Good Morning all . After a very restful night of sleep and being awakened by the breath of heaven, this is what was placed on my heart.
Most people if they are honest are scared of something : It could be : spiders, snakes, heights, dogs, their own shadow or even the dark to name a few. We live in a world where it seems that phobias are as numerous as the very population they keep in bondage.
Being afraid is a natural emotion and we can attest to how a scene from a movie, a bump in the night or someone turning a corner too fast can startle us. But today I would like to go a little deeper as in maybe fear of the unknown. No human being has ever lived in the Kingdom before, so yes we are still learning how to yield, be developed and then carry out the procedures given to us by our Lord.
Far too many of us know the church lingo, when to shout, wave your hand, clap, throw a washcloth at the preacher... as if that isn`t distracting enough, yell saaang... when the person is already singing, dance on que and put up that one finger to excuse ourselves which seems to draw more attention to you all the more.
We know how to pronounce words in Hebrew and Greek but many of us don`t even speak to each other in English. We have more resources available to us than any other generation, but my heart seems to think we are still way behind concerning some of the major things we have been authoritized to do.
We are anointed, transformed vessels of the Most High God. But we argue over everything from, choir robe colors, deacon uniforms, real wine and bread at communion , the rapture, the Trinity,or if someones salvation is hinging on whether they speak in an unknown tongue.
Stay with me now...In Isaiah 61:1-3 .. we get a glimpse of why Christ came. To preach good tidings, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, open prison doors, proclaim the acceptable year, comfort and console those who mourn , give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy, a garment of praise in place of the spirit of heaviness, call them trees of righteousness; the planting of the Lord, that HE may be glorified.
Now if most of us took inventory , how many of these things are taking place in the sanctuaries of God. ?Truly I attend a church where the Spirit of God moves freely, nor do I claim we are the only ones doing that which is right.. but my concern is after all of the shouting, hi fiving and crying are we anymore interested or obedient to do what Christ commanded before we step into the building ?.. Or are we just energized to trek through another week of work and play and come back on Sunday to do it all over again... without seeing any of the things Christ came to do ... be manifested in someone elses life.
Which brings me to why I started this blog.. have we as saints of the most high God forgotten that free people have been freed to free others ? Our liberty should spur others to want to be free and follow Him who paid the ransom for us all. I believe many of us are okay with the mundane, mediocre don`t rock the boat, let someone else get out and walk on water kind of religion that does not force you to use force, but we have the Living God wanting to kill some things in other peoples lives.We brag about favor for material things, but very seldom testify on how we have been delivered or are being used to deliver someone us... which to me is much more favorable because I am not the only one who benefits.
Have we become so afraid of the demonic realm, or is it that we figure that`s not my calling and wait for the Pastor to do it. Please do not misunderstand me, I know we ought not go around just casting out demons within your own strength; because we cant !, But my Bible says I was given authority to trample on serpents, tread on scorpions, speak in other tongues, lay hands on the sick and they do recover, be disciples and change the world just to name a few.
How is it that in churches who claim Christ as their Savior, will tell you things like, don`t touch her hand I think she`s a witch, don`t stand too close to him, I think he has an unclean spirit, Don`t sit next to her she has a jezebel spirit or watch who you let pray for you. I fully understand the presence of the forces of darkness, but is not that what God wants.. people to be made well ? He has to use people who look like people to do His bidding, many of us would leave church permanently if an angel came and ministered to us instead of another human being .
Did not He say He gave us all things that pertain to life and godliness ?. So the question is posed is everyone called to deliverance ministry ?... So if you are not ; this blog is not for you. But if you are.. it`s all you boo. Now if anyone knows me I am one of the most practical people alive. Sometimes I think we over analyze stuff because we really don`t want to do what Christ has instructed. (Just my opinion.. ) One of the saddest conversations I have ever had with the Holy Spirit went something like this... Why is it that there are so many people bound in Christ ? His response was because other christians and not Satan want to see them stay that way !. I do believe we see others struggling and we turn the other way, or IF we DO try and help .. to what extent ? do we do it like our own life depended on it? Not really.
...
Jesus touched a man who was full of leprosy in Luke 5:12.. Anyone who knows just the elementary facts concerning leprosy , you know it was not the chicken pox !!. This disease seperated you from society, was dangerous to the touch and even defiled you religiously. So being a leper was not the business as some would say today. But Christ touched the mans hand and he was immediatley healed!. How many of us WHEN we go to feed the homeless get all squirmish if we encounter a man who has urinated on himself, or with an stretched out and not outstretched hand ; hand a woman some food. Are we ever going to get to a point where we are not so concerned about ourselves that we will run the risk of ministering to someone who needs deliverance ... over our need to be religious?
Father.. For You have given us everything ... which is Your Beloved Son , may we be about your business... while making other peoples business our business. Please forgive us for the times when we saw someone bound and did nothing to help. May we no longer look at them or talk about them to another , but may we speak to that which has them captive ; that they would be released for your service in Jesus name.
In closing , I will say it again for those who KNOW God has called you to this work in the vineyard I pray you not waste another opportunity.. For Christ declared... He did not come for the well but for the sick....
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Camoflauge of Self Sabotage
Good Morning... it has been roughly 34 days since my last post and whew.. I tell ya I am one grateful sister ! . And because of the mercies of God I was not utterly consumed. Today I wish to share from the area of LOVE. We are instructed to (love our neighbor as ourselves ) which I believe is totally possible; IF we love ourselves ! . Some love them themselves to death ; running toward and chasing after things and people who are not good for them ; never producing fruit that will nourish another.
While sadly others cannot seem to muster up the strength to love at all... because they grew up without or only recieving what others had in them to give. Our perception of love is often jaded .. which is understandable due to the fallen nature of man. Leaving us ever disappointed, disgusted and disenfranchised.
I have come to learn the hard way ... people can only love you with what is inside of them, their perception of what love looks like varies from your own because of prior relationships... If a man has no respect for his own mother... well you know what you are in for... If a woman did not know or had a bad relationship with her father.. Brother you are in for some rough times. I also learned to decide if I was willing to accept what they had to offer or if I could use my rights... to be pursued and embrace someone who would be willing to grow with me and not keep using excuses.. If it is you and not me .... are you even willing ? to work on YOU.. is the question I had to pose. And if not respectfully I will make this easier on all parties involved . I will remove myself from the equation. Far too many times I have been in divided relationships.. bringing me only a fraction of ... or worst subtracting from the circumference of who I was. I am an addition to every situation and refuse to settle for a percentage.
Let us look at a couple of definitions before we go any further.
Camoflauge : The process of disguising or changing the appearance of ; or to conceal something or yourself from the enemy.
Self : The identity , character or essential qualities of any person or thing.
Sabotage : Intentional obstruction of or damage to some productive process .
So what is being said here is ... As one follows a pattern or a continued stream of events to disguise, alter or conceal something from another about who they really are ... good, bad or indifferent.. they find themselves purposely tearing apart that which they really desire for others to come in agreement with.
Many will scoff and immediatley say.. No I love myself ! . yeah for some you love yourself so much it has turned into vanity.. we are speaking of the kind of love that extends itself beyond when we get our hair done, get a fresh cut, make a wise decision or just look put together from an outward standpoint. Many people profess that they do not care what others think of them... hmmm; if this is so then why do we spend so much time on appearance and trying to make good impressions. We have to be taught how to love ourselves.. not just to appease ourselves , but to be an example to others. Christians who serve He who is the epitome of love ... can be some of the meanest people... we often want things that ...we are not willing to give out ourselves. In part because... we view love moreso by what we get from others and not so much of how we are to give to others... This is a truthful and faithful saying... HOWEVER you love yourself will be the prototype for how you love others.. Many people try and defy truth by thinking things will be different if we just love people so much it will inevitably cause them to love you the same... this is not so God`s beloved.
Hear me out... I am in no way saying that we ought not take pride in ourselves.. that is an elementary concept. what I am saying is we tend to let what others think and allow them to consume us to the point of almost no return ; maybe not in every area but at least one.When you find yourself trying to look, speak or act in a manner that is pleasing to others you can also open yourself up to losing your identity.. now the two of you are rolling along and one can no longer keep up this charade. This is too exhausting.. coupled with your own insecurities; now you are overwhelmed with what others will think.. so what happens next ? you confess this is too much like work ... maybe God didn`t tell me to do this and I quit... SELF SABOTAGE. !
People who self sabotage can and will accomplish things, but it will usually take them longer.. kind of like the 11 day trip to the Promise Land that took 40 years... your heart has to be tested and your mind renewed . Many of us do not even know what is inside of us... until God allows a situation to bring out the true nature of man.
If we were honest we could think of at least one thing God has instructed us to do .. whether it was 10 minutes, 10 months or 10 years ago... How much closer are we to accomplishing that ? Is it fear of failure, fear of man which is a snare, fear of responsiblity, or fear of success ?. We like to hear God say He is going to use us to do a mighty work ; but when we begin to look at our own track record we become discouraged... truth be told if we could do it alone .. God is probably not orchestrating it.
Here are a few tips to help one realize if they are self sabotaging their lives. 1. You cannot except a compliment without giving a disclaimer.. ex..( Oh your hair looks great.. oh girl I so need a touch up.) ... (or hey bruh.. you been working out ? ... yeah but I sure have a long way to go.)
2. You start a project and do not alert anyone because they just may hold you accountable to complete it.
3. You tell God all of the reasons He should`nt use you , but then get upset when He uses someone else.
4.You can see greatness in everyone else but just can`t seem to your own cheerleader
5. And the one most witnessed of them all... God I have done way too much to tell anyone anything .. so I will just use my get out of hell free card, go to church, give an offering, sing a song or two, think about giving a tithe... but refuse ... because if I give you my last what will I have ? For you know I am used to providing for myself.
We can not effectivley love God, ourselves or anyone else until we first embrace the love of God that He has shed abroad in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. If one does not deem themselves worthy of love from He who is love... how can they possibly extend it and let it run over into the hearts and lives of the world.
How many inventions, ministries, relationships, friendships and dreams have been annihilated, incarcerated and mutilated because you refused to believe that it was actually possible. The saddest thing is that we were saved to impact the world and are being selfish by sabotaging every good and perfect gift from above.
Before we can pour into another we have to realize that while we were sinners we were unworthy and undeserving... but know as saints we have benefits and if our mindsets would be transformed from... oh I am such a wretch to that of ... I am an Ambassador... maybe , just maybe we could move forward.
I do not want to spend another nano second talking or walking myself ... right out of the blessing that God has been preparing me to walk into for the edification of another soul.
Lord ..surely your sacrifice was more than enough ! everytime I tell you why I cannot do something You point me back to the cross ... where you did it all. So may we remember and never forget that in the beginning ... it was finished... He who began a good work in us will complete it ... And also that we can no longer put our hand to the plow and turn back.
SO PLEASE NO MORE; SHE CAN DO IT BETTER THAN ME ... HE PREACHES AND PRAYS BETTER THAN ME ... IF I HAD MORE MONEY... WHEN I LOSE THE WEIGHT... WHEN I GET MARRIED.. WHEN I GET BACK ON MY FEET.. WHEN HE TELLS ME I AM BEAUTIFUL... WHEN SHE COMES TO HER SENSES.....What will we do as disciples in the mean time or what happens if these things do not ever occur ?????
So today I pray that you would recognize those areas and if need be .. ask the Holy Spirit to reveal that which you may have been in denial of or just unaware of ... May you not spend anymore of God`s , your or anyone elses time in the CAMOFLAUGE OF SELF SABOTAGE. !
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. McNeil
While sadly others cannot seem to muster up the strength to love at all... because they grew up without or only recieving what others had in them to give. Our perception of love is often jaded .. which is understandable due to the fallen nature of man. Leaving us ever disappointed, disgusted and disenfranchised.
I have come to learn the hard way ... people can only love you with what is inside of them, their perception of what love looks like varies from your own because of prior relationships... If a man has no respect for his own mother... well you know what you are in for... If a woman did not know or had a bad relationship with her father.. Brother you are in for some rough times. I also learned to decide if I was willing to accept what they had to offer or if I could use my rights... to be pursued and embrace someone who would be willing to grow with me and not keep using excuses.. If it is you and not me .... are you even willing ? to work on YOU.. is the question I had to pose. And if not respectfully I will make this easier on all parties involved . I will remove myself from the equation. Far too many times I have been in divided relationships.. bringing me only a fraction of ... or worst subtracting from the circumference of who I was. I am an addition to every situation and refuse to settle for a percentage.
Let us look at a couple of definitions before we go any further.
Camoflauge : The process of disguising or changing the appearance of ; or to conceal something or yourself from the enemy.
Self : The identity , character or essential qualities of any person or thing.
Sabotage : Intentional obstruction of or damage to some productive process .
So what is being said here is ... As one follows a pattern or a continued stream of events to disguise, alter or conceal something from another about who they really are ... good, bad or indifferent.. they find themselves purposely tearing apart that which they really desire for others to come in agreement with.
Many will scoff and immediatley say.. No I love myself ! . yeah for some you love yourself so much it has turned into vanity.. we are speaking of the kind of love that extends itself beyond when we get our hair done, get a fresh cut, make a wise decision or just look put together from an outward standpoint. Many people profess that they do not care what others think of them... hmmm; if this is so then why do we spend so much time on appearance and trying to make good impressions. We have to be taught how to love ourselves.. not just to appease ourselves , but to be an example to others. Christians who serve He who is the epitome of love ... can be some of the meanest people... we often want things that ...we are not willing to give out ourselves. In part because... we view love moreso by what we get from others and not so much of how we are to give to others... This is a truthful and faithful saying... HOWEVER you love yourself will be the prototype for how you love others.. Many people try and defy truth by thinking things will be different if we just love people so much it will inevitably cause them to love you the same... this is not so God`s beloved.
Hear me out... I am in no way saying that we ought not take pride in ourselves.. that is an elementary concept. what I am saying is we tend to let what others think and allow them to consume us to the point of almost no return ; maybe not in every area but at least one.When you find yourself trying to look, speak or act in a manner that is pleasing to others you can also open yourself up to losing your identity.. now the two of you are rolling along and one can no longer keep up this charade. This is too exhausting.. coupled with your own insecurities; now you are overwhelmed with what others will think.. so what happens next ? you confess this is too much like work ... maybe God didn`t tell me to do this and I quit... SELF SABOTAGE. !
People who self sabotage can and will accomplish things, but it will usually take them longer.. kind of like the 11 day trip to the Promise Land that took 40 years... your heart has to be tested and your mind renewed . Many of us do not even know what is inside of us... until God allows a situation to bring out the true nature of man.
If we were honest we could think of at least one thing God has instructed us to do .. whether it was 10 minutes, 10 months or 10 years ago... How much closer are we to accomplishing that ? Is it fear of failure, fear of man which is a snare, fear of responsiblity, or fear of success ?. We like to hear God say He is going to use us to do a mighty work ; but when we begin to look at our own track record we become discouraged... truth be told if we could do it alone .. God is probably not orchestrating it.
Here are a few tips to help one realize if they are self sabotaging their lives. 1. You cannot except a compliment without giving a disclaimer.. ex..( Oh your hair looks great.. oh girl I so need a touch up.) ... (or hey bruh.. you been working out ? ... yeah but I sure have a long way to go.)
2. You start a project and do not alert anyone because they just may hold you accountable to complete it.
3. You tell God all of the reasons He should`nt use you , but then get upset when He uses someone else.
4.You can see greatness in everyone else but just can`t seem to your own cheerleader
5. And the one most witnessed of them all... God I have done way too much to tell anyone anything .. so I will just use my get out of hell free card, go to church, give an offering, sing a song or two, think about giving a tithe... but refuse ... because if I give you my last what will I have ? For you know I am used to providing for myself.
We can not effectivley love God, ourselves or anyone else until we first embrace the love of God that He has shed abroad in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. If one does not deem themselves worthy of love from He who is love... how can they possibly extend it and let it run over into the hearts and lives of the world.
How many inventions, ministries, relationships, friendships and dreams have been annihilated, incarcerated and mutilated because you refused to believe that it was actually possible. The saddest thing is that we were saved to impact the world and are being selfish by sabotaging every good and perfect gift from above.
Before we can pour into another we have to realize that while we were sinners we were unworthy and undeserving... but know as saints we have benefits and if our mindsets would be transformed from... oh I am such a wretch to that of ... I am an Ambassador... maybe , just maybe we could move forward.
I do not want to spend another nano second talking or walking myself ... right out of the blessing that God has been preparing me to walk into for the edification of another soul.
Lord ..surely your sacrifice was more than enough ! everytime I tell you why I cannot do something You point me back to the cross ... where you did it all. So may we remember and never forget that in the beginning ... it was finished... He who began a good work in us will complete it ... And also that we can no longer put our hand to the plow and turn back.
SO PLEASE NO MORE; SHE CAN DO IT BETTER THAN ME ... HE PREACHES AND PRAYS BETTER THAN ME ... IF I HAD MORE MONEY... WHEN I LOSE THE WEIGHT... WHEN I GET MARRIED.. WHEN I GET BACK ON MY FEET.. WHEN HE TELLS ME I AM BEAUTIFUL... WHEN SHE COMES TO HER SENSES.....What will we do as disciples in the mean time or what happens if these things do not ever occur ?????
So today I pray that you would recognize those areas and if need be .. ask the Holy Spirit to reveal that which you may have been in denial of or just unaware of ... May you not spend anymore of God`s , your or anyone elses time in the CAMOFLAUGE OF SELF SABOTAGE. !
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. McNeil
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Saliva of the Savior
Hello everyone , I have been away for a short period and in that place is where I recieve instruction, correction and comfort from the Father . Today I would like to share with you what was given to me. We will be looking at the scripture text of John 9 focusing on verse 6. This account gives us so much insight into the way God works , how Christ heals, how people are delivered , how we as humans can jump to conclusions and be judgemental, and even shows us how others react when someone is made whole.
