A few days ago I fell into the trap of the enemy (the satan). I let a situation with a parent pull me into an act of unchristian behavior. You see, my son’s friend (age 13) came into my house crying that another boy hit him. So being a parent I called his mother. I surely thought this child had gotten into a fight. Contrary to my knowledge he was just hit. Unexpectedly the situation changed from the boys to me and the mother. After she spoke to the other child’s parent and the police she continued to scream "it was an assault" and insisted that my son speak with the police. I refused because there were other witnesses speaking up. I told this parent, that her son was not hurt, he’s played with this boy before, the boy apologized, she should move on, and that her son needs to stop crying all the time. She begin to accuse me of being on the other side. I calmly tried to explain to her I have to live next to theses people and I just want to keep the peace.
After several more words came out of her mouth I, yes I threatened to push her down a flight of stairs if she didn’t leave. Now.... that was so unchristian of me! I begin to go through some physical changes, heavier breathing, a headache, sweating, this went on all night. It wasn’t until the next day I spoke with a friend and he said “what were you thinking?” That’s just it I wasn’t, I was reacting. Then I thought, how can God use me, if I am being used by the enemy?
I thought this friend, he was right, "Why would I risk my position with God and drop to a level clearly below me?" When the bible clearly tells us in Psalms 23 “Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Isaiah 43:19 says, “Behold I do a new thing ” Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you" Dare we forget Psalms 139:14 "I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.
You see, I allowed the enemy to bait and trap me into jeopardizing my position with God. I am sure that this has happened to others before, but as a Christian we are to be set apart from the world. We are to watch for the tricks of the enemy. I had to apologize to this parent and tell her that I should never have displayed this type of behavior under any circumstance. So I advise everyone, please do not fall prey to other forces. Always be on guard of your tongue and your actions. All satan needs is a crack and he is in the gate. Do not allow your flesh to have control over you for you are the head and not the tail!
Remember, the battle is never yours, it ALWAYS belongs to the Lord. If I have learned anything from this situation, is that had I not asked to forgiveness I would have been just like the world, carrying unnecessary baggage and missed some of my blessings.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Finished
Before I wrote this blog I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to send me a “word”. I waited patiently because I want each blog to represent inspiration and encouragement for each reader to be empowered to change something, learn something or just make a decision to “Enjoy” the life God has so graciously given you. So the word “finished” came to me while I was driving, and I said “yes”! Thank you Jesus. One thing I have learned is that when you can see God’s revelations unfolding give thanks, it means that you are listening with your spiritual ear.
Have you ever started a project, a plan, a dream and never completed any of them? Maybe you know someone who starts several projects and has never finished them. I use to be someone who started many home projects just from watching HGTV and never finished. I would have the whole house in a mess, every room was just destroyed, and then I would move on to another project, something totally different from home improvement. This would just drive everyone in the house crazy and even my friends would say “you sure have a lot going on in here.” Thank God there is saving grace.
See God is not the author of chaos and confusion. 1 Corinthians 14:40 states, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” God finished everything that he started and rested. In the beginning after completing creation God stopped and said “it is finished.” When Jesus went to the cross he said “it is finished” we have to be finishers. Scripture gives detailed account of finishers from Geneses to Revelations. They finished everything, whether hanging curtains, dressing the sanctuary, conversing, eating, singing, dancing, praising, building, fighting wars or just praying. We have no excuses for not completing our task big or small. Just think what if God never finished creating the universe? What if Noah had not finished the Ark?
Imagine if Jesus never said the words from John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gave me to do. And now, O Father, glorify me with thine own self with the glory which I had with you before the world was”. What if we never heard in John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Where would we be?
So what is our excuse? Quit wasting time, money and energy doing frivolous things. If we want to be Christ like start something and finish it. You never know how God is going to bless you for being a doer and obedient to his word. After all God has promised to keep his word and he has never started anything he didn’t finish, so expect God’s promise in Malachi 3:10 which says “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to receive it! Try it! Let me prove it to you!" I suggest that you go ahead, try God. I am sure you will be amazed and blessed at the same time, I did.
