abandoned to Christ.

One of the greatest and saddest deceptions that befall all people, is the deception of self. Too often we believe our own press and/or who we think we are, versus who we truly are before the sight of God Almighty. Because of our sin nature, none of us are as "good" as we should be. And because of God's grace, none of us are as depraved as we could be.

If you're reading this today and aren't sure if you're one of the people living under the deception of who you think you are versus who you truly are as God sees you, I have good news for you. Because God is so kind, is filled with compassion and mercy, and is exceedingly gracious to us, He gives and shows us things He doesn't have to; to help us live in truth. And what is it that God has compassionately given us so we can face the truth of who we really are? He's given us His Word—His holy and infallible "mirror".

"the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes...For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account...But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

-Psalm 19:8, Heb 4:1213, James 1:25 (ESV)

If we're inebriated with pride, we can look into God's holy and infallible Word, and still come away thinking, "Yep. That's me. I'm good." Remember, those who are confident in their own self-righteousness are the first whom the Lord will oppose...and humble (1 Cor 10:6-7, 11-12). Thankfully, if we truly belong to the Lord, He is faithful to discipline us, and He mercifully provides us with another "mirror"—the words that come out of our mouths (or our keyboards).

Jesus said what comes out of our mouths reveals what's in our hearts (Mt 15:18-19). Jesus also said that whatever we fill ourselves with, will be what flows out of us; and therefore commanded all believers to be filled with the Word of God (Col 3:16).

So if we're truly filled with God's Word, God's love and God's grace, then sacrificial living and loving will flow from us and will enrich others (Php 2:3-4). But if we're filled with our desires, love of self, and feign niceties; then deeds of convenience and perpetual whining will flow from us and will burden others.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealously and selfish ambition exist, there will be every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

-James 3:13-18 (ESV)

None of us are sinless. And no one, including Christians will ever attain a sinless state on this side of Heaven. However, Christians alone can and should sin less, and less and less, because that's proof that the Holy Spirit of God dwells within us (Rom 8:29).

God promised that He is faithful to complete the good work that He began in us since the day He granted us the gift of repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus promised that those who are truly converted will manifest the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in their lives; and there will be evidence that we're being conformed all the more into the image of Christ.

We are all worshipers and we are all conformed by what is most near and dear to us. If the Lord God Almighty is the one we worship; if He is the one who is most near and dear to us, then we will be conformed into His image. We will love what He loves (righteousness) and we will hate what He hates (sin). The battle between God's Holy Spirit within us and the sin in our flesh will be a constant testimony to us that we belong to Christ. But if there is no inner battle between righteousness and sin, but only external consequences, then with great love from Christ our Lord, I urge you to examine yourself with God's Word (2 Cor 13:5).

There are many ways in which we deceive ourselves and thereby, deceive others. All forms of deception is destructive, whether we believe ourselves to be mightier than we are, wiser than we are or more sinful than we are. We all have enough legitimate sins we must die to, so let's not exasperate the situation by believing we've committed sins we actually haven't. And if you have sinned (according to God's Word and not by the opinion of others), don't deny it—instead, repent and be free of it (1 Jn 1:8-9). If you're not sure if you've sinned, check with God (not people...and especially not those who always tell you what you want to hear). Seek the Lord's wisdom by deferring to His Word as your preeminent source of truth (Ps 119:105).

When we're not honest with ourselves about the gifts and talents God has given us, we'll either presumptuously function in gifts we don't have, or we won't use them at all. And if we're not honest with ourselves about our proclivities to specific sins, then we'll never battle them, nor will we repent of them when temptation gives birth to sin.

Only when we daily hold up the infallible and perfect mirror of God's Word before our hearts, can we ever humbly confess our sins, daily repent, receive God's forgiveness, and live in the freedom Christ died to give us—to please, honor and glorify God (Heb 11:6).

"Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."

-Psalm 19:12-14, ESV

By now many of you have heard about the McKinney pool party melee that's exhausted the social and news media-merry-go-round. You've heard about the one police officer's misconduct and the accusations of racial discrimination. Many (too many) have been discussing this and shared their story with obvious bias for either the pool party attendees or former Police Cpl. Eric Casebolt (who resigned yesterday, May 9, 2015).

So, why am I adding to this story? I'm talking about this because I have yet to read or hear anyone share this story based on the precepts of God Almighty. As a Christian, I choose to see this entire incident and all involved, by the standards of God's holiness and righteousness.

