Jesus - The Real Gift of Christmas!

Happy Holidays, Friends! Today I would like to share something my oldest son wrote. He said that he put into words what he had been studying. I was blessed by it and I pray that you all will be also.

Much of the ways we celebrate Christmas comes from our family traditions. But how often do we really, really celebrate Jesus' entrance into our world, or even think deeply about the true spirit of Christmas? The spirit that is meant to light up our hearts the way some decorations light up the tree.

Christmas is the day we celebrate the entrance of the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all righteous, all  holy and glorious God into our world.  Now if we stop and consider that fact, and then read Luke 2:12, “Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” For those of you who may not be aware, a manger is a trough or open box for livestock feed or fobber.

So, what’s wrong with that picture? The God of all ages; too glorious to look upon; the God before whom Moses and Isaiah fell down on their faces is in a filthy stable. Isaiah 9:6 says, "For unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." The person with those titles is in a filthy stable. Not in a palace or in a beautiful crib befitting the Son of God, but in a cold stinking stable lying in a common feeding trough used by beasts of burden.

God humbled Himself before us so that we would realize that there was nothing He wouldn’t do to bring us into a relationship with Him.

Today, Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts.  However, the tradition of exchanging of gifts began with our Heavenly Father.  The greatest gift came from Him! For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). This year, let's not get so caught up in getting that perfect gift for someone else that we forget to accept the ultimate gift the Lord is offering to us - a one-on-one relationship with Him.

With all that said, let the Church say amen and… AMEN!

And of course, Merry Christmas and May the Lord tremendous bless your New Year!        

8 Commands The Lord Commands Us To Do! (Part Two)

Command: To give an order to

Last week, we discussed the first four of eight commands that the Lord commands us to do. I pray that you were blessed by the first four. This week, let's take a look at the last four commands. We started in I Thessalonians 5:16 last time, and we're going to pick up in verse 20 today.

5.  Despise not Prophesyings. Prophesying means preaching and teaching. Some people prophesy of the present and the future; despising those prophesies means that we don’t want to hear any more teaching or preaching. Since prophesying tells us what God is saying about what’s going to happen or what’s happening right now, we must not despise those who are bringing the word of God to us and we must not shun it. Instead, we should open our ears and our hearts to receive the words the Lord is sending to us. Prophesying is not always about giving a message out, no, most of the time it’s just about listening to the word of God. Let’s not despise inspired instruction, exhortation or warning.

6. and 7.  Prove all Things and Hold Fast to that which is Good. We don’t need to hold fast to something if it's not good, but before we throw it away, we should prove it. You prove something by searching the word of God to see if that’s what the word is saying. When we take the time to dig into the word to see if that’s what the Lord is saying, He will give us a clearer vision of it and He will quicken it to us. We must be able to prove that God is the head of all things and that He is in all things. Always go back to the word, prove it, study it and then allow God to unveil His word to us.  We can (and should) hold fast to the name of Jesus. We should lift it up and  refuse to let it go, because it will save us.  Proverbs 22:1 tells us that "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold;" to that, we must hold fast.

8.  Abstain from all Appearances of Evil. Even though we may not intend to be evil in a certain situation, if it looks evil to someone else, God says that we should abstain. People are always watching and looking to see if what we are doing is Christian-like (i.e. if we are behaving the way they believe a Christian should behave). If what you are doing looks evil to them, they may start pointing fingers. It’s not always the case that we have done something wrong, however, that may be everybody else’s perception of the situation. If there's a possibility that something we are doing could appear to be evil to someone else, we should stay away from it... even when we have no evil intentions in our mind and our heart is pure. Just remember, if it appears evil, go the other way!

I'll leave you with these words from I Thessalonians 5:23, "And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through, separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete and found blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah." (Amplified Bible)

As always, be blessed my friends!

With all that said, let the church say amen… and AMEN!

8 Commands The Lord Commands Us To Do! (Part One)

Command: To give an order to

As the end of the year is quickly approaching, I would like to share with you eight things that the Lord commands us to do. If we start practicing them NOW, we can take them over into the New Year with us and be blessed by doing them.

1.  Rejoice Evermore. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22) This means rejoicing eternally, not because we got a new house or a new car. We’re not talking about rejoicing material things here on earth, as those things are temporary. No, instead, we are talking about rejoicing in our spiritual blessings. Think about it - how much weight does God put on natural things? None - because those things are temporal - they are going to pass away. We must find something that’s going to be eternal. What do we know that’s eternal? The word of God, the spirit of God, and the will of God – that’s what! Those things are eternal and that’s what we should be rejoicing about.
2. Pray Without Ceasing. How do we pray without ceasing? By having an omnipresent pray closet. Meaning, no matter where we are, we are in prayer. We don’t have to go in to an actual closet or to church to pray. We could be driving down the road and in our heart we begin to pray. As we walk down the street, we can be in communication with the Father in our heart; we can have an intimate conversation with Him wherever we are. To pray without ceasing means to keep in constant contact with the Father in our hearts - giving Him thanks, repenting for our sins, forgiving those that have wronged us, and bragging on how good the Lord is to us on a daily basis. Be sure to have your omnipresent prayer closet so that you can pray without ceasing.
3. In Everything Give Thanks. What does “everything” include? Exactly what you think – EVERYTHING! If you opened your eyes this morning, you should be giving thanks. If our heart is still beating, if we are still taking breaths, if we can lift our hands, if we can walk - we should be giving thanks! That means that we give thanks every minute, every hour of the day. We always have something to give thanks for. Now, this may seem crazy to some, but this is what makes us a peculiar people. Every step we take today; every breath; every heartbeat is new and worthy of praise!
4. Quench Not The Spirit. The Spirit provides us with power, guidance, fire, anointing. What happens when we quench it? We diminish its power and the influence that leads us, guides us, and directs us. The Spirit is the very thing that guides us to the Lord. We don’t want to shut down the power that convicts us of our sins and corrupts things in our being, so that we can get rid of them. The Spirit of God needs to be able to move and search the deep areas of our heart so that we can see what’s there. BUT, if we quench that Spirit, we shut it down. We must allow the Spirit to lead and guide us.

