Taste and See that the Lord is Good!

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." 

James 5:16

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." 

Psalm 34:8

These two pieces of scripture are very precious to me. I want to share them with you, my fellow Readers, because the Lord has ministered much to me and I want to pass it on to whomever else needs encouragement. 

You see, as a human being, I am flawless and I see those flaws everyday and I wish everyday that they were not there. Lately, the Lord has been speaking to me the importance of showing goodness to those around me. When someone makes a mistake or is forgetful, I confess that I do not respond to them in the right or good way. The Lord also reminded me that I am also not the only human being who has faults. Just because you cannot see someones faults or do not hear them talk about their faults; it does not mean that they are not there. I always saw people as being perfect and that I am the only one who has faults. This is a self-centered mindset that I needed to get ride of and the Lord is helping me still to get ride of it. 

The reason we must show goodness to those around us is because we are not here to condemn people when they make a mistake. It is better to avoid being unkind or harsh to someone because usually after we are unkind to someone about a fault they have, we then face a situation where we find that same fault in our self. I have experienced this too many times. I hope that I have learned my lesson :P haha 

Tasting the goodness of the Lord is to experience and know the Lord's goodness. When we taste His goodness it can help us to then show/share that goodness to others. For example, when someone gives you an out of the blue gift you then feel wonderful and want to do the same thing for someone else. Once we taste His goodness we then want others to taste it too. 

When dealing with faults of our self or others; we must be gentle, kind, and patient. Beating our self or others up when we see our flaws is not the solution. Our Lord brings these things to the surface because He is saying to us that it is time for the spoon to come in and remove that bitter tasting flavor in the soup bowl. 

I do hope this makes sense to you or is an encouragement to you. If you have not tasted of the Lord's goodness, then cry out that you may taste and see that the Lord is good. Also, when a flaw comes to the surface in your life, do not condemn yourself or try to push it back to the bottom. When you see a flaw in another person(s) life, be patient, kind, and loving. Know that you are not the only one going through a trial even if it may seem to you so obvious. Pray for your brother when you see them in a state of struggle.

God bless!

Total Surrender

A thought for today: "Total Surrender"

This is instant and yet progressive. One must purpose within their heart that they will be totally committed and yet one must also be tried and found true to that commitment they made. There are struggles and trials and we will stumble and fall at times, however, it is the after response that is vital. We must get back up and realize that we just stumbled upon a vision of reality of our self. Our Heavenly Father sees our faults and sins that we struggle and battle through, but He also has the solution. When it is time to have a "total surrender" moment He will bring the area to the surface and when it comes to the top we must let it go and not push it back down to the bottom.

We can be on fire and have a passion that releases words of commitment and statements of "I SURRENDER ALL!", but then when a trial comes along and we mess up, one tends to germinate thoughts that bring confusion within our hearts. I know that I am guilty of this! Those moments are not for us to feel like we are the worse person on the earth and that we have messed up and the Lord will not forgive us. Those moments are the Lord quietly speaking to us that it is time to surrender this area.

I have been studying Jonah and also the Kings (in the book of Chronicles). One thing that has been drawn to my attention is all of their desires. That is what the decision of surrendering boils down to, desires! Jonah did not desire to see his enemies come to repentance and experience the mercy of God. He wanted to see them experience the wrath and anger of God. There were some kings who were righteous and there were some kings who began doing the things that pleased the Lord, but eventually forsook God and did not uphold His laws and were destroyed (killed). One king in particular, Joash (also known as Jehoash; 2 Chr. 24). He was taught and counselled by his uncle, a priest, but once his uncle died, he forsook the law of the Lord and his end was not good.

At the end of the day, we will find it easier to surrender if we allow our Heavenly Father to kill the desire to do those things which are wrong. I believe God part of the reason God chose Jonah to go to Nineveh was because He wanted to deal with an area in Jonahs life that was not surrendered to God. At times we will face difficulty because the Lord wants to bring bitterness, resentment, anger, etc... to the surface and have it removed so that when we act we do not act in our own emotions.

Paul better puts it, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (Rom. 7:19). Do not be discouraged, but when you find yourself doing what you should not do (criticizing others, speaking harshly to others, etc...) cry out to God in that moment and ask Him to lay the ax to that root and kill that desire to do it. Understand too that IT DOES TAKE TIME! The Lord has a different watch then us. Change does not happen overnight, although we do wish it to be true, it does not happen that fast. Do not be discouraged or condemn yourself when you fall or stumble in your walk. The enemy wants us to stumble, fall, and stay down in that pit of discouragement and confusion. Our response after the revelation is vital and may we remind ourselves daily that it takes practice for something to become a habit and a part of us. Practice what the Lord teaches you and you will find one day yourself doing it and wonder, "When did this happen? It is now a part of my life. Praise the Lord!" I know that I have had those moments and so I can tell you that if you have not had that experience, it will come. Just keep doing what the Lord tells you to do and you will make it!

Be encouraged Readers!

He is in Complete Control!

A missionary spoke at my church tonight and what she said left a great impression on me. It makes so much sense and yet is the greatest debate and doubt that dwells within most human beings who believe in God. Her words were simply this:

"Either God is in control or He is not in control!" - Audrey Kropf

The enemy is like a thief that comes in to steal. He comes to steal what seems so important and what we make to be our stability. However, once he does this, he also steals our peace. If we have our trust and our hope in God, then we will not put so much value and importance on earthly things. Another great thing that this missionary said was this, "If the enemy comes to steal, then it is because God is the one who has allowed it." Therefore, we do not need to lose our peace because God is in complete control even from before time was created.

Are you willing to follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4)? Make the Lord that one and only thing that you delight in and He will lead you to places where we never would have imaged we would go. We can go there because there is peace. Instead of worry about things, or trying to figure out what is going on, take those steps (whether in light or darkness) and know, within your heart and with your whole heart, that He is in complete control.

"Either He is in control or He is not in control!" 
God bless!

We are the Joshua Generation!

I had the thought today on Joshua Generation. We are the Joshua Generation. What does this mean? How does this affect us? Well, it affects us more than I think we really realize. We are a generation that will bring us in to a new move of God. In order for this to happen we need to be molded, shaped, and formed in to someone who can be not only bold and courageous, but someone who can handle the great pressure and mantle that God wants to bestow on us. I get these words:

We are the Joshua Generation

With boldness and courage

We must press in with our all

No more turning back!

You have given promises to us

The land and heathen

We will fight with our all

For You are our All in all!

We cannot become stronger if we keep going back to our old bad habits. We must shake that old dust off of us, no longer touch it, and strive to move on. We cannot be conquerors if we have our hands full with vain things. We have to let them go and allow God to take things out of our lives (even if they are good). We must give Him our all so that He can be our All in all. 

I want to encourage those who read this: do not reminisce on things of the past. Whether they were good or bad, whether you regret or want to relive, do not look back. We want to have minds that are willing to be changed. Do not hold on to an old mindset for it will eventually shut the Holy Spirit down and limit God in your own life. Out with the old and in with the new. The biggest opponents to revivals are those who experienced the old revivals. Why? because they wanted to experience the old revival and see a repeat of that, but God is greater than repeats. He is able to greater things than that which has already occurred. Let go of your mindset (I am not saying to go free and wild with your thoughts); allow the Holy Spirit to be free in you to do new and greater things. 

