love mercy

I don't think he is cross dressing Madea is not a man who is dressing like a woman - the character is a masculine woman who has lived life as a thug, but she isn't a thug any more becase she is suppose to be a sweet old lady while she made bad choices she has compassion that people who like to act hyper-spiritual don't necessarily show - so her character can be very comedic. In fact, Madea isn't a Christian - at least not from what I understand - she is poking fun at a lot of stereotypes. I wouldn't categorize Tyler Perry's movies as edifying in fact most of them show religious people living life in America specifically showing an African American perspective, not a Christian Movie (in my opinion) - but it is like most movies. In fact I can't remember a Tyler Perry movie that overtly spoke of the Love of Jesus and his gift of salvation.... so I do agree that Bible believing movies are very rare, but The War Room - not produced by Tyler Perry but Alex Kendrick , Stephen Kendrick and Gary Wheeler ( while I have not watched it yet) has had such positive reviews and it really encouraged many people to trust God in new ways with their prayers, petitions and supplications as the Bible encourages. So while I agree with you, I think that we need to be aware that Christianity isn't about people who go to church, but it is about people who have a God who is not ashamed of us and made a way for us to identify with him by dying on the Cross and being resurrected so that we are no longer clothed in sin but the righteousness of Jesus who gave it all - his life, blood, and broken body to give us an abundant life. I pray that you will be guided by the true creator to write plays that ignite hearts on fire for his Kingdom.

sorry, was just trying to delete my original post.

You have received some very encouraging words and I just want to encourage you as well because you are making the best decision ever by seeking God with all your heart, your mind and your soul because he is with you and he loves you and is just waiting for you to receive him for who he is. He loves you just as you are now and wants you. Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a]For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Having doubts will strengthen your faith when you pursue the truth because then you will receive greater truth...please don't be ashamed to have doubts...God is mighty and he will show you the truth if you will humble yourself and ask him to show you.

My heart breaks hearing the difficult situation you are in. I know your mom loves you but no one should put their hands on you in anger. I am sorry that she beat you up - you don't deserve it and you don't deserve an ultimatum. Ultimately, this ultimatum makes you think that you have very little options but in Christ you have many choices and God is able to direct your steps. As you pray to your heavenly Father, be confident that he will respond to you. You can move out and have christian roommates who are females and they will be a great support to you and you to them. Talk to your pastor and get surrounded by the love of Jesus. There are so many options. You have worked hard and you have been diligent in your studies and you will reap the reward. The Bible tells us to obey our parents and while this was not something I did well, I see the wisdom of this scripture in my older years. If your mom doesn't want you to be with this guy then obey - trust God to change your mom's heart if this is the husband he has for you. Paul Washer talked about his experience of wanting to marry his now wife, but her dad said no (he was not a believer and certainly didn't want her to marry a pastor) - so he accepted it and broke the relationship off in respect to her father, a few months later the same man contacts Pastor Washer and told him that he never met a man with that integrity and he wanted him to marry his daughter. It seems impossible, but think about it - God is leading you and while your mom may not be perfect she is still your mother and if God is using her to give you a sign to stay away from this guy then you want to obey and when your mom affirms that this young man is a gentleman you will know that God's hand was on the situation. I hope you will find that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord and as you continue to seek God's voice and obey - then you will make wise choices that don't just feel good for a moment, but will multiply joy and blessings beyond your expectations.

Dear StJoek - I am praying for your right now. May God help you and may you open your hands to receive. I have faith to believe that you will experience the love of Jesus in a profound way. Jesus understands the suffering - he came not for the righteous but the sinners. I know you are a believer, but I just want to assure you that Jesus loves you and he the Christ is with you. I won't give you advice, but I will share a little of my life to illustrate a point. My mom has had a serious mental health issue my whole life, but God gave me a father who shielded me from a lot until he died - now I rely completely on God because it is too hard to explain things and its too hard to risk being vulnerable. It is like I am a porcupine and I end up hurting people if they get too close and so I built these imaginary walls that I think protect me, but makes me feel lonely...I saw that when I made the first step in talking with my pastor...the flood gates opened and I was overwhelmed with support. I'm not talking about having visitors or people attempting to help me, but I made genuine friends who didn't know my situation because when I spoke to the pastor...God helped me to open my heart a little more and admit that I needed help. I actually never got to talk to the pastor about my mom, the conversation was God led and I received what I needed. I came with the intention of confessing and receiving prayer and I ended up experiencing the very dramatic love of Jesus. God has a beautiful plan for you and your wife.I think healing begins in our hearts. I know that the affliction that you both are experiencing is impossible to cope with on your own and so I praise God for he will lead you in a path where you will see that JESUS IS SUFFICIENT - he will provide all the love and healthy friendships that will enhance your life. I want to respect your wishes and not give you advice, so please know that I am praying for you. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5: 14

sorry...I just had to add something... you've heard it before that you need to guard the thoughts of your mind (2 Corinthians 10:5 - take every thought captive, this will definitely help you sleep, the Bible says whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things....find the blessings and praise God. Look at the life of Jesus and praise God. Give your concerns to God and thank him because you know that the PEACE OF GOD, which transcends (surpasses) all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (read Philippians 4:7-8) Let Jesus Christ be your focus just like when the snake was killing the Israelites in the wilderness and God told Moses to form a bronze snake so that those who are bitten can be healed by looking at the snake - look at Jesus and you will see him at work in your life. Spend time praying to God reminding yourself of the mighty things he has done and proclaiming that you know he can do the impossible in your life. I find that even if I stay up all night praying, that I have strength in the morning and feel well rested but most times I will be sleepy after an hour...believe it or not you can be still and pray and know that he is God and he will do the rest!

