Jesus Is Our Everything!

Everything: All things, whatever exists, whatever is needed, the only thing that really matter

Jesus is truly our everything - He’s our water when we are thirsty, He’s our friend when we are friendless, He’s our comforter when we have no peace, He’s our healer when we are on our sick bed. He’s our source of power; our source of strength. He’s the source of what we are; the source of what we are not. He’s our King of Kings, our Lord of Lords. He’s the only one that really matters.

If we were to ask Daniel who was his everything - even when he was in the lions den - he would surely tell us that Jesus was his everything. If we were to ask Jonah who was his everything - even when he was in the belly of the fish - he would undoubtedly tell us that Jesus was his everything. If we were to ask Paul and Silas, after they had been beaten, feet in the stocks, and in the inner courts of the prison or David, when he was hiding in the caves from Saul, all three would agree Jesus was their everything.

In our life today, He’s should / must be our everything. He’s our JEHOVAH-SHALOM - the Lord, our Peace! Just as He comforted Gideon and gave him peace in his situation (Judges 6:23-24); He will be our peace right in the midst of our storm. He’s our JEHOVAH-RA-AH - the Lord, My Shepherd (Psalms 23:1). A Shepherd leads and feeds. He also prepares a table for us in the midst of our enemies. He is absolutely our everything and the only thing that really matters.

He is before all things; He is above all things. He orchestrates everything and He determines everything that goes on in our life. He is Alpha and Omega. To sum it all up in a nut shell, He is Sovereign, He is whatever exists, whatever is needed, and He is the only thing that really matters. However, we must allow Him to come into our life, so that He can be those things for us. He’s everything including a perfect gentleman, He won’t force Himself on us, we must invite Him into our lives!

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

Without Faith it is Impossible to Please Him

Faith: belief and trust in God; a system of religious belief.

This week I would like to share with you the importance of having faith or a belief system in God. It's imperative that we believe in our prayers, in His word and in God Himself. Hebrews 11:6 informs us, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarded of them that diligently seek Him." If we want to please our Heavenly Father, we must have faith. The good news is that we don’t need a lot of faith. Matthew 17:20 declares, "... If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

True faith is choosing to believe that God will do just what He said. Let’s not put our faith in some thing, but rather in some one (Jesus). If we are praying for our spouse (or to get a spouse), for our children, our grandchildren, for better finances, or whatever the case may be - we can't give up just because we didn't see anything happen last week. And we can't give up based on what we see, hear, feel, or think. God is not only the author of our faith - He’s also the finisher. He is well able to do all that He has promised.

We must have faith like the lady with the issue of blood, she believed that if she could just touch the hem of His garment she would be made whole and that's exactly what happened - she was healed. You know what Jesus said? "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague." 

Look at the faith of Joshua, they were in a battle, "Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the amorites before the children of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies" (Joshua 10:12-13). Joshua was not too afraid to trust God, he exercised his faith in front of all Israel. 

Consider the two blind men that followed Jesus crying and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened.

Every situation we go through won't always be pleasant, but we must trust God to do in us what He needs to do in order to build our faith in Him. He has already told us that He would never leave us or forsake us and what He’s promised - He’s also able to perform!

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

Sometimes It's Okay To Be Selfish!

Selfish: to be concerned with one's own welfare without regard for others

The article below was sent to me the other day and I really enjoyed it. I'll be the first to admit that I found myself guilty of what this article is talking about. If you find yourself guilty, join me in making a few changes where necessary.

While I was out and about this weekend, running a couple of errands, I decided to take my least favorite highway exit to return home. Immediately, after exiting I regretted it for the very reason that it is my least favorite. Traffic was backed up... as always! "Ugh," I thought, "another accident. Memphis drivers are the worst."

As I sat in the barely moving traffic, pressing the accelerator and then the brakes what seemed like every two seconds, I finally approached the cause of the traffic pile-up. It was a wrecker service truck that had broken down. Ironic huh? The truck that is supposed to come to everyone else's rescue had broken down... and had traffic piled up...(catch that). In that moment, God spoke... Sometimes we get so busy trying to be EVERY thing to EVERY one else that we neglect the one person who needs us the most - OURSELF. We become so attentive to the needs of others and running to their rescue EVERY single time they call, that we do not realize that we - ourselves - are coming apart, slowly unraveling thread by thread. Or worse, maybe we do realize it, but we turn a blind eye to all the signs that we, ourselves, are running on empty.

We go on carrying their "weight" (and sometimes, it is heavier than their weight) until we break down... as that wrecker truck did... and then there's a pile up. Are you that person? Are you one who feels that you have to constantly pour from your cup, even when it's empty? Are you one who plays so many roles - mom, dad, wife, husband, employee, business owner, prayer warrior, listening ear, etc... but then, you neglect the role of self?? It is perfectly okay to be selfish... yes, I know the word selfish has gained such a negative connotation, but just think - if you are not well, then you cannot be well for anything or anyone else.

If you never stop to rest, to replenish, then you are well on your way to a breakdown just as that wrecker truck did. Selflessness is such a beautiful trait, but being selflessness should not require you to take from you. YOU NEED YOU. Listen, do not ignore the signs... take a break... and figure out what is it that you need. Do not lose yourself on the  mission of helping everyone else to find themselves.

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!