Mercy Is Obtained Through Confession

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13 

A hotel cannot provide a room to a customer if they are all occupied… Likewise, we cannot allow God into our hearts if the space is already taken… Covering sins doesn’t deal with them, but simply stores them away within causing us to carry around unnecessary burdens and prevent us from overcoming the trials or errors that we made… The proverb says, “He that covereth his sin shall not prosper…” When we try to cover our tracks or mistakes, we lead a life that allows our mistakes to controls us… We become captives to sin and the result of that is that we cannot prosper… To live, we must be freed from the bondage of sin which only comes through confession and belief in God… David recorded in Psalms 51, that a broken and contrite heart is a heart that God cannot turn from. Let’s face it, we all have made mistakes, we have gone to places we had no business going too, engaged in activities that still cause us to cringe at the thought and allowed the lust and sinful desires to win in different phases of our lives. Today’s Proverb deals with the confession aspect of Christian living. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, when you make a mistake in life, you have two choices; either you control it or it controls you! When you control a mistake, you openly confess to God and your peers of your wrong, therefore this incident doesn’t grow any legs to haunt you through life and cause unnecessary turmoil or chaos. If you allow the situation to control you, it becomes shackles that bind you to weaving a web of lives at the expense of your sanity and peace. 

When we lie, we have no choice but to continue down that spiral path which will ultimately lead us into a confined and guarded approach. You will walk on egg shells around people and force yourself into believing that everything is peaches and cream. When sin possesses you, God can’t prosper you! The sin must be dealt with, the sin must be confronted, and you must develop an attitude of righteousness. Notice that the passage says that “whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” To receive the manifold blessing of God, we must not only acknowledge our wrongs, but we must turn from them. So many of us pray to God for forgiveness of the same sin daily! God forgive me for smoking (while you pick up another cigarette), God forgive me of not educating my children about you (as you continue to put work before your household duties)! God forgive me for gossiping (while you tell all your new information), God forgive me for getting drunk (as you call your friend and tell him/her that you were to intoxicated to remember what happened last night), God forgive me for this and that (then in the very next moment you have reverted back to your old ways… These situations occur on a daily basis and we are praying to God, but not seeing the results that we expect. You have taken the first step in confessing; now practice your confession by abstaining from those situations! Of course it is not easy, of course it is not done overnight, but know and understand that until you take the necessary steps to better your life (prosper) God will not intervene! 

Again, the end of this proverb says, “But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy…”Mercy is withholding punishment to fulfill the need of that individual… God will show mercy toward you, but you must show wisdom from the experience that you have encountered. Once you confess you open the door to prosperity, but it is not until you forsake that path of life that you will obtain mercy… This road to living a life pleasing to God is accomplished in two phases; understanding the mistakes that you have made in life and learning from them so that you don’t continue down that same slippery slope… Today confess your sins unto Lord, tell Him about all the mistakes that you have made, free yourself from the burden of darkness and allow the healing that is needed to take place within your life… Stop allowing sin to control you, to hold you captive and oppress you and keep you from becoming the child that God has called you to be… Forsake the way of darkness so that God can provide the “lamp unto your fight and light unto your path…” God is indeed knocking at the door, if your spiritual life is likened to a hoarder; I hope that you can get through all the junk and answer the door before its too late…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Call And He'll Answer

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

Psalms 145:18-19

God is as close to you as you want Him to be… So many people question the existence of God or His authority as the creator of all things because of the turmoil and hardships they encounter; today’s focus verses remind us that we are created as free mortal beings, we have been given a free will to do as we please and it is because of this that we often times separate ourselves from the love and protection that id defined in the arms of Christ… Understanding how our minds flip flop so often throughout the course of a day, we can gain a understanding as to why the Psalmist states that “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him…” You have to make the choice to follow Christ, you have to decide which path you want to travel and when you make this decision you must stick too it… We cannot waver in our decision-making or desire to follow Christ and align ourselves with His will… James tells us that when we ask of God we must stand firm in our belief in order to obtain it; “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.” 

The same thing that we find in the book of James concerning the fact that a (n) individual coming before the Lord must be of a sound mind and faith in Christ to receive the petitions that He lays before the Lord are the same things that we see here from the Psalmist when he informs us that the Lord will be nigh but that He will be nigh “to all that call upon him in truth…” The psalmist starts this passage by declaring to us that God is always near those who call upon Him. This informs us that God is aware of the things you are enduring and the hardships that you face! He knows when you are smiling and when you are in tears, He knows when things are peaceful and when your life is filled with chaos… Notice the very next line though; He is near “to all who call on Him in truth…” So many of us call on the Lord out of necessity or fear, we call on Him when things seem beyond our own ability and this is not calling on Him in truth… To call in truth, is to call out of sincerity, calling on the Lord out of HIS sovereignty and might! The bible says, “The true worshipper will worship in spirit and in truth…” Often times we find ourselves calling on the Lord to do miraculous things and when He doesn’t answer on our timetable we take things into our own hands (this embodies the fact that we have not called on the Lord in truth), we begin to devise our own plan of attack and end up in more turmoil than before… Calling in truth is recognition of God’s place within your life, but also it is trusting God’s plan despite the path that you may have wanted to take… God told us in His holy word that, “My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts…” So if you are going to call on the Lord in truth, don’t doubt when He takes you over the mountain instead of through the lilies… 

