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Monthly Archives: August 2011

Keep Yourself In The Game

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When watching competitive sports, one could easily account for the strength and skill of the athletes that you see going for the victory. When hearing and reading about some of the most successful athletes though, you read about a completely different quality: their heart for the game. You can have all the talent and ability in the world, but without the heart and passion for what you love to do it is without profit to you. In our walk serving God, it’s all as much the same; for without a strong love and desire for the things we do for God, the gifts and talents that God has placed in your life will bring little profit to you or anyone around you. God’s spirit is unlocked when you serve Him with a selfless and unwavering desire: that part of you that will go on regardless of how you feel or what is going on around you!

So wherever you are today, whether you are a member of a church in administration or a part of an outside ministry, remember to keep a love and desire for what you do! Remember why it is that you are there each time you execute the part you contribute. Never let what you do become just “going through the motions”. Get yourself in a place where you are a difference-maker, a person that makes an impact not only in the work but by the life and choices that you make. Let God be glorified each and every day.

Keep yourself in the game! Stay encouraged and count your blessings! The race isn’t over yet! God bless you!

Sometimes It’s Okay To Break Down

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We as people in general love to fancy ourselves as being strong enough to handle anything and everything that life decides to throw at us. And on a very personal level, I use to think as such as well. I tried to be the tough guy; always dealing with things and trying to never shed a single tear (or displaying any kind of emotion in any way). It never failed that in the end that there would always end up being some sort of emotional break up or down at the end of the day when I would be to myself. To make a long story short, it was never meant for us to live in a world where we suppress the emotions that we cannot deal with or understand.

God has provided a way so that we are able to cast all the cares (those things we are emotionally invested in) and weights (those things that bear weight as burdens) off of us! When life becomes to be too heavy, we have to learn to remember to pray and seek God for the comfort, peace, and strength that we will need in the days ahead of us. Trying to deal with these things on our own will never work, simply because we have no where for it to go. When we pray, it is not only a good outlet, but a spiritual one! You not only cast off what is of a burden to you, but God begins to replace it with the very thing that you need! He is the strength for your weakness.

So what are we trying to say today? It’s okay to admit you need help, or are hurting, or are burdened. It’s okay to reach out to God. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to call out for those that believe God for help too! Reach out to God and begin to live a more joyous and peaceful life! You will not regret it!

It’s All About…What?

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Love! It’s all about love!

Everything that you ever read in the bible that was centered around Jesus Christ was centered around love! When I think about trying to put on the frame of thinking and have the “mind of Christ”, it makes me think about love. The list goes on and on: love for my church (and giving to my church), love for the people in church (and out of church), love for the gifts and callings that God has placed in our lives (and using them), and a love for the desire to do what God is calling! It’s short and sweet today. I love God because He first loved me. I love God because of the many outpourings and blessings that always come so undeserving. I love the mercy and grace that we walk in, for without it we would just be lost in life without hope.

Remember to love those around you and to do those things for them in love. Anything that we do otherwise that would be in wrath or not in Godly character cannot be the full and complete witness that God had intended for your life. Make the most of an impact by being in full demonstration of the love of God! It’s fullness within you will pour out and rub off on others and people will not be able to resist it! They will either join in with the fellowship of what you bring or will have to get away! The love bug will get them one way or another! In other words, the spirit of God through conviction by the demonstrated love of your witness is a very powerful thing today!

It’s all about…love!

Steps For A Blessed Life

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Matthew 5:1-3

[1] And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
[2] And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
[3] Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who have a conscious need or (1) Humility. When we begin to apply humility, our view of what is important begins to be lowered and our lives can start to be humbled by God. This is an important step because without it we cannot unlock love and compassion for others!

Matthew 5:4

[4] Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

(2)Penitence (mourning for sin) – or mourning in faith for the comfort of God. When we practice penitence, it brings remorse for the sins we have committed and allows us to repent (or turn back) to God. If we learn to look at ourselves and recognize our mistakes, it helps us to not be afraid or to actually get down to our problems and allow God to help us with them.

Matthew 5:5

[5] Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

The birth of a new spirit in you through (3) Meekness. Meekness in use will become submissive humbleness, and how powerful that can be in your walk with God! We will learn to become patient in our trials and learn to be humble and know that God is surely with us. This will help us to cling to God and not search beyond that!

