Tag Archives: Jesus

Read more..

It’s Only a Test to See Where You’re At

In other arenas some call it a wake up call. Has there ever been a time in your life were it
seems like nothing was going right for you? It appears that ever time you take two steps
forward, sometimes it fills like you got kicked a yard backward. Even when you just got freed from a
thing, here comes a person, place or thing popping back up in your life again, trying to remind you
of what you did in the past. Then all of a sudden your mind starts to reminisce of what had
transpired in your past, weather good or bad, and the more you reflect on the past, you begin to
live in that past again, drawing from all the emotions, either good or bad. Then once
again you’re bound, forever looking behind you, never in front of you. As you know no one can ever
grow in their life looking behind themselves. Even as the Bible say that a person can’t plow
their field looking back (Luke 9:62).

Luke 9:59-62
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

“It’s just a test too see where you’re at!”

When you look at the word “It’s”: This denotes an advent in your life that has caused you to slow
down or even halts your process in your Psyche (soul or mind) but heighten your sense.

Now when we look at the word TEST: which is the procedure intended to establish the quality
performance, or reliability of something before wide spread use.

Now in the case of a Christian it is becoming self-awareness in your Spiritual walk and growth before the Lord can use you. You must remember Jesus is making you into someone He can use for the kingdom but
breaking and disconnecting from your attachment to this world. So if your going through any situation and it seems like there is no end and no answer, just remember that the Lord Jesus will not put no more on you then you can bear without giving you a way of escape.

1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We must remember that Jesus is making a new creature in you for Him; a vessel that holy and acceptable for His use and His will. What greater faith and love the Lord Jesus has in us to make us just like Him?!

Example:
The old samurai sword maker spent months and sometime even years to make the ultimate
sword that any emperor or king would use and pass down through out generations.The blade
would be almost perfect. But the process to achieve that end takes a lot of heating, folding,
beating, cooling over and over again; thousands of time over months and years. Don’t refuse the heat and don’t refuse the beating. In other words don’t complain because of your tests or your trials of temptation, health, finance, and any affairs of the heart.

James 1:1-4
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

He will not put nothing on you that will cause you to sin or to turn from Him. We just have to see it through to the end no matter what. He already saw the best in you when you on saw the worst in you. You saw failure and He saw victory in you. Remember your are that samurai sword that’s being made into perfection, ready to be used by the king of glory!

Reference scriptures:
1. Ephesians 6:1-14 putting on the whole Armor of God
2. Phil 11:29 believe and suffer for him.
3. Gal. 5:1 be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage
4. Rev. 3:20 he’s knocking at the door.

Read more..

Follow Peace with All Men

Romans 12:18

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

People are watching us each and every day. They are use to people saying “I go to Church,” or my parents my mother, sister or father went to church.” That is fine but is the Church in you or are you in the Church? There are people who are in the Church, but He wants the Church to be in us. Its not a facility or edifice, the Church is the people of God, filled with the Holy Ghost, inside of us where the Holy of Holies resides. We are the example this world needs in this day, in this unconscious world of sin. People are doing things today with no retribution, not caring if it hurts others. We are doing things that are not conducive to being Children of God. We all say that we love the Lord. We sing songs of accolades and of love but we don’t mean them. People here us singing those songs, but then we walk out in violence. We are very negative. Do Christianity and negativity go together? No. So why are we so negative?

Y’all know when people get on your nerves and then they say they’re just playing. We can’t allow ourselves to fall in the traps of this world. People draw you in. Satan has been doing it for years. If he can’t get you physically he’ll get you financially, so you can’t do anything you want to do. You can’t even go out a buy a hot dog. I can’t go out and buy a bag of chips. You go around saying I can’t. Satan knows how to reach you by how you’re effected in your walk. In decisions. If you’re habitual. That is why some of us can’t take drugs. You shouldn’t take drugs in the first place. We can’t smoke weed because we’ll be hooked. They say it calms their nerves. We make up every excuse.

Live: To exist; to be; to aspire. To live through an amount of time.