The book of James teaches us in the first chapter (6 & 7 verse) about how doubt will delay or deny our ability to receive of the Lord… “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”God is always near to you and when you have undivided faith in Him you will see just how close He really is; Paul said “my strength is made perfect in weakness…” When we have faith in God, the lowest of states that we find ourselves in is the highest of states that the Lord can work in your life, that’s why we must be a true worshipper and trust Him always. The psalmist says, “He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him…” God will answer when you give Him the respect that He is due… He will lift you up when He is lifted up (if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me)… If you fear God, you respect His authority, you acknowledge His power and you give Him priority in and over your life… Despite what storms come my way, despite what obstacles I encounter, despite what pit I have fallen into, I believe that God hears my faintest cry, I believe that He will never put more on me than I can bare, I believe that in my reverence for Him, He will fulfill the desires I have and save me… This is why I call on Him; why do you?

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Present Your Body A Living Sacrifice

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.

Romans 12:1

Today, in Paul’s letter to the Church of Rome we find the gift that we are called to give daily unto the Lord… As a child of the most high we are directed to be a living sacrifice unto the Lord…In this dying world we are to be examples of God’s faithfulness, love and compassion… Notice Paul says “a living sacrifice”, we are not called to be mute (dead) in this perishing world as many are right now, but we are to be witnesses to the grace of God… Paul starts this verse off by saying, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God…” and ends by saying, “which is your reasonable service…” Mercy is forgiveness, sympathy, kindness and compassion toward another; when you take time to think about your life, I am pretty sure that it is filled with God’s mercy… Paul is saying that we should be willing without thought to be a living sacrifice to the Lord because He has been a willing sacrifice unto us… 

His mercy is what Paul pleads through today, the mercy of God is what sustains you and keeps you from your proper punishment… The mercy of God is what has given you life and life more abundantly... God not only sent His son, but He has given us His spirit to lead, guide and direct our paths… To beseech is to beg, ask or request… Paul is requesting for us to look at our lives today and notice how much mercy God has bestowed; when you take that into account he asks that we give our lives back to Him… The fact that you have the ability to wake up in the morning, the fact that you are clothed in your right mind, the fact that you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back and a job to go to is fruit of God’s mercy…Think about where we would stand if we actually suffered the full blunt of the consequences of our actions; some of us would be a complete mess, some would be a lost cause and some would not even have warm blood flowing within their veins… Day after day, God has shown mercy unto His creation, Jeremiah said it best, “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22, 23). It is by the Lords hand that you live; it is by the Lord’s faithfulness that hell doesn’t have to be your home; it is by His compassion that you are even able to read this email… Don’t take God’s mercy for granted, to belittle all that He has done and continues to do in your life, don’t allow your circumstances to overshadow the path that God has already paved up to this point and will pave in your future… When you think about what God has already done, you realize how reasonable this request is that Paul is making today… Our desire as a child of God is to be a living sacrifice unto the Lord, holy and acceptable… Notice we talk about a living sacrifice, usually when something is sacrificed it is killed, but Paul says that we are to live… 

This speaks directly to killing the desires of the flesh so that we can live according to the will of God… This is not something that happens over night, this is something that is produced over time and must be done daily… To be holy is to be pure, we are to strive to avoid situations that will cause us to be imperfect, this could be a bad habit you engage in, a relationship that kills your spiritual growth or even words that you speak in vain thoughts… Paul understood this all to well, he labeled himself as the “chief sinner” and realized the path that he was on which was leading to hell… Paul understood that Christ lifted him out of the miry clay and gave him a chance to inherit Eternal Life… Paul went on (after his Damascus road experience) to expresses his love and gratitude toward the Lord by presenting his body as a living sacrifice… Paul wrote to the church of Philippi about sacrifice when he said, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…” He told Timothy,“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” He realized that God has all power in the palm of His hand and that His love has saved us from sin; when we realize this great mercy, we will understand that sacrificing our desires to live for the Lord truly is a “reasonable service…” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Wants You Back

"That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,  In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life."

Luke 1:74-75

Make no mistake about it, though you face trials and tribulations and deal with hardships, the desire of God is for you to be reunited with Him… Luke records today, verses that echo this same sentiment… It is by God’s grace that you and I have been delivered out of the hand of enemy… As we walk through this life we need not only take note of God’s grace as far as being alive, but we also need to understand that things could always be worse… Luke is clear that we have been delivered out of the hand of the enemy… Whether your realize it or not, if the enemy had his way with you only God knows where you would be… The fact that you can overcome, the fact that you are able to stand, the fact that you have just enough is a testament to God’s goodness and His grace that has kept you and will continue to keep you all the days of your life… Notice the intent behind God’s grace that delivered you, Luke says that He did this so that we, “…might serve him without fear…” There are two different kinds of fear, we are called to fear God and keep His commandments; however, the fear that is spoken of in the gospel of Luke is a fear that leads one to second-guess and allow lordship over them. 

