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Matthew 26: 36- 45

36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41″Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

42He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

In this passage you will notice that Jesus goes and prays 4 seperate times. He know what is coming and he asks and begs the Father to take this cup from him, but only if it is his will. This scripture here has so much information in it that we could have several posts about it, but I am going to talk about relationships and prayer.

Here is the Son of God and he is praying to his Father, to our Father. The creator of the Universe is listening to you and me through prayer. How many times have you just laid in bed and prayed until you fell asleep? The Bible tells us that we should be in constant prayer, but tat is not what I am talking about. What I am talking about is the prayer of anguish, the prayer of respect, the prayer that causes you to set aside your time to talk with the our Father.

Jesus falls to his face in prayer seeking the Lord’s guidance and mercy from his Father. He is constantly in conversation talking and developing a relationship with the Lord. I know you all have some relationships in your life. Whether it is a spouse, a friend, a child, or co-worker there is a relationship of some sort. In those relationships how many of them came with a manual? How many of them have a book that you can refer back to to know what to say or not say etc? Non of them, the Bible is a manual on who our God is and his word. But you cannot develop a relationship with him through a book no more than you can develop a relationship with your spouse or friends.

Prayer is the way you do this, prayer is what is going teach you how to listen to the Holy Spirit and speak to the Lord as well as Listen.

I encourage each of you to take the time and fall to your knees this week and listen to what the Holy Spirit says, pray in anguish to be a better, father or mother, pray that you will be a better son or daughter, a better sibling, employee, pray that you obey, nurture, and sacrifice everything for the wel being of you family and faith.

Love one another and be blessed!

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has places his seal of approval. John 6:27

He is good (Ps. 25:8) - Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

He is just (Isa. 30:18) - Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.For the LORD is a God of justice.Blessed are all who wait for him!

He is forgiving (1 John 1:9) - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

He is faithful (Deut. 7:9) - Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. John 17:1

When I was 15 years of age I was involved in Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Crystal River Florida known as Seven Rivers My sister who is 3 years younger than I were baptized without really my parents knowledge and/or my sisters and I’s knowledge. Let me set the premise up a little better, my parents talked with our minister about the possibility of having their children Baptized and they never fully came to a final decision and it just kinda happened. I know that it was a miss-communication in the flesh but it was loud and clear in the Spirit. When I was Baptized I sprinkled. I was not immersed, but, even though the argument of the ages is about being immersed vs sprinkled to me it is irrelevant. The Holy Spirit is already with in you when you except Jesus as your Lord and Savior, when you pray the sinners prayer and really submit as a servant to the Lord and try and be obedient as one can being in the flesh, then the Holy Spirit already dwells within you.

I am living proof of this, I am going to Heaven, not because of my own submission nor because I wasn’t immersed but because of the blood that was shed on the cross. I am not here to argue whether immersed or sprinkled I am here to share another triumph, another win.

I grew up going to several different denominations, everything from Southern Baptist, Church of Christ, Methodist, Presbyterian, and non-denominational. The reason I say that is because I am not a believer that one denomination is better than the other, as long as they are Biblical based and teach from the Bible, The Word of God and know that Jesus is the King of Kings & Lord of Lords I do not care that one has a different doctrine than the other. Men wrote doctrines and came up with ideas to put in place why a certain denomination believes the way they do or even a better use of words would be the different denominations “traditions.” Sorry this is turning into more of a rant than anything, I promise there is a point to this.

About 8-9 months ago as a father and head of my household I decided that we needed to start going to another church, because it was closer and would give us a better chance to be a part of the local community and would allow us to be more involved on a daily basis, our other church has a wonderful church family but was 35 minutes away after we moved and it was hard to be as involved as before, so I prayed about it and we church hopped for a few months until we found the church that we are at now. Creekside Christian Church is and continues to be a great home for my wife and kids as well as myself.

My wife and I talked about whether or not we wanted to transfer our membership to Creekside and we decided to meet with the minister and after a great meeting and discussion we really wanted to join. However, you can only become a member if you have been immersed at some point. I was at a crossroad with this, I have already been Baptized at age 15 just not immersed. However, I didn’t want this to be a pride issue, I didn’t want to not be a part of this church family because I was so prideful and set in my ways. I needed to seek advice, I wanted to ask and pray about it.

