Abundant Lust: but still hollow inside

Hollow: To be void of truth and substance (empty, echoing). In this year of 2008 there are many people that are struggling with addictions, fetishes, and bad habits. Before I gave my life to Christ I had a bad habit of going to the night clubs and also dating. As I look back I see that I wasted time and money because nothing meaningful came out of those 2 things. I received no true peace, joy, or fulfillment. After all of the music and women I was still hollow inside. Dating and going to nightclubs gave me temporary happiness, but when the music stopped and the date was over I was still hollow inside. There are people that have been in numerous relationships but are still hollow inside. There are women and men that have had multiple sex partners but are still seeking their next partner to fill their emptiness inside. Some people have multiple cars and an abundance of money but still struggle with thoughts of how they were abused, molested, mistreated, and neglected in their youth. The internet has made it possible for people to meet numerous people online, but people are still struggling with loneliness. People have easy access to x-rated content but they still are not fulfilled in their unbridled passions. People lust for money, friends, relationships, status and have an abundance of access to all types of lustful activities. The truth is; there is an emptiness that only God can fill. Jesus will not live with what He died for which was sin. So in life there is a "Jesus Factor", and until the pre-condition of salvation is obtained through Him there will always been an emptiness inside.

Does He recognize your voice? : unfamiliar sound

We live in a world where communication is the key to building relationships. With so many things becoming globalized it is crucial to have an effective means of communication. A lack of communication can result in many failed relationships. That relationship can be a business or personal relationship. There are people that I knew in elementary school, but if they called me today I would not recognize their voice because I have not spoken with them since elementary school. The question that I want to ask you today is "Would you recognize God's voice if He spoke to you?". There are some people that call my phone with a private number and depending on how much we communicate determines whether or not I will recognize their voice when I answer the phone. We have to be careful that when we call on God we have not neglected Him to the point where our voice (sound) becomes unfamiliar to Him in our time of need. Some names do not come up on my caller ID when certain people call, but I still know who it is when I answer my phone because I recognize their voice. When you call on God does He recognize your voice? Has it been a while since you spoke to God? Just as calling someone on the phone is a form of communication; praying is also communication. If your voice was a phone number would God need a caller ID to identify who was calling Him or would He just recognize your voice when you called? Look at the concept; because when people do not recognize voices it takes time to get acquainted (familiar) with someone's voice. I just want to encourage you today; never assume that God does not deserve your time and attention. He deserves to hear the precious sound of your voice.

Do you have the passion to pursue? : satisfied with low standards

Passion: A powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger. We all have destinies, but the question becomes how many people have the passion to pursue after their destiny or even have the passion to want to know their destiny? Many people understand that their destiny requires them being saved and living for Jesus, but they still have not made that committment so they never become what they are meant to be. We all have family members that need Jesus, but many people lack the passion to want to see their family members saved so they remain content seeing them unsaved. For some it only takes a small obstacle to discourage them from seeking after their destiny. For others they have decided that no matter what obstacle comes they are going to continue pressing toward their destiny. There are parents who have lost the passion to want to see their children saved so they lower their parenting standards. Passion is not something that you can take a pill for. Either you possess it or you don't. Prayer does change things, but if you lack the passion to pray then how can prayer help? Passion is what separates one ministry from another ministry. Passion is what makes a Christian pursue after a standard of holiness as stated in Leviticus 11:44. We all have passions for many things. I just want to encourage you today to ask yourself "What do I have a passion for". Jesus had a passion to die for us so I have chosen Jesus as my passion.

Spiritual Suicide: choose life not death

What is suicide? The act of causing ones own death. Jesus states in John 14:6 that "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me". If someone makes a conscience decision not to follow after Jesus than are they choosing life or death? Jesus did not leave any other options except "through" Him. When a building is burning and someone intentionally stays in the building knowing the consequences, this is considered an act of suicide in its natural context. What if someone chooses not to surrender their will, mindset, and emotions to God for His personal use; what is the end result? The end result is spiritual suicide. God is not ignorant enough to create us and then not give us an opportunity to choose Him. Whether we choose Him or not is up to our free will. To question the intelligence of God is to question the essence of God. What a testimony it would be to say that "millions didn't make it, but you were one of the one's who did". People die everyday without even knowing that it was their last day here on earth. I just want to encourage you to ask yourself this question "Is the life that I am living now leading to spiritual life or spiritual death"?. How important is your eternal destiny?

Inferior by Association: who are you connected to?

"Birds of a feather flock together"; this is something that has been quoted by people for years. How true is it? Well there is a law called the law of attraction which is manifested (seen) through the relationships that we entertain (connect ourselves to). When we look at the people we connect ourselves to we must ask the question "how does this person reflect who I am?". If you are a man and you prefer to connect to women with a low self-esteem , lack of education, and a lack of morals then you must ask yourself why. The reason could be because the man feels a sense of insecurity around women that are strong in these areas. This is just one example. When we look at this concept from a spiritual perspective as it relates to God it can be stated that there are certain people that will not get into God's presence simply because of their tainted mindset/intentions (lack of belief). Dogs do not attract rabbits and ducks do not attract pigs. What are you attracting in your atmosphere? God is a superior being which means that whatever does not line up with His standard which is His Word is ultimately inferior. Why wouldn't someone want to be connected to a superior God? An inferior mindset desires inferior things (things not of God). Before I got baptized and started living for Jesus I had an inferior lifestyle because of my inferior spiritual condition, but now through reading His Word and letting Him guide me He has given me desires for things of superiority, i.e.Holiness. I just want to encourage you today to seek after God. Matthew 6:33