Sometimes the hardest thing to do is just stand. To be still and know that HE is God. To understand that you don't have to fight every battle and right every wrong. In fact, understanding that Jesus has won the war to end all wars means we don't have to fight at all. We can let people be who they are without getting all worked up about it. The only fight left in the New Covenant is the good fight of faith. Which is laying hold of the gift that we've been given. Knowing and believing that we have what God says we have. Knowing that we have no lack because our God has no lack. Knowing that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His (our) hands. That's what faith is for. And faith works by love. Jesus said, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). And God is love. So you could just as easily say, "Have faith in love." It's the same thing. That's what we have faith in. That's what we stand fast in (or on). When you are planted on the Rock--that is Jesus, that is love--you will not be shaken. How could you be? When Jesus--when love--is holding you up, how could anything knock you down? One of my favorite verses, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). Give Him praise. Why? Because He is praiseworthy. Why? Becuase He is ready, willing, and able to keep you from falling. We spend so much of this life, especially, seemingly, this "Christian life" trying to pick ourselves back up. "Well, I'm only human." As an excuse for doing something we shouldn't. Here's the thing--just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. On the same note--just because you have done something doesn't mean you've disqualified yourself from God's love. Nothing can separate you from God's love. Nothing. So stand on it. Stand in it. Come into the understanding that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. Period. That's not just what you do. That's who you are. Even on your worst day... you are who God says you are. You are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. You are the apple of His eye. You are His favorite (and so am I). So on your worst day... don't run from Him. Run TO Him. He allows U-turns. When the Prodigal Son came back to father's house... daddy ran to meet him and couldn't have been happier to see him. And I'm telling you this: When you stand fast... you won't have to come BACK to Him, because you will have always been with Him! God swore He would never leave us nor forsake us. And He won't. He can't. He took up abode in us. He dwells in us. And that's why we can stick with Him. Or, yes, even return to Him. But sticking is better. Not in the way the older brother did in the story of the Prodigal Son where we are bitter because we feel like we're the "good" son and have no return on that investment, but in the way that the father laid it out, "You're my son. All I have is yours. If you wanted a party... you should have had a party." We disqualify ourselves so many times in so many ways. Everything we could ever need is available to us. The Kingdom is at hand. It's within your reach. Receive it and release it. Know it and believe it. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. All we have to do is sit down and eat. Fill ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with and let it come out of us naturally. Breathe in and breathe out the love of God. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. It's really that simple. Stand fast... on love. In love. For love. Because it's all about love!

The best, and really the only, way to stand fast... is to make sure you're standing in, and on, the right thing. Look at Psalm 62:2 in the New Living Translation, "Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." That's pretty important. If you stand on the Rock (which is Jesus, which is love) you're standing on solid ground. You have a foundation that you can build on. Hebrews 12:28 (NLT), "Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakeable, let us be thanful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe." It's the truth about our response to God. He made the Way of Grace. We respond with the Walk of Faith. He brought every mountain low and every valley high. We respond by walking that straight and narrow path that leads to life. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. It starts with Jesus--with love--and it ends (in as much as eternal life CAN end) with Jesus. With love. When you are standing on love you can stand fast. Love will hold you up, no matter what is trying to drag you down. That's why we can have an attitude of gratitude. That's why we can be thankful for what we have instead of always trying to get something we think we don't have. Listen. I mention this a lot. At my old church one of the things we would often say was, "I have no lack because my God has no lack." Putting the emphasis where it belongs. On Jesus. On who He is and on what He has given to us. For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son. God wanted the best for us, so He gave the best to us. He wanted us to experience love... so He filled us with His love. He gave us everything we would, or could, ever need in order to experience His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love. He gave us Himself. His Spirit. His heart. His kingdom. He gave us... love. Transformed us, from the inside-out, INTO love. Love is not just what we have. And it's not just what we do. It's who we are. That's the foundation that we stand on, and the foundation that we build on. It's all about love. If you're standing on love, nothing can knock you down, hold you down, or keep you down. If you're standing on love you can walk by faith and not by sight. If you're standing on love you can see everything underneath your feet. If you're standing on love you can experience love. By giving it away. Because love IS giving. I think a lot of times we think of standing firm or standing fast as being defensive. "This is my line and you can't cross it." But really it's about giving what we've got no matter what. Responding to God's gift--God's love--by giving it away. By sharing it. By receiving it and releasing it. Filling ourselves to overflowing with what God has already filled us with. Giving what we've got because we know we have it and we know it's too good and too big to keep to ourselves. That's what this life is for. That's what this life is all about. When we know where our safe place is, we can run TO God instead of running FROM Him. When we know what we have we can stop worrying about what we don't. Because what we have is all we will ever need. We have no lack because our God has no lack. And the ultimate truth of the universe is that God is love and He loves you. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. We have been equipped and empowered to live this life by letting God love us and loving Him back with that same love. Letting what's inside come out by knowing and believing it's in there. Giving what we've got because we know what we've got. Standing on that Rock and refusing to be shaken!