When we fear God we respect and honor Him, when we fear the enemy we are intimidated, scared and controlled by him. Satan desires for you to fear him because fear can be a device used to control and manipulate a (n) individual or situation. If I fear someone, I am more gullible to do whatever it is that they ask of me; however if I fear the Lord, I want to bring honor to Him by living a life that pleases Him and shines His beacon light upon the lives and hearts of others… In realizing how much God has done and is doing for us, we should be led to follow Him even more; however this task is one that is easier said than done. One of the biggest mistakes we make in reaching out to new disciples is the mistake of allowing them to believe that when they accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior that they have completed what God desired… In accepting Christ you accept His offering, but we learn today that we also accept the desires of God for our very lives as to how we should live… Luke says in the first verse what we echo to new disciples, God has delivered you, He has picked you up and turned you around and He has shown His love toward you without you even loving back, but His desire is more than just that, the next verse says,“…In holiness and righteousness before him…” 

Giving your life to Christ isn’t a one and done thing, this is something we do daily and it requires us to sacrifice the desires of sin and flesh that we are born with… Isn’t it interesting how you don’t have to teach a child to do bad but you have to work all the time teaching them good… God’s teaching us today that holiness and righteousness can only be achieved through the model set before us (Jesus Christ) and the willingness to work at it according to His will… Luke teaches us why God saved us today and what He desires, he concludes by telling us how long God wants this to be “…all the days of our life…” It never ceases to amaze me how we can vary in our walk with God from day to day, but never take notice that He hasn’t done that with us… God’s love has covered all our sins, His love placed His son on the cross and gave us a (n) avenue back to Him… He wants to see your life enriched, He wants to see you live justly; He wants to see you prosper in His word and it isn’t just for a day… I once read that the love of God is like the ocean, you know its beginning but never see its end… The beginning for you was when He delivered you from the enemy, you will never see a (n) end to His grace, goodness, faithfulness and mercy as long as you allow Him to direct your steps…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be Sober & Vigilant

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." 

1 Peter 5:8-9

Making the decision to follow Christ doesn’t mean that your life will be an easy road from that point forward. As a matter of fact, when you choice to follow Christ you should come to understand that the battles in your life will only intensify… The sooner we grasp this important fact the more clearer these words penned in today’s focus verses will become to us. Even in the protective arms of Jesus we are reminded today that we must “Be sober, be vigilant…” You have to stay on guard as a child of God… The minute you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is the same minute that the enemy ramps up His attack towards you. The problem in the lives of many Christians isn’t that they are confused as to their calling but that they have become unaware of their surroundings… We accept Christ as our Savior and forget that the sin we lived in before knowing Him still exist and will try to serve as a stumbling block or hindrance in our advancement in the ministry that He has for us… 

The fact that Peter calls the devil a “roaring lion” should shine light on the fact that he isn’t as hard to spot as we try to portray him to be… In reviewing the history and makeup of the lion I came across some very interesting facts regarding this animal as it relates to his roar. The first thing is that the roar of a lion can be a sign of territorial dominance; this means that the lion is staking his claim to the area his paws land. The second type of roar found with lions deals with his food. A lion will roar to intimidate or scare off other predators while he enjoys his meal… Each roar of the lion lays claim to something in one way or another… The message that we must obtain today is that the enemy is laying claim to certain things and/or aspects of your life. When you go against the grain and dare to upset the status quo he will roar “seeking whom he may devour…” You are guaranteed to go through trials and tribulations; you are assured to deal with hardships and obstacles and you are called not to pray for their removal but for a sober and vigilant mind so that you can overcome and be victorious… So many of us fall and become victim to the enemy because we are praying for the wrong things and seeking the wrong answers… As a child of God pray for a (n) understanding mind and spirit so that you can realize the storm that you are facing and are going to face to prepare for it. This is the way we defeat the attack of the enemy before he even begins his invasion; this is how we turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones and reach the heights that God has designed for us… 

Every man or woman, boy or girl will go through times of adversity. Your trial may seem bigger than my trial but we all go through trials none the less… The difference isn’t the trials that we face necessarily but the spirit with which we are under as we face them… This very reason is why Peter goes on to say, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." This race we are running isn’t won by the fastest person but the one who can remain steadfast. You must hold to God’s unchanging hand, you must trust that His way is not only the right way but that it’s the ONLY way… Sure you will have days where the enemy appears to be winning, you will have days when times may appear too hard to handle and you want to give up; however, you are called to look through your problems with the eye of Christ. You are called to be sober in your thinking because the enemy wants you to throw in the towel while God is preparing you through the storm to take you to another level. There are so many things in this world that if we are not careful will lead us astray from our calling. This is why we are reminded today to be sober and vigilant. God has great things in store for your life and the enemy doesn’t want you to believe that. I believe Paul said it best in his letter to the church of Philippi, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Things Could Always Be Worse

"Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you."

 

1 Samuel 12:24

 

Your only duty on this earth is to “fear the Lord…” When you fear (honor, revere or admonish) the Lord your life is lived in total submission to Him… This means that you walk according to His will and are not focused on things of this world… This passage provides great advice for us to live by; we are called to “serve him in truth” knowing that He knows best but also bring into remembrance all the things that He has done and the paths that He has paved… We have to have an attitude that reflects on what God has done and dispel the notion of living with the mindset of “what have you done for me lately…” According to worldly standards and ways of living we must approach life seeking our own way and desires; however we are reminded today that we serve  a faithful God; one who already demonstrated His might by sending His son and one who has promised to supply all our needs… Don’t lose sight of the fact that as children of God we often want things to happen according to our desires and standards… 