Before we go into the Word , I would like to say it is a beautiful thing when you understand what area or areas He has gifted you in, this way you do not spend and exorbiant amount of time trying to be someone else, walk in their shoes or imitate their style. God takes our personality which is natural and meshes it with His super and then we can go forth and be world changers.
As a child around the age of three.. I quickly realized that I liked "words". Crossword puzzles, word searches, I read everything from the ingredients off the cereal box, to street signs, reciepts and even obituaries... yeah I know I am special :). In math class my favorite times were spent solving word problems. I found out later that I was one of those children who talked before they walked. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to what others had to say; even if they were 10 - 15 years older than myself. I was well able to hold a conversation with the best of them. My family would come to me to ask what were the words to songs or they would say Na-Na what did he just say ? . So after all of these years.. I think it not strange that the Bible and the dictionary are my two favorite books in the world.
I am the girl who found sheer pleasure in untangling everything from knotted shoelaces to entangled gold chains. Modestly and honestly I probabaly could have invented the rubberband ball or the Rubik`s cube. Something intrigued me about unraveling paperclips and looking for needles in haystacks... whenever something was cluttered , out of order or not working properly I desired to find out why it was broken ; fix it and then present it to others; so it could once again be used for it`s intended purpose.
What am I saying ? .. we all know the power of our words.. in Genesis God said and it was , He did not have an architectural map on paper , but layed out the foundations of the world by the power of His breath. He has afforded us the same strength. Gary Coleman said... what you talkin bout Willis ? , Chris Tucker said.. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? Arnold Schwarzeneggar said.. I`ll be back.. that`s a whole other blog yall. , a modern day preacher said... your words shape your world, one of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 1:12.. where it declares that God watches over His word to perform it.. scripture also reminds us ( brings back to our mind again) that there is power in the tongue and that we would eat the fruit of that which we speak; so we are either putting people or ourselves on blast or producing fruit that will last. BUT Jesus Christ said... Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He reminds us that it is not what we put in our mouths , but that which comes out will cause us to feast or famine. So just like we watch other people as well as television we need to "watch" i.e guard and pay close attention to what we say.
So now we can look at how Christ took something from within and brought about deliverance to a man`s outward infirmity. The word Saliva is defined as a watery fluid secreted by the glands in the mouth; which aids in the digestion process. So God in all of His infinite wisdom afforded our bodies to produce water from our mouth to help us deal with the issues of life... that was good to me right there. !.
The man was blind from birth, I don`t know about you but I began to wonder after all this time had anyone even prayed for this man to be healed or did they just look at him and proclaim .. he has been that way all these years ... maybe God is punishing him for sinning ? They even went so far as to insinuate that the parents may have been the reason he did not have his sight. And these were the disciples who walked with Christ daily ... now before we throw them under the bus for being trifling, let us acknowledge that we have the same uncanny knack of thinking thoughts that are unfair and stifling. And truth be told... as soon as some of us see "someone going through" our first instinct is to connect it with sin, not realizing a person could really just be thankful to God. Or as the scripture goes on to explain that GOD allowed this to occur that His glory alone would be revealed.
Pain, affliction, testings, temptations or illness is not always a sign of sin , but at times can be the result of sin. Many believe that if everything is going well, we are prospering ,God is moving and our pockets are fat.. WE must be doing something or for others everything right. But if none of these things are occuring does that nullify the power, grace, prosperity and peace of God... Certainly not. So if a person is struggling we can too mistake it for them not "trusting" God, or accuse them of not having enough faith; when in actuality the Holy Spirit gave us the gift of faith so how do we even resolve that it`s not enough ? . I know we can suffer from unbelief , but it`s not because we don`t have the faith it`s usually because WE can`t figure God out and when He does something contrary to the way we think it should have been done ; or different from our scheduling we began to lose heart.
We witness in verse six, how Christ takes probably one of the things that most would find detestable to bring healing to the one He loves. Most cannot stand the sight of spit, when others spit or to even hear the word spit makes some cringe. In earlier times for someone to spit on you it was considered the highest form of disrespect , so what is being taught here is Christ is the "God of opposites". I love that about Him ...The word proclaims that He takes the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. Who in the world would think to mix spit and dirt and use it as a healing agent : NOBODY BUT GOD !.
The man was obedient to Christ and his instruction after his healing process began, so we too should be participatory; yes we are encouraged to do self examinations , but only the Great Physician can make us well.. No one is ever successful when trying to heal themselves especially if they had no part in allowing the affliction to present itself in the first place. The thing that struck me here was not that the man had had his sight restored .. because remember , he was never able to see, but that Christ immediatley healed him.. and he was blessed to recieve a visual to all that he had "heard" about concerning his surroundings, the man was now well able to enjoy them at the level in which the Lord intended.
Whatever God allows to take place in our lives ... please know it will ALWAYS be for our good , His glory and the girding up of others. Christ himself who knew no sin became sin for us that we would become the righteousness of God. How many of us are willing to suffer , so that someone elses faith can be elevated?. How many times do we pray for exaltation when we should be praying for humility?.. Christ layed down his life for people who he outright knew would reject him. But many of us today are so afraid to be vulnerable , so we shut God and people out if it causes us discomfort. I pray we learn to see as He does, loves as He does, forgive as He does, rejoice and not reject as He does and understand regardless of how a person got to that point ; do that which YOU have been anointed to ... so they will see God, themselves and others without blinders.
I would like to say everything Christ did was according to the Kingdom of Heaven, if we will continue to seek Him and His righteouesness, everything else would be added to us. So may we today ... whose eyes have been opened look for opportunities to be a blessing to someone other than ourselves.
Always remember and never forget... Man who was made from the dust of the earth can only recieve deliverance by what comes out of the mouth of God. !!!. Recieve the Saliva of the Savior...
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. McNeil
Before we go into the Word , I would like to say it is a beautiful thing when you understand what area or areas He has gifted you in, this way you do not spend and exorbiant amount of time trying to be someone else, walk in their shoes or imitate their style. God takes our personality which is natural and meshes it with His super and then we can go forth and be world changers.
As a child around the age of three.. I quickly realized that I liked "words". Crossword puzzles, word searches, I read everything from the ingredients off the cereal box, to street signs, reciepts and even obituaries... yeah I know I am special :). In math class my favorite times were spent solving word problems. I found out later that I was one of those children who talked before they walked. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to what others had to say; even if they were 10 - 15 years older than myself. I was well able to hold a conversation with the best of them. My family would come to me to ask what were the words to songs or they would say Na-Na what did he just say ? . So after all of these years.. I think it not strange that the Bible and the dictionary are my two favorite books in the world.
I am the girl who found sheer pleasure in untangling everything from knotted shoelaces to entangled gold chains. Modestly and honestly I probabaly could have invented the rubberband ball or the Rubik`s cube. Something intrigued me about unraveling paperclips and looking for needles in haystacks... whenever something was cluttered , out of order or not working properly I desired to find out why it was broken ; fix it and then present it to others; so it could once again be used for it`s intended purpose.
What am I saying ? .. we all know the power of our words.. in Genesis God said and it was , He did not have an architectural map on paper , but layed out the foundations of the world by the power of His breath. He has afforded us the same strength. Gary Coleman said... what you talkin bout Willis ? , Chris Tucker said.. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? Arnold Schwarzeneggar said.. I`ll be back.. that`s a whole other blog yall. , a modern day preacher said... your words shape your world, one of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 1:12.. where it declares that God watches over His word to perform it.. scripture also reminds us ( brings back to our mind again) that there is power in the tongue and that we would eat the fruit of that which we speak; so we are either putting people or ourselves on blast or producing fruit that will last. BUT Jesus Christ said... Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He reminds us that it is not what we put in our mouths , but that which comes out will cause us to feast or famine. So just like we watch other people as well as television we need to "watch" i.e guard and pay close attention to what we say.
So now we can look at how Christ took something from within and brought about deliverance to a man`s outward infirmity. The word Saliva is defined as a watery fluid secreted by the glands in the mouth; which aids in the digestion process. So God in all of His infinite wisdom afforded our bodies to produce water from our mouth to help us deal with the issues of life... that was good to me right there. !.
The man was blind from birth, I don`t know about you but I began to wonder after all this time had anyone even prayed for this man to be healed or did they just look at him and proclaim .. he has been that way all these years ... maybe God is punishing him for sinning ? They even went so far as to insinuate that the parents may have been the reason he did not have his sight. And these were the disciples who walked with Christ daily ... now before we throw them under the bus for being trifling, let us acknowledge that we have the same uncanny knack of thinking thoughts that are unfair and stifling. And truth be told... as soon as some of us see "someone going through" our first instinct is to connect it with sin, not realizing a person could really just be thankful to God. Or as the scripture goes on to explain that GOD allowed this to occur that His glory alone would be revealed.
Pain, affliction, testings, temptations or illness is not always a sign of sin , but at times can be the result of sin. Many believe that if everything is going well, we are prospering ,God is moving and our pockets are fat.. WE must be doing something or for others everything right. But if none of these things are occuring does that nullify the power, grace, prosperity and peace of God... Certainly not. So if a person is struggling we can too mistake it for them not "trusting" God, or accuse them of not having enough faith; when in actuality the Holy Spirit gave us the gift of faith so how do we even resolve that it`s not enough ? . I know we can suffer from unbelief , but it`s not because we don`t have the faith it`s usually because WE can`t figure God out and when He does something contrary to the way we think it should have been done ; or different from our scheduling we began to lose heart.
We witness in verse six, how Christ takes probably one of the things that most would find detestable to bring healing to the one He loves. Most cannot stand the sight of spit, when others spit or to even hear the word spit makes some cringe. In earlier times for someone to spit on you it was considered the highest form of disrespect , so what is being taught here is Christ is the "God of opposites". I love that about Him ...The word proclaims that He takes the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. Who in the world would think to mix spit and dirt and use it as a healing agent : NOBODY BUT GOD !.
The man was obedient to Christ and his instruction after his healing process began, so we too should be participatory; yes we are encouraged to do self examinations , but only the Great Physician can make us well.. No one is ever successful when trying to heal themselves especially if they had no part in allowing the affliction to present itself in the first place. The thing that struck me here was not that the man had had his sight restored .. because remember , he was never able to see, but that Christ immediatley healed him.. and he was blessed to recieve a visual to all that he had "heard" about concerning his surroundings, the man was now well able to enjoy them at the level in which the Lord intended.
Whatever God allows to take place in our lives ... please know it will ALWAYS be for our good , His glory and the girding up of others. Christ himself who knew no sin became sin for us that we would become the righteousness of God. How many of us are willing to suffer , so that someone elses faith can be elevated?. How many times do we pray for exaltation when we should be praying for humility?.. Christ layed down his life for people who he outright knew would reject him. But many of us today are so afraid to be vulnerable , so we shut God and people out if it causes us discomfort. I pray we learn to see as He does, loves as He does, forgive as He does, rejoice and not reject as He does and understand regardless of how a person got to that point ; do that which YOU have been anointed to ... so they will see God, themselves and others without blinders.
I would like to say everything Christ did was according to the Kingdom of Heaven, if we will continue to seek Him and His righteouesness, everything else would be added to us. So may we today ... whose eyes have been opened look for opportunities to be a blessing to someone other than ourselves.
Always remember and never forget... Man who was made from the dust of the earth can only recieve deliverance by what comes out of the mouth of God. !!!. Recieve the Saliva of the Savior...
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. McNeil
Friday, September 17, 2010
Well Come Back
Hello everybody.. I feel like I have been a way for a minute, nevertheless I am here now and let`s get to it. My heart is full so please bear with me. I will be discussing the concept of COMING BACK..
As a young child I was a latchkey child and watched ALOT of television one of my favorite tv shows was Welcome Back Kotter.. anyone familiar with this program knew it focused on a teacher and four students that everyone else had given up on. And how they trekked through life situations. The teacher would coach them in academics but moreso spurred them on to become more than what others expected and greater than what they ever dreamt of for themselves. Their very own principal didn`t have faith in them... and basically anticipated the day that they would all just quit , become statistics, end up in prison or maybe even dead.
Many of us have been told we would never amount to anything, we were just like our father or would never make any contributions to the world. On the other hand many were encouraged, had family support and even believed in themselves.. But such is life... a situation or series of events causes one to falter, allow the dream to die or just give up concerning the fulfillment of the task.
Today we will see how Jesus can take everything you go through in your life and use it for your good and His glory... People say , hey I have a great idea will you BACK me on this ?, Others say we go BACK like rocking chairs... But my favorite statement comes from LL Cool J who said .. Don`t call it a COME BACK I been here for years!!!!
Life can cause people to do one or two things lay down and die or fight for the right to prosper.
In John 4:1-30. Speaks of a women who had an encounter at a well with The Living water. The scripture tells us how Christ deliberatley made his way to Sychar which is in Samaria. Being fully God and fully man he was thirsty. He sat down right in time for a divine intervention.. Jesus spoke to the woman and said... "Give Me a drink". Is it me or don`t you just love it when God says stuff to you that will literally alter your very life ?. Many times we think HE asks us for things as if He had need of anything... But the same thing He is asking for from you... is the selfsame thing He is wanting to give you.
The lady gets a little huffy with the Lord, basically saying who do you think you are that I would even give you the time of day.. let alone a drink of water. So He responds if you knew who you were talking to you would be giving me what I asked for, so I can give you what your heart has been asking for. She looks at it as most of us would have and said... You don`t even had anything to draw it with , i. e what do you have that the others didn`t? and besides that....this well is DEEP. Translation I am so jacked up that you will need more than a cup to dig up the stuff that plagues me..
She was crass but she wasn`t crazy! she thought to herself... you approached me differently than most men .. you did not look at what was on the outside but wanted to tap into was was draining me from on the inside. So I may just stick around and listen to what you are saying....
She goes on to ask Where do I get this water from? but before He could respond she started doing a resume check and comparing Him to all that she knew and that which was human and common . Most of us know the story how they conversed and then He SPRINGS the truth on her and tells her to go and call her husband...
He goes on to tell her about herself , but in love and in truth.. He did not bring up the gory details of how unclean she was... because His main concern was her total deliverance from thinking man could quench her thirst for love , life and liberty. He released her from the false reality of thinking that using her body as a means to please others would do anything but suck her dry.
Isn`t it just like us to cry out to God... He sends the answer, And as humans we try and change the subject to deflect from the core issues... only to find that even putting the word on it does not negate the fact that we are humans with emotions and are still susceptible to the validation of others which ultimatley leads to violation from others.
After her encounter.. she left the waterpot ( her tool of familiarity) went on her merry way and said to the MEN... maybe some in whom she had placed her trust .... Come See a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ ?... They went out of the city and came to Him.... Mission accomplished. Broken woman is made whole, goes back and tells others who did it and how it happened. Do not dismiss the fact that God will use the very people who hurt you to be instrumental in your deliverance.
Being transparent before God is not an easy thing to do.. if it were we would be further along in our lives. Yes He knows all and sees all. But sometimes we bury things thinking that He won`t notice that they are there . Most of us want to be healed , but fewer will even attest to the truth that we are wounded... He cannot heal you without you having to feel ANY pain... That`s what recovery is the act of COMING BACK from something that tried to take you out.
As a young child I was a latchkey child and watched ALOT of television one of my favorite tv shows was Welcome Back Kotter.. anyone familiar with this program knew it focused on a teacher and four students that everyone else had given up on. And how they trekked through life situations. The teacher would coach them in academics but moreso spurred them on to become more than what others expected and greater than what they ever dreamt of for themselves. Their very own principal didn`t have faith in them... and basically anticipated the day that they would all just quit , become statistics, end up in prison or maybe even dead.
Many of us have been told we would never amount to anything, we were just like our father or would never make any contributions to the world. On the other hand many were encouraged, had family support and even believed in themselves.. But such is life... a situation or series of events causes one to falter, allow the dream to die or just give up concerning the fulfillment of the task.
Today we will see how Jesus can take everything you go through in your life and use it for your good and His glory... People say , hey I have a great idea will you BACK me on this ?, Others say we go BACK like rocking chairs... But my favorite statement comes from LL Cool J who said .. Don`t call it a COME BACK I been here for years!!!!
Life can cause people to do one or two things lay down and die or fight for the right to prosper.
In John 4:1-30. Speaks of a women who had an encounter at a well with The Living water. The scripture tells us how Christ deliberatley made his way to Sychar which is in Samaria. Being fully God and fully man he was thirsty. He sat down right in time for a divine intervention.. Jesus spoke to the woman and said... "Give Me a drink". Is it me or don`t you just love it when God says stuff to you that will literally alter your very life ?. Many times we think HE asks us for things as if He had need of anything... But the same thing He is asking for from you... is the selfsame thing He is wanting to give you.
The lady gets a little huffy with the Lord, basically saying who do you think you are that I would even give you the time of day.. let alone a drink of water. So He responds if you knew who you were talking to you would be giving me what I asked for, so I can give you what your heart has been asking for. She looks at it as most of us would have and said... You don`t even had anything to draw it with , i. e what do you have that the others didn`t? and besides that....this well is DEEP. Translation I am so jacked up that you will need more than a cup to dig up the stuff that plagues me..
She was crass but she wasn`t crazy! she thought to herself... you approached me differently than most men .. you did not look at what was on the outside but wanted to tap into was was draining me from on the inside. So I may just stick around and listen to what you are saying....
She goes on to ask Where do I get this water from? but before He could respond she started doing a resume check and comparing Him to all that she knew and that which was human and common . Most of us know the story how they conversed and then He SPRINGS the truth on her and tells her to go and call her husband...
He goes on to tell her about herself , but in love and in truth.. He did not bring up the gory details of how unclean she was... because His main concern was her total deliverance from thinking man could quench her thirst for love , life and liberty. He released her from the false reality of thinking that using her body as a means to please others would do anything but suck her dry.
Isn`t it just like us to cry out to God... He sends the answer, And as humans we try and change the subject to deflect from the core issues... only to find that even putting the word on it does not negate the fact that we are humans with emotions and are still susceptible to the validation of others which ultimatley leads to violation from others.