You should exist peaceably. To exist to be understood. To exist to live in harmony with one’s self and ones God. To live to be; to exist to be. You think about the emotions; to be caught up in a quiet emotion. To look at the Hebrew word Shalom: completeness. You look at the word welfare. If you’ve ever been around Hebrews or Muslims they say Shalom. Peace be with you, and they return the peace back to you. To make peace and shalom; to be complete and sound; to be perfect. Is everyone perfect and complete? Is everyone’s heart where it should be? Are you all clear with your focus where it should be? Is it foggy or misty? The Lord tells us He keeps those in perfect peace whose mind is set on Him. If you are not focused on the things and situations in your life, then you won’t stay in peace, because these folks will drive you up the wall.

What do bill collectors do? They collect your money, caring nothing about the bills. Now think about this, when you make a bill with someone they ask for your name, address, phone number. Why? So if you’re negligent with your bill they can reach you. You can’t live in peace if someone is blowing up your phone about a missed payment every week. It doesn’t feel good when you miss a payment does it? Because they add up. You miss this month, then another month. You’re jacked up because you’re worried about what you will do next. Now your unstable because it has rattled your foundation of peace. All the while you are building up with stress. You’re not happy. Now you have family members that will bug you to no end. “Can you give me some money… can I come to your house?” If you have a relationship, they’re bugging you. Are we going out tomorrow…are we going to meet…because you said we were going to meet? You have the bill collector, your family, your spouse…they you say Lord deliver me. Its just too much on me I’m stressed. Then the Pastor says, I need you to go out and witness with this group today. Are you at peace? You’re mad with the people who keep calling you, then you’re mad with your cousin, you’re mad with your spouse, then you’re mad with the Pastor and they’ve done nothing. No one likes when someone else is coming after you. So people say they’ll turn it all over to God. But we don’t do that. We’re Indian givers; give things, then take them right back. This is the same thing we do to the Lord. “Lord take all my burdens, I surrender all,” we say. As soon as we give them to Him, we go back home, sit at the table and lament over our issues. We take them right back from the Lord. We ask the Lord to heal us. If we pray and the Lord doesn’t answer right away, we start going through saying it didn’t happen. Are you feeling at peace? We’re stressed as stressed can be. We can’t even think about helping anybody in the Lord when we are stressed.

The Lord wants us to know one thing, He’ll keep you in perfect peace, even when you cause mess in your life. How many people know that if something costs $900 and you only have $200 to your name, you don’t purchase it? You don’t go get a loan to make up the rest of it. Some of us haven’t learned that yet, knowing we get $200 a month, why make a $900 loan that will collect interest? It will take you how many months just to get $900? We should know better. Why should you buy a brand new car when you can’t even afford a used one? People stress you so you’ll make the wrong decision, but by that time you’re caught. Now we’re pressured, we make decisions, have relationships, make deals and bargains, out of stress, and in the process of it, peace is tip toeing out the door. We don’t realize it. When we enter into contracts or deals, makes sure its not of stress, not of duress, but rather looking at the future of that same thing.

We look at relationship. Being in relationships isn’t free, every time I pick them up, I have to spend money for gas. They’ve got to eat so I have to feed them. They’ll want a gift so I have to buy them something. You ever heard the term “we can live on love?” You can’t pay with love when you are trying to buy a happy meal at McDonald’s. It costs money. The Bible says that no one should take something upon themselves without counting the cost. How many can repair a car, or rocket engine, or electronics? So why would you buy a car that has a rocket engine or radio? So when it doesn’t work anymore, there it stays because you can’t fix it. What will it cost me to maintain something. You have to count the cost in your life. Its always good to understand if you want to succeed in something, count the cost first. Everyone is always saying go ahead and do what pleases you, and they don’t have a dime to help you keep it. You have all their weights on your life, tons and tons of weights on your life. Why are the bill collectors constantly calling? Because you wanted something that someone else had and you can’t afford it. You know there are some people who will buy a game system before they buy food or clothes? We’re stressed to the max, we can’t be at peace. When you are stressed are you peaceable with all men? No, you’re upset and you speak to them firmly.

We can’t walk peaceable with all men because of all the stress. We begin to act attitudinal with people. If we go back to the word Shalom. Peace. You go to some place and a person overcharged you and you don’t realize until 2 days later. You can’t go back because too much time has lapsed. Then you become stressed about that. Love of money is the root of all evil. Under stress in life is unnecessary. You don’t need the stress in your life. Follow peace.