I had recently befriended the newly acquired Worship Minister and asked if he would like to go to lunch to discuss. After talking with him the one thing I walked away with was, be an example to the kids.

I then also sought out council from my Earthly Father who is also an Elder in his church and his council turned it back on me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of the Church Family there, the answer of Course was Yes.

With all that being said I have not been immersed yet we are going to make it a family event, probably in August stay tuned…

The Baptism of Jesus
¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17

Our hearts ache, but we are filled with such great joy. We are poor, but have given rich spiritual gifts to others, and we own nothing, but yet, we have everything.”

Submit Yourselves to God, although seems like it would be a simple task is actually one I feel as a Christian man is one of the harder things to do and I am constantly struggling to achieve this. I have to ask the Lord on a daily basis that I be humbled and become more obedient.

I am someone who writes his goals on an almost daily basis, if I am not writing I am definitely thinking about them insistently all of the time. Goals like, I need to make sure I get up every morning and read the word of God and have 15-20 minutes of prayer. I also love to go to the gym and set my goals accordingly. I also set personal financial goals and blog writing goals (”like stay consistent and post at least 3x’s a week). The question I have though, isn’t whether goals are good to write and setting achievements is a bad thing, the question is what is your end result? What is driving you? Why are you trying to accomplish a goal or goals?

James: 4-13-17:
13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

I challenge you all to take the time and set some goals this week, but seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. Find yourself in intense prayer mediating and saturating in the word of God. I can tell you that if you submit yourselves to God that your goals will be achieved beyond whatever you thought they would. God has a plan for each and every one of us.

I still do not fully understand what God has for me, I struggle with submission, but I do know one thing and that is I am a husband and a father of 3. My “PURPOSE” is to be the head of that household and be the best example to my children and show them that I love their mom. I want to do other things, I have desires just like everyone else and they are not necessarily bad, but at this stage in my life, the season that I am in is to be that example and the head of the household that I have been placed in.

I ask that each of you get on your knees and bow your head and ask the Lord to be the center of your everything and submit yourself to his will. Being a follower of Christ is not easy it is painful at times and the world will persecute you at times, but the reward is beyond what you and I can see or imaging.

Submit my brothers and sisters and be a servant to the creator of all things.

Genesis 39:1-12 talks about how Joseph was placed in charge of his masters possessions. During this time the masters wife then attempted to seduce him, but Joseph resisted this temptation on several occasions. When I read this passage I kept asking myself, how was he able to do this? Here he is in his masters care and he is taking care of all these possessions, this women is trying to seduce him into her bedroom yet he fleas. I kept thinking of the verse in Proverbs that says: “Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 and how it talks about guarding one’s heart. I also kept thinking about how Joseph was thinking of his Father in Heaven, his Lord and being obedient. Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as we.

My next concern was about how to guard one’s heart, with all the media and what it portrayals as far as what is acceptable and what is “politically correct” and what has desensitized us. All the violence and sex that is around every corner just gnaws at our souls keeping us separated from the Lord.

When I was in school working on my engineering degree one of the biggest catch phrases I heard was “Junk in, Junk Out” in other words if you were writing a computer program or inputting some commands to an IC chip or whatever and you put in a command or code that was incorrect it would fail or not act as it was intended, hence “Junk in, Junk out.”

Our minds and body’s are no different, from the food we eat to the programs on TV and the radio that we watch and listen to. Whatever goes into the body is going to come out.

Start thinking about the benefits of what you get out of your daily intake and start asking yourself would this further my relationship with Chris and move the kingdom forward. Think about what your kids or spouse are watching.

How can you put the Lord 1st in all you do? How can you start getting the things of Heaven here on earth. I urge each and everyone of you to pray and meditate on the Word of God Daily. Find a way to further the kingdom of Heaven and benefit those around you and lead by example.Be all you can be for the creator of this universe and learn to love one another as he has loved you.