After her encounter.. she left the waterpot ( her tool of familiarity) went on her merry way and said to the MEN... maybe some in whom she had placed her trust .... Come See a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ ?... They went out of the city and came to Him.... Mission accomplished. Broken woman is made whole, goes back and tells others who did it and how it happened. Do not dismiss the fact that God will use the very people who hurt you to be instrumental in your deliverance.
Being transparent before God is not an easy thing to do.. if it were we would be further along in our lives. Yes He knows all and sees all. But sometimes we bury things thinking that He won`t notice that they are there . Most of us want to be healed , but fewer will even attest to the truth that we are wounded... He cannot heal you without you having to feel ANY pain... That`s what recovery is the act of COMING BACK from something that tried to take you out.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Abuse of an Excuse
Hello Everyone, today is a day that we have never seen and will never see again. We have been given the opportunity to make the best of it so let`s do just that. Today we will be discussing the topic of excuse making. Many of us are familiar with making excuses , some of us are making one up right now to get out of something they do not desire to do later on today.
My Pastor shared a quote with me that has literally changed my life concerning this subject...
Excuses are tools of the incompetent, they build monuments of nothingness and those that use them seldom accomplish anything.
We will be looking at one of my favorite accounts in the Bible... John 5 : 1-9. For some are familiar with this story while others may not be ; either way we will look at it together.
We see here that the time had come for a particular Jewish Feast to take place, which some say was Passover, but others are not sure. Jesus being born of Jewish descent went up to Jerusalem to attend this feast. Located there was a pool named Bethesda which translates... The house of pity or of mercy.... This Pool had five porches or what we would consider large open spaces that could house an enormous amount of people.
This place was believed to be where one could go and be healed of all manner of sickness and infirmities.. Some were lame , others were blind and there also appeared there those who were paralyzed.. which dictates to us how when one is blind ; their walk or lack thereof can cause them to become immobile. Evidently people were being healed or there would not have been such a gathering there.
So an angel would go down at a certain time and stir up the water, whomever got there first was healed.. which must have been a sight to see; a mob of people vying for the same thing HEALING, not knowing if this would be their day ... maybe a little like the stores on Black Friday ???.
One man who had been an invalid for 38 years and even longer than God incarnate had been on the face of the earth. Although he was an invalid to man, but not invald to the Messiah. Without condemnation , accusation or even frustration.. Jesus asked the man ONE question ... Do you want to be made well ? Not how come your here, how did you get here, or why haven`t you been healed before now? Even though he had never met the man .. He being God knew his condition.
Sometimes we beat around the bush with ourselves as well as with others. Christ gets to the root of the matter.. the longing in the mans heart to be healed. Christ also waits for our recognition and confession that we are in a state that we cannot get ourselves out of and steps in... most of us came to God under some type of distress.
So here we go.. the question is posed the ball is in the man`s court and his response is as follows..I have no one to put me in the pool and when I am in route someone jumps in front of me... This is sad because it shows us how we sometimes become so dependent on other people we give up the responsibility of helping in our own healing process ... Those other people were there for deliverance and helping someone else was not the first thing on their " to do" list. Now I don`t know about you but being from Brooklyn aka Crooklyn when we wanted something very rarely did we allow anyone or anything to get in our way. We would go to desperate measures to recieve that which we felt was to be ours.
Without further ado Jesus said Rise, take up your bed and WALK.. he was told to do 3 things... get up from where you have been for far too long. take hold of that which you have been using to hold you down and get up and start to follow the course of life that I predestined for you before the foundations of the world. wow I felt that !!!
Many of us make excuses about why we are not furthering our education, advancing in our careers , exercising and eating healthier... the list is endless. but the question still remains DO YOU WANNA BE MADE WELL ? I f we are honest we all want to be healed but we don`t always want to admit that we are sick !, we dont wan`t to be broken but are too prideful to say we are broken. we don`t want to be frustrated but we are because of what so and so had said to us.
If we are going to be those captives that Christ died to set free we will have to stop making excuses, people work all week and Sunday morning ... you are just too tired to come to the Temple ?... Oh I was gonna come to your party but what had happened was .... Oh yeah I was planning on loaning you that money , but my boss forgot to turn in my timecard... And the list keeps goin and going and going..
I only write about what has been spoken to me , so I am making a conscious effort to stop playing the blame game . I will no longer blame Adam , Eve , the serpent , the rain , the boogie or the alcohol.... I don`t drink but yall understand the reference..
Christ does not ever tell us to do something He has not first done himself or has given us the power to accomplish. When we enter a hospital the first place you start is at... ADMITTING, You went there because you ... BELIEVED they could cure you. And then you write down what`s troubling you... Confession.
What I am saying is God already knows but He wants us to be participatory in our deliverance, may our obedience be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to reach God`s heart in a single bound...
My Pastor shared a quote with me that has literally changed my life concerning this subject...
Excuses are tools of the incompetent, they build monuments of nothingness and those that use them seldom accomplish anything.
We will be looking at one of my favorite accounts in the Bible... John 5 : 1-9. For some are familiar with this story while others may not be ; either way we will look at it together.
We see here that the time had come for a particular Jewish Feast to take place, which some say was Passover, but others are not sure. Jesus being born of Jewish descent went up to Jerusalem to attend this feast. Located there was a pool named Bethesda which translates... The house of pity or of mercy.... This Pool had five porches or what we would consider large open spaces that could house an enormous amount of people.
This place was believed to be where one could go and be healed of all manner of sickness and infirmities.. Some were lame , others were blind and there also appeared there those who were paralyzed.. which dictates to us how when one is blind ; their walk or lack thereof can cause them to become immobile. Evidently people were being healed or there would not have been such a gathering there.
So an angel would go down at a certain time and stir up the water, whomever got there first was healed.. which must have been a sight to see; a mob of people vying for the same thing HEALING, not knowing if this would be their day ... maybe a little like the stores on Black Friday ???.
One man who had been an invalid for 38 years and even longer than God incarnate had been on the face of the earth. Although he was an invalid to man, but not invald to the Messiah. Without condemnation , accusation or even frustration.. Jesus asked the man ONE question ... Do you want to be made well ? Not how come your here, how did you get here, or why haven`t you been healed before now? Even though he had never met the man .. He being God knew his condition.
Sometimes we beat around the bush with ourselves as well as with others. Christ gets to the root of the matter.. the longing in the mans heart to be healed. Christ also waits for our recognition and confession that we are in a state that we cannot get ourselves out of and steps in... most of us came to God under some type of distress.
So here we go.. the question is posed the ball is in the man`s court and his response is as follows..I have no one to put me in the pool and when I am in route someone jumps in front of me... This is sad because it shows us how we sometimes become so dependent on other people we give up the responsibility of helping in our own healing process ... Those other people were there for deliverance and helping someone else was not the first thing on their " to do" list. Now I don`t know about you but being from Brooklyn aka Crooklyn when we wanted something very rarely did we allow anyone or anything to get in our way. We would go to desperate measures to recieve that which we felt was to be ours.
Without further ado Jesus said Rise, take up your bed and WALK.. he was told to do 3 things... get up from where you have been for far too long. take hold of that which you have been using to hold you down and get up and start to follow the course of life that I predestined for you before the foundations of the world. wow I felt that !!!
Many of us make excuses about why we are not furthering our education, advancing in our careers , exercising and eating healthier... the list is endless. but the question still remains DO YOU WANNA BE MADE WELL ? I f we are honest we all want to be healed but we don`t always want to admit that we are sick !, we dont wan`t to be broken but are too prideful to say we are broken. we don`t want to be frustrated but we are because of what so and so had said to us.
If we are going to be those captives that Christ died to set free we will have to stop making excuses, people work all week and Sunday morning ... you are just too tired to come to the Temple ?... Oh I was gonna come to your party but what had happened was .... Oh yeah I was planning on loaning you that money , but my boss forgot to turn in my timecard... And the list keeps goin and going and going..
I only write about what has been spoken to me , so I am making a conscious effort to stop playing the blame game . I will no longer blame Adam , Eve , the serpent , the rain , the boogie or the alcohol.... I don`t drink but yall understand the reference..
Christ does not ever tell us to do something He has not first done himself or has given us the power to accomplish. When we enter a hospital the first place you start is at... ADMITTING, You went there because you ... BELIEVED they could cure you. And then you write down what`s troubling you... Confession.
What I am saying is God already knows but He wants us to be participatory in our deliverance, may our obedience be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to reach God`s heart in a single bound...
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Message in a Bottle
Good Morning, I pray today will find you right in the middle of the will ; of the Wheel in the middle of the wheel.
I would like to pour out what was placed in my heart som time ago... I will be talking about the Tears we cry, why we cry, what crying shows us about ourselves , others and most importantly what God says about our tears...
Psalm 56: 8 states...You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book ?. What the writer is saying Lord You know everything there is to know about me including the stuff that is hidden from my own knowledge, AND STILL LOVE ME , you look upon, care about and are moved by my tears, so much so that you have captured them and keep a remembrance of them for Your own good pleasure.
Most of us know that a tear is a drop of salty fluid which flows from ones eyes ... it can be caused by irritation from an eyelash, an allergic reaction , something foreign making its way in or simply due to weeping... Now I am not an optometrist or Jesus, but I do know that tears are necessary or why else would God have allowed them to be a part of us being fearfully and wonderfully made ?
People cry for many reasons ranging from the birth of a child, to the death of a friend or loved one Sometimes you don`t even have to know a person to weep for them. Some of us cry over a good movie, the first day of school, graduation ceremonies, wounded animals, break ups, weddings, birthday parties, family gatherings etc... ok I should say we WOMEN cry at all these events. Others cry over injustice, neglect, from laughing so hard, or people speaking well of them. One surefire way to get me to start running like a faucet is for me to see people worship Jesus !...
Men can and some actually do cry about the birth of a baby ,but truth be told.. cutting an onion would probably yield more tears. Fact being that most men were told it was not "cool" to cry... if he fell he was told to get up and act like a man even though he was only 5 years old, if he wanted to hug his dad some were rejected and called "gay". They grew as young men ... reached out to young women, but didn`t get far because they were limited in the area of dealing with and expressing their emotions through the shedding of tears; so you guessed it... disastrous unions would soon follow... Which to this very day has manifested itself into abusive relationships, low self esteem, same sex partnerships, womanizing and even divorce..
Others have made songs like.. I`M NOT GON CRY, ALL CRIED OUT, TRACKS OF MY TEARS, I DON`T WANNA CRY. Thanks so much... Mary J. Blige, Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam, Smokey Robinson and Mariah Carey . They even had a group called Tears for Fears.... What am I saying ?.. glad you asked; as babies we couldn`t verbally express what we are feeling so crying was our only means of communication and we even had different cries that pertained to the need... some were hunger cries, others were.. I need a diaper aka wardrobe change, I am sleepy, I want to be held... and you know the list goes on and on.
Some of our parents unkowingly damaged us by not allowing us to cry.. I witnessed a mom telling her 3 year old.. quit crying and acting like a baby. I was like she is only 4,380 days old SHE IS A BABY !. We tell them things like ... your tears don`t move me , not realizing many of us can`t express ourselves today because of the ridicule or reprimand we recieved. On the flipside, some of us are so traumatized we cry about any and everything uncontrollably. HELP LORD .
We all heard the story of the Boy who cried wolf, or the phrase "Crocodile tears" . Evidentally the boy wanted some attention and conjured up a way to recieve it ... Sometimes we do use our tears for manipulation purposes , but I will leave that alone for right now. During my younger years I knew of a lady who had to use what they called " Artificial Tears" because for some reason she couldn`t produce enough on her own so the solution assisted her in that area.
Now back to the scripture the text tells us clearly that He is concerned about everything that concerns us.. I believe PEOPLE get tired of us crying , but God alone understands the depths as well the paramount of where our weeping derives. He even used a man named Jeremiah who was referred to as the "weeping prophet" to mourn and lament and prophetically speak to the peole of God.. Jer. 9: 17-19 even speaks of " professional ' mourners.
New testament writings allow us to witness how Jesus cried over people and situations
Jesus wept... John 11: 35... Over Lazarus
Blessed are those who mourn... Matthew 5:4.. Not so much because of life issues, but moreso
due to fellowship with Christ and how we are sorrowful of our sins as well as the state of the world.
Jerusalem.. How I wanted to gather your children together as hens gather her chicks, but you were not willing !... Matthew 23:37.. Is this just not like us we reject God , are not willing to repent, get disappointed and find ourselves in a flood of tears.
Great news is that in Revelation 21: 4... We are given a promise that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away...
In closing I would encourage you to cry ... it releases stress , reduces headaches and outburts, makes for a grander , home, workplace and church service just to name a few. Most of all it allows us to be naked and unashamed with God. Instead of trying to compartmentalize, ignore or unsuccessfully hide from Him what He knew before the foundations of the world. God has given us permission to cry, but He has also given us provision to overcome that which keeps making us cry.
Love Yall to Life...
I would like to pour out what was placed in my heart som time ago... I will be talking about the Tears we cry, why we cry, what crying shows us about ourselves , others and most importantly what God says about our tears...
Psalm 56: 8 states...You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book ?. What the writer is saying Lord You know everything there is to know about me including the stuff that is hidden from my own knowledge, AND STILL LOVE ME , you look upon, care about and are moved by my tears, so much so that you have captured them and keep a remembrance of them for Your own good pleasure.
Most of us know that a tear is a drop of salty fluid which flows from ones eyes ... it can be caused by irritation from an eyelash, an allergic reaction , something foreign making its way in or simply due to weeping... Now I am not an optometrist or Jesus, but I do know that tears are necessary or why else would God have allowed them to be a part of us being fearfully and wonderfully made ?
People cry for many reasons ranging from the birth of a child, to the death of a friend or loved one Sometimes you don`t even have to know a person to weep for them. Some of us cry over a good movie, the first day of school, graduation ceremonies, wounded animals, break ups, weddings, birthday parties, family gatherings etc... ok I should say we WOMEN cry at all these events. Others cry over injustice, neglect, from laughing so hard, or people speaking well of them. One surefire way to get me to start running like a faucet is for me to see people worship Jesus !...
Men can and some actually do cry about the birth of a baby ,but truth be told.. cutting an onion would probably yield more tears. Fact being that most men were told it was not "cool" to cry... if he fell he was told to get up and act like a man even though he was only 5 years old, if he wanted to hug his dad some were rejected and called "gay". They grew as young men ... reached out to young women, but didn`t get far because they were limited in the area of dealing with and expressing their emotions through the shedding of tears; so you guessed it... disastrous unions would soon follow... Which to this very day has manifested itself into abusive relationships, low self esteem, same sex partnerships, womanizing and even divorce..
Others have made songs like.. I`M NOT GON CRY, ALL CRIED OUT, TRACKS OF MY TEARS, I DON`T WANNA CRY. Thanks so much... Mary J. Blige, Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam, Smokey Robinson and Mariah Carey . They even had a group called Tears for Fears.... What am I saying ?.. glad you asked; as babies we couldn`t verbally express what we are feeling so crying was our only means of communication and we even had different cries that pertained to the need... some were hunger cries, others were.. I need a diaper aka wardrobe change, I am sleepy, I want to be held... and you know the list goes on and on.
Some of our parents unkowingly damaged us by not allowing us to cry.. I witnessed a mom telling her 3 year old.. quit crying and acting like a baby. I was like she is only 4,380 days old SHE IS A BABY !. We tell them things like ... your tears don`t move me , not realizing many of us can`t express ourselves today because of the ridicule or reprimand we recieved. On the flipside, some of us are so traumatized we cry about any and everything uncontrollably. HELP LORD .
We all heard the story of the Boy who cried wolf, or the phrase "Crocodile tears" . Evidentally the boy wanted some attention and conjured up a way to recieve it ... Sometimes we do use our tears for manipulation purposes , but I will leave that alone for right now. During my younger years I knew of a lady who had to use what they called " Artificial Tears" because for some reason she couldn`t produce enough on her own so the solution assisted her in that area.
Now back to the scripture the text tells us clearly that He is concerned about everything that concerns us.. I believe PEOPLE get tired of us crying , but God alone understands the depths as well the paramount of where our weeping derives. He even used a man named Jeremiah who was referred to as the "weeping prophet" to mourn and lament and prophetically speak to the peole of God.. Jer. 9: 17-19 even speaks of " professional ' mourners.
New testament writings allow us to witness how Jesus cried over people and situations
Jesus wept... John 11: 35... Over Lazarus
Blessed are those who mourn... Matthew 5:4.. Not so much because of life issues, but moreso
due to fellowship with Christ and how we are sorrowful of our sins as well as the state of the world.
Jerusalem.. How I wanted to gather your children together as hens gather her chicks, but you were not willing !... Matthew 23:37.. Is this just not like us we reject God , are not willing to repent, get disappointed and find ourselves in a flood of tears.
Great news is that in Revelation 21: 4... We are given a promise that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away...
In closing I would encourage you to cry ... it releases stress , reduces headaches and outburts, makes for a grander , home, workplace and church service just to name a few. Most of all it allows us to be naked and unashamed with God. Instead of trying to compartmentalize, ignore or unsuccessfully hide from Him what He knew before the foundations of the world. God has given us permission to cry, but He has also given us provision to overcome that which keeps making us cry.
Love Yall to Life...
Thursday, September 2, 2010
A More Oppurtune Time
Good Morning everyone... Today I would like to touch on the subject of Timing.
The book of Ecclesiastes maps out for us a season for everything under the Sun . I will not be coming from that particular verse but It will tie into where we are going today.
More : Greater in amount, or number; to a grander degree or extent
Oppurtune : Suitable ; said of time or to be well timed
Time : The period during which something happens.
So what I am saying is there will be well orchestrated times and degrees in which said things will occur in our lives....
Seasons are governed by time, clocks tell and keep time, watches are worn for time , but today probably more for fashion purposes. A sundial even measures time ... Today I would like to share how things occur in our lives and we think they are forever gone only to pop back up again; which brings me to the following scripture.. Matthew 4:1-11.