Have you ever started a project, a plan, a dream and never completed any of them? Maybe you know someone who starts several projects and has never finished them. I use to be someone who started many home projects just from watching HGTV and never finished. I would have the whole house in a mess, every room was just destroyed, and then I would move on to another project, something totally different from home improvement. This would just drive everyone in the house crazy and even my friends would say “you sure have a lot going on in here.” Thank God there is saving grace.
See God is not the author of chaos and confusion. 1 Corinthians 14:40 states, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” God finished everything that he started and rested. In the beginning after completing creation God stopped and said “it is finished.” When Jesus went to the cross he said “it is finished” we have to be finishers. Scripture gives detailed account of finishers from Geneses to Revelations. They finished everything, whether hanging curtains, dressing the sanctuary, conversing, eating, singing, dancing, praising, building, fighting wars or just praying. We have no excuses for not completing our task big or small. Just think what if God never finished creating the universe? What if Noah had not finished the Ark?
Imagine if Jesus never said the words from John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gave me to do. And now, O Father, glorify me with thine own self with the glory which I had with you before the world was”. What if we never heard in John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Where would we be?
So what is our excuse? Quit wasting time, money and energy doing frivolous things. If we want to be Christ like start something and finish it. You never know how God is going to bless you for being a doer and obedient to his word. After all God has promised to keep his word and he has never started anything he didn’t finish, so expect God’s promise in Malachi 3:10 which says “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to receive it! Try it! Let me prove it to you!" I suggest that you go ahead, try God. I am sure you will be amazed and blessed at the same time, I did.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Making Room
After reading this blog many of you will think I have totally lost my mind, to have such thoughts in church, yes you heard me correctly. I am sure I am not alone in my thinking. Contrary to popular belief I haven't lost a thing, I have gained. Follow along with me. You see, on Sunday while sitting in church I was thinking "how boring" this service was. I was trying to sing, but barely. I was trying to clap along, but barely. I somberly threw a couple of dollars in the benevolent offering tray. I thought, Pastor was not here, this is not my favorite choir, the praise team was not singing, our regular drummer was not here and I am just not feeling this service. Thoughts came across that I could be doing laundry or even at the movies ANYWHERE but here. I thought of 100 reasons I could just get up, excuse myself, and exit the church just as other people were actually doing. I thought service is light I could always do communion next month what the heck, I just wanted to leave. Then a scripture hit me like a ton of bricks "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens" Psalm 148:13.
I then I heard a voice saying "this ain't about you!" I thought to myself what , this ain't about me? I know it's not about me, but I am bored. Then I said....."Oh My God" Who do I think I am to come into the house of the Lord and say anything is boring? It's all about God and he is not boring! I came here to praise him, to worship him, to let him do a new thing in me. I have a lot of nerves to sit here being ungrateful and selfish. God saved me from spinal cancer, allowed me to walk into the church without falling and here I am being selfish! After just this morning, I asked God to bless me and enlarge my territory and he was kind enough to give me with whole pew to myself! (side humor). Any who..?
I begin to pray "God open my eyes and my heart right now, in the name of your son Jesus so that I may see or hear something new that I have never seen before".
Wouldn't you know that God decided to teach me something at that very moment. Our guest Pastor begin his sermon on "Dry Bones." I just started crying. The scripture reference was Ezekiel 37:3-6 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Again He said to me "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!" Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord." WOW!
If I received nothing from the whole message, this was it. How God could take me at that moment and let me know that it is he alone who gives me breath, and flesh over my dry bones that I may praise and worship him. So when you are feeling that it is about you, know it is not about you it is always about God. Know that the enemy has no control over you unless you give it to him. See had I left, the word would have been snatched away. The people who did leave, they missed a powerful message that could have given them something they needed.
Make room for the word of God. It is when we get so caught up in ourselves that we forget God is the one in control. So what if things aren't going your way, pray. So what you are bored, pray. Pray, and then pray again and watch how God turns the situation around. I'm telling you when I left I was so fired up and renewed I just couldn't do anything but smile. I am so glad that I made room for my blessing and still had time to go out for dinner and to the movies. Isn't God good!
