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There's a man who I consider a friend named Brian Hardin.  I've spoken of him before in this blog because he is responsible for the Daily Audio Bible and Daily Audio Proverb podcasts.  It's perfect for today's busy society because people can throw it on an iPod and listen at work or in the car or while just walking through the day. 

Recently, Brian told a story about his father who was a pastor and how his father had an impact on his life.  In that story, he shared about how his father's aunt had been the one that lead his father to Christ which led to the impact on Brian's life and how it's all connected together.   It was a great reminder to me that we do things every single day that plant seeds where God can grow people into many different parts of the body of Christ.  It's not you and I who can make the growth...that's only God...but we have to plant the seeds and water them. 

It's a lesson that can easily be missed in 1 Corinthians during the passage where Paul is warning against divisions in the church.  In the midst of his teaching on the subject, he says in 1 Corinthians 3:6 (ESV):

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."

It's a pattern that's been here since Jesus himself walked the Earth.  Someone plants the seed of God's truth by sharing the gospel with them.  Other people come alongside that person to water the seed by talking about the gospel and working through questions the person has about the gospel.  God provides those opportunities for people to be His light in the world...and what makes a plant grow?  Light!

I think of Brian and the seeds that he plants daily through the DAB and DAP.  I know that he's planted seeds in my life because I start every morning listening to the DAB and having God's word planted within me.  There have been over seven million downloads of Brian's podcast and that's over seven million seeds that have been planted by Brian.  So to take Brian's chain further, his aunt led his dad to Christ...that's one on one.  His father was a pastor to several churches and planted seeds in thousands of lives including his son Brian.  Now Brian has planted over seven million seeds and in most cases he'll never see the growth that God is going to bring although I hope that today if he sees this blog he'll know that God's grown seeds he's planted here.

So today when you're talking to a friend about Christ or you give a sandwich to a homeless person or when you stuff envelopes to raise money for the church's muffin bake sale you're planting a seed that someday might bring a harvest seven million fold. 

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For a few months I've been sending financial support to a great ministry based near Dallas, Texas named "Set Them Free Ministries."  This ministry, headed by Sandy Stiles, is aimed at reaching the women in prisons around the Dallas area with the truth of Christ and the fact they can be set free of their chains even behind bars.  It's a wonderful ministry and while it works to help women that are a half day's drive from my home I've wholeheartedly supported it because of what they do and because the Lord led me to support them.

I never thought I'd have the chance to meet Sandy or anyone associated with the program.  Suddenly this Sunday I had to go to Dallas on a business trip!  I had the honor today of meeting Sandy and two of the ladies who've come through her program and are embarking on new lives in Christ.  It was so inspiring to sit and listen to their stories and just soak up their excitement for the Lord.  Their fire was out of control and it was something wonderful to see.  I was so encouraged when I left that meeting and felt such a rush in my spirit.

On the main page for Set Them Free Ministries' website, they have this verse from Isaiah:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." - Isaiah 61:1 (ESV)

It's very clear that God has called Sandy to bring the good news to these women who are in prison.  Held captive by the state as a pennance for their sins against society. 

However, look deeper at that verse and look at what comes before the proclaiming of liberty or the opening of the prison.  You are being sent to bind up the brokenhearted.  Those who are wounded on the inside as much or more than their outside.  There's no question the women that Sandy reaches in those prisons are broken in many ways and the healing of their hearts is the first step to their realizing true freedom.

Now, you may say that's great for Sandy but why should I care about that?  Simply because we're all called to do what Sandy is doing in our lives in different ways.  The binding of broken hearts can be done to your neighbor who just lost a child or a sister who just had a divorce or the guy from church who lost a job.  All of those people can feel imprisoned by the struggles and pain of life and you can be the hands and feet of God to show His love and help bind the broken hearts and set those captives free of that pain. 

Like Sandy, you can help set captives free.

Also you could take some time to go into prisons yourself and reach out to men and women behind bars.  I know Sandy would be happy to give you some advice on how to start your own prison ministry in your community.

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Recently, former NBA player Charles Barkley said on CNN that "conservatives are “fake Christians,” that conservatives are hypocritical because “they’re not supposed to judge other people…They act like Christians, but they are not forgiving at all.”"  Now, I'm not going to go into the political side of it but Barkley is distorting scripture by being judicious in his words and trying to tie someone's actions into the person themselves.

