Short Thought #4: God's Plan For Your Life

God has a well designed plan for you, for your life. All you have to do is have faith! Let Him take over! What God has in store for you is far greater than anything you can imagine! I mean just think about it. It’s God Almighty! The creator of Heaven and Earth! The Father of all creation! In control of the very direction of your life! In 100% control of your future! And you don’t have to do anything but yield to Him, let Him take over and have faith! I don’t know about you but that sound like a great deal to me! Will you trust Him today?

You Are Not Of This World

When you yielded to Christ Jesus, you were irreversibly changed. You were pulled out of the Kingdom of darkness, pulled out of the world and placed in God's Kingdom. You aren't waiting to get to God's Kingdom, you are already in it. You are under the divine covenant of God! It's time you recognize who you are and walk in the authority that God, our Father, gave you. You are only in this world, not of it!

As the children of God we have divine favor over our lives. God has promised us so many things and it's time for us to take hold of them. We don't have to be in this world with sickness and disease, poverty, lack, strife, unable to break habits, running from the devil, when in reality it should be him running from us. God gave us the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and it's time that we recognize who we really are.

When Jesus died on the cross, it was finished! Unto Him be all the glory! Because of His sacrifice every thing is under our feet! Satan is under our feet! You don't have to be afraid of Him! He is a defeated foe! He should be the one afraid of you! He should have no foothold on you! There is no condemnation in God's Kingdom! You aren't of this world! You have been touched and blessed by God Almighty! And what God blesses the devil can't touch.

Since we know that we are only in this world and not of it, then some would question why the children of God go through so many things. Yes! We aren't of this world but God didn't say we would have to go through anything but He did say that no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). God gave us His armor for a reason and we are to overcome by the blood of Jesus! You see, trials and tribulations are a test of your faith! So fight, hold on and stay strong because Jesus has overcome the world and because you are in God's Kingdom you will too! Don't stay broken and confused when you were given the divine capability of defeating the adversary!

"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." ~ John 17:14-16

You are not of this world. Let go of the things of this world. Let it all go! Send all the curses back to the one it belongs to, the devil! Don't you know who your Father is? He desires for you to flourish and prosper in every aspect of your life. Stop settling! Stop speaking negativity into your life! It's like my Pastor said, "People will talk themselves into a crisis!" and that is so true. You don't have to kneel at the table of the adversary! You aren't in his kingdom! You don't belong to him! Therefore you should not be unable to overcome the things that those who are in his kingdom go through! Give lack back, give strife back, give sickness, disease and poverty back! Those are curses (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)! Again, you are not of this world! Begin to take up the authority God gave you and walk freely as a child of God living under His heavenly grace!

God Bless!

Short Thought #3: Revelation

If you want revelation from God then you have to be prepared for it. It isn’t something that should be taken lightly; God isn’t revealing things to any and everybody. Do a clean sweep of your spirit. Make your Temple a pleasing dwelling place for the Holy Spirit to abide in. Renew the spirit of your mind; keep your conduct in line with Christ! Only then can the Lord begin to come in and implant divine wisdom and knowledge. God isn’t going to give you anything that you can’t handle or that you aren’t prepared for. You want revelation? Prepare yourself and go after it. Get your spirit in anticipation and expectation for receiving a word from God. When God sees that you are ready then He will step in and give it to you but only at the appointed time.

Short Thought #2: Tithing

Whenever you begin to talk about abundance, prosperity and finances people in the Church begin to cringe. Why is that? Are they content with lack? Are they happy with having just a little to get by? Are they okay with financial difficulty? Clearly they are lost and don’t know as much as they think they do about God Almighty. If they did then they would know that, one, poverty is a curse! We shouldn’t be trying to hold on to it! It doesn’t belong to us! Give it back! Give it back to the devil! That’s his and it belongs to those who are under his control! So when a Preacher becomes brave enough and bold enough to preach on the subject matter don’t get all upset about it like he’s trying to steal your money, when 9 times out of 10 he doesn’t need a thing you got, but rather listen and be enlightened. Let poverty go and walk in the abundance that God desires for you to walk in.

Trouble Makers

There are a lot of trouble makers, evil dwellers and backstabbers among us. Every time you look up they have some sort of drama and debauchery going on. There lives are chaotic and out of place. There is no presence of the Almighty God in their lives and they either fail to realize it or just plain old don't care (usually this is the case). When you as a child of God, or someone with at least a little bit of sense, notice this type of behavior and activity going on with someone you know or are close to, get out of the way. Where chaos roams, you'll usually find the devil in the midst of it all.

