that can only be attained through the daily workings of the Holy Spirit.



To being wise,



Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

6:00am

Your hand shoots out and fumbles in the darkness to shut off the alarm. Consciousness dawns and you try to open your eyes. What are your first thoughts? Work? Deadlines? Financial concerns? Pressing appointments? Staying in bed and ignoring the world? We propose a different scenario.



Your hand shoots out and fumbles in the darkness to shut off the alarm. Consciousness dawns and you try to open your eyes. And you are overwhelmed with feelings of peace, joy and even excitement. What are your first thoughts? God. His blessings. His goodness. His provision. His protection. His unconditional love. With this overwhelming gratitude you spring out of bed for your divine appointment.



“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:2 – 6 (ESV)



In a previous post we talked about baptism and how that act is symbolic of allowing our old life in sin to die and rising as a new person in Christ. Choosing to be baptized is acknowledging that our sinful lives are leading to death and only in Christ is there life. A life in Christ is a life that has been freed from sin, freed from death. After that step has been made the journey in being a new person requires a partnership with Christ. That partnership means never being alone, which is a comforting and joyful thought. But it also means that your life is not about you anymore, it is all about Christ.



Humor us as we divert on a fun tangent. Remember Charlie’s Angels? Three fabulous women who devoted their entire lives to the missions and requests of a man they never met. Their entire existence was affected by their devotion to Charlie, they served him without question. Just like the Angels, every aspect of our lives and daily objectives should reflect our servitude to Christ.



6:05am. Good morning God! You are amazing and words cannot describe how unworthy I am and how loving and forgiving you are in spite of this. I ask today that Your Holy Spirit comes into my heart. Help me to yield to Your will and not to my own. What is your instruction for today? I am ready and willing.



To being wise,



Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

Beep! Beep! BEEP!!!

The alarm goes off at 6:00am. Stumble to the bathroom, wash your face, brush your teeth and comb your hair. Pick an outfit and apply your make-up (or not if you are a guy). Grab something for breakfast and throw something together for lunch. Hello world! You are ready for your day. But hold on, what about your spiritual preparation?



In the next few posts we are going to be writing about preparing ourselves for our spiritual daily routine and keeping our lives spiritually healthy. These are things that have personally helped us with our spiritual journey and in sharing with you we hope that we can encourage and inspire you.



To being wise,



Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

If You Like It, Than You Should Have Put A...

You know the song, and you know what the song is trying to say. If you love something, then claim it. The same can be said for Christ. If you love Him, claim Him.


“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory”. Colossians 3:3 – 4 (NIV)



And how does one die to self? Through a public proclamation, the most common and accepted form of this being baptism. Baptism is an important rite of passage in a spiritual life. The process of baptism is symbolic of letting go of your old life, where sin was your master and embracing a new life that Christ reveals in you. The act of being submerged in the water is a metaphor for our former life dying. When you are brought back out of the water you are rising as a new person in Christ. Just as Christ died and rose again anew, we mimic this when we accept Him into our lives, publicly proclaiming our choice.



Why proclaim all of this to the world? Our question is why not? What is there to hide? Christ did not hide when it was time to pay the ultimate price for our sins. What is there to fear? Now we are not saying you will never be afraid, we are afraid sometimes, but what we are saying is that even Christ was afraid, but He loved us enough to allow Himself to be crucified to save us. If Christ could submit Himself to the ridicule and the torture of being crucified, then we can stand before the world and claim Him.




To being wise,



Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

Keeping Up Appearances

You can’t go to the movie theater. No makeup. Girls can’t wear pants at church. No drums in the church. No dancing. No coffee. No pepper. You can wade in the water on the Sabbath, but you can’t swim. Sound familiar? All of the little rules that people are nit-picky about are just physical manifestations of things that should be happening internally.


“And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:6 – 8 (ESV)


“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” Matthew 15:19 – 20 (ESV)


The focus of holiness is not solely the conversion of the mind; it is also the conversion of the heart. The issue is people keep the appearance of holiness without a real relationship with Christ. Because the conversion is not genuine they put on the garments of righteousness, but what lies beneath is a heart that is untouched by God. True transformation occurs when God abides within an individual and His presence inspires obedience from the heart. He is knocking, let Him come in.



To being wise,


Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

Be Careful What You Wish For.....(Part 2)

In our previous post we discussed how God’s plan is so much better than anything we could come up with on our own. So what does the righteous life look like? What’s in it for you?


1. God will not deny you good things. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11 ESV


2. Those who seek the Lord lack for nothing. “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” Psalms 34:10 ESV


3. Whatever the righteous desire will be granted. “What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.” Proverbs 10:24 ESV


4. Unlimited grace and favor. “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” Psalms 5:12 ESV


5. The righteous will thrive. “Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.” Proverbs 11:20 ESV


6. The righteous will rejoice in the fruit of their deeds. “Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.” Isaiah 3:10 ESV


7. The righteous are not left alone in times of trouble. “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalms 34:17 ESV


8. The righteous will not be forsaken by God and can expect help from Him. “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” “The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble." Psalms 37:25 & 39 ESV


9. Our inheritance is from God. “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.” Psalms 37:29 ESV


10. The righteous have eternal life. “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46 ESV


This is more than winning the lottery, more than being on the cover of Forbes and more than being famous. God offers you eternal life, will you settle for death?



To being wise,



Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa