Faith, Roots and Fruits

Hebrews 11:1 [King James] reads, Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for.  The evidence of things not seen.

Ephesians 3:14-19 [Amplified] reads, "For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15  For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name].16  May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].17  May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,18  That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];19  [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

I believe that understanding the Word of God is a process.  As we experience Him and grow in our relationship with Him, He reveals His Word to us in a way that gives life and that has an everlasting affect on our lives.  Recently, I asked God for a more applicable understanding of Hebrews 11:1.  This is what He told me and I share with you.

The faith, hope and substance can be likened unto a tree planted by the rivers of water.  Faith is the roots.  In order for a tree to be able to stand strong and tall above ground it must have a strong root system under ground.  The roots must expand deep into the earth and sometimes we find that the roots wrap themselves around rocks in order to be anchored.  If you recall, Bishop Woods said, that faith holds you in place while hope brings the thing or the promise that you are expecting to you.

Now depending upon the kind of tree that you have, there is an expectation or a hope that if all is well, the tree will be productive.  All while we are waiting for the tree to mature, its roots hold it in place through storms, through hot weather or cold weather.  The roots keep pulling in the nutrients that someday we hope will produce something.  This describes hope.  We hope that things will turn out well of our tree.  If we get the roots right and if we withstand the storms and the rain; the good times and the bad, there will come a time when our tree will bring forth her fruit.

The fruit is the substance that we've been hoping for.  It is what someone else can pick from the tree and can survive on.  

Today, ask God if your root (faith) system is deep enough and is properly anchored.  Asked God if you are getting the right nutrients and feeding that potential or the hope of bearing productivity.  Then ask God to bless you to yield and to have substance that someone else can survive on.  Your understanding and getting the concept of faith is what someone else needs to come to Christ.

 

Feels like starting all over again

When I was a little girl, I used to listen to a gospel song whose title was, Feels Like Starting All Over Again.  The song was about redemption and getting another chance from God.  But I submit that there are times when it feels like I'm starting all over again and having to relive, redo and relearn.  Most of the time it is because I haven't made it through the transition or the process that God is trying to guide me through.  Somewhere along the way I gave up or gave out.  

Bishop Noel Jones once said, "Just because God makes a way of escape doesn't mean that you have to take it."  When we are in the press, in the struggle, in the process and in the transition we are there because God is trying to get something to us.  When we do not make it all the way through we cannot claim that as a testimony.  We cannot yet say we have overcome.  There are so many people claiming that God is moving them to the next level, but in fact they keep starting over on the same level.

If this sounds familiar fear not, I have some answers today.  I was talking with a friend earlier in the week and I asked myself why is it that in spite of my achievements in academics and education, in spite of my work experience and in spite of my years of dedication at working, it feels like I keep starting over?  I'm not experiencing promotion like I want.  I'm not moving at the pace that I want.  I'm not achieving like I want financially.  I'm not getting to that place of break through.  But if you are like me you have found as I have that God answers prayers and questions.  So God answered this one, while I was talking to my friend.

God shared with me that the reason that I have not been able to move forward in the past was because I refused to endure my transitions and my processes.  2 Timothy 2:3 instructs us to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  Over the last few weeks several people have said to me that I am in a period of transition.  People are telling me how it was for them when they went through their transition and what I can expect.  People are encouraging me and letting me know that I need to stay in the press because the results of making it through the transition are that I win and I come out better than when I went in.  What I have learned of my God is that He will keep dealing with those who have retarded growth-as Bishop Woods advised us Sunday; preaching about the man who was made whole at the pool of Bethesda.  See what I learned from that sermon is that some of us are not getting our wholeness because we never make it through the transition period.

It is the transition, the process and the press that is the vehicle that takes us to our next level.  So if we cannot stand the transition, there is no way that we will be able to survive at the next level and because God is our Father and cares about our well being, He will not allow us to move on to another level that we cannot survive.

If you have ever played a video game, I'm sure you can identify.  Video games have levels and each level has challenges and enemies that must be defeated.  But if you fail to make it through the challenges or to defeat the enemies, you wind up having to start the level over again.  The interesting thing is that you can keep practicing until you get good at meeting and beating the challenges and the enemies.  

Dedicated video gamers learn that there are cheats that help us to move to the next level without having to face all of the challenges.  The cheats instruct one on how to manipulate their controller in order to push the right keys in the right sequence in order to pass up some of the challenges and move on to another level and it is counted to them as though they had the experience that they were supposed to gain.

Christians have the same opportunities available to us.  Our secret moves involve, prayer, praise, thanksgiving and worship.  I have learned that the fastest way though my trials is to keep my face to the Lord in prayer, supplication and worship; to seek Him first.  

Having the cheat codes doesn't mean that there won't be any challenges, it just makes the transition easier.  Matthew 16:19 puts it like this:

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Ephesians 3:20-21 puts it this way:

20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,21. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

This scripture indicates to me that I can make it through my transitions and I can withstand the press according to the power that is in me.  The power to pray, to worship and to offer up thanksgiving.