You see, Jesus brings peace and when His presence is in someone's life you see it, it's clear and evident. And it's even more evident when His presence is not in someone's life. At the slightest sign of this you need to separate yourself. Don't involve yourself with trouble makers! In the end they will turn out to be a snare for you. 

People all need to realize now and days that there is truly some company that you just can not keep. That goes for us in the Body of Christ too! Don't get all high and mighty thinking you can walk in the midst of any situation and change it. That's not always the case! Some things are only meant for God Almighty to take on! Leave the trouble makers to their bidding, take a note of it and get in prayer about it. You can't always be a hero in every situation. Let go and let God! He's in control and we all need to recognize that.

Trouble makers have been around since the beginning of time, it is nothing new. That's why when I see people that are shocked by their absurd behavior, I sit back and think to myself, "Wow! Have you been living under a rock?" You should not be surprised! The world we live in today is full of lawlessness, stupidity and backward thinking. 

But all the evil mean and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go." ~ 1 Samuel 30:22

And this is only one example of troublemakers in the Bible, they are plenty more. Again, this isn't anything new. God sees it all and has an answer for it all. Sometimes the best thing and most powerful thing you can do for them, is simply pray for them.

When ignorance is among you, you need to purge it from your sight. Let no vile thing be in your circle. Rid and separate yourself from anyone who leads a life full of unnecessary drama. When you finally relieve yourself of their presence, you'll find that your life will be much more peaceful.

God Bless!

Short Thought #1: Dominion Over the Earth

God Almighty, our Father, gave us dominion over ALL the Earth, not just part of it!

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. and let him rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." ~ Genesis 1:26

And He has not taken that dominion back! It’s still ours! We have just let go of it. It’s time for us to arise and be who God called us to be in the Earth; taking dominion over what is rightfully ours! Not falling weak to the troubles, trials and tribulations we go through. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ! With God all things are possible!We have a purpose as God’s Children in this earth and we must fulfill it. 

Worship With All Your Might

A lot of times we in the Body of Christ are often mocked about how we worship our Father. And the mocking doesn't just come from those who are unbelievers but from those who claim to believe God themselves.  You see the stares and the side whispers, as you worship your heart out, and people looking at you as though you were doing something wrong, when in fact they should be doing the exact same thing your doing.

I've seen it sooo many times! Those who are radical in their praise and worship being looked at as though they were some sort of freak of nature. They get pointed at, sometimes told to be quiet and shunned as though they were abnormal;and all this is done by those who claim they love the Lord. Hypocrites!

I don't know if they've got the memo but the old way is dead, God is on the move.

"See, I am doing a new thing!"~ Isaiah 43:19

God is looking for those that worship Him in spirit and in truth.

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." ~ John 4:23-24

God is calling out to those worshipers who don't care what the crowd thinks about them, who aren't concerned with the way they look, and could care less about what someone has to say about them!

God isn't looking for those who sit back, laugh, point and mock. Or those who give a half way praise. No way! God gave you His all! You are to give Him yours!

And also, before you laugh at the person who is shouting and dancing to God, get to know them. You'll find that they are shouting and dancing because they have a powerful testimony and revelation of God's goodness! They are shouting and dancing because they love Jesus and they know what He brought them out of and are giving Him an expression of their gratitude.  

Don't you know your praise and worship is a weapon. If you don't have a shout, a spin, a wave, a clap or a run, then you are missing a very vital weapon in this spiritual warfare. Your worship and praise sends devils running. When you begin to magnify God, your "big" problems begin to diminish.Who cares about what the crowd has to say, get a praise in your heart for God and watch some demons begin to flee.

When I think about worshiping God, I think about David, who worshiped with all his might.

"David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals." ~ 2 Samuel 6:5

"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets." ~ 2 Samuel 6:15

As you read on in 2 Samuel 6, you can tell that David did not care about what anyone thought about him; he worshiped God wholeheartedly and with all his might, and if David did it, then of course you should do the same.

Worship God with all your might. Who cares about what the bystanders and sideline sitters have to say. Shake the chains of and get a song in your heart and dance before your Father, Savior and Comforter. Your worship and praise is sweet and pleasant in the sight of the Almighty! Let nothing and no one hold you back!  Move people out of your way if you have to! Let no one quiet you down! Shout all the louder! God desires to hear your voice praising Him with the multitude.