When you allow your soul to be caught up with the thoughts and emotions of your physical man, there can be no peace of joy in the Holy Ghost in your life. Satan come to steal, kill and destroy you. Who cares about you better than you? When you get into a situation and your life is at stake, we think about our immediate things. When I was sick in the hospital, I was thinking about how I would pay the hospital bill. This society has groomed us to be worry warts. If you allow your soul to be caught up with what your flesh is doing, you cannot, you cannot live a holy life. It will keep you from finding out who Jesus is. Its not about you.

We get it confused saying that our lives are all about us and what we can get out of it. Our lives are about being available for God to use us.

Read more..

You Cannot Build on Dead Works

Sometimes people say “I will pick up where I left off” after they’ve been out for a while. Can you imagine if a building has been dilapidated and we clean the building up on the outside and inside, then we’ll take that building and connect it to that building so we can keep going on? Do you know what will happen when the first wind storm comes?

You can’t build on dead works. But if you have junk in your life and you never got rid of the junk, you can’t build a solid foundation on that, because as the junk’s being affected, you’re going to see it shake and quake. It will fall.

There are the things you never got straight; those are the issues in your life that you build another life on top of. Most people say its ok, because “I’ve put it in the past.” How many people know that your past will become your future? Its just like when people build on quick sand; after a period of time it will sink. Then after a period of time water seeps up into the building. You can’t build from dead works. You have to eradicate it and clean up.You have to be refurbished, so that when God places a load in your life of work, you can say “Lord I got this” and not “Lord its too much.” When Things are done everything comes to the forefront and the Lord gives it to you. You have a clean foundation that you can build on. A solid foundation. Amen?

Hebrews 6:1-12

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

How many have heard of the word Ichabod? This is a very important word, which stands for “the glory has departed from that place.” In the case with Israel in 1 Samuel 4:21, it had departed.

1 Samuel 4:19-21

And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

You remember when the Children of Israel were traveling from land to land and they carried the Ark of the Covenant with them? They would set the Ark in the Holy of Holies in the temple. God would commune with the priest in the midst of a cloud. This was Gods way of talking to His people before the point where He became flesh. He would leave messages to them of what they should do with the people, etc. So the Ark was taken; removed from its place. When God leaves His power, His glory and presence are gone. Amen? So now here we have in our lives when the Holy Ghost leaves you the presence of God is not in you and if its not in your what is going on? Its Ichabod that is written on your life.

Some people have Ichabod written on their lives and they don’t even know. So they are building on a shaky foundation. They think of when they USE TO worship; when they USE TO dance. They’re building their whole spiritual walk on what USE TO be. You can’t build on dead works. You can’t build on dead works. You cannot build your Christian walk on something that you use to do. People will fight you tooth and nail and say “He was with me then so I know He’s with me now.” Let me share something with you: Satan is with us 24/7. The mocker; the accuser who has imps that can watch you to mimic your ways to give the impression that you are saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. Satan can make someone jerk, he can make them speak in another tongue. Satan can give you a joyous expression. He is the mocker and accuser, deceiving the bothers to spread the message of lies to other people. What happens to you if you don’t go to your job in 4 or 5 months? You won’t have one,. What happens when you don’t go to church in 4 or 5 months? We take it for granted with God. Its ok with God. You’ve heard what people say “God knows my heart.” He does. That is why He’s trying to tell you get yourself some teaching; some understanding. Because if not, then you’re going on yesterdays work, trying to build today’s future on yesterdays work. Well what’s wrong with that? If it didn’t work yesterday it won’t work today because new mercies God brings forth every morning. How many wake up every morning?

So its time for us to begin to let go of the old foundation, and clean it and prepare it for a whole new work. The Bible says greater works shall you do because Jesus is gone to the Father. You know what a greater work is? Us sitting here in a basement in Bedford, OH at 10 am, talking to a bunch of people in another country witnessing to them, instructing them and getting them together without having them there. They didn’t have the technical capabilities then that we do now. They had Paul, Timothy, Bartholomew, walking for days or weeks to get to one Church. There were seven churches. A greater work is when you can bring someone from the dead, or when thousands of people can be fed from one basket. But what has not been done is communication from one person to another in another country! The point is these are greater works they never conceived of then. What is another great work? Reaching people in the most isolated places in the world, that don’t have internet, Google, Facebook, Instagram; who can’t text or who don’t have anything. Greater work is when you get up out of your seat, go across the seas and talk to these people. The greatness is when the people receive it, and say they’ve heard and been asking their god to teach them and tell them the truth. That is why the word of God says the harvest is ripe, but the labors are few.

