Tag Archives: heaven

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Wasting Your Life and Time Will Leave You in a Confused State of Mind

Here we are again Saints, caught in the midst of our time consuming and confusing selfish lives. Not so much as loving each other, but loving the world and pleasing people of this life over the people of Jesus Christ, who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Some saints, and I’m not pointing at anyone in particular, stick closer to the worldly lifestyle along with individuals who are involved with the worldly lifestyle, loving it, thinking it’s ok in Christ’s eyes. In some cases, they even treat their brothers and sisters in Christ with a negative and jealous emotion just as the world does the Saints.

Most people in the Church spend their time trying to reach the same goals in life as the world sees fit, trying to please the mind and heart of society. But only to slowly be subdued into a false sense of security about this world and what it has to offer them while they’re being ever slowly drawn away from the Word of God and His will for their lives in Him.

1 Peter 4:1-12 says: 1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6 For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

All of us must understand that Satan that Devil of deception, is trying to delay you from reaching and completing the will that Jesus Christ has for your life upon this Earth.

John 14:15 says: 15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:21 says: 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 14:23-24 says: 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

People of God who know Him and those who still don’t know Him, we don’t have much more time. Some of you may die at anytime so don’t say I’m not ready yet.

Ephesians 5:15-16 says: 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. In the Bible reads this And whatever ye do , do it heartily, as to the lord, and not to men.

In My conclusion: In the book of Hebrews 3:12-15 it reads: 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

In Jesus name, it is so!

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Not All Tracks Lead You Home

Have you ever seen animal tracks on the ground and wondered what type of creature or creatures made them? As you begin to look at the tracks a little closer you notice how many toes each foot print had. As you notice how one set of tracks goes off in one direction and others in another and disappear in the distance, you can’t help but wonder where they were headed. We might even put a little scenario together depicting what may have taken place were all the tracks that went off in the distance could be head to. Maybe they were headed home.

I can’t help but think about our own lives in our walk in Christ. If someone was to look at our tracks on the ground, would they be able to tell what had happen to us or even surmise what type of situation we could been in or tell what we were going through? Some of us have so many tracks in our lives, many of which go in circles and others head back and forth on the same tracks or path, disappearing in the distance, never to be seen again. Even others mixing with even more tracks, ending up blending in multiples of other tracks. In some cases the tracks go off in a direction then stop and never move again. There is famous Christian work of art called “Foot Prints in the Sand,” depicting scenes two sets of tracks headed in the same direction then all of a sudden, there are only one set of tracks. It depicts you and Christ walking together, but later there are only one set of tracks. What does that mean? Christ is picking you up and carrying you the rest of your walk. As we look at our individual Christian walk and lifestyles or steps, are they even head home? Or are they head to an unknown destination of our own choosing? One needs to ask oneself if their tracks are headed home? Maybe you don’t know where home is, or maybe you’ve lost your direction, because you do know that not all tracks lead to home.

Do you remember the story of Hansel and Grettle? The trail of bred crumbs were left to lure the brother and sister to a trap disguised as a Ginger Bread House, decked with other goodies and edibles. Isn’t that indicative of what we do? We see little crumbs in our lives, leading us to a path we shouldn’t go to. When we get there, its so tempting we want to at least try it out. That is what Satan does to us all the time. He leaves a bread crumb trail all the way up to a sin we’re familiar with, which does not lead to the road of salvation or home, but to a destination of sin. We pick it up one piece at a time, and when we get to that point where that sin is right in front of us, we don’t see it as sin. Not all tracks lead home.

There was a song by Commissioned called “When Love Calls You Home,” and the chorus went like this:

For when love calls you home
Forgiveness embrasses a past you once owned
And all the mistakes that carried your name are gone
‘Cause that’s what happens when love calls you home

When Love Calls You Home – Chorus | Commissioned

Do these lyrics have a significance in your life? It did in mine when I found out that my home is not here on this Earth, but in Heaven. The Lord died on the cross for me that I wouldn’t have to worry about not making it home. When love calls you home, those are the tracks; the things that you’ve done; those are the things that are forgiven you.