It does raise the question...is a Christian justified in judging the actions of someone else? 

There are times in our Christian walk where someone is taking an action that is against the Word of God.  Many times, when you point that out to them you'll be quoted completely out of context Matthew 7:1 (ESV):

"Judge not, that you not be judged."

While completely ignoring Matthew 7:2 (ESV):

"For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."

Basically, what these two verses are saying is not the claims of many people who don't want to stop a sinful action.  It's not saying that you're not supposed to judge the actions these people are taking.  In fact, it's doing just the opposite.  It's saying that if you want to be judged by God's holy law...meaning you know that you sin and that you can only obtain forgiveness through Jesus Christ...then you have the right to look at a sinful act in someone else's life and judge it as sin.  It's saying that you need to have no delusions that you commit sins every single day and that just like that person whom you're looking at in judging their actions.  You too have things that people can judge in your life.

When you get to that state that you realize you are sinful then you harbor no illusions about the one source of forgiveness...Jesus Christ.  You also realize clearly that the person who is committing the sinful activity needs that forgiveness just as much as you need it.

But here's the key...this does not mean you ignore the sinful actions this person is taking and it does not mean you let them "have a pass" on that sin.

It's damaging to Christianity when a Charles Barkley or other famous person takes the lesson of Matthew 7:1-2 out of context in this manner in the media.  It makes it appear that a Christian is to never say anything about a sin that another person is committing or they're judgmental and hateful and as Barkley said "fake Christians." 

Many churches and Christian leaders have fallen into the same trap by claiming that Christians shouldn't say anything about sin in someone else's life because "Jesus is love" and "Jesus accepted everyone."  I would ask those people this question...did Jesus accept the Pharisees without calling them out for the actions they were taking that were against God?  No!  Jesus called them out for their sinful actions in front of others all the time.  So how can you say that we who are supposed to be like Christ are forbidden from doing the same thing when we recognize our sinful state and put our faith in Him who is without sin?

It's just important to remember we're talking about the actions a person takes and not the person themselves.  When Barkley said that we're not supposed to judge other people he was literally correct but the meaning he was trying to convey was incorrect because he tied it to forgiveness and you can't forgive a person but rather forgive actions that person has taken. 

I know he's a very opinionated man but I hope Charles Barkley will take some time to look at the whole of that passage and realize what is really being said there is not about blanket forgiveness of everything without judging that it's wrong.  (In a sense, how can you forgive unless you deem an action to be wrong in the first place?)  In your day today, before you jump to a judgment, ask yourself if you're judging the action or trying to tie someone's action into who a person is themselves.  It's hard to do at first but once you start to separate the sin from the sinner you will find that God can work in your life in ways you never imagined.

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Many times I've listened to sermons about how we're to meet the needs of those in our family, our church, our community, our country and our world when they face a time of challenge.  You see groups asking for donations of food and clothing and money for "those in need" around the world.  You see telethons on TV for needy children or after some major natural disasters like Katrina in New Orleans.

Usually those sermons or those pitches for Christians to give and give and give have some mention of this passage from 1 John:

"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:17-18 (ESV)

Certainly we are to go into the world and put our words into action.  There's no question that we are to provide the physical needs of those facing dire consequences or who are just down on their luck.  However, I think the concept of the "needs" of others goes far beyond the things we can see, purchase and package.  I think the concept of need has to be about the whole person and not just about the stuff you can give them.

There are so many people around you right now with emotional needs that are bigger than any physical need you could fill today.  These are people who are being overcome with feelings of loneliness, despair, hurt or abandonment.  Even those who are in Christ can feel this way and it can lead them to do things they would not ordinarily do like be an a bad relationship or drink alcohol to excess.  When the need of companionship and human caring isn't met many things can be done by a person to try and self-medicate.  This is a dangerous situation because it leads to addictions, health problems and in some cases suicide.

These needs aren't always easy to see...in some cases they can be almost impossible.  I think of the times a teenager commits suicide and you see their friends walking around wondering why and saying they had no idea this person was so in despair that they ended their life.  Now, I'm not passing judgment on anyone because this is a hypothetical but I wonder in those cases how many of the people left in wonder really knew what was going on with that person?   Were they invested enough in that person's life to even realize that they made have made subtle changes to their life? 