Ain’t nobody doing nothing, because were all in church talking about each other, going to dinner, self devouring, usurping authority, making people jealous of others and the souls are dying. If you allow the Word of God dwell in you richly, you’ll hear the Word of God say to you “there is a brother or sister who will come, go with them.” You’ll hear the voice of God. This is what we do when we hear the voice of God; We ask “is it real?” We’ll be able to hear the voice of God when we stop fighting with one another. Then you can testify to 5 people who heard it, received it, and got baptized in Jesus name. You never would have done that when you fuss and argue with yourself and other people. The work goes undone, but you still try to build on that foundation but you’ve never heard Him and haven’t seen Him in years. If you go out and try to witness to someone else, and you’re jacked up, what will happen?

Jesus said I want you to prepare a place for Me for the Passover. Go to the city, see a man…God will use others to get you to where you should be in Him. Jesus said go and tell them that the Father has need. Sometimes we say we don’t hear the voice of God. Well maybe we need to shut up for a while. I know what His voice sounds like to me, but it may be different for you. You need to find out how He will speak to you. God uses whom He will to get his point across to His child. Little kids will be used in this way. He wants us to get rid of that mentality of trying to go on…you’ve been wound forth last last 45, 50, 60, 70 years. You know how many people in the Church are wounded and they try to say something to someone about Jesus? They know absolutely nothing. If you’re not happy how can you tell that God is ecstatic? If you’re not delivered how can you tell someone else that He delivers. How can you say God is awesome and you’ve never seen His awesomeness. How can He talk to You? Does He have to take a number? This is what we don’t really understand. All the stuff in our past will, and has been, and can become our future.

The word build; to assemble; the way a thing is put together; pattern made up composition; in other words, the material used to build upon; to construct; building. If you’re building a new highway, do you build atop the old highway? No, you take out the old concrete, then level out the soil, then build anew. But we say, why can’t they hurry up and build that high way? If you go over that highway that isn’t reinforced, when you drive over it, you’ll be dead in rubble. They aren’t building on dead works, they are gutting it out and restructuring so they can build on solid foundation. Same with a Child of God, you can’t have all that mess in your life; you can’t carry all that baggage with you and try to witness to someone. You can’t build on anything in your life if you’re still going through other things in your life. If you haven’t been redeemed from the burdens and things in your life that are causing your to be weighed down, you can’t build on it. You don’t want to assemble something atop of shaky ground, you don’t want to pour into something that will leak out. You’re a bucket with a whole in it, because while your walking there is a trail. It could be a trail of devastation, where onlookers will say sister or brother has been though here with their leaking bucket.

We Look at the word Dead: lifeless, deadly; passes away.

We look at the word work:physical labour, effort, metal; physical, its work; time spent; time management.

You can’t build on dead works. You have to get old works out and ask the Lord to clean up the stench in you. What’s in the past is in the past, but my life isn’t connected with that. I’ve been forgiven, and given a new life, direction and focus, now Lord You show me what You want me to do, because now I don’t have all that mess in my ear anymore.

When the presence of the Lord has left a ministry, there can be no rebuilding on the foundation of which that ministry was building. That means the person who started cannot rebuild again. Because Ichabod is not only tied to that location, but that ministry. If they restart it, they are building upon an Ichabod foundation. It will not flourish nor be glorious even though they may talk about it. When the name of Ichabod has been written on your ministry its time for you to go out, go to another ministry and get cleaned up. Then it may be He will open the door for a new ministry and new direction. You can’t build on an old messed up situation. It has become dead.

You build on good foundation. Start afresh, start anew.

Read more..

If…

Truth never feels good, even when its right. There was a movie that came out with a line “Do you want to know the truth?” And the people said yes. Then he said “You can’t handle the truth.” We can’t handle the truth, but the Bible says the truth is like a double edge sword. When it cuts, it cuts going in on one side, and cuts going out on the other side. The Word is like that. We want people to tell us the truth, but we don’t want people to tell us the truth.

