 Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to get people to think well of me? Or do I want God to think well of me? Am I trying to please people? If I were, I would not be serving Christ.” ~NIRV
When I sang my first solo at church, I was very nervous. I look back on that and my thoughts were, “Will they think I can’t sing?” “If I hit the wrong note, will they ever let me hear the end of it?” In my fear, I had forgotten the reason why I sang in the first place. You see, before I started singing, I prayed. My prayer was for God to allow me a chance to use the voice He gave me to bring hope and spread the good news in song. To sing praises to Him. In other words my intent for my actions was for the kingdom. The purpose is always for the kingdom. Making disciples is ‘Word’ that we follow in Matthew 28:19-20. In order to stay strong, and fight the tactics of the enemy we must remember who we work for and whom we serve. That, my brothers and sisters, is God. When I was nervous about singing I forgot who I was really serving; as I was serving the people around me. I took my focus off the mission and focused on the people. When I did that, I failed to leave any room for God to perform His miracle, (through me), on those who prayed to Him for deliverance. Remember, as you live for Christ, allow Him to live in you by focusing on the fact that it is not you by yourself witnessing in hope; but God’s power perfected in your actions that perform the actual miracle. Don’t stand in the way of that. Stick with the statement from the scripture, “…I want God to think well of me…” You do that and you will stay focused on your mission in serving Christ. May God continue to give you strength, courage and wisdom on your journey in Jesus name. Amen
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 Nehemiah 2:4-6 “Then the king asked me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of the heavens and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I may rebuild it.” The King, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the king to send me." ~CSB
Quick story. A man, with a great business idea, was sitting in the stands of a baseball game. Next to him was a stranger who, unknowing to him, was a wealthy businessman looking for something new to invest in. As they talked about the game, the opportunity came up where the man told the wealthy businessman about his great idea. The businessman never told the man who he was, but simply asked him, “How long do you think this will take to build and how much do you think it will cost?” The man with the plan responded, “Well, I haven’t gotten that far in my plans, but I’ll write it all down one day.” The wealthy businessman heard this and thought to himself, this may not be a good investment. If this man was sincere about his plan as he should be, he would have the knowledge of what he needed for his plan. So since he did not, the businessman changed the subject back to the game and chose not to bless the man by investing. The man just missed a blessing because he was not prepared. In the text above, Nehemiah was sad. The King saw this and asked what was wrong. Nehemiah was sad because his home, the home of his ancestors, was in ruins and he wanted to do something about it. He was afraid to address the king, so he prayed to God and then answered the king. The text says that he answered the king by giving him “...a definite time…” and the king was ‘pleased to send him”. You see, his heart was so wrapped around his home that he had thought the whole ‘request’ through. When Nehemiah had the right answers, God, through the king, made Nehemiah’s request come true. When we pray in Jesus' name, we must be spiritually invested in that prayer enough to have the basic answers for God when asked. This way, in our hearts we are prepared not only to receive from God, but prepared to move where He tells us to go. Prepared to answer God’s call to move, speak, stand and even be still for a while. Prepare ourselves for what will come after our prayers and requests. Do not miss the blessing because of ‘spiritual unpreparedness’. When our hearts are in sync with God’s will for our lives, our prayers will be answered. Let us not be afraid to have the answers needed for the questions to come from Him. Let us not be afraid to move in the directions the Holy Spirit guides us as God will have us covered in answering our prayers. May God keep you in His peace as you continue to walk the journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So Glorify God with your body.” ~CSB
