Advocate for Christ

The best life is a God First life

Author: Wayne Johnson (Page 20 of 21)

Change is possible

GLUTTON FREE!

February 4, 2021 / / 2 Comments

(Yes, it’s spelled right)

After a life-threatening huge push at the beginning of 2019, I embarked on the challenge of eating better so I could live longer, so I could do my part to be here for my wife and family as a contributor. I was 60lbs overweight, with sugar levels of 465 and an A1C of 11.6 (the chart ends at 12)

I realized that my life as a glutton must end, so I made two critical changes immediately.

1. Portion control

While in the hospital, I was given one scoop of three different items, and this is where I took my cue. (It looked like a snack). Once home, no matter how much was made, these small portions were all I ate. In the beginning, I had no snacks between meals.

2. Eliminate most sugar

a) I stopped all soft drinks. I drink water, unsweet tea, unsweetened hot tea, and black coffee.

b) I stopped all white bread. ( it turns to sugar quickly) if I had bread at all, it was not more than 1 piece for the day.

c) If I fix pasta it was whole wheat.

In 6 months, I lost 60 pounds.

In the evenings, while watching TV, I would get urges to eat something, so I took one cinnamon graham cracker, added more cinnamon, and probably took 20 minutes to eat it, trying to savor and extend the moment.

I learned to be glutton-free, and It’s an ongoing battle.

To reach my goals, I replaced many habits with new, better habits. It’s much easier to replace habits than to break habits. It’s now 2021. It’s been a little over 2 years since this all started. The struggle not to overeat or eat sweets continues to be a challenge.

I have also found there’s an eerie similarity between sinful actions and bad eating choices. Just like with wrongdoing, the more I give into glutton temptations, the less guilty I feel the next time the temptation arises.

Over the last 18 months, I have found myself little by little loosening the self-imposed restrictions. Telling myself that larger portions of healthy foods with occasional sweet treats are ok. While there is some truth to this thought, I don’t think I want to lose those feelings of guilt when I break my own rules because the farther I get from my original commitments, the closer I get to those old bad habits. So, I embrace the feelings of guilt that help me stay true to my commitment.

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

1 cORINTHIANS 6:12

Clarity is found in Jesus.

February 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Doing what’s right is not always the easiest thing to do, but it’s always the best thing to do. If you’re not certain if something is right or wrong, you have your answer!

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself!

Choose wisely to avoids regrets.

God First!

Lies are heavy Weight

Lies are Heavy Weights that limit Happiness and Joy.

February 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments

When we carry the weight of sin in our minds, are we not allowing Satan to dwell there? For example, We lie or deceive a loved one over an important matter (maybe a spouse).

We then carry the burden of that lie with us, and it haunts us from time to time. Conversations arise that remind us of our lie or cause us to repeat or expand the lie to avoid revealing the truth. Yet still, rather than confess, we tell ourselves things like ”no real harm done,” “it’s better if they don’t know.” ”Why hurt them with the truth”?

As a result, we may carry the unnecessary weight of that guilt (that God knows) in our hearts and minds for years, maybe even, to our death. 

By doing so, are we not offering Satan permanent residence in that part of our mind?
Are we not limiting our relationship with that person from being all it can be?

However, if we fess up to God, that person, ask forgiveness, and repent, are we not simultaneously kicking Satan to the curb? Kicking him out of that permanent home that we’ve furnished him in our mind. Are we not mending our hearts and minds by removing that permanent dwelling of sin?

The above thoughts bring to my mind the following scripture.

1. James 5:16 – confess

2. Matthew 12:43-45  unclean spirits

3. Philippians 4:8-9 rethink

4. Romans 1:28-32

The Sacrifice of Christ

Loving God

January 31, 2021 / / 0 Comments

No wonder Jesus was sweating blood; I would imagine, to Jesus, the separation from His Father may have been worse than the betrayal, beatings, and torture He knew was coming His way; after all, He was with God from the beginning of time as we understand it. (John 1)

In preparation, Jesus prayed, “Not mine, but your will, be done!”

At every moment, Christ had the power to say: Enough! Nope, not doing this, but instead, Christ adhered to His Father’s plan.

Obviously, God’s plan was the only way all people could be saved. Only through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection could we be graced with the opportunity to follow Jesus, keep His commands, and receive the promise of eternal life with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus’s sacrifice revealed His immeasurable love for God, for God’s will, and His love for us.

I can’t phantom the emptiness, loneliness, and pain Christ must’ve felt when He cried out, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani,” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

A Hymn says: “I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou giv’n for Me?”

Rhetorically, What do we give of ourselves to God?

