Tag Archives: Child of God

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Do You Need the Validation of Others?

Matthew 6:1-6

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

 

Do you need the famous work “ok,” do you need to hear that word often to make you fit in your surrounds? Do you need a pat on the back after you’ve finished that job or task you were assigned to do? Do you surround yourself with people who always give you compliments? Are you constantly in need of encouragement? Do you really care about what people say about you? If you were able to answer yes to any of these questions, then its time for you be self built up in your most holy faith, without the need or the “ok” or the validation of anyone in your life to make you feel secure about you in you Christian walk, without you having the need to lift you up or give you praise.

 

Matthew 5:13-16

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

You are the salt of the earth. Salt is to make something better, taste better more palatable. When you look at that understanding, God has made you the salt of the earth. If you are the salt of the earth, what does He expect from you? It only takes a little salt to change something from what it used to taste like to make it better. It is a savory taste used to enhance, change or preserve something after being changed. Once it has been placed in the food or seasoning, that salt will preserve what was changed from one taste to the other. When you see that, understand this when the Lord said you are the salt of the earth. We were sent here to changed the direction things were going and preserve it. Once Christ gave us walking in the good news of what HE came to bring, He has placed that inside of you. You don’t need to be validated by any man, child, woman, or thing. He has made you the head and not the tail of somebody. If you’re not made the tail of somebody and you are the head, then why does the head need to talk to someone else other than Christ who is the head? You don’t need to go to any other individual to get God’s will of what He promised He said He’d do for you. Can you not count on other people? He will send you pastors after His own heart for you, leading and guiding to individuals in your own life, there to support you and keep your mind focused on the purpose that God has given you for your walk in Christ, mission in Christ and more than that for you to stay strong in His will.

God has not given us the spirit of fear. Some of us go around allow fear to dominate what God has placed into our lives to help us go forth in ministry so that we can do our part, touch the hearts minds and lives of individuals to bring them into the understanding of who Christ is. So when you allow salt to be the structure that you form yourself after, and do what it does, it will change the taste of, or change the heart of, it will make every change and preserve the change that is made earlier because of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that keeps us and gives us purpose.

If you don’t know your purpose in Christ, taking advice from men, without consulting God first, then you will be lead down a false road of security until you run into that first bump in the road. If you don’t believe in something, you will fall for anything. That is why its so important that you fail not to assemble yourself together, because someone may be going through the same thing you are. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of a sound mind. You can’t have a sound mind if you are listening to every individual who you think may have a word from God. If you’re not aware of how you are affecting your surroundings by your stability in who you are, and what purpose Christ has for you if you’re not aware of that, and you have no focus, how will you be an effective child of God?

The Bible says an unstable person is unstable in all his ways. If you don’t have focus and balance in your life, everything around you will not have focus and balance. What purpose do you have and serve, what good are you for? You are not up to par on being a Child of God. How can you be the salt of the earth? If you are allowing individuals to esteem you, validate and extol you, praise you and pat you on the back, that becoming your lifestyle looking forward to those things, then how effective of a Christian would you be? You’re waiting for validation from things around you. No, no, no. Christ can not use you because you need something other than Christ, other than the Holy Ghost, that strengthens you and guides you. If you have no stability what kind of example are you setting in your own house? If you are not sure what God’s perfect will or purpose for your life is, how can you be an example for those in your own home? Do you want everybody in your house to look up to you, and you go looking for someone else to check your validation of what you are doing and saying is correct? That has been the problem with a lot of people in this day, they look so much of what people are saying about them, looking at them, and they are allowing that to control what they say, do, and how they act.

