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midst

Where You Lay Up Your Treasures

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As we go on in our lives going through the motions week after week, it gets very easy to get lost in the midst of everything that we get involved in. As we continue to do everything over and over again we learn that we must always make ends meet and to be responsible for our business, right?

This sounds like a motivational speaking lecture, but it’s not. I know that if anything. that people understand the concept of responsibility. What I am wanting to talk about today is the treasures and their worth that goes far beyond this earth: the treasures of God.

When we read in the bible, we read references to laying up our treasures in Heaven. As I read that, the words began to jump off of the page. I know that today that I only need to be driven to by my faith and willingness to serve God! Everything else that we fight for each day should be a priority, but not the top one.

Seek the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness first, and all the other things in your life will begin to line up for you! Let God be at home, church, and your business!

Finding Clarity Through The Fog

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Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

2 Corinthians 12:1 – It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

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One of the easiest things for people to do in the midst of a confusing situation is to simply give up. Giving up is usually followed a by decreased obedience, which in turn leads to a prolonged spiritual death. A spiritual death means that there is no life to you to draw strength from God. In essence, it is like walking through the fog with no vision. We are going only on our sense of what we think is right to do. When you consider that and our rate of failure, it scares me.

It scares me to think that people are going through the motions of life and being a part of it but doing it blindly without any purpose or knowingly what they want from it. You see, the entire basis of belief to God and Jesus Christ is through faith. In the midst of the fog of confusion, my faith is unlocked when I hope upon the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. I may not know where I am at in a trial because it is new or I may be too emotionally connected. What do I know? I do know of what God has already done for me! I have the roads of hope in my life that I have traveled and made it through before!

The only clarity that I can find in the midst of chaos is trusting God and to know that if He has done it before, that He will do it again. God will never leave or forsake His children! You should know that you are not alone and should not be wandering around in life without God. Recognize your guide, and let him lead you! We should not try to take the “grab life by the horns” approach because the latter outcome of this is usually a guaranteed failure. We cannot realize the outcome of any future for any trial. God sees into our tomorrows! Allow God to be the light in the midst of your darkness! Turn the lights on! Find some clarity through the word of God and all the spiritual things that will lift you above the hard times and let you see things for what they truly are!

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Put Into Practice:

When I first began to drive, I always wondered why it was so hard to drive through fog with the lights on the brightest setting. I thought, “You would think the most amount of light would get you through the fog, right?” In all reality, the best solution was to use a dimmer light and to hear the wisdom of others. That is the advice I give you today. When you hear a great God-given word to you, try not to resist it to bad and think your brighter ideas will solve it all. Trust your brothers and sisters in Christ that bring the word of God at your churches to give you the right now word to lead you through tough times! And if you are not getting it there, pray for it!

Why Worship Counts

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With each and every passing day, it seems to be a fading trend to have active praise and worship in the house of God. It seems as though we are getting down to a presentation and reaction sort of venue. I know that wherever that we go as a ministry, that it is becoming less and less of something that is occurring on a regular basis.

I do realize that many have a lot of misconceptions about worship, but let’s talk about some important parts about it to clear it up a bit!

First off, worship should be something you do ALWAYS. If you are waiting for some kind of special moment to move you, you might be waiting for a long time. I do understand we must wait for God’s voice, but the word of God speaks on entering into his courts with praise! It talks about praising him on the stringed instruments and on the loud sounding cymbals! Thanksgiving should be in your heart before you ever come to church! If you are waiting to get it when you get to church, or are waiting for something, then the process is backwards; God has given you more than enough to step out and worship!

Secondly, we are to be ready IN and OUT of Season. Whether we feel like it or not, or think it is required of us or not, God will always move on us when push comes to shove and there are people in the midst of you that need you to show them who God really is. It’s not about worshiping anyone BUT God. It’s not about giving glory to anyone BUT God. It also means we have to step out whether we are on the mountain in victory or in the valley in the midst of trials. We couldn’t have a good enough of an excuse to sit back and say “I don’t have to”!