So consider this today, if it feels like you are starting all over again, are you using your cheat codes?  Do you have the keys?  Do you have the power to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ?  Of course you do.  Make every effort to give God the praise and adoration He is due; to worship Him in spirit and in truth and to pray to Him; all the while keeping your eyes on the hills and your mind on kingdom work.  You will get to your next level, where not only will you survive, but you will thrive!

God's got some new new for you.

2 Corinthians 5:17 reads, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

There's a popular saying that the definition of insanity is to keep repeating the same behavior again and again, but then expecting different results.  If we continue to conduct our lives the same way hanging with the same people and doing all the same things then we will continue to have what we currently have, but how many of us realize that God is trying to get something new to us?  He's trying to get us a new mind and a new outlook.  He wants us to have a new perspective. 

We say we want to change, but what are we doing to evoke that change?  We say for example, that we'd like to lose weight, but we don't change what we eat or our level of physical activity so we must ask the question do we really want to lose weight?  Every change that we want will require us to go through a process and every process will have its good and its bad, but we must accept that in order to change.  We must be processed by submission to the power of God.

We approach every relationship the same way too-including our relationship with God.  We treat every new beau the same way.  We look in the same places for our good thang.  We act the same way with the new person as we did with the last.  We treat our family members the same way.  We go to work and perform at the same level and wonder why we do not experience promotion.  We go to church the same way. 

Actually, I'd even argue that we lower the standard of God in our lives and begin to just except anything for ourselves.  Elder Larisha Jones told us yesterday how important the banner or the standard of God is.  As long as we can see the standard we can prevail in battle.  When the standard is lowered we begin to go back to our own old ways and we forget the new that God has for us.

We need to stop.  Just stop.  Concentrate on the words of this scripture.  If any be in Christ, he is a new creation.  Our old things are behind us and all that is before us is new.  So we must find ourselves in Christ.  Not in a person.  Not in ourselves.  Not in our own world, but in Christ.  When we find ourselves in the secret place and in the Word and in a place of worship and praise then we will recognize that we have all things new new.  We have a new walk.  We even talk differently.  We treat God differently.  We have confidence that He will complete the work that He started in us.

God is a good God and what I like about Him is that when He gives me my new, it's just mine and all mine. I'm not borrowing someone else's new.  What God has for me is just for me and I am thankful and grateful for all that He has in store for me.

In God is the only place where brokenness is newness, where falling is a new beginning and where void becomes a testimony.  My God is beautiful in every way and He is teaching me my value and my worth.  He is restoring me.  He reminds me of the power that He put inside me. He reminds me of how He has always been right here with me never leaving me nor forsaking me.  He is asking me to share with you that He has something new in store for you.  He wants to make all of your rough places straight.  He wants to remove the spots and the wrinkles.  God wants to rescue you from sinking.

Today commit to God's new new for you.  Commit to reading the Word and to hiding it on the tables of your heart so that He can abide in you.  Commit to speaking the word of life over your own life so that you can abide in Him.  Ask Him to create a clean heart in you and to renew a right spirit within.  Ask Him to make it so that you will never be the same.

A tale of love, redemption and restoration.

Today's blog is based in the entire 4 chapters of the book of Ruth.  I want to share some of the characteristics of Boaz and that while on the surface this seems like a simply story of amorous love, it is in fact so much deeper than that.

When I considered what I am currently going through I really had to stop and ask God why He would give me this word to share at this time.  But He reminded me that His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not like mine.  His ways and thoughts are as different from mine as the heavens are from the Earth so with that said, all I can do is be obedient. 

I am going to give some information about the story and then some specifics about Boaz and the general significance of this story.  When I started writing this blog I thought it was going to be a romantic story about a woman waiting on a man of God and from God, but as I write it out God is revealing to me even now that this story was more about redemption and restoration than anything else.  What seems on the surface to be a sweet love story is really a powerful reminder of how God moves people and crafts events in order to establish His will not just for our present but so that He can provide us with a hope and a future.  This reveals that God does know the plans that He has for us.

What I first found interesting is how the scripture makes note that Naomi and Ruth make their way back to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley season.  I asked God to reveal the significance of this to me.  He shared with me through my research that this was very significant because the Jewish tradition celebrated three major harvests.  The first was the barley harvest and this harvest which coincided with the Passover represented the over comers.  Barley was the grain of the poor man, yet it was the first crop given to the Israelites after their deliverance from Egypt; therefore, it had and has tremendous importance and significance.

So Boaz grew barley.  And as the well known story goes, Ruth finds her way to the land of Naomi's kinsman, Boaz.  Ruth sets out early in the morning and begins to glean the barley that is left over after the harvesters take the best.  Her intention was to somehow find favor with Boaz. 

