abandoned to Christ.

From the time God the Father spoke of Christ through the Old Testament prophets, to Jesus' first coming, death, resurrection and ascension; human beings have muddled the true character, nature and purpose of the magnificent Son of God.

This false image of Christ has been created in writing, art, online media, and sadly, even from some pulpits.

Multitudes continue to depict Christ in a way that equates Him to mortal man, rather than receive Him as He is—the immortal, almighty, righteous, just, holy and good God...in human flesh.

"Now it happened that as He [Jesus] was praying alone, the disciples were with Him. And He asked them, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' And they answered, 'John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.' Then He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Peter answered, 'The Christ of God.'"

~Luke 9:18-20

With relativism becoming the new "religion" of choice these days, many well-meaning Christians (like myself many years ago) have fallen prey to Satan's deception that we'll never draw people to Christ by proclaiming His deity and exclusivity. The enemy has spun the lie that if we don't show how relatable Christ is to their lives, then we'll lose them; forgetting salvation is of the Lord, not us (Ps 49:7-9; 1 Cor 2:3-5; Eph 2:8-9; Rom 9:16).

In believing our enemy's lie, many of us have compromised the deity of Christ by palliating His powerful, life-giving love and works, to something that only tantalizes a person's physical senses, yet does nothing to benefit their soul (1 Cor 10:23-24).

Just because something fulfills a person's physical needs doesn't necessarily mean that it will be useful in building up their faith. As a matter of fact, we know that God often allows painful things to happen to His children as an act of His righteous and loving discipline (Prov 3:11-12; Heb 12:6-7, 11; Rev 3:19).

The Son of the Most High God was given to us as a propitiation for our sins, so that we might be freed from the bondage of sin, rescued from the wrath of God, and granted the immeasurable riches of God's kindness and love, fully manifested in the Person of Christ alone.

While it is true that Christ is able to "sympathize" with our weaknesses and temptations (Heb 4:15), that does not mean that He excuses our sinful behaviors or our worldly views of Him.

So who is Jesus to you?

Is Jesus: Savior, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Master and Shepherd of your soul and Ruler of your life? Is He the majestic King who humbled Himself in order to purchase your eternal freedom? Is He the one who is powerful enough to calm the sea with a word, yet will weep with those who weep? Is He the one who always spoke the truth because He is God and God is love?

Or is Jesus the one who understands you and therefore allows you to "just be you"? You know, the Jesus that feels more like a boyfriend, your homeboy, your buddy and pal who only says nice things that make you feel good about yourself? Is He the Jesus that the world paints effeminate portraits of and is always looking longingly at us, just hoping and waiting for us to take notice of Him?

If after reading this article, you've sadly discovered that you view Christ the Lord merely as your sympathizer, don't be discouraged, repentance is only a prayer away. Remember, Christ set you free from the fear of God's judgment and provided you the freedom to come to the throne of grace, knowing that in Christ, you are accepted by God and are granted continual audience with the Almighty (Heb 4:16, 10:19-22).

Three good, heart motive questions are:

Am I reading Scripture to know God more only so I can love Him better? (Ex 34:5-7; Mk 12:30)
Am I reading Scripture only to feel good or to be good? (Ps 55:20-21; 2 Tim 4:3-4)
Am I reading Scripture to understand God's point of view or prove my point of view? (Jer 9:23-24)

One of the Scriptures I pray regularly is Psalm 139:23-24. It's a loving and contrite prayer that can help you cultivate the habit of demonstrating your love and trust to God our Father.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

~Psalm 139:23-24

I pray that God will demonstrate His faithfulness by opening your eyes to His true character, so that you may see Him (Matt 5:8), and that others may see Him, through you (Matt 5:16; 2 Cor 4:7).

...the Lord our God had not revealed His good, perfect and loving plan.

