Preach The Word; The Hour Has Come

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come...

Revelation 14:6-7

These verses penned in John’s revelation today speak to the love, compassion and desire which God has for all His creation to return unto Him… No matter what you have done in this life, no matter how ashamed you may be of the things in your past or the skeletons in your closet; John writes today to let us know that there will be a loud voice  which will be heard of all mankind with the declaration for you to fear God… Your life is built upon the choices that you make and this same principles applies to your relationship with Christ… The Lord desires to save you and to record you name in the book of life; however, it is ultimately up to you and the decisions that you make to decide whether or not you want to dwell there… If you want God to write you name down, if you want Jesus to be “preparing a place for you”, than you must submit and have fear (reverence, respect and admiration) for the Lord… In John’s revelation the last words recorded state “for the hour of his judgment is come…” You don’t have as long as you believe you have and even the next day let alone the next second is not promised… The enemy has a lot of us under the belief that we can do as we please because we have tomorrow to change our ways and get ourselves together; sadly, there are millions of people who thought this way and will spend their eternity in hell because of it… 

Open your eyes to see and know how much the gospel of Jesus Christ has spread throughout the world… There were and still are several areas where the bible is not allowed; however, there are also several countries that have had their eyes opened and the truth penetrates their borders… The word informs us that the gospel will be preached and seeds will be planted in every area of the world before Christ comes; the gospel of Matthew declares it in the 24^th chapter, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” The gospel of Jesus Christ will be preached, it’s just that we must unstop our ears to hear it… John saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven; this angel was being prepped for assignment and sent to the earth with the gospel to preach… This angel spoken of is here today; there are many angels which we encounter and don’t even know it… This is why we must have the mindset of Christ knowing that His word will not come back void but that it will accomplish what it was sat out to do… Hebrews the 13^th chapter and 2^nd verse says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” You have already been visited in your life and the word of God has been planted; make sure that it takes root and that you nurture that said to spring forth abundant life in the form of Eternity… Again, John reveals to us today the glory and mercy that embodies our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… In his vision he sees a (n) angel in the midst of heaven having the gospel and preaching to them on the earth, to every nation, kindred, and tongue… His instructions are to fear God, give Him glory, for the hour of judgment has come… 

This passage should be encouraging to all who partake of it, we need to understand that God doesn’t want to see any perish, He doesn’t want to see you or I left on the side of the road, but He shows us through John what the meaning of unconditional love is. The bible tells me that love keeps no record of wrongs, how many of us can say that we TRULY LOVE someone? Love is sacrifice; it is accepting imperfection and learning to grow together despite the distance that seems to be between you and me… God’s love is on display here, He will blot out all your transgressions, He will hear your faintest cry, He is ready to open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing! The bible teaches us that Christ will return when His gospel has spread throughout the world, everyone will be given a chance to receive eternal life; everyone will be presented a (n) opportunity to turn from their wickedness and follow Jesus… God’s desire is that all would come to know Him and receive Him… This is His desire, but the ball is in your court… You cannot honor Him with your lips; you must fear Him and give Him glory… Glory is beauty, wonder or credit… When we give God glory we are crediting Him with our change in life, we exalt Him by our living because we recognize that victory, success and prosperity all flow from His blood… Today let us focus on giving God glory with our life, present your body a living sacrifice, understand that this is not easy, but that if we accept the word of God (preached by the angel) and believe it in our hearts, we will be saved and will not suffer the wrath that once awaited us… TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Teach Christ From The Womb

And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Isaiah 54:13

Believe it or not, one thing that is for sure in this life is that your child is going to learn something… It may not be the things you desire, but this is why teaching and training in the home are of the utmost importance… So many people have delayed the teaching and training aspect of parenting and this has allowed the enemy to take the reins in the classroom and teach all the things which the child doesn’t need to learn… It’s imperative  that “Thy children shall be taught of the Lord,” the enemy is a very enticing teacher and if you allow him in than your child will never be at peace and therefore you will have several sleepless nights and a mind full of worry… This is why we are told today that teaching your child of the Lord will bring peace… The sooner that you realize that you must teach about the Lord even in the womb, the sooner you can begin to instill peace in your offspring… Make no mistake about it, whether you want to deal with it or not; the truth of the matter is that you child will learn from whomever speaks into their lives… If you don’t take this word and begin to teach you will see what becomes of your child and soon realize that you should’ve been the one teaching… Teaching and training are required in the will of God because without them we all will perish… You child needs to know about Jesus, but they also need to have Jesus broken down and implanted in their lives… This means that you as a parent must spend time in study and not just quote a scripture that you learn and remembered… 