But before I discuss the McKinney issue, I want to share that I'm Asian and therefore understand racial discrimination. I grew up in Virginia during the 70s where we still had some segregation, though the laws prohibited it (white neighborhoods, black neighborhoods, white schools, black schools, etc.). I still vividly remember being only five years old and having an adult white man (accompanied by 2 others) chanting, "Ching chong, ching chong, go back to Hong Kong". Then he lunged at me as if he were about to hit me, but he spit in my face instead and roared laughing as he walked away. Things like that happened often...too often, and it was always very disconcerting and extremely frightening.

Aretha was one of my dearest friends all through elementary and some of middle school. I practically lived at her house. She's black, I'm Asian, and we were nearly inseparable. I spent the night often, went on her paper routes with her, and even tagged along to dinners and other engagements with her extended family.

In middle school, I met some wonderful friends, both black and white and in particular, my sweet friend Stacey who I remained close to throughout our high school years.

During my elementary school years, I often wished Aretha's mom was my mother and actually, called her "Mama" because she mothered and loved me well. During my middle school and high school years I always wished Stacey's mom was my mother because she was so loving, attentive, understanding and kind. I always felt so safe and well-loved by these to precious women God put in my life. And though we could see our different races, it never affected the love we had for one another.

Some people say they don't see race. And I believe them...if they're blind. But if a sighted person tells me they don't see race, they're simply lying. We all see race. I see race, and you see race. However, to see race and to discriminate are two very different things. I know I'm Asian, I can see that. I know my husband of 23 years is white. I can see that. I know our children are mixed. I can see that. I recognize that I have friends of various races, but their race doesn't determine my relationship with them. Seeing the difference with my eyes doesn't make me a racists. Making a distinction in my heart is what makes me or anyone, a racist.

Though I'm now 46 years old, I still get discriminated against. Depending on where I am, I still get strange and unkind stares and sometimes ill-spoken words by those who not only see that I'm Asian, but make that distinction in their hearts. What do I do about it? I don't ignore it. I pray for them because their wicked behavior is evidence that they don't know any better...but I do.

As my darling husband puts it, though we can visually see different races, in God's sight, there are only two races, that is, only two kinds of people: those who are saved and those who are not. And because my Father's greatest concern is the condition of a person's heart and not the color of their skin, this is my greatest concern too.

There are many articles that tell portions of the story. Therefore, in order to help you get as much of the truth as possible, below are links to articles that include video footage as well as photos that will help us all see the bigger picture—the effects of human depravity.

[WFAA News] Backstory: What led up to McKinney incident

McKinney Pool Party Organizer, Tatyana Rhodes, Lawyers Up – Likely Trying To Avoid Civil Liability….

Who's responsible? Tatyana Rhodes is responsible for for lying about the party being a graduation/birthday party (her invitation says it was a #dimepiececookout), and for exploiting teenage girls and using them as sex objects for her "Dime Piece" parties where she usually charges a cover fee (the McKinney party was a free "Dime Piece" event that she organized in order to sell tickets and promote another one of her paid events). Tatyana's mother is responsible for aiding and abetting her daughter's madam-like business (I wonder if she pays taxes on this?). Former Police Cpl. Eric Casebolt is responsible for not doing his job—bringing peace and order to the community. His cursing, man-handling and abusive behavior towards children (possibly belligerent children) was inexcusable, immature and very unbecoming and unexpected of an officer of the law. The two white women who physically fought with Tatyana are responsible for not being mature and sensible enough to have simply left the pool and called the police rather than involve themselves in an altercation with an arrogant and immoral 20-year-old. The parents of all the teens who attended this party are responsible for not teaching/training their children well and for excusing behavior I hope, they wouldn't allow in their own homes. The children attending the party are responsible for forcibly entering a private neighborhood pool and disrespecting adults and the other children and families already at the pool. And lastly, the news media is responsible for their biased and poorly investigated reporting that turned an already exhausting situation into a bonfire of false accusations, gossip, outcry for purported but unsubstantiated racial discrimination, and the outlandish terrorist-like death threats targeting the police officer and neighbors of the Craig Ranch community.

Conclusion: Before I'm a woman, a wife, a mother, friend or Asian, I am a daughter of the Most High God. And because I am such, I'm held, like former Cpl. Casebolt is held, to a higher standard. Like Casebolt, I expect to be jeered at, cussed out, and mistreated in various ways whenever I intercede in a situation where emotions are high and rationale is low. Knowing this, the first action I take is to get on my knees and pray; to intercede in prayer for all involved, asking God to give me wisdom from above (James 3:17-18) so that I might do good and not harm to all people. The second action I take is to enter the situation with the peace and reasonableness I want others to emulate. Then whenever and wherever possible, I open my mouth, so that what's in my heart (the Gospel of Jesus Christ) may effortlessly flow out so that all who have ears, might hear, repent, and be saved.

