Declaration of Dependence (Philippians 4:19)

             "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

             Independent men, independent women, independent children, independent workers, teachers, people, so on, so forth... the list seems to be unending when it comes to the list of independence, not being dependent on anyone or anything. Has anyone ever dared or perhaps even cared to think that even though they claim to be independent, that they are still dependent on either themselves or something greater than they are (God, government, managers, supervisors, etc.)? If they did not trust their supervisor or manager, how would workers know what hours they would be working or when they would get their paycheck? If they did not trust the government, how would anyone know if laws were still enforced or when they would get the monthly benefits they think themselves to be entitled to (welfare, social security, food stamps, etc.)?

             Christians, if we do not trust God, how can we expect Him to supply our NEEDS, not our fleshly wants and desires, but our NEEDS? Food on the table, God has provided the means for you to get it or it is someway given to you. Clothes on your back, God has provided the means for you to get it or it is someway given to you. Roof over your head, God has provided the means for you to get it or it is someway given to you. Finances, God has provided the means for you to get it or it is someway given to you. Every time we claim to be independent, we must be very careful, because if we claim to be independent, we are denying our trust and reliance on God and thus we also take away glory that is due unto His name and add it to either ourselves or some other. The importance of us being dependent on God is far greater than I can describe with words, and it is of utmost importance that others can see that we live our every day trusting God and depending on Him in even the littlest of things.

             Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." If we are not trusting in the Lord with all our hearts, we are leaning on our own understanding and walking our own path, and thus we set the stage for our fall because we do not trust in Him as we ought to.

             Philippians 4:6 says, "Be careful for nothing, but in all things by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." If we worry about anything, we do not trust God with everything. We are to let our requests be made known unto God in ALL things by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. It is a sin to worry because it hinders our relationship with God and shows our reluctance to trust Him.

            The United States of America has a Declaration of Independence signifying its separation from England. As Christians the scripture, the Word of God, is our Declaration of Dependence signifying our trust in and dependence on God. Christians in or from America, who we are in Christ takes priority over what we are and what rights we have as Americans. Our identity as an American is a temporary thing and can be changed or stolen, but our identity in Christ is eternal and in no way can be changed or altered and no one can take that away from us.

            America changes, its government changes, its laws change, as is the same with every country on the face of the earth. God and His Word have never changed and have always remained the same, and He will ALWAYS remain the same and His Word will neither change nor pass away. Christians, it is imperative that we depend on God for everything and of high importance that we are careful who we trust. If we put our trust in our fellow man and his inventions and devices, we will fail and fall. If we put our trust in God, however, we will remain standing even when everything around us is falling apart. Bit by bit, piece by piece, the world system is crumbling and the hearts of lost men and lost women are becoming harder and darker.

            Christians, how can we be a light in this dark and dying world when we are not depending on God? God's Holy Word is our Declaration of Dependence on Him, and also it is the constitution by which we are governed. The liberties that we have cannot be changed by our fellow man, and how we are supposed to live cannot be changed by our fellow man either. God is absolute, therefore our trust in Him should be absolute as well. God is unchanging, therefore our trust in Him should be steadfast and take priority above all else, and He also should take priority over our fellow man.

Your fellow brother and warrior in Christ, 

William L. Payne

1 Corinthians 15:58

Blood-soaked words from a broken heart

Blood-soaked Words from a Broken Heart

Sorrow... Pain... Grief... Brokenheartedness... these are some of the many things that are a part of our lives that it seems as though we cannot escape from. They are as much a part of this world as we are, and they take many forms and come from many angles. In order for a Christian to be able to get closer to God, someone's will, someone's heart must break. Why is this? Because for us to draw near to God, we must empty ourselves of anything that would hinder our relationship with Him. The closer we draw to Him, the more we identify with Him. The more we identify with Him, the more our eyes are opened to the broken state of this world, the church, the Christians, the lost... The more our eyes are opened, the more our hearts break for what breaks God's. The more our hearts break for what breaks His heart, the stronger we as Christians will become, but it comes with a tremendous sacrifice, not just our time, but our whole heart broken and poured out of that which is impure to make room for that which is pure. In doing this, we ourselves become broken. Not broken in the sense that we are rendered useless, but broken in the sense that we are under God's control, following His leading, His direction, His heart, His will, His word.

Christians, just because our hearts are broken does not mean that we are emotionally weak. To be emotionally weak would be to be completely numb and indifferent to the point where the broken state of the world, the church, the Christians, and the lost do not phase us in the slightest bit. HOW is it that many who profess Christ are numb and indifferent toward the things that Christ shed His blood for? Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He poured out His soul to death (Isaiah 53:12). Is it too much of God to tell us to trust in Him at all times and to pour out our hearts before Him (Psalm 62:8), to let our requests be made known unto Him (Philippians 4:6)? No... it is not. If anyone thinks it is, it is out of pride that they think it. ALL who come before God must approach with a broken heart (Psalm 34:18, 51:17) and a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 66:2).