May you be encouraged and seek to know more and not settle with the old!

God bless!

In the Slough of Despond

Bunyan, John. "The Pilgrim's Progress." The Pilgrim's Progress - Google Play:
"Now I saw in my dream, that just as they had ended this talk they drew nigh to a very miry slough that was in the midst of the plain, and they being heedless did both fall suddenly into the bog. The name of the slough was Despond. Here therefore they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with dirt ; and Christian, because of the burden that was on his back, began to sink in the mire. 

Then said Pliable, Ah ! neighbour Christian, where are you now ? Truly, said Christian, I do not know. At that Pliable began to be offended, and angrily said to his fellow, Is this the happiness you have told me all this while of ? If we have such ill speed at our first setting out, what may we expect betwixt this and our journey's end ? May I get out again with my life, you shall possess the brave country alone for me : And with that he gave a desperate struggle or two, and got out of the mire on that side of the slough which was next his own house : so away he went, and Christian saw him no more."

What does it mean to be in the slough of despond? One who is in the slough is one who has become dejected and lose confidence. They are in a state of unhappiness and low spirits. One doesn't seem to know where he/she are at or what is going on. However, our response is what is the most important. Pliable became offended, angry, and left the path. We have to go through these experiences in order to be brought to a newer level of maturity. Don't give up, but press in. Christ is always near and is able to help us. 

The last thing you want to do is sing, but David shows us that this is a great way to lift up a cast down soul. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. For He has done great things for us!"

God Bless!

Heat and Pressure on Max

Lately, the Lord has been turning up the heat and pressure in my life. It seemed, in the beginning, to be ridiculously hard, but now I have doubts about this. It's only ridiculously hard when I try and fulfill God's will in my own strength. I need His strength and His grace to go through it and endure to the end of it all. God does not bring us through trials to crush us and destroy us. He brings us through the fiery furnace to try us and to burn away all the meaningless things that are attached to us. His works have a perfect purpose, it's to make us tried and true.

I felt (I sometimes still do) overwhelmed by it all. I want to encourage all who read this, Don't give up! Keep pressing in because God does not make us go through things we cannot handle. His work is perfect and all His ways are just! Submit, be obedient, keep and treasure His commandments within your hearts. Sometimes I just sit and cry because of how overwhelmed I feel, but that's okay, God wants to hear our hearts. Tell God how you feel and allow Him to come and speak to you in your circumstances. He wants us to know Him even more through each experience He brings us through. If we go through a trial and come out not knowing anything more about God, then I would be worried. We want to go through those trials, meet with God and have an encounter with Him.Coming out of the wilderness leaning on our Beloved (Jesus Christ) and having an experience that the enemy cannot possibly take away from us.

Looking at one other reason why we want to go through the heat and pressure is because God wants and needs to enlarge us now. When revival comes there will only be more and more pressure and heat. Those who already have the light and know Jesus will have no rest because they will be busy taking care of those who are lost and desperately looking for the right way. God needs to expand us more and more to be able to hand the pressure that He knows we are going to go through during this end revival. I don't want to say, "No more Lord!" I must go on and press in and endure to the end.

Press in with all of your strength, don't give up for God is here! He is here. He's always near. He won't let go, so don't you fear!

God bless!

Imparting of More New Faith

Today our church gathered together to pray for revival. One of the ladies shared something with the congregation and it really hit me on the forehead along with a "duh" after it. One of the many keys to obtaining a breakthrough in our life is, asking God to impart His faith in us. Just as Peter couldn't take the leap out of the boat and onto the water without Jesus' faith, the same it is with us. We cannot do it on our own, but we need Him to draw us and impart His faith within us. Having faith to see what once appeared to be a mountain before us, is now a small and conquerable hill/bump.

I sometimes wondered why I didn't have a fire within my heart as much as others did. Now I am learning that it is because I lacked asking God to make it real to me. Revival is something many long for, but is it really real in you? Is there a burning fire of desperation to see God move personally, locally and corporately? There should be and the only way there can be is when we ask for that fire. God can give us that faith and He can help us to expect something new. Not holding on to the old experiences, but having open hands and hearts to receive new faith for something new.

God is lately, impressing on my heart to ask Him more. I never really understood what that meant until now. I only saw it in the light of mine own eyes. Now, I realize that God wants me to ask Him more questions and to find out what His mind is in more areas of my life. It's not quantity so much, but it is learning to ask and be dependent more and more on Him. I must learn to start asking God, more and more, for His imparted faith. Also, allowing the faith, which is already imparted in me, to grow and come to a greater maturity.

God bless!

Are You Leaning on Your Beloved?!?

I just completed a class on the book of Song of Solomon. It has been a very encouraging, enlightening and motivating book for me!

Through reading, what most would call a "love letter", there has been a stirring within me to desire new growth in my spiritual life. To become a little more mature and to have a deeper relationship with my Beloved Heavenly Father. We can only come into His presence when He draws us, but what makes Him want to draw us? It is a heart that is wanting to do what is right and pleasing to Him. I want to have that heart that yearns for more of Him and desires to do what is right. Having all these hindrances, idols and distracts cut off from me and out of my life so that I can be just one step closer to Him.

Reading through the different stagings of the Shulamite woman's response to the relationship she had with Solomon; it posed the question within my heart, how do I view my relationship with Christ? Am I making all the callings and saying all the commands? Yes, I am ashamed to say that that is what I saw when I looked upon my relationship with Christ thus far. I had the opportunity to go and minister at a nursing home today and I felt the Lord's presence there with me. It was so wonderful and I didn't want to let it go. He place upon my heart to share about experiencing His love each and every day. There are so many dimensions of His love as we read in Ephesians 3:17-18. He wants us to experience new love every day. I come to the point that I didn't want to go to the nursing home in the first place. I had a lot on my plate already, but I decided to go anyways. I allowed God to make that decision and it turned out better than I imagined. I no longer want to be the one who is "running the show" in our relationship. I must learn, now, to start asking God what He thinks in every word, situation, and decisions I have to face.

I share my heart with you in hopes that you can examine your own heart and desire too a deeper relationship. One that is you totally leaning on your Beloved. Coming out of the trials of valleys and wildernesses where you are leaning more and more on your Beloved. It won't always be easy, but remember that we serve the same God of Jacob. Jacob had character flaws, but he had a heart that desired to do what was right and God worked on him to free him from the hindrances. He came out of those experiences leaning on the Lord. As you continue to have a heart that desires to do what is right and you obey what He says, then He will help you through it all. He will bring you in the trial, remain with you faithfully through the trial, and you will find yourself coming out of it leaning on Him.

God bless!

Along Life's Narrow Way

Thinking about this new year and my heart's desire is not to fulfill my wants and my ideas of "happiness". I want to draw closer to my Creator. As I reflect on times past and realize what I have done, I see that I am nothing without Him! I want, not only more of Him, but also I want God to be my all in all. I say that He is my everything and I want my actions to reveal my words to be true! I don't want to be one who is full of words, but to be one who has actions to prove my words to be true. I this year to be one where I draw closer to the Lord and have the actions that prove that He is my all in all!

