Tattoos

A friend of mine called yesterday and asked me to recap my Bible study about tattoos.

The only verse that mentions tattoos is Lev. 19:28 and comes in the middle of a list of things that Hebrews were not to do because the practices were symbolic of or a part of pagan worship. Most modern Bible translations do use the word tattoo. In the commentaries, a couple of key points come out…

1. Tattoos were part of pagan rituals to honor the dead and/or pagan gods. (For example, if you were a worshipper of Dionysius you might have a brand of an ivy leaf burned into your flesh to show who you belonged to – the same word is used for tattoo and branding.)

2. Tattoos were prohibited solely from the standpoint of being idolatrous.

One of the commentaries mentions that we shouldn’t do things that are representative of unbelievers but acknowledges that our culture changes all the time so it’s not a black and white issue. Back in the 70's, long hair on men was a huge deal and considered “pagan” but culturally things have changed so it’s not a big deal anymore.

In a nutshell, I believe that tattoos are not fundamentally evil or sinful, but I would be very careful about what the design is. I would also be careful to make sure that I wasn’t getting one as a form of worship to anything other than Jesus. Find a Christian artist, though. (Christian Tattoo Association - http://www.xtat.org/)

And pray about it first... they don't go away.

Amey

Christians & Politics

I’m not sure if anyone who’s aware of the political climate of our country wouldn’t realize how important our elections are and the radical effect the results can have in our lives.

For a long time I’ve seen Christians be reluctant to participate in politics. How sad that the enemy has gotten us to agree with the separation of church and state.

The truth about our founding fathers is that nearly half of them were pastors. They served God and sought to obey Him while laying out the plans for this nation. What they were wise to avoid was the “state-imposed” religion advocated in most of Europe.

The government plan they received from God is truly brilliant. Rather than allow any one person complete control, the system of checks and balances keeps the three branches of the government accountable to one another. At least that is the plan.

The Legislative Branch (House of Representatives and Senate) is the branch responsible to write laws. This branch is the one we, as citizens, have the most direct influence over. Not only are they elected to their positions by us directly, their contingencies – the people they represent – come from within their own communities and should affect their votes in Congress. One of their responsibilities is to approve or disapprove the President’s nominees for the courts.

The Judicial Branch (the courts system) should be the most unbiased of all political leaders. In fact, they should do nothing more than interpret the laws written by Congress – when a discrepancy arises or an inequity is found.

The Executive Branch (President and his chain of command) has the right to approve or reject the laws passed by Congress, the responsibility to appoint judges to the court system and the authority to protect our nation.

However, all too often these days we find the courts exercising their political bias rather than correctly interpreting the laws we have in place.

For example, in Massachusetts the people want to ban gay marriages. Regardless of the wishes of the people, a bill was proposed to the state legislature which legalizes gay marriages. Instead of voting against the bill, the Congress decided to put the bill on the ballot – which will take 2 years. This decision gives the appearance of allowing the people to vote for or against this new law. It all sounds good – until you realize that the Mass. State Supreme Court decided to ignore the will of the people for the next 2 years. As it stands, legal marriages are being performed in Massachusetts with the stipulation that they will only be binding for marriages of legal and long-term residents of the state.

But it’s just another smokescreen. Any marriage recognized in any state MUST be recognized by all states. We’re being forced to accept policies and laws in a way our founding fathers never intended.

So it comes down to this. Are you registered to vote?

We have an opportunity people all over the world envy – don’t bury the “talent” God has given you. Be responsible and make a difference in the direction of our nation – every chance you get.

Communicate with your representatives in Congress – on a state and national level. Campaign or at least vote for the leaders of our Executive Branch. Encourage your legislative representatives to approve godly judges to the courts of our nation.

Just don’t sit around and wait to see what might happen.

Amey

Wooing the Bride

Just a thought…

If Jesus’ relationship to the Bride (His Church) is a larger example of the marriage covenants we enter into with our spouses, then would our relationships need to mirror His example in every way?

