Christians and Social Media

Over the weekend I have been thinking about social media platforms & maybe getting a Twitter account for GUTS. I know believers have been called to influence the Media. I also believe social media is one of the ways to spread the Gospel to all the world. One time I did a study on the seven spheres, also known as the seven mountains of influence in our culture. These seven mountains are business, government, media, arts & entertainment, education, the family and religion.

Social Media is one of the most influential platforms in our culture today. Because of this, we must stop using social media to help advance the "Kingdom of Self" and the Kingdom of Darkness.

In the culture today when a young black man is shot by a white police officer, before it hits the news it's viral on Twitter, Facebook & YouTube with millions of viewers. An artist in the entertainment world releases a new picture of  her butt in a G-string & the pictures hit instagram, Twitter, and YouTube with thousands of likes.

For the church, you post a scripture and you might get a couple of likes. You post a comment lashing out at some church  or a leader in the church & people are quick to comment. For many believers, you see a "Godly post" on Monday after Sunday's message but by Wednesday everything goes carnal.

How should we use social media? Should our social media be filled with pictures of our face? Should we spend more time reposting words of man or should it be the word of God? Should we spend more time trying to prove a point to someone or should we spend more time pointing people to Christ.

My sister said something so powerful to us last night. "It's not social media that is bad, it's the people on social media that is bad." I believe that we have been called to influence social media. With that being said, if we are going to be on any social media platform our voice must sound different.

God communicated to His people through many different ways. I believe social media is an avenue we can use to reach millions of people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. What does it look like for a believer to use social media to advance the Gospel? I do not have a cookie cutter explanation but the Word of God speaks for itself.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Is 52:7)

 

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (Is 61:1)

 

We can influence social media if we:

1- Bring the Good News of Jesus Christ

2- Proclaim peace

3- Preach good tiding of good things

4- Proclaim salvation

 

If we use social media the right way:

1- It will Heal the broken hearted

2- It will proclaim liberty to the captives

3- It will open the prison to those who are bound

 

Still not sure how to move forward with social media platforms. I just want to make sure GUTS advances God's agenda not my own. Whatever platform I use, I want people to be healed, liberated and set free. I pray we all have this heart. If you are a blogger, a stylist, a rapper, a minister,  a spoken word artist, a music producer, a missionary or no title at all, your voice (pictures, post, status) must represent the one you serve! It is not a platform to call people out because you disagree with their status or post. It is not a platform to fuss out your co-worker, sister, bother, children, or parents.

 

I have to be careful even when I blog. Every Good idea or opinion may not be God's opinion. It took me one hour to write this blog because I have some strong personal convictions about Facebook but those opinions are rubbish.

 

What is important? What are you using your media platform to do? Are you willing to STAND OUT? Are your words (pictures) Healing people? Are your words (pictures) bringing peace? Are your words (pictures) setting people free? 

 

The Father is trusting us with influence, let's use it wisely!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responding to His Love!

On the Sunday the worship team was singing and the anointing of the Lord  began to move through the room. They began to sing about how holy, good, faithful, and righteous God is. As they ended the verse "Glory to righteous one" the worship leader then began to sing "I surrender all....all to you my savior... I surrender all!"

Every since Sunday I have been saying "Surrender should be my response to His Love."

Col 1:21-22 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your MIND by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

Reconciliation is the act of restoring a friendly relationship or t

he action of making one view or belief compatible with another.

  Jesus restored our friendship with the Father. God sent His son to live a sinless life, to do the work of the Father in the earth, to be persecuted for our transgressions, to die and to rise again so we can now have the mind of Christ. (Phil 2:5)
It was all because He loved us! The reality is, Jesus loved you even when you did not love yourself. In your MIND, because of sin, you may have thought he did not love you. The truth is, His Love for us outweighs our sins!

Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from THE LOVE OF GOD which is in Christ Jesus our Lord

Because of sin and futile living we became alienated from Christ in our Mind.  But never forget HE LOVES YOU! When you keep this reality in your mind, you will respond differently to temptations and trials. The reality of this Love will cause sin to loose power over you. 

Col 1: 23 If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you heard....

