​This morning I was walking in a construction zone.  A semi-truck was coming in my direction.  Immediately, my mind went into safety mode.  This semi was right on the edge of the road going on a curve.  I thought that truck could flip over if it slipped off the embankment.  So, I positioned myself in a place of safety.

​I thought to myself, why do I always think of safety?  I don’t live in fear.  Then, my mind was taken back to the days of being in the military as a tank mechanic.  One of the first things I was taught was to respect those things that can kill you.  Never become comfortable with them.  They shared a story with me.  There were two tanks parked nose to nose.  They were trying to get one started.  A soldier was standing between the two tanks.  Then one tank accidentally went into gear and leaped forward crushing the man.  They decided that when they pulled the tanks apart, he would die.  So, they called his family to the motor pool to say their goodbyes.  

I know this is a very sad story, but it has put a lifetime impression in my mind.  I was taught at a young age to have respect for those things that can kill you.  I have always been cautious my whole adult life.  Again, it’s not that I live in fear.  I enjoy life so much that I will not put myself in harm's way by not considering proper safety measures.

​That brings me to the point of my post.  We can easily see that a tank can kill us.  People know of the dangers with possible electrocution.  People flee to safety when a tornado is coming.  If you heard shooting in a department store; more than likely, you would take cover.
​
Remember, I was told to never become comfortable with those things that can kill you!  Always proceed with caution.  Why?  Cause you can literally sear your conscience of the dangers to where you never think about it.  You will overlook any forms of safety precautions and in time, you can find yourself in a life-threatening situation or ultimately, death.

​As a new believer in Christ, we are washed of the prior sins.  Immediately, we feel the results of being cleansed by the blood of Jesus.  Overwhelmingly, we sense the new creature in Christ we have become.  The newness plunges us into a life of holiness.  We dare not want to offend our Father God.  We consider our actions and how we treat others.  I can remember when I first gave my life to Christ.  I was going down the road in my car, and a guy flipped me off.  I pursued him in traffic; I was going to give him a little dose of me.  Then the Holy Spirit said to me, “What are you doing?  This is not what a believer in Christ should be doing.”  Needless to say, I stopped chasing him and continued back on my planned route.  See, as soon as I became a believer, God was working in my life.

The problem is, at first, we are ultrasensitive to the sin in our life.  We continually guard ourselves, being cautious of our attitudes, thoughts, and actions.  BUT, if we don’t take the same position as we do when we are around danger situations or equipment, we can find ourselves is a place of spiritual harm or danger.  Slowly, we are searing our hearts of that sensitivity.  Soon, enough is never enough.  Boundaries are being crossed.  Places you once wouldn’t go; now, there is no harm in it.  The things you once would never say; they flow out of the mouth.
​
The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Oh, Shawn, come on, the Lord forgives us.  He can’t see our sin, we are forgiven of past, present, and future sins.  It doesn’t matter to God, we all sin!  Really?  Let’s see what Paul has to say about it:

​To sum it up, you have been crucified with Christ and raised to a newness of life in him.  The old man has been put to death.  We are to live a new life in the likeness of him!  Sin has been destroyed in our lives!  We are not to serve sin!  Give no room for it!  Does it happen?  Yes!  But when you are willfully sinning with no concern in your heart, then I would say you are on dangerous grounds.  Your heart has been seared and you need to run back to your Savior to have a renewal take place in your life.  It’s not a matter of condemnation, it’s a matter just doing a reset back to default settings of our Christian walk.  Having the newness and freshness take place.  Once again, establishing the proper boundaries back in our life.  Then ultimately, removing the callus from our hearts and being free from sin!

I pray you enjoyed this article and it brings you freedom in Christ.  The Bible says to "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)  If there is anything in your life holding you back from God's best, let it go!  Let us run together, the race that he has for us!


Blessings!


Shawn Paul
Missionary to Honduras

So wonderful to celebrate our first year graduates of SMTI (Supernatural Ministries Training Institute). This coming February we will be starting our 2nd year.
These pastors and church leaders were so joyful to have accomplished such a wonderful step in the right direction towards excellence in ministry. Thank you so much for "Jimmy Squires Ministries" for sponsoring these men and women of God! Also, to Mark Barclay Ministries for offering SMTI to our ministry here in Honduras.
Afterwards, we had traditional Honduran food and deserts! Celebrating the accomplishments in their lives! Friends and family were present as well.

