Tag: bible

“A new way to read”

Posted on by Fireproof

Put yourself into the story, that was the message years ago that change my life and how I learned to read Scripture.  You see up until that point I would fumble my way through the Bible, understanding bits and pieces here and there.  It was a struggle if I am being open about it.  Here I was a student at Liberty University, going for ministry yet not truly understanding how a book written so long ago could pertain to me.  I would start at the beginning and do my best, making commitment after commitment to read through it in a year only to make it a few months.  (Let’s be honest, how many of you have quit when you get to about Leviticus.)  As a new believer of only a few years I kept finding myself discouraged crying out to God, “You have called me to ministry, yet I can’t even understand your word, how am I supposed to teach it?”  Anyone else ever feel that way?  Then one day in one of our youth classes one of our professors started sharing about the best way to teach youth is to encourage them to put themself into the scene.    If the story from Scripture is talking about Jesus in the mountains, allow yourself to go to the mountains, look at your surroundings, dream of the snowcaps, the trees, the smells.  If the passage is about being by the lakeside, let yourself mind wander to taking a kayak out on the lake engaging all your senses.  Doc Vandegriff, our youth ministry professor, may have meant this lesson to be about how we teach others but it was a game changer for me.  I started to get a new passion for reading the Gospels once again, placing myself into the stories and then from there learning to take on the roles of the characters described in the story. 

Now that we have kids, reading Scripture in this way puts a whole new adventure to this idea.  Especially as we were working through the Easter story with our kids, I really tried to focus on giving our kids roles, letting them see all their personalities shine through.  Let me give you a glimpse into that to hopefully encourage you to do the same thing.  

So I started with Eli our 9 year old.  He is definitely a compassionate child, with a heart of empathy.  In school he got the “rescuer” award as the one always looking out for others.  Going through the disciples, the one I equated him best to was John, the one whom Jesus loved.  The one leaning on Jesus side during the last supper.  Originally one of the “Sons of thunder,” makes me think of someone who is calm until pressed, then stands up to protect when needed to.

Next was Silas, he was pretty easy to figure out.  If there is a word the kid lives by it is, “why.”  Can somebody say doubting Thomas?  It really has given me a new perspective on Thomas though.  We give him this description because of saying he wouldn’t believe himself without proof.  That is how I see SIlas, questioning everything, deeper thinking.  Whether it is the questions at night of “How old is God?” Then without missing a breath, “do I wear shoes in heaven?”  His questions are nonstop, that is just part of who he is.  Maybe that is what Thomas truly was like.  

Third we have Evans, one of our 4 year old twins girls.  She is without a doubt, no brainer like Peter.  I can imagine her on the boat as the storms are raging, Jesus walking on the water calling out, “Lord if it is you, I want to come on the water with you.”  Who thinks that way, she does.  If there is a risk to be taken, she is in.  And He simply responds, “Come on.”  The rest of us may be sitting in the boat looking at the risk and the circumstances going no way.  Before we know it, I can picture her in my mind, diving in without a fear in the world.  It is how she lives.  She Is our snowboarding, go cart drifting, zip lining wild child.  Getting messy and bloody doesn’t scare her at all.  (We are going to have our hands full)

Finally is Elliston.  Totally opposite of her sister, she was a tricky one to figure out.  After some reading though, I came up with the character of Mary, just sitting at Jesus feet.  Taking in every word that Jesus spoke.  When we are reading Elli wants to be right in my lap, repeating every word.  If she is awake she is our clinger, always wanting to be right with me or Lindsey, holding on to one of us, never out of sight.  Think about Mary.  Almost every story you read in the Gospels, Mary is close by.  

This may have been a bit of a different column this month but it is just a glimpse into our family.  Hopefully it brought a smile to your face or made you laugh a bit, but the main goal with it is to encourage you to read Scripture differently.  Maybe it is something new for you to try, to engulf yourself, allowing your senses to run wild.  Hopefully it will make the Bible personal to you understanding it isn’t Just a book written years ago.  It is the word of God.  

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active.”  

Do you read it that way?