What does it mean to stand FAST? It means stand no matter what, right? Stand in the midst of whatever is going on. Stand strong. Look at Ephesians 6:10-11--and a little bit of context here, if you read the whole passage it's about putting on the whole armor of God. It's about clothing ourselves with Him in order to be able to, well, stand-- "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." And let's be clear here: The devil is the accuser, right? That voice in your head that tells you you're not good enough. That lie that the serpent whispers in your ear that tells you to do in order to be. That's what we need to stand against. And the way we do that is by fighting the good fight of faith. Laying hold of eternal life; The gift of God that we've already been given. If you know the truth you can ignore the lie. You don't have to disprove it, or fight it, or do anything with it. You can just ignore it and go along your merry way. Life is so much more peaceful when you're not fighting all the time. Sounds like common sense, right? But not actually so common, unfortunately. Being a "Spiritual warrior" isn't about fighting every battle you come across. It's about standing on what you know is true and not messing with anything that isn't. Let me say it again: If you know the truth you can ignore the lie. It won't even get your dander up, because what you've got is so good, and so real, and so satisfying that anything else pales in comparision. There's no reason to get upset about nonsense when you know what's really... real. And, listen, here's the situation: The world will yell and kick and scream at the top of it's lungs. That's it's usual tactic. The "wiles of the devil" aren't always super wiley. See, God speaks in a still, small voice. So the world thinks it needs volume to "win." The key is having an ear to hear what the SPIRIT is speaking. The key is knowing that volume doesn't equal power. Think about it. If you're yelling at someone they're probably going to cringe away. Try to get some space and some distance. But if you're speaking quietly, they probably need to lean in to hear what you're saying. Really concentrate on it. To me, that's much more powerful. I've never been impressed with yelling. Point being--if you can ignore the noise, you can hear what's being said deep down inside. You can be still and know that HE is God, and you can hear what that still, small voice is saying deep inside your heart. And I'm here to tell you that still, small voice only has one thing to say: "I love you, I love you, I love you" with every beat of God's heart in your chest. Letting you know what's inside so that it can come out. Naturally. You don't have to force it out. Knowing it and believing it is how you receive it and release it. So it doesn't matter what's going on around you... when you know what's going on inside you. It doesn't matter if there are wind and waves beating against the side of the boat. You can be asleep, in a posture of rest, IN the boat. And then, if someone else is freaking out, you can calm the storm with a still, small word. Peace. Be still. You don't have to fight. You can simply exercise your power. The power of HIS might. That's how we're strong. We let HIS strength be perfect in our weakness. We put on the whole armor of God, and then we don't have to worry about anything. We let Him protect us, and then we're good to go. We can stand fast... because He (because LOVE) is holding us up. Keeping us from falling. And empowering us to hold others up. To keep others from falling. To help people. To love people!

