Genies

I know, you've heard it a thousand times: "don't pray just to ask for junk".

It gets pretty boring after a while, like watching the same news reel 40 different times in 40 different ways on YouTube. But maybe I can show it to you in a different light.

God is not your "Genie in a bottle". He is there for more than just material blessings. God wants to use your prayer times to encourage you, to show you his plans and even give you spiritual blessings at times.

God wants to meet with you, not get bombarded with your latest 50 "so-called" needs. He wants to talk to like a Friend or a Father. Why don't we share that same passion?

I'll admit it gets hard to talk with someone when they don't audibly talk back. For me, God usually talks in object lessons. Like the parables Jesus shared, God gives me story or examples to show what He's trying to say. I've  even received a vision from God. If you talk to him he'll talk back, just listen for it.

I really feel this is a hot topic among Christians these days. Mainly because we see how busy everyone is and how easily God gets put on the back burner. I should warn you not to take note of those who tell you how you should pray. Follow the Word of God's instruction on how to pray:

"... This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: 

   Our Father in heaven, 
   Reveal who you are. 
   Set the world right; 
   Do what's best— as above, so below. 
   Keep us alive with three square meals. 
   Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. 
   Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. 
   You're in charge! 
   You can do anything you want! 
   You're ablaze in beauty! 
      Yes. Yes. Yes."

-Matthew 6:7-13 (the Message)

Jesus is very reverent but simple when He talks with God. Many show-off christians will pray loud and publicly:

"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?"

-Matthew 6:5

Does that mean that when someone at the altar call is crying or talking aloud to God that they are trying to show off how spiritual they are. In most cases, no. That is a time of serious humility. In those moments their faces are usually covered and shame is written all over their faces. A "theatrical" prayer is loud and over drawn (OOOOOOH LORD! Give me a SIGN!).

God would rather we pray as such:

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace."

-Matthew 6:6

See? God doesn't want a show but a friend. A one-on-one time. A Father-to-son talk. A lover-to-lover discussion. God just loves being with you. And the more you're with Him, the easier it becomes, the more He shows you, and eventually you take more out of your prayers than just earthly stuff.

Pointless debates

Hey guys, I'm back!

I've been following the blog for author Steven James lately. His blog recently gave a link for a debate on Christianity. These are usually very interesting to me, but this one disgusted me. Both people's knowledge of the subject was rather low. Of the hour-and-a-half of video there was, I watched only 40 minutes max.

Allow me to offer my opinion on these points. This could get interesting...

But before I do, let me say this: God asked Job "What makes you think you can understand me? Can you hold the stars in your hand?" This was an edited version by yours truly, but very close to the actual words (he names a specific constellation that I can't spell though). Look it up in Job. What God means is human logic will never amount to awesome mind of our Creator. God knows things we wont and His ways are usually unexplainable until you look back on them and the following events.

On to the discussion:

The Atheist said that Christianity is immoral. He said this because the cure for man's sin was "a man's death."

I'm going to confuse you who are trying to read this logically now. Jesus was 100% man and 100% God. I had the same thought you're probably having right now the first time I heard this. There's no way to be over 100% unless you change the scale. That's what Jesus did, he was the impossible. He is supernatural! Jesus was God before He came to earth, He was God on earth, He is God now in Heaven. He was only man on earth. So it was not inhumane or immoral to kill Jesus for our sins but, as the Bible so plainly puts it, the only way.

He also said that scientists now have a better theory or explanation for Creation. Here's the old one: Some micro-organisms popped out of nowhere, banded together, and created a force so magnificent that it exploded with a "Big Bang" and created the planets in our universe.

Here's the new one: There was obviously an intelligent creator but we don't know who.

I rest my case on this one. (If you really don't know leave a comment and I'll get back with you)

Next, he said that before the Jewish people got to Mount Sinai they thought that violence, adultery, and thievery were okay. He asked at what time does your morality set in and you feel like you've done something wrong?

Mount Sinai is were God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. This was the law, the don'ts list, the no-no sheet... er... stone. Before the law was given they didn't know. God didn't think he had to tell them. When you get a drink and you set it on the table and your 2-year-old picks it up and drinks it, has he done wrong? Yes. Did he know? No. Does he know now? If you're like me then you bet he does! In my opinion, God thought it was obvious not to do these things.

I liked how the Atheist said that they "wandered around" doing these things. He obviously didn't know they were walking in circles because they didn't follow God's road map. They kept that left turn going like a bad Nascar race. Only they didn't make it interesting by flipping over. Although some did die of the heat I doubt it was as entertaining. (I've really gotta stop these bad Bible jokes.)

The Atheist then said that we basically only believe this way to make ourselves feel better. As if we've created this fairy-tale simply to get a warm and fuzzy feeling. But being a Christian is anything but a nice feeling all the time. We are pressured, ridiculed, teased, and considered unintelligent because we have found the truth. Beyond physical pressures, I don't think he knows what it feels like to enter the throne room of God, by simply closing our eyes, just to fill Him in on the latest crime we've committed against Him. I only feel a warm and fuzzy feeling with God when I sit down and give Him praise, in fact that usually the only time I'm feeling really well.

I'd love to see anyone who thinks our religion gives us a fairy-tale happiness wear the label "Christian" for a week, following all the things we do (go to church, pray, read the Bible, be cautious not to sin, be a good example for others to follow). Oh what an awakening will occur.

SIDE NOTE:

Would you be able to wear a christian t-shirt and openly sin? Think of all the names you'd get called by other Christians. How soon do we judge others over showing compassion and lending help. (note: this was not an idea you should try as an excuse to sin.)

I got really steamed at the Atheist when he used the Muslims and Jews in his debate as if they were branches of Christianity. Jews don't believe the Christ ever came most gave up hope of his coming at all. The Muslims want to kill Christians for our dirty acts and yet theirs are part of their religion (such as having all the wives they want, having children with servants/whores, and abusing their wives for so much as looking at another fully clothed man!)

He also used the Bible and Koran in alteration. But the Bible is the only infallible religious text, and the Koran has many faults in it's continuity. This man attacked the "author" (as he said, though we know it was many authors) of the Bible as being extremely "lazy" in His writing. Though the Bible has no fault and he didn't list any that he supposedly found (at least he better have to make such a ridiculous comment) he still found this worthy of mentioning.

The Christian for this debate was no more impressive than that Atheist. His ability to focus on the points he had to argue was shockingly low. He began his 10 minute rebutle (sp?) to the Atheist's 20 minute lecture by sharing his life story.

I kid you not, his opening words were about his admiration for his opponent, then after that his next sentence started with "I grew up in Northern Ireland...".

Something as important as this subject should not be taken lightly. I wouldn't put it in a debate setting for the world. If I'm to defend my God I will do so without worrying about my opponents ego or his feelings. If you diss my God you diss me, and I don't take that lightly.

A pointless debate in my opinion is one where both sides are weak or where one side is weaker than the other. If I have to sit through an hour-and-a-half debate it better be good.

Take a stand for your God, your Creator, your Lover in a way as simple as C. S, Lewis did: I believe the sun has risen not because I see it, because I can now see everything else. He wrote awesome things to help people see the purpose, and the reason, and the necessity of belief in God.  

Or do something as extreme as showing people in a rather polite but firm and determined way that God is what He's said He is, and I am no retard for believing in Him!