We need to understand that not all tracks that we see in our lives lead us home. Sometimes we get confused on our walk/journey; maybe we can take shortcuts. By pass all “this” to get “there” quicker. But all of “this” is what we needed to get “there.” I don’t want to go to so and so because I don’t like it. But you don’t realize that you need so and so to get to your next stage in your walk. We have that kind of mentality in us that we reject the path that lead us in a direction that we are caught in a loop of infinity. Repeating the same sin, meeting the same people. Everything is not conducive in our walk to get where we need to get to. Its too late to experiment. God has a purpose for us and direction we need to go in. He’s calling us home. He’s not calling us to a party, He’s calling us home. How can we go home if we’re getting confused with some tracks? There are some tracks that go way out there.

If you don’t remember anything else I’ve talked about know this: you cannot do this alone. You can’t. Your walk is indicative of you, but God has placed helpers along your walk to bring you to your senses, in your walk. They may say things that you don’t like. Maybe there is a part of your life that needs to be corrected. They may say things and do things that will call you back to your knees in prayer. That person may be in your life to make you get on your knees. The Lord is trying to direct us home, and we keep trying to take the alleys and wrong directions and the Lord is saying what the Psalmist said:

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Psalm 37:23-25

Why not? Because the Lord is our helper; provider; our supporter; our righteousness. The Lord is with us in every time, anytime of our need; there for us at any place in our life; He’s there. So our steps are ordered by Him. Its us who get disordered. We want to do what we want to do. We’re sassy sometimes to the Lord aren’t we? He says He wants us to do something, and then we pretend like we didn’t hear Him. The Lord sometimes takes us through hard times and places in our lives that we don’t understand because we say “We’re children of God! Why do we have to go through slings and arrows?” Maybe because we haven’t gotten it yet. Sometimes we don’t see the tracks that God wants us to see because were too busy making our own. Or sometimes we try to step into other peoples tracks. We try to interfere with other peoples walk or follow the tracks of others. But God has another destination for them, so why are we trying to walk in their tracks?! So this is the reason why most Saints don’t operate in what they operate and where they should be because they are trying to follow someone else tracks. God didn’t make you to be someone else mold. He doesn’t want you to go following them, because your tracks are not going to lead where their’s lead. You have to go all the way back to where you started, when you’ve followed someone elses tracks and found that at the end you don’t like what you get.

How many people are plowing the same field that has been plowed over and over again— walking in the same tracks? We can’t do as the old folks back then. Why? Because in their time they were doing things concerning that time. We are in our time and we’ll experience according to our time. We want to live according to what someone else has done who made it through. We think that if we walk their path, we’ll make it through. No! God has a purpose for each and every one of us. He doesn’t need clones. There is a uniqueness about each of us, which needs to come forth so God can use you in an area. God chose you so you can reach certain individuals that others can’t.

People are watching your tracks in your walk. They’re watching how you go through this or that. They knew who you were, and who you are now. You won’t have to convince them. When you speak a word they will already be convinced, and you’ll save a soul. We have to be about what our walk is. Not someone elses walk or talk, but be what God has made us to be, and we better be good at what we do. God doesn’t have unskilled people in His Kingdom. If it doesn’t fit you, don’t be concerned about it. You have a purpose, and one of your responsibilities is to do your purpose the best way you can. Its the same with all of us. God is watching you and trying to bring you to another place. He’s the one who sits there and scrutinizes you in your walk. He’s watching.

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.16 A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

Proverbs 14:12-17

The Word of God is the answer to everything in your tracks. What do your tracks look like? Can I really understand what a person is going through by their tracks? To a certain degree. You may not know mentally, but by their walk it delivers fruit, because people are known by the fruits that they bear. We know that an apple tree produces what? So a peach tree grows what? An orange tree grows what? The reason why I’m saying this is that you expect a tree to bear the right fruit. So if you are a Child of God, you should be able to exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit. You shouldn’t be going through turmoil where every time someone see you, you look miserable. This is the problem that most Saints are dealing with; they don’t know who they are. When you confront them, they say they are a Christian. Who died for you on the cross? People try to get you confused. Is it God or Jesus? God was on the inside of Jesus, and Jesus is on the inside of us via the Holy Ghost. The same which was in Him is in you, and greater is He that is within you than he in the world.

4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.

Psam 25:4-7

Teach me thy paths! Those are tracks. We’re being taught the path. If you’re being taught, who is this Word good for? Everyone who would hear. You can’t make a person hear the truth. But you can live the truth around them, so that when you do, they’ll say, I know you, you can’t do that of your own, so they’ll give glory to God. This should be our testimony before God. Lord remember me, but don’t remember my youth because I was jacked up and acted as a child. You need to write these words down on the tablet of your heart, in your Bible, or on your cell phone. Put it down so that when you’re going through you won’t give up; so you’ll remember one particular thing: you’re not alone. Don’t ever think at anytime that you are alone. The Lord never meant us to go about doing this alone. We are helpers one to another. If you’re going through, you have sisters and brothers to call on. You are your own worst enemy.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

Proverbs 3:5-7
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God Created You But what Have You Created?