Next week I will share the other four; until then, be blessed my friends!

With all that said, let the Church say Amen… and AMEN!

Live Each Day as if it were Your Last!

This past Sunday, I heard a Pastor say that if we knew that we only had 30 minutes to live, he said we would do things differently; if we knew that we only had 15 minutes left, we would certainly do things much differently. We should not take life for granted, for as Matthew 24:42 reminds us, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour [or day, for that matter] your Lord doth come." With that in mind, wouldn't you agree that it's imperative that we live life each day as if it were our last day?

I also heard about a fatal car accident over the weekend involving a successful actor. You have to know that he thought that he would return home safely that evening. Again, since we don’t know the day or the hour that our Lord doth come, we must live life as if each day is our last one. And in doing that we have to remember that we can't sweat the small stuff, and that we should not hold on to the things that are not of the Lord - like anger, bad attitudes, blaming others for our actions. We can't allow depression to come in or spend so much time on things that just don't matter.

On the flip side of that, we don’t want to be like the rich fool that Jesus spoke of in Luke 12:19-21, "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"

We don’t want to live our lives as if we have it all under control, rather, we need to give credit where credit is due -- for example, this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Nothing belongs to us, not even our lives. What we have been commissioned to do is WORSHIP, as the word tells us in John 4:23, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him;" and in Deuteronomy 6:5, "And thou shall LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might;" and Psalms 48:1, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be PRAISED in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness."

As we're in the midst of this busy Christmas season, lets not allow ourselves to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of this world that we forget to live our life according to the word of God!

With all that said, let the church say amen and... AMEN!            

A Thanksgiving Reminder

As you guys know, we've been focusing on being thankful for the last few weeks and this week is no exception! As we approach the end of November, don't let this be the only month that you focus on giving thanks - instead, let's do all that we can to make thanksgiving a habit we do every day!

In the spirit of the holiday, I want to leave you with a little poem, compliments of Shonta Alexander:

Thanksgiving Day is that special time of year;

That you give praise and thanks to the things you hold so dear.
Thank you for forgiving us for each and every sin.

Thank you for our parents, our family and our friends.

Thank you for the food and the talk around the table;

Thank you for the ones who are here and the one's who weren't so able.

Thank you for the memories we cherished throughout the year.

Thank you for the struggle that it took to get us here.

Thank you for our coming in as well as our going out.

Thanking you I thought, my friend, was what it's all about.

So, thank you for the dead as well as the living.

Thank you for this holiday; truly a season of giving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

With all that said let the church say amen…and AMEN!

How To Keep A Thankful Heart (Part 2)

This week, there are a few more things that I would like to share about being thankful... after all, one can never be TOO thankful, right?!

In Ephesians 5:20 the Word says, "Give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Just look at how often we should give thanks - "ALWAYS." Now take a minute to think about what always means. When you got dressed this morning, did you think to give thanks for your shoes?  How many times have you complained about not having "anything to wear" while staring at a closet full of choices? Friends, stop grumbling and give thanks for all things always, so we can create the right environment to keep a thankful heart.

Daniel 6:2-3 tell us, "And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm." Now what do you think made Daniel have such an excellent spirit? Daniel had built the right environment of thankfulness around him and that environment carried an excellent spirit.

We know that people plotted against Daniel; the King went so far as to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Despite this decree, Daniel kept doing what an excellent spirit does - he continued to give thanks. The Bible tells us that Daniel opened his window just as he had always done, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God. And we know that Daniel ended up getting cast into the den of lions... but we also know who prevailed in that situation! If we keep building the right type of environment through being thankful, it won’t matter what the test is - we will be in the best place to overcome it!

Being thankful always must be a habit. Of course, when we first set our minds on doing this, we might not be as good at it as Daniel. However, if we can consciously think about it all the time, we'll find that the more we think about it, the more we will do it and we will eventually get to a point where it’s second nature, we'll simply give thanks always without even thinking about it.

Psalms 34:1 says "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." We must bless the Lord continually. We must also make a consciously decision to give thanks in everything, so that we can generate this environment of thanksgiving and our God that delivered Daniel, can (and will) also deliver us, because we have learned how to keep a thankful heart! 

With all that said let the church say amen…and AMEN!

How To Keep A Thankful Heart!

We know that when we want to keep something safe that it's our job to protect it, guard it, and preserve it, right? Well, we need to do the same thing with our hearts. There is so much going on in the world; in our cities; in our homes - and that stuff is trying to keep us SO busy that we won’t have time to have a thankful heart. But what a blessing it is to have a mind to keep a thankful heart! As I Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

We should not mark just a single day to be thankful - being thankful should be an environment we live in; a state of mind - and it should be something that we carry with us daily. If it’s raining outside - we have an umbrella of Thanksgiving. On the other side of that coin, if the sun is shining too bright - we still have that umbrella of Thanksgiving! If the road is too crowded, we have our own lane of Thanksgiving. It’s that environment of thankfulness that we carry around!

You might be wondering - how do we keep a thankful heart? Well, like we talked about earlier, we have to build an environment around it and make a point to be thankful every single day! 

When we get up in the morning and we turn the faucet on and water comes out - we need to be thankful that we have running water! When go to brush our teeth, if we open the drawer and there is toothpaste waiting there for us - we need to be thankful! By doing that, we are creating an environment of being thankful for everything, whether it’s big or it's small AND regardless of whether it makes us happy or sad. 

Now, if you turn the faucet on and the water isn't getting hot fast enough for us and we let out a sigh of disgust or we open that drawer and the toothpaste that's waiting for us isn't the kind we want and we turn around and complain, what kind of environment are we creating?? Let me tell you, we are creating an ungrateful environment all around us. When we get in our car and it doesn’t start right away - especially when we are in a hurry - what do we do? Most of us start complaining, and when we do - what are we creating? A climate of ingratitude, that's what!

What did the scripture tell us in I Thessalonians 5:18?  To give thanks in every thing! Imagine if we started to practice that kind of thankfulness - what would that entail for you today?! Think about how many times you would have been thankful before you got to work; before you started doing whatever you had planned for that day, if you were being thankful for every thing.

