Escaping

Just Relax
It's been a long day, and you are ready to just relax and turn your brain off. You grab your novel and find a comfortable position. As soon as you open the book, you are in another world. You no longer have to worry about anything that is going on around you, because you imagine you are a part of the world in the book. You can be anyone you want in this book. Life seems so much more exciting in the book that even when you are not reading it, your mind is there.

You find yourself feeling depressed or down, and you know you can always find something to do online. You surf around on Face Book, Pintrest, Utube, and check your emails. Somehow it seems to numb your mind, and the empty time you had is filled or rather passed.

You are board and you find a movie to watch. You can feel all the emotions of the character you like best. Somehow, you find yourself wishing that it were real. The next time you are board you just relive the movie in your imagination.

You are lying in bed drifting off to sleep and you imagine up your own utopia. All the things you wish could happen to you can be real in your mind.

It's that hobby of yours that you can turn to when you need something to occupy your mind. You can ignore all of the other issues in your life when you are shooting those baskets, playing that instrument,  painting that picture, finding the right shoes, or hooking that fish. You can just let your mind be numb.

Mental Escapism
All of your troubles, stresses, and worries can be forgotten and ignored when your mind escapes. We all have ways of doing it, whether I listed yours or not. This is a temptation for all of us, but our troubles will not dissolve if we try to escape them. Many of us do not realize that we have addictions that we use to help us cope. Perhaps we are not even escaping from something but to something. We may just be escaping from our boredom to a more thrilling, interesting, and exciting world. The fact is when we are discontent with the situation God has placed us in, the temptation is to create our own world in our minds. There is nothing wrong with reading, having a hobby, or watching a movie. There is a problem with using these things to escape reality though.

• Not God Glorifying One of the problems with escaping is that there are no other realities. No matter how much we fantasize and fancy we can only be in this world were God has placed us. If we are mentally in a world that does not exist or that we do not exist in, we cannot be glorifying the God who created us to live in this world in the place that we are in. 
• Shows Distrust in God Acts 17:26 says,"and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation," God knows all things. He knows exactly the right geographical location for us, exactly the right year for our birth, and exactly the right circumstances for us to be in. When we try to escape from the place that God has put us mentally, we are showing our distrust in God's ability to work out the details of our lives.
• Not Kingdom Building We are also not able to further God's kingdom when we escape from reality. We are supposed to be seeking first God's kingdom and His righteousness, not the most exciting or pleasurable life. Sometimes building God's kingdom means loving that little baby who cannot thank you, doing the dishes again with a cheerful heart. Sometimes it means getting out of your comfort zone and sharing the gospel. Anything done to build God's kingdom though, cannot be done in a fantasy world or in our imagination.
• Practicing Discontentment Another problem with escaping from reality is that we are not practicing contentment. Paul said in Philippians 4," I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." I have often had to repent of a discontented spirit and and pray for God to help me to learn to be content. When I notice that my mind is escaping, this is one of the major indications that I need to repent of discontentment.
• Not A Good Use of Time No matter how heroic, productive, talented, or virtuous we are in our imaginations, all of our accomplishments from our fantasies do not carry over into reality. In the same way that winning money in the game of Monopoly will not profit you the next time you make a purchase. It is simply not profitable to escape from reality. We are only given a short amount of time on this earth and we must use is well. Ephesians 5:15-17  says, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." This is not an option but a command.

Running From Problems, Tasks, and Responsibilities
Often we are like Jonah who tried to escape from the task God had given him, and Elijah who tried to run from his troubles. However, God has intentionally placed each of us exactly were we are for a reason. 

Embracing Your Circumstances

Esther was a Jew who was chosen to be the Kings wife without her consent. While she was queen, a decree went out to kill all the Jews; however, it was against the law for the queen to go to the king unless she was summoned. Mordecai was Esther's uncle and he worked for the king. Upon receiving this news he sent word to His niece. Esther 4:13-17 "Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, 'Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief anddeliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?'Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai,  ^'Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.'  So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him."

Such a Time as This

Perhaps you find yourself in a difficult situation that you'd just like to escape, but perhaps God has put you in it for such a time as this? No doubt, God had a reason for Esther becoming queen, and he has a reason for everything He does in your life too. If you find yourself having a hard time embracing the circumstances you are in, ask God to help you to see why He has put you there. God may have something to teach you, something he wants you to do, or a character he wants to refine in you. When you embrace the life that God has given you and the plans He has for you, you will find that life is not a thing to escape from but to live for the glory of God. 

Where does your mind tend to escape to? How do you think we can cultivate contentment in out lives?

Is there something you are try to escape from? How do you think God would have you deal with that situation? How can you build God's kingdom right were you are? Do you trust that God knows what He is doing with your life? How well are you using your time? Do you think that escaping your problems is a good way to handle them? May we live life to the fullest for the glory of God!

The Gift

I Was Reading...
I was reading first Corinthians and came across 1 Corinthians 7:34-35 which says, "The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord." 

Made Me Think
This passage caused me to examine myself. I asked myself, "What am I concerned with right now in my single years?" I think it is easy not to be concerned with holiness and the things of the Lord. It is not hard to get caught up in the things of the world, our appearances, our plans, our jobs, our schoolwork and many other things. We may even get caught in the trap of discontentment because we aren't married and we would like to be. There are so many things you can concern yourself with. You can spend your time while you are unmarried in so many ways. The question is how will you spend your time?

The Subtle Lie
Disney always writes the same love story. The princess falls in love with someone, marries him, and they live happily ever after. The movies always end right after the princesses married. If disney were reality, we could conclude that our lives will be fulfilled when we get married and happily ever after starts when you say, "I do." Life does not begin when you meet prince charming. Satan want's us to wait around for prince charming so that we will be distracted and discontent. He wants us to focus on anything other than Christ (even if it's something good like marriage). 

