One day, I came across a curious conversation on Facebook. My niece was telling of an interesting encounter. What happened? My niece was on a train and there was a man preaching God. Sounds harmless, right?
There is just one thing. The man is wearing a Superman costume and preaching God. It seems the man thought he was Superman.
Last week, I was reading a post on Paul Soares Jr.’s website. The writer was thanking Paul for saving his life. The young man was suffering from depression. Would you have thought that an entertaining storyteller could help someone? How about a YouTube video centering on a game, with same storyteller? Here is the young man’s story, if interested.
While reading his story and the helpful comments, I felt a need to share my story of overcoming depression. I would love to say, “A magic wand was waved over me and presto!” Alas, this is not the case. Nevertheless, God, the Father was faithful in seeing me through it. Continue reading
A few days ago, I was searching for some blogs to read and make possible comments. As my interest leans towards politics and the Christian faith, I elected to see what other Christians were talking about. As this is an election year, I did expect emotions to run high.
I was looking for ideas of what to write, this week. I would love to say that everyone was engaged in a civil debate. However, this is sadly not the case on the few alleged Christian sites I visited. It seems some have forgotten who their brothers and sisters are and that we’re to love one another. Continue reading
Christmas Day is fast coming and you’d think my blog would be filled with Christmas related stories. So far, I managed to write two Christmas related story, this month. It’s not like that day isn’t special or I don’t have reasons to rejoice. It is special and I do have a reason to rejoice.
A few days ago, I came across someone who was agitated at the idea of celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25th. I already knew it wasn’t the actual date. “Did you ever consider the Christian symbolism behind that particular day?”, I asked. Christ symbolism? What does this have to do with rejoicing on Christmas Day?
First, I do know of Pope Gregory and Constantine choosing to to “christianize” an existing pagan holiday. I discovered this, years ago. I, also took notice of the irony in choosing a day that’s just before New Year.
In case you don’t know, Winter Solstice is really a couple of days before Christmas Day and it’s marked as the darkest day of the whole year. It is a day with the fewest amount of sunlight. After it, the days steadily become brighter and brighter.
Jesus was born during the time of Augustus Ceaser. Things were quite dark for those not born a Roman citizen. Israel was in despeate need of a deliver from this oppressive regime. Truth is, we were all in desperate need of being rescued from our sins. Sound familiar?
Yet, all is not lost. Hope has come into the world and He came at our darkest hour. Because of Hope, everything has changed! Because of Jesus, we can look forward to our days becoming brighter and brighter. Because of Jesus, We can look forward to a new beginning. Here is why:
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among menwith whom He is pleased.” [Luke 2:10-14]
http://seg.sharethis.com/getSegment.php?purl=http%3A%2F%2Finsppoint.wordpress.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php&jsref=&rnd=1324151303315Because of Jesus, I have been redeemed from the clutches of a far worse oppressor than Rome. Jesus is my true Hope and the reason that I rejoice on Christmas Day. Truth is, we should rejoice on all 365 days and not just one.
As for the actual day, I am not overly concerned if it was in March or December. Let’s focus on why Jesus came and not on foolish arguements over dates. Let’s remember, God, the Father gave us, a wonderful gift on that fateful day. Let’s receive it, with gladness and joy.
A couple of years ago, my mother gave a small metal crucifix. She got it, when Anthony passed away back in ’93. As I recall, it came with Anthony’s coffin and she wanted to keep it. Years later, my mother gave it to me for she thought it would be a nice way to remember my younger brother.
For me, I appreciated what the crucifix stood for. It is a sharp reminder of what Jesus went through, on my behalf. I happily took the crucifix and purposed to hang it up, when possible. I, also wanted to hang up a large Celtic style cross that I brought in Phoenix, AZ.
The day came and I proceeded to hang both symbols of my faith in my room. I decided to hang them on opposite walls. As I hung up the crucifix, the word “surrender” flashed in my mind. I knew it to be from the Holy Spirit and paused to consider its meaning. When I hung up the cross, the word “freedom” came to my mind.
After some more consideration, the following phrase came to mind:
“To have freedom; one needs to surrender”
What does this means? In my heart, I could tell that Jesus was asking me to surrender; just as He surrender himself. As I thought this, Hebrews 12:2 came to mind:
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus was calling me, to die to self. I had to stop being “Mr. Independent” and be wholly dependent on the Father. In this, I would achieve the freedom that I desired. It is a freedom that comes from being in Christ.
For the record, I am still working on it and have a way to go. What about you? Are you walking in the freedom that comes from being in Christ?
What would happen, if you gave young children a choice between chocolate cake and a bowl of cereal? It is likely that they would choose the cake. At least, this is what is claimed in a joke by Bill Cosby. I doubt that Bill Cosby would seriously give his kids, cake for breakfast.
Why? Let’s be honest. Who does not like a good cake? I’d probably go for one with chocolate fudge brownie. Wait. Isn’t that an ice cream? How is that, for a balanced diet? Not! If we ate like this then our body would be in big trouble. Would you not agree?
The same can be said of our spiritual diet. What is a spiritual diet? For me, my spiritual diet relates to my walk with Jesus. From what I’ve seen, there appears to be three areas that can make up our Christian walk or a spiritual diet.
