Fruitless

So today at work, a friend of mine was talking, and I said something that caught her off guard. I said, "I'm not religious, I can't stand religion."

This kind of struck her as odd, and she replied, "See Dan, that's what I don't understand, you're so discipline, and religious, but you hate religion. How does that even work?"

I looked at my friend and simply replied, "I have a standard, that doesn't make me religious. I don't live the way I do because I have to, nobody forces me to live like this… it's because I want to." She was profoundly confused, and didn't know quite what to say to this.

How can a man believe in God, live a certain way, and not be religious? When someone hears the word religion, they usually automatically think rules. I don't do anything I do because I was told I have walk and talk a certain way, I choose to live the way I do.

I don't look at porn, because I don't like to degrade woman, and lust after another man's wife… What is so weird about that? I don't drink because all you are doing is poisoning yourself, and I value my health, I also like to be in a clear state of mind. I don't swear because people only swear when they can't think of anything intelligent to say, and I don't like looking like a fool.

So in the end, I must say people are confused, you don't have to be religious to have standards!!! And when it comes to being religious, I am anti-religion, because it's against my relationship. I don't live out of rules and guidelines; I live out of love and relation. And for the record, what even makes someone a Christian? I hear so many people say, "I'm a Christian." yet they drink like everyone else, party like everyone else… how does that even work? All I have to say is this, a tree will be known by its fruit. I don't care what you say, let's see some action.

What Might have Been

What Might Have Been


In life unfortunately, sometimes we find ourselves looking back and wondering what might have been. It’s a hard thing looking back at a situation knowing that you could have made it better, but didn’t choose to take any action.

I’m not talking about a situation were you might have, or might not have been able to make a change. I’m talking about the time you knew you could do something, and you knew you could make things better, or that it would have been awesome, but you never took action.

I know for me, there are a few situations in life where I totally dropped the ball, now I’m wondering, we do we set ourselves up like this? If you know you can help, or make a change, and you know it won’t hurt you, why wouldn’t you?

Why do we let fear hold us back so many times in life? Why not do something, what if this could change your life, if it’s the thing that will help you break through, or advance on to the next level? Why hold back? If you’ve already assessed a situation, and know that there really aren’t any huge consequences, if any, than why not? The dream you don't fight for, could haunt you the rest of your life.

I guess I’m just thinking out loud… I can tell you this much though, I’m inspired not to hold back, I’m tired of saying what if, or thinking about what might have been. Get out there and “Do”. Don’t just say something, make a change.

Perceptions

Perceptions

So the other day, I heard someone talking about perceptions. He said how we let our perceptions throw us off, and how many things aren’t always the way we perceive, then it led me to thinking about how sometimes we have preconceived ideas that cause us to miss out in life. Which ultimately led me to thinking about how we perceive life, and value.

It’s unfortunate how our perceptions and preconceived notions can actually cost us in life. So many times we say, “I don’t know if can go on.” When there is so much left in us. We think, “I don’t have anything, or anyone.” When there are many people who care for us, and we have more than we really need.

The problem most of the time isn’t that we are lacking something; it’s that we are insecure, and have forgot how to be content. So many people, especially athletes, come out and say, “I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me “but totally ignore the verses right before that in Philippians 4:11 - 12

Philippians 4:11 - 12
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. #

I love how Paul comes out and says “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.” This is so relevant to society today, because we are never satisfied. We always want just a little bit more, enough is just isn’t ever enough; we need to learn how to be content…

Another huge problem is we have the wrong preconceived notions walking into situations in life. How can we expect to do well, if we are walking in with the mindset that we’ve already been defeated? Why do we act like we know everything that is going to happen? We let fear take it’s coarse in our lives, when the real question is what good does worry do for anyone?

Fear doesn’t change what’s happening, all it does is make you loose sleep, and makes you stress out. If something isn’t going good, worrying isn’t going to help, you need to “be the change you want to see in the world” if you don’t like a situation you’re in, change it. We need to be good at making the best out of every situation in life, no matter how bad it is, even when we do fail.

