sin – Page 14 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: October 25

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

The host of heaven gives witness to our challenge. All of the saints that have gone before us give witness to our challenge. They are awaiting us to finish well what we have been assigned to accomplish. Therefore all of the impediments of heart and mind must be dispensed of unless they restrict our mobility and entrap us, holding us as slaves to old habits. Our minds must constantly be renewed in order for us to know what the will of the Lord is. Never should our pursuit fall short of those that have gone before us. We are to build upon the foundation that has already been established by them. The weights are spurned from the sin that would remain as a stronghold. Whatever is our greatest weakness is the sin awaiting the opportunity to be given full expression. Only when we maintain our focus on the Jesus Christ could we be empowered to resist it.

Look ahead in faith unless we find ourselves looking around in despair. Faith in Jesus Christ alone can produce the endurance to finish well.

23 Oct 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: October 23

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (34) Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God….” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

The company of the deceived is hard to penetrate. There is strength in numbers among them. Even God had to come down and confound the language of those who would have built a tower that would reach the heavens. They would have made a name for themselves and stood in competition with God Himself. The company that is evil influences the behavior of those who gather together. Only the pursuit for righteousness will awaken them from the daze and cause them to be aware of what has taken control of their lives.

The wisdom of God shouts in order to draw their attention away from the path that leads to destruction and death. The warnings are for their good. But the loss of familiar companions often arrests their reasoning and they continue on the track leading to hell. Be not deceived. There is a way that leads to death, but God wills us to learn and live.

13 Oct 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: October 13

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted.” Psalm 18:21 (THE MESSAGE)

Things that we have grown accustomed to are often taken for granted. The sin of familiarity can often breed contempt. God’s ways are not our ways. He does what pleases Himself. Our wishful thinking and reasoning cannot alter what He has decreed. He looks beyond the limited view seen by us from where we are stationed in the theater of life. He is able to see the whole story from every viewpoint. When we dose off into a slumbered state and by default allow our minds to question God’s wisdom. He alerts us with a wake-up call and reminds us that He is God and we are mere dependent earthlings, yet loved by Him with a sacrificial love. The slack is jerked out of our loosened lifestyles and we acknowledge Him again as being our only security and hope. Now that we are alert, we must always stay that way. Our worship is determined by our continual awareness of God’s love, presence and unlimited power.

14 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: September 14

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” Ezekiel 36:24

People who are in exile are a people removed from their place. We see Israel being scattered among the nations and some taking on the character of the nations where they had been forced to occupy. Sin does not ask for our permission, but imposes its character upon those who occupy its territory. A culture of sin produces a people who readily adapt to the environment. It is then difficult for them to remember what God’s original intentions were for their lives. They merely see what others are doing and seemingly enjoying and adjust to their standard of living. But God stands up and makes His Presence known among them. He lets them know that even though they are in a strange place, Israel still carries His name. When His name is hallowed among the nations and a difference is made known by them to the other inhabitants, then deliverance will come. God will bring them into their own land. He is says to us, are we to represent Jesus where we are. Should He only be honored in Church? What about the workplace? The places where His name is profaned require a people who would stand up for Him there. We deny Him when we are in strategic places and are ashamed of the gospel and acquiesce to the lifestyle of others. We must stand up and stand for righteousness regardless of what price we may have to pay. God will then deliver us into our own place of promise if we are willing to take a stand for Him right here.

03 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: September 3

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

Giving enables us to see the dimensions and depths of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without personal sacrifice, we merely theorize rather than experience what He offers us so freely. It is impossible to understand the dynamics of His message and the glory of His life without participating with Him in releasing those things left in our hands to manage. The Holy Spirit will direct us to channel all things to acquire the greatest benefit. True freedom is freedom from the bondage of sin bred in selfishness. What we have held too closely to have hindered the Lord from giving full expression of Himself to us. A freedom not yet experienced borne out of a need within us remains unmet. We were created to respond to God’s initiative in giving. None of what we manage is able to save our souls even though in the past we may have thought it would. True surrender is giving oneself completely to God. Only then is He given permission to direct us towards what is most important to Him. Today, what can you give that you thought that you could not do without? What is, or who is in need of your support that you might have thought was self-sufficient? Where is the Lord directing you that you would otherwise never go? Unless you break free from the binding shackles of your familiar, life for you will always be the same. There is a new place for you, a place of complete deliverance. You get there by receiving the gift of God which will enable you to give beyond your former level of giving.

01 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

September 2014 Article: “Where Are Our Conservative Brethren Now?”