Do we set aside time daily for prayer, thanking God for all the continuous blessings seen and unseen? How about the hardships that help us learn to be better disciples of Christ?

Do we respect God’s love enough to do as Christ commanded and remember Him on the first day of every week by reflecting on the Cross, partaking in the bread and fruit of the vine, which represents the body and blood of Christ that was shed for us?

Do we look forward to gathering and worshiping with fellow believers as often as possible, to being with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and being lifted up by their presence as we study and grow together in our understanding of God’s will and plan for us?

Scripture tells us that baptized believers are those who are “In Christ,” and when we are “In Christ,” God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit work in and through us.

Christ told us if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, and He gives us a New Commandment. ‘That we love others as He loved us.’

I love the love that surrounds us all in the Lord.

God First!

Related Scriptures:

Galatians 3:23-29, Philippians 2:13, John 13:34–35, John 17:23, 2nd Corinthians 13:5, Romans 8:10-11, Galatians 5:22-26, Acts 2:38, John 1:1, Matthew 27:46, Acts 20:7, Luke 22:17-20

God Bless America

God and Country

January 28, 2021 / / 0 Comments

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

When we say the pledge of allegiance, we promise loyalty and support to each other.

The Merriam dictionary defines “Republic” as:

“a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to the law.”

So we, the people of the United States of America, are “the republic,” and our flag represents our unity of power. In 1954, the pledge of allegiance was modified one last time with the most important words of all added: “One Nation under God.” These four words acknowledge our nation as being under God. In other words, God First!

These words demonstrate that the majority of “We the People” recognize our nation’s strength is beholden to God, and we are thankful to God for his incredible blessings.

The pledge also states: “indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

The concept here is that we will not allow ourselves to be divided and that the power of the people is to be used to pursue liberty and justice for all.

Some believe Christians should abstain from politics and set the example of not voting because they don’t like the choices, pointing out that heaven is the only true Christian nation.

I understand and agree that God should be first in all our lives. And for true Christians, Heaven is their final home.

However, I don’t believe that speaking up for the values and principles of Christianity in our country or against destructive policies in this worldly government somehow, someway, means we have pledged our loyalty to the Country instead of to Christ and His Kingdom.

To me, Such statements encourage silence and apathy and discourage speaking up and taking a stand for good. When we stand for good, we stand for God and promote the message of Christ as God is Good.

Our example and words in and out of politics should encourage others to want to know the reason for the hope that is in us. 1 Peter 3:15

I appreciate that our “Pledge of Allegiance” includes: “One Nation Under God.”

I am both an Advocate for Christ and part of “We The People”; I speak with my vote and voice.

When I speak against evil and against unjust actions, and when I speak for liberty, I am NOT excluding God. I am taking a stand for God. I am doing my part to ensure that “We, the people,” continue to acknowledge God at the Helm. I vote with those I believe best align with God’s Word.

“A Country without God is a Country lost; a Country with God is a Country Blessed.”

In my opinion, WRJ

Eternal Confidence

Eternal Confidence

January 27, 2021 / / 0 Comments

The main goal of a disciple of Christ is to advocate for Christ, not to go to Heaven.

Why?

The true disciple is someone who, out of love and gratitude, acts to accept the grace of God by following the commandments of Jesus, one who puts on and lives for Christ, as defined in scripture.

For them, Heaven is a promise, so their focus is not only on their eternal salvation; it’s on helping others share in that promise and the confidence found therein: Eternal salvation.

“And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,”

Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬
  • Hebrews 10:35-36
  • 1 John 4:17
  • Mark 16:15-16
  • Galatians 3:26-27
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17–19
  • Acts 2:37-42
  • Romans 6:4, 8:31-33
  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
  • Isaiah 41:10
  • Philippians 4:6-7
  • 1 John 2:22-25
  • Ephesians 3:12

God First!

Bible Translations

January 26, 2021 / / 0 Comments

The languages of the Bible are unique to their time! 

This is excellent and here is why

Language scholars can go back to the original writings and clarify the meaning. They can discover how the original text was used and written. Often, the words in the original language have several possible meanings. Yet, only one of those meanings fits best within the context of how the word was used and also stays consistent with the whole of other scripture.
None of the manuscripts or letters are in the original writer’s hand. They were all copied by scribes over and over again from whatever types of paper or stone they were on prior.
 
With the “King James Version,” all the manuscripts available at the time were combined into the books of the Bible. The translations were done by a large group of about 50 very profound scholars. These scholars checked, double-checked, and triple-checked the letters and manuscripts they had. Bumping every piece against a set of rules they had created to ensure they had correctly translated them. The scholars also defined the chapters, verses, and punctuation that help us read, as these were not part of the original languages.