Failure is a part in growing, if you are too afraid to step out of your box, you will never do anything great in life. Failure lets you see what you can do better. Unfortunately, instead of taking a risk, we sit back and think, “Well if I screwed up…” and the consequences of failure run wild through our heads; and most the time, we make the consequences much worse than they are. If you are afraid of the horse, forget about going pro, or being bucked off, you’ll never get on the horse in the first place…

You’ve got to have the right mindset in every situation in life, and we need to realize that things usually aren’t what they seem. You’ve got to have an overcoming mindset, or else you will fall victim to fear, and to insecurities. What is driving you?

Psalms 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
So why should I be afraid?
The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
So why should I tremble?

Well ya, that’s all for now.

Be Blessed!

Distractions

Distractions

So I was just reading James, I love James and I read it a lot, when I started to think about Staying focused, and the Power of words. Lately we’ve been going through the series at Capital, and the main thesis is to go out and “Do”… or as Judah would say, “Don’t just say you’re a Christian, live it.” Then I started thinking, what stops people from going out and putting some action behind there faith? What kind of attitude do we have? What is our demeanor? How do we talk? What do we actually say, act like, and do when we go out and put some action behind our faith?

When looking at my own life, I can look at specific times, where I’ve gotten distracted. I spent more time in the gym then I did at the church I was doing an internship for during my second year there… What Happened? I lost focus, I took my eye off of the prize, and got distracted.

One of the biggest problems we see today is people simply get sidetracked. They say, “I’ll go out, and do that as soon as I’m done with work…” They get home and realize they didn’t do it, then say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Tomorrow comes and they say, “I’ll do it sometime this week.” Saturday comes, and they say, “The Pastor was just talking to the general public, he wasn’t actually telling me to go out and do something…” We need to learn how to prioritize. Which is more important, your hour of Bible study, or Lost? Which is more important to you, the Gym, or ministry? Which is more important, doing what the Bible says, or fulfilling your own selfish desires?

Now I’m not saying that everything you do should be centered around Christ, although it should, I’m simply saying that if you don’t prioritize correctly, you will never fulfill the purpose God has intended for your life.

Another huge question is our demeanor, and what do we talk like when we go out and “Do”? If you read James 3, The entire chapter is about the power of the tongue, and how we need to watch what we say. If you are going out, with the attitude of, “well I have to do this, better get it out of the way…” and complain while looking angry, how does that show the love of Christ?

Are we distracted? Have we become so self centered, that everything we do needs to benefit us in some way? Are we Selfish?


Colossians 3 8-17 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,# circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,# slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.#

Everything we do should represent Christ…

Well I’m challenged… God is Good!

Be Blessed

Go Hard (continued)

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Now playing: Red - Fight Inside
via FoxyTunes
This kinda goes off of Go Hard

Think about all the people who actually made an impact in Life.

I'm just going to name 3

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.

All three of these men had incredible opposition, if they would've thrown in the towel when things got tough, who knows what the world would look like today.

People often ask me, "Why do you push so hard? Why do you do what you do? How much do you have left in you to give?" and the most recent, "Do you know haw many people hate you at the gym, because they are intimidated of what you've done, and how passionate you are?'' Now a truthful, but kinda weak, of a reason is simply that I'm a passionate person. Truth is, I love to help people... When I look at how many people I've helped, I don't care about what a few jokers think about me, because I'm helping people.

When I was an intern For Capital, I had many opportunities to help people, loved every second of it. When I'm at the gym, and people know how far I've come and want some advice, I'm more than happy to give it, and I'll go and workout with them, simply because I want to help them. There is a certain feeling you get from helping people that I can't describe, it simply makes you feel a little bit better about yourself. If you're depressed, you want to know something that will help, give. Give something that is important to you, or just give to someone who is actually in need. It makes you feel better.

I love to help people, that's just who I am. I always tell people, "Smile." Why?

Is it because working at the mall is fun?..

No not really.

Is it because I want to get a rise out of them?

No...

Why?

Because when you smile, it does something inside of you, it makes you feel a little bit better. So if I see someone, and they look kinda down, I look at them and smile as I say, "hey... Smile :)"

I know that life isn't always good, trust me on that one, I've been through my share of hell... but even when you're going through hell, doesn't mean you have to act like you're going through the ringer, bringing your friends down. I've said it a thousand times, and I'll say it again, you have to overcome, and overcoming isn't easy, it's not supposed to be.