Matthew 5:6

[6] Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Growth – through a (4) Spiritual Appetite through the seeking after God. An appetite represents a strong desire for something, and we have a strong desire for God we will not be easily moved by anything (regardless of what we could define here)!

Matthew 5:7

[7] Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

An attribute of God that demonstrates (5) Mercifulness. Mercy is complete and total compassion. When we have compassion on others, we’ll look beyond their faults and help them find God and get them to a place where they are on the stable foundation (with a strong spiritual rooted life as well).

Matthew 5:8

[8] Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

An attainment of higher attitudes, where comes the vision of God, comes the (6) Purity of Heart. Purity is the freedom from contamination. When our heart is clean and not corrupted with what could come to break it, God can use a vessel that is strong and able to continue and endure!

Matthew 5:9

[9] Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

A Christ-like influence calming life’s storms is (7) Peacemaking. Peacemaking is applied practice in making peace and settling disputes. All that you ever hear is more disputes being made. God wants us to be peacemakers; for when we walk to please others and love them, it demonstrates God within you.

Matthew 5:10-12

[10] Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11] Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
[12] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Reaching the pinnacle, when you are able to endure the (8) Suffering for Christ! When we learn to bear the pain and distress of being obedient vessels, it allows us to continue going forward to fight the good fight for those who need God and not the fight within ourselves!

A couple supplemental readings worth mentioning:

Psalms 149:4

[4] For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

1 Peter 3:3-4

[3] Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
[4] But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

When we stop worrying about the condition of what we see in people and get down to the condition of their heart, we can really begin to execute the true mission of Christ: that the world through Him would be saved!

Going Down Before We Rise Up

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2 Chronicles 20:1-25

[1] It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
[2] Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
[3] And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
[4] And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
[5] And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
[6] And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
[7] Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
[8] And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
[9] If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
[10] And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
[11] Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
[12] O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
[13] And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
[14] Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
[15] And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
[16] To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
[17] Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
[18] And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
[19] And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
[20] And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
[21] And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
[22] And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
[23] For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
[24] And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
[25] And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

Jehoshaphat was good, Godly, and faithful and still not exempt from trouble. The Moabites, Ammonites and others from Edom were coming against him and of Judah. The key part of this to simply say is that when we are faced with things that are going to pull us down or destroy us that the only solution to take in the beginning of all things is to seek God. We have to begin to go down before we can ever rise up with victory.

Just as Judah came together, let’s remember the power of a church. It’s not to just gather for a social or entertainment experience, but to reach out and help those that are in need. As they came together in praise and worship, God fought their battle on their behalf. We have got to start applying this and remembering to not make it a battle when we are in service; for when you truly come together and seek God, God will perform the great works at hand.

As Jahaziel spoke and was confirmed by Jehoshaphat, we need to also “back” or support those that will step out as God would lead them in a greater way! Let’s not let support just be based on what we like or do not like: this kind of praise is based on carnality and not the spiritual unity that God intended. True worship is when God is centered in it, and when opinions and favoritism steps out of the way.

The part that is encouraging to me is that the obedience unlocked more spoils from the battle than they could even carry; more than they would have imagined when they were in fear. When God fights your battles, you are able to then receive what is out there when God performs it rather than you!

Running, Running, Running, Hey Where You Going?

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I would take a significant amount of time to write this, but I have three other things that I need to do…wait…that doesn’t sound right does it? When it comes to making time for God, we often come short. It is a growing reality that is starting to trend everywhere that you see. There are those that do a great work and stay in the path for God, and I truly admire them. When I begin to talk to people like that about how it is they stay on track, they always make references to “not getting too busy” or “letting life get too fast”.

I use to joke about that and think that people really only have time for God when they get older and do not have to work so hard for their living. I have definitely changed my outlook on this permanently. I have found that there is always time for God and that it simply goes unnoticed (or in some cases noticed but rejected). In a biblical context, I consider the part about the good samaritan. There were a couple of people that passed by the person who was beaten and in need of someone to have compassion, and yet could not for their own defined reasons. The good samaritan could have passed by as well, but the love and compassion truly worked in this case.