Matthew 25:1-13

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

1 Peter 1:14-16

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Think of the following questions:

IF JESUS CAME YOUR WAY WHAT WOULD YOU DO AND WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

IF JESUS CAME TODAY WHAT WOULD  YOU SAY OR WOULD YOU RUN AWAY AND SAY “NO WAY
NOT TO DAY?”

IF JESUS CAME YOUR WAY TODAY WOULD YOU CHEER AND JUMP AN SAY HALLELUJAH
HIP, HIP, HOORAY!

IF JESUS CAME TODAY WOULD YOU TELL HIM “I’LL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER SERVICE I’M
RUNNING LATE?”

IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOME TODAY WHAT WOULD HE HAVE TO TAKE A TICKET AND
WAIT IN LINE?

IF JESUS CALL YOU TODAY WHAT WOULD SAY, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK IN THE MORNING
SO I’LL CALL YOU LATER!

IF THE LORD JESUS CAME TO YOU WHEN YOU WHERE AT WORK WHAT WOULD HE SEE !

IF JESUS CAME WHEN YOU WHERE BETWEEN CHURCHES WHAT WOULD HE SAY?

IF THE LORD JESUS CALLED YOUR NAME, WOULD YOU HEAR HIM?

IF JESUS SAID ITS TIME TO GO HOME WOULD YOU DOUBT IT WAS HIM AND CALL A FRIEND?

IF CHRIST CAME TO SEE YOU AND YOUR FRIEND OR FAMILY WASN’T THERE WHAT WOULD YOU SAY OR DO?

IF JESUS CAME TO YOU TONIGHT WHAT HE FIND AND WHAT SITUATION WOULD HE SEE?

IF JESUS CAME AND PICKED UP YOUR CELL PHONE COULD YOU GIVE IT TO HIM WITH A
GOOD CLEAR CONSCIOUS?!

IF JESUS CAME TODAY WOULD YOU STAND UP AND RUN AWAY?

IF JESUS CAME WHILE YOU WERE TEXTING OR TAKING A SELFIE, YOU THINK HE WOULD
STAND NEXT TO YOU?

IF OUR LORD JESUS CAME TODAY WHILE YOU WHERE ANGRY, WHAT WOULD SAY?

IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOME, COULD HE GET IN?

I’m not talking about your physical address, but Your soul. Have you shut Jesus out? Does He have any of your life?If the Lord Jesus came while you were angry, lying, acting, what would He do?

Are you ready to go home today, if He comes your way? Because He says this place is not our home. Scientists are saying they are waiting for Christ’s return.

Read more..

What Do You Expect More Back than What You Are?

It’s amazing to me that most people tend to allow their flesh to get the best of them to the point where they begin to say “Why can’t I have that,” or “I don’t deserve this,” or “why am I not receiving of good things?” You ever thought that you might not be good, or that you cause a lot of mess? The Bible says we reap what we have sown, and that is a serious thing. When we do harm to other people, and we’re caught, we plead amnesty and mercy. Why do you expect a righteous judgement for yourself, but you don’t give righteous judgments. Hence comes in the old proverbial saying “I’m sorry.” Were you sorry when you committed the lie? We’ve changed the lie so now there are white lies. I didn’t know they came in colors; a red and yellow and blue one, with varying degrees. You remember when you told a half truth, you gave a long intricate story, to see that what were you saying got lost in the intricacies of the statements and the psychological statements. At the end of it, those paying close attention will say, “Ok what do you want me to do now?” People get before a judge and say “judge I’m a victim of my environment. I was raised by my mother, denied by my father, abused by my brother and neglected by my friend. Judge you have to understand I’m a victim of the circumstance.” Not realizing these questions: do you know what love is, or what harm is and not harming others? Then if you do, you don’t want others to hurt you because it hurts. So why are you hurting them? Why do we expect a liar to tell the truth? Why do we expect a crook to do good? We expect people to look at us and give us every benefit of a doubt, but we never look at them and give them a benefit of a doubt. How can you want people to pay attention to you when you don’t pay attention to others? If you want a leader to listen to you, then you have to listen to leadership. We want people to do what we want them to do and receive how we want to be received. Listen to this, we try our best to sway the opinion of others to see our side of life, so we can justify our existence and things we do. We want to sway people to our decisions. When you set your mind to do something, you think considerably about it. You just don’t go and do something by impulse. You justify before you lie, so you just-a-lie. When you get caught doing something you should not have been doing, why are there a lot of buts and things start smelling? When you think about justifications you can’t even come up with any. We want the best response when it is favorable for us. We ask for justification for our actions from everyone, wanting people to think the best of us. You remember being kids…you’d do something but get your brother or sister in trouble. But when you get caught, you start pleading for mercy. But your brother or sister you didn’t show mercy to. How can you plead for mercy when you can’t give it? We all want people to pay attention to us right? How can you expect people to pay attention to you when you don’t to them? Don’t ask something of someone you can’t give out.