Not everyone is the kind of person who lays all their emotions out enough that you can get a good read on them from being around them.  There are many times they keep things inside until it eats away at them to the point they do something unspeakable.  That can happen even to the most devout Christians who just pour themselves out into others without ever having brothers and sisters in Christ pouring back into them.

It's just like in Genesis 2:18:

"Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.""

We are the helpers of each other and we need to look to the needs of everyone around us and that includes their emotional needs.  It could be as simple as a phone call.  Maybe when you go to lunch you grab a sandwich for that co-worker who's on a deadline and can't leave the office.  You call a friend from church just to see how they're doing.  Talk to that girl in English class that sits in the back and doesn't have many friends.

Caring about others is simple and easy.  (Now, the situation may make it hard to keep going but to care in itself is simple and easy.)  How can you make a difference and meet someone's needs today?

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Disappointment and anger.  Isn't it amazing how the two always seem to go hand in hand?  You look forward to some event or meeting some person and when it doesn't work out as you plan you feel a sense of disappointment.  That disappointment feeds upon itself many times and leads to anger at the person or the thing that you were looking so forward to meeting or seeing.

It's really unfair to the people or things that we're putting on the pedestal because you're going to then have bad feelings directed toward them when it's likely not their fault your grand scheme didn't come to be.  Take for example rock star preacher Rob Bell.  I don't call him a rock star because he has a giant ego or because he drives a fancy car or wears suits that cost more than you or I likely make in a month.  I call him a rock star because everywhere he goes to speak there are thousands of people there to listen and try to connect with him.  There really is no way that he could take the time with each person who comes to a service where he's speaking.  There's not enough time in the day.

Add to it the world of e-mail, cell phones, letters, faxes and you can easily imagine that Bell has a schedule filled from the minute he wakes in the morning until he finally gets to sleep at night.  I would be willing to bet on many days there are things that go on around him that people want him to see or hear that never make it to him because he's focused on what he feels led to do that day or his staff screens it from him so he can be focused on what he needs to do that day.

Now, say you really felt like you had a question that you needed to ask him or that you wanted to seek his advice on an issue.  After all, he's a man of God and he appears to have a gift of wisdom so it would make sense that he could be a source of advice. Yes, you have a local pastor and you have Godly friends but you know that Rob Bell is the guy you need to speak to on the matter.

So you e-mail his church and receive an automated response that says they received your message and that someone will get back to you.  Days go by and you don't receive a response.  So you send another e-mail and get the same automated response.  You feel disappointment because your e-mails were sent to some generic mailbox and you received nothing back from Bell.

Then you find out that Bell will be speaking at an event a few hours from your house so you buy tickets and go thinking that there will be a time to meet him and you can ask your big question.  You get to the event and it's a great service with wonderful music and Bell delivers a strong message.  You rush to the merchandise table to pick up a copy of his book "Velvet Elvis" with hopes he can sign it while answering your question.  You wait, you wait and then finally the merch person says that Bell had to catch a plane and was running late so he left and they apologize.

Now, you're disappointed again.  This time, you feel like you went above and beyond the call.  You even bought another copy of that stupid book and you wasted all that gas and do you know how expensive gas is these days?  You could go on and on and that disappointment now spins into anger toward the oil companies, the publishing company, the church that hosted the event, toward Bell and then eventually to God. 

At this point, many Christians or pastors would quote you Ephesians 4:26:

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger." (ESV)

However, I want to look at it in a different direction.  While that verse would apply and you shouldn't let your disappointment turn into anger that you hold against anyone else I want you to stop and think that perhaps meeting Rob Bell is not God's plan for you.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

I know I use this verse in many different blogs but I think it's because that one verse has such depth to it beyond just the surface of saying God has a plan for your life.  We cannot know the full scope of those plans and those plans might take everything in a different direction that we ever imagined. 

Let's take the Bell example a little further.  On the way home from that rally you stop at a Wendy's for a Monterey Ranch Chicken Sandwich.  Because you're so angry at Bell and the church and the drive and the fact you have to wait more than 60 seconds to get your food that you completely miss the young woman sitting alone at a booth crying and looking at the chicken nuggets on the tray on front of her.  You grab your food and don't even bother to sit down with it because you just want to get home in your anger.  Out the door you go, into the car and off to the highway ignoring God's voice screaming at you to pay attention.

