spirituality

Seeking The Ultimate Refuge

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In a playground, there’s usually some type of spinning wheel. Someone standing outside of it pushes it to get it moving and those riding on the wheel, hold on tightly to a bar so as to not fall off. As life continues steadily, there may be events that happen that could through off the balance in our mind and emotions. It may be so drastic that it can wreck havoc inside of us. In this circumstance, what can keep us from being completely thrown off of the wheel which can badly injure us or others around?

Where do we go to seek refuge? What or who do we turn to? That one decision and or others following can impact the rest of our days going forward. I still remember running into a man who was homeless and searching for someone in the store to help buy him undergarments. We had two things in common. One, we were both artists and two, we both lost our mom not too long ago. From the traumatic experience in his life, he turned to follow a path of darkness involving drugs, satanism and who knows what else. Maybe there was some rebelliousness involved or anger towards God for allowing his mom to pass away.

Like the homeless man, I also found myself turning to morbid things after the passing of my mom. I was drawn to scary movies, videos of scary ghosts. It became a daily thing to watch those type of videos. If it weren’t for my foundation in the Lord, I would have easily been thrown of the right path. Who knows where dwelling in darkness would have led me, but in the midst of it, the Lord told me, “enough, ” and helped me to realize that my focus was being pulled in the wrong direction. It may have seemed like something so minor, but what is small, can grow into something so big that it can take over.

Life will always have its up and downs and storms are always on the horizon. But when you are prepared, knowing where to find shelter, it can save you. Even when everything around you seems to be chaotic, seeking refuge in Him, hope and peace remains.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Psalm 91:1-2

The bible reads, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.”

Psalm 46: 1-3

Death is inevitable and it can happen to anyone we are attached to. So when something throws the wheel off from spinning in one direction, it’s important to be able to have something steady and grounded to hold on to as to not fall off into an abyss that seems impossible to get out of.

When my mom died, I thought I would loose my mind. She was like a best friend to me, a good listener, so warm, loving and selfless. I enjoyed hearing her voice and especially her laugh. Having gotten used to seeing her almost everyday as she would always invite me to her house for dinner on my way home and I would share stories of work with her, it was hard to all of a sudden, not see her face or hear her voice anymore. But having the Lord in my life for many years, God has been my solid ground. Weeping heavily on my knees, I cried out to the Lord, please don’t take her, not yet, but He still took her.

The bible says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

Death is inevitable and it will happen. In this case, I know I will see her again in heaven when it’s my time to leave this place. I know because I have experienced God’s goodness, faithfulness, that He has met me, comforted me and gave me peace in the most heart wrenching times in my life where I felt like life was completely out of control. God has been the person, outside of the spinning wheel, standing on solid ground that starts the wheel into spinning and has the power to stop it.

There are many outlets to rid thoughts in our mind or feelings in our heart, but people can fail us and things can never fulfill or heal a bleeding heart so our search for peace continues and the thoughts or emotions continue to run rampant. Some turn to alcohol, drugs, food or other and continue to seek refuge from pain through things or people often numbing or ignoring the pain only to find it manifesting itself again and again. To run to the Lord for refuge, means taking the pain and laying it down on the cross, placing it in His hands and allowing Him to heal you.

The bible reads in Psalm 18, “…The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:1-2

It may seem like God is not there and is not listening, but sometimes, we need to sit in silence and listen to what He is speaking to our heart. I’ve turned to friends for advice, but as clear as day, when I turn to God, things happen. I may not get a pray or question answered right away, but I do receive a hint that it’s on the way or He’s working on it.

The bible reads in the book of Psalms, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:4-5

The bible reads in the book of Psalms, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

Psalm 118:8

God is not burdened or troubled when you call out to Him, in fact, He wants you to turn to Him, to seek Him. He wants to turn your mess into a blessing. He is a restorer. When you turn to Him, you may not see a change, but the process of change begins.

In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.