Below the image are words that the Lord has given to me. You can call it a poem if you want, but this is a cry of my heart. May it minister to you as it has to me :) 

Along Life's Narrow Way

You are my Light and Salvation;

Only in You will I trust.

Shine Your light deep with my heart,

And help me to walk in Your ways.

Lead me, Lord, I pray.

Cleanse me with Your living Word.

Guide me with Your light and Spirit,

Along life's narrow way.

You are my Rock and my Fortress;

Only on You will I stand.

Though Satan may temp me,

Still I choose to follow You!

Help me, Lord, to obey.

Direct me by Your Grace.

Sustain me with Your love,

Along life's narrow way.

- Rebecca M. Anderson

God bless!

God is Faithful--Only Wait

"When I cannot understand my Father’s leading, And it seems to be but hard and cruel fate, Still I hear that gentle whisper ever pleading, God is working, God is faithful—Only wait." –A.B. Simpson

What an encouraging quote this is for me right now. When I first read this quote, I will admit that I did not fully grasp everything that the writer was saying. Now that I have read and re-read it and meditated on those words, it makes sense to me. I hope that it ministers to you if you are struggling right now in your walk with the Lord.

We aren't always going to know or understand what the Lord is doing or where He is leading us. God did not give Abraham specific instructions, He just told Abraham to go and leave his home land. That is how it is for us, God does not tell us everything right up front. This is how trust is worked in our lives and how it becomes a part of us and our every day life. Many times I have said, "If I just knew everything right now, then it would make things so much smoother and easier." The more I think about this the more I realize how wrong I am :) Yes, I admitted that I am wrong! If we knew everything in the beginning, then we would just be thinking of all the possibilities, analyze everything to try and find a "better way" to do God's will. His will is the absolute best will for us and we must stand on this truth and trust in God. In Proverbs 3:5, we are told to "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Lean on Him and He will cause you to understand what you need to know. All of the knowledge and understanding that we have now is from Him and because He has allowed us to have it. God's ways are so high, so great, and so perfect and amazing that no man is able to attain a full comprehension of His purpose and will. 

I remember, as a little kid, how I would get so frustrated (sometimes to the point of crying) in school because I could not understand what I was being taught. It is hard when you are being taught and nothing is helping you to understand what the teacher is trying to impart into you. That is how many may feel when they are living each day when they don't understand what is going or where they are going. The wonderful thing is that God is not a selfish or deceiving God. He wants us to know and to understand. He doesn't want us running around in circles, crying tears of frustration, or being lost. God wants His people to trust in Him and to know what they need to know in His perfect time.

I am taking a class this week on "Prayer" and one important thing that my teacher has bee emphasising to us is that: we need to pray a prayer. Those who have a prayer life are those who have order. and they have a real relationship with God. Those don't just know God through what they read in the Bible or what they hear their Pastor preach in services. They have a communicating relationship with their Heavenly Father. They have disciplined themselves and practice praying every day. That is how we learn to do something and perfect it in our lives: practice it. I want to be able to confess to God and man that I know that it is okay even though I don't exactly know what is going on. When we pray, there is an impartation of peace, from God, that passes all human understanding. It's like we are in the middle of a maze and we have no clues and no signs to direct us to the exit. However, we have peace and we don't get frustrated. We walk through the paths until we finally find the exit. Praying is a key tool that helps us to get through life, which seems to be like a maze at certain points in our life, and make to the end. Hitting the mark is only accomplished as we choose to never give up and continually choose to trust in the Lord. We really can only trust in the Lord as we choose to surrender our human intellect and learn His nothing is impossible for God to do. 

Practice and discipline yourself to pray each day; so that way you can hear "that gentle whisper ever pleading, God is working, God is faithful—Only wait".

Amen!?!

Our Desires Becoming Aligned with His!

Just something brief to share and a prayer that the Lord placed on my heart today while I was walking. It is, "Lord, help me to live what I confess and confess what You want me to be."

I don't want to be someone who talks the whole day and at the end of the day accomplished did nothing. We all have desires within ourselves; some pop up out of the blue and others have been desires within us for years. What are we doing? If those desires are of God then are we confessing them and living them out? or are we just saying, "Man I really want..." or "I wish I could..." If they are of God, then don't be afraid or hide them, but confess, "Yes, Lord, I desire that too. Help it to come to pass in my life". If those desires are not of God, then we must be willing to open our hands and let those desires go. For the ladies, you go shopping and you see all of those clothes that are on sale and you WANT them but you don't NEED them. You only have so much money that you can spend and so you must let some things go in order to stay within budget. Men, you can relate this too tools, gadgets, or some men can relate to clothes and shoes. Our will is the one thing that is our own. Our will becomes aligned with Christ will as we choose to desire our own wants and desires when it is necessary to do so. We cannot try, in our own might and strength, to make those desires fit into God's plans. We have to open our hands and let them blow away with the wind. There is only strength to do what God has purposed us to do. Let us not struggle to do what we are not suppose to do, but let us desire to do what our Creator has created us to do.

It's something to think about for sure. I want my confession to be those things that God desires and has planned for me to live out and be.

God bless!

A Broken and Contrite Heart

We find broken and contrite heart is mentioned two times in the book of Psalms. First, in Psalms 34:18, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." and second time it's mentioned in Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

What do these two words mean?

Broken: having been fractured or damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order
Contrite: feeling or expressing remorse (deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed); affected by guilt.

While I was meditating on this I had a picture of a heart and in this heart there are many channels. Lets bring out hearts into this picture now. We have a heart that has channels that are closed and we consider this to be our old nature. Our old nature is what we did before we came to Christ. Now, we come to Christ, but we still have closed channels in our heart. This is where brokenness comes in to play. We want to submit to the work of God's hands upon our lives so that He can break those channels and make the way for more of His Spirit to flow through us. I don't see brokenness so much to be a rip or tear in our heart, but an opening up. Brokenness also refers to humbleness and we must have a humble heart when we come to the Lord. When we come with a heart that is humble it will hurt less when God opens this channel. If we are stubborn and resistant, then it will be more hurt to us than what God had planned for us. 

Now to the contrite heart, the definition above is very interesting to me because this is what links our minds to our hearts. When we have guilt in our heart it generally is because we have been thinking and re-thinking about those things that we regret doing. It is necessary to feel guilt; that is the alarm that goes off in our minds that tells our heart that something is not right. However, the speak after feeling guilt is confessing what you have done before the Lord. This is what the enemy does not want to happen and so he tries to stop us and keep us in the mode of guilt. The enemy plants just one thought and the human mind just goes off on it's own. Learn and practice girding up the loins of your mind so that you do not allow that seed thought to come in and grow and choke out the truth. 

Brokenness and contrition work together. We do not know when something is wrong until we have guilt in our hearts. Once we have that guilt we must come to the Father with a humble spirit and allow Him to break open that channel. Once that channel is broken we no longer have that blockage and the Holy Spirit is now free to expand more in our lives. 