To continue with the food analogy, one could say that there are 4 types of spiritual diets. The first diet consist of just reading Scripture. For many years, I read the Word and struggled to understand what I read. It didn’t help to run into bible quoters who could quote Scriptures and yet not convey its meanings in English.
What was wrong? Did I have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of me? Yes, I received the free gift of the Spirit when I came to Christ and repented of my sins. There was just one problem. The Teacher was sitting right there ad I neglected to ask for help. Oh, the foolishness of thinking that I could understand, on my own.
A diet that does not include talking with the Father about what I read, is a recipe for pride and trouble. What did I accomplish? I puff up myself and had little fruits to show for it.
Don’t misunderstand me. I firmly believe in the reading of Scripture. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul says this:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Scriptures does have a rightful place in the life of the believers. It is an essential part of our spiritual diet. However, I am not supposed to read Scripture alone. I needed to know, how to apply the wisdom found in Scripture to my life in the 21st Century
As with any diet, there needs to be a balance in what we eat. I love reading the Word; however, I needed to learn how to be lead of the Spirit. To do so, I would need to be with fellow Christians who are better at it than I. I am not claiming that they were perfect; they are not.
What of diet #3? The third diet is better known as “service”. Yes, we are called to serve or do good work. We’re not called to sit on our butt and do nothing. The problem is, when service becomes performance driven and about ourselves. First, it is not about you or me. It is about the One we serve and call Friend.
In everything we do, there is a need for balance. It is not good to major in any of the three areas I’ve mentioned: Scripture, being lead of Spirit and serving. To serve wisely, there is a strong need for the other two. Without proper balance, we are heading for serious trouble.
What is diet #4? Have you not been reading? Did you not catch the hints?
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God [Colossian 3:1-3]
It is easy to get wrapped up in our own personal busyness or struggles and lose sight of God. It is easy to get so distracted by the stormy seas that our eyes are taken off of the One who deserves our attention and can best help. There is more to this verse than an encouragement to keep your eyes on Christ.
It is about asking the Father for a heavenly perspective on what is happening around me or you. More precisely, it is about seeing my disabilities from God, the Father’s perspective and not from an earthly point of view.
From an earthly or natural perspective, I am viewed as being weak and incapable. Some may consider me, to be a burden or pitied. Why? It is because I am visually impaired and hearing impaired. As such, I am viewed as weak. To add to the mix, I don’t like admitting that I need help.
To continue this, it would be easy to get caught up with both physical healing and inner healing. How wrapped up? It could be done to the point of distracting me, from what Jesus has called to do. I am not opposed to supernatural healing. If God is willing, Jesus could heal me instantly. Yet, this has not occurred. What am I to do?
What of my having God’s perspective? For me, it is seeing how God, the Father is glorified through my weaknesses; this includes my disabilities. Have you read my other stories on this blog? Yes, I certainly have had troubles and have shared some of it. I could not have written these without God’s help in my life.
By having God’s perspective, I am learning to see how my Father sees the situation. I could get wrapped up in my own thoughts and feelings or ask “Father, what do you want me to do? How can I be of help in this situation?”
There is probably more to it and I am obviously still learning. 
So, I do invite you to share your to share your thoughts about having a heavenly perspective; as per Paul’s instructions.
As I consider what to write, Psalm 37:23-25 came to mind:
23 If the LORD delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
I have yet to meet a man, who is perfect. I have yet to meet a woman who has never made a mistake. Truth is, there is no such person; except one. I am referring to Jesus; who is seated with the Father in Heaven and both are on our side.
As I consider the above set of Scripture, I am left with a clear impression. Yes, I will make mistakes and make a fool of myself. Yet, God is promising to be there and help me; the LORD has not abandoned me. This true for all those who believe and trust in God.
I said that Jesus is seated with the Father, in Heaven. Guess what? He is not rolling his eyes at us. On the contrary, Jesus is on our side and continually interceding on our behalf. I would say this is a very good thing. Don’t you?
Here is another thought. I am to step out and trust that God will direct me on where to go. Yet, I must be willing to listen and do what He says. Here is an example. When building Inspiration Point, I really did not know too much about blogging or the specifics of what my Father wanted. Though I dragged my feet, I followed through.
Along the way, the Holy Spirit directed me to individuals who helped me with learning what I needed to do. As I continued to be faithful, the Father continued to direct me with insight on what to write. I am not claiming that I did a brilliant job or was super diligent.
As it is said in the above Scripture, God is faithful to lead us and help when we stumble. I will end by saying, “Jesus. Thank you for being a true friend!”
Yes, it has been a while ‘ere I last wrote. A time has came where I needed to take a break and get some clarity about what should be on Inspiration Point. Lately, I have been considering two themes and how they interrelate. The first is”Living in Freedom in Christ”. The second is “Overcoming disabilities and adversities”.
I titled this post, “Overcoming Self” because it is exactly what one is doing when seeking to live freely in Christ and overcoming disabilities. Would you not agree? Continue reading
Who me? Teach? Write? If you had asked me, several years ago, I’d have said, “No way! I’m not a teacher and neither am I writer. With God, “Never Say Never!” Seven years ago, while attending a church in Phoenix, Arizona, I first learned about “spiritual gifts”, special gifts or talents given by the Holy Spirit to believers in Christ to serve or minister to one another. Many are mentioned in the Bible such as prophesying, giving, serving, encouraging, teaching, etc. (See Rom. 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Cor. 12-14). Continue reading