In her gleaning efforts, Ruth indeed catches the attention of Boaz and we see that he becomes genuinely concerned with Ruth's well being.  This is the first characteristic of Boaz. He advises those that work his land to allow Ruth to glean with the other young women and to even leave a little bit more.  He then advises them not to bother her.  So then Boaz provides Ruth a level of protection.

Boaz then addresses Ruth directly and lets her know to stay with the young women and to follow them where ever they glean.  He also lets her know that he has covered her with his protection so we see that Boaz comforts Ruth.  Boaz was also impressed by Ruth and her dedication and loyalty to Naomi.  Boaz fed her and allowed her to rest with his other maidservants.

Chapter 3 finds Naomi educating Ruth on how she should present herself to Boaz.  I found it quite interesting that Naomi knew the habits of Boaz, where he would be and what he'd be doing, but that revelation is perhaps for a different day.  The important thing here is that Ruth benefited from Naomi's wisdom and experience.  Naomi advised Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Ruth would find Boaz.  Ruth had been instructed to uncover Boaz' feet and to lie there until she received instructions from Boaz.  She obeyed. 

When Boaz awoke from his sleep he was startled to find Ruth, but Ruth went into action and carefully followed the instruction of her mother-in-law.  She advised Boaz of who he was to her and subtly reminded him of his responsibility.  Again Boaz praises Ruth for her dedication and loyalty.  Boaz showed respect for Ruth and allowed her to continue to rest.  Boaz was concerned about Ruth's reputation and advised her that she should leave before anyone would recognize her.  Before she left  Boaz gave Ruth more barley and he promised to uphold his duties to her and to her mother-in-law.  Boaz explained to Ruth what he planned to do and Ruth returned to Naomi with a promise.

Boaz wasted no time, but sought to redeem Ruth and Naomi.  We see from Boaz' interactions in chapter 4 that he was a man of integrity and he sought to do things in order.  He had shared with Ruth that there was a relative that was closer to Naomi than he was and that he would have to allow this relative the opportunity to redeem the land owned by Naomi.  From this passage we see that Boaz respected Ruth's value.  His strategy for dealing with the closer relative was wise.  He first advised that there was land to be redeemed.  I think he wanted to find out what the relative would do. He didn't immediately share that Ruth was part of the bargain.  So we see that for Ruth, Boaz took a risk.  The other relative wanted the land, but then Boaz said to him, "Well there's more than the land, you must marry the widow of the deceased relative and carry on his name."  Maybe it was the way Boaz said it, but the other relative did not want any part of that deal so he agreed to forgo his rights to redeem the land.

So the remainder of chapter 4 indicates to us that Boaz was concerned about Ruth's future as he vowed to restore the name of his deceased relative through marrying Ruth and providing offspring.

Some other characteristics of Boaz:

Boaz had means and the authority to carry out the commands that he gave concerning Ruth's safety.
Boaz had ownership and he was responsible.
Boaz was generous.
Boaz was patient.
Boaz was honest.
Boaz took a risk for Ruth.
Boaz was wise.
Boaz was available.  Part of the reason that the other relative was afraid to redeem the land was because he would have also had to have redeemed Ruth and he was afraid that would mean that his own inheritance would be ruined.  So we see that Boaz was available and did not have this fear or concern.

As a result of Ruth's loyalty and obedience and of Boaz' actions, the lineage of King David and of our Savior Jesus Christ remained in tact.

This story of love, redemption and restoration reflects God's care for us-His people.  We may find ourselves in a dead situation.  God wants us to remain loyal to Him.  He wants us to stay in position and to listen.  He wants us to hear and to obey the word.  In doing this, we will be rewarded.  He will bless us to find ourselves in a place of restoration and redemption.

Today consider your situation and consider all that Ruth did.  Have you remained loyal and obedient?  If so then expect God to provide you a Boaz to restore and to redeem you not just for your present situation but also for your future.

Parental Advisory: Spritually Explicit Content "Under the Cover"

For the last few weeks I have been absorbing Psalm 91.  I have found myself longing to stay in the secret place of God; under the shadow of His wings and in His pavilion.  Lord knows I have been going through some things, but as my Bishop and spiritual father told me yesterday I Must be a VIP.  Then my spiritual mother came along and sang to me and reassured me that as long as I stay in the secret place with King Jesus, I don't need nobody else and I can't be touched.  She explained that there is freedom in God's pavilion.  Then God revealed to me that I have the choice to throw one of two kinds of parties.  I can wallow in the pit and have a pity party of one, or I can stand on the Word of God and have a praise party where God will inhabit and dwell; and where the spirit of the Lord is . . . there is liberty!

I called this Under the Cover because my Bishop reassured me that through my steps of obedience and of returning to serve that God has restored me and has kept me under His covering.  We must choose to stay under the covering and in position under the leadership and tutelage of those who God entrusts to watch over us.  

