"The Glory of the God dwells within me..."

First off i apologize for how long it has been since i have posted anything. It has been an insanely busy time for Luminate. I've have been on the road for 5 weeks now, and still have 3 left. God is doing AMAZING things everywhere we go, and lives are being restored, renewed, and overall changed!

Now if your reading this blog, then i know that God want's to challenge you to do something crazy spiritual with Him and for Him. Ask God to Erase all the crap we have been taught in church and religion, and only leave the truth that has been distorted. Ask Him to teach you HIM! Read his word, speak to him, and be bold to speak when your spirit is prompted to do so and you will see CHANGE, HOPE, JOY, AND LOVE take place before your eyes in yourself and everyone who you come in contact with. It's a journey and a long walk, but my hope is to inspire to be willing to take the chance of truly living for Christ!

Here we go...

Collosians has become one of my favorite books of the bible lately. I guess because it is one of those new testament chapters that just lays it out for you, plain and simple. Yet there is so much meaning behind every word and line.

Collosians 2:6-10 -
6. "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirit of the world, and not according to Christ. 9. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

I bolded certain lines for importance.

This verse is directed to new or current followers of Christ. This could be the life verse for all people who long to be relevant Christ Followers. People who are willing to accept the full authority and power that Christ has given them. God is love yes, but what about the masculine side of Christ? The side of God that moves mountains defeats armies, raises the dead, is righteous, and just. This is the side that MOST christians decide to neglect or deem "irrelevant" to the days society. Thats what verse 8 is saying! We have become "WATERED DOWN" sissy christians who are afraid to have command and rule over the darkness that is stealing, killing, and destroying our nations!

We are afraid to hand over the power of life, sickness, heath, disease, depression, and addiction to the father and allow ourselves to be a CONDUIT of that Glory and power that comes from God alone. When you accept Christ INTO your life and soul, he is IN you! Simple to say hard to live by, trust me :).

Im gonna stop writing now, if you want to see what else God is speaking to you in this area on a personal level, read that verse again, and again and physically say out loud. "God speak to me, show me what this means for me on my personal walk and journey following you." EXPECT Him to answer, he want's nothing more than to show us and communicate with us.

You are loved beyond comprehension!

You are in my prayers, Please keep me in yours as we fight the process that cripples this nation.


Sincerely
Samuel Jay Hancock
twitter.com/samluminate

Trusting with Faith Like a Child...

As humans we dwell on the uncertain things in our lives. We ask ourselves questions like "What is gonna happen to me if, "this" happens." "How am I gonna take care of this?" "Whats gonna happen to us?".

We even venture on to make decisions for these questions when they haven't even come yet like "If "this" happens, I'll do "this" or "that".

It is okay and necessary to make future decisions for things such as Moral conduct, Relationship standards, and Ethic views. The things I am referring to are Insecurities and worry's that haunt us all on a daily basis.

Here's what the word say's. Try not to run it through the Sunday school filter, Dig in to its meaning. Read it three times slowly and grab hold of the words.

Proverbs 3
5. Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6. In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7. Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8. It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.

One thing I've been chewing is this. If it is prideful to worry, and all pride is sin then we are sinning every time we fail to put complete whole-hearted trust in God.

This concept is so much deeper than we travel into it. Everyone and their mom says "I put my trust in God!" Then why are we still so stuck in worrying about our well being. I know i am a broken record when i say this but it resounds and stays true.

Following Christ revolves around one major concept. FOLLOWING. Following, however is an endless number of things. As a child i remember a peace and a safety I had in holding my Mom or Dads hand. We where so quick to put our lives and our trust in the hands of our parents, and follow them where ever they went! Why? I believe God uses that to get our attention and mirror what he wants for us to do with Him now.