Did He not make us creatures after Him? We create things, but what have we created? It has never ceased to amaze me how we use our words to shape who we are and the world around us. John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God. Words are powerful. If you change a word in a statement that will make it either null or void, powerful or not, impactful or not. Its the words that you say that changes people. You change your situation by the words you say. We always in some form or another use these phrases: “I can’t,” “Its too hard,” “well…” “Maybe tomorrow,” “I can’t believe that,” and “Nah.” Have you ever heard the term “you a lie?” There are other words and phrases out there that we have come to adopt for ourselves that have become signature statements for ourselves and these are usually negative. The word or phrase has changed us; hindered us to the point where we don’t even know who we really are, or what we could have become. Jesus was trying to make it a point about us and tell us a good thing, we always make a counter statement to what He said we are.

1 John 3:1-3

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

My Dad use to always tell me “we’re living beneath our privilege.” But we demand of God to answer our wants. I didn’t say needs, I said wants. Know this. What does the word, appear, mean to you? It does not physically show in your face what He’s trying to do to us and for us. You can’t see it, I can’t, no one can see it. He knows, because He’s trying to do it to you. What are you going to present before Christ? A jacked up vessel, filthy, dirty? Its just like having a glass of water, and the glass is filthy and dirty with stains and finger prints, and you give it to someone. Are they going to drink it? No! How you think you will appear before God offering the vessel you have? Will it be pure and clean, or dirty with the stains of sins and mindsets? You want to be a vessel that stands before the Lord, and you feel clean. Not like Adam who hid himself.

The Word says we are more than conquers. But we argue with Jesus. It goes something like this: Jesus said in Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Then you reply, “But I can’t.” Then Jesus says “I have made you the head and not the tail.” The Lord says that we are more than a conqueror. “Lord I’ve been battling with this sickness for over 7 years.” You’ve said it correctly, YOU’VE been battling. As long as you’ve been battling, you won’t win. Its not by your power or might, but by His power and might. All is done through Him.

Deuteronomy 28:1-13

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

He says all this and we go “Nah!” Do you realize that is an argument? He’s telling us what we are and we’re telling Him what we can’t do. He knows our thoughts, our capabilities, who we are what we are why we did. He knows everything about you, and when He says that we can do a certain thing…we can do it!

Proverbs 23: 7

 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

The way a man thinks so is he. So if you think you can’t do anything guess what? You can’t do anything. Now, the Lord has told you what you can and has esteemed you so, and people will look at you strange because of all the blessings in you. Then you look at the Lord and say “No, I can’t.” If you have that spirit in you, then you won’t do it. People always say they are more the conquers, but inside they don’t feel that way. Do you know the first thing you have to do when you’re walking 100 miles? Make the first step. The first process in doing something is to step out on it. Just do it. To never have to go out and do it means you never would have known if you could have. When I said earlier, we have shaped who we are from all the words and phrases and catchy things that we say, that our world around us is not ever real its a make-belief world. How many are positive thinkers? How many live up to the positive thinking? I can say positive things more so than I can walk them out. I can say it better than I can do it. But Christ said, you can do all things through Him which strengthens you.

When you look at it from this standpoint…the negative words you’ve incorporated into your lifestyle: “I don’t believe in myself,” “No,” “I can’t…” If you don’t believe in you, who will believe in you? Christ tried to tell us we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How can you transform something that you don’t even know what it is? How will you transform something when you don’t know what to transform. Who are you really? Think about the composites of things in your life that have been said to you, the surroundings you’ve been around, the people you’ve been around. See if you think like the people you’ve been around, or mimic the surroundings you been around. People are shaping your world. Then who are you really? Are you a composite of what everyone else says? Is that the real you? Your life has been lead where you have been living a conglomerate of people’s thoughts, ways and actions. You can’t even be you because you don’t even know who you are? That is an indictment. People say “I know you.” But you don’t even know you. People say “I know what you like,” but you don’t even know what you like. Why do you think the Lord says transformed? The only way that will happen is if you give up everything people say what you are. It may not be easy or comfortable, its the unknown, its new territory.

