I love being a mother, but 79% of the time I feel like a broken record. Repeating my commandments (rules), and divvying out proper punishments when they aren't followed.

"No! We don't play in the dog food, it's yucky!"

"Please! Stop making a mess, you'll have to clean it up!"

"No, we don't hit, son, that isn't kind!" ....

In the face of a child we see the very raw form of mankind. It's rebellion and potential for both good and evil, even whilst we are innocent to what is good and bad. We learn very quickly how to lie and manipulate. As if it is second nature to us.

As parents, we have our jobs cut out for us to remove such nature, to restrain it and teach our children to do the same. In order to function as a society, rules and restraints are necessary. Upholding morality and the rights of others is in line with the Will of God and breeds peace and prosperity. And in fact, it also does the body, mind, and spirit good!

Without learning self control we would indulge in our every whim. Drinking what we wanted, eating what we wanted, spending what we wanted, never truly satisfied. Our bodies would suffer from such a selfish lifestyle, and those we love would also suffer for it. Our prisons are full of people who simply couldn't control their primal urges, who placed their selfish wants above the welfare of others.

As Christians, we know the importance of rules, obedience, and submission most of all. The world views us as "enslaved", "held back" by our self control. Ironically, they do not see that their selfish (undisciplined) life style is doing that exact thing.

They are chained down by sin, unable to break free of their addictions and selfish impulses, a slave to their flesh and its desires. Is that really freedom?

True freedom comes through self discipline, surrender to God, and following His commandments. When we fast, for example, we are forcing our flesh back into its proper place where it cannot rule us. As creatures of worship we WILL worship something, even if we are atheists! Something will always rule over us—but if God rules over us we will be truly free.

God merely wants a relationship with us, as His children. His commandments and His discipline are done so that we may be free of sin and live a full/prosperous life. As I discipline my son, I do so because I love him and want him to be free to make choices and be independent someday.

What is unpleasant for him today, will reap joy for him in abundance tomorrow as he begins to make the right choices automatically. As other parents struggle with their selfish teens, trying to force them to comply, my son will have already learned and "earned" the fruits of obedience which in turn would lead to freedom.

I see it all around me. People who need set free but do not see it. They come to church wanting a band-aide, someone to fix their problems (the outcomes of their life styles) but unwilling to submit to self discipline, thinking: where's the fun in being good?, what do I gain by submission to God and His rules?

Such lost souls never really grew up. They hate authority and anyone telling them what they should do, just like children who despise rules, unable to see how they exist to protect them and their rights.

Today, churches are caving for the sake of filling their pews. They want their buildings full and their tithe boxes fuller. They've lost the way...they've cutaway all the aspects of God that convict the heart and soul to change. The Jesus who flipped tables now is the Jesus who doesn't really get angry about anything.

We cannot forget our mission! Why we exist! It's not to pat everyone on the back and say "you're doing fine," meanwhile they are not doing fine! They're on a highway to hell! And if we cared about them at all we would risk telling them! We would give them a choice and let me tell you no matter how you put it to them it is a hard choice! It requires self death! A severing of what our flesh craves for the sake of Christ and redemption—eternal life!

Just as the parent who spares the rod HATES their children! So does the church who spares the rod of truth—HATES the children of God!

The church and many of us, care more about what others think of us more so than what God thinks. We've grown afraid and insecure, selfish even about our image and our identities (which are wrapped up in church and our positions more so than as children of God).

We worship the image of church, of modern Christianity. We've made it an idol—removing the true God from and replacing Him with something of our own liking.

If this makes you feel sick to your stomach good!! That is a feeling every Christian needs to feel again, that convicting spirit that discerns what is righteous and what needs cut away.

I say all of this because we are living in unprecedented times. Very soon we will all have to take a side. We can no longer sit on the fence (the grey area) between the world and God. As persecution rises the church will be pruned and many "churches" will fall away. We need to re-evaluate what we believe and to what extent we are willing to stand on those beliefs.

Would you be arrested for Jesus?

Would you be beaten for Him?

Martyred?

Would you stand on the whole truth (the Word of God from cover to cover)?

Will you clearly say to evil, "this is wrong!" Even as the world attacks you and labels you for it?

As I look at my sweet son, after an ornery episode, I think to myself, "I love you too much to let you stay in that place of disobedience. You're so much more than that! You have a very good heart and future ahead of you."

The same goes for all the children out there and adults, who are lost or struggling with their faith. I see them and, if you ask God He will show you what He sees when He looks at them. I see the image of God, I see all the amazing qualities that make them unique and loved, and it's just all muddied over by sin and deception, like buried gold waiting to be found.

No one is truly whole. Their complete selves. We are only seeing a glimpse of who they are. And it's God's joy to help each of us become who He created us to be.

Submit to Him, let go of your "self" and you might actually find yourself.

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