Have you ever believed in something whole heartedly but did not have the faith that it was going to happen? If you believe in something or someone and don't have the faith what good is it? You can say you believe in God, but if you don't have faith in God your belief goes out the window. Faith and belief go hand in hand. If you believe that the chair won't move when you sit down, then it takes faith to sit in the chair.
The definition of faith is the belief and trust in God, knowing that God is real even though you can't see him.
The definition of believe is to accept as true to trust and to have faith. Just by the definitions alone you can not believe if you first do not have faith.
Luke 17:5-6 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
There are countless numbers of miracles in the Bible none of which could have happened without first having faith and second believing that it was going to happen. Faith is the confident assurance that something will happen, but in order for it to happen you must believe.
Take a look at the story about the paralytic who was healed.
Luke 5:17-26 17And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Notice in the 20th verse it states and when He saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.. When Jesus saw the mens faith who persevered to get their friend in front of Jesus to be healed he healed the man.. It was the faith of those who would do anything for a friend. Some of the things that you have overcome may have been because of someone else's faith. Yes you may have faith but it is those who are persistent with their belief and who have the faith that see things get done. Everyone has faith but not everyone chooses to use it. Is your faith lying dormant like a welcome mat being trampled on or is it soaring like an eagle soars above the land.
There are examples of those in the bible who lack faith and who have great faith. I have shown you an example of men with great faith, now I would like to show you another. This one is about a woman who lacked belief and faith.
Genesis 16:1-2
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." .
Sarai lacked the belief and faith in knowing that God was going to bless her with a child. She got so disappointed after many years of trying to conceive a child that she lost her focus and her faith. She willingly broke her covenant with her husband due to lack of faith. Many years later at the age of ninety Sarai now called Sarah bore a son named Isaac. God did fulfill his promise to her. .
We can look at this and apply it to our lives.. Have we broken the covenant with God because what He has promised has not come to life yet? Have we lost faith because we can not fathom all that is promised will come to pass? God's way of doing things is definitely different from the way we do things. We want things to happen right away, without looking at what we are going through or what we still need to go through in order for it to happen. If we keep our faith up and we believe without a shadow of a doubt that God will move mountains for us then He will.
We all need to have our faith restored to us. We must ask God to restore our faith when we feel things are too impossible to happen. We must continue to believe that God is working in us and around us. We also must regain our faith and relationship with God through prayer and praise.
So if you are like me and sometimes you ask how is God going to do that. Just have faith and believe that it will happen and it will.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Through The Storm
For those who are in a Storm
Believe with everything that is in you.. Do not give up for the promises that God has made to you will come to pass. Do not stop praising him for through our praise we begin to see changes in our lives... Continue to have faith continue to walk forward in your ministry or whatever God has called you to do.. Do not rely on the world but rely on God and He will see you through,, The word believe is very powerful just like the word faith.. You can not believe that something will happen unless you have the faith that it will.. And you can not have faith unless you first believe... So I say to you .. praise Him no matter what you are going through and you will get through it.. Though the road may seem bumpy and cloudy, the clearing is ahead you just have to have faith that you will see the clearing and run towards it... Call on God when you are in need and He will hear you.. Do not be ashamed to say God I need help because He knows... Jesus came to this earth and endured the same trials that we go thorugh day in and day out.. The battle is already won and the Victory is ours...
Believe with everything that is in you.. Do not give up for the promises that God has made to you will come to pass. Do not stop praising him for through our praise we begin to see changes in our lives... Continue to have faith continue to walk forward in your ministry or whatever God has called you to do.. Do not rely on the world but rely on God and He will see you through,, The word believe is very powerful just like the word faith.. You can not believe that something will happen unless you have the faith that it will.. And you can not have faith unless you first believe... So I say to you .. praise Him no matter what you are going through and you will get through it.. Though the road may seem bumpy and cloudy, the clearing is ahead you just have to have faith that you will see the clearing and run towards it... Call on God when you are in need and He will hear you.. Do not be ashamed to say God I need help because He knows... Jesus came to this earth and endured the same trials that we go thorugh day in and day out.. The battle is already won and the Victory is ours...
Praise Him, Pray to Him, Bless Him, Extol Him... Whatever you do Praise God to the fullest. Use your dance, song, voice, writings, teachings, Whatever God has given you use it to Bless His Kingdom and Praise Him in the Process
Sorry
This is a poem I wrote..
Sorry
For the things that i have done
left undone unstrung
by the one
who said that they loved
how many years must i wait
until i can get it straight
do i stutter or flutter?
We can make it better
if you forget about the letters
the letters that i wear on my chest
the letters spell out
SINNER
I am a beginner
who fell but got up
who didn't know when to shut up
what did you put up with
I am a pastor at heart
that should set me apart
I am hung up on one part
He set me apart
Sorry
For the things that i have done
left undone unstrung
by the one
who said that they loved
how many years must i wait
until i can get it straight
do i stutter or flutter?
We can make it better
if you forget about the letters
the letters that i wear on my chest
the letters spell out
SINNER
I am a beginner
who fell but got up
who didn't know when to shut up
what did you put up with
I am a pastor at heart
that should set me apart
I am hung up on one part
He set me apart
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Uprooted tree
Matthew 13:1-13 1The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
While on a ladies retreat I took a walk around a pond that was in front of the cabin we stayed at. As I was walking around the pond I began to notice several things around me. The first thing I noticed were geese in the middle of the pond, then the second was a hole in the pond where the water that was melting was running off into this hole. The final thing I noticed was amazing yet puzzling at the same time. In front of me was this massive pine tree that was uprooted. As I began to look around I noticed that none of the other trees were uprooted, they were firmly planted in the ground. Now to look at the roots of this tree you could see the soil still sticking to the roots. The soil looked rich to the naked eye, so I began to ask out loud why had this tree fallen, out of all the other trees why this one?
I stood still and waited for an answer. (just a side note sometimes we ask for an answer but are too impatient to wait for it) I stood there looking at the roots of the tree and began to notice that they were not broken, just simply pulled out of the ground. Now I am not an expert at this type of thing but what I believe happened was a strong gust of wind came by and shook this tree to its foundation, and because the roots weren't firmly planted they became loosed causing the tree to fall to the ground. A tree will not fall if its roots are firmly planted. A tree will not fall if the soil in which it is planted is giving it the proper nutrients it needs to survive.
Matthew 7:25-27 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
Psalm 19:4 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
This is where I started to think how as Christians we can be like this tree. If we are not careful with what we are planted in we to can become uprooted. We need to have our roots firmly planted in the word of God.. Upon His foundation..He is our Rock. Without having a proper foundation any trial or temptation that comes our way will uproot us. When we are tempted we are to use the word of God to ward off the temptation, BUT if we are not firmly planted in the word of God how are we to tell the devil he is a liar? How are we supposed to tell the mountain that is in our way to move if we don't know the proper scripture to back us up when we tell it to move? My bible states that His word will not return void.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
I mentioned in the beginning about seeing 2 geese on the water. When I looked out onto the pond I saw two geese, one was looking for food in the water and the other was standing guard. So as I began to observe them for a few moments I began to think how we are the goose that is constantly looking for food, looking to be fed. Then we have the goose who is standing guard while the other one is being fed. The goose that is standing guard is very alert to its surroundings, looking left and right turning around every so often, making sure no enemies are in the area. If you have ever observed geese you will notice that they are “family” oriented. You will never find one by itself, they fly in flocks and they protect there young as well as their mate. Look at the goose that is looking to be fed with its head submerged in the water feeding on the plant life as the Christian who is constantly in the word of God feeding on every word. . Then look at the goose that is standing guard ready to squawk if an enemy approaches as God watching over us warning us when trouble is on the way. The goose is putting his life in danger to save the goose who is feeding, Just as Jesus put. His life on the cross to save us.
