Lets Throw A Curve...

So, for literally the past two minutes, one thing has been on my mind. Others. Let me explain. So my posts are pretty similar in the sense that they are all written by me, have to do with me, and I am usually the speaker in the story. However, I would like to change that with the following idea.
I know that there are more people out there than I, and I understand that there are stories that untold that should be told. I am purposing a new segment in the blog called What We Have to Say. This is YOUR place in the Forsake All  blog where you can write about God has changed your life in the past, how He is changing your life currently, and what future things you look forward to in your relationship with Him. I plan to interview anyone who is interested, via telephone, in-person meeting, or however possible, to find their story. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, please send me an e-mail and I will get in touch with you.
I am super excited about this for a number of reasons, one being that it will give people more to read about and comprehend. These posts won't just be stories, but examples of how people lived out their faith. They should encourage all of us to live out our faith like Jesus tells us to. Also, when I am in a season of dryness and there is not much for me to say, there will be more posts that you can go to.
So PLEASE get in touch with me asap. I don't care one bit if I know you or not, however, the same may not be true you. I know I would love to hear your story and how it has helped you, along with others who read this blog. So please! Shoot me an e-mail at "robertwegner1433@gmail.com" - Forsake All

He Must Love Himself

The latest post ended with a question, and a short answer, on which now I shall elaborate. God loves Himself more than anything in the entire world. We are going to look at a few verses, then make some rational statements about them.

Genesis 3:6-7 says, "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

I’m pretty sure that we all understand that the statement, “All have sinned” is true. But I don’t we truly understand the implications of that unless we grasp the concept of, “And fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” We will never understand this unless we can say that the glory of God is something that is to be obtained and valued.

When we sinned and continue to sin, we are dying, because of the fact that Jesus is life, and when we separate ourselves from Him, we are separating ourselves from the very air we breathe. Without God, we walk in darkness, which is death.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God knew that we were in sin, and He knew that there was only one way to get us out. Some people will say that God could have just stayed up in Heaven and spoken into being the freedom of man from the bondage of sin. However, because of man’s failure to obey, a man had to rise up to make things right. So a man had to come to redeem the people from their sins.

The trick behind this is that man is inherently evil, so the idea of a perfect man could never be obtained, until God stepped down from His throne, and became a man, born into the nature of Man, but not receiving the curse of the descendant, because His birth was special. No male and female came together for Jesus to be born, but He was born of a virgin. God knew the only way man could be saved is if He came to them as man to set them free, and He did so.

From here, we see that God is the key to perfection, in which case we could say that God is good. Since He is the most valuable thing, according to the standards of life, He should be the most desirable thing to anyone who desires life, since He is life. Then, if He is life, then He must fall into a category of desiring life above all things, which is He. So the fact that God values Himself above all creatures only makes sense. In fact, if He did indeed love man more than Himself, then he would desire something besides the life that He alone contains and gives out.

This may seem really confusing, and I’m not really sure how well I have explained this, but just know that God will do anything to give Himself the most glory, because of His great desire to have life. His perfect relationship with the Trinity causes a stir of affections that has Him fall in love with Himself. In the end, all that matters is that God receives the most glory possible.

What is our part? We are to make sure that God gets the most glory possible through obedience and submission. – Forsake All