By God's grace we are able to do this. May we be placed on the right path and remain on this path so that we continue to be made more beautiful in the sight of our Lord.

God bless!

The Power of the Blood of the Lamb

In class this week, we are studying Minor prophets. Today is the first day of class on this course and one thing the teacher spoke that I want to share is concerning the struggle of our sins. 

God is a loving God and often we think of Him as a condemning, criticizing, and slow to forgive God. This is one of the mindsets that we need to get rid of. We are afraid of the after results, but if we continue in that sin, then the after results will only increase for the worse. Our mind sets are often the main hindrance for many people. We don't ask because our mind does not think that way at first. Repentance is the changing of our minds and this is a gift that God desires to give to those who are willing to change. God only wants to make us hate that sin that we struggle to not love. That is the reason many people fall back; it's because they still have a love for that sin. There is no power in our own strength. We often want to try and fix it ourselves, but we only end up failing every time. Sin is something that we need the blood of the Lamb for to get rid of it.

A wonderful and famous hymn: There is Power in the Blood

Would you be free from the burden of sin?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood; 

Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;

Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you do service for Jesus your King?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;

Would you live daily His praises to sing?

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

The first step to repentance and restoration is admitting your sin. This will take the grace of God and courage, but we must take that step. May your heart cry out, "Lord, would you pour your blood over me. I need you because I cannot do this on my own. Would you kill this love for this sin in my life."

God sent His Son on a mission to come and conquer sin. Jesus did and by His blood we are now able to have power. I believe that the time of victory is near for many of God's people. Don't give up but cry out to God with a broken and contrite heart, asking Him for that power and victory. God wants His people to be free and so if we ask, He will give you the power. Lastly, if you find that your heart still loves that sin, then cry out to God and be willing to be made willing!

Amen!

Keep the Light Shining on the Right Path!

I have been meditating and re-meditating upon Psalms 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path." I want to briefly example this verse to you, the way I see it.

First thing this verse addresses is our feet. We must not forget to study God's Word daily because it is through reading His word daily that we can begin to see the condition of our feet. It is important that our feet are in good condition so that we can walk the Christian walk properly and at the correct pace. No one will survive if they have sore, scabby, and blistering feet. Our feet must be properly cleaned and covered by the right shoes.

Second thing this verse talks about is the path. The word is a light unto our path and each day we are to be taking one step in the right direction. How can we make sure that we are going in the right direction? By reading the word daily! If you don't, then you are as a person who is wandering aimlessly. Having no vision (which we attain by reading scripture) and press toward no mark.

We want to find out where we are to go (have a vision) and to keep the light on that path (by reading God's word daily) so that we don't lose the path and wander in another direction. Don't allow yourself to stop reading God's word every day. If you miss a day, don't be discourage, but read even just one verse. If you do not have a time where you meditate and read God's word, then I recommend that you start. Cry out to God that He would give you a love for His Word and an unquenchable hunger for His Word.

God bless!

30, 60, or 100 Pieces

If there was one thing that I had to choose to do on my down time, it would be putting together a puzzle. There are some puzzles that are 10 pieces, 50, 100, or 1000 pieces. They all offer their different levels of intriguing difficulty and excitement. While I was putting together a puzzle with some friends this past Thanksgiving I was thinking how puzzles really paints a picture that links life in the natural with the spiritual. 

Imagine for a moment, that your life is a puzzle (I’m sure this is not too hard for most people to imagine), and there are so many things you want to do with your life. However, you cannot seem to figure out where you want to start. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then the puzzle begins with salvation. At salvation, there are important fundamental foundations that are to be laid down. Those we can imagine these fundamentals to be the border pieces of our puzzle. After the foundation is laid, we must go on and mature in our walk with the Lord. These are the rest of the pieces that go inside of the borders. 

I have never seen a puzzle piece that has center pieces on the border. That would be too confusing because you  would not be able to know which side the pieces are to go on. This would take up twice the amount of time and effort then usual. How do we know if we are being given a puzzle piece or even where to put that piece? God has given us His word (scripture) so that we can understand this mystery. Our ministry, the purpose of the church, and the revealing to us what our purpose in this life is quickened to us through the Word of the Lord. As He hands us a puzzle piece we are to receive it, wait upon the Lord to hear where we are to put it down on the board. 

One vital thing we must remember is that God will never give us a puzzle piece to another person’s puzzle for our own. He may give to us a puzzle piece for us to give to another person, but we are not to keep it and try to make it fit into our piece. A friend may be struggling with knowing what the wants them to do in their life and God may give to us a word (a puzzle piece) to give to them. We don’t keep that word (puzzle piece) for ourselves, but we give it to them. We are to help each other out to hit the mark in our life here on earth. This life here on earth is just the foundation for our life in Heaven. We are one body and we must build each other up and help each other make it. 

Also, there are times where we see a puzzle piece and we think we know where it goes. It appears to fit in that spot, but later on, when we find ourselves stuck, we find that the piece we forced in was not in the correct spot. God may give us a piece of the future. We are to hold on to that piece, but not try to make it work and fit in the now when it is meant for the future. You may ask, "Why does He give it to me now then?" God gives us pieces of the future to give us a vision to work towards. If we didn't know what was to come, then life would seem like it had no point. We look to the future plans and purpose that God has for us and we work to get to that points. 

We must learn to quiet ourselves and allow God to not only give us those pieces, but to instruct us where exactly they go on the board. So many times, as humans, we want to take the control and do things ourselves. However, this, more often than not, ends in disaster. Each piece has its own small image of the whole picture. Allow God to not just give you the piece, but show you what it is and where it goes.

There were some times that I remember working on a thousand piece puzzle and there would be parts where I could not find one specific piece. That can be how we feel at times in our walk with the Lord. There is one piece missing and we try to find it on our own efforts and we get so discouraged so quickly. We seek to find it on our own. Sometimes it is because we are seeking for something that we are not suppose to know or see just yet. Other times it may be that we are looking for a piece that is not a part of our puzzle. 

Now, I get to the purpose of my title: “30, 60, or 100 Pieces”. We read in scripture of the 30, 60, and the 100-fold Christians. Also, the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Those who are 100-fold are those who have entered and dwell in the Holy of Holies (Gods presence) and they have hit the mark in their lives. We want to make sure we have completed the puzzle. We can only do that if we put all of the pieces together and put them in the correct spot. Looking at marriage, one of many examples, we must marry the right mate, otherwise the other pieces that are suppose to go in place after that piece will not fit. It is so very important that we understand the importance of marry the right one.

When we come to the end of our life here on earth and we go to see our life. How much of our life is measured up to what God’s plan was for us? Will it be only 30 out of 100 pieces put together, 60 out of 100 pieces, or 100 out of 100 pieces put together. I want to have my puzzle complete. I not only want to see the whole beautiful picture that tells the story of my life with Jesus on earth, but also see the joy in my Heavenly Father’s face as He sees me completed in the beauty of Holiness, Jesus Christ within us.

Let us strive to make sure that we are receiving the pieces God hands to us. That we learn to wait to hear from God where the pieces go. Lastly, make sure we don't try and put other pieces, that do not belong, in our puzzle image! 