When we are faced with opposition we question or blame God; however, when things are working in our favor we find a way to place confidence in ourselves or mankind… Just like the Israelites we need to be reminded to “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart…” The only thing that we should fear (revere, respect, and pay honor too) is the Lord… The Israelites (having been lead from bondage) desired a king to rule over them… Samuel reminds them today that they already had a king in the Lord and that they must Only fear him… As the story continues we see that Saul a man of physical gifts (well-built, handsome) was selected to be king and after thirty years was rejected due to disobedience… No matter who is placed in positions of authority, if they do not align themselves with the will of God they will fail… Likewise, we acknowledge the people in positions above us, but we are called to fear God and follow His will… Today let us make sure that our fear is in the Lord and not the economy… Let us make sure that we revere the Lord and are not worried about how we are going to pay this or that bill… We fear the Lord because of the things that He has done and will do, we fear the Lord because He is God and beside Him there is no other and we fear the Lord because all power resides within the palm of His hand… Samuel tells us today to “…consider how great things he hath done for you…” 

One of my close friends once told me that He didn’t like the rain, but that he appreciates the fact that he can observe it without getting wet… Today, make no mistake about it, the rain is falling all over the world, tsunamis, earthquakes and various other disasters… Wars in Gaza, the Ivory Coast and other countries; however, you are just observing them without getting wet… Psalms 91 was that a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you if you make the Lord your dwelling place… Today fear the Lord (make Him your dwelling place)… Think about where He has already brought you from and if will give you enough energy to keep on going… Just take a moment to think about all the hardships you have faced and then think about how you have made it through… 

I am sure that there have been days when your finances didn’t add up, your money was funny and your change was strange; however, you still were able to cut that check or make that payment… God is above all and knows all… Fear Him, revere Him and stay focused on Him… The bible says in Matthew 16:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” In seeking God we fear Him and allow His will to be done! God will never fail you, He will never forsake you and He has already done marvelous things for you… “consider how great things” are in your life as well as the fact that things could always be worst. I am sure that there is someone on this earth that would love the opportunity to switch places with you and walk in your shoes… Don’t take for granted where are today, because you could be somewhere else…

 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be Thankful For His Mercy

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Psalm 130:3-4

Have you ever taken time out of your day to think about where you would be if God had not shown mercy toward you? We are called to take note today that if God really marked our iniquity (wickedness, evil, crime, sin) we would not be here nor would we be able to obtain Eternal Life… The psalmist reminds us today to simply reflect upon our lives and the mistakes that we have made (even the ones that we made just a second ago or last night) and take time to thank God for His mercy… If we are truthful with ourselves, we know that there are a lot of things that we desire in this life that would cause us to divert from the very path of God and lead us down a path of evil… Something as simple as a desire to have more can lead us to love material things which the bible tells us is the root of all evil… 

The first verse says, “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” Let us take some time to ponder that, these verse place priority in our lives by reminding us that we are filthy rags that don’t deserve the Love of God to shine upon us… If we look over our lives we will soon realize that we are not worthy to be counted in the number of God, we will realize that our name should not appear in the Lambs book of Life, we will understand that hell should be our eternal resting home… See, often times we try to paint this silhouette of holiness and perfection, but the bible tells us “that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory…” It doesn’t matter what kind of picture you paint, or how fake you act, the bottom line is that if God were to judge us according to our living, we all would be joined together in the pits of darkness… 

This opening verse should cause you to take a humble approach to life; it should make you want to take a backseat to society instead of trying to poke your chest out as if you’re the best thing on this earth… This opening statement in this verse should remind you that it is by God’s grace and mercy that you are able to even be in the land of the living today… Simply imagine what would happen if God exposed all the dark corners of your life, think about the perception that people would have, where you would be if people knew the real you… Somebody ought to be thanking God right now for His mercy, withholding the judgment, punishment and anguish that we truly should have felt… 

There is none on earth who can stand before God and give a (n) account worthy to hear Him say “well done”and it is of the utmost importance that we realize that and revere God for His love… The next portion of scripture says, “…But there is forgiveness with thee…” Today is good Friday, this is the day in which Christ laid down His life for us all, it’s the day He bore the iniquity of us all and gave us a chance to make things right… We are forgiven through His nail scarred hands, we received a clean slate through the blood that flowed from His side and it is because of the words “it is finished…” that you can I are not judge according to the errors of our ways… The psalmist acknowledges that he is not worthy of God’s blessings, he understands that he isn’t worthy to simply be alive and because of that he informs us as to why we should revere the Lord… 

The last piece says, “that thou mayest be feared…” God desires you to exalt His name, He desires to be glorified by your living and have you adore Him… He has blotted out your transgressions that you may have another chance, He remembers your sins no more that you may be molded into the disciple that He has called you to be… His forgiveness was poured out on all mankind so that Eternal Life could be possible and we could establish a relationship with him… Often times we look at fear in the since of terror or dread, but when the psalmist talks about fear He is speaking to a respect, reverence and acknowledgment… God picked you up out of the miry clay; He placed your feet on solid ground and has given you a clean slate… We fear God because of His love, we revere God because of His forgiveness, and we acknowledge the fact that if it were not for His mercy we would not be able to stand… God desires your honor because He didn’t let you die in your We can’t stand without Him, but we surely can conquer anything with Him…  