In our homes, we have set up an environment that we feel great living in. We have our couches in the right spot to watch our flat screen TV. We have our kitchen set up to prepare our favorite meals. We have our main bedrooms set up so that we can enjoy the ultimate satisfaction of rest and relaxation. All this for our peace of mind, and it doesn't hurt to show off our taste in fashion and lifestyle to the company that comes over. Now, there is another home that we are in charge of, that many of us, (me included), do not take the same considerations in maintaining. It is our bodies. The Word says in 1st Corinthians, that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words, it is a home for the gift that God blessed us with, the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are a dwelling place for all those blessed spiritual gifts from above. So why do we not maintain, take care of, or clean this temple like we do our homes? For our own selfish reasons, we make sure the environment around us is what we like. Now we need to consider maintaining our bodies so that the Lord will be pleased with the dwelling we have created for His gifts of love. The Word continues that our bodies are, “...not your own…” Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to have the chance we have at salvation. The more we take care of, and clean these temples, the longer chance we have at enjoying the blessings God blesses us with here on earth. And also, we will be able to perform the duties we need to perform that will allow God’s will in our lives to run its completion! We will be able to perform these duties without giving up because we are not tired, or weak from lack of care in our temples. The gifts will strengthen our spirits to walk a strong and powerful journey. Just think about it. “...Glorify God with your body…” Let us clean up our dwelling place. Because the Lord has many more blessings to send our way. Let’s show Him we have a place worthy of receiving His gifts. It is never too late to start. God’s blessings upon you.  2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.” ~CSB
I punished my teenage son one day by taking away his cell phone. He was upset because I interrupted communication access between him and his girlfriend. He began to say how sorry he was and that he would not do it again. Eventually I gave him his phone back but the same disobedience continued. Time went by, we talked and he admitted that he was only sorry because he had lost his phone privileges. He wasn’t getting the bigger picture of the punishment that would eventually make him a better man. The world had taught him to have ‘its’ remorse. And because of that, his spiritual lessons could not be learned. Do we do that? In life when we know we may be going through something because of a bad choice we made, we begin to feel sorry. But where is our remorse guided? Is it worldly remorse we are feeling or godly remorse? Tony Evans paints a beautiful picture in his commentary about this. He writes, “Judas experiences ‘worldly grief’ after he betrayed Jesus. He knew he had sinned and was filled with remorse, but was unwilling to repent, (Matthew 27:3-5). On the other hand, Peter experienced ‘godly grief’ after denying Christ. This led to his repentance and recommitment to the Lord, resulting in his spiritual restoration. (Matthew 26:75; John 21:15-19). Now, I know the story about my son may seem minor, but ‘worldly remorse’ starts somewhere. My son was only focused on what he had lost, something he desired but did not have anymore. What he should have been focusing on was the big picture of doing better. As we live and breathe we need to take heed in the times God puts us on ‘pause’. In this pause let us not focus on what we lost or are not gaining. Yet let us focus on the ‘big picture’. Let us step away from the ‘worldly remorse’ and embrace the ‘godly grief’ that leads to ‘repentance’. Step away from grief that leads us away from God, but embrace that pain that pulls us to Him! It is in this ‘repentance’ we will find the peace, guidance and healing that will open our eyes to what it truly is God is giving us! Genuinely be remorseful to the Lord and declare His will over your life and watch the power of God move in the spiritual world He so graciously provided for you. Amen 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” ~NLT
I have a confession. When I was younger, I purposely did not watch ‘award’ shows. I used to look at these shows and say, “I could do that. What’s so important about THAT person?” I was so way off base with that kind of thinking. What I didn't realize was that I was envious of other people’s success. What I didn’t realize was that success was supposed to be their ‘blessing’. A blessing they worked hard for. Blessings that God had already prepared for them. Blessings they had already walked through the ‘fire’ to receive. The biggest thing I failed to realize was that God already had my success lined up for me. But I was so busy criticizing others that I didn’t even make time to talk to the Lord about His will for me. God has big plans for all of us. But the world attempts to keep us from knowing that. Dr. Charles Stanley said once, “...Satan wants us to notice what others are doing so that it makes us feel inferior.” Think about it, we get on social media and see our friends on vacation, but we can’t go because money isn’t right. Or couples posting good relationships and ours is not so good. All these things are distractions. First we don’t know what the struggle is or was, of the people we see enjoying their success. That’s just it! We all may be going through right now, but after the midnight cry, joy will come in the morning! The bible