If you’re not comfortable with you…how many are comfortable with yourself? Do people like you? Does it really matter if they like you? If it does then you need to rethink you. The only one that should matter is what God thinks about you. I don’t like you because of your clothes, your hair, your feet, I don’t like anything about you. We try to re-position, reorganize, reset up ourselves to do what? To please them so they won’t bother or worry us anymore about it. Then when we comply to what they want, then our lives can go on from that point? What have you created? God created you? Did you recreate you? Who are you really? I thought I’ve been knowing you for the last 10, 20 years? But who are you. This is what we’re struggling with today, the loss of our identity. If we’re not secure in who we are, we can’t hear the thoughts of others because you’ll assume their thoughts. This is the problem that we suffer. We don’t know who we are in Christ, but we go around acting like we do.

Words are powerful. The world was created by words. You were created by words. So when you use words, you can create things you wish you’d never created. Words are powerful. Never forget that. That is why we are continually in battle with ourselves. We’re constantly fighting ourselves. Why? Someone is trying to maintain dominance.

 

Proverbs 16:25

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

 

We think that what we’re doing is the correct way. But is it correct according to who we are or the garbage we’ve brought in? For example, you like peanut butter. Is that because someone else you like, likes peanut butter? Why do you do the things you do? Is it because of a learned behavior?

 

Proverbs 6: 2

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

 

You hang your own self. “I can’t do that” “Nah,” “Maybe,” “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Is it a lie or the truth? What does that do? Is it a lie or truth? The Bible says testify of what you know and see, don’t testify of someone else mistakes. You don’t know the full story, but you will reap the ramifications of it.

 

Phiippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

You can do all things. You can do all things. You can do all things. Through Christ. Which strengthens. Not by your might nor by your power. God is telling us this: “Could you shut up and listen to Me? I told you before, in My word is Life, and My Life brings light to you. Why can’t you believe the words that I say? Why would you believe anyone else over Me? My words have life. Do you choose life or death?” The Lord tells us this, but we argue with Him. We say that can’t be right. We can’t do all things. He is saying, any trial situation, or anything that comes upon us we can do it, and go through it. He gave us the strength to do. Why? Because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. He gave us the power to be overly wealthy and all the things pertaining to godliness and righteousness. We wonder why we can’t go further in Christ, because we’ve adopted a mindset that we can’t do what He gave us the power to do.

Its time for us to just shut up and stop talking to God the way we’ve been talking to Him. “Lord, You know the real me, help me to know the real me so I can worship You properly and not via someone else. Lord who is the real me? It’s been a long time since I’ve known the real me.” Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. How do you renew your mind? Some of the old Saints use to say “Some of the old places I use to go, I don’t go to anymore, the things I use to do, I don’t do anymore.” You know how you can find out who the real you is? Change your environment. Does that mean you’ll have to move out of your neighborhood? In some cases yes. Because you need “you time.” I don’t mean to sit there and bath yourself in the oils of the ancients, and the fragrance of the old, but sit there before Christ, quietly, and let the Lord get a word in. Let Him say something to your soul. Let Him console you. How do you do that. When you’re alone by yourself, the way you use to do things, change it. Don’t even think about it, just do it. What do you need to do? Stop, put the breaks on. What do you do in real life at a red light? Stop. Abruptly. “Lord you say that I’m more than a conqueror, but I’m this and I’m that. My eyes are open but I’m still blind.” That is because you don’t know who you are. You want someone to accept you for who you are and you don’t even know who you are? You meet your mate and you say to them “I want you to love me for who I am,” but I don’t know who I am. This is what we do to the Lord. “Lord I want you to love me for who I really am, but I have all this mess in me.” The Lord loves you, but not the mess hanging off of you. You don’t even love you. How do you want the Lord to love you when you don’t love you.

Static cling. You need static guard. Your static guard is the Word of God, so when you go out into the world, the world doesn’t stick to you. Isn’t it amazing how we allow things to stick on us, and we carry it as a badge of honor? Think about this: why do we continue taking upon the mindset of others and taking it as our own? We are condemned by every word that comes out of our mouths. The Bible says that we will give account of every word, every loose statement that comes out from us. Let your words be few. Be quick to be silent and slow to speak.