I then I heard a voice saying "this ain't about you!" I thought to myself what , this ain't about me? I know it's not about me, but I am bored. Then I said....."Oh My God" Who do I think I am to come into the house of the Lord and say anything is boring? It's all about God and he is not boring! I came here to praise him, to worship him, to let him do a new thing in me. I have a lot of nerves to sit here being ungrateful and selfish. God saved me from spinal cancer, allowed me to walk into the church without falling and here I am being selfish! After just this morning, I asked God to bless me and enlarge my territory and he was kind enough to give me with whole pew to myself! (side humor). Any who..?
I begin to pray "God open my eyes and my heart right now, in the name of your son Jesus so that I may see or hear something new that I have never seen before".
Wouldn't you know that God decided to teach me something at that very moment. Our guest Pastor begin his sermon on "Dry Bones." I just started crying. The scripture reference was Ezekiel 37:3-6 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Again He said to me "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!" Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord." WOW!
If I received nothing from the whole message, this was it. How God could take me at that moment and let me know that it is he alone who gives me breath, and flesh over my dry bones that I may praise and worship him. So when you are feeling that it is about you, know it is not about you it is always about God. Know that the enemy has no control over you unless you give it to him. See had I left, the word would have been snatched away. The people who did leave, they missed a powerful message that could have given them something they needed.
Make room for the word of God. It is when we get so caught up in ourselves that we forget God is the one in control. So what if things aren't going your way, pray. So what you are bored, pray. Pray, and then pray again and watch how God turns the situation around. I'm telling you when I left I was so fired up and renewed I just couldn't do anything but smile. I am so glad that I made room for my blessing and still had time to go out for dinner and to the movies. Isn't God good!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Enjoying Yourself
I was always taught as a child that life was what you make it. If you thought "lack" you did without. If you thought about "empowerment" then you were empowered. That if you allowed someone other than God to define who and what you were that you would be outside his will. I am here to tell you all, that people will try to tell you who and what you should be. You have to know, that you know, you are who God said your were.
God said, that we are more than concurs and that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
Let me explain, you see I had to over come many things that most people never have to experience in their lives. I am the eleventh of twelve children, so I always had to stand out, and speak up so that I would not get passed over. But never was I allowed to think that I was less than anyone else. I felt I could do anything, because the standards were set high. Therefore, I enjoyed WHO I was. As time went on interacting with people I realized that the mindset of people were different and some did not want to see you happy or joyous any of the time.
It took me until I was an adult to realize that people do not hate you, they hate the spiritual gifting in you. We are all given spiritual gifts. The Holy Bible states in 1 Corinthians 12:4 "Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all." I advise that you read the full chapter.
Once you know what your gift is and you operate in that gift, everything that you do will be done with ease. Ever wonder why certain tasks are very easy for you and not for someone else? It is a part of your gifting. The holy spirit allows you to flourish when you operate in the spirit thus being in the will of God. So know it is not you that people hate it is what God has placed on the inside of you, and as you enjoy operating in your gifting, and enjoy your time with God you will enjoy yourself. Start enjoying who your are if you do not like who you are its never to late to change!
God said, that we are more than concurs and that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
Let me explain, you see I had to over come many things that most people never have to experience in their lives. I am the eleventh of twelve children, so I always had to stand out, and speak up so that I would not get passed over. But never was I allowed to think that I was less than anyone else. I felt I could do anything, because the standards were set high. Therefore, I enjoyed WHO I was. As time went on interacting with people I realized that the mindset of people were different and some did not want to see you happy or joyous any of the time.
It took me until I was an adult to realize that people do not hate you, they hate the spiritual gifting in you. We are all given spiritual gifts. The Holy Bible states in 1 Corinthians 12:4 "Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all." I advise that you read the full chapter.
Once you know what your gift is and you operate in that gift, everything that you do will be done with ease. Ever wonder why certain tasks are very easy for you and not for someone else? It is a part of your gifting. The holy spirit allows you to flourish when you operate in the spirit thus being in the will of God. So know it is not you that people hate it is what God has placed on the inside of you, and as you enjoy operating in your gifting, and enjoy your time with God you will enjoy yourself. Start enjoying who your are if you do not like who you are its never to late to change!
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