What an awesome and powerful way to start each day - with a mighty attitude of Thanksgiving!

With all that said, let the church say amen... and AMEN!

How To Beat The Blues!

Blues: Sorry, cast down, weary, grief, sad, depress, heart broken.

During this holiday season the Lord wants us to be thankful, full of joy, and in good spirits. After all, if you really think about it, that is the true reason for this season we call Thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:20 says, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Lord wants us to be happy and thankful every day, but especially during this Thanksgiving season. If we are doing our part, how can we become cast-down, depressed or heart-broken??

Here's how we are going to do our part and beat the blues this thankful season:

1. Believe: what are we believing in? The positive word of God, of course! John 4:49-51 tells us, "The nobleman saith unto him, Sir come down err my child die. Jesus saith unto him, go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth." Jesus didn’t have to preach him a sermon, the man simply believed. That’s the kind of trust we must have in His word.
2. Look for God's Purpose (i.e. Plan): to find God's purpose in this season, we will have to go through a test; but friends, remember those tests are designed to take us to the next level - not to make us sad or cast-down. We must go through each test with a thankful heart, knowing that God is too holy, too righteous, and too just to allow anything to cross our path that’s not for our good and His Glory. As 1 Peter 5:10 says, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
3. Utilize the Promises in the Word of God: we must be sure to make use of God's word, and rehearse His word back to Him. He said that He would never leave us or forsake us; and that He is a very present help in the time of trouble. Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" and Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." How can we become sad or cast-down if we are utilizing God's word?
4. Encourage other people: this may come as news to some, but it's not always about us - we must spread some cheer among others, encourage, and motivate someone else. As II Corinthians 1:4 tells us, "Who comforteth us in all tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted to God."
5. Sing God's Praises: finally, no matter what our situation is, we must still be thankful. Look at Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25-26. They had been beaten and put into prison, and despite that, at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God. If they can sing praises after all of that, surely we can manage to make a joyful noise unto the Lord and be thankful for the many, many wonderful things He’s done for us.

So you see, it’s easy to beat the blues this Thanksgiving season - we just need to continue to be thankful for all things and all situations. Remember, it’s very important that we give thanks, because God gives blessing by the way we give thanks.

With all that said, let the church say amen... And AMEN!

Stay In Your Lane!

Lane: Way or track, road, path, an aisle.

Today, I want to share with you the importance of staying in your lane. In the natural, we usually have to drive to get from point A to point B; so we get in our car and stay in our lane. There may come a time when you have to change lanes - maybe you see a sign telling you to change or merge lanes - so you do and once you've finish the task, you get back in your lane. That’s a sure way to prevent an accident from happening... not to mention it's much safer when we stay in the right lane.

Have you ever noticed how people sometimes try to drive in the Lord's lane? We see this happening a lot in our churches, on our jobs, and in our homes (side note - the outcome of that is never good). Take King Saul for an example -- he was anointed to be the King of Israel; in fact, the Lord fought battles for him. I Samuel 10:6 tells us that "...the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man." But even after the Lord did all those things for Saul, he still couldn't stay in his lane. Instead, he tried to do the Priest's job by offering up sacrifices. In fact, he went so far as to try to do the Lord's job and as a result, he deliberately disobey Him. The Lord sent him to wipe out the Amalekites, but Saul decided to keep their king alive and he took their cattle and other valuables as spoils (I Samuel 15). Saul's unwillingness to stay in his lane causes him to lose the kingdom and his life.

Samson is another example of someone who chose not to stay in their own lane. Samson was a special child; so special that the angel of the Lord instructed his parents how he should be raised even before he was conceived! Judges 13:5 reminds us that Samson was to be set apart to God from birth. He was a Judge of Israel who was to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines, but he didn’t stay in his lane. Noooo - instead Samson decided that he wanted a wife of the uncircumcised Philistine, which was unlawful. We all know how that turned out, right? Samson got out of his lane and that Delilah betrayed him. Getting out of his lane caused Samson to lose his freedom, his eyes, and in the end, his life.

Gideon, on the other hand, was a very ordinary person. Similar to Samson, he was appointed to be a Judge in Israel, only His job was to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Midianites, with the help of the Lord, of course. In Judges 6:15, Gideon said unto the Lord, "...oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father house." Sometimes the Lord calls us when we are nothing because that's exactly how He wants us; but we waste so much time trying to be/become something. Fortunately, Gideon was humble and he did as the Lord commanded, which was to tear down the altar of Baal. He went to battle with the Midianites and the Amalekites with only 300 men and the Lord... and you better believe they won the battle! Gideon stayed in his lane and because of it, Israel had rest for 40 years.

When we stay in our lane and drive by the standards the God has laid out in His word, we both honor our Lord and we protect ourselves from unexpected disasters. We must remain humble and thank the Lord for what He has given us to do. If we can just stay focused on our lane, there won't be a desire to get in anyone else’s lane. Of course that doesn’t happen over night; there has to be much time spent with the Lord to build that personal relationship with Him. That relationship is built by spending time in prayer and in His word. Once we have that foundation, it's easy to believe He’s going to take us just where we need to go... as long as we can remember to stay in our own lane!

With all that said let the church say amen... and AMEN!

Vengeance Belongs To God!

Vengeance: Punishment inflicted in retaliation for an injury or offense.

Sometimes we are like King David - we say the same thing he said in Psalms 94:3, "Lord how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?" We don’t always like suffering long with people (and it doesn’t matter who they are), especially when we feel like they have done us wrong… it's often worse when it looks like they are going to get away with doing someone else that we care about wrong. That's when we want to take matters in our own hands and retaliate, but friends - that’s not God's way.

Romans 12:19 tells us "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." As a believer, we know that the Lord will do just what He says… but every now and then, it's like we want what we want when we want it, right? It feels like the Lord's time takes too long, we want vengeance NOW! We want vengeance when we feel like we have been mistreated; vengeance when we've been talked about; vengeance when we feel like someone is talking down to us. And don’t let our spouses make us angry… vengeance can't come fast enough, can it?! And what about that person driving too slow in the fast lane when we're in a hurry? We want to ride their bumper, blow our horn, or exact our own vengeance by running them off the highway (or is that just me)? It could be just one person or a whole bunch of folks that does something wrong to us and we immediately want to be the Prosecutor, the Judge, and the Jury… but that’s not the Lord's way.

