I Will Die Free

“I Will Die Free” is the story of Noble Alexander’s determined fight to stay alive and remain faithful to his Lord. In 1962, Noble was arrested by Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba, and for twenty-two years was a political prisoner in one of the most inhumane and brutal prison systems on earth.

Denied sleep, given maggot-infested food to eat, beaten, and forced to work beyond the normal limits of human endurance, Noble remained faithful, unbroken, and determined to see the cross of Christ triumph behind prison walls of unimaginable human misery.

Noble Alexander’s testimony has really challenged me in many ways. What has challenged me (and is still challenging me) the most is what he considered blessings from God while he was in prison. Blessings from God, to him, were not found when things were easier, but most of the time he found that he saw God’s blessings in some of the worst times.

Reading about Noble Alexander’s experience in prison has made me rethink what I believe God’s blessings are. In the past, I generally thought the blessings of God were the things that made my life more comfortable and easy. But the more I read books like this, and read verses like Revelation 2:8-11 (I really encourage everyone to read it), and just go through life in general, I believe God is helping me to see more clearly that His blessings are more than just the things that make our lives more comfortable and pleasant, but are even things like hardship, tribulation, and persecution.

I encourage everyone to read this book! I think it is one of the best autobiographies that I have ever read. I pray that if you do read this book that God would use it to challenge you like it has challenged me. Be Unashamed!!!

God Bless,

John

This is one of many hymns that Noble Alexander and his fellow inmates would sing while they were in prison:

The Fear Of God by A.W. Tozer

When men no longer fear God, they transgress His laws without hesitation. The fear of consequences is no deterrent when the fear of God is gone. In older days men of faith were said to “walk in fear of God” and to “serve the Lord with fear.” However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful. This idea of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a non-rational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty.

Many call themselves by the name Christ, talk much about God, and pray to Him sometimes, but evidently do not know who He is. “Fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,” but this healing fear is today hardly found among Christian men. (Excerpt from the book, “Knowledge Of The Holy” by A.W. Tozer)

But this the one whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:2

Father Hear The Prayer We Offer!

 

Father, hear the prayer we offer:
Not for ease that prayer shall be,
But for strength that we may ever
Live our lives courageously.

Not for ever in green pastures
Do we ask our way to be;
But the steep and rugged pathway
May we tread rejoicingly.

Not for ever by still waters
Would we idly rest and stay;
But would smith the living fountains
From the rocks along our way.

Be our strength in hours of weakness,
In our wanderings be our guide;
Through endeavour, failure, danger,
Father, be thou at our side.

God Will Not Compromise

I have been reading a book by A.W. Tozer called, “Knowledge Of The Holy.” I will share more about the book some other time, but for now, I wanted to write about a couple of things that Tozer talks about: the immutability (unable to change) and the omniscience (knowing everything) of God. Tozer mentions that since God knows everything, He knows all of our sin. Seen or Unseen. And since God will never change, He will never compromise on anything, and will never accept excuses for sinful conduct.

This particular subject of God never changing and being able to see everything that we do has been on my mind for a while, even before I started this book. My thoughts began while I was reading in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah shares some about what God thinks of sin, and how He deals with it (read Isaiah 13: 9-16). Thinking about the fact that God never changes and that He never compromises, has made me take the verse, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” a lot more seriously than in the past.

Sin is not a joke to God! He will not take it lightly. He never has, and He never will!

I would like to share some exerpts from the book, “Knowledge Of The Holy”, with you. I hope in some way that God uses the words of Tozer to challenge you, as they have me. Be Unashamed!!!

God knows the flimsiness of every pretext and never accepts the poor excuses given for sinful conduct, since He knows perfectly the real reason for it. “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.” How frightful a thing to see the sons of Adam seeking to hide among the trees of another garden. But where shall we hide? “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or wither shall I flee form the presence?…If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day.”

God never changes moods or cools off in His affections or loses enthusiasm. His attitude toward sin now is the same as it was when He drove out sinful man from the eastward garden, and His attitude toward the sinner is the same as when He stretched forth His hands and cried, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, I will give you rest.” God will not compromise and He need not be coaxed. He cannot be persuaded to alter His Word nor talked into answering selfish prayer. In all our efforts to find God, to please Him, to commune with Him, we should remember that all change must be on our part.”I am the Lord, I change not.” We have but to meet His clearly stated terms, bring our lives into accord with His revealed will. – A.W. Tozer 

                                                                                

                                                                              

 Fountain of being! Source of Good! Immutable Thou dost remain! Nor can the shadow of a change, Obscure the glories of Thy reign. Earth may with all her powers dissolve, If such the great Creator will; But Thou for ever art the same, I Am is Thy memorial still.

