Take Care Of Your Garden!

Garden: A place for growing things.

We can't spend all of our time tending to other people's garden and leaving our garden unattended. Of course, I'm speaking of our Spiritual Garden here - our hearts. We don't always mean to get wrapped up in other people's gardens, we're usually just trying to help - by trying to comfort, give advice, or just lend an ear a little more than we should. What we're forgetting in those moments is that the Lord doesn't need our help - everything and everybody is in the Lord's eyesight and under His control. We must allow God to fulfill His great purpose in their lives, and stay focused and pray that He will do the same in our lives. I'm not saying that we should NEVER get involved in other people's lives, because it's wonderful to help others - when appropriate. What I'm saying is that we shouldn't get consumed to the point that we neglect spending quality time with the Lord getting those un-Christ-like things out of our hearts.

Let's take a look at Moses; Moses spent so much of his time in the camp among the people trying to work out their issues. The word tells us in Exodus 18:13, "…that Moses sat to judge the people and the people stood by Moses from morning unto the evening." He spent so much time working out their issues that he didn't deal with his. These same people caused him to miss going into Canaan's land and they got to go in! Moses missed it because he was so angry with them, he disobeyed God. Numbers 20:8 tell us how the Lord told Moses to "speak ye unto the rock," but Moses lifted up his hand, and with the rod he smote the rock twice. Perhaps if he had spent more time working in his garden (his heart), pulling out the weeds of anger, things might have gone differently. Think about it for a minute - the people he spent his time helping went into the promise land and all he got to do was look over into it. That's not to say that Moses wasn't a good leader - because he definitely was - it's just an example to let us know that we should not spend so much time taking care of other people's gardens and leaving ours undone.

It's imperative that we stay focused on our gardens, so we don't allow anger, bitterness, and evil thoughts take root and start growing. Just like in the natural, if we don't keep our gardens chopped and well-tended to, weeds, wild vines, and grass will take root and grow all over the place. Remember, God is a Sovereign God. He knows exactly what others need, as well as He knows what we are in need of. Let's be sure to set aside some quality time and energy to nurture our relationship with the Lord.

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

Do You Have a Case of Spiritual Amnesia?!

Amnesia: the loss of memory

As we go through our busy lives from day to day, sometimes we don’t stop to think about where our blessings come from - as long as they keep coming. Some of us get so bad that we may even occasionally forget to thank God for them. We just simply don’t give it much thought. How many of us have thought, "I worked from eight to five every day this week; so I’m the one that provided all this for me and my family." That's dangerous territory we are walking in and it's during those moment that we could be accused of having a serious case of spiritual amnesia!

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 tells us, "And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that He may establish His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." Don't develop a case of spiritual amnesia! As this scripture reminds us, all the wealth we might have has been given to us by the Lord.

We don’t want to be like the children of Egypt, either. They really had a loss of memory, how quickly did they seem to forget about the Lord that parted the Red Sea on their behalf; how quickly did they forgot the shoes that never wore out and the clothes that never got too small. How could they forget that, especially since there were no Singer sewing machines, and no Famous Footwear shoes stores in the wilderness?! They ate angel’s food, but I'm pretty sure there were no angelic Piggy Wiggly grocery stores out there! They had a serious case of Spiritual amnesia!

Isaiah 44:21 says, "Remember these, O Jacobs and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me." So let us not forget to remember our Lord and the many blessings he has bestowed onto us.

It would be pretty hard to have Spiritual Amnesia if we practiced Psalms 63:5-7: "...My mouth shall praise thee with Joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice."

If we are meditating on Him while we are lying upon our bed and remembering the wonderful things He has done for us in the night watches, it would be harder for us to have spiritual amnesia when we are in the midst of the storm. If we are rejoicing in His goodness continually; constantly praising Him for His excellent greatness - how could we possibly forget what He has delivered us from and this beautiful place that He has brought us to? How could we possibly have Spiritual Amnesia!? Stay reflective, my friends!

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

Our God is an Awesome God!

Bragging: To assert or talk boastfully

Today I would like to brag on the Lord - you guys know how we often brag on our children, our possessions, our spouses and even our jobs. Today let's spend some time bragging on the One who does every thing; the One who gives us not only what we need, but also the very desires of our hearts! Let's put the spotlight on our Awesome, our Great, our Merciful, and our Almighty God - the One that was, the One that is, and the One that will always be!

Now check this out - Our God is so great; He created the light and He is the light. He is the author and He is the finisher (i.e. man started nothing and man can’t actually finish anything either). He is the cause and He is the effect. He is the cash and He is the cash register! He is the alpha and the omega (He always has been and He always will be). Our heavenly Father is the perfect father. He is our great provider and He is our great protector. To make a long story short - He is EVERYTHING we need!

Our God raises the dead; He opens the eyes of the blind; and He made the lame walk. He heals the sick. He is great and He is powerful. Our God is so powerful that when He grew weary of all of Job's complaining, He put him in his place by asking: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding" (Job 38:4). In other words, where were you, little man, when I was creating the foundation of the earth?! He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords; He is the Master and Owner of everything. He’s wonderful and totally bad (in a good way, of course)!

Our God is so bad that He told Moses, "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exodus 3:10-14). Our Lord didn’t say I was; He didn’t say I will be, He said I AM - present tense. In other words, when He said I AM, that means He is whatever and wherever He wants to be - back then with Moses and right now here with us!

Our God is mighty - He can open doors that were once sealed shut. Those things that are impossible for us are just everyday occurrences for Him. His awesomeness is worthy to be bragged on, so my friends, let's start bragging on His excellent goodness! Brag on His awesome miracle working power.  He is excellent; His name is excellent in all the earth and He can do everything - but fail!

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

We Are Never Alone!

Alone – deserted, solo, isolated

Even when we feel like or it seems like we are, we are never truly alone. We are not solo on our journey to get back to Him, even when the walls feel as if they are closing in on us; even when we see no way out - we have not been deserted. David said in Psalms 23:4, "Yea though I walk through the valley [a low place, broad depression] of the shadow of death I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." The Lord is so mindful of us that when we feel alone He comes and comforts us.

Jesus is our chief companion; the one that said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Psalms 139-8 reminds us, "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." What an awesome, AWESOME savior He is.

Even in the midst of a heartbreaking situation - regardless of whether we see it or not - He’s there, we are never alone. You know, it’s so easy to believe that He’s there when everything is going good, but sometimes it's a little harder to believe when we are really going through it. Friends, remember that no matter how high up we go, He’s there and likewise, no matter how low we go, He’s there. He never slumbers nor sleeps. No matter what the circumstances reveal, we are never alone. He’s a God that cares and He’s a God that’s always there.

When Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away, she wandered in the wilderness with no water. She thought surely that she and the lad were going to die, but Genesis 21:17 tells us that "...the angel of God called to Hager out of heaven and said unto her, what aileth thee Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.." Verse 19 goes on to tell Hagar's story - she thought that she and the lad were all alone, but then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water that she and the lad were able to drink from. The Lord would have never heard Hagar's voice if He wasn’t already there. Don't be afraid to let Him hear your voice, my friends. The Lord loves us and we are never ever alone.

Remember, there is nowhere and no situation we can be in that God is not there with us. Just lift your voice and call on His name. You never have to worry about whether He can hear you - He’s present everywhere all at the same time!

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