Just a Picture

Recently, I have been thinking about the way God loves us, and I thought of a decent picture, that goes something like this...
"I look down at my wrist to find that it is time to meet with God. He has called an urgent meeting with me, because I misunderstand something. I'm not really sure what He has in mind. He calls me over, 'Lucifer, come with me.' This feeling in my stomach tells me that my time for defeat has not yet come, but something is special about this day. I walk with Him, and He takes me to the universe, our next door neighbors. He brings me to the largest stars in the universe, of which I am very familiar. He shares secrets with me about how they work and what they do, and also how they bring Him glory. He commanded the stars, and they immediately obeyed Him. He tells me that they are so beautiful, and I have to agree. I ask, 'Why does the Lord of Lords not show most love to these stars that He has made?' God looks at me and says, 'Because, even though I love them dearly, these are not the ones I love most.'
We continue on our journey and I continue to look for the most beautiful creations, to try to move God's heart to love another. We went into the Milky Way, which contains Earth of which I am ruler of. To say that I am found with this area is an understatement, for I know every square inch. God takes me to the Sun and shows me how beautiful it is. He shows me the planets, and the certain tasks that they must complete before the day is over. He commands them into order, and they obey. I ask, 'Why does the Lord of Lords not show most love to this galaxy that He has made? Surely is it not most pleasing and most glorifying?' Again, God He looks at me and says, 'Because, even though I love them dearly, these are not the ones I love most.'
So far, my plan to shake God off of His original Love is not working out in quite the same way I would have liked it to. However, I was determined, as I figure that this is my purpose. We walk onto Earth, where God shows me everything. I am no stranger to this land, of which I have control over all those who God gives. However, God takes me to the sea, and tells me of its secrets. He shows me the certain tides, fish, currents, and other things that I have explored before. He stirs His finger in the sea and shows me the seas obey Him. We move on to the land to find the animals. The diversity is almost overwhelming when you see them all together. God takes them and commands them, and they obey.
Suddenly, a male human appears on the scene. While God looks to him, He tells me of the secrets of this man's past, which are not secrets to me, but to other mere men. This man was a failure and a mistake because of the things he had done, at least in my eyes he was considered hopeless. God reaches out to help this man, and he turns away while throwing his arms up at God. I look and try my hardest not to laugh, for I fear to be rude to the almighty creator. However, the man's heart was softened and he finally accepted the embrace of God. We both knew that this man was one of God's, but why?
I turn to ask God, 'Why does one of Your status, who is busy commanding stars and seas and creatures and trees, worry Yourself about humankind? They burden and despise You with their hearts, but it hurts You to hear their tongues confess and sing their love for You. I say to You, rid them of the earth and deal with no more deceit. You have proven Your love for them, but forgiveness is done with. Why do You continue to love these people out of all things?' God looks at me with disappointment and says, 'Even though I love them dearly, these are not the ones I love most.'

You may have began reading this story with the words, "I know exactly what is going to happen in the end." However, the same words may have not been in your head as you reached the end. One thing we can agree on is that the world around us is a Humanistic (Focus on man) society. We buy and sell things that make men happy, and not just all men, but we buy things to make "Me" happy. Has this idea spread into our Christianity?
In my tenth grade year of Highschool, I had a struggle with this idea of Christian Humanism. People use the terms Christian and Christian Humanist interchangeably, but I don't think I was okay with that. If salvation is focused on man, then it becomes a question of "How can man obtain perfection?" However, if we look at it as God in the center, the question is, "How did God save us, and why?" Humanism would probably say that we are worth something. Maybe even that God saved us because we were the most valuable thing created, since we are in His image.
Do we understand though that we were created to be like God, but then messed up? We failed to meet the standards, so we stepped down. In the story, God commands everything into order and movement, and with no questions asked, they obeyed, except for us. How does it look when the God of the universe commands the stars, the seas, the planets, and the animals and they obey, but when God tells us just to simply trust Him, we shake our created fingers and say, "No Thank You."
Do we understand that we are in desperate need for Christ? Do we understand the if we did not have Christ as our Savior, we would be in Hell tonight? If we do not give our lives over to the one that sacrificed His, then we may want to think of another fire escape plan, but I doubt any other one will be as good as the original.
So, who does God love most? Himself. There is no question to it... But this must be explained another time. - Forsake All

Acquire The Fire

Hey guys! So I am super excited, because in four days, a few of my friends and I will be attending a worship conference called, "Acquire the Fire" or ATF. I have never been before, however the same is not true for some of the people in my group. I don't know exactly what it will be like, apart from the bands and speakers that will be there, but all I know is that I want to keep my eyes open the whole time to see what God has in store.
If you don't mind praying for me and my friends who are going, that would be awesome! Pray that we can learn to love God above all things and that Normal's Not Enough, which is the theme for this weekend. Pray that we can truly just fall in love with God and His word. Sometimes, I need something to encourage me and excited me about living my life for Christ.
This may be true for you too. I am one of the many people who said they would read the Bible everyday this year, and so far, it's been good for me. However, sometimes it gets old or boring, and I lose the excitement of knowing that I am reading the word of God and that the Bible is a love letter to us.
Also, sin is a major problem in my life, also like many other people, and I have learned that if I truly desire God above everything else, then I will no longer desire sin. We are called to be slaves to Christ, when Romans 6 talks about being slaves to righteousness. If we are slaves, then shouldn't our job be to obey everything that our Master says? I know I struggle with it, and knowing that we are not a legalistic religion, there is still no reason that we shouldn't obey Christ.
Desire Him above everything in life, and He will provide for you as He sees fit. - Forsake All

Just a Reminder...