Now to go to the hole in the pond.. To some who look at this it is just a hole but to me it said something more. Picture God standing on an ice covered pond and living water was flowing from him and into this hole in the ice. Then across the pond from the hole is a Christian who is feeding on the word of God. The hole that the water is pouring into is not getting full nor is it overflowing. As long as Christians feed on the word of God there will be people to feed the excess of what we received to.
Sharing is Caring.. a good old statement that we tell kids day in and day out. But how are we applying that statement to our walk? If we receive a message at church are we running and telling our friends about it or are we keeping it to ourselves? On a personal note I know I have received a message at church and could not wait to tell someone, so I would go home and tell my mother (who does not go to church) about what happened in church. As politely as she can she looks at me and smiles and says thats nice. Does that make me want to stop running home and tell her what happened no, it makes me want to do it more. See we fail to realize that what goes on in the spiritual is far more than what goes on in the natural. The word that you spoke in someones life may not reach them at that moment but it is in their subconscious and I guarantee you when they see or hear something that will remind them of what you said the word that you spoke to them will come back. Do not be greedy and eat all you can and not bring leftovers home for your friends and family. God does not want us to be greedy he wants us to share the Good News. He wants us to tell everyone we come in contact with about what He has done and what He has yet to do. I challenge you that when you receive a message at church or bible study to go tell someone. Do not be afraid of what they will say but be confident in knowing that His word will not return void. Do not be like the tree and become uprooted because you are not firmly planted but become like the goose who is feeding and feed on the word of God.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Practice what you Preach
Practice what you preach
Author Unknown
You can know all the scriptures,
Have all the bibles you can reach,
But when push comes to shove
Do you practice what you preach?
Anyone can go to church
And collapse on the floor,
But when Judgment Day comes
Will you be at Heaven's door?
You can have the biggest of fits
And say the Holy ghost passed through,
But is that really reflected
In the things you do?
You can yell far and wide
Proclaiming your love for Christ,
But what have you given him
When for you He gave his life?
You can lecture others
About the wrong things they do,
But before you look at others
You need to look at you.
You can damn all the sinners
Tell them they're headed south,
But what have you done lately
Besides run your mouth?
You can call yourself a Christian
Spend all your days at church,
But while you are praising His name,
Have you been doing the Lord's work?
You can boast of good deeds
To show us the spirit is within
But why show it to us?
You should show it to Him!
You can memorize the bible
Know it from front to back,
But you don't use it to regulate others
Regulate how you act!
Take a good look at yourself
Not at what others do,
Because when He comes to get his children ...
Will He be coming for you too
Author Unknown
You can know all the scriptures,
Have all the bibles you can reach,
But when push comes to shove
Do you practice what you preach?
Anyone can go to church
And collapse on the floor,
But when Judgment Day comes
Will you be at Heaven's door?
You can have the biggest of fits
And say the Holy ghost passed through,
But is that really reflected
In the things you do?
You can yell far and wide
Proclaiming your love for Christ,
But what have you given him
When for you He gave his life?
You can lecture others
About the wrong things they do,
But before you look at others
You need to look at you.
You can damn all the sinners
Tell them they're headed south,
But what have you done lately
Besides run your mouth?
You can call yourself a Christian
Spend all your days at church,
But while you are praising His name,
Have you been doing the Lord's work?
You can boast of good deeds
To show us the spirit is within
But why show it to us?
You should show it to Him!
You can memorize the bible
Know it from front to back,
But you don't use it to regulate others
Regulate how you act!
Take a good look at yourself
Not at what others do,
Because when He comes to get his children ...
Will He be coming for you too
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Sailboat and Butterfly
There are many accounts in the bible of transformation or change. The one story in the bible that stands out the most to me about change or a transformation, is the story of Saul.
Saul hated Christians, he made it his goal to capture, then bring the Christians to public trial and execution. Saul was present when the first Christan martyr was executed (Stephen). (Acts 7:51-8:1)
After Stephen's execution Saul went door to door seeking out the people who believed that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 8:3). After putting these people in prison, Saul learned about their Christian friends in Damascus by obtaining letters that were sent out. (Acts 22: 4-5) He set out for Damascus, But on the way something happened to Saul.
Here is his account of what occurred according to Acts 22:6-15. 6And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 11And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.12And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, 13Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 15For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. (NKJV)
Saul was blinded for three days. For three days he sat in the dark and did not eat or drink, until Ananias came and laid hands upon him. He now was proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah whereas before he was killing those who were proclaiming the same thing. It says that he was blinded for 3 days, I don't believe it took the three days for him to be transformed. I believe the transformation began the moment the light shone down from heaven upon him.
Paul writes about being transformed in Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (NKJV). He does not state “transform yourself” but “be ye transformed.” We can not make transformation happen ourselves; it is something God does to us. What then is our role in the transformation process? Our role is to train for the transformation. 1Corinthians 9:25 states Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever (NIV). One of the main reasons why we tend to give up on the “transformation” process is because we exhaust ourselves trying to be transformed, when the bible states that we must be trained in order to be transformed.
There is a major difference between training to do something and just going and doing it. How many of us can go out on a field and play a game of soccer? I know I could because I was on a soccer team, I had the proper training in order to be a soccer player. If you didn't have the proper training before going out onto that field you would get very confused on which direction you were to go. On which goal you were to be aiming for when kicking the ball. Just like in our everyday lives, we are being trained daily on which route to take, which people to hang out with, and which people to encourage.
It is like learning a different language, at first you can speak a little, but with the proper training you can become fluent in the language. Training means the education, instruction, or discipline of a person or thing that is being trained. When God is training us in essence he is teaching us about discipline. Discipline means training to act in accordance with rules. God has given us a set of rules to live by the rules being the commandments. Through the training he is equipping us with the proper tools that we need to succeed.
I have written about God training us, but there is also a training we ourselves must do. We must first pick up the training manual. The Bible. We must then start to read and seek out the word of God to strengthen us in order to overcome some of the obstacles that will be put in our way. God's way of training is to give us tests/ trials. James 1:2-4 states 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. It is through the trails that we become stronger, when we become stronger we will be lead farther into our transformation process.
Spiritual transformation is a long-term process. It involves both God and us. Think of it as if you are trying to cross a lake. Some people try day after day to be spiritually mature and disciplined. They are like someone on a row boat trying to get across the lake with one oar. It is exhausting and sometimes unsuccessful. Others have given up trying and throw themselves entirely on "relying on God's grace." They're like drifters on a raft. They do nothing but hang on and hope God gets them there. They think the tide will take them where they need to go, what they don't understand is that the tide comes in and it goes out, eventually you will end up back where you started from.