Not too long ago I did a Rant series about standing. Standing on the Rock that is Jesus. Standing on (and in) love, so that we might not be shaken. For the next few days I want to focus on a different aspect of standing. It comes from Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Freedom. Liberty. These things are supremely important. Remember Mel Gibson in Braveheart? "They can take our lives, but they can never take our freedom!" Live free or die. And let me say this, in the context of not being entangled again with a yoke of bondage... that bondage is sin. That bondage is death. And if Paul is writing to warn against being entangled AGAIN in that bondage... we need to understand that once we were blind, but now we can see. Once we were dead, but now we have been brought to life. Don't go back. That's the message here. Look at Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptaable, and perfect, will of God." To be clear: There are not three wills of God. He has one will. And that one will is good and acceptable and perfect. His will is for you to know His love and love with that love. To receive and release the gift He has given you. That's His will. That's the desire of HIS heart. And that love is what gives us the liberty to live. Because to live IS to love and to love is to live. They aren't just connected, they are the same thing! Standing fast in the liberty of life and love means... living by loving! And it's that simple to stay out of the bondage of sin and death. (Notice I didn't say it's that "easy." Because temptations wouldn't be temptations if they didn't tempt you.) This life is all about love. This life is letting God love you and loving Him back by loving the people you come into contact with. So rather than getting twisted around and mixed up in anything and everything else... what we ought to do is simply set our affection on things above and not on things on the earth. Focus on what really matters. Don't use our liberty as an excuse. "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Liberty is not freedom TO sin, it is freedom FROM sin. It is freedom TO love! When you're trapped in bondage, you can't do the things you really want to do. Paul wrote about that too, speaking about being under the Law. Speaking about only doing the things he hated and never doing the things he loved. That's not freedom. Knowing what you truly want to do--love and be loved--and then doing that... that's freedom. That's life. That's what we were created to do. It took God a long time to teach the people of Israel how to live, after bringing them out of some 400 years of slavery. Because we, as people, settle. We just accept things. Get used to things. We just shrug our shoulders and say, "It is what it is." And we miss out on what is available to us. We think life is all about working hard (and I'm not saying you don't have to work hard in your life. I'm saying you don't have to, and can't, earn your Spiritual bread by the sweat of your brow). Really life is all about giving maximum effort from a posture of rest. Doing what we do because it is in our hearts to do it. Letting God, Jesus, love, do what He is of a mind to do in us, and through us, and as us. Standing fast in our freedom. Our liberty. Our love!

Being careful for nothing, but with everything giving thanks... is a more excellent way to live. It really is. Instead of running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, looking for love in all the wrong places, trying to be someone you're not in order to get something you think you haven't got... you can be stil and know that HE is God. You can let Jesus take the wheel, to quote that (not so) old song. But letting Jesus take the wheel doesn't mean you don't do anything. Rest is not inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. Not trying to follow in Jesus's foot steps (nobody can do that), but letting Jesus make His own foot steps with our feet. Living in Him as He lives in us. Trusting in Him as He moves in us. In Him we live, and move, and have our being. There is no separation between God and man because God lives IN man. And to me, that's what gives me the faith, and the confidence, to live this life I live in the flesh. I was crucified with Christ. I died. Yet I live. Because HE lives in me! So what, honestly, do I have to worry about? I can have peace. I can be of good cheer. Because HE has overcome the world. He conquered, and I'm more than a conquerer. He finished the work and I get to enjoy the fruit of His labor. I don't have to worry, because I can cast my cares upon HIm. Because He cares for me. And I don't necessarily think that means we should spend all our time focused on our problems, either. I don't think that means our prayer life should be a list of gripes and complaints. I think that means... let go and let God. Focus on the solution, not the problem. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Look at the snake on the pole, not the ones nipping at your ankles. Look and live! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and that will fix a lot of your problems. Focus on what you have, not what you think you don't have. We have no lack because our God has no lack. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands! Our heavenly Father wanted the best for us, so He gave the best to us when He gave us His only begotten Son! We don't have to struggle through this life. We can experience and enjoy the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of God--which is the gift of God--simply by knowing it and believing it. Receiving it and releasing it. Breathing it (HIM, Jesus, love) in and out. Letting what's inside come out. And when you're full of light, there's no room for darkness. When you are firmly planted on the Rock, you cannot be shaken. You don't have to be full of cares, making mountains out of molehills, and you certainly won't be careless, treating people like collateral damage. You'll find that sweet spot right in the middle where you major on the majors and minor on the minors. Because make no mistake--there ARE things worth caring about. First and foremost: God and people. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. That's our purpose. That's why we were created. God made us so that He could love us and we could love Him back by loving each other. It's that simple. If you care about love... you're right where you need to be. Let the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. Let what's inside come out, by knowing and believing that it's in there. And let God fight your battles for you. He already won the war to end all wars. Which means there are no more wars. Fight the good fight of faith by laying hold of eternal life. Experiencing and enjoying the gift you've been given by giving it away! Cast your cares on God, and you love on everybody you come into contact wtih!

