Have a blessed night!

1 Thessalonians 5:18-19

“18. give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19. Do not quench the Spirit.”

Sometimes things happen to us that are not good, when this happens I have a choice. I can react , poorly (by being mad, upset, scared, ungrateful, be fearful, or have an attitude, etc.), or I can do what the Bible says. and give thanks.

Just to be clear – I am not thankful for the bad thing that happens. Rather, I am thankful because the situation is an opportunity for God to be glorified in my life.

We do not live in a vacuum. People see our lives – some even watch it like it is a TV show.

Because of this God uses us to bring glory to himself. It is an honor to be used by God. This reason alone is enough to give thanks. But when we recognize the opportunity we are facing it is imperative to follow God’s instructions (walking according to the Bible). When we do this it creates space for God to be exalted in our situations.

It creates space for miracles.

With the current situation the world is facing with the Coronavirus, I give thanks. Not for the virus, but for the God that is Lord of all. I am thankful for this opportunity for God to show himself mighty.

I chose faith over fear. I chose to trust God, and not succumb to irrational fear and negative behavior. I choose to be responsible and to act responsibly in caring for myself and others.

My choice is to give thanks and leave room for God to do what needs to be done in my life.

Romans 12:19-20

“19. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20. To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”“

As the old song says “don’t worry, be happ.”

We cannot spend our precious time worrying about what people may say or do. We can only control our actions and reactions.

It is far to easy to react without thought of consequences. But that has proven to be a wrong move, every time. Rather, spend your energy on being kind – always. This pleases God and it confuses your enemy. Let God handle people. He has always been on our side. He promised to be our protector and our comfort. Let God handle his business. Just make sure your actions are above reproach.

Just be kind to all. It is less stressful to you and a blessing to all involved.

Make it a great day!

Romans 12:2 ESV

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.“

It takes courage to be different – to stand apart from the crowd to maintain a set of Godly values.

It is easy to go with the the flow. To agree with whatever the world deems is the new correct way to proceed. It is easy not to oppose, but to just give in. Even when you know it is a bad Idea.

The problem with this is we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. He does not change. His requirements do not change. His word will never change or fail.

To many, instead of standing on the infallible word of God, It is more inclusive to try and change our “interpretation” of the word. To try to convince the world that we had it wrong all along, and now the word means this… (insert the flavor of the flow here).

The Bible encourages us to not conform to the world (it’s views, goals, desires and beliefs), but to be transformed. We can only be transformed (a dramatic change), when our mind is renewed (give fresh life or strength to) by the word of God. Only God is able to change the way we think. When our thinking is changed, so will our behavior.

With a mind that is strengthened and support by the word of God, it is not hard to stand apart. To be that peculiar people.

With a renewed mind we can operate is love, for we are motivated by love. This love of God will automatically cause us to show Godly inclusion to all. To preach a gospel that speaks to us all, no matter who or where we are.

With a renewed mind, we are equipped to withstand the storm and pass the test. Testing will let us know that we are able to discern God’s will. This is key for the believer. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:5: “in all they getting, get understanding.”

All of the opportunities we have to stand firm on what the Bible says, are tests. Weather we succeed or fail, we gain experience. Your experience will help you to understand what is God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will. This understanding will identify the areas in your walk with God that are good, or acceptable or perfect (right) to Him; or where we are missing the mark altogether.

A renewed mind is life!

Romans 12:1

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.“

Important Definitions:

Present: Give someone (a gift or award) in a formal or ceremonial way. Show or offer (something) for others to scrutinize or consider.

Living: Alive. The pursuit of a lifestyle of the specified type.

Sacrifice: An animal, person, or object offered in a sacrifice. An act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.

Holy: Dedicated or consecrated to God.

I have learned that there should be a difference between who you were when you first met God, (that point where you began to have a relationship with him), and who you are as you gain experience through walking with him.

The difference occurs as we mature in our knowledge of him, by practically applying the lessons we learned to our daily lives. This is also called wisdom. Maturing in Christ.

The last topic was entitled It’s Time to Grow Up. Today’s we are talking about spiritual maturity. The reason being is it is time for us to move beyond milk as babes, to strong meat (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). It is time to mature so we can make room to receive new believers surely coming. Additionally, there is a work to be done, and we must be strong enough to accomplish it, to see it through to the end.