If you feel as if you don't have the strength, or you don't know how much you've got left in you, I simply have one question for you, What is your foundation, and what is driving you.?

Neither George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King Jr. would've ever accomplished what they did if they simply did everything for themselves, or were driven by their own selfish motives. So I guess here's the real question, what did all 3 of these men turn to for strength? What was their refuge?

Is it in you?

Never Give Up

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Now playing: RED - Let Go
via FoxyTunes You ever push so hard, and get so close to something you want to achieve in life, just to see it temporarily delayed/possibly slipping away? Thats what I experienced today.

I've been pushing very hard in Wrestling, and mainly Jui Jitsu, for a while now; and today, after doing so well sparring, I injured myself doing the simplest thing, something I've done every other day. It was crazy to me, I said to myself, "I do this practically everyday, how can I possibly be hurt" So I tried to muscle my way through it, but I couldn't I had been injured.

Looking at it now, It takes me back to When I heard a man say, "sometimes, we hit bumps in the road, and we have to pull over and examine the car before we get back on the road. Some bumps don't do much, if any, damage; others can make it so you have no choice to pull over, and may take some time to fix." The key thing to acknowledge in this scenario, is either way, eventually, you get back on the road. Yes one might set you back for weeks, maybe months, could cost you, but that doesn't mean you quit.

Today while simply rolling with one of my friends at Alliance, I bruised a rib. I remember thinking to myself, "this is nothing, I'm fine" as I went on to spar with a few more people. By the time I got to my third partner, I couldn't deny the facts, I was injured, and needed to check myself out. I said, "sorry man, I'm done" and shook the mans hand. But this doesn't mean you quit.

After being injured, I went home, got pretty upset and took some medicine, along with some adrenalin pills to help me cope with the pain at work, then went on with the rest of my day. After Work, I went to Golds to examine how bad the injury was, and set up a time line for when I could get back to working out, and sparing with my friends at Combat Fitness with Mitch Coats, and all the other people that go through Alliance. Just because I'm injured, doesn't mean I give up. You take care of yourself, take the time you need, then get back on the mat. Like the old saying says, "You've got to get back on the horse."

Once you've been kicked in the teeth, that's when you find out who you really are, you find out what's in you. Do you have what it takes, or do you trow in the towel?

The problem we are seeing today in society, is that as soon as opposition comes, we throw in the towel. Hoping that someone else will do all the hard stuff for us, so we can sit back, take it easy, and still reap a harvest from it. All I really have to say to that is nothing good in life, comes for free; and Real men aren't afraid to fall, because they have what it takes to get back up. Getting up isn't always easy, it's not supposed to be, but it's worth it. You have to Break Through

Breaking Through

You ever come to the point in life,
Where it feels like your passion has been lost?
You look back and remember saying how you'd hit your goal,
No matter what it cost.
Remember when everything in the world,
Seemed as if it were going your way?
Now it is a struggle,
Just to make it through another day.
You ever wake up and Wonder,
If there's even a reason for you to get out of bed,
You feel like all hope has been lost,
As thoughts of worthlessness run through your head.
You remember pushing so hard,
But feel like you may have pushed in the wrong direction,
Now you are all alone,
And would do anything for some affection.
I remember a man once told me,
That nothing worth having in life comes for free,
Now I sit here and wonder,
If I've let my own selfish desires get the best of me.
It feels like I've been given a piece to a puzzle,
That just doesn't seem to fit.
But I'll do my best with what I've got,
Because I've come to far to quit.
I don't know how much I've got left,
Or what else I can do.
But still I'll push with all I've got,
Because this is the art, in breaking through.

Ya, you'll see me back on the mat, you better believe that. In fact, I'm going to do what I can till I can go all out, but believe me, when the time comes, you'll see me tearing it up, you can count on that. So I guess this would be a charge, never give up. Opposition comes, learn from it, if the world starts pressing in, push back... Never Give Up

Go Hard, Or Go Home

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Now playing: LeCrae - Go Hard (feat. Tedashii)
via FoxyTunes
So the Other day, I was hanging out with one of my old Friends at Golds, and somehow we got on the topic of going all out in the gym, "Max out, or Get out!"