The Lord doesn’t want us taking matters into our own hands, because He knows we won’t be merciful in our search for vengeance. That's why we have to turn things over to our merciful High Priest who says, "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Be not overcome of evil, but over come evil with good" (Romans 12:17, 18, 21).

I assure you my friends, the Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps. He sees all things, He knows all things, and He’s everywhere at the same time. Hebrews 10:30 (Amplified Bible) reminds us, "For we know Him who said, Vengeance is mine (retribution and the meting out of full justice rest with me); I will repay (I will exact the compensation), says the Lord. And again, the Lord will judge and determine and solve and settle the cause and the cases of His people." To sum it up in a nut shell - no matter how bad we feel that we've been wronged - we can’t retaliate - vengeance belongs to our Lord. And when you really think about it - there is no one better to handle our woes!

With all that said, let the church say amen… and AMEN!

There Is No Testimony Without A Test!

Testimony: An outward expression of a religious experience; witness
Test: An examination to determine one knowledge skill, intelligence or other qualities.

I personally know what it means to go through a test; and I’m glad to say that each one has made me stronger in my walk with the Lord. My faith has increased and I’ve grown spiritually. If the Lord doesn’t allow us to be put to the test, we would never know what’s on the inside of us. If I had not been put to the test of not being free to go serve the Lord in His house as I pleased; I would have never learned how to persevere. If I had never been diagnosed with three different types of breast cancer; I would have never known that God can heal. I’m blessed to say that after passing that test, I can share my testimony - eleven years later, I’m healed and cancer-free - with no chemotherapy, no masetocemy... just my faith in God and His healing power! Always remember that The Lord allows us to be put to the test so He can redeem us out. The awesome thing about that is we don’t come out of those tests empty handed.


Job, for example, was a perfect and an upright man. One that feareth God, and escheweth evil (Job 1:9), but the Lord still allowed Satan to test him… not because Job did something wrong, but because the Lord wanted to take him to the next level. Satan began to go to work on Job - his first assault was on Job’s wealth, his children, and his servants. Some of his servants were slain with the sword; some were burned up in the fire along with his sheep. On top of that, there came a great wind from the wilderness that smote the four corners of the house and caused it to fall upon the young men and they all died. Even after Job heard all the bad news, he still worshipped The Lord. Job 1: 21 tells us that he said “naked came I out of my mother womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In the midst of that test, Job still worshipped and maintained his integrity.

Satan’s second assault was on Job’s body - he smote him with sore boils from the soles of his foot to the crown of his head. Job’s wife said unto him in Job 2:9-10, “dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die. But he said unto her, thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?  In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Job came through his test with an awesome testimony - The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before – i.e. his latter end was much more than his beginning. It was truly an outward expression of a religious experience.

We always  think it’s the devil that brings things upon us, but my friends, the devil can’t do anything to us without the Lord’s permission. If we never had a problem, we wouldn’t know that God could solve them. We wouldn’t know the love and the mercy that He has for us, we wouldn’t grow and our faith wouldn’t increase. 

Remember, there is no going to the next level without a test and there is no test without a testimony. The victory is ours, as the Lord blesses and delivers us, He wants us to share our testimonies with others. I’ve shared mine, so make sure you get out there and share yours! Don’t forget, no matter what test you might be in the middle of, Jesus loves each and every one of you!

With all that said, let the church say amen… and AMEN!

There's A Message In The Mess

Message: A sign, indication, communication in writing or in speech

Mess: Disorder, confusion, trouble

We so often get ourselves in a mess - sometimes it's because we choose not to listen; sometimes it's because we get selfish and "decide" that it's going to be our way or the highway; and sometimes we just sit around and allow things to escalate and we simply don’t handle our business. There are many reasons why we find ourselves in a mess, but I'm here to tell you in every mess there’s a message!

Let’s take a look at Haman in Esther 3:1-2 -- the King promoted Haman and advanced him, and set his seat above all the Princes that were with him. "And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the King had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence." As a result, Haman got himself all worked up, just because one man would not bow down or give him reverence, so worked up that he sought to destroy all the Jews. All he really wanted to do was destroy Mordecai - he wanted to hang him, so much so that he had a gallows built for him - but in the end, he got himself into a big mess. Haman was exposed to the King by Queen Esther and they hanged Haman on the very same gallows that was prepared for Mordecai. The message there is don’t dig a ditch for someone else, because you could be the one to fall in it!

As parents, we sometimes get ourselves into a mess by trying to rescue our children (especially us moms). Sometimes we get ourselves in a financial bind that causes problems with our spouses. Most of the time our children don’t have the opportunity to learn and grow, because their crutch is right there to bail them out (that's us just in case you missed it). Much like being in school, life is a learning process for our kids. If they don’t pass the test, they will just have to repeat the process again, which means they will turn up at our doors again looking for that crutch. The message there is for us to stop trying to take the Lord’s job, as my daughter always tells me. It could be they are right where the Lord wants them to be, because He’s working on them - teaching them how to lean and depend on Him. Before bailing them out, be sure to go before the Lord and ask Him what He would have us to do and He will guide us.

Young ladies often get themselves in a big mess, because they think their biological clock is ticking and they need a husband, so they can have kids. The man could be on a page all to himself and that young lady still won’t listen to the Lord or any one else. She marries him and the next thing she knows, she's gotten herself into a big, old unhappy mess. The message there is, don’t go out and find a Bozo, pray and ask the Lord to send you a Boaz. The book of Ruth tells us that Boaz was a man of quality and character; a mighty man of wealth. Boaz didn’t fall in lust -- he fell in love.

Remember, God is not the author of confusion, He is the God of peace. He is our protector, our healer, our guide, our bank, our doctor, our lawyer and so, so much more! If we would just turn to Him and wait, we won’t get ourselves into such a mess and that is my message to you, my friends.

