Maverick1's Blog

Few people, including myself for far too long, fail to realize that no one purposely sets out to screw their life up (perceptively). Judgement abounds when our brothers and sisters make a misstep.

I think the world would be better off to simply remind hurting people that may have made bad choices, that Jesus said “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” Rather than scold with a gazillion shall nots.

Their guilt and shame that comes from blame doesn’t remedy the past or help them avoid future missteps. On the contrary, guilt, blame and judgement perpetuate the missteps.

I’m glad in Christ that I don’t have a past. I only have this present and a hope in the future of gain.

To live is Christ and to die is gain.

If you’re hurting and feel you have made mistakes in the past, I’m your brother and friend in spirit. I’ve made those same mistakes. The devil accuses me night and day and he uses people and comparison to accuse me. He usually uses church people to do it too.

People may remind you daily of your past but the Holy Spirit will not and asks that you live one day at a time and in grace. Free indeed.

I believe that.

Many people see things much different when it hits their home, their kids, or their grandkids. I’ve seen many hard, stern religious people change their tune when it’s their own child who has made mistakes or fall victim to the cold tempting world we live in and rightly so. What matters to me, even in the last moments of life, no matter how one has lived, is that one finds grace by faith in Jesus.

My purpose for this testimony is only to remind the reader that Jesus said….

Father forgive them, they know not what they do.

Or

We would have done better.

Let’s do better now.

I am loving awareness. I love everyone and everything I am aware of and that includes myself.

At least that’s the goal I established in my heart on August 21, 2021.

I’m gonna just keep Faithn it until I make it.

My testimony Earth date in Euharlee, Ga June 27, 2022

Not purposely mind you, but I think I’ve often made God in my image and likeness rather than knowing God created me in His image and likeness.

My mind creates personified visions of an old and wise Father figure who is hard and austere. I have to prove myself to Him daily. At times the pressure I put on myself to be perfect crushes me and I give up. I felt it was pointless to try. After a season or few I’d try try again to prove myself to Him. After all, I was a miserable wretch of a person who needed to make up for lost time.

I don’t see God that way anymore. God is a Spirit.
I read where the heart of a child that doesn’t judge inherits the Kingdom of Heaven. I read that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self control and faith. I read that true worshippers must learn to worship God in Spirit and in Truth.

Perhaps my entire life I have had it wrong. Maybe true wisdom lay in the heart of an incorruptible child who plays, has a sense of humor, dances, sings and forgives. Easily entreated. Loves without prejudice? Maybe God has the infinite wisdom that an eternal Father figure would have but has the playfulness and heart of a child? What if God really is only disappointed in me that I don’t accept myself and infinite grace? Maybe God is really only disappointed that I don’t come out and play more?

What if I have been hiding from God because of my man made vision and label of God when really He wants me to come out and play. Maybe He wants me to love, dance, sing and make joyful noise without fear of repercussion or judgement?

I’ll think about it while getting my vitamin D3 and exercise in for a bit.

A testimony, Monday, June 20, 2022

What is the point in indulgence and pleasure if you’re just going to feel guilty about it later? Regret. Self judgement. Shame.

The latter guilt is the fly in the ointment.

Enjoy life. Work hard. Play hard. Have a sense of humor. Simply don’t become enslaved by anything except love, life, and the truth.

Laugh at yourself. Laugh at your predicament.

Demonstrate grace, love, and mercy to all. Including yourself.

This uncertain life is a terrific gift. Even pain, as much as we try to avoid it is a great gift.

Don’t believe me? Imagine, truly imagine, floating through outer space in silence. No pain. No pleasure. Just floating in nothingness for evermore. Not for a few hours but for all eternity. I think the Bible calls this the abyss and even the devils didn’t want any part of the abyss. They had rather have been cast into the unclean swine than to be cast into the abyss.

As hard as our temporary pains are to bear here, even these temporary painful valleys are better than nothingness.

As well, how would one enjoy or know pleasure without pain?

Food…

We indulge in it because it’s a pleasure to do so. Especially here in our culture and country. Yet, we indulge so frequently and out of compulsion for so long that this pleasure is reduced to nothing but habit that comes with a side item of pain. As well as regret, guilt and shame. The fly in the ointment.

Isn’t life better enjoying everything in moderation? Work hard so you can play hard.

A little pain so you can enjoy pleasure again.

The pain of daily self discipline weighs an ounce while the pain of regret weighs a ton.

The very thing that was killing me, food and then later alcohol, became a compulsion. I became enslaved and those things I once enjoyed no longer gave me pleasure but immense pain.

I love our work hard, play hard philosophy at Shibboleth. Perfect days. Holidays. Enslavement to Christ; love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance and faith. Striving to end judgement, guilt, regret and shame.

There’s so many things in life to enjoy instead of life being tedious and tasteless.

Isn’t it time to remove the fly from the ointment? It is for me. At least I’m working on it.

My faith and trust are in Jesus and grace. Redeeming the time. Jesus alone is my compass, guide and friend.

My testimony, Saturday, June 18, 2022

I’m a vampire. Booo ha ha ha!
Happy Friday everyone.

When it all gets too much it’s usually because you’re taking it all (and yourself) way too seriously.
(Preaching to myself)

100 years from now none of this will matter.

Lighten up. Unwind. Enjoy. Live a little.

As they say,

Don’t sweat the small stuff.
And
It’s all small stuff when God is in it.

Perspective.

A testimony Friday, June 17, 2022.