Christians, let's not do what the world is doing. Let's not pick sides based on the color of someone's skin. But let us do what God Almighty has empowered us to do through Jesus Christ—sow God's peace with love, truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The McKinney pool party melee happened for the same reason why any painful and disconcerting incident happens; because we're all sinners in desperate need of eternal salvation, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Pray for the salvation of all involved since we don't know who is or isn't saved. Pray for God's truth to be revealed and for His peace to reign in the hearts and minds of all who are responsible for this tragic event. And pray to see if God might use you to help bring His truth, grace and peace to the community of Craig Ranch, the McKinney Police Department, news media or anyone who needs a personal demonstration of what true love and honor looks like (John 15:13).

It continually amazes me when professing Christians behave like unbelievers—insulted by God's Word, repulsed by discipline and loving reproof (or strong rebuke when necessary), and deferring to their feelings rather than the Word of God. It also amazes me that when acts of sacrificial love are demonstrated, the instant a feeling is hurt (not a sin committed mind you), how quickly love is forgotten for the deception of sin-founded feelings. What compounds this egregious manifestation of self-centeredness and ingratitude, is the expectation that one should conform to the likeness and feelings of another person rather than be conformed in every way, to the image of Christ Jesus the Lord.

"Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he [or she] will not go unpunished...Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right."

-Proverbs 16:5, 13 (ESV)

I suppose the key word in all of this is "professing". As Jesus Himself states, many will say they know the Lord, but only a few will find and walk the narrow way, and thus, enter the narrow gate to eternal life. For it isn't those who profess they are Christians, but those who actually abide in the Lord Jesus and obey His commandments and follow Him (1 Jn 5:2-5).

"As He said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed!' But He said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'

"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

-Luke 11:27-28, 1 John 2:17 (ESV, emphasis mine)

In the original Greek the word keep in Luke 11:28 is φυλάσσω (transliterated phylassō), which means: to guard; to take care not to violate; to observe. Therefore, it is clear in this verse as well as many others throughout the Old and New Testaments, that God plainly states it is not through familial heritage, nor from human exertion nor individual profession that one is truly saved. It is by God's sovereign choosing that anyone is saved from His wrath. The LORD has always proved who are truly His by stating that His children are those who love the truth, repent when rebuked (not always right way, but soon thereafter), and strive to do whatever is necessary to continually bear the good fruit of Jesus Christ—that is, preaching the Gospel of God's grace to a lost and dying world, and exhorting the saints in Christ to deny ourselves (including our feelings and opinions that don't align with Scripture) daily, and follow Jesus in the way of holiness (Mt 16:24, Lk 14:33).

"And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray."

-Isaiah 35:8 (ESV, emphasis mine)

Because the LORD our God is faithful, those He truly saves are those whom He keeps in His love. And because we are kept in God's love, He disciplines us when we stray so that even if we are fools, we will still walk in holiness. Being kept in God's love by God Himself, is what causes us to actually do what He says rather than merely agree with what He says; for even Satan agrees that the Lord is one and shudders (Is 29:13, James 2:19).

I'm not saying that once we're saved, we've been made perfect and will never sin again. What I am saying is that I only echo what the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write in Philippians 3:12-14, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In this passage, the Apostle Paul mentions twice that he has not obtained perfection, that is, no longer sins or struggles with sin. Rather, Paul states that because he is saved by God's grace and not by man's works (that could never earn him salvation anyway), he is exuberantly grateful to the LORD for taking hold of him, and therefore, passionately desires to take a hold of all that God has called him to in Christ Jesus—to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt 6:33).

Therefore it is evident from the word and righteous precepts of God that anyone who habitually lives in their feelings; those who trust in themselves and how they feel, and balk at any godly counsel is more than likely not saved, or at best, is in desperate need of strong rebuke and discipline so they may not continue to walk in the sin of their flesh, but walk in the holiness of the Spirit.

For those of you today, who are reading this and have been a victim of friendly-fire (Christians assaulting Christians), then be encouraged, you are not alone. As a matter of fact, you're in good company. The Old Testament prophets, Jesus our Lord, the Apostles and disciples of Jesus then and now; those who run hard after God, are always being bullied, lied and gossiped about by the idle saints in Christ (if they are in truly in Christ, only God knows). They jeer at you because your righteous living and pursuit of holiness shines a bright light and reveals their hidden sins.