“Time with daddy”

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“What is it?” 3 simple words that have now changed my life in ways many will never understand. You see I just spent the last 3 days at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virgina with my buddy, my 9 year old Eli. He was invited to take part in a CrossTrailOutfitters (CTO) Snowboard camp. Going into the time I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I just knew I was looking forward to some one on one time with my lil man. (In a home with 4 kids, the one on one moments are rare, but so valuable for all of them.) He was the youngest kid there, but he took it like a champ getting to play the role of the younger brother for once.

With CTO they keep their retreats to 4-5 kids at a clip so that the deeper personal relationships can be built. Honestly going into it from an American Church mindset I kept thinking why not the more the merrier, why aren’t we opening it up to large groups. After being there I totally understand why as Eli now has made friends for life. The really impactful time with all these kids happens in what is known as the fireside chats. A question for the day to ponder throughout and come back to discuss at night. The question for the camp was simply 3 words, “What is it?’ I was kinda dumbfounded by how simple it was, but as the time went on, the question kept getting deeper and deeper in my mind. “What is it that brings me joy? Peace? Hope? Life? Fulfillment? What is it that get me up in the morning? Gets me agitated? What is it?”

So as we would sit around and discuss this question the answers would be all over the place with kids ranging from 16 to 9 years old. The final morning though as we were having our final chat they got to Eli and said, “Hey man, what is it?” Very boldy and proud he sad, “Time with Daddy.” I think the dust kicked up quite a bit in that moment, but at the same time and scream and shout, “Buddy that’s how I feel to.” Above the snowboarding, the mountains, the time with others, it was about our time together.

Now driving home that day I had 4 hours to think more upon this simple answer. I started wondering if God were to ask us the same question, would we have that answer. “Time with you Lord, time with Daddy.” You see I believe God is saying the same thing to us, just desiring our time. In a culture where we have made it about events, big services and let’s be blunt, busyness, how much is God craving our time? I know in life it happens and we take time together with others for granted, but I hope and pray my lil man will always have that memory of our time together and those 3 simple words.

Kinda makes you think of Mary and Martha right, Mary just sitting at Jesus feet, desiring His time. Is that us or are we so consumed with other things.

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

“LET THEM GO”

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Let them go.

This is the year where our twins are getting way more independent.  I know they are only 4 but it seems like they are teenagers already.  Forming their own personalities, and lets just say we are learning that we are going to be in for a crazy time, especially with Evans.  She is our Spiderman loving, wild child.  Our risk taker, push you to your limits child.  This includes sled riding.  Up until this year both girls either wanted us on the sled with them or were scared to do the “Big Hill.”  Not anymore.  Evans now is at the spot where she will yell at you, “I go by myself.”  That has been a challenge for me.  I can’t honestly tell you why, besides that these are my lil girls, and maybe I am just not ready for it yet.  (The boys on the other hand, go for it, the earlier they could get on a snowboard the better.)   With this reality I know it means that she will take some falls, she will get a bloody lip or two and tears will be shed.  I have also had to come to the grips that as she gets older Lindsey and I will have to entrust her to try things on her own.  We can hold the tube, we can point her in the right direction, but eventually we have to let her go.  So as I shout to her nervously, “You got this baby girl” I have to start believing it myself.  

The first few times watching her fly down the hill right towards the jump I was nervous.  Grabbing my board to be on the ready to chase down after her, I would wait anxiously at the top watching her fly though the air waiting to hear if she started crying.  Out of amazement though all I would hear would be wild laughter and smiling, “I DID IT, I DID IT.”  Now she is hooked, asking everyday, “Big Hill?  Big Hill?”  

Do I still get nervous, without a doubt.  Has she taken some falls, oh yeah, with tears to follow.  Follow by, “I go again.”  

I don’t know why this is hitting me so hard lately but is this how Jesus felt when sending out the disciples for the first time.  Taking that step from watching over them, teaching them, showing them how to do ministry.  To now entrusting them to do it on their own.  Would they fail at times, would they always do it the way he taught them?  Would he trust them?  

The Bible doesn’t give us a time frame for how long the disciples were with Him before sending them out, but we know it was under three years, most likely within a year of being with Him.  I can only imagine the thoughts going through His mind, are they ready?  “Well, maybe Peter is but Matthew how about a little more training.  John, you are good but Judas, yeah your personality doesn’t really line up.  We don’t get any of that, it just says He sent them out in groups of 2. 