Isaiah says thy children shall be taught of the Lord… You are required to teach them and this requires you to observe and walk in obedience in Him as well… What God is it if you tell me about Jesus, but cannot elaborate on why it is that I should follow Him…? What good is it if you quote a scripture but cannot give me the background on what it means… It pains me to hear people who quote scripture and in quoting it they use it out of context… Children have been taught about Jesus, but the training which requires in-depth devotion is lacking, so the peace you seek is not found… The children of God were a rebellious people; however, Isaiah instructs us how to obtain peace even in the most precarious situation and I it starts with teaching…  Isaiah reminds us today that we are called to bring up our children in the way of the Lord… So many youth have gone astray and have fallen short and it is not because the children are bad, but because they have not been trained in the way and will of God… Proverbs 22:6 tells us to, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it…” People have often wondered why their children did not walk in what they were taught. One reason for this is that many parents did not "train" their children, but only "taught" their children about the things of God. Teaching is sharing information, while training integrates that teaching into a lifestyle. A child needs to be encouraged in this day and age, we need to recognize the God given gifts they possess and encourage them along those lines. Training is a lot more tedious and takes a committed effort on the part of parents. 

Training involves enforcing and reinforcing what is being taught. You can teach your child about the toilet, but they will never use it until they are trained… You have the ability to train you child because you have been trained… The same principle applies to Christ; if you can’t teach and train your child you need to check yourself and your own relationship with the Lord… Maybe you can’t teach and train Him because you don’t know Him and if you don’t know Him than you will never be able to obtain the peace that He imparts to all that come to Him…  We must get back to training our children in the ways of the Lord. Notice the promise that is assured when we instill the teachings and will of God; “Great shall be the peace of thy children…” Peace is calm, tranquility and harmony; training a child is a tedious task, but with prayer and dedication it will produce a fruit that was and is well-worth the sacrifice and commitment that you have made… Turn on the news and we see kids killing each other, go to prison and we see kids standing in the midst of grown men with their future being tossed in the garbage. More and more of these generations are becoming extinct and a dying or decaying breed. Earlier and earlier kids are having kids, earlier and earlier kids are becoming alcoholics and drug abusers. Look at the crime rate in America; look at the graduation percentages of youths verse the drop-out rate. It is time for a better hope, a better tomorrow and that starts with kids being brought up in the word of God. This passage tells us that there will be peace when children are taught of the Lord, we see parents arguing with their children, we see kids run away from home, but what we don’t see is a mother or father telling their children they love them and more importantly that God loves them even more. We don’t see them telling them of the sacrifice made on Calvary, the fact that Jesus endured beatings and mocking so that we may have a future.  Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he shall not depart from it. TRAIN UP YOUR CHILD!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Beware Of False Teachings

And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mark 13:5-6 

Not everyone that speaks the name of Christ really is a child of God… I was once told that Satan spends his days in the church; not because he wants to be converted but because he wants to pull others from their faith… Those in the world are not of God and therefore Satan doesn’t have to worry about them… Understanding that Satan does attend church keeps me informed that I must be on guard at all times and as Paul tells the church of Ephesus “put on the full amour of God…” This battle we face is indeed NOT in the flesh but in principalities and darkness in high places… These high places can be in the pulpit, these high places can be positions of leadership; whatever the case may be, I know that I must stay alert and be vigilant at all times… Our focus verses today shine light on Jesus telling us to take heed… Don’t for a second let your guard down; don’t for the smallest window of time become complacent… The devil only needs a small window of time to tear you down… Look at David when he became King, his small window came in the form of Bathsheba; think about Sampson in all His might and how he let his guard down to Delilah, think about Solomon who was the wisest man to ever live but saw his kingdom divided and torn down before his very eyes, think about Peter who vowed to follow Jesus at all cost, but before the cook crowed he denied knowing the savior and left the courtyard weeping… 