For those of you who are new to the blog, and want to stay and touch, you can become a follower of this blog, of my twitter which is "Forsake1433" as well. I usually update the blog everyday or every so often, so be sure to check up on the posts. Also, if there is something you would like me to write about or something you may find interesting, shoot me an e-mail at "robertwegner1433@gmail.com" Thanks Again! God Bless - Forsake 1433

No Job is Too Big

Matthew 8:23-27 says, “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. 25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” 26 He *said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and lit became perfectly calm. 27 The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Maybe this will help you look at sin in a different light. God is the Creator and Controller of all things. He told the sun to shine, and it did. He told the earth to grow and it did. In this passage, we see Him telling the waters to settle down, and they did. God rebukes us and we say, “No!”

How does this even make sin? The Puritans called sin insanity because God offers us the whole entire kingdom of God, and every time we sin, we are in active disobedience and rejection to God and His gift. Every time we sin, we look at Jesus and the cross and say, “No thank you. I can handle myself just fine.” What sense does that make?

However, the presentation of sin can’t be completed unless the message of Grace is also given. Jesus Christ died for your sin and He is willing to forgive you for eternally if you just believe and commit your life to following Him and His will for your life. He understands that the thing you need most in this world is He, so He gave that to you and is willing to give you more in Heaven.

For those of you who are living life as a stated Christian, but maybe your life has some things that need to change, pray and ask God to convict you of the things you need to change in your life. If it’s as small as actually stopping at the stop sign, or something as big as drugs or other consuming addictions, then it needs to change.

The standard is perfection, and some people look at it like a tall mountain and say, “I could never climb that.” A little boy was on the beach along with thousands and thousands of beached starfish that were going to die due to a lack of water. Suddenly he started throwing them into the water, to save their lives. His parents came up and said, “You’ll never be able to save all the starfish.” However, he replied, “But here’s one (splash), two (splash), three (splash)…” and he continued to throw them one by one into the ocean again.

You’ve probably heard that story, but I want you to know that it’s about the one step at a time process that pleases God. The boy in the story is getting closer to saving all of the starfish then his parents are. Why? Because they saw that the job was too big, and didn’t even begin.

So start today, conforming to the image of Christ, and take it one step at a time. – Forsake All

Binding and Writing

Proverbs 3:3-4 says, “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.”

This is another very popular verse that many people claim to know, but I think the first time I really thought about it was in Burundi, Africa in August of 2011. We were sitting in a Friday Night Service with the local church there in Burundi, and my friends on the trip and I each had a translator so that we could understand what the pastor was saying.

He told us about how cool kids have really nice clothes, cool chains, and they obtain whatever is popular to wear at the time. However, he said that when you really get to know them, they aren’t as beautiful as they look, for they put up a front with their clothes and hide who they really are. He said that the most beautiful pieces of clothing are kindness (or peace) and truth. We are to bind them around our neck so when people look at us they see that we are people of these virtues.

Why do we do this? Verse four says to find favor in the sight of God and man. But take a look at this verse. John 15:18 says, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” If we desire to be like Christ, then we can say that it is our goal to be so Christ devoted that they world may hate us. However, I don’t think we truly understand the difference “man” and “the world”.

This is my opinion, but I understand that I am not the only one to read the Bible. The world was cursed by having Satan rule over it (John 12:31) and He makes the world sinful. In context of John 15:18, “the world” can be considered a sinful and negative notation because it is under the rule of the devil. However, man has a choice to follow the earth, and be ruled by the devil, or follow the things of Christ. I hope this make sense like it does in my head.

Anyways, we are to be hated by the world, meaning that we are set apart from sin and all the ways of evil, but we are to be appealing to those who God has called, and those who find pleasure in the goodness of the heart. People were created to have a longing of perfection, and when we show the characteristics of our Creator, they can look and long for what we have, and they will strive to maintain it.

