What The Banks Have Taught Me About Redemption

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There have been quite a number of times when bank personnel asked me something I didn’t understand. It’s because they use familiar terms but with meanings I don’t usually encounter everyday like, maturity, principal, interest, etc… So I would often ask for clarification when I don’t understand something.

Once, I was about to close an account. The lady teller asked me, “Are you going to redeem the amount sir?”

I didn’t quite grasp what she meant. I know about depositing money and withdrawing it. But redeeming it? That was the first time I gave the term a thought. So I asked for her to clarify.

“I meant are you going to close the account, sir, and withdraw the whole amount?” she explained.

I understood what she meant right away. But at the same time, it felt like a bright spotlight turned on in my mind and focused on one word. I never looked at the word Redemption in the same way again.

Young believers like me (okay, that may not be accurate) throw around the word Redeem without giving it much thought. We describe the Lord Jesus as the Redeemer and assume that it is just the same as Saviour. But that time in the bank made me understand more what the Lord has done for us.

To be redeemed is to be taken ownership of.

Merriam-Webster defines redeem as “to buy back”. In the case of my money in the bank, before I took it, the bank was free to use it as it pleased. I had no control over it. All I had was a piece of booklet proving that I entrusted the money to the bank with the intention of getting it back one day. All I had was paper with ink on it. The money wasn’t really in my hands. If the bank closed for whatever reason, it will take my money down the drain with it.

Once I withdrew the amount, the money was no longer under the control of the bank. The money had been redeemed. And I am the money’s Redeemer. The money will no longer be spent according to the bank’s whim. It will be, from that point on, be used for my pleasure according to my wisdom. No matter how bad the economy gets, my money is safe with me.

Friend, that’s what Christ did for you. He has redeemed you from the world that had used you like a filthy rag all those years. When you surrendered your life to Jesus, your Redeemer came and he told the world, “This person is mine now and will spend the remaining days of his life according to my pleasure. You have no control over this person anymore.”

Whether you were an awful prostitute or an arrogant bigot in the past, once the Redeemer comes into your heart, things will change. It has to if your faith is genuine. Things will be different. You will, one day, suddenly realize that you are living a life you never knew you could. You will understand that the things you spent so much of your life on in the past, are nothing compared to being in the Redeemer’s warm, clean hands.

Have you been redeemed by the Redeemer? Are you living life knowing that the world around you has no control over you anymore? Or are you still just like everybody else, just one of the cold, filthy currency the world is using?

Adrenaline Christians

Image by Public Domain

Every new thing today is faster than its predecessor. Few, or maybe no products are made to slow things down anymore. Humanity thirsts and craves for things that would shrink the world further and speed up results. And this thirst seems insatiable.

The new PCs, laptops, smartphones, motorcyles, cars, etc… are so much faster and smarter. And the telecoms, internet service providers, microprocessor- and engine-makers have no choice but to adapt and come up with designs and systems that maximize the capacity of these machines.

What I also notice is how we Christians seem to be readily applying this trend of the world in the Church and on the people around us. Indeed, we are unlikely people set apart to preach His gospel to every broken soul we encounter. However, we serve a God who created time & space, right? And we serve Him who holds everything, every human life, together, don’t we? Why, then, are we in such a hurry?

The Lord holds time in His hands, and yet we often act and plan as if we’re running out of time. So much so that we often implement plans poorly, select workers carelessly and approach souls hurtfully. We are often bearers of grief and not of hope. And we seldom give it a thought or apologize because we think there’s no time for it. We think that there’s no time to be careful & considerate.

We think that God needs us to hold back the gates of hell; that if we don’t hurry, God will fail; there is no time to plan, to wait for the perfect timing; we are too important in the battle for the souls of men to slow down…

We tell lost souls that they will perish without dealing with our own filthy souls first; and, as a result, new converts soon leave the faith in a worst state than before.

We push new believers towards growth, we want them to reach a new level of faith in the shortest possible time without regard for their various struggles in life, and so plunge them in spiritual battles they’re not prepared to withstand.