Lastly, it’s YOUR CHOICE. No one can make you, but only encourage you to. People get upset at me all the time because they feel as though I am trying to tell them how or when to worship the Lord, but I am merely encouraging them to! I’m not going back there and lifting up your hands for you, for that has to be you! God will never put anything on you more than you can bear, but I cannot imagine that he would ever put you in a place that you could not draw from the well of praise. Praise is what builds faith. Praise is what builds your zeal. Praise is what breaks ground for the word of God.

What Is Of True Worth?

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Psalm 145:20 – The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

John 12:25 – He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

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Each and every day people are going after all the things they feel is of worth: money, fame, fortune, popularity, etc. We all have our actions that we prioritize based on what we want the most. I cannot help but ask where does God lie in priority in the midst of all your business? You see, He is my all in all and the one that I fully trust in. Even in recent events in my life I have found that the value of things that were once important to me began to lose their worth. Why? I would have to say it is because I finally realized that God can only be as valuable as you allow Him to be. I could have a million dollars or could only have a dime, but regardless of which I possess as long as I have Christ in my life I can remain constant. The peace, joy, and everlasting life that you began to inherit by believing upon Him are more valuable than anything else that you could chase out in this world. Over the recent months, I have strengthened my commitment to God and have seen things that use to be of worth fall away. I realize that if I lost it all and still had God, I would still be able to find hope! There might be some of you out there that are feeling hopeless or similar to this, but be encouraged! It is great to have lots of people that know you, objects you love to interact with, and emotional highs from being so love by all walks of life, but do not let these objects stand in your way of what is of most worth to you in your life: Jesus Christ!

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Put Into Practice:

This is a two-part challenge, and depending on your answer to the next few questions, I ask you to act accordingly. Are you saved by praying and asking Jesus Christ to be your savior? Have you asked for the forgiveness of your sins? Have you ever had an experience where you felt something inside that you had never felt before? Have you ever felt something that was leading you to believe there was something more to God and Jesus? If you have not asked Jesus Christ into your life, I pray that you take as long as you need and pray right now to have a change take place and a spiritual transformation take place in your life. There have been many books and methods that have tried to describe how to obtain salvation, but the most important part to know is that you have to recognize that you need Jesus Christ in your life. You have to know that you need to escape hell through the gift of Christ’s sacrifice, salvation. If you are saved, this is wonderful. I would ask you one thing: do you ask these same questions to the ones that you love? Make it your goal that you ask at least (at a minimum) on a quarterly basis through an entire year. That is not much to ask, right? You love your loved ones and those that God has place on your heart, right? Then get out there!

You Are Made To Overcome

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Romans 12:21 – Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 John 4:4 – Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

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We hear the phrase so often that “you are made an overcomer”, right? That part of the phrase is empowered with the part of “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony”, right? One would be quick to say yes in words, but as I observe in the ministry each and every day I find people that sit persuaded that they are “powerless” and have yet to realize the fullness of the power of an overcomer.

Being powerless was not the mindset that God laid out before us to possess. Power was endued from on high so that we could obtain all the qualities of God to fulfill in the areas that we lack in and need strength! Peace came so that we could find joy in the middle of our tough trials. You start unlocking more peace with faith, and faith begins to build and is brought out in you as it comes with works in your life! I work through my troubles by using the blood of the Lamb. I am a redeemed, blood-bought child of the living God! We should never forget the almighty powerful God that we serve! His provision is far greater than this world, and gives me more than enough and far more than I could ever fathom!

When I am in the midst of personal trials I remind myself to use the words of my testimony to stir myself.  When I begin to grow stale in the midst of a routine life: going through the motions, feeling like everything is the same thing, I go back to a time where I remember that I was in desperate need, and God met my every request! I should never doubt that power and should never feel like that I am powerless! We as the children of God have to stop being deceived by our own discouragement and use the very things God gave us to get up and overcome!

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Put Into Practice:

Here is a challenge that I encourage you to do the next time you are at a church service or function: give your testimony! Simply follow your heart and share the great things that God has done for you in your life. Let the spirit of God lead you in your words and do not be afraid to be humble! Surprise yourself by opening up and giving God glory for the multitude of things that have been done and are yet to come!

I can honestly say that I took this challenge a long time ago and that my life has never been the same. In fact, I can honestly say that I wish that I would have stepped out speaking for God a long time ago.