ATTENTION ALL MINISTERS:

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

My Pastor read this scripture in church today and I cannot stop thinking about it.  It is burning inside of me. This is what I desire for my ministry!  It should be what every minister desires.  Many times, ministers become obssessed with working on the "art" of preaching and they think they are doing something because the people love an emotional preacher.  My question for ministers is: Are people's lives being changed as a result of your preaching.  For example, today as well as many other days, my Pastor strayed away from his notes and preached as if he had been in our living rooms and our phone conversations.  That is because he is led by the Holy Spirit!  I see so many churches where they say the Pastor can preach meaning he is entertaining to listen to, but those people continue to live defeated and in sin. 

Ask yourself, why did I become a minister?  Is it for the attention? It is for money? It is for prestige or power?  If so, GET OUT NOW.  You are not helping people, but you are causing damage.  If the answer to the question is, "I am called by God,"  then make sure you always remember that.  I have seen many ministers rise to the top and fall because they lost focus.  The scripture above should always be the focus of every CALLED BY GOD minister.  We should stay in tuned with the Holy Spirit so that His power can be manifest through us and change lives.  Ephesians 4:11-12And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: If you are called into the ministry, then your purpose is to edify or build up the Body of Christ!!  Ask yourself today is that what you are doing, if not get alone with God and make sure that is what you are called to do and see how He wants you to accomplish it.

 

 

HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

Many people say they love Jesus, but often get mad at someone when they quote the Bible to them. That confuses me because in John 1, it says that Jesus and the Word are one and the same. First of all, why are you mad at someone who is simply quoting the Bible. They are not saying it, they are just repeating what God says. Preachers are just reporters reporting what someone said, that someone being God. Christianity is the only religion that is about relationship rather than rituals. God came to this earth to have a relationship with us and then he sent the Holy Spirit to take that to another level.

 

Think about your natural relationships. Those who about about the person honor their wishes, want to spend time with them, and want to tell everyone about that person.

First, let's talk about honoring their wishes. You cannot say you love Jesus if you consistently go against what he says. He said loved Him, you would obey Him. (John 14:15). Secondly, do you spend time with Jesus? One way to do that is prayer. I am not talking about the “lay me down to sleep” kind of prayer, but simply talking to God. The Bible says to pray without stopping. (1 Thessalonians 5:7). That doesn't mean you can't have a job and a normal life, it just means throughout your day, talk to God. Another way to spend time with Jesus is to read, speak, and listen to the Word of God. How are you going to know what a person likes if you don't hear what they have to say? Finally, are you talking about the Jesus that you say you love or are you embarrassed. When you are in love with someone, you can't help but talk about them! Paul said that he was not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power to salvation, deliverance, prosperity and our well-being. If we are not witnessing and telling people how God can change their lives, we really need to examine ourselves. I have had to check my self in this area. If you believe you are lacking boldness, make sure that you are filled with the Holy Spirit and the boldness will be there.

 

The Bible tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in faith. Go over these steps and see how your relationship with Jesus is. If something is out of whack, then change it. If you do, I promise your life will go to another level and you will begin to experience the goodness of God like never before!

Ten PracticalTips

These are just ten practical tips for success that I received in an email at work.  I thought I would share it with you.

Ten Tips

1. Be yourself: cultivate desirable qualities.

2. Be alert: look for opportunities to express yourself.

3. Be positive: determine your goal and the route to it.

4. Be systematic: take one step at a time.

5. Be persistent: hold to your course.

6. Be a worker: work your brain more than your body.

7. Be a student: know your job.

8. Be fair: treat the other man as you would be treated.

9. Be temperate: avoid excess in anything.

10. Be confident: have faith that cannot be weakened.

It's time for you to take control. . . of your emotions!