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

You're In Good Hands With Christ

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

John 10:28-30

Your future is not tomorrow in the eyesight of God; your future is the place where you will spend eternity… This is important for us to understand because often times we expect things to happen in our immediate future, all of our good deeds appear to go unnoticed, our faith seems to be ineffective and we find ourselves wondering if we really are walking in the right direction. Jesus teaches us today that the true gift for our walk will be manifest in hearing God say, “well done thou good and faithful servant…” Today’s scriptures remind us of the assured deliverance that a person obtains when he or she has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior… Again, Jesus says, “I give them eternal life…”As a child of God we are under the grace that He dispensed through His son on the cross… It is because of His grace that we shall not perish. When we read this scripture it reminds us that we have not nor can we obtain anything in this life or grasp anything spiritually if Jesus is not the center focus within us…

 Jesus is clarifying some things for us today, the bible says, “It is not by any works of your hands lest you should boast…” Be careful to remember that Jesus has made every day of your life possible, know that He touched you this morning, clothed you in your right mind and started you on your way… Not only that, but let us remember that Eternal Life is only possible through Him… When we realize that Christ has made everything possible, we than see the promise of God revealed when Jesus says, “they shall never perish…” Notice that we must first understand or accept who has given Eternal Life in order that we shall not perish… To perish means to die, expire, depart, or take your last breathe! What Jesus is saying is that we shall find victory and deliverance in all that we encounter; there will be nothing that will stop us from obtaining the promises of God once we have aligned ourselves with His will… Jesus says that you will not die, but don’t let us get that confessed with hardships… You will indeed have some tough days ahead, you will suffer some persecutions in this lifetime, you will be cast down and rejected sometimes, and the key is that you will not perish… Everything that you face in this life will not be your end (I believe that we should praise God right now for that…) We all have made mistakes in life, we all have chased after vain things and found ourselves in perilous times; today we are reminded that as a child of God we shall not perish. Jesus says, “no one can snatch them out of my hand… My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all…” 

The devil will surely test you, he will tempt you everyday of your life and what Jesus is saying is that as long as you keep your faith in Him, as long as you trust in Him and lean not to your own understanding you will be delivered… It doesn’t matter what storms you face, it doesn’t matter what obstacles come your way, because God is “greater than all…” God is greater than the trial that you face right now, God is greater than the addiction that has plagued your family, and God is greater than the snare that has caught your loved one… All power resides within our father; Jesus was tempted by the devil and defeated him on the mountain top… He laid down His life on the cross and God raised Him up from the dead… You will not perish today; lay down your life in faith, knowing that God will raise you up in victory… 

Jesus and God are one; the same way Jesus was delivered up from the earth is the same way we will be delivered up from the earth… Hold fast to God’s unchanging hand, no that the devil will try, but he will not win… Continue to focus your life on the will of God, don’t get caught up in the ways of this world and remember that even when things don’t seem to be going your way, even when it feels like your house is falling apart, even when you feel like throwing in the towel, God has promised you that you will not perish… Paul said it best in Romans 8:38, 39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Sow Righteousness; Reap Mercy

"Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you." 

Hosea 10:12

Even though you may appear to be in the vineyard alone, sow the seeds that you desire to reap in your harvest… As a child of God we are tested to think outside of the box, step out on faith and walking in the trust in belief that His desires will produce unimaginable results… Remember that when Jesus was speaking amongst His disciples He declared in Matthew 9:37 that “Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Hosea was called by the Lord at a time in which the house of Judah was carrying on in disobedience… The Lord called Hosea to marry a promiscuous woman and have her to bare him a child; later on in the verse chapter the Lord compares the adulterous woman that Hosea married to the children of God… Make no mistake about it; even if we don’t see it immediately, the bible is clear that we reap what we sow… Hosea is calling for the children of God to sow seeds of righteousness… Righteousness is virtue, morality, decency and uprightness… 

We are called to live according to the will of God and the seeds that we sow are evidence of the way in which we walk… Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:16, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”The seed that you sow today is what you will indeed reap tomorrow… Hosea is reaching out to the people before it too late, several months pass before the season of harvest, today in spring we plant seeds to harvest a crop later in the year… Some of us that have children or even the people that we are around are receiving the seeds that we plant… Let us check the seed we are planting now (both in our lives and the lives of others), if it is corrupt talk, if it is malice, if it is anger dig up that seed now before it takes root… The bible says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, temperance against such there is no law… When you sow seeds of righteousness there are no chains that can withhold the blessings that God will pour out upon you… As you sow your seeds in humility we are reminded in Hosea today it’s far more important that you reap in that same humility… This is why Hosea says that we must “reap in mercy…” We must remain humble in our season of reaping; we must recognize that what we receive from the Lord is not what we deserve… There is no man on this earth that deserves the touch of God’s love or kindness, mercy is compassion, sympathy and understanding… Let us recognize the compassion God has shown toward us, let us sympathize with those around us (extend a hand of love and help) and let us understand that all good and perfect gifts come from above… 

