John 8:31-32, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

By definition, truth is the quality or state of being true. That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality. A fact or belief that is accepted as true.

There are 5 types of truth in the Bible:

• Religious truth.
• Moral truth.
• Symbolic truth.
• Proverbial truth.
• Historical truth.

Religious truth is about relationships – our relationship with God, and God’s relationship with us.

Moral truth – concerns right and wrong.

Symbolic truth is truth that is revealed to us through the use of symbols.

Proverbial truth is truth that is delivered through down-to-earth, home-spun, or colloquial wisdom.

Historical truth are facts that can be found in scripture.

Even Wikipedia has weighed in on truth. It offers this insight: “Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality. In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, propositions, and declarative sentences. Truth is usually held to be the opposite of falsehood.”

To sum it all up – truth is the building blocks of life. Everything is (and should) be built upon truth. It is our foundation. It is sturdy, stable, will not falter. It can take anything thrown at it.

Truth is the opposite of lie. Anything built upon a lie will crumble and fall as soon as truth is revealed. And the light of truth will always fall on the darkness of a lie – it is just a matter of time. The light of truth will make it impossible for a lie to stand. The light of truth dispels the darkness of a lie.

God is true – God is truth.

Jesus told the people who would follow him, if you continue in my word then you are my disciple. A disciple is defined as a follower of Jesus. But to qualify as such, that person would need to keep or continue in Jesus’ word. By doing so then God’s truth is revealed. The blessing and benefit is that the learned truth makes the follower free.

Free is defined as release from captivity, confinement, or slavery. Not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes.

God does not seek to force a person to do anything – even serve him. God wants people to choose him. Truth reveals this choice. Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

This is a decision ever person will have to make for themselves. But we all must understand that we will also get the reward of our choice. We can choose life and good, or we can choose death and evil.

Life and good leads to a destination of heaven. While death and evil leads to a destination of hell.

It really is that simple!

Understand that choosing God puts all of heaven on your side and provides strength to deal with the issues and concerns of life.

Matthew 11:28-30, “²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

My prayer for you is that you choose life!

Have a blessed day.

James 4:7:8, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

You all know me – I love definitions…

To Submit is accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person.

To Resist is to withstand the action or effect of. To refrain from doing or having (something tempting or unwise).

I love to talk about the responsibility of discipleship. Many seek to obtain the benefits and blessings of being the son (or daughter) of God, but want to turn their back on the work required to maintain the position.

We all know that relationships take work. It requires an unwavering commitment.

The same is true with our relationship with Christ. The Bible tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). If we believe the word of God, then we must stand on it by faith. We must speak it, live according to it, we must trust it – all by faith. Romans 14:23 tells us that whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Faith is a requirement for the follower of Christ. So much so, that God has dealt to every one a measure is faith (Romans12:3).

This brings us back to our topic for today.

We cannot submit to God without faith. We cannot resist the devil if we are not submitted to God.

Our faith helps us trust in the God who has saved and called us – delivered us from darkness to his marvelous light. Because we trust in him we know and believe his word by faith. This is relationship. Because of my relationship with God. I am now able to resist the devil with all the temptations he would try to use against me. I can stand on the word of God.

Submitting to God and resisting the devil produces a closer walk with God in the believer.

It shows God we do take him at his word.

It shows the believer the faithfulness of God.

It increases the faith of the believer.

It strengthens the resolve of the believer to hold on to Gods unchanging hand – no matter the situation.

Most of the time we do not have the full picture of what God is trying to accomplish in our lives at any given time. We are only given a small piece of the picture. The Bible calls this “knowing in part”. God expects us to walk by faith, trusting him through to rest. Until we walk into the fullness of the thing. This requires submission. Of course the devil is going to throw all kinds of things at us to move us from the place God has put us in. Our duty is to resist these efforts and draw closer to God.

So if you feel you are being bombarded or attack, keep your shield of faith handy. Fight back with the word of God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Then draw closer to God.

Psalms 16:11, “Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Have a blessed day!

Sunday Morning Message…

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God bless…

Genesis 26:4

Some times life hits us so hard that we can forget who we are and who our Father is.

Many times I believe the who point of the troubles of our lives are to keep us so distracted and preoccupied that we forget

– that we are heirs and joint heirs with Christ.

– that God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ.

– we are blessed in the city and blessed in the fields.

– the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

We must not forget that our Employer is blessed simply because we work there. With this in mind we can head into work knowing that we do not have to feel a sense of despair or desperation.

We are blessed and we can trust the God who has called us blessed. Once we convince ourselves of this, we walk differently. More confidently.

Our posture is stronger, more assured. Why? Because we finally remembered who we are and who our father is. We understand – to a certain extent – the depth of our blessings .

This sense of understanding is reflecting our trust in God!

You Are Blessed!!

Romans 8:;11, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Good morning!

God woke you up in promise. Now go out and fulfill your destiny, your purpose for this day.

You don’t know what that is?

Perfect – begin we a prayer of thankfulness. Praising God for waking you. Then ask for his guidance this day. Finally move with purpose to go as he leads.

Have blessed purpose filled day!