talks about different body parts doing different unique work in order for the body to function as a whole, (1 Corinthians 12:15-26). We possess that same duty. We live our life as a ‘body part’. Our duties are to function in our own God-given unique way so that we can allow the ‘Body of Christ’ to function as a whole! Don’t let Satan disturb, distract or destroy that duty! Stay focused. Endure the trials and training of your sufferings because in the end, God will heal you, guide you and allow you to rise to the top. And when we begin to walk in our victory, make sure we share our struggle; mixed with God’s miracle in our lives; with others so that they may rise also. May God bless and keep you in His grace and mercy as you walk in Jesus’ name. Amen  Luke 12:11-12 “Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.” ~CSB
In my time in the Army and in law enforcement, I have been trained to prepare myself for the worst situations. For instance, I was trained to think about an incident that could go wrong, and five solutions for that situation. I took that training to situations in my everyday life and found myself preparing for something that may never take place. But one day the Spirit of the Lord told me not to do that anymore. God said in His Word that He sent us a Comforter and a Counselor. God gifted us each with the Holy Spirit that will guide us through tough situations. Think about it, how often do you find yourself talking to yourself, responding to a person who is not there; or a situation that has not happened yet? All of this causes us stress. The encounter with people and the uncomfortable situations are not for you. They are for Him. God wants to use us in these situations we encounter. That person or that situation is to be used by the Father to show others His power in healing and peace through you. We are not to figure out what to do under our own power. Rather, we are to walk our Christian walk and allow the Holy Spirit to say the right words of ‘healing’ that will come from God. This power of the Holy Spirit will bring a ‘miracle’ solution to any situation. God’s power in us will always defeat the enemy’s influence, on us and those around us. But we must trust God. Never fall away from trusting in God’s power and will for our lives. Until we learn to fully trust God, we will remain further away from our goal in loving God as much as He loves us. May God continue to bless and keep you in His grace in Jesus’s name. Amen  Zechariah 13:9 “I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say: They are my people, and they will say: The Lord is our God.” ~CSB
Do we find ourselves at a stand still as we walk in our callings? We have received our vision and direction from God, in what He has commanded of us. We feel that we are walking in obedience, yet we are becoming frustrated because it seems like things aren’t going according to how we were called. Let us step back and take a look at this from another perspective. Remember the world has taught us to be impatient. Because of that we have taken that vision God had given us, and we may be trying to do multiple things at once. We must understand that our God is a ‘step by step’ God. We must listen for His direction and move in the steps He has given us. In other words, there may be some things we must experience in one step, that will allow us to move a little more gracefully in a step to come. Look at Abraham. God told him in Genesis 12:1, “...Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” ~CSB God told Abraham to leave home! That would be a pretty hard move for most of us. But this scripture shows us that some of the steps God gives us, may not be the easiest. May not be comfortable, and may not be convenient. But they must be taken. Why? Because each step allows us to become stronger for the next step. Each step allows you to learn, grow, heal, and endure. Strong Christians will experience patience. Experienced Christians will practice patience while enduring the trials of the step. We will find that as we endure each step, God will birth a miracle in us with a blessing so great, not only will we benefit from it, but others around us will also benefit. Allow God to ‘...refine us as silver is refined…’ Allow God to ‘...test us as gold is tested…’ So that when we call on His name, He will answer us. He will say, “...They are my people.” And we will confirm, with enthusiasm and faith “The Lord is our God.” May God continue to bless you in His protection of peace, healing and love in Jesus’ name. Amen  Proverbs 27:19 and 21 “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. 21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.” ~NLT