 

Matthew 12:37

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

 

What have you created? Would God be proud of you for what you have become? Would He be? Could you stand before Him proudly and say “Lord I did just what You told me.” When people like Enoch walked with God people marveled. Moses walked on holy ground, and forgot before he got there, coming up with dirty sandals. It would behoove us not to argue with God. If the Lord says that He’s given you everything pertaining to life and godliness, accept it. Why can’t we accept it? Because we’re carrying all the mess from what someone else turned us into. When do we stop and say I need to know me before I can deal with you? Why do you think people take long sabbaticals in the mountains? They don’t know who they are. Don’t live for the expectation of others, but for the expectation of what God created you to be. He created you so uniquely that the angels in heaven marvel at who you are. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we will when He returns because we’ll see Him as He is. We’re more than just conquerors. But your biggest conquer, is conquering you. Conquering you.

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To Delay God’s Plans for You Hinders Your Blessings

As we walk the walk of faith in Christ Jesus, you’re going into a countless, priceless moment of your life that is going to be most unpleasant. Do you realize the things you go through in life won’t always be fun? Because what God has purposed in your life, is for you to go through it with flying colors. You cannot allow your emotions to dictate your reactions while you’re in a test. You must remember its your attitude that counts while you’re in a test or trial. If you whine and complain, you haven’t learned one lesson: faith and patience. If you don’t have these things in your walk, how can you tell others of how you have gone through with flying colors? That you’ve made it and you could bear it yourself? Yet you whine and complain the entire time, lacking faith. You are negative and faithless. He doesn’t reward faithlessness. Without faith its impossible to please Him.

Hebrews 11:5-6

By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 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 rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

To delay God’s plans for you hinders your blessings. Its not about you, you need to please God. Without faith its impossible to please God. So that when you’re going through and complaining and whining you don’t have faith that God will see you through. Keep calm, God is waiting on you. He is waiting for you to get over you to be faithful and patient. Sometimes we get restless and get to the point and say “I’m done.” “I gave you 4 years, Lord to get this concluded. I’ve waited long enough. Now I’m going to do it.” And we mess things up. In the process of going through Your test, seek Him. He will give you the answer to your problem, and to your needs. He already knows what you need, but you need to shut up. Have you ever had those people in your life who talk, and talk, and talk, but never let you speak, and then when you do speak, they don’t listen?

We need to realize that because of our impatience…God has a pattern for us to lead us to salvation. But along that pattern at certain stages, He has blessings for us. But if we can’t get from one step to the next because we’re complaining, then He won’t give it to us at that stage. It may push that blessing back way down the road, because with the attitude we have we wouldn’t appreciate it. Most people receive blessings from God and they haven’t even asked for it. So why not ask Him for anything and say Lord help me to get closer to You so that I can please you. That will double the blessings He’ll give. Think about Job. Job did the same thing. He said all his appointed time, he would do one thing: Wait, until his change came. But if you walk around with a complaining mentality, then you show the Lord that you don’t want to advance along that pattern or path. You don’t know what’s in there and you wouldn’t know how to appreciate it. So the Lord will not give it to you. “Lord I want the perfect woman.” “Lord I want that woman.” But because of this section that you’re in, in your walk, and complaining, you won’t have it. Wouldn’t it be something if the Lord showed us at the end, that at this stage in our walk when we were doing crazy mess, the blessing we could have gotten it? Don’t you remember what you were saying during that time? Don’t you remember your prayer? Because at this part of the walk we’re complaining to the Lord, criticizing the Lord. This is the problem we deal with all the time as saints. If its too long we whine and complain. We may verbally say that God is going to do, but under our breaths we make statements of doubt. This walk is by faith, not by sight. Complete trust means we won’t whine or complain, but walk in all positiveness in our walk.

