I Cannot Be Separated From Him

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

This revelation means everything to me.

For the longest time, I believed that I had to get rid of negative feelings, diffuse angry emotions, put aside hatred and upset.

It was very difficult to let things go, to let offenses go, because I believed that those feelings would linger, and then those sentiments would cloud my capacity to take care of life on life's terms.

I write this post in Errors of Alcoholics Anonymous because it was the many errors of AA which had pressed this terrible sentiment on me.

I had to confess to another person, work a "Tenth Step", if you will, when I got angry, as though it was my fault when someone else had harmed me. It's unreal the burdens which AA places on others.

To this day, it's really quite something. I cannot believe the emotion and mental torture that I endured because of this terrible cult. There is nothing wrong with being angry, nothing at all. There is nothing wrong with sharing our rage, our upset with God. He can handle it.

One of the biggest changes that had to follow was that God is actively awake and aware of all that I am going through and all that I am doing. It's amazing how little we know about our loving Father, and how little we understand that He is working both behind the scenes as well as through us and within us.

These ongoing revelations have helped me a great deal. I am so glad that I am seeing more and more of my loving Daddy God. There was so much that I had to learn, to see about Him.

Now that I know that He is not mad at me, that He will never be mad at me again, I can rest assured in His grace and I can come to Him in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

People Think Sin is Better Than Jesus: What Is Their Problem?

More and more every day, it's making more sense to me.

The goodness of God really does indeed lead us to repentence (Romans 2:4).

Where do people get this idea from, that sin is better? That sinning is better?

Where do people get this nutty, foolish idea that perversions on every level is better than the good that God gives us?

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalm 16:11)

We have so many people, who preach that we must lay down the law on everyone. If we don't make people afraid of God, then they won't come to Him.

They forget that He is actually coming to us, seeking us out! The three parables in Luke 15 outline how much He rejoices when He finds us! It's not us finding Him! He was not lost -- we were.

Think also about how God's unmerited favor teaches us about godliness! (Titus 2:11-14).

Jesus loves me--this I know--and this love transforms me!

I LIKE THAT!

Sin sucks. Sin is boring. Being in bondage to fleshly lusts is not fun, but rather it is quite painful.

If people do not find something better, they will settle for what they have.

Where can one find anything better than what Jesus is, and what He is doing for us?

"67Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:67-69)

Where else can we find life? Where else is the life better? Nothing better than JESUS!

His Love Is Active, Unending When I Was Struggling

I was thinking about this in church last night -- this revelation came to me while I was worshipping my Father and His Beloved Son, reflecting on the good, the great, the best that He has been doing for me for the last ten years.

(This just goes to show that there is so much that we learn, that we receive when we go to church, so don't neglect to go!)

For years, I lived with a sense of intense frustration. I believed for the longest time that I had to free my mind, my thoughts, my emotions from fear, anger resentment, etc, so that God could work in me, so that He could guide me, lead me, communicate with me, etc.

A sense of dark, unremitting frustration clouded my life.

I kept trying to get out of a sense of fear, outrage, frustration. I used to think that God's blessings, God's favor in my life depended on how I was feeling, whether I was angry, afraid, fearful, whatever else.

I was still struggling with this for years afterwards. It's unreal the kind of crap I had put myself through.

I didn't understand how sinful the sin in our flesh remains. We can't get out of it just by wishing it away. And we don't have to.

God is still loving us, He is actively working in and through us regardless of how we feel. We may still lose our temper, we may still feel feelings of fear, regret, hate, upset.

But He still loves us!

"38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

I never realized how intimate, how available Christ Jesus us in every aspect of life.

I used to think that I had to set up my mind a certain way so that I knew that He could work in, through, and with me.

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I would get so wound up and frustrated when trying to teach a class. I would have bad or unhealthful sentiments, and I just struggled within and without to break free of these perversities. It made teaching hard classes even harder. What an internal war I was going through within my flesh.

Now I realize how much my Daddy God has been loving me, since the beginning!

I feel so much comfort, so much rest to know that He has been working behind the scenes on my behalf, and I am oh, so happy!

He Is At Work, and He Wants to Work for Me

"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24)

For a long time, I saw seeking God's help as just "Something that I would" as a matter of form, but then it was up to me to take care of everything.

That's not true at all.

God is very much active in our lives. He wants to work in us, through us, and definitely around us and among our situations.

He is alive, active in our times, in our places.

I really did not believe that. For a long time, I still saw Jesus, my Daddy God, as figments of my imagination, or as comfort measures to make me "Feel better", and nothing more.

He's alive, though, and well-aware of what we are going through. He doesn't look away from our troubles, but implores us to come to Him!

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

We have this boldness because of His righteousness!