Satan was the district attorney. Jesus is and was my defense attorney. He worked pro bono too. The defense attorney’s Daddy is the judge. I won and can’t be charged for the same crime ever again. The skill level of and credibility of an attorney matters. Thank you, Jesus. When Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed. You can stop acting like you’re on probation and enjoy life now. A testimony, Monday, June 13, 2022

John 20:21 ~ So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

It’s normal to covet various spiritual gifts but the first gift Jesus bestowed upon his followers who believed and received His breath into them and became born again, was the gift of forgiveness.

It’s a gift to forgive those who have hurt you. It’s not only a gift to them but a gift to yourself. Retaining the sins against a person or even the ones you have committed keeps you from moving forward.

I don’t have the spiritual gift of prophesy, apostleship, healing, or great faith. If I do, they lay dormant inside myself, but I do have the most powerful gift of all and you do too. The gift of forgiveness.

I forgive any and all of their transgressions and am set free. Furthermore, I choose to forgive myself. As a son of God, I have that right.

I’m glad Jesus, the Holy Spirit, breathed the breath of new born life into me. I desire to share my gift daily and liberally.

I have enjoyed Sasha and my intimate time with God tonight. We are getting stronger every day and in every way.

A testimony, Monday, June 13, 2022

Mood this beautiful Sunday.
Not afraid to face the devil, no stranger to the pain.
Go rest high on that Mountain.
With Jesus

It’s the best a laboring soul can hope for in this short life.

“They don’t make those shoes anymore.”

There is only one worthy. Only one who I will ever put my faith in again.

No other, myself included, has earned my total trust.

Peace, love, grace has won.

My testimony, Sunday, June 12, 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l11oCvBxnQ0

Proverbs 18:12-13 Haughtiness comes before disaster but humility before honor. He who answers a matter before he hears the facts, it is folly and shame to him.

Formerly religious, I often haughtily judged others and made assumptions aloud. I judged many matters and often to the emphatic “Amens” from many. All while knowing full well my own secret sin/battles and imperfections.

As a member of the visible Church I have repented for being so harsh in my judgments.

Pilate told the Jews to judge Jesus by THEIR law.

The law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

My eyes, not yet fully open, but more open see the ridiculousness in my personal judgments.

I don’t see how so many conspiracy posts, true or false, edify the children of God. I don’t see how all of the vitriol show love to those who are hurting.

I spent years condemning my own self without knowing I was because I judged others. I was being judged with the same measure I judged others.

I desire to fall into the hands and judgements of the God that has been revealed to me. I desire to be judged by His perfect law of love and liberty.

The Jews used the law of Moses to condemn a perfect man who had done nothing wrong. How much more will the law of Moses be used to judge and condemn an imperfect man like me? I am guilty. Therefore, my only hope is in accepting grace and showing grace. It seems we’d bring more people together if we ceased condemning people, their choices, and their lifestyles that aren’t hurting us.

Deal with those that rob, murder, steal, or assault. For myself, beyond that, I feel I am best off to live quietly and peaceably showing as much love to all as I am able to show. I don’t want to be apart of division and I don’t want to hurt or offend people that I disagree with any longer.

It seems that the love of many are waxing colder and colder. I’ve been apart of the problem and want to minimize my part in it. I love talking about Jesus but am trying to avoid politics and religious law type talk.

I love you Jesus and because of you I love the brethren and the sisters. I also love the little Renzos! Thank you for your teaching and guidance.

My testimony Friday, June 10, 2022

We criticize and judge those who suffer from various socially unaccepted addiction, worship idols, or live alternative lifestyles etc. We often don’t hear criticism for socially accepted addiction like food addiction. I never recall being criticized for my addiction to food even though it was killing me. I did suffer much judgement for my addiction to alcohol for the short season I was addicted to it and it’s intoxicating affects though it wasn’t nearly as destructive physically as my food addiction was but I digress. I have tried to fill my voids with good works and revelry with only temporary relief. Why don’t we give each other a break? First, Jesus said He didn’t come to condemn or judge the world but He came to love the world and save the world. He didn’t say he didn’t love the drug addict, didn’t love the glutton or didn’t love the alcoholic. He said the contrary. He said come just as you are, naked and not afraid before His mercy seat. (As I write this testimony I hear a shout forming within my soul because I believe His word.) With that said, if we see things rightly and through a lens of love we will see…. All addiction is suffering and suffering comes because, in part, we have a huge void and we try to fill that void with all manner of vices. That void we feel so often is a lost connection to where we come from and a lost connection to love, the love that only Jesus can provide. We were born in love, come from love and are going back to love. I am loving awareness and I love everyone and everything I am aware of that exists. Accepting grace through faith has filled my voids. There’s no longer a hole in the heart that I feel I need to fill with food, alcohol, drugs, exercise, good works, church building attendance or secular parties. All things are lawful to me but not all things expedient. And Whether I do good or whether I do bad, I am complete in Jesus. Stop declaring war on one another and declare war on judgement, shame, regret and guilt. Accept His love. I’m going for a walk now. It’s a beautiful day and time to re center so the hole remains filled. Just a little walk and talk with Jesus is the cure. I love you all because I love myself. I adore you Jesus. A testimony Friday, June 3, 2022.

Some said He was a prophet. OTHERS said He was THE CHRIST.

I’d like to imitate the Christ as much as possible. He is my hero. I fall far short but today I try again to put on Christ and imitate the love He showed all.

I desire to be numbered with the OTHERS.

A testimony, Monday, May 23, 2022