We see a couple of things here that transpire ... One The Holy Spirit lead Christ into these series of temptations.... which let us know that God orchestrated this scenario, knowing how Jesus would respond... Two He was physically hungry and everyone knows ... when you are devoid of food you can do everything from sell your birthright (Genesis 25:31), to steal (Proverbs 6:30 ), to literally compromise your body or who you are to get a morsel of bread... Three , Satan initiated the conversation, acknowledged who Jesus was ... Then was dirty in the fact that he chose to use the word "bread" knowing Christ had just finished fasting for 40 days and 40 nights.
Christ responds with what He has been marinating on during His time of consecration... He puts the word on Satan, tells him what is important and trusts God to deliver Him. Which reminds us that cliches do not move the enemy of your soul... But the Word of God will stand forever.
A second temptation occurs.. Satan tries to change the scenery or come at Christ from a different angle... if you will. He first catered to his stomach , now he tries to entice Jesus into using His power to perform a monumental feat. The pride of Life is being displayed here... (See 1 John 2:16). We desire to do things for God with resurrection power, but honestly are we really willing to die to achieve this ?..
Promotion from God will never come if one does not suffer.
Temptaion # 3 .. Satan offers Christ the kingdoms of the world; which was in his power to do because of the Fall of Man ... Adam relinquished his authority to the Devil... we witness here how my mom used to say" your eyes are bigger than your stomach"... we sometimes see things; become overwhelmed by what it will bring to us... and chase after it with little or no thought of the cost we will have to pay. We must be careful not to sell our soul in order to gain the whole world... (See Matthew 16:26). Our worship is to God and Him alone, He deserves it, commands it and will share His glory with none other.
Satan did not bombard Jesus all at once.. through each temptaion there was a lapse of time... he waits to catch us when we are vulnerable, depressed , hungry, not walking in purpose, dissatisfied with life, running from God or just being stubborn. He will leave you long enough to get you to think he is not intersested in your life... He also knows if you really start walking in purpose God will be glorified, people will be edified, and he will in turn become terrified. There is nothing more irritating to the Devil ; than a person who loves, obeys, believes and worships the God of glory.
In closing I am sure we can all attest to that " thing" or it maybe that "girl" or that "guy" ... that hides for a minute and pops up out of the bushes like Jason in a Friday the 13th movie... Do not be alarmed, surprised or dismayed .... The Lord your God is with you even to the end of the age. Beloved do not put a period where God has placed a comma, if you fell .. get back up , dust yourself off, repent , get back to that which you know is right and trust God to complete what He started.
Father may we not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try us as some strange thing were happening to us, may we partake in Christs suffering, that when His glory is revealed , we may be glad with exceeding joy. We love you because You first loved us...
The book of Ecclesiastes maps out for us a season for everything under the Sun . I will not be coming from that particular verse but It will tie into where we are going today.
More : Greater in amount, or number; to a grander degree or extent
Oppurtune : Suitable ; said of time or to be well timed
Time : The period during which something happens.
So what I am saying is there will be well orchestrated times and degrees in which said things will occur in our lives....
Seasons are governed by time, clocks tell and keep time, watches are worn for time , but today probably more for fashion purposes. A sundial even measures time ... Today I would like to share how things occur in our lives and we think they are forever gone only to pop back up again; which brings me to the following scripture.. Matthew 4:1-11.
We see a couple of things here that transpire ... One The Holy Spirit lead Christ into these series of temptations.... which let us know that God orchestrated this scenario, knowing how Jesus would respond... Two He was physically hungry and everyone knows ... when you are devoid of food you can do everything from sell your birthright (Genesis 25:31), to steal (Proverbs 6:30 ), to literally compromise your body or who you are to get a morsel of bread... Three , Satan initiated the conversation, acknowledged who Jesus was ... Then was dirty in the fact that he chose to use the word "bread" knowing Christ had just finished fasting for 40 days and 40 nights.
Christ responds with what He has been marinating on during His time of consecration... He puts the word on Satan, tells him what is important and trusts God to deliver Him. Which reminds us that cliches do not move the enemy of your soul... But the Word of God will stand forever.
A second temptation occurs.. Satan tries to change the scenery or come at Christ from a different angle... if you will. He first catered to his stomach , now he tries to entice Jesus into using His power to perform a monumental feat. The pride of Life is being displayed here... (See 1 John 2:16). We desire to do things for God with resurrection power, but honestly are we really willing to die to achieve this ?..
Promotion from God will never come if one does not suffer.
Temptaion # 3 .. Satan offers Christ the kingdoms of the world; which was in his power to do because of the Fall of Man ... Adam relinquished his authority to the Devil... we witness here how my mom used to say" your eyes are bigger than your stomach"... we sometimes see things; become overwhelmed by what it will bring to us... and chase after it with little or no thought of the cost we will have to pay. We must be careful not to sell our soul in order to gain the whole world... (See Matthew 16:26). Our worship is to God and Him alone, He deserves it, commands it and will share His glory with none other.
Satan did not bombard Jesus all at once.. through each temptaion there was a lapse of time... he waits to catch us when we are vulnerable, depressed , hungry, not walking in purpose, dissatisfied with life, running from God or just being stubborn. He will leave you long enough to get you to think he is not intersested in your life... He also knows if you really start walking in purpose God will be glorified, people will be edified, and he will in turn become terrified. There is nothing more irritating to the Devil ; than a person who loves, obeys, believes and worships the God of glory.
In closing I am sure we can all attest to that " thing" or it maybe that "girl" or that "guy" ... that hides for a minute and pops up out of the bushes like Jason in a Friday the 13th movie... Do not be alarmed, surprised or dismayed .... The Lord your God is with you even to the end of the age. Beloved do not put a period where God has placed a comma, if you fell .. get back up , dust yourself off, repent , get back to that which you know is right and trust God to complete what He started.
Father may we not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try us as some strange thing were happening to us, may we partake in Christs suffering, that when His glory is revealed , we may be glad with exceeding joy. We love you because You first loved us...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
From Fear to There
Hello everyone I am so excited about today`s topic... We will be visiting a place called ... FEAR
Fear : An anxiety caused by real or possible danger or pain.
We the people... are afraid of everything from spiders , heights ,cats , saying no, being told no, taking risks, investing our money, investing our time, failure, success, God , Satan, death, life, letting go, holding on and sadly enough most of us are afraid of our own shadow. When we live our lives gripped by fear it not only stunts our growth it also hinders those around us.
As a young child I visited the neighborhood pool; my other cousins loved these outings , but because I did not know how to swim I would convince them to bring their little brothers and sisters along ... So I could monitor them in the "baby pool". This was a surefire way to get in the water but not have to worry about drowning because the water was not deep enough to accomplish this.
Sad to say that one fear, multiplied like Gremlins do when they are too exposed to water. I now found myself afraid to ride a bike unless it had training wheels or was on the back with someone else, Did not go roller or ice skating because I was to afraid to fall, didn`t try out for cheerleading because I was not pretty enough, passed on basketball because... you guessed it... I was too afraid to miss a shot ; so I never even attempted to launch one due to fear of being ridiculed. The one thing I did enjoy was track ... How interesting that I perfected RUNNING.( That is another blog for another day )
Fear will cause you to miss out out on ; not only your life but those close to you also. I soon began to realize that the seed of rejection caused me to become afraid , but now the spirit of Pride has prohibited me from moving forward. The two really do go together... just like goodness and mercy follow you , so do pride and fear.
Pride says I will not do it because you will not laugh at me, but how can you overcome that which you never even confront. I spent a many a days and nights alone because I was too prideful to call someone, Missed out on outings because I was too prideful to ask for a ride... .And then had the nerve to get mad when everyone talked about all the fun they experienced. It was not their job to remember that I didn`t have transportation, but it was my responsibilty to remind them, by asking for assistance.
Old saying goes a closed mouth does not get fed... same with God.. yes we know He knows all things and our thoughts afar off, but if you don`t open your mouth , He may not open His hand. We learned how to ask for all the wrong things but when it comes to that which is beneficial we tend to get spiritual lockjaw. And why because we are so afraid that Jesus will say no , even though He promised to never leave you or forsake you, provide your every need and give you the desires of your heart.
Today I would like to encourage you to move from Fear Boulevard to Freedom Avenue, there are new territories you have been equipped to conquer and until you change your address you will find yourself on a dead end street wondering why all of your neighbors have left the hood.
Our past is a place to visit from time to time only to remind us to move forward. It is not a timeshare, vaction getaway or a resting place.. May we all today seek for ways to move from fear to there....
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. McNeil
Fear : An anxiety caused by real or possible danger or pain.
We the people... are afraid of everything from spiders , heights ,cats , saying no, being told no, taking risks, investing our money, investing our time, failure, success, God , Satan, death, life, letting go, holding on and sadly enough most of us are afraid of our own shadow. When we live our lives gripped by fear it not only stunts our growth it also hinders those around us.
As a young child I visited the neighborhood pool; my other cousins loved these outings , but because I did not know how to swim I would convince them to bring their little brothers and sisters along ... So I could monitor them in the "baby pool". This was a surefire way to get in the water but not have to worry about drowning because the water was not deep enough to accomplish this.
Sad to say that one fear, multiplied like Gremlins do when they are too exposed to water. I now found myself afraid to ride a bike unless it had training wheels or was on the back with someone else, Did not go roller or ice skating because I was to afraid to fall, didn`t try out for cheerleading because I was not pretty enough, passed on basketball because... you guessed it... I was too afraid to miss a shot ; so I never even attempted to launch one due to fear of being ridiculed. The one thing I did enjoy was track ... How interesting that I perfected RUNNING.( That is another blog for another day )
Fear will cause you to miss out out on ; not only your life but those close to you also. I soon began to realize that the seed of rejection caused me to become afraid , but now the spirit of Pride has prohibited me from moving forward. The two really do go together... just like goodness and mercy follow you , so do pride and fear.
Pride says I will not do it because you will not laugh at me, but how can you overcome that which you never even confront. I spent a many a days and nights alone because I was too prideful to call someone, Missed out on outings because I was too prideful to ask for a ride... .And then had the nerve to get mad when everyone talked about all the fun they experienced. It was not their job to remember that I didn`t have transportation, but it was my responsibilty to remind them, by asking for assistance.
Old saying goes a closed mouth does not get fed... same with God.. yes we know He knows all things and our thoughts afar off, but if you don`t open your mouth , He may not open His hand. We learned how to ask for all the wrong things but when it comes to that which is beneficial we tend to get spiritual lockjaw. And why because we are so afraid that Jesus will say no , even though He promised to never leave you or forsake you, provide your every need and give you the desires of your heart.
Today I would like to encourage you to move from Fear Boulevard to Freedom Avenue, there are new territories you have been equipped to conquer and until you change your address you will find yourself on a dead end street wondering why all of your neighbors have left the hood.
Our past is a place to visit from time to time only to remind us to move forward. It is not a timeshare, vaction getaway or a resting place.. May we all today seek for ways to move from fear to there....
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. McNeil
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Election of Rejection
Good Morning all , it`s been a New York minute since my last post, thank you for waiting on me to hear From God before you hear from me. Today I would like to share concerning something we all have experienced at least once in our lives. REJECTION...
Rejection means when one is denied, dismissed, refused, discarded or thrown away : to be considered unuseful anymore. The Bible speaks of election, adoption and being predestined.
Election: (Romans 8:29) ... One who is chosen
Adoption: ( Galatians 4:5) ... To take into ones family enabling them to become an heir
Predestined: (Ephesians 1:5) ... To mark out beforehand
Which brings me to the word "Pre" which also means before... I always wanted to ask my mother where did she get the idea as far as my name was concerned. About 7 years ago I found out that in Greek .. Tina means " Christian" and since Pre means before.. My name actually means before I became a christian I was destined to be a christian... That is good news to me. I was teased as a child for having such a unique name , but after being on facebook , I realized that there are at least 6 other women with the same name residing in New York and even to the uttermost parts of the world.
Hold tight this train is still moving , we are just taking our time to enjoy the view as we travel.
I was adopted into a family at age 8 that I knew very little about ... yeah we had things in common but they were not my biological family who brought me home from the hospital , changed my diapers , took me to pre school or combed my hair . They began to build relationship with me as I dwelt among them, but only to the degree of how far they wanted the bond to grow; or as far as their hearts would allow.. I honestly missed the closeness one experiences when you are there from inception , but I do not for one minute THINK that God was not aware of who I would spend those 6 years with thus calling them my family. Even today I still call them on their birthdays, pray with them over the phone and love them like we were born from the same parents.
There were challenges as in any family, I grew up around some of the most intelligent, creative, funny and fashion forward people you could ever meet. But something was still missing... so at times I did get the leftovers, hand me downs and at other times I didn`t get things unless someone else got it first... This brought about a little competition and alot of accusation, I was labeled as " the copy cat". I had no control over these things , but it still did not stop them from occuring.
Which brings me to this place . More often than we care to admit we have been rejected, we were not picked on a sports team, for a part in a play or production, passed over for a solo in the Christmas pageant, refused by the neighborhood jock or denied by the " pretty" girl. Either way we have all come to know what it feels to called a " denominator" when our greatest desire is to be considered the "numerator". These feelings can become a strength to push some forward ; while becoming stress for another who is emotionally drained by the refusal .
The GREAT news is that God is not like man , He will take the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, He will allow you to be born into a family where you were once the butt of their jokes to being used for His glory..... The guy who dumped you 2 days before prom, the coach that called you short stuff, the teacher who said you would never amount to anything .... and the worst of all... a parent or close relative who degrades you with words like " you are just like your mother", or you will be a bum just like your daddy. If we release God.. He can use these things as fuel , but when we don`t these things can shape and mold us into a lump of low self esteem or will cause one to become a pile of pride.
Back to God... He chose the Jewish people to show the world about relationships that are pleasing to Him, Many rejected Him... so because He is God and can do whatever He wants , when He wants to. He said ... I will provoke them( Jewish people) to jealousy and use a people (Gentiles) who were once not my people to bring my people back to me. What am I saying ? Please do not be discouraged because another human passed you over for something that they percieved to be greener grass ; only to find out it was mere astroturf.
Do not allow what you may percieve about yourself to cause you to believe God can not use all the hurt , pain, disappointment, anger, blunders and shortcomings for His glory.... truth be told you are the perfect candidate for Him to use .... we are all products of rejection. We often allow the cares of this world; what we should of , could of, or would of done to stop us from moving forward. God chose us before the foundation of the world , gave us all things that pertain to life and godliness and as we agree with Him .... we can accomplish the plans He has for us.
My prayer today is that we spend not another second being angry at others, ourself or even God for what He allowed to occur... what you have been through will be used to assist another in their breakthrough. Rejection for a time may seem heartwrenching... But the Lord that we serve will place those who once looked down at you ,at a table and began to show them and the world that although you percieved him or her as of ignoble purpose , I have called them Ambassodors, Royalty, Conqueror and My Friend..... These same people you once put your mouth on.... will one day stand in the presence of and speak to dignitaries, kings and all manner of people of prestige .... who too; were at once : disappointed, hurt, frustrated and without hope. i.e. REJECTED.
Lastly as God places you out there DO NOT be boastful, like ... yeah God will show you I am somebody, He didn`t save us to show people how good we are , He died that we would show people how great He is....
Rejection means when one is denied, dismissed, refused, discarded or thrown away : to be considered unuseful anymore. The Bible speaks of election, adoption and being predestined.
Election: (Romans 8:29) ... One who is chosen
Adoption: ( Galatians 4:5) ... To take into ones family enabling them to become an heir
Predestined: (Ephesians 1:5) ... To mark out beforehand
Which brings me to the word "Pre" which also means before... I always wanted to ask my mother where did she get the idea as far as my name was concerned. About 7 years ago I found out that in Greek .. Tina means " Christian" and since Pre means before.. My name actually means before I became a christian I was destined to be a christian... That is good news to me. I was teased as a child for having such a unique name , but after being on facebook , I realized that there are at least 6 other women with the same name residing in New York and even to the uttermost parts of the world.
Hold tight this train is still moving , we are just taking our time to enjoy the view as we travel.
I was adopted into a family at age 8 that I knew very little about ... yeah we had things in common but they were not my biological family who brought me home from the hospital , changed my diapers , took me to pre school or combed my hair . They began to build relationship with me as I dwelt among them, but only to the degree of how far they wanted the bond to grow; or as far as their hearts would allow.. I honestly missed the closeness one experiences when you are there from inception , but I do not for one minute THINK that God was not aware of who I would spend those 6 years with thus calling them my family. Even today I still call them on their birthdays, pray with them over the phone and love them like we were born from the same parents.
There were challenges as in any family, I grew up around some of the most intelligent, creative, funny and fashion forward people you could ever meet. But something was still missing... so at times I did get the leftovers, hand me downs and at other times I didn`t get things unless someone else got it first... This brought about a little competition and alot of accusation, I was labeled as " the copy cat". I had no control over these things , but it still did not stop them from occuring.
Which brings me to this place . More often than we care to admit we have been rejected, we were not picked on a sports team, for a part in a play or production, passed over for a solo in the Christmas pageant, refused by the neighborhood jock or denied by the " pretty" girl. Either way we have all come to know what it feels to called a " denominator" when our greatest desire is to be considered the "numerator". These feelings can become a strength to push some forward ; while becoming stress for another who is emotionally drained by the refusal .
The GREAT news is that God is not like man , He will take the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, He will allow you to be born into a family where you were once the butt of their jokes to being used for His glory..... The guy who dumped you 2 days before prom, the coach that called you short stuff, the teacher who said you would never amount to anything .... and the worst of all... a parent or close relative who degrades you with words like " you are just like your mother", or you will be a bum just like your daddy. If we release God.. He can use these things as fuel , but when we don`t these things can shape and mold us into a lump of low self esteem or will cause one to become a pile of pride.
Back to God... He chose the Jewish people to show the world about relationships that are pleasing to Him, Many rejected Him... so because He is God and can do whatever He wants , when He wants to. He said ... I will provoke them( Jewish people) to jealousy and use a people (Gentiles) who were once not my people to bring my people back to me. What am I saying ? Please do not be discouraged because another human passed you over for something that they percieved to be greener grass ; only to find out it was mere astroturf.
