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The Everyday Word

Warning: People Will Surprise You

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One of the greatest rude awakenings that I have ever encountered is that people will always surprise you (good or bad).

Whether it is your family or friends, or even people around you that attend your church: there are going to be moments or situations that present themselves as hard or tough to endure. It is so easy when we are feeling an emotional affliction that we take for granted the patience of God to keep us. It is also easy to forget the power of the faith that lives within us.

The revelation I leave with you today is to have your love and trust about life and things about life in God, first and more than anyone in your life. Having this closeness and devotion to God will give you the ability to make it through every single thing that could be done against you. Having a great love in your heart for God thereby creates a love that will face suffering in gladness and joy. Finally, having God close will keep you alert and aware of any possible events that the enemy may attempt to trap you up in.

So in short, please remember and consider the power of a strong relationship with God. It will spare you from so much suffering that was never intended to happen!

Wait A Second, You Mean To Tell Me That Actually Matters?!?

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When it comes time to really show how much that we care about one another, the actions that seem to make the biggest impact in the long-run are the small things we do.

Oddly enough, there is a very large connection between why we do not perform the small things and how busy we get about taking care of the business side of life. I am sure that at some point in time we have all been in the same train of thought. Have you ever thought or said that “I work hard all week long and don’t have the time or energy” or the classic “you know I care about you”. This almost sounds like something all too familiar, right? You see, no matter where it hits home for you (marriage, friendship, church fellowship, family relationships, work colleagues) there is a great lack in the actual demonstration of Godly love and compassion. Another big reason there is a great lack in the efforts made for others is that this would actually pull people out a state of single-self-consideration (i.e. selfishness). Having an “what’s in it for me” attitude ALL the time tends to lead towards a general disregard for the needs God wants to use us to help in.

I cannot stress this enough, especially as someone who is a devoted advocate for the small things: if you take the time for the small things in obedience, people will receive the witness of the love of God in you. Churches often times try to demonstrate the love of God in a church by how many show up and how great different parts of their services can be, but in doing this are in turn being single-self-minded as a group to only think about the church itself. Please always remember that Christ dwells in you, and your temple is the REAL church that people attend every day. It is by how you carry and conduct yourself through good and bad that people are drawn by the power of God; for they are drawn by how you let the strength of the spirit of God keep you!

So in conclusion, do the small things. Hug someone and tell them that you love them at church. When someone steps out in church or is making a stronger commitment, give them encouragement and a role model. Be at peace with your enemies as God will work the peace in them for you! Be benevolent and give as God leads you. Write your companion a love letter. Lead people to a merry spirit by your joy and laughter! Be that person who stands up first to worship. Surprise people and start participating in outreach ministry. Give that testimony and break the ice! When someone is in need as God shows you, be bold and tell them that you will go with them. Say something nice to your boss even though you feel like you deserve it. The list goes on and on. Learn to prefer others before yourself, and realize the answer to the title of this message!

“Wait a second! You mean to tell me that doing the small things matter?” Yep, it sure does.

 

The Power And Influence Of A Negative Attitude Towards Others

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I would like to start out today with a short story. The other day my wife and I were about to watch a movie at a local theater. After getting our tickets and concessions we proceeded to head into the viewing room. As we made our way in and were about to sit down, we were met with an awkward surprise. The man behind us proceeds to immediately speak ill of where we were going to sit (in front of them), thus taking the Lords name in vain. After we very quickly decided to relocate to bring peace to this mans issue two questions came to mind. The first question was “Was acting that way worth the satisfaction to have an unobstructed view?”. Obviously I knew that the answer to that was no, but a question that reflect the bigger picture came up:

How much are people convinced in our walk with God when we possess an negative attitude?

Answer: People are directly affected by your demeanor.

When this is brought in sync with our walk with God, this takes on a completely different thought. Are people drawn to Christ when I lose it over getting my seat at the movies? Chances are the answer is 100 percent NO. There was only one thing that Christ operated in when He walked in the midst of adversity: love. That same love branched out to have all other virtues. I can hear the scriptures in my mind reminding me about how patient and kind love can be. If you have the love of God in your heart and are using it you will in turn reflect attributes of it. This means losing it over the silliest of things merits no excuse for why we lack in being a witness for God.

