Tag Archives: love

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Tick, Tock, You’re Time is Running Out

In this day of so many choices, people tend to want to do their own thing. It seem as though there is no sense of morality in their decision making process nor in their lifestyle, and that also includes the Church. It is as though this generation has slipped back into the 1960’s adopting the mindset of “do what you want to do and with whom you want to do it to.” People always say that the times always repeat themselves. I understand that but what I really believe is this: the Bible sort of has that same frame of thought but in a more detailed understanding.

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark…


Matthew 24:37-38

Lets take a look at a list of things that man is doing today and compare them with what the Word of God says.

The World

In the world hate has spread so much and there has been no remorse for the hate that people have for one another in society today.

Love

There is a false understanding of love, and what it means to be loved. People have taken “in love” to be “love.” For many people “love” means to do for me and me along. Love carries a type of attitude where it has become very selfish. People have allowed love to become a tool to be used as a selfish nature; to hurt people to get over on them. Whereas in the Word of God, love “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:” 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

Faith

How about faith in the world today or should I say a lack of? The Church is known as people of faith and our whole walk in life and ministry is to be a walk by faith and not by sight, because the Word of God says we can do all things through Him. We need to represent what a walk of faith is. However, we don’t. Not realizing that faith is a principle of counting on what Jesus’ Word says, and believing in that Word. The world teaches to believe in oneself. The mindset is you can do anything yourself; just believe you. You can do it. Not believing what God say, to believe in Him and with Him, all things are possible through Him. We don’t believe this. They take up the motto that “you can do it.” You can’t do anything without Christ because you will fail. Its not by might nor by power, but by His spirit. You can’t do it because you don’t have it. You don’t even know what will happen to you in the next 2 seconds. So you have to put your faith and hope in Christ and it won’t fail.

Humility

The world feels you need to get over on your fellowman. Its not about helping them out but their thought process is “what can I get or gain from them?” In other words, I’ll teach other people to be humble so when I come to them I can get something out of them. The Bible says that we need to be humble. Don’t always want to hear your name mentioned in something that is going great; don’t always want to be on top. You can’t have this type of mind. You must be humble. The Lord will exalt you in due season. Don’t always want to be the one on top. If you see someone who needs to be encouraged, be humble enough to sit back and encourage them. Don’t compare yourself with someone else who is getting praise. Why do you feel that you need to be praised? When you feel this, you need to reexamine yourself; your purpose in the Lord. The Bible never said that this walk would be joyous and you’ll have all the praise of people around you. Its a hard walk that requires faith, where you put all your trust in God. We who are the people of God must be mindful of our humility. Because its about helping others, and looking upon others, to help encourage them, whether you receive praise or not.

Intimacy

What about Intimacy between a man and a woman these days? In the world these days they don’t have it like that. They talk about short term relationships. The world uses the slang “hit and run” or “one night stand” or “short term relationship.” They encourage young people to “try it before you buy it.” In other words, live with a person first without marrying them. That makes no sense. That is just like a car dealer. You ask the dealer to try the car for a while, before consider buying it. He’ll look at you crazily and say “no you must buy it and then use it.” The Church is adopting the same mentality. People want to live with one another before they commit to one another. People say “the Lord knows our heart and knows I want to be with her.” But if He knows that, why do you want to try out the product before you commit to it? The worldly type of mentality concerning that has slipped into the House of God. Men sometimes say, in a relationship like this that if the girl gets pregnant, then he’ll marry her. Is that usually the case? You’ve just given him an option. If you get pregnant I’m gone, and if you don’t I’ll stay there and play in the field for a while. There is no commitment to anything in the world today. Some women are upset with how men have taken advantage of them in this way, that they seek inordinate affections of the same sex, and take advantage of the woman, just as the man took advantage of them. That mindset has become rampant in the world, in so much as our government has passed laws for same sex marriage. All this produces is self-gratification and has nothing to do with a healthy relationship, as a man cannot produce life with another man, nor a woman with a woman.

Pride

What of Pride in the world? In the Church, people take pride of what they own, and also their status in the world. Whether they have money or not own a business or not, or are seen as a leader in society, they take pride in all of that. That is just in the Church alone. In the world, money and riches are their pride. It use to be that people wanted to be a millionaire, but now people want to be billionaires. They want to have things they desire and go where they desire. They want to live as kings in palaces so they can walk about with pride. They live in a state of perpetual self-gratification to make them feel good about themselves, because “I am somebody.” They want power to control others lives. This is what pride has brought them.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.