Posted by wwalker Categories: Articles

Jesus speaks of a house divided in Matthew 12:25, where His focus is on the spiritual state of man. When His presence appears among a people, mindsets are changed and the habits of the heart shift to a different direction. Jesus Christ, our High Priest, empathizes with our emotional frame, even though He does not condone the outward expressions that result from our past wounds and injuries. The Spirit of Christ within the Church is not a judgmental spirit that merely looks at acts on the part of a people, but He addresses the root of the problem. If there is ever to be a revival in African American communities it definitely will not be as a result of Conservative Christians who stand against abortion, gay rights, or other controversial topics. Even though these issues are serious and damaging in our pursuit to establish and maintain a civil society, divisive rhetoric does not remedy anything. The question that remains is what do you stand for? Where are my White Conservative brethren on the issues that are currently dividing the Nation? The Siamese twins of civility are righteousness and justice. Righteousness cannot be right without justice and justice cannot be just without righteousness. The voices of those who see themselves as guardians of the flame have become strangely silent when injustice raises its ugly head as in the George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case, and just recently, when Michael Brown was murdered by Law Enforcement in Ferguson, Missouri.

The grotesque head of racism has always existed, but recently its increasing visibility has reopened the wounds of American culture. Conservative African Americans are becoming figureheads to justify the disfigurement of justice by over-emphasizing the social ills among their own people. However, they do not connect the cause and the effect of sin. How can anyone trust those who are called “Christians” when they only care about their own concerns? These pundits use statistics and every other means to appear righteous, but they are void of compassion. The looting and rioting that took place in Ferguson did not define the cause. Those who did it were out of control, but they are also in need of answers. Sinners sin because they cannot see anything other than what they see. It is spiritual blindness that reduces a person to the level at which self-gratification becomes the rule and order of the day. Without a vision or the right perspective the people cast off all constraints (Proverbs 29:18). However, a vision must transcend words to become a presentation or demonstration of righteousness before people are able to embrace its standard. That is why Jesus Christ came in the flesh—in order to not only tell us the way, but to also show us the way we are to live our lives.

I deeply appreciate all of those who have researched, analyzed, and studied subjects and shown us the points of departure that lead to the devastation and corruption all around us. But now it is time to commit to resolving what is seen. Although the Pharisees thought of themselves as keepers of the Law and guardians of the flame of righteousness, Jesus saw them as the greatest deterrent to the establishment of His Father’s Kingdom. The polarization of race while maintaining a private distain for a people-group compromises the Christian witness. I love my White Conservative brethren, but I do not necessarily always agree with them. Likewise, I love my African American brethren, but I do not necessarily always agree with them. Does that make me an oddball who is unable to fit into either camp? My disagreement is the result of not buying into a political philosophy of all or nothing when it comes to being a part of a people. I refuse to be categorized as either Conservative or Liberal because there are good and bad points on either side. I stand for God where the best of both camps should meet.

31 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 31

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:25

Is Church the place that we attend or a people in the process of being made? Many place more emphasis on place than in purpose. It is not a matter of getting what we consider to be our needs met. To be honest, we do not really know precisely what our needs are. There are symptoms, but our needs go much deeper. God knows. He knows our frame or the substance on which all that we have become was constructed upon. The foundation of our soul; mind, will, and emotion, is taken into account when the Word of God is spoken under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are challenged at the very core of our being in order to discover His intentions for our lives. We are not in place to merely receive affirmations. They will only strengthen the soul in its rebellious state against the knowledge of God. He is our Father. He rebukes us, challenges us, and affirms us. Oftentimes Church becomes a very uncomfortable place. We are called to reckon with God in relation to the sin that so easily beset us in order for His character to be formed in us. We are not human beings, but rather human becomings. We are a work in process. Whatever we are becoming, all that we expose ourselves to contribute to the formation of our lives. Every moment counts. Time is too valuable to be wasted.

Many have opted out of attending Church altogether. Their expectations were not met, or a disappointment was so devastating that they distanced themselves from the Church. Maybe unrealistic expectations have driven you away. It could have been the test of character warranting a difference response from you. The Church does not comprise of perfect people, but rather committed people. The commitment will be tested but the Word of God will bring understanding over time. Patience is the virtue which must be established with our hearts. God is beckoning His people to come home and be established.

Attend Church this week in order to worship God. Allow Him to reveal Himself to you and do not lean to your own understanding. The definition that I use for worship is “worship is our active response to God’s revelation of Himself whereby we declare His worth.” It is not about us. If worship is to be real it must be about Him! Out of our worship He will be glorified and His glory will always be for our good. You may not see it now, but when patience is perfected we are made to see further. We can then see aspects of the Kingdom of God unknown to us before His work in us began!

