A God Who Understands…

Every human has a pain, a hurt in their lives in one form or another. It fluctuates with different circumstances and people. However, it seems clear to me that no matter what religion, what belief system one is under, most seem to cry out to God. The only reason that I can gather from this, is because, people seem to grasp that ‘God’ can understand pain, and knows what it is like to feel pain, and even if people don’t believe in God, they seem to cry out to him in times where they have felt the worst pain ever.

Even if we see something on TV or in a movie where someone is dealing with grief and pain, we somehow can relate to their pain. That pain in someone else whether it is real or not, touches us all humans regardless where they stand in life, we somehow seem to hold all the same feelings. Yet what I question is, how can every diverse person on earth feel the same things and sometimes even think the same way with their pain! Is it maybe because we are all connected as humans?

It is so interesting to me how pain can keep root in people for their whole lives. Pain sometimes produces in early childhood through adulthood and older. And in that pain we let it just sit within us, never shining any light on what is killing us inside or what we are hiding behind. I think that is a huge part of why some are so fake and so afraid of showing their real selves is because their pain will be found and exposed. It hurts to show it, but through detoxifying the pain, we become free from the bondage of being alone and feeling left with only our pain to comfort us in some weird way.

I have dealt with pain in my life, and through sharing my pain with people it has brought me to where I am with people today. I am not afraid of exposing my pain and being aware that others have dealt and felt the same as I and I know that there are thousands upon thousands of people on this planet who has dealt with the same type of things I have, and with knowing that why hide behind my pain and not take the risk of living organically and real?

I know that Father understands my deepest pains and I know in my heart, that all who feel pain know that there is a higher power (God) who can help them even if they don’t even believe… I can’t even start to comprehend the meaning behind this action, but it is something that seems certainly more complex than the human mind can ever understand.

But God understands, so maybe that is all that really matters.

The Word

What would you say if someone asked you what the WORD is? Is it referring to the Holy Bible? The scriptures? Or would this be referring to God himself?

I have come to understand that the Word is not a book; it’s not the bible, but the Word of God is the person-God himself. It’s the presence of Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and the book isn’t the way, the truth and the life, but only bares witness to who is - Christ. It is all about Him.

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Now my question is this, why is there a misunderstanding of this in our Christian fellowships today?! I think that this holds a lot of misunderstanding when reading the bible period! I really don’t know where it says in the bible that the bible is the Word! I can only find that the Word is God!

People find it easier to read a book and do what it says, then to listen to a living God and do what He says...

Just some thoughts and pondering questions!

Religion Is Not God

Religion has a list full of dos and don’ts. It has a lot of requirements that it takes from people. It seems as though it will never be satisfied with what people accomplish to tame its decrees. It kind of reminds me of what Proverbs says about selfishness, it is and will never be satisfied. Do you think that religion exists for the only reason to fulfill its own desires and commands in a person? Does that really have anything to do with Christ? It doesn’t seem so. Religion seems like a counterfeit or substitute from who God really is and how he wants to live out in our own lives. The reason I think it is so hard to ‘unlearn’ religion, is because it trains us to bow down to it and relay on it when we don’t know anything else. If this is all that we have known through our entire lives, it makes it much harder to see the lies and ugliness that it really holds. Its like a spiritual mask or delusion that we follow, and we think if we do what it says and live the way it wants, God is more pleased with us and finds favor in us more than someone who doesn’t live a religious lie. In this religious reality you can tell who sits in center stage, it isn’t the relationship that you have with God, or God himself, but religion and its customs-(SELF).