2 Timothy 3:1-7

There are a lot of people in the Church and the world who are ever learning about the Bible, but never understanding the truth of what the Bible says. Their heart doesn’t want to live concerning what the Bible says, rather live to do what they want to do, yet they want to use the Bible to condemn someone else! People in the world today know about the Word of God, and if they don’t, they know the 10 commandments. If you understand the 10 commandments, then you’re already guilty of what the Bible says if you aren’t living by it.

Its imperative that we do what the Word of God says. Women are going after woman, men after men, and even children after children for the purpose of lust of the flesh. Let us not forget what God has brought us to. All of the things that God has said are going to happen in the last days. The clock is tick, tocking away, and God is waiting for you to make the decision to live totally for Christ or live in the world. He said He’d rather us to be hot or cold but not lukewarm. Lukewarm Christians are trying to live in the Church and the world. Having a form of godliness but denying the power they are suppose to be serving. The world is looking to the Church for an answer, yet they can’t get it because the Church is standing beside the world, doing the same things as the world! So we need to be very careful of how we are perceived of the world and others. The Bible says don’t let your good be evil spoken of. If you want to live in the world, live totally in the world. Don’t try to put one foot in the world and the other in the Church. If you are doing sin in the world, then you’re in the world in the first place, whether you are in the House of God or not.

How long halt you between two opinions? Do you serve God or the world? He won’t look at you as being in the middle, He will put you to one side or the other. If He doesn’t see the move of God and Holy Ghost in you you’ll be in the world anyhow. If you aren’t living concerning the Word, then you are in the world. There is no commonality. You’re either in the world or you’re in the Church. Christ will not die on the cross again for your confusion. You need to make a decision, here and now. Will you live for Christ or the world? The world may include your lifestyle; what you do to satisfy yourself. Is that satisfying God or you alone? It makes you feel good because you can’t see God, and because you can’t see Him, you think its alright. You see the situation better and you like doing it. The Bible says blessed is he who has not seen and believed.

Bear in mind only what you do for Christ will last. What you do for the world will last as long as the world looks at you and places pride and joy on you. When that is gone, you’re gone. You can see leaders in history, who started out in greatness. When they fell once, their name through the annals of history was marked with shame from the same people who gave them fame! You have to realize that you have to give an account of all that you say, promise and do in this world. Every word uttered from our mouths is being recorded. Since you know and understand, why not walk upright before God, doing what is right, not listening to fables of men and their uneducated knowledge concerning the Word of God? Sure people read the Bible, but not with an understanding that only comes from God. So we ask you to bear in mind of what the Word of God has said. Today is the day of change. The moment you hear His voice, obey, and harden not your heart as in the day of evil.

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The Unforeseen Harvest

In his poem Marmion, Sir Walter Scott said something profound: “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”

As we grow up in our respective communities, most people want to be seen in a favorable light. Some just want to be noticed. In some way they want to be accepted by their peers. However the case may be, people have a tendency to change their behavior or do compromising things to gain the acceptance of their peer groups or even society. You’ve seen it before. You’ve seen people do weird things. A tattooed body, or dye their hair green or blue, knowing they weren’t born with that color hair. They may paint their nails a bright color. They may cut their hair short on one side, and the other side may be cut in layers. They may dye their skin to match their clothes. You’ve seen tattooed people, and you ask them why they are so covered, they respond that they like them. But when you run out of canvas, where do you turn to? The Bible tells us not to tattoo ourselves, not to make marks on our flesh. Think about this, to change your attitude to change your behavior to suit someone else or some situation, because you want to be validated or accepted.

Some may just want to be accepted just by their peer group, whether old young, schooled or unschooled. Whatever individuals or groups or situations you’re in, you want to change who you are to fit in. No one wants to be the odd ball. So we’ll do what it takes not to be. Sometimes we’ll go beyond who we are. We do things so people will accept who we are and what we stand for. We don’t want to be the odd ball, the one that stands out and people point a finger at, the nerd. There are those who would go along with a lie to keep you from feeling different about them. There are some who would go along with the program, so as not to be the one who stands out against. Understand this: many aren’t always aware of the repercussions of their actions. They are not aware of what they are doing. All those things build up and add up, and cause people to have other issues. If you let something fester long enough what happens to it? It goes bad and begins to effect other aspects of who and what you are. When it comes time that all those things have added up and we don’t alleviate ourselves of them, they come at the most inopportune time.