Whether you be at the movies, shopping, eating, at work, at home, or even…yes that’s right…at church one thing is clear: it is easy to see that we need to be on guard and aware of our attitude no matter where we are! The most important word I could leave you with while we evaluate ourselves on this would be the word of God, which says “Continue ye in my love”. Let us continue to show demonstrated love through patience and kindness on all venues and not give in to being short-fused!

An Interesting Thought The On Modern Day Influence Of Witchcraft

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A lot of times witchcraft is commonly stereotyped into the categories of literal worship to satan or being an atheist. People have even (in the day of numerous versions of bibles) have began to attempt to revise the word and it’s tougher meaning than what it’s changed to. As I was dwelling on where life is at today around us, it is clear to see that witchcraft have many new forms:

1) influence – This is the one prevalent force that was in the days when other newer forms of evil had not come about. Sometimes the thoughts of another can begin to have a stronger hold than anything you could partake of. Not only will influence of others cause a person to sin but to also hold back in their walk with God. Whether you be at church or at home the influence that would lead you to worry or alter your decisions ultimately is the gateway for other detrimental choices.

2) substance – When we hear the word substance, it is often accompanied with the word abuse. And on the same token substance abuse is even tied in directly to drugs. Something to note here is to say that substance abuse goes so much further than drugs. You can take a moment to determine what the substance is in your life, but there is more often than not a direct object that is not surrendered to God.

3) objects and ideals – Once preached in the theme of ” you can’t do this, you can’t do that”, messages used to be (and in some cases still are) preached about the laying of everything that would get in your way. I learned after hearing this a couple times that you cannot escape everything; for it is all around us and is sometimes not in our control. It’s the point to note here: if there is something that is hindering you physically or mentally that IS preventable, then you must be separate from it.

To conclude, I want to remind us about the power of things that will draw you away from God. If it is something that is of great influence that holds you from being free in God, please consider allowing God to start working a change within you. If it is an object before you, please know that the object is simply an enabler and is the end result of your choice to partake in it.

Please realize that though you may even frown upon the word itself that there is still a great power that is attempting to draw us from Christ!

An Imagination Is A Powerful Thing; Letting God Use It Will Do Amazing Things!

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Looking back on when I was growing up as a kid I can remember how much the power of my imagination allowed me to enjoy life. Video games were just on the brink of coming into the market they are now today. Children’s shows and ‘toons’ that were made on TV were not as captivating at grabbing your attention as they are now. DVDs had not came on the market yet to be the modern day babysitter. Toys were still more of a physical product than kids running around with their parents smartphones now. To me, I was very blessed in coming up in such a special time that did not require my parents to force me into some class or session that enables creativity. During this space of time I could remember playing outside, swinging broken tree branches as my sword and fighting the greatest imaginary battles ever (where I always won, of course). When this battle was won I could pick up a basketball and be playing an entire game (yet being alone!). This was the wonderful imagination that as we get older begins to mature into more realistic yet possible thoughts.

Now that I am older and working, I cannot help but admit that sometimes I imagine myself at the very top of a company just to realize what sort of favor comes with that. Other times I imagine myself at the very start of a traffic jam so I can be the first one out. In harder times I imagine myself trying to find some end to the present distress. In all reality, the possibilities of where you can take yourself in your mind is two-fold.

So where are we getting at?

When we allow our imagination to be mixed with faith, then believing for the future success does not seem so far off. The most important thing is to take your imagination and creativity and mix it with the best teacher in our lives, the word of God. When we are in a strong, focused commitment with God then the things that we begin to imagine not only include the well-being of ourselves but for others! Instead of just praying and calling out for my immediate loved ones, I can begin to call out faithfully and reach out to a place where I see the victory for someone else. Example? There are many around me in my life that though they are in hard times I see SO much more than where they are (or what they complain about). Through faith you can begin to take action and do amazing things!

Answering The Hard Questions: Why Is It So Hard For Me To Pray?

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This may not be an everyday question that we are thinking all the time, but it is certainly a stumbling block we have all faced at some point in our walk with God. To keep this short and something we can walk away from after reading, I would like to list 3 key answers:

1) A lack of separation, or being “too close” to what holds you back.