Neither trying nor drifting are very effective in bringing about spiritual transformation. A better image would be the sailboat, in which if it moves at all, it's because of the wind. We can't control the wind, but a good sailor distinguishes where the wind is blowing and adjusts the sails accordingly.
Working with the Holy Spirit is like the wind in John 3:8, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." what it means is we have a part in discerning the winds, in knowing the direction we need to go, and in training our sails to catch the breezes that God sends us.
2 Corinthians 5:17 states Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
I often look at this scripture and envision a butterfly. You may ask why a butterfly, when a butterfly comes out of its cocoon it is breaking free from the past, from what it was. We as Christians need to act like a butterfly and break free from our cocoons and let the past go. We can not expect to fly like a butterfly if we are still holding onto the cocoon. When the caterpillar goes through the metamorphosis its way of thinking is changed. When a butterfly emerges from its cocoon it doesn't want to crawl on the ground, or eat leaves. It has a new direction it has a new purpose. Its amazing that a butterfly does not need to learn how to fly, it just does it. Why can't we be like that? Why can't we just say ok God use me and lets go.. The reason I think is because our mentality hasn't fully changed. We say we are Christians, we say we go to church, but are our every day lives reflecting what God wants it to reflect? Are you trying to be what you once were, even though the transformation has already begun?
The connection that I would like to make between the butterfly and the sailboat is that they both rely on the wind for most of their travel. When you look at a butterfly you notice that it will flap its wings and then sail with the wind. The butterfly learns to rely on the wind because it can take it places faster than what it could on its own. The same goes with the sail boat, with the sails down it is just drifting on the current of the water. But when the sails are up it is gliding across the water. God is our "wind" once we start relying on him he will bring us places we thought we could never go, we just need to trust him more and determine which direction he is pointing us.
I know I am to be a pastor/youth pastor, but without the proper training I will never become a pastor or a youth pastor. God did not give me the gifts that I have if he was not going to train me on how to use them. He did not give you the gifts you have if He wasn't going to train you on how to use them. God will not begin the transformation process if we ourselves are not willing to change. I urge you to be like the butterfly and spread your wings. Don't look at where you were, look to where God is leading you.
I pray that whoever reads this post will be encouraged to seek God and be willing to accept the call on your life. I also pray that you will become like the sailor and determine which way the wind is blowing so you can catch sail, and move in the direction you need to go.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
"HOLDING" ON
This is a different kind of writing for me. What I am writing are words that God has shown me and is telling me to use to reach myself as well as others. As I am writing God is talking to me and telling me to LET GO, Why Are you Holding on? I am holding you so you don't have to hold onto it anymore. God is talking to me about the pain and shame I hold onto. I have held onto the pain and the shame of my youth for too long and I thought I didn't know how to let it go... BUT God... Is taking my hand and leading me on. So I reach to him and say I will Let Go and Hold On to you.
The definition of Holding has many different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Some examples are:
1. To physically hold something: to have or keep in the hand; keep fast; grasp: She held the purse in her right hand
2. To hold without touching: to set aside; reserve or retain: to hold merchandise until called for.
3. Holding yourself back: To keep back from action; hinder; restrain: Fear held him from acting.
4. Who is Holding you back? a controlling force or dominating influence: to have a hold on a person.
5. Holding onto your faith: to have or keep in the mind; think or believe: We hold this belief.
With the first example of Holding it is showing an example of holding onto something in a physical sense. There are many different things that we can hold physically. We can hold the word of God in our hand. We can hold a piece of paper or a family member who is hurt. What is it that you are holding onto? With the second example it is showing the way we hold on with out having to touch it physically. This can be the pain of your youth or the what ifs. This can be holding onto a dream or nightmare. What is it that you are holding onto? The third example is showing us how we hold ourselves back. Is it fear that is holding you back, is it knowing that if you let go more trials will come? What is is that you are holding onto? The fourth example is showing us that there are people in our lives who are holding us back. This can be a family member, a friend, an enemy, someone you have not forgiven. Whoever it may be ask yourself why am I holding on? So again God asks me What is it that you are holding onto? The fifth and final example shows us how we hold onto things we believe. Are you holding onto the word of God? Are you holding onto your faith? What is it that you are holding onto? Going back to the 2nd example about putting something on reserve... God already has your robe waiting for you it is your choice whether or not you want to pick it up. God already has your crown waiting for you again you have a choice to make.
What are you willing to let go of in order to gain a closer relationship with God? What have you been holding onto that God is telling you to let go of? After you have thought about this for a while ask yourself why am I still holding onto it? Is it worth the pain, is it worth sacrificing what God has in store for you because you want to hold onto it? God is trying to tell us that we need to come to him empty so HE can fill us up. We can not go to him half empty and expect the miracle that is waiting for us to come. We can not go to him full because there will be no room for him to work. God is beginning a new work in us so we have to lay aside our garments and accept what He has. He died for us so we wouldn't have to "hold" onto the pain and the shame of our past. He endured physical pain for us. All He is asking us to do is let go of what we are holding onto.
1Corinthians 15:2-4 KjV
2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1 Corinthians 15:2-4 NKJV
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
The word keep and hold have the same meaning in this scripture. They both mean to retain or to save. He tells us plainly to hold fast to his teachings. To hold fast to our faith, and the Love we have for Him. There is no room in our hearts for pain and for the what ifs. The only room we have in our hearts should be a room where the Holy Spirit can dwell and minister to us. If we are holding onto the past then there is no room for the spirit to move. It is as if we are cutting Jesus off by saying... No you can't have that because I want to keep it. How many times does God say no you can't have this it is mine? Is it fair to keep things that belong to him? That was one of the main reasons why He died on the cross. He died for our sins.
My pastor has been teaching us about how to be more kingdom minded. What I have gathered so far from his teachings are that we have to be Spirit filled and Spirit led. We can not have one foot in the church and another in the world. God doesn't work that way. One of the scriptures that has been mentioned a lot during this study is Revelations 3:15-16 which states:
15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
By still holding onto things that are not of God we are considered Luke warm Christians. We go to church on Sunday, get a little nudge by the Holy Spirit and are ok until Monday. When Monday comes around we start to pick up the things that we have left at the alter the previous day. Why is that. Why do we put ourselves through the same pain over and over again? God already provided the sacrifice for our sins and pain.
God is asking me now as I write are you cold or are you hot? I respond with Lord I am Hot but I want to be hotter. I want to be filled more than what I am. I want you to guide my footsteps. I don't want to Hold onto my past anymore, I don't want to hold onto anyone or anything that will hinder me from becoming what you already foresee me as becoming. Lord I am sorry for what I have done and how I have hindered you from the work that you have begun in me.
So I ask you what is it that you are holding onto, that God has been telling you to let go of? All you have to do is say Lord I give you (fill in the blank) I don't want it anymore. I don't want anything to separate me from You. Lord my cup is empty please fill it so it runs over. Fill it so I can minister to those around me. Fill it so I can walk into a room a change the atmosphere just by my presence.
