After about 3 months of not shopping, I hit central London about 2 weeks ago... Had to get this jazz fake book from chappell's music store and then meet huinee after that to go get some boots for her... Anyway, I had an eye-opening experience...
Everywhere I went I saw advertisements of products, with the manufacturers' slogans on the posters, persuading or brainwashing you to buy their stuff... ok, that I understand, but do they have to use the word of God to do so?
I walked past a clothing department store and on the windows were a few gigantic posters with the words... I shop, therefore I am... I'm like... whoa... God's word is getting profaned publicly now... satan's plan to deify man evidently in this ad... I kept on walking and on the same window saw another poster which had the same connotations... can't remember now...
My memory flashed back to about a month ago as I brisked pass frantic pedestrians... I remembered a coffeeshop that me and huinee went to... On the walls was an ad with a picture of chocolates on them... the words in bold, italic... Thy will be done...
Hrmm, one world government might be coming soon, one united religion and a promise of world peace... especially with all this propoganda slowly being drip-fed into society... Revelation and Daniel are good books to read...
Anyway, as I was reaching primark, I recalled another day I went into a gift shop... There on the card was the Lord's prayer, stained with substituted words... something like... Give us this day our daily beer and deliver us from hangovers... shocking... There were lots more cards like that... Like a depiction of an angry wife and a catch phrase blatantly portraying domestic abuse... Also posters of semi-naked men and ladies celebrities posing... guys aren't the only ones who face temptations daily...
The kids section in a book store I went to was even more shocking... wizadry for beginners... I'm like... You have got to be kidding me... I opened the book... There in front of my face stood potions packaged neatly in middle of the book, feathers and powders and all... My heart sank... Is this really what the kids are reading today? There are spells listed there as well and how to make your own concoction... I closed it and went on to the next section of books... Art... Hrmm, should get something for my sister... Was disgusted at how one could make half a body of a dead cow art... and there were nudes on display as well... in the PUBLIC area... children pass these everyday and it bothers me...
I travelled up the escalator to see the section about religion and philosophy... after scanning through new age thinking and yoga titles, my eyes came across this book... Wicca... for beginners... hang on... isn't that... yep, indeed... I just googled it up on the wiki... and Wicca is only one variety of pagan witchcraft, with distinctive ritual forms, seasonal observances and religious, magical and ethical precepts. I didn't open the book, I walked quickly out of the store...
Virgin Megastore was good, I managed to buy a few jazz cds... Actually, the word Virgin for a megastore is debatable as to whether it'd be a good influence on kids if they ever asked what the word meant... I have an affinity for complex sentences... ok, in layman's terms, I think a lot more than normal... Anyway, I went to the gaming area... where the xbox 360s were being sold... Saw a couple of games there... reminded me of the time I went into this warcraft shop... The graphics were frightening... White dwarves were demon-esque and there was so much bloodshed being shown... Media is having a terrible influence on children... watch where they go for the sake of humanity...
I left the games section and proceeded to the movie area... references to sexual promiscuity, foul language and violence dotted every movie... My eyes peeked up from behind the shelves... there in font size 1578 were the words... Adult section 18+... Whoaaaa... porn is going public now? I remember experiences in sex shops so I fled from the place...
Tube stations weren't so good either... you had adverts of cupid and fate, chuck and larry, probably promoting homosexuality... Adverts of philosophy courses in which you find the meaning of life using human reasoning... etc... Flashback... TV in basingstoke... Dangerous... It had been a while since I turned the television on... The programs that came on after 9pm whilst I was flipping through channels with huinee... Both of us were stunned... full frontal nudity of women, adverts of porn manager for your mobile phone, big brother antics... All descrating the intention of God's plan for a healthy sex relationship in marraige... the white on the wedding gown symbolising sanctity and purity tarnished...
Surfing the net on your computer for backdrops for your facebook, friendster or myspace account is tricky too... I look up the "religious" wallpaper section and I find a female devil and angel dressed in playboy gear... that's another reason why I quit friendster and myspace and don't have facebook... well, don't you peek at "hot" profiles out of curiousity? Careful, I was in that trap before... Even some of the comments people leave on the tagboard are htmls of japanese av idols... I cut off that media influence 2 months ago and life has been so much better... my mind is so much clearer...
Even searching for bible images don't help... you have "Jesus is my homeboy" t-shirts and mugs on sale, cartoons which seem to poke fun at every aspect of the bible and slogans about Christianity... Do we really have to reduce the all powerful, one true and living God down to a slogan?
Media... powerful influence... and the government wonders why society behaves the way it does when they pass bills like legalising prostitution, same-sex partnerships and others... parents go about their lives not discipling children, trying to be friends with them and not wanting to "harm" them... And then they wonder why their kid is a dropout at school, a juvenile delinquent at the age of 16 who doesn't care about whether his folks end up at some nursing home...