Do not allow what you may percieve about yourself to cause you to believe God can not use all the hurt , pain, disappointment, anger, blunders and shortcomings for His glory.... truth be told you are the perfect candidate for Him to use .... we are all products of rejection. We often allow the cares of this world; what we should of , could of, or would of done to stop us from moving forward. God chose us before the foundation of the world , gave us all things that pertain to life and godliness and as we agree with Him .... we can accomplish the plans He has for us.
My prayer today is that we spend not another second being angry at others, ourself or even God for what He allowed to occur... what you have been through will be used to assist another in their breakthrough. Rejection for a time may seem heartwrenching... But the Lord that we serve will place those who once looked down at you ,at a table and began to show them and the world that although you percieved him or her as of ignoble purpose , I have called them Ambassodors, Royalty, Conqueror and My Friend..... These same people you once put your mouth on.... will one day stand in the presence of and speak to dignitaries, kings and all manner of people of prestige .... who too; were at once : disappointed, hurt, frustrated and without hope. i.e. REJECTED.
Lastly as God places you out there DO NOT be boastful, like ... yeah God will show you I am somebody, He didn`t save us to show people how good we are , He died that we would show people how great He is....
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Weight of the Wait..
Today I would like to talk to you about waiting on God... a subject we can all relate to you ... because until Christ returns we will all be waiting on something from God while at the same time waiting on God to return.
Wait; defined by Websters dictionary is as follows : To remain until something expected happens . To anticipate, watch for , abide, tarry , pause, or stay up for.
It makes me think of Christmas , the release of a movie you wanted to see or the process in which one waits for the delivery of a child. In all these instances you must, remain, watch for, abide in
, tarry and raise your anticipation level.. Sounds good right , well then why is it so hard as a society for us to wait ? glad you asked...
We as people are impatient , in my sanctified mind I believe God put Adam to sleep when bringingforth Eve so he could not try and take credit for anything let alone put a manner of time on the process. God as we all know is outside of time He always was and there was never a time when He did not exist.. Humans have problems with time because we understand that it eventually slips through our hands. But what we also forget is that a new day is a whole other opportunity to use the time set before us.
We try and do everything in one day thus burning ourselves out or on the flip side is we waste our day only to be frustrated and try and blame it on people, places, or things. We live a life of waiting ... so why do we have spiritual temper tantrums when we ask God for something but feel like he lost track of time ? we wait on seasons to change, prices to go down, the sun to go down, traffic lights, other people, paychecks and refunds just to name a few. We spend a considerable amount of time waiting in line at the bank, grocery store, movie theatre and let`s not forget about Black Friday when we wait in line for another, tv, appliance or video game.
We witness accounts in the Bible of how everybody had to wait at one time or another, our microwave society says.. God I want it right now ! ignoring the fact that there is a process to everything, telling God he is taking too long reminds us that we are focusing on what we don`t have a lot more than appreciating what we do have. Truth be told you know as soon as we get something new we can`t enjoy it because we are already thinking about next years model. This is why families are divided, weddings that cost an arm and a leg have now cost a heart and head full of brokeness, bitterness and turmoil.
It is so funny to me that we like to rush everybody else but take our time when doing things ? I have found that alot of my decisions; whether it was a purchase from a store or a job choice
turned into impulsive thinking and can easily cause one to make rash decisions that sometimes leave you hurt or with a rash.
If Abraham and Sarah would have waited on God they would not have had to deal with the weight of Ishmael.. they took the counterfeit over the benefit.. God in His infinite wisdom and mercy said since I am not a man that I should lie, I will deliver on my promise even though you tried to help me out. So Isaac comes just as God promised but the distress that was brought into all of their lives could have been prevented.. I am in no way judging them because I fall short in areas that I should be further along in, but I don`t like whippings so whatever I can do to prevent forest fires I will do so that my plan to help God out does not blow up in my face.
This brings us to the weight issue... Weight is defined like this: Heaviness, a burden or the force of gravity acting on a body. So the force we place on ourselves due to impatience can cause us to carry things that do not belong to us. As a single parent back in the day I would go grocery shopping and attempted to bring as many bags in at a time that was possible ... because I wanted to make the least amount of trips. only to find my fingers throbbing, back hurting and on an occasion or two the bags would break and I would even lose some of my groceries...
What am I saying ? as we wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise, may we WAIT on God, may we see what pleases Him, see what He likes and do it , may we speak well of Him as well as those he created for His good pleasure. May we feed the homeless, encourage the brokenhearted, listen without the intent of trying to fix another person. May we not be so in a rush to get inside that we miss the beauty of what is outside. Someone today is wishing they had a bed , while others are complaining that they need a bigger bed. Someone is in the hospital dying because they didn`t have medical insurance to care for them. While I am complaining about how long I had to wait for the doctor.
In closing I pray that we would trust in the process of the promise , but not more than we trust in Him who made the promise. Today may we not think that the only reason Christ died was to make us filthy rich, someones spouse, to be a mother or to make a name for ourselves. We already have names; we are called... Disciples, Children of the Most High God, Ambassadors for Christ, Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation, Set apart and Friends of God.
Lord Today may we not put weight on ourselves, while we wait on you.
Wait; defined by Websters dictionary is as follows : To remain until something expected happens . To anticipate, watch for , abide, tarry , pause, or stay up for.
It makes me think of Christmas , the release of a movie you wanted to see or the process in which one waits for the delivery of a child. In all these instances you must, remain, watch for, abide in
, tarry and raise your anticipation level.. Sounds good right , well then why is it so hard as a society for us to wait ? glad you asked...
We as people are impatient , in my sanctified mind I believe God put Adam to sleep when bringingforth Eve so he could not try and take credit for anything let alone put a manner of time on the process. God as we all know is outside of time He always was and there was never a time when He did not exist.. Humans have problems with time because we understand that it eventually slips through our hands. But what we also forget is that a new day is a whole other opportunity to use the time set before us.
We try and do everything in one day thus burning ourselves out or on the flip side is we waste our day only to be frustrated and try and blame it on people, places, or things. We live a life of waiting ... so why do we have spiritual temper tantrums when we ask God for something but feel like he lost track of time ? we wait on seasons to change, prices to go down, the sun to go down, traffic lights, other people, paychecks and refunds just to name a few. We spend a considerable amount of time waiting in line at the bank, grocery store, movie theatre and let`s not forget about Black Friday when we wait in line for another, tv, appliance or video game.
We witness accounts in the Bible of how everybody had to wait at one time or another, our microwave society says.. God I want it right now ! ignoring the fact that there is a process to everything, telling God he is taking too long reminds us that we are focusing on what we don`t have a lot more than appreciating what we do have. Truth be told you know as soon as we get something new we can`t enjoy it because we are already thinking about next years model. This is why families are divided, weddings that cost an arm and a leg have now cost a heart and head full of brokeness, bitterness and turmoil.
It is so funny to me that we like to rush everybody else but take our time when doing things ? I have found that alot of my decisions; whether it was a purchase from a store or a job choice
turned into impulsive thinking and can easily cause one to make rash decisions that sometimes leave you hurt or with a rash.
If Abraham and Sarah would have waited on God they would not have had to deal with the weight of Ishmael.. they took the counterfeit over the benefit.. God in His infinite wisdom and mercy said since I am not a man that I should lie, I will deliver on my promise even though you tried to help me out. So Isaac comes just as God promised but the distress that was brought into all of their lives could have been prevented.. I am in no way judging them because I fall short in areas that I should be further along in, but I don`t like whippings so whatever I can do to prevent forest fires I will do so that my plan to help God out does not blow up in my face.
This brings us to the weight issue... Weight is defined like this: Heaviness, a burden or the force of gravity acting on a body. So the force we place on ourselves due to impatience can cause us to carry things that do not belong to us. As a single parent back in the day I would go grocery shopping and attempted to bring as many bags in at a time that was possible ... because I wanted to make the least amount of trips. only to find my fingers throbbing, back hurting and on an occasion or two the bags would break and I would even lose some of my groceries...
What am I saying ? as we wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise, may we WAIT on God, may we see what pleases Him, see what He likes and do it , may we speak well of Him as well as those he created for His good pleasure. May we feed the homeless, encourage the brokenhearted, listen without the intent of trying to fix another person. May we not be so in a rush to get inside that we miss the beauty of what is outside. Someone today is wishing they had a bed , while others are complaining that they need a bigger bed. Someone is in the hospital dying because they didn`t have medical insurance to care for them. While I am complaining about how long I had to wait for the doctor.
In closing I pray that we would trust in the process of the promise , but not more than we trust in Him who made the promise. Today may we not think that the only reason Christ died was to make us filthy rich, someones spouse, to be a mother or to make a name for ourselves. We already have names; we are called... Disciples, Children of the Most High God, Ambassadors for Christ, Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation, Set apart and Friends of God.
Lord Today may we not put weight on ourselves, while we wait on you.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Saving David
Good Morning to all, it has been a couple of days but as promised we will look at the life of David...a man after God`s own heart. For most of us we understand how it is to be part of a family and be the youngest child. You are usually the one who inherits all the hand me downs, gets the smallest piece of chicken and is also more times than we care to remember the family flunkie...
David was the youngest of eight sons born to his parents, he was from the line of Judah and his gran dparents were Boaz and Ruth. David found himself hand picked by God and then developed by his father into being a shepherd at a young age. A shepherd is not just another term for a glorified babysitter a shepherd cares for the needs of the sheep. He provides for, watches over , feeds and protects it ; not just from it`s attackers but also from itself. In his boot camp which I like to call it David was learning to fully rely on God while having some others rely on him. He did not take this assignment lightly.... the scripture does not declare this but in my sanctified mind I would like to think that David probably cared for the sheep better than he did for himself... he placed the needs of those in his care higher than his own desires.
Maybe sometimes he didn`t eat , to ensure they were well fed, maybe he lost sleep because he was concerned about them or maybe he arose early because he just could not stand the thought of being out of their presence for too long.... either way I truly believe he loved those sheep , even to the point of rescuing them from those who were much stronger than them ,only meant them harm or worst wanted to eat them alive ... He was even used to fight off the attacks of a bear and a lion.
David was a musician anointed by God to play skillfully on the harp ... see (1 Samuel 16:14-23). He was a psalmist who was the author of many heartfelt prayers to God in song which many of us recite and sing about even on today. He was brave , intelligent, dedicated and handsome just to name a few. Many of us know " David " like people , they seem to have everything but are still unfulfilled... His most stunning attribute to me was his relationship with the Lord.
He was chosen over his seven brothers to accomplish God`s will in the earth, which reminds me that when God does the picking you know you are on the right team... as a child we used to play everything from Dodgeball to Hot peas and butter to Red Rover... we all wanted to be picked by the cute guy or the popular girl , just so we could somehow feel closer to them....that`s a whole other blog yall. Lol.
He was chosen by God because God knew his heart, He knew when he would be strong, when he would stand tall and all the times in between and still chose him... so what I am saying is the only thing that qualifies us to do anything for God is what Christ has already done in sacrificing His life for us. The Lord can and will use anything or anybody to get His work done in the earth, a taxing Pharoah, stuttering servant, disobedient father , a prostitute , a donkey and water that gushes from a rock... so please beloved... don`t ever feel you are not useful to or usable by God.
So God begans to grow David up ... people became jealous namely the king who was in office at the time whose name is Saul... It is interesting to me that someone can see the potential in you but will only use you if they can benefit from it .Sadly enough when they are done with you they either dismiss you like you were a lowly servant or worst begin to despise you to the point to where they want to take your life. I often say the same people you give the power to elevate you will be the selfsame ones who are ready to dethrone you.
So David finds himself being elevated in mans sight as he is being prepared to take over the positon of the one who first liked him.... enough to risk his life for and now who wants to throw a spear at him. The kings insecurities coupled with his disobedience made ready a righteous recipe for God to push His plan forward. Some times we are wanting to be promoted and God is saying "hold on" I have some things in line and if you would wait on Me. I will remove the stumbling block and all you have to do is walk into the postion I have predestined for you.
We can read of Davids great exploits, victories as well as his defeats but I loved the fact that when he blew it he ran right back to God who gave him life and repented... Many of us fall short and feel it is so bad God could never use those mistakes or us... causing us to run and hide a sin that we think is secret but is yesterdays news in heaven.... God is well aware that we are made of dust... He made us , He knows how far we will go , when we will shrink back as well as how long our dedication to Him concerning a matter will last . But I rejoice in knowing He is God enough to not blow his top when I fumble the ball.
One of the most memorable accounts of David`s life was his affair with Bathsheba... now before you say I knew she was gonna bring that up... just keep reading I brought it up not to put him on blast but to say God uses everything to His advantage . Many don`t tell of their failures , most testimonies are about : money, cars, new jobs , and other materialistic things... do we only acquaint favor with outward blessings ? what about favor when we fall sexually and God doesn`t put our business out in the street ? or how we act at work with a psalm 23 screensaver while we are the one stirring up the mess instead of stirring up the gift ? . Well you get what I am saying right ?
David had all that was needed that pertained to life and godliness, but saw someone who belonged to someone else and set his affections on her ... he pulled a Malcom X, " By any means necessary" on Uriah . First he told the brother to go home and sleep with his wife ; knowing that he himself had been with her ... and when the man refused he set it up so he would be on the front line and die... then David could have Bathsheba as his wife. It shows us to what great lengths one will go to get something they want ... again in my sanctified mind I believe if he would have asked God ... maybe just maybe God would have worked something out... I`M JUST SAYIN... who knows either way he took matters into his own hands forgetting that not too long ago someone wanted him dead.
My prayer is not that we be perfect because flesh is real and people have free will, but I do believe that the closer we get to God the more He will cause us to see , we do not belong to the kingdom of darkness anymore ; nor do we have to do busines as usual... scheming, plotting, planning and literally executing to have a desire fulfilled. Personally if I have to assasinate you to get with you , then I don`t deserve to be with you.
We all have things we are believing God for and that`s how it should be believing GOD. Man can never give us something he never had the power to afford us. Wait on God... His track record is trustworthy. Let`s look at David but not at the expense of ignoring our own lives, may we find fulfillment in knowing that He who begun a good work in us is well able to complete it on the day of Christ Jesus.
Yahweh.... help us to get out of our own as well as ... Your way.
David was the youngest of eight sons born to his parents, he was from the line of Judah and his gran dparents were Boaz and Ruth. David found himself hand picked by God and then developed by his father into being a shepherd at a young age. A shepherd is not just another term for a glorified babysitter a shepherd cares for the needs of the sheep. He provides for, watches over , feeds and protects it ; not just from it`s attackers but also from itself. In his boot camp which I like to call it David was learning to fully rely on God while having some others rely on him. He did not take this assignment lightly.... the scripture does not declare this but in my sanctified mind I would like to think that David probably cared for the sheep better than he did for himself... he placed the needs of those in his care higher than his own desires.
Maybe sometimes he didn`t eat , to ensure they were well fed, maybe he lost sleep because he was concerned about them or maybe he arose early because he just could not stand the thought of being out of their presence for too long.... either way I truly believe he loved those sheep , even to the point of rescuing them from those who were much stronger than them ,only meant them harm or worst wanted to eat them alive ... He was even used to fight off the attacks of a bear and a lion.
David was a musician anointed by God to play skillfully on the harp ... see (1 Samuel 16:14-23). He was a psalmist who was the author of many heartfelt prayers to God in song which many of us recite and sing about even on today. He was brave , intelligent, dedicated and handsome just to name a few. Many of us know " David " like people , they seem to have everything but are still unfulfilled... His most stunning attribute to me was his relationship with the Lord.
He was chosen over his seven brothers to accomplish God`s will in the earth, which reminds me that when God does the picking you know you are on the right team... as a child we used to play everything from Dodgeball to Hot peas and butter to Red Rover... we all wanted to be picked by the cute guy or the popular girl , just so we could somehow feel closer to them....that`s a whole other blog yall. Lol.
He was chosen by God because God knew his heart, He knew when he would be strong, when he would stand tall and all the times in between and still chose him... so what I am saying is the only thing that qualifies us to do anything for God is what Christ has already done in sacrificing His life for us. The Lord can and will use anything or anybody to get His work done in the earth, a taxing Pharoah, stuttering servant, disobedient father , a prostitute , a donkey and water that gushes from a rock... so please beloved... don`t ever feel you are not useful to or usable by God.
So God begans to grow David up ... people became jealous namely the king who was in office at the time whose name is Saul... It is interesting to me that someone can see the potential in you but will only use you if they can benefit from it .Sadly enough when they are done with you they either dismiss you like you were a lowly servant or worst begin to despise you to the point to where they want to take your life. I often say the same people you give the power to elevate you will be the selfsame ones who are ready to dethrone you.
So David finds himself being elevated in mans sight as he is being prepared to take over the positon of the one who first liked him.... enough to risk his life for and now who wants to throw a spear at him. The kings insecurities coupled with his disobedience made ready a righteous recipe for God to push His plan forward. Some times we are wanting to be promoted and God is saying "hold on" I have some things in line and if you would wait on Me. I will remove the stumbling block and all you have to do is walk into the postion I have predestined for you.
We can read of Davids great exploits, victories as well as his defeats but I loved the fact that when he blew it he ran right back to God who gave him life and repented... Many of us fall short and feel it is so bad God could never use those mistakes or us... causing us to run and hide a sin that we think is secret but is yesterdays news in heaven.... God is well aware that we are made of dust... He made us , He knows how far we will go , when we will shrink back as well as how long our dedication to Him concerning a matter will last . But I rejoice in knowing He is God enough to not blow his top when I fumble the ball.
One of the most memorable accounts of David`s life was his affair with Bathsheba... now before you say I knew she was gonna bring that up... just keep reading I brought it up not to put him on blast but to say God uses everything to His advantage . Many don`t tell of their failures , most testimonies are about : money, cars, new jobs , and other materialistic things... do we only acquaint favor with outward blessings ? what about favor when we fall sexually and God doesn`t put our business out in the street ? or how we act at work with a psalm 23 screensaver while we are the one stirring up the mess instead of stirring up the gift ? . Well you get what I am saying right ?