Do not despair nor be dismayed, for the LORD our God is in your midst, and He is the mighty one who will save those who do what is right, from those who do wrong. Whether God gives us justice on this side of Heaven or the next, we can be encouraged because we know that our lives here are a mist and what we're building and storing, is for eternity. Therefore remain steadfast and immovable in the Lord, His commandments, and His precepts. Let no one bully you into submitting to man's ways and preferences, but look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith; knowing that your pursuit for His pleasure and glory alone is what's most beautiful in His sight (Mk 14:6).

"In John 4:34 Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.' I can't say that...I do so much for me. So much of my 'food' stinks. It's fodder. I'd be a hypocrite to stand before you and say those words are mine. But Jesus could always say, 'My food, my sustenance; the thing I live for, is to do the will of My Father.' That's why how a man prays will tell you more about him, than how a man preaches."

-Paul Washer

I concur with our brother Paul Washer. I want my "food", my sustenance, the only thing I live for, to be the same as Jesus—to do the will of my Father and to accomplish His work. But more often than I'd like, my "food" unfortunately, is my desires, my opinions, my creature comforts and my will. And at times, when this is my "food", my prayers are filled with the same carnality.

Similar to many, I want to be liked and accepted. I want to be surrounded by a multitude of friends and be able to post pictures on social media, displaying the happy, care-free life I so desperately desire. I want to eat what I want and in the quantities I want to eat it, without gaining any weight. I want to have an hour glass figure without disciplining my body to exercise daily. I want to be a godly woman without daily reading, studying, meditating on and memorizing the Word of God. I want my days to effortlessly fall into place like a beautifully arranged set of dominoes. I want, I want, I want...and by the way, did I mention what I want? Sadly, yes I did, and so far, it's nothing that aligns with God's Word; therefore, it's not His will.

So then, I must ask myself, "How often do I mention Christ in my list of wants?" How often do I carefully consider all that I say, do and pray for in the light of the Gospel—the very thing my Father God used to grant me the gift of repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ? If I call myself a Christian, yet harbor and feed the desires of my flesh rather than starve them and feed my spirit, then I will give cause for the unbelieving world to malign the holy words of my Father (Rom 2:24).

But because of God's saving grace and the righteousness of Christ that the Father imputed to me, I have freedom from the bondage of the sin in my flesh. I have hope to fly on the wings of eagles and soar in the faith that God has granted me in Christ Jesus. If the Son of God were not the propitiation for my sins, I would have no other choice but to remain as I am—enslaved by the insanity of my pride and destined for Hell.

Thankfully, the LORD Almighty did choose to call me as His daughter before the foundation of the world...so I am free! I am no longer bound to the sin in my flesh and no longer feel trapped to live for myself and the "food" of this world. I am free to eat at the Lord's table and taste and see that He is good! I am free to cry out to my Savior and my God for help, and repent when I sinfully eat of the world's delicacies: pride, self-preservation, entitlement, gluttony, laziness and obstinance. I am free to throw off every weight and sin which clings so closely, so that I can run with endurance the race that is set before me, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of my faith (Heb 12:2).

The only way I'll be able to more faithfully say my "food" is to do the will of God, I'll have to know what the will of God is. I can't know it by assuming His will is my will, by asking other people, listening to sermons, or reading books. While talking to more mature Christians, and listening to soundly doctrinal sermons, and reading books of the like can be helpful resources God may use, the Lord never meant for anyone or anything to replace our personal seeking of His will—revealed only in His Word (Is 54:13, Jer 31:34, 1 Cor 2:12-13).

Just like the Israelites had to daily rise early, every morning to gather manna (the bread from heaven), in order to maintain their physical health and strength; we too must daily rise early, every morning to feed ourselves with the Bread from Heaven, the Word of God (Jn 1:1; 6:33, 48-51) in order to maintain our spiritual health and strength. If we learn to daily feed ourselves with the Bread from Heaven, then our "food" and our prayers will be: to do the will of God and accomplish His work. And the aroma from the enticing and tantalizing "food" of this world (pride, selfishness, envy, gossip, slander, etc.) will become to us what it truly is—the stench of a cesspool.

May God create in me, and in all saints of Christ, hearts that hunger more for His will to be done, than for our comforts to be met.

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