Practically becoming a "New Man"

Don't let the title of my post fool you.  It is a sad time in which we live where I have to clarify and quantify what I'm saying:  I am a woman.  God made me this way and it's not a choice, I'm happy and grateful for God's choice for me.

I wish our society could see the peace that comes from knowing Who You Are, Where You came from, Why YOU are here and Where YOU are going.  I'm also a woman of practicality.

I love God's Word because of its practical, "bottom shelf" knowledge.  No disrespect meant, but God knew that I'm a slow learner  sometimes and I need direct communication from Him. God says we ought to become "new men."

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

In the time since I began my journey to please and live for the Lord, about 13 years now after I rededicated my life; I've heard many scholars of The Word speak about putting on the "New Man."

 Contextually, what is that verse speaking about.  Let's look.  Like my Pastor always says, the Bible is the best commentary on Itself.

Eph 4:17 ¶ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: {blindness: or, hardness}
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
 27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. {to give: or, to distribute}
 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. {to...: or, to edify profitably}
 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

I came across a scrap of paper tucked away in my Bible this morning with some notes on it.  It was a list of things I told myself to pray for to help me better "walk the talk."

Practically speaking, Eph 4:17-32, tells the Christian how to put on the "New Man."  I once heard a Pastor say, "it's like you are putting on a jacket everyday."  The Christian is dying to self, and putting Christ's "self" on as a replacement, like an article of clothing.  Literally getting dressed by Jesus daily.

On this scrap of paper I wrote:

charity out of a pure heart and good conscience,
faith unfeigned (sincere)
faithful in all things
be not highminded
do good; be rich in good works
distribute (the Gospel) and be willing to communicate
have a true heart in full assurance
hold fast my profession with out wavering
provoke unto love and do good works
be clothed with humility, humble myself
be sober, be vigilant
to not murmur
give thanks
rejoice and praise God all the day long

Every note is taken from scripture, and it keeps what I need to be doing ever before me- constantly reminding me to try to be God's best.

Recently I read an article about someone describing who the Marines really are and why they are so successful as a Military Force.  They said Marines are the most Idealistic of the service-members, so much so that in this un-Idealistic world, they often have to "cloak that idealism in a shell." Now what does that even mean?  The world needs a police force...and that's what the Marines are, the 9-1-1 of modern mankind.

Obviously, I won't ever achieve the perfection or ideal that God's Word talks about, but I can sure try.

That's why I'm a Marine, because I have that "try" mentality.

My whole life will be me trying, and failing and trying and failing.  In all that trying and failing, the real and most important question that remains is:  will I leave the world better?

Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.  

If I can forgive and love my fellow man and stand up to evil, then I'd say, yes.

Marines have identified that ideal, and are fighting the face of Evil every day.
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen.....Police, and Firefighters also are Idealists.  I'd say they too have made this world a better place.

Living a victorious life in Christ is not some magical spell, but rather an active willingness to apply the above truths in the everyday.

The "Twin Beds"

Do you remember "I Love Lucy," the "Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Leave it to Beaver?" Do you remember when they would show the couples together in the bedroom? TV standards weren't allowed to show them together in the same bed, or together in the twin beds at the same time without at least one of them having their feet hanging out.  Those standards were pretty strict back then.  Now, on prime time there is no telling what kind of filth will be shown.  The TV shows of the past slowly lost those standards and the populous got use to seeing the beds, then slowly got use to seeing the couples in the beds, to the point of where we are now in 2012. 

I remember when I took a writing class in college.  My professor did a unit on the psychology of persuasion in TV advertising and all of the subliminal messaging that happens while watching either commercials or TV shows.  I remember him telling the class that billions of dollars were spent on marketing and the TV and what ever other medium was used.  "Think Tanks" gathered together to think of strategies to quietly hint at certain elements in the advertisement or show.

We can see what the TV industry is doing in the area of promoting perhaps now, not so subtly, the homosexual behavior.  Collectively numbing down people to the point where they will not even think twice about seeing two people of the same sex engaging in illicit behaviors together the same way we see it in prime time TV with heterosexuals.  Take for instance when in "Will and Grace", they introduced America to the funny, charming, kind,"token" gay guy.  Even as far back as my childhood I remember the headlines when Roseanne Bar kissed a woman on her TV show, "Roseanne".  Just in the past 20 years, from when I was 10, till now, its hard for me to even fathom what is being promulgated in the TV programing of all the major networks along with their commercials, think about it, "The New Normal", "The Modern Family", "The Good Wife", and not to mention on cable programming, like Bravo, where they showcase sodomy on about every TV program...or what about HGTV, in "House Hunters" when they follow a gay couple in their adventures of purchasing a new home.  Like I said not too subliminal there...

