Man in the Middle

But he knows not that the shades of the dead are there [specters haunting the scene of past transgressions], and that her invited guests are [already sunk] in the depths of Sheol (the lower world, Hades, the place of the dead).  - (Proverbs 9:18)

This scripture sounds like a scene from an old horror flick. I see it as a warning; there is an evil that is subtle as a ghost. The definition of ghost in this particular scripture is: a returning or haunting memory or image.

Our Christian life can be a living dichotomy. We have this lingering ghost that follows us and his name is “the past”. On the other end of the spectrum we have a future named “freedom”. And there is a campaign we vaguely understand raging between the two. It’s a battle not fought with swords or guns. It’s a tug of war… in your mind. A reckless jerking of faith and fear like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind until we are at the verge of abandoning all hope for our God given future.

Picture yourself with your arms fully stretched out. In one hand you are holding the end of a rope that is pulling you toward an extraordinary future. A wondrous life specifically designed for you and offers everything you need to live a full life. In the other hand you are holding a chain that’s pulling you toward a fiery furnace that consumes any sign of joy, peace and hope. You lean toward the “freedom” but keep holding on to “the past”.

Revelation 3:16 (The Message) “You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit.”

Adam Clarke writes in his commentary about this scripture: “It’s a state of confusion and being unsure of how to act or proceed; undecided where you are with God.”

Unsure of where you are with God positions you to be the man in the middle.  Holding on to “the past” makes you stale and stagnant and makes the Lord sick to His stomach. I believe the Lord is sick to His stomach because He knows we cannot effectively live the full life He has for us while holding on to “the past”.

[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].  James 1:8 (AMP)

This scripture describes much of my past as a Christian. I was the man in the middle. I could see my future, but the past kept luring me back to the ashes of condemnation. This lead to an irresolute, undecided and careless thought process. I wanted more for my life but never made a solid plan to move forward.

Do you feel like the man in the middle, stale and stagnant? Are holding on to condemnation and guilt (the past)? If so, here are some suggestions to help you move forward.

+ Recognize you are stuck.

   If you are not moving forward, you’re stuck.

+ Fight condemnation.

   Holding on to your past is like being mentally abused and not doing  

   anything about it.

   Spend time in prayer and meditation and speak against           

   condemnation using the Word of God. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

+ Resolute that you will move forward.

   Colossians 3:2 (Amp) says: “And set your minds and keep them set on 

    what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.” 

   In other words, don’t let your mind hang out with “the past”. 

   “The past” is dead and in the depths of hell, attempting to drag you 

   down with it.

I encourage you to take a good look at your walk with the Lord. Ask yourself, “Am I a description of what James wrote? Am I a person of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]?”

If this describes you, be courageous and fight the battle that wars in your mind. Use your faith and believe you have been given “freedom”. Do the work it takes to let go of “the past”, set your mind on giving God your all and no longer be being the man in the middle.

Please share this if it helped you.

Andy

If you want help to find and develop their purpose, contact me at andythelifecoach@yahoo.com. 

Death in the Garden

Jesus crucifixion started in the garden. The Father gave Him a vision. (Luke 22:41) Jesus died to His own will. (v42) Jesus accepted, visualized and internalized the Father’s plan. (v44) This sequence of steps was a defining moment for Jesus and for us. No, it was much more than that. It was the beginning of the final great battle that led Jesus to the victory that had been foretold for thousands of years. This was the established point in time for Jesus. The same point in time God gives to all of us. He gave His only begotten Son, our only chance, a vital, critical and crucial choice in the matter at hand. Make no mistake, the vision and the weight of it was clear. (v44) He chose to die.

I know I often choose to carry my cross. I do have to ask myself why. It could be of pure motives wanting to be more like the Lord. It could be I may get some sort of gratification out of it. It’s the “woe is me” syndrome that could get it the way of my sincerity. I could carry my cross all my life and never have to die. This way I can still partially have my way in any given situation in my life and not die. As long as I don’t die to a situation, I still have a bit of control in my life…so I think.

Today I’m not going to name any situations. I believe you are already thinking about them.

I’ve become tired of carrying my cross without the end game of death. I’ve had to die to what I’ve wanted in this life and cry for Him to give me the desires of His heart so I could live again.

I thought I would share this from my heart.

Andy

The Blame Stops Here!

I’ve heard it for years. The “Blame Game”. Family, friends and co-workers blame, blame, blame. I did it for many years.  But what good does it do? Does it somehow solve problems? Does it strengthen relationships? Does it insure a strong future for you or others? Of course not.