As a Christian, you can not allow individuals to guide you or lead you for their own purpose. You have to make sure that it is coming from the Holy Ghost. The Word said it will lead you and guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Its time out for waiting to hear from a prophet, from an apostle, from a pastor, from a Bishop, from a friend, from a boss, from a loved one, its time to listen and read your word because God said He will lead and guide you. No don’t get it wrong, I’m not trying to say don’t get away from the leaders, if they are men of God, they are going to enhance and encourage and push you forward in what God has ordained for your life. If you have a mentor, whether Bishop, Pastor, friend or loved one, always check what they tell you with the Word of God, and the Holy Ghost that is in you will lead you to the right understanding. The Word of God says lean not to your own understanding, acknowledge Him and he shall direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6). Don’t look for anyone else, to your own understanding, but lean to the Word of God, through prayer and supplication, God will give you the answer, and to every answer, He gives there will be a witness to that answer.

Don’t show yourself off to the world to validate that you are a Christian. You need not be on national tv with a banner in your hand or any such thing alike declaring that you are against this and you are a Christian, so others will see you and say “oh that is a Christian.” The world doesn’t know what a Christian is, all they know is what a Christian does. So when you have an issue with a particular thing, take it to God and pray about it, or get together corporately with a group of baptized believers where you are all standing in agreement. Where there are two or three touching and agreeing on a thing, He is in the midst (Matthew 18:19).

 

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

 

By us operating and doing things using our hands, ears, nose, arms, legs, for the purpose of Christ, he said remember you should act as though you’ve just risen from the dead. Before when you were in the world, you were dying. Now you are alive in Christ, and if so, don’t exemplify the deeds of someone who was dead, but exemplify yourself and one being alive from the dead of the world, alive in Christ. Behold you are a new creature old things have passed away.

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Don’t Let Your Arms fall to Your Enemies

Exodus 17: 6-12

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not? Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. AAnd Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

 

Numbers 21: 4-9

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.  And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.  And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

 

The Lord will not lead you in the middle of no place and say start your ministry yourself. If He led you to start a ministry, He will not let you flip the bill all by yourself. He won’t leave you stranded so your arms fall to your side and you give up. That is not what He is about, He’s not going to do that. The Children of Israel didn’t understand that. The only reason they confessed their sins was because they knew they dogged God and Moes out. If nothing had ever happened, they would still have complained. God sent the fiery serpents and when they began killing them they repented. They got off light. Like us, we get off light with all kinds of stuff, because we do things the way we feel, but the Lord does not kill us. They had a selfish mentality acting like they were someone but they were nobody. They complained about everything. They complained about the things they suffered in Egypt and complained out in the wilderness. Now the one who saved you, you complained to because there is no food. That sounds like some people in the Church “I’ve given you my money, now what have you done with it?” The same people that say they have not food, their utilities about to be shut off, but every time there was time for an offering, you put nothing in a quarter or dollar, but you come to the church asking for a hundred times of that complaining that you can’t get any help. Maybe all the time you were in the Chruch, you put a total of maybe $100 dollars for the year, but you come to the church and say I can’t pay my house bill, utility bill, car note, I have no clothes or food. If the Church was a bank, they wouldn’t give you anything, because $100 is nothing compared to what your needs are. Your needs are always in the hundreds of dollars if not thousands. And you who only put a $100 in the church have the audacity to complain and wine that the church is not helping you. If the Church gives you back your $100, then you really have put nothing into the Church. The church is not for this, but to help the community and the people in it. Not all the money the church takes in is not for you. You’re supposed to be out doing service, we are helpers on to another. If the help is only on one side, then you kind of wonder, are your hands still raised or fallen to the side, and now your own the begging list. Stop your complaining, stop your whining, support the house of God so that your fellow brothers of sisters of the body of God needs will be met. That don’t mean I gave $1000 so I should be able to come back to the church x number of times until that money is used up. This is what the Church has become, people have made it into a bank and then throw a scripture in your face saying that’s what the church is for, to meet your needs. If everyone had needs

