During the holiday, the iconic, fictional story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer once again surfaced as part of the holiday festivities. This story has a happy ending despite its gloomy beginning for Rudolph being heckled, shamed and treated as an outcast. When an unexpected storm throws the sky into darkness, Santa’s promise to deliver presents is endangered. Rudolph becomes the unlikely hero when his nose lights the way for Santa to fulfill his journey and bring presents to children. Sadly, expressions of shame and guilt directed at us and others, rarely have a happy ending. If we are truly honest, all of us have committed acts during our life journey that are not something we wish to discuss or want exposed. Even worse, we attempt to grade any one of them as better or more terrible than another. What a waste of time! How can you grade awful? The by-product of this behavior is condemnation and judgment. These hidden acts are not merely matters of outward activity, but they are a blight on the soul of the inner person. They become the consequences of our physical acts. Far too often we fail to forgive ourselves or blame others. Like the Pharisees and scribes in the Old Testament, attitudes of self-righteousness, jealousy and bigotry may also encourage others, including loved ones, to remind us of our uncomely acts (past and present). Such a hateful practice triggers shame, fear, and prolongs forgiveness of self. A feeling of poverty and overwhelming guilt creates a vicious cycle like being on a continuous treadmill, but never reaching a goal. It is a resting place for death. Fear is the foundation that feeds on the dead bones of our missteps. God, on the other hand, provides a self-sacrificing love on which to dump our mistakes and skeletons. Jesus spoke of himself as “life” and offered an “abundant" life free of condemnation and tribunal judgment by another who has ‘stuff’ in his/her soul. (John 10:10; John 14:6; Romans 8:1) This bountiful life requires an obligation by the individual to commit his/her will and accept God’s power that overcomes the contamination humanity has created. We are light years from ever being perfect, so why not live out our journey in Him! Let God empty your closet! His love always seeks the best for humanity and is not influenced by worldly wealth, politics or social demands. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus!”
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As of late, our current environment has been dominated by the realities of captivity and freedom. Captivity reflects the universal and ancient practice of forcibly deporting people to a place or land foreign to their current existence. The treatment of captives is often characterized by cruel and barbaric acts. Captivity essentially amputates the freedom, free will, and choice of another. In other words, the captive becomes a prisoner or slave. Although we frequently associate captivity with the activity of humans against humans, captivity frequently involves being held prisoner by personal bondage. Debt, drugs, sex, lust, greed, your mind, girlfriend, boyfriend--even a husband or wife. One more credit card charge, one more feel-good moment, one more puff, and we are captured. We can become so immersed in any one of these activities that we begin to accept them as a natural part of living. We accept our status as bond slaves. Unbelievably, we all have split personalities. That is part of our spiritual inheritance caused by original sin. This trait makes all of us capable of committing heinous acts. Like the 1900s folktale of the Punch and Judy puppet show in which a continuous battle raged between husband and wife, there is a continuous battle raging within our souls which may be compared to captivity versus freedom. God has given each of us a personality that allows freedom of choice. We can choose to live in complete opposition to God’s perfect will and resist His goodness available to our imperfect natures. Sadly, when we make this choice, we deprive ourselves of all His goodness and freedom obtained for us by His son, Jesus Christ. Genuine freedom rests in Him. “Whom the Son has set free, is free indeed.” (John 8:36) Because choosing to remain free in Christ is not always popular, you will face opposition. Courage will be your faithful companion to remain steadfast in your choice. God commanded Joshua to never fear or be worried because He was always there. (Joshua 1:9) As the holidays approach, we should rejoice in the knowledge that we are not bound by captivity, and that no human should control our freedom. Neither should we permit the personal bondages of this three-dimensional world to imprison and enslave us. We can choose to live in freedom, through faith and hope in the greatness of Christ that is within us. MAY YOUR HOLIDAYS OVERFLOW WITH LOVE, JOY AND PEACE! After reviewing all the disastrous events that occurred during October, I have sensed an atmosphere of fear being generated throughout our nation. Fear is a natural consequence of anticipation of danger. It is powerful enough to produce extreme terror or panic which pushes us to move toward avoidance and away from danger. A few recent fear generators that occurred in October:
There is no competition in any of these events; they are all equally horrifying, and their characteristics ignite prolific fear. In addition to the multiple dread-filled disasters, there is an event of historically mixed origins that takes place in October and is regarded as an innocent celebration by too many who do not know the truth. Its symbols and phenomena associated with paganism, the occult, and fear, place it at the top of the list as an influencer in these dread-filled events. When someone says, “Happy Halloween,” what do they mean? Just who or what are we celebrating? Beginning with Pope Gregory IV's designation of “All Saints Day” or All Hallow’s Day” on November 1, AD 835, a new event emerged. In its original form, October 31 was the eve (“Hallow Evening”) before the church holiday. A shortening of “Hallowed Eve” resulted in Halloween¹. When the Celtic people settled in Europe–Northern France and the British Isles, Halloween became their religious holiday presided over by their priests known as “Druids.” Characteristic of their religion was the worship of many gods with their focus on lords of their festivals: summer (Beltane-Fire of the Bel), and winter (Samhain (pronounced Sah win)-Lord of the Dead). During these festivals, fear of the Lord of Death was overcome through human sacrifice and the offering of prayers and gifts to him. In the 1900s, America embraced Halloween with all the pagan symbols of the ancient Celtic religion: pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns, witches, ghosts, skeletons, trick or treat-costumes, costume dressing, and Halloween parties and events, which are all symbols that support witchcraft and eliminate light and love. Estimates for the massive amounts spent on Halloween merchandising sales for this celebration tops $2.4 million, second only to the Christmas holiday. By participating in the activities of those who worship idols and other gods, we are bound to be affected. We are specifically directed not to imitate evil (3 John 11), not because God wants to quash our fun, but to protect us from evil. There was an almost overwhelming amount of fear placed on our doorsteps during October. For the future, avoid bankruptcy and skip the trip to the amusement park, Halloween fest or scary movie that will almost scare your clothes off, leave you in terror and dread of the dark, or gift you with sleepless nights. Even more important, to what damage are we subjecting our children by exposing them to outright danger during their door-to-door quest for candy? (Besides, why do they need that much sugar?) We are reminded that God is love, and there is no fear in love (1 John 4:8). We are encouraged not to be fearful because we are blessed with power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Finally, God is the Giver of all good, therefore, He is the God of Peace. Focus your celebrations on He who brings light, gives peace and redeemed us from our transgressions. Rest in the spiritual peace of Christ and do not let your heart be troubled, and above all, do not be afraid. (John 14:27) |
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