I Peter 1:15 "...You must be holy in EVERYTHING you do, just as God who chose you is holy."

What I'm about to write about will probably be upsetting to some, but I must ask the question. As I look at the modern church, I find myself wondering if we are really following I Peter 1:15? It seems almost common practice for Christians to cuss and drink without hesitation. Paul said that just because we have the freedom to do things, doesn't mean we should (I Cor. 10:23-24). We are to be in this world, not of it.

Will drinking and cussing send one to hell? Maybe not, but it isn't striving for a holier lifestyle. Jesus didn't condemn the "common man sinner" for living like that, because He didn't expect anything different from them. But he would condemn the hypocrite--the ones who know better and do it anyway.

When is the church going to set a higher standard? I'm not talking about the old way of thinking that was made up of "holier than thou" and hyper sensitive church people condemning all in our sight. I'm talking about striving to live out I Peter 1:15. To be different. To be a witness with our lifestyle. To be a light in the darkness.

I Peter 1:15 says "to be holy in EVERYTHING," not just the areas that are convenient. Keep in mind that just because we aren't to judge the sinner, we don't have permission to live like one.

VERSES TO THINK ABOUT:
James 1:26 "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless."

I Thessalonians 5:5-8 "You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.:

I Corinthians 10:23-24
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Plowing Through Rejection

This last year, I went through some pretty painful rejection. It hurt. But then, rejection is never easy. I don't know about you, but I always want people to like me. We want people to desire our services and the use of our talents, but what I realize now, that isn't always God's will.

Here is what I've learned this year. If you read the book of Joseph and the life of Jesus, you see two powerful stories of rejection. First, Joseph. Here is a man that is obviously a strong man of character that managed to be place in charge not once, but three times. There is no doubting this was a great man. Every horrible circumstance, he found himself pushed to the front. But that didn't come at some hard costs.

His own brothers plotted to kill him, tossed him in a hole, and sold him into slavery. That is some serious rejection. But God allowed it. Why? Because He had bigger things in store for Joseph than sheep herding.

Jesus, the Son of God, who healed thousands of ailments, was rejected by the very people He loved. Even his own disciples turned on Him. These people He poured His ministry and life into, yelled for Him to be killed. That is rejection we'll never know. But, like Joseph, He had to walk through that rejection in order for God's will to be carried out. Without that experience, we would not have salvation.

As I look at my own rejection, I realize that in order for God to place me where He wanted me, I had to go through that. God allows rejection and painful experiences to move us. If He didn't, why would we ever move?

What's Your Gift?

Don't you love birthday's. It's the one time a year that we get gifts, but we don't give them. For one day a year, hopefully, we feel spoiled. And when we go to some one else's birthday party, we usually pick our gift with care. In celebration of Jesus' birthday, I wonder...what can we possibly give the Creator of the Universe--the One who has everything? And then I thought about His only desire. He wants us to love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Matthew 22:17

If you think about it, love truly does cover over a multitude of sins. It makes us not only spend more time with God, because when you truly love someone you want to do that, right? But it also makes us better people. It makes us act more like Christians.

Look at I Corinthians 13.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.

So, this Christmas, I want to give Jesus the gift of love. To desire more of Him and to work on loving others more.

What will you give Him?

Merry Christmas from Torrid Faith!

FLEE

I’m sure most of you have read the story of Joseph. Often people think of his coat of many colors or about his amazing gift to interpret dreams, but there is an important lesson right in the middle of the story that may not get consideration.
My entire life I have found myself convicted by what I say and how I say it. I grew up around people that were often critical; therefore I found at times that I projected the same kind of attitude when I didn’t like a situation. This, of course, easily sucked me into a gossipy gripe circle.

In Genesis 39, Potiphar’s wife begs Joseph to sleep with her and in verse twelve, it says, “He fled from her presence.” This made me contemplate the things which tempt us, and the situations that come our way that tests us. Do we flee or take the easy way out? Wouldn’t it have been much easier (and probably more pleasurable) for Joseph to give into the temptation?

Back to my “foot-in-mouth disease.” For years I struggled with watching what I say. I was tempted almost daily to express how I really felt, rather than give the situation to God. When I finally began to submit, swallow my pride, and let God handle whatever it was, I began to grow.
Temptation only happens when something is important to us. If your temptation were to eat a gluttonous amount of tomatoes each day, it wouldn’t be a problem for me. I hate the smell, flavor; basically everything there is to do with tomatoes. That would never be a temptation for me. My husband hates chocolate, so he isn’t swayed by the huge piece of chocolate cake I might be consuming. My point? If you don’t care about something, if you actually despise something, then it isn’t a temptation any more. We’re called to “hate sin.” If your temptation is drinking, you’ve got to get to a point where you actually hate alcohol. You’ll never break free if you’re “testing the waters.” If your temptation is gossip, then you need to begin to see gossip for what it is, evil, and begin to despise it.