This list can go on and on and on and we need to take note today that we must open our eyes to the will of God and not lean to our own understanding and comfort… Today’s message reminds us of two very important things; one, we must be careful with whom we associate ourselves with and second, we must study the word of God for ourselves and apply it to our everyday life… Mark informs us today that many people will come into our lives claiming to be of God, but the fruit that they bare is totally different… Jesus says take heed, be slow to except people into your inner circle (Jesus had 3 disciples that He was close too), but more importantly pray about every situation that you encounter! The bible records that the devil is a wolf in sheep’s clothing; he has the appearance of a loving character but is scheming like a wolf trying to destroy any and everything around him… We must be careful that we are not destroyed, many have fallen by the wayside, many have been duped by the enemy and many have lost their focus and become conformed to this world! Mark is telling us that we must pray and pray without ceasing… Prayer is the key to changing situations; prayer is the way to turn things around and to establish a sturdy foundation upon Christ our savior! This country has gone astray not because of who has led us, but because we have forgotten who founded us and how powerful prayer is… You in your life will be destroyed if you don’t pray unto the only true and living God… Hosea 4:6 says that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Many people are perishing because they don’t understand the traps they have fallen into… They haven’t prepared for this battle and so they are being destroyed… Take up your battle positions through prayer and regardless of how hard it gets continue to pray… We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we must “pray without ceasing…”

People don’t realize the avenue they are journeying down nor do the see that the road is a dead end… Today we are reminded to chase knowledge, go after wisdom; these are the keys to aligning yourself with God and avoiding the snares of the enemy… In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.  I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.  Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.  The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.  And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide).  We said an expert should know what he's talking about.  Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.  I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' The bible tells us to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it… The only way to train your child is in the will, love and grace of God… This means you must study the word for yourself, you must know it for yourself and you must stay on guard and don’t allow people to strip you of the only way to truly live… Jesus says take heed because the broad way leads to destruction… So be careful today, if everyone is doing, be careful today if it goes against what God is telling you, be careful today because in if any door is opened to evil it will be invaded and you will find yourself wondering how you fell so quickly…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Talk Is Cheap

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Luke 6:46

The saddest thing about the return of Christ to this earth is the number of people who believe that they can get over on Him… There are so many people we encounter on a daily basis who fit this scripture; they call on the Lord verbally, but don’t have the faith and belief in Him to allow His will to be done… So many of us display our true lack of faith when a storm arises or adversity hits us, we as children of the most high have read scriptures upon scriptures that tell us about trusting in the Lord and the question that is posed today, do we really believe what we have read… The bible never says that this road will be easy, it never declares that your journey would be smooth; it does however say that you must endure temptations and suffer of many things… I am quite sure that we all have heard people quote or even at times have quoted the familiar passage from the 3^rdchapter of Proverbs which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This passage often times is spoken when one is declaring that while enduring any and all situations you must stay within the will of God knowing and believing that He will direct you and lead you… So many speak these scriptures, but yet they do not abide in them; this same principle applies with today’s focus verse; how can you serve or call on a Lord which you don’t obey and adhere too…? 

This devotional today deals with the faith you have in Christ and how much you truly love the Lord… More importantly, it speaks to the actions that you must take so that the things you declare verbally are displayed visibly to others… Don’t forget that the Lord looks at the heart of man and is not fooled by the fabulous jargon which comes from your lips… You are called to action as a Christian; speaking words are meaningless without the Love of God dwelling in them…  Today, remember that it isn’t about what you say to others, it’s about how you show it… Your actions must align with your words in order for you to know that this statement proclaimed by Jesus Himself is not referring to you… Ask yourself today, are you speaking mere words or is everything that comes out of your mouth backed by actions and deeds… Remember in the gospel of Mathew, chapter 15 and verse 8 that Jesus declares, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Jesus knows your every breath, He knows what you do behind closed doors and what you proclaim in front of people; Jesus desires for all to be saved, but He really is waiting for you to realize that the things you do are not of Him and therefore will not be accepted… This message was going forth to the same people who filled the synagogues religiously, this message was being proclaimed to the same individuals that were praising and worshipping in the streets… Today, Jesus posses a question that I think we all must answer… Why do we call Him Lord and don’t do what He says…?A Lord is a ruler, master or leader… So if we are calling Jesus Lord why don’t we follow His lead…? If I am your leader than you adhere to what I tell you and follow me, today let us look at our lives and examine whether Jesus is Lord or if we have placed other things over us… Are you following the Lord or are you trying to fit in to the ways of this world… Are you content with the will of God or are you trying to figure things out on your own…?Do you walk by faith or are you focused on what you can see, feel and control…