This post was inspired by a Facebook post by one of my favorite teenagers.  He posted, "No one can drive you crazy.  . . unless you give them the keys."  So true, Shaun!!!  It reminded me of my favorite quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."  This quote along with the Bible changed how I view myself.  For years, I allowed people to control how I felt about myself!  My new favorite quote is "A failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."  I work in catering and a lot of times business executives will call me at the last minute and ask me to cater an event that they forgot to do.  This used to really stress me out, but I no longer allow it.  Don't get me wrong, I will still do my best to get them what they need because they are good customers, but they or anyone else will not be allowed to stress me out.  My point?? You have control over your own emotions.  No one can "push your buttons" if you don't let them.   They are called YOUR emotions for a reason.  They belong to you. 

From this point on, don't allow people to put you down, make you angry, stress you out, or depress you.  Choose to believe what the Word of God says about you, your life, and your circumstances!  Make a choice today as to whether you are going to be emotion-led or Spirit-led.  Our own emotions will lie to us, but the Spirit of God will never steer us wrong!

Untitled

I just read a post on a popular Christian facebook page that saddens me.  First, a guy posted the salvation plan.  That's great. What disturbed me was the comment by the administrator of the page.  He said if you read that salvation plan that you will have eternal life.  That is a lie from the pits of hell.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we can simply read something and go to heaven.  This made me think of another lie that is circulating around about salvation.  Many are teaching that if you simply believe Jesus was raised from the dead that you will go to heaven.  I hate to break it to you, but Satan believes that and I promise you that Satan is not saved!! 

James 2:18-20 says this "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  So what exactly does this mean? If we give to the poor and try to live a life as a "good person" then we are going to heaven.  Absolutely not.  The works that James is talking about here is described in Acts chapter 2.  It is not saying you have to "work" you way into heaven, but you do have to do the requirements that have been outlined in the Bible. Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. "

Prior to this verse, the people were convicted and asked Peter what they should do.  Be clear on this.  The Bible says if you do not complete these steps, you are not saved.  1.  Believe.  These people were in a believing state when they asked Peter what to do.  2.  Confess.  Romans 10:9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  Notice it says, "SHALL BE" or will be.  This is the beginning step. You must keep going.  3. Repent (turn away from your sins.) In other words, don't keep living a life of sin, but stop! 4.  Be baptized.  Many people argue against this.  Jesus did and the Bible clearly states for us to do it.  I don't .really understand what the problem is.  5.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Romans 8:9 says, " Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

I pray that whoever reads this heeds these words. You are not saved by simply believing or even going to church.  Every step is required.  Many people leave out repentance.  If you are still living a life of sin, you are not saved.

 

 

 

You Can't Handle the Truth

That is my absolute favorite line from any movie when Jack Nicholson tells Tom Cruise, “you can't handle the truth” in a Few Good Men. That describes so many people today! We have been such a feeling-oriented society to where we would rather someone lie to us than tell us what's wrong so we an change it. The bible says, “To accept correction is wise, to reject it is stupid." (CEV) according to Proverbs 12:1. Did you see that? The Bible says this certain behavior is stupid. Can you imagine the reaction we would get if we tell a person that their behavior is stupid? They would probably say “you are bringing me down”. “You hurt my feelings.” When in actuality, when you tell a person the truth, you are giving them the chance to come up. I am seen many women get upset when a family member tells them they have gained weight. My question is, “Did you yell at the mirror when it told you the same thing?” You know your pants have gotten hard to button! The Bible says “the Truth shall set you free”. That is the Truth that you know and accept. In order for you to know it, someone has to tell you or you have to read it. Why do so many people get mad at preachers who preach against certain sins? They are simply quoting the Bible. When the Bible says certain sins are an abomination, that's exactly what it means. There is no symbolism to abomination. It means exactly what it says. My Pastor's wife said the other day that people don't get mad when a doctor tells you to quit smoking, but when a preacher does they call it judging. So true! You mean to tell me that you are mad that someone is trying to help you live longer! That is why the Bible calls the behavior of a person that doesn't accept correction STUPID. The Bible tells us to examine ourselves. Please do so. Do you get mad when a person tells you something about yourself that is true? Do you get mad at the pastor when he calls out your certain sin? If so, then change immediately. You will never go higher in life, naturally or spiritually, if you don't change this.