Pay attention to what?  To what God's plans were for you in this whole situation.  That girl was sitting there thinking about ending her life because her boyfriend ran off with her sister and she felt like she's lost her love and her family all in one night.  She was sitting there trying to think of reasons not to do it.  Praying to God for someone who would just sit down and show her kindness.  God chose you to do it.  You decided it would be better to slowly rip the pages out of Rob Bell's book while hoping there were no refreshments on his plane ride. 

God's plans are so far above what we can conceive and I believe that God would take us and put us in a situation like I described just so you could be in that Wendy's at that moment to be His voice, His hands, His feet.  Now think about it...would everything you had faced and all the disappointment that your plans didn't work out be worth it?

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 I have a question.  Well, multiple questions.  Would you die for your children?  If you're a parent, you would probably answer yes.  What about your parents?  Again, most people would probably say yes but you'd likely see more say no than you would to their children.

What about your spouse?  Given today's divorce rate, I don't think we could say as many people would answer yes to that question as they would to children or parents. 

Now...what about Britney Spears?  Would you die for Britney Spears?  Probably not a high number for old Britney.

Would you die for a terrorist who plotted the 9/11 attacks?   How about the guy that just cut you off in traffic?   What if you had the chance to die to save the life of Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler or Ted Bundy?  I would bet the number for that is almost zero.

That's the message Paul was trying to convey to us when he spoke of Jesus' sacrifice in Romans:

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." - Romans 5:6-11 (ESV)

When we talk about the joy of our salvation to our Christian brothers and sisters we often talk of Christ's sacrifice but I wonder how often we really think of the depth of it.  We admit that we're sinners (well, most of us admit it) and we talk about Jesus paid the price for our sins.  The word "sinners" is always used but if you look that the passage in Romans the word "enemies" is used as well.  We were enemies of God when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. 

Think of what happens to an enemy during a war when one side has the overwhelming power to destroy at will.  The enemy is wiped off the face of the Earth because the stronger power doesn't need to show mercy.  That is where we were!  Yet instead of showing no mercy, God showed us the ultimate mercy and let His son pay the penalty for our sins so that we went from enemies to allies.  We have reconciled with Him who we wronged (namely, God) and we can rejoice that we no longer are under the danger of being destroyed as an enemy of God.

When you stop to think that in terms of the law you and I were worse in God's sight than Hitler it really helps bring into perspective the sacrifice of Jesus.

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I was listening to today's podcast of the Daily Audio Bible and the incident between Jesus and a demon possessed man in Mark really leapt out of the speakers. 

"And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and ^fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  ^I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea." - Mark 5:2-13(ESV)

Look at the number of the pigs...two thousand.  Stop and think about that number of pigs.  Two thousand pigs.  Let's say the average length of a pig is 3 feet.  That would be six thousand feet of pig.  That's over a one mile long line of pig with some left over.  That's a lot of pigs.

There were enough demons within that one man to go into a herd of pigs that size and cause them all to go insane and rush into the lake and drown themselves.

That's power whether you want to admit it or not.

Now, as Jesus showed, God's power surpasses even the greatest display of power that Satan or his minions can bring to the table.  Still, it's important to realize that we're talking about great spiritual power and it's something that was too much for that possessed man to handle on his own. 

I know many who want to dismiss the idea of spiritual warfare and deny there are angels and demons all around us.  Yet as Jesus showed clearly there is power out there being weilded by Satan and his minions and we need to acknowledge that power is out there and that it can be too much for us to handle without Jesus standing right there beside us.

If you're someone who is "dabbling" with the "dark arts" and things like Ouija Boards or other things realize what it is you're dealing with and the power you could be unleashing against you.  Focus on God and the things of God and you won't end up like that demon possessed man who couldn't hold off Legion.