For at least the last 15 years I have seen women become emotionally attached to THE ONE long before any relationship has ever been pursued or considered by him. At the risk of making sweeping generalizations, it seems as though women are inclined to invest emotionally in relationships long before the men are. I’ve seen many relationships end badly because the woman was passionately in love with the man before the man had even considered her as a potential mate.

Very rarely does this emotional inequity end in a healthy marriage.

Often, because the women are already emotionally invested in the relationship, the men feel trapped – or pressured – or controlled – and end up running the other direction. When the men run, the women are left wondering if they heard from God.

However, I believe God made men naturally desire to pursue and woo and win their mate.

Jesus certainly pursued each of us.

I didn’t watch Jesus from a distance, fall madly in love with Him and then try to force Him to respond to me with love in return. He loved me from the beginning. He pursued me and wooed me to Himself. My love for Him grew and continues to grow more passionate every day, but His love for me came long before I knew Him at all.

The Song of Solomon talks about this, too. The Shulamite woman tells her friends not to awaken love before it is time. I’m sure there are many levels of revelation about this passage, but I think it certainly applies to us, as women, because we need to guard our hearts and take care to keep our emotions in check. Sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayers quickly – but He will answer them – and when He does – and both parties are on board with His plan for them – let the wooing begin!

His first and forever,
Amey

Planting Trees [My Hundred-fold Return]

One day, while listening to a faith message, I suddenly realized my hundred-fold return was all around me.

I plant trees.

Trees produce fruit in season, year after year after year.

So here I am standing in an orchard. Fruit falls when I need it because God promises to take care of my needs. No more pressure to say exactly the right thing at exactly the right time... FREEDOM!

Backsliding

Last night I was in a prophetic service with Carol Pikini. I’ll admit that I went more to see how she did things than because I was expecting to hear something from God.

Now, usually when there’s a prophetic minister around, I get called out, but she called on almost everyone around me and was closing service without prophesying to me. As part of the close she was saying that she would like to come back and spend the whole night prophesying to people – that sometimes the prophetic ministry goes until 2am.

It was only 9:30, so I looked to my friend sitting next to me and I said, “Then why is she stopping now?”

Ten seconds later, Carol Pikini, who couldn’t possibly have heard me, turns to me and says, “I need to go, but I don’t want to leave you out, before I leave I want to minister to you.”

She asked my name and her next question was the tough one… “How long have you been a Christian?”

I froze. That’s a hard question to answer. My thoughts start running through the truth and trying to figure out how to answer her in front of the whole room full of people who have known me and my family for all of my life, but weren’t intimately acquainted with the things I’ve struggled through.

“A good one?” was my reply.

Everyone started laughing, including her then I admitted I was first saved as a child and had a couple of “test runs” – but the last three years have been incredible. She proceeded to share what God showed her about me.

(Just in case you’re wondering, the word she gave me was, in a nutshell, Jesus loves me so much and God is going to bring about changes in my life within a year from now which will bring great freedom.)

I’m still thinking about what the best answer to her question would be, though.

I got saved when I was 4 years old. I meant it. I did my best to live it, too. But I got dealt a few really tough cards and I ran from Him instead of to Him. I guess the technical and good Baptist term is backsliding.

Today I was talking with a friend of mine, who was at the service last night. There’s a passage of scripture, 2 Timothy 2:11-13 – especially verse 13, which talks about the spiritual state I was in during those years of struggling. I honestly believe that even though I was running from Him, He was unwilling to let me go. I tried to ignore Him, but I was always aware of His hand on my life. I even asked Him to leave me alone, but He wouldn’t.

Verse 13 says, “If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.” [AMP]

I know that God treats me no better than He treats His other children. Although I’m not Baptist, or anything else for that matter, I do believe once we’re truly saved, we’re always saved. Although I still pray for them, I don’t worry about my friends who are “living in the world” and not serving God anymore. He’s got them in His hands. He’s not leaving them alone either. Once His Son takes residence in someone’s heart, He doesn’t leave. Jesus keeps loving and waiting patiently for the day He can rule and reign there again. In the meantime, God doesn’t turn His back – because He can’t deny Himself – His Son.