In Mark 6: 7 it says, “He called the disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them power to cast out spirits.”  In Luke 10 we read of Him sending 72 more.  Entrusting them with the message.  Were they all ready?  Did they have all the proper training?  This information we do not know.  What we do know is that He empowered them and He entrusted them.  He is still entrusting us and empowering us to this day to carry His message. 

Just as we had to get to a spot in life of emtrusting Evans with that inner tube to go by herself.  Now the beauty in all of this is hearing her talk about it when she gets home, the joy in her voice telling Lindsey all about how far she flew through he air.  The testimony of what she just accomplished.  

This again is true of the disciples, in Luke 10: 17 it tells us how the disciples joyfully returned excited to share all they had seen God do.  So as I wrap this up today do you realize that God is still entrusting and empowering you with His message?  Do yo still get excited to share all that you are seeing God do in your life?  He is alive and at work all around you, will you be the one too say God I am ready, send me.   

That’s not fair

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That’s not fair.

A little over a week ago now, our boys had off from school on Thursday and Friday for parent teacher conferences.  Needless to say, even though they were off Silas still managed to be wide awake at 6 am.  Here we are still sold asleep with our alarms not going off for at least another half hour, only to find him staring over our bed, waiting for us to move.  Startled Lindsey rolls over with a small shriek telling him to go back to bed.  Instead he just keep standing there, then quietly asks if he can put a show on.  Then it got interesting, as my wife made a comment to the affect of, “Silas maybe you should go to work for me and I will stay home now that you are up already.”  Without missing a beat he looks around and then answered, “Mommy sometimes life isn’t fair.  You just have to do what you don’t always want to.”  Hearing all this I couldn’t help laugh but was also waiting for the thud to hit the floor if she threw him across the room.  Eventually we did get up, both of us head to work, as the kids got to stay home and hang out with their grandparents.  

Throughout the day that phrase “it’s not fair” kept running through my mind.  How many times have we all said that.  In a home with 4 kids we hear it all the time.  How many times as adults do we stay it though also.  Maybe when someone gets that promotion or has the nice house.  When someone gets the new car or what seems like the dream life.  That’s not fair.  Then we take it one step further and start compiling to God about it.  God why did you answer their prayer and not mine.  Why did you heal them and not me?  God why did you bless them with kids and not us… You get my point.  “It’s Not Fair,”  as we gripe and complain.  

Then of course my mind starts thinking about it in a biblical perspective.  The older son in the prodigal son story.   He has watched his younger brother pretty much betray the family, break his father’s heart, squander everything, and just up and leave.  Yet when he decided after years to come back home, this same heartbroken father is going to celebrate and throw him a party. Can you hear it with me now, the pity party of him chanting, “It’s not fair.”  

Against his son’s desire I can imagine the father sitting down with him, let’s call him Johnny for our story,  at that moment and saying let’s talk.  “Johnny, you have been with me the whole time.  Did you ever mess up?”  Reluctantly, Johnny tries to play it off, looking all over the room except at the father and saying, “Yes.”  Can you imagine the tension in the room at that moment, oh to be a fly on the wall.  “Johnny, have we shown you grace and love the whole time your brother was gone?”  Again in muttering… “Yes.”  The conversation then continues on for about 10 more minutes of questions back and forth, until the Father finally explains that grace looks different for every person.  But at the heart of grace is the Father’s love.  

To explain it one step further, I tried to put myself into the story as the older son, complaining to God saying it’s not fair.  At that point he led me out to a fire pit to have a talk.  (I don’t know why, but in my life it seems the most honest conversations happen around a fire). Then God started to speak as the Father, “Was it fair that my perfect child died on a cross for you?  Is that fair? Is it fair, that you deserve death in your sins, yet I am giving you the free gift of eternal life?”  Again the questioning goes on for a while only to make me realize that I am so grateful that grace isn’t fair or comprehendible, but it is amazing.  That’s what makes it grace.   It goes beyond reason the God himself desires a relationship with me, that he would sacrifice His son.  