We waste no time in asking non-believers to tithe and give sacrificially without them even understanding what we believe in, and thus we are grouped together with the greediest sales men.

We rush forward to higher projects without regard for those whom we’re neglecting and leaving behind; we push our members to raise funds that they could not afford; and by the end of their ropes the church and the pastor are deep in debt and trouble in Jesus’ name…

Too often, we act as if heaven is dependent on us. Too often, we believe that it is us saving souls and not God. Too often, we reach souls not to help them, but to compete with other churches for numbers & resources. And too often, we move as if the Rock of Ages doesn’t know what He’s doing…

We need to remind ourselves that faith, the genuine sort, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Apart from its saving grace, the faith that comes from Him is indelible and never hurried. At times it wavers, but it always rises again. He uses humans to plant and nurture it. But ultimately, it is God who lets a soul come near Him and grow with Him. One thing that this kind of faith is not, is human. In fact, anything human that appears to be faith is temporary and soon fades.

When a person receives Christ, no human mediated that. Every individual drawn to Jesus was chosen by God before the beginning of time.

That’s how far-seeing our God is. And He will not allow anything to happen to His children until they come to Him in repentance or until their time is up (John 10:28).

Any human involved in salvation is but a soldier doing His duty. The part of the soldier is only to fight the battle before him, according to the will of his King. The worry and the glory belongs not to the soldier but to his King alone.

So, if the faith that saves comes from above and not from us, if it will grow according to His schedule and not according to ours, if souls will be saved with or without us – - – what’s the rush?

Why give up when no one responds to your sharing of faith? Why panic when other churches are growing faster than yours? Why be bothered when the seed you sowed flourished elsewhere? If Paul was practical with regards to such things (1Cor.3:6), why can’t we be? If Jesus Himself welcomed it, what possible reason do we have not to? (Luke 9:50).

Isn’t that the purpose of having one faith but different churches? Each one with a different purpose but serving the same Lord Jesus?

We are all different and we respond to things differently. And praise be to God that He has prepared the way for each one of us. The salvation of our souls was and is never hurried. It was planned and the Lord saw and continues to see it into completion.

When a person ignores the gospel, it’s not the end of the story. The Lord will use His network of churches to pursue that non-believer to the end. Maybe you and I would be part of the Lord’s pursuit. Maybe we won’t see the actual conversion of the person. But be confident that the seed you sowed, the battle you fought, and the reward, — will not be lost.

So take it easy. There’s no need to sweat it. There’s no need to hurry. There’s no need to convulse while you share the good news. Just do your part, fight your battle, and let the Savior King do the conversion.

God’s Book of Secrets

There is a book that holds powerful secrets…
Image by Jorge Royan via Wikipedia Commons

I enjoy watching History channel’s America’s Book of Secrets. It takes you through a series of information that few know about. Its exciting because some of the stories were once hidden from the public eye. It gives you a very interesting back story of history. It grants you access to information that, these scholars claim, only the U.S. President and a powerful few would know about.

There is another book that holds secrets more valuable than any confidential book in existence. Its content gives the reader more power than any information out there. Its so secret that only few could harness and decode it. Only few fully understand it and they are persecuted for it. It transforms the reader in such a way that his or her world turns upside down.

This book is God’s Book of Secrets:

The Holy Bible.

And just like any secret document, this book is encrypted. Only those who hold the prerequisites could understand what’s in it. This encryption is a work of genius. Anyone has access to it, but only few would be able to see the secrets that lie inside it. An unauthorized person who reads it will only see children’s bedtime stories, fables, fiction, contradictions and a waste of time.

But the person approved to access its secrets will have immense power. The power to change, to overcome, to go ever higher in life. As a result of this power, the reader will become fearless in whatever situation. The person will also have a desire and a passion that this world could no longer satisfy. He or she will do things for a much deeper purpose than ever before. All in all, the reader, over time, will break free from what everyone else is enslaved to in the world.

