Tag Archives: walk with Christ

Read more..

A Troubled Heart Leads To a Confused Walk

Have your ever been in a place, confused about why you were there or even made a decision about a thing in life and didn’t understand how you came up with that decision? How about even lost the reason why you were headed in one direction then turn around and start going back in the opposite direction? Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

The Word refers to the heart, but its actually talking about your mind. That is your existence. Brain cells are not only in the brain, but also in the heart. The brain gives your heart thought and memory on how to pump. What is inside of your heart that you can’t retain, explain, or control what goes on in your life? Why is your heart always causing you problems? Your heart isn’t any bigger than your fist. Do you allow things around you to effect your thoughts? Do you allow people to come into your life to destroy your heart? Do you allow thoughts of someone else’s misery to come in and cause you to be miserable? The heart (the mind) is deceitful. It knows to do good but won’t do it. It knows that a situation is wrong, but it goes along with the situation. A man once said, “A woman said she loved me once, then later said she didn’t.” When there’s a problem of the heart whether via emotions, hurt, sickness or even sin, you lose focus and the ability to make rational decisions or judgments. Your heart, which is your mind thinks about that and this. People have used the heart for generations to express their feelings. They notice that when they begin to fall for someone, their heart beats a little faster, being under the impression that it has an intellect of its own. However the mind tells the heart what to be. That is why people always say, “Do you have the heart for this,” or “Do you have the heart for that,” or “Are you heartfelt for those things?” all while grabbing their heart. Why do they grab their heart? Because they know if the heart stops beating so do you. If the mind dies, then you are dead, even if the heart is still pumping.

The Bible also mentions in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” You think about this because its in you. You love money, possessions, for people to give you accolades, prestige, finances, lifestyle, big homes and cars. Why? Because that is where your heart is. For those who are the children of God, where does your heart lie? If you are someone who is attached to this world, take an evaluation of where you’re heart is. A lot of things that we care for in our hearts and minds where we conceive these thoughts sometimes open the door to Satan’s realm of sin and confusion, making you despondent, having no focus.

1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” So you’re confused. What has troubled your heart that you are confused at this stage in your walk, that you don’t know where your life is going? The Bible clearly state that God is not the problem of confusion nor is he progenitor of a lie. So as we walk our walk, let’s be very careful who we let into our heart or that secret place that we share with our Lord and Savior. That is serious. We talked before about the heart of a married woman to her husband, and the heart of a single woman is the Lord. Each has to be very careful of whom they allow in their presence who would steal her heart away. Why? Its like coming between a married couple. Satan knows that if he can separate you from the source, your walk will be hard and the more stumbling you do, the farther you’ll be from your destination. Its a curious thing to realize who you are and where you are in your life now. If you are in a confused state, look back and see where the confusion has come from. From the love of a thing, something or someone, from a hurtful situation? Emotional attachment have been one of the detriments of a Child of God’s walk in his life. Who are you attaching yourself to and why? When you attach yourself to the wrong things your heart begins to fall for it and you begin to be instructed and guided by that thing. Which is not a good thing for a Child of God. You’ll notice even when you go to school, they’ll tell you in college to maintain your focus on the thing at hand. If you are focused, there is less chance for some other thing to cause confusion to come into your life. Most people allow other things to come in and invade their mind and heart. Everything was going great, everything is good, the Lord is blessing me and all of a sudden he came along and “rocked your world.” You allowed him to come into a calm sea to rough up the water. Now both of you are sitting there in a confused state and don’t know which direction to go in. But you’re trying to walk a walk, which before was progressing so much. You were excited and you wanted things from God and you saw those things happen almost instantly. But under that process, you allowed someone else to come in and trouble your heart. When your heart is troubled it is felt through your whole body. Some of you have been to the point where you were so much in love you couldn’t eat right, talk right or sleep right. That is what a troubled heart goes through when it knows that the attachment is not quite solid. Has anyone broken a cold sweat over the Lord because they couldn’t contact Him? Our hearts and minds need to know one thing: work together. Don’t allow yourself to be over confident in your relationship. Because if there is a door that can be opened through hurt pain or sin, Satan will bring it.


He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.


Psalms 91:1

If you allow yourself to dwell in the secret place with the Lord, your heart will not be broken, no one will steal it or even mess with it, because you’ll be under the shadow of the almighty. He will protect what you are and who you are because you are His. Its when you step out from under the shadow. When its really hot outside and the sun is shining and gleaming down on you, you run under the shade. You’ve never seen anyone run out into the sun when they’re hot. They run to the shade because they want to be under its protection so the sun rays won’t bake them. When you come from underneath the protection of the almighty God, you will be hurt, experience pain and anguish. You will suffer things like you never have before. You will begin to feel that thing affect you more than ever because you are not under the watchful eye of our Cord and Savior. Whatever affects your heart, whether a person, situation or anything along that line, you need to be very careful who comes into your presence and exude control of who and what you are.

1.) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 6.) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 11.) Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12.) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Are you doing greater works? Are you doing anything. The Bible says we’re known by the fruit we bear. What are you bearing. 13.) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14.) If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Why is this so important. If he’s in you and your in him, your heart is in oness and you won’t ask anything unwarrented. So you know its benfitial to you and you’ve already talked it out.


John 14: 1,6, 11, 12-14

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.


Psalms 1:1-3

Are you a tree that’s planted by the rivers of water? Are you planted in the Lord like you should be? If so, how deep are your roots? Are you surface salvation Jesus, or do you rely on hearing a sermon here or there, or are you in your Word doing it as well? He said he meditates on the law day and night? How can you do that? Don’t you need to sleep? There was a science study done sometime back where they found out that if a person plugs their ears and has a book being read to them while they sleep, the comprehension of that person is very high. During the 1980s and 1990s students would do that with professors teachings and they would remember all that was said. Your subconscious is listening to what is going on consciously. You were at rest. There was nothing there to interfere with your heart. You have to be careful because someone could put a demonic device in your ear. Whatever you let into your heart, you have to be very careful. You shouldn’t allow emotions, hurt and sickness or sin to control your heart within.

Read more..

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
Read more..

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.