So this Thanksgiving think about grace, all that God has done for you.  If you catch yourself griping or complaining about something not being fair, think of what Jesus did for you and let that transform your heart to a heart of gratitude.  

“it’s too loud!”

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“It’s so loud in here.”  Ellie exclaims as she yells and adds to the noise.  Having a house with 4 kids and 2 dogs get noisy at times.  Actually noisy isn’t quit the right word.  Maybe It gets a little loud.  No, that doesn’t quite describe it either.  Deafening, maybe that is a bit closer to the noise decibels coming out of our home at times.  To give you a glimpse when Silas was an infant we used to call his cry a  pterodactyl scream thinking it couldn’t get any louder.  So now just imagine adding both twins screaming at the same time on top of that.  (Can I say hearing aids will be in my near future.)  With all that screaming there are moments where it is so loud, you can’t hear anything.  Crazy how that works right?  So much noise that you can’t distinguish any of what is actually being said.  “Chocolate Milk, Apple Juice, Chicken, He’s touching me, Stop, He poked me, she’s copying me, and on and on it goes.”  Wait a second, there are more voices here than just our kids, and then we notice the 4-5 neighbor kids all going in the madness thinking it is hilarious.

I hate to say it but there are times with all the noise Lindsey and I cant hear what is being asked for and it goes unnoticed.  Within 5 minutes or so Eli or Silas will come to us upset asking “Did you get my drink?”  Feeling bad in that moment I normally will reply with, “Buddy did you ask e for any?”  After a glare, the simple response of, “Yeah, but you must not have heard me.”  Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t, or maybe there was just to much noise to tell the difference.  “I’m sorry bud, I must not have heard you amongst the noise of everyone asking.  

You ever think about prayer that way.  That your voice is just one in a million calling out to God all at once.  You begin to feel like they are just hitting the wall amongst all the noise in the world.  Or that your prayers aren’t as vital or important as someone else crying out in the midst of a hurricane or medical diagnosis.  

I know there have been times in our homes where the kids will feel like we just don’t care, but the reality is we just don’t hear them.  

Let me tell you something now and please hear me very carefully.  Even amongst all the noise and prayers going up, God hears you specifically.  He knows your voice and is listening.  Even though you may feel that there are others crying out for other things, you are just as valuable.  

He designed you, he created you, he wants to hear from you.  Just as we want to hear from and speak with all of our kids, how much greater is the heavenly Father’s love for you.  

Maybe it is just as simple as crying out saying, “Lord, I need you.”   Pulling at the pant leg of God just as our girls do when they really want our attention and allowing Him to reach down to be the comfort.  Picture that with me now.  Here you are crying out, “Lord, Lord” and He is reaching down picking you up like a little child.  

You are not just one in a billion voices to Him.  You have a name, a voice, a story.  Cry out to Him like He hears you today and watch as He answers.

Psalms 39:12, “Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears.”

“Say What?”

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As I sit here and write, sometimes I wish there was a way to have video of my emotions because I can’t always capture into words what I am sharing.  From the beginning I always said I wanted this to be posts of brutal honesty about our family and a glimpse into our world of chaos.  Which leads into laughter, tears, joy, excitement, anger, everything.  This is our life encapsulated into what my limited vocabulary has to offer.  

Today’s story is one of those ones that I can’t make up.  A little over two weeks ago now, Lindsey and I were having a date night.  A moment we were looking forward to, which included dropping the kids off at her parents for a sleepover.  After making sure we had everything packed we loaded up our kids and headed out towards there house.  About 5 minutes before we got there Ellie started screaming her head off, like a curdling, something is wrong type scream.  I am starting to think in my mind a be stung her or got in the car.  Wondering if I needed to pull over, Lindsey unbuckled, turned around to find her pulling at her shoulder straps on her corset like something was wrong.  “Ellie, calm down, talk to us.”  All the while I keep thinking in my mind selfishly, “Dangit, there goes our date night.”  The response that came from the mouth of our sweet 3 year old caught us totally off guard.  Through her tears she started saying these words clear as can be, “My nuts hurt, my nuts hurt.”  Tell me you’re not laughing right now.