Would you like to have this power? Would you like to have this change? Would you like to have access to God’s Book of Secrets? Here’s how to decode it…

You must acquire the following:

1. A broken soul. To see, you have to be desperate for it. You have to be tired of the best that earth has to offer. You have to have a great thirst for something higher. If you don’t, you will see only words. You will see only foolishness. How can one have a broken soul anyway?
2. The Author’s approval. The Author I think you know. How to get His approval is what’s tricky. Some say its acquired through discipline and perfection. Some say its through solitude and meditation. How do you get the most powerful and the purest Being to let you in His chamber of secrets?
3. The Author’s Spirit. This is the main key to see the secrets. It is the code. Rather, He is the code. Have Him and a new world will open up before you. But how do you get this pure Spirit to help you? How do you even get Him to show up?

These are the ways to decode God’s Book of Secrets. But I won’t detail here how one could acquire each. Why?

Because its a closely guarded secret, remember? =0)

What The Master Expects Of Us

Are you meeting heaven’s expectations?

I’ve been in the pharmaceutical industry for the past 7 years now. We have regular Field Appraisal Reports in this job. FARs are when the supervisor evaluates my performances and me as an employee. I look forward to these evaluations because they are a good way of seeing myself from a higher perspective.

Years ago, a supervisor sat down with me over coffee and sited how good I have been in hitting my sales targets. Of course, I was expecting perhaps a slight congratulations or pat in the back, human as I am. I was surprised to hear his words that followed. It went something like this:

“You must be expecting praise and a pat on the back for your work. Well, I’m so sorry, but I won’t give it to you. All that you’ve done and achieved is the company’s expectations. You were expected to hit these targets, it was your job— your responsibility. There is nothing spectacular about this. It takes more than this to deserve a commendation. I’m so sorry…”

I’m not sure if this is a sound coaching or management technique. I think he was trying to motivate me by making me see that I am mediocre despite my best efforts . I did get motivated after that, but not by him. After that day, I understood why it is important to work and aim for excellence, not for the approval of men, not for trophies, but to do so for my God who is my constant companion. I realized that if I kept trying to please my human supervisors who do not see my struggles in the area, who do not really know who I am inside, who are flawed just like me— then I am in for a roller coaster ride and I would be robbed of my joy in life.

But then, this supervisor’s approach in handling my evaluation, has its merits. What he said had truth in it. I think, if I was in his shoes, I would’ve used better words that encouraged and built up. But I gotta hand it to him, he was telling the truth. I was only doing what was expected of me.

That was a big learning experience for me. But this brings to my mind also a misconception among followers of Christ.

But before that, let me share quickly a little bit of me. I have a very unique life. Despite of a generally negative public perception of my job, I’m an active Christian. I’m not content only with personal prayers, attending church on Sundays, and tithing. I serve the Lord whenever I can. When my pastor needs me to help, if the task is aligned with God’s gifts to me, I help with a passion. I’m good with words, so the help I extend to my church often is sharing my faith through speaking. So, sometimes I encourage the church to give. And sometimes, when requested, I deliver the Lord’s message on the pulpit too.

Apart from church, I share my faith with any seeker that the Lord sends my way (in the field or on the internet). Among my colleagues, I make sure that they know my faith without forcing my theology on them.

Last year, I also decided to make my writings on life, faith and God public through this blog. I’m trying hard as well to finish a novel that I’m doing for Him, though I’m encountering wall after wall due to the busyness of my current job.

I then watch my deeds and words as much as I can because I think that’s the Christian’s most effective recruitment tool: his goodness (aside from doing it out of gratitude and love for God). Besides, once a person professes to be a genuine Christian, he or she will be on everyone’s watch list 24/7—- waiting for him or her to fall.