God Bless!

The Lord Is With You

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" ~ Romans 8:31

When going out in the name of Jesus all you can do is win, you can't fail, it's impossible. God is your Father and He will bless whatever it is that you put your hand to. You don't have to be afraid. You don't have to be nervous and worried. God's got you covered you. You don't even have to ask Him to be with you, He already promised you in Joshua 1 that He always will be and that He will never leave. The Lord God Almighty is with you! Rise up, go forward with Jesus and be strong in spirit.

Often times in the Body of Christ many of us are pushed into a corner. We become afraid to do certain things, afraid to take a risk and afraid to have a voice. But if we would just come to really believe God's word and know that we are not alone in our undertakings then we would be more apt to do them. When God said in Joshua 1 that He would never leave you nor forsake you, He wasn't just talking to Joshua, He was talking to you too! Continually throughout the book of Joshua God also says to be strong and courageous! And He was saying that to us as well. In the New Testament Jesus says, that you can do all things through Him and there are many other scriptures in the Bible with God telling us that He is with us and to not fear. You believe God's Word is true right? You believe in God right? So you have no reason to live in fear and be afraid, He is with you!

God our Father has His mighty right hand over your life. You are safe in His everlasting arms. You have found refuge under the shadow of His wings. Jesus has died for you.  You have been cleansed, redeemed and set free with His blood. His blood flows through your very veins. Because of Him you are no longer a servant of God but a child of God and now you call on the creator of heaven and earth as Abba, Father. Jesus is walking right along side of you on this righteous path. He is holding onto your right hand as you walk along. God has sealed you with the promised Holy Spirit; who is your teacher, counselor and comforter. This is just a small breakdown, I could go on and on about how covered we are by God. Again you have nothing to fear, do not be afraid, God is with you!

"And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him."~2 Samuel 5:10

Just as God was with David, so is He with you. Just as David grew more powerful because the Lord was with Him, so will you. Even when it feels and seems as though  your strength spiritually and naturally is diminishing, God Almighty will come right along and exalt you at your lowest point. We are under such a beautiful covenant with God. Our lives should reflect that. We do not have to live in fear as the world does, not when we know who our Father, Redeemer and Counselor is! So do as your Father told you. Be strong and be courageous! The Lord is with you!

God Bless!

Jesus Has Compassion For Us

Jesus loves us all so very much. So much so that He gave His own life for us. Just thinking about the magnitude of God's love for us sets me in awe. To think that our Abba said, "I'll turn my own son into sin itself, just to save and redeem them" is overwhelming. The thing is, is that a lot of people fail to realize exactly how much compassion that Jesus has for us. If we all really had a real revelation on that, they way we live our lives would change.

When I see someone with their head hanging down or someone whose heart has broken, I automatically think,"I wonder if they know the love of Jesus?" We are living in a world that  is full of pain. Life is an emotional roller coaster and we have to take the good with the bad. But if we really began to understand exactly how much Jesus loves us then it would truly make life a lot easier.

On this righteous path there are many ups and downs, as far as what we go through. We can be standing on top of the mountain victorious one minute and the next minute be down in the valley, feeling defeated. When these bad times come, ill feeling emotions come along with them. But what we must understand is that we aren't hurting alone. God hurts right along with us. Every pain you feel, He feels it just like you, if not worse because He has taken all of the pain of the world and placed it on His shoulders. Jesus has so much compassion for us! Do you think your Father wants you to be sitting around, broken down, defeated and depressed? No! He loves you and He wants you to prosper in every aspect of your life. Don't ever think that God doesn't care about what your going through. He cares more than you'll ever know.

One passage comes to mind when I begin to think about the love and compassion that Jesus has for each and everyone of us. It is in John 11, when Lazarus has died and Jesus goes to see Mary and Martha.

"When Mary reached the place where Jesus was & saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 'Where have you laid him?' He asked. 'Come and see, Lord,' they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, 'See how He loved him!" ~John 11:32-36

Jesus not only felt their pain but He cried with them, and its the same today. God loves us! We are His children! When you hurt, He hurts! When your in pain, He is in pain! When your heart has been broken, so has His! When you grieve, the Holy Spirit is grieving right along with you! So don't ever think you're alone in your rough times, God is right there with you. Call on Him and let Him free you from pain, misery and sorrow. We don't have a Savior who doesn't understand what we go through. Jesus understands very much so what we go through because He had to endure it Himself. But remember He overcame it all and so will you. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has so much compassion for us! Don't hold on to pain. Go to the feet of Jesus, where true peace is found and let your soul be set free!