When you are grounded and steadfast in the HOPE OF THE GOSPEL (God's love through His son Jesus), you will live different. Christ has reconciled us and He is presenting us blameless before the Father. This is not by works but by grace (Eph 2:8-9). What an amazing gift. We have been gifted with the opportunity to have eternal life if we response to LOVE properly. It's not about preforming to get His Love. I always say, "my works is not to get Love; it's because of LOVE I WORK."  It's because of Love I turn away from sin and walk in my freedom. (Eph 2:10) We all are created for good works!!!

Rom 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?.... vs 12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Our response to Love should be walking in the newness of Life. It should be "I surrender all"

Col 3: IF indeed you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your MIND on things above not on things on the earth.

At one point our mind was controlled by sin. Sin blinds us from who God is and the Love He has shown us through His Son, Jesus. When we allow our MINDS to be transformed by the word of God, we will see how God loved us from the foundation of the earth. This knowledge is mind blowing, and it should change everything about us.

When our MIND is on God, Sin will no longer appeal to us. In comparison to Christ's Love, sin is a worthless pursuit. 

Let the knowledge of His love for you change you. Respond with Surrender!!! 
 

Courtship 20/20 Vision! - The heart of the matter

Why you do what you do is very important. Why do you like the clothes you wear? Why do you talk like you do when you are around certain people? Why do you think the way you do?

What is the heart behind courtship? Remember we are in the world but not of the world.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom 12:2

 

I like the part of the verse that says "THEN". Many believers find it hard to come out of old mindsets because they have not allowed the word of God to transform and renew their thinking. We blindly walk in the patterns of the world or just walk blindly into situations because it's normal to do things a certain way.

I have asked so many young girls about dating. When I ask them why are they so ready to date the common answers are "I do not know", "All my friends get to date", "I mean I will be 13, I'll be a teenager", "I just do not see what the big deal is" and the big one "It's not like I am going to have sex". I have spoke with parents and I have been told point blank "I do not mind you talking to my girls but do not talk to them about dating". My only question is "WHY?".

 

The WHY is so important. Let me also make this note. I know and have seen young people on fire for the Lord, movers and shakers for the Kingdom and they date. But I know and have seen  MORE young people who aimlessly wonder from relationship to relationship, to compromise to compromise, & then to sin to guilt. Most young people turn 16 and start driving. At this point they have been raised to allow their emotions and desires to determine what they do and now church is not at the top of their "To Do list". They treat God and the things of God as a side show to the rest of their lives. Once they are out of their parents' home, they attend church on holidays and special church outings , if at all.

 

Look at the numbers, at the age 16-18 31% of youth go from attending church regularly to attending once or twice a month. At the age 19-25 over 60% stop attending church at all. At the age of 22 the number of young adults attending church start back rising slowly and by the age 25 of the percentage that stopped around 20% return to church.

 

It's not about church being relevant, and the church not having enough for the youth to do. It's because as parents we have trained our children to be entertained by the world vs. finding pleasure in living a life directed by the word of God.

 

So back to courtship..haha!!!!

 

This is why we must stop and think about why  are we doing this courting thing. What was God's plan? Why do I "date" the way I do? Why do I date who I do? Have I been walking in step with the pattern of the world? What sets my relationship apart from the unbeliever?

 

It's not about if you are "going all the way". Many people think because they are still a virgin they have honored God in their relationships. I challenge you not to measure your honor to God based on  if you went "all the way". Measure honor by the conversations you have, the places you go together, the way  your emotions are controlled by the relationship, and the times you went to "third base".  One of the main questions to ask is, "If I did not have a relationship would God be good enough?"

 

It is vital that we get the heart behind courtship. When you have the right heart, then the practical steps will be a lifeline to honoring God and honoring each other.

When you do not have the right heart and do not fear the Lord they will seem like legalistic rules that you will ultimately resent.

So what is the heart behind courtship?

1.                   It is a heart to honor and please God (Prov  4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the spring of life)

• As a believer our number one aim should be to please God in every area of our lives – including our relationships and love life.

• When you have this heart you want to do everything possible to conduct your relationships with the opposite sex in a way that pleases God and brings honor to Him.
• We please God when we live in accordance with his principles and commands. Courtship is about doing just that.