Psalm 62:7

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23:3

Of all things or people we can turn to in times of trouble, the Lord brings results. Not to rule out therapy, but there are many instances where the answer can only be found in Him. As one would create a robot and know the ins and outs of it, how it was made, its weaknesses, its strengths, what can destroy it and how to restore it to properly function once again, so as to our Creator knows us as no one else. God knows what can destroy us from the inside and is able to restore us to proper functioning once again so if not in the morning, one day you can rejoice in what He’s done in your life and how He has delivered you. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for you have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalm 59:16

God is the ultimate refuge. He is like no other. In Him you will find answers. You will find peace and not condemnation. In Him there is hope, peace and restoration so that hopefully, if not the next day, soon the light inside will shine brighter than ever and your joy will be restored.

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.

Psalm 119:114

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

Psalm 18:30

The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.

Nahum 1:7
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When God Speaks

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Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, agnostic, atheist, etc. , God can or will speak to anyone. The Lord’s reach is not limited to a certain group of people, but if you hear from God, how do you know that it’s really God?

I just heard a story on the 700 club about a Muslim lady who became and atheist. She went through many hardships that she stopped believing in God. When she got to a point where she felt like killing herself, she kept hearing, “come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” She ended up sharing what she kept hearing to her Christian friend at work and her friend opened up the Bible and showed her that what her Muslim friend was hearing, is an actual scripture in the Bible.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

In can relate to that story because when I was seeking the Lord and I was questioning, God spoke to my heart like he did with the Muslim lady. God would speak to my heart about something, then I would randomly open up the Bible to any page and end up reading a scripture that followed what the Lord was just teaching me.

There is a reason that the Bible is called the Word of God. I know not everyone believes that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God or part of a triune God. It’s hard to understand the three in one idea. The Bible does associate Jesus with God in the first book of John. The Word is Jesus.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

It can sound confusing, but essentially, Jesus is the Word and He was with God and Jesus was God. It goes on to creation and the beginning and Jesus or the Word coming into the world. Thus, He did and the first four books of the New Testament are stories that tell mostly about the last years of Jesus before He was crucified. Written by the disciples of Jesus, they have included words directly from Him. In some bibles, these word of His or in red text.

So how does one know when God speaks? Knowing the word of God is a major part of discerning. But one does not have to know the Bible for God to speak to them. There’s this guy named John Ramirez who was a warlock and he heard from Jesus. He heard from the devil everyday until one day he heard the voice of God asking him, “what are you going to go when your time comes?” This guy was adapted to hearing from the devil so when he heard the voice of God, he knew it wasn’t the same voice nor was the atmosphere in his house the same. It ended well and to make a long story short, he gave his heart to God and now he’s bringing many people in the dark, into the light of Christ.

I’ve heard many testimonies of atheist or Muslims who see Jesus in their dreams or who have had near death experiences and have seen or heard from Jesus. People in prison who have had visions of Him and their life gets changed forever.

When I was a practicing Catholic I never even touched the Bible. I thought it was for the older generation to read before meeting their creator. I tried to find flaws in it, but I was missing the big picture. So maybe the Old Testament has a some boring stories in their like the genealogy or the family tree, but if you are discovering the love of God, but having doubts, thinking, “why would God even care about me or know my name?” you might want to read the book of Psalms. There’s plenty of scriptures that reveal His love for us.

How precious are your thoughts about me,* O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Psalms 139:17-18

Another book to read are the gospels, especially when Jesus gets crucified. That is a show of His love for all man kind. So maybe you feel like the God is speaking to you about something, you may want to check out the Word of God, aka, Bible. It is difficult to flip through pages and find stuff, but there are websites that have searches which make it easier to find things, one good one is Bible Gateway. Searching for the definition of a word in the dictionary is like searching for who God is in the bible.

God loves all.

The Destructive Power of Anti-Matter

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Around three-hundred feet underneath the surface between the border of Geneva, Switzerland and France is a 17 mile tunnel with pipes and other scientific equipment built for scientists to explore the most basic components of matter with hope that it can lead to a greater understanding of the big bang.

Inside the tunnel is a make-up of equipment that accelerates particles, known as a nuclear or particle accelerator. There are other particle accelerators in other parts of the world, but not as large as the one in Geneva, known as the Large Hadron Collider or LHC. The European organization and lab known as CERN is a particle physics laboratory used by scientists for Nuclear Research seeking to find what the Universe is made out of and how it works.