These are the questions that help us figure our if we are honoring the Lord with mere words instead of our actions… It doesn’t matter how much you attend church if you are not growing in Christ; likewise, it doesn’t matter how much you claim to be a disciple of Jesus if you are not walking accordingly… So many people are perishing everyday because they have spoken the right things but have not actually done the right things… In this passage Jesus ask a question that is based on prior knowledge… At this point in Jesus life, He has already been tempted by the Devil; He has already cast out demons, healed a man of leprosy, healed a paralytic and begun preaching and teaching in the synagogues… Some of the disciples have been called and now He asks the question as to why we call Him Lord, but don’t do what He asks… Just like the evidence we have just seen, Jesus has performed many miracles in our lives, from healing to deliverance I think we all have a testimony to the Grace He bestows and the Mercy He extends; understanding the ways that He has made and the doors that He has opened should prompt one to follow Him and trust Him; however, daily we find the opposite happening… The book of James equates the analogy of looking into a mirror and immediately forgetting what you have seen once you leave its presences… A mirror helps you to see your flaws, fix flaws and show’s you where you are lacking in appearance… If you go to the mirror and see the areas of concern with your appearance and don’t fix them what good is it? Likewise with Jesus, He has shown you the flaws, paid your penalty of sin and opened the door for your Salvation, but what good is it if we don’t totally commit our lives to the Lord and walk under His guidance… The question that Jesus asked wasn’t to be answered by words but actions… Don’t tell me about the God you serve, show me when the storms of life hit that you are a tree planted by the rivers that shall not be moved…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

The Lord Shows Up When You Do

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

Psalm 41:1

This verse taken from the 41^st psalm sheds light on the heart we must have as a Christian… This is not to say that we must allow ourselves to be used and manipulated, but to say that we must not set our priorities on material things… In reading this passage I instantly think about the rich young ruler which encounter Jesus in the gospel of Mark… He declared that he had conducted his life according to the book of the law; however, when Jesus declared for him to give away his prized possessions there was a sadness that came upon him… Mark 10:22 says, “²² But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.” Understand today that this rich young ruller was on the cusp of salvation; however, the way he cherished material things led him to leave the company of Jesus… In reading this, a question now arises; how hard is it for you to give (even if it’s your last)…? This is something that I think all of us may answer one way; however, when faced with the situation our actions may speak differently… As a child of God we are called to walk by faith and it’s imperative that we understand that this faith is displayed through our actions and not mere words… Faith is total trust, confidence and reliance in a person, spirit or object… When we place our confidence in Jesus Christ we can give to the needy even if it is our last knowing and believing that the psalmist is right in today’s focus verse declaring that we will be “blessed…” Paul (a New Testament servant of the Lord) dealt with great trials and tribulations as he worked within the will of God… During his greatest need, thechurch of Philippi (founded by Paul) was supportive of him by sending gifts and offerings too him… After receiving these gifts, Paul says in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Understand that when you give out of love you are giving out of the depths of your heart and this means that you are relying on God to sustain and take care of you… We are called to seek the kingdom of God first along with His righteousness and we are promised that when we do this everything else will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33)… In seeking God first, we don’t place our focus or priority on worldly things… This is a great testament to our faith because if we are solely dependent on God, than we can extend a helping hand in the time of need without hesitation… Often times we make mention to the faith we have or we hear someone utter a message to us concerning their faith… Today we are reminded that words are exactly what they are, “words…” The psalmist says that those who consider the poor are blessed, to consider is to think about or feel for… How often do we overlook the poor of this world? How often do we bypass areas of need within our society or household? God will take care of you, but you must believe that (have faith) and demonstrate it by looking out for others… A lot of time we attribute “being poor” to lacking monetary stability; however, someone who is poor simply is lacking period… A rich man may not be poor monetarily, but they can be poor in spirit, relationships, emotions and mentality… There are many people that we come across daily who aren’t carrying a sign begging for a handout, but that are poor when it comes to knowing Christ… The bible says that Faith cometh by hearing; we are called to demonstrate the faith that we have by allowing the light that God has placed within us to shine… The psalmist declares that the Lord will preserve you and keep you alive… Sure you will have people mock you, you will have people that will try to belittle your desire to follow Christ, but you must understand that it is only by walking in the love of God that you can and will experience His power and might… 

