Inspired to Death

The people of God desire the word of God. 

This statement was inspired by a young college student who had recently attended a Christian service that proved to do anything but that. In fact, she said, "If preachers can't come up with anything other than an inspirational messages then maybe they should just read from the word for their sermons." 

Unfortunately, her sentiments are not just hers alone. There are many people who feel the same way. People who are tired of listening to messages Sunday after Sunday only to live in defeat week after week. Messages that possess no power because they have no word. Messages filled with the wisdom and cliches of this world that leave its listener both starved and void of hope. Messages that do not provoke us to walk in holiness, but deceive us into to believing that our willful sinning is covered because we professed belief in Christ one day.

Beloved, have you not heard; have you not read? For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) In other words, you cannot spend time in the presence of God and not be effected. Whether His presence causes you to repent or run for the hills, you will be impacted; and if where you go each week to feast on the word of God does neither, then maybe it is time to move on. Maybe it is time to move to a house where the word of God is preached with both clarity and truth; and the result of such teaching is the power of Godś word being manifested in your life´s walk. 

Until next time

Oh Snap, It's Time to Pray

What do you do when someone comes up to you and ask you to keep them lifted in prayer?

You stop everything you are doing, and Pray Now! 

You do this because life happens! You do this because you will forget. You do this because something about the way you live has caused this person to humble themselves; and come to you, and ask you to intercede on their behalf. You do this because this is the will of the Father for you in that moment. 

So from this point forward, I beg you beloved, to never take another request for prayer lightly. For the person who has asked you to pray believes in their heart of hearts, that you are truly a friend of God; and as His friend you not only have direct access, but you have His ear! Now if that's not something to shout about I don't know what is. 

I know, you don't know how to pray; you're not good at praying in public. Beloved do not believe this lie. For the same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in you. And as a result of the power within you, you can boldly speak life to a dead situation; you can put 1000 to flight; and you can change the very atmosphere by your mere presence. 

And this is why it is so important not to allow the enemy to steal this opportunity. 

Don't worry about needing to know what the need is. Simply trust God! Believe that He will give you both the strength and the words to pray. 

So the next time someone ask you to keep them lifted in prayer, remember to: PRAY NOW! Amen

I Forgive You, I Think

"I forgive you!" 

I've said it, you've said it, everyone has said it; but when we say it do we really mean it? Do we really understand what is required of us? I ask this because in the sentence above forgive is a verb, in fact, it is an action verb. And our many years of schooling has taught us that action verbs requires us to act, to do something. 

Let's do a quick four question self assessment:  

1. Do I wish someone would hurt the person who hurt me? Matthew 5:44

2. Do I treat those who have wronged me differently when I'm around them? Romans 12

3. Have I refuse to help someone in need simply because they have done me wrong? Romans 12

4. Do I speak ill of a person who has wronged me? Philippians 4:8

If you answered yes to any one of these questions beloved, you are walking in unforgiveness! For even God provides for both the sinner and the saint. Matthew 5:45

The truth is, forgiveness has more to do with us then the person we are required to forgive. You see, God told us in His word that if we don't forgive others, He won't forgive us (Matthew 6:15); which clearly means that there is a cost, an extremely high cost might I add, for unforgiveness. 

So wait no more! It's time to forgive that brother and or sister who has done you wrong; who has planned evil for you; who has damaged your reputation and who wants nothing more than to see you fall. Forgive them because God commands it. Forgive them because your eternal destiny depends upon it. Forgive them, forgive them, forgive them!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, most gracious and precious Father, I come to you today asking for the power to walk in forgiveness. Release me Father from the hurt, the pain, and the torment that resulted when (say their name) broke my heart; and did that which was  unexpected. Give me the strength to follow your example. Provoke me to pray for (say their name) when I don't feel like it. Help me to pray that (say their name) will receive a change of heart and that as a result, he/she will experience a transformation that can only come from an encounter with you. Release (say their name) Father to walk in the love, joy and peace that only comes from your presence. Forgive (say their name) of all his/her sins. Lead him/her down the path of righteousness for your name's sake. Let your word be hidden in his/her heart and make it to be a hedge of protection about him/her so that he/she will not sin against you. Show him/her the error of his/her ways and bring him/her to the place of repentance. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