Make no mistake about it, we all understand the seeds that we need to plant, but know that there is a lot of work involved in this process. Hosea says “break up your fallow ground…” If you want to be about the work of God and live according to His will than now is the time to go to the shed and pull out your shovel, pick axe and rakes… We must dig deep within our core and break apart the dirt to plant the seed… The fallow ground that Hosea is talking about is the stony heart that we have, the sinful nature that exist and the pride that we all embody… You must break it up and remove it in order to plant the seeds that God will give for your life to increase… David said, “…a broken and contrite heart thou will not despise…” When you heart is broken and contrite it is a soil that is ready to embrace, nurture and take care of the precious seed God has for your life… You must take hold now of the promises of God, you must take hold of the faith that can move mountains and you must maintain that faith until God shows up and shows out… Hosea says, “…for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you." Paul said some plant, some water but God provides the increase… Take the seed of God’s word, love it, nurture it and stand on it… You may be going through now, but when God shows up He will bless you in such a way that the good will indeed outweigh the bad and you will see the fruits of your labor…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

We Are One In Christ

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27-28

In Christ, there are no classifications or factions; your past doesn’t determine your standing or the group that you are associated with… It never ceases to amaze me that the most segregated time in our societies and communities is the time in which we go into the church to praise & worship…. Paul wants you to remember that the world classifies you on your abilities; however, in Christ you are classified through your acceptance of the offering that Christ extended from the cross… There is no difference between you or I in the body of Christ; yes we all have different gifts but your importance in the body of Christ is no less significant than anyone else… This is why Paul says,“There is neither Jew nor Greek…” The biggest stumble block found in churches is the people who attend them… You have people who think they are better than others, people who think they have the right to look down or despise others and Paul is trying to set the record straight… The bible records that “all have fallen short of the glory of God…” We all have a path we have traveled, we all have done things that we aren’t proud of and we should be thankful just to have the opportunity to enter His courts with praise… Jesus went to the cross for all mankind (even if you say He did for you than that just shows that you were in need of saving)…

 Paul’s letter to the church of Galatia shines a powerful light that needs to be seen by the men of yesterday and today… There is no color barrier between races in God’s kingdom; there is no hierarchy between males and females within the divine will of God as it pertains to His saving power and extension of grace. Traditions in the church have caused us to push God out of the church, we have said that you can’t do this (women can’t preach), or you have to come to church like this (no jeans and women can’t wear pants), Paul asked a question within this passage of scripture that is prevalent to today! Where does it say in the scriptures that this is how church is to be conducted? Where do we gain the authority to dictate how someone is accepted in the kingdom of God…? Jesus posed a question about a shepherd losing one sheep out of a hundred, in this passage Jesus asked “Will he not leave the ninety nine to go after the one…” In one lost soul tears are shed, in one soul being saved tears are shed… The desires of God are that “no man should perish…” Today we need to revaluate our lives; we need to stop following tradition and start following the will of God… Paul is charging the church that there is no racial profiling, no sexism within Gods house! He created man and created woman, there is no difference in nationality or ethnicity. 

We are bound together by the blood of Jesus. We have to be careful the way we govern ourselves within the church, things have shifted from Gods will to our opinion. We have gone so far as to leave churches based on the WRONG perception we have as to how churches are to be lead. The other piece that Paul is addressing here is that we have to look past the outside of people! How often have you walked into a church and get the feeling that people don’t think you belong? How often have you looked at someone funny when they enter the church you go to because their skin may be lighter or darker than yours? Sadly, we have become so anti this and anti that, that there is no way that God dwells within the sanctuary that we claim to worship him in. The church is a place for sickness to be healed, confusion to be resolved and tears to be wiped away… There are many people who attend church with many different issues on there heart and it is in the body of Jesus Christ that healing, deliverance and direction is found… You are no better than me and I am no better than you, we need to join together in being grateful that God thought it not robbery to leave His home in glory…  It is because of politics and tradition that I believe churches are going astray, it’s because of these things that  people have lost faith in the church, and why the devil is actively taking over our church. Believe it or not, segregation is still alive in the entire world, (it is most obvious on Sunday mornings). We are to be about fellowship, we are to be about exaltation, we are to be about GOD, and in order to be about Christ, we must be able to look beyond self!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Always Fulfills His Promise

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.

Psalm 25:14

In times of despair we must learn to hold to God’s unchanging hand, knowing that through our fear (reverence, honor and admiration) of Him we will be kept and brought through whatever trial or hardship we face… The “secret” of this life lies in our relationship with the Most High God… It was the fear of the Lord which led Jesus to the cross and the defeat of sin and death… It was the fear of the Lord that allowed Peter to stand up and preach a word that saved 3,000 souls; it was the fear of the Lord that allowed David to pick up 5 smooth stones and defeat Goliath… When you are going through in this life, rely on the secret of God’s power… The enemy doesn’t know how to contend to fight against God so He tries to get you to denounce His authority over your life… The secret that Satan doesn’t want you to know is that he is powerless; the secret that the enemy doesn’t want you to know is that Christ has already freed you from the penalty of sin and bondage… 

You were made in perfection and clothed in the very image of God, when you call on the name of the Lord there is power and grace imparted to you that breaks strongholds, heals and redirects… The secret to living is found in your reverence of the Lord… This why the Psalmist says that when you fear, when you obtain this secret that“he will show them his covenant…” God will write the vision and make it plain for your life; He will give you the desires of your heart and wipe your slate clean… In order to understand the desires of God for your life, you must align yourself with His will… David’s psalm tells us today that the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him… Often times we associate fear to be a (n) intimidating or compromising authority in one’s life; however, fear in this since is a genuine respect and reverence for God… David is saying that if we truly desire to understand the precious promises and secrets of our Father, than we first must devote our lives to living according to His good pleasure… Too often we talk boldly about seeking God’s will in the situations that we face, but soon after we rely upon our own abilities to solve problems… 