We are to present our selves to God. A gift given to him to use so that his will can be done.

God is looking for us to live a life that is daily offered to him. A life that we daily seek to please him and do his will. See definitions above. We are to daily pursue after God – seeking to live a life that pleases him.

Our life should be a sacrifice to God. Offering ourselves to him to honor him. We are to freely give up things (the cares of this life), because the reward of God has a greater and has everlasting value. This life should be holy – dedicated to God. Doing so is acceptable to God. More importantly, it is considered our reasonable service.

It is reasonable because of all God has sacrificed for us. He paid a ransom for us – something we can never repay. And he did this while we were all still deep in sin. We were so blinded by our sin that we could not even understand we needed to be delivered and set free.

So I challenge you to take a good look at your life. Ask yourself is your life a living sacrifice? Is your life holy? Is it acceptable to God?

If you can answer yes, then you are doing well. Keep fighting the good fight of faith.

If your answer is no, or you are unsure, then it is time to repent – ask God for forgiveness. Then re-dedicate your life to him. Make conscious choices each day to spend time with God. Personal devotion time (prayer, praise, and worship), study the word of God and seek to apply that word to your life. Then find your place in him – exercise the gifts and calling that God has invested in you. Do the work.

Live that sacrificed life. Blessings and your reward await you.

1 Corinthians 13:11

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.“

The difference between being stuck and moving on (elevation) is growth. We understand that the level we are on can no longer contain or satisfy us so we begin to feel that sense of being stuck or stagnant. We feel the pull to do more or make moves. But for some reason we don’t. Instead we obsessively think about where we are, how we are failing God, and wasting precious time.

Most of the time we tend to over think and over analyze things in an effort to determine the “why” of things. Why did I do that? Why did I say that? Why can’t I overcome this? Why can’t I make changes? But most of the time we need to follow the Nike slogan and “just do it.” The “why” of things is usually revealed once obsession with it ceases.

This type of thinking is a vicious cycle. You can remain here for a long time. The feeling of dissatisfaction can lead you down a rabbit hole and you can find your self moving in a wrong direction. But God can break every chain. Especially chains of your mind. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Think on the word and allow it to motivate you!

It’s time to grow – grow up!

Make a conscious choice to stop analyzing and focus on doing. Just give it a try. I guarantee the feeling of “stuck” and dissatisfaction will go away. But you must be consistent. Consistency = growth. You must consistently “just do it” for there is no room for lazy soldiers in this army. You cannot be consistent and “stuck in your mind” at the same time. You have to choose one way to be.

Grow up and choose to be free, be consistent. Put away the things you used to do before you had some growth and never go back to it. You have experience now, you know where that old thinking and that old behavior lead you to. Move on and embrace the growth you gain by doing.

Take steps: research, study, learn, write, give, just do it! You will find inspiration that will keep you moving forward in the right direction.

It’s time to grow up – just do it!

Have a blessed day.

2 Timothy 1:12

” for which cause I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that Day.”

During those time when I fell overwhelmed and it feels like I might lose, this scripture comes to mind.

I trust the God who knows me and loves me better that I can love myself.

I remember everything that I have placed in his hands for safe keeping. And I am comforted.

The enemy cannot do anything in my life without first getting God’s permission. That means if I am dealing with tough situations it is only because God knows that I am equipped to handle it. And I am comforted.

My prayer is that this scripture comforts you as well.

Romans 11:33

” O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

It is so good to know that God knows me better than I know myself. I am grateful to know that his plans for me are far greater than I can imagine. More than that, I am grateful that I do not know the details of his plans for me.

It is enough to understand a small part of the plan. That small part is enough to stand on in faith.

Think about creation. God said “let there be…” and it was. And still is to this day. The word of God is that powerful. God does the same with us. He gives us enough vision and enough Word to stand on. As we walk in his plan he reveals little by little so we can continue to grown and flourish in his will. This is called walking in obedience.

Some people wonder why they struggle to stand in faith. We have struggles when we try to run away from God’s plan for us. Or when we try to work our own agenda instead of his.

We must have a heart after God. A willingness to be obedient to his call. Just as Christ said in the garden of Gethsemane, “nevertheless not my will but thine be done.” This is more than just a phrase, this is an attitude of gratefulness.