So why do we blame?

v Blame can give us a false sense of self-confidence.                                

      

   +  If we fail at a project or relationship, blaming someone else 

       could make us feel as if we gave it our best shot.

v It can shift negative attention off us and cast else where.                                            

   +  We might say, I can’t lose weight because of the way my 

       parents treated me.

v It can give us a sense of self-righteousness.                                                                

   +  We may hear from someone, I’m divorced because she is 

       immature.

Blaming others is never justified. Read the story of Adam and Eve. After they ate of the forbidden fruit, God called out to Adam and asked, “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Adam responded saying, “The woman whom You gave to be with me--she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate.” Adam blamed Eve. Then God asked Eve, “What have you done?” She replied, “The serpent seduced me, and I ate." It all sounds like blame to me. Think about this a moment. What did they really think they would accomplish by blaming others?

I think the act of disobedience changed their level of faith in God’s love for them. For them to blame others for their disobedience, they must have lost the belief that God fully loved them and would redeem them. The blame they put on others was a spiritual fig leaf, to try to cover their sin. They were trying to tell God that they were still good people. When we blame others for our sin, mistakes or shortcomings, we are simply saying we don’t truly believe God can forgive us, restore us and change us. When Christians blame, it is denying the redeeming power of Jesus the Christ. Blaming is trying to justify ourselves. It is an act of trying to show others our righteousness. Instead of admitting our lack of character or integrity, we blame.

So what is the answer to this hypocrisy. We must fully submit to living under the grace of God. When we do, He then can shape us and mold us into His image.

Next level thinking requires us to take full responsibility for our mistakes. Then and only then can we fully rely on our Redeemer to make us who we ought to be.

Here is a question to ponder.

Day to day, how do you blame others for the part of your life you do not like?

Andy

Picking Scabs

As a boy, I had several cuts, scratches and bruises just like most boys do. I remember one particular incident when I had a good sized scrape on my knee from a bike accident. After few weeks I had a full scab and was on my way to complete healing. Unfortunately for me, we had a friend of the family visit us. Somehow this “friend” convinced my parents to pour peroxide on my scab. In a panic I tried to talk my way out of the forced treatment but it was to no avail. As my parents held me down, I cried through the torture. I’m not sure what it was to accomplish. The only thing that happened was I felt pain, I was angry and the peroxide removed the scab. The scab had to grow again before I healed.

I’ve had to deal with some deep pains lately. What I’ve come to understand in my life concerning emotional healing is this. I couldn’t deeply believe God the Father completely and absolutely loved me. My experiences, since I was child, left me believing I was unlovable. Even though I received Christ as my Savior at sixteen years old, I was so emotionally injured I couldn’t grow in His love and grace. Even though the chains of my addictions and issues were broken through Christ I continued to destroy my life. I would accept criticism from others and would listen to the condemnation that was screaming at me in my head.

Here is the picture in many Christians lives. Before accepting the invitation to follow Christ, we were fettered. After Christ, the fetters were broken and we were set free from sin and death. Unfortunately the fetters left deep cuts on our wrist. Through our walk with Christ our cuts begin to heal and scab. The scab in the natural is protection until the wound heals. The scab in the spiritual represents Gods grace as we grow in Christ. In the natural we are constantly tempted to scratch and pick at the scab because it has a nagging itch. We tend to do the same in the spiritual. Because we do not fully believe God’s love for us is full and complete, we keep pulling His grace off of our lives. We keep going back to the past pain and sin disbelieving in full redemption through Christ. In this place of unbelief we cannot believe the Father absolutely loves us. This starts the cycle of self criticism and condemnation and keeps us from deep inner healing. This unbelief of total redemption corrupts, misrepresents and twists our perception of God and how He sees us. It doesn’t allow us to live beyond our past. Instead of healing, our damaged past becomes a logical and acceptable part of our daily lives. There are a couple of problems with this scenario. God is not logical and Jesus came to heal the broken hearted.

If this describes you, here are some steps you can take to help stop the cycle of self criticism and condemnation.

1.     Stop picking at the scabs.

Learn to filter what the media (including Christian media), family and you say about yourself. Filter the truth from the lies. Resist accepting and repeating the lies. This can be difficult at first but keep doing it and it starts to become easier to deflect the deceit of the past.

Give yourself time to heal.

