for though a righteous falls seven times, he RISES again... [proverbs 24:16]

Do you remember playing with (or abusing) those Bobo Dolls? They were these inflatable clowns that kept mysteriously returning upright whenever you hit it. As a kid, I thought they were the most annoying things. For God's sake, why would a parent even buy their kids a toy like that? To lower their self-esteem? To make them feel inferior to a balloon man?

I used to unleash my fury on the Bobo Doll with flying kicks, reverse kicks, scissor kicks, karate chops, 15-punch combos, my yellow plastic baseball bat, and even wrestling moves. And just when I had thought "Surely this time I hit him hard enough" or "He'll never rise again"... Just when I thought I had finally defeated this balloon baffoon... I would turn around, only to see it slowly rising and giving me that annoying smile again, as happy as ever...

So as a kid I always wondered, what made this Balloon Buffoon always come back up? Little did I know... the physical make-up of a Bobo Doll has a foundational weight that never moves at it's base.

Haha today it makes me smile and laugh. Because WE are Bobo Dolls. Our "center of mass" is the CHIEF CORNERSTONE, Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6). He alone is my ROCK and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. [Psalm 62:6] And whether it's man or Satan who tries to bring us down. Whether it's death or sin. We always get back up. Satan especially is like that little kid who gets so annoyed because he tries his hardest, but can never defeat the Bobo Dolls of Christ. O death where is your victory? When I get lost, my Shepherd comes and finds me. When I fall down, He lifts me up.

"Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me,'Where is the Lord your God?' My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets." [Micah 7:8-10]

Listen to:

Get Down

Audio Adrenaline

if i'm the HUNDREDTH sheep, then...

The LORD is my SHEPHERD, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside still waters,

he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

[Psalm 23]

the real PROSPERITY gospel

May

I

Live

Like

I'm

Owed

Nothing

And

I've

Received

Everything

That's called grace my friends. When we deserved nothing, Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He gave us eternal life, eternal joy, and eternal love. The King of Kings has made us His children so let's live like we are sons and daughters of the most high God! Quit living as if this world could offer you everything. As C.S. Lewis would put it:

"Our lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are half hearted creatures fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday by the sea."

Let's live like we're millionaires, amen?! We're owed nothing, and we've received everything! What's holding you back? The Apostle Paul writes that "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." [2 Cor. 9:8] God already loves us perfectly, and He has already given us everything we need. Money, sex, popularity, it all means nothing. Maybe in this lifetime we won't make too many Benjamins, but we sure are rich in our hearts. Better believe it. Now live like it.

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." [2 Corinthians 8:9]

our FATHER deserves a little more than a hug

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." [Romans 8:14-17]

how to lose a faith in 10 DAYS

Don't worry, I haven't fallen into apostasy. I ain't jumpin' ship, nor am I questioning what I believe. But I marveled today-- how one morning I could wake up with an unshakeable faith as ever, and then another morning wake up and realize how quickly I had fallen and forsaken my faith. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and before you know it I find myself asking, "How in the world did I get to this point?" All I'm going to say is that I am damn weak. And I can't live out this thing called Christianity out of my own power. I need Jesus.

I've taken note on some of my own folly that led me into spiritual depression. Take heed brethren, learn from my mistakes. Here's my "How to lose a faith in 10 days":

10) Sleep really late, and wake up really late. Play catch-up the whole day. Instead of letting your day revolve around God, try to fit God into your schedule if time permits. (And be sure to spend lots of time on the internet!)

9) Be alone for long periods of time. And if you happen to spend time with others, make sure not to talk about God or your walk. (p.s. - don't let the rebukes get to you)

8) Be somewhere that brings you back to your past, where you can easily fall back into old sinful habits.

7) Make exceptions (ex. If I just let myself sin this one time...I'll never do it again...)

6) Think highly of yourself. You can't fall. You're too strong. There's no such thing as spiritual depression... Always pretend that nothing is wrong.

5) Listen to tons of sermons and substitute them for your QT's. Be careful not to apply them to your life, and don't let anything convict you too much.

5) Don't let the gospel become a reality in your life. Don't think about the cross too much, it's just a bunch of Christian mumbo jumbo.

3) Stop reading the Bible.

2) Don't pray.

1) Lose your fear of God.

Let's be real, I've been running on fumes for about the last month. And I've just about hit empty. That list may sound funny, or even sarcastic, but that's exactly what I've been doing. In the meantime, my heart has been getting hard, and I feel more distant from God. Haha I used to pride myself so much that I didn't have one of those roller coaster Christian lives but God has a way of humbling me. At the very least I'm comforted because I know my Shepherd brings me back every time I wander. Pray for me brothers.

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." [James 4:8]

Currently listening to:

You Are My All In All