Too often we claim to trust the Lord, but once we are only we begin to calculate our plan of attack. David encountered many perilous times in His life and in this Psalm he demonstrates his respect for the Lord and prays that God will take charge of his life. David has realized that these struggles that he has faced can only be overcome by the power and might of God. David confesses his sins to the Lord and speaks to God about all aspects of his life… Let us learn from the Psalmist today, demonstrate your reverence for the Lord, confess your sins and entrust your well-being into His hands… The secret to obtaining all you can in life is to give up all your possessions on this earth!!! This passage today explains where happiness resides; it informs us of how we can obtain a level of comfort beyond what is in our bank account or on our backs! The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; the things you search for, the things you are trying to find reside within you if you are walking the will of God. A true Christian is happy in knowing that this life is leading to a better home, a house not made by man’s hands… The secret of the Lord is that He wants you to be faithful, the secret is that He wants you to trust and believe in Him, the secret of the Lord is that He will never see the righteous forsaken (His son) nor His seed begging bread (us). 

If you fear the Lord, which means to revere Him, honor Him, and adore Him; He will open the windows of heaven unto you and pour out blessings upon you that you will not have room enough to receive. This passage says that the Lord will show his covenant, a covenant is a promise or agreement… The bible is filled with covenants and the covenant that we focus on today is that God said those who believe will be saved, the covenant we focus on today is that God promised to send a comforter and that Jesus will come back upon the clouds and we will be caught up in the air to meet Him… The covenant is that He has promised to save you; the covenant is that He has promised to deliver you, promised to guide your life to eternal bliss, but we must accept that, we must acknowledge that, we must remove self and allow God to fill the emptiness inside. The secret is with them that fear Him, if you walk with Him; the secret to life resides within you, so search yourself and know that if you are a child of God happiness lies within!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be At Peace And Let God Work

Acquaint now thyself with God, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Job 22:21 

Today’s devotion is centered around two very vital points which we must come to understand as we journey through this life. The first is that we must know God more intimately each and every day of our lives. This requires a desire to grow, mature and develop in the very will of God. To acquaint thyself with something is to open yourself up, expose your pass or submit to. God is waiting for you to open up to Him, He is waiting for you to expose the skeletons in your closet and He is waiting for you to submit to the divine plan that He has for your life…   We will face obstacles in life; however, when we are acquainted with the Lord we are able to trust Him, continue to worship Him and hold on to His unchanging hand… It is only through this acquaintance with the Lord that you mind, body and soul can be at peace… You can accept the challenges of life, you can face the most daunting of tasks and you can endure the severest of storms because you know who God is and more importantly you have grown in knowing what the scriptures say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you…” 

I challenge you today to find peace amidst your storms today, find peace within the relationships you have with and adversary, find peace in the most hostile of environments… The storms and struggles which you face today are a direct reflection of the growth and maturation that you have undergone in your intimate relationship with the Lord… Despite knowing that this scripture today is true, we must understand also today that we must be careful in listening to those who surround us in times of misfortune as this is the second point of today’s devotion. Job’s friends said that he must have erred in some way or fashion, but we say later in this poetical book that Job was called on to pray for his friends due to their lack of intimacy with the Lord… Today’s scripture has a twofold meaning that we need to apply to our lives as Christians… We all know the background of Job; He was a man of wealth and prosperity until Satan entered his life by God’s allowance and struck down his children, cattle and eventually his own health… Job was tested through and through and even his closest friends came to the conclusion that he had caused all this by some act which disobeyed God… This passage taken from the book of Job reminds us how we can be at peace within ourselves, but more importantly that we must be guarded with what we allow to enter our ears and thus our minds. 

Not everyone you encounter will understand the test that God has given you, some will come against you proclaiming things which simply are not true and it is through this intimate relationship with the Lord that you can fight the fiery darts of the enemy and overcome the temptations that often will come from the lips of those closest to you at your most vulnerable point. I often contend that the removal of Job’s family and cattle were pawn’s on Satan’s chess board; the real threat to Job came in the form of his wife who told him to curse God and die and his friends who accused him of acts which had not been committed… Eliphaz (Job’s friend) tells him that he must acquaint (submit, notify or tell) God of thyself. The passage is true but the application has false pretenses (this has the enemy written all over it)… Satan knows scripture, but the way he tries to apply it is not the way in which God has written it. Be careful to study the very word of God today to develop your relationship with Him; it is only through this acquaintance that you can cast down imaginations and refute unwholesome conversation which may often times come from the very mouth of those you call friends.  

