A blog by Anthony Carter, a redeemed believer in Christ and Worship Drummer that looks at the Word of God for what it says and shares it with fellow believers from a Scriptural and Personal context.
One of my biggest struggles as a believer in Christ is who I have been, versus who Christ says I am as a believer in Him. I admit, I have allowed the self-critical voice in my head, or what others say and think marginalize the greatness of Who He Is in me and what He can do in me. In my past’s personal walk, I have had the tendency to be more of a Prodigal Son, than a steadfast believer. How many of us have had that: “Give me salvation, Father. All right, now, I got this…” sort of mentality? I wonder, if we are being transparent with ourselves, how many of us have allowed our missteps, whatever it is—that abortion, that DUI, that undeleted browser history, that drug abuse or that affair—to label and imprison us? How many of us have succumbed to the smug, self-satisfied taunts of “She will never change! You know she aborted…” or “He is still just an addict. Give him enough rope, he’ll hang himself…” Or, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” Have you allowe
“Let no unwholesome (literally: rotten ) word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”—Ephesians 4:29 NASB Summer is hectic. Added to that, having a four-year-old that struggles with authority and is awaiting pediatrician referred testing for ADD and ODD, simple outings can turn into wars. As a parent, this can be very trying. I am not a doctor; I am not qualified to diagnose my son. However, I am intelligent enough to know that he has behavioral issues that have at times caused me to give pause and wonder if he is on the spectrum or possibly does have ADD or ODD. We’ll only know for sure when the testing ensues, and he is diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist. Yet, it makes for difficult times. For example, yesterday I went to get my car’s oil changed and tires rotated. My kid was good for a while but then he started to get bored, wouldn
“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” —Ephesians 4: 17-18 (ESV) Reading and rereading Ephesians 4:17-18, I look at the life I used to live, the man I used to be and then I look at the world as it is and I see this verse. It is easy to get hung up on Paul saying not to be like the Gentiles. If he lived today, he could just as easily have used “Unchurched” or “Unbelievers” or my fave: “Secular Society.” Any thread on social media that has to do with faith shows what Paul is talking about. Unfortunately , some of us should keep this verse in mind when the anti-Christian naysayers wade in with their posted attacks. We should point them to Christ, embody the love that He is the embodiment of as God in the Flesh, and remember that their understanding has been
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