We always seem to be in a hurry. Remember renewing the mind takes time. In addition, it’s not all about healing. It’s also about building a relationship with Christ. When you have a relationship with Him, your negative opinions of yourself and others opinions matter less and less. Relationship building takes time. But the closer you get to Christ, the more emotional healing takes place organically.

Use ointment.

Spend quit time reflecting on all the good the Word say’s about you. Also remember, since your salvation, you have done good deeds. Reflect on those actions or deeds for a moment and ask the Spirit to help you to enjoy this life by finding other ways of doing good deeds. There is something about serving others that helps bring healing. These actions are like a healing ointment for the soul.

Are you ready to break the cycle? Are you ready to heal? Start using these steps today to move forward in the life Jesus came to give you. Start believing in total redemption because God doesn’t do anything half-hearted.

What are other ways in which we can break unbelief in total redemption?

Andy

This Is Going To Hurt

Psalm 42:7 (AMP)

[Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me.

   This is not a description of a gentle God. It sounds like God is trying to drown the writer with a mighty vengeance. I love this description and I need it to be true in my life. Let me try to explain why.

   The apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians to know the depth of God’s love. I’m sure I will never completely know this because God is Love. It’s too deep to comprehend. I can’t comprehend the depth of the core of the earth so how could I ever truly know the depth of His love. I see the first three words of the above Psalm, “[Roaring] deep calls…” as God calling. He is as a roaring Lion that loves us with an in-comprehensive love and He is calling to something. What is He calling? He’s calling to another “roaring deep”.

    Recently God has called to a “roaring deep” in my life. He has called to deep emotional injuries of my past. And He has called to it with a vengeance to be feared. Jesus said He came to give us life and life to the full. One way for Him to give us life to the full is to heal us emotionally from past pains.

    Emotional pain is a bit different than physical pain. In most cases we can narrowly pinpoint the cause of a physical pain. It can be very different with emotional pain. In many cases it will take years to expose its disfigured head. It may take a tragic event or help from a therapist. And if we don’t confront it head on, it will lead us to a sad, pathetic and regrettable end of life. I don’t want that for me or you.

    Once exposed, the Spirit of God will get very definitive and go to the root of the pain. For us it’s a dreadful journey through an intense hidden path that leads us to the graveyard of our emotional disfigurement. This path is hidden by the wilderness of an untamed jungle created by our neglect, disregard and dismissing the fact that we have a deeply infected injury. And to get through the jungle of our bitter justifications, we need to take hold of the Spirit of the Lord until He blesses us. We must take hold of our spiritual machete, the Word of God, and allow it to cut away the untamed jungle of our soul. Hebrews 4:12 (AMP) says:

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”  Your heart was injured and Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted.

    It will be extremely difficult at times to confront the source of the brokenness. But remember Psalm 23:4. Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

    What next? If you feel suffocated or overwhelmed with life and you can’t seem to hear from God or get a sense of direction, it may be the Lord has His rolling waves over you. Maybe He is calling you to go deeper with Him. If so, you have two choices.

1.      Panic and do nothing but continue in the neglect of your injury. In this case you will notice the infection will lead to a slow agonizing spiritual and emotional death. Your relationships will not flourish. You will live a shallow and incomplete life. But the most devastating result will be living out phantom Christianity, not ever knowing the depth of God’s love for you.
2.      Admit your need for deep healing and allow the God of Love to cleanse you with His healing power.

    What will you do? I encourage you to pick up your machete (The Word) and allow it to cut away the untamed jungle of your soul. Let the depth of God’s love go to the depths of your brokenness and heal you. I promise you He is faithful to finish the good work He started in you.

If you would like to hear this blog, press here.

Next Level Thinking Manifesto

Next Level Thinking Manifesto

I will not speak calamity

I will not let my mind harbor fear.

I will not let my mind live in the past.

I will take responsibility for my thinking.

I will learn to keep my tongue under control.

I will think and speak of unlimited opportunity.

I will pursue positive, productive and powerful thoughts.

I will not blame others or circumstances for my life today.

I will train my mind to live by principles and not by my feelings.

I will not let my mind harbor anger, resentment or unforgiveness.

I will take every thought captive and sift it through high level values.

I will choose daily to think purposeful, deliberate and meaningful thoughts.

I will not speak any negative, critical or demeaning thoughts about myself or others.

Be Thoroughly Patient

James 1:4 AMP

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.