God Bless!

Take Off Your Grave Clothes

Why the long face? Why all the tears? Why are you still dealing with heartache and pain? Why do you have sorrow upon sorrow? Why are you dwelling on the past? Don't you know who you are? You are a redeemed child of God. Set free by the blood of the spotless lamb, that is Jesus Christ! All things have been made new for you! Your past is gone! You have become a new creature in Christ! So take off your grave clothes and rejoice!

So many in the Body of Christ, though they have accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior of their life, struggle with so many different things of this world. Things such as pain, depression, addictions, sickness, lack, poverty and strife. But I recall that our Father said that we are only in this world, not of it. When you accepted Jesus, all of your past was washed away, you entered a new kingdom, God's Kingdom! So why do so many among us still have their grave clothes on?

There is a few answers to this question. Fear, doubt and unbelief are just a few that come to mind. 

In God's Kingdom you have to be fearless. Yes, God may ask you to do some things that you have never done before, but remember your not alone, Jesus is with you! Be like Abraham! When God told him to leave his homeland and go to a land which was unknown to him, he didn't have a clue just like you, but the difference between you and he is that he risked it all and went; and for that he was greatly rewarded. You don't have to know or even understand why God is moving the way He is in your life, all you have to do is obey, it's that simple. God has never and will never lead you astray!

Don't ever doubt God! Doubting Him is an insult! Do you think for one second that God, the Father of all creation, the creator of Heaven and Earth and everything in it, is unable to turn your entire situation around? He created everything under the heavens in seven days, what do you think He can do in your life in a matter of minutes? Even seconds? Let go and let God! I know a lot of people say that but it's true! Let go of doubt! Trust God! He has a wonderful plan for your life! A beautiful future in store for you! Reach out and grab hold of God's mighty right hand and receive it! He's got you covered! 

Unbelief! All I can say is why wouldn't you believe in God? You believe everything else! You believe what the media tells you. What the news tells you. What your friends and family tell you. So you should definitely above all believe what God tells you! His Word is true! It is set in stone! It will not fall to the Earth void of power but it will indeed accomplish what He sent it into the world to do! God holds His Word above His name! You think He's not going to come through for you? Then you are sadly mistaken. Shake that unbelief off! You are no longer apart of those in the realm of darkness! You are a child of the light! Believe and trust in the mighty name of Jesus! He will never and has never let you down!

Take the grave clothes off! Take them off! Throw them away! And refuse to ever put them on again! Give them back to who they belong to! The devil and those who serve him! They don't belong to us! We are Children of the Almighty God! Be like Lazarus in John 11. When Jesus called Lazarus name from the grave, He didn't stay inside the tomb. He came out and those grave clothes got taken off of him! You need to do the same thing.

Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." ~ John 11:44

Jesus is saying the same thing to you and to what's holding you captive. Let it go! Jesus is calling you out from the depths of the grave just as He did Lazarus! Will you answer the call and take those grave clothes off? I hope you will! 

God Bless!

The Church

A lot of people often label The Church as just a building where those who are believers of the Lord Jesus Christ go and fellowship on Sunday's and then that's it. But this indeed is the wrong perception of the Church. The Church is not the building, it is the Body of Christ; it's the redeemed, blood bought, children of God. So why do so many people view the Church as just a building instead of a mighty and powerful body of believers?

The answer is quit simple, the Church has lost its voice. As time has went on, those who call themselves believers have mostly taken a backseat and have become silent. This isn't what God desires us to be of course but it is true anyhow. As the heathen rage on and the evil demonic forces go about devouring whomever they can get their hands on, those who are supposed to be mighty warriors in Christ, have chosen to sit still. We have become satisfied with going to Church on Sunday's, if that, singing a couple of songs, giving God a half way praise, partially shouting a couple of hallelujah's, hearing some feel good preaching that has nothing to do with the Gospel of Christ, and then heading out the door until the next Sunday rolls around, only to repeat the same thing all over again. Is this truly what God desired the Church to be when He poured out His Spirit in the upper room where the Church was started? Does God want us to be silent about the very things that go against our faith? Does He want us to sit back, while the dominion and authority that God gave us, His children, in the earth is snatched away?

