Atonement Records

Living in the Reality of Your Life

2011-10-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Earlier today I was on the phone with my cousin and best friend Piere, and he said something to me that really stuck out. He said "the cool thing about knowing God is, no matter what is happening in your life at any given moment, you know its in God's control, and everything that God does for His children is good, so everything is good!" After giving this statement some thought, it really brought much comfort to me. Just the thought of our amazing God guiding us through life by circumstances and situations that culminate in strengthening our relationship with Him. Its Beautiful! So to sum it up, no matter what your going through, whether it be good or bad, it is supposed to be happening, for what ever reason God has ordained, and He will pull you out of the water before you drown. Rejoice and Give Thanks to a Merciful God! Thank you Jesus!

Judge and Be Judged

2011-10-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Often times I hear people say something like " Oh, yea, I've been to church before, but I stopped going because I felt like everyone was judging me" or something to that extent. I can't tell you how many times I have heard of christian's passing judgement against their fellow brother or sister because of something they we're wearing, or doing, or saying. As a matter of fact, this happens so frequently, that it is one of the main reasons potential new followers are drawn away from the beautiful gift of Love given by Christ. As christian's its important to realize one of the most vital teachings of Jesus left behind for us to follow. That is the principal of judgement. According to scripture, the way we judge others in this life will be reflected back to us when we leave our bodies, except it will be judgement against our soul. "Judge not, that you be not judged"(Matthew 7:1) "For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged the same" (Matthew 7:2) Therefor if we wish to escape the judgment of the Lord, we must fight the urge of making judgments against others.

Now I see this two ways in today's generation. Firstly and more surprisingly I find christian's judging other fellow christian's more often than the secular world. I am always taken back when I hear a comment like "did you hear what she got into" or "I can't believe he's going out with her, she has a dark past" or many other variations. You get the point. I feel this is the number one reason why our church or correctly put, The Body of Christ, is divided to such a degree, that there are separate religions formed out of one central belief. In my research I find the main contributing factor to this behavior from the church, sparks from a lack of knowledge. It is our job as christian's to be knowledgeable in what the Word of God teaches us on all matters of life in this world. Without this knowledge we will become victim to a very powerful enemy. This enemy thrives off a lack of knowledge and understanding. It makes it easier for him to do what he does best, divide and conquer God's children. Our lack of knowledge on the matter of judgment is very helpful in his strategy to divide. If we believe in Christ, then the first step in our growth must be on absorbing His words and applying them to our everyday lives. If your a christian, it is your duty to know and understand the scriptures and in doing so you will see your habits of the past, the destructive ones, begin to disappear from your lifestyle. You will also begin to notice, how once before you would have judged someone for something, and now instead all you feel is a love over that person, no matter the circumstance. Until you reach this point in your walk, much scripture and prayer is needed.

The second type of judgement I often hear of today, is when a church member judges a non believer because of an action or remark that they have made. In taking part in this practice, you not only shrug off the love of God which was put inside of you through the Holy Spirit, but also close off any possibility of unveiling the truth of this life and the lusts of the world that once also consumed you, to that person. For scripture teaches "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle" (Proverbs 18:19) If we judge someone we are automatically assuming that we are right and they are wrong. This then gives off the perception that we are better then them. Not a very good feeling especially from someone who claims to be a christian. A better approach is to view a non church member as Jesus referred to us, as lost sheep in need of a Good Shepard. We are to, out of love, show and lead unbelievers to the Gospel so that they may find life. For those that are out there acting in their worldly lusts, taking part in the worldly desires that we all once sought after, look upon them with love and hope, for that was once each and every one of us. They are doing what they are supposed to do in fulfilling the scripture over and over again. Once a child of God steps into their life, with the love of God guiding them, that person's eyes will be opened and they will realize their own faults.

Which brings me to my next and last point. Examine yourself daily, hourly, minutely, to be sure that you are living out your belief. Paul speaks about examining yourself as a good tool for removing the habit of judging others"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged"(1 Corinthians 11:31) Everyone is different and has different flaws and habits that they partake in. Utilize that fact to your advantage by gauging yourself on how accepting you are of others. Now I'm not saying to invite a murder to your home, nor to run with bad company. When applying the words of the Bible we must always remember that the Bible is a collective work, and is to be taken into and applied as a whole, and not in just one individual verse or paragraph. In order to achieve this one must study daily and ask God for the ability to obtain those words in their hearts and minds at all times, so they may be able to defend against the wiles of the enemy. I will be going deeper into the art of self examination in my next post. If you have any questions or comments I would love to have a intelligent conversation with you on this topic. Drop me a line and let me know. And remember, get in those SCRIPTURES!!!

The False Reality of Self

2011-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

As I woke up this mourning, I couldn't help but feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff I have going on in life right now. Between my job which is very demanding, my dream, which I am far from achieving, and my obligations, that seem to never end, I begin to think, when will this end. We all have so much going on in our lives and have so many dreams that we hope to accomplish, sometimes its hard to get a grasp of direction in this life. I guess what I'm getting at is, in this day and age, whether your single and in college, married and have a family, or even in a tedious career, there is alot of weight on your shoulders.

That's how I have been feeling lately. I think it is in result of a unresolved issue that is so hard to put my finger on. Its the issue of self. We all only experience one reality, and that is our own reality. In this reality there is only one person(you) going through your days, and completing your objectives, but doing so alone. Its easy to feel like this. In this day and age, everyone is concerned more about themselves than anything else going on. Hence why the world is in complete and utter disaster. You see this life has become a yoke over all of our backs. This yoke is the worldly things that we are so passionate about obtaining. I wont bore you with examples but I will say, its a never ending battle. We are so caught up with trying to make it in this world, that we forget that we are not alone.

Like I was saying earlier, Ive been having that "alone feeling". Now, as I write this, I can truely say we are not alone in this battle. We have been given more help then we need, if we would only just ask for it. This help will always be there, and you will never be refused, if you just ask for it. If your a spiritual person you know what I am refering to. If your not, no worries. Your eyes are about to be opened to the single most important resourse you could ever imagine being on your side. This is the resourse of the Holy Spirit. He is the Comforter. He is your Counsler. He is your guide in this very confusing and corrupt world that you are sent to live in for the time being. During my times of feeling overwhelmed, I often think back to what it says in the scripture about the matter "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14:18). If we believe that the scripture is true, than we know that in times of feeling lonely and overwhelmed by the worldly tasks that are trying to keep us down, we can call out for help from the Holy Spirit. He will reveal to us which path is the correct path through revelation and confirmation. I have found this to be the single most undeniable truth when it comes to our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

So if you are in a place now, where your vision is clouded, and your overwhelmed by all of your worldly duties, take 10 minutes out of your day, and call out for help from God, He can hear you. You can't get help if you've never asked for it. Who better to ask help from then the one who "gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth"(Proverbs 8:29). He told us "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you"(Matthew 7:7) so that we would know that the Helper that we truely need, is never far from us. With that being said, keep in mind that we talk to the Lord through our hearts and our actions, and He communicates to us instruction and understanding through His Word(The Bible) and confirmation which is based off circumstances you are in. Trust in The Lord before all things and He will take the weight of this world of your shoulders, so that you may rejoice in His Grace.