With all that said, let the church say amen... and AMEN!        

The Lord is MY Shepherd

* * Happy Wednesday Friends! Ms. Gloria is away this week, so I ask you all to bear with me as I attempt to fill in for her! Don't worry - Lord willing, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program next week! * * 

Shepherd: a person who tends sheep; a pastor (a spiritual overseer)
Surely: with assurance, confidently; without doubt, certainly 

How many times have you said/rehearsed the 23rd Psalms?? Any "regular" church-goer has probably recited this at least a 100 times; but how many of those times have you ever stopped and really thought about what you were saying?

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Do you know what it means to be a Shepherd? A Shepherd is a person who looks after and tends to the needs of the sheep in his flock. He protects them from danger and makes sure that they are where they need to be, when they need to be there. As your shepherd, The Lord is looking after you and making sure that all of your needs are met.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

As your Shepherd, He allows you to get your natural and spiritual bellies fed with the good stuff -- not the dried-up, used-up fields that won't fill us up and keep us properly nourished. Oh no, we get to graze and rest within the hearty green pastures. And He makes sure that there are plenty of times of peace and calm (still waters) in our lives.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even when we feel beat down and broken, He restores our soul -- He fills us with His grace and peace and He makes us whole again. Like that spiritual GPS we talked about back in June, He's always guiding us along the path of righteousness to our ultimate destination (by His side).

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Even when we've sunk to what feels like the lowest of the lows and it seems like death is shadowing us, He's right there... and if we will just believe and follow him without question (much like those sheep faithfully follow their Shepherd) we will have no reason to fear -- just ask Ms. Gloria - she's a living testimony! He is with us and He will use His rod and His staff to fend off any evils that try to attack His flock - be that illness, depression, or anything else that might try to come after us.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

In the natural, most of us tend to watch our backs around our enemies... and our so-called "frienemies" as well! As sheep are cautious of coyotes and foxes; we have to be cautious of anyone who tries to steer us from The Lord. How awesome is the Shepherd that prepares a table for us right smack-dab in the middle of those enemies?! There's no need to watch our backs when our spiritual Shepherd has anointed us with His holy oil and is watching our backs for us!

On top of that - our Shepherd is here to make sure that our cups are running over. Take a quick minute to visualize that -- a cup that's so full that the contents inside are literally spilling out -- talk about having more than you need, right? That can and will be you - if you will just have faith and keep believing. You might feel like the brokest of the broke right now financially-speaking, but stand strong, flock and keep following your Shepherd... sometimes it takes a little while to prepare a table! After all, we'll wait <somewhat> patiently for hours for a table at a nice restaurant. Can't we be patient enough to wait for The Lord's perfect time? I truly hope so, because this table and that overflowing cup are certainly well worth the wait!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This verse is one of those verses that really brings things home for me personally. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."  Not "possibly," and not "maybe," no, the Word says SURELY -- our definition tells us that means without doubt or certainly -- goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. The next time the world seems against you, rehearse that - "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life"- and say it until you believe it, because if your Shepherd is with you, who can be against you??

So stay true to your Shepherd and He will stay true to you... and He will dwell within and around you for ever!

With all that said, let the church say amen... and AMEN!

The Lord Wants Us To Live!

Live: To have a life rich in experience; to exhibit vigor, gusto, or enthusiasm in

Jesus said in His word, "I am come that they (we) might have life, and that they (we) might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).  The Lord doesn’t want us to simply exist - He wants us to LIVE!  There are so many people out there that are simply existing - they're murmuring and complaining and blaming others for their misfortunes. What those folks don't realize is that, in all actuality God is the head. He wants us to come into agreement with Him and confess that where we are is His master plan; we are exactly where He put us and He’s the one that can deliver us because He’s the one that has it all in control.

Jeremiah 29:4 tells us, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon." As the scripture continues, verses 5 and 6 reminds us that God is telling us to live - regardless of what our situation may be, we must live; "build houses... plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.... take wives, have children, give your daughters to husbands, and your sons to wives that they might have children that we may increased and not diminished." Whatever your case (or situation) may be, don't forget that the Lord has allowed it. He allows things to bring us down just so He can take us higher -- but we must be mindful to praise Him and be thankful in all those situations.... after all, there is always something to be thankful for even when it doesn’t appear to be!

Verse 7 of Jeremiah 29 says, "and seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." Your city could be your job or things going on in your home or with your kids or co-workers; but when those things come up to interrupt your day, you should immediately start praying that the Lord would give them peace, because in that peace you will have peace.

Jeremiah 29:10 and 11 reminds us, "....I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you... for I know the thoughts (plans) that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil to give you an expected end (future). The Lord will come and visit us a whole lot quicker if we allow that joy on the inside of us to work on the outside. 

My friends, remember that God is the head over all things and all situations. You and I might not be planting gardens or getting married; but we are here doing something and whatever it is, God wants us to LIVE right here where we are!

With all that said, let the church say amen... and AMEN!

Our Long-Suffering Lord

Long-Suffering: Patient; slow; to be slow to anger; tarry long

The Lord does not hasten to punish us, instead He patiently presents us with many opportunities to retrace our evil steps. Our long-suffering Lord is the one who has unlimited patience with His creation (that's us, just in case you were wondering). He’s the one who puts up with us and gives us ample time to use the energy, movements, and powers that He has given us to be used according to His master plan and will. Therefore, He grants us patience and time, again and again.

Our long-suffering Lord wants us to take on His long-suffering nature and to "...walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3). 

Let's use the children of Israel as an example of how the Lord is slow to anger: He wanted the children of Israel to be a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation (Exodus 19:6), but what He got was a murmuring and complaining group of people - even after they had seen His miracles and wonders.  Despite all they had seen, they got off track. Regardless, every time they cried out to Him, our long-suffering Lord delivered them.

The Lord suffers long with us because he does not want any of His creations to be lost. In Ezekiel 33:11, the Word tells us that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Our Lord is not some mean God that sits on the throne just waiting to beat us over the head when we do some thing wrong. Instead, our longsuffering Lord takes exquisite pleasure in waiting for us to gain the victory in the fight and to struggle against the temptations that come into our lives (using all of those tools He's already provided us with, of course). What an awesome long-suffering Lord!