Trying to comprehend what we were hearing Lindsey and I just looked at each other dumbfounded.  I don’t remember who started to respond but I remember it was 3 parted.  “First, keep your seatbelt on, we are almost there.  Second, you don’t have nuts.  Third, where in the world did you hear that. Back to point 2, you don’t have nuts.”  Eli then informed us that one of the neighbor kids has been screaming it and saying it over and over.  Now it makes sense.  As a 3 year old she is just picking up on what she hears, truth or not and making it her reality.  Believing in that moment that her response should be his.  He screams, this is what he says.  So now I am screaming, this should my response.  

You may be wondering where in the world I am going with this.  How many of us do the same thing response wise as Ellie did.  We speak what we hear.  We hear something and after hearing it so many times it becomes our truth no matter how ridiculous it sounds.  How do you think advertising works?  You are told something time and again to the spot you start believing it.  In a kids mind it turns into, “I need that.”  I am sorry to say, this isn’t just a kid thing either.  Let’s take your car or phone for example.  They are working totally fine, you are happy with them, but then you start seeing commercial after commercial of the new and eventually your mind starts buying into it, going maybe mine is getting old and needs replaced.  Maybe it isn’t a car or a phone, but a hunger issue.  You really aren’t hungry, but then you see the taco bell commercial and next thing you know you find yourself in a car heading to the drive thru.  We buy into what we hear, it becomes our truth.  

2 Timothy 4: 3-4, “Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn away from truth and turn aside to myths.”

This is a spiritual thing also, a truth the church needs to hear.  In 2 Timothy Paul warns of a day where people will no longer stand for truth but will surround themselves with leaders who will tickle their ears.  Bottom line is, what he is saying a day will come when people no longer will stand for truth, truth will become relative to many and that will become their reality.  What is your truth?  Where do you get your truth from?  Is it from the source of truth, the Word of God or is it from what others around you are saying over and over.  

Joshua says to choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.   That includes the truth you are teaching in your home.  What are your kids hearing?  What are we allowing them to hear?  What are we hearing for ourselves?  The world’s truth that will tickle our ears and we buy into or God’s truth that stand forever.  

“Go”

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Sitting at a red-light the other day, I started to hear crying from our back seat and then a scream. Confused thinking something was wrong I looked in the mirror and then trend around only to find Elli starting to yell at me.  “Daddy, I don’t want you to stop.”  Honestly, I didn’t want to be stopped either, as I had been sitting there for what felt like forever waiting.  “Baby girl, I don’t have a choice, the light is red.”  For some reason I thought if I said ti calmly maybe she would understand.  Again as I have shared before trying to rationalize with a three year old doesn’t get very far.  The longer we sat there, the more she cried,  “I want to go home.”  As soon as the light turned green I was ready to go,  and that I did getting moving as fast as I could.  

Can you imagine with me if I just kept sitting there.  The light is now green and yet for some reason because I hadn’t thought through what I would do or get prepared for it, I didn’t move.  Now imagine the girls screaming, “DAD GO.”  

I continue thinking back to this moment when it comes to my prayer life. I don’t know how many messages I have heard throughout my life that speak of God answering prayers in 3 ways; yes, no, and wait.  Without a doubt there are definitely moments where God has to give us the red light, the all out stop, no go, bad idea, don’t even think about it answer.  Lets be honest, most of us hate those moments.  We want to go, to run ahead, and God is protecting you from the head on collision.  

Other times He gives us the wait.  Like I had sitting at the red light waiting upon the light to turn green.  I knew it was eventually coming, I just had to be patient.  How many of us are like Elli though, kicking and screaming about the idea of having to wait.  We don’t like the word wait in today’s culture.  We want the instant gratification, the here and now answer, or for some even the I want the answer yesterday.  What if God is saying in those moment’s you just aren’t ready yet.  I have to prepare you for what lies ahead.  Getting you to s spot in your life where you are ready to hit the gas and run.  

With a stop light we know the green is coming, correct.  What if there are times in our lives where God has made it clear that the green light is coming, and he is getting you ready.  What steps are you taking to get ready?  Are you continuing to trust Him that the green light is coming, or do you give up hope the longer you sit.  Do you get distracted by life, by your phone, by the noise, that when the light turns green instead of going, you just keep sitting.  The next thing you know the light is now red again.  