We need to always remember to be careful to not pass by the needs of others and to continually keep the compassion and love of God in our hearts. We keep these things by the continually seeking of God. We keep the continual seeking of God by making time for it! Put it in your datebook, cell phone, outlook calendar, or write it on your hand if you have to! Keep God above all else and you will demonstrate what will not only keep you but help others in their time of need!

Can You Have Too Much Of A Good Thing?

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When I begin to ponder and think of this concept, there is only but one answer that comes to mind: yes, you can.

There are many things that we all love and enjoy in life. Some of them may be hobbies while others are educational and recreational. While these things all can prove to produce some kind of emotional “joy”, let me put out there today that this joy (while good in the moment) is only temporary in the short term. In fact, there is always some form of sacrifice or cost that must come at the expense of an emotional buy. And as we all know, some consequences can far outweigh more than others.

As we continue to seek after God and search for a deeper walk with Him each day, let us remember what it is that keeps us established; for when we seek the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness, all the other things (to me the spiritual fulfilling things) that we need to keep us in our life with joy will begin to be added. With that said, we can never have too much of God. You might even feel burnt out sometimes, but that is because of how life makes us feel “bored” with things so quickly.

I continually remember each day through the experiences that God almighty has performed for me that I can never have too much of God. In fact, the more of God that I have, the less of a desire that I have for the other things that I used to pursue for my temporary joy. Take time throughout your minutes, hours, days and weeks through prayer and the study of the word of God to evaluate yourself to see if the life you present before God is truly pleasing and bringing the spiritual fruit that is full of all the things we all truly desire out of life. Then, you can find fulfillment without the continual pursuit of every other pleasure out there!

Singing And Speaking At Jake’s Branch United Baptist Church

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It was truly a pleasure to get to go back over to Jake’s Branch once again. Some of my family attends this church that live in that area, and I love them dearly. The church has always made me and my family so welcome throughout the years and has always encouraged us to continue in the ministry that we work in. It’s not everywhere that you go that you always receive that encouragement and fellowship, so it is definitely appreciated when you receive it each and every time you are there! We love each and every one, and it was great to see so many familiar faces.

It was so easy to preach, and is always easy to when the freedom of the spirit is present in the midst of willing vessels for God. We’ll hopefully have the message about Jehoshaphat on here pretty soon, so stay tuned for that! Lately we have felt strongly led to get out and to go send the word of encouragement and instruction where we have been lately, and it is truly a blessing to hear the countless confirmations come back to us through the spoken words and through the actions of people being bold to come back to God and most importantly being saved! It is so wonderful to see people have their desire rekindled, and we hope that as we continue that it rubs off and others start on the same mission that we all be of help to one another that we love our neighbors as ourselves and put into practice that true love of Christ!

Remember us as we keep going forward!

Instant Gratification Or A Test Of Patience?

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There have been times in my life where I have prayed for some things and saw what I would like to call instant gratification. In other words, I prayed in a day and God moved likewise. During those times looking back I was always thankful for how quick the move was but never questioned in my mind why God would move so quickly.There have been other times, which seems like now lately more than ever, where I am in desire and in need of things from God for me in my life. I find it more difficult to hang in there with my faith, and especially difficult when in my mind I am thinking “I need this right now”.

The only thing that I have learned in the midst of everything is a few key parts of wisdom that has helped me to keep going. I will share one now I believe with all of my heart and have not shared yet to my knowledge. I feel like that God provides a way for things that will build our faith for the parts of our life that can really glorify Him. You see I did not understand why I received some things so easily and quickly and yet I see so many that have sought for so long. I feel that God had provided with me with something at the time to help me to have strength and patience with the next trial. I definitely did not see back then where I would be today and would not have got where I was without it.

I think at times if I did not have the small blessings of God that I would not be able to handle the bigger pressures of life, especially the things I feel I cannot conquer or change. Now that I have been in some trials that have exceeded the months at a time timeline, it is really testing what I stand for. But by what God has already done (the blood of the Lamb and the words of my experiences) I am able to continue the race. Keep your head up, and wipe those tears. Joy will come, it might not be now, but I pray that God will pour out an incomprehensible blessing for you and your life!