Our long-suffering Lord is forever giving patient consideration to our weakness and underdevelopment, because He knows our weaknesses can be brought to greatness if we would simply surrender and willingly be obedient to the merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering Lord. If we would just do that, we can also achieve mature moral development, because the Lord is long-suffering and patiently waiting on us.

With all that said, let the church say amen... and AMEN!

Our Seven Responsibilities as Christians (Part Two)

Last week we talked about being a witness. The Lord wants to bless us so that others can see - so that we can be a witness to the greatness of the Lord. There are things others can't see - that’s when He wants us to share the good word about His goodness and His mercy. People can be and are overcome by the words of our testimony; so be a witness each and every time you can!

We also talked about being salt and about how salt preserves things. As a young girl, I remember that when my granddaddy would kill a hog, he would put salt on the ham and then hang it up in the smoke house. The salt he put on that ham would preserve it for the longest time. That’s what the Lord want us to do with the Word - keep (preserve) it in our heart and then do it... AND share it with others.

The last thing we mentioned last week was about the light. Oh how we need to keep the light burning in our lives! In the natural, when you walk into a room at night and the light is off, you can’t see your way. BUT once you flip that switch, the darkness flees. It works the same in the spiritual - when we keep the light of the Word burning, it will chase away those dark attitudes that will try to come in.

Now, let's move on to the rest of our seven responsibilities...

4.   BRANCHES: We have a responsibility to be fruitful branches for Jesus (John15:5). This is the Lord’s desire for each branch abiding in Him. We cannot bear the fruit of His nature by ourselves, and we must abide in Him. We must spend time in the Word and in prayer, and let the Holy Ghost show us those things in us that are unlike Him. We must then allow Him to cut off those branches in us that are unlike His nature. 

5.   EPISTLES: We have a responsibility to be a living epistle - or a living letter - that everyone can clearly read. A living epistle written with God’s pen of love, that's engraved upon our heart (II Corinthians 3:2-3). All of us, regardless of how young we may be, influence others for or against God. You and I are the only Bible many people will ever read - as a result, God has laid upon us the responsibility to be clean and pure in our living, so that we won't be a stumbling block for others going to Him. 

6.   AMBASSADORS: We have a responsibility to be a good ambassador for Christ. An ambassador is an official representative of his own nation in another country. We are invited in to be ambassadors for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20). We are strangers and foreigners in this natural world. Our nation is a heavenly one and our business in this country (world) is to represent our Lord and King in such a manner that other people will want to follow and serve Him also. 

7.   STEWARD: We have a responsibility to be faithful workers (or stewards) in His service (I Peter 4: 10). There must be someone maintaining the affairs of the church. Israel had three groups - warriors, workers, and worshippers. The warriors were ready to defend the people of God and the church; to war against the enemies of our soul. Likewise, there must be workers to help in God's house; it would be hard to carry on properly without workers, right? However, the greatest privilege of all is to be a worshipper. As worshippers we have the right through the blood of Jesus to approach the throne of mercy and grace to offers up praises and thanksgiving unto him that sitteth on the throne.

As Christians, we have great responsibilities - but Jesus has already done the hard part for us! So let's do our part with the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ; to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.

With all that said, let the church say amen… and AMEN!

Our Seven Responsibilities as Christians (Part One)

Responsibility: Obligation, Commitment, Duty
Christian: To be Christ like

As Christians we have commands and responsibilities. The Lord wants to show forth His love, goodness, and His mercy through us.  We must conduct ourselves as ambassadors, representing our Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Today, I want to share with you three of seven responsibilities that God has given us.  If we want to be pleasing to Him, we must obey or fulfill these requirements:

1. WITNESS:  We have a responsibility to be a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving power.  A witness tells what he has seen or heard. Some times we don’t have to say anything - the way we live our life will speak for us.  However, in order to be a true witness, our life and our words must be the same.  We cannot be a witness with power when we are not living according to the word. Isaiah 43:10 says, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall be after me."
2. SALT:  We have a responsibility to be salt that has not lost its savor. Salt has preserving power in the natural.  Jesus wants us to have the preserving power of His Spirit and word working in our lives which will preserve us from sin. Then we can truly share the truth of the Lord with others, and it will preserve them, causing them to be thirsty for the living water of the word. Matthew 5:13 tells us, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men."
3. LIGHT:  We have a responsibility to keep the light burning in our vessel, our souls, so that we can share with those who are in darkness. We have a responsibility to keep our ugly attitudes cleaned out of our vessel by pleading the blood of Jesus over them, because they can hinder our light from burning brightly. The light in our heart cannot shine if we are always murmuring and complaining. We must do as Matthew 5:16 instructs, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Come back next week for the remaining four responsibilities. Until then, be of good cheer knowing that God has overcome the world!

With all that said, let the church say amen… and AMEN!

Forgiveness

Forgiveness: To pardon, to give up resentment. to grant as a favor, a gift

You know how we always like to receive presents from people? Well what about giving yourself a gift? I'm talking about the gift of life - Forgiveness.

No matter what we perceive has hurt us or has caused us shame and grief, we must always remember to forgive. Forgiveness is our path to healing, not to mention, it's what God expects us to do.  If we offend someone; we must quickly repent. If someone offends us; we must quickly forgive. Ephesians 4:32 reminds us, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Forgiveness is big with God, because it's an expression of His love. When we choose not to forgive, we are putting limits on ourselves... as well as on the Lord. We are holding back on His love, His joy, and His peace that we should be showing one to another - instead we carry around all sorts of unprofitable weight.

Matthew 18:21-22 says, "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." (In case you were wondering - that’s every 2 ½ minutes.)

Forgiveness is a choice - if we are on the receiving end of someone’s unkind words or if there were unkind deeds that were done to us in the past, we have a choice. We can choose to forgive and move past barriers that will separate us from others (and from the Lord) or we can tie God hands with our unwillingness to forgive. How easy is it for us to forget that we have made mistakes in our life?? Keep that in mind next time you're holding a grudge. We must forgive others so that we can too be forgiven.