I pray that you all find peace and that you grow in your relationship each day with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Below is a great article I found about “Struggling With Sin”

found here…

“Struggling with sin” is a phrase that is used rather lightly in many religious circles. What does it mean to “struggle” with something? The word “struggle” means to “fight against”; it means to “strive, put forth effort in order to not give in”. It does not mean or imply that the one who is struggling is on the losing side of the struggle. And yet, many believers when they say that they are “struggling” with sin they mean that they are committing sin(s) even while trying not to. They mean that they have struggled and then they were defeated by sin. And so perhaps the word “defeated” rather than “struggling” more accurately describes such people. Sadly, many people accept such “struggling” (actually defeat) as a way of life. They have not truly struggled so hard that they have suffered any great deal striving with all their might not to give in to temptations (Heb. 12:4).

An example would be appropriate here. I have spoken with many young men who say that they “struggle with” lust. Actually, they mean that they fight against it a little, but end up giving in to their lusts. They claim that they are trying not to sin. (See the article, “I Try“.) But in reality they watch commercials that promote lust; they watch movies and television programs that encourage lust; and they listen to music that contains all sorts of sexual lyrics. Can they actually say that they are trying to overcome lust? Will God believe them when they say that they tried? Make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door, Jesus says, because many will simply try but not be able to (Luke 13:24).

We are not saying that a Christian will have no struggles with temptation. We are saying that when a Christian is tempted, he must love God more than the temptation. Fighting against the temptation must be “worth it” because he would never want to do something to grieve God. A Christian desires to make sure that he is fully submitted to God to resist the temptation; the devil will then flee (James 4:7). For we are promised that no temptation will be too difficult for us because God himself will make a way for us to stand up under every temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). We may suffer or struggle and it may be difficult, but we can overcome. There is HOPE! Even Jesus suffered when he was tempted (Heb. 2:18). Remember the Garden of Gethsemane!

Many people lose heart because they have “blown it” too many times. Put your faith in God! BELIEVE that you can and will overcome because of HIM. Don’t rely on establishing a good “track record” before you have confidence. Believe today! Know that your belief entails a love affair with God–so much that you will do ANYTHING for him. But don’t believe the lie that “struggling” is the same thing as “sinning”. It is not true. Struggling against sin does not mean that you are displeasing God. Struggling against sin is one of the main evidences that you hate sin. So, struggle and be victorious through the glorious power of our great and mighty God.

A wholehearted Christian is someone who struggles against sin and then gains the victory through Christ who gives him strength. Christians do struggle with sin…and then get the victory through faith. The “struggle” of the Christian is not a vicious cycle of try-fail, try-fail, try-fail,… No, the struggle of the Christian echoes the sorrowful, yet rejoicing cries of the Apostle Paul, “we faced trials far beyond our ability to endure” (2 Cor. 1:8); “God has delivered us and will continue to deliver us” (2 Cor. 1:10). “Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ” (2 Cor 2:14).

Perhaps you are convicted by God. Perhaps there is sin in your life that you cannot seem to give up. Do not lose hope. (See the article, “If Any Man Sin“.) Rather, repent and get rid of everything that hinders you (Heb. 12:1-2). Ask God to give you a revelation of the LOVE that he has for you. BELIEVE! Truly submit to God. Resist the devil and do not give your temptations a foothold.

As men and especially as Christian Men we are constantly under attack. Pornography is something in today’s society that can really seem to be an addiction and easy to get away with. Before the internet for the most part in order to get pornography you had to go to the store or get it through the mail somehow. This caused a little hesitation because if forced the individual to feel a little embarrassment and/or some kind of shame causing at least somewhat of a hesitation. However, with today’s ability to get just about anything you want in the privacy of your own home (I am speaking of the Internet) it cause quick and easy access with little or no shame involved. With just a few key strokes you can very easily look at the pornography that infests transmission lines. So what can we do to overcome this? Is there a way to prepare ourselves to defeat the enemy known as Satan? I found this article and encourage you to check it out. I pray everyday that you all will overcome addiction and stay in the light. Please know that if you do fail and trust me we all do that Jesus does forgive and know that he will still love you no matter what. He forgives all you have to do is ask him and he will forgive you of all your sins. Keep the faith my brother and sisters.

I am continually shocked to discover that many people who read and study the bible, believe in the existence of the devil and claim to be long-time Christians; fail to strategize and develop plans for standing firm against the enemy.

We are in a spiritual war, and a battle strategy is essential for obtaining victory. This is also supported by Paul’s writings to the churches particularly to the Church in the City of Ephesus, as indicated in Ephesians 6:10-20 with regard to The Armor of God.

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