“Knowing and believing are two different things.”

Many of you have probably read or at least heard about the Left Behind series written by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. The premise of the story is millions of people are raptured and millions more are left behind and the series progresses through the entire 7 years of tribulation until the Glorious Appearing of Jesus for the final judgment. Well, in recent years the first two books in the series, Left Behind and Tribulation Force, were made into movies. One day while in Wal-Mart, Andrew and I are looking through the $5.50 DVD bin and I came across the first movie which is based on the first book, Left Behind. Today I am watching the movie and after the rapture has taken place and everyone is searching for answers and full scale hysteria is taking over, one of the main characters, Rayford Steele, is left behind with his daughter Chloe and he lost his wife Irene and son Raymie in the rapture. Ray starts to figure things out when he starts to look at his wife’s Bible and goes to the church which she attended. There he finds one of the pastors who was left behind as well. Ray walks into the church just as the pastor named Bruce is having somewhat of a conversation with God (letting out his frustrations which so many of us have done). Bruce, being a pastor knew the Word of God, he spoke it and preached it to hundreds of people every Sunday, but he just didn’t get it, because he was left behind. Then he said a sentence that just really struck me, I had to pause the movie and run upstairs to grab my laptop so that I could write this post is stuck me so hard, like I am literally sitting in my basement typing on my laptop with the movie paused just so that I can write this post, but Bruce says, “Knowing and believing are two different things, I’m living a lie.” And then he falls to his knees and screams out and asks God for forgiveness and just one more chance, and most importantly, to be used by God. Then, Ray comes up behind him, putting his hand on Bruce’s shoulder and says, “he already has, he already has.” This is an amazing part of the movie, Bruce has come to rock bottom and he knows exactly what has happened and there is nothing he can do about it, but what has struck me the most are those 7 words he spoke, “Knowing and believing are two different things.” That is so true, are we truly, honestly believing, or do we just know, living a lie and putting on an act. Which is it, just basic knowledge, or faith? One thing I have noticed is, and tell me if I’m wrong, but knowledge can be shared, but faith can be expressed, it can be shown, which is what makes it real. Faith becomes real when it is shown and shared. We can’t just go through life only knowing God, that doesn’t cut it. We have to know God, trust Him, live in and through Him, share Him, show Him, teach about Him, and most importantly, believe in Him. I don’t know how the “end times” will transpire, it doesn’t make much of a difference to me, all I know is that when it comes to the end, the only thing that is going to matter then is a whole-hearted faith in the Lord, nothing else will matter.

God's Light

As my life continues in a mad dash towards my future, whether I'm ready for it or not; I, like most people, can not help but wonder where my path will lead me, and more importantly, where God will lead me. A year ago I was seriously considering the Pastoral Ministry, although I have not completely closed out that possiblility I just don't feel that it is what I am to do now and not as seriously considering it, but if I feel so called to do so I will try to go as willingly as possible..But while I was considering the ministry my friend Andrew has felt called to the ministry so we had the opportunity to go to one of our church's seminaries for a weekend deal they called the "Taste of the Sem." It is very appropriately named event I'd say. But part of the weekend is they put each participant with a seminary student that they called a "Mentour" because we followed them around to go to classes on Monday and on the Sunday while we were there we went with them to their field church. It was a great thing to be able to get to know the Mentours because they became very influential in just the short time we got to know eachother. I was matched with a Mentour who was on his second career as a seminarian and had a wife and 2 little girls, so the step into the seminary took complete surrender to God and His plan. One thing that I'm sure made it easy for him and his family to accept any and all of the challenges seminary families face was God's Word. Before I left that weekend, my mentour (his name was David) gave me alittle gift and with it he wrote on a little card a note and in it he wrote one sentence that I know will stay with me forever, he wrote: "I hope that as you continue in His Word and prayer your path becomes all the more clear and sure." He then also included in parenthsis like this: (Ps. 119:105). Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Those words are also expressed in the song "Thy Word." But now as I write this post I am becoming frustrated with myself because I know that I need to be in God's Word and in prayer so much more than I am, but it seems like the more I tell myself that the less likely I do it, I just get guilty. What is keeping me from it!?! In my own study Bible, at the bottom it has written about the lamp and the light, which is God's Word, "Apart from which I could only grope about in the darkness." How true is that!? It seems like to me yes, I do know much more than some people about faith and it might be alittle stronger than some people's but that just downright doesn't matter, comparing will get me nowhere. I am and have been groping in the darkness trying to find my way on my own thinking in a sense that I don't need any light, I can make it out of the darkness alone, I'll find my way out. But in actuality how much easier it would be if I just turned on the light, or i.e. opened God's Word. David (the psalmist) is an amazing writer, his metaphors are amazing and they are very abuntant in his writing.
Well, I don't know what else to say, but I pray that your path is well lit because of your closeness to God's Word and that you don't find yourself always groping around in the darkness trying to find your way when the light is there for you to have.