When we take a stand, it must be with a broken heart, not out of pride, conceit, self-righteousness, inconsideration, or hate. When one is deeply concerned, his or her heart breaks. So also should the heart of a Christian. Our hearts are broken when we go before God in prayer, but... WHY are our hearts NOT broken when we are talking to people about the broken state that they are in, regardless of what sin they are committing or have committed? Is it because we think ourselves too high or too holy to be compassionate toward the lost? Do we think ourselves so high to be apathetic in our dealings with them? Something has to break if we are to truly live for Jesus. It has to be your heart and your will that break. If they do not, then you cannot begin to fully pour out your heart before God, and you cannot fully submit to His will. So often we say "bend me, and I will commit," when we should say "BREAK me, O God. I COMMIT." Either we are all in, or we are not in at all. Either we let go and allow our hearts to be broken for what breaks God's heart, or there is something that we are holding onto that has us putting conditions and time restraints on our service to Him.

When you pray for God to break your heart for what breaks His, you will see the world, the church, the Christians, and the lost in a vastly different light. It will hurt, it will make you feel grief and sorrow, and your heart will be more broken than it may have ever been before... Just imagine how God feels every time one of His children stray from the path and go out into the world. Just imagine how God feels every time one of His children stray and advocate the sinful deeds that His only begotten Son shed His blood to set people free from. Just imagine how God feels when we do not submit to Him and allow Him to break our hearts and our wills.

Our hearts and our wills should be so broken, that every word that leaves our lips are saturated with the blood of Jesus Christ, and not with the vanity of our own hearts. Our hearts and our wills should be so broken, that they can truly see Christ living in us, and that they can hear Him speaking through us.

It grieves Him when His children (those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour) sin, because it forms a wedge between Him and His children. He could not look upon His only begotten Son when He took the sins of the world upon His shoulders on the cross because He is holy and cannot look upon sin. It grieves the heart of God when we sin. Why does it not grieve our hearts when our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ sin? Why does it not grieve our hearts when we know that there are those we love and those we are close to about a half inch away from hell and eternal judgment? If your heart is hard toward them because of your self-righteousness, shame on you. If your heart is not broken, they cannot see God working in you.

Blood-soaked words from a broken heart... that is what makes a difference. When someone takes a stand with a broken heart, people are more likely to listen to what they have to say. Yes, they will still mock and ridicule, sneer, and possibly abuse, but they are more likely to remember words spoken with a broken heart than they are someone who does not speak with a broken heart. If your heart does not break when you hear of the way the world is going, if you hear of the state of the church, the state of the Christians, the state of the lost... then there is something wrong with you. If your heart is not broken, you cannot truly be used of God. If your will is not broken, you cannot truly submit to God.

The sacredness of God's Word is being desecrated every day... why does that not bother many? Why does that not break the hearts of many? A nation that was founded by God-fearing men is now a nation that no longer fears God. Its light is dimming, the fields of harvest growing dark with the coming night... why does this not break the hearts of many? Many want to revolt against a government system, and yet many of the same profess Chirist... why does this not break the hearts of many? Children go to hell daily. Adults go to hell daily. Elderly go to hell daily. Members of the religious crowd go to hell daily. Those blinded by the veil of sin are going to hell daily. Why do these things not break the hearts of many? Indifference, apathy, complacency, pride, self-righteousness, perhaps even fear or shame are some of the many reasons why.

Our hearts must be broken for our words to be blood-soaked...

Stumblingblocks: The things Christians do and expose themselves to that HURT others

1 Corinthians 8:9 - But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
Ah, yes, liberty in Christ, one of the first and foremost excuses that many a person who claims to be a Christian will use to do the things that they do. Many of them have the "Sin now, Repent later" mentality and will do whatever it is that they want to do from now until the judgment seat of Christ without any shame. Many listen to things they are not supposed to listen to, watch things they are not supposed to watch, say the things they are not supposed to say, read what they are not supposed to be reading, slander instead of let the truth be made known (there is a fine line there), advocate another revolution or civil war when they are supposed to live a peaceable life, the list goes on and on... and people do all this stuff in the name of Jesus nonetheless!

I wonder if they realize that they are casting forth stumblingblocks for ALL who look upon them and see their actions and the fruit thereof...

Stumblingblocks... we all come into contact with them at one point or another. They are things that hurt our personal walk with God, and things that can hinder others from coming to Christ. They are things that we do and things that we expose ourselves to that may cause others to fall. What things are those? Thank you for asking. I will be going over a few of those things here in this post.

I. Music

Whoa now, wait a minute. Retract your claws and hear me out. Some of you may have already closed out of this post by now, and many others are fuming mad, and there are some of you who will read on and actually get something from it that you will apply to your life. Music is something that we must be careful about. Something we may enjoy listening to, especially those of modern Christian music, can and do cause other Christians who may not be strong in the faith to fall, and do cause alot of lost people to turn away from the Door to heaven, the Way the Truth and the Life. Do you want to be held responsible for a weaker brother or sister falling back into sin that they may have been delivered from? 