You have to be real with yourself. You can’t have all that negativity and faithlessness, because God doesn’t reward that. He rewards faithfulness, not faithlessness. He said in Hebrews its impossible to please God without having faith. You know for the Lord to take Enoch away…the one thing he did was please God. We think we please God, but Enoch pleased God because he didn’t whine, he was in awe of pleasing God, faithful to what God was showing him. He didn’t do anything of a nature that would cause negativity to his being. God said he would save you. If you have faith, the you would say “God is going to save us.” You wound’t say “God said He would.” Now there is faithlessness. People who listen to you will hear the doubt in your voice, but if you look at the aspect of it, quit denying the power of God, quit showing your impatience. Show God faithfulness and patience by waiting on the Lord. We have this concept of time in this “Shake and Bake Generation.” We don’t want to take the time to mix spices with flour and mix it in the chicken, no we use Shake and Bake with no work being applied. That is what this generation is, they don’t want to take time with things. They want the quickest way to salvation they can get. Door number one, door number two…We are so “shake and bake” that we want the easy way. Getting to Heaven requires you to do something, not just saying the words “I’m saved.” The person on the street who has never heard about Jesus, if we go to them and say just believe and receive that is a lie. Every religion has something attached to it. Our belief is attached to God’s love; our relationship with Him. The statement “believe and receive,” is only made for those who have once tasted of Jesus to come back to Him. We give people the shake and bake Jesus, shake and bake salvation. The point is, you build up all these peoples false hopes and desire and you inspire them to do wrong. We have to realize God knows everyone…Jesus said He knows the sheep that God gave them, and haven’t lost anyone of them. That means you have a relationship with those individuals. How would a person who in his heart serves Satan, love Jesus? No, you need to let them know that their heart is dark so they can serve the light. If you’ve never seen Jesus, you can have faith in His word and it will come to pass. The word is so true because Jesus says if we believe Him for His words sake then it will come to pass. When people say they’ve never met Jesus or point at you and say that you’ve never met Jesus, then you can say, I believe Him for His words sake. You went to school and they gave you books. You believed those books. Why? Because you were taught that. Why can’t you believe in the Bible?

When you start walking down the road to salvation, and you start doubting and becoming impatient, then there comes a fork in the road. Then you go down the road of faithlessness and impatience. There is no joy or direction, because you made that choice because you felt that you had control over your own life, how you want it. But you didn’t make yourself, you can’t cause things to come into fruition. If you go down a road of faithlessness and impatience, the only people you’ll meet are people like you, and you will look to trust someone. You can’t confide and trust in someone down that road, so if you go down there you get what you ask for. The plans for your life God orders, but He can’t lead you down a road of faithlessness? Where are you now? What road are you down now? Salvation, or faithlessness? Well why are you faithless and whine and complain? “Well I’m not complaining, I’m just questioning it.” Well you didn’t lack faith when you went to gamble on numbers. What do you do, or say? You have to admit it. You have to admit you’re standing in faithlessness. How do you go back to the right path? By completely trusting God to bring you back to the right move in your life.

Even in our faithlessness, He’s still there waiting for us to answer. Answer the question of if we’re willing to let go of ourselves and allow Him to lead. We go do what we want to do and then we go and cry to the Lord and say that He’ll never leave us nor forsake us. We’re in a hole and the Lord asks us how we got there. “Well, I fell and went my own way.” Then we call the Lord to help us. Every decision we make in our walk, we’re the recipient of every action bad or good in that decision. We say that we’re His children but are we really? His children know His voice and are obedient to His will. So are we really His children? You need to have an understanding with yourself. Tell self to shut up. If the Lord brings instructors to you then you need to just accept it and shut up. The world gives you things with sprinkles and whipped cream on top of it. The Lord doesn’t do that. He’ll say it may not taste good, but its good for you. The Bible says that we should not judge. Whatever judgement we’ve given ourselves we’ll get it doubly. But the Lord is so faithful that all we must do when we get in a hole is call on His name and He will rescue us. So we need to listen because everything that God has planned will be achieved when we obey Him, if we don’t get in the way.

 

Jeremiah 29:10-13

For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

 

He knows where the fork in the road to the right will end up, because He already has seen it. He has blessings down that road. We have to be very careful what we do. When the Lord blesses us with something, we have to take care of it. People will be envious of your blessing but you need to take care of it. Its always from your past that Satan brings stuff up to take away your blessing. Satan doesn’t play. He’s in it for the gusto. You fall right into a trap, the light gets so bright  and moves closer and you become memorize and then you get hit.

Allow the Lord to shake and bake you for His righteousness. Have patience and be faithful pursuing Him during that time of your walk. Don’t make the left turn, make the right turn towards His righteousness. If you delay God’s plan in your life, you hinder your blessings. So step out of the way.

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Humility Under Fire

Have you ever been under fire? There is a gun ship in the military that “brings the rain,” to those on the ground. This is what is happening in your life. You are attacked non stop until you look like Swiss Cheese. Even though its unwarranted, when it goes and comes through your life you’re left devastated, but it makes you reflect over your life. It makes you think about what you have done. Things happen in our life, and the first person we blame is God. “Lord why did you allow this to happen to me? Am I not Your child? Lord why me? I can think of quite a few people on my list who need this, but I don’t need this.” We come out and we have issues. But can you be humble? Can you be humble when someone is sticking you with a pitch fork, or talking about your mother?

