Psalms 27:6, “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.”

Sacrifices, by definition, is an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.

No matter who you are or how strong you are in faith, this walk with God takes everything you have to navigate it successfully.

The believer must give up a lot of self interests for the cause of Christ. However, because God is good and faithful, he will still give you the desires of your heart as we follow and trust him. I call this the blessings of obedience.

Sacrifice comes into play during those times when everything thing seems to be going wrong. We must let go of pride, and see God.

Pride, by definition, is consciousness of one’s own dignity.

Pride will keep you tide up in negative emotions and blind you from seeing God. Many times, we are reluctant to move ourselves out of our own way. We become too proud, to turn everything “off” and seek God’s face. To humble ourselves before him and cry out for help, deliverance, peace, calm, etc.

But it is at these times – I call them desert places, (and everyone has them form time to time), we must offer the sacrifice of joy.

It is a sacrifice, because we do not always feel the joy. We do not always feel victorious. We do not always feel as though we are the head and not the tail. Some times we are so disgusted with our circumstances that we forget God is in control – even in hard times!

But we must go through.

We are designed by God to withstand whatever we must go through!

So we offer the sacrifices of praise in the midst of our desert places. Our praise brings God into our circumstances – for he inhabits our praise. Acts 3:15, calls him the Prince of Life. This life brings water and nourishment to our desert place.

Praise brings life.

Worship brings deliverance and freedom.

Pride, however, will keep you bound to your circumstances, cloud your vision, and cripple your desire to praise.

Let go of what you think “should” have happened. And understand that delay does not equal denied. Just because things did not work out according to your plan, does not mean it is not working according to God’s plan.

His plan is far better than yours. He can see all the pitfalls you cannot.

Ask yourself, “can I still trust God in the desert?”

If your answer is yes, pick your self up, dust your self off, and open up your mouth and offer God praises. Don’t stop until your burden is lifted. Yes, you are still in the same situation, but now your attitude and perspective has changed. You can now see beyond where you are currently, and know that God has better in store for you.

Keep a praise on your lips and worship in your heart.

Trust God until your change comes.

Have a blessed day!

Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Definitions:

Power: the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality:

Authority: the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience:

Promise: a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen

When the Holy Ghost comes to dwell in us, it automatically positions the believer to live “above”,

We were all deep in, and dying of sin. However, with Jesus’ death at Calvary’s Cross, burial in a borrowed tomb, and rising again the 3rd day, victory was won. He rose with all power in his hand. Including the power of death and the grave. 

This great plan of salvation is sufficient to save the world, past, present and future!

The Upper Room Experience, Acts 2:1-4, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Lead to Peter explaining the plan of salvation as given by Jesus. Acts 2:38-39, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

We are a part of the promise. Acts 2:40, “

I always talk about the responsibility of salvation. It is the believers job to take the necessary steps to live “above”. Deuteronomy 28:13, “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath;”

However, our responsibility is found in the later part of that same verse: “if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:”

So when Peter tells us to save ourselves from this untoward generation, he is implying that you have work to do, choices to make, and you must endure to the end. For he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved (Matthew 24:13).

So yes, Peter explained what was going on in Acts 1 and 2, but the people still needed to take action. It was they who cried out in Acts 2:37, What shall we do?

The answer to this question remains the same today – Repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!

But just as the people then had to take action, so must we today. By taking on Jesus, through salvation, you also gain the power he promised in Acts 1:8. This Holy Ghost power will keep you, will give you power to overcome, to rebuke the devil, and to live a life that pleases God. It will help you love and respect people – even when they do not deserve it. It will give you power to endure to the end, and to be a witness of Him to all.

God is faithful! Yes, he has expectations of his people. But because he IS so good, he gives us power to fulfill these expectations.

Yes, he wants you to love all. But he gives you power to do it.

Yes, he wants you to forgive. But he gives you power to do it.

Yes, he wants you to trust him. But he gives you power to do it.

Yes, he wants you to walk in obedience. But he gives you power to do it.

We just have to choose to access the power to live “above” and be great in him!

Holy Ghost Power!!

Joshua 5:6, “For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.”

It’s a familiar story.

God used Moses to deliver the children of Israel. They left Egypt and wandered the wilderness for 40 years. Keep in mind, normally the journey should have only taken 11 days.