Seeing and hearing all this, people would often ask me: “You sound like you’re going to be  a Pastor. Why don’t you become one? I think you’re on your way there…”

This is a great, pleasing compliment for me, by the way. I think being a full-time servant of God is a great honor and privilege, but only if one has discerned without a doubt that God is calling him or her. There isn’t a month that passes by that I ask the Lord the same questions. And always, He tells me— through prayers and introspection, through meditation on Scripture, through affirmations by the authorities He’s sent me, and through the situations in my life that He crafts— He tells me to stay where I am, for now, despite of the struggles.

Now here’s my point: Why do we think that sharing our faith through our gifts and talents is reserved for pastors only? Why do we associate reading the Bible and mastering exegesis (proper, objective interpretation of Scripture) to be a pastor’s task only? Why do we think that suffering for the gospel and being ridiculed for Christ is only for full-time servants of God? Aren’t all these only what is expected of a Christian? As far as the Bible is concerned, God’s answer is: Yes, they are.

When someone becomes a Christian, he or she is called to belong to, and to be set apart for, God. The Christian, whether new or a veteran believer, need not be reminded to seek ways to serve the Savior out of overflowing love and gratitude. I think the mark of a person who has genuinely received Christ in his or her soul is the urgent and passionate desire to meditate on the Bible, to battle sin, to be a functioning part of a church, to share the faith, to proclaim to his or her corner of the world that Jesus is God, Savior and Redeemer.

All that is only what is expected of a Christian and are not grounds to be a pastor at all. Being a pastor or full-time servant is an entirely different and much higher calling.

Let me end this article with these realizations…

If you’ve been going around telling everyone that you’re a Christian and you haven’t done none of the above acts recently, then you’re falling behind expectations, friend. But help is just a prayer away. The Lord turns away no one who seeks Him truly, no matter what his or her past is. This Holy Week is a good chance to unplug and see what’s going on inside you. Don’t let it pass by without being still and knowing your God and His plans for you.

On the other hand, if you’re considering to be a full-time servant just because of the acts I’ve mentioned, think again and pray. And after that, think and pray some more. Subject yourself to spiritual mentoring with your church.

The world is filled with spiritual leaders who are regretful and/or powerless. Their actions betray them. Let’s not add to their numbers.

A year doesn’t pass by that I don’t hear stories of pastors or priests or ministers giving up the leadership, or molesting a child, committing act of lasciviousness, stealing funds, power-playing, intentionally forgetting to pay debts, tolerating sin in the church, manipulating their flock, neglecting Scripture, basking in avarice and more… Sibling in the Lord, don’t think too highly of yourself when all you’ve done is just what’s expected of you. None of us need to be in the spotlight to serve Him. Be content and joyful to be among believers worldwide who serve the Lord. But if you are indeed called to be a pastor, then let no one stop you from pursuing an even higher calling. Great blessings await you.

As for those of us in the marketplace, proclaiming the Name of Jesus from the mountain tops, lets keep going. Don’t let the scoffers silence us. Let’s faithfully do what the Master expects of us. Let Him worry about all else. Let’s do more for our Redeemer. Let’s aim for excellence, shining His light wherever we are. Let’s be hands and feet of blessings to His chosen leaders and authorities.

This is where our joy truly lies.

The Joy Of Surrender

Surrender is joyful when done for the Lord.
Image by Wikimedia Commons.

Surrender, Submission, Capitulate, Yield, Concede, Succumb…

These are just some of the words that not too many of us like. After seeing the recession of 2008 when those in authority failed to protect the public interest, after witnessing the Arab Spring when millions toppled down established regimes, and as the cases of sexual harassment in the Roman Catholic Church surfaced— the words synonymous to surrender are just not trendy today. And its understandable. Human nature is just too corrupted to fully entrust one’s interests in.

The trouble is, we associate all the corruption, the distrust, even the ridicule, to the source of all authority— God. All the disappointments, frustrations and hatred spill out and eventually point heavenward. We secretly think, If God put all those jerks up there who took all my money, who murdered my people, who allowed evil in His own house— how much bigger of a jerk is He? If He makes intentional mistakes in choosing those who lead and govern us, we’re all screwed.