So let us say that I am going to have some prayer time because I want to quick smoking. If I literally just got through having a cigarette and am about to start praying while I am next to the ash tray and can still smell the smoke, the chances are of having a supernatural faith is very small. Why? If I am being hindered literally by the very thing I want victory over, then I must separate myself from it. Smoking is a very physical example as you can touch and feel what is afflicting you. Your situation may be a person, place or emotional object that is getting in the way. Remember before you begin to get yourself as separate from the things that are hindering you as you can. You would be surprised at how much of an effect having a quiet place is. This is not to say that you could not put on some praise and worship music to help you, but please do not be moved by a song: be moved by the faith that is in you to petition to God!

2) Little willingness to be humble or give up pride.

For our second example, let us say that there is a major problem with a person controlling the content of inappropriate language. If this person was asked if they had a problem, the answer can indicate where pride is in two ways. The first way would be to admit there is a problem, or being humble enough to admit that it is something that is a problem to your well-being. The second way is when a person will not admit the problem and to give the paraphrased “I’m fine”. This is a great indicator of having too much pride to be humble to any issue. Victory in God begins when we come and confess. God wants to mold each and every issue you have, and without the acknowledging the failures we have pride always wins over prayer! Be willing to simply admit that, “I need help”. This is a great step in the right direction to start a prayer!

3) Missing a habit or the continuing effort to pray every day.

For my job, I am driving myself back and forth each and every day. Driving is a habit that through continual practice is able to be kept and retained so long as I am willing to do so. However if I just stopped driving all together for great lengths of time I cannot imagine that I would get behind the wheel with the same confidence or willingness to “take off” that I would have when it happened frequently. With that said, there is definitely something to praying every day! Praying every day will keep you from having the “first-time” anxieties each and every time you try. Making it a habit will only build up the faith and confidence in God therefore creating an easier feeling to get the first word out!

There are so many more examples and things to be said here, but I want the mission of this word to be simple: Separate, Be Humble, and Pray Often!

It Is Not Just Another Day As Long As You Keep Trying

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John.15:9 “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”

One of my favorite things about God is the way He is proven continually through every trial of my life. At the end of my every success, God’s glory shines through. When I am in the middle of something awful though it is hard for me to see the work that is being completed in my heart. As I am striving to keep walking the path for God I have personally came to realize some of the small moments where it all makes sense:

There were many times in the completion of my work in college that I certainly did not see the end for any classes I was going through. At the time I was working against myself simply because I did not believe in my own abilities. There was too much against me for me to handle this on my own. I find that in those times that I chose to put my inability in God’s hands that He became the strength in my weakness. God was the part of me that would encourage me to “keep trying” and to “not give up”. Even as I say this now I can feel such a wind of encouragement speaking to each one that is reading this. I not only made it through every class at that time but came out with high recommendations from those who taught me. It is wonderful now to realize when God’s glory shone in my victory that it entered when I surrendered to that which was attempting to lift and bring life to me.

Here is the bigger picture of it all: the difference between the encouragement of self and of God is that there is a supernatural change that brings you forward past all of your prior and future doubts. God helps you to not have an earthly vision that often projects failure but to have the sight for success. Success is not something that happens with ease; it takes a great work, motivation and belief! Today is not just another day! As long as you continue in the love of God that has been and will be shown in your heart you will be propelled into the success you never thought could be achieved!

What A Wonderful Savior

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You know, I could use every single byte of space on this web site and would never be able to truly express from my heart the love that flows in my heart for God! We have such a wonderful saviour. I am so thankful for the cause of that cross; the one that gave us life and it more abundantly, joy unspeakable, peace beyond all understanding, life eternal, the list goes on and on! Most of the time you see a lot of emphasis spent here through worship and meditation, right?

Let us break out of the box just for a minute. As we all know that Jesus Christ paid the price for the sins that were before us, there was a (what I will call my R&R) redemption and revival! I was not only redeemed for the past or at-the-time present I could not repair (or even get through) but was also given by the power of the spirit of God the ability to be delivered from all temptations!

So today, I am in praise for our savior not just for what we know about in our present sight and perspectives but the things we never see. I praise God for the quick resolutions before a conflict, peace-making events that divert from harm, the healings unseen before sickness takes its terrible turn, the words that come through spontaneous sources that are the right now word, all of those things! God put so many more ways of showing us His love than we often recognize. I just want to be thankful (and grateful) this day for how my life has turned around from what used to be such a  life bound by darkness and misery! Praise the Lord for the ever-continual flowing gift of not only being able to be saved, but safe as well.

