My average morning goes something like this:

There I am all cozy under the sheets, sprawled out like tarp, as comfortable as can be. Nothing could disturb me. Then it happens, a 50 pound weight lands on my chest and throat. Liquid slime begins sticking to my face as a long warm slimy slug crawls about. Slimimng my ears, nose, lips and any other exposed skin.

That's it, my comfort is gone and I am wide awake. My basset hound Mickey has decided it is time to get up, go potty, and play. It doesn't matter if it's 4am, 6 am, or 8 am if he's ready to start his day he makes sure I am too.

God tells us in Romans 13:11-12 And do this (love our neighbors) understanding the present time. The time has come for you to awake from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost over the day is nearly here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Just like my basset hound, God is licking our faces. We are commanded to have a spiritual awakening, to put on our armor. In the next few verses it goes on to tell us to run away from the sins of darkness and clothe ourselves with Christ.

Have you ever noticed that a lot of sin happens under the cover of darkness. Bars, trip clubs, and casinos make their best money at night. People love to hide in their sin where no one can see. God wants us to know that he is going to bring everyone into the light. All sins will be exposed.

We are therefore commanded to WAKE UP NOW! before it's to late. We are to "clothe ourselves with Christ" Romans13:14

It's very clear to me that God is laying on the chests of God warriors and licking our faces. He wants us to wake up, quit being lazy, and get ready for battle. God has called us to a great purpose, we are to help redeem this dying world by sharing the faith. Remember Romans 10:17 Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

How will anyone hear if you don't respond to God licking your face?

Emotions always run high during political seasons. We depend upon our leaders to continue to guide us in paths that are good for our families. I remember as a kid seeing a bumper sticker that said "Don't blame me... I didn't vote for him" I have always found this funny but at the same time it misses the point.

In Romans 13: 1-7 we get an interesting lesson on our leaders. The Bible makes it very clear that "there is no authority except that which God has established". If we believe the word then we must face the fact that good or bad the leaders we have were appointed by God and deserve our "respect and honor".

That is not to say that we don't have the right and responsibility to hold those leaders responsible. We must hold them accountable to God's standards of right and wrong. God constantly called prophets and other people to stand up to the governing authorities. Jesus himself stood up to authorities.

You can honor and respect your leaders while standing up for the truth. The most important part is to make sure your mind has "been renewed,that you will be able to test and approve what God's will is" Romans 12:2

So as God warriors we must:
- Pray for our leaders
- Pray for God's will
- Get involved with our leaders
- Be leaders in truth

We must not:
- disrespect our leaders
- dishonor our leaders
- wish for harm
- allow them to be unaccountable

So whether you voted for him or not. God has appointed our leaders we must obey his word.

When I was a young teenager I decided to do something special for Mom and Dad. I got up early one morning and started the coffee pot. I was going to make them the best coffee ever. I carefully measured the grounds according to the directions on the can. I added the water. I turned it on. Everything was perfect. The coffee dripped out and in almost no time it was done. I then proceeded to pour the coffee and give it to my parents as they got out of bed. I was a great son.

There was just one problem. I had never made coffee before. To be honest I never even paid attention to how it was done. This was apparent as soon as my parents took a sip. I learned quickly that there's this thing called a coffee filter. It keeps the grounds out of the coffee while still releasing their flavor. Who knew?

In my eyes I had done everything right. In the eyes of coffee lovers everywhere I had done everything wrong.

The Bible tells us in Romans12:17 "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone"

It's clear that certain things are sin. Murder, stealing, rape. Other things are very disputed. Alcohol, little white lies, foul language. It seems God has set an unfair standard. Everyone knows you can never please everybody yet that's what we were told to do. That was my first reaction, but let's look at the verse again. It doesn't say to please everyone, just to do what is right.

Alcohol is a great example. By not drinking you don't commit a sin to those that think drinking is a sin. At the same time people that don't think it's a sin won't think "hey, you just sinned because you didn't drink". Thus we can assume choosing not to drink alcohol is right in the eyes of everyone. The same principal applies to the language we use, the entertainment we watch, the activities we participate in.

The real issue here boils down to integrity. If we want to be God warriors we must be people of integrity and character. Read Romans 12:9-21. It sounds like alot of rules, but think of the kind of person who lives this way. It would be hard for anyone to dispute that they are different and serve a mighty and loving God.

So, the next time you make coffee just remember, filter the grounds and check to see if you've filtered your life.