Last week, I got the opportunity to reflect upon a woman in thebible I can relate to the most. Well it was definitely between the sinful womanof luke 7 and the woman at the well. I noticed however that these women have alot in common so the story is pretty much the same, however for organizationand effective communications sake, I will address my twin-like similarities ofmy sister-in-Christ, the woman at the well. This sister was bad for a seasonbut not forever. The story starts in john 4 and it was the lengthiest dialog with Jesus and any individual. Jesus, whose flesh was tired of traveling, asked the woman for a drink. In john 4:9, the woman said, “you’re a Jew and I’m a Samaritan, how are you going toask me for a drink?” Jesus, calmly I can imagine, said to her "if you knew the gift of God, and Who it isthat asks you for a drink, you would haveasked Him and He would have given you living water." It’s interesting because water from a well is dead water. It’s actually rain water, more suitable for sheep than people. It was simple, but living water? The Lords words, full of mystery and intrigue got her attention "Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep, where can you get living water?" This womanwas polite but gutsy, a lot like me. She was also trying to show off the little knowledge she had with history nibbits trying to impress Him since He wasn’t a regular man. "Are you greater than our father Jacob who drank from this well?" Hummm, I’m guessing she was skeptical and slightly intelligent, yet another Dom-like trait. Jesus answered: “everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again..” Now THIS got her attention, after all she was back at the well. When you’re thirsty you can go grab a glassof water to quench your thirst in one gulp, then go back again for more.. that is unless Jesus is the one holding the pitcher  

A little later in the conversation, Jesus asked her to gether husband, she said “I don’t have one”and His response was “you’re right, you have had five.” WOW. After talking toher a little while longer, Jesus admitted He was the messiah. When God began drawing me about 2 years ago, I was alot of things, but thirsty for the truth was the one that really stood out. After tasting that living water, I just couldn’t sit still, just like that woman who left her water jar/sin in verse 28, I was given the gift of repentance, left my life of sin, and HAD to go out and tell people. I had to talk to people who I came in contact with, homeless people, family members, EVERYONE! It was also my heart’s desire to have friends. I couldn’t hang out with the old ones like I used to because I left my sinful life behind. Sure I could share the gospel with them, but when they didn’t want to hear anymore or have any other questions about Him my job was done. Jesus never just hung out with sinners, He poured into them and answered their questions but He never just “hung out”. Na. Im not just breathing to death, I have a [com]mission, ive been bought at a great price.

Anyway, this water was far tooo refreshing to continue drinking the regular [tap] rainwater. Being filled with living water makes one quite eager to seek out thirsty souls, eager to offer them a drink too. She could’ve tried to keep the goodnews about the Messiah to herself considering how judgmental and unkind the townsmen were but the reality of it is she couldn't keep the secret. Her joy was too full, her face was too radiant and her heart was too changed! Sharing her faith wasn't a Monday night mission’s requirement; it was an unavoidable outpouring of a woman whose spiritual cup suddenly runneth over.! Hardcore acts20:24 action! “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God!” This woman went back to town and said to the people, “come see a man who told me everything I did!" Twothings happen when the Father draws us to His Son for the first time a) we confess our sins openly, turn away from them with the help of the Holy Spirit; b) we sharethe good news of forgiveness freely. That confession or testimony comes effortlessly, like the aroma of a heart set free. We call all our friends when we hear about other sales, what about when we find something for free!? People ask how i can share my past without blushing, because the shame is gone! Ive been given the gift of repentance! My sins have been forgiven, covered by the blood! Praise GOD! Im no longer under the judgment of God because He sees me though the blood of His Son.! How can one not drown in His awe and wonder ofsuch a loving God! WOW! His Son took the judgment on the cross and paid the penalty. Glory to God for justification AND regeneration!