For the past 20+ years we've had an extremely strained relationship with my mother-in-law. Without going into the unsavory details, let's suffice it to say that my mother-in-law professes to be a believer, but sadly has no obvious fruit to prove her attachment to the one and only True Vine (John 15:5-6).

In addition to the uncertainty of her eternal salvation, my mother-in-law is a very ill person and has required many surgeries and other medical procedures. Our hearts break for her because her life here is so dismal and bleak and her eternal destiny is unsure.

Please pray for her salvation with us. We love her and don't want her to die in her sins, for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:31).

Due to all this, we recently invited her to come live with us (after her most recent surgery in October 2012). Many who know us and the grievous relationship we've had with her, couldn't understand why this invitation made sense. To be honest, we really didn't either, but we prayed and searched Scripture for our heavenly Father's answer, and we found, regardless of how painful and difficult this was going to be, we have been freed and enabled by Christ to love her and care for her with all that we have.

"But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

~1 Timothy 5:8

We spoke with her nearly every day, and honestly discussed what daily life here would be like. We didn't sugar coat the past, nor did we hold her accountable for it. We just let her know she was loved and forgiven, and we wanted to take care of her the best we could. We told her we knew this would be difficult for everyone, but we were willing to take this journey, if she was. She agreed it was time for her to make a healthier life change, both spiritually and physically, and happily accepted our invitation.

While there was great joy with her acceptance, there was also great stress with it as well. We knew this meant that all four of us had to sacrifice what we held most dear on this earth. For my darling husband, he knew he'd have to sacrifice me and entrust my health and well-being fully to God; our sons had to sacrifice our family's peace they love so much, as well as their Mama's time with them; I had to sacrifice my pride and comforts.

Understanding the reality of our sacrificial gift to the Lord whom we love with all our hearts, souls and minds, all four of us prayed, thanked God and asked Him to go before us and prepare our way. We then committed this sacrifice to the LORD and made plans to have her moved in by the end of February 2013.

You know, sacrificing what you hold most dear on this earth is difficult, to say the least, but when you keep your heart and eyes fixed on Christ, the sacrifice doesn't seem such a daunting task. When beholding Christ, though you recognize the bit of the human element of anxiousness, you're also filled with an inexplicable peace, and joy of anticipation. It's a very strange, but lovely thing to experience.

By God's good and sovereign will, because He loves us, He made it possible for my mother-in-law to come visit us for Christmas. Prior to this, she hadn't been in our home for over a decade. Therefore, we were all the more thankful for this opportunity to shower her with God's love.

During this visit, God revealed to us His intention for having us invite her to move in with us. It was not so that she would, but it was a test to see if we were willing to give up all that we had enjoyed in this life—all that we held most dear on this earth. Of course, the results of the test were no surprise to God, for He already knew. It was only a surprise to the four of us.

In our Father's immense kindness towards us, He revealed that we had all grown more trusting and loving towards our Savior, reminding us that when we consider His tests a joy, it produces steadfastness, and when steadfastness has had its full effect, we will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-3). Isn't our God awesome?!

On an exorbitantly smaller scale, it reminded us of Abraham and Isaac. The thing that Abraham loved most on this earth was his son Isaac, and God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham was willing.

Just like Abraham, we were willing too. And just like Abraham, God didn't actually intend for us to sacrifice what He asked. He intended to test our faith to encourage us and reveal to us, what He already knew.

So we rejoice in this test! We rejoice in this outcome! We rejoice to know that our faith has grown and God Himself has done it! We rejoice that this past Christmas, we gained a deeper understanding, as a family, the great and sacrificial love of God the Father, in Christ His Son!

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure...Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

~Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Thess 5:23-24

Soli Deo Gloria!

By the awesome grace and indelible mercies of our great and sovereign God, our country has stood strong and vibrant for nearly 237 years.

In those years, never has there been a leader of this country in which the public has been more enamored with; enough to attribute to him the holy nature and names that Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, alone, is worthy to behold.