David had all that was needed that pertained to life and godliness, but saw someone who belonged to someone else and set his affections on her ... he pulled a Malcom X, " By any means necessary" on Uriah . First he told the brother to go home and sleep with his wife ; knowing that he himself had been with her ... and when the man refused he set it up so he would be on the front line and die... then David could have Bathsheba as his wife. It shows us to what great lengths one will go to get something they want ... again in my sanctified mind I believe if he would have asked God ... maybe just maybe God would have worked something out... I`M JUST SAYIN... who knows either way he took matters into his own hands forgetting that not too long ago someone wanted him dead.
My prayer is not that we be perfect because flesh is real and people have free will, but I do believe that the closer we get to God the more He will cause us to see , we do not belong to the kingdom of darkness anymore ; nor do we have to do busines as usual... scheming, plotting, planning and literally executing to have a desire fulfilled. Personally if I have to assasinate you to get with you , then I don`t deserve to be with you.
We all have things we are believing God for and that`s how it should be believing GOD. Man can never give us something he never had the power to afford us. Wait on God... His track record is trustworthy. Let`s look at David but not at the expense of ignoring our own lives, may we find fulfillment in knowing that He who begun a good work in us is well able to complete it on the day of Christ Jesus.
Yahweh.... help us to get out of our own as well as ... Your way.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Defending the Offended
PARDON THE INTERRUPTION... I KNOW I PROMISED I WOULD SHARE MY THOUGHTS ON DAVID TODAY... BUT GOD HAD A DIFFERENT PLAN.
Today I will write about something that is deserved by no one, afforded to everyone , recieved by many, reciprocated by a few and often withheld from all the rest ... FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness = An absoultion , pardon, acquittal, exoneration, dispensation or reprise. In other words to forgive someone is to restore them to a place as if they had never offended you.
Offense = A sin or crime, to cause resentment, anger, displeasure or hurt. To attack yourself or another in such a manner that would cause them to be violated to a point of retaliation.
Defense=Resistance, protection, safeguarding, precaution, stand or to preserve. In other words it is the act of taking a stand on behalf of yourself or another to prevent one from being hurt.
Many of us have heard the sermons, read the scriptures, preached it to one while withholding from another. forgive, forgive forgive ... Honestly if it was that easy we would not have such a hard time doing it ... forgiving someone says I am letting you as well as myself off the hook for what transpired.
It is interesting to me that we often forget this is the VERY reason Jesus Christ came to this earth... ( Matthew 1:21) To save the people from their sins.. i. e. to FORGIVE. Humanity is all for justice when it is the victim , but for the death penalty when it concerns another person. How does one hold back the very thing they need most in their lives ?... Sometimes we feel a person has to deserve forgiveness, NO we deserve death but God in His infinite wisdom and mercy said... I am going to give them what they need, not what they have earned because of disobedience... (Romans 6:23)
You may be saying , but you don`t know what they did and how that made me feel... and to a certain extent you are right in saying, but I do know what betrayal feels like because I have done it, first to God and then to people... I truly believe people treat God like they treat other human beings... Some of us ignore God, so we ignore people, some of us have lied to God, so we lie to people, some of us , if we are honest are mad at God which in turn makes us mad at people.... but what if we did a self examination only to find that we are mad at ourselves.
We think at times it is up to us to fulfill our destiny , this is only partly true... how can you fulfill something you didn`t even have the power to start ?... As a child we had to pray a prayer that said "now I lay me down to sleep"..., who lays themselves down to sleep without God intervening ? .... guess that`s another blog for another day ... Many say I am gonna get myself together and then I will follow God , in actuality you are already following , you are following the god with a little g, that makes you think you are in control of your life instead of following Him who was lead to a cross to die that you may live.
Scriptures states in Matthew 18:7... Woe to the world because of offenses ! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offenses come... what is Jesus saying ?....It is inevitable that offenses would occur due to the current state of the world , the lust of the flesh and the Devil at work in the earth. But woe to him who yields his body as an instrument to be used in Satan`s symphony. So do whatever is ever necessary to discipline yourself to resist this temptation.
Verse 15 goes on to speak of what happens when you do give in... He gives us clear instruction on how to rectify the situation...Go to your brother and keep it between the two of you !.. if he listens , well done , problem solved.
But if he does not hear, take 2 or more witnesses, if he so refuses to still heed ; tell it to the church. after all this is done and he still does not want to conform, let him be as a heathen.
I believe the problem for us is ; first off most of us will not go to the person who offended us we run and tell that... to the first person who will listen... secondly we tell 2 or more but not for the sake of reconciliation but for character assassination, so by now there is no need to take it to the church because its all over the church... the grapevine has produced "sour grapes" which has turned into "whine" because we have trampled on one another instead of squashing the matter in decency and in order. Lastly the person who may have gone home to their secret place and repented and was going to apologize at Wednesday night bible study, no longer has to be kicked out the church because now the offender has become offended and has left the building on their own.
Christ instructs about how many "times" we must forgive . He gives us a number while at the same not really giving us a number . His declaration is to do it as many times as YOU need to. To who has been forgiven much ; can forgive much, happy people, draw happy people, angry people draw, angry people, broken people, draw broken people... truth be told we are all forgiven people who have lied, been lied to , ignored, done the ignoring, angry ,broken humans whose only desire in the words of Mary. J Blige is to... be happy.
In closing I would like to say I no longer have the desire nor strength to throw stones at others because my hands are too full of my own rocky situations...
Love you to Life
Tina...
Today I will write about something that is deserved by no one, afforded to everyone , recieved by many, reciprocated by a few and often withheld from all the rest ... FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness = An absoultion , pardon, acquittal, exoneration, dispensation or reprise. In other words to forgive someone is to restore them to a place as if they had never offended you.
Offense = A sin or crime, to cause resentment, anger, displeasure or hurt. To attack yourself or another in such a manner that would cause them to be violated to a point of retaliation.
Defense=Resistance, protection, safeguarding, precaution, stand or to preserve. In other words it is the act of taking a stand on behalf of yourself or another to prevent one from being hurt.
Many of us have heard the sermons, read the scriptures, preached it to one while withholding from another. forgive, forgive forgive ... Honestly if it was that easy we would not have such a hard time doing it ... forgiving someone says I am letting you as well as myself off the hook for what transpired.
It is interesting to me that we often forget this is the VERY reason Jesus Christ came to this earth... ( Matthew 1:21) To save the people from their sins.. i. e. to FORGIVE. Humanity is all for justice when it is the victim , but for the death penalty when it concerns another person. How does one hold back the very thing they need most in their lives ?... Sometimes we feel a person has to deserve forgiveness, NO we deserve death but God in His infinite wisdom and mercy said... I am going to give them what they need, not what they have earned because of disobedience... (Romans 6:23)
You may be saying , but you don`t know what they did and how that made me feel... and to a certain extent you are right in saying, but I do know what betrayal feels like because I have done it, first to God and then to people... I truly believe people treat God like they treat other human beings... Some of us ignore God, so we ignore people, some of us have lied to God, so we lie to people, some of us , if we are honest are mad at God which in turn makes us mad at people.... but what if we did a self examination only to find that we are mad at ourselves.
We think at times it is up to us to fulfill our destiny , this is only partly true... how can you fulfill something you didn`t even have the power to start ?... As a child we had to pray a prayer that said "now I lay me down to sleep"..., who lays themselves down to sleep without God intervening ? .... guess that`s another blog for another day ... Many say I am gonna get myself together and then I will follow God , in actuality you are already following , you are following the god with a little g, that makes you think you are in control of your life instead of following Him who was lead to a cross to die that you may live.
Scriptures states in Matthew 18:7... Woe to the world because of offenses ! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offenses come... what is Jesus saying ?....It is inevitable that offenses would occur due to the current state of the world , the lust of the flesh and the Devil at work in the earth. But woe to him who yields his body as an instrument to be used in Satan`s symphony. So do whatever is ever necessary to discipline yourself to resist this temptation.
Verse 15 goes on to speak of what happens when you do give in... He gives us clear instruction on how to rectify the situation...Go to your brother and keep it between the two of you !.. if he listens , well done , problem solved.
But if he does not hear, take 2 or more witnesses, if he so refuses to still heed ; tell it to the church. after all this is done and he still does not want to conform, let him be as a heathen.
I believe the problem for us is ; first off most of us will not go to the person who offended us we run and tell that... to the first person who will listen... secondly we tell 2 or more but not for the sake of reconciliation but for character assassination, so by now there is no need to take it to the church because its all over the church... the grapevine has produced "sour grapes" which has turned into "whine" because we have trampled on one another instead of squashing the matter in decency and in order. Lastly the person who may have gone home to their secret place and repented and was going to apologize at Wednesday night bible study, no longer has to be kicked out the church because now the offender has become offended and has left the building on their own.
Christ instructs about how many "times" we must forgive . He gives us a number while at the same not really giving us a number . His declaration is to do it as many times as YOU need to. To who has been forgiven much ; can forgive much, happy people, draw happy people, angry people draw, angry people, broken people, draw broken people... truth be told we are all forgiven people who have lied, been lied to , ignored, done the ignoring, angry ,broken humans whose only desire in the words of Mary. J Blige is to... be happy.
In closing I would like to say I no longer have the desire nor strength to throw stones at others because my hands are too full of my own rocky situations...
Love you to Life
Tina...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Garden of Delight
Good Morning all, today I would like to share my thoughts on the subject of being fulfilled ; not content, not satisfied but fulfilled... We will take a look at two of three men in scripture who had everything that pertains to life and godliness and yet found themselves still searching.
Adam: The First Man
David: The Favored Man
Solomon: The Futile Man
Let us begin with Adam many of us are familiar with the creation story... Adam was created in the image and likeness of God with the ability to exhibit compassion and forgiveness, rule in authority and have dominion over the earth , just to name a few. He ; along with the trees , beasts of the field and birds of the air were made from the ground. No one could take credit for their coming to be ... except God.
God prepared the Garden with all its splendor and amenities, so that when He placed His son there all Adam would have to do is name the animals and enjoy the place he was in. There were two trees in Eden, The tree of Life which is rather self explanatory and The tree of the knowledge of good and evil which speaks of man`s will and his obedience.
Many of us can attest to this today that we could be smack dab in the midlle of the land of abundance and yet have the nerve to be discontented... and yes we know this is because of the fall. Adam had a intimate relationship with the Father, they conversed with one another, he was placed in a deep sleep and presented a helper comparable to him, he didn`t have to go grocery shopping, always had company , did not have a bunch of people vying for God`s affection .... but was yet unfulfilled.
We are creatures of habit and whatever peaks our interest can easily drive us away from a place of purpose, looking for the next quick fix. Adam found himself lured away by his own desire to have the very thing that God wanted to withhold, not because God is a taskmaster or wants us to be puppets, but as the saying goes... Father knows best. Many blame Eve but Adam knew what God told him and the desires of his heart coupled with an opportunity, brought about the fall ... Eve could not push Adam to do anything that wasn`t already pulling on his heartstrings. In his pursuit of happiness he ate of a fruit that turned out to be sour grapes to say the least ...Thus bringing about man`s desire to control his own destiny.
Now let`s look at the wisest and richest man ever to live: Solomon, being the son of a king twice over ; first the King of Glory and then king David.. we find him in the book of (Ecclesiastes chp 2). pouring out his heart like a drink offering ... He was not satisfied with his intellect even though he knew more than everyone besides God of course... Speaking from experience people who are intelligent need to pray for balance, the more information we recieve ; the less information we retain.
Why ? glad you asked... because we do not take the appropriate amount of time to digest what we have gathered, and immediatley find ourselves seeking to gather more data ... So as it is with the grave and a barren womb ... we are never satisfied. He was learned in the sciences, history, philosophy, literature, religion and the learning of languages , just to name a few... but still felt like something was missing... Putting on the mind of Christ and allowing our minds to be transformed by the Word of God is our only line of defense....as knowledge puffs up , humility decreases.
Next we find him pursuing everything from the pleasures of the world, to real estate, to drinking and frollicing . I am in no way saying God does not want us to enjoy life , But this world is not designed to provide us with the totality of happiness, if it were so most of us would never want to leave, thus forfeiting the gift of eternal life in heaven. (Psalm 16:11)
Many have tried and are yet failing to live the life designed for heaven while still on earth . Prestige , fortune, and notoriety which is closley assimilated with being "notorious" seem to be our goals . Have we become more concerned about owning a business than serving in the Kingdom and being about our Father`s business ? And at what expense ?... grieving the Holy Spirit or worse the of losing our souls ? Solomon had more than everybody else and still felt like Whitney Houston.. he had nothing, nothing, nothing...
Solomon had tactical military units, male and female servants... herds and flocks of insurmountable proportions, but may have become so consumed with sitting at the table and being served... that he forgot, even as king he too was a servant. He was thirsting for the one thing that could quench him ... God, but chose to reject the living waters from the Fountain of life in order to drink from the cess pool of self absorption.
He engaged in many forms of entertainment and laughter only to still be depressed. I can attest to this truth... about 18 months ago I had to see someone to address my bout with depression... I put it off as premenstrual, to maybe if I got married , to cut your hair off, which in OT testament times was associated with mourning; to oh just lose some and you weight you will feel better... WRONG. After still attending church regularly, fasting, praying, bible study, and denial I had to admit while
self deception was taking place in my life , my failure to address it was taking the place of my life.
As a young child I was the class clown, telling jokes for the sole reason of disguising my pain.. I recently found out that comedians have a very high suicide rate... due to the fact that while they are making you forget about your cares for that moment in time, they are actually being tormented by the selfsame thing they are urging you to get over.
May we take a page or 2 from these men and their lives and learn that while we are on this journey called life, may we not go on a ego trip trying to accomplish on earth that which God has already settled in heaven.
Log in tomorrow as I share what`s on my heart about King David... See ya then; same time, same blog channel.
Tina...
Adam: The First Man
David: The Favored Man
Solomon: The Futile Man
Let us begin with Adam many of us are familiar with the creation story... Adam was created in the image and likeness of God with the ability to exhibit compassion and forgiveness, rule in authority and have dominion over the earth , just to name a few. He ; along with the trees , beasts of the field and birds of the air were made from the ground. No one could take credit for their coming to be ... except God.
God prepared the Garden with all its splendor and amenities, so that when He placed His son there all Adam would have to do is name the animals and enjoy the place he was in. There were two trees in Eden, The tree of Life which is rather self explanatory and The tree of the knowledge of good and evil which speaks of man`s will and his obedience.
Many of us can attest to this today that we could be smack dab in the midlle of the land of abundance and yet have the nerve to be discontented... and yes we know this is because of the fall. Adam had a intimate relationship with the Father, they conversed with one another, he was placed in a deep sleep and presented a helper comparable to him, he didn`t have to go grocery shopping, always had company , did not have a bunch of people vying for God`s affection .... but was yet unfulfilled.
We are creatures of habit and whatever peaks our interest can easily drive us away from a place of purpose, looking for the next quick fix. Adam found himself lured away by his own desire to have the very thing that God wanted to withhold, not because God is a taskmaster or wants us to be puppets, but as the saying goes... Father knows best. Many blame Eve but Adam knew what God told him and the desires of his heart coupled with an opportunity, brought about the fall ... Eve could not push Adam to do anything that wasn`t already pulling on his heartstrings. In his pursuit of happiness he ate of a fruit that turned out to be sour grapes to say the least ...Thus bringing about man`s desire to control his own destiny.
Now let`s look at the wisest and richest man ever to live: Solomon, being the son of a king twice over ; first the King of Glory and then king David.. we find him in the book of (Ecclesiastes chp 2). pouring out his heart like a drink offering ... He was not satisfied with his intellect even though he knew more than everyone besides God of course... Speaking from experience people who are intelligent need to pray for balance, the more information we recieve ; the less information we retain.
Why ? glad you asked... because we do not take the appropriate amount of time to digest what we have gathered, and immediatley find ourselves seeking to gather more data ... So as it is with the grave and a barren womb ... we are never satisfied. He was learned in the sciences, history, philosophy, literature, religion and the learning of languages , just to name a few... but still felt like something was missing... Putting on the mind of Christ and allowing our minds to be transformed by the Word of God is our only line of defense....as knowledge puffs up , humility decreases.
Next we find him pursuing everything from the pleasures of the world, to real estate, to drinking and frollicing . I am in no way saying God does not want us to enjoy life , But this world is not designed to provide us with the totality of happiness, if it were so most of us would never want to leave, thus forfeiting the gift of eternal life in heaven. (Psalm 16:11)
Many have tried and are yet failing to live the life designed for heaven while still on earth . Prestige , fortune, and notoriety which is closley assimilated with being "notorious" seem to be our goals . Have we become more concerned about owning a business than serving in the Kingdom and being about our Father`s business ? And at what expense ?... grieving the Holy Spirit or worse the of losing our souls ? Solomon had more than everybody else and still felt like Whitney Houston.. he had nothing, nothing, nothing...
Solomon had tactical military units, male and female servants... herds and flocks of insurmountable proportions, but may have become so consumed with sitting at the table and being served... that he forgot, even as king he too was a servant. He was thirsting for the one thing that could quench him ... God, but chose to reject the living waters from the Fountain of life in order to drink from the cess pool of self absorption.
He engaged in many forms of entertainment and laughter only to still be depressed. I can attest to this truth... about 18 months ago I had to see someone to address my bout with depression... I put it off as premenstrual, to maybe if I got married , to cut your hair off, which in OT testament times was associated with mourning; to oh just lose some and you weight you will feel better... WRONG. After still attending church regularly, fasting, praying, bible study, and denial I had to admit while
self deception was taking place in my life , my failure to address it was taking the place of my life.
