The Gap

Okay, before you start thinking about the clothing store, I'd like to share something with you on a completely different spectrum. I am a children's minister at a church in southwest Ohio, and I have a special way that I talk to the kids about communion each week. I thought I would share it with you.

When we do wrong things...aka: things we know we should not do...or even simpler, anything that the Bible does not okay...we sin. When we sin, that puts a HUGE gap between us and God. And we may try to get across that gap by doing good works, being kind to people, or following all the "right" traditions. But the thing is, we cannot get across this gap on our own. No matter how much we try, we will always fail. The only way to get across this gap is to accept the fact that we cannot get across it on our own and realize that only Jesus Christ is able to close up that gap because He died for our sins. Here's the deal, Jesus doesn't automatically close up that gap. We have to ask Him to close up that gap for us. Once we believe, accept, and understand this, the gap is closed and we are reunited with God.

I know that is a severely simplified version of everything, but once again, I talk to young kids each Sunday! If you would like to talk about it in more grown up terms and on a deeper level, you can e-mail me at heater518@yahoo.com.

Can Christians be Possessed by Demons?

About a year ago I was studying angels and demons with my students at church. During our discussion/research, one of the topics was demon possession. I wondered to myself, "Can Christians be possessed by demons?" I found this an important question to answer because I've been a Christian since my youth and if demon-possession in Christians were possible, I'd want to know what I could do to prevent it. So, I checked out the Bible to see what it said, and here's what I found:

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. --1 John 1:2-4

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one [Jesus] who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
--1 John 5:18-20

According to these verses in First John, God is greater than Satan, and those who are "in [God] Him" or "saved" are protected by Christ. Satan cannot touch those who will inherit salvation. Therefore, if Satan cannot touch practicing Christians, he cannot possess them himself. Nor can his demons possess practicing Christians because if Satan has no power against Christ, neither will demons, who are below Satan and submissive to him.

I say "practicing Christians" because there are many people in this world who claim to be "Christian" but they have nothing more to do with God than the fact that they believe He exists. Being a Christian is not simply belief in a higher being but it includes believing that Jesus came to die for our sins to give us a second chance, and accepting the fact that we cannot get to heaven on our own efforts. God's forgiveness is an act of grace, which is a gift we don't deserve. Once we have accepted this grace, we must then do our best to become like Christ and live a life obedient to God.

Those who believe in God by name only are not Christians, and they do not have God's protection against Satan and his schemes. However, those whose faith shows through in their lifestyle have clearly declared Jesus as Lord, and God protects them from Satan's schemes. It brings me peace to know God's got my back, and I hope you have the same peace.

Blessed Be Your Name

One of my favorite songs of worship is Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman. Read through the lyrics below, and then I will share why it is my favorite.

Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful,

Where Your streams of abundance flow, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place;

Though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your name.

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise.

When the darkness closes in, Lord, stil I will say:

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name.

Blessed be Your name when the sun's shining down on me,

When the world's "all as it should be," blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering;

Though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name.

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise.
When the darkness closes in, Lord, stil I will say:

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name.

You give and take away, You give and take away.

My heart will choose to say, "Lord, blessed be Your name."

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name.

Everyone at one time or another faces some sort of difficulty or hardship in their life. Some people get mixed up with drugs. Others lose their house because they cannot afford to make the mortgage payments. Some struggle with alcoholism, while others struggle with thoughts of suicide or depression. And still some others lose a loved one to disease or some unforeseen accident. I truly have not covered every category of hardship that people may face, but you get the idea.

About four years ago my mom passed away from lung cancer. By the time we discovered the cancer, it was in the advanced stages, and we only had a month with her before she passed away. I was twenty years old when this happened, and I am now approaching my twenty-fifth birthday. My mother's death, by far, has been the toughest thing I have ever had to endure.

I remember a conversation I had with her before she died. It was the last heart-to-heart conversation we ever had. She told me that I might get angry with God because of everything going on with the cancer and the fact that she was going to die from it. And she told me it's okay to get angry with God. That's a natural reaction, and it's okay. However, she told me never to turn my back on God because He's the only one who will get me through this. I took my mom's words to heart and decided that no matter how tough things might get through it all that I would not turn my back on God.

I prayed for strength to get through it, and God blessed me with peace, personal strength, and friends, family, and a loving community at school to support me. I got through it okay, and have moved on with my life, just like she would have wanted me to. I still have rough days when I sometimes think about how much I miss her, but overall, I am doing well!

The song "Blessed Be Your Name" is probably one of the best ways to describe my relationship with God since my mom died from cancer. Basically, the message of the whole song is that no matter whether my life is going good or in a slump, I will never turn my back on God. Instead, I will praise Him always, even when I'm hurting. Like the song says, "Though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name."

It's not easy to praise God when we're going through a rough time. In fact, we want to yell at God, give Him a piece of our mind, or even ask why such an event has to happen to us. Praising God is probably one of the last things we want to do when we're hurting, but I have learned through the example of my parents and the experiences of my own life that God will always do what's best for me. I may not always enjoy it, but He will always do what's best for me and He will provide for my needs if I just ask Him. He has not let me down yet, and I don't believe He ever will. Because I know God's got my back, I can praise Him, even when the going gets tough.

Some of the most powerful words in the song are toward the end where it says, "You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, 'Lord, blessed be Your name'." We sometimes ask God, even challenge Him on, why certain things happen, and we seem to forget that He has the power to give us good things and also take them away without having to ask our permission! Regardless of what God gives us or takes away, we must make the choice of whether we are still going to follow God or turn our backs on Him because we did not get what we wanted. I have chosen that no matter what happens in my life, no matter what God gives to or takes from me, I will never turn my back on Him. Instead, I will still praise Him, even though it may be painful.

As you have been reading through this article, maybe a certain struggle or hardship of your own has come to mind. Maybe you have become angry at God and have decided to distance yourself from Him. Maybe you've turned your back on God because you just don't understand how a God who is so loving and so good could let something like this happen to you. Maybe you don't even know how to react, you're still in shock. I ask you to tell God what's on your mind. Tell Him how you feel, what you've been thinking, the questions you've been racking around in your brain. Tell Him all of it! And then, give things a second chance. Ask God to help you understand and move through whatever it is that you experienced or are currently experiencing. Because trust me, it's okay to get angry with God, but He's the only one who will be able to get you through this, so don't turn your back on Him.