 2.                   It is a heart to honor each other (Rom 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor)

• In addition to loving God we are commanded to love each other – when a couple’s relationship is filled with sin and compromise they are not truly loving or honoring each other.
• True love is not seeing ‘how far can we go’ or ‘how much can I get’ but it is saying ‘I want to help you walk in purity and walk out the call of God on your life’.
• By applying the principles of courtship a couple will truly be honoring each other and showing true love.
• When starting a courtship, no couple knows for certain that they will be married and so it is also important to remember that you may be in a relationship with someone else’s future husband or wife. How would you want someone to treat/interact with your future spouse? Would you want them in the back seat of a car with their clothes half off? No! So that is the standard with which you should treat the person you are courting. “Do unto others and you would have the do unto you”

3.                   It is a heart to walk in purity and holiness (2 Cor 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.)

• God has called and empowered us to walk in purity and holiness in every area of our lives – including our love life and relationships.
• Sexual sin has devastating consequences. These include unplanned pregnancy, STD’s, broken hearts, soul ties and spiritual bonding, delay or destruction of the calling of God on your life and the list goes on.
• A wise individual will not enter a relationship lightly and when they do so they will plan for purity and holiness very seriously – this is courtship.

4.                   It is a heart to prepare yourself for a successful marriage (Heb 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterer)

• Biblically, the ultimate design and purpose of love and romance is marriage
• Today we see an unprecedented number of failed and broken marriages. Many people do not understand that the seeds of destruction are often sown in how they prepare themselves – both in their personal life and when they are dating/engaged.
• Marriage is very important in the site of God and it is important for your generation. When we enter marriage lightly or enter marriage with the wrong motives we do not honor marriage and we mishandle the gift of God in marriage. (Mal 2:10-16)
• When you honor God, each other and walk in purity through courtship you are laying the foundation for a healthy and strong marriage.

5.                   It is a heart that desires the perfect will of God for your life (Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, and acceptable, and perfect.)

• The most important decision you will make in life next to accepting Jesus is who you will marry.
• Many people have undermined or even destroyed the call of God on their life because they married the wrong person.
• Entering into a relationship with someone is serious business and needs to be treated as such. It should not be done fleshly or lightly.
• For a female the perfect will of the Lord is a man to pursue to you. “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.” Prov 18:22
• For a man the perfect will of the Lord is for you to pursue a woman that fears the Lord “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Prov 31:30
• When the principles of courtship are applied they help you make sure you walk out God’s best in your life.

What is your heart looking like?

Courtship with 20/20 Vision Part 2 - Walking in the Fear of the Lord

"The FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of KNOWLEDGE,

fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverb 1:7

 

 In this blog I am speaking to believers. The word is clear, let judgment begin in the house of the Lord. (1 Pet 4:17)

 

As believers we should walk in the fear of the Lord. The word "fear" for the believer is not being afraid of God. The Fear of the Lord for a believer is having reverence for who God is and what He has done for you. Walking in the fear of the Lord is honoring him and being in such awe of who He is you want to please Him in every area of your life.

 

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Heb 12: 28-29

I like to think of the word Character. Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Other words used to describe character is a person's personality, deposition, nature, temperament, makeup or mentality. Character can also be used to describe how you live when no one is looking. A believer's character is measured by how much they fear (honor & reverence) the Lord. When you walk in the Fear of the Lord, your life in public and in secret reflects what the Word of God says.

 

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10: 28

 

EVERYTHING we do must begin with the Fear of the Lord. We are called to work out our soul and salvation with fear and trembling. The important thing about courtship is to know who your God is and serve Him with all of your heart, all of your mind and all of your soul. We all must have a fear of offending God. Luke 10:27 “So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, ’and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,

but now much more in my absence, work out your

own salvation with fear and trembling;" Phil 2:12

 

A unknown author wrote:

"Believers are not to be scared of God.

We have no reason to be scared of Him.

We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe."

 

Proverbs talks to us about the importance of us fearing the Lord.