They use particles of matter, like hydrogen, which has the smallest atomic mass on the scientific table. The hydrogen atom is made up of one electron with a negative charge circulating around one proton with a positive charge. These opposite charges attract each other. Hydrogen is found in all living things and is used on rockets for fuel as it reacts with oxygen, giving it the power to lift off.

https://science4fun.info/hydrogen/

Inside the lab, they take hydrogen atoms, accelerate them in the hadron collider and as they travel in the 17 mile loop faster than the speed of light, they reach a point of collision where the atoms split, creating new matter. This new matter is the opposite of the original hydrogen atom, which scientist have named anti-hydrogen or anti-matter.

The main idea of making anti-matter is just getting enough energy in a collision to allow the particles to be made. If you get electrons going fast enough and throw them at a piece of material called a target, preferably made out of atoms that have a large atomic number, you will have a shower of electrons, positrons and photons.

https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1172
https://www.life-and-matter.com/matter-and-antimatter.html

The newly created anti-hydrogen atom from the collision has a positive electron, also called positrons and a negative proton, also known as anti-proton. This new anti-matter does does not shed light and is very unstable and destructive, unlike matter. Scientist have to trap the anti-matter by means of a magnetic field to keep it from touching any matter around it, otherwise it will explode. Since negative charges are attracted to positive charges, anti-matter will be attracted to matter and when they come into contact, they will annihilate each other, causing an explosion of energy and emitting radiation.

Scientists say that one gram of anti-matter dropped on earth can cause an atomic explosion four times larger than that of Hiroshima. There’s not enough anti-matter produced thus far and it would cost trillions of dollars to produce just one gram. If enough of it can be produced, the energy that is created between matter and anti-matter annihilating each other can lead to new energy as 1 gram of anti-matter is enough to produce to about 180 trillion joules. If it can be contained and controlled, the energy produced can send a rocket into space and travel almost at the speed of light. This may even lead to space travel.

Scientist are puzzled at the fact that there is more matter in the universe than anti-matter, as 1 part in 10 billion. The big bang should have produced equal amounts of each; however, if that were the case, there would be no existence of the universe because anti-matter and matter would annihilate each other into non-existence, as an equal balance of anti-matter and matter equals zero.

These new findings are leading some scientist into believing that there is a spiritual world or another dimension, leaving some feeling like they’re still far from reaching an understanding of the big bang, where gravity comes from and the glue that holds everything together. Knowing how destructive and unstable anti-matter is, which is the opposite of matter, has led scientist questioning what keeps everything together, stable, almost like a force shield is around the earth keeping matter from being destroyed. This is bringing scientists into thinking spiritually.

There is also a dark side of anti-matter. Some of the anti-matter created in the lab was contained in a vessel and placed at a college, where the name of the school has not been revealed. There were reports of students that were around the vessel that started to hallucinate, gone mad and experienced paranormal activity. Thus, some have concluded that anti-matter brings out the darkness of a person’s soul.

Some scientist in the lab who were studying anti-matter have also experienced hallucinations and paranormal activity in the lab, even seeing visions of Shiva doing a dance of destruction. Coincidentally or not, CERN has a statue of Shiva Nataraja in front of their facility. At night, in front of the statue, there was a few people wearing dark robes that performed some type of occult ritual where they had some lady lay down in front of the statue and stabbed her. From the video, it does not look like she died or bled, but it went viral and CERN claimed that they had no part of it and it was a hoax.

https://publicdelivery.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Nataraja-Shiva-2004-bronze-2-meters-installation-view-CERN-Meyrin-Switzerland-3-800×1067.jpeg?ezimgfmt=ng:webp/ngcb36

When the lab recently reopened after some major renovations to make it more robust, there was a photographer who captured photos of the sky above the 17 mile tunnel. He captured mysterious looking clouds above CERN filled with thunderbolts and lightning. The base of the cloud extended all the way to the surface right around the rim of the circle.

https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/photos-of-strange-clouds-over-cern-causing-concern/