He is waiting for you to speak to him. He is waiting for you to Let go of what you have been holding onto. So Let Go and Let God.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
My Story
I ask myself where do I start. The only answer that comes is start from the beginning. So here we go on the journey I call my story.
I was born into a family that I thought was perfect. That was coming from an 8 year olds mind. My family was not perfect. My father was an alcoholic and my mother was trying to cover up his faults. At an early age I found refuge in going to church because I thought I could bury the hurt and pain. That soon changed when we moved away from a place I called home for 5 years to a place that would be the beginning of who I was, not who I am today.
I had moved from Bridgewater Ct, which is a small country town with a population of 1,500 to a city called Shelton with a population of 38,000. I was in a what some may call a culture shock because for 5 years I was used to cow pastures and people who looked out for one another.I moved to an area where the most common youth discussions were about what drugs they have done and who they did
To back track a little bit my mother and father had separated for a while because of his drinking. My father ended up in rehab two or three times within a 5 year span. That is when my mother got fed up and told him in order for him to live with us he would have to stop drinking. He decided to move out for a few months to "figure" things out. That is when we moved to Shelton. The rent was cheaper and the jobs were closer to home (in case my father should show up). This is when things went from bad to worse.
My mother became depressed due to the fact that she was working 2 jobs to support 3 kids on her own. My brother didn't understand why dad left. As for me I thought it was my fault, because when I was 8 yrs. old my father told me I was not his daughter, once when he was sober and once when he was drunk. Now that is something that should crush you, but I tell you it only made me hate my father. The man I was taught to honor just told me I was nothing to him. I was mad. I held onto that anger for a long time.
When we first moved I stayed to myself and then I made friends with someone I shouldn't have. I became friends with my downstairs neighbor who was ten years older than I was. That was when I started drinking, I was thirteen years old. That would have to be the start of my downfall. I started to hang out downstairs and drink and party as if I was 20-25 years of age not a lonely 13 year old girl whose father walked out on her family. I did not know how to deal with the hurt so I looked to drugs and alcohol. I remember vividly one day in particular I was hanging out downstairs because my mother let my father move back in with us. She thought he wasn't drinking anymore, but he was. I was hanging out and drinking and the last thing I remember before waking up was downing a pint of Southern comfort. I woke up to my mother dragging me upstairs by the back of my shirt. I was ordered to wash dishes and not move from the spot I was in until she got home. It was 6 am and she was not due back from work until 1.
My mother left me home with my father in charge of watching over me. What my mother didn't know is that my father had a handle of vodka upstairs in the attic and he would disappear for 5 minutes at a time. So when he was finally drunk enough to where he passed out at the kitchen table I was out the back door. That was the first of many times I would take off from home.
I went from taking off for a couple of hours to the most I think was 2-3 weeks at a time. I was living at friends houses and on the streets. I remember sleeping on the steps of a church because I had no where to go. I was doing things that I can not even mention. I was finding any way possible to escape from the hurt and the pain. I would steal money from my sister to buy pot or to get my "so-called" friends to buy me alcohol. I didn't use the money for food because I was addicted at that time to masking my feelings by getting high and drunk.
This pattern continued on for the next year to year and a half. It was when I was 14 years old that I was arrested for possession of alcohol to a minor. I ended up going to Juvenile hall. From Juvenile hall I went to Hartford ADP (alternative to detention program). You would think after going to all these programs that I got the message that what I was doing was wrong. Well I didn't. When I got out I continued to take off from home and drink and smoke more than what I was before. I was in a state of mind that alcohol and drugs were the only thing I knew. I soon got arrested again and was sent to juvy one more time.
This time was different. When I was in Juvy we had a pastor come in and give us a Gideons bible. It included Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament. The first verse that I learned was John 3:16. To you it may have been a common scripture but to me it was a stronghold. Something I held onto, something I still hold onto this day. To know that If I believe that God sent his one and only son I will not perish but have eternal life was something I held fast to.
When I got out of Juvy the second time I had the mindset of doing things God's way and straightening out my life. That did not last too long. I had no self esteem and when my "friends" started to come back around again I fell back into the things that I was doing before, BUT there was something different about this time. I kept hearing a voice saying go home you are loved. I brushed it off. I kept ignoring the voice until one day it was so loud that there was no ignoring it. I went home and went to go into the back door. That is when i heard laughter coming from upstairs. My mother and Brother were in my mom's room and they were laughing about something. At this point I heard another voice this time it was a deep raspy voice telling me see they are happy with out you why don't you leave. So I left. I listened to the wrong voice and I left.
I fell into the same old pattern of taking off from home and drinking. I didn't think about what this was doing to my mother, all I was thinking about was where my next fix was coming from. This went on for the next year. Finally a judge realized that juvy and the adp program did not work so they sent me to a program called the Children's Center. It is a center for children ranging from 8-18 yrs of age who have become uncontrollable and who can no longer be trusted. I am grateful to this day that I was sent to this program. The staff at the Children's Center opened my eyes to see that there is more out there than what meets the eye. That we don't always have to do what other people are doing.
I remember one staff member who saw a need and met that need. Her name was Jody and she took us to church on a Sunday morning and that fire that I thought had gone out started to warm up again. Then a change happened where Jody no longer worked there so I could no longer go to church on Sunday. I got depressed again. I didn't know "how" to pray, I didn't know how to cope with things, because I was never taught.
So the only thing I knew to do was to run. So I ran. and I kept on running until my 16th birthday. It was then that I decided to move out and move to Hamden Ct. To be closer to my boyfriend. So I moved and you know how the story goes girlfriend moves to be closer to boyfriend, boyfriend breaks up with girlfriend. I was upset but I did not run this time because I was working and I was on my own. I started to date a man that I worked with and after 2 yrs of dating we got married. After 2 yrs. of marriage and trying to get him to go to counseling we got a divorce. So by the age of 20 I was married and divorced. I didn't know what to do. So through a friend at work I started going back to church.
I can say that I am blessed. I can say that God has brought me out from a pit. It is through the grace of God that I am alive today and that I can write the things I do. We all go through things, some of which is our own fault, and some is a test to strengthen us. Do not be discouraged with your current situation because God can lead you to victory. Always remember it does not matter where you have been all that matters is where you are going.
There is a scripture I like because there is no need to elaborate on it.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
I was born into a family that I thought was perfect. That was coming from an 8 year olds mind. My family was not perfect. My father was an alcoholic and my mother was trying to cover up his faults. At an early age I found refuge in going to church because I thought I could bury the hurt and pain. That soon changed when we moved away from a place I called home for 5 years to a place that would be the beginning of who I was, not who I am today.
I had moved from Bridgewater Ct, which is a small country town with a population of 1,500 to a city called Shelton with a population of 38,000. I was in a what some may call a culture shock because for 5 years I was used to cow pastures and people who looked out for one another.I moved to an area where the most common youth discussions were about what drugs they have done and who they did
To back track a little bit my mother and father had separated for a while because of his drinking. My father ended up in rehab two or three times within a 5 year span. That is when my mother got fed up and told him in order for him to live with us he would have to stop drinking. He decided to move out for a few months to "figure" things out. That is when we moved to Shelton. The rent was cheaper and the jobs were closer to home (in case my father should show up). This is when things went from bad to worse.