My friend doesn’t agree with the argument of “once saved, always saved” so we’ve been debating the scriptures. In the same passage, verse 12 says, “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny and disown and reject Him, He will also deny and disown and reject us.” [AMP]

I believe there’s a huge difference between “deny and disown and reject” and “faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him].”

“Deny and disown and reject” is a conscious act. I can’t accidentally disown Jesus any more than my parents could accidentally disown me. I don’t think that I could sin enough to qualify for this level of rejection. Even parents who abuse their children may lose custody of them – but without a conscious act they do not disown their children. And really, isn’t “deny and disown and reject” about identity? It’s a denial of “who” a person is.

Which brings me to “faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him]” – a very good description of sin. Honestly, I sin all day long – even when I’m doing my best to serve God. Is my salvation at stake every time I sin? How about every 7th sin? Or is it the 490th sin? Should I walk around getting saved all day long just to make sure I don’t die “in sin” and go to hell? What about the sins I commit that I don’t even realize are sins? I have to believe that once I accept Jesus’ sacrifice for my sins they no longer have the power they once had – unless I consciously reject Jesus’ sacrifice. That’s the power of the blood of Jesus.

Does that mean that I don’t need to repent? Of course not! We should always be willing to go to God and repent for anything we do that grieves Him. But I don’t need to fear that my sin is more powerful than the blood of Jesus.

Safely and often, in spite of myself, in His hands,
Amey

In and Out of a Funk

Ok. So I've been in a funk this week. That's really the best way to describe it.

In my defense, I did have a pretty severe head cold, but basically, I spent as much time as possible alone and begged off of invitations from friends.

Really, nothing's wrong at all. Life is no different this week than last, other than some exciting business/ministry opportunities that God has been lovingly and more than graciously lining up, but somehow the very things that I love most about my life seemed unsatisfactory in Monday's light.

I don't think that it's just learning to be content no matter what my circumstances are, and honestly, I've had funks when my circumstances have been everything from "WOW!" to "HELP!". It's really nothing to do with circumstances at all.

When I came out of hiding I made a couple of calls to my friends who would be wondering where I'd been. I have two types of friends. Those who go through their own funks and understand completely, and those who are the exact opposite of me. Nothing in between, of course. Everything's so black and white for me that even my friends are all extremes.

One of the opposite types mentioned the prophet Jeremiah's moodiness and strangely, I felt better. I had really been beating myself up because I was "down". Funny how that never helps.

I realize today that one of the biggest battles of my thoughtlife is the constant temptation of comparing myself to other people - especially when looking at spiritual growth and maturity.

Why do I do that?

There is noone on earth, not even in my family, who has experienced all of the things I've experienced - good or bad. God really has made me unique. He's made each one of us unique.

Thank You, Daddy, for reminding me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Amey

Royal Weddings

The other day I was talking with a single friend about getting married one day. Being single myself, I have been living with this idea that God has someone He's chosen for me. I can't imagine being married to the "wrong" person. Neither can she. In fact, it's a "fear" of sorts that I've found many single people share. And now that I think about it, I've heard married people talk about it, too.

I have some fairly black & white viewpoints on marriage. Basically, I believe that God honors our covenants even if we make decisions that are different than what He would choose for us. Therefore, God will work with our choices as He walks us through His plans for our life. There is a very narrow, limited exit clause in Scripture.

I do believe that waiting for His choice is the "easy" way in the long run.

Anyway, while we were talking Holy Spirit speaks to me and says, "Royal marriages are arranged for the good of the kingdom first."

Hmmm. Another rabbit trail.

The word "first" sticks in my mind. Does that mean that my selfish desires aren't the top of the list of priorities?

So I delve back into the distant past when I was forced to take Humanities courses and try to remember the arranged marriages of Western Europe. I'm curious as to whether any royal marriages were arranged because of "love" or romance. My memory fails me, but in the meantime, the biggest question is this:

Am I willing to accept God's choice for me and His plan for the kingdom?

Something to think about...
Amey