So, when we wear kindness and truth around our necks, we are showing people who we are; our identity. Do kindness and truth define you? Are they essence of your being? After I thought deeply about it, I got a dog tag that said “Mercy” and “Truth” (because of my NKJV), but after awhile, they broke and I no longer wear it. However, that does not mean that I can’t still be defined by those characteristics.

Strive to be kind and show the truth to everyone, be true. – Forsake All

.001-Degree Slant

Matthew 7:15-20 says, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

Most of us have heard these verses before, but can we really identify the false prophets? Just incase you’re confused about the word prophet; it literally means someone who speaks out publically. When many people hear the word prophet, they think back to the Old Testament to those who would interpret God’s word and tell the people what God is about to do. However, in this context, you can basically substitute prophet in for teacher or pastor. Both proclaim the Word of God publically, which is the main idea for this passage.

Now, how do we figure out whether a teacher or prophet is telling the truth or not? Well, we have to see if they are truly proclaiming the Word of God. Is what they are saying coherent with the Truth of God’s Word? In the Old Testament, there was little written about God, so when someone heard prophets speak, it took a lot more faith to listen and believe to what he or she was saying. However, now we have the written Word of God, so when we hear someone preaching, we must go back to the Bible to see if what they are saying is, indeed, true.

Technology is an amazing thing if you are easily optimistic. When people go to church, they can simply touch their phone several times and the entire Bible is in the palm of their hands. However, Churches in America have gotten used to the fact that since technology is so advanced, they don’t even need to use their phones to read the Bible in church, because it is on the big screen. Projection is another wonderful tool, but it should never take the place of everyone bringing his or her Bible to church.

This is not to slam churches, but when they are projecting a Bible verse on a screen, they have the Bible in a form that can be changed or altered. If the pastor of a church needs to change a word or two to make his point clear and true, then he can go into the passage, add, subtract, or alter a word to help him make a point. However, if people in the church each have their own Bible, then they quickly approach the teacher with their translation to figure out the difference in texts.

The Devil uses the closest things to the truth to set off pace, and I believe He can use the altering of even the smallest words in our Bible to accomplish his goal. Think of two parallel lines that look like = . These lines well never touch either, by definition. However, for the lines to intersect, all they is the smallest change in angle, and eventually, they will hit each other. Is it a sudden 90-degree turn? No, it’s a small .001-degree slant that we don’t really think anything of, because it’s so small. But nonetheless, we have been knocked off course, and we won’t reach our destination unless realigned.

Be very careful when listening to people talk about Christ, even myself. When you read these posts, read with discretion, but also a willingness to listen and change. – Forsake All

Rock Bottom's Ascension

Can I be honest? Can I truly say what is hurting my heart? It’s my own life. I recently received a comment from a friend saying that she/he is enjoying the blog and how I challenge people to live differently then the regular and average person. But can I say that I am the one that needs to be convicted? I am the worst among sinners, and should have no authority to write these blog posts. Would you believe me if I told you that I mistake myself as a prisoner to sin and to the lusts of the flesh? Well believe me.

Any normal teenage guy, and sometimes even girl, will tell you the certain struggles they have with the Internet and with the lusts of the flesh. Let me tell you that I have reached rock bottom, and sit there waiting for an escape. I write to you to tell you that I am now here to write to myself, and anyone who feels the same way. If there is something in your life, whether it be selfishness, jealousy, lust, or anything like that, and you want to completely rid it from your heart, the read on. This is mainly for my fellow men in the battle of temptation of the waiting years.

When something is burdening your heart, you can read the Bible and almost everything is secretly telling you to get rid of the sin in your life. Well, let me say that I feel the same way often. Psalms 6:4 says, “Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness” Why is that my heart drives the tears falling from my eyes when I read these words? The sin in my life is way to overpowering, I can no longer stand it. This verse is David singing, “God, I have reached the bottom, but because of who You are, please save me.” God’s essence is love, and He reaches out to us when we are at our lowest points. My friends, no place is too low for the Love of Christ to reach, for He has form and fashioned all things, even the lows.

Romans 8:12-14 says thus, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” How much I pretend that I am still in bondage to my flesh. When I give into lust and temptation, I proclaim that I am enslaved to the sin, which I commit. It has a hold on me, or at least it weighs me down.