Like us, we get off light with all kinds of stuff, because we do things the way we feel, but the Lord does not kill us. They had a selfish mentality acting like they were someone but they were nobody. They complained about everything. They complained about the things they suffered in Egypt and complained out in the wilderness. Now the one who saved you, you complained to because there is no food. That sounds like some people in the Church. “I’ve given you my money, now what have you done with it?” The same people that say they have not food, their utilities about to be shut off, but every time there was time for an offering, you put nothing in a quarter or dollar, but you come to the church asking for a hundred times of that complaining that you can’t get any help. Maybe all the time you were in the Chruch, you put a total of maybe $100 dollars for the year, but you come to the church and say I can’t pay my house bill, utility bill, car note, I have no clothes or food. If the Church was a bank, they wouldn’t give you anything, because $100 is nothing compared to what your needs are. Your needs are always in the hundreds of dollars if not thousands. And you who only put a $100 in the church have the audacity to complain and wine that the church is not helping you. If the Church gives you back your $100, then you really have put nothing into the Church. The church is not for this, but to help the community and the people in it. Not all the money the church takes in is not for you. You’re supposed to be out doing service, we are helpers on to another. If the help is only on one side, then you kind of wonder, are your hands still raised or fallen to the side, and now your own the begging list. Stop your complaining, stop your whining, support the house of God so that your fellow brothers of sisters of the body of God needs will be met. That don’t mean I gave $1000 so I should be able to come back to the church x number of times until that money is used up. This is what the Church has become, people have made it into a bank and then throw a scripture in your face saying that’s what the church is for, to meet your needs. If everyone had needs

“I’ve given you my money, now what have you done with it?” The same people that say they have no food, their utilities are about to be shut off, but every time there was time for an offering, you put nothing in but a quarter or dollar, but you come to the church asking for a hundred times of that complaining that you can’t get any help. Maybe all the time you were in the Chruch, you put a total of maybe $100 dollars for the year, but you come to the church and say I can’t pay my house bill, utility bill, car note, I have no clothes or food. If the Church was a bank, they wouldn’t give you anything, because $100 is nothing compared to what your needs are. Your needs are always in the hundreds of dollars if not thousands. And you who only put a $100 in the church have the audacity to complain and wine that the church is not helping you. If the Church gives you back your $100, then you really have put nothing into the Church. The church is not for this, but to help the community and the people in it. Not all the money the church takes in is not for you. You’re supposed to be out doing service, we are helpers on to another. If the help is only on one side, then you kind of wonder, are your hands still raised or fallen to the side, and now your own the begging list. Stop your complaining, stop your whining, support the house of God so that your fellow brothers of sisters of the body of God needs will be met. That don’t mean I gave $1000 so I should be able to come back to the church x number of times until that money is used up. This is what the Church has become, people have made it into a bank and then throw a scripture in your face saying that’s what the church is for, to meet your needs. If everyone had needs

If the Church was a bank, they wouldn’t give you anything, because $100 is nothing compared to what your needs are. Your needs are always in the hundreds of dollars if not thousands. And you who only put a $100 in the church have the audacity to complain and whine that the church is not helping you. If the Church gives you back your $100, then you really have put nothing into the Church. The church is not for this, but to help the community and the people in it. Not all the money the church takes in is for you. You’re supposed to be out doing service, we are helpers on to another. If the help is only on one side, then you kind of wonder, are your hands still raised or fallen to the side, and now you’re on the begging list. Stop your complaining, stop your whining, support the house of God so that your fellow brothers of sisters of the body of God needs will be met. That don’t mean I gave $1000 so I should be able to come back to the church x number of times until that money is used up. This is what the Church has become, people have made it into a bank and then throw a scripture in your face saying that’s what the church is for, to meet your needs. If everyone had needs