Since the “King James” translation

More transcripts have been found. Some were older writings than those used to create the KJV. Many of today’s newer translations used the KJV as their base to translate into words that are easier for us to read today. Some versions compared the manuscripts used to translate the KJV to older manuscripts found and then made changes in the new versions, prioritizing the older manuscripts.

Note: Even though, in a few cases, an entire verse was removed using the older writings they found. The changes were all minor and did not change Scripture.

Many translations of God’s Word have been created in multiple languages; not all versions were translated with the same care. In fact, some translations are no more than one person’s interpretation, while some are created by groups with an agenda other than a strict translation; this is why it’s essential to understand how a translation came about. So we can decide how much credibility we should apply.

Personally, I like the ESV, KJV, NKJ, NASB1995, and the ASV the most. I also use other versions occasionally to help understand some verses. The most meticulous interpretation of scripture was done under the threat of life by the scholars of the 1600s with the KJV.

As a follower of Christ, not a scholar of biblical languages, I rely heavily on the versions I believe were created with the most care.

All this said; I trust God

I believe God’s Holy Word is just that: God’s Holy Word. I trust each word and believe it is possible to understand everything God wants us to understand clearly.

We just need to remove our desires and expectations to open our hearts and minds and pay attention to God’s desires and will.

The Bible is not a book of confusion.

What makes it seem confusing is us. When we try to twist what it says into what we think it should say. We also need to remember that the Bible is several books that make one book. So, when we look at one verse using the word faith, it does not discount all the verses that included baptism and vice versa..

What’s the whole picture?

What do the books combined tell us is necessary for Salvation? If we’re willing to admit to ourselves that we may have more to learn. The complete answer is available to us in Scripture

The Bible continues to be the #1 bestseller

I cannot Phantom God giving us His complete Word in forms we can’t possibly understand. Can you?

, I just can’t perceive that God went through all this effort, including the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross so that we might have eternal life, that He spent thousands of years bringing all of this to fruition only to give us a Bible, we can’t trust to be accurate or understand with a little effort, reasoning, and discernment; this would be ridiculous.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV

God First!

Seeding Social Media

Seeding Social Media

January 25, 2021 / / 0 Comments

We can plant seeds of evil or seeds of good. Some view social media as the devil’s playground because many abuse it. Some air their dirty laundry, some are disrespectful and hateful, some spread gossip and the list goes on and on.

I view Social media as farmland, farmland with equal opportunity to spread good seeds, good thoughts, praise, laughter, accolades, and the message of Christ. We can just as easily spread seeds that build each other up as we can spread the seeds of Satan.

We need to keep in mind the things we like, share, and say on these platforms are an extension of ourselves. Wouldn’t you love to see social media inundated with uplifting posts, shares, and likes by good people wanting to make positive change? It starts with us.

If we’re not planting good seeds in the farmland, the seeds of weeds Satan plants will take over the land.

God is good; let’s share the goodness!

God First!

Stop Cheating yourself

God draws closer as we draw closer

January 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments

If you want to become close to someone, do you reach out by ignoring them?

Many people say they believe in Jesus. Some will shout it from the rooftops, yet few take time to get to know Him.

I’m not talking about feelings like when you listen to music and become emotional. No, I’m talking about getting to know Jesus through His Father, His life, His words, His example, and His message.

It’s when we study God’s Holy Word that we truly get to know and understand Jesus. Because when we study, we draw closer to God, closer to our creator.

The creator of the world and everything in it. In John 1:1-2 we find: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, He was in the beginning with God.”

What an opportunity we have!

We cheat ourselves immensely when we don’t spend time in God’s Word, when we don’t spend time getting to know our Heavenly Father or make an effort to draw closer to God so that God will draw closer to us.

If we are in God’s Word daily, it’s only natural that God will be part of our daily conversations. Is He?

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…” James 4:8

  • John 1:1-17
  • 2 Timothy 2:15

God First!

Choices are Real, regret is lifetime.

Choices are real and regrets, are lifetime

January 21, 2021 / / 0 Comments

You have two lines. One line promotes the murder of babies, and the other promotes the protection of life. Your decision is black and white, Not gray. You simply have one line promoting evil and one line for pure love.

It’s been pointed out God is not Democrat or Republican. Amen to that!

There is no evil in God! GOD IS LOVE, GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME.

If Jesus was asked: Is it ok to kill babies in the womb? Would love answer: sure, go ahead, or would that be Satan?

Choosing the right line is important; I choose the Life-Line of love.

Which line do you stand behind?

  • 1 John 4:8
  • Psalms 145:9
  • Psalms 100:4-5
  • Mark 10:18

God First!

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