We have no excuse for holding grudges; for not forgiving others... while Jesus was hanging on the cross He said, "Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Surely we can do the same, right? Especially since we're not hanging on a cross! Forgiveness is a gift - one that we can all use and one that we all need.

I read this in my email a couple of days ago, I want to share it with you. Forgiveness is the economy of the heart...forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, and the waste of your soul.

With all that said; let the Church say amen... and AMEN!

God Is Love

Love: Attachment, Affection, Adore, and Worship

God is the only one who knows how to REALLY love. His love is real, it’s unconditional, and it’s eternal. His love picks us up when we are down... and we were down - WAY DOWN - but God loved us so much that He sent His son - His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. God didn't have to do that. And He didn't do it because WE loved Him, but because He loved US. He is our saviour, our hero, our redeemer. He said in His word, He would never leave us nor would He ever forsake us. Why?  Because God is love!

Isaiah 49:15 asks the question, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." Why?  Because God is love!

God's love will never fail; it will never fade out or become obsolete, and it will never come to an end.  If we go down a path that’s not pleasing to the Lord, He said My anger is not turned away, but my hand is stretched out still. His hand is stretched out because He wants to pull us back to Him. Why?  Because God is love!

He will never give up on us and He will never put us down. He’s attached, He adores us. His love for us endures long and is patient and kind; it is not conceited, it’s not rude. His love toward us is SO AMAZING! I’m not saying that there will never be unpleasant times in our lives - there will be - but just know that His love and His mercy is there to gather us up with His arms and carry us in His bosom and gently guide us. He told us that He will stick closer than a brother - if we will just trust Him; He will redeem us out of our unpleasant situations. Why?  Because God is love!

There's a song that says "What the world needs now is love, sweet love, that’s the only thing that’s there’s just too little of," In my opinion, what she was really saying is - "What the world needs now is God." Why?  You got it - Because God is love!

With all that said - let the church say amen... and Amen!         

Sometimes We Have To Lose In Order To Win...

Lose: Fail, surrender, sacrifice, forfeit
Win: Gain, succeed, achieve, obtain

In this life no one likes to lose - just ask the next person you see and I'll bet their reply will be the exact same as yours - a big, fat N-O! However, let me take just a few minutes of your time today to show you that it is okay to surrender, sacrifice, and forfeit in order to gain, achieve, and obtain!

Paul said in Philippians 3:8, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ."

When Paul realized and recognized the goodness of God, the pleasures of the world were no longer important. Like Paul, we too must fight the good fight of faith and lose the pleasures of this world that are not like our Lord. Those things are the essence of our former behavior of the old man (i.e. us before we got religion), which is corrupt with lying and evil or morally deprived communication that comes out of our mouths (that includes emails & texts, you know!). It's imperative that we also lose all of our bitterness, malice, covetous, anger, and unforgiveness... and just a few off the top of my head!

We will win - gain, achieve and obtain - by putting on righteousness and true holiness. By showing love and always giving thanks for all things; by being kind one to another, by being tenderhearted and forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32).

On the 6th of August, my cousin Janice passed away. Don't get me wrong - I share this not for sympathy - but for testimony! Janice had lost all the things I just shared with you in order to win Christ. She fought the good fight - both naturally and spiritually - and she has finished her journey. I truly believe that she has won that crown of rightouness that the Lord has laid up for all those believers who are not afraid to lose the things of this world that are not like Him. She has gained and obtained the best achievable and imaginable prize - eternal life!

So my friends, I say again: there are things we must lose in order to win... thank God that this particular prize has no end!

With all that said, let the church say amen... and AMEN!

God Is A Balanced God

Balance: Equalize; to be an equal counterpoise

God is balanced! He created hot and cold, big and small, peaks and valleys, up and down, good and evil, pain and pleasure... and the list goes on. The Lord doesn't like an unjust weight - you know, where it's always cold and never hot; where it's always pain and never pleasure. Imagine a scale where one side is always up and the other side always down - thats unbalance. Our Father doesn't want us to be one-sided. He adds to the other side of the scales just what we need in order to be balanced.

Proverbs 11:1 tells us that "A false balance is adomination to the Lord: but a just weight is His delight." God is a balanced God. If we always had sugar and never had anything else to balance that sugar out, we would have one bad stomache ache, right? We're not going to always have pleasure and never have pain - if we didn't have pain, we wouldn't appreciate the pleasure. The same goes with hot; we would be most miserable if it was always hot and never cold to balance things out.

The Lord has a reason for all of this - He allows us to have valley experiences - those painful situations, so we can learn to praise Him, to trust Him, and to lean on Him. In these times - those valley experiences - He seems so far away, but let me assure you, He's right there. You see, if we never had a problem, we wouldn't know that He could solve it. When He sees that we have humbled ourselves and have come into agreement with His headship, then He puts pleasure in the scales on the other side. That way we have the same amount of pleasure for just as much pain as we had - that way the scales are balanced. As it says in Proverbs 16:11, "A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work."

Just remember - you must have humility before exaltation - that's God's order. Joseph had much pain, but there was a lesson in each situation and God came back and balanced the scales tremendously and as a result, Joseph was highly exalted. Just think - that could be YOU!

With all that said, let the church say amen... and Amen!                

My Prayer For You!

I Pray That You Have:

Joy: A strong feeling of great delight, unspeakable and full of Glory

John 15:11 - These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full

Peace: A state of harmony that surpasses all understanding

2 Thessalonians 3:16 - Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

Success: Achievement, in each facet of your life

Joshua 1:8 - This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Friend: Supporter, that sent from God

John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Love: Thats everlasting

John 15:12 - This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Knowledge: That ye may not perish

Psalms 119:66 - Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.

Special Memories: Of all the Lord has done

Proverbs 10:7 - The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

A Rejoiceful Day: That the Lord has made

1 Chronicles 16:10 - Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

A Path: That leads to the blessing of God

Psalms 119:35 - Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

Dreams: That become realities for you

Genesis 28:12 - And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And Appreciation: For all that God has made you and for all He has done for you!