Though the song you listen to may have Godly lyrics, and a Godly message behind it, what about the beat of the song? What about the instrumentals? Do they sound like something you would hear at an Avenged Sevenfold concert? Do they sound like something you would hear at a bar? Do they sound like something you would hear at a Metallica concert? Do they sound like something you would hear on a pornographic video? Do they sound like something you would hear at a night club?

More must be taken into consideration on this than just "Oh, the lyrics sound good, and it has a good message behind it, so it is okay to listen to and blare on my iPod with my headphones in my ears, or in my car with the windows down, or in my room with the stereo cranked up all the way, because I think it is okay, and my mom says it's okay, and I believe God is fine with it."

We must take into consideration every aspect of the music that we listen to. Are the lyrics truly Godly? Is the beat one to amplify the message of the song? Are the instrumentals not too aggressive and not too sensual as to trigger a response based solely on emotion?

What would happen if you were to blare that favorite 'Christian' rap song of yours in your car while you are driving, and a lost person who knows you claim to be a Christian hears that bass pumping as you approach? What would happen if you were to blare that favorite 'Christian' metal song of yours in your ears while listening to your iPod in a library or even at a church function, and a lost person walks by you or sits by you and hears it? Better yet, what would happen if you were to be sitting in your room, blaring your stereo with your window down while listening to that favorite 'Christian' pop song of yours and your unsaved ex walks by your house while on his/her way to his/her house?

Would you want to be held responsible for someone going to hell because of your unwillingness to walk the higher road that we have been called to walk? Would you want to be held responsible for someone who could have been a mighty man or woman of God falling into sin because of your unwillingness to abstain from ALL appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22)?



II. Movies

Yes, the movie card has just been pulled. How many of you have gone to a movie theater lately to see that movie you have been wanting to see since you saw the first preview for it? How many of you have seen that it was playing the latest Harry Potter movie (witchcraft, darkness vs. darkness, and NO you CANNOT find Jesus ANYWHERE in it!), the latest Twilight movie, the latest romance movie, the latest horror movie, the latest war movie, etc.? Though the movie that you may have watched at any given time in a theater may have been considered a "Christian" movie, what do you think went through the minds of any of your lost acquaintances that may have either seen you go into the theater or walk out of it? I will give you a hint: It most likely was not "Oh wow, what a Christian." It was probably, "That Christian went into that theater to watch that movie? I could go see any movie I want to and still go to heaven just the way I am."

This is another thing that seems to be overlooked by many a Christian. The movie titles I mentioned above are just one of many that some see as alright to watch simply because it is fictional, but the darkness in them is just as real as the devil we are to be resisting every day.

III. Books

As a Christian, the main thing we should be reading is the Bible. Actually, it should be one of the only things we read. Sadly so many Christians do not take this into consideration, and they read things that go contradictory to it and ALLOW themselves to be ENTERTAINED by them. There is nothing satisfying about the works of darkness, no matter how appealing it may seem. Knowing the difference between truth and fiction does not matter when it comes to making decisions that involve the souls of men depending on you. Regardless of who you may buy it for, pick it up for, or drop it off for, if some lost person sees you, a person they know to be a Christian, dropping a book off that does not glorify God in any way (examples: ANY of the Harry Potter series, Twilight saga, 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, anything and everything that could be CONSIDERED evil), we cast forth a stumblingblock for that lost person. Even worse, what if a younger Christian saw you buying, picking up, or dropping off those things and thus has his life ruined by books that go contrary to God's word?

 The fact that we may know the difference between truth and fiction does not change the fact that our actions could potentially cause someone weak in the faith to stumble or a lost individual to reject Christ completely. There are multiple things that we must take into consideration before we act upon our desires.

I do know that there is not much scripture used here in this post. I am not trying to keep the truth hidden, I am just trying to provoke the brethren to take time and think about what they do. Our actions could potentially cast forth stumblingblocks for not only our friends, but also families, people we do not even know, and possibly even the generations to come. The decisions we make, whether we realize it or not, do have an impact on others. If we do something that goes against God, we cast forth a stumblingblock for those weak in the faith, and also those not even saved at all.

Take time to think about your actions. And before you act, search it out in the scriptures, see what God has to say about it. Anything that looks evil, sounds evil, or could even be considered evil, we are to stay away from it (1 Thessalonians 5:22, "Abstain from all appearance of evil."), and also we are not to be in any way compromised to the world's standard for any reason(Romans 12:1-2). Take time to search out your actions in the scripture, and see if it be pleasing to God in EVERY way. If it is not, you should not do it.

Just some food for thought from a fellow soldier of the cross.

                                                        Your brother and fellow warrior in Christ,
                                                                                        William L. Payne
                                                                                      1 Corintihians 15:58