What it does:

Convinces -
Controls-
Hard Working-
Manipulates-
Deceives-
Punishes-
Betrays-
Hates-

It is easy to over look these aspects of religion and how it defines us as people! It can easily lead us astray from the truth and the love that Father wants to give us freely in a relationship with him. See, the focus of religion is not on love and being in a relationship with Father, it’s all about what is listed above. The Old Testament is full of this, and proclaims that religion is God! But that isn’t so, since Christ died for all of us and set us literally and spiritually free from religion and sin, it is now easy to see that God isn’t here to: convince us, control us, work us to death, manipulate us, deceive us, punish us if we blow it, betray or condemn us, and to hate us. I know God’s truth and show us himself by his love and relationship he longs to have with us, but I think it really boils down to a HUGE misunderstanding, a lie that leads us to believe that religion is God! Maybe Father allowed this misunderstanding to take place in order to show himself to us individually and in his own way. There are so many things written in the bible that seem controversial and confusing when compared to the freedom I now see and believe, but I think Father had a reason for it to be that way, so that He himself would make himself real to us in his own way and not let the laws, and decrees and all of the above stuff, (religion) take control. He may allow it to happen in many peoples lives, but now that I have a better understanding of whom Father is, religious obligation doesn’t have a hold on my life.

God Gave Us a Name and it isn’t GOD

I have this annoying angst with some people who try to justify their own theologies through convincing and ‘playing God’ through their religious commentaries, it is getting quite old. I usually advance to zoning out when I am faced with this so-called preaching the gospel. When are people going to realize that they are not God, and they are not called to convince me and proclaim the voice of God over me? I have heard it a billion times people say, “God told me to tell you”… Well, I usually reply back flabbergasted saying, who died and made you God? I am usually not quite that forward or rude. I may sound a little short-tempered in this post, but perhaps I am extremely disgusted with religion. Unfortunately, people use religion as their source to control and manipulate people into action. Now I see how non-believers look at all Christians and classify them all into this certain horrible category, and I don’t blame them for doing so. If only non-believers could see me differently than a lot of Christians. I hate that label. Christian. Even if its in the bible and that is what Father has called his people, but lately its such a label that I wish I could erase. I am not talking about my beliefs in Father and my relationship with him or his people, but the name Christian has really given all of us a bad rap. Or perhaps it’s the religion behind the name that has. I would probably feel much differently about the name if it weren’t a name for religious legalists. Does it ever bother you when people ask you what ‘religion’ you are? It does me. It gets under my skin so deep, and I feel like the only reply that I have is, ‘I only have a relationship with a God who loves me and cares for me regardless my sin’. I don’t know maybe Father will give me one that explains where my heart is or maybe I should say where HIS heart is in this!

Does anyone else have a good name to express your relationship with God to others?

Big Religion and Big Government

I am probably going to be stepping on some toes in this post, but I just couldn’t help it. After watching the outcome of Super Tuesday it got me all fired up for some reason. Usually when one talks about religion or politics there is usually smoke in the air from the flames coming from some peoples heads, but if you talk about both, politics and religion in the same conversation, warning, their may be a forest fire starting very soon.

As I use the term (big government) I probably give away that I am a republican and believe in small government vs. government control because I believe that we the people can make decisions on our own without the governments input. It isn’t the government’s responsibility to take that away from the people who have rights to decide what is right for them (us). If we give the government an inch they will take a mile or more and that to me is a real problem and that scares me. I blame my husband for such conviction and thought when it comes to politics because he is a real hardheaded republican and gives it much attention. For a while, I would just sit on the sidelines not really having an opinion or giving it much thought, but my husband influence has driven me to the point of actually writing about politics on my blog (go figure).

Religion can look scary to me as well, it portrays to me bondage that deprives me from the liberty that I can have with God. It’s a certain bondage that doesn’t allow freedom in having a relationship with Father and succumbs to obligation or bondage to any laws that reign or take precedence over sharing a relationship with Father. Religion is all about the “me factor” and how well “I” am doing to gain more points in God’s eye than just being who I am for God without keeping track of points and sins. Religion also portrays a sense of having to be responsible for our fellow brothers and sisters. Having accountability partners so man can keep me inline instead of God and having to take on the responsibility to keep an eye on Christians just in case they slip up.

Religion is a lot like the Federal Government. They both are control freaks. They want to take as much away from a person as they can and declares that “they” know best. They portray a sense of wanting others to have a full dependency of trust in the laws they proclaim to be laws and what is or isn’t illegal. Religion or the Federal Government aren’t looking out for my best interest but in the interest of them and takes all the honor and power away from God. Religion and Government in every turn from this point on has rubbed me the wrong way, and will continue to do so.
How does this rub you?