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WORK IT OUT

So, my solitary trek through life continues as I seek God’s face, His guidance, wisdom and revelation. I am grateful for the gift of journaling, where I can  freely express my  pain, sorrow and hope. I grasp  for upper levels of spiritual revelation as I climb life’s ladder.   As I recall the sudden inspiration of my last blog, “Ticking”, I continue to ask Father God to reveal  the causes of Spiritual back-slidding and Christian apathy. 

My prayer life has become much deeper and  focused and I find myself truly travailing in tears for my Christian brothers and sisters. and even all the world. I am grateful to my beloved pastor, Augusto Perez and his detailed teachings. In his last podcast, he mentioned that God showed him how weak the church was.

I felt very sad and disappointed thinking about this, but he is right. Him and I both desire revival. But, why should we desire revival if there is no repentance? John the Baptist introduced the door to salvation first through commanding people to acknowledge and confess our sins which separate us from out Holy Father.

True repentance is the missing link for many new converts at youth conferences and revival meetings. We see YouTube videos of the Asbury Revival event. Throngs of young people raise their hands and many dance in joy. The worship team plays worship songs such as “Come to the Altar and  “Now is the Time to Worship.” Then the evangelist or worship leader invites, “Come as you are. Jesus loves you and is waiting for you to receive him.” Everyone in the auditorium is jubilant.

It should be necessary for the pastor or evangelist to mention Jesus’ parable of the sower in Mat. 13 18-23. How strange that such a truth is rarely mentioned during a salvation invitation. New converts need to know that accepting Christ is a very serious, lifelong and meticulous commitment. It is essential for the word of truth to be thoroughly taught.

I’ve heard many pastors who share they know of people who gave their lives to Jesus and after decades still show little good fruit. Certainly, we can see there is a serious case of spiritual detachment in the body of Christ when we gaze at the down-spiraling condition of our cities and communities. Something is wrong here. We are supposed to be the shining city on a hill and the light to the nations. During my prayer time I often ask Father, “What is the problem”??

So, going back to the issue of Christ-influence and transformation, we cannot live our lives believing only that mercy, grace and unconditional acceptance of His sacrifice on the cross is what carries us through to Heaven. There is more to the lifelong process of walking out our journey: our intimacy reverence and love for the One who created us. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 104: 33&34, “I will sing unto the lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet. I will be glad in the Lord” The most needful thing is to abide in His presence with thanksgiving and joy!

This blog is geared more to younger people and new converts, but there are older folks who have accepted Christ decades ago and still they are at a low level of fruitfulness and intimacy. May the following bullets expound more deeply about the subject of fruitfulness as the main aspect of working out our salvation. My pastor recently shared a powerful teaching on being fruitful. Spend the time to listen and take notes!

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  • Intimacy with our Heavenly Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. Mark 12:30. How do you love the Lord? spending quiet time with Him. Giving thanks for all things. Blessing and Praising Him throughout the day, especially first thing in the morning. Honoring Him also for giving His own son who sacrificed His life for your freedom.
  • Studying and meditating on His word daily. Studying to show yourself approved. 2 Tim 2:15 Psalm 119
  • Be diligent about prayer. Pray in the Spirit. Phil 2:6, Eph 6:18 .
  • Daily Repentance, Repentance is cleansing and renewing. It is asking the Holy Spirit to show us areas and/or habits that displease him.. Do we grumble? Are we unthankful? have we spoken unkindly to someone? Are we resentful, holding on to unforgiveness? Are we defiling our minds?, (through pornography, trashy, worldly programs, music, books), Are we defiling our bodies, The Temple of the holy spirit, (alcohol, drugs, unhealthy foods and drink, improper attire) Do we neglect to do do the right thing when presented) James 4:17 Are we lusting over anything? 1 John 2:16, Psalm 119:37 Let us remember that satan roams throughout the world, monitoring us to find an opportunity to tempt us or cause us to sin. Even things we deem harmless can be a portal for an occasion to sing or depart from God’s ways. We must be mindful to ask Holy Spirit to help us accurately examine ourselves daily. He alone can bring us into all truth and purity, so that we please the lord in all our ways.
  • Worship: singing Psalms, Hymns and new songs
  • Continual thanksgiving. Give thanks daily for your life, (vision, hearing and a sound mind). Think of the challenge, blind, deaf and mentally incapacitated people deal with. Give thanks for shelter (your abode), food, running water, electricity, working vehicle, spouses, children, your pastor and church leaders, godly relationships. There are many blesses we take for granted each day. Every Good and every perfect gift is from the Father of lights!

Joy in the journey.  I'd always hoped that the road would gently unwind before me as i struggled to ascend to higher heights, while being pushed backwards, by the  continual and daunting symptoms of my many ailments. Just last week, as I was uploading my original songs and past gigs, to this website, i remembered  the anguish and  exhaustion   of supporting myself by delivering telephone books during the  day and  most evenings, I would be performing at the Oakland House, a private  event or a local tavern. My love for composing on the guitar and collaborating on original music with  John DeGrazio and Kyle Hicks saved me from suicidal  thoughts. God always made a way for me to  get fund to produce and record my songs in the studio.  I'll never forget  crying out  to God as I pushed a hand truck loaded with heavy telephone books, wondering why I wasn't touring with my band and respected.   The staggering fatigue from the  Lyme symptoms and  my carbon monoxide poisoning episode made me feel inferior and cursed,  The constant eking out a living wore down my spirits often and i wondered what my destiny was. 

      Angst, disappointment and regret, weighed me down often during my long Dystonia battle. but as I've finally come of age this late in my life, I acquiesce to the reality of Christ being my solid foundation. God's precepts have sheltered me from the sting of hatred, unforgiveness and retaliation. I know that His peace tempers me to have a grateful heart and make the most of every opportunity, however small.  I cherish, Moses' Psalm 90:12.

       Teach us to number our days that we may know wisdom.   

      No need to keep asking  Father God..."why"

       In the past, I often felt ,my creative and musical endeavors were not allowed to bear  the fruit they deserved for whatever reason. i wanted to be successful fashion designer, best selling author, renowned poet or well-loved music icon. too often, my creations had to be postponed indefinitely because of   constant interruptions of lie-threatening illnesses.. Worse yet, fewer and fewer invitations came as people became aware that the TMJ Dystonia symptoms  were diminishing my . I noticed with great anxiety, that my vocal prowess and guitar skill was also strained.  I'd expected  that I'd  get better with age, not worse.

       And so,, I determined in my heart, I would push forward no matter how much it hurt. I could not quit because of what Christ did for me. He destined me to be a conqueror and i was to  be a role model for precious  girls and women whose lives were shattered by trauma. As I scan  the horizon of my future, I'm assured that  He will bring beauty out of the ashes.  Behold, He arose  and redeemed me! 

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