Even as nefarious as this sounds it's not the most abominable behavior. No, the most abominable behavior is that the President allows people to wickedly refer to him as "our "lord and savior" (Jamie Foxx, 2012 Soul Train Music Awards, video below).

Joining Jamie Foxx's blasphemous statement, Newsweek's January 18, 2013 cover, dubbed the President's second inauguration as the "second coming".

If these atrocities aren't enough to cause you to fall on your knees and pray for the souls of the lost (which includes our President and his family), then you must be squelching the Holy Spirit's voice. We, as God's chosen and dearly beloved are called to intercede for our brothers and sisters and cry out for mercy and salvation for the lost.

"There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides You; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed."

~1 Samuel 2:2-3

As I listened to the President's inaugural speech, I shuddered as many Scriptures resonated in my mind; the majority of which, concerned the End Times.

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains."

~Matthew 24:6-8

I found it quite peculiar that the President made sure he included all people groups in his speech as he lulled each group with smooth words and false promises of a euphoric, earthly kingdom that would provide for every person's needs and grant every person their desire. The promise was made without expectations of any effort on the part of the people, but with the people's full trust in the government to supply every demand.

Obama was sure to woo the youth with vain flattery, saying they will provide us with "diversity, openness, risk taking and reinvention". But as usual, in his ambiguous "encouragement" of the youth, he never specified what he meant. As I listened to him address all the different people groups, I realized the President wasn't speaking of a good or godly definition of each word, but one that only soothes and titillates our sinful flesh that only increases immorality and feelings of entitlement of good, for doing nothing.

The President made sure he included women, and assured us we would get what we all deserved and earned—the same pay as men. I agree that everyone should get the same pay whether or not they are male, female, black, white, yellow, orange, green or purple. But that doesn't always happen. There's discrimination across the board. Many colleges and even corporations have a minority quota they must meet, which often means, if a white male's test scores are higher than someone like me, an Asian female (a double minority), then I would be chosen for the college or job over the white male who was more qualified. Equality? I think not.

Before the close of the President's speech he made sure to promise the gay, the elderly, the illegal immigrant and welfare people groups that he would fight for their security and right to live as they please so that all people would be treated with total equality. A promise that only God can make and fulfill since He alone is sovereign, He alone is good and He alone shows no partiality.

Regardless of your race, or the color of your skin, as Christians, we should never compromise the holy name, character and glory of Christ our God in order to satisfy a temporal desire in this life. We have been freed from the slavery of sin and the captivity of a depraved mind (Rom 6:4-6; 2 Cor 10:5). Christ has liberated us from fixing our eyes and minds on the things of this earth, and has granted us the glorious gift of fixing our eyes and minds on Him, and the things eternal.

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory...So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

~Col 3:1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Jesus said we would all know that the beginning of the end is near when certain events take place, and like labor pains, come closer and closer together with magnifying intensity. Our Lord also warned that many anti-Christs will come and promise false peace, deceive the masses and encourage and accept blasphemous statements, as more people deny Christ His rightful position as the only Lord and Savior for all mankind.

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."

~2 Timothy 3:1-5

Sound familiar? It should. It's happening now. And if you weren't convinced prior to now, the President's inaugural speech should've convinced you. We are definitely closer to The End of the world and the return of the One and Only Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Don't worry, I'm not one of those unbiblical fanatics that's claiming I know the date or time that Christ will return, I am only saying what Jesus said...He is coming...a second time.

And His Second Coming will not be announced by Newsweek magazine. For Christ will not come as He did before as the Lamb of God to provide salvation...He already did that. The Second time, Christ will come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and He will judge the world with righteousness.

Just as none of us deserved our salvation, may our country, that doesn't deserve God's gifts, be granted His unmerited mercy, grace and forgiveness poured out to her; for truly, we are a people who do not know what we are doing.

Are you ready for Jesus' Second Coming?

If you're not sure of your eternal destiny, click this link so you can be sure: Heaven or Hell?