Let’s take a deep breath. Take a step back. And remember that God has given us all an open letter: The Bible. It bears His character and tendencies. Let’s counter these views of God with the following points found in Scripture…

First, God is nothing like us and our human leaders. He’s not as short-sighted as we are. There is no limit to His power. He has no weaknesses. He forgets nothing. No detail passes by without Him knowing. He doesn’t need rest, sleep, meals or vacations. His thoughts are higher than ours. So high, that no man can honestly say that He completely knows God. The good news is: we are His passion. All He wants is His people. And He gathers all believers through His Son, Jesus.

Second, His view is higher than ours. Imagine we’re all vehicles traveling in a desert plain. We are all aiming for an oasis in the distance. All we want is to travel on a straight path. But God is on a chopper 10,000 feet above us.  While we see only a wide, safe road in front, He sees everything. The deadly cliffs, the dangerous villages, the hungry animals waiting to devour us, the huge quicksand that looks innocuous. And to protect us, He sends us commands, obstacles, difficult situations that serve as detours to take. These detours most of the time look like intentional delays to us. It often feels like He’s toying with us, leading us away from good things; it would seem like He really doesn’t care that we get to that nice oasis in the distance. But the truth is, He’s been looking out for you the whole time. And if you could see what He sees, you would be overwhelmed with gratitude that He was there for you.

Third, God is always good. No matter the circumstances. He is always good and He hates evil more than you do. You may ask, Then why does He allow all this wickedness? The story isn’t over yet. You are only seeing halfway through God’s plans. And you know what else the Bible reveals?

God is not afraid to get His hands dirty for the good of His people.

Some of us picture God as a neat guy in white who doesn’t like to get His clothes and hands dirty. He’s definitely holy, but He’s not like most people who show you they care but don’t actually roll up their sleeves to do something about your predicament. God will use the most wicked people, to get His plans into action. He will use non-believers, liars, thieves, murderers, rapists— the most unlikely bunch to get the job done. He would even use your detractors to help you. In your oppressor’s eagerness to harm you, God will use them to shape you and they won’t even know it, in the same way that He used Babylon and the Roman Empire to carry out His plans for Israel (by the way, after He used them, He made them pay for every crime they did). All we see sometimes are the godless people ruling and thriving. But make no mistake, He is in complete control. Always.

Fourth, He is unbelievably patient. I work for a pharmaceutical company and it often involves waiting for a client for three hours or more into the late hours of the night. I wait that long to have only a few minutes of a client’s time. We think this is patience. But in comparison to God’s patience, this is nothing. He can wait decades, or hundreds of years if He has to, before making His move. He’s eternal and timeless. And He gives every person a lot of chances to change. When we’re wronged, we often wish that God would send the offending person straight to hell. If we were the ones in charge, the Earth would not be overpopulated. But hell and the graveyards would be. If things are going slow for you, be thankful. If not for His gracious patience, who knows where we would be now? I know I would be damned if He wasn’t patient with me. This blog would not be possible if He didn’t give me decades and numerous chances to change.

You’re probably bored now, but here’s one thing more. God is full of love. And He sees love and goodness as strength, not weaknesses. He sees them as greater than force, fear, domination and violence. In the Bible, He showed us that love and goodness are more powerful than they appear. And it’s because of these that He intends to renew the earth one day.

You want justice? You want to set things right? You want evil, disease, poverty, starvation and death to end? God aches for that more than you do.

And He has been working on it. His methodology and schedule is beyond our understanding. But have faith, we will get there in His perfect time. One day, everyone’s eyes will be opened.

This article is titled, the Joy of Surrender. I’m not saying that we become doormats and pushovers. I’m not saying that we follow men blindly. I can’t do that myself. But I say that we follow the God of the Bible with a passion. His servants will never be perfect. For as long as we are fallen, there will be no perfect servant who will deserve the authority that God will place on their shoulders.