Jesus cared that I was quite sinful in nature obviously but He cared more that I was thirsty. He saw past my hardened heart and dug right into the innermost layer of my soul, which is why I feel like I now have thispersonal fountain of spiritual youth that will well up inside me forever. The woman at the well didn’t wait for a door to be opened, she kicked it down.. a changed person’s life gets people’s attention every time. It’s interesting how he used my physical appetite to teach me about my spiritual hunger. The woman wasn’t even the reason these men believed. Sure shewas used, just like Jesus’ followers are used by the Holy Spirit to plant seeds, only God can water them. These men got their seeds watered! They believed as stated in verse 42 when we read that they heard for themselves. If God is drawing someone to His son, Hewill give them a heart and ears to hear theGospel.” I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” Jeremiah 24:7

How encouraging! I urge all who read this to think about similarities they too may have with the woman at the well.. leaving your sin behind, evangelism, and overwhelming, unspeakable peace and joy! All gifts from the Holy Spirit! Through the good times and the bad times, what an awesome God we serve! Be encouraged! Stand firm and I pray you continue to fight the good fight of Faith, spreading the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Grace and Peace

Dom <3

Life is rather awkward at the moment. I'm in the process of learning lessons I never thought I would learn; and was completely unaware of my ignorance. The thing is, I think we get so content and complacent living our lives in the mundane, temporary highs gleaned from external influences, that we don't expect there to be other options. As of late, I've been made aware that God is teaching me about new ways of doing things. He’s given me a new heart (Jeremiah 24:7) and literally smashed my old way of thinking via discernment. I've been so stuck in my old thought process, that my head is really struggling to get used to His way, and at times it feels awkward but in hindsight it makes so much sense --  like constant epiphanies replaying themselves over in my head, different variations of the same underlying truth.

Romans 12:2 tells us 'be transformed by the renewing of your mind' and that’s the promise I know He will fulfill when I go to the Lord in prayer and make war every moment of everyday with the help of the Holy Spirit. As God renews my mind I will be transformed, but equally as I actively cry out and go to the cross, asking that my mind be renewed, God will do the transforming. It's beautifully complicated to say the least. God is revealing so much to me about His way of thinking that it seems overwhelming to take it all in or process it and there is a reason for that. With all the knowledge in the world, it still pales in comparison to the knowledge of God, and apart from Christ it is foolishness at best. The fact that this new way of thinking is so different to what I'm used to means that it is going to come as somewhat of a shock to my system.. and it is.

It's moreless a new revelation and moreso that the truth of the revelation is sinking in. This to me is a side-effect of conversion taking place or, simply put my response (through the Holy Spirit) to regeneration. On His end it's really simple and on my end it's the most complex truth and totally incomprehensible.

Nothing I do changes the intensity of God's love for me. Absolutely NOTHING. He clearly has a deep love and compassion for me as shown through the death, burial, and resurrection of His perfect, sinless Son. He is also intent on having a relationship with me which is quite humbling. How could a broken speck of dust possibly mean so much to an Infinite Holy and Righteous God? This is another truth beyond my comprehension; however it is written that He who begins a good work in you will finish until the day of completion. And with this revelation through scripture I am able to put my trust in Him, for all things work together for the good of those who love HIM and have been called according to His purpose.

I spoke to a girl earlier this week and she said to me “it doesn't make sense that God would love me because I know what I'm like and I'm not all that”. I told her that was a true statement. It doesn't make sense that He would love any of us who have hearts completely contrary to who He is but that doesn't mean it's not true.” We actually had an interesting conversation about how we need to know and live in the good of what God thinks about us if He sees us through the eyes of His Son, and faith through grace can only be attained by Him drawing us to His Son so that He can see us through the blood of Christ. Spotless. I told her if it was on her heart to seek Him out do it!

I'm so grateful that truth is not according to my emotions or my state of total depravity, but on the One Who never changes. This was yet another powerful truth that will take a lifetime to fully appreciate and humbly ponder. I ask that you bear with me as I learn this lesson. As John Piper wrote in the book Don’t waste your life: "The road to Calvary is painful but it isn’t joyless.!" Selah.

Glory to God Alone -- SoliDEOgloria

Peace and Grace J

The book of 2 Corinthians was without a doubt one of the most intense books written with great sorrow. When Paul was in Ephesus, he heard a great deal about false teachings in Corinth.. a place he had visited twice before. I personally think he was filled with great sorrow for two reasons: the first being that he was saddened by the fact that he'd just spread the gospel there and apparently the seeds planted fell along the path which enabled to birds to come snatch them up rather quickly (matt 13:4); the latter being because knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to most (the concept of righteous living is quite offensive to our flesh regardless) and he probably felt bad that he made others feel bad. Obviously when we say things that offend someones flesh, its going to hurt them, but furthermore when we hurt them, we as humans cant help but to feel a sense of compassion and at times ever hurt that they are hurt.