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Has The Power

...Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

1 Chronicles 29:11b-12

Make no mistake about it; all power resides within the hands of the man above… When Jesus was mocked, beaten and whipped; He was nailed to the cross and pierced in His side… The bible says that when He gave up the ghost He hung His head and died, but we know that three days later he rose with all power in His hand… Matthew 28:18-20 says,“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” We know that we do not have the ability unless it is provided to us through the grace and mercy of God… When Paul was afflicted with a thorn in the flesh he is recorded as saying that “three times” he prayed for it to be removed by God told him, “my grace is sufficient…” 

These verses taken from the book of Chronicles reminds us that we must have our priorities set in life; we must exalt the Lord above the earth as our head and center of our being… We must give God glory for every good and perfect gift (riches and honor) comes from above… Even when we are faced with times of despair, the writer reminds us that “thou reignest over all and in thin hand is power and might…” When you submit to God, He will deliver you and see that you have victory… Do you feel tired and weary? Are you unhappy or concerned about where you life is going? These are questions that are all too familiar with us and our walk as a Christian. Not a day goes by when we don’t feel like this journey is just too hard to travel or that there are just too many unknowns in our walk of faith. It is far too often that we begin to have doubts about what it is that God has in store, or how we can deal with the pressures of this world… First Chronicles reminds us that through thick and thin God is always in control, no matter what the situation seems to be at the moment, we need to be assured of the fact that God will always be exalted! He will never put more on you than you can bear, but will always make sure that His name is exalted through all that you face… When you praise God throughout your trials you are assured that you will life His name up and Jesus said that “when I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me…” Praise God through all you face, knowing that He hears you and will lift you up as you lift Him up… 

We cling to the fact that He can make the rocks cry out, He will always be sovereign and will always have the praises and beauty of HIS HOLINESS rang out… This tells me that nothing will cause Him or us to falter, nothing will cause TOO MUCH pain or chaos in your life again let us remember what Jesus said, (if I be lifted up, I’ll draw all men unto me) this tells me that when He is exalted through the rough times so will you…This passage further reminds us that the Lord reigns over all and that power and might reside within his hand. This same hand that plucked you out of the miry clay, the same hand that wiped your tears away, the same hand that consoled you when no one else was around is the same hand that you can find your power and might! Power is authority and command, might is force and strength. We always confuse these words to mean the same thing; when in reality, God uses them separately to convey a separate meaning… God has the power or authority over all creation and He has the might or strength to deliver you in everything that you encounter… Remember that situations aren’t always what we see, but rather what God sees, so just walk by faith knowing in believing you will be exalted as you exalt Him and understanding that God has given the power and might to overcome and sustain you on this Christian journey… Just as Jesus endured the CROSS to sit at the right hand, we will endure to reach OUR heavenly goals, keep fighting, but more importantly keep praising and adoring His name!!!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Power Comes When You Overcome

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.

Revelation 2:26

This first thing that a Christian must do in this journey is overcome the power of the natural desire to dwell in sin… The book of revelations is the foretelling of things to come… This book speaks to the return of Jesus Christ for His co-heirs and the deliverance from this earth unto the promised mansions of God… Today John reminds us of where God wants us to end up, but more importantly, he talks to the journey that we must endure to get there… The revelation that God provides to John is a revelation that we can live be as well. This revelation that is revealed unto John informs us of the gift that awaits those who endure. The verse of the day starts of by saying, “he that overcometh…” 

John sets the table for every trial that comes knocking to your door, this word prepares you for every obstacle that is thrust in your path and this message equips you for the snares that are set when you wake up in the morning… The bottom line is that we must overcome, there are no freebies when it comes to this spiritual war that we are fighting; every inch will be tough to go by and every step will draw sweat and blood from within… John knows a little about overcoming, this revelation that he is writing to us has been given to him as he sits on the island of Patmus exiled from his native land… John witness the evil plots against Jesus, he watched Jesus be strung up on the cross, now he himself has been persecuted and writes today to let us know that we (just like him) must overcome… Sure it’s very easy to take the clear path and walk the level ground, but we know that in becoming all that you can become there must be some hills and mountains that come into your journey… You must experience the lows of life to appreciate the highs of Christ and this is the journey that God knows will prepare you to appreciate His bountiful blessings… 

When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, God took them the scenic route, not only to show His mighty hand, but also because the easier route would have brought the Israelites into war with the Philistines… Don’t walk by perception, sometimes the road God wants you on seems rough, but it’s the best course for your life so that you don’t fall into the trap of the enemy… John not only says that we must overcome, but states that we must keep Christ’s works unto the end and we will receive power over the nations… Stay true to the word of God, overcome your fears and keep your faith upon the promises of God… The word that I read says that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, the word that I keep says that “God shall setup a standard against the devil,” the word that I keep says that we are more than conquers through Christ, who gives me strength, the word that I have in my heart says, “my grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” the word that I live by says “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and that “you shall reap a harvest if you faint not…” Jesus overcame the agony in the Garden to drink the cup of wrath for us, then endured the mocking and beatings to fulfill Gods mission an ultimately His purpose, Now He sits at the right hand will all power! Paul had to overcome his efforts as Saul (and the hate people forced on him) to reach the destination of God’s glory and write a third of the New Testament. Peter had to overcome his denial and self-pity to preach the first sermon on the day of Pentecost which established Gods church and saved 3,000 souls. 

These examples show Gods faithfulness to a person or people who walk in faith, He never said it would be easy or that you won’t have hardships, but what He did say is, if you keep my word, and continue to press toward the mark; the door to victory will be opened, the keys to success will be handed to you, and your eternal reservations to heaven will be set in the lambs book of life!!!! It’s a tough road ahead, but hold to God’s hand, keep plowing, and know that all power was given unto Jesus. He has gone to prepare a place for you and will come back again to receive you unto His kingdom in glory… So continue to fight, don’t give up, your blessing, breakthrough and deliverance is INDEED on the way!!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!