My mother became depressed due to the fact that she was working 2 jobs to support 3 kids on her own. My brother didn't understand why dad left. As for me I thought it was my fault, because when I was 8 yrs. old my father told me I was not his daughter, once when he was sober and once when he was drunk. Now that is something that should crush you, but I tell you it only made me hate my father. The man I was taught to honor just told me I was nothing to him. I was mad. I held onto that anger for a long time.
When we first moved I stayed to myself and then I made friends with someone I shouldn't have. I became friends with my downstairs neighbor who was ten years older than I was. That was when I started drinking, I was thirteen years old. That would have to be the start of my downfall. I started to hang out downstairs and drink and party as if I was 20-25 years of age not a lonely 13 year old girl whose father walked out on her family. I did not know how to deal with the hurt so I looked to drugs and alcohol. I remember vividly one day in particular I was hanging out downstairs because my mother let my father move back in with us. She thought he wasn't drinking anymore, but he was. I was hanging out and drinking and the last thing I remember before waking up was downing a pint of Southern comfort. I woke up to my mother dragging me upstairs by the back of my shirt. I was ordered to wash dishes and not move from the spot I was in until she got home. It was 6 am and she was not due back from work until 1.
My mother left me home with my father in charge of watching over me. What my mother didn't know is that my father had a handle of vodka upstairs in the attic and he would disappear for 5 minutes at a time. So when he was finally drunk enough to where he passed out at the kitchen table I was out the back door. That was the first of many times I would take off from home.
I went from taking off for a couple of hours to the most I think was 2-3 weeks at a time. I was living at friends houses and on the streets. I remember sleeping on the steps of a church because I had no where to go. I was doing things that I can not even mention. I was finding any way possible to escape from the hurt and the pain. I would steal money from my sister to buy pot or to get my "so-called" friends to buy me alcohol. I didn't use the money for food because I was addicted at that time to masking my feelings by getting high and drunk.
This pattern continued on for the next year to year and a half. It was when I was 14 years old that I was arrested for possession of alcohol to a minor. I ended up going to Juvenile hall. From Juvenile hall I went to Hartford ADP (alternative to detention program). You would think after going to all these programs that I got the message that what I was doing was wrong. Well I didn't. When I got out I continued to take off from home and drink and smoke more than what I was before. I was in a state of mind that alcohol and drugs were the only thing I knew. I soon got arrested again and was sent to juvy one more time.
This time was different. When I was in Juvy we had a pastor come in and give us a Gideons bible. It included Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament. The first verse that I learned was John 3:16. To you it may have been a common scripture but to me it was a stronghold. Something I held onto, something I still hold onto this day. To know that If I believe that God sent his one and only son I will not perish but have eternal life was something I held fast to.
When I got out of Juvy the second time I had the mindset of doing things God's way and straightening out my life. That did not last too long. I had no self esteem and when my "friends" started to come back around again I fell back into the things that I was doing before, BUT there was something different about this time. I kept hearing a voice saying go home you are loved. I brushed it off. I kept ignoring the voice until one day it was so loud that there was no ignoring it. I went home and went to go into the back door. That is when i heard laughter coming from upstairs. My mother and Brother were in my mom's room and they were laughing about something. At this point I heard another voice this time it was a deep raspy voice telling me see they are happy with out you why don't you leave. So I left. I listened to the wrong voice and I left.
I fell into the same old pattern of taking off from home and drinking. I didn't think about what this was doing to my mother, all I was thinking about was where my next fix was coming from. This went on for the next year. Finally a judge realized that juvy and the adp program did not work so they sent me to a program called the Children's Center. It is a center for children ranging from 8-18 yrs of age who have become uncontrollable and who can no longer be trusted. I am grateful to this day that I was sent to this program. The staff at the Children's Center opened my eyes to see that there is more out there than what meets the eye. That we don't always have to do what other people are doing.
I remember one staff member who saw a need and met that need. Her name was Jody and she took us to church on a Sunday morning and that fire that I thought had gone out started to warm up again. Then a change happened where Jody no longer worked there so I could no longer go to church on Sunday. I got depressed again. I didn't know "how" to pray, I didn't know how to cope with things, because I was never taught.
So the only thing I knew to do was to run. So I ran. and I kept on running until my 16th birthday. It was then that I decided to move out and move to Hamden Ct. To be closer to my boyfriend. So I moved and you know how the story goes girlfriend moves to be closer to boyfriend, boyfriend breaks up with girlfriend. I was upset but I did not run this time because I was working and I was on my own. I started to date a man that I worked with and after 2 yrs of dating we got married. After 2 yrs. of marriage and trying to get him to go to counseling we got a divorce. So by the age of 20 I was married and divorced. I didn't know what to do. So through a friend at work I started going back to church.
I can say that I am blessed. I can say that God has brought me out from a pit. It is through the grace of God that I am alive today and that I can write the things I do. We all go through things, some of which is our own fault, and some is a test to strengthen us. Do not be discouraged with your current situation because God can lead you to victory. Always remember it does not matter where you have been all that matters is where you are going.
There is a scripture I like because there is no need to elaborate on it.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
He Knows
Psalm 40:1-3
I first chose distinctive cry as a title to this writing because each of us has our own cry. Whether the cry is a joyous or painful it is distinct enough that only one person can decipher what we are in need of. That person is God. He knows that when we are crying out Oh Jesus! or Oh God! if we are in need of help or if we are just saying Oh Jesus Thank You. Then as I began to write I decided to change the title to He knows.
We ourselves know why we cry out but others do not unless you tell them. But what if you are not able to speak? What about an infant? Their only way of communication until they are able to speak is to cry and scream. As a care taker or a parent we are to determine by the cry what the child needs. There are many different meanings to an infants cry, you have a hungry, tired, dirty diaper, pay attention to me, and an I am hurt cry. The only way to determine what the cry means is to exercise the options, give them a toy, check their diaper, see if they are hurt, or see if they are hungry, this can be a long process. Once you are able to determine what the cry is for then you are able to resolve the situation. I work at a day care in the infant room and we usually have a baby crying. After four months of working there I am now able to tell which child is crying out and what the cry might be for. It took me a while to learn each cry because I had to in a sense study them.
Jeremiah 1:5 states Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Can I tell you God did not have to study you to know you? He didn't have to sit there and say I wonder why they are crying, He already knows. He knew our voice before we were able to speak a word. He knows what we are going to become. He knows when He is going to have to carry you through a situation. I can not express this enough HE KNOWS. So if God truly knows everything about us then why do we still hide from him?. As Christians we tend to forget that God knows everything that we do. We act as if He doesn't know what we are doing because He is not walking next to us. Not only is He walking next to us but He is walking within us. If we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour and acknowledge the fact that He is within us then He is with us. God isn't just a Sunday thing He is an every day, hour, minute, second, He is every breath that we take, Every Word that we speak, every step we take. Every aspect of our lives should reflect God.