Romans 8:6-7, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”

What is the mind? “the state of remembering or of being remembered : memory, recollection. call to mind. : the part of a person that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons. 3. : intention sense 1, desire.”

What is the mind of a person? “The mind can be defined as a person’s set of intellectual or mental faculties. The human mind refers to the group of cognitive psychiatric processes that includes functions like perception, memory, reasoning (executive functions), etc.

What is the mind in the Bible? “There are a great many words in both Hebrew and Greek that are translated “mind.” In the Old Testament, the word that is often translated “mind” is the word for “heart.” Sometimes the word heart refers to the actual physical organ, but many times it refers to the inner being—the seat of the will and the emotions. In the New Testament, the word kardia, the Greek word for “heart,” can also refer to the physical organ but is often translated “mind” as well.”

Scientist would have us to understand that the mind – when it is focused – extremely powerful. A person would be able make lasting changes. They could stop smoking, stop drinking, stop over eating, be more assertive, etc. And to some extent this is true.

However, anyone who as ever tried to make drastic changes in the their life can attest, we need more than a made up mind. We can make these changes for short bursts of time. Then the next thing we know, we fall back into old familiar habits and routines. People fall off the wagon, people regain weight, and we are left feeling worse off than we did before the change.

But God!! When God is involved the results are altogether different.

When the Holy Ghost comes and dwells within us, changes are a given. It is impossible to come into contact with God and remain the same. The Holy Ghost leads and guides us. We take on His nature and become more like Him. God strengthens us to live holy and upright before God.

But temptations come…

We are tempted when we are drawn away with our own lusts and enticed (James 1:14-16). However, the Holy Ghost strengthens us to withstand these temptation and to overcome. And eventually be completely delivered from the things that once caused us to fall.

The power of the Holy Ghost – if we allow it to work in us and on us – will strengthen us. Especially in moments of weakness. For when We are weak, He is strong. Indeed, God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). In our weakness we must lean wholly on the Holy Ghost to carry us through. On the other side of this is our victory and strength.

A Renewed Mind… comes from relying on the Holy Ghost. It is developed in meditating on the word of God, daily devotions in praise and worship, and practical application of the Bible in our lives. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Our faith grows as we exercise it. We hear the word, apply it to our lives, and stand on it by faith.

With a renewed mind, we have power through the Holy Ghost, to make lasting changes.

But we must work on keeping our mind stayed on God. If we allow our mind to dwell on carnal things, we will eventually find ourselves powerless to fight off the enemy. The carnal mind will eventually lead to spiritual death. But a spiritual mind brings life and peace.

A Renewed Mind…allows us to please God.

Renew your mind and have a blessed day!

…Begin with Faith!!

Mark 11:22-24 KJV

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

The idea of positive affirmations is rooted in faith. The biblical foundation of speaking our world into existence – the power of life and death being in our tongue. Creating our world – speaking the things we want to be, to receive, or achieve, by faith. We don’t yet have them, but we trust God to receive them by faith.

Additionally, positive affirmations are also self motivational tools. They encourage us to think big, to push limits, to feel that nothing is impossible.

Having said that, it is important to understand the power of our words and the way we think.

Matthew 11:22 starts by laying the foundation- Have Faith in God! Without this key component, no matter how positive you talk you will never reach the full level God has for those who trust in him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us without faith it is impossible to please God. Romans 14:23 tells us whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Gos is so faithful that he has given every man (woman and child) a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).

We must have faith in God!

Once our faith in God is settled, we can then speak to the mountains in our life. This is where those positive affirmations come in. Or as I prefer to call it speaking by faith the word of God to our situations. Here’s the key – we must not doubt.

It is impossible to walk in faith and doubt God’s ability and willingness to do what his word says. We must understand that God is not like man, he does not – he cannot lie! If he said it, he will bring it to pass. We must trust this! We must bind every thought to the contrary right away. Not ever allowing them to take root. This is why the first step was to have faith in God. We have to truly believe the things that we are speaking!

By doing this, we shall have whatever it is we ask of God.

The promise of God is in that last verse “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

So yes, make those positive affirmations in faith daily. Have faith in God, and stand boldly on the word of God. Trust and not doubt. And you shall have the very thing you speak!

Have a blessed day.

Psalms 25:10, “All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies”

I like definitions because they provide a more complete understanding of words we use frequently. Sometimes we get a definition in mind and we tie it to a word, regardless of the speaker’s intentions. Looking at the full definition can provide a different perspective on a conversation or text.

Some quick definitions:

Path: the course or direction in which a person or thing is moving.

Mercy: the Bible defines mercy as forgiveness or withholding punishment. Webster defines mercy as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

Truth: that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality. The Bible defines truth as this: God is truth!

Covenant: A covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. They’re often accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies. Covenants define obligations and commitments, but they are different from a contract because they are relational and personal.

Testimonies: evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something.

I appreciate God so much!! In Jeremiah 29:11, we see that God has a plan or us and he intends to bring them to pass. Our covenant with him is that we will keep his commandments and share his testimony with others. We cannot be afraid or stingy is spreading the gospel (or Good New) of Jesus.