Now here I would say was an attempt by the TV industry to be subtle....I was watching TV and a NyQuil commercial (I can't remember exactly) came on, it showed two twin beds, with two men sleeping in them, they were comparing the two to the affects of the one man taking NyQuil and the other man taking some off brand.  Now, I am known to be a little bit of a conspirator so, you may think that of me in trying to connect this commercial with what is happening in our society, but you can't deny that it is a bit unusual...I'm just saying...isn't it interesting that they've come back to the "twin beds" strategy? 

Before long it will be normal for commercials to show to men in the same bed advertising some sleep medicine, and there won't be any confusion as to how those men are interacting....what a sad place we are in....

As a side note, the dumbing down of American, I think, has been caused impart by the TV industry. Its use of subliminal tactics to push certain agendas has allowed for the degradation of our culture to slip into where it is now. If I let Lizzie watch "Max and Ruby" which I think for the most part is an OKAY cartoon, you still have to watch out for ideas such as globalism and environmentalism....the show isn't really the problem, it's the commercials that make her a greedy Gus!! "Mommy, can I have that such and such toy...Mommy, can I get that for Christmas maybe?"  I have to be really careful....I try to fast forward them...

Welcome to America people!!  It certainly has become a wide open mission field...

A Dumbfounded Discourse

photo courtesy of http://www.cnn.com/

When I look at the hoards of people representing the voting base for Obama as he stands on a stage behind his "pulpit", I see behind him people standing with their wild frantic smiles, their approving almost fanatical calls and yells for, "four more years!".  I see looks of deep adoration and praise. The young are mainly there-the college kid, or professional, women, the minority, and the progressive. As I look closely at each face represented, I become dumbfounded.  I get speechless.  As he systematically spews his rhetoric to this group of gullibles, I ponder what it would be like to be one of them; I conclude that I cannot equate any logical reason to their supposed "love" for this man, a man who clearly has lead our country astray. 

In one report about Hurricane Sandy, a man, an immigrant, who has been suffering from the after affects of Sandy said that he came to this country to get away from what he was experiencing in the wake of the devastation; the long lines, the looting, no food, feeling forgotten, living in filth, having no direction; he was questioning his decision  to come here, to come to the greatest country on the planet.   Another old lady in tears, crying, asked the interviewer, "Is this America,  I really don't know anymore..."  This struct me with such saddess.

The policies that have been put in place in New York, New Jersey and surrounding states mirror what the Federal Government has done to most of the country.  The so called "green" initiatives, that now slow, or even impede the the North East's ability to get the power back on. Supprisingly I came to find out that there have been no new nuclear power plants built there for decades. All because of the face of  envirmentally freiendlier atmosphere projcts,  all backed by the EPA, an agency that crushes America's abillity to become engery independent. This infrastructure has been laden in its task to keep up with the growing populous...it was operating on the brink for some time and it was only a matter of time or in this case, the storm that caused it to cross the brink into destruction.   5 Days, and there still is no power, running water, or gas...what are we? a 3rd world country?  It seems like that when you view the images coming out of the North East.  And amidst it all, Obama goes back to his perpetual campaigning...leaving behind an area of country still ravaged by the storm; our fellow countrymen suffering;  fema and the red cross, all entities of big government aren't doing their part quick enough because of the bureaucratic walls that hinder the  North East's ability to move forward with a recovery.  I was in the military for 6 years and I know what that bureaucratic tape is like....pass the buck...pass the buck...it's not in my SOP...this is sadly the mentality of most government workers.  Because their roles are so defined, they must defend themselves in times of reelection and change of commands to those taking over into seeing their job as needed... and as a result this passing of the buck continues for days until finally it "reaches" the appropriate "person"  For four years Obama has made this maze of red tape deeper and more intense.

In conclusion, my fear for the next four days is that people won't wake up and the hoards of progressive Obama supporters will usher in "The worst Possible Thing to Happen to Our Country" since the time of slavery....a man who fundamentally wants to change the very fabric of our foundation, into the European model.  Socialism is just the precursor to Communism...and it's in our future if we don't stop it on Tuesday...