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Give Your Time To God

Welcome to another day. I welcome you to move all the stuff away from the avoided topic that everyone dreads more than others: dedication.

It’s not an easy thing to stay in week after week on your commitments while trying to find time for every other part of your life. The sad part of it all is when a choice has to be made about where time is spent, God more than likely takes second place. I am definitely not here today to get everyone roused up about changing their schedules based on what I would ever say, but consider the word of God!

God in many places set out time apart from the hustle and bustle of life; for with that dedicated time comes separation from things that would try to pull us away in the beginning! There are other mentions of people striving for the mark of the high calling of God. If we dedicate ourselves to giving God the deserved priority, your life will not only be less hindered but begin to demonstrate more of the spiritual fruits for others to bear!

Stay diligent in keeping God first in your life and in your schedule! Pray and ask God for guidance about what you do and how He is glorified! It is well worth the prayer conversation!

The Hardest Part of God’s Word: Doing It

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Mark 12:1-12

[1] And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
[2] And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
[3] And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
[4] And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
[5] And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
[6] Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
[7] But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
[8] And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
[9] What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
[10] And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
[11] This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
[12] And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

As using the parable, we have to use the comparison of the continual sending of persons and the rejecting of it as the way we turn away from the warnings and word of God. We must (I am saying must a million times and even with emphasis) begin to hear the Word of God to help us improve our lives, character and to avoid trouble and the effects of persecution!

Mark 12:15-17

[15] Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
[16] And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.
[17] And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

Using the coin as an example was showing Jesus could avoid being tripped up by worldly politics to continue on the message of being separated. We must remember (as witnesses of God) to keep a love in our hearts and to show separation by what we render unto God each day by how we live.

Matthew 5:21-22

[21] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
[22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

It is a scary thing to consider and know just how much damage that we do with our very words!

The Benefits of the Promises of God

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Matthew 11:25-30

[25] At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
[26] Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
[27] All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

As Christ provided through His love, meekness, and lowliness, we can have the promise of rest! As we begin to embark out on life and all of its ups and downs, we must continually encourage ourselves and allow for ourselves to relax sometimes in the promises of God. If we never do, we never truly establish our faith!

The benefits of the promises of God are there for you to improve you. They are also there so that you can learn to improve your character and your Godly witness.

Matthew 16:15-19

[15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
[16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
[17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
[18] And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
[19] And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The keys to the kingdom give us so much more than we allow ourselves to believe! If we can only (I’m saying this to myself and everyone right now!) learn to begin to know how powerful we are through God, we will have SO much more strength than we allow ourselves to have!

Luke 10:17-20

[17] And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
[18] And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
[19] Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
[20] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Christ was reminding the 70 that you have the power and ability to tread or put beneath and nothing would hurt! It did not say it would not come! We are here to help one another; to help each other so we can go forth and reach out to new people, so that they can find a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Remember, It’s Not Just You Out There

I am so thankful to be serving a God whose presence wants to dwell within us. Words sometimes cannot begin to find what I need to say to express how grateful that I am that I have the comfort of the spirit to continue to lead me on.

One of the most important functions of the Holy Ghost (spirit) is that it is a teacher for you. The presence of God will not only teach you to stray from the things that would lead you out into sin in a greater way but also help you other aspects of your life as well!

I remember being in college and how I had such a hard time with a couple of particular classes that year. As I began to seek the Lord more for understanding, God provided in the simplest of ways and far beyond what I expected. You see, I didn’t have the patience or drive to try and learn anything so I would give up too quick. God gave me peace and patience to help me endure, and “D’s'” became “B’s”!

Remember: when you are in the middle of life, you are not alone! The spirit of God is there to help you and remind you that it’s not just you out there!

In Anticipation With Desperation, There Is Still God

One of the main parts (as we will call it) that is an essential on a walk with God to keep it stable is faith. It’s the balance in the midst of panic that keeps the boat from rocking and turning over. It’s the self-control that keeps us from opening our mouth up to all of your loved ones to complain about how it “might not” happen. And most importantly, if used and applied in our lives daily it can be the part of us that moves mountains while we’re still here.

Trust me, I want to be spirit led but faith driven! In the midst of it all today, keep your eyes on God and your head up. Don’t let anyone or anything steal your joy that you have in Him. Nothing can compare to the level of peace you obtain when you sit on a solid foundation.

If there is no other lesson that I have learned in my life right now more than ever, it is: when you are right in the middle of everything you are going through in the midst of your tests of great expectation and you lose all of your support systems you were comfortable with, there is still God! When you are desperate to make a difference and you feel like you cannot after so long, God will move on your behalf to make a way for you! You will begin to feel that revival in your heart even when no one else does! You’ll feel the spirit of God encourage you and remind you that you’re alive!

In anticipation with desperation, there is still God!

Getting Past All The Humps, Bumps, Hurts And Stumps

Today I would like to address the one thing that seems like everyone has happen to them but will never talk about in a positive way: being hurt by someone else.

When I am in the altar working through the altar service, one of the few things that I actually hear there is that “I am hurting” or “someone hurt me and I need help”. Used to I would like to fancy my mind in being persuaded that people just did these sorts of things in private to work past them. Now? I realize exactly where the dumping grounds are: pretty much anyone other than God.

If someone has bothered us, offended us, or even hurt us and we do not take it to God (as God has sent word for us to do), we’ll naturally do something with the hurt. In the temporary short run we’ll verbalize the hurt to others to get a little bit of instant gratification (when it doesn’t help at all), all the while increasing the amount of hurt that someone has done upon others as well. As we keep holding on to bad feelings in the long run emotions eventually turn to actions, leading us to say or do things we would have never done had we got past it in the beginning.

Please let these words jump out and get into your heart. It’s very common to be easily offended because there is many offensive things in the world. You don’t have to stay that way though! Learn to put the practice of forgiveness into your life and find compassion for those that (when you see past the mistakes) truly need God.

The more love of God you have in your heart, the more Christ-like you can be, as it allows you to forgive anything as you pray for release from the bondage of hurt and love for the mercy of others! Always remember, one of the most powerful parts about being a witness isn’t how you start, it’s how you finish.

Kindling The Love To Obey God

Just like when we find it hard to find time to do everything on our list, it is especially difficult for anyone that will openly admit that keeping the desire to obey God on the top of the charts is easy.

There are people that are on different ends of the spectrum on their passion with obedience. I have seen people that their passion is on fire and the power of God comes upon them at the very mention of Jesus. They not only want to do all they can but they encourage others to do also. It is this kind of influence that inspires me to attempt to keep my desire for God at a constant and not waiver so that the example that we lead by is one that draws others to Christ.

I have also seen others that while they are actively obedient that the passion has left the works for God. There are many great things happening, and while that is wonderful to see all the fruits of the labor the desire and joy behind it not only does not demonstrate a good spiritual witness but eventually will lead into a falling away.

Trust me, I am sure that there will be many more things for all of us to do in the future, but let me remind you of a few key things to keep in your mind and heart. It’S short and sweet:

Love God, remember your blessings, and always remember to take time to show compassion for those around you! God will always provide you the means to be happy and enjoy an obedient lifestyle!