We are princesses of THE KING though and we must further His kingdom. Christ is our prince who gave his life to rescue us from the evil dragon, Satan. This is not just a fairy-tale love story; It is a true love story. True contentment is found in loving our lover with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

The Gift  
A few verses before these verses, Paul refers to both marriage and singleness a gift 1 Corinthians 7:7 says, "Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that." If you are single, God has given you that gift!

 Singleness is not a curse but a blessing. God may choose to give you the gift of marriage some day, but if you are not content with what God has given you now, you will not be content with what He gives you later. Enjoy the gift God has given you rather than wishing you had another gift! You are able to serve the Lord in unique ways that married people cannot, and married people are able to serve in ways that single people can not. 

You can trust that God has your best in mind! His plans are greater than anything we could create. His plans may include trails, pain, and difficulties, but they will bring us closer to Him and make us more like Christ. Do not waste the gift God has given you! Trust that God is working all things together for your good!

Warning America!

If you are living in America, you are living in the most wealthy and prosperous nation in the world. Many Americans do not consider themselves to be rich. In fact many people who are on government aid here would be considered rich in other places of the world. So what is the Biblical definition of wealth? 

Are you Rich?

In the book of 1 Timothy in chapter 6 verse 8 we read, "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." If we have these things we are not lacking, but our media has convinced many that to have enough you must buy your kids each a car at 16, send them to nice colleges, live in a large house, take a vacation every year, etc. The biblical definition of necessities is food and covering (which can include shelter). Anything more than that is an abundance and it is wealth. 

Are Riches Bad?

There is nothing wrong with riches, but it is wrong to trust in your riches and not be content with what you have. In 1 Timothy 6:17 we read, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy." Scripture warns us not to fix our hope on our riches but on God; however, having an abundance is not wrong.

Warnings to the Wealthy

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 8:10-20

A Camel and a Needle's Eye

This passage is a warning to those who have an abundance. We are warned because we have a tendency to forget God when when we think we no longer need Him. Jesus said it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for the camel to go through the eye of a needle. It is hard for rich men to see their need for a savior. What they don't realize is that they need God for everything including their daily bread. We must be very careful not to say or think,"My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth."

What Do You Cling To?
Remember, every good and perfect gift is from God, everything belongs to Him, and you can not take your riches with you when you die. Most Americans have an abundance. Chances are, that you do too. Do not trust in your wealth! It will crumble in the day of judgement and leave you empty-handed. Cling to Christ! "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."(Mathew 6:19-21) "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."(Colossians 3:2)

The Power of Rejoicing

Imagine...
Imagine it's midnight, you have just been beaten unjustly for doing the Lord's work, and you're in prison with your feet bound. What would you be doing? This is exactly where  Paul and Silas found themselves one midnight long ago.

Acts 16:22-34
"The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

"But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!' And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down beforePaul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'

"They said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.' And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household."

Staring Me in the Eyes
Honestly, if I were in this situation, I don't think I'd be rejoicing. I think I'd be crying out to God for relief, but as I read this passage I was amazed! Here were two men in a very trying circumstance, who were praising God! This passage was staring in my face. It made me ask myself, "Why do I ever complain if they rejoiced when their circumstances were much worse?"

Do Not Simply Cease! Rejoice!
The Israelites complained despite the many good gifts God had given them. God gave them manna, and they complained because they wanted meat. How often are we like them? God has given us so many gifts! Our goal should not be to simply cease from complaining. We should rejoice! Philippians 4:4 says "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Paul said it twice because rejoicing is so important!

What Would The World be Like?
When Paul and Silas were rejoicing, all the doors were opened and every one's chains fell off, not to mention the fact that an entire family was saved! Maybe we are missing out on miracles because we aren't rejoicing. I wonder what would be different in our lives if we rejoiced? What would the world be like if every Christian rejoiced? 

The Charge:
No matter where you are in life, let's follow the example of Paul and Silas in rejoicing. Let's just watch to see what God does!

How Ironic

Is it Ironic ?

"Some $1.042 billion was spent online during Black Friday, a 26% increase on Black Friday 2011," according to statistics from comScore. Is it ironic that that Black Friday occurs right after Thanksgiving? I think not. We are in Satan's kingdom right now, and he wants to replace our thankfulness with a greedy and consumeristic spirit. As Christians, we are not citizens of this world.

Things to Keep in Mind:

*1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war on the against the soul".

*Philippians 3:20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord."

*1 Timothy 6:6-11 "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness."

A Heart Issue, Not a Spending Issue

It is not wrong to shop on Black Friday. The question we must ask ourselves is, “What are we pursuing?” In which kingdom are we storing our treasure? Scripture tells us that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. Are we pursuing the American dream–riches and a luxurious lifestyle–or are we pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness? We must examine our hearts because that is where the problems really begin. You could refrain from spending even a penny on Black Friday and still have a greed issue in your heart. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." We should be thankful for what God has already given us, content where He has us, and willing to share. We can trust He will provide for us in the future.

A Surrendered Attitude

Job had a beautiful attitude even after he had lost practically everything. Job 1:21-22 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said,'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.' Through all this Job did not sin, nor did he blame God." We should also have this attitude. God is the Giver, but He can also take away. He is the One who makes our very hearts beat, but He can also take our life at any time. Have you surrendered everything to God? Is there anything you are holding back? It could be your plans, your possessions, or your very life. Just know that when you put something in God's hands, it could not be in a better place.

Who Do We Give Thanks to at Thanksgiving?

The Giver of all good gifts! God! God is the one we should acknowledge for everything we have. We should thank Him every day, not just on Thanksgiving!