There was also unusual cloud formations during the day that looked like a circle with a vortex in the center sucking up the clouds around it and a drop of light being pulled into the center. Some news sources presented the idea that the distant light going up to the center of the vortex was a UFO.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3388097/What-going-Large-Hadron-Collider-tourists-claim-filmed-mysterious-vortex-clouds-UFO-orb-light-flying-Swiss-facility.html#v-6102233985050559742

Some say that this could be the finding of a new dimension or that CERN is creating a gateway for travel into another time or dimension. Others say that CERN could end up creating a black hole that can completely annihilate our planet. The famous physicist and atheist, Stephen Hawking said that the God particle can wipe out the universe. Because some have claimed that anti-matter brings about the dark-side of the human soul, some have called the Hadron Collider, the gateway to hell and believe that CERN’s logo is made up of three numbers, 6, 6, and 6 rotated. There’s so much more to learn about anti-matter, let’s just hope it goes towards a more beneficial rather than destructive direction.

Sources:

The Flaw of a One World Religion

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Photo from https://www.mediaoffice.abudhabi/en/arts-culture/opening-in-abu-dhabi-the-abrahamic-family-house-marks-20-percent-of-construction/

In the Persian Gulf, on Saadiyat Island of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, a center of worship for three different religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam is being built, to be completed this year. There are three buildings, one for each religion and at the center, an educational center for all. This complex of buildings is called the Abrahamic Family House, designed by architect, David Adjaye , set to be completed this year.

The Abrahamic House Family is not just a center with buildings, but a fraternity where members move towards global interfaith. Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmad el-Tayeb signed a document to establish a human fraternity of religions.

You’ve probably seen the co-exist bumper sticker that spells out co-exist with symbols that represent different faiths. The Abrahamic House has a similar logo, only leaving out some faiths and enclosing it with a roof with chimney.

https://www.abrahamichouse.org/

The idea that religions can co-exist is nothing new at all in America since it’s something that’s been happening for so many years. We have buildings for all faiths where people from different religions come to worship their god and we’ve allowed it. This religious right is protected under the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the freedom for one to exercise his or her religion.

This is one of the things I love about the United States of America, our freedoms. Although my faith is in the salvation of Jesus dying on the cross for my sins, which I can never save myself from, I still hold strongly to the belief that people should freely practice their own religions. This might sound a bit crazy, but I believe that the God I worship, would want people to be able to choose their own religious path. If you read the Genesis 2: 15-17 in the bible. God tells Adam not to eat from the knowledge of good and evil. It wasn’t an apple tree, which most believe. It doesn’t say even say fruit, it just says tree and if you eat from it, you will die. God was not speaking of a physical death, but a spiritual death. The death that one feels inside due to sin, guilt, shame and most of all, separation from God. This sin that has the potential to lead one to eternal damnation.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Genesis 2: 15-17

Even though God told Adam not to eat from the tree, he still did and he also blamed Eve for it. After Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they realized that they were naked and hid from God. However, God already knew they disobeyed, yet He still went looking for them. He still wanted to connect with them. One may ask, if God did not want them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then why did he allow it to stay in the garden in the first place? Adam and Eve had the freedom to choose to obey or disobey. God knows the way we are wired, He created us. He knows what will bring us joy and what will bring us to emptiness and devastation. When we don’t listen to His commands, we hurt our-self. Sometimes when things are used for the wrong purpose, they can break.

Having being raised catholic, that was my religion. I went to church on Sundays religiously, dressed up and tried my best to pay attention to what the priest was saying. I thought that kissing the feet of a Jesus statue would earn me brownie points with God. I prayed almost every night, the rosary, in repetition or memorized verses, but I didn’t find out until later that God wanted to hear me speak my heart out to Him. I always knew that God existed. I just could not fathom the fact that He actually knows my name and loves me and created me to be loved by Him. It wasn’t that people told me, but I experienced His love through reading the bible that speaks of His love and His voice that spoke to my heart. That inner voice inside that saves you, brings conviction or brings hope, joy and peace is the still voice of God.

The effort of a one world religion is pointless. God is not a religion. Kissing a statue of Jesus is not worshiping God. God does not live in statues nor does he live in a stone. The bible says that God is spirit.