You know what this shows? That that individual is aware of wrong doings or sin. What are you doing when you allow a lie to take place to cause someone else to get hurt? We don’t want to admit it but we know whats right and wrong. We all know what pain is right? We’ve all felt pain. Is pain a good thing to you? We don’t like our emotions, feelings, or bodies to be hurt. What do we consider that to be? Bad. So if you don’t want to be hurt, then other people too don’t want to be hurt. So what is sin? Causing someone else hurt. When you do something that causes another person pain, then you have sinned. We try to lie out of it because we are afraid of the repercussions of what will happen. We don’t want to receive the results of our pain, so we lie out of it, so no one will hurt us. If we can’t lie out of it, we’ll look at the other person and try to justify out of it. We know that to cause harm on someone the judgement of causing harm is even worse, so we lie out of it. We try to make amends with ourselves so when it comes to light that we’ve done something wrong, we won’t look bad. Every time we try to justify a lie in our lives, what do you think we commit toward Christ, in our Christian walk? I think the majority of people who are living their lives as a child of God don’t really understand what their walk is all about. It’s a systematic way of our trying to present ourself to make sure everyone is doing the same things. What do we do to get someone to do good back to us even though we’ve done bad to them?

1 Kings 3:15-25

And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

Today we’d just get a DNA test, but Solomon did not have those sorts of tests in those days. Look at the judgement the one woman wanted and look at the mindset of the other woman. One didn’t care about killing the child, and the other wanted the child to live. The point is, the Wisdom of God knew the heart of the woman who was the mother of the child. The woman who killed her child accidentally, was looking for a favorable judgement from the king concerning the child. She gave a long story about the dilemma. This is what we do when we’ve done wrong and want mercy. Why did Cain slay his brother? Jealousy. So was the other woman jealous that her child was dead and the other not? So is the spirit of Cain alive and well with us? Why do we do things against other people? “Oh you’re a favorite of so and so. You’re liked and loved better than me.” Now the other person is jealous. Oh the Lord of Lord’s and the King of King’s likes Able’s offering better than Cain’s best watermelon, stalk of celery or ear of corn. So Cain went away upset, while Able gave the Lord something living and not dead. The Bible said that Able’s blood cried out from the ground because life is in the blood, not in a fruit or vegetable, even though it may have been the best kumquat you may have had. That spirit is still in us today. People get jealous if another person in Church can pray better. Some of us may not have talent at all, and we get jealous and get like Cain. “You think you’re something don’t you?” that Cain spirit building up. The very first time we see that someone who has talent fail, we belittle them. That Cain spirit is running rampant in the Church today. Pastors getting jealous of pastors. You can’t allow the spirit of Cain to come in. Don’t look for anything and it’s not in you. You can’t allow the spirit of Cain to come in. Why do you expect more than what you are? Why do you expect God to give you more and you don’t have anything or do anything that deserves more? Why do you expect more from God than what you give to Him? Why do you expect more from Him when that little He gave you, you don’t even use that? Why do you must have, when you aren’t even faithful over the little things. What does a criminal usually say when you catch him? “I’m not guilty.”

There are things we do, and we tell people not to do. If we can’t be what we’re suppose to be, don’t ask someone else more of what you can’t do yourself. Don’t expect anything from someone else, that you can’t do yourself. As a leader anywhere you go, your word has to be final. If you are not submissive and humble, then you can’t be a good leader. If you can’t listen to your leader, don’t expect someone else to listen to you. If you can’t be submissive and humble, don’t expect it from others. If you can’t be passionate and compassionate to people, don’t expect it when they hear your concerns. Whatever we expect from others we need to do ourselves.