May God Bless you as you walk in His light,
Adam

I think there are many ways God shows His glory, but with my new passion of taking digital photos with my digital camera, I captured one of the many instances.

Anthem of My Life

Wow..it's been awhile..so here goes nothing..
As you may have seen from my last post, my life is full of contradicting things. Well, things aren't changing. So much happiness but at the same time saddness, joy and disappointment. I've had enough. But I don't have anything to say about it because, it's out of my hands. I'm wrapped up in a situation that I want to work out a certain way, and it could, but not without many problems, but regardless, I have no idea how I will get to that point. That's probably confusing, but I just can't explain it in detail. But I would like to expound on the phrase I said earlier...the it's "Out of My Hands" part. Those of you who have actually kept up with my blog through the months (i thank you!!!!) may have noticed I really like to relate my life to songs that I hear. I figure that most of those songs are written because someone had been inspired by something that happened in life and most song writers do it for the listener to relate to the music, so i do it often. When all of my difficulties were beginning and I was trying to control everything but nothing was working out, a friend of mine told me about a song that they thought was rather applicable, and oh man does it ever. The song is by a Christian artist who may not be the most well-known but should be because he is excellent, vocally and instrumentally. The song is "Out of My Hands," by Matthew West (linked to his website). Here are the lyrics:

There you go changing my plans again
There you go shifting my sands again
For reasons I don't understand again
Lately I don't have a clue
Just when I start liking what I see
There you go changing my scenery
I never know where you're taking me
But I'm trying just to follow you

It's out of my hands
It's out of my reach
It's over my head
And it's out of my league
There's too many things
That I don't understand
So it's into your will
And it's out of my hands

There you go healing these scars again
Showing me right where you are again
I'm helpless, and thats where I start again
I'm giving it all up to you

Move me, make me
Choose me, change me
Send me, shake me
Find me, remind me
The past is behind me
Take it all away
Take it all from me, I pray


The first part I would like to draw your attention to specifically is the last 2 lines of the chorus, "So it's into your will, And it's out of my hands." When I see those words, I think surrender. That's all we really need to do. We try to control the situation and do all we can to make sure that it results exactly how we want it to but we need to not fuss over it, surrender and admit that we can't handle it.
The next part that I want to draw your attention to is in the 2nd verse, the whole thing really. But I'll 1st mention the 1st part, "There you go healing these scars again, Showing me right where you are again." The part I like most of that is that second part, showing me right where you are again, or showing us that He is there and in charge. The 2nd part of that verse has to do with the surrendering again. This is one of the best parts of the song when listening to it, the artist does a great job of portraying kind of a mood change and expressing desperate feelings. "I'm helpless, and thats where I start again, I'm giving it all up to you." The lyrics right there begin with the confession that "hey God, I can't do this alone," and that is the new beginning (and that's where I start again) of giving it all up to Him, or surrendering, submitting to His will. Well, I could go on for hours about the song, but really I just wanted to express my thoughts and feelings about the song, but I really want you all to make sure you get your hands on the song somehow to hear it (his website has the song on it) . It's a powerful and uplifting song that gets right to the core of so many feelings we experience in our daily lives. If i were to rate it, I'd give it an enthusiastic 5 stars!
Last night I had a releasing prayer and I feel a comfort now, my heart feels more at ease, and the anxiety has subsided some. And let me tell you, all i did was simply recite in prayer the lyrics to that song.

God's Blessings as you learn to GIVE UP everything to Him,
Adam

P.S. this is one instance where giving up is a good thing! So come on!!! Don't go on any longer fighting those problems yourself! GIVE UP! you can't do it! (positive peer pressure disguised nicely by negative peer pressure:>)