Our flesh does no want to submit to God. But our spirit does. We must be willing to allow our plans to take a backseat to God’s purpose for our lives. We must have that “nevertheless” attitude.

But take heart – God is loving and understanding our desire to accomplish and achieve. As we submit to him, he finds a way to also give us the desires of our heart. This is the true definition of “win-win” situation. Ultimately, submitting to God’s will is the path that will also leads us to accomplishing our personal goals.

This is why I am standing in a place of gratefulness today.

I have had my times of disobedience. But God has been faithful to receive me back into his grace once I repented.

Now my goal is to step off the disobedience cycle (we all have been there at one time or another). It is time to adopt the ” nevertheless” attitude and submit to God’s plan and purpose for me. God knows exactly what he is doing, even if we don’t understand it.

Let us all stand in the place of gratefulness and witness the glory of God.

Psalms 61:1-3

“1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.“

It is a great blessing to know that I am not in this thing (called life) alone. Hebrews the 4 chapter tells us that the God we serve understands what it is like to live in this fleshy body. He understands our ups and downs, our hurts, pains, victories and failures. He even understands our temptations.

God understands us so much so that he encourages us to come to him and pour out our burdens on him. He understood that we would need to be able to go to someone and just be transparent. Someone who would listen and then bear the burden for us. In Matthew 11:28, God told us to come to him so he can give us rest. We are invited to exchange our load with him for rest.

So the question is, when did we decide that God was not enough?

Instead of going to God, in confidence and gaining complete confidentiality. Being able to share any and every thing with him without the worry of our foes knowing our business. Instead we want a friend with whom we can talk. That same friend also has a friend that they trust to keep secrets – including yours.

God is a shelter from the storms of life. He loves you and cares about everything concerning you. Even those things we are sometimes embarrassed to share with him. Understand that God already knows your business. But when we love him and trust him enough to talk about those things, it pleases God.

Realize that God is enough.

He understands every feeling you have. He feels every burden that lies on your shoulders. He can keep a secret. More importantly, God can heal, fix, deliver, and set free. Not only will he listen to you, he can provide what is needed to solve the issue.

The law of sowing and reaping will always be in operation. But God will give his grace to bear whatever we must go through. If you sow bad seed, you will reap a bad crop. However, once you acknowledge your wrong and repent, Gods grace will allow you to endure the bad crop, and strengthen you to sow good seed moving forward.

God is enough. We just have to trust him enough to go to him. He can handle everything you are going through.

Cry unto God, it will heal your soul!

Exodus 25:2

“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.”

God is all powerful. Psalms 24:1 tells us “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” He does not lack anything. This same God has plans for us all. He desires to use us to bring his will to pass.

Perfect example is the details of the temple that God gave to Moses to give to the people. God wanted to dwell among them. But because he is holy, and the people were not, he needed a plan that would allow him to be with them anyhow.

God told Moses to speak to the people. He didn’t command or demand. The request was given to all the children of Israel. However, God told Moses to take only from the people who chose to freely (willingly) give. The needed items could only come from a giving heart.

By definition, charity is the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need. Kindness and tolerance in judging others. Love of humankind.

God does not “need” stuff from his people to get his work done. What he does require is for his people (who love and trust him enough) to want to be apart of his will. Giving is away to take part.

Giving is an act of love. It requires the giver to take a hold of the vision. And to have a desire to see the vision come to pass. Moses told the people what was needed. He detailed the reason for the ask. It was then left for the people to decide. Do we take hold of the vision, and decide to freely give what was needed? Or not. To those who chose to give, their offering was accepted.

Because God never changes, he is still doing the same with us today. God shows you a little of what he wants to do (in your life, with your ministry, etc). He lets us know what he requires of us. It is then up to us to decide. Do we want to take hold of the vision? Or not. Once we grab a hold of the vision, what are we willing to give to facilitate the vision? Whatever it is, it must be willingly given (or given up, as the case may be).

We cannot give grudgingly or against our will. Giving is an act of love. There is no love involved if you are forced to give. God wants you to freely choose him.

Give your time, your skill, your talent, even your finances from a heart of love. You must take an active part in bringing God’s will for your life to pass.

Prayerfully consider:

What is God asking you to give?

Are you willing to give it or let it go?

If so, don’t think about it, just do it. The vision – God’s plan for you – is worth it!