The Word Of The Hour Is: Press On My Friends, Press On

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I send a word of encouragement and power to our everyday readers and new visitors today: Press on!

Press on when others are telling you just to “hang on”. It is easy to just grab your seat on the ride of life and just coast, but God wants you to propel into forward motion! Coasting eventually comes to a halt when you reach the hills, right? When it becomes tough around you is when God is looking for you to be propelled by His presence!

Press on when others would discourage you. One of the greatest blessings that I have personally experienced in my entire life was when I could not have felt more alone. In the poor state that I was in I had no vision of holding on, let alone pressing forward. I was just trying to “exist”. However, the sweetest move of the spirit of God came for me and let me know just how real the word that we read about the promise of the comforter is. Now? Whether I am discouraged, rejected, or even to the magnitude of persecuted I NEVER have to fall that low ever again. I can stand confident in the comfort in the spirit of God!

Press on in your obedience. If I could emphasize one act more than the rest, I would say that this emphasis needs to be on prayer. We simply are not praying enough (none of us). There might be a few of you out there that are on the Daniel plan (3 times a day), and I commend you for it! But I hope that we know that it is not so much in the number as much as it is what you pour out and dedicate during the times that you do. Remember this: 5 minutes of heartfelt humble surrender to God goes so much further than 2 hours of requests for “stuff”.

Most of all, press on for the mark. There is a place that God wants us to aim for. It is a place that in more depths of study reveals the perfect love of God within us. It shows the like-mindedness of Christ within our thoughts. It shows through our acts the charity that came out on its own that no one had to beg out of you. It’s a mark that once someone strives for that others begin to be drawn by. In other words, press on to put down our doubts and fears that lead us not to believe in the living spirit of God within us! Live and let live the word of God within you!

When Church Is Just Church, You Have Missed The Service

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When the word of God makes reference to not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, I get lifted up in its meaning and mystery. From the surface it is very easy to assume that the literal performing of this word is to get yourself to a church (hey any church, right?) to be with other people that are coming too….and now that we are all here…what was it we were here to do (uh oh, I was so busy getting ready I forgot to spiritually prepare…)? The big question of it all is, what are we as a church to do and as an individual to make sure we are performing the word of God to the fullest?

In considering when one would assemble something, consider the altar that Elijah built. It was built in divine order, assembled together with purpose and not made with one piece to not serve for something. In its completion the altar that was built that day was consumed and prevailed against the man-made altars of the prophets of Baal. Please remember and consider that assembling with others what God has purposed for you is only unlocked when you first allow God to consume you in complete surrender (putting your altar in order).This surrender has to happen personally (within yourself i.e. the death of the natural or flesh) FIRST before anyone can be as ‘one’ together in the spiritual parts of church. In other words, when we sit in a room that has been named by a sign as church and not allow God to be in full control of all parts (the service, reaching for the needs, and individual obedience), it cannot prosper. Not only does it cease to prosper, but it creates the ‘obligation’ feeling within people. This obligation of the heart, or our flesh being proud that “I made it here, so bless me” has no humbleness, little love, and zero desire for unity with anyone else. And if it is not the obligation principle, then it is the “I’ll move when I feel it” principle, which is solely based on the benefit of having others that are attempting to stir up the presence of God and assist you in the breaking down of your own flesh. Through the death of Jesus Christ created the opportunity for each and every one of us to offer ourselves at any time. I believe that with all of my heart. Trust me, if I stayed in a “try to move or change me” spirit, then I would not only be discouraging people in obedience but definitely missing the needs of others!

Please do not let the traditions of religion or people that are knowledgeable in traditions run your life. Have a fulfilling spiritual life and put a cause in your heart led by God to edify those around you. Church is about coming together for others in need. Church is more than a building, more than how you think services should be ran. The meaning should be SO much more than that. If you are caught up on the time it ends, the number in attendance or the look of it I am fearful that you not are enjoying your spiritual walk to the fullest. Trust me, when you have that overflowing love of God pouring into your life, you will WANT to do something. It won’t be just another Sunday. You will WANT to offer something! It will be another chance to save a life that would otherwise be lost! The very first moment of when you know that you have found the meaning of assembling ‘together’ in church will be when you help someone and are blessed by seeing their life changed! I personally invite you to join this church, no matter where it is in the part of the world that you dwell. Find yourself a place where you will not only show up but come together in the name of Christ for the sake of others!