Psalm 139:1-16 states
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
He did not have to study you to know you. As the mighty Creator, God knows his creation. He knows our comings and goings. He knows our every move before we set out to move. He will be there for us when we call on Him. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We are His children and He is our Father. Isaiah 41:10 states Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Do not fear for God is with you He will give us strength He will lift us up out of the pit, he will be there for us all we have to do is Call on Him. Do not be afraid to call out GOD I NEED HELP. Don't be afraid to reach to him just stretch your hands towards Him and tell Him how you need Him. He already knows that you need Him it is just the matter of you yourself acknowledging the fact that you need Him. So don't worry about what others are doing or saying reach to God because HE KNOWS.
1I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. KJV
The word cry comes from the Hebrew word shava` which means a primitive root; properly, to be free; but used only causatively and reflexively, to halloo (for help, i.e. freedom from some trouble):--cry (aloud, out), shout. ( Strong's Hebrew bible dictionary)I first chose distinctive cry as a title to this writing because each of us has our own cry. Whether the cry is a joyous or painful it is distinct enough that only one person can decipher what we are in need of. That person is God. He knows that when we are crying out Oh Jesus! or Oh God! if we are in need of help or if we are just saying Oh Jesus Thank You. Then as I began to write I decided to change the title to He knows.
We ourselves know why we cry out but others do not unless you tell them. But what if you are not able to speak? What about an infant? Their only way of communication until they are able to speak is to cry and scream. As a care taker or a parent we are to determine by the cry what the child needs. There are many different meanings to an infants cry, you have a hungry, tired, dirty diaper, pay attention to me, and an I am hurt cry. The only way to determine what the cry means is to exercise the options, give them a toy, check their diaper, see if they are hurt, or see if they are hungry, this can be a long process. Once you are able to determine what the cry is for then you are able to resolve the situation. I work at a day care in the infant room and we usually have a baby crying. After four months of working there I am now able to tell which child is crying out and what the cry might be for. It took me a while to learn each cry because I had to in a sense study them.
Jeremiah 1:5 states Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Can I tell you God did not have to study you to know you? He didn't have to sit there and say I wonder why they are crying, He already knows. He knew our voice before we were able to speak a word. He knows what we are going to become. He knows when He is going to have to carry you through a situation. I can not express this enough HE KNOWS. So if God truly knows everything about us then why do we still hide from him?. As Christians we tend to forget that God knows everything that we do. We act as if He doesn't know what we are doing because He is not walking next to us. Not only is He walking next to us but He is walking within us. If we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour and acknowledge the fact that He is within us then He is with us. God isn't just a Sunday thing He is an every day, hour, minute, second, He is every breath that we take, Every Word that we speak, every step we take. Every aspect of our lives should reflect God.
Psalm 139:1-16 states
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
He did not have to study you to know you. As the mighty Creator, God knows his creation. He knows our comings and goings. He knows our every move before we set out to move. He will be there for us when we call on Him. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We are His children and He is our Father. Isaiah 41:10 states Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Do not fear for God is with you He will give us strength He will lift us up out of the pit, he will be there for us all we have to do is Call on Him. Do not be afraid to call out GOD I NEED HELP. Don't be afraid to reach to him just stretch your hands towards Him and tell Him how you need Him. He already knows that you need Him it is just the matter of you yourself acknowledging the fact that you need Him. So don't worry about what others are doing or saying reach to God because HE KNOWS.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Prayer and Praise
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16
The main purpose of praying is to gain a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior. There are many ways to pray and there are many things to request when we pray. People often wonder what is the proper way to pray, here is the good news there is no proper way. When we pray we are having a conversation with God, so just talk to him, but make sure you listen attentively because it is not a one-sided conversation it is two-sided. God wants to speak to us also, and when he does it is usually after we have been praying or fasting. The posture in which we pray is also something that has been misconstrued, it doesn't matter what position you are in when you are praying just as long as you are praying. You can be laying prostrate, kneeling with your head bowed and hands folded, you can be sitting, standing, walking around, or you can even be in bed. God does not care how or when we speak to him just as long as we are doing it. Here are some examples in the bible of the positions they were in when they prayed.
31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. Exodus 40:31
18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 2Chronicles 20:18
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 26:39
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 1Kings 8:22
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land
It is through the power of prayer that we start to see things happen that are "unfathomable" to us. See with God all things are possible, There is nothing too difficult or too impossible for God.
It also states in Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. When people need something they tend to pray, you have believers and non-believers who only pray when they need something. It is amazing to me that even people who do not believe that Jesus is the Lord and Savior start to pray when they are in a rut. Why is that? The reason I think is because they have looked every where else before they decided to look up. God speaks to each and everyone of us weather we are Christians or not, it is up to us if we choose to listen or not. So when you pray what do you pray about? Do you pray just for yourself? What about if your child, friend, pastor, church family, or community needs. Do you pray? Do you ask God to bless those less fortunate than you or do you ask God to increase your pay so you can give to the needy? Or do you just ask God to bless you and "forget" those around you? We need to remember that it is not about us and that it is about God and what God has planned.
If your prayer is in accordance to God's will for your life then it will be answered. 1 John 5:14-15 states 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. God hears your prayer only if the prayer request is in His will for you and your life. If it is not, then the above verse is implying that He will not hear your prayer. If your prayer is not in accordance to God's will then it will not be granted. This is where each Christian has to really get a grip on any specific prayer requests they are presenting to God. If God comes back letting you know that what you are asking for is not in His perfect will for you and your life, then you have to let it go, trust that God knows best and move on. So the first thing you have to do before approaching God on your specific prayer request is to make sure that your prayer request is in His perfect will for you and your life. There are several ways you can do this. The first is to analyze your prayer request. When you have analyzed it and still do not know if it is the will of God then ask Him and He will answer you. The second way is to ask the Holy spirit if this is something you should be praying for. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us according to God's will so ask him and he shall respond. Do not hesitate to ask if you are unsure because you will receive an answer. No matter how dumb you think the question is the important thing is that you are inquiring if you are doing the right thing or not.
When we pray we should pray in faith. Without having faith that it will happen then it probably won't. Why then should you pray if you lack the faith that your prayer will be answered. It is like you are saying Lord I want this to happen but I don't think you can do it. It states in Matthew 6:30-31 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Have faith that it will happen and it will if it is in accordance to God's will.
When God answers our prayers we need to start praising him. Shout to the lord with a voice of triumph and say THANK YOU. Don't hold it in. It is also through our praise that we come closer to him. Psalm 34:1 states I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. With his praise continually on our mouths the more the spirit will move freely within us. The Holy spirit loves an attitude of gratitude. So continue to pray and to praise God through the Hard times and you shall come out of it standing. There is a song that I have been listening to called We fall down by Donnie Mcclurkin it states We fall down but we get up for a saint is just a sinner who fell down but we couldn't stay there and got up. The way we get back up is through prayer and through praise. You can't have an intimate relationship with God without prayer and with out praise.
Here are a few verses from the bible on praise and prayer.