• The "fear of the Lord" is the beginning of knowledge Prov 1:7
• The "fear of the Lord" will cause one to hate evil Prov8:13
• The "fear of the Lord" will prolong life Prov 10:27
• The "fear of the Lord" provides strong confidence and is a fountain of life Prov 14:26-27
• The "fear of the Lord" prompts one to depart from evil Prov 16:6 
• The "fear of the Lord" leads to a satisfying life, and spares one from much evil Prov 19:23
• The "fear of the Lord" is the way to riches, honor, and life! Prov 22:4

 

When we do not walk in the “Fear of the Lord” several things happen:

• We close ourselves to the treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge!
• We will flirt with evil and be corrupted by it
• Our lives are likely to be shortened by our refusal to heed God's word (e.g., suffering sexually transmitted diseases because we did not heed His Word on sexual relationships)
• We will not come to know the fullness of God's love that gives us assurance and confidence of our salvation
• When fallen into sin, we will not be motivated to repent and turn to God!
• We will not be motivated to truly "work out our own salvation"!
•  

Without the "fear of the Lord", we cannot please God (Is 66:1-2). Only the person who "trembles at His Word" has God's promise to receive His tender mercy! (Ps 103:17-18)

 

Please keep in mind Courtship is where marriage is prayerfully considered. Men if you looking for a good GODLY

wife watch her walk and how she reverences God. Women if you are looking for a good GODLY man watch how he honors the Lord and loves him above all else. WHY???? Because wives are told by the word to reverence their husband and husbands are told to Love their wife as Christ Loved the Church. If a woman is not reverencing God she will not reverence you and if a man does not Love Christ enough to be faithful to His word he will not love to the point of being completely faithful to you.

 

It is very important that we enter into courtship fearing God so that we do not forfeit God’s plans for our life and our marriage. The fear of the Lord produces reverence and the heart that longs to know what the Father is thinking about courtship.

 

Scripture about the fear of the Lord:

 

Ecc 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.   

 

Ps 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!   

 

Ps 86:11 Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.   

 

Acts 10:35 But in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.   

 

Let everything you do begin with the FEAR OF THE LORD... IT'S WISDOM!

 
 

 

 

 

 

 



Courting with 20/20 vision! Part 1 - The term Dating

12 years ago now I gave my life to Christ. I grew up in church and believed in Jesus BUT I had not surrendered my will to the Father. I lived my life prior to salvation trapped in immorality and it was my "drug"  of choice. By the time I figured out the enemy's plan for my life I had a 1 year old daughter and my heart was filled with anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, shame, guilt and hurt. BUT GOD!! 
 
It was not my own doing but it was the GRACE of God that rescued me from a life of sin and shame. When I got saved, the first thing I told God was I did not want to be the Christian going to church but my life did not reflect His calling on my life.

I prayed for God to take away my desire for sexual immorality. It was easy for me to stop clubbing and partying but I knew without the power of the Holy Spirit I would not be able to break my addiction to sex. I also knew that without the Holy Spirit, I would be more focused on a relationship with a man than the will of God.
 
God revealed himself to me in a powerful way. Honestly, when I first got saved I tried to have sex and the conviction was SOOO STRONG. I later came to realize it was the fear of the Lord in my life. As I pressed into the word of God, the desire for Him and His plans for my life out weighted my fleshly desires for a relationship and sex.
 
I began to go to the scriptures, talk with couples about both their successes and failures, and learn from other youth ministries about what they did. I was also greatly influenced by Joshua Harris books on relationships, by the book Purity: The New Moral Revolution by Kris Vallotton, & the book Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days by Steve Gallagher. I entered into a relationship and ultimately married Joshua.
 
There are several Christians in the body of Christ who are currently single. The LORD has impressed on me very strongly that if we do not establish a culture of how to ‘court’ according to the principles of the Scriptures that it will tear many church communities apart. This is standing out to me because I have seen far too many examples of single people in my community who were growing in their faith but were ship-wrecked by sexual sin and broken hearts. I have seen young ladies on fire for the Lord loose her passion for Christ and virginity and now pregnant. Some because of shame and guilt have had abortions to cover up their sin. I have seen young men driven away from God because they fell in love with the wrong girl and she ended up being a harlot. I have seen marriages destroyed because they planed for a wedding but did not have a vision for marriage. I have also watched too many ministries become a “soap opera” of who is dating who, and the distraction and damage that it caused.
 