If we cast our cares on the Lord (knowing and believing and trusting that He cares for us) we can be careful for nothing (1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:6). If we leave our worries and anxieties in God's capable hands we can focus on other things. Like... love. And when you're focused on love... life gets better. It doesn't necessarily always get "easier" but it really does get better. Acts 20:35 tells us, "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Love is giving. If you're worried about what you have (or what you don't have) you're not focused on giving, you're focused on getting. And love is never about getting. Love is about receiving (what your havenly Father has already given you) and releasing (what you already have). So you have to receive first, so that you have something to give. Because you can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. So knowing what you have is vitally important. And, in knowing what you have, you don't have to worry. You can focus on your blessings instead of your (perceived) lack. We have no lack because our God has no lack. He did it all so we could get it all. We are connected to the unlimited source of love because the God who is love lives in us! In Him we live and move and have our being! To me that's so powerful. We have our being in Him. Our identity is not only tied up in Jesus... our identity IS Jesus! As He is, so are we in this world. We are overcomers because JESUS overcame the world. It's not about what we do, it's about what HE did. It's about who we ARE because it's about who HE is! And, listen, Jesus felt things. He cared about things. That's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying you should harden your heart and refuse to feel. I'm saying, "Feel what you feel... but don't let it control you." I'm saying you don't have to be full of cares in order to care about people. I'm saying you need to (and I need to) get your priorities straight. You don't have to let every little thing that happens wreck you. When Lazarus died... Jesus wept. That's a proportionate response. That's something worth caring about. But sometimes we let small things become big things. Sometimes we make mountains out of molehills. Sometimes we get upset about things that really don't matter. And that, to me, can be both careful (full of cares) and careless. Because sometimes we don't realize, in the heat of the moment, how our actions (or overreations) affect the people around us. We blow up about something that really doesn't matter and we hurt people unintentionally. Point being--you don't have to let everything affect you. Some things matter. Some things really don't. And knowing the difference makes a big difference. You can let some things roll off you like water off a duck's back. You can be carefree. You can see things under your feet when you see Jesus. And when you see it under your feet, it won't be able to trip you up. You're above it. You're over it. You're not an overcomer because you "can" overcome. You're an overcomer because you HAVE overcome! In Jesus! We can have peace and be of good cheer because HE has overcome the world! It's all about Jesus. Which means it's all about love. Love conquers all and we are more than conquerers through Him that loves us! So don't worry about it. If it matters, take care of it. If it doesn't, let it go. And either way, share the love that you've been given wherever you are and whenever you can!

Yesterday we talked about being "careful" or full of care. Too much anxiety or worry keeping you from doing anything. Today I want to talk about being careless. Or reckless. Because unless you're being carefree, no matter what end of the spectrum you're on, you're missing out on that Holy Spirit sweet spot. Being careless is being selfish. Putting yourself first and not thinking about how your actions affect other people. This is the opposite of being Christ-cented. Jesus said, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40). How we treat people is how we treat God. Our relationships with people is, in a very real way, our relationship with God. Because God lives in people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. If we're only ever trying to get things from people... that's probably how we relate to God too. Treating Him like a genie in a bottle and hoping for three wishes. Love isn't about getting. Because love IS giving. So when we're talking about being carefree, and when we're talking about NOT being careless, we need to understand how important it is to take care of people. To look past ourselves and see what other people need. One of my favorite verses: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others" (Philippians 2:4). If I take care of you, and you take care of me, neither one of us has to worry about ourselves. It's really that simple. If you see a need in someone else and meet that need... that's the greatest expression of love a man can have. Lay down your life for your friends. Live out of your abundance. If you see someone without a coat, and you have two coats... it's easy math to see that you could both each have one coat. Being nice isn't hard. Unless you're worried about losing what you've got. I think that's a big reason why people act the way they do--I think people are afraid that if they give away what they've got, they won't have anything. But that's not how love works. Love IS giving (I may have mentioned that). The more you give... the more you have. You are connected to the unlimited source of love. It (HE) lives inside you. Love is like a snowball. All it takes is a little push and it rolls downhill, getting bigger and bigger as it goes. So start small, if you have to. And you'll find out that the little things really are the big things. I've seen so many relationships ruined because one (or both) of the people involved were careless with the other person. If something (or someone) is important to you... you take care of it (or them). So in that case, it's better to err on the side of being careful. Not in the sense of being full of cares and worries, but in the sense of treating people the way you would want to be treated. Not the way you think you should be treated--because most of us have convinced ourselves that we don't deserve anything good ever--but the way you WANT to be treated. Everybody wants love. Everybody wants to feel special. Well, get the ball rolling. Love someone. Treat someone special. Don't worry about whether or not they "deserve" it, because deserve's got nothing to do with it. Love without condition. Love without judgment. Love fearlessly. Carelessly. I don't care who you are or what you're doing... I love you. At the end of every Jesus Rant podcast episode I say, "I love you... and there's nothing you can do about it!" Because that's what love is. Love isn't careful, but it isn't careless. It is carefree!

