Posted on by Christian Armetta

Who Are You Kidding?

1 John 2:4

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,


I’m truly starting to understand the differences. In one corner you have head knowledge. In the other corner you have heart faith. I have said once before that many will stand before the King and sadly hear, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.” 

Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

What does this look like on earth? For starters, I cannot and will not judge. However, the Word makes it very clear that believers should bear fruit! 

Galatians 5:22-23, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Where do you see yourself?

-peacemaker or instigator?

-gentle or harsh?

-calm or rash?

-joyful or sorrowful?

-kind or abrasive?

-humble or prideful?

We are not perfect, BUT the Spirit yearns to produce such good fruit when we actively strive to become more like Christ. We must stop saying, “I know him” but our actions scream otherwise. 

Do you find yourself stirring up trouble? Do you rebel against worship? Do you secretly seek praise and reinforcement to feed your pride even when it comes to “Godly things?” Who is responsible for instigating these evil fruits within you? It’s time to clean house my friends! 

Question: Do you REALLY know your King? Let Him search your heart – for there you will find your answer. 

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

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True Measure

Proverbs 27:19-21

19 As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. 20 Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. 21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.

reading bible

It bears repeating…I love Proverbs! After reading this passage today, I could not stop thinking about the true measure of a Christian. What is the one thing that puts a bitter taste in a seeker’s mouth when conversing with a believer? The answer, for me, is very transparent. A seeker has a keen sense of identifying fakes or hypocrites! The one thing believers hear over and over again is that we say one thing but demonstrate another through our actions, words, and gifts. This is not acceptable dear friends!

Our model is Jesus Christ who demonstrated the purest of consistency. How do you measure up? No, we aren’t perfect; however, we are instructed to live pure and blameless lives. We are to shine like the stars in the sky (Philippians 2:15). How can we attract others to the cross when we are their main stumbling blocks?

In the passage above, it states that the heart reflects the real person just as a face is reflected in water. That verse alone is breathtaking. If you find your heart cold, dark, and judgmental, you may need deliverance! If you find yourself prideful and conceited, you most certainly need to humble yourself before Father God and confess your sins at His altar of forgiveness.

In verse 21, a good measure of pride is how you handle being praised! If you thrive or even insist on being praised for your contributions, actions, or results, your heart does not coincide with the principles taught in the Word as Christ came to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28). How can we elevate ourselves above Christ? – we cannot! We are quite familiar with another being who attempted to elevate himself above the Father and he is now condemned for all eternity. Yet, in the meantime, his entire purpose is to ruin your life…simply put my friends! Not only does Satan want to ruin your life, he will not be satisfied unless he can steal, kill, and destroy those around you or associated with you too…so today we say, ENOUGH! We are not elevated above God, and we humbly submit ourselves to His will.

Thought: What will your heart reflect? What is your true measure?

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta

Strife

Proverbs 20:3

“Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.”


I just love Proverbs! It is beyond wise to refresh yourselves with these principles often. If you find yourself needing a personal refresher’s course, I strongly suggest opening the Word and heeding these precepts. 

During my youth (wink-ha), I cannot say that I followed this Proverb wholeheartedly. In fact, I appeared to welcome strife as a very young man- the cause – masking pain! The once curly, red-headed, skinny youth was now ready to fight! Sadly, no he wasn’t; he was just putting up “a front” so he couldn’t get used or hurt again. 

As I matured in my Christianity and family, I learned the value in keeping the peace. I love that this Proverb says, “Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor.” Why then do we teach our sons to stand up and fight at the smallest of offenses instead of teaching them true biblical honor – love your neighbor as yourself. Trust me–I think we LOVE ourselves a whole lot in this society; just think what the world would look like if we followed this principle! Mind blowing!

This principle also would save a lot of pain in relationships. How many of us find pride in always having to be right in an argument with our spouse, brother, child, loved one? Arguing for the sake of “being right” does not bring honor to you, your relationship, and especially God! I implore you to find peace by avoiding such traps. God always, and I mean always, has our best interests at heart. Following His ways will prove true and honorable. 

Question: Do you struggle with anger? Give it to the Father today!

Thankful,

Christian Armetta 

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Overcomer

John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

overcomer

God shows up in all situations, conversations, experiences, and relationships. Do you truly believe that? I do! For starters, He is omnipresent; He is truly everywhere! You cannot find a place where God cannot reach you physically, emotionally, or spiritually for He stitched you together in His image. You were created by perfect hands! You have a purpose and your gifts are unique to His mission. Can we just say–amazing God!

God is also omnipotent as there is no other force more powerful than God. His power is limitless…I implore you to pause – hit the rewind button and simply claim that one more time! His power is LIMITLESS! As you speak truth, there is strength building up inside of you because being a child of God is more than a special blessing; it’s an honor that cannot be contained. Finally, God is omniscient. There is absolutely nothing that takes Him by surprise! Now—exhale!