Absolutely not! So why is all this taking place today? It is because people have fallen away from the cares of God and have become way more concerned about the cares of this world. You have people swarming in to Churches, not to hear and receive a word from God but to find out if they can get God's attention on them long enough by parading around shouting and hollering, just so they can receive a blessing. Majority of those in the Church today could care less about seeing God's face, they are more concerned about seeing what's in His hand. They don't love Him for who He is, they love Him for what He can do for them. Now don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that you shouldn't desire to have a blessing from God but what I am saying is that shouldn't be your main focus. Your main focus in God, is to be always seeking His face, establishing His Kingdom in the earth and leading the lost to Christ. That's our purpose. And if we aren't fulfilling that, we become useless. Do you want to become useless and pointless? I hope to God you don't. It's time to switch your desires. Don't go to Church just to see if you can gain some material possessions from God, go to receive a word from God that will strengthen your spirit. Go to Church to feel the tangible presence of the Almighty God. You don't need feel good preaching, you need to hear the truth. This is not who the Church, the Body of Christ is supposed to be. We aren't to be selfish, we are to selfless. Yielding before Jesus Christ, letting go of our will to receive His. We aren't to be sitting on the sidelines in silence. We are to be at the very front of the battle like Judah.

Now while all this mess and debauchery may be going on amongst many Christians of today, don't be afraid. The Church is still very much alive. Remember God always has a remnant. 

This reminds me of when God had Ezekiel prophesy to the dry bones in Ezekiel 37. You know who the dry bones are? Us! the Body of Christ! Right now, a lot of us are dry bones,lacking life, lacking substance, lacking the Word and breathe of God; but when God begins to breath upon us, things are going to change. Don't be deceived, God is still moving among us in a mighty way. His plan will be brought to pass. God doesn't need everybody, He just needs somebody. God is still on His Throne, it is still established, His Word is still true, and Jesus is still very much alive, seated at His right hand, both now and forevermore. So since God has not stop moving, neither should we. We need to be those in the Body of Christ, that no matter what the naysayers and mockers have to stay, are still crying out, "Prepare the way of the Lord!" God is on a mighty move. He is like the wind; you can't see Him, but you can feel Him and you can hear Him. Take heed to His call. Let's refuse to refused and deny to denied. Let 's not be bench warmer's in God's Kingdom no longer. We are the Church! We are the Body of Christ! Take a stand and let it be known who the King is! That is Jesus Christ! Put yourself aside and focus on God! We are God's remnant body of believers and it's time that we behaved as such.

God Bless!

A Misconception

There is a big misconception between judging and telling the truth in our society today. There is a difference in telling the truth and judging someone. It's time people come to learn the difference. Especially those in the Body of Christ.

What is judging? Judging is to infer, think or hold as in opinion. What is telling the truth? Giving the facts. Pointing out the reality in a situation.

No one has the right to judge someone. That is God's job and His job alone. And too often we are guilty of doing so, especially in the Body of Christ. We tend to look at someone's outer appearance first and form an opinion of them without getting to know them personally. Only when you know someone personally is when you will be able to formulate a real hypothesis about them and from that be able to tell them the truth about their wrongdoings. If you don't know someone personally then you can't sit back and point the finger. And remember when you point the finger, you have 3 pointing right back at you. Make sure you are together first before you go around trying to pick out everybody else's problems. The main people who usually do this, have a ton of problems themselves spiritually & because of their own personal guilt they want to try and find fault in everyone else. Remember misery loves company.

Matthew 7:1-2"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Telling the truth is something that is a must. There is no need to sugar coat something in order to not offend someone or hurt their feelings. Sometimes people need to have their spirit convicted, they need to be offended, they need to have their feelings hurt, then the change will come, if they are doing wrong in God's eyes. In Ezekiel 33, God tells Ezekiel that He is appointing Him as watchman of Israel, and if he sees someone doing wrong he was to warn them; and if he failed to do so and they died in their sin, then that persons blood would be on Ezekiel's hands. Do you think that stopped there with Ezekiel? No! If it did, there would be no point in having it in the Bible, as the Bible is meant to instruct the Children of God. That mandate is over your life as well. Tell the truth! Warn someone of their wrongdoings! Life is hard enough and you don't want to have someone else's blood on your hands because you were afraid to do what your Father told you to do and instead kept your mouth shut. There are way too many meek and mild, "I'm not going to say anything", sitting on the sideline Christians in the Body of Christ. Stand up! Be bold! And tell the truth! But you can only do this if your hands are clean. If not, then you need to get before God and have your spirit wiped clean, with the blood of Jesus. Then you will be able to fulfill this divine mandate that God has given us.