As a young child I was the class clown, telling jokes for the sole reason of disguising my pain.. I recently found out that comedians have a very high suicide rate... due to the fact that while they are making you forget about your cares for that moment in time, they are actually being tormented by the selfsame thing they are urging you to get over.
May we take a page or 2 from these men and their lives and learn that while we are on this journey called life, may we not go on a ego trip trying to accomplish on earth that which God has already settled in heaven.
Log in tomorrow as I share what`s on my heart about King David... See ya then; same time, same blog channel.
Tina...
Monday, August 9, 2010
I Have A Dream...
Good morning all , after a not so restful night of sleep, I have been graced with seeing a day I have never witnessed and will never see again; So I intend on making the most of it. Scripture tells of that in the last days God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh....(Joel 2:28). We will experience the release of visions, prophetic utterances from sons and daughters as well as men dreaming dreams which brings me to today`s blog.
Dream is defined in this manner: A sequence of images etc. passing through a sleeping persons mind. We know that dreams can come from our own selfish desires , but today I would like to touch on dreams that originate from Him who gave us every good and perfect gift from above.
I can clearly recall the first dream I was given soon after I was born again... The Lord literally said to me... I will speak to you in dreams because you talk too much in the day time... I was like ok cool and He has kept His word . Twelve years later He is still speaking to me in that manner even though I have learned to talk a little less. lol.
Scripture gives us many accounts of people who were spoken to in dreams.. from Joseph: Jacob`s son to Joseph the earthly father of Jesus Christ. Let`s talk a little about Joseph and his brothers who despised him, not so much because he was a dreamer and told them the dreams, but Jacob loved him more and showed it outwardly. And if you read a little closer in ( Gen. 37:2) you will see that Joseph brought back a bad report to his father concerning his brothers.... (that`s a whole other blog) There is no better way to disrupt a family quicker than by showing favortism... I actually believe this still exists today in the church, we get mad because God is showing favor to another and we become like Josephs brothers and begin our premeditation of character assasination.
We see how Aaron and Miriam were jealous of Moses their "brother" ... they even tried to say it was due to the wife he married , but deep down inside it was because of his intimate relationship with God.. Saul and David had a great relationship until Saul begin to see the favor of God on the young mans life... how interesting that one minute people see greatness in you , but as soon as God starts moving , they begin to despise you... So it was with Jesus , so it shall be with me and thee.... it yet baffles me that today we hate on each other while telling unbelievers that we love them . If only we could celebrate one another , fulfill our assignments and maybe, just maybe we would not have so much extra time checking and inspecting everyone elses work in the vineyard...
Okay back to the dream , Joseph was showed twice as an confirmation basically what God purposed to do which was: to use him as a deliverer and sustainer to his family when they would need it most. The problem here is that Joseph was given the Genesis i. e. "Beginning" of the dream and the Revelation i.e. "Ending" of the dream . God in His infinite wisdom withheld the Psalm i.e. "Middle" portion to test Joseph to see what was in his heart (Deut. 6:4).
Just like the children of Israel the humanity of our christianity causes us to think we can be exited out of one place and immediatley enter the promise land without GOING THROUGH THE WILDERNESS... The trip that should have taken 11 days lasted 39 years .... although the people were released from bondage geographically; mentally, emotionally and spiritually it was as if they had never left.
Just as God did with them , Joseph and even Nebuchadnezzar , (Daniel 4) . He shall too do concerning us... We find out the fabric of ourselves when wrinkles of acceptance need to be ironed out, stains of envy and unforgiveness have to be washed from our hearts all the while impatience has to once and for all be hung on the cross to DIE and not to dry.
I am well able to go deeper with this matter , but I know you get the point .So I will close by saying Yes God gives dreams but He does not reveal the process because we would : run back to the world (John 6:59-69) or run from the assignment (Jonah) ... either way, we will still have to face that which is in front of us or He will bring it right back in our face so we can deal with it properly. Ignoring something or someone may cause you to believe ... you are done with them or it , but I have learned in my 40 years on this earth..... That the same ladder we ascend upon to get to the top will be the same one we have to descend upon while being humbled.
Many times we get it twisted like God is doing us a favor by using us, when in actuality we ought to count it a privilege and and honor to be chosen to do His bidding in the earth... As with all things God has a greater purpose and it shall be fulfilled.
Father , we first thank and praise You... that You created us to be in relationship with You, sharing your heart , ideas and will for our lives as well as allowing us to be a part of seeing other people prosper in the things you have placed in their care. Somewhere between your promise that occured in our dream or for some... dreams; we have chosen to only look at the beginning and end , neglecting the most vital part the process in which you are changing our hearts. Lord when the dream manifests itself... may we who recieved it, not be the only recipient of its fruition. Please forgive us for trying to "help" you in matters where you didn`t ask for our opinion, but only our obedience. Forgive us for hindering the progress because of envy, jealousy or self exaltaion. We give the dream back to you that it would used for the purpose intended... In Jesus Name we pray... Amen
Dream is defined in this manner: A sequence of images etc. passing through a sleeping persons mind. We know that dreams can come from our own selfish desires , but today I would like to touch on dreams that originate from Him who gave us every good and perfect gift from above.
I can clearly recall the first dream I was given soon after I was born again... The Lord literally said to me... I will speak to you in dreams because you talk too much in the day time... I was like ok cool and He has kept His word . Twelve years later He is still speaking to me in that manner even though I have learned to talk a little less. lol.
Scripture gives us many accounts of people who were spoken to in dreams.. from Joseph: Jacob`s son to Joseph the earthly father of Jesus Christ. Let`s talk a little about Joseph and his brothers who despised him, not so much because he was a dreamer and told them the dreams, but Jacob loved him more and showed it outwardly. And if you read a little closer in ( Gen. 37:2) you will see that Joseph brought back a bad report to his father concerning his brothers.... (that`s a whole other blog) There is no better way to disrupt a family quicker than by showing favortism... I actually believe this still exists today in the church, we get mad because God is showing favor to another and we become like Josephs brothers and begin our premeditation of character assasination.
We see how Aaron and Miriam were jealous of Moses their "brother" ... they even tried to say it was due to the wife he married , but deep down inside it was because of his intimate relationship with God.. Saul and David had a great relationship until Saul begin to see the favor of God on the young mans life... how interesting that one minute people see greatness in you , but as soon as God starts moving , they begin to despise you... So it was with Jesus , so it shall be with me and thee.... it yet baffles me that today we hate on each other while telling unbelievers that we love them . If only we could celebrate one another , fulfill our assignments and maybe, just maybe we would not have so much extra time checking and inspecting everyone elses work in the vineyard...
Okay back to the dream , Joseph was showed twice as an confirmation basically what God purposed to do which was: to use him as a deliverer and sustainer to his family when they would need it most. The problem here is that Joseph was given the Genesis i. e. "Beginning" of the dream and the Revelation i.e. "Ending" of the dream . God in His infinite wisdom withheld the Psalm i.e. "Middle" portion to test Joseph to see what was in his heart (Deut. 6:4).
Just like the children of Israel the humanity of our christianity causes us to think we can be exited out of one place and immediatley enter the promise land without GOING THROUGH THE WILDERNESS... The trip that should have taken 11 days lasted 39 years .... although the people were released from bondage geographically; mentally, emotionally and spiritually it was as if they had never left.
Just as God did with them , Joseph and even Nebuchadnezzar , (Daniel 4) . He shall too do concerning us... We find out the fabric of ourselves when wrinkles of acceptance need to be ironed out, stains of envy and unforgiveness have to be washed from our hearts all the while impatience has to once and for all be hung on the cross to DIE and not to dry.
I am well able to go deeper with this matter , but I know you get the point .So I will close by saying Yes God gives dreams but He does not reveal the process because we would : run back to the world (John 6:59-69) or run from the assignment (Jonah) ... either way, we will still have to face that which is in front of us or He will bring it right back in our face so we can deal with it properly. Ignoring something or someone may cause you to believe ... you are done with them or it , but I have learned in my 40 years on this earth..... That the same ladder we ascend upon to get to the top will be the same one we have to descend upon while being humbled.
Many times we get it twisted like God is doing us a favor by using us, when in actuality we ought to count it a privilege and and honor to be chosen to do His bidding in the earth... As with all things God has a greater purpose and it shall be fulfilled.
Father , we first thank and praise You... that You created us to be in relationship with You, sharing your heart , ideas and will for our lives as well as allowing us to be a part of seeing other people prosper in the things you have placed in their care. Somewhere between your promise that occured in our dream or for some... dreams; we have chosen to only look at the beginning and end , neglecting the most vital part the process in which you are changing our hearts. Lord when the dream manifests itself... may we who recieved it, not be the only recipient of its fruition. Please forgive us for trying to "help" you in matters where you didn`t ask for our opinion, but only our obedience. Forgive us for hindering the progress because of envy, jealousy or self exaltaion. We give the dream back to you that it would used for the purpose intended... In Jesus Name we pray... Amen
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Steroid Saints
Hell everyone.. My name is human "being", not human doing. I was having a conversation with the Lord and I began to repent about the fact that I did not "encourage" people as much as I think I should. I then was reminded that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts as He wills. See 1 Corinthians 12.
Way too often we think that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" literally means we can do all things... it ought not be so; we are equipped to do all that the Father has willed us to do. None of us are Jesus... we are not the Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent One. We have power from on high, not that of our own strength, we have the mind of Christ which was first yielded to the Father , And we can only be in one place at a time.
If I was gifted in 4 areas and excelled , but was slack in another does that negate the power of God in my life ? certainly not. I think we spend ourselves trying to be everything to everybody all the while neglecting one person which is OURSELVES.
Christ loves people but knew enough to steal away with the Father so His relationship would culminate. If we keep running around thinking because we sing , we have to sing all the time and everywhere we will become burned out lightbulbs instead of being light to the world.
If you have been called to minstry which we all are, do your job, stay in your lane... The Pastor is learning how to be the Pastor , God will help him accomplish that task. If you preach do it according to the measure of faith given you.. He already has someone named Jakes, Jones, Bynum, Warren and Meyer... just seek to be the best YOU.
Also, if you don`t extend grace to yourself to be human you will in turn withhold it from others. I had to repent for being mad at people if they werent performing at a level that "I" set for them, but when I fell I wanted a grace party, after party and parade...
What am I saying beloved ? ... simply put.. cut yourself , and the rest of the world some slack, we all have shortcomings and none will be perfected till we see Him face to face, Until then lets celebrate the diversity of gifts and leave the transformation process up to God in our lives as well as in the lives of others.
The minute we stop trying to impress God and people will be the second the captive which is usually ourselves will be set free. I know it sounds good to say " I don`t care what others think of me, but is that really true?, first off we should care as representatives of the God of glory, but secondly. it does matter... this is why we brush our hair and teeth , wash our bodies as well as our clothing, clean our vehicles and our homes.... presentation matters.
Scriptures declares to us to Trust in the Lord... Prov 3:5-6
And not to put our trust in man, ( PROVERBS 28:26) but we often think its other people; when that man is the one you see when you look in the mirror..
Way too often we think that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" literally means we can do all things... it ought not be so; we are equipped to do all that the Father has willed us to do. None of us are Jesus... we are not the Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent One. We have power from on high, not that of our own strength, we have the mind of Christ which was first yielded to the Father , And we can only be in one place at a time.
If I was gifted in 4 areas and excelled , but was slack in another does that negate the power of God in my life ? certainly not. I think we spend ourselves trying to be everything to everybody all the while neglecting one person which is OURSELVES.
Christ loves people but knew enough to steal away with the Father so His relationship would culminate. If we keep running around thinking because we sing , we have to sing all the time and everywhere we will become burned out lightbulbs instead of being light to the world.
If you have been called to minstry which we all are, do your job, stay in your lane... The Pastor is learning how to be the Pastor , God will help him accomplish that task. If you preach do it according to the measure of faith given you.. He already has someone named Jakes, Jones, Bynum, Warren and Meyer... just seek to be the best YOU.
Also, if you don`t extend grace to yourself to be human you will in turn withhold it from others. I had to repent for being mad at people if they werent performing at a level that "I" set for them, but when I fell I wanted a grace party, after party and parade...
What am I saying beloved ? ... simply put.. cut yourself , and the rest of the world some slack, we all have shortcomings and none will be perfected till we see Him face to face, Until then lets celebrate the diversity of gifts and leave the transformation process up to God in our lives as well as in the lives of others.
The minute we stop trying to impress God and people will be the second the captive which is usually ourselves will be set free. I know it sounds good to say " I don`t care what others think of me, but is that really true?, first off we should care as representatives of the God of glory, but secondly. it does matter... this is why we brush our hair and teeth , wash our bodies as well as our clothing, clean our vehicles and our homes.... presentation matters.
Scriptures declares to us to Trust in the Lord... Prov 3:5-6
And not to put our trust in man, ( PROVERBS 28:26) but we often think its other people; when that man is the one you see when you look in the mirror..
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Meeting of the "Mines"
GRACE AND PEACE TO YOU FROM OUR RISEN SAVIOR AND LORD JESUS CHRIST. JUST CHECKING IN TO SHARE SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN BRANDED ON MY HEART FOR SOME TIME NOW.
WHEN WE WERE BORN WE WERE BORN INTO SIN . I AM NOT MAKING THAT UP IT`S IN THE WORD (PSALM 51 :5). THINK ABOUT IT WE WERE SELFISH, VYING FOR EVERYONES ATTENTION. WE WOULD CRY TO GET WHAT WE WANTED AND SOME OF US STILL DO IT TODAY. WE WENT TO SCHOOL AND THOUGHT ALL OF THE TOYS BELONGED TO US .IN OUR HOMES WE DIDN`T WANT TO SHARE FOOD,CLOTHING,HAIRBRUSHES OR OUR PARENTS WITH OTHERS,THUS LEADING US TO LIVE A LIFE LED BY THE "MINE "MENTALITY".
THE ONLY THING THAT IS TRULY OURS IS OUR SIN AND RARELY DO WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT! LET US STOP BLAMING THE MAN, THE SYSTEM, OUR CHURCH, MAYOR AND ANYONE ELSE FOR THE WAY WE BEHAVE. NOW BACK TO WHY I AM REALLY WRITING.
PEOPLE, PASTORS AND PARENTS GOD HAS" LOANED "US OUR FRIENDS, CONGREGATIONS AND CHILDREN . SOME WHERE ALONG THE WAY WE TOOK OWNERSHIP THAT WAS NOT RIGHTFULLY OURS ! (PSALM 24:1) CLEARLY STATES :"THE EARTH IS THE LORD..S AND ALL IT`S FULLNESS,THE WORLD AND THOSE WHO DWELL THEREIN". SO WHAT HAPPENED TO US PUTTING OUR CHILDREN ON THE ALTAR AND LEAVING THEM THERE?WHEN DID WE DECIDE BECAUSE SOMEONE ATTENDS OUR CHURCH WHICH IS REALLY NOT "OUR" CHURCH BUT THE VICTORIOUS CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST THAT THEY ARE OUR PROPERTY.
CHRIST HAS MADE US FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF SLAVERY NEVER TO BE ENTANGLED AGAIN BY SIN. SEE (GALATIANS 5:1) SO SINCE JESUS HAD MADE US FREE THROUGH THE GIFTS OF SALVATION HOW IS IT THAT WE HAVE BECOME SO TERRITORIAL CONCERNING OTHER PEOPLES LIVES?.
NOW DON`T GET ME WRONG I TRULY UNDERSTAND THE UNDER SHEPHERD AS ONE BEING APPOINTED BY GOD TO TEND TO THE SHEEP, AS WELL AS BEING ONE WHO IS UNDER THE GREAT SHEPHERD THEMSELVES. BUT IT IS THE JOB OF THE MESSIAH TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. THIS IS WHY WE TRUST IN THE MASTER AND NOT PUT SO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE PASTOR.
PEOPLE GOD HAS GIVEN US FRIENDS ,NOW THESE ARE NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE ONES WE PICKED OUT FOR YOURSELVES, BUT THOSE WHO ARE ORDAINED TO SUSTAIN. SEE (PROVERBS 17:17). SO WHY IS IT THAT WE GET ALL HUFFY WHEN OUR FRIENDS GET OTHER FRIENDS BESIDES US AND BEGIN TO TRIP? THERE IS SURELY ENOUGH OF YOU TO GO AROUND. GONE ARE THE DAYS THAT WE SHOULD SEEK OUT FRIENDSHIPS BASED ON WHAT WE CAN RECIEVE FROM THE OTHER INDIVIDUAL . A FRIEND IS FRIENDLY ENOUGH TO CHECK YOU WHEN YOU ARE WRONG AND WISE ENOUGH TO KNOW WHEN TO ONLY LISTEN AND NOT SPEAK !
SOMEHOW WE HAVE TAKEN THE POSSESSIONS GOD HAS PLACED IN OUR LIVES AND TRIED TO "POSSESS" THEM , WANTING THEM TO CONFORM TO WHAT WE THINK THEY SHOULD DRESS, PRAISE OR ACT LIKE. THAT IS WHERE WE ARE OUT OF ORDER. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MORE THAN ABLE TO TRANSFORM SOMEONE ELSES WHILE DOING THE SAME FOR YOU.
PARENTS I HAVE NOT FORGOT ABOUT YOU. I FEEL SO STRONGLY BECAUSE THE WORD HAS TO BE GIVEN TO ME AND RECIEVED BY ME BEFORE I DARE PASS IT ON. I HAVE CHILDREN OF MY OWN WHO ARE TEENAGERS NOW AND THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS EXASPERATE THEM ABOUT GOD. SEE (EPHESIANS 6:4) TRAINING UP A CHILD DOES NOT MEAN TORTURING THEM WITH YOUR SET OF RULES. GIVE THEM SOME AIR TO BREATHE, DO WE NOT REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE RUNNING AROUND CAMPAIGNING FOR THE DEVIL? AND DID NOT GOD SHOW US MERCY ? EXTEND THE SCEPTER OF GRACE TO YOUR CHILDREN.
