What is or isn't?

I write this post as a believer in Jesus that has struggled with forgiving people who have harmed and hurt me in ways you may or may not believe. I'm currently working out some of my own forgiving issues and just thought I would share with you what God is teaching me about forgiveness. I pray this post will shine light on one of the biggest problems we face in and outside the church in this nation and in the world. The church in America and across the world is full of people who have been hurt in some way, shape or form. Whether we were hurt by someone in the church or someone outside of the church it's painful and it can hinder our walk with Jesus. It can also shape and change who we are as Christ Followers in a great way. The issue I will be talking about if you haven't already figured it out is forgiveness. I am convinced that some people have unresolved conflicts toward a group of people or just one person and it has hindered their walk with Christ and it causes pain in their lives everyday. Forgiveness is a tough issue to write about. For some it may not be hard for you to forgive, but for others it may be very hard to let go and just simply forgive the person or persons that have hurt you. For some it may be a deep issue that you have tucked away and tried to forget about without forgiving but that NEVER works. It will ALWAYS resurface until you deal with the issue of forgiveness. Why is it so hard to forgive others? We serve a God who has forgiven us. He sent his son to die on a cross so we would be forgiven and made right in the eyes of God. Therefore you would think that it would not be an issue, but for some it is the very thing holding you back from being who Jesus Christ is calling you to be. So today I want to shine light on what TOTAL forgiveness is and what TOTAL forgiveness is not. I am currently reading one of the best books I have ever read in my life and the title of the book is TOTAL FORGIVENESS and the author is R.T. KENDALL. I encourage you to get this book and let it penetrate your heart and mind. Let it begin to help you work out the very thing or things that could be holding you back from being who you are in Christ Jesus. Jesus said in scripture if you have a problem with a brother that is unresolved to leave the altar and go work it out. So we as believers in Jesus need to work out things as we come across them in life. First lets look at what TOTAL forgiveness isn't. 1) Approval of what they did. 2) Excusing what they did. 3) Justifying what they did. 4) Pardoning what they did. 5) Reconciliation. 6)Denying what they did. 7) Blindness to what happened. 8)Forgetting. 9) Refusing to take the wrong seriously. and finally number 10) Pretending we are not hurt. NOW let's look at what TOTAL forgiveness is. 1) Being aware of what someone has done and still forgiving them. 2) Choosing to keep no record of wrongs. 3) Refusing to punish. 4) NOT TELLING WHAT THEY DID!!! 5) Being merciful. 6) Graciousness. 7) It is an inner condition. 8) It is they absence of bitterness. 9) FORGIVING GOD!!! 10) FORGIVING OURSELVES!!!! As I close I pray that you will take this and dig deeper into your heart and soul and deal with any forgiveness issues you may have in your life. IT'S WORTH IT.... BUT IT TAKES WORK SPIRITUALLY, PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY!! One Love, Jason Ashley

Are you committed?

Good evening everyone! I read this paragraph in a book one time and what can I say “It challenged me!” It went a little something like this. “We live in a day when there is very little if any commitment to anyone or anything! The reason for these actions is there is very little surrender to anything anymore! You see if I surrender my own needs to the needs of others, then I will find myself committed to their lives! Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago surrendered his entire life for us…. What would happen if I submitted mine back to him?” As I read this paragraph it moved me and made me self examine myself to see if I was truly committed to Jesus Christ 100% not 99%. My pastor said something one time that challenged me as well. He said a 99% commitment to Christ is 1% to short, its all or nothing! You see self examination is very important, it tells you who you are and where most of your time is spent. I personally believe that we as Christians can’t even begin to realize how much God loves us and how big of a plan he has for our life. I also believe in order for us to have the protection of God we have to be under the authority of God! You can’t live like Hell all the time and be committed to Jesus Christ, it’s just not possible! You know I Love people who commit to be on time and actually are! In other words thank you to all who say they are going to do something and they do it! I believe with all my heart God wants even a stronger commitment to his will for our lives not our own! Let’s face it we screw up and mess up all the time! However we serve a perfect and holy God, thank goodness for that! You know as I think about commitment one thing pops in my mind over and over again! If we can’t commit to the little things how can we commit to the big things! When I accepted Jesus Christ as the payment for my sins and believed in him through faith he put a burning passion in me to reach out to all types of people. Though I may get knocked down sometimes, I’m like Rocky I keep getting back up (with the help and guidance of Christ of course). You see he made a 100% commitment to us so when are his followers going to make the same commitment to him! Jesus said you can’t be both hot and cold he would rather you be one or the other. Being Luke warm he said it makes him sick he would spew you out his mouth! Hey he said it not me! So what are you willing to do to change the way you commit to things in life? The way you commit to Jesus, your spouses, your kids and even doing something you said you would do. Commitment is the most important step in life! If you’re not a Christian and maybe you have been mistreated by a church or a Christian let me just apologize for them! Not all churches and Christians act the same. You see Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it he came to save it! Many Churches and Christians would rather condemn people and have a holy huddle inside the church! They try to lead the church instead of letting Jesus Christ lead! Many times the church splits right down the middle because of a lack of commitment to Christ! So I know how you may feel toward these types of so called Christians but don’t let their actions keep you from believing in Jesus Christ! I’m telling you he is very much alive and he has changed my life tremendously! He is the best! If you call on the name of the lord and believe through faith you will be saved! For those who have gotten offended at this post I don’t apologize, maybe you needed to get offended because you lack commitment! For all you non-Christians I want you to know I love you and want the best for you! Jesus is the best oh yes! Have a great Day with love Jason!