Another friend of mine, Josiah, old school classmate went hunting for waffles the other day and as we stood in the cold in front of a shop, I made eye contact with this lady giving out tracks... She came over to us to ask us if were interested in this hare krishna yoga thingy... asking us to donate to them so that they can help out kids... cunning... don't pray for opportunities to arise, pray that you'll be prepared when they do were the echoes of my pastor's words... Anyway, we started preaching to her and she got all defensive and stuff and walked off with all her gear... God's word is powerful... I didn't really feel I did a good job though, was stuck a couple of times...
Anyway... I'm just wondering if Christians are more concerned about the starving child in Africa or the unreached people in the amazon jungle rather than the friends surrounding us daily, who need Jesus to change them just as much... We want to go on missions but daily we go by our lives, apathetic to the fact that there are hurting people in our own society who are going to hell... We as Christians have the answers and we're keeping silent, don't know how to share the gospel, pointing people to somewhere else to get answers, indifferent to the state the world is in, living secretly in sin, and not sharing God's agape love with others around us... And as some continue on to argue with pastors about doctrine, speaking in tongues, prosperity gospel, etc, there is a generation in need of something more than physical hungers and we aren't doing a lot... Now don't get me wrong, of course the devil will try to put guilt on you to say that you're not doing enough for Jesus and overwhelm you with condemnation... don't be deceived... Just do what you can as long as you're doing something... Instead of going to shopping malls, complaining you're too fat to fit into that outfit, complaning about bad food, aspiring to be someone famous, hanging out in cliques and wanting to get big houses and cars...
God's spirit moves when it wills, we can never organise "a time of healing" or "salvation rallies"... But let's not refuse to do the things God calls us to do no matter how small it may seem... I for one am guilty of being too shy of preaching in front of my heathen friends for fear that they will call me a hypocrite or a judgemental type... And you know what, sometimes, I share with them and some are quite open, some aren't, some are hostile but God deals with each one as He wills, don't be discouraged and keep on perservering in this faith... I'm still learning to set aside my pride and emotions... never try to win an argument, preach the word and don't underestimate the power of prayer... Although we're justified by Christ's blood and that his blood covers our sins so that God no longer sees us as deserving of eternal punishment, we're all still being sanctified daily and it's a process... I used to think pastors or church leaders were perfect people who are so "godly" and all... I tried to imitate them, play religious games in church, the sort where you say in your mind... oh, if he looks in my direction then I'll turn my life around... Stop it... Religion does not work... don't look towards people for morality...
Look towards the cross where the one and only perfect person in the world, took the punishment for sin on our behalf... His body was broken for our sake, gigantic spikes were pierced through his hands, a crown of thorns pressed down on his head, his flesh torn from his back and he was brutally beaten and wounded for our transgressions... And as he hung there on the cross for all the sins of the world, the same voice crying out in pain as his own creation nailed him to 2 wooden planks is that same voice crying out father forgive them for they know not what they do... Salvation is free, but don't enter heaven for selfish desire just because you want to escape hellfire... Share the good news with someone you know who needs it... Because there is nothing greater in this world than serving our King forever in eternity... There might be something in your life that might need cleaning up... and what you think is your freedom is the thing that is actually having you bound to sin... Jesus offers total freedom, I wouldn't trade that up for anything else...
Yeshua be Praised
Jordan...
If you're convicted by this entry, and you wish to know more about God's love for you or don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour... say this prayer, remember we're all family in the kingdom of God and there is no perfect church... Surround yourself with strong believers in the Bible and here's a website to get you started... http://www.calvaryftl.org/ Religion does not work, only a relationship with God does... And if you're an atheist, you know there is a God, you're just denying it because you don't want to be accountable to someone of higher authourity... And what you think is your freedom is what is having you bound... You're bound by smoking, alcoholism, porn, shopping, etc... If you want to think we evolved from some primeordial soup and our ancestors are monkeys, where do you think society is going to end up... Our kids are being taught in schools that there is no difference bewteen them and a monkey... And you wonder why they behave like animals...
If you tell the kids they were fearfully and wonderfully made by the creator of the universe and that God has a plan for their lives, plans to prosper them and not to harm them... Kids are going to have a sense of direction in life, their life would mean something...
You know there is a God, stop trying to deny the fact and quit lying to yourself because you want to live life the way you please... I urge you to talk to someone and don't just pray this prayer privately... Jesus died publicly for your sins... the least you could do is confess him publicly as Lord and King to people who love and care for you... Please don't let this moment pass you by... Of course if I sound arrogant and petty, please forgive me, I do not want to sound that way... I love you and want to see yall in heaven someday... Please pray...
Dear Lord,
I recoginize that I'm a sinner and that I have broken your law... Please forgive me... I believe that Jesus Christ, the son of God died for my sins and that God raised him from the dead so that I could have eternal life... Come into my heart Lord Jesus, cleanse me from my sins, wash me with your blood, because today I give you my life... Thank you Father for this restored relationship I have with you, In Jesus name... Amen...
Remember, these aren't magic words... but if you prayed that prayer and meant it with all your heart, it means you are now saved... The next step is to hook yourself up with a bible-believing church and grow in God's word... get baptised and share with your Christian friends about your decision who will be more than happy for you... The Christian walk is not an easy one but it is the best one life can offer.... All of heaven is rejoicing because today, God found you and called you his own...
God bless you...