Watch your Mouth

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 

We, as Christians, are quick to correct someone when they cuss in front of you. We tell them that offends us.  When, in reality, many times we are offending God.  The word “cuss” is actually slang for “curse” and that is what offends God.  I am not just talking about “4 letter words” or those words that we don’t allow our kids to say.  According to the Bible, cursing is speaking negatively against something or someone or speaking destruction or lack onto something or someone.

In Numbers chapter 13, God told Moses to send out 12 spies to spy the land of Canaan “which I am giving to the children of Israel. .  “  Ten of those spies came back afraid and complaining how big the enemies were.  In verse 32, the Bible called this an evil report.  Now they weren’t lying.  What that they was really true.  What made it an evil report was that they were in fear when God had already promised them the land.  God knew there were giants there when He promised it to them.  They developed fear which is faith in the negative things rather than faith in what God had promised them.  Without faith, it is absolutely impossible to please God. 

There were two men that came back with a faith-filled report.  Caleb:  (verse 30)  “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” and Joshua: (Chapter 14 verse 7-9)  “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

Notice Joshua said if the Lord delighted in them, he would take them into the land.  How does the Lord delight in us?  FAITH.  I repeat, WITHOUT FAITH IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD!!!  It happened just as Joshua said,  all the people that were complaining and in fear did not go into the promise land.  Only Joshua and Caleb made it in. 

Just remember when you speak your circumstances rather than the promises of God, you are giving an evil report!  Every day, when you wake up, tell yourself,  “Watch your mouth” and do so throughout the day.  Make sure you are only speaking faith-filled words which is the Word of God and watch your life be filled with the promises of God.

Don't Be Afraid of Shadows

Since I started studying photography, I am constantly looking for photo opportunities, my favorite being trees. Today I was looking at a tree beside a building and I notice that the shadow, like most shadows, was way larger than the tree and distorted. Immediately the 23rd Psalm popped in my head, the part in verse 4 where is says “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. ” ll these years of hearing that scripture, I thought he was walking through the valley of death, but he was the valley of the SHADOW of death. Then after that part of the scripture, it says “I will fear no evil.” When we walk through the shadow of death, we aren’t actually in danger. We are walking in fear!!! It made me think of the cartoon where the person sees the big scary shadow and gets really afraid and then when they go around the corner, it is a little bitty mouse. I know I have been walking at night and seen a big shadow in front of me and thought someone was behind me and it was actually my own shadow. That is where they get the saying “afraid of your own shadow.”

In the book of Job, many people love to quote the scripture where Job says,
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Job is talking about God in this passage saying that God was the one that did those things to him. When in actually, it is obvious in chapter 1 of Job that Satan did that to him. Job was in error when he made that statement and actually repented of it later in Job 42:3-6. Job admitted that he didn’t understand what he was saying. Although it was Satan that did those things to Job, it was his own fear that allowed it to happen. Job 3:25 says “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

All throughout the Bible, God is telling us to “Fear not”. Fear is the opposite of faith. Jesus said in Matthew 8:26 “ Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Also, in Hebrews it says “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Why is that? God knows that our lives are formed by either our fear or our faith and he loves us and wants the best for us, that is why it pleases Him for us to have faith

A shadow is defined as a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light. God is light and we see shadows when we allow something to come between us and God.

A shadow is defined as shelter or protection. Psalm 91 says “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” So we have a choice to allow ourselves to be in the shadow of something in between God and us and allowing fear to come into our lives or to live in the shadow of God’s wings where there is protection and safety.

A shadow is usually magnified or bigger than the actual object. David said in Psalms 34:3 “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” By magnifying the Lord, we don’t make Him any bigger. We only make him bigger in our eyes. When we magnify God, we are simply focusing on Him rather than our circumstances.

So, I want you to ask yourself “Am I going to let that thing that you fear come upon me?” or “Am I going to live by faith and speak to storms and move mountains out of my life and live in God’s shadow of protection and safety and be more than a conqueror?”