Take the Battle to the Lord!

Battle: fight, struggle

2 Chronicles 20:15 tells us, "for the battle is not yours, but God's."

Is it just me or does it occasionally feels like it's hard for you to surrender your fights and your struggles to the Lord? I think it's just human nature to always try to fix things - which is crazy, because really - who can fix it better than God?! But yet, here we are trying to find the perfect solution for every problem.

Well my friends, I'm here to tell you that is not God's way. In fact, it kind-of shows a lack of trust in Him. Haven't you heard people say, "Nothing's too hard for God?" If we truly believe that, then why are we trying to fix things ourselves??  why aren't we just giving it all to Him? I imagine that it must hurt the Lord so much to see His children cry and not come to see about them. If you have kids of your own, I'm sure you know what I mean. So let's stop acting like we can win every battle on our own and allow God to work on our behalf.

Let's look at Asa. Asa was a King who did good and right in the eyes of the Lord. When Zerah, the Ethiopian, and his army came out against Asa, he knew exactly what to do. Instead of trying to fix the problem himself, he "...cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power; help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee." And wouldn't you know it - "...the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled" (2 Chronicles 14:11-12). Even though Zerah's army was much bigger, it didn't matter. There is simply no battle or no struggle too big or too hard for our God!

For Asa, the good news didn't just stop there! If you continue reading the story, you'll see that not only did God defeat the Ethiopians, but He also gave Asa and his army all their possessions! The word says; "...and they carried away very much spoil" (2 Chronicles 14:13). How awesome is that? King Asa didn't try to fight the battle alone - no, he was much smarter than some of us! Instead, he cried out to the Lord. We must follow Asa's lead, and not make the Lord our last resort. Not only will God fix the situation, but He will also reward us - just as He did for Asa and his army.

The point I'm trying to make here is that we should never become uneasy in the midst of our day-to-day struggles and battles. That's because God has the power, the authority, and the ability to do just what He said He would do! So remember, fight your battles on your knees by crying out to God. As the song writer said, "If I hold my peace and let the Lord fight my battle; victory, victory SHALL be mine!"

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

Our Life Preaches A Sermon!

Sermon: A message

Our life preaches a sermon, regardless of what we are or what we pretend to be. Someone is always watching - especially if we are proclaiming Christianity. There is always someone in the background waiting and watching to see how we are going to handle the different challenges that we face every day. What they want to see is if we are going to talk the talk and walk the walk. One way or the other our life is going to preach a sermon!

Have you ever considered that you and I are the only Bible some people will ever read? Therefore we have a responsibility to be living epistle, which everyone can clearly read (II Corinthians 3:2). There should be something distinctive in the life of God’s people that makes them stand out to the world. After all, the word tell us in 1 Peter 2:9 (Amplified): "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, (God’s) own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." You see, our lives should be preaching a message of light and should be a witness to people that God is real.

It doesn’t matter if we are the Preacher, the Sunday school teacher, the choir director or a member of the congregation - our life is going to send a message - whether that message is favorable or unfavorable is up to us and the decisions we make. Keep in mind, we must lead by example. If we are living according to the word, our message will be favorable. However, if we are "holy" in Church, but live a completely different life outside of Church, well, that’s unfavorable, as we are not sending or setting a good message out to/for the people around us. They may never say anything to you, but they will surely share it with others, and of course - God sees it all.

Remember, the Lord loves us and He wants to give us everything that we need. He gets great pleasure when our lives are preaching a message about Him and His love. As I said, we may be the only Bible some will ever read, so we want our lives to always line up with the word of God!

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

Pride Will Steal Your Blessing!

Pride: A feeling of pleasure, because of something achieved or done

God hates pride! When pride comes in, we will not seek after God. He won’t be in our thoughts; instead it will be all about us. Pride will hinder our spiritual growth and steal our blessings. It is also one of Lucifer’s most successful strongholds. Pride puffs us up, until we're like a big balloon. When that balloon is full of air, it can swell so big that one cannot grip it with a single hand. But when God lets the air out of that balloon, it becomes very small.

Being prideful is the exact opposite of being humble. 1 Peter 5-6 tell us; "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." When pride is working, it wants to exalt itself; it wants credit for everything. Pride can even cause us to admire ourselves and condemn others - in other words - we overlook our faults, but seek out the faults in others. Pride will have us thinking that we look big and talk big, but rest assured that God has a remedy for that too.