Matthew 18:
2. And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them
3. and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus is asking us to become like children why!?! Because they have COMPLETE FAITH IN THEIR PARENTS! I'm not sure what happens but as we get older, we get allot dumber. We learn all this junk, and gain all of this "KNOWLEDGE" that we have to unlearn again to truly be in the Hands of God. That to me is one of my biggest pursuits. Everyday I have to say:

"God take me as I am, Do with me what you want, and Help me Fight the processes i have been taught my whole life and fill me with your spirit so I can live in it, by it, and through it and TRULY FOLLOW YOU WHOLE-HEARTEDLY."

One of those process that WE MUST FIGHT is the statement that says, "I can control what happens to me" or "If i do this, this will happen so i know i will be successful if i can just get this to happen."


IF WE LIVE A LIFE OF PURSUIT OF OUR SAVIOR, IF WE REALLY FOLLOW JESUS. ALL THINGS WILL FALL INTO HIS PLAN. IN HIS PERFECT PLAN THERE IS NO FEAR, WORRY, OR INSECURITY. THERE IS HOPE, ABUNDANCE IN LIFE, AND A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE!

I pray that if you are reading this you find peace and hope in a Loving God, and a in return you receive a burning passion to follow Christ that your pride CAN NOT SILENCE!

My heart is heavy for us all! I put my trust in God!

Much love,
Samuel Jay Hancock

Humility in a God Centered Life

Greetings and Blessings,

One of my biggest struggles in this life, and im sure one of yours, is Pride. Pride is the root of all sin. We sin to fulfill our own desires, we sin to get our way, we sin to have control over every situation, leaving God to be the SPECTATOR OF OUR LIVES not the ORCHESTRATOR OF HIS PLAN FOR OUR LIVES.

I am writing this from experience. I spent most of my life being self-absorbed, self-reliant, and in the end self-disappointed. It's a struggle to stay away from that mindset. It is one of the major parts of our flesh that can only be fought by connecting with the Spirit. Every time a thought comes in your head the spirit prompts you and nudges you saying "did you really just say that?" or "did you really just respond with that?"

We have to "raise our white flags" every time we do it. There is only one thing worse than being prideful. Being stubborn/prideful about being prideful. I was convinced that I was in NO WRONG, when in all reality i was just making myself callused or numb to the spirit slapping me in the face. What was I thinking? I wasn't. We are all human, and thats what makes seeing this problem so difficult. Society and Culture says "Get what you want out of life, even if it means hurting someone or losing someone." or even this one: "Don't let anyone or anything get in the way of your dreams." Really? What about God? Or do we even ask Him anymore? Or maybe we just think that because we "believe in Him" that gives us automatic blessing over every decision in our lives. With my whole heart i believe this is wrong and it is killing "Christians".

God has a plan for our lives and if you don't know what it is, It might be because you haven't asked with with a heart of desire for HIS will and Humility. HUMILITY IS AN ACTION, just like LOVE. We have to act out the decision to be Humble in every situation.

I know i might be getting intense but I am rebuking myself too! This is something i battle daily. God is merciful, but please, please, please DO NOT SETTLE FOR MEDIOCRITY!!! My heart breaks every time I think of this world of believers and unbelievers alike ignorant to the lies they believe about "Being a good person" getting them a blessed life and even eternity. Eternity is not that Cheap. It will Cost you EVERYTHING, but it will gain you EVERYTHING.

My Challenge is this:

Jesus Christ humbled himself to become a MAN (a) to please His Father (b) to lay his life down for debt of our sins (c) to save us from the lies that Satan started years ago in the garden with Eve.

So WHY!?! is it so hard for a Christ Follower to admit He/She is wrong before God and the one they committed the offense to?

The bible is very clear on what Humility is.
And i want the words to come from God so read Philippians 2:1-11.

I love you all very much, and I pray with thanksgiving that WE ALL will seek God daily to get rid of the pride in our hearts.

You are loved beyond comprehension, Fight the Process!

Sincerely
Samuel Jay Hancock

www.twitter.com/SamLuminate
www.myspace.com/SamHancock
www.myspace.com/Luminate

"Why are they happy all the time?" - "Is it fake?"

I hope this finds you well, blessed, and captivated by our loving Father.