Why We Must Wait

“I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.” Isaiah 42:8 NKJV

These are the words I hear the Lord speaking to me in an effort to quiet my wrestless spirit. A spirit that simply can't make sense of my unsuccessful attempts to become gainfully employed again. A spirit which has decided, without my permission, to tell the truth and to expose what I truly put my trust in. 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 NKJV

In an effort to encourage those going through a financially difficult time, I remind them that God is Jehovah Jireh and that they only need to trust Him to do what He said He would do. But the truth is, these words are easy to say when you know the date and time of your next deposit. The real test of your faith comes when you are called to stand on His word, especially when there is no deposit date in sight. 

As a result of my experience lately, I am forced to ask myself a few questions: 

1. If everything in your life falls apart, will He still be God? 
2. We He still be the same Jehovah Jireh you challenged others to believe in? 
3. Will His power to do the impossible at a moments notice diminish simply because of the storm your are currently facing?  

Absolutely not; for He is and always will be God. He is the author and finisher of our faith, the One who sits high and looks low; and He is the One whose thoughts towards us cannot be numbered. He knows the plans He has for us; and it is He who has designed these plans. Plans, according to Jeremiah 29:11, that will cause us to not only prosper, but to have hope for this life and the life to come.

So as I reflect on my many attempts to use my earthly connections to land a job, I am constantly being reminded of His words, "I will not share my glory with anyone." Nope, not even that well intentioned supervisor who has called in every favor he could to help you secure that new position.

You see, our God is a jealous God and as a result, He cannot and will not allow another created thing to obtain the praises that so rightfully belong to Him. Can He cause men you do not know to favor you? Of course He can. Can He provoke your enemies to bless you? Absolutely, He can. But let us never forget beloved this one thing, we serve a God who loves to show Himself mighty in our lives; and that is why He takes pleasure in showing out before the masses who counted you out.

Therefore, we must be content with where He has us. We must trust that He sees our need and that He will provide. For mighty is the God we serve and great is His love toward us. 

Be patient my friend. Be patient are the words I hear the Lord speaking to my soul. Be patient and see the salvation of the Lord.

Until next time...

Secrets that Bind

Family secrets are hard to shake, they are hard to understand and they leave those with the knowledge of them in a most uncomfortable place. You see the lie and you see those who have conspired to keep the lie from coming to the surface; and without an invitation you see the pain behind the eyes of those who know the truth. There smile doesn't hide it and nor does their hard pressed hello.

Why people choose to keep a secret, I will never know. But what I do know is this, untreated wounds, especially those covered up, never really heal. 

Bondage is what results when we keep secrets. We constantly worry about what we are going to do if and when the truth gets out. We worry about how the world will see us and we worry about how this will affect the relationship we have with the one from whom the secret was kept. 

1 Peter 4:8 tells us that love covers a multitude of sins... In other words, there is absolutely nothing that we could have in our past that God can't forgive and cause others to forgive. But in order for this to happen we must confess our sin. 

Now do I suggest that you drop what you are doing right now and confess every secret you've kept, every wrong you have done. Absolutely not. Wisdom would not have you to do such a foolish thing, but He will lead you to the right time and place to make amends. This He promises to do if we go to Him in prayer, if we seek Him for direction and trust Him with end result. 

I know what you have to do is hard and that if you could go back in time you would do things differently, but fixing the past is not an option. All we have is today. And it is in this moment that we can decide that our tomorrow will not be haunted by our yesterday. We will walk in the freedom Christ offers and we will no longer allow the enemy to hold our past mistakes over our heads. 

Beloved it is my prayer that you will no longer be bound by your past mistakes. That you will go to the Father in heaven and ask Him to show you the way. That you will forgive yourself and allow the person you've bruised the grace to heal in their own time and in their own way. 

Will it be easy? Of course not, but in the end, it will all be worth it. 

Until next time...

Navigating the Storms of Life

In this life you will have trouble...

It appears as if God is really trying to get my attention lately. It's as if he's trying to get me to see the purpose behind everything that I've experienced over the last couple of months. And so as I sit in my hotel room tonight reading my word, beloved I am led to share the word that has been so clearly spoken to me with you. Hopefully this word will encourage you and give you the tools necessary to keep moving forward, to keep pressing on, even when it's the last thing you want to do. 