11 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 11

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.” Ps 68:1

The very presence of the Lord confounds the enemy. The light of His glory shines so brightly that anything that is contrary to His nature melts and fades away. We are drawn to His light. We are perfected in order to reflect the beauty of holiness. The defects as result of sin are first exposed, and then vanquished. It was the gravitational pull of sin that kept us earthbound and creatures with no desire other than the things of this world. The only sense of beauty was the aesthetics of His creation. Nature provided beauty but only as a reflection of true beauty. It is only when our sights are set on things above where Christ is will we be enabled to see that God alone creates in beauty, but makes all things beautiful in its own time. In the light of His glory all things give full expression of their being. What they attempt to express is fully expressed without any hindrances or reservations. We will then understand the beauty of holiness and the beauty of worshiping the One who is Holy. When the enemies are scattered the worshipers are free to worship Him in the beauty of holiness.

01 Jul 0Comments 1Like

July 2014 Article: “If the Truth Be Made Known”

Posted by wwalker Categories: Articles

“If you hear My voice and abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will give you freedom.” (The Voice)

The liberating power of truth exposes the false pretenses under which many people live their lives. They don’t know it, but the systems that people have relied upon are doomed to fail. These systems are constantly being modified to accommodate the latest craze, while in the process, pushing the truth further into a corner. Their problem is, however, that truth will not quietly retreat and allow them to have their own way. It cries out in protest against humanity’s self-government of independence from its Creator. Today’s battle is against the constraints that restrain the vices with tentacles that extend further than what the uninformed can rationalize. Who would consider that today’s idea of freedoms will result in tomorrow consequences of bondage?

In an isolated room of free expression, the heart translates every experience into law. Likewise, those who have been victimized have now taken their pain and institutionalized it. Truth is silenced by the noise of entertainment where subsequently, the mind is in a receptive mode rather than an active mode of discernment. Truth to them becomes relative, but if the truth be told, it is relative to their personal pain. Although they are in need of healing in order to see things differently, who is there to tell them that they are seeing wrong? Popular opinions outweigh the soundness of the tried and tested and as a result, history must repeat itself as this generation engages in an experiment with life as if no other generation has ever existed. As George Santayana famously said, “if we do not learn from history, we will be doomed to repeat it.” Truth is based upon historical facts and not merely scientific experiments. Yet true science reinforces what has been already proven to be true. If the objective is to gather information against the truth in order not to believe, then the theories developed by those who engage become more foolish in the end than before they began.

This is the ploy of the Adversary with his resounding question to each generation: “Hath not God said…?” His attempts to make God appear as a liar as he opens the door to ideas that seem rational are palatable to the dulled senses. Deception always hides behind a camouflage, often majoring in appearances by minimizing the truth. The challenge facing our culture today is if absolute truth is spoken, we are forced to reckon with an absolute Source of truth. If there is an absolute Source of truth, then we end up at the point of our departure, back to God alone. If God is God, then we must rely upon Him and surrender to His will if life is to ever work as He intended. But the experiment provided for this generation is the theory that God does not exist, and if He existed, His only requirement for us is to express love as we interpret love to be. The endless cycle continues to weave a web of deception, holding captive all whosin reject the truth.

Even when the theological argument regarding the existence of God is won by those who have made the point that God and religion are necessary, life still goes on without experiencing freedom. For even the devil believes and trembles…True freedom can only be experienced as result of surrendering to His will. Then, and only then, will every tentacle that attaches one to bondage will be broken. Life can be expressed without the constraints of the past transgressions that might have been translated into law. Thankfully, the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has now set you free from the law of sin and death. He that the Son sets free is free indeed!

26 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 26, 2014

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life.” 2 Peter 3:11 (MSG)

How quickly things can change from what we have grown accustomed to into something of which we are totally unfamiliar. The transitions occur as a judgment against every standard that opposes what ought to be established. The infusion of sin and the reinforcement given to it by an ever expanding majority opinion hastens the Day of the Lord. When right appears wrong and wrong appears right, God alone must vindicate His honor. He brings to naught systems and all under the authority of the rebellious and reestablish in its place newness. Do not be alarmed at the destruction of the wicked. These things must be if ever the Lord is to be glorified. Opposing and competing forces cannot coexist. The strength of the strong will overtake the weak, and the wisdom of the wise will befuddle the foolishness of the foolish. Since it will happen immediately, we should apply our hearts to live a holy life. The signs are before us now. The rapidity in changes around is our alarm as to how uncertain all things are. God alone is the constant that we can depend upon.

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