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I don't get very political in this blog but I was struck by a verse in Proverbs that I think would be very relevant to political discourse in America today:

"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." - Proverbs 18:2 (ESV)

When I sit and listen to people discussing politics, I don't hear very many people who are interested in understanding.  It seems to be about talking points and speaking louder than anyone else with your opinion.  In light of that Scripture, it makes you wonder about the people who only parrot what a candidate or talk radio host or local party leader tells them to say on the issues.   When they can't engage substantively on the issues because they don't know the issues.

I know some Christian leaders who say that it's not a Christian's place to be involved in politics or to even vote because "Jesus didn't do that."  Well, as I've written before, there wasn't the opportunity for Jesus to do that when He was alive.  You can't say He wouldn't have voted because there's no way to know it for sure.  Jesus DID pay taxes so He did do things that involved the government of his day.

"Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.? Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." - Matthew 22:15-21 (ESV)

In America, citizens are expected to vote and voice their opinions in the political arena.  That was part of the founding of the nation...that the citizens would have a say in their government.  That means you, as a Christian, have an obligation to speak your beliefs when presented the opportunity and to vote...thereby rendering unto an American's Caesar (the government) what you are to give them.

However, as the verse from Proverbs says, unless we get educated on the issues and what's going on around us we will look like fools.  If you can only repeat what a pastor or commentator or politican has told you then you aren't prepared to make a wise decision and render unto Caesar what is expected.

It's time to take pleasure in understanding and to do that you need to be educated on the issues.  Take the time to dig around and read what others have had to say, investigate claims and make up your own mind based on what you've learned about how Jesus says we are to live.  In that, you will avoid being a Christian fool.

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I had an interesting thought this morning about this passage in Luke:

"And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” - Luke 5:31-32 (ESV)

I thought about how many times I've heard that verse used in sermons to illustrate the fact Jesus was talking about reaching those who realized their fallen state and their sinful nature while taking a  jab at the religious leaders of the day.  Today I had a completely different perspective on it in that I looked at it almost literally.

How often do we know that we're not sick?  We might have high blood pressure or an unusually shaped mole or a lump in our breast.  All of these things we don't see unless we have regular checkups with our physician.  I think the same kind of situation could happen to us spiritually if we don't take the time to have check ups with our Great Physician.

For example, you might be involved in a ministry taking care of the hungry in your town.  You spend so much time doing that you neglect your prayer life or your time in fellowship for this ministry.  Then you start gaining praise from those around you and those in the community for your efforts.  Suddenly you've gone from the focus on God and doing things that He commands us to do (namely, love others as ourselves) and put the focus completely on you.  You're sick with a pride issue but unless you get checked up with God you'll end up with a full blown illness that might destroy the ministry or more in your life.

Just like a check with a doctor can stop a small problem before it becomes a big problem so too can a check up with God keep a small spiritual issue from becoming a big problem.  How do you have that check up?  Pray.  Read the Bible.  Sing some praise songs.  Just make an appointment daily and check in with Him!

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A Friday Quick Hit:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

Sometimes when you see that list you think "well, I have some of those but not all of those."  Sometimes it can make you question whether or not you're listening to God and feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Remember you're not perfect.  You're human.  You're going to make mistakes.  While there may be times you have all of those things on display through your actions many times you'll slip up.  It doesn't mean you're out of God's will, it doesn't mean He's taken his favor from you and it doesn't mean the Spirit has gone away.  It means you made a mistake or you just missed His leading on something.  Forgive yourself, ask forgiveness of others if you need it and move on.  God's not going to hold it against you.

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This blog piggy-backs on yesterday's main blog.  The sins we commit that are against our bodies in various ways can sometimes seem overwhelming and something we can't get rid of in our lives.  Yet...

"What shall we say then? ^Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can ^we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us ^who have been baptized ^into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were ^buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as ^Christ was raised from the dead by ^the glory of the Father, we too might walk in ^newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." - Romans 6:1-7 (ESV)

If you've accepted Christ then you've died to sin.  Whatever is standing there and it seems like a mountain that just won't move...overeating, alcoholism, sexual sins...none of them can stand in the light of the truth of Christ.  You don't even have to stand like some super strong warrior against it either!

"He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”" - Matthew 17:20 (ESV)

A mustard seed is tiny!  Yet with faith like that you can do incredible things and move the mountains out of your way that are blocking your path to holiness.  So trust in God's power and cling to that faith whether it's the size of a mustard seed or a Buick. 