From Walker’s Collection

God Bless,

John

 

Was My Passion Just To Know You?

Love Has A Face

This book has inspired, encouraged, humbled, and challenged me. It really showed me that I need to love more. It also showed me that I need more faith in my heavenly Father and that I have too much pride!

God has used Ms. Michele story to really touch my life in a great way, and I hope if you read this book that God would use it to touch you like He touched me.

WARNING: You will cry when you read this book…… Keep the tissue box handy!

“Termites for dinner. Bombs in the backyard. A nation torn by decades of war still on the brink. Can one life really make a difference here?

Born without her left hip and leg, Michele Perry is no stranger to seeming impossibilities. So when she arrived in war-torn Southern Sudan–with little more than her faith in God’s promises–she did what everyone told was crazy: she opened a home for orphaned children in the middle of guerilla warfare territory and has now become “mama” to over one hundred little lives.

With a deft pen, she recounts unforgettable stories of life in the bush, stories that capture the reader with the stark realities of living in a war zone—and the power of God’s love to transform them. Her own story is just as compelling as the ministry she is living. From working in the slums of India to finding her home in war-ravaged Africa, her life has been a journey deeper into the spernatural power of God.

Captivatingly honest, readers will be swept up in one woman’s poignant, spellbinding journey of love and the glimpses of God’s tender grace and mercy in the midst of a broken and hurting world.”  –from the back cover

Why Single

These are some pretty common questions that I get from people, of all ages, 1) “John, why have you never kissed a girl?” 2) (This is a 2 in 1 question) “Why have you never had a girlfriend, and since you have never had a girlfriend, how will you ever get married?”

Well, I would like to answer those questions for those of you that have never asked me, and for those that have and still do not understand why I believe the way I do.

1) “John, why have you never kissed a girl?”

From the age of thirteen through sixteen, I was lost as a ball in high weeds! Although I was a “good” guy, I was also good at being fake with people. But, when I was completely by myself, that is when the real John would show himself. I did things that I am very ashamed of, even to this day, and I thank God every day, that he set me free from all that trash I was in! When I finally saw how bad my sin was, and how it hurt His heart, I had/have no desire to go back!

I made a commitment to God, I think when I was eleven, that I would never kiss a girl till my wedding day. During those three years that I just wrote about, I could have cared less if I had broken that commitment. But some how, some glorious way, God protected me from breaking it, and I am so glad that He did! The reason why I still keep this commitment is not just for myself, and not just to be able to tell my future wife  that I saved my first kiss for her, but because I want to honor God, and honor the commitment I made to Him.

2) Why have you never had a girlfriend, and since you have never had a girlfriend, how will you ever get married?

It is true, I am eighteen, and I have never had a girlfriend. To many of you, that might seem very strange and foreign. I don’t blame you! This is the reason I don’t have a girlfriend:

I’m not ready and I’m waiting.

Some of you might say, “John you’re eighteen, why would you think you’re not ready? You could legally get married!” That’s true. But I am still a young man, and I know that I am not ready to provide for a home, both physically and spiritually.

So, since I know that I’m not ready to get married and I’m not ready to provide for a family,  then why would I have a girlfriend? What would be the point?

This is when part 2 of this 2 in 1 question is asked.

“Since you have never had a girlfriend, how will you ever get married?”

I’m honestly not worried about it. I know (if it’s God’s will) He will someday, in the future, show me the woman that He has planed for me. For all I know, I might know her and again I might not. I know that God’s timing is perfect, and He has everything under control. He will reveal her to me when the time is right. And until that day comes, I’m waiting.

There is one other question that people ask me a lot, and it is this:
“Why do you not date and what is courting?”

I will not attempt to write about that. I have tried before, and let’s just say that it would be a very long blog post. So, next time you see me, and you have the desire to know what I believe about those subjects, just feel free and ask!

Like I have said before, this blog is my journal. And since these type questions have been asked of me a lot lately, it’s just been kind of naturally on my mind. I know I’m putting out my personal convictions for you to read, but I hope in some way God can use it to encourage you! Be Unashamed!!!

God Bless,

John

Singleness is an incredible opportunity to be fully consecrated in body and spirit to Jesus Christ alone – to be undistracted by any other romance and free to be consumed with Him alone. (see 1 Cor. 7:34) This is not only an amazing opportunity for our single years, but it is the absolute best way we could ever prepare for marriage. When Jesus Christ is our all in all, we will never place unhealthy pressure upon our spouse to meet the needs only He can fill. And if our husband (or wife) is ever taken from us, we will not lose our confidence, hope or security – because it’s in Jesus Christ. – Leslie Ludy

What Does Love Look Like?