Why did it take the Israelites so long? Disobedience – complaining, distrust, and the like. But despite everything they did wrong, God was still good to them. Think about it – their clothes and shoes never wore out. They were guided by a cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire at night. They were fed manna and given water daily. Circumstances many not have been what they wanted, but they did have what they needed.

In spite of it all, God was still in control.

There was life in the desert! The people multiplied. The original crew that left Egypt with Moses, those who also guilty of murmuring and complaining – all died in the desert. But the promise was still alive, it was still in process, and it was for God’s chosen people.

They were unable to look beyond we’re they came from to where God promised to take them. They were unwilling to let go of what they knew – the life of a slave, and to embrace the promise. A free life

Can you imagine, thinking it would be better to stay in Egypt, and eventually die there? Rather than embrace a life without an evil taskmaster. A people who cared nothing about you? Who treated you with cruelty everyday?

It is one of the enemy’s biggest tricks to have us believe the routine of bondage is better that the uncertainty of freedom!

Freedom has it’s own responsibility and takes work. You have to diligently work at maintaining it.

– You must walk in obedience to God by faith.

– You must be faithful to the call.

– You must believe God!

But if you can walk in obedience and remain faithful to God, there is nothing he will withhold from you!

That is the blessing of obedience!

It’s Time to Move Forward!

Take a look at your self. Is God trying to move you forward? Or are you resisting the pull?

Hear God. Follow what he is saying and where he is leading you!

Your situation may be a little uncomfortable, and you may even be a little bit afraid. But don’t allow that to push you into disobedience, murmuring or complaining. God cannot work or move where your unbelief is in charge and unchecked.

God has sustained you this far.

He has supplied your needs in your personal desert.

Do not follow the example of the children of Egypt. Don’t allow fear of the unknown cause you to miss out on your promised land. Do not die in the desert with a mind that is programmed to accept bondage

You can handle freedom and flourish!

You can possess your promise land!

You must move forward!

Are you guilty of unbelief?

Have you murmured and complained about what God is doing in your life?

Repent. Ask God to forgive you and get back in line with his will. God responds to your sincere plea, and is willing to put you back in good standing (righteousness). Then, walk by faith. Do the work.

Trust what God says and embrace liberty! Go and possess your promised land!

Matthew 8:13, “And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”

God is awesome! Whenever he is getting ready to take you from one level to the next, he has a way of causing you to take part in your own deliverance.

For example, when you feel that pull or tug on your spirit to dig deep into the Word and just spend quality time with the Lord. I say QUALITY time, not quantity of time. 

Side note, it is not about how long you can do a thing. Rather, it is how well you do it. When time is well spent, it has the impact of something you have done so long you seem an expert. When in reality, the amount of time spent may not be that great. 

My favorite scripture is Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

For this reason, I love the word of God. I love to study the word and hide it in my heart. I learn more of who God is and who he is not. For these same reasons, I strongly encourage everyone to develop a love for God’s word and study it.

Proverbs 4:7, “…and with all thy getting get understanding.”  This is the responsibility of salvation. 

I am finding that as I dig deep in the word of God (trying to get an understanding of a specific topic), God is speaking to me of other things he wishes to do in my life. That is a double blessing. 

God has placed a desire in each of us to know him better. When we pursue to know him, we become a participant in our own deliverance. God is definitely doing the work, but we are right there doing our necessary part. And your deliverance is most assuredly according to your own faith. The bible tells us “the just shall LIVE by his faith” (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38).

So we see in Matthew 8:13 “as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.”

As we pursue God in faith, we will receive according to our faith. The woman with the issue of blood – she set her faith “if I can but touch the hem of his garment I shall be made whole.” That was where her faith was, and that is what she received.

So as we pursue God, let us also set our faith. What is the miracle you need? Think about it, set your faith, then pursue God. Understand, as you pursue God, your position shall change. You will no longer be content with the way things used to be in your life. You will begin to see yourself and your life as God sees them. This will cause you to work on changing them so they better match what you now see. Why? Because now God is taking you to another level. He is drawing you closer to him. 

Do not be afraid.

Do not try to run from it.

Rather, embrace what God is doing. 

Have a blessed day!