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I know I usually only do one a day but this verse hit me and I felt like I had to share.

"The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." - Psalm 34:10 (ESV)

How many times have we said we've been seeking the Lord but we don't get the "good thing" we have been praying He would bring us?  Could it be that the "good thing" according to God isn't what we define as a "good thing"?

I want to see things the way He sees it.  I think we all need to strive to reach that point.  However, that's going to require we re-evaluate what we may think are good and bad things.  It's also going to mean we need complete trust in the Lord that if we're seeking Him that everything...whether good or bad in the eyes of the world....is a good thing.

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I had a pastor approach me yesterday to seek advice regarding a situation involving one of their congregants.  It was a particular sin that this pastor had not really had experience in terms of dealing with someone fighting it.  He asked me places to go for advice and resources and I happily provided all the help I could so that this pastor's church member could be set free of that sin.

It made me think of all the times we as people do things that harm ourselves in one way or the other for the sake of pleasure.  I'm not just talking about sexual pleasure...although that is part it...but rather anything we do that makes us feel happy at the expense of being who we're supposed to be.

I think the biggest one that I would say a majority of Christians face is overeating.  Food is good, food is necessary and it can taste REALLY good sometimes.  Many people find comfort in food so that when they're depressed or lonely they eat far more than necessary and as a result get fat. 

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." - Romans 12:1 (ESV)

If we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice then we need to make sure our bodies are not only in the best shape possible but also use it in a manner that is not dishonorable to God.  We're to present ourselves ALL the time...not just Sundays and Wednesday nights.  God doesn't say anywhere that you can have Thursday afternoons off to do whatever you want with your body. 

All of us...yes, all....have something in their lives that we do which is not honoring to God with our bodies.  It could be something you never considered like drinking excess amounts of diet soda which causes high blood pressure.  It might be eating way too many pieces of candy and getting fat.  Whatever your particular challenge may be you have to realize that it's not more than what the world will say about your weight or your food choices at dinner.  It's about what God says and about honoring Christ with our bodies.

Likewise..if you diet too much or starve yourself in an attempt to be as thin as the world thinks you should be thin then you're dishonoring God as well.  God doesn't want you to be so frail and thin that every bone in your body is perfectly clear through your skin.  You have muscles and tendons and other parts of your body that require nourishiment that comes from eating food. 

You need to find out what is right for your body to stay fit and healthy without going too far in either direction.  In that, you're giving your body to Christ as a living sacrifice because along the way you'll have to sacrifice your desires (like another piece of cake or passing on a meal to fit into that miniskirt) to have a temple of the Holy Spirit suited for Him to dwell.

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I didn't plan to write a quick hit today but when I saw this verse I smiled and realized I just had to share it without much embellishment:

"He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success." - Job 5:12 (ESV)

I think of the days before I knew Christ and was part of all kinds of schemes and plots in life.  Every single time I thought my plans would come to fruition something always happened to thwart them especially if a Christian was involved.  After coming to Christ, I've seen times where God has protected me from the crafty. 

So basically, if you're working on some plot to go after another believer realize God is watching and He will frustrate your devices.

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One of the hardest things about being a former porn addict is supporting ministries that help people with addictions or who help bring women out of the sex industry and lifestyle.  Now, you might not think it's hard for the reason I'm about to list.  It's not because these women make me think lustful thoughts.  It's not that it puts me in a place where I might be exposed to pornography or stripping or other things about the sex industry.  It's because you work with these ministries and develop a level of trust that the people running it are acting with the interests of the people the minister to first and foremost in their mind.

For example, there is a ministry I supported that brings women out of the porn business, exposes the truth about it and provides information and support to addicts.  A worthy ministry, right?  Absolutely.  It's vital these ministries exist.  Part of their ministry is a website and blogs from the founder of the ministry that detail the horrors of the porn business and talk with actresses that come out of the business.   Often, we're asked to add them to MySpace or to send them messages of encouragement as they've left the sex industry behind them.

Recently, one of these posts went up mentioning a porn actress that I was very familiar with during my addiction days.  She was one of the top three actresses that I would seek out because of her performing style.  When I saw this, my heart leapt with joy because I thought she had left the business completely behind and possibly was now a believer in Christ.  (I asked on that blog if she was but no one ever answered