Matthew 7:3-5"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye & pay no attention to the plank in your own eyes. How can you say to your brother. 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers' eye."

And people, when someone decides to come to you and tell you what your doing is wrong, don't automatically jump on the defensive, because 9 times out of 10, you know your wrong. One thing people say when this happens is, "only God can judge me!" My response to that is, "Yes! You are absolutely and 100% right! And you can be sure that He is going to do so! So get prepared!" When someone tells you, "Hey you might want to rethink that decision" or "Your going down the wrong path" don't get upset, they're trying to help you out. And you would much rather be corrected down here on earth where you can still get right with God because once you get before Him at the Heavenly Throne it is too late! And don't be deceived! Yes, God is merciful but God is also just! God gives us mercy while we are here on Earth, but when that day comes, where you are standing naked before the Almighty and everlasting God, He is not for one second going to go easy on you, because He gave you a choice, and you made the wrong one. There is a big price to pay when you defy God and go against His commands. So when someone says, "You might need to get yourself together" or "What your doing is not right" you better listen, they are trying to help you out. Take the advice, get before God and get yourself in order.

Don't judge someone and at the same time don't be afraid to tell someone truth about their wrongdoings. There is a way to do this without verbally abusing someone or condemning them. You can tell the truth plainly without sugar coating it and still get a positive response. We are to warn people of their wrongdoings but if you yourself have your temple in disorder then you need to take a look in the mirror first. In closing I say, if you are going to fulfill God's mandate, do it the right way. 

God Bless!

Be Careful What You Ask For

God gives us what we ask for. He gives you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4-5 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of you heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this."

But what happens if we keep asking God for the wrong thing. God will most definitely protect you, but when you continually ask Him for something that you know is outside of is will, watch out, He's going to give it to you.

Be careful what you ask for. It's just like what happened to the Israelites in 1 Samuel. They kept asking God and demanding that He give them a King, even though He was there King;1 Samuel 12:12 "But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me. 'No, we want a king to rule over us'-even though the Lord your God was your king.". God spoke through Samuel and warned them of what was to come but they ignored it and kept asking and eventually got what they asked for, then found out that it wasn't at all what that they had hoped for.

In 1 Samuel 8:18, God speaks through Samuel and tells them what the King that the Israelites are asking for is going to do. In verse in 19 they don't take heed of the words that Samuel tells them and continue to ask for a King; they end up getting Saul.

So in closing, ask for the things of God, the things in His will. Don't ask Him for anything that you know is not what He truly desires for you to have. When praying, ask God that above all things, despite of what you want, that His will be done. God will protect you, but you have to use discretion and discernment as well. Find out what the will of God is for your life and walk in it.

God Bless!

Take a Stand

"That's just the way it is. There's nothing we can do about it." There are way too many passive Christians in the Body of Christ today. That's not who God called us to be. We are supposed to be bold in Christ. 

Proverbs 28:1 "The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."

Acts 4:29 "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."

We were built for the battle, conflict and persecution. We aren't to be meek and mild, sitting on the sidelines in silence while the heathen rage on, no! We are to be on the front lines. We are to be like John, the one who cried out in the wilderness. We are to be like Paul, the one who no matter what he faced, spoke the Word of God, the way God told him to, how and when God told him to, without shrinking back. So what is wrong with the Christians of today?

Fear. Fear while it is not the only reason, it is the main reason why the majority of us fail at the tasks we set out to do in the Body of Christ. Fear of failure. Fear of ridicule. Fear of being shunned. Fear of offending someone. Fear of not being well known or liked. Fear of what others will think or say. These are not characteristics of those who are Children of the Almighty God. We are to warriors in the Body of Christ, taking a stand in God's remnant army against the forces of evil.

Don't be passive when it comes to the things of God. God didn't shrink back when it was time to save you, so why would you shrink back from Him? Who cares about what all these people, who don't have or use the good sense that God gave them have to say. Let them talk, that's all they can do, that's why they do it. A mere word from someone shouldn't make you run and hide in a corner; not when you have the Spirit of God abiding in you. You are the child of a mighty God, He is not about to fail so He won't let you fail. God doesn't have time for a tail-tucker in His Kingdom. Girt yourself with some truth, go to the highways and byways proclaiming the Word of the Lord.