And it doesn’t matter. Because we know that we serve a God who is in complete control, who guards our best interests, who is unstoppable, who never forgets His people, who loves us with a passion, who is wise beyond words, whose will is done regardless of how corrupted His servants are. There is no need to be anxious.

Surrender and submit to Him. Let’s even challenge ourselves to surrender to His authority wherever and with whomever it may rest.

You are in good hands. As for the oppressors, your tormentors, people who abuse their authority— rest in the Lord. He is the believer’s avenger. They have nowhere to run from Him. Surrender your concerns to your Lord Father, and leave your desire to fight back at His feet. By His power, find it in yourself to forgive and pray for them that wrong you. This will free you. And it is you who would benefit the most if you do this.

Only then will the words Surrender, Submission, Capitulate, Yield, Concede, and Succumb would become joyful, sweet and beautiful for you.

Waging War Against Addictions

Image by Wikimedia Commons

I’m a fan of war games, war movies & stories.

When I was younger, I would spend hours facing a screen playing digital war games in whatever format it was available. I would’ve played actual war games if the apparels didn’t cost too much. Movies like Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, The Kingdom and the like would not pass by without me watching them. I even have some of them on discs. I also have a small collection of Tom Clancy novels. I would have even more if money wasn’t an issue. It crossed my mind once to join the army back in high school. It was one of my earliest dreams when I was a kid. But my mother, of course, didn’t approve. God bless our mothers. Who knows where I would be now if not for her.

I’m no military man. I’m but a fan. Learning and admiring from a safe distance. And I have learned that some of the principles of warfare can be used against addictions. After all, addictions powerfully compel us to do things that harm us— in the short term and in the long run. No matter how seemingly pleasing they are, they should be labelled enemies and must be cut off from us.

We all have our addictions. They differ from person to person and they latch onto us tailor-fitted to our character. That’s why its so hard to get rid of them. They appear to us as if they’re completely normal, even necessary to cope with life. But the truth comes out after we give in to the urges. The feelings of guilt and anxiety afterwards confirm that there is a problem.

Some offer that we should get rid of the guilt associated with them; to live free and to be open-minded. That’s like saying that we ignore the pain and strive to be happy while a rabid dog is gnawing at your shin. If you agree with this school of thought, go ahead and be free, friend. Come back when your addiction has cost you your job, family and health.

But guilt, and the anxiety that comes with it, has its uses. Like physical pain, it warns us that something is wrong and that something has to be done. If you agree with this, then maybe this article would help. We have many addictions. Some of them cannot be hidden (alcoholism, gambling, shopping, drug addiction, tobacco addiction, womanizing…). While most lurk below the consciousness (television, food, internet, gossiping, hating, arrogance, pornography, lascivious thoughts, crab mentality, lying…).

They can be identified. You just need to ask yourself the right questions..

Can you live 24 hours without doing the deed?

Can you sleep soundly without doing it?

Can you do your job well without it?

Is it taking time that could’ve been spent from work and loved ones?

Is it taking money that could’ve been spent on valuable things?

If you answered no to the first 3 questions and yes to the next 2, you probably have an addiction of some sort and you’re just denying it.

Not all addictions are wrong in itself. Being an addict to exercise isn’t wrong. Being an addict to reading isn’t wrong. Being an addict to work in itself isn’t wrong. But when you do these so often and with such a passion that you lose your family, your money, your health, your soul, and the people you love are suffering on account of the addiction— then maybe you need to take a step back and ponder if you should go ahead with it in the same way.

My greatest addiction was hard-core pornography. It began early in my life and squirmed into me so well that it became normal for me. It took so much of my time and thoughts. It deceived me so much that I thought the things I saw in porn movies can become reality. I will leave to your imagination where that led. But there came a time that I was so corrupted that it took over my thoughts even when I’m out and about. I lost my respect towards beautiful women. I began seeing them not as individuals but as things to be toyed with whenever I could. It then began to urge me to cheat on my wife and to take my daughter for granted. Pornography clouded my view of the world. And it separated me from God.