I was reading April 14th's devotion out of "My Utmost for His HIghest" and an important truth stood out. It hit home with me because i realized that I am one of these people Chambers was referring too.

A common misconception is that Christians think that they have to create a fake persona at all times for the sake of impressing other people or they try not to bring others down. In reality this is false. Here is my understanding of this topic.

1. God Loves His Children
2. His Children Go through difficult times on this earth
3. God Chastens or Disciplines the ones He loves!

It's not that God is running around punishing his Children like a mean abusive father, but He does, however, allow things to happen. (a). because all things will bring glory to his name in the midst of trials and sorrow. and (b). because He knows sometimes that is the only way to draw us near to him.

My point and Oswald Chambers' point seems to be this. If you are going through a moment when you think you can't get through the day or through a sorrow, heartache, or a huge loss. Remember that God is there, He is faithful, and He is going to use that situation to bring for the Kingdom of Heaven one way or another! :) And that is something to have hope and Joy in. This is the TRUE JOY of Christ! A joy that withstands the power of death, destruction, and sorrow. We all cry and there is a time of morning and loss. My challenge is this, Do not dwell on it so long that you lose sight of your purpose drivin life. Also It's good to go to your brothers and sisters in Christ to help lift you up and encourage you, but know there is Hope in all situations.

So when you see a person who is "To Happy all the time", Please don't be quick to judge and say "they're just being fake and covering up their problems." I am convinced that if we all realized and lived out the preceding text, Then every situation and hard time in our life would be PROOF that God loves us and has his hand in our lives. He is taking us through things to bring us closer to Him and to give us another glimpse and understanding of his plan for us.

And that is something worth smiling about all the time.

You are Loved beyond comprehension!

Keep fighting the process!!
Continue to live in and through the Spirit of Christ!

Sincerely,

Samuel Jay Hancock

Following Christ, by the Words of Christ...

I know some questions that we all ask on a daily basis are:

"How do I be a true Christ follower?"
"How do I live a life like Christ today?"

If we are truly wanting to be a "Christian" than we should be asking those questions. What this does is it stirs up our spirits to pursue the ways of our Creator and we end up maturing our Spirit that Christ put in us! In return we will see our lives looking more and more like Christ when we:

"ASK, SEEK, THEN DO"

The scripture that stirred me up to write this blog is Luke 9:23-27. Jesus was hanging with the disciples alone. He went on to tell them about the Death on the Cross that was to come. They where in Shock first of all, and didn't really get it. But the words Jesus went on to say could be one of the most simply explained way to be a TRUE CHRIST FOLLOWER.

Luke 9:23And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

This is Crazy stuff. Now we all know that Jesus wasn't being literal when he says "Take up your CROSS daily." He was using his death as a metaphor for us. He is asking us to Die to our PRIDE, OUR HUMAN NATURE, AND WORLDLY DESIRES. Now this does NOT mean, "Great I can't have anymore fun." The beauty of this passage hold's one the most VITAL secrets in the bible i think.

If we lay down our pride, dreams, and ambitions before God and VERBALLY proclaim to him:

"God you are the author of my life, and my Loving Father. I want to live a life like Christ today, that brings true glory to Your name. I forfeit my agenda and plans for today to be Molded, Shaped, and Orchestrated by your hand and will. If there is someone I come in contact with who needs your touch, My spirit WILL be sensitive and do what you have willed.

If we really pray this prayer DAILY after spending time with him, I am CONVINCED that we will see supernatural fruit in our lives. We won't get stuck in the ever so popular "Spiritual Ruts" we get so comfortable in. We will live a life of purpose, passion and we will be at PEACE with God for the rest of our days. I know it is hard and only Christ can hold us up, but the ONLY way is to Live daily is to DIE DAILY!

We are all in this together!

There is Hope, if you read this blog know you are loved and you are in my prayers daily!

Sincerely
Samuel Jay Hancock

twitter.com/samluminate
myspace.com/samhancock
myspace.com/luminate

God is faithful and I am thankful...

Hey!

Hope your all doing well, and your hope is strong!