How beautiful would it be if His people rose from their graves and embrace life, which is in the arms of Christ? 1^st John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” Can I honestly say that I don’t love Him that much? Where disobeying my former master, flesh, is undesirable. But I ask God that He would take me and form me so that my heart is pure. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

God, I wish I was pure in Heart. My brethren, pray for conformity to the will of God, as I do. Believe me, if you think that life is tough and there is no way to regain strength, trust me, God reaches out His hand. If you feel like you have reached rock bottom in your sin, don’t be so sure that you won’t be raised again. God has a will and plan for your life. I speak to myself when I say this: Turn from your sin and pursue Christ. The song by ForsakeAll1433 says, “Why do you continue to run to what will end you?” It’s so much better to turn around and embrace grace, because it feels better than a hug from the most long distant friend possible.

God is madly in love with you, and the way you can love Him back is by conforming to His heart, so everything you desire, will be a part of His will. – Forsake All

Led Up By the Spirit.

Matthew 4:1 says one of the most interesting statements in the Bible. It reads, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” We look at this and wonder why the Spirit would lead Jesus into a place to be tempted. Why is this a big issue? Well check out James 1:13 which says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”

However, in Matthew, we see God, in the person of Jesus being tempted, and the Spirit of God leading Him to temptation. If you look closely at the two verses, you can see one difference. Matthew says “led”, as for James, he says, “tempt”. Now, we can be safe and say that God can bring us to a place of temptation, but I do think it’s a little extreme to say that God tempts us.

However, another question comes up. Why would God want us to go through temptation anyway? The answer simply is to give Himself the most glory possible. If we come out of the temptation then we praise God for the strength that He has given us. However, all of us know that sometimes, if not most, we fail the test of temptation. How does God receive glory when we fail?

Well, we can say that probably wasn’t God’s favorite way of receiving glory, having people fall into sin, for He hates sin. On the other hand, He loves redemption, because He sent His son to save those who walk in sin that they should turn to Wisdom and walk in the light.

So what happens when we fail the test? Ephesians 6:10-17 gives us the answer. It states, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Pursue these pieces of armor, and flee evil. – Forsake All

Wisdom's Cry

Proverbs 1:20-23 says, “Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge? 23 “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.’ ”

My dad and I had a conversation previously today about a subject that I needed a lot of wisdom about. I’m sure most of you know that living a pure life isn’t the easiest thing ever. My dad is super wise and helps me figure things out and make the best choices. However, sometimes I don’t listen to wisdom, like when I don’t read my Bible. I’m gonna give a shout out to all of those whose New Year’s Resolution was to read the Bible everyday, because I know a lot of people do, just like me. I see people saying that resolutions on New Years are just silly and pointless. My thoughts? If something drives you to read the Bible, don’t put out the fire.

The Bible contains so much wisdom, and all we have to do is read it. I know a lot of people who make fun of those who are super smart and know a lot. I don’t think we understand how easy it is to find wisdom. Just today, I read this passage, yet not for the first time, and I learned something that I can follow practically.

Have you ever thought of wisdom shouting in the streets to us? The Bible says she cries, shouts, and she lifts her voice just to show us something. Who else does the Bible tell us shouts in the streets? Later in Proverbs, mainly in chapter six, it tells us that prostitutes go in the street and try to get people’s attention. Do you see the tension? Maybe wisdom and the prostitute are on the same street and they are both yelling at you. Which one do you hear most of the time?

Prostitution in this context can mean any enticing sin, not just the sexual, but any fulfillment of lust. I know that sense we are humans, we have a tendency to follow the voice of others, but it’s not because wisdom isn’t there yelling at us, but it’s because we no longer hear her voice because we have hardened out hearts to her.

She asks us to “turn” meaning that we are walking or staring into sin. She is asking us to change our goal and to change the road we take, because she knows that where we are headed isn’t for our best, but our destruction. So guys, get into the word, and listen to wisdom and what she has to say. There is so much in the Bible that we can learn from, and we say that and laugh because it’s so obvious.

Have you ever thought of God’s Bible as a love letter from Him? Think about it. We have no entitlement to know God or know what He wants, but He is gracious enough to leave us a copy of who He is and what He wants from us. He wants a relationship with us because He knows that it is the best thing for us, and it will bring Him the most glory possible. So read the Love Letter. And understand how your Lover wants you to live. – Forsake All