IF THEY DON`T FALL THEY WILL NEVER KNOW FOR THEMSELVES THAT GOD CAN RAISE THEM UP.,IF THEY DON`T MAKE MISTAKES HOW CAN THEY RECIEVE AND RECIPROCATE FORGIVENESS. IF THEY DON`T HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST THAT WE DESIRE OR THAT IS LIKE YOURS, MAYBE WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR DESIRE. OUR CHILDREN ARE INDIVIDUALS; PLEASE BEGIN TO TREAT THEM THAT WAY, NOT SHOWING FAVORITISM BUT ALLOWING THEIR GOD GIVEN UNIQUENESS TO BE DISPLAYED.
CHRIST HAS ALLOWED D US TO BE "MANAGERS " NOT RULERS, MAY WE RENDER TO GOD WHAT IS HIS AND FREE HIM TO COMPLETE THE GOOD WORK HE BEGAN IN OTHERS (PHILIPPIANS .1:6)
WHEN WE WERE BORN WE WERE BORN INTO SIN . I AM NOT MAKING THAT UP IT`S IN THE WORD (PSALM 51 :5). THINK ABOUT IT WE WERE SELFISH, VYING FOR EVERYONES ATTENTION. WE WOULD CRY TO GET WHAT WE WANTED AND SOME OF US STILL DO IT TODAY. WE WENT TO SCHOOL AND THOUGHT ALL OF THE TOYS BELONGED TO US .IN OUR HOMES WE DIDN`T WANT TO SHARE FOOD,CLOTHING,HAIRBRUSHES OR OUR PARENTS WITH OTHERS,THUS LEADING US TO LIVE A LIFE LED BY THE "MINE "MENTALITY".
THE ONLY THING THAT IS TRULY OURS IS OUR SIN AND RARELY DO WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT! LET US STOP BLAMING THE MAN, THE SYSTEM, OUR CHURCH, MAYOR AND ANYONE ELSE FOR THE WAY WE BEHAVE. NOW BACK TO WHY I AM REALLY WRITING.
PEOPLE, PASTORS AND PARENTS GOD HAS" LOANED "US OUR FRIENDS, CONGREGATIONS AND CHILDREN . SOME WHERE ALONG THE WAY WE TOOK OWNERSHIP THAT WAS NOT RIGHTFULLY OURS ! (PSALM 24:1) CLEARLY STATES :"THE EARTH IS THE LORD..S AND ALL IT`S FULLNESS,THE WORLD AND THOSE WHO DWELL THEREIN". SO WHAT HAPPENED TO US PUTTING OUR CHILDREN ON THE ALTAR AND LEAVING THEM THERE?WHEN DID WE DECIDE BECAUSE SOMEONE ATTENDS OUR CHURCH WHICH IS REALLY NOT "OUR" CHURCH BUT THE VICTORIOUS CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST THAT THEY ARE OUR PROPERTY.
CHRIST HAS MADE US FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF SLAVERY NEVER TO BE ENTANGLED AGAIN BY SIN. SEE (GALATIANS 5:1) SO SINCE JESUS HAD MADE US FREE THROUGH THE GIFTS OF SALVATION HOW IS IT THAT WE HAVE BECOME SO TERRITORIAL CONCERNING OTHER PEOPLES LIVES?.
NOW DON`T GET ME WRONG I TRULY UNDERSTAND THE UNDER SHEPHERD AS ONE BEING APPOINTED BY GOD TO TEND TO THE SHEEP, AS WELL AS BEING ONE WHO IS UNDER THE GREAT SHEPHERD THEMSELVES. BUT IT IS THE JOB OF THE MESSIAH TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. THIS IS WHY WE TRUST IN THE MASTER AND NOT PUT SO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE PASTOR.
PEOPLE GOD HAS GIVEN US FRIENDS ,NOW THESE ARE NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE ONES WE PICKED OUT FOR YOURSELVES, BUT THOSE WHO ARE ORDAINED TO SUSTAIN. SEE (PROVERBS 17:17). SO WHY IS IT THAT WE GET ALL HUFFY WHEN OUR FRIENDS GET OTHER FRIENDS BESIDES US AND BEGIN TO TRIP? THERE IS SURELY ENOUGH OF YOU TO GO AROUND. GONE ARE THE DAYS THAT WE SHOULD SEEK OUT FRIENDSHIPS BASED ON WHAT WE CAN RECIEVE FROM THE OTHER INDIVIDUAL . A FRIEND IS FRIENDLY ENOUGH TO CHECK YOU WHEN YOU ARE WRONG AND WISE ENOUGH TO KNOW WHEN TO ONLY LISTEN AND NOT SPEAK !
SOMEHOW WE HAVE TAKEN THE POSSESSIONS GOD HAS PLACED IN OUR LIVES AND TRIED TO "POSSESS" THEM , WANTING THEM TO CONFORM TO WHAT WE THINK THEY SHOULD DRESS, PRAISE OR ACT LIKE. THAT IS WHERE WE ARE OUT OF ORDER. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MORE THAN ABLE TO TRANSFORM SOMEONE ELSES WHILE DOING THE SAME FOR YOU.
PARENTS I HAVE NOT FORGOT ABOUT YOU. I FEEL SO STRONGLY BECAUSE THE WORD HAS TO BE GIVEN TO ME AND RECIEVED BY ME BEFORE I DARE PASS IT ON. I HAVE CHILDREN OF MY OWN WHO ARE TEENAGERS NOW AND THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS EXASPERATE THEM ABOUT GOD. SEE (EPHESIANS 6:4) TRAINING UP A CHILD DOES NOT MEAN TORTURING THEM WITH YOUR SET OF RULES. GIVE THEM SOME AIR TO BREATHE, DO WE NOT REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE RUNNING AROUND CAMPAIGNING FOR THE DEVIL? AND DID NOT GOD SHOW US MERCY ? EXTEND THE SCEPTER OF GRACE TO YOUR CHILDREN.
IF THEY DON`T FALL THEY WILL NEVER KNOW FOR THEMSELVES THAT GOD CAN RAISE THEM UP.,IF THEY DON`T MAKE MISTAKES HOW CAN THEY RECIEVE AND RECIPROCATE FORGIVENESS. IF THEY DON`T HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST THAT WE DESIRE OR THAT IS LIKE YOURS, MAYBE WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR DESIRE. OUR CHILDREN ARE INDIVIDUALS; PLEASE BEGIN TO TREAT THEM THAT WAY, NOT SHOWING FAVORITISM BUT ALLOWING THEIR GOD GIVEN UNIQUENESS TO BE DISPLAYED.
CHRIST HAS ALLOWED D US TO BE "MANAGERS " NOT RULERS, MAY WE RENDER TO GOD WHAT IS HIS AND FREE HIM TO COMPLETE THE GOOD WORK HE BEGAN IN OTHERS (PHILIPPIANS .1:6)
Are you ready to die ?
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT. (PSALM 118:24). STATISTICS FROM JULY 2005 SHOWED THAT APPROXIMATLEY 6,446,131,400 PEOPLE WERE ON THE PLANET EARTH AND OUT OF THAT NUMBER 155,OOO DIE DAILY.
WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT DEATH ? BECAUSE IT`S REAL AND IT IS ALSO INEVITABLE. THE DICTIONARY GIVES THIS DEFINITION OF THE WORD DIE IN THIS MANNER; TO STOP LIVING, DEPART, EXPIRE, FADE ,DISAPPEAR OR TO PERISH.
PEOPLE SPEAK OF DEATH SO NONCHALANTLY THAT I BELIEVE WE HAVE BECOME TO WELCOME IT MORE THAN THE GIFT OF LIFE ITSELF. PEOPLE ARE KILLING THEIR PARENTS, WIVES, NEIGHBORS, STRANGERS ,BABIES AND SOME EVEN ATTEMPT TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIVES.
ONE STATEMENT THAT PIERCES MY HEART IS: WHEN I HEAR OTHERS SAY "I LOVE YOU TO DEATH".THIS IS PROFOUND BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE IS POWER IN THE TONGUE AND THOSE WHO SPEAK WILL EAT THE FRUIT OF THEIR SPEECH. AGAIN THIS IS WHY WE LOSE FRIENDSHIPS AND OUR LOVED ONES LIVES ARE BEING SHAPED BY THE WORDS WE SPEAK. PEOPLE WILL KILL EACH OTHER, CHEAT ON ONE ANOTHER AND BECOME POSSESSIVE BECAUSE THEY LOVE SOMEONE TO DEATH.
BIGGIE SMALLS WHICH IS ACTUALLY A OXYMORON WAS AND IS STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE RAPPERS. HIS CREATIVITY WAS UNMATCHED AND HE LIKE MANY OTHERS LIVED A LIFE OF STRUGGLE. HE USED HIS WORDS TO HIS ADVANTAGE AND WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR OTHERS IN A MANNER WHICH HE NEVER REALLY EXPECTED. BUT DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT THE SAME TOOL YOU USE TO HELP YOU, CAN ALSO HINDER YOU?
ANY BIGGIE FAN WILL TELL YOU THEY REMEMBER THE INTERVIEW WHERE HE STATED : HE WAS PARANOID AND FELT LIKE SOMEBODY WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM. HE EVEN HAD A CD COVER WITH A PICTURE OF A HIRSCH ON THE FRONT OF IT. PEOPLE WE MUST GET OUR LIVES RIGHT WITH GOD ! . TODAY IS NOT PROMISED. MANY PEOPLE AROSE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH THINKING IT WOULD BE JUST ANOTHER DAY AND FOR MANY IT WAS THEIR LAST.
WE GO TO FUNERALS TO MOURN THE LOSS OF OUR LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS BUT DO WE REALLY KNOW IF THEY WERE SAVED ? DO WE JUST TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT BECAUSE SOMEONE ATTENDS CHURCH THAT AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFIES THEM TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ?. MOST PEOPLE WHO ATTEND THESE FUNERALS DON`T NORMALLY WORSHIP IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, OTHERS WERE BROUGHT UP IN CHURCH BUT GOT GROWN AND FORGOT ABOUT GOD. WE CAN`T JUST CALL ON JESUS WHILE ON A AIRPLANE, WHEN A FIGHT AT A PARTY BREAKS OUT OR WHEN THE VERDICT IS ABOUT TO BE READ !. IF JESUS IS GOING TO BE LORD HE HAS TO BE LORD EVERYDAY NOT JUST WHEN ITS CONVENIENT FOR US.
NOW BACK TO MY POINT, ALL ROADS DON`T LEAD TO HEAVEN AND WE NEED TO STOP TELLING PEOPLE THAT. MAKING THEM THINK THEY CAN JUST LIVE ANYWAY AND CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS , WITHOUT RECIEVING THE CHRIST WHO DIED FOR THAT RIGHT. I HAD TO CONFESS ,REPENT AND ACCEPT THE AWESOME GIFT OF SALVATION. NOBODY IS EXEMPT. HOW DARE I THINK I COULD LIVE MY LIFE ON EARTH AS AN ENEMY OF THE SAVIOR, BUT STILL WANT A FAVOR FROM HIM LIKE WE WERE BEST FRIENDS?
WHEN PEOPLE DIE WE ALWAYS SAY R.I.P. BUT IF THEY ARE IN HELL THEY ARE NOT RESTING OR IN PEACE. AND IF THEY ARE IN HEAVEN THEY ARE WORSHIPING THE LORD. WHEN WE DIE OUR SOUL HAS A FINAL RESTING PLACE AND IT IS NOT AT THE CEMETARY. LET`S JUST BE REAL ABOUT DEATH WITH ONE ANOTHER .
TELL YOURSELF, THEN TELL YOUR FRIENDS THE TRUTH (JOHN 14:6) SAYS : JESUS SAID TO HIM "I AM THE WAY,THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE". NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. GOING TO CHURCH DOES NOT MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN ANY MORE THAN GOING TO KFC MAKES ONE A 2 PC. AND A BISCUIT. WE TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING FROM THE LATEST GOSSIP TO WHERE WE GET OUR HAIR DONE WHY WON`T WE TELL THEM ABOUT THE ONE WHO DIED THAT THEY MAY LIVE?
IN CLOSING I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY I KNOW EVERYONE WON`T AGREE WITH WHAT JESUS SAID, BUT I WOULD RATHER BELIEVE IN HIM AND HIS SACRIFICE .THEN TRUST HIM TO HELP ME WITH THE THINGS I DONT UNDERSTAND. THAN TO REJECT HIM TODAY AND BE SEPERATED FROM HIM FOR ETERNITY .(ROMANS 10:9-10).
FRIENDS DON`T LET FRIENDS GO TO HELL !!! .
WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT DEATH ? BECAUSE IT`S REAL AND IT IS ALSO INEVITABLE. THE DICTIONARY GIVES THIS DEFINITION OF THE WORD DIE IN THIS MANNER; TO STOP LIVING, DEPART, EXPIRE, FADE ,DISAPPEAR OR TO PERISH.
PEOPLE SPEAK OF DEATH SO NONCHALANTLY THAT I BELIEVE WE HAVE BECOME TO WELCOME IT MORE THAN THE GIFT OF LIFE ITSELF. PEOPLE ARE KILLING THEIR PARENTS, WIVES, NEIGHBORS, STRANGERS ,BABIES AND SOME EVEN ATTEMPT TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIVES.
ONE STATEMENT THAT PIERCES MY HEART IS: WHEN I HEAR OTHERS SAY "I LOVE YOU TO DEATH".THIS IS PROFOUND BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE IS POWER IN THE TONGUE AND THOSE WHO SPEAK WILL EAT THE FRUIT OF THEIR SPEECH. AGAIN THIS IS WHY WE LOSE FRIENDSHIPS AND OUR LOVED ONES LIVES ARE BEING SHAPED BY THE WORDS WE SPEAK. PEOPLE WILL KILL EACH OTHER, CHEAT ON ONE ANOTHER AND BECOME POSSESSIVE BECAUSE THEY LOVE SOMEONE TO DEATH.
BIGGIE SMALLS WHICH IS ACTUALLY A OXYMORON WAS AND IS STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE RAPPERS. HIS CREATIVITY WAS UNMATCHED AND HE LIKE MANY OTHERS LIVED A LIFE OF STRUGGLE. HE USED HIS WORDS TO HIS ADVANTAGE AND WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR OTHERS IN A MANNER WHICH HE NEVER REALLY EXPECTED. BUT DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT THE SAME TOOL YOU USE TO HELP YOU, CAN ALSO HINDER YOU?
ANY BIGGIE FAN WILL TELL YOU THEY REMEMBER THE INTERVIEW WHERE HE STATED : HE WAS PARANOID AND FELT LIKE SOMEBODY WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM. HE EVEN HAD A CD COVER WITH A PICTURE OF A HIRSCH ON THE FRONT OF IT. PEOPLE WE MUST GET OUR LIVES RIGHT WITH GOD ! . TODAY IS NOT PROMISED. MANY PEOPLE AROSE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH THINKING IT WOULD BE JUST ANOTHER DAY AND FOR MANY IT WAS THEIR LAST.
WE GO TO FUNERALS TO MOURN THE LOSS OF OUR LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS BUT DO WE REALLY KNOW IF THEY WERE SAVED ? DO WE JUST TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT BECAUSE SOMEONE ATTENDS CHURCH THAT AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFIES THEM TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ?. MOST PEOPLE WHO ATTEND THESE FUNERALS DON`T NORMALLY WORSHIP IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, OTHERS WERE BROUGHT UP IN CHURCH BUT GOT GROWN AND FORGOT ABOUT GOD. WE CAN`T JUST CALL ON JESUS WHILE ON A AIRPLANE, WHEN A FIGHT AT A PARTY BREAKS OUT OR WHEN THE VERDICT IS ABOUT TO BE READ !. IF JESUS IS GOING TO BE LORD HE HAS TO BE LORD EVERYDAY NOT JUST WHEN ITS CONVENIENT FOR US.
NOW BACK TO MY POINT, ALL ROADS DON`T LEAD TO HEAVEN AND WE NEED TO STOP TELLING PEOPLE THAT. MAKING THEM THINK THEY CAN JUST LIVE ANYWAY AND CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS , WITHOUT RECIEVING THE CHRIST WHO DIED FOR THAT RIGHT. I HAD TO CONFESS ,REPENT AND ACCEPT THE AWESOME GIFT OF SALVATION. NOBODY IS EXEMPT. HOW DARE I THINK I COULD LIVE MY LIFE ON EARTH AS AN ENEMY OF THE SAVIOR, BUT STILL WANT A FAVOR FROM HIM LIKE WE WERE BEST FRIENDS?
WHEN PEOPLE DIE WE ALWAYS SAY R.I.P. BUT IF THEY ARE IN HELL THEY ARE NOT RESTING OR IN PEACE. AND IF THEY ARE IN HEAVEN THEY ARE WORSHIPING THE LORD. WHEN WE DIE OUR SOUL HAS A FINAL RESTING PLACE AND IT IS NOT AT THE CEMETARY. LET`S JUST BE REAL ABOUT DEATH WITH ONE ANOTHER .
TELL YOURSELF, THEN TELL YOUR FRIENDS THE TRUTH (JOHN 14:6) SAYS : JESUS SAID TO HIM "I AM THE WAY,THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE". NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. GOING TO CHURCH DOES NOT MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN ANY MORE THAN GOING TO KFC MAKES ONE A 2 PC. AND A BISCUIT. WE TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING FROM THE LATEST GOSSIP TO WHERE WE GET OUR HAIR DONE WHY WON`T WE TELL THEM ABOUT THE ONE WHO DIED THAT THEY MAY LIVE?
IN CLOSING I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY I KNOW EVERYONE WON`T AGREE WITH WHAT JESUS SAID, BUT I WOULD RATHER BELIEVE IN HIM AND HIS SACRIFICE .THEN TRUST HIM TO HELP ME WITH THE THINGS I DONT UNDERSTAND. THAN TO REJECT HIM TODAY AND BE SEPERATED FROM HIM FOR ETERNITY .(ROMANS 10:9-10).
FRIENDS DON`T LET FRIENDS GO TO HELL !!! .
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