I thought and asked God what it meant to have position and to stay in position and He brought to my memory the story of Jacob and Esau.  Esau sold his position or his birthright for a pot of beans.  In other words he gave away the rights to his future to try to satiate an immediate feeling of hunger because the hunger had become magnified in his mind--that's the kind of thing that can happen to us when we are not under the covering and getting that reassurance from our spiritual parents.  

But God is looking for some individuals who can endure and who won't trade their future divine appointments to try to satisfy immediate flights of fancy.  He wants us to rest in Him for all our needs.  What we must realize is that our physical desires, needs, issues are temporary and must be brought under the subjection of the Holy Ghost.  We can do this through God's process for our lives, through listening to our spiritual leaders and through losing ourselves in the Word of God through consecration and dedication.

There's another reason that we must stay in position.  Consider the story of David at Ziglag.  David and the party that was with David could have just fell out because the enemy had stolen all of their possessions and had taken their families as slaves.  David cried and the men with him cried and considered killing David, but David sought God and asked God should I pursue this enemy?  God assured David that he should pursue the enemy and that he would recover all.  Now if David hadn't decided to head toward in the direction of the enemy when he did then he would never have run into the servant that they had left for dead.  That servant was in the position to help David to recover all.  David caught up to the enemy and got all of his stuff back and then some!

With what i have been going through I have asked God to just let me rest.  I keep telling friends that I need to lean on somebody for a change.  I'm tired for being the strong one.  I laugh to think about this all now because God has surrounded me with people who are not buying any of what I was trying to sell!  They told me to keep it pushing!  God told me that there is no time for slowing down, resting or stopping because kingdom work is still at stake.  He also told me that if I rest now, I won't be able to recover all.  I have to keep pushing in order to experience the richness of God's anointing for my life and in order to recover all and to be properly restored to my rightful place in Him.  

I knew this was absolutely true when I saw my pastor after a long time of not seeing her and the first thing that I did was fall into her arms and experience her mothering and nurturing me and giving me words of love and encouragement.  She may be younger than me in age, but her anointing is that of a mother of nations.  After she loved on me and bandaged me up, my Bishop gave me a hug and said, "Alright now, we are going to move forward from this Elder."  Isn't that just what fathers do!  They do not allow you to wallow.  They want you to brush yourself off and get back in it.  It is nurturing too, but in a different way.  See fathers know that in order for us to stay encouraged and to stay focused we cannot allow the fall or the subsequent bruise to become our focus.  For example, if we were learning to ride a bike, falling off of the bike and getting hurt from the fall are part of the process of learning to ride a bike.  It is not the full part, but we cannot deny that it is a part.  But the most important part of learning to ride a bike is getting back on and trying again and again until we are successful.

It helps me to know that I do not have the space or the opportunity to sit around feeling sorry for myself.  There is yet work that needs to be done.

Read Psalm 91 and get under the cover today.  Stay there and don't be afraid to go through some things.  It is all part of the process.  Not because God is trying to punish you, but because it is just part of the process just like learning to ride that bike.  Why is it that we can accept that we will fall and get hurt learning to ride a bike, but we fall out at the thought that we may have go to through something for the cause of Christ!  Listen to your spiritual father and shake it off, breathe, stretch and let it go.  There is kingdom work to be done.  

Brain Washing

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:5
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  Philippians 4:8

There are other scriptures like these two passages that admonish Christians to submit our minds to a changing.  There is the idea that whatever we've brought with us isn't enough to get us where we want to go so we need to put on the mind of Christ and focus on virtuous things.

It's so funny, but I received a speeding ticket yesterday morning.  Someone that I work with who sits on the other side of the building sent me a message, "I heard you got a speeding ticket!"  I shared that I had and that I wasn't surprised by how quickly this bad news had spread-I think I used the term with lightening speed.  It's a shame that the gospel of Christ doesn't spread as fast or the fact that He's a healer; He's a keeper; He's the lover of my soul.  I wish this news was always on the minds of Christians and on the tongues of everyone I knew.

It's 3:00 in the morning and God has been waking me at this time every morning for a few weeks now.  I am beginning to see that He wants to wash my mind.  He wants to yet and again change my paradigm.  He wants to give me a lasting Word that I can hide in my heart and He keeps drawing me into the secret place.  You know when you are in the throws of a trial or tribulation that has the potential to take you out because God will call to you like He called to Samuel in the wee hours of the morning and He will hide you under the shadow of His wings.  He will show you Himself and allow you to stand still and see His salvation.

God gives us this safe place to dwell so that we can begin to receive a transfer of knowledge, power, strength and Word from Him.  He does this when He needs us to see things differently.  Plainly, God sees your struggle.  As a matter of fact He has allowed your struggle because He happens to know what you need to break the old you and to make you over into a vessel of honor that He can glorify in.  We as Christians need to learn that God speaks to us in more ways than one.  He reveals Himself to us in spite of our feebleness and ineptness or inability to see Him working things out for our good.  We want the power of God, but many of us surely do not want to go through what it takes to have it.  It takes a mind change.  It takes a washing away of me and an adaptation of Him.  It takes me accepting Gods will and to stop trying to fix my situation.  There are some things that cannot be fixed.  There are some things that you are just going to have to go all the way through so that you can experience the journey of overcoming.  Not for you, but for the edifying of the saints and for the glorying of God.  For the lifting up of someone else.  So that you can speak a true word from the Lord of how He is able and will deliver.