James teaches us in His book that “Faith without works is dead…” Prior to those words, He tells us to show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith by what I do… In this book he also ask the question, “what good is it if we see a many hungry and tell him go and be well fed instead of trying to satisfy his hunger with our food…” Faith is not something talked about, it’s shown and displayed for all to see… As the psalmist reveals to us today, we are promised to be delivered from the hand of the enemy; we are promised to be preserved, we are promised to be set free from trouble… God has made many promises that He will keep, but the question posed today is, do you really believe the promises that He has made… If you do, you will walk humbly according the word and will of God, you will trust Him in times of despair and you will sacrifice of yourself to lend a helping hand to others… The proof is in the pudding… In order to receive you must give and this rule of thumb applies to our walk with God… Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” He is waiting for you to answer today… God promises to bless you and keep you, but you must open up your hand and let go of the things you are currently holding on too (walk by faith)…. I was once told a (n) empty hand is a poor hand… The psalmist teaches us a different way to view that hand today… A (n) empty hand isn’t poor; its just waiting for God’s blessing to arrive… One of my favorite quotes is from Erma Bombeck who said, "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, I used everything you gave me".

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Discover Your Inner Beauty

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

1 Thessalonians 4:7

The desires of God are to see you become what He designed you to be; anything less than that is simply unacceptable… Today’s focus verse emphasizes the importance of abstaining from the ways and views of this world… There are a lot of things that are deemed acceptable according to our peer standards, but they do not align with the will of God… There are a lot of things that people may tell you aren’t so bad or areokay for you to engage in; when in reality these very things will corrupt your mind and your way of life… As child of God it is of the utmost importance that we remember that we are called into holiness, this means that we are separated from the ways and paths of this life and called to adhere to the ways and standards of our Heavenly Father… To be holy means that you are consecrated, sanctified and/or blessed… God wants to take you to higher heights; He wants to open up doors in your life; however, He needs you to stop allow filthiness to corrupt your being… This filthiness could be defiling your physical body with drugs, sex or alcohol; or it could be a more subtle unrecognized tool that corrupts like the music you listen to, the places you hang out or even the people you associate with… You have to be careful and be vigilant as to see clearly that there are many aspects of your life that can be filthy… You can be clean on the outside and filthy inside; you can be clean on the inside and filthy on the outside; no matter what the case may be, know that when dealing with the enemy you can’t become to comfortable with your surroundings… Paul writes this letter to the church ofThessalonica at a time when they are being tested by the Jews or were jealous and envious of their walk in the will of God… This church was a working church in that they strived to adhere to the will of God even in the midst of adversity and tribulations… Today, we can stand to learn a great deal from this church, so many of our churches today have allowed this world to dictate how we deal with situations and turmoil… 

Instead of living according to the will of God we find ourselves living to please the itching ears of society… Paul is writing to set the record straight, even though people will rise in opposition to your work, He wants to remind you that you have been called unto holiness and not uncleanness… To be Holy is to be sacred, divine and consecrated… You will have your detractors and it will appear that the grass is greener on the other side if you just turn form the will of God; however, we are reminded today that through the muck and mire, through the storms or life, we are being perfected and even though we appear dirty we are actually being made clean… The will of God is that you are molded into perfection so that you can be used for His glory and reach the heights of His will for your life... Genesis 1:27 says,“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” You must know today that God’s image is perfect, you were made in perfection; you were fashioned and formed just the way God wanted you to be… We must keep that in mind when people try and talk bad about us, we must keep these thoughts in our minds when people try to bring us down or when we find ourselves dealing with trials and tribulations… Through Paul’s letter to the church ofThessalonica we are being called to action and encouraged to keep marching forward… God is calling every Christian out of there comfort zone. He doesn’t want us to become comfortable or complacent in our everyday life. We are constantly fighting a spiritual battle. Knowing that God has called you to holiness is important, because the devil wants you to believe that there is nothing good inside you… Satan wants you to accept your current possession and wallow in your misery… You have a choice to make today, if you believe that God loves you than you strive to advance His kingdom and be made whole… If you don’t believe that you are loved, than you simply keep doing the things that you are doing… God desires perfection; this perfection is not in your walk, but in your desire and heart… 

