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!
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Speaking God's Promises Back to Him!
Speaking: to utter words; to express a thought in words.
Words: a comment, an order or command.
It is so important that we speak God’s word back to Him. God gave us His promises and He wants us to use them. The word says in Isaiah 55:11, "So shall my words be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it." Remember, "God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19. It's all up to us, my friends, to believe what God has promised.
When we go through our storms in life - and they are surely going to come - if we don't have the words stored on the inside of us, just pick up your bible; find the scriptures that fit your situation and pray them back to the Lord. For instance, when I was diagnosed with three different types of cancer, I found one of God promises, I typed it out, and I put it on my computer at work where I could see it every day. Each and every day I continually reminded Him of what He said. John 15:7 says; "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." God's word could not return to Him void, it had to accomplish what He promised - and it did - I've been cancer-free for many years now!
Have you ever said to your child; "if you finish your dinner, I'll give you a special treat" and then mess around and get busy? I'm sure if that's happened to you, your child probably hunted you down and say "mom/dad, you said I could have a special treat when I finished my dinner!" Do we not hasten to perform/fulfill our promise? Yes, we do, because we said we would. It's the same way with our Heavenly Father - when He hears His word, He hastens to perform it!
We don't have to worry about His word ever becoming old or obsolete, because as Isaiah 40:8 informs us, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand for ever." I can't express it enough, friends - Jesus loves us and He wants to show Himself strong in our lives.
With all that said, let the Church say Amen… and AMEN!
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
There's A Message In The Mess!
Message: A sign, indication, communication in writing or in speech
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!
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
We Need Mercy, Not Judging!
Mercy: compassion shown to an offender
Judging: to form an authoritative opinion
We are creatures of habit - we love forming an opinion, regardless of whether we are right or wrong. Most of the time we assume that we know what’s going on based on what the situation looks like, regardless of what really might be going on. Fortunately for us, that's not God’s way - His way is to show love and compassion one toward another.
The word says in Romans 7:18-19: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." If we were to be honest with ourselves, we would easily see that we are all like those two scriptures.
None of us are perfect - no one is - so instead of forming an opinion (especially when you have no idea of what’s really going on), try having some compassion. Compassion on the ones you feel have offended you and on people in general, because most of us are like Paul - we all want to do good, but we don’t always succeed - so we need some mercy and not to be judged.
God had mercy on us (and continues to have), if He had truly judged us - none of us would be here today! He realizes that we need much mercy. Think about Joseph. His brothers put him into a pit AND he was sold into slavery - yet when they came to him for food because there was a famine in the land, he didn't judge them. Instead, he had mercy on them and feed them until the famine was over.
Don't condemn or judge, just show mercy to all mankind.
With all that said, let the church say Amen...and AMEN!
Judging: to form an authoritative opinion
We are creatures of habit - we love forming an opinion, regardless of whether we are right or wrong. Most of the time we assume that we know what’s going on based on what the situation looks like, regardless of what really might be going on. Fortunately for us, that's not God’s way - His way is to show love and compassion one toward another.
The word says in Romans 7:18-19: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." If we were to be honest with ourselves, we would easily see that we are all like those two scriptures.
None of us are perfect - no one is - so instead of forming an opinion (especially when you have no idea of what’s really going on), try having some compassion. Compassion on the ones you feel have offended you and on people in general, because most of us are like Paul - we all want to do good, but we don’t always succeed - so we need some mercy and not to be judged.
God had mercy on us (and continues to have), if He had truly judged us - none of us would be here today! He realizes that we need much mercy. Think about Joseph. His brothers put him into a pit AND he was sold into slavery - yet when they came to him for food because there was a famine in the land, he didn't judge them. Instead, he had mercy on them and feed them until the famine was over.
Don't condemn or judge, just show mercy to all mankind.
With all that said, let the church say Amen...and AMEN!
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
In Order To Be Successful, You Must Be Persistent!
Persistent: to continuing without change in function or structure, continuing to persist in a course.
This applies whether it’s in the natural or spiritual: we sometimes just sit around and expect the Lord to drop pie out of the sky, but it simply doesn't work that way (shocker, right?!). If we plan on being successful we have to be persistent. Giving up and quitting is so prevalent in our society today - mostly because it just so easy. We live in this microwave generation, where everyone wants everything right now. This rush-rush thing may be our way, but it’s not necessarily God's way. Sure, He can do whatever it is that we are asking for right away - if He wants to - but that's not always what He wants for us. If He gave us everything we wanted exactly when we wanted it, how would we ever grow?
Consider blind Bartimaeus, he couldn't see Jesus, but when he heard that He was passing by, he didn't just sit there and let everybody else get blessed and healed - he started crying out to Jesus. And because of his persistence, he was successful and the Lord not only heard him, but stood still for him and healed him (Mark 10:49-52).
This principle works in every facet of our lives. Take your job for example - if you are working by the hour you can't go to work once a week and expect to be paid for a full week. No, you have to be persistent and you have to continue going, five days, maybe even six, depending on what you agreed to. When God sees us continuing without change to be successful, He will open every door and knock down every barrier. You see this principle working in the world today, people fall, but they get back up and try another way and eventually it works for them.
I want to encourage you to be persistent in your prayer life, on your job, and in every other aspect of your life. The Lord is watching and waiting, because He wants to bless you. I'm sure there are so many things that we have asked the Lord for, but because we didn't get them when we thought we should have them - we stopped asking, we stopped being thankful for them and we simply lost focus. Remember, my friends; patience is another aspect of persistence - whether we are asking for something naturally or spiritually. We must never give up; we must never quit - we must continue to persist firmly despite any obstacle that might cross our path.
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
This applies whether it’s in the natural or spiritual: we sometimes just sit around and expect the Lord to drop pie out of the sky, but it simply doesn't work that way (shocker, right?!). If we plan on being successful we have to be persistent. Giving up and quitting is so prevalent in our society today - mostly because it just so easy. We live in this microwave generation, where everyone wants everything right now. This rush-rush thing may be our way, but it’s not necessarily God's way. Sure, He can do whatever it is that we are asking for right away - if He wants to - but that's not always what He wants for us. If He gave us everything we wanted exactly when we wanted it, how would we ever grow?
Consider blind Bartimaeus, he couldn't see Jesus, but when he heard that He was passing by, he didn't just sit there and let everybody else get blessed and healed - he started crying out to Jesus. And because of his persistence, he was successful and the Lord not only heard him, but stood still for him and healed him (Mark 10:49-52).
This principle works in every facet of our lives. Take your job for example - if you are working by the hour you can't go to work once a week and expect to be paid for a full week. No, you have to be persistent and you have to continue going, five days, maybe even six, depending on what you agreed to. When God sees us continuing without change to be successful, He will open every door and knock down every barrier. You see this principle working in the world today, people fall, but they get back up and try another way and eventually it works for them.
I want to encourage you to be persistent in your prayer life, on your job, and in every other aspect of your life. The Lord is watching and waiting, because He wants to bless you. I'm sure there are so many things that we have asked the Lord for, but because we didn't get them when we thought we should have them - we stopped asking, we stopped being thankful for them and we simply lost focus. Remember, my friends; patience is another aspect of persistence - whether we are asking for something naturally or spiritually. We must never give up; we must never quit - we must continue to persist firmly despite any obstacle that might cross our path.
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
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