Our Destination Don't Define Us... It's Our Journey!

Destination: The point or place to which something or someone is directed

Journey: A trip from one place to another over a long distance

We are on a journey filled with different lessons, hardship, heartaches, joys, celebrations, and a lot of special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination. The destination I’m speaking of is to live eternally with Jesus Christ.

It's important that we make the most of this God-given energy we have been given, because we will undoubtedly be faced with challenges throughout this journey that will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith. Along the way, we will certainly stumble on obstacles, but in order to follow the right path, we must learn to overcome them. Sometimes these obstacles are really blessing in disguise, we just don’t realize it at the time.

On the headstone of people that have passed on you will see when they were born and when they died, but those dates are not the most important thing - they don't define the person buried beneath them. Instead, it's what that person did between those dates that defines their character and their integrity. And ultimately that's what will take them to their final destination.

My friends, we must become busy doing the Lord’s business on our journey. As we are told in Hebrews 10:22-23, "Let us draw near with a true [sincere and honest] heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)."

Our journey will not always be smooth, so when we find ourselves filled with heartaches, and disappointment let's just refer back to our manual - The Holy Bible - every instruction and every direction is right there.

Remember, everything that happens on our journey happens for a reason. Sometimes that means we must face heartaches in order to experience joy. Just keep in mind that at the end of the day, the person that trusts God enough to get up and face the next obstacle is the one that wins. These worldly situations are only temporary setbacks; we must stay focused for our eternal destination depends on it!

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

Don't Do the Right Thing the Wrong Way!

Right: Correct, proper and fitting
Wrong: Incorrect, not suitable

When God calls us to do something, He will also equip and instruct us in how to do it. God is a God of order and He has a plan of how He wants us to carry His plans out. All too often we want to do things our own way. Although our hearts might be right and our motives might be right, if we mess around and do the right thing the wrong way, there could be devastating consequences.

Let’s use David for an example: David and all Israel wanted the Ark of God with them because the Ark represented God’s presence and His Glory and it would bring blessings to them instead of a curse to them... and who wouldn’t want God's presence & His Glory?! The Bible tells us that David gathered all Israel together and they went to Kirjath-jearim to bring up the Ark of God. They carried the Ark in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab - which was not God's order. The people were so excited that they played before God with all their might, with singing, with harps, with cymbals and with trumpets.

1 Chronicles 13:9-10 continues to say "And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God." The Lord had taught the Levites how to carry the Ark and in Numbers 4:15, we see that the sons of Kohath were told "they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die." God wanted His Ark carried on the shoulders of consecrated, obedient, and praising men and women.

Uzza's motives like David’s, were likely pure, but they disregarded the written word of God. He did what was strictly forbidden. How different might have things been if they had taken the time to inquire of the Lord. Often times our great ideas and good intentions turn into disaster and they not only affect us, but they sometimes also affect others around us - even when our motives are pure/good. Before we put our hand out to redeem a situation, we need to remember to take a step back and inquire of the Lord to ensure that we are moving in the direction He would have us to move.

Let’s go before the Lord - especially since He’s only a prayer away - and seek His order, His way, and His plan of how He wants things done; because as we've seen, even when something might appear to be the right thing to do, we can easily do it the wrong way.

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

There's A Battle Going On!

Battle: A struggle, to engage in a war or battle

As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle of some sort on a daily basis and we are either the victors or the victims of that spiritual battle. Fortunately for us, in many situations we have the ability to choose whether we play the role of victor or victim (Praise God!). The reason we have a choice is because the battle I’m talking about is the one we fight within.

The first place we lose the battle within is in our own thinking. If we think something or some situation is permanent, then it is likely to be permanent. If we think we've reached our limits, then we probably have. If we're laid up sick and we think we’ll never get well, then the odds are that we won’t. It's imperative that we change our thinking - we must see any- and everything that’s holding us back - every obstacle and every limitation as simply temporary.

If you're out there thinking, "whew, she's not talking to me this week," think again! You can easily see an example of this - just go out of your way to do something for someone and them not reciprocate when you need them to (or you don’t reap the same in return). I bet it'll be a battle not to show any anger or what you are really thinking. What we fail to realize is that we are not responsible for what that person did to us; though it may affect us, their actions are not our problem. It's how we respond to what they did to us that is our responsibility.

Clearly, this is one battle we don’t have to leave home to fight. However, we must get dressed for it. Ephesians 6:11-14 tells us to "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness"

My friends, we may sometimes lose the battle, but we don’t have to lose the war! No, for we have a deliverer and a savior - His name is Jesus and He is only a prayer away. He's also the only one that can change us and help us to win these battles that wage within.

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

Singing THROUGH the Rain!

Singing: To use the voice to make musical tones; a form of praising.
Soldier: A skilled warrior; to push forward.

There are circumstances and situations that are going to come that were preordained and tailor-made just for you and me. Now in our journey we must walk through them to see what's on the inside of us and how much we really trust God. We must be singing soldiers, because one day there will be a battle (i.e. circumstance or situation) that we are not going to want to fight.

We have to remember that these battles were preordained, so we must have the attitude that Paul and Silas had when they were locked up in prison (Acts 16:25) -- they understood and recognized what the will of God was for them and that He had already pre-purposed the situation. The scripture tells us at midnight that Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and He delivered them - just as He will deliver us when we become singing soldiers.

Paul and Silas had the right attitude, they knew the battle was in the mind and they did not want to be the victims they wanted to be victorious. The fight is in our thinking, even though the situation was bad, they did what a singing soldier would do, praise and fight through it.

Ephesians 5:17 - "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." The Lord wants us to understand that He's the head of all things - the author AND the finisher.

Never forget that we are singing soldiers - when circumstances arise, we must start speaking to ourselves in psalms and spiritual songs - singing and making melodies in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19). This doesn't mean that we are going to be perfect all of the time - but we are soldiers - we get up and we push forward.

Psalms 96:1 tells us to sing unto the Lord a new song - NOT a song of murmuring and complaining. A new song - something like, "Lord you are too Holy, too just, too righteous to allow anything to cross my path that's not for my good and your glory."

My friends, keep trusting, believing and being a singing soldier and you will see that He will show up and show out for you.

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