The first thing God wants us to know about our trial is that they are apart of the walk. They are apart of the walk because we currently reside in enemy territory. In short, we are behind enemy lines. Therefore, our very presence is an affront to him and warrants an attack. So what does this mean? It means you could be doing everything right and still be persecuted. Your persecution is not the result of the things you do, but because of who you are and who resides within you.

The truth is, we may never know why we go through what we go through. Maybe like Job, we were recommended or maybe like Peter, we were asked for (Luke 22:31-32); or maybe the trial is a direct and natural consequence of a decision we made in our past that was outside of God's will for our life (Numbers 13:1-24).  Whatever the case may be, He has already given us the victory; and if we faint not, great is our testimony.

The next thing God wants us to know is that our trials are progressive, each one building upon the next. Thereby making the old adage true, new level, new devil. Even so, it is important that we never forget to look for and see God's mercy in the midst of our struggle. Beloved, the mere fact that your trial has not cost you your life, is evidence that God's mercy is upon you and this is reason enough to praise Him (Hebrews 12:3-11). 

So when the trial comes and it truly will, here's what we are to do:

1. Don't despise it and don't make light of it either. We know that God uses all things for our good, but the good only is of benefit to us if we learn the lesson.

2. Don't give up and don't become overrun with worry. Our father in heaven is not dumb or slack concerning his promises toward you. He sees you, and he knows everything about what you're going through. You only need to trust Him. 

Trust Him despite your circumstances. 

Trust Him despite what others may say.

Trust Him despite how you feel. 

Trust Him, trust Him, trust Him. 

Until next time...

When Nothing Else Will Do

It's easy to trust God when things are going well, but what do you do when things aren't working out the way YOU planned or hoped they would? Will you still trust Him? Will you make a conscious choice to take captive every thought that speaks a word contrary to what He has already declared in His word concerning you? Will you continue to smile even though everything around you seems to be falling apart?

What will you do?

You will praise Him, that's what you will do! You will look your troubles square in the face and tell them about the awesome God you serve. You will tell every disappointment how nothing is wasted with God, and boldly proclaim how He will use your setbacks, your let downs and your failures for your good. You will confuse the enemy and startle the nations with your ability to walk on the very thing that was sent to trouble you. Yup, that's exactly what you will do!

Beloved you will do this because despite everything that is happening around you, to you and in you; God is still God and of His Kingdom there is no end (Isaiah 9:7)! You will remember and meditate on the promises He has declared to you, promises that speak of His plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11), promises to carry every weight that burdens you (1 Peter 5:7), promises to be ever mindful of you and to take time each day just to see about you (Psalm 8:4).

As you began to reflect on all that God has promised you, you will experience the release that only comes from being in His presence. A presence that not only promises to bring you joy, but also knowledge concerning the path of life He has for you. (Psalm 16:11) It is then and only then can you get to the place of praise. A place that is not controlled by the circumstances before you.

The truth is, this life will be filled with trouble (John 16:33). We know this because He said it would, but this does not mean that we have to be consumed or beat down by this trouble. In fact we are told, to fear not, for He has already overcome the world, which means we already have the victory.

Beloved, today you will decide like Job, to accept both the good and the bad that comes with this life. You will choose to look at every situation from God's perspective. You will make a conscious effort to seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal unto you the purpose behind every experience.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory. Selah Psalm 24:9-10

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 150:6

Is there not breath in you? Then you know exactly what you should do.

Amen, until next time...

Just Another Day

In this life you will have trouble, but have no fear I have overcome the world.  John 16:33

I wish I could tell you that the words expressed above were easy to swallow, but they are not. And I believe the reason they aren't is because very few believers accept or embrace the fact that suffering is apart of our walk. Even though the bible is filled with men and women who suffered much in their efforts to share the Good News we so freely confess today, our capacity to handle the reality such words reveal is very limited.

We say we are willing to die for Him; we say we are willing to walk away from it all just to follow Him; and yet, we have never had to prove our faithfulness to these words.