Psalm 72:14-15
14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.15And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
Acts 16:24-26
24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
Psalm 66:20
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Prayer and Praise should go Hand in Hand. So if you are going to pray remember to have faith and when God gives you your answer or blessing Praise him with all you heart. Also remember that if ti is the will of God it shall come to pass. You might have to wait a while for it to come but don't give up do not lose your faith. Have patience for one moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. We often pray for something and become impatient when it doesn't come fast enough and through that impatience we tend to do things our own way and in the process lose what we first prayed about. Hebrews 10:36 states For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Is not praying the will of God? So lets see if I have this correct if we pray we are doing the will of God so then by doing the will of God we will receive the promise. I don't know if you got that so I will say it again IF WE PRAY WE ARE DOING THE WILL OF GOD, AND BY DOING THE WILL OF GOD WE WILL RECEIVE THE PROMISE OR SHOULD I SAY PROMISES.
The main purpose of praying is to gain a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior. There are many ways to pray and there are many things to request when we pray. People often wonder what is the proper way to pray, here is the good news there is no proper way. When we pray we are having a conversation with God, so just talk to him, but make sure you listen attentively because it is not a one-sided conversation it is two-sided. God wants to speak to us also, and when he does it is usually after we have been praying or fasting. The posture in which we pray is also something that has been misconstrued, it doesn't matter what position you are in when you are praying just as long as you are praying. You can be laying prostrate, kneeling with your head bowed and hands folded, you can be sitting, standing, walking around, or you can even be in bed. God does not care how or when we speak to him just as long as we are doing it. Here are some examples in the bible of the positions they were in when they prayed.
31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. Exodus 40:31
18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 2Chronicles 20:18
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 26:39
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 1Kings 8:22
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land
It is through the power of prayer that we start to see things happen that are "unfathomable" to us. See with God all things are possible, There is nothing too difficult or too impossible for God.
It also states in Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. When people need something they tend to pray, you have believers and non-believers who only pray when they need something. It is amazing to me that even people who do not believe that Jesus is the Lord and Savior start to pray when they are in a rut. Why is that? The reason I think is because they have looked every where else before they decided to look up. God speaks to each and everyone of us weather we are Christians or not, it is up to us if we choose to listen or not. So when you pray what do you pray about? Do you pray just for yourself? What about if your child, friend, pastor, church family, or community needs. Do you pray? Do you ask God to bless those less fortunate than you or do you ask God to increase your pay so you can give to the needy? Or do you just ask God to bless you and "forget" those around you? We need to remember that it is not about us and that it is about God and what God has planned.
If your prayer is in accordance to God's will for your life then it will be answered. 1 John 5:14-15 states 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. God hears your prayer only if the prayer request is in His will for you and your life. If it is not, then the above verse is implying that He will not hear your prayer. If your prayer is not in accordance to God's will then it will not be granted. This is where each Christian has to really get a grip on any specific prayer requests they are presenting to God. If God comes back letting you know that what you are asking for is not in His perfect will for you and your life, then you have to let it go, trust that God knows best and move on. So the first thing you have to do before approaching God on your specific prayer request is to make sure that your prayer request is in His perfect will for you and your life. There are several ways you can do this. The first is to analyze your prayer request. When you have analyzed it and still do not know if it is the will of God then ask Him and He will answer you. The second way is to ask the Holy spirit if this is something you should be praying for. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us according to God's will so ask him and he shall respond. Do not hesitate to ask if you are unsure because you will receive an answer. No matter how dumb you think the question is the important thing is that you are inquiring if you are doing the right thing or not.
When we pray we should pray in faith. Without having faith that it will happen then it probably won't. Why then should you pray if you lack the faith that your prayer will be answered. It is like you are saying Lord I want this to happen but I don't think you can do it. It states in Matthew 6:30-31 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Have faith that it will happen and it will if it is in accordance to God's will.
When God answers our prayers we need to start praising him. Shout to the lord with a voice of triumph and say THANK YOU. Don't hold it in. It is also through our praise that we come closer to him. Psalm 34:1 states I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. With his praise continually on our mouths the more the spirit will move freely within us. The Holy spirit loves an attitude of gratitude. So continue to pray and to praise God through the Hard times and you shall come out of it standing. There is a song that I have been listening to called We fall down by Donnie Mcclurkin it states We fall down but we get up for a saint is just a sinner who fell down but we couldn't stay there and got up. The way we get back up is through prayer and through praise. You can't have an intimate relationship with God without prayer and with out praise.
Here are a few verses from the bible on praise and prayer.
Psalm 72:14-15
14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.15And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
Acts 16:24-26
24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
Psalm 66:20
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Prayer and Praise should go Hand in Hand. So if you are going to pray remember to have faith and when God gives you your answer or blessing Praise him with all you heart. Also remember that if ti is the will of God it shall come to pass. You might have to wait a while for it to come but don't give up do not lose your faith. Have patience for one moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. We often pray for something and become impatient when it doesn't come fast enough and through that impatience we tend to do things our own way and in the process lose what we first prayed about. Hebrews 10:36 states For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Is not praying the will of God? So lets see if I have this correct if we pray we are doing the will of God so then by doing the will of God we will receive the promise. I don't know if you got that so I will say it again IF WE PRAY WE ARE DOING THE WILL OF GOD, AND BY DOING THE WILL OF GOD WE WILL RECEIVE THE PROMISE OR SHOULD I SAY PROMISES.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Denominations and religion
This is a subject that has been going through my head for the past year or so. There are many "denominations" out there, to name a few Anglicans, Catholics, Independents, Marginals, Orthodox, Protestants, Charismatics, Pentecostals. Each denomination has its own way of preaching, teaching, and living according to The Word of God. Why is that? Why do we have to separate every Sunday and go to different churches that teach different things? Why not go to a church where the Word of God is preached from the bible according to the Bible?
You constantly have people fighting over the doctrine that a church teaches. If the doctrine that they are teaching is coming from the bible then there shouldn't be an argument. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying certain scriptures here and there I am saying the whole bible from Genesis all the way to Revelations. No where in the bible does it state that we are to go to this church, at this time, and have this long of a service. It is through the segregation of the denominations that turn non-believers away from God. Imagine with me that you are a non-believer and you are beginning to see that there is something more out there. The first thing you do is you go to find a church, so you look to your friends who go to church. The first one tells you come to my church the pastor is good and the service is only 30 min. The second one tells you come to my church the pastor is great and service is an hour. Then you look to the third friend and they tell you the pastor is good but the Word is phenomenal and the service lasts 3 hours. What is going through your head? Whats going through mine is why are the length of the services different if they serve the same God? What is different about the God they serve in the 1st church compared to the 3rd church. The difference is the first church religiously follows a set schedule where the 3rd church flows according to the Spirit. That is were religion comes in. When you have a church based solely on their religion then there is no room for God to move.
We are too wrapped up with the "religion based church" and having our Sunday best on, to praise and worship God the way we are intended to praise and worship Him.
Psalm 150 states
1Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
I ask you to do one thing look through the bible and tell me how many times it says the word denomination. I can tell you now don't bother looking because you will not find it. It is not written. So why do we have them?
