Whose Approval Do You Want?

Approval: favorable opinion or acceptance.

So often we seek the approval of others instead of focusing on getting the approval that really counts. We seek to get the approval of others in the way that we dress, the cars we drive, and the way we think. We even try to gain a favorable opinion from others by the decisions we make. My friends, this should not be the case! Especially if it means that we neglect to get the approval of God, our Father. If we're not careful, we will find ourselves using all of our energy trying to please others and trying to be accepted by them and in the process of all this, we'll end up being totally miserable, because we wind-up outside of the will of God. First, let's seek God for His approval, before we worry about anyone else's. After all, His opinion is the only one that really counts.

In 1 Samuel 15:3 God told Saul, "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."  Just a few verses later, we find that "...Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them." Instead of being obedient after receiving the word of God and seeking His approval, Saul listened to the people and allowed them to do what they wanted to do in order to be accepted by them. As a result of his actions, Saul was rejected from being King. Now, if you were in that situation, knowing what you know, whose approval would you be seeking?

Life would be awfully miserable if we spend it trying to please everybody else, so lets not lose focus by trying to get the praise of man more than we seek for the praise/approval of God. If we allowed it, people will tell us how to live our lives, how to raise our children, and will even tell the pastors how to run the Church. We must remember to seek God's opinion in all things and be the people that He has called us to be in order to fulfill our destiny. While we may disappoint man, we should seek the approval of God and make every effort not to disappoint Him.

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

It Ain’t What It Look Like!

Faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust

Things sometimes appear to be one way, but that doesn’t mean that the outcome is going to be what we think. The word plainly tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. We should take heed to that scripture, because things ain’t what they look like!

Let’s take a look at the children of Israel when they were leaving out of Egypt – the Red Sea was in front of them and Pharaoh was behind them. Exodus 14:10 and 13 tells us, “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord… And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” Even when it appeared that the children of Israel were doomed, God was RIGHT THERE even in the middle of their storm – so you see, it ain’t what it look like.

Even if our children are living a life we don’t approve of or there might be friction between husband and wife. Maybe it seems like there are not enough finances to meet the need or things simply aren’t working out the way you thought they would. Just keep on praying and believing because things ain’t what they look like!

And think about Abraham and Sarah – they prayed for a son, but it didn’t seem as if it was going to happen. Their situation also appeared to be doomed, but God had promised Abram a son and despite him being 100 and Sarah being 90, they bore a son! That’s just another example to show you that it ain’t what it look like!

It’s so important to walk by faith and not by sight, because sight alone will fool you. Just keep trusting in our amazing, awesome and loving Savior Jesus Christ and He will show you that it ain’t what it look like!!

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

One Must Encourage Himself / Herself!

Encourage: inspire with hope, to give help

When nothing else seems to work, you have to encourage yourself in the Lord. How do you do that? George Mueller says "Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you." So start with the word of God!

Although we are children of God, that does not alienate us from experiencing discouragement. We've all been there, right? Those times when everything around you seems so big and so heavy that it feels like nothing can bring you up out of the gutter. It's in those times that we must go to the Word of God. In it we can always find love and comfort. Remember, Jesus loves us and He "roots" for us. We may not always be able to depend on our friends stopping by and encouraging us, and our Pastor may not always be able to make a house call. Rest assured that even when man fails or is unavailable, Jesus and His word will be right there to encourage and comfort us.

Since we can't be encouraged if we meditate on the lies of the devil, it's critical that we must start speaking the promises of God. For instance, if we are sick in our body, instead of being fearful and worried, we should go to the Word. Like Psalms 103:2-3, which tells us to "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." Or 1 Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." At first we may not believe God's promises, but I guarantee you, if you say them long enough, they will become a part of you and you will believe them. And even better still - God will perform them!

1 Samuel 30:3 & 6, tells a story of David: "So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Verse 6: "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons, and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." His men could not encourage him because they were all angry and had crying, until they had no more power to cry. God is a God who cares and a God who's always there.

David encouraged him self in the Lord and he asked God for direction. When he did, the Lord told him what to do and he and his men got their wives, sons, and daughters back AND they got everything else the enemies took back! Only the Lord can do that and He will do the same for us!

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

It's Vital That We Pray For One Another!

Vital: very important, essential to life.

Pray: to address prayers to God; to ask or request.

Prayer is always to most valuable thing that we can do for ourselves and for others. One thing prayer is not -- a waste of time. When we pray for people, God, in all His mercy and grace, will turn those prayers around and pour them back into our bosom. Of course, we shouldn't pray for people simply because we are looking for something in return! We do it because we are showing forth the love of God and God commands that we pray one for another.

When we pray we are having a long or short talk with a great God. It’s how we communicate with Him. We should never make praying for others a chore, instead we should do it with joy as Paul did in Philippians 1:3-4. Paul says; "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with Joy." Now, here is Paul - in prison, with chains on and chained to a Roman guard - praying for others! He wasn’t complaining about his situation; on the contrary - he was praying for others with Joy!

We can also take a look at Job 42:10: "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." Even though God is ultimately responsible for others - it's still very important that we pray for others. That's the opportunity He gives us to contribute - the person we are praying for gets their needs meet and we get blessed in the process! Remember, our love grows and we grow, as we pray for others. Just because we see people with a smile on their face outwardly, it doesn't mean they are truly happy and smiling on the inside, so as a part of our daily walk, let's do pray for one another.

The Word does not tell us to just pray for the ones who are good to us. "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

We are ambassadors for God in this world and He never ceases to love and care for us. In turn, He wants us to have that same kind of love and spirit toward others.

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