This reminds me of a story I heard not that long ago. Two men were sitting on an airplane while it was boarding. After a while they struck up a conversation. One man was from New York and he was talking about how anxious he was to see his family again. The other man was talking about how anxious he was to be visiting Denver for the first time, but the only problem was the plane wasnt going to Denver, it was going to New York. The man then realized his friend had gotten on the wrong plane and wasnt headed to his intended destination. So would it have been arrogant/mean for the man to tell his friend the truth while it was still time to get on the right plane – or would the best thing to do be to sit silently, so he wouldnt embarrass or offend the other man and just let him think he was right?

Well Paul decided it was best that he send a letter to the people of Corinth via Titus. This letter was quite severe, not only rebuking their actions but also encouraging them to turn away from their ways and do what was pleasing to God. After Paul sent Titus ahead of him, he then took a longer route to the city but on the way he found himself filled with great anxiety about how the people of Corinth would receive the letter. When Paul finally heard of the acceptance of the letter by the people, he was then filled with overwhelming joy, for those letters brought forth conviction and Godly sorrow which as we have read, leads to repentance (turning away).. which then leads to salvation. Sanctification is in fact a process. Its a process that starts with conviction, followed by Godly sorrow and leading the salvation. The first step however is.. conviction. 

Sometimes when im talking to people about things i've done and feel great anguish about my actions, I dont need them to pat me on the back and say “oh thats alright, things will work themselves out” NO. I need rebuke. I need discipline if I want salvation. Salvation is the only thing that will work anything out. Galatians 6:1 tells us as believers “if a brother is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” In psalm 141:5 David welcomed correction with humility and appreciation when he said “let a righteous man strike me-- it is a kindness, let him rebuke me-- it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it..” Did he just say rebuking him is 'kindness'? And isnt kindness one of the fruit of the Spirit? And isnt the fruit of the Spirit what enables a man to be “spiritual”? I think so. Proverbs 29:1 states “a wise man will accept correction; the person who refuses to listen will finally be destroyed.” Perhaps this is why David thought it to be a form of kindness to accept correction and disciple with a biblical foundation. Scripture makes it plain. Sometimes its not the tone you use, its the words themselves which are offensive all on their own. Paul discerned not according to worldly standards (which lean towards everything being okay), but according to the spiritual realm known to the eyes of faith as made plain in 2 cor 1:12.

1 Timothy 1:8 tells us to “not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me (Paul) His servant, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.”

Soli DEO Gloria. Peace and Grace

Another week, another set of experiences thereby creating another
opportunity to reflect. So much has happened that yet and still I find
myself having more questions than answers. Thankfully the Bible holds
more answers than I have questions so the fact that I have more
questions at this point in my life isn't bad at all considering I now
know where all the answers can be found.

the most pressing issue in my life at this point day-to-day is finding
new ways to serve; new ways to live out the great commission and make
disciples of men i found however that in order to do that effectively,
I must dig into the Word without ceasing. Thankfully God had provided
me with several opportunities and vehicles to be able to dig in
whether they be technological applications or my new niv life
application study bible. Both of these vehicles allow me to dig in at
any time where ever I am or just dig in generally speaking. I've also
been afforded the opportunity to be able to chop up his word a few
times a week outside of "Sunday sermons". People often ask me why I go
to church 3x's a week? well honestly i don't look at it as "going to
church" but rather fellowshipping with family and discussing the word
as well as the daily issues we all go thru with the word of God as our
foundation/life-answer book. Truly a blessing...

so back to what I was originally talking about... my mind is constantly
occupied with ways to spread the good news. That Jesus has risen, He
loves us, made THEE ultimate sacrifice n wants us to turn away from
our sins and rest in Him. Now I know that some folks will still be
2tim3:2ers and it's got to be that way because God wrote it and
prophecies have, will, and are currently coming to past but that
doesn't mean we as believers should drop the ball and not plant seeds.
I feel a heavy conviction in my heart from the Holy Spirit whenever I
operate in pride or anything contrary to love. earlier this month vie
been dealing with a friend who has come across information and is
taking up as "truth" when it is not biblically based, meaning you can’t
find it in the Bible ANYWHERE... imp currently seeking guidance
from God so that i will not be an additional stumbling block to her as
she is clearly struggling in the faith. one thing that humbled my
dramatically was the Holy Spirit showing me that God has granted me SO
MUCH GRACE, yet i can be so critical of people. NO BUENO. I must
remind myself daily that there is NO room for pride, as I have not
influenced His decision to save me in anyway, nor have I earned mercy
and grace, it was just given. Period.