God bless!

Four What's to Consider in our Walk

What do you want you want out of salvation?

We pray and seek the Lord that revival would come, but do our actions show our prayers to be true or empty and false? If we want to bring glory and exalt His name, then we do that by living each day obeying what God says to us. We aren't just listening, but we are putting things to action in our daily walk. Pushing forward can only occur when we release the past.

I read this quote once, “Hours and days will surely pass, but we can direct them purposefully and productively.” We can only direct them purposefully and be productive when we do what is required of us. Seeking Him early in the morning is when we can find out what we are to do. Walking with the Spirit throughout the day is how we find out what is required of us. 

God doesn't force anyone to obey and do His will. So I ask you again, what do you want out of your salvation?

What are you holding on to? What are you doing?

We might be holding on to something that is preventing us from drawing closer to God. 

The sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite spirit. Obedience is what God asks for. It’s not so much the outward things that we do that pleases Him, but it’s our heart. When He asks us to do something and we obey Him, that is showing Him our love. Letting our own hearts be broken from our own will. Our will is what will take us off the path; our own will, our own ways, our own plans. But if we will have a broken spirit and a broken heart, and obey His voice, then we will stay on the path.”

When God speaks it is important, but when He repeats it is vital that we listen and obey. If we do not obey, then we are sinning. One who has an enlarged heart is one who has allowed God to empty them of their own desires and wants and filled them up with His desires and wants for them. If we truly want this, then we must stop holding on to things or doing things that God wants us to release. To have enlarged hearts we must be emptied of clutter. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."   John 1:1-5

If we hold on to something, then it is as a door that we are locking on Christ. It is an area in our life that the Living word (Christ) and the written Word cannot shine through. Allow His word to penetrate us—meet the Living Word through the written Word.

I ask you now, what are you holding on to? Or I should say, what is holding you back from drawing closer to God?

Where are you going? 

If we want to finish this race strong, then we have to know where we are going first. We don’t just run and hope that you’ll get there. 

Are you running away from the call just as Jonah tried to run away from what God told Him to do? Do not try escape the call because it will follow you your whole life!

To study grace is very interesting. Grace is a person just as the Holy Spirit is a person. Grace follows wherever the Lord goes and if God tells you to go and you stay, there will be no grace with you. The grace that is of God will go where God goes regardless of whether or not you go or stay. We must have direction from God and we must obey! God holds us up when we are walking in obedience just as He did for Peter. He was given direction and when he was obedient and leaped out, in faith, and walked on the water, Christ held him up with His arms. In Christ arms we can feel the His love and joy, which are two things that strengthen us.

Some of you may know what the call of God is upon your life, but there are many out there who do not or not totally sure about what area of ministry they are called to. Don’t stop seeking God because He wants us to know so that we have direction. Without a vision we will parish. A lot of our trials that we go through help us to understand better what kind of ministry God has for us.

What is the Commander and Chief calling you to do? 

Are you seeking to find out or are you just running and holding tight to meaningless and useless things?
I would encourage you to cry out to God and ask Him: "Lord, would You give me Your desires. Give me Your grace to let go of those thing(s) that I am holding on to that You want me to let go of. God would open my eyes and ears; give me direction and give me Your faith to do what is required of me."

God Bless!

The Ball is in Your Court!

I have been reading through the book of Luke and I came to chapter 19 this morning. We find a well known Bible character here named Zacchaeus. 

Luke 19:1-10 (ESV):

"He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Going back to about a week ago, I was facing battles left and right of overwhelming thoughts and realizations of my short comings and flaws in my character. The battle in the mind is the most common battle man-kind faces daily. Once we see and think about something, it doesn't take long and is very easy for the wheels to start turning. Once they start it can be a very hard thing to stop. 

Going back to the life of Zacchaeus, he rich man (tax collector). Most men despised tax collectors because many collectors stole money from the people they collected from. As you read earlier, Zacchaeus heard that a man called Jesus was passing through Jericho; so he ran to go and see Him. Little did Zacchaeus know that that day was going to be one of the momentous day's of his life. Jesus came to Him and brought to Zacchaeus two gifts: the gift of repentance (a changing in the mind) and the gift of conversion (the turning around and changing of ones action(s). 

Many people believe that repentance and conversion are a one time thing, but it is to be a repeated occurrence. When we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and proclaim Him as our Savior, that is not the end. When we are saved, that does not mean that everything is alright in our lives and that everything is covered by God's grace. We are not saved forever, but we can lose our salvation. Many believe too that we are no longer under the law, but under grace. That is false! We are under the law because the law is what reveals to us our bondage's (sin) and short comings. We need a change in our minds and in our actions. 

Thinking about Zacchaeus I also thought about the rich young ruler found in Matthew 19:16-22 (NKJV):

"Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,' and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."

We see here a man who is also rich, like Zacchaeus, but he is one that God already knows. He knew Jesus and Jesus knew him. However, there is one difference between these two men that make, what I see as a life impacting decision. Zacchaeus was despised by many and saw unfit to have Jesus come visit him, but Jesus came and Zacchaeus accepted the gift of repentance. We see proof of this because he repaid the money and interest to all the people that he stole from. He changed his mind and direction. Now, this rich young ruler knew the Lord and yet when he was instructed, by the Lord, to sell all he had and follow Christ, he did not. The young ruler was sorrowful and did NOT change his mind or actions.

I am not trying to be hard on the rich young ruler. In-fact I am contrasting these two lives because we all are capable of being like these two men. Doing things daily that we don't recognize or think of them as being wrong or something that is holding us back from getting closer to God. The difference between these two men is that, one accepted the two gifts God brought to him and the other did not. 

Going back to my week ago battle in the mind. I shared that with you because we all have, are, and will struggle with our flaws and short comings in our minds. However, if we just dwell on them, we will go nowhere. Here are two men who had flaws and they didn't even know it, but only one of the two responded correctly. When we see a flaw in our character, then pray that God would grant you a change in mind (repentance) and give you His grace to change your actions (conversion). I will not tell you that it will be easy and instantly you will be able to change your actions because that is not true (for most cases). It will take time, but as you take that one step God will take steps too. 

The ball is in your court and now will you choose to walk away sorrowful? or will you take that step of change and throw that ball back into God's court for Him to take the next step? The choice is yours...

God bless!

Be Ye Salts of the Earth

"Ye are the salt of the earth:but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."   Matt. 5:13-16

God, our Creator, had a purpose for each and everyone of our lives before the earth was created. One of the purposes of the children of God is to be the salt of the earth. What does it mean to be "salt of the earth"? One way I can remember this is:

Seek Him

Ask Him

Listen to Him

Trust Him

As children of God we are to seek Him. Why do we seek? because there is so much of Christ that we need to know. We cannot teach others about Christ if we don't know Him ourselves. We are created in His image and therefore He too has a desire for relationship. He wants a people who are willing to seek after Him and would desire to surrender themselves so they can know more and see more of His Glory. Anything that has eternal value we must pay some type of a price for it. Christ is valuable and the same with His truths. If we want to attain more than we must be ones who are willing to seek after in, pay the price for it, and sell it not (Prov. 23:23). What do you want? Look at the things you are seeking after and that will show you where you heart is at. We want is to enter in to the presence of the Lord for He reveals what we have and want we need. Stand up and march forward; seek after Him all ye who are the salt of the earth!