This covenant has inherent responsibilities and blessings. God sets us on a path that leads to him. As we walk this path he has laid out for us, we receive his mercy. But we must also be merciful to others. We receive his truth – his holy word. We must also share his truth to all.

Our walk with God is all about relationship. It is personal. It is just between God and the individual. However, the fruit that the relationship produces is a blessing to all who come into contact with it.

It is a blessing to know him. So much so that we cannot keep silent. The God dwelling on the inside compels us to share his testimonies. His is good and has been good to us – we much share what he has done. We must share that goodness. We give of ourselves (time, money, gifts and calling) to all who need, but as the Lord directs us.

One other definition I would like to share is keep. The dictionary defines keep as to have or retain possession of. In the Bible, Keep means to “guard,” “preserve,” “be faithful to,” and “maintain.”

To reap the benefits of this promise, we as believers MUST walk is this requirement. We must guard the word – hide it in our hearts. We must preserve it by sharing it freely, starting in our own home, then go outward. We must be faithful to what it says, what it requires. And finally, we must maintain. Ephesians 6:13-14, reminds us: having done all, to stand.

It is a blessing to know… that you can stand! God strengthens us to stand. We must take full advantage of every tool he provides to us for our victory.

Have a blessed day and stand!!

Jude 1:3-4, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

…And much of the time the fight is against those that are closest to us!

The theme of the book of Jude is exortation to constancy. By definition, constancy is the quality of being faithful and dependable.

Jude’s goal was to warn the church against immoral teachers an alarming heresies which were endangering the faith of believers.

Judes speaks of:

– Common salvation – free to all

– Earnestly contend for the faith – to be a continuing struggle. Why? Because the enemy snuck in the church without being detected. An enemy that has already been condemned. Who? Ungodly men who has turned (or tries to turn) the grace of God into lasciviousness (by definition is filled with or showing sexual desire; lewd, lustful).

The Fight Begins…

Earnestly is to be with sincere and intense conviction. Contend is to struggle to surmont. We are to fight for this faith! The bible we are all dealt a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Our goal is to cultivate and grow our faith in the midest of forces, all around us, whose goal is to attack our faith. To render our faith ineffective.

But we must know what the word says. We must believe it and stand upon it. The word of God is our only weapon. It is strong enough to defeat the enemy. We have the shield of our faith as the focal point of our armour. It is mobile, it can move where is it needed to block ALL the firey arrows of the enemy’s attacks. See Ephesians 6:11-18.

The word of God and our faith must work together. Our faith grows by hearing the word. Our faith is made strong when it is exercised. The more we stand upon the word of God by faith, we are exercising our faith. The more our faith is used, the stronger it gets. We grow from faith to faith. We start with little faith, but we are instructed to exercise it so it becomes great faith.

However, those agents of our enemy, who have infiltrated the church, have become experts in deceiving the believer. If we are not careful, we can become a casualty in this war. They sow just enough truth to their lies, that if we are not careful, we can fall victim to them. This is seen all the time in various way. Have you ever hear someone tell you it is “okay” to do the very thing you know is against God’s law? Or it is okay to find yourself in places that are sources of temptations for you? Or it is okay to taste a little of this or do a little of that – when you know that they only serve to make you spiritually weak?

It is a constant battle. A fight that we must win.

We have to guard ourself against these attacks. Jude warned and encouraged us to constancy. To be faithful and dependable. We must be a student of the word of God, to get an understanding of this common salvation. We must know the word for ourselves so we can separate the lies from the truth. It is an ongoing battle. But it is also a battle we are built to win.

We have to fight on every side. We have to fight loved ones, family, friends, even society. Because, at times, they are all bombarding us with halftruths and outright lies. Not all are malicious, but they are lies just the same. Sometimes those closest to us are being used by the enemy just to attack our faith. So we must fight by faith and with our faith.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us who we are fighting. Not flesh and blood, but the spirit that are influencing them. So our fight is not with the person, but that spirit. Our fight is not a physical one. It is a spiritual battle that is won in prayer, praise and worship. We must rebuke the enemy, we must bind the spirit and loose God’s anointing and will (Matthew 18:18).

So I encourage to continue to fight the good fight of faith (1Timothy 6:12). You may fall down, but dont stay there. Get back up and dust yourself off. Then get back into the fight. You will be victorious.

Have a blessed night.

Happy Friday!

By definition, choice is an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities.

The opportunity to think for yourself and make choices is a blessing from God. In return, God expects us to make good decision that will ultimately bring glory and honor to his name.

Take time this morning to ask God to guide your footsteps, and help you make wise decisions.

If you doubt your ability to make wise decisions, the Bible says to ask God for wisdom. James 1:5, “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.”

Lamentations 3^{:22-23, “} It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

God woke us up this morning and provide us all with new mercies to carry us through the day. Yesterday is over and gone. Todays is a new day. Let go of yesterday’s failures and embrace the new opportunities of today. Make great and wise decisions

So, trust God and have a great day. He loved you and gave himself for you. Take this opportunity to make your father proud.

Have a blessed day!