Here is a Song by Kirk Franklin it is called the Blood Song.
So many different religions
And so many different churches
And if God really loves me
Then why does life keep hurting me?
Have you ever asked any of these questions?
Well my friend I’ve got the answer just listen
You have the power
To make the seasons change
The river flows for you
The wind whispers Your name
For me you left Your throne
And traded crown for thorns instead
I'm safe within not by Your skin
But because Your blood was red
Some say You're black, you're white
They question if you're real
We treat you like we treat ourselves
I wonder how you feel
To see your children fight in spite
of the tears for us you've shed
Doesn't matter what color you are
As long as your blood was red
[Chorus]
For it's strong enough to wash away my sins
And it's pure enough to cleanse me deep within
And it's real enough to find me when I'm lost
Great enough to die upon the cross
It doesn't matter what color you are
As long as your blood was red
We may be different but
The God we serve's the same
Yet every Sunday we separate
And bring the Father pain
Your name is higher than any other
Yet You took my place instead
And now my sins are washed away
Because Your blood was red
(Repeat chorus)
Oh precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Doesn’t matter what color you are
As long as your blood was red
Doesn’t matter what color you are
As you are as long as your blood was red
Doesn’t matter what color I am
As long as my blood was red
You constantly have people fighting over the doctrine that a church teaches. If the doctrine that they are teaching is coming from the bible then there shouldn't be an argument. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying certain scriptures here and there I am saying the whole bible from Genesis all the way to Revelations. No where in the bible does it state that we are to go to this church, at this time, and have this long of a service. It is through the segregation of the denominations that turn non-believers away from God. Imagine with me that you are a non-believer and you are beginning to see that there is something more out there. The first thing you do is you go to find a church, so you look to your friends who go to church. The first one tells you come to my church the pastor is good and the service is only 30 min. The second one tells you come to my church the pastor is great and service is an hour. Then you look to the third friend and they tell you the pastor is good but the Word is phenomenal and the service lasts 3 hours. What is going through your head? Whats going through mine is why are the length of the services different if they serve the same God? What is different about the God they serve in the 1st church compared to the 3rd church. The difference is the first church religiously follows a set schedule where the 3rd church flows according to the Spirit. That is were religion comes in. When you have a church based solely on their religion then there is no room for God to move.
We are too wrapped up with the "religion based church" and having our Sunday best on, to praise and worship God the way we are intended to praise and worship Him.
Psalm 150 states
1Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
That scripture speaks for itself. We should praise God with everything that is in us. It does not say do it in this church or under this teaching. It does say Praise God in His sanctuary. God's sanctuary is our hearts because that is where he dwells, but our sanctuary should be a church where the word of God is taught according to the Bible and where His spirit should move openly and freely not on our terms. The second verse states Praise Him in His mighty Heaven, If we praise Him in our hearts and then use our body to show the praise we give him the angels in Heaven will begin to praise Him with us. The last verse states Let Everything that has breath praise the Lord. It states everything this means every color, every sex, every social class, every young person to every old person. It does not state that only this person can praise God this way. We are all given gifts in which we use them to praise God, Some it is the gift of song or voice, and some it is the gift of dance or teaching. With everything that we do we should praise God.
There are so many churches that are based on what social class you are with to the way you clap your hands in church. What we need to understand is that we are Christians we believe that Jesus was and is and is to Come. As long as you believe this you shouldn't worry about what denomination you are part of because as Christians we will always be part of God.
Then you have the difference of what religion is the church, why should that matter? We as a society are too concerned about what religion this person is or what religion is this church. Why not say I am a Christian and I go to a church where the word of God is preached according to the way it is written. Many times I have been asked what religion are you, So as politely as I can I look at them with a big smile on my face and say I am a Christian I do not practice a religion. This throws them and then they come back with are you Religious and I say yes I religiously go to church every Sunday, But I serve My Lord and Saviour Jesus not a religion. What I am getting at is it does not matter what religion you say you are what matters is, is if you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Religion is man-made and this is something that we need to understand. I go to a church where it doesn't matter what social class you are with or if you are of a different race. All that matters is that you Love God with all your heart and you are willing to do whatever it takes to get closer to Him.
I ask you to do one thing look through the bible and tell me how many times it says the word denomination. I can tell you now don't bother looking because you will not find it. It is not written. So why do we have them?
Here is a Song by Kirk Franklin it is called the Blood Song.
So many different religions
And so many different churches
And if God really loves me
Then why does life keep hurting me?
Have you ever asked any of these questions?
Well my friend I’ve got the answer just listen
You have the power
To make the seasons change
The river flows for you
The wind whispers Your name
For me you left Your throne
And traded crown for thorns instead
I'm safe within not by Your skin
But because Your blood was red
Some say You're black, you're white
They question if you're real
We treat you like we treat ourselves
I wonder how you feel
To see your children fight in spite
of the tears for us you've shed
Doesn't matter what color you are
As long as your blood was red
[Chorus]
For it's strong enough to wash away my sins
And it's pure enough to cleanse me deep within
And it's real enough to find me when I'm lost
Great enough to die upon the cross
It doesn't matter what color you are
As long as your blood was red
We may be different but
The God we serve's the same
Yet every Sunday we separate
And bring the Father pain
Your name is higher than any other
Yet You took my place instead
And now my sins are washed away
Because Your blood was red
(Repeat chorus)
Oh precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Doesn’t matter what color you are
As long as your blood was red
Doesn’t matter what color you are
As you are as long as your blood was red
Doesn’t matter what color I am
As long as my blood was red
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Nana
This week has been hard my birthday was on Friday the 12th and my nana passed away on Sunday the 14th. I was asked if I wanted to write something for the funeral and read it. I was a little nervous until I prayed about it and asked God to show me the words to write. Well here it is This is for you Nana.
To some of you she was Helen or Aunt Helen, but to me she was Nana. I didn't know this until recently that I shared the same desire and passion as her, my desire is to one day dwell in the house of the Lord. But my passion is to live my life according to His word. Like my Nana I teach bible studies and Sunday school. When she was at a point where she couldn't read her devotions anymore I would come in and read them to her. I don't think there was an hour or minute that went by that her heart wasn't with the Lord. She was constantly saying that she wanted to go home.. inside I was rejoicing because I knew where home was. I would often look to her when I had a question or when i just needed to hear her say oh heavens to Betsey. I still don't know who Betsey is.
To me it is amazing how we go from the cared for to the care giver. I remember when I was younger coming up in the Summer and staying at Nana's, and how she took care of us from making us our favorite Ham and cheese sandwiches to tucking us in at night. And now my most memorable experience would be helping care for the woman who cared for me all those years. I visited a lot in the past couple of months and the one thing that she constantly asked for was vanilla ice cream.. it came to a point where I had to feed it to her... and all I could think was thank you Nana for all the love you gave me... you cared for me all those years and here I am returning the favor. One of the scriptures that she had written down was the 23rd psalm and the part of the scripture that stuck out the most to me was the 6th verse which states
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Surely goodness and love did follow Nana all the days of her life and now she is dwelling in the house of the Lord.