Asking Him! One of the names of the Godhead is, God the Father. When I think of "father" I think of a child who when he needs something runs to his father and asks him for what he needs. God gives to us things to do (teach, be a missionary, lead songs, lead the youth, etc). God doesn't just give us things to do and abandon us. He wants us to ask Him, "how are we to do those things?" As we teach, ask Him what direction should the teaching go? If we lead songs, then ask Him what does the Lord want to do in the hearts of the people during that service? Ask Him and He will answer. However, there must be a balance! We are not to go to God the Father only when we need things. Ask all ye who are the salt of the earth! 

Listen to Him! Once we ask we must listen for the answer. We must always have a listening ear because we may be just walking one day and the Lord would speak to you to go do something. Or even, He may reveal an answer that you have been asking all your life. Those who truly are sons and daughters of God will wait until they hear from God. We cannot hear Him if we are filling ourselves with things of this world. Take care of your spiritual life because we can tend to lose focus and get caught up in the busy life in the world. Listen to Him all ye who are the salt of the earth!

Trust in Him! An action for trusting someone is obeying them. Obedience is the key to growth and maturity in the Lord. Christ wants those those who are following after Him to trust and obey Him. Looking at the Peter we see that he trusted Jesus and we know that because he obeyed when he stepped out on to the water. God will call us at point in our life to step out on to that water. Will we hold ourselves back and not obey or will we take that leap of faith and step out in obedience?!? Trust in Him all ye who are the salt of the earth!

The next part of the verse says, "but if the salt have lost his savour". If we neglect being salt, then we lost our abilities. If we are seeking after worldly possessions, asking council from the ungodly, listening to the voices of the world, and trusting in man-kind, then "it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."

Seek, ask, listen, and trust in the Lord! "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Amen!

Uphold the Laws of the Lord!

God is looking for those who are willing to lay down their own self will, uphold His laws and be faithful to complete His will for their lives. He corrects those whom He loves and that correction is through His laws (Heb. 12:6). When there is law; sin abounds (Rom. 5:13, 20, 6:15; I Jn. 3:4). If there were no laws then everyone could live however they wanted and do whatever they felt like doing. God created a law to set us free from sin (bondage). Those who obey His law are free men and women. The world portrays laws as being a hindrance, burden, or a bondage. However, they are backwards because those who do not obey are  really the ones who are in bondage.

Obedience is truly the key and may we desire to obtain that key to life. Obedience is a hard thing and many try to be ignorant or remain in ignorance so that they don't have to obey. Their attitude is, "what I don't know won't kill me," but in actuality that is exactly the way to death. What you don't know can lead you to hell. If you don't know Christ, if you don't know His laws, if you don't know His will for your life, then you are walking on the path to death.

Those who are true sons and daughters of Christ are those who will seek and find, listen and obey. It is not enough to just listen, but we need to obey. Learn to meditate on the laws of the Lord and allow Him to write them down on the fleshly table of our hearts (Prov. 3:3, 7:3). We want to have united hearts to fear His name (Ps. 86:11). Allow God to reveal to you His calling for your life. Allow Jesus Christ to teach you His ways and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you step by step until the end. As is says in Job 8:7, "though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase." It is the end that matters not the beginning and we must finish the race.

We want to be cleansed and made acceptable, a living sacrifice for our Lord (Rom. 12:1). In Matthew 5:8 it says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." If you desire to see our Creator then you must be pure in heart. We must submit our will, be cleansed by the Word and be purified.

One way of seeing this is: picture yourself as a big black dot and Christ as a big white dot. When we accept Christ in to our hearts that white dot is placed over the black dot and now God the Father is able to look on us through Christ. However, we are still a black dot and throughout our Christian walk we are to be changed from glory to Glory. Having our black dot be transformed little by little in to that white dot (Christ). Christ gave us laws so that we can be changed to be like Him. Through the laws of the Lord we are able to better understand what the Lord loves and hates. Obeying His laws and holding fast to the words that He has spoken to us plays a huge part in us becoming whiter and whiter. "And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Rom. 12:2). We want to be transformed from black to white and transformation comes through a renewed mind. A renewed mind comes only through repentance and repentance is a gift from God (Rom. 2:4, 11:29). Not everyone is granted repentance and so we must not push the goodness of the Lord. God is good, but also Sovereign and we must be one who will lay down their self will and follow the will of the Lord.


Obedience is the heart desire of our Lord Jesus Christ and may we cry out to God and be obedient sons and daughters of God.

God Bless!

Love of the Lord

What are your actions? What are your attitudes? How are you speaking?

I want you to really consider these questions. As you see how you treat and view others you learn that it connects with how you view or treat yourself and more importantly God.

If you feel low (not in a humble type way) about yourself, then it will be hard to think highly about others or God. You only see things in a low view and treat things in a low way.

You can learn about how your relationship with the Lord really is by looking at yourself. What are your actions towards others, your attitudes about anything, or how you are speaking to others or about them.

We give what we have and if I am giving bad attitudes that means I have not surrendered that to God. I want, and I hope you do to, to give people the love of the Lord. Not criticism, nothingness, or strife.

As one of my favorite songs goes: "I will love you with the love of the Lord! For I can see in you, His love shining through. I will love you with the love of the Lord!"

God Bless!

Find Out Gods Will And Do It!

I saw an ad online yesterday and it said this, “Would you earn your degree if you qualified for a Grant? Turn passion into profession” May Christ be our passion and may that passion be our profession. He has supplied us with all that we need; we just need to do our part of the “job”.

Are we doing the things we are supposed to be doing? God does not want us to look at others and envy what they have. He doesn’t want His people to look at others prospering and desire their prosperity. He desires us to be rich in Heavenly treasures, but not of other peoples treasures. We are created for a purpose and we must set our eyes on finding out what that purpose is and fulfill it!

Part of the prophecy that a lady gave in our church service last Wednesday talked about us and how we were created for such as a time as this. Like Esther—she went through preparation to accomplish the will of God for her time and generation. Gods will for Esther, it would affect the city and her people. God gives grace and strength in the exact time that we need it. We must remember that we were created for a time such as this.

Gods Will is that:

--All to be saved

--All to grow and mature

--All to be filled in the knowledge of His ways

--To be sanctified and make holy

--To be thankful

All to be saved: Romans 10:1-3

What am I doing about witnessing to those around me?

-          This isn’t meaning that all have the evangelist calling, but that we have a part to play in bring some to Christ. Whether through our day to day actions, how we speak to others, etc.

-          (Rms. 10:1-3) We can have a zeal to do things for God, but if it is not done according to His rules and according to His will, it is valueless and void. Israel had a tremendous zeal for the law, but it was not according to God’s righteousness. They were ignorant of God's righteousness which came through faith in Christ. They were trying to establish their own righteousness. This is not a problem unique to Israel, it is also a problem everywhere in the Church world.

