i've been brainwashed

Whats up guys,
I hope you guys enjoyed our last cycle because I thought it was off the chain! We talked about how to build a relationship with Jesus Himself. Man, think about all the relationships that you could build, which would include family, friends, and co-workers. You could have many relationships but we showed you how to build a relationship with the Creator Himself. I know it sounds kind of weird that you could have a friendship with God but it is true and it is soo worth it. Think about this, God says that He..."would never leave you or forsake you", "...I will be with you until the end of the age", "Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ...", "...is a friend that sticks closer than a brother". I grow up with a brother and when we were very small we were inseparable. The bible says that Jesus will be closer to you than a brother. Can you imagine that!!! Well believe it because it is true. The bible also says that " a friend love at all times, and a brother is born for adversity". Now lets think for a moment. The earlier scripture says that He is a "friend" that sticks closer than a "brother". Notice I put quotations around the words I wanted you to focus on, friend and brother. If a friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity then how off the chain is the statement..."He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother". He will love you all the time no matter what especially through the rough times. Trust me, I have been through some rough times and He has always been there to teach me and provide the comfort that I always needed. I could go on about this subject but I will make one last point. I was talking to my brother the other day (funny that we have been talking about brothers because my brother and I were talking about some very important stuff the other day) and we were talking about certain relationships. I made a statement that was pretty deep but very simple at the same time. I told him that a relationship could either help you or hurt you. A relationship with certain people will hurt you and you know it. A relationship with Jesus will help you not only in this lifetime but will guarantee you a spot with Him in eternity. If you remember our last devotional CJ talked about how to get close to God by reading the bible. CJ is our newest devotional writer and he did a great job (give it up for CJ). I know reading sounds boring and it is not a cool thing to do. I understand because I thought the same thing when I was a teenager (not that I am old because I am only a few years older than you so don't get it twisted). I never read the books assigned to us in English so I tried to pay attention in class when we discussed it so that I could get a decent grade on the test. I didn't want to read. It was a waste of time and it was boring. The books didn't interest me anyway. But something happened when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I was excited about this new life and so I wanted to learn more about it. And when I went to church my pastors placed a big importance on reading the bible so that's what I did. At first I didn't know where to start so I started reading from the beginning in the book of Genesis. I didn't have deep understanding about the bible like I do now but I just thought the stories were soo crucial. There were nights where I did not want to put that book down. I know you have this idea that the bible is boring and only for old people who go to church because I thought the same thing. But boy was I wrong. The stories in the bible were off the glass!!! I didn't know that God turned water into blood, that he sent a whole swarm of locust and frogs against the leader who was punishing His people. I didn't know that God sent His own people into wars where no one was left alive but His children. And after the battle they were allowed to take all the treasures of the other armies. Have you ever heard about the story of David and Goliath. David beat a giant with a sling shot and three rocks because God had his back. Then check this out, David cut Goliath's head off and walked miles with it in his hand to Jerusalem. What if you saw someone walking down the street with a head in his hand? CRUCIAL!!! You think the movie "300" was sweet, well God sent an army of 300 people against an army of a million without any weapons. Do you know how they beat that army? They sang. And when they started singing the other army started fighting themselves and ended up destroying each other. Weird but true. God split oceans and defeated whole armies. Hollywood ain't got nothing on the stories in the bible. I am telling you they don't. So as I kept reading I began to become brainwashed. I know it sounds like a bad thing but its actually a good thing. I began to see the way God thinks and so I began to realize how I was supposed to think. Did you know that everyone is brainwashed? Whether its your friends, TV, radio, music or magazines someone is brainwashing you. Why not let the Creator of the universe brainwash you and not these other people who are brainwashing you just so that they can make money off of you? You don't even have to read the bible. You can get it on cd, dvd, or you can download it into your iPod. GET INTO GOD'S WORD. It will transform you into the person He intended you to be. And then you won't be confused about who you are, your identity, or your image. You were made in the image (appearance) and likeness (character) of God. If you don't know that you will never become what you were meant to be. Its all in the bible, God's word to you.

Mick