Take a stand. Don't be afraid. God is with you. There's nothing worse than a passive Christian. God gave us a voice and we have to use it. Yes, you will be ridiculed, mocked and laughed at but you shouldn't care about what the foolish have to say, get prepared for it, it comes with the territory. You are to dwell among the wise and be concerned with the Kingdom of God and further establishing His Kingdom in the Earth, that's your purpose. So when the time comes for you to stand up, stand! Don't be afraid and don't hold back, Jesus is standing right there with you. Take a stand and be bold in Christ!

God Bless!

Jesus is Lord

Jesus is Lord! There is no if's, and's or but's about it! And since this is true. Why do we have so many people running around trying to tell Him what to do? As if we know better than He, or we know something He doesn't know and that couldn't be farther from the truth. Because when we sit back and really begin to think we will really come to realize that we don't know much at all and without the Lord Jesus Christ stepping in, we would be in between a rock and a hard place.

Jesus is the Lord over all and He is the ruler over your very life. Once you are ushered into God's Kingdom, your life no longer belongs to you but it belongs to Him and He is now responsible for you in every aspect of your life; physically, mentally and emotionally. It greatly frustrates me when I see people, especially Christians, running about, to and fro, pulling their hair out at the slightest hint of a problem. Don't you know who Jesus is? Don't you know that the battle is the Lord's not yours? You don't have to be running around in a tizzy, Jesus is here and He's here for you; place the battle in His hands, put on the full armor of God and stand. Our Lord Jesus Christ is in command, you have nothing to be afraid of. You receive the victory through Christ Jesus!

Another thing that frustrates me is when I see people making decisions outside of the will of God and then wonder why things don't go right. Don't you know what our Lord said in His word? Apart from Him you can do nothing; John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me an I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Then why are you trying? Some people do this and believe they are being humble by just doing what they can themselves and not bothering God for help, this is wrong! In fact it is humble when we come and ask God to help us, recognizing that we can't do anything on our own and then begin to rely on His grace to make it through. You can't make it without the presence of the Almighty God, so stop trying. When you don't know which way to turn, turn to God, you are not left to your own devices; Our Lord Jesus Christ is here.

We in the Body of Christ have to let Jesus be who He is in our lives, Lord and Savior. We hinder Him and fall short of the glory so much so that most of us will never see or live the lives that God really sent us in this earth to live. When you yielded to God, that was it, you recognized that your life was not your own and you belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ above. Let Him be who He is, Jesus is Lord and Savior. Let go and let Him reign and rule over your life, He knows what He's doing. Believe and trust in Him! 

1 Samuel 3:18 "He is the Lord; let Him do what is good in His eyes."

God Bless!

God's Favor

It doesn't matter who you are or where your from; if God chooses to shine down His divine favor upon you, beautiful things will begin to take place. The even more beautiful thing about God's favor is that as His child He gives it to you freely. You don't have to do a thing for, just walk in humility with God, believe and receive it.

Just because you may be facing a battle right now does not mean that God's favor is not with you. It's when we're in the battle that God shines His divine favor down upon us the most. He's bringing us into a deeper relationship with Him and that's something that the majority of people on this Earth don't get to receive. So when tough times get going don't have a "woe is me" attitude, recognize that because God's favor is on you, persecution will come. But with God's favor, you will be able to stand and will be strengthened in the battle.

Where man says no, God says yes. It doesn't matter what situation you are in; whether it be in school, on your job or in your family, if God says yes, then that's it and God is the final decision maker, so His mind will not be changed.

Don't think for one second that your situation or circumstance is to big for God to work out. As I always say we serve a big big God. Just think about it, if God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, then just imagine what God can do in your life. God is a God of great abundance and He desires for you to flourish and prosper. Whenever your mind begins to doubt that notion, then get in touch with Jesus immediately and He will show you differently.

And favor isn't fair. When God's favor begins to shine down upon you get ready, people are going to look at you differently. You don't deserve the blessings that God is about to pour out in your life but favor isn't fair, you don't deserve the new car you are about to receive, but favor isn't fair, you don't deserve the new house God is about to give you but favor isn't fair. You'll have some who will look at you funny, it comes with the territory, but don't let it bother you. Walk in God's favor and hold your head up high.

God can turn any situation you are in completely around. Just look at what God did for Ruth. Because she left her family and her homeland to go back and live with her mother-in-law, she was greatly blessed for it and God shed divine favor upon her through Boaz.

Ruth 2:11-13 ~ Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband - how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."