The Word of God tells us about humility while under fire. Its hard to love someone when they’re choking your neck. Then you have to look at them an say “I love you in spite of yourself.” But humility, when you’re going through a process in your life of growth, can you be humble, submissive, genuinely honest with yourself and say ‘I understand I will be humble”? Humble and fire; you just can’t put those two together; they are like oil and water, they just don’t mix. Can you remove yourself out of the picture and be understanding to someone else and be humble? Most of the time we can’t because we’re looking at the way they are hurting us. You remember the old saying about sticks and stones? Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

Hurting on the outside on your flesh is temporary, its for a moment for the physical pain. Take an aspirin or midol and the pain is over. But when you hurt me with words, they cut and leave scars you can’t see on the inside. These scars don’t heal. They don’t heal do they? No they don’t. When you cut on the inside, you leave a mark that only I can see. A lot of times people they leave a mark that only you know about. They say one thing, but do another and you say, “I thought you cared, I thought you loved me, I was under the impression. When you said it before it meant something else. Do you care about how I feel. No, because if you did, you would never have put that scare within me. So all of this time you lied?” Its amazing to me that people allow their lives to be controlled by a lie from youth to now and never got over it. Just because someone calls you something doesn’t make it so, you make it so because you begin to act as so. We look at our lives and say “I am not what so and so said I am.” Then we question ourselves and and ask “am I?”

We justify that scar within us. We do just what a clam does. What does it do when it gets a spec of sand within? It builds up a shield over it, a slimy shield that gets hard over and over until it rises up, so when they go over it, they won’ t feel the pain of a little grain, but now they have the pain of a pea. This is what we do on the inside, covering it up over and over, thinking that this will justify and make us worthy. You don’t need anyone to validate you. You, are you. Validation only brings accreditation to the person giving it. But if the accreditation isn’t good, neither is the validation. You say, I’ll drown myself in alcohol. I’ll takes drugs that will help me forget. It never helps you forget, it makes a bad situation worse. Now you have drug addiction added to the bunch. Every layer you’ve covered that scar tissue up with, you have to pay for it, and go over it.

Humility under fire, that moment when you thought you’d fight back and say, ok. So what is taking place in your life? God is watching every move you make and trial your take. He’s seeing you in that trial. When people go through grief recovery or anything like that, they have to talk it out or write it out and say if they have a problem with someone. Then what are you going to do with it? But I just gave you all my problems, now you have them. You’re wondering why you got on his nerve? Can you look at someone and say “I’m sorry for the way I treated you?” Nothing can come at you unless you allow it to come at you. Nothing can get on your nerves unless it gets on your nerves. Things only bother you because you allow them to. Some people set time bombs in your soul then leave because at a certain time it will explode. They’ve been gone for a whole week and your suffering and they aren’t even around. You’re sitting there struggling, getting mad with yourself for getting mad at them. People set things in your soul to distract you from your course. If I keep you lingering and wondering and wondering and lingering over things guess what? How many hours in a day? 24? So if I get you to spend 15 of your hours thinking about what I just did to you and i’m not in the picture, whose life am I wasting? They aren’t there, and you are struggling. Satan does it all the time to us and we love it. He gives us things to muddle over in our brain. One person comes through and says I don’t like you?  You’re struggling on that, at home, on your job, everywhere you go you’re struggling on that. Meanwhile your soul is getting beat up. Who’s beating up your soul? You are! That is a time bomb they set in your soul.

People have ways of doing things to you that you don’t want to see or know. People drop stuff in your life to destroy you to make you think less of yourself. They make you unsure of yourself, they don’t give you the opportunity or growth to grow. They stunt your growth at an early age. Parents do that with kids at an early age saying “you’ll never amount to nothing.” So your pursuit is to amount to make them wrong, but it hurts you to your core. We all know what nothing is right? If they say you’ll amount to nothing, then where is all the love they gave to you going? To nothing? You don’t wast love on nothing. “So who am I,” the little kid thinks? So the little kid grows up to be nothing. You know how many people are in prison because their parents put them in there? Some people spend all of their life trying to prove to their parents they were wrong about them being nothing. So what do they wind up doing? Theft, mugging, violence; and its all because of their parents. He gets his parents attention, and is now in prison, but the parents say I love my child, I love I love.