While you are in the middle of your situation, think about things that are pure, lovely, just and of a good report, think about virtuous things and of praising our God.  Think on the love of God for you.  Think about what He has already done and then simply rest.  Rest assured that all that He is taking you through is to renew your mind, to protect your heart and to make you over.  Today, let Him wash your mind clean.  Ask Him for the word of life to speak over your own family and over your own situation.  Stop trying to fix it and just go through the process.  Don't prolong it.  Let the Father reveal Himself to you and keep you in the secret place.  Think about the things of God.  Be encouraged that this too shall pass and you will be better for it.  Better for God's use and better for Kingdom work.

Weight Watchers

Hebrews 12:1

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. . .

For the past four weeks God has instructed me to change.  That change has come through a simple movement-walking.  I've walked with friends, I've walked with my daughter, and I've walked on my own, but all in all God says for me to keep walking.

As I walk He surrounds me with His peace so much so that when I experience hardship, I am now somewhat perplexed by how I'm not bothered.  Yesterday my car refused to start and I wasn't in a position to have it repaired immediately.  But God stilled my mind and I focused on Him as Jehovah Jireh.  When I did this I was able to rest.  I don't know how, but I do know that God will provide.

He is also showing me His love.  I am surrounded by people who pray for me and with me, who refuse to allow me to fall and stay there.  God has dispatched angels to tend to my needs and to make the way open for my deliverance.  Who wouldn't want to serve a God who loves like this?  He has hidden me in His secret place and He's keeping me there in spite of myself and an enemy intent on my destruction.  He is lovingly and gently taking me through a process that doesn't always feel good, but that is wholly meant for my good.

During this past four weeks of walking in my change process I have lost nearly 20 pounds!  God brought this scripture to my remembrance.  He said any time we as Christians begin to exercise in the discipline of faith, the Word, prayer and praise the weight of the world will be released from us and we will no longer be tethered by sin.  God showed me that as much as I want it, I can't lose the weight any faster than the process will allow and even during the process I will make mistakes, but the goal is to keep moving forward.  Forward means continual improvement.  It means change.  It means I'm obeying God's commandment for me.  And in this time of change there is so much freedom in my praise.  My sister, Minister Cheryl Cheadle, sang of how my praise is not your praise and there is a story behind my praise.  Whew!  I'm shouting.  I hope you are too!

God said to me that the process of dropping the weight is inclusive of all of my tears, my apprehension, my hoping, my doubting, my highs and my lows, my happy times and my struggles.  It includes my new experiences and my past sufferings.  God assured me that with each step, each time I pick my foot up again and place it back down there is a little less of me-the weight-and a little more of Him-the great I am.  Last, I have to tell you that you missed it if you were not at Urban Empowerment today.  Bishop Peat preached about living the double Dutch life.  There ate always multiple things going on in our lives.  We must start out slowly.  Sometimes we'll mess up and we can't jump in.  But we will progress through discipleship and developing trust in God that He will do what He said He would do.  This allows us to drop the weight and double Dutch like a pro!

Today pick up the commandment of God for your life and watch the weight melt away.

Net Work Part 1

Being Christ like sometimes becomes thwarted and clouded by personal agenda, tainted opinion and/or a judgmental attitude.  At it's basest definition Christianity is taking on the mind of Christ in order to pursue His example and to mimic His character.  It requires an attitude of humility, a determination to obey and a vivacious desire to embrace change.  Fortunately for us becoming Christ like doesn't mean losing our own identities.   In fact when we read about a Peter, or a Paul or a John we can see that God used who these men were at their core.  He just shifted their paradigm.  I have been a Christian for most of my years.  Yet, I am now learning what it really means.  I went through a judgmental phase where I watched everyone's behavior closely and applied the Word of God to their lives for them in my own mind.  But there is a saying, just keep living.  The things that we may judge someone on today can easily become our issues tomorrow.  For today's blog consider St. John chapter 21 and Hebrews 11:1.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence go things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). 

The above well known scripture should excite and ignite every Christian into ministering to the needs of others. The passage holds within it the keys to the kingdom and the opportunity to access and to operate in the power of God in order to loose things and to bind things.

Chapter 21 of St. John is the well known story of when a few disciples were fishing and had caught nothing--seeing that they had caught nothing, Jesus advised that they cast their nets on the right side of their boat.  Upon obeying they were instantly gorged with so many fish that it became difficult for the disciples to pull the fish into the boat.