Then I started thinking, why don't we do that in everything?

Why is it that people only tend to commit to what is easy and comfortable?

If it is really worth having, then you aren't going to get it easily, and probably not for free.

Take a football game for example, You want to win, but Your opponent wants to crush you, if you only go half way in, game over...

Or take a wrestling match, if you don't give it your all, leave it all on the mat, you will loose, because the opposition isn't planning on going easy, and you shouldn't either.

But this just doesn't go in fitness, it goes in every area of life. If you plan on doing something, do the job, don't commit half way and quit when it gets difficult, it's called overcoming...

Just because School is hard, doesn't mean you quit; that means it's time for you to be discipline, and press a little harder. What I can't stand is when someone tells me they are going to do a job, and they only do a halfway decent job, and expect respect. I would've done the job myself if I would've known you were going to do a crappy job, why would I pay you for that. You need to put pride in what you do.

When I wrestle someone, I go as hard as I can, and when it's over, I look my opponent in the eye, and I shake his hand. If I loose, I gave it my best, what do I have to be ashamed of, or to be upset about? Now if I win, I shake my opponents hand in respect, because he gave it his best, and I wish him the best of luck. But you have to go all out...

So Ya, I think that's good for now...

Go Hard, Give it your all; and if you don't, step down, and go home.

A Compromiser Never Makes An Impact.

So the Other night I was studying James while watching the Olympics, and a thought ran through my head, the thought was "compromisers never make an impact." I started to think about it, then read James 2, and came to realize that compromising is the easy way of saying, "I quit," or that "I'm not strong enough, make it easier." Then I started to wonder, why do Christians compromise?

Where in the Bible does it say we can live like everyone else, or that we should just act "normal" and try to fit in? When thinking about it, two main verses pop into my head, the first of which is 2 Corinthians 6:14 - 17 and James 2: 17 - 19

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil[? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
"I will live in them
and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don't touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.

James 2:17 - 19
So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds." You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[a] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

So if we take a look at the first chunk of scripture, it says "come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves form them…" This is huge. So many people say that they are Christians, but fail to back it up with a lifestyle which leads right in to James 2 where it says Faith without works is Dead. Saying that you believe that God is real simply isn't enough, you have to have something to back up what you believe in, you have to live the Lifestyle.

"Don't call yourself a Christian if you are going to act like that." Pastor Judah Smith said this in a sermon addressing people who don't live up to what they claim to be. He continued to say, "Don't mock the sacrifice of Jesus, of what the disciples went through, of my life by calling yourself a Christian if you act like that." He was very passionate when talking about this, and I started to wonder, do people even know what being a "Christian" means.

Back when the Romans were persecuting the Church, the name Christians came around because they said they acted like little Jesus', they acted like Christ, and they had nothing else to call us. So you call yourself a Christian, do you act like Christ, do people confuse you with God?

I hear so many people say, "I believe in God, that makes me a Christian." when in all actuality, saying I believe in God doesn't really mean anything. James 2 says that Even the Demons in hell believe in God, and Tremble at his name. Faith without works is dead. Faith without the lifestyle to back it up, accounts for nothing.

This leads me to babying people, if you call yourself a leader, or even a Christian for that matter, I've only got three words for you, suck it up. Seriously, when I see someone going back and forth, back and forth it really only tells me two things. All, it tells me is that either you never wanted to quit, and never truly repented, or you simply aren't committed or discipline. I say never repented because when you repent, it's saying, "Lord I'm sorry, I'm going to try not to do it again." That's why I don't Baby people, people need to commit.

Being A Christian isn't supposed to be Easy, that is why you have to pick up your cross daily, you have to die daily. Nothing worth having in life comes for free, it costs you something. What does being Christian cost you, your life. Only when you loose your life will you truly find it. That is what makes Galatians 2:20 so significant. It says, "My old self has been crucified with Christ.[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

There is nothing fun about a crucifixion, it's painful. Galatians 2:20 screams out, "I give you everything." It's more than just an idea, or a statement, it's a lifestyle. When you give your life to Christ, you submit to his authority, and are choosing to do his will instead of your own.

Christ asks for all you've got, is it in you? Are you discipline enough, or are you compromising.