24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

John 4:24

This fraternity of all religions may lead to the compromise of beliefs of each and although it sounds like it would bring unity, which it may, it can evolve into a new religion which combines the beliefs of all faiths into one. The scary part about it, is that if it becomes a one world religion, everyone will be forced to follow it, which negates the whole idea of ones freedom to choose. Although, Jesus in the bible says that there is only one way to God, the Father, we have the freedom to choose whether we want to believe what Jesus said or follow Him.

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

We can choose our own path to finding the truth. With all honestly, after finding God through the bible and a real spiritual life-changing experience of God’s love, I’ve found the truth and there was no reason to look any further. When truth comes, doubt does not exist. God already loves us, His creation and He will never force us to love or follow Him. It is our choice whether we want to receive His love for us and love Him back. It is also our choice whether we want to follow His will and His ways. If God knows what will destroy us and tells us to stay away from it because He know what it will do to us, why not follow His voice?

Experiencing the Presence of Angels

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Sometimes when you feel alone, you may not be, for there might be an unseen presence with you. Angels appear in various ways. One way, is described in the Bible.

Last night I saw it again, I have been seeing it around my house lately. It appears in dark areas around my house. The times I see it are usually times when I’m feeling scared. Sometimes it’s from my peripheral view, yet sometimes it’s right in front of me. It’s a flash of white light, similar to a flash on a camera, which is but a second. It’s like God is reminding me that He sends angels to watch over me so I should not worry.

The first time I saw it, I was in a dark room. It was late at night and there was no way that light would get in since it appeared no where close to any window in the room. Other than the recent times I have been seeing it around my house, there was one time when I was about to fall asleep. All of a sudden, I hear something fall down beside my pillow. I looked and it was my business card, which landed on the side that had a picture of my Jesus painting. It seemed like it came out of nowhere, but then I remembered that I placed it on top of my candle right next to the window. The wind blew it down that it landed Jesus side up, right by my head. As I looked up at the place where I put my card, I saw a flash of light. It was like God reminding me again that He is with me.

One day when I stayed at my parents house, they had left town so I was alone in their house. It was late at night and I walked in their dark house. I went into the kitchen and with the backyard lights on, I saw a dove sitting on the top of the gazebo. It was rare and random to see that type of bird in the neighborhood, but knowing that a dove represents the spirit of God, it was like God was telling me that I don’t need to fear, because He is protecting me.

With everything we go through in life, there are some events that we remember forever and there was one that my Mom would never forget. She would always tell my sister and I the story of when she was alone in the house with us kids. My Dad was in the Navy so he would have to frequently leave town. One time when my Dad was away, she had just finished putting us kids to bed. She felt tired and decided to sit down in the hallway right next to our bedroom. As she sat their thinking about how much work it was to take care of us without my Dad being there, all of a sudden, she smelt the most wonderful smell of flowers she’s ever smelt before. She felt that at that moment, it was God sending an angel to reassure her that He is with her and afterwards she felt good about taking good care of us.

I remember the time when I was venturing out in London alone. It was short day and a half trip, a stop over on my way back to the States. I had toured many places during the day time, but when I got back to the hotel, I realized that I forgot to see the Buckingham Palace so I went back out. By that time, it was late at night. I took the train out to the closest stop to the Palace. When I got off and up to the street, it was really dark, not many street lights. There weren’t too many people around so I asked anyone around where to go. One person pointed me to a sidewalk along a dark park. I was dreading the walk, but I went anyway. As I walked through the darkness, I was looking around me and no one in site. I kept praying for God protection over me and then out of no where, I hear a couple talking behind me. It didn’t make sense how they where so close to me all of a sudden when I didn’t see anyone around. I was already a fourth into the park and there were no side streets so I wondered, how could they get there all of a sudden and catch up to me that fast, unless they were running, but they didn’t look to be in a rush. They were two friends, male and female, walking and smiling together, having a good conversation. They seemed friendly so I started talking to them. They happened to be going the same way so we walked over together. I ended up walking back with them to the train station. There was something usual about how the girl got on the train. She hopped on backwards. Although, not fully sure, I believe that they were angels.

