"Face In the Mud"

Well, that's what my dear sweet sister calls. When the enemy is trying to keep you from holding you head high and walking in the forgiveness and freedom that our Lord freely gives to us when we confess and repent of our sins. I can envision "face in the mud" but it also reminds me of the "Who's the Master" scene in the movie, The Last Dragon! Bruce LeRoy is being handled by his shirt collar as Sho' Nuf' is forcing his head in to a bucket of water. Bruce LeRoy  gasps for air every time his head is lifted out of the water. And as if that isn't bad enough. What does Sho' Nuf' ask him..."Who's the Master?" ...Not only does the enemy want us to walk in defeat he wants us to deny our (the One and Only True) Master. OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!! I would reckon to say that when we choose to walk in defeat. We walk as if our Master didn't die for being able to walk in victory. So,  as I recognize the enemy trying to hold my face in the mud in guilt and shame (that was nailed to the Cross for all my sins). I must take my stance.I must make my in the stride in which I take my steps. I will walk in Victory! With my head held high and lifted to the King in praise. He is the Lifter of our heads. Psalm 3:3 "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."

                         There is no condemnation for me or you! (Romans 9:1)

I have to choose to walk by the Spirit and not gratify my flesh in feeling pity for myself...or beating myself....[Galatians 5:16-17, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do]....yes it is gratifying to my flesh to think and believe that I am giving myself what I really deserve WHEN!-- I am not the One who can truly punish myself and truly give myself what I deserve...I love myself too much, hahaha. {it's like when I flick my husband on the neck. He says,  "Ouch, that hurts." I say, "no it doesn't." I flick myself and say see it didn't hurt. When in actuality, I don't flick myself as hard as I flick him..my mind won't let me.} The Lord is the Only Judge; even when it comes to me trying to deal with my own sin. And praise the Lord for being the Judge who gives us Jesus as our Judge Advocate!!! Right!!! 1 John 2:1-3, " My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."

I love the Lord. I will choose the Word over MUDD!!!  I will go to Him with a contrite heart.. He welcomes it...He desires it...Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

I will close with this Scripture...let it be your prayer, if your face is in the mud, as it is my prayer tonight!!!

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

51  Have mercy on me,[a] O God,

    according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

     blot out my transgressions.

2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

    and cleanse me from my sin!

3  For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is ever before me.

4  Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

    and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

    and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

     wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

     let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

9  Hide your face from my sins,

    and blot out all my iniquities.

10  Create in me a clean heart, O God,

    and renew a right[b] spirit within me.

11  Cast me not away from your presence,

    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    and sinners will return to you.

14 Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God,

    O God of my salvation,

    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

16  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;

     build up the walls of Jerusalem;

19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,

    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Quit playing...Church!!!

Playing Church = PhariseeIC!

You've seen it, I've seen it. You SEE it, I SEE it! People faking it all the while hoping to make it. When I worked in the drug rehabilitation field, we used to say, "Fake it 'til you make it!" Meaning I know it's hard to live a drug free life, but pretend like you are living drug free or want to live free and then You will be drug free! OR I know you have a hard time applying these AA &  NA principles, but pretend like you are applying them and you will reap the benefits! (Maybe this concept is the reason we have a revolving door in recovery programs...and many state agencies making big bucks off those walking through those doors, but I digress.) I'm sure there was a well meaning thought behind this statement, but the truth of the matter is; if you are FAKING (regardless of what it is), you are FAKING! Plain and simple. You can't make REAL what you keep FAKING!

It is sad to see that so many Christians are doing just that: FAKING IT! Speaking Chrisitianese* all the while not applying any of it, nor realizing the devil that they are calling a liar, is really themselves! Now before anyone gets all bent out of shape. I am not calling anyone the devil. I am just recognizing the spirit behind the lie whose native tongue is a lie. Satan himself cannot speak truth.[John 8:44  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.] When a person FAKES his or her Christiandom, he or she is a LIE and the TRUTH cannot be found in him(or her).Simply put, if you aren't living Christ, then you ain't believing Christ!

.John 5:39-40 says, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." 

Have you ever heard   Ok. You know when you encounter people who knows the Christianese of our day...ok let me break it down, "I am blessed. God's got me. I am going to reach my destiny. I am on my journey... I claim it. It is so! etc, etc!" Now, do get me wrong. I am not clear of ever thinking like this..I know I have claimed some things in my prayers. I have agreed with the Word in my prayers and hopes. My point is those who speak (and perhaps...believe) these terms and yet lives a life contrary to the Word the so-claim to live by. Their life does NOT reflect the God they claim to be their God. Faking it...trying to make it. 


The Setting: Jesus is speaking to the Jews who were trying to kill Him. They wanted Jesus because He said that God the Father was His very own Father, thus making Himself equal to the God of the Jews.A God whose Name they weren't permitted to speak. YHWH.  Not only this- but Jesus was breaking the law of the Sabbath by healing people. Jesus goes on to explain that He has authority from the Father because the Father gives it to Him. THEN He goes on to say that He, the Son will judge them in the end. Once more, He tells them that there are those who witness of Him, i.e. God the Father, John the Baptist and Moses.  The one God they claim to worship, the writings of the one who they claim to follow and obey, and the one they murdered....He says to them,"and you do not have his Word abiding in you, for you do not believe the One whom He has sent." John 5:38 Basically, you don't know God because you really don't read your Bible because you don't believe Me. (It's amazing what you can gather about someone just by the words that come out of their mouths).

You see, the Pharisees 'kept' the Scriptures. They kept them OUTWARDLY. But they didn't KNOW Him! They did NOT the Holy Scriptures in their hearts. They did not KNOW Him. THIS- IS -WHY- THEY- DID -NOT -RECOGNIZE- HIM!!! Why they wanted to kill Him!!!..... He was not in them.   Do you quote the promises of God and not KNOW the Promise, Himself and His desires for You? You hear me?

So how say you (or me)?
Are you merely saying with your mouth that you glorify God with your heart, mind, soul...all the while trampling over the Word of God by the way you LIVE....Lord help us!

Christ asks, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them," Luke 6:46........"

Lord, I pray that, daily, I make it my ambition to know You more and more by Your Word. I pray the same for Christians everywhere. Lord, I want to make Your Name known. It is my passion. I pray that I will lead my children to make the Glory of Your Name known throughout the earth. I don't want to fake it... for Your sake, Your Name Sake. Amen.

TO BE CONTINUED :What will happen to the children of the people who are faking playing church? Where will they Spend eternity? If We fake it and won't make it. What Happens to our children who are watching us?