-          Many in the Church seek to establish their own righteousness, and because of that, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. many Christians fall into this snare. We have to submit to the will of God in order to be approved by God. God might say to us, “My will for you is to do such and such a thing.” We cannot reply, “No, I want to do something else for You.” In doing so we would find at the end of our lives that all our works would be void, and there would be no reward awaiting us. People want to work for God and do something for God, but on their own terms. We cannot choose the kind of ministry we want, or decide where we want to serve Him. We have to play by God's rules, not our own. Otherwise we will lose in the game of life.

All to grow and mature: Matthew 15:25-30; John 15

What am I doing to grow and mature in Christ?

-          What we have already, are we investing in it so that it grows and the fruit in us is maturing?

-          The five talents (Mt. 15:25-30) – God is pleased when we invest and we strengthen and grow in what He has already given to us. Those who do not do anything with what they are given will wither and die away and as John 15 tells us, the branches that do not bring forth fruit are cut off and cast away.

-          God often times gives us desires to help motivate us. If we are motivated then we are moving forward and that is what we must be doing—pressing on towards the goal, reach highest and depths in God that no one has ever known.

-          One burning desire that is in my heart is that what God already has in our leadership will not die away with them. The growth and maturity that we have today in Zion, I want this generation to take that growth and maturity to a whole new level. Not like the children of Israel where the whole generation died out and a new generation started.

All to be filled in the knowledge of His ways: Romans 10:1-3; Hosea 4:6

What am I doing to be filled in the knowledge of His ways?

-          How do we know? By reading the rama word that He has given to us

-          (Rms. 10:1-3) Israel was destroyed through the lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). This is a problem in the Church today. We must have a knowledge of God's ways in order to please Him.

To be sanctified and make holy

What am I doing to be make holy and sanctified unto God?

-          Sanctified means “to be clean”

-          Holy means “to be dedicated or consecrated to God; (of a person) “to be devoted to the service of God”

-          In order to be clean and consecrated to God we must be set apart or separated from what those in the world are doing?

o   Drinking

o   Swearing

o   Saying perverse things

o   Looking at wrong things

-          Being sanctified and holy boils down to: Gods will verses Mans will

o   We must make sure that we do not allow our self to be filled back up with the filth of the old mans nature.

o   The amazing thing that many of us are prone to forget is that the old nature is not dead, but it is on the cross. We can take it down whenever we want and walk with that nature anytime we choose to.

-          "Whom have I in heaven but You [Jesus]? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

o   When this is a reality in my life, nothing else compares to Jesus. This is the kind of heart that God is looking for.

To be thankful

What am I doing/saying? Am I thanking God?

-          It takes 30 days to make something a habit. It is good to start the day thanking God for what He will do and ending the day with thanking Him for the things that He has done!

-          All throughout scripture we see it says to give thanks and sing praises unto the Lord. Through giving thanks and praising the name of Jesus there is an impartation of strength that can help us through what we are going through.

-         "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." 1 John 3:20-22

o   It pleases the Father we He sees His children coming to Him and asking. He wants to give to us the answers, the wisdom, the keys, the victories, the grace, etc…It also pleases Him when we choose to thank Him when things are going good and when things appear to be going bad.

o   The Christian walk isn't about doing our own thing, but it is about keeping Gods favor upon our life. That is only accomplished by laying down our will and our lives and fulfilling the call and purpose God has upon our lives. That is after all what we have been created for--for a time such as this!

***We want to stand complete in the will of God!  The decisions you make will effect where you will be in eternity. I want to be as close to my Lord as possibly can be!

So in closing, what my father always tells me is that: “At the end of the day the only thing that matters is what is He saying and am I doing it?”

God bless!

Psalm 23:3

“He restoreth my soul.” 

This verse was written after David's sin with Bathsheba. David’s soul at this time was cast down because of all the troubles he was passing through (Psa. 42:11). His son Absalom had forced him to flee Jerusalem and was chasing him, seeking to kill him.

“Cast down” is an old English expression for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up. If he is left in this condition, he will either become a victim to wild beasts or the gases that build up within his body will cut off his circulation and eventually kill him. To restore a sheep that has been cast down, the shepherd has to massage him and gently talk to him so that he will want to regain his former walk and demeanor. 

We can liken this example to the a Christian who has fallen away. The shepherd goes out and finds his lost sheep. When he finds that lost sheep "cast down" he must be gentle and take care of that sheep. If the shepherd (Pastor/spiritual leadership) shows too much rebuke that will kill the Christian. The shepherd is to supply to the sheep what it needs because it is helpless. The casted down sheep does not need an abundance of rebuke, but correction with gentleness and instruction to keep them on the right path.

“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” 

One truth must not predominate the life of the shepherd and the sheep. Overgrazing a certain area can destroy the land and the sheep. Going in the same old ruts, the sheep always turn into the old paths and thus ruin the pasture land. The key is to continually lead the sheep into new pastures and then back again into the old pastures that have now become refreshed.

As teachers and leaders, we must continually lead our flocks into new truths in the Word of God, fresh manna, and regularly refresh their memories concerning the old truths. As it says in Matthew 13:52, we must be able to bring forth out of our treasure things new (fresh) and old. We must lead our flocks in the paths of righteousness, making straight paths for their feet. We must show them the direction in which way they should walk.

"For his name’s sake.” 

The state of the flock is a reflection of the shepherd who looks after them. Therefore, it is to the glory of God that we should walk in the paths of righteousness, performing the works that the Lord has ordained before the foundation of the world that we should walk in, for in so doing we bring honor and glory to His Name (Eph. 2:10).

Psalm 23:2

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” 

One of the most difficult tasks that a shepherd has in caring for his sheep is to get them to lie down, because they are so restless.

Four things are essential before sheep will rest or lie down.
1.) They have to be free from fear because they are very timid.
2.) They have to be free from friction with other members of their own flock.
3.) They must be free from torment by flies or other parasites.
4.) They must be full. 

These four areas can be applied to our self, sheep's of Christ.
Fear is torment, but perfect love casts out fear (1 Jn. 4:18). We need the deep love of the Shepherd of our souls. In other words, to have an awareness that He loves us and watches over us will free us from fear. We need a personal assurance of Hebrews 13:5, that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us.

Next, we must be free from friction with other Christians. We should make every effort to live in peace with all men without compromising our standards. Understand that contention only comes by pride and an inflated ego (Prov. 13:10). Therefore, if we walk in humility and meekness, others will not cause us to lose sleep or our peace of mind. The key is to not be people conscious, but to be Christ centered. We must be kind to others and forgive them when they do us wrong (Eph. 4:32), not always insisting on having our own way.

We show true kindness when we have seen and experienced kindness ourselves. Anyone can be kind, but to be truly kind is when you have the history and experience of another showing kindness to your.

Sheep will only lie down when they have been satisfied with good food. Green pastures are only obtained by careful planting, deep plowing, and watering the ground well. A good shepherd (pastor or teacher) has to spend much time and energy to find good pastures in the Word of God to feed to his flock. He (Pastors & spiritual fathers) takes great care of the product that they feed their sheep. We have to study earnestly and set in order many proverbs for our flock to feed upon (Eccl. 12:9). Everyone who is used by God to teach must constantly be seeking the Lord for fresh truths from His Word and be constantly meditating in His Word.