"May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant - though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls."

You see, Ruth didn't even have the standing as all the other servant girls but because the Lord's favor was upon her, she received great blessings, if you read on through chapter 2, Boaz and Ruth end up marrying. 

And this isn't the only example in the Bible, think about Joseph, He was in the prisons of Egypt and all in one day He went from the prison to the palace.

So just remember if doesn't matter who you are, where you are or what you've done, as you have come to yield before God, your debt has been wiped clean and God's favor is with you.

God Bless!

One Drink from Jesus

I have tasted and I have seen the goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ above and I can't get enough! One drink from Jesus, one taste from Jesus, can completely turn your world around. 

 

Why don't you take a sip from Jesus! Drink from Jesus and be strengthened! Drink from Jesus and be made whole! Drink from Jesus and be forgiven! Drink from Jesus and receive Salvation! Once you take one step of faith towards God, He takes 100 toward you. 

Open up your heart and receive a taste of Jesus! Let the Savior refresh and renew you from the inside out. Let the Holy Spirit abide in you. Let God's word begin to take root in you; He will cause springs of living water to burst forth out of your spirit! You will produce much fruit!

Every need you have will be met, whether it be a spiritual need or a carnal need! God desires for you to drink from Him! He knows that once you do, things you can never imagine will begin to take place in your life.

Let the Holy Spirit fill you with new wine, overflowing, abundant amounts! Drink from Him and be filled with new desires from Heaven on high! Drink from Jesus and you'll find that there is no other drink that can truly satisfy you. When your spirit dries up, go to Jesus, and be filled with living water.

You have nothing to lose! Take a step of faith and drink from Jesus! All it takes is one time!

John 4:13-14 ~ Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

God Bless!

Are You a Child or Servant of God?

When you are born again you are taken out of the kingdom of darkness and placed in God's Kingdom. You have been blood bought, your sins are washed away, you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you've been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit and God Almighty is now your Father and you are His child. Now you are no longer a servant of God but you are His child, which means you and He have a much deeper relationship than you ever did before.

You are now living under the Heavenly Father's grace, which calls you to a higher standard. There are certain things required of you, certain standards that you are to live up to. They aren't meant to hinder you or condemn you but they are meant to protect you, they are established all for your own good.

Your footsteps should be in line with Christ. Your Spirit and your mind should be renewed. Your conduct should be in check. You should be behaving as one who is in the Kingdom of God, not someone who is still lost and of the world. Now if all these wonderful things are taking place, then why do we see so many Christians running around all doom and gloom with a frown on their face? I believe that one reason is  because they view the things that they have to do in God's Kingdom as a chore instead of a wonderful opportunity. They are servants instead of children of God.

We are in the Body of Christ! We should be more than willing, as the children of God, to do the things that He requires us to do. Praying, evangelizing,worshiping,praising and the many other things we do in God's Kingdom should never be done begrudgingly, these things should all be done out of a strong love and desire that flows from your heart for your Heavenly Father. You should do these things with a smile on your face because you are God's child, not with your face balled up as a servant, who has no choice but to do these things or they will be in some sort of trouble or out of fear.

God doesn't want you to do anything because you are afraid of Him. We are to fear, Him but I believe that we all have a misconception of what God really means when He tells us to fear Him. When God says this, He is saying simply that by fearing Him, we are recognizing that He is God and we are human. God desires for you to love Him, He loves you. Think about it. You can't truly love someone whom you are afraid of and God wants you to love Him. So why would He want you to be terrified of Him? If God really wanted you to be absolutely terrified Him, then the "love" that  you showed Him would be false; you'd only be doing it because you felt you had to or you'd be destroyed and that's not how God our Father operates and takes care of His children.

So don't do the things of God because you feel as though if you don't He will burn you to ashes, no! Everything you do for God should be out of a place of love because you are not a servant of God any longer, you are His child and that has so much more meaning. 

Think of it this way. When your parents ask you to do something, you usually do it and are happy to, even if it's not something you necessarily feel like or want to do. Why do you do this? Because you love them and you want to please them, not because your afraid of them. And being that God is your parent above all, you should do the same for Him and even more.

What is the difference between a child and a servant of God?

A child is a son or daughter, the product of God Almighty. A servant is just someone who is assigned to specific duties but there is no real relationship established, there is no love involved; similar to that of an employer and an employee. 

So ask yourself, are you a child or a servant of God?

God Bless!

Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba, Father."