 1 John 4:18-19 “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because He first loved us.” ~CSB
I love my wife. I can stand on everything when I say this because we both have been through so much to be in this love that we have. We’ve been through heartache, deception, dishonesty, (all on my part). Yet, she is still here with me. The pain we have gone through, emotional and physical, was a fire that forged our understanding about each other’s perspectives. Because we stopped trying to run this marriage ourselves and allowed God’s love in, things changed for us. We both individually learned how much He loves us. Then, in turn, we learned how to love Him back. And the results of that, we learned how to love each other. The fact that I know how much she loves me; and she knows how much I love her, formed that ‘spiritual force field’ around us that keeps the enemy’s tricks and illusions out of our relationship. We are now strong like that! Now let’s look at all of us as a whole. Many of us are afraid of what the world shows us on a daily basis. What we see on social media, the news and from straight gossip, these things affect us. We become afraid for ourselves and for our children. This fear can cause us to make bad decisions in our lives. It can definitely keep us from hearing the direction God is trying to tell us to go. What if I told you there was a way to get rid of this fear? Look at fear as a fire. Every day this fire threatens to rage out of control, but before it can, you have to ‘extinguish’ it. Now think of God’s love as that ‘fire extinguisher. His Word is the extinguisher’s trigger. In the book of First John, starting with verse 7, we read how ‘love’ is the foundation of getting rid of fear. It starts with God’s love for us, way before we loved Him. The scriptures continue to talk about how God put this love in us. It talks about how God sent His one and only Son to die for a debt we cannot pay. This love of God in us has all the ingredients to suppress, destroy, and exterminate the fears we have that come from the devil. We must know how much God loves us by believing without a doubt verse 16, “...And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us…” We must allow this love to take us over so that we can pass this love onto others in this world. When we have this love, we release all the fear because, “...perfect love drives out fear…” Let’s learn how to use God’s love, (our very own ‘fear’ extinguisher), and extinguish some of that fear in our lives. May God bless and keep you under his protection of healing, direction and love in His Son Jesus’ name. Amen
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 Micah 7:7 “As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.” ~NLT
There were times when I was little, I may have watched something on television or something may have happened during my day that scared me. That night, I wouldn’t be able to sleep because the darkness amplified that fear. I would get so afraid that I would call out to my mama. But it was my daddy’s voice that made me feel better. He would yell, “Boy be quiet in there! We tryin’ to sleep!” After his loud voice sounded off, I felt better. That fear I had, left. I figured if anything was in the house, it would have to deal with my daddy first so I was safe. My daddy made me feel safe during those times. Today is different. I’m a grown man. But there are still things in this world that can stress or cause us fear. We see it when we turn on the news. As parents we see what’s happening to the young kids on the streets and we fear for our own children. As husbands and wives we fear for our relationships, “Are we gonna make it?” “Is he or she going to leave me?” We can call this stress ‘Grown Folks Fear’. Though our trials in fear may differ, we all can have the same stress and fear that lead us into making bad decisions and follow our flesh down the wrong paths. In Micah Chapter seven, verses 1-6 speak on chaos that may go on around us. It describes how miserable we can be. How at times we may not be able to eat, or how people around us are not honest. How people of this world have no regard for others. It talks about the evil around us. Basically describing what this world has influenced in situations around us. But if we stay focused on our Father. When we hear His voice and His promises of abundance and protection, then we can let go of that unwanted stress and fear. When we know that there is nothing bigger than God; no pain, no hurt, no situation and no obstacle! Once we know that God is bigger, stronger and more powerful then what tries to claim us, then we will be just fine. Let go of that ‘Grown Folks Fear’. And with open arms embrace the Love of God! Understanding God’s love is the first step in the absence of fear. May God continue to bless and keep you under his umbrella of protection in Jesus name. Amen  2 Corinthians 12:7 “...even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.” ~NLT
Paul is speaking here about how much God has used him. He is speaking about witnessing God’s power through him in healing and revealing the Good News to people that have crossed his path. Yet, of all the good he is doing, life for him has not been an easy one. Do you share Paul’s position? Do you read the Word? Put the time in with meditation in the Word and feel your relationship with God is strong? Yet it seems that something’s always coming up? This is the way of a Christian’s life, but not as punishment. There is a realization that must take place in every Christian. We have been delivered. Now we must allow that deliverance to pass on to others. God wants to use us to transform others, (make disciples Matthew 28:19-20). But sometimes, to do that, we must stand still in a place we do not want to be. A place that may stress us and cause us grief because it is a place where we have exhausted every means we have and cannot go any further. There is good news, so rest easy. There is nothing you can do at this point. Nothing under your power will work. But if you stand in position, God will take over. In you and through you His power and strength will allow that ‘impossible’ situation to open up and fall before God in you. This is what is needed for your faith to grow stronger. This is what is needed for others around you to see God exists! Paul goes on to say in verses 7, 8 and 9, “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” ~NLT When people see us weak and at our end, they will see God when we have victory in that position. Because they know, it wasn’t us alone that conquered it. All will see that God did a great work in us. This is the thorn Paul was talking about. We may have that thorn, but God’s grace is all we need. He will do the rest. He will take care of everything, we must be present and patient. Allow God His time to do His work in you. Endure, persevere and exercise patience. The miracle is just beyond your stopping point. Run to it and let God carry you through! Your deliverance will deliver God's will, healing and strength to others! May God continue to bless and keep you under the umbrella of his power and protection in Jesus’ name. Amen Philippians 2:2-4 “…fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” ~HCSB
A husband does his part in a godly marriage by considering his wife’s feelings over his own. This is a skill because the flesh makes it hard for a man who has a trying day at work; followed by a stressful time in traffic, to come home and think about anything else other than his own personal need to sit down for a minute and take a load off. But when his Christ-like actions prevail, and he puts aside all that burdens him to care for and attend to the needs of his wife, she feels safe and secure in her husband’s attention. Let’s add that this particular couple goes out of their way, in their day to day lives, attempting to 'outdo' each other in their care and love for one another. Their actions result in a godly marriage. This is a victory in the name of the Lord. Now let us switch this relationship from a married couple to how we as individuals affect others around us. How we are to live with great intention toward others God places in our paths. There is a command given to us that must be followed in order for us to fulfill our purpose in the name of the Kingdom. This command was given to us by Jesus when he gave us the order to ‘love’ in Matthew 22:37-39. When it comes down to it; it doesn’t matter how we were raised in the church; the style our devotions were taught or the community we may have been raised in; we are all Christians. Christ is who we follow. No matter what differences we may have in knowing Christ, we must stay true to His command of ‘Love’. This is what Paul’s intention of direction is when he says in Philippians, think the way Jesus would have us think. Have the same love shown by our Lord and Savior. This in turn will allow us to share the same feelings and focus on one goal; the goal of our purpose in Jesus name. Of everything going on around us in our lives every day we must not let the world cause us to do anything, “…out of rivalry or conceit…” But in the humility shown by Christ, we must consider others as more important than ourselves. Just as a married couple lives to service each other in actions of love, resulting in a godly marriage; so must we do with others around us to produce a godly community. It starts with us. It is aided in strength by God in us. We were created for this task. May God give you strength, directions and wisdom in your journey in Jesus name. |
Authors Billy & YolandaThis is the place where we share our heart through God's Word in faith that will inspire and empower you to live in peace. Archives
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