There's such a big difference between being carefree and being careless. It is literally the difference between life and death. You can't live--you can't truly and fully experience the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love that is the gift of God--if you're being too careful OR too careless. One will cause you to never do anything and the other will cause you to do things that you shouldn't. And then there's being carefree. Which is an entirely different animal. Look at Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Pretty close to our key verse for this Rant series about casting your cares on Him because He cares for you. It's the same idea. The same vitally important truth. It's not about you. It's about Jesus. It's not about you overcoming. It's about how Jesus already overcame the world. You don't have to be "careful" or full of care. Other translations are in the vein of being anxious for nothing. And, listen, I'm not saying you shouldn't care about things. Of course you should. I'm simply saying that you shouldn't--and can't--care about EVERYTHING. Some things, quite frankly, aren't worth your time or your attention. Boundaries. Not giving yourself to any and everything. Saving your three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) for what is really important. And I think that's where the prayer and supplication and thanksgiving comes in. We spend so much time worrying about what we don't have, or what we don't want to happen. Negative thoughts about negative things. That, to me, is anti-prayer. And you guys know my favorite Bible verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing." A lifestyle of prayer where instead of the "break glass in case of emergency" kind of mindset, where we only include God when we're in trouble... I'm saying there's a more excellent way. And I'm not saying you shouldn't break that glass if you find yourself in an emergency. You absolutely should. I'm saying if you include God from the start you might not get to that emergency situation. He can keep you from falling. And, let's be real, He wants to keep you from falling. He wants to set your feet on solid ground. Plant you on the Rock. But the way that manifests in our lives is by letting go of a lot of stuff that wants to drag us down and hold us down. Giving it to God. Letting God and letting go. Laying aside the weight and the sin that so easily besets us. Not fighting. Not trying to conquer, not trying to overcome... but simply being still and knowing that HE is God. We are MORE than conquerers in Him. He conquered. We get to enjoy the fruit of His labor. That's the Divine Order of things. But you can't enjoy anything when you're running around like a chicken with its head cut off. You can't enjoy anything when you're full of anxiety (or cares). Again, it's ok to care about things. But the right things. My step-mom (second mom) once taught a class I was in at Bible college. And the biggest thing I took away from that class was this: "If you're not going to be mad about it a year from now... do you really need to be mad about it right now?" Which is not to say there aren't things that should make you mad. Of course there are. Bullies, for example, make me mad. I don't like it. But sometimes we get all riled up about things that, in the grand scheme of things, don't really matter. We're full of cares. When we should be full of trust. Trusting that God will work things out for us. Trusting that all things work together for God to those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Ok. So, tomorrow I think we'll look at being careless. Or rather, NOT being careless!