Please don't misunderstand my thoughts and think that I am suggesting that you are not true believer if you haven't had to give your life for Christ. For that would be the furthest thing from the point I am trying to get across. However, what I am saying, as I reflect on my experiences over the past year is this, what I call suffering is nothing compared to what others around the world have had to suffer as they strive daily to live as believers in this fallen world.

So what I've had to spend the past two years working in a very hostile environment. So what my first tenure as principal has come to abrupt end. So what, so what, so what!

To get a better perspective on what I am trying to say, one would only have to think back to a little over a year ago, when 147 Somalian college students were killed for their belief in Christ. Believers who in the face of death, chose to hold fast to their confession and leave behind all they knew and loved. For these, our brothers and sisters, made the only decision possible, which required them to fear God and not man, who with all his resources, only had the ability to destroy the body.

I pray that my faith runs as deep as theirs and that I never come face to face with the choice they so bravely made. I pray that I will remember their example and in doing so, will derive the strength to endure the challenges I will surely face along The Way. I pray I never forget the message of John 16:33 and that I will always remember, it's simply apart of the journey. And beloved, it is my prayer that you never forget this truth as well. Amen

Until next time...

Loosing Lazarus!

“And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”” John 11:44 NKJV

People of God, this is a call to action! It's time to stop standing around watching your sister and brother struggle with the things that have them bound. When Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, He made sure to let us know how he came out: bound hand and foot! 

Because I don't believe God does anything haphazardly, I believe there is a message in this for us as well. You see although Lazarus death was a physical one, it stood for so much more than that. Lazarus represents all of us and his state after the awakening only serves to emphasize the struggle we are sure to face when we decide to accept the call to become a follower of the Lord. I say this because so many of us come out of the baptismal pool bound. Our struggles with the things of this world and the spirits we've allowed to have rule in our life continue long after the yes. 

And this is why I believe Jesus commands us to loose him and let him go! You see without the help of those around him, Lazarus, although alive, would have still been bound. 

Unfortunately, there are many Lazarus' in our midst today. People who need those of us whom God has made free, to use our freedom to set them free. I don't know how or when we started believing that the responsibility of loosing our brothers and sisters belonged to someone else, but this nonsense ends here. 

Hopefully by now it's all starting to make sense. You are starting see how important you are to the mission; and you are making a decision to do things differently. 

Jesus commanded those in Lazarus immediate vicinity to "Loose him and let him go," and this is the same command He has for us. You see the chains, you smell the stench and you recognize the need for spiritual food. Now it's time to do something about it. It's time to loose him and let him go!

Why We Must Die

In my very first blog, I testified of how grateful I was that a word spoken to me several years ago had finally come to past. That I was not only to operate in the teaching ministry God had purposed for me, but I was also to birth yet another ministry: a writing ministry. 

To say that I had solely embarked upon this journey to glorify God would not be the truth. Like so many others, who have used the gifts God has given them to profit them, I too dreamed of Social Network fame. I imagined the readers of my blog, the viewers of my Periscope broadcasts, and the likes on my Facebook and Twitter accounts expanding into the thousands in just a matter of months. Surely this is what the call of God would produce for the called, right? Wrong. 

Nothing God has given me, was given to elevate me or be used for my gain. My gifts have a Kingdom assignment and yours do too. When Jesus in Matthew 4, was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil, He revealed this truth to us: gifts are not for personal gain. 

But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4

Let me put it another way, Satan asked Him to do the very thing, I and so many others are guilty of. He asked Him to use the power (talents or gifts) that resided within Him to meet His own need. 

The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Matthew 4:3

But that would not be the case, Jesus would not allow His flesh, despite its cravings, to lead Him out of the will of the Father; and we must not either. The cost of giving in, of letting our flesh take the lead is too great. No matter how convincing the flesh maybe, we are to yield to the Word of God if we are to stay in His will. For it is only through our obedience that we are made effective. 

Beloved, it is my prayer today, that you too will see the light. That you will confess your sin and that you will begin the difficult process of killing your flesh daily. Today, I declare and decree that you will not use your gifts and talents for personal gain. That in times of testing you will, after much preparation, remind the enemy of Matthew 4:4. You will speak this Word with such conviction that it will cause the enemy to flee. That your life, both public and private, will glorify God and that the yoke to be known of men will be lifted off your life.