August is Guest Blogger Month!

I will be using next month as an opportunity to allow other writers to share their hearts as guest bloggers.  Those writers will include Stacy Haight, Jennifer Barnes Maggio (Life of a Single Mom), Tammy Daughtry (Co Parenting International), and Pastor Daniel Jackson (Divine Cathedral of Faith- Tampa, FL). 

I am excited to see what God speaks through these individuals, so stay tuned!

Shadows

Read Psalm 51

I was outside (in this BEAUTIFUL weather) today with a friend of mine discussing sin.  We talked about how when someone is walking in sin it affects all areas of your life.  Being a bright sunny day out, he pointed down to our shadows and said that when we walk in sin it's like our shadow- it follows us around everywhere.  I then noticed something pretty cool.  Think about it: When you are facing directly into the sun, your shadow is directly behind you.  However, when you turn your back to the sun, your shadow is right there in front of you.  Hmmm...sound familiar?  When we are focused and keeping ourselves facing directly at the SON, our shadow (sin) is always behind us.  When we turn our backs to the Son, our sin is ever before us!  Don't you love it when God uses His own creation to make lessons so easy for us? 

Who's to Blame?

One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. -Psalm 145:4 (NKJV)

I overheard some guys at work talking this week about how lost and delinquent the current generation of youth is.  Since I am also in teen ministry myself, I decided to include myself in the conversation.  I asked them who they really thought was to blame.  I went on to say that since all babies are born relatively the same and their only two major needs and desires in life growing up are to be loved by their parents and to play, their actions must have been taught from somewhere else.  Sadly, each generation IS responsible for the next, and it begins at home with our own children.  We have created an over-sexed, under-moral, virtual, and hopeless world- and our kids are becoming the victims of our choices.  As fathers, despite what type of upbringing and home environment we may have come from, it is OUR job to raise, train, and grow our children not only in the Lord, but to also prepare them for life in general.  Anything short and we miss the mark.  Whether you are a single father or not, I am challenging ALL dads to begin to search for ways to connect with your children.  If you have older kids or adult children, this may be a bit more difficult, but definitely not impossible.  There may be some tough talks, a huge swallow of humble pie on our part, and tears, but God has equipped us to be strong in these type of situations. (2Tim 1:7)  As I wrote in my book and will repeat here, Jesus commands us to go and make disciples; well, it begins at home with our kids.  They're waiting Dad.  Seek God today through prayer and His Word to find everything you need to become a godly father and help raise a godly next generation. 

A Father's Influence

The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. -Prov 20:7 (NASB)

I really just want to write today to encourage any of you fathers out there (single or married) and explain to you the unmeasurable weight you carry as an influence in your children's lives.  I'm not going to dwell on statistics or redundant statements; but rather, on personal experience and of course- God's Word.
As the verse above explains, when we are walking in harmony with Jesus and His commandments, we not only prosper, but as do our kids.  God loves to bless other generations through the faithfulness of others. (Deut 7:9)  My daughter's life is no different. 

Any of you who know my story know that there was a point in my life when I was living for everything OTHER than God.  I destroyed not only my own body physically and spiritually- but so many individuals were left for the worse after they had met me.  Some of those people I have been able to reconcile relationship with and ask for their forgivness; obviously I was forgiven as well when I came to the Cross.  Over the years I have had numerous ups and downs in both my walk with the Lord and as a father.  However, God does not look at the short term (though He is concerned with our daily walk), but rather with the molding and shaping of our character.  Very rarely do things happen overnight in regards to this- it is a lifelong process.  Paul tells us in Phil 1:6, "For I am confident in this very thing, that He who began good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (NASB)

Every time I have my daughter I watch with absolute awe and amazement of all that God is doing in her life.  She is becoming stronger in her prayers every day; is very selfless when it comes to the wellbeing of others (a quaility rare in any 6 year old); and makes life decisions often beyond her years.  It is because of the fruit like this that (without going into detail) my mentor once told me that if she is already portraying these type of Christ-like attributes, that my influence is definitely stronger than others in her life.  I am not saying this by any means to diminish her mother's parenting.  I am simply making the point that when we dads are completely sold out to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, despite our past mistakes- God will cleanse and establish us.  Being faithful to His word, He will bless or children as well. 

So here is my charge to you today Dad: Dig into God's Word and follow Jesus' commandments.  Continue to strengthen your relationship with Him through prayer and take up your cross daily.  Understand what your children need from you as their father and seek God in accomplishing this.  Our Father expects very our best, and our children deserve no less.  Be blessed man of God. 

No More Denominations?

You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. -Deut 4:2 (NASB)

I had a short discussion with a buddy at work this past week. If God's Kingdom is supposed to be here on earth as well, and we know there's no denominations in Heaven- why is the church separating itself with denominations and losing ground in this nation?!? I also read that Muslims and Mormons are the two fastest growing religious groups in America- yet we spend all of our time bickering about which "church" is the best and teaching our kids tales of bunny rabbits and flying reindeer rather than our Savior's return.  We have different stances on topics such as pro-homosexualtiy and church buildings closing left and right.  There were NO denominations when Christ walked the earth, and He is coming back for ONE Bride- not to pick and choose the best out of the group.  It's time for the Church to regain what it was created to do- and that's spread the Good News and reach the lost while we still have time. 