Whenever I am presented with an opportunity to share what I've been
delivered from or strong hold dependencies from external
gratifications I always feel a sense of fear, which is quickly
conquered by a sense of confidence in the Lord Jesus and sure enough
the Holy Spirit hasn't left me speechless yet. In addition to that,
I'm also prayerful that when people oppose what is said by my lips
when it comes to the word of God, that I may be gentle in spirit with
correction and pray that God lead them to repentance thru knowledge of
Him. Grace and peace to all the elect as they continue to plants seeds
and make war against the flesh on a daily basis.

Life. such an interesting, complicated, mixed set of ideas, emotions,
people, places, thoughts and motives all packaged in a huge box. I
often find however, that it's not necessarily how the box looks on the
outside, but more-so what the contents are. Take ideas for example: if
you think about big, long-term goals, and ideas as to how to solve
problems as opposed to just focusing on the negative itself, the
contents of your box will be a lot more productive and thus..
positive. Positive contents are always a good thing resulting from
being born-again of the Spirit and good things lead to great things!

The same goes with emotions and people, if you continually allow
people in your life who bring nothing but negativity (Galatians 5:19)
and don't ever take the time to step outside their box and grow via
change, you need to re-evaluate what it is that they are bringing into
your box which brings me to my next point..

Places and thoughts. If you're always in the same place, you'll have
the same thoughts. Why anyone wouldn't want to grow (which produces
change) is beyond me... now i'm not saying throw everyone out of your
life who has problems, we all have problems, and sometimes discussing
these issues with others, and giving our testimony about what God has
delivered us from/ in the the process of delivering us from, helps us
with our own issues; but if you have someone who isn't happy with
their circumstance and isn't willing to take a look at themselves and
question what it is they are doing wrong; you're probably harboring
negativity in your life that wont just dissipate itself. You see bad
thoughts are cancerous; you either must cut the cancer off- or treat
it with chemo.. either way if there's going to be positive progress,
there's going to be a change.

Rarely are people willing to look at themselves and ask God to treat
their cancer. This is probably because they are too close-minded to
even realize they are sick. This
“close-mindedness” is a symptom of us all being born into depravity,
also known as “Adams disease”. Romans 3:11 tells us “there is no one
who understands, no one who seeks God.” We must remember that a sick
person cant own up to the fact that they are indeed sick by
themselves; they must have their eyes opened by God to see (and be
drawn in by the Father (John6:44) to see that their sins really are
separation from God and thus they need a savior.. they NEED Jesus.

“The mind of a sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the
Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.” Romans
8:6. Cancer = death! Nooooo bueno! But we cant just kick them to the
curb, and never think about them again, we must also lift them up in
prayer, this should make us love them even more.. for they have been
blinded (2Corinthians4:4). Let us not forget LOVE. These were Jesus'
two greatest commandments. Love GOD before everything else and love
your neighbor; not love your friend or love your family
unconditionally, but love your neighbor.. this means friends and foes
alike. *sidenote: for the biblical, Godly definition of love, see
1Corinthians 13:4-13

So in conclusion, I think it imperative that we all must take the time
to step back and think about what our life boxes are carrying.. are
they as the bible says: fruits of the spirit? Meaning do they
incorporate love, peace, patience, kindness, long suffering,
self-control, and gentleness? Or do our boxes have fruits from the
Galatians 5:19 tree of debauchery, hatred, jealousy, drunkenness,
sexual immorality, rage, malice, petulance and greedy motivation? Matt
7: 16 makes it plain; by their Galatians 5:22 fruit you can recognize
them. Ask the Holy Spirit to pour Himself into you. Start asking the
Holy Spirit to renew your mind, and clean out your box by placing
fruits with seeds that will be beneficial in building you up in the
body of Christ, fruits you want manifested in your life... Less
Colossians 3:8 and MORE Colossians 3:12-17 Something for me to
ponder AND apply as I live my new personal life, born-again
2Corinthians 4:17 life. Grace and Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit. SoliDeoGloria. To God alone be the glory.