We can become so driven by pride that we try to gain all we can in this world. We become so anxious, so restless and so discontent simply because we want more. Think about it my friends, what good will it do if we gain the whole world and lose our own soul? What has it profited? I don’t know about you, but I have never seen a hearse pulling a u-haul full of the deceased's possessions behind it on the way to the Church. And don't let us get a job that we think is beneath us, pride tends to work over time then!

Remember, those who walk in pride risk God letting all of the air out and bringing them down; just as King Nebuchadnezzar was brought down. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, and majesty, and glory and honor that the people feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his Kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: (Daniel 5:18-20). That feeling of pleasure, for what he thought he had achieved, caused him to lose it all.

God loves us and He wants to sit on the throne of our hearts. LET HIM DO SO! When you find yourself puffed up with pride, just confess it, repent over it, and move on. Our God is an awesome God - He forgives and He loves us - let’s love Him back and He will exalt us in due season.

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

God Is The Same On The Mountain Top As He Is In The Valley!!

Valley - Broad depression
Mountain - a high place

We often wonder where the Lord is when we are going through our valley experiences. Have you ever asked yourself why He hasn't intervened in a situation you are going through? After all doesn't He see how people are treating me and you? Doesn't He hear every single word people are saying about us? Sometimes it seems as if He's so far away, but the truth of the matter is, He's in the same place that He is when we are on the mountain top as He is when we are in the valley. We never stop and think about where He might be when things are working in our favor. But I'm here to tell you that He's the same today, yesterday and forever.

Take Job for example, when he first started going through his valley experience. At first, things were simply happening to people around him and to his material possessions. Through those things, he was able to remain pretty positive - "...Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

BUT when Job was personally touched, his attitude changed tremendously! Job 23:1-4 finds Job looking for God: "Even to day is my complaint bitter... Oh that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments." In other words, Job wanted to argue with the Lord about his situation - just as we do today! When sickness attacks our bodies; our children go haywire; our finances come to an all time low; and/or we experience the loss of a job - we murmur and complain, just as Job did. However, I assure you that God was/is in the same place then as He is/was when we are on the mountain top!

I'm using Job as an example, but really we can look at our own lives. Who among us hasn't had situations where we wondered where the Lord was? If you haven't - KEEP LIVING! Let me share with you - God is real and very much alive. And I'm pleased to tell you that He's the same whether we are in the valley or on the mountain top! We must remember that God is going to test our faith. He's not going to change - so let's not allow our situations to change us. Keep being thankful, keep praising Him and I guarantee that He will allow you to feel His presence, regardless of whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley!

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

This Is Not A Rehearsal!!

Rehearsal: a practice exercise

This is not a rehearsal! This is the only practice we get; when God says enough - it's over, there is no second chance. We have all seen performers (actors, singers, dancers, etc.) perform. One of the great things about their jobs is that if they make a mistake, they can typically go back and practice until they perfect whatever it is that they are doing. It's not so with life; on this journey if we fail to make Jesus the Lord of our life, and choose to do our own will instead of living a life that’s pleasing to the Lord... once life is over, there is no returning to this earth to fix things or change things. This is not a rehearsal; we must make every day count.

I can't stress enough the fact that God should be first in our life. It's imperative that we know who the boss is - and just in case you were wondering - it's not us! We owe everything to the Lord, right down to the very air that we breathe; therefore we will have to give an account for how we have lived our lives. We can't be people tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine; we must live and breathe totally within the will of God.

The Lord wants us to enjoy life, He said in John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." He wants us to enjoy His beautiful creation and all of the wonderful things He has blessed us with. Of course, we are living in perilous times, but we don't have to become a part of those things, our responsibility is to stand firm on the word of God. If we do fail (and every now and then, we probably will), there is blood to cover every sin - we just need to use it quickly to get back in agreement with God and continue to go forward.

My friends, I say again - this is not a Rehearsal! Revelation 22:12 informs us that His reward is with Him, therefore, once we're gone, we cannot return to this world and fix all the things we should have done years before. All along the way let's encourage ourselves, as well as others, and learn to love others as Jesus loves us.

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