When you do things, you reap what you sow. It will bring up underlining things later on, in your life, or in some situation where you are doing good. Do you know reaping doesn’t have a watch? However, it does have memory, perfect sequences of time to do what it does. You may not get it then, but you will get it later. You bothered this individual, year after year, over and over. You dog them out for so long. Guess what, you don’t bother them but you hurt them, bringing about a pain in that individual, and you don’t get it straight. Low and behold, your life goes great, everything is great. But its the seeds you’ve sown previously that are still out there. Does a seed come up as soon as its planted? No. It dies first, and brings forth new life. So when you lie on someone for years and years, never getting it straight, you’ve planted those seeds of lies. Lies need support. Then a situation comes up in your life where you need a person to tell the truth. Then all of a sudden reaping has memory. Your harvest from that lie is a lying harvest. One thing we don’t catch as human beings is that there are consequences for everything, which have a domino effect. It just doesn’t effect one thing, it effects several things, in your life. Its important to note that while these unexpected events in your life are going on, you too have caused hurt and pain in someone else. Its the promise we break and the choices we make that determines our end. 

Even today, some of us may have things in our lives we’ve forgotten about. Those things we’ve put on the back burner of our mind. Or had some things very hurtful, that have caused us or someone else to have pain. You might just tell yourself, “put it in the back of your mind, and it will resolve itself.” How many times have you done that and it worries you? It never stays in the back, it comes to the front. Why does that happen so much for a Child of God who never got things corrected? He will bring it to your remembrance until you get it corrected. Old wounds don’t heal? Why? Because if you keep nursing it, it will never resolve itself. What do I mean by nursing? What did I tell you about a lie? It needs support. When you hurt someone, that hurt you caused hurts them, but it sticks in your craw. People have been damaged and wounded by others. Those wounds and damages cause you not to think right. When a Child of God has damaged someone else, their prayers are tainted? Why? Its tainted with pain, anguish and hurt that you haven’t gotten corrected. So when you pray you offer God pain and anguish that you caused someone else. He won’t hear you. Come to Him with a pure heart. Some have been wounded to the point where they can’t pray right or think right. When your prayers are tainted with pain and revenge. 

15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.


Matthew 18:15-16 

We must be about loving our brothers; showing love. We can’t point the finger at someone and say “that’s what you get.” We have to be on guard with how we talk and what we say. We have to give an account of every idle word we speak. The Word says let your words be few and seasoned with grace. But if you refuse to get something corrected with you brother, and you try to seek out God, He will not be pleased. Your brother is your first responsibility. To love, nourish, encourage, to help grow to the potential where they should go. Don’t get to the point where God has to chase you down to get you to do what He says.  We need to understand hurting our brothers and sisters in Christ should be the farthest things from our hearts. Christians are good for talking love, but never showing it. Some of the greatest wars were fought by people who said they were Christian. Everyone is not a Christian, and just because they say they are doesn’t make it so. When the tire meets the road, you’ll know those who are true, because the river of life will flow out of us; the anointing will flow out of us. This walk is not easy, but if there is mess in us, the Lord will take us on a hard walk to get us to be fit as His Child. It gets you out of you, and puts Christ in you fully. As you walk though it, don’t look at it as the Lord whooping you, but He’s creating in you something that never was before. In order to create something good and kind hearted like Him, He has to take you through that. Sometimes we become problems to Him because we always stand in His way. The Lord told us to do something, but we won’t do it. We must remember that as humans we have a mandate on all of us, and that is to love one another, even in spite of ourselves. If we don’t we’ll only wind up hurting ourselves and our relationship with Christ. 

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15:1-3

What does love have that hatred can never have? Caring. Hatred does not care. When you love you care, when you care, you don’t want to hurt a person or see them fail. You want to see them succeed and you do your best even when you don’t succeed. Because love never fails. While you’re helping them, all the while God has your back.

Don’t leave a seed of bitterness, hatred or anger. The harvest that you will come up with, you’ll not want to receive.

5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. 11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Galatians 5:7-15

A little bit of leaven, leavens the whole lump. A little bit of the sin nature it just doesn’t effect one particular thing, but every aspect of your life.

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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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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.

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Warring Against the Mess in the Flesh

How many times have you started out doing what was the right thing to do but it turned out worse? You started out with a good intention. Did you know that good intentions are not good enough? We try to do things that our Lord would be happy and pleased over. In dealing with life itself you must understand that the first word that you see in the word “intention,” is intent. The word intent is starting something, but not completing that thing. For example, he did have intentions to save money, but he never held on to any money. She intended getting a good job in her field, but never took the time to search out her field. There needs to be some action behind the intentions. I have intentions to go get food, but if I don’t cough up money to get the food, I won’t get it. With intentions there is always a presence of a struggle with you or some opposing factor in your life that causes you not to fulfill the intention. Good intentions are not good enough.