God is calling you to a higher level and holding you to a higher standard… You have been dirty long enough, your life has been filled with filth long enough, it’s time to examine some of your closet friends, it’s time for you to examine some of your decisions, it’s time to examine some of the places you go and it’s time for you to realize that God doesn’t want to see you in your current place… Jesus has gone to prepare a place for you, this place is beyond the beauty we could imagine or sketch with a pen and pad, and this place will be perfect; without flaws or defects… If God doesn’t care for you, why would He spend so much time setting the table for your arrival? Knowing that you are called to holiness you must understand that you have been set apart, you have been sanctified by the Holy Ghost… It’s time for you to walk in the beauty and splendor of God’s love and admiration… When someone once to look beautiful or handsome they spend time getting ready, women apply makeup, guys shave; either way there is work to be done… If you don’t think you are beautiful, than you roll out of bed, put close on and walk out the door… God wants you to stop rolling out of bed and discover your inner beauty… He’s called you to holiness; He made a choice to tell you that there is something different about you… Christ gave His life for you, that in and of itself should tell you how beautiful you are… Stop devaluing yourself and walking in uncleanness…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Put God First

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

The sooner you put God first in your life, the sooner you will notice a transition taking place… God has made a promise to you that He will carry out; however, the delay in seeing it fulfilled may be the seeking of His kingdom and righteousness which you have not done… The gospel of Matthew reminds us today of the importance that God not only has in our lives, but also the priority that He requires… This verse starts off by saying“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…” You actually hold the very keys to your destiny and divine future; you can unlock the fullest potential that God has placed in your life by seeking Him… This simply means that God must come first in your life… In other words, today is the time for you to rearrange your agenda and make sure that the things of Christ are the first to be checked off of your to do list… So many of us always put God on the backburner of life and wonder why He hasn’t moved on our behalf… We wonder why are lives are spiraling out of control, why there is so much division in our homes, why we keep missing the mark and in this passage we are told the very answer to those aforementioned questions… God has not moved in your life because you haven’t moved toward Him…” 

When you seek His kingdom you develop a more personal and intimate relationship with the Lord… There is so much that goes into the seeking of a Christian; your life is devoted to leaving no stone unturned and no door closed in Christ… Understand that to seek Him isn’t just related to a time during the day, but that it is a progressive work which requires a motivated, persistent and unwavering soul… A lot of us say that we are seeking the Lord; however, the things that occupy our day say otherwise… We work to seek contentment, stability, money and assurance… We date toseek a mate, companionship and love… We remove things from our life to seek clarity, peace and understanding… I state all these things to shed light on the fact that when we do things there is also a motive behind them… When we go to church, what is our motive? When we pray at night, what is our desire…? Are you simply trying to appease your neighbor or are you really seeking His kingdom and righteousness… This verse calls for us to totally dismiss the things and cares of this world when they try to occupy our mind…  You cannot try to put forth a little bit of effort on your job and expect to take home a king’s ransom… You cannot put forth a little bit of companionship and expect to have a relationship that will last; likewise, you cannot do the bear minimum when dealing with Christ and expect bigger and better tings to come about… Notice the promise that is made in this verse; when you put God first and continue to abide according to His will all these things will be given to you as well… The more effort that you put forth in getting to a deeper level within Christ, the more the doors in your life will begin to open up before you... The sweat and tears that drop from your face today when you seek Him will be the same drops that nurture and bring forth your abundant garden… 

When you fail to take care of your flower it will wither and die; however, when you spend time on your knees cultivating it and refining its environment it will continue to bloom and take deeper roots within… There are doors in your life which you have been trying to open and the call of God to you today is to stop tugging on the knob and start trusting in Him… There are a lot of things in your life that you are constantly worrying about and are concerns to you; however, you are called to remember that faith truly is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen… When you seek God you are totally focused on obtaining Him… When something is sought after, it is pursued and it tracked down it is searched for… How much have you really sought the Lord and not turned to seek answers through the world to life’s problems…? How many much do you really seek God in your life and not just when you are in need of a blessing…? Seeking God is simply getting to know Him more and more each day… This is not to be interpreted as turning to Him when a storm arises; it means that you already are dwelling in His tabernacle before the storm even forms… This is how God will provide all these things to you as well, you must abide in Him and He will abide in you… Life is filled with distractions and the answers you seek on this earth determine what takes priority in your life… I am not saying that the way to unlock the door is easy; however, I am saying that the key you are looking for cannot be found in your peers or your position… God is ready to open up doors for you; He’s ready to make your life brand new, He is ready to transform you and take you to another level, the question that is at your door, are you ready to seek Him…?

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!