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I know most of us have either read or heard this verse a hundred times. And why wouldn’t we? It’s a great verse! I would almost guarantee it’s underlined in most of our Bibles; it is in mine. It’s easy to read, easy to say, but (oh, that small, BIG word is back it is not as easy to live it out.

This blog and my other blog (Global Response Network – His Voice. His Hands) are my journals. I write down what is going on in my life, heart and mind. One big difference between my journal and other people’s may be that most people do not let the whole world see what they’re writing down in their journals.

So when you read my blog posts, you are reading journal entries by a young man that is on a journey with God, and hopes that in some way, God can use these journal entries to touch his generation, like they have touched him.

So since I have said all that, today I’m going to write down what is going on in my life. Here it goes……

I have been under conviction……

In many of our lives, we can point to someone that gets on our nerves more than others. (for all I know, I might be even that person to you, and if I am, I give you permission to tell me, because I have no desire to be that person in your life! It even sometimes gets to the point that you dislike spending time with them. Well, there is a person like that in my life right now.

This past week, I have thought a lot about this person. I have thought about all the ways they get on my nerves, how their actions affect me, and those around me in a negative way. The bottom line is, I have thought of all the things this person does that makes my life less enjoyable, and thought of what I could say to them, so I could make my life better.

I had spent so much time thinking about myself, that I had forgotten to do something very important….. love them as a brother in the Lord!

In my heart and actions, I have been impatient with them, resentful, and in many ways arrogant.

I am not condoning what this person does. They will some day answer to God for their actions like all of us will. But, I have not had the attributes of love for this person, and this is why I am under conviction.

I have been reading a very challenging and inspiring book called, “Love Has A Face” by Michele Perry. I will not get into the book right now, but, Michele talks about a lot of the experiences she’s had that God has used to help her love people like 1 Corinthians says to love people. She has gone through many many tests, trials, and tribulations to get to that point.

I was actually talking to a friend of mine the other night, that has also read the book, about that exact thing. I asked her and myself the question, “Are we willing to go through things like Michele Perry went through to expand our love for people?” I have been pondering that question for a while, “Am I willing?!”

Am I willing to let God put me through this small test with this person that gets on my nerves, so He can expand my love for people more? Well, after repenting and praying for God’s help, I believe I am.

By myself, I know that I can do nothing and will fail this test miserably. But with God, anything is possible. So, if you could, please just keep me in your prayers for this particular situation. I really need wisdom, guidance, and most of all, God’s love! Be Unashamed!!!

God Bless,

John

Depraved Indifference

Emmanuel (God With Us)

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:14

The Christmas season is here! Many of us will buy gifts, go visit family, and spend time next to the the Christmas tree. But do we really understand what Christmas is about?

Now, you might think that I’m going to say the usual, “It’s the time to remember the birth of the baby Jesus.” I am, but maybe in a in a way that we have never thought of before.

Most of us have heard and seen the word “Emmanuel”. It means “God with us”. Until yesterday, I had never thought about this word. If we really believe that the scriptures are true, and that baby Jesus is Emmanuel, which I believe we do. It means that this baby Jesus is God!

You might say, “John, you just figured this out?!” In a way, yes. I knew that the baby Jesus is God, but it never hit me what this really meant. This is what hit me….

Since this baby, this defenseless looking child, is God. It means that He is the same God that put the earth into motion, He is the same God that breathed life into Adams nostrils, He is the God that parted the Red Sea for Moses, tore down the walls of Jericho for His people (Israel), and the same God that did so many other things that could not possibly be written down in one blog post.

I also believe I had another disconnect in my mind; a disconnect that I think a lot of us have done with the baby Jesus. The baby Jesus is also Jesus the man. The one who came as flesh, to teach flesh how to love Him more! (quote by Tom Zurowski, my dad). He is the one who loved the unlovable, He healed the sick, and raised the dead! He was the one who was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver by His friend, He was rejected, spit upon, ripped to shreds, and nailed to a cross! He is the one who rose on the third day, He ascended into heaven, and will one day come again! He is Christ!

Our Christ has been born! The one we call Master, the one that we have given our whole lives to, has been born!

How awesome is this!!! That this baby Jesus is the one who started the human race, and is the one who came to save the human race.

I will never look at baby Jesus, Emmanuel, ever the same! And I hope that’s the same for all of us. Merry Christmas! Be Unashamed!!!

God Bless,

John