And I thought that was normal and necessary to a man.

But then God stepped in. In the Bible, He taught me that there is a better way to live; that pornography isn’t my friend but rather my tormentor; that my time and energy can be used in more rewarding ways.

The Lord Jesus taught me that I can be a beautiful soul once again. And, I believe, so can you.

I have broken free from the grips of pornography by God’s Spirit and grace. But the struggle isn’t over for me, I know. I don’t think it will ever end for as long as I am human. I have more than one addiction and am now waging war on another. And after that has been won, I will continue to seek out more bad habits and strive to eliminate them from me. This “war with my flesh” , as it is called in Scripture, will be lifetime. This is part of the cross that I choose to bear, out of joy and gratitude, for Christ who has set me free. And, even now, I am reaping the benefits of the new freedom that the Lord has given me. This article, this blog, is testimony to that freedom. And I am excited because I know that more of God is coming to my life.

Here’s how I broke free from pornography using methods I learned from games, movies, and books on soldiers and war. I pray that these would help you too.

1. Get to know your enemy. Why do you think that you’re so vulnerable to your addiction? What is it about this addiction that you can’t resist? Is there a hurt part of you that it soothes? Is there anything that can be done to replace this addiction? Confronting your addictions this way can help a lot. If you think you need the help of a close friend, a spiritual leader or professional psychologist, seek it.
2. Isolate and starve the enemy. Your addiction will not die if you keep feeding it like a little pet. You need to keep it far from its allies and anything or anyone that feeds it. In my case, I had to give up internet activities for some time (porn is free there). I only went in the internet as needed. I got in, took out my emails, did what I had to do, and got out.  The lesser time I spent in the net, the better. I refrained from using the net when I’m alone, stressed or vulnerable. I also had to give up some friends and acquaintances who promoted it. I watched as little TV as I could. I became very selective with the movies and music that I bought as well. Only you know how to cut the life from your monster. It all depends on how bad you want the change.
3. Keep your army in good condition and high spirits. Army here stands for you, of course. It stands for any part of you that is needed to fight the addiction. It includes your physical body, your mental powers and your spiritual health. Maybe for you it involves your work and finances. Whatever it includes for you, they need to be nourished while your addiction is slowly dying. You need to ensure that they are in good, fighting condition. Why? What do most dying animals do when cornered? That’s right. They fight back. And your addiction will too. Mine gave me great difficulty as it died. Things will get ugly before they get better. However it might hurt you, you’ve got to maintain the siege.
4. Attack consistently but carefully. More than besieging your enemy, you have to deliver sustained, systematic attacks. Don’t just sit there doing nothing. That will weaken you. You can’t just stop doing the deed, you need to be agressive too. Again, only you know how to do this depending on the nature of your addiction. In my case, I filled my mind and soul with all wholesome things. I struggled to replace my addiction with things that are directly opposite to it. I wrote, I read Scripture regularly, I read good books, I became active in church work, I watched meaningful movies, I made new and better friends, I played more with my daughter, I spent more time with my wife, I exercised. One thing I did that created a considerable impact was to watch a YouTube video of the testimony of a former porn actress. She detailed the life behind the scenes. It was a real eye-opener for me. There are many more things like these that I did, too many to mention. Small things that, when done together and consistently, packed a powerful punch against pornography and in time overwhelmed it.
5. Achieve air superiority. Of the five, this is the most important. This turns the tide of war significantly. The army that controls the air, wins the war more often than not.
   