​Ministering out in San Jose, Guatemala today. Patty from the US joined us as well. We shared with both the adults and children.

Years ago, there was a best-selling book by the name of "Purpose Driven Church."  The author, Rick Warren, professed that the church must have a purpose and we need to be in pursuit of it.  That leads me to ask, what about the church body itself?  If the church is to have a purpose, shouldn't we as the body of the church have a purpose?  Is most of the body of Christ in pursuit of their purpose?  Or are we on the sidelines watching the game cheering those on the field?  Maybe, not even cheering, but skipping game day!
 
This morning on my walk I was praying, "I want to be in your perfect plan for my life.  Lord, help me stay on course.  I don't want to get off.  I don't want to do more or less.  I never want to be ahead of you or behind you!"  You might say, "Shawn, you are a missionary, you should be praying that.  I am not a minister.  God doesn't have a specific plan for my life as he might with you."  I don't know where you got that only ministers should seek the Lord for the plans and purposes for their lives.  It wasn't just 5 years ago I was a successful Realtor and a house flipper.  If it was up to me back then, I would still be in the real estate business to this day.  Even though I wasn't a minister, I was still seeking God's face for what he wanted me to do in my life; always being open for him to speak of his direction for me and my family.

The scripture comes to my mind as I am writing this.  Matthew 11:12 (NLT2), "And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it."
 
This is an excerpt from the Fire Bible commentary:
 
"Following and serving Jesus takes spiritual courage, faithfulness, power, and determination. It requires constantly seeking for or making ways for the gospel to go forth, knowing that it will face opposition. It involves maintaining the driving strength in the mission to reach others for Christ."

Does this statement sound like those that are sitting in their reclining chair on game day?  The Kingdom of God is constantly getting attacked from the Kingdom of Darkness.  You see in scripture, "The Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing!"  Look around, do you see the church forcefully advancing today?  We can't even get people to show up to change diapers in the nursery let alone help park cars in the parking lot.  We are living in such a time of "Me, Myself, and I" society.  If it isn’t Johnny's soccer game on Sunday, then it's we must get to the beach before someone takes our spot.  Where are those that are strapping on their boots Sunday thru Saturday to be ready whenever they need to serve in the mighty Army of the Lord?

​As a little boy, my father beat into me, don’t lie!  Yes, he beat it into me.  If there is anything I remember of my childhood and what my father taught me would be that.  I can distinctly remember a situation where I lied to him and I got a severe spanking.  Yes, I can hear it now, there are gasps as some read this, “Oh, how dare he spank you!” No worries, I’m OK and it hasn’t scarred me.  Today, I am 50-years-old and not having PTSD from it.  The spankings produced the exact opposite.  I believe I grew up to be an honest man and once I gave my life to Christ, it was a compliment to my original held beliefs.

That leads me to my title, “Some Christians Look Like Liars on Social Media.”  I know it sounds harsh, but you know what, it’s true.  Either intentionally or unintentional, but either way, a lie is a lie.  As we can see, social media has become more toxic as the days go by.  I believe it has further divided our nation and world.  People are drawing lines more so in the sand in their beliefs than ever before.  In many cases, you can’t even have a decent conversation with someone of the opposing view without them attacking you.

​He said, “What’s Yahoo?”  I said, “It’s a place you can search for other things besides what’s on AOL.”  He couldn’t believe there was an internet world beyond AOL.
 
Fast forward from the late 1990s and to the early 2000s; today, we can almost Google anything.  Now, Google will finish your question before you are done typing.  That’s how advanced it has become, we are on information overload in our world.  Is there false information out there?  Absolutely, but with the proper research and having the discernment of the Holy Spirit, I believe we all can come to a proper conclusion.  Especially, as believers, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us; he is referred to as the Spirit of Truth.
 
If we have the Spirit of Truth inside of us, what is our excuse?  Why are we so willing to bypass truth and post whatever, truth or not?  I believe this question has many answers.  Everyone has their own reasons.  It could be pride for one; they don’t want to prove themselves wrong or they are already in a heated battle and they can’t look foolish.  If they realize the truth, they will have to admit they were wrong.  Laziness can be another factor; it’s just too easy to not spend the proper time needed to research.  Then you have the other person, they just don’t care.  It fuels and appeals to their emotions and beliefs.