These passages are related in that they help us to gain an understanding of what faith is and how it should be applied within the context of becoming Christ like.  It's almost a simple equation.  Peter, Didymus, Nathanial and the other fishermen hoped for fish.  They worked hard for the fish only to turn up with nothing to show for all of their hard work.  Jesus came to them and gave a command to try the other side of the boat.  The men followed the command and their nets were filled.  In this instance the obedience that the men exercised when they followed Jesus' command proved their obedience.  So the equation would look something like this O(F+W)=H.  O = obedience, F=faith, W=works and H=things hoped for.

In our quest to complete the equation and to experience those things that we hope for, there are some faith blockers.  The biggest faith blocker is disobedience to the Word of God for us.  When we fail to obey our work is in vein.  There is no yield.

Another major faith blocker is something not in the above equation, but that does appear in chapter 21 of St. John.  It is a failure to mind our own process with Jesus.  Observe verses 20-23 which discuss Peter's concern over another disciple's relationship with Jesus.  Peter saw another disciple talking to Jesus, asking Jesus questions and communing with Jesus.  Peter asked what was going on.  Jesus basically told Peter to mind his own business.  Each Christian has his/her relationship with Jesus and Jesus knows what to do in each of our lives to bring us to the place where we can be used by Him for His glory.  He knows what to say to us and what we have to go through.  He knows how to get us to experience all of the pieces of the equation.  He is God alone.

Weapons of Mass Destruction Part 1

I spoke with a new friend recently.  Interestingly, I called to check on her and to encourage her so I thought.  In fact, my new friend educated me on what it means to be encouraged.  She reminded me that my ultimate goal in this life is to be like my Father and to be about doing His business.  She encouraged me to forgive, to stop having expectations of people and to focus on the power of God to change my situation through prayer and supplication.  After our conversation my heavy burden was lifted. 

My burden was hurt plain and simple.  Like so many Christians, I had been hurting and unable to let it go.  I had been blinded by it and started feeling justified in my destructive behavior because afterall, I was the victim.  But my friend spoke the Word of life that jarred me back like being shocked with a spiritual defribultor.  Our conversation's focus was no longer about my ache to be accepted, understood and comforted by people, but it turned to a question that God had put in my heart months ago; who do I serve?  I came to the conclusion that if I say and believe that I serve the one true and living God, then it is for God that I live and for God that I die and I will no carry the burden of hurt and disappointment.

God brought 2 Corinthians 10 to my heart.  Consider the first 8 verses of this scripture:

¹Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
²But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
⁴(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
⁵Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
⁶And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
⁷Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.
⁸For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

This scripture, while familiar, now seems so new to me.  As I read it I observed the undertones of what Paul was saying.  People were talking about him.  They were talking about how unimpressive Paul was in person.  They were saying that he looked frail and didn't speak as well as his letters presented him.  That maybe he wasn't living in the full power of God.  But Paul retorted, "It doesn't matter how I look, and while I am tethered to a physical body, my weapons and my fight are spiritual." 

These weapons that Paul shared are obedience, forgiveness and love.  Like Paul realized when he was penning this letter, I now understand that in order for God's will to be manifested in my life, I must focus all of who I am on obtaining and detinating these weapons of mass destruction.  In verse 8 Paul advises that he could boast about the power of God in his life, but that's not the point.  The power is for the edification and uplifting of the body of Christ.  In verse 7 Paul emplores good Christian people to look toward more than the outward appearance of a person to know if they belong to Christ.   He asks people to realize that if you in your own imperfection can say that you belong to Christ then perhaps so can others.  Verse 6 advises that upon the total completion of our own obedience to God then we can judge someone else's disobedience.

