Over the summer I had the pleasure of working on a skit with my brother in Christ Greg Brown. He wrote and directed the skit and I agreed to be one of the main characters. Sometimes we have to remember what the gospel is all about, we are tempted to feel that we have to obtain God’s gift of salvation or even be “good enough” to receive it. It is not about our accomplishments or resumes, it’s about what Christ wants to accomplish in us. All you need is a willing heart and God will do a change in your life from the inside out. Look to Jesus keep your eyes on Him and live!
AuthorMarcGotCalledOut
For some sin and temptation is a struggle even after the new birth. I have definitely been there. Even having a sincere love of Jesus and coming to Him with all of my heart or to the best of my ability I struggled with doubt, lust, and unforgiveness. With that being said this post isn’t for the man or woman who is attempting to accept salvation but wants to continue in sin as if God doesn’t know what a truly regenerated heart looks like. This is for believers who are trusting in Jesus for salvation, mourning over their sin, and believing in the true grace which is to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the things that please God. If you have fallen into sin and are feeling unworthy of the calling been given to you, I pray that this is an encouragement. Continue reading
A few weeks ago The Reaper Squad (evangelism ministry and my family in Christ) went to Lexington Market, Baltimore Maryland to share the love of Jesus with anyone who would listen. It is a blessing to be a part of what God is doing and to be in fellowship with brothers and sisters who are on fire for Jesus and encourage one another to go deeper in relationship with Him. Anyway checkout this short video I put together. We spread the gospel, healed the sick, rebuked evil spirits, and brought glory to Jesus’ name.
When I think back to when the Lord first removed the blinders off my eyes, I could remember being sooo hungry spiritually. I would read the word for hours, talk about Jesus to those closest to me, and ask fellow believers for their testimonies. I also began to search the internet for sermons, bible commentaries, and teachings. I wanted to take the word in all the time so I would lay back with my headphones on listening to sermons, podcast, and youtube videos about God. The internet can do many great things in building the faith of Christians all over the world. It gives us a chance to view testimonies and teachings that otherwise wouldn’t be available to us in our hometowns. Many of us are discipled by people from afar because there is a spiritual famine in our local churches. Over the years God has lead me to some powerful ministries that helped me grow in the Lord when I felt I didn’t have anyone to disciple me. However because of the world wide web we also have access to false teachings like never before. We are in the last days and scripture says that these days are going to be full of deception. Continue reading
“I’ll get to it tomorrow”,”just one more episode”, and my favorite, “I can only do my best work under pressure”. Do these pitiful excuses sound familiar to you? I honestly believe that procrastination is a character flaw that we all can identify with at one point in time or another. We live in a culture that has conditioned us to constantly crave entertainment. There are so many forces fighting for our time. Back in the day we only had cable television. Now we have “on-demand” services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, in which we can almost always find just what we want to watch or spend over an hour just searching for it if what we are looking for is not there. We have multiple (anti) social media accounts that can leave us scrolling through our smartphones aimlessly in almost a vegetative state. It seems so harmless on the surface but it is actually a part of our flesh that we will have to resist. These devices are nothing but tools to keep us zoned out, zombie like, and ineffective. The Bible warns us about laziness and its ramifications. Continue reading
Do you remember the wonderful season when we first entered into our new life in Christ? The season when we realized that, we are made new, the blinders have been removed from our eyes, attitudes have changed, and we know for certain that we are loved and valued by the Most High God. Life with Jesus was so amazing to us, all we wanted to do is learn and spend time with Him. There was no doubt in our minds that becoming a follower of Christ was the best decision we could have ever made. But shortly after that the turbulence came like flying in a small jet over the Pacific. If you’re like me no one told us about the troubles that will arise once you gave your life to Christ. I didn’t know that our lives would turn into a 12 round fight and that Satan and his minions were trying to knock us out cold.
Many people in the church are completely asleep to this fight, this struggle, this invisible war as many call it. Many don’t understand why depression has taken over our minds, marriages are on the ropes, lust consumes our thoughts, and persecution is coming from those closest to us. When we accepted Christ we signed up for a fight and enlisted into a war. Failure to realize this truth can cost greatly. Satan our enemy wants to go undetected banking on the believer’s ignorance so that he can overtake them. To those of us who say that we shouldn’t pay Satan any mind you are going completely against scripture. Waking up to this reality is what God instructs us to do. If you have ever been in a fight you know that you have to be alert and on your guard if you want to get the win. In addition to being alert we have to know who and what we are up against.
If you grew up in the western part of the world you probably remember hearing the story of Noah’s Ark as a child even if your parents didn’t take or send you to church every Sunday. Typically children’s books on Noah’s Ark depict the story as a joyous occasion with cartoon like animals with smiles boarding the Ark as if it was a new ride at Universal Studios. Looking back on things as an adult this “light hearted” children’s story is actually about God’s just decision to destroy all life on earth. The purge of all human beings save 8, Noah and his family. Evil covered the earth and mankind’s thoughts were wicked continually. This grieved God and He decided to start over by purging the Earth with waters from above and below. The only way to escape the destruction was to get on the Ark God commanded Noah to build. Yes because of man’s wickedness God felt sorrow and regretted creating man.
Centuries later Jesus Christ himself said, “But as in the days of Noah so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. In other words, when Jesus Christ returns the world and the people in it will be in the same wicked condition as when Noah and his family entered the Ark.
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.- Isaiah 9:6
I know this time of year is designed to lure consumers into every shopping arena imaginable, I understand that some celebrations that take place this time of year are rooted in paganism. I also get that December 25th is most likely not the day my Lord and savior was born. However I’m not worried about when He was born because I just love to celebrate the fact THAT He was born. Christmas still remains a special time of year for me. Family and friends coming together, sitting down to eat home cooked meals, and most importantly reflecting on the Birth of the my Lord and closest friend Jesus Christ. Some would argue that celebrating Him this time of year is offensive and dare I say blasphemous. I would say that the Father judges the intents of the heart and is pleased with all those who honor the son (refer to John 5:23).
If it is a pagan holiday the enemy is sure working overtime to remove Christ from it (ie x-mas, Santa Clause etc.). This year I found myself craving to see an Nativity Scene, and they are becoming more and more rare as the years go by. That in itself is a sign of the times. Honoring the birth of the savior of the world is what makes Christmas CHRISTmas. I agree that we as Christians need not be wrapped up in commercialism and material desires during this season or any other, but we still have an opportunity to educate those who may not know Jesus as to why this time of year is so special to some of us. Let us considering bringing Jesus to the malls and holiday parties for the sake of the gospel. The spirit of God is living in us and we should use every opportunity we have to share Him with the world.
Hello everyone, let me introduce myself, I’m Marcus aka MarcGotCalledOut. I’m excited to be writing my first post on the Drawing Near Blog it really has been a long time coming. The Drawing Near blog seeks to glorify God and His son Jesus through sketches, photos, and articles that will build up the body of Christ.
You are sure to find a wide variety of topics addressed from a biblical point of view. It is my prayer that this platform will be used by the body of Christ build up one another. We should all have a place where we can sharpen our swords. I hope to hear from you as we share each others testimonies and experiences with God.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. – 1 Thessalonias 5:11
© 2024 Drawing Near
Theme by Anders Norén — Up ↑
Recent Comments