One such event that is taking an approach to this is the "Gathering the Bride" here in Grand Rapids, MI on July 14th.  This is a gathering of the Body of Christ (we're all one) to worship and pray for our city, state, and nation as a whole.  You can find more information on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gatheringthebride#!/events/441159229234426/. 

A Recent Prayer Vision

As I was in some prayer time this weekend, God showed me something really cool.  I will say that I honestly do not get many visions when I'm in prayer, so that's what makes this one extra special.  The first thing you need to know is I was in prayer asking the Lord's forgiveness for bowing down to so many idols and false gods throughout my life, namely lust and addictions.  Here is the vision that followed.

I saw myself back in the late 90's (at the height of my addiction to drinking, drugs, and sex) outside of a club I used to frequent regularly in Tampa, FL.  What I saw was two men.  I saw my natural man: Laughing, partying, and drinking in the streets.  Then I saw my spirit man: Being bombarded by spiritual bullets as if from an M-16.  I watched as my spirit was gunned down in the street, laying dead in a pool of blood as my natural man continued to fall deeper into the abyss of self worthlessness.  I was literally dead spiritually at that point in my life.  Then, the timeline fast forwarded several years to 2001- when I first gave my life to Christ.  Jesus breathed life back into my spirit man and I began to stand up.  Just then, another wave of bullets pierced through me and I once again fell to the ground.  This symbolized my lack of surrender even though I asked Jesus into my life.  Just as I was beginning to walk with Him I fell back into addiction and once again began spiritually perishing.  However, upon this next wave of bullets, Jesus immediately jumped in front of them.  I watched as they bounced off of Him with zero effect.  At the same time, He reached around and took my dead, lifeless body by the hand.  "Get up Matt!" He commanded.  I slowly rose to one knee.  "Get up!" He repeated.  I stood to my feet.  As the bullets continued to ricochet off of my Savior, a strength that I had never known flooded through my body.  Not only did I continue to stand, but I stood tall and strong!  What I was seeing was another few years into the future- this time in 2007 when I COMPLETELY SURRENDERED myself at the Cross and made Jesus Christ the Lord of my life once and for all.  This time I have not allowed myself to step out from that physical and spiritual protection that ONLY He can provide. 

The final part of the vision was rather amusing.  It's almost as if I compared my surrender, sanctification, and salvation to the ending portion of the movie Hancock.  If you've seen the movie and remember the hospital scene, then you know that as Hancock moved further and further away from his counter part (Charlize Theron), he became stronger.  Each leap became a bit more significant.  He pushed through a wall, fell into the street, but gained form, strength, and stability with every leap further from the source that had drained him of his powers.  Eventually, Hancock FLEW to heights that were once a natural part of his life.  I saw the same in my life: With Jesus as my covering and foundation, I went from a bloody and eternally condemned spirit man in the streets of Tampa- to a man, father, and disciple of Christ who is now flying in his God-given destiny!  It is only when we come to the Cross fully abandoned from worldly lusts and idols that we can reach these heights.  Romans 5:19 states, "Just as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."  (NKJV)   So if you are being gunned down by spiritual bullets today, run to the only One who has the power and authority to not only save you from yourself, but take you to the heights and restore you to the level that you were created for! 

How Far is Too Far?

“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say?” -Luke 6:46 (NKJV)

I’m pretty sure that I am not going to be very popular with a lot of people after they read this blog, but I feel it needs to be discussed.  A few weeks ago I initiated the question to some friends, “Why is it that as Christians, when we do not follow the Bible in its entirety- we’re hypocrites; yet, if we follow it completely- we’re prudes?”  My main thought behind this was in regards to sexual purity, the stewarding of our bodies, and the way we handle it in our personal relationships.  What does that look like?  To tell you the truth, I cannot say.  That is between you and the Lord, but we must also understand that our bodies are not our own, and sin is sin.  If you read and study God’s Word, sin almost always leads to death (Prov 7:6-23; James 1:14-15), but His ways and statues lead to life (Psalm 119:9-11, 101, 105; Isaiah 55:9)  Now, please understand I do realize we are under no condemnation and that everyone falls- but this is never a reason to go on sinning willfully!  The point I am getting at is that we are constantly under the microscope by others who are just waiting for us to mess up so that they can pick out “flaws” in Christianity.  That is why we must continue to stay submitted to God and maintain a higher standard (Phil 3:16) and lead others towards the Cross.

My girlfriend and I recently ordered a couple copies of the book Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires by Fred and Jasen Stoeker.  We did this because we want to begin (and maintain) our relationship in absolute purity for the glory of God so that He will bless it.  Based on my previous experience, and to go along with Paul’s words, I put NO confidence in the flesh whatsoever! (Phil 3:3)  We can have the best intentions and be completely sold out to Christ, but let’s face it- when times get hot and heavy- we are definitely entering into dangerous waters!  The best protection anyone can possibly do is to put safeguards around circumstances and never let ourselves fall into that trap.  I heard Fred once talk about his son Jasen and how Jasen and his fiancée maintained absolute purity right up to the wedding altar: they never put themselves in compromising situations and never were alone where wrong choices could be made.  If this is the type of relationship you desire, seek God in helping you not only find the strength to withstand, but to put barriers up for your protection.  Remember, when there’s no boundaries placed around us, our so called “freedom” can actually lead to a prison of pain and hurt.  However, when we live and operate within God’s perfect Word and statutes, we find a level of love, trust, and peace that cannot be matched!