I was blessed to see God in three conversations today. Don’t miss the importance in that initial sentence. I strive, as imperfect as I am, to see God in all encounters. I ask myself, “What do You want me to learn from this conversation, meeting, interaction Lord?” Often I fail because I can be rather egocentric, task-oriented, and simply impatient. This flesh-oriented focus pulls me away from my mission which is simply His mission – imparting the love of Christ and sharing the good news of Jesus whenever and however I can.

However, after a very spiritually uplifting morning where my small group spent time edifying each other through Scripture and words of encouragement, I felt as though I was fully charged and ready to take on the day. What did I encounter through these very meaningful conversations? I found a common theme. We all hurt…I pause because my spirit groans. We are all currently suffering or have suffered in this life! As human beings, we are not all that different dear friends. Our hearts long for love and acceptance. We struggle with fear, anxiety, the unknown, painful addictions, battles, and loneliness. Yet, our face—yes, our face tells a different story.

We wake up each morning and sift through a drawer of masks trying to find just the right one; the mask that will hide the hurt we are carrying! We pass colleagues in the hallways and smile just praying that our masks are not unveiled. We worry, “Did they notice? Is it still on?” I couldn’t help but appreciate Necole Allen’s Facebook message when she mentioned that her face can tell her mood before she speaks. I truly can relate!! I am one who cannot wear masks well either. Yes, I try them on, but they seem to fall off rather quickly! I guess I haven’t learned how to tie them well. In fact, my face tends to “get me in trouble” well before my tongue.

Truth be told, we are all struggling, and we are all holding onto something in the past. Yet, my God is a deliverer and a healer! I emptied my “mask drawer” long ago and I beg you to do the same. Jesus is the best example of an overcomer any believer could hope for! Not only did He overcome every temptation, He overcame death in order to bring us life! YES AND AMEN! That is enough to send you rejoicing and dancing for joy. I hear chains falling, do you?

TAKE THE MASKS OFF FRIENDS! Satan has an army manufacturing them and supplying you fancy ones, but they are still chains! BREAK THE CHAINS through Christ.

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta

Let’s Be Honest

Colossians 3:9-10

“9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self…”

Integrity

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines honesty as, “fairness and straightforwardness of conduct.” As Christians, this is a fundamental principle and one that Jesus Himself emulated daily. So…why as Christians do we struggle with this principle? The answer…SIN!

Matthew 26:41 says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” If standing in the court of law, this would be the smoking gun….all fingers are pointed at the accuser – Flesh! The Word clearly states that as believers, we yearn to do the right thing through the convictions imparted by the Holy Spirit, but our sinful nature rages against all things Christ-like. Therefore, we must exercise this principle to ensure a habitual pattern.

Yes, it takes practice – exercise! Growing up, I was a competitive gymnast [insert surprise, disbelief, and even laughter if you shall-ha]…but the truth remains – I grew up learning the skill of gymnastics from the age of five until my high school years and continued teaching tumbling during my time in college. I spent countless hours, weekly, at the gym training my muscles to perform in specific ways that stretched the boundaries of human strength, flexibility, and endurance. The hours of training and exercise paid off; I won several regional competitions and two state all-around titles. The hallmark of my training peaked when I was invited to attend the Olympic training camp in Houston, Texas.

Honestly, the best part of the story does not revolve around medals, wins, or invitations. You see, I was an ordinary kid from a small town. Our gym did not even have a full-sized floor mat to practice my tumbling routines. My teammates and I had to go the extra step in visualizing our routines on a full square mat in preparation for “real” competitions as we only had enough room in our gym for a single line of gym mats. If you know anything about gymnastics, a floor routine is conducted on a large, springy, square mat where amazing tumbling passes commence. Yet, our gym did not have this advantage. We didn’t have springy floors, full-sized tumbling mats, or even space for two athletes to practice at the same time. Yet, I was a winner! I had to work harder! The only time I would conduct my full routine in a “real” gym would be on competition day! So what was the difference? Why was I successful? Practice, practice, practice!

No, I’m not a famous athlete; I’m not even special – not in the least! Truth be told, if I tried to flip and flop today like I did as a child, I would probably severely hurt myself. I share this personal story with you to associate practice with success. As believers, we must practice Biblical principles in order to be successful. We cannot rely on the mere fact of our status as “Christians” to ensure honesty and integrity when faced with temptation or selfishness.

I pray that as we live like Jesus, we practice full honesty with our fellow man. Matthew 5:37 says, “37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” Do not seek to manipulate your brothers and sisters for your own benefit. This is not fruit from the Lord; this comes purely from the flesh! Again, this truly takes practice. I encourage you to build-up your “spiritual muscle memory!” When the time comes, you’ll react in complete honesty and integrity without even thinking about it! Praise God for spiritual practice! It’s needed-start today!

Question: What “spiritual muscle group” do you need to build? Start exercising today.

Thankful,

Christian Armetta