Partiality and my tattoos

I meant to write this blog on Monday night. My best man of my wedding Kevin told me I should write on my blog as soon as it came to me. Well during and after my shower that night the Lord showed me somethings.

At church during bible study we are studying the book of Matthew. I also had just finished reading Matthew at work on my own. What stuck out was about showing partiality.  It had been a theme for like a week. I asked the Lord to help me not show partiality.  Oh boy did he ever.

We had family night at men's bible study and some of the guys brought their wives and friends. I got there late because I got off work when the event started. Before I sat down to eat I had this idea to say hello to every body before I ate. I did. Except one person. I didn't know them and to be quite frank, this person creeper me out. It felt odd when the thought went thru my mind. I finished my rounds and for some reason I stared at this person enough to get a good look at them. I was showering and praying God and all of a sudden I was remembering when I said Hi to everybody. I was feeling good about myself until I remembered the person I skipped. Conviction hit me so hard. I asked for forgiveness and repented. I couldn't believe I did that. 

When I got out I started thinking about my tattoos.  I don't know why. I don't like my tattoos and I wish I could get rid of them. But the Lord could still use them. I was going to explain what they started to mean to me and I got to a tattoo that I really am ashamed about. Earlier I had asked the Lord to turn any No for the Lord  to a Yes for the Lord. I began to write about and then I was bombarded with shame, embarrassment and what people would say. I stopped and I didn't post it. There was a no for the Lord. 

Why didn't I post it? Well when I came to my senses a little bit later, it was deleted.  I asked the Lord to help me to be more obedient. Yet I failed Him and denied Him like Peter, I know He still loves me. I am not rebelling against the Lord. It's sin in me that the Lord is taking out of me. My failure will be a lesson learned.

So let me tell you about my tattoos and I'll start with the most shameful one...get it over with. I have a tattoo on the right side of my neck of a old flame I had. Thought she was the one. I always said I would never do that. Never say never. Please, take it from me. I hate it. I do the best I can to hide it which I am probably not doing a good job of it. I won't get any more ink on my body. So I won't cover it up with another tat. The tat says Estrella ('star' in Spanish). The 5 pointed star represents the enemy. No not the ex. I pray the Lord forgives her and saves her.  There, call me stupid, a knucklehead,  a fool....whatever.  I know that I have the capacity to love a lot that for my beloved I would sacrifice myself. Back then was that woman, now it's Christ and my wife.

I have a tattoo on my left arm that is a barb wire band. It was my first tattoo. I got it on spring break 1997 in Mazatlan, Mexico. It represents bondage to me now. Well the bondage that the devil tried to have on me. In fact the guy who tattooed me was a warlock. He knew my full name and I didn't tell him it. That vacation was a bummer.

Then I have a mural on my right arm which is like 3 tattoos. The biggest one is an Aztec with a knife in one hand and a heart in the other. Raising his arms up to the 2 other tattoos. The one you see now is a cover up tattoo. It's a bald eagle attacking a serpent. The tat covered up is my old tagger name Mimik. It's covered up because it was a horrible tattoo.  It was done all wrong.

The enemy tried to tag my body up with his graffiti,  defacing the temple of God. Lord have mercy,  I didn't know. But I know now and I won't get anymore tattoos.  Last year I was with my buddy talking to these teenagers and one them said he had the number of the beast on his leg. I got to tell him to look at my arms and neck and told him that God would forgive him because He forgave me for my tattoos. See..the Lord took something meant for bad to something good and for his purpose.

I am not saying it is okay to get tattoos. If you have some already,  don't get anymore. If you don't have any, leave your canvas alone and be pure. Everybody nowadays has tattoos.  Be unique and stand out by not getting any ink.  Pray and ask the Lord to show you if you should get a tattoo. I asked and my answer was that I shouldn't mutilate my body anymore. Good enough for me.

Well now that all my business is out there now, I hope my friends and family don't judge me too harshly. Because the Lord will judge you the same way you judge others. God has plans for me and my tattoos. I hate them. But they can be used to win souls for the kingdom of heaven.