A couple of things have been on my heart. One is "Why and How is God faithful to me?". Secondly "Am I living like I am Thankful?".

God's faithfulness really can not be summed up into words. In a nut-shell, God sent his son down in the form of a man to die and bear all of the sins past, present and future. He took them on Himself and put them to death, so that they would be no more. The concept alone is nothing short of Divine Intervention. We no longer have to wonder around ignorant to the ways of God due to the sin committed by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. We no longer are slaves to a "SYSTEM" or "PROCESS" that says "Do what feels good at the moment no matter what the consequences are!" That and so many more lies died with Christ on the cross, and all that remains in Love, Hope, and Mercy.

What is my reaction to God's faithfulness in this regard??

A LIFE of true THANKFULNESS!

A life of thankfulness isn't just walking around with a smile on your face so that the world can say wow he looks thankful. Thankfulness that is a result of God's faithfulness is a completely different animal. It is having peace in the midst of the worst struggles on this earth, it is living a life that brings nothing but Glory to God, It is forgetting the lie that we are simply "sinners saved by grace" and realizing that the scriptures say:

"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN."

This means that the result of God's faithfulness to Cleanse us from all sin, is true heartfelt thankfulness. There is not a moment in this life as a Christ Follower that overcomes or should distort that thankfulness! A life of thankfulness is a life that Glorifies God with every word, action, and thought. I know that no one is perfect, my argument is no one has truly given their ENTIRE life over to Christ can fill every single crevice or hiding place in their heart.

My only urge to you and myself is that we DAILY hand over our garbage to God. WHY? Because he is FAITHFUL. If we realize that handing our garbage to God and exposing our darkness to the light, we allow him fill us up with nothing but Him, we would see what a life of thankfulness and hope truly looked like, and we would act it out in Faith and a boldness that would cause even the hardest heart to break and run to Christ.

Well I hope this encouraged you! :)

Pursue Him DAILY, Pursue him with Thankfulness, and You will feel and see Him in an awesome life altering way!

We are in this together, My heart and prayers are with you!

Much Love,
Samuel Jay Hancock

twitter.com/SamLuminate

Judgement, and Desperation to bring Glory to God through my life

Well, Here i am again...

I don't know if it's the weather or what, but I've been low lately. I'm not going to bring glory to the darkness, but I feel attacked lately. I find myself struggling with things i thought i was over. I find myself speaking things over people that I thought i didn't speak anymore, find my self in fear what what will happen to me, Find my self not being able to trust the one's i Love most.

In other words, my temple has been disgusting, unrighteous, and filthy, and the world around me including "Christianity" says it's ok. Well I know it's NOT! For I live to please the Father, no man can tell me otherwise.

I decided to get back in the Word today, and I did one of those "God I'm gonna open up the Bible and I want you to make it what i need to read." Sometimes this works, others it's totally random and has nothing to do with what your going through. But today, It was. Romans 2. "God's Righteous Judgement" ESV.

You need to read it cause all of those things above, the struggles, the slander, the fear, and the judgment of others went right out the window when i read those words.

I am thankful, I TRUST only God for he only knows what is right for me. And i can not stress enough.... STAY IN THE WORD ON A DAILY AND INTIMATE BASIS! And go to God in prayer with THANKSGIVING IN YOUR HEART!!!! Thank God for what he is GOING to do. My prayer today is this...

"God I love you, I need you, I surrender once again to your word. Thank you for the call in my life to love your people, and speak truth that glorifies your name, and draws people to you. I forfeit my own fleshly desires and wants, they are fickle are short-lived." I choose your will, and Life that glorifies your name. No amount of fame or fortune will taint, stain, or pull me away for your will. Holy Spirit live in me, Jesus live through me, and God Consume me with your love. Give me the heart of Paul, to live my life as Christ did"

Be blessed, Be Loved

Don't be just another Christian, Stand firm and be a Paul in your everyday life.

Yours Truly and Thankfully
Samuel Hancock

twitter.com/SamLuminate
myspace.com/luminate