Some of us have a difficult time accepting compliments. Especially when it comes to Christians. If we are not bowing our heads indicating ‘we are not worthy’, we are usually giving glory to God. We say, “It’s God’s glory not mine.” There is nothing wrong with giving God the glory. In fact this is what we must do. The problem comes when this statement becomes automatic and we say it without even thinking about God. In other words, we say it just to look good, appearing to pass the compliment on, but realistically keeping it within ourselves. We must be sincere when we include God in our statements. In saying this, it is ok to tell someone, “Thank you.” Then in prayer and praise, thank God, “...for the blessing of allowing others to see You (Lord), in me!” Instead of keeping it, we must pass the blessing of the compliment, that we receive, on to God in praise. If we keep the compliment without passing praise to God, we risk infecting ourselves with pride and what we become is not what God created us to be. Pass the praise on to God, and we will make room to receive humility. With this, others will see God in us. He will be pleased with the godly life we are living, when we pass the test of, "...being praised..." May God continue to bless and keep us in His awesome grace as we walk in Jesus’ name. Amen  Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” ~CSB
When my wife and I were going through those hard times in our marriage, I said a lot of things I regret. Under the influence of my alcohol addiction, I said some things I cannot take back. It doesn’t matter if I didn’t mean them. It doesn’t matter if what was coming out of my mouth did not represent the true man I am; what I said could not be erased from memory. My wife, being the receiver of those words, could not and cannot forget. But because she chose to lean on the Lord’s peace, He healed her from the damage of my words. So where does that leave me? First I had to ask for forgiveness from my wife. Then I had to ask for forgiveness from the Father. Second, in obedience, I must make sure I do not make the same mistake twice. I must think before I speak. Because I know the Lord and all men and women are His children, I now live by the foundation of the spiritual rule of speaking…if I will not say it to God, I will not say it to His children. And third, I must exercise, in meditation, God’s word daily so that I learn to keep Him first before anyone I encounter. That means from my wife and my children, to strangers I may meet on the street, ‘...the words of my mouth…’ will speak with results of positive and spiritual love and guidance. No matter what circumstance I’m in, I will allow God’s will to guide me, not my fleshly desire to disobey verbally. At the end of our journey, here in this world, we all should want to be ‘...acceptable to God…’ So know that He is always around. He can see and hear us. If we put Him first, it is a lot easier to remember that and say the right things to those we encounter. Because when we cross paths with others, God is just waiting to bless them through us. May God bless and keep you under His umbrella of love, guidance and protection in Jesus’ name. Amen Amen  Romans 12:1 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” ~NLT
How do we walk in obedience? How do we live our lives righteously? Do we really want to do right but find ourselves falling short to the desires our bodies crave? These are all outstanding questions when it comes to the attempt at living righteous lives. Let’s see if we can pull some wisdom and strength in the memories we may have. Remember when we wanted to lose some weight. We decided what we were going to eat and sacrificed foods we loved, and did not eat them. We also decided to dedicate a few hours in the day to exercise. We sacrificed our comforts and traded them in for sweat and tears. We literally disciplined our bodies for the greater good of ‘health and wellness’. And when we reached that goal, we were so proud and felt good about that success. 1 Corinthians 9:27 says, “Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” ~CSB Bringing our bodies under ‘...strict control…’ is the answer. It is the beginning of a servant's commitment to God. If we could just keep our bodies under control, that would be the first step in ‘...giving our bodies to God…’ If we practiced cutting back on foods that keep us on medication. If we practiced putting down the cigarettes and cutting back on alcohol, all things that the body cannot process, if we can get control of that…the rest will be a lot easier to control and bring under ‘strict discipline’. Just think about the possibilities of success in sacrifice. When we learn to keep the body under strict control, we will be able to handle confrontation in a godly way, when it comes in our direction. We will be able to contain our anger. We will be able to have a sound and clear mind when it comes to making righteous decisions in Jesus' name. Starting with strict discipline of our bodies and what it craves will allow us to have a more focused journey on this path God intended for us to travel. We will be seen to others as a people that live as a, “...holy sacrifice–the kind He will find acceptable…” Start today, practice a little at a time telling the body, “NO! You cannot have that!” In time that discipline will become strict and strong enough to walk away from temptation. “This is truly the way to worship Him.” May God continue to bless you with His wisdom, grace and protection as you walk in the name of Jesus. Amen |
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