Dear Sight, My heart breaks for your experience. I relate very well as I cared for my dad during the last two years of his life and saw how illness attempted to rob him of joy but took away some of his dignity, but he walked closer with the Lord and I consequently became a believer. I was unemployed being fired from my dream job and my mother was just diagnosed with a very disruptive mental health issue. I hear you when you say that you needed deliverance yesterday. I hear you when you talk of the pain of picking up your father who is suffering and moreover God hears you. I will agree with you in prayer for God is good to complete the good work he began in us and God is love so I know that he will answer you...his arm is not too short to reach you. I hope I can bring you encouragement because now even though things can get difficult...I promise you that I look back and I see God's hand in my life and I would've been destroyed had he not carried me, but I didn't always recognize his provision, his grace, compassion, mercy and love in the moment, but it was very real and I know you will see it in your life. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right handand says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

I am sorry to hear of the devastating storm hitting your marriage. While I can't offer any similar experiences since I am single I wanted to stop and agree with you in prayer - may God give you beauty for ashes.

Dear Seemore - thank you for sharing your experience even though it may expose you - it shows that your heart is open to the gospel which you are proclaiming to believe even though its not resonating with you the way it had previous to this period of despair. I hope that you will remember that you are not alone even though the enemy - the world, Satan and our negative thoughts are trying to back you in the corner with these lies - remember greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. You never did anything to deserve salvation - Jesus died on the cross when you were still his enemy so you CAN NOT do anything to lose it - Jesus' grace is sufficient for you. I'm not telling you anything new that you don't already know but I am reminding you as you are bombarded by feelings that are trying to rob you of the truth that you know. Take heart in knowing that Elijah came to that point where he also wanted to die because he thought he was alone and God wasn't moving the way that he wanted. He had faith to believe that God would send down fire, but he needed to learn that God's ways are perfect...God is not going to follow a formula because that takes away the relationship of knowing God, but God is encouraging you to get into a more intimate place with him - where he will fully cover you. I personally don't understand what in the movies was upsetting you to the point that you felt such despair, but I think as you look for the root of that sin whether it was pride or self righteousness - confess it to the Lord to understand what the root of it is. Were you just frustrated that your wife doesn't understand the gospel the way that you do? (I'm not try to be controversial, I just don't understand) This tribulation is troubling and I don't want to make light of it but as an outsider I see that God is crafting something beautiful -just do what your doing...confess, repent and proclaim the goodness of God because he is worthy to be praised. Don't do anything to win favor with man, but just be as real and authentic in your walk and know that you are not alone.

Thanks to everyone that responded. I'm not a new Christian but God in his grace showed me the condition of my heart. God is love and as I learn to forgive and ask people to forgive me for my arrogance and self righteous attitude, the lighter I am feeling. I know it is a matter of daily surrender to the maker of Heaven and Earth for in his wisdom he made me for such a time as this. I don't need to look to the left nor the right, but trust the path that I am on because God will finish the good work he began in me. I guess I was hoping to hear how others have dealt with this issue of sin specifically regarding envy, but I know that only God can help me....so thanks for your feedback. I am content with what I have but I want to do more in my life...I live in a house, have food, clothing and a nice part-time job - but every so often I will meet someone who is a doctor, a lawyer, a pastor, a mom, a missionary - all that I am impressed with and then I get a little envious. I don't brood about it in fact the feeling is so subtle that it has taken me some time to even recognize the condition of my heart. If I am with someone who is struggling I don't necessarily become prideful, but I just feel more comfortable with them - maybe because I can relate to them. I just wanted to add that sharing the gospel and making disciples doesn't change the condition of my heart - I love encouraging others to seek God and to walk humbling with the Lord, but that type of doing is not loving people. I have had the blessing to mentor some young people and have been in relationship with them for four years (immediately being called to disciple others upon following the Lord) but I still need to let the love of Jesus take primary real estate in my heart....and I say this because I was hoping others would share practical tips on how to replace prideful actions with loving actions once I asked God for forgiveness. I know the Holy Spirit is in me and I don't want to grieve him so I want to be be attuned to positioning my heart to love the way Jesus loves. For example, Pastor Ingram shared that he had noticed that envy was creeping up on him when another writer was getting a lot of positive attention. It was out of the ordinary for him to feel that way, but he repented and took action to rectify the situation by praying for the individual and then sending the author some encouragement. (what I've learned and I am still learning) I know that I am not alone in feeling these types of emotions because it comes from a desire to get love and I don't want to look for love in the wrong places - adulation and praise are not for me, but for the great I am who provides my every need. I crave adulation and praise maybe because I don't spend enough time Thanking God for everything...so, I thank you for you advice which was wise and caring. I praise God for the words and thoughts that you sent my way. May you each be blessed as I send my sincere gratitude to each of you.

Today I watched a video from Chip Ingram and for the first time I realized that as I compare myself to others I fall either into pride - thinking that I am better off than someone else or envy - because I seem to have less. I tend to be more envious than prideful, but I certainly do both. I am in prayer over this but I just wanted to hear what others have to say on this topic . I hope to read personal experiences and tips on what you may have learned along the way as you surrendered your pride or envy to God. I tend to feel more comfortable with people that are financially struggling and I never feel comfortable around affluent people. I know God is working in my heart to let love be at the forefront of my heart and I know that this Bible study is answered prayer. I use to attend a church that had affluent people that I never truly felt that I could relate to and now I am at a church with young hipsters and as I am learning to put my identity in who Christ says I am - I am still struggling with pride and envy. I just want to admit this problem and get support to really learn to trust in the Lord to get me through this stronghold. (not that it is terribly relevant, I didn't switch churches because of the way I felt, but because I believe God was calling me to my current church as I needed a place to worship that was within walking distance to my home) Thanks in advance for any encouragement or suggestions.