Whatever you’re going through, whatever God has asked you to stop doing, remember that Joseph’s story didn’t end with his being tempted. Yes, he went through some hard times for fleeing temptation, but in the end, God blessed him. Trust me, sleeping with her would have been easier and I’m assuming more pleasurable, but it would have been wrong. It would have caused Joseph a wedge between God and him. It probably wasn’t easy, but it was right.

Remember, if you flee from temptation, God will honor that. Let us draw near to God and He will draw near to us.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Burning Bush

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Exodus 3:2

Torrid Faith is all about igniting your Christian walk and drawing closer to God. In the Old Testament, Moses saw the Lord in a BURNING bush. God came to Him as fire. If we want to be on fire for God, we need to approach the Bush ready to do the Lord's will. Moses probably never imagined that God would use him in such a great way. But God saw something in Moses. He didn't care that Moses had a stuttering problem or that he'd was a murderer. What He cared about was Moses' willing heart. Let us move toward holy ground and into God's presence, ready to be ignited into His presence and into His will.

TEST YOUR FAITH

How hot is your fire really burning?
Take this test and be HONEST with yourself. Pick the one that MOST describes you. Don’t feel discouraged, but encouraged. This is the first step.

1. I usually…
a. Read my Bible every day for more than twenty minutes
b. Quickly read my Bible right before I go to bed
c. Fit my devotion time in if I have a free moment
d. Don’t ever really read my Bible

2. I find…
a. I talk to God like He’s my best friend for a good amount of time
b. Sometimes I can only pray for five to ten minutes
c. It is often difficult to find things to say during prayer time
d. I never really talk to Him except when I have a problem

3. Which one of these makes your heart flutter more?
a. Going to a church revival on a week night
b. Hanging out with friends
c. Watching sports or TV
d. Partying

4. Reading a devotional book…
a. Changes my way of thinking
b. Isn’t something I do often
c. Puts me to sleep
d. What’s a devotional?

5. I have trouble with my mouth (cussing, gossiping, etc.)…
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
d. Always

6. Giving up the most important thing in my life for God…
a. Is easier every time, because I know the fruit of what will happen
b. Stings a bit, but I’m trying
c. Hurts and I’m not sure if I can do it
d. Not sure, I’ve never tried it

7. Prayer to me is…
a. As essential as eating
b. Important, but I need to do more
c. Is something I do when I have problems
d. Something I don’t do

8. If the pastor were to ask me to give up fast food and hobbies for three days, I would say…
a. Sure, I could use it
b. I’ll pray about it
c. Sorry, can’t right now
d. Forget it

9. When someone asks me to pray for them, I…
a. Start right then and there
b. Usually pray for them once or twice
c. Say I will, and then never do
d. People don’t ask me to pray for them

10. I am reading this book because…
a. I’m just so on fire for God; I can’t wait to get closer to Him
b. I know I need to change
c. Someone told me to or I was curious
d. I feel guilty

Total number of A’s: ____________________
Total number of B’s: ____________________
Total number of C’s: ____________________
Total number of D’s: ____________________

CHECK YOUR FIRE LEVEL
If you had mostly A’s, you are burning hot for God AND you can hopefully find passion to ignite others.

If you had mostly B’s, you’re warm, but you have the right heart and with a little stirring of the ashes, you could ignite a blazing fire.

If you had mostly C’s, you are lukewarm, and it’s awesome that you took this test. Are you ready to get on fire for God? Take the Torrid Faith Challenge. It will change your life!

If you had mostly D’s, you’re a bit cold in your faith, but what better way to get hot then to take the Torrid Faith Challenge.

For more information on the Torrid Faith Challenge, log onto www.torridfaith.com.

Prayed Up?

In Matthew 26, Jesus takes three of His disciples into the garden to pray. But the hour must have been late and instead of praying, they fell asleep. Not once, but three times. Finally, the soldiers came and took Jesus away, and what happens? The disciples scattered.

Have you ever wondered what might have happened if the disciples had been “prayed up?” If instead of sleeping, they too had prayed like Jesus asked them too. Could Peter have admitted his allegiance to Jesus instead of denying Him three times? Could the disciples have stayed by Christ’s side through the entire ordeal instead of cowering?

Later, when Peter prays on the day of Pentecost, this same man that denied Christ had the boldness to save thousands. When we pray, it changes things, because we are no longer relying on our own strength, but God’s.

Each and every day, we are faced with crucifying our flesh. God has called us to pray because He knows that temptation will come. The Bible doesn’t say that it MIGHT come. It says WHEN it comes. Are we ready or are we sleeping?

Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”