Lifeguard on Duty

My mother and father divorced shortly after I was born. I grew up with an awkward stepmother and an abusive father. At 21 years old my life changed drastically. I lost the only family that I had known and all of the dysfunction that was normal to me. God introduced me to a new family. From that experience I learned that God gives us what we need at the time that it makes the most impact on our purose and when He can be assured to get the glory. From that new family I gained a dear and precious friend. She recently called me. I hadn't spoken to her in a few years, but I was so thankful to hear from her again. As we caught up I began to share my current state of mind; how I wasn't in a good place in several ways and how I felt like I was sinking. I explained how I missed how she and I would sit and talk about the Lord and share in the Word. She said, "Some times God leads us down a path that we do not understand, but we are able to make it back to Him. The point of the path is not about us, but rather about us recognizing when someone else is going down that path and being there to help him/her back when they can't find their own way." Since that conversation I have been asking God for insight into her statement. God brought me back to Matthew 14:22-32. This passage is the story of Peter waking on the water. God also asked me who I was serving and if I was serving Him why wasn't I keeping His commandments to love Him with all of my heart, my soul and my might and to love my neighbor as myself. God has led me by this commandment to love since I was a little girl. He has helped me to escape the lure of religion and to embrace our relationship by remembering that He created me to do His will. I am quite fascinated by the humanity of the story of Peter walking on the water and then beginning to sink, but finally reaching out to Jesus for help. Not just because Peter walked on water, which was awesome and supernatural, but because of the verses that lead up to that event. These verses clearly indicate that Jesus knew full well that He was sending Peter into a sinking situation far from the peaceful shore. Jesus knew that the wind would blow and that the waves would beat violently against the boat, threatening the lives inside. Jesus knew that He was sending the rock of the Christian church into a perilous experience and while it may have hurt Jesus to do so, He did it purposefully. Jesus sent Peter into a place of hardship in order to test the very limits of Peter's trust and to fortify Peter's confidence. Most of all Jesus knew that the gates of hell would not prevail against Peter. Jesus knew the outcome and so do we. There are times that we will find ourselves in the middle of a sinking situation where we feel like no one is interested in throwing us a life preserver, but rather criticizing and judging us for not rescuing ourselves. The important thing to hold onto in that sinking situation is that there is a lifeguard on duty. While Jesus was sending Peter into a time of testing, He also knew the result of the test would be to break up the fallow ground in Peter's mind and to provide a break through in Peter's experience in God. It would help Peter to push past his problems, past his emotions, past his feelings of inadequacy and past his heartache. Jesus knew Peter was the right candidate to build the modern day Christian church on, but Jesus also knew the Peter felt broken and that Peter needed a savior to save his soul, to guard his life, his mind and his spirit. Peter's mind needed to be expanded and his faith needed some exercise. Peter's hope needed to be stretched and his heart needed to be founded in the fact that there was absolutely no situation that God couldn't rescue Peter from. It was the path through the storm that opened up Peter's anointing. It was the storm that prompted Peter to walk on the water toward Jesus. It was the need to refocus, when he started to sink, that taught Peter to call on the name of Jesus and it was Peter's sinking that activated Jesus' saving power; a power that Peter would learn to hone and rely on again and again with every new test and peril. See all at once Peter learned to lean on Jesus rather than on his own ability or understanding. What Peter experienced provided him the opportunity to accept the power of God and the calling on his own life. These are the lessons that God wants us to learn with every storm that we find ourselves in. The boat that brought us into the middle of it all may break apart, the winds my blow and the waves may beat, the rain may come and it may seem very frightening, but there is in it all the chance to expand our faith to accept the power of God and the calling on our lives. There is the opportunity to trust God and what He is doing. To rest in Him. To reach out to Him for help. There is the chance to put our hand in His hand and allow Him to guard our lives. He's on duty 24-7-365. There's never a tear that He doesn't see. There's never a situation where He's not there. He already knows you need Him and He purposed the disturbance to bring you to a place where you could learn to love the Lord with all of your heart, all of your soul and all of your might and to learn to love your neighbor as yourself. That sinking sensation is really God bringing you into a place of relationship rather than religion. It is His way of keeping you grounded and understanding that you serve Him and that to love Him means keeping His commandments. He is sending you purposefully into the preparation and qualification that you need to edify the body and to glorify Him. He knows that you win and He so wants you to know that to. Today please be encouraged to PUSH (pray until something happens). Please read the Word and hide it in your heart. Please hear God and keep your concentration trained on Him. And if you begin to sink, call Him. He will rescue you. He's on duty.

Escape the "Spin" Cycle

Consider the two passages below:

And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Matthew 21:44)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Sometimes as Christians we neglect ourselves.  We neglect to stir up our gifts, neglect to read the word, neglect to pray, neglect to hear the voice of God, neglect to befriend one another and fellowship with each other.  We neglect the whole notion and the whole point of Christianity-literally, to be like Christ.  We neglect our churches, our leaders, our families.  We neglect to let the mind of Christ be in us.  We neglect our calling.  We neglect our savior.

What do I mean?  We get so caught up and swept up in the spin cycle of life; the day to day routines, the same old same old.  We stop seeing people and start seeing task fulfillment.  We stop seeing souls and start feeling the tug of the rigors of getting older, being overworked and getting little rest.  We trade friendship for acquaintance and trust for convenience.  We gloss over meaningful events because we don't have time to deal with anything of worth.  We know that our families, our friends, those souls, those relationships, our churches, our leaders, our gifts, our ministry and our God are waiting on us to slow down and give them some attention.  We know and we keep promising ourselves that we will give all of those things the attention that they need.  Then a few days go by, a few months, a couple of years.  Our spin cycle is full throttle now and every thing's a blur.  Our children are grown, the faces in our churches have all changed, our friends have moved on and we find ourselves moving ever faster, but accomplishing less and less.