Can you still have humility under fire? Humble: to have less pride, or none at all. Low; down to the earth low. To be subdued. To be submissive.

Does that mean let people walk over you? No. Not wanting to have the last word out of everything. Not wanting to have the last word. What does that mean? Do you want to have the last word? Because if I give you the last word, you have to think about it. They got the last word. How often do you have the last word? Then the word comes, the one we don’t want to hear “you no good…” We brought that on ourselves, we chased it down. There is no humility in the person who wants the last word. You argue, you argue, you argue, you argue…arguing is someone trying to get the last word. Not just the last word, but the last hurting word. How many can be big enough to say “alright you can have the last word,” and then turn around and say I love you? It hurts the other person. Christ did it for me. So we can do it too. We bring a lot of undue fire in our walk with Christ because we want to get the last word. Do you try to have the last word with Christ? How many can just apologize to that person and say I still love you? We can’t do that, we have to bring out the big guns and fire, emptying the first magazine, then when all the clips are emptied, we bring out another set of guns!

Jonah – Lets go back to that wonderful hot summer when Jonah was sitting under a gourd tree. The Lord told him to go down to Nineveh and tell them to repent. But Jonah said, but Lord those people are evil and bad. God could have continued on with the conversation, but He let Jonah go on. How many are big enough to say “but” to God? You tell God, “but,” and He’s the one who made you! Everything that is He made. But then you tell Him no! This is the same God who put a big ball of fire in space, and have planets orbiting around it. When is the last time you put up a couple planets up in space, and you give Him a but? He is so humble and says “Have it your way.” Now when He has a purpose for you to do, then He will be after you. Like Jonah. Jonah just went and waited thinking the Lord would destroy the Ninevites. You have to be humble in your walk, even when people dislike you and treat you bad, look at them with an eye of love. That’s humble, and by you doing that you win their heart and soul back. One major thing we look for, we look for things to happen instantaneously. We say to the Lord, “You said that You would curse those I curse.” While the Lord is thinking, “why can’t you say something like bless them to help them see what you see?” Everyone is going through their own test to different degrees. You have to realize this, don’t judge another man’s test with yours. When you fail a test, you go through it again, and it becomes harder because you knew better. When you see someone go through their own walk and trail, don’t judge them. If you make fun of them, then you get home and wonder why you feel bad.

1 Peter 4:12-19

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Don’t think it strange that you go through because if you’re trying to find out who God is, you’ll go through! If you know who God is, you’ll go through. You’ll always go through. You know what’s important about the test? Its not so much getting through the test that matters, but its your attitude during it. Are you complaining about the test, like the Children of Israel on their 40 year journey that could have been a 2 day journey? How soon we forget when we were in a situation how Christ delivered us from it. Being out of it we’re complaining. When you were in it you loved God going through your motions. When you got done with the test you say “Jesus? Jesus who, Jesus what?” As soon as we go back into another test what do we do? We cry out to Him. We don’t feel close to Him unless we’re going through something. When you were going through, you were all on the floor, you were foaming at the mouth seeking God. When you go through tests, you know you makes vows to the Lord, then when the test is over you go back to your old ways. Why because you have no humility. Going through a trial when you’re under fire, knowing that there is purpose in the trial for God to take a bad quality out of you.

The biggest thing we don’t know how to do is forgive other people. You have to forgive totally, not a surface forgive, forgive totally. Its a hard thing to walk in your own self righteousness. Do you have a heaven or hell to put people in? We need to look in the mirror and talk to ourselves. Healing starts. How can you be healed when you still have something inside against someone else? You ask “Lord restore me.” How can He when you don’t have enough love to restore your brother or sister? You are your brother’s keeper. Can you be the bigger person and say I apologize, I should have thought of you more than that, forgive me? Guess what? That bridge is repaired and that connection is repaired. If you are claiming the blame, the whom do they have left to blame? Now if they’re still arguing then they’re arguing with themselves.

While you’re walking through a trial, its your attitude during the trail. If you’re attitude is to get back at a person while you’re in a trial, you’ll repeat it. That could determine whether you go to heaven on hell. If you haven’t gotten salvation the right way, you have to get it right.

Matthew 18:3-4

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

You may have to eat crow sometimes to be humble, eat it with a smile and with dignity. You can be humble with dignity.