One large reason for spiritual leanness in the flock is because the pastor (shepherd) is feeding the flock the same diet every week, teaching them only about salvation, water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That is the description of an uncaring shepherd. Looking at Christ as the example, He takes care of what His flock eats and encourages them to eat daily. Like Ezra of old, we should aspire to be students of the Word who are able to open up the Word of God so that people can understand it. We should have knowledge of every verse of the Bible, making them crystal clear for people as we teach (Neh. 8:7-8).

How important it is to deal with the simplicity of God’s word. We not only have the milk and feed on the strong meat of the word so that we are strong in the Lord. Know the things of the word of God and do not occupy yourself with the things that God does not want to show you. As a sheep of God cry out before you study, something like this, "Lord what do you want to show me? What do you want to teach me?" Listen to what He says to you and lay the other things aside.

“He leadeth me beside the still [or quiet] waters.” 

There are three sources of water for sheep: dew on the grass, deep wells, and springs or streams. It should be noted that 70 percent of a sheep is composed of water. Thus lack of water will cause dehydration, disease of tissue, and general deterioration of health. Therefore, a good supply of water is essential for healthy sheep.

1.) Dew is upon the grass prior to sunrise when it is still dark outside. The dew satisfies the thirst of the sheep, enabling them to lie down contentedly all day as the heat of the sun rises.

The Lord rose early every morning and spent time with His Father in prayer. He heard Him speak every day. David said in Psalm 63:1, “Early will I seek thee.” It is noteworthy in Church history that all those who have ever had a major impact upon their generation and the generations to follow rose early in the mornings to meet with the Lord in prayer.

2.) Often shepherds would obtain water from deep wells in dark cavities carved out in underground caves. This speaks of treasures of darkness that we obtain when we pass through the valley of trouble.

3.) The other source of water for sheep was from springs or streams. Achsah cried out to her father Caleb to give her the upper and nether springs (Judg. 1:15). This speaks of the double portion of God’s Spirit. These two springs represent the rivers of living waters that will flow out from the Lord’s people in the last day revival during the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn. 7:2, 38).

Psalm 23:1

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” 

A sheep’s welfare is dependent almost exclusively on the shepherd’s character, although it is also important for a shepherd to have the ability to provide for his sheep. 

There is a new relationship between the sheep (Christians) and the Shepherd (Jesus Christ). Here David says, "The LORD is my Shepherd" this shows the sheep taking possession of the Shepherd. When we see how precious we are to the Shepherd, we do not look else where for affection or attention. You feel wonderful when you see how much your are valued--there is a humbleness and a drawing closer to each other.

The other side of this is that the shepherd owns his flock. He has paid a price for them. Likewise, God bought us with the price of the death of His own dear Son—the greatest price any shepherd could pay for his flock. This is what Paul said in First Corinthians 6:19-20: “Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price.” Therefore, Christ could say in John 10:11,15 that He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. He knows each of His sheep by name (Jn. 10:14). The shepherd is so identified with his sheep that he even feels their frustrations (Isa. 63:9).

Moving on to, “I shall not want.” David says that because of the greatness and goodness of his Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not lack any good thing, spiritually or naturally. We see that one who is a sheep of the Good Shepherd has contentment. They look no were else because the Lord has given them everything: value, relationship, laid down His life for him, etc.

Sheep are utterly defenseless and they lack any sense of direction. As Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray.” They need a good shepherd who will provide for them. Whom we choose as our shepherd (pastor or spiritual father) makes all the difference. The thought of “not wanting” is more than just not lacking natural or spiritual care. It speaks of a deep sense of contentment—a peace so deep and a serenity so profound that even the shadow of death cannot disturb us.

May this verse be our daily pray, that we may declare the Lord as our Shepherd and also find peace and contentment. 

The Secret to Life is Having Conviction!

I apologize for taking a while to post what the Lord has been putting on my heart. Sometimes there is a never ending flow of things the Lord speaks to me and then there are other times where there is just one thing that goes over and over in my heart and mind. I want to be attentive especially when those moments occur because that may be a key my Father is giving to me for something ahead.

My father spoke a message today at a church in Jamestown, NY. I will try my best to give you a summary of it because he preached it exactly the way I wish to write it. One of the things my Lord has laid upon my heart to mediate and re-mediate upon is this, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Rom. 12:2 [KJV]).

The worlds mentality is to go out and find yourself and who you are as quickly as possible. That is not a mind set God our Father desires us to have. The secret to life is not finding yourself or expressing yourself, but it is finding the convictions and holding true to them. If you do a study on the end times you will see that the big issue in the church will be on compromising. We must learn convictions now and hold true to them! That we may not be deceived and conform to this world and the image it holds to. Body, soul, and Spirit--those are the three areas we battle with in our Christian walk. (1) the body: that is submitting our self as a vessel of honor for God; the changing of ones conduct. (2) the soul: this is a major battle because it involves our heart, emotions, and desires. Be not compelled to follow your heart or led by your emotions. My grandfather use to say this to his children, "At the end of the day you kids do what you want to do!" It's not wrong to have desires, but may we not be led by them. (3) the spirit: This is very hard for all man-kind because this is  where the human pride lies. God resists the proud and we do not want to listen to the world which will tell you to find that pride for there is no harm in it. This area is also where one must learn to surrender his intelligence because there will be times where God will ask you to do something that is not practical. We see examples of this all throughout scripture: Moses parting the red sea, Abraham sacrificing his son, etc...

I say this all to encourage you to examine your life. Do you have convictions? Are you holding true to them? To know Him--that is our quest! Do not compromise and be conformed to this world. Be transformed by allowing God to renew your mind daily. Walk in the Holy Spirit and be not ruled by your body or soul!

God bless!

Poor in Spirit--Seeing Your Self Just As You Are

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Being poor in Spirit is to see our self just as we are. It's having the humility and a healthy view of our self. As we walk with the Lord, we can see our wretched nature. When He shows us something that is in our heart, He is showing it to us because He loves us. He brings it to the light in His time to correct us. We then have a greater love and dependency on the Lord. The greatest ability is dependability in the Lord. God saw us all the time the way we are. Nothing is new to Him, but when He brings it to light, that means it is time to deal with it! The law is made to show us who we are and Gods grace shows us who we will be. Although man-kind has tried all throughout history, even up to today, to change the law. Why is that? Because the law shows us who we are and man does not want to change that image. 

Jesus is our pattern. Have not a demanding heart and  attitude. We have no other hope but that which is in the Lord. The just receive because they were humble and allowed God to change them to become more like Christ. Often times we do not see the work that God has already done. We must believe that in the process of being humbled, there is a progression occurring. As we walk and see what great things He has done in our lives, our love grows and our dependency in Him grows also.

We are what we are for a reason. Are we good because of Gods grace? or Are we rebellious and stubborn because of our bitterness? Remember there are blessings God promises in His word, but no where in His word does it state, "Blessed are the rebellious, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" or "Blessed are the bitter, for they shall see God" or "Blessed are those who demand things, for they shall inherit the earth".

God Bless!