2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2

An angelic presence can be experienced in different ways. What is your experience, if any?

God of Creation

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Belt of the Milky Way

It’s amazing to think of God and His hand over creation. Every time I stare up at the sky, I’m so amazed at His magnificent creation.

The lyrics to the song by Hillsongs, “So will I” really gets me thinking about God’s hand of creation. Here are the lyrics:

So Will I (100 Billion X)

Words and Music by Joel Houston Benjamin Hastings & Michael Fatkin

© 2017 Hillsong Music Publishing CCLI: 7084123

VERSE 1
God of creation
There at the start
Before the beginning of time
With no point of reference
You spoke to the dark
And fleshed out the wonder of light

CHORUS 1
And as You speak
A hundred billion galaxies are born
In the vapour of Your breath the planets form
If the stars were made to worship so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve made
Every burning star
A signal fire of grace
If creation sings Your praises so will I

VERSE 2
God of Your promise
You don’t speak in vain
No syllable empty or void
For once You have spoken
All nature and science
Follow the sound of Your voice

CHORUS 2
And as You speak
A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath
Evolving in pursuit of what You said
If it all reveals Your nature so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You say
Every painted sky
A canvas of Your grace
If creation still obeys You so will I

BRIDGE
If the stars were made to worship so will I
If the mountains bow in reverence so will I
If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I
For if everything exists to lift You high so will I
If the wind goes where You send it so will I
If the rocks cry out in silence so will I
If the sum of all our praises still falls shy
Then we’ll sing again a hundred billion times

VERSE 3
God of salvation
You chased down my heart
Through all of my failure and pride
On a hill You created
The light of the world
Abandoned in darkness to die

CHORUS 3
And as You speak
A hundred billion failures disappear
Where You lost Your life so I could find it here
If You left the grave behind You so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done
Every part designed in a work of art called love
If You gladly chose surrender so will I
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I

TAG
Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire
You’re the One who never leaves the one behind

Come Just As You Are

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dramatic view on sea illuminated by sunlight coming from behind storm clouds
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Whenever the word religious is used to describe someone, it usually implies that he or she is good or strives to be a good person. If I tell someone I go to church or if I talk about God, they label me as religious, but I would disagree. I would disagree with someone calling me a good person. I’m just a sinner saved by grave. I don’t go to church to be a good person. As we need food, air, shelter and water for our physical bodies, the spirit inside of us needs an encounter with God that brings healing and fulfillment.

If we think we can’t be in His presence if we’re sinners, it’s God’s presence that delivers us. I remember going to a miracle crusade in Anaheim, California back in 2003. The stadium was packed and before the doors opened, the line wrapped around the entire building. When the presence of God grew so thick, people were falling out in the presence. The youth were so hungry to get on stage and experience a touch from God. They ran up there, racing with each other. My cousin’s friend who never shed a tear, started to cry as soon as the service started and could not stop for entire four hours. When God’s presence comes, healing comes.

That lack of love can do major damage to someone. Failed by the ones that we expected to love us unconditionally and keep us safe, some rebel and carry around hatred in their heart or a lack of confidence. God can heal those areas. Parent’s don’t always say the right things to their kids. I didn’t understand the depth of unconditional love until Jesus stepped into my life and experienced the love of God. He gave His all on the cross as in taking a bullet for us.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:7-10

Whenever the topic of God comes up, we want to run away. When it comes to drawing close to God, some feel that they need to be good in order to do so. Adam and Eve, feeling ashamed, hid themselves from God after they ate of the tree that God told them not to eat from. That didn’t stop God from wanting to be in communication with them. It seems as if some feel that they need to be good, perfect or pure in order to come to God, but the Word says, to come as you are. You don’t need to change yourself before you come to God, rather, come to Him and He will change you.

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

God says come as you are. You don’t have to be perfect, good, pure or innocent. God heals the broken and brings restoration. Give God all your burdens, anger, shame, guilt and pain. God gives beauty for ashes. Come as a sinner and He will wipe you clean. He is a gracious and merciful God. In His presence, it is safe to be vulnerable and messed up. It is safe to surrender your burdens into the hands of God. Let His love heal the very depths of your aching soul.