    The best long distance runners not only need to be physically tough but also mentally tough. They must be patient or have much patience to get to the finish line. What does patience mean? This is how the dictionary defines patience: The quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

    Paul said: let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and  let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1 AMP)

    We all know what the sins are. The bible makes it clear what they are. But it is the encumbrances that it doesn’t name. Could it be that a negative attitude is an unnecessary weight that clings to and entangles us? I think so.

    Let’s break this down. The word attitude is defined: A settled way of thinking or feeling, typically reflected in a person's behavior.

    Many of us have decided that we want everything fast. Hamburgers, weight loss, and answers to our prayers. Yet we know that anything good is worth waiting for. Personally I’d rather wait for a great tasting burger than have a fast food burger. Health professionals tell us to loose weight slowly so it will be easier to keep it off. And as for prayers, we all know they don’t always get answered when we would like. And to make things worse, the bible says to let patience have full play and do a thorough work… in us. I’m not so sure that I’m being comforted by the scriptures right now. But there is good news.

 Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:24(AMP): “run [your race] that you may lay hold of the prize and make it yours.”Now the questions becomes: “What is the prize?” This takes us back to James 1:4. One of the prizes is  patience mixed with endurance and steadfastness will help us be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. This is wonderful news to me because sometimes I feel like I’m not much of a person to be admired by God. These scriptures remind me I have purpose in this life. They remind me, God will complete the good work He started in me. They help me to remember, with the Word and the Holy Spirit, I will become more and more like Jesus.                                                                                                                                     

    Next Level Thinking embraces perseverance knowing there is a prize at the end of the race.

    I challenged you today to let James 1:4 be a prayer for your life.

He Upped the Ante Part 1

Sometimes I think the way Jesus presented His messages was a little unusual, . He would say these wonderful truths, then seemingly change the subject in a moments notice. For instance, the famous sermon on the mount in Matthew 5. Jesus starts out with the “Blessed are they” speech. It’s basically an “everything is beautiful” feel good message. (v3-v11) Then He says, (paraphrased) “Now that you know you are blessed because of God, don’t hide it. Let your light shine.” (v13-v16) After that it turns a little rigid. Jesus makes a very strong statement concerning the law of the prophets. He says: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

What the heck happened? Jesus went from everything is beautiful to unless your righteousness (your uprightness and your right standing with God) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The scribes and Pharisees were the religious elite. They had studied scripture for years. If anyone knew the law, it was them. Read the book of Leviticus. You will find it very detailed in describing how to do everything according to the law. There was no way these people listening to Jesus could practice the law better than the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus just upped the ante.

It gets worse! Jesus first clarifies what righteousness physically looks like in the eyes of God. Now He digs deeper into our spiritual pockets and makes it clear on what He expects of us concerning our heart and mind. Verses 21-22 make the point if we harbor anger against someone it’s the same as killing someone. Verses 27-28 add to the problem. Having evil desire for a woman is as committing adultery in our heart. Again, Jesus just upped the ante.

I have two points to make. Here’s the first. Jesus was setting up the death and resurrection prophecy. He was reminding the people of their need for a savior. He was making it very clear that it is impossible to be righteous enough, on our own, to be accepted into the kingdom of God. (Isaiah 64:6) The sermon on the mount was like an opening statement in a courthouse for the accused. In this case we are the accused. And we have been found guilty because of one man. (Romans 5:18) Jesus reminds us, in the sermon on the mount, that we completely fall short of being able to meet the requirements of the law. (Romans 3:23) He is refreshing our memory of why He came to earth. He came to fulfill the law because we can’t. He came so we could enter the kingdom of God with one simple decision. The decision to follow Him. The law required a sacrifice. He came to fulfill it and He did with His death and resurrection. He did it so we could enter the kingdom of heaven to live with Him forever. He did it to pay the price that we cannot pay to be in right standing with the Father.

“Next Level Thinking” fully accepts the price that Jesus paid for our sin. It fully accepts that we can live under His grace. It fully accepts that we don’t have to try to fulfill the law. (Romans 8:2)

Are you still trying to fulfill the law?

Are you still trying to earn your salvation?

If so, ask the Lord to reveal to you the power of His grace and the depth of His love for you.

Next week I will share with you part 2.

I appreciate your comments.