Psalms 97:12 - Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Send this to everyone you're praying for and anyone whose day you desire to brighten.


With all that said.. let the church say amen... and AMEN!

Favor

Favor: Grace, delight, as act of kindness.

I thank the Lord for favor and His wonderful acts of kindness.... some say favor ain't fair, that’s because they don’t see what we are doing in private - they don’t see our prayer time, our worship, and our thanksgiving to the Lord for who He is and what He is to us. Instead, what they are responding to is what they see outwardly - us being blessed.

It's imperative that we delight in Him, and that we spend time in His presence. Of course, our mind set should not be that we are giving time simply to get what we want. Our mind set should always be that we do the things we do because of the love we have for Him; and because of what He’s done for us. When the Lord sees us delighting in Him, He’s faithful to do as His Word says.

Romans 13:8 tell us to "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." He’s too merciful; too holy; too awesome; to allow us to do all the giving.  I thank the Lord today, because He didn't have to wake me up this morning. He didn't have to give me another opportunity to praise His name - but He did! It was an act of kindness, which is favor. He wants to treat us with generosity and goodwill far beyond what our little minds can ever comprehend!

Take me for example - Several years back, I wanted an Cadillac Escalade. My family laughed at me and wouldn't even go to the car lot with me to look at one. You see, at the time, I was working a job making $15.00 an hour, so they didn't believe that I could afford to pay for one. Later, I started working for a lady that owned an Escalade and about six years ago she became ill. Would you believe that once she lost the desire to drive, she gave that Escalade to me... even though she has three sons of her own?? Now that's favor!

My friend needed a financial blessing - specifically she needed $1000. Instead of stressing herself out, she laid out before the Lord in prayer. She needed the money that same day. After praying and praising she went back upstairs, and when she walked by her husband, he told her, "I’m going to put a $1000 in your account today." She never asked him for the money (some of you ladies out there might know why). Now that's favor!

His acts of kindness, His grace, and His delight doesn’t just stop with us. Deuteronomy 5:29 says, "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!" You realize that means that The Lord will show our children favor as well! Try and tell me that He's not an awesome God!

Many years ago, my son ran off the road and hit a steel pole head on - on the driver's side. Needless to say, the car was completely totaled...but my son walked away without a scratch! I know they say that Volvos are the safest cars on the market... but we all know that it wasn't that Volvo that kept him safe. Now that's favor!

With that said, let the church say amen... and AMEN!

Choices Have Consquences!

Choices: Power to chose
Consequence: The natural result from a preceding condition

The Lord is a perfect gentleman - He doesn’t force Himself on us. He doesn’t twist our arm to make us choose right (Him).  He allows us to make choices wanting us to willing choose Him.  He demonstrates His love and mercy toward us by being a shelter from the rain, a very present help in the time of trouble, our El Shaddai (The Almighty God) - the strengthener and satisfier of His people.

1 Chronicles 21:1 and 21:3 gives us an example of a bad choices: "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel... And Joab answered, the Lord make His people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servant? Why then doth my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?" David had a choice, he could have stop the count right then, but he chose to go ahead with it.  David was trusting in the numbers, rather than trusting in God. That choice had devastating consequence, as noted in 1 Chronicles 21:14  - "So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men."

Choices have significant impact on our lives - both positive or negative. David's choice had a negative impact. Of course, when we make good choices the consequences are awesome, let’s take Joseph for an example.

Joseph was hated and rejected by his brethren; cast into a pit; sold into Egypt; AND cast into prison... but despite all of that, Joseph still managed to make good choices.  And as a result, "the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man" (Genesis 39:2). Pharaoh made him an overseer over his house, and all that he had. When he refused his master's wife, Joseph was cast into prison and yet he continued to make good choices. Genesis 39:21 says that the Lord shewed him mercy and gave him favor by way of the keeper of the prison committing to Joseph’s hand all of the prisoners that were in the prison. When there was famine in the land, those same brothers who hated and rejected Joseph had to go to him to buy their food. Joseph could have chosen to be angry, but instead he gave God the glory, for he knew who was behind the master plan. And because of the positive impact of making a right choice, Joseph became the governor over all the land of Egypt and over all Pharaoh house.

Time does not allow me to tell you of Ruth, Daniel, Joshua, Samuel, and many others that were truly blessed - all because they were willing choosing the Lord... won't you please choose Him too?

With all that's said, let the Church say amen...and Amen!
                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                  

Coming Under Authority

Authority: The power to determine, or command

The top brass from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps were arguing about who had the bravest troops.
They decided to settle the dispute using an enlisted man from each branch.
The army general called a private over and ordered him to climb to the top of the base flagpole, then let go with both hands and salute. The private quickly complied.
Next, the admiral ordered a sailor to climb the pole, polish the brass knob at the top, salute smartly and jump off. The sailor did as he was told and landed on the concrete below.
Finally, the marine was told to do exactly the same as the army and navy men but in full battle gear, pack filled with brick and loaded weapon carried high. He took one look at the major general and said: "You're out of your mind, sir."
The marine commander turned to the others and said: "Now that's guts!"

The thing about authority is that it exists to keep us in line as well as to keep law and order. For example, when we come to a stop sign, the mission of that stop sign is to save our life, but if no one stops, it would be total chaos. However, if everyone stops appropriately and looks both ways before going forward, then we would avoid accidents and the mission of that stop sign gets accomplish. Authority is here to help us. Unfortunately, we don’t always like coming under certain types of authority. Even Jesus humbles himself and came under authority, so why don't we think that we should have to??

Hebrew 13:17 tells us, "Obey them that have rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." We will never be in authority if we can’t come under authority.

Let’s take a look at the words of encouragement to Joshua; the Lord said, be strong and of a good courage. Verse 5 in Chapter 1 of that book reads; "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee." Joshua became a great leader, simply because he learned how to come under authority. And you know what? Joshua made it into the promise land!

The Lord wants us to come under the authority of our leader as that leader must come under the authority of the Lord. We too will be blessed and the Lord will be with us as He was with Joshua.

With all that said, let the church say amen and amen.