 As I see our society becoming more sexual and the church falling in the world’s pattern, I realize the need to articulate more clearly the heart, and step by step practicalities of what I believe can save singles in the body of Christ from falling into sexual sin.  
 
I would like to share with you some facts about dating from my booklet titled Courtship in the Fear of the Lord: A biblical approached to relationships. For the purpose of this blog I want to call this "Courting with 20/20 vision!!!!"
 
 
I use the term courtship because it breaks away from the norm of why the world dates. What you call your relationship does not matter. It's the why, the who, and the when that matters. It matters if the Word of God is guiding you.
 
The History of Dating
§  Prior to the 1900s, “dating” was a slang term that referred to prostitution. A man who was going to pay a woman for sex told his buddies that he was “going on a date.”
§  In the early 1900s “calling” was the primary means of marrying. A young man would call on a young woman by going to the parlor in her parents’ home. Her parents carefully oversaw these meetings, and expectations for everything from dress and food to the length of time of the call was regulated and spelled out. It also limited the opportunity for a woman and a man to be alone and sin sexually.
§  By the 1930s, however, the social landscape changed dramatically with the rise of the automobile. Cars gave young people freedoms and mobility they never had previously, resulting in increased opportunities for men and women to go out alone and increased temptations for drunkenness and sexual sin.
§  By the 1940s, dating took on aspects of prostitution—men treated women to nice dates, and in return they expected sexual favors.
§  In the 1960s dating was strongly affected by the sexual revolution. This resulted in the greatest change in the social dynamics of singleness in the Western world, with orgies, casual sex, homosexuality, lesbianism, and bisexuality becoming increasingly socially acceptable. Additionally, that decade saw the first widely available pornography magazine, Playboy, resulting in a shift in the way our society viewed the body and sex.
§  By the 1970s the concept of dating and casual sex is normal. During this time you could have casual sex and no longer have to deal with any physical consequences through the legalization of abortion in 1973 and making no-fault divorce legal in 1974.
§  By the 1980s 10.9 million women are taking birth control pills and other contraceptive measures, and most of the cultural and practical reasons to restrict sexual activity outside of marriage were obliterated.
§  The end result of all this is that today we live in a society that is overly sexualized, sees nothing wrong with experimenting, and views regular, unmarried sex as not only normal but also healthy.
§  Today more children are born into a world as result of sex outside of marriage. Today, even young teens are involved in “sexting,” junior high girls are expected to send naked photos of themselves to their boyfriends, and the number one consumer of online pornography is twelve- to sixteen-year-old boys, which means they will expect girls not old enough to drive to punish their bodies and do the kind of extreme things that porn stars do.
It is important that we as believer know the "WHY" behind what we do. As a parent I must ask myself "WHY" am I allowing my child to date. As a leader I must ask myself "WHY" do I tolerate "recreational" dating among the singles and youth in my ministry. I must ask "WHAT" is God's original plan and design for courtship and relationships and marriage. If marriage is not the goal, I must ask WHY am in this relationship. 
 
As I share over the next couple days, It is my prayer we see what the bible says about living a life above the norms of society. I know you will never find the word dating in the bible. You will never find the word drugs in the bible either but we know the word tells us our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
 
The Bible is a guide of how to live. It is our job as believers to apply it to EVERY area of life. I am not against courting or dating. I am against the ideas of the world coming into the church and we as believers raising our children and living our lives just like the world. If you allow your children to date or if you are dating you are NOT SINNING.
 
The SIN is not dating the SIN is allowing lust to drive your decisions. You must have a plan not to be like the world. We perish for lack of vision. Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction (Prov 29:18). Again it does not matter what you call your relationship but the revelation of who, why, when, & how is very important.
 
 I challenge you to follow this blog over the next few days. This is not the "law" but just a tool to help you have healthy relationships that honor God.
 
Some Scriptures to pray into:
2 Tim 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
 
Ps 119: 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
 
1 Cor 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body
 

1 Thes 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
 
Ps 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
 
Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.  
Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
 
Luke 14:28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
 
Prov 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
 
Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
 
Prov 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
 
 This is all about the heart of God! Let His Word guide you in ALL things!!!