Good intentions without action behind it means nothing. If you don’t put fire behind your intention, that intention dies. How would you like if the Lord only intended to die for us? If He’d not put action behind it, we’d be a most miserable people. If you really intend to do something, it would have been done. So when you are in a warring with your flesh, its a conflict. I’m glad the Lord didn’t get cold feet when it came to us. I’d rather for someone to say that they can’t do something, than to say they intend to do something, and don’t do it. When thinking if a person will go forward with doing something for someone else they say “Well how did they treat me last week? They didn’t treat me right. They borrowed money from me last time. No I don’t like them. You borrow money and didn’t pay me back.” The other person says “I was intent on paying you back.” We’re always in a conflict with ourselves. We do things for people according to if they did something for us. Conflict and intentions have a hand in hand relationship, because conflict keeps you from carrying out intentions. Opposition keeps you from carrying out intentions. Your attitude towards a person keeps you from being a brother or sister in Christ to that person. There is war between brothers and sisters in Christ. If a brother or sister didn’t do something we didn’t like, we hold back brotherly love. The Bible says we should care about others more than ourselves. If we don’t, we spread discord because a sister or brother didn’t get the love needed, and so they spread bitterness and it trickles down to the next person. We ought to know how to talk to our brothers and sisters, motivating them to do good and not to do jackedupness. I don’t want you to leave hurt. If we don’t do go to our brothers, their hurt will be internalized and the hurt will be spread. Care about your brother or sister. Isn’t something how we get jealous? We have so much opposition. Why because there is a selfish nature inherited by humans. Jesus with the disciples who were going to dinner rebuked Jesus for sitting with publicans and sinners. Jesus said He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. We must not have a selfish mentality.

James 1:5-8

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

We want to look good before other peoples eyes, because our intentions are not good. There is a war and conflict going on. Don’t think God is going to answer you when you have a mindset to do things for show. Did you know being a Christian is a lonely road? You go through a lot of trials and tests, because He wants to make you. We say to the Lord, why are You taking me through all this? Why me? I don’t want to go through another test? We complain through the entire thing, then at the end, we say Lord, it was good for me to go through that. There is always a conflict because our flesh wants to kick against everything. We say I’ll go help sister or brother so and so clean their house, because its filthy. You work tirelessly. When you get to your own house, you’re so tired and fall asleep, and miss your time with Lord because you were too busy doing something for someone else. When you have an intent to do something, make sure you carry it out.

How do we get beyond not carrying out our intentions? Its selfishness. It’s alright to be selfish, but not to the detriment of being with Him. When we have intentions the pray, and we don’t what kept us? Its the warring that takes place in our lives, souls, and day to day operation. We intend to do good, but you can’t be double minded as James says. When you’re warring it means a struggle between opposing forces. The word conflict is a clash between forces. There is a clash inside of you. What are you warring against? What things are distracting you? Phone calls, frivolous things? But you just told Jesus that you don’t have time. We make the time for what we want to make time for, and then we complain when we think Christ isn’t coming on time. When we get in trouble when do we want Jesus? Before hand so when we get in trouble we don’t need to worry about calling Him. Can you imagine Jesus talking to the Father about us saying “oh Lord.” Then the Father says to Jesus, “Well You died for them.” Our intent needs to be carried out. The Lord asks one thing of us: to Love Him. Then He said after you love Me, love others. He didn’t ask you for your car or to burn 20, 000 houses to sacrifice to Him, He just said love Me, and as you love Me, love one another. Its your reasonable service just to love. So when you intend to do something, don’t intend, just do it. Its you who makes the promises you don’t keep.

Do you remember Samson? He had all that strength to be used for Lord, but he was fighting against the people who were fighting against his people, the Philistines. He had a conflict. How about David? He had conflicts. How about Saul? People don’t realize that these conflicts in their lives were destroying their communication and walk with God.

Proverbs 16:1-9

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

A man plans his ways, but God guides his steps in the way they should go. There is a way that seems right to a man, a woman, a child, but the end thereof is death. Your mind plays tricks on you. If your mind is jacked up, then how will your way be? Those who think themselves something are nothing. When you think your something, your nothing, there is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof is the way of death. When you think you’re something, then your end is death.

Point your finger at yourself and say “You’re always getting me into trouble.” No one makes you do anything. You do things because you want to. You remember the old song “The devil’s on my back.” The devil isn’t on your back, if he was, you’d be all jacked up. He doesn’t care about you. He has too many other things to do than to be on your back. The Lord is the one that cares about you. Satan just doesn’t want you to win more souls to God. Satan knows there is a God and he trembles. You hear some people say “I ain’t scared of no God,” meanwhile, Satan, God archenemy trembles at Him. We need to realize that we can’t beat God or jack Him up.

Make sure the intents of your heart are genuine.

Further reading on this topic: Proverbs 17:14-20,1 Corinthians 1:9-17, Philippians 2:1-16