First, the righteous are as bold as lion. (Proverbs 28:1)

We have been established in His righteousness (Isaiah 54:14)

In fact, because of Jesus' Finished Work, we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Paul later writes:

"9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious." (2 Corinthians 3:9-11)

The ministry of righteousness provides greater glory than the ministry of condemnation (the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses). This glory gives us greater boldness:

"Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:" (2 Corinthians 3:12)

Plainness is the same word for boldness, parrhesia.

God's gift of righteousness gives us full confidence, full boldness to come to Him, to know that all our sins are paid for, that if we come to Him, we know that He hears us!

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14)

Jesus is closer than a brother, and sticks with us when times are tough, when we have no answers, or despair of the outcomes.

He is at work, and He wants to work for me:

"But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." (John 5:17)

“True Love Is” Helping People Come Out, Come Home

In the United States, there is growing awareness within churches as well as in the general public that homosexuality, transgenderism, and related paraphilias must be confronted fully. All the talk about seeking “religious liberty” as a point of compromise is not working. But in the church, there are few real ministries to help individuals, especially Christians, who struggle with same-sex desires. It’s scary enough to be honest with oneself about sexual feelings, intimacy, and identity. How does one “come out” to others, in the hopes of getting not just support, but truth to be set free?

Many churches seem to vacillate among extremes: condemn the behavior; compromise by allowing individuals to identify as “gay”, but instruct the to refrain from same-sex sexual contact; celebrate the entire corrupt LGBT rainbow and highlight such behaviors as normal, even exceptional.

Churches in America are not focusing on what causes these unwanted desires, either. In too many cases, there is no guidance from pastors and parishioners in properly dealing with this contentious issue. The implications of this lack are great, since church attendance is in sharp decline, much of it due to a falling away from the truth on core issues, including marriage and sexuality. Worse yet, compromise and condemnation are both culprits in this matter. What is to be done?

One key ministry which deals effectively with these problems came from Life Site News. They reported the incredibly moving and very personal confession of a young Christian and motivational speaker, Jason Lim, aka Jason Yolt. He travels the world testifying to thousands, telling people that they can—they should strive to—live their lives to the fullest. After all, If You Only Live Twice is the title of his best-selling book.

His spirit to engage others sprang out of his near-death experience while traveling in Cambodia five years ago. That near-tragedy forced him to confront his secret shame, too, which he admits openly: “I like … men.” This was a long-lasting struggle, his same-sex desires, compounded by what possible outcomes would result from coming out to his parents. Thankfully, Jason’s parents responded in a gracious manner. Jason relates: “When I came out to [my parents], they told me that even though they don’t approve of it [acting on my same-sex desires], they loved me because I was their son.”

That is the Gospel response: “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” In the Body of Christ, one should say “Love the saint, hate the sin.” All our sins have been forgiven, and the sin in the flesh has been condemned. Christians still sin, but we break free when we understand that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1-3).

This is the blessings of the Gospel which transforms Christians from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) Sadly, Paul’s revelation, including his exhortation to the Corinthian Church has not settled in the hearts of many believers:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

We were sinners. Because of Jesus, we become saints, a new identity which causes us to abstain from sin and live godly lives. However, even though we as Christians will still fail, but we remain Christians still. God’s love make us sons, but a lack of revelation will lead us to lusting. John the Beloved writes:

“If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16)

If we do not allow “The Love of the Father” into ourselves, we will continue to settle for conditional lusts. From his parents Jason Yolt received unconditional love, a love which included not condoning same-sex behaviors. This love helped him break free. This message is the heart of the Gospel.

Jason’s testimony is not an isolated victory, but is connected to a larger ministry, “True Love Is”, which focuses on God’s true love, which helps to break free from same-sex desires. This ministry is accomplishing what same churches in the United States have failed to do: preaching God’s love without permitting sin.

The Gospel is about God’s grace, about God’s undeserved love, favor in our lives. We were still sinners, lost in our fallen state when God the Father sent His Son to die for us (Romans 5:8). Yet for too many Christians, they believe that following our first step into salvation, we are on our own to live upright lives in order to remain accepted by our loving Father. But David writes: “Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalm 32:2) The main point is that the Lord does not impute sin, even when man sins; otherwise, there would be no reason to call anyone “blessed.”

There is no better example of God’s transformative, true love than the Parable of the Loving Father (Luke 15: 11-24). His prodigal son squandered everything, shortly after telling his father basically to drop dead by requesting his inheritance right away. When the destitute prodigal returns home, His father lavishes so much love on him, re-establishing his son’s status, which helps him break away from that old life. God’s unconditional love helps people break free of conditional pleasures, including sexual perversion. The “True Love Is” Movement rejects homosexuality and transgenderism as innate identities, but enhances our true selves as children of our Loving Father.

To help those caught in LGBT bondage, it’s time to announce: Come out, so that you can come home to God’s unconditional love, for that is where True Love Is!