Are we so discouraged by things in your past that you now find yourself at a spot you have made up in your mind the light is never changing.  Is that how you pray?  Do you pray with a sense of hope, believing that God is going to come through or are you in the mindset that you will be stuck forever?  Are you preparing your heart, knowing the answer is coming?  What is distracting you?  

In Acts 12 Peter was imprisoned and the church earnestly prayed expecting God to move.  Waiting in anticipation, believing God for the miraculous.  Is that how we pray? In expectation of the “light to turn green” if you will.  Praying, in anticipation, expecting, preparing our hearts for when He moves!  One final thought about all this is obedience to go when the light is green to stop when the light is red, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“You Stink!”

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“When was the last time you changed your socks?” Should be a pretty straightforward question right. Apparently not to a 6 and 8 year old. Of all the battles we have in our home, and with 4 kids there are quite a few, changing socks has to rank near the top. You know we get the standard arguments over not wanting to go to bed, who has control of the remote, even what they want to eat. I get that, not everyone wants to eat peas, and would rather have pizza everyday. Am I right? Come on now though, a meltdown over changing socks. So we press the question a bit. Here is a glimpse of the conversation.

“When was the last time you changed them?” The hesitation begins and then, “Maybe 2-3 days ago, followed by the I think.”
“But you bathed since then.”
“Yeah what’s your point dad.” Eli replies glaring back at me.
“And you put the same socks back on?” Lindsey chimes in shaking her head.
This is now followed by the confused, “I’m sorry, but why do we have to change our socks everyday?”

I am now fighting back many sarcastic remarks going through my mind and all I can do is start to laugh as I bluntly say to them, “because you stink.”

Now I would love to get on their case a little bit more about this. The truth is though as adults we can stink at times too. There will be days Linds will come home from work, walk in the door, and as I go to give her a kiss, she stops me and says “something stinks.” We start searching the house, is it the dogs, is it wet shoes what is it? After a few moments of searching, we circle back and realize the smell is coming from me. “Did you shower today?” Now I am beyond the point in life where I get embarrassed to easily so i just start laughing and go, “I ran out of time this morning, but I did use body spray, doesn’t that count?”

You may be wondering how this all ties into anything spiritual but I promise you it does. God has actually been working on my heart all week about it, so it is one of those messages that speaks to me as much as it may to you. It all started a few weeks back when my dad spoke a message entitled “Stinking thinking.” For some reason, God will not let that out of my mind and expanded it from stinkin thinkin to stinkin livin.

In John 8, Jesus forgives the adulterous woman. At the end of the story he says to her, “neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more.” Many of us have memorized that story, we love that story, pointing out that their is forgiveness in Jesus. The downfall is that we skip the point where he tells us to repent, to change, to go and sin no more. Can you imagine with me the woman looking at Him and saying, “Thank you for forgiving me, but why do I have to change?” Not quite the story we read, yet somehow it is how many of us live. God calls us to change, to leave our life of sin, but instead we try to push the limit of what we can get away with. “Jesus, it is all I know, Jesus it is what everyone else is doing, Jesus, I’m not as bad as the next guy, why do I need to change?” I can picture Him then writing in the sand some more, “Because your sin stinks, I want to give you a pure heart, a clean heart, a changed life.”

Maybe a better analogy for you is the one of the body spray. Where we know we’ve been changed but we allow certain areas to just linger in our lives. We know it is still there but when it comes to others we try to hide it. We think if no one else knows, does it really count, does it really still stink? As long as no one knows I talked about them behind their back, cheated the system, or looked at certain things. I can just cover it up with some body spray to make myself smell better on the outside right. Jesus addresses that very bluntly also.

Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Talk about a stench. So how are we supposed to live then?

Ephesians 4: 22-23  “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Are you seeking God daily and allowing Him to convict you of areas that an odor to them? This is a lifelong process becoming like Him. It isn’t a snap of the fingers, wake up one day and everything is perfect. It is a daily surrender, allowing God to work in your life changing you from the inside out.