   Image by Wikimedia Commons

   In fact, if an army is out-gunned and out-numbered, all that’s needed to win is a radio and a fully functioning air fleet to win the battle and the war. Ground troops are great, but air superiority tips the scales considerably. How does this apply to us addicts? Friend, you can’t be clean on your own. You need a higher power. You can’t defeat your addiction by sheer courage and determination alone. Maybe you can, but I guarantee you— a new one will pop out to replace the one you’ve defeated. And the new one might be worse than the one before it. Or worse, the addiction you defeated will return with a bigger army. What is this higher power I speak of? That is for you to discover. For me, its quite obvious. I won the war with porn by the Holy Spirit of the God of the Bible through the cross of Jesus. I didn’t and couldn’t have won it on my own (I’ve tried it multiple times before). It was by an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, meditation on Scripture, prayers and service to my King that I achieved air superiority in my battle with porn. And the Lord has delivered me. And on this higher power I depend most of all in the endless battles that I face in the future. You can win too, friend. And you won’t have to do it alone.

You don’t have to be a Zombie to be a Christian.

Image by Scott Beale via Flickr, The New Commons

Have you watched those awesome movies about Zombies? I’ve watched some of them: I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Resident Evil, The Walking Dead Series..

These movies/shows have virtually the same storyline: the world population will slowly die when a virus is accidentally released that then turns people into zombies. Then it becomes a worldwide disaster, a few will survive and fight back bravely, yadah yadah, yadah…

Part of the tension comes from scenes where the loved ones of the heroes turn into monsters. Their joy in life is lost. Their character is lost. Their memories are wiped out. Whatever was there before was gone, replaced by a mindless animal. They are reduced into walking, limping, salivating pieces of meat that couldn’t die, savaging every living thing that they come across. They’re still alive, but they’re also dead at the same time.

I truly hope that this would not be the case among Christians. Yes, we’ve been transformed into new creations— that of goodness, righteousness and peace. The past is gone, the new has come.

But it is the sin that is being purged in the Christian, not the person. God hates the sin, not the sinner.

Its sad to see tribes losing their cultural heritage after converting to Christianity. They lose the traditional clothes, the tents, sometimes their entire cultural identity— in the name of Christianity. Everything is replaced by western things and ways of life. The tribesman might suddenly have an ill-fitting American suit. He might find some gadgets necessary when he could’ve lived without them in the past. The guy that his family and friends used to enjoy disappears and can’t seem to relate to them anymore. The new Christian fades from his world instead of giving off his light…

Being a Christian doesn’t mean changing into a template of character that isn’t you. Being saved shouldn’t erase who you are. It should, instead, lighten your load for your travels. Jesus will teach you in the Bible who you were designed to be and then show you the things that you don’t really need to carry with you in your journey.

But He won’t take away what makes you unique. You can still be a follower of Christ and be the life of the party. You get to keep your humorous ways, your quiet ways, your being a prankster, your love for certain kinds of music, your love for certain kinds of books, your love for certain TV shows, your preferences on food and worship. You get to keep your dreams of being the singer or actor or lawyer or doctor or athlete that you wanna be. You get to keep your family and friends too. You get to keep anything that doesn’t separate you from your Redeemer anymore. That’s the freedom you have received from the Lord. You’re no longer bound by laws and norms and public approval, but instead you’re counted as blessed by what Jesus did on the cross if you believe in Him truly.

Christianity isn’t mind control.

It certainly isn’t the zombie virus. It allows the person a lot of room for individuality. It doesn’t take over the driver’s seat in your mind. Instead, it gives you a higher calling— a better way of doing things.  It also shouldn’t cause you to terrorize people like zombies do. It shouldn’t teach you to shove your theology down the throat of everyone you meet.

True Christianity doesn’t finger-point and tell people that they’re going to burn in hell.

If anything, it actually teaches you to be considerate of other people’s feelings. Instead of pushing people away, you become compelled to attract people to you and your God— even when it hurts. It will make you share your new life more by actions than by your words. And if you ever preach verbally, you do so in the gentlest way you can.

Pastor Greg Laurie, Senior Pastor of Harvest Ministries, said it this way:

“We are here not to isolate ourselves, but to infiltrate the world.”

We don’t expect everyone to accept our message of Salvation through Christ. Rejection and persecution is part of being a Christian. But let’s keep this in mind:
People who walk away from the Savior should do so only because of His message, and not because of His followers.