To hear the audio version of this article, visit http://audioboo.fm/boos/756155-he-upped-the-ante-part-1

Pass The Salt

Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you]. (Colossians 4:6 Amp)

My friend once told me a trick he used to help him avoid eating all the food on his plate lest he over eat. He would open the salt shaker and pour salt over the remaining food. I’m not so sure it was a good plan. It may have solved the issue at the moment but what about the discipline it takes to live a healthy lifestyle.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, in part, the importance of following the teachings of Jesus. They were being lured into thinking that Jesus was not Lord and that He was insufficient. Paul had an interesting way of urging the Colossians to continue to believe in the lordship and sufficiency of Jesus. He writes,

“That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition]. [We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, “(Colossians 1:10-11)

There is a load of teaching in these scriptures but I will focus on one thought. Paul is talking about our conduct. Though we cannot, in any way, earn our salvation, we still must work out our salvation. (Philippians 2:12) We do this as a response to love, not as a requirement.

Now back to the opening text. “Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt…” For many of us, this can be very difficult. It will take discipline and not some trick to fulfill this request. But it is not impossible. Here are a few steps that will help you to be disciplined in your speech.

1.     Think before you speak.

a.     Ask yourself if the words you are about to speak are going to add flavor to the conversation or will you be dumping the whole salt shaker of salt on it. If you are dumping the all the salt, you will leave a bitter taste with someone.

2.     Ask the Spirit to help you daily with your speech.

a.     The Spirit is our Counselor. He will help you in your time of need and will show you your thought process. Your thought process precedes the words that you choose. When this is revealed, you then can work on changing your words.

3.     Ask the Spirit to help you walk in love.

a.     God is love. The more you are like Him the easier it is to respond in love.

Paul was trying to teach us that our words make a difference in how our testimony is perceived by others. Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, therefore we must decide, before we speak, how much salt to put in our every day conversation. “Next Level Thinking” disciplines us to think before we speak. Then we can make a choice of words before we open our mouth. Think of your mind as a salt shaker. Your mouth is the lid. Choosing the wrong words to speak is like opening the lid to the salt shaker and pouring out all the salt.

Ask the Spirit of God to show you the choice of words that you need to change in your thoughts and in your conversation.


To listen to the audio version visit: http://bit.ly/Hxda1s

The City of the Dead

I recently read a very interesting article about people who live in, “The City of The Dead”. The City of the Dead is a four-mile stretch of tombs and mausoleums in Cairo, Egypt. The article states that tens of thousands live in the tombs without water or electricity. Yet they have a satellite dish and a television because it’s free. What a contrast of living and dying.

In the book of Mark, chapter 5:2-5, it describes a man who lived amongst the tombs.                  

       1.    He was under the power of an unclean spirit

       2.   He continually lived among the tombs

       3.   No one could subdue him, even with a chain

       4.      He had been bound often with shackles

       5.      He was always shrieking and screaming

       6.      He was always beating and bruising and cutting himself with stones

This doesn’t sound like a man that was enjoying his life. It reminds me of all the ways the Lord has had to change my thinking process. This man’s story is my story. It’s a story of many Christians. Let me explain.

1.      I know that we believers cannot be possessed by an evil spirit, but we can be influenced by them. It’s called temptation. With that temptation we make a choice to do it or not to do it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

2.      We may not physically live amongst the tombs but we do in our hearts and minds. (Matthew 15:19)

3.      We as human beings get set in our ways and tend to not want change in our lives.(Psalm 55:19)

4.      When we continuously give in to temptation, it always moves us closer to addiction.

5.      As believers, our shortcomings and addictions will always back itself up with a loud voice of justification.(Galatians 5:4)

6.      For believers, condemnation will scream out in our minds the hopelessness and despair of our life.

If you cannot relate to this, then stop reading because you won’t get anything out of it. But if you can relate, there is good news.

Read this: Mark 7:20-23 (AMP) ²⁰And He said, What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders [him] unhallowed. ²¹For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, ²²Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride ( the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness). 

²³All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed. 

Jesus makes it very clear that our heart and mind is what makes us messed up. It’s a thought process and an attitude of the heart that keeps us from living the full life that Jesus wants us to live.

Here are 3 steps that will help you on your expedition to a closer walk with the Lord.

1.      Read the Bible daily.

a.      Jesus is the Word, so reading daily reveals more of Him and the contrasting life we may be living.

2.      Pray

a.      Praying can be an act of submission. Let the Lord know you need His help to change. Little by little He will reveal to you His thoughts and His ways. Then He will help you to renew your mind which will transform your heart.

3.      Believe that He absolutely loves you and hears your prayers.

a.      It’s take faith to absolutely know the Lord loves us just as we are. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The more you read and pray, the easier it is to believe He wants a relationship with you.

Next level thinking is thinking like Him. And thinking like Him will help you to live farther away from “The City of The Dead”.