Stop your complaining, stop your whining, support the house of God so that your fellow brothers and sisters of the Body of God needs will be met. That doesn’t mean I gave $1000 so I should be able to come back to the church x number of times until that money is used up. This is what the Church has become, people have made it into a bank and then throw a scripture in your face saying that’s what the church is for, to meet your needs. If everyone had needs on the same time, there would be no money, and if there are not finances to give the people, they’d get made with the Pastor, accuse him and say he didn’t deal properly with the money. They become like the Children of Israel because their personal needs weren’t met. Instead of finding a solution they bring a problem, and when the problem was not resolved, they begin to bad mouth the Lord and His leader. This is what the church has come to today.  We have to realize that if we continue to whine and complain to the Lord about what we don’t have and what we want and start calling Him names and His men of God names, don’t be surprised if the Lord sends a fiery serpent in your home. That fiery serpent could be a disease, financial devastation, murder, whatever. Just be concerned not the complain and whine. The Lord already knows what we have need of. We get our needs confused with our wants and then try to explain our wants as our needs. The Bible says how long halt you between two opinions? If God be God serve Him if mamon service him. You can’t serve two masters and expect to be an active child ofGodd.

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We are Who we Serve

Happy Sabbath to all! A day of rest, that is surely needed among the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. Praise and worship this morning was nice and set the tone for us to hear what God has in store for us.

“We are Who we Serve: But I invite you to abundant life” is our topic today out of Isaiah chapters 53, 54, and 55. Are you tired and there seems to be no peace in your spirit? Things just feel out of balance? No fulfillment in your life, in your being? Looking for love that makes your life complete, alive and at peace? That will quiet those quiet moments? A peace not as men call it, but a peace that will hug you when your down and out, or when you feel like your not even worth being alive? A peace when your mind has so many conflicts. Too many decisions so many questions. There is a peace, a peace that passes all understanding.

Isaiah 53:1-12, 55:1-13
Isaiah 53:5- “but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” The word chastisement means to punish bodily. In the greek its spelled PAIDEUO meaning to train children. The word stripes means strokes or blows with a hammer, the mark or print of blows in the skin. Iniquities means wickedness or wicked acts.

All this was done to him for us. He suffered all the pain, crying and headaches that we would have had to experience, and experienced for Himself on our behalf. Because He suffered for us, we should not have to struggle. All we have to do is live for Him. We lack faith, when we don’t see an opportunity for faith, we should sill have faith. Its hard these days to really hold on to something that we can’t see, because we want to do it our way. Thats why the word says lean not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path. We have to stop questioning His motives.

Isaiah 54:4-17
“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood anymore. For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called” 4-5.

The name Christianity has become synonymous with fanatical, uncaring, unloving, vengeful people. The name Christian really turns people off today. So how will we be able to invite  people to Christ; how are we going to overcome that stigmatism of Christianity that the world sees? In some ways we try to defend being a Christian. The term really means Christ like. When the world sees Christians (or people posing as being Christ like) acting a certain way, they say if this is the way God is, I don’t want to be a part of that God. Majority of times its a male who is seeing and saying these things. Even in the church, there are mostly all women in the church. If you see men, you’ll see them as musicians, a few deacons, a few ministers, security, or janitor. But in the actual service, you’ll see few, the church is full of women, which is not bad its a blessing. But God wants to bring men to cause that oneness to be there. So it leads you to the point; what are we doing to recover the whole family, the men to the house of God? We teach our women and children. Even in Isaiah 54:13 “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” We need to walk boldly in the words of God as a true Child of God, I don’t’ use the term Christian, but Child of God. We need to let men know that God needs them, young and old alike. So you need to welcome them to a life in God, showing them that they are needed and loved by God. In Isaiah 54:17 “no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” There is power in this verse for both men and women.

God is not so much concerned about your money or clothing or food to eat or money you may have to give. Isaiah 55:3, 6,7 “incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” This is not being told to men. When a church has a strong men foundation it makes for a strong ministry.

In conclusion, we need to begin to not talk like the church, but walk like the chruch. No matter what comes against us remember this “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, for whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth” Psalm 121.

If you have questions concerning what we’ve talked about today, comment below or email us ataocministries@yahoo.com.