I think sometimes I'll kind of use an idea on the periphery. Kind of mention it once and a while. Let it sit in my Spirit. But then I like to really dig in on it. That's what I want to do in this Rant series. The idea of living carefree. And my key verse is 1 Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Or, in the NLT, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you." Or in the NIV, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Basically... you can live carefree, because your heavenly Father has your back. Basically... don't sweat the small stuff, because to God it's ALL small stuff. Which isn't to say it doesn't matter to God, but is to say that He can handle whatever it is. Listen: Jesus wept. His friend died, and even though He knew the end of the story was going to be Lazarus rising from the dead, Jesus still felt emotions in that moment. He cares for us so deeply. Look at Hebrews 4:15, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the felling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." The NLT says it like this, "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testing we do, yet he did not sin." Jesus knows what we're going through... because He went through it. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. He knows the way through because He has been through. He said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have triblation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). And I always try to point out that He didn't say, "Be of good cheer because YOU can overcome the world." Being an overcomer doesn't mean you have the ability to overcome. It means you have ALREADY overcome. In Him. He overcame the world. Past tense. Done deal. On the cross Jesus fought--and won--the war to end all wars. Which means there are no more wars to fight. Which means the only thing we need to do is "fight" the good fight of faith with is laying hold of eternal life. Receiving and releasing the gift we've been given by knowing and believing we have it. What you believe is inside you WILL come out. It has to. It's too big not to. So it's vitally important to know what's in there. To know that God's love is in there. To know that He cares for you. And that's when you can be carefree. That's when you can live His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love by letting Him live His own life in you, and through you, and as you! And I really want to make a clear distinction between being carefree and being careless. Casting your cares onto Jesus (because He cares for you) doesn't mean you can be careless. It doesn't mean you can (or should) live with reckless abandon. It simply means you don't have to let worry and anxiety hold you back or trip you up or keep you down. One of my favorite memory verses: "Jude 1:24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." Jesus can (and will) keep you from falling. If you trust Him to hold you up. If you stand on the Rock. And if you stand on the Rock (which is Jesus, which is love) you cannot be shaken. You can know, and understand, and see, that everything is under your feet. You can stop trying to overcome and enjoy life as One who has already overcome! You can stop worrying and start living! You can enjoy what you have right now, while still building for the future and learning from the past. You can be carefree. You can pray without ceasing, love without worrying, and live an abundant life!

If you think it's your job to change people--to make sure they think and believe and act the same way that you do--you need to think again. That's a simply as I can put it. It's not you job to make clones of yourself. Especially when you consider the fact that you yourself are changing and growing all the time. Well, changing yes. Growing hopefully. My point is--you have an unction from the Holy One and you know all things... but you don't necessarily understand everything you know. Look at 2 Peter 3:18, "But grow in grace, and in the knowleege of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." Growing in grace. Growing in the knowlege of Jesus. And that's important because Jesus is our true identity. The more we learn of Him, the more we learn of ourselves. Our TRUE selves. When God looks at you He sees Jesus, and when God looks at Jesus He sees you. There is no difference and no separation. He lives in us. We live in Him. As He is, so are we in this world. So maybe instead of trying to change people, or convert them to our particular brand of theology or religion... we ought to just focus on loving people. On being the best US we can be. The only person you ever need to compete with is the person you were yesterday. As long as you're moving forward you're doing ok. And even baby steps forward are still progress. Don't despise small beginnings. Don't think you don't make a difference. Just do your best and forget the rest. Don't try to change people. And, really, don't try so hard to change yourself. See the change that took place 2000 years ago on the cross. If you see it, you can be it. You can grow in that grace. You can grow in that knowlege of your true identity. The more you know, the more you grow. What you see is what you be. What you magnify in your life is what will manifest in your life. My point is--I preach and Rant a lot about looking not on your own things but on the things of others. If I take care of you and you take care of me neither of us will have to worry about ourselves. Having said that--looking on the things of others is about helping people. Many hands make light burdens. It's not about judging people (by appearance), but about executing the righteous judgment of God. It's about seeing a need and meeting it. It's about giving what you've got and not worrying about any sort of "deserve." Deserve has nothing to do with it. Just love people. That's what we were created to do. God loves us so that we can love Him back by loving people. Jesus didn't come to set up a religion and convert people. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He came that we might enjoy the gift that He has given us. The gift of eternal, everlasting, abundant, Resurrection Life! A life of love. And, really, the only way to "convert" someone--from death to life, which is the entire point--is to love them. Love is the difference between death and life. No love, no life. Know love, know life. It's not about "believe what I believe or else." It's about, "I love you." That's what we need to convert OURSELVES to. A total and complete focus on growing in the life and grace and knowledge and love of God!