What has happened?  I believe that God wants us to recognize that we may be caught up in a spin cycle.  The spin cycle is the very last cycle for a washing machine.  The clothes initially went in dirty; a cleansing agent was added and the clothes were agitated.  The clothes were rinsed and then sent into the spin cycle so that they could be taken out, dried and reused.  However, some of us are uncomfortably comfortable in the spin cycle.  See the spin cycle keeps you busy and distracted and every now and then some water will sprinkle in to remind you that you are still in the washing machine.  As long as we remain in the washing machine we are moving, but we are not useful.  So then we begin to substitute being busy for being a blessing.

These two passages of scripture were given to me in an effort to help me out of my spin cycle.  See for a long time--a very long time, I have been a victim of my own stinking thinking; meaning I have not been seeing myself as God sees me.  I've been devaluing myself, my worth, my talent, my position, my place, my voice and my anointing.  I've been silencing my own voice and quenching the fire in my own life and staying stuck in a spin cycle of mistrust, doubt, superficial relationships and discouragement.  None of this because I'm a bad person.  I just stopped seeing myself through the eyes of God.  I've been viewing my situation and my life through eyes of tragedies, disappointments, missed opportunities and miscommunication.

If you have had moments like this too or if you feel caught up in a spin cycle, there is an answer and His name is I AM!  Matthew 21:44 notes that whoever falls on the rock will be broken, but whoever allows the rock to fall on him shall be crushed and ground to powder.  With every new day that God grants us we can come to ourselves--like the prodigal son.  When we come to ourselves, we can stop the spin cycle and we can ask God to make us over again.  The way that He makes us over is by allowing us to fall on Him.  Certainly He is formidable and when we fall on Him our will and our way are going to break.  Fortunately for us He is an expert at mending brokenness; so much so that when He mends us we are made whole and new.

Matthew 11:28-30 addresses the stuff that we carry around that keeps us in a spin cycle.  Some of us are not only in a spin cycle, but we have an unbalanced load.  Have you every heard a washing machine with an unbalanced load?  The machine can sometimes rock violently.  God is beckoning for us to lay aside the sin and the weight and the burdens that keep us pinned down and unable to move.  As long as we carry burdens of stinking thinking, past hurts and current mistrust we are limited.

If you were present at Urban Empowerment Wednesday evening you had the awesome opportunity to hear Dr. Phillips admonish us to Break the Limits off.  Something that she shared struck me--no convicted me.  She said that sometimes we have baggage and we mistake our baggage for luggage.  Bishop Woods shared that if you have luggage it's because you are going somewhere.  Dr. Phillips expressed that baggage is not for traveling because it is filled with things from your past.  Baggage represents those issues and problems that keep you tethered.  She demonstrated how so many Christians are serving and faithful yet they are burdened with baggage and that baggage is messy and stinky.  It not only affects us, but it affects how we treat others.  It limits our ability to fully love. 

There is only one answer.  The answer is not for Bishop to get some body else straight.  The answer is not for me to tell someone off.  The answer is not for me to stop talking to people and stop attending church.  The answer is what it always has been-give it to God.

I know this blog is long, but I feel a tug to talk about this.  When you've been hurt deeply, when you've suffered at the hands of a family member, spouse, friend or trusted person, you carry that hurt around.  You might pack it up in your baggage and not see it for a very long time, but as soon as God is calling for you to go to another level in your life you unpack that hurt and re-experience it again and as a result wind up distracted and unable to move to your rightful and more effective place of ministry.  There are three words that are so easy to say yet so hard to do; Let it go.  God is loving enough to handle whatever you got.  The blood of Jesus can take it.  His stripes can heal you from it.  Now, according to Dr. Phillips, you can't just turn lose of your baggage.  No.  That's not enough because as previously stated you will go back to it eventually.  You've got to ask God to break it and to break you from it.

Examine your life today.  Are you as effective as you could be?  Are you caught up in a spin cycle or a holding pattern that's keeping you from being useful?  If so apply the Word of God.  Fall on Him, cast your cares on Him, leave your burdens with Him.  Escape the Spin.

The Casual Observer

Matthew 14:22-31 reports to us the story of Peter's walk on the water. To the casual observer this may seem like just another Bible story, but between Peter and Jesus, this was the testing of faith that would solidify Peter as the rock upon which the modern Christian church would be built.

As I read this passage of scripture I note that Jesus purposefully sent the disciples away in the boat. He directed them that He would meet them on the other side so they had a promise. He went up into the mountain to pray knowing that the waves would come and toss the boat. He knew that the strong wind would come and rock the boat. He sent His disciples into a tumultuous situation hoping that they would hold on to the promise of His meeting them on the other side.

We oftentimes question why God allows us to be tossed and driven in our own lives. Why does He send us into tumultuous situations? To the casual observer it may seem like He is unaware of what's happening to us and that He's not nearby to calm the storm, but I'm here to tell you that the causal observer doesn't know what I know and what Peter knew. You see when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that He has done for me . . . my soul cries out hallelujah! I begin to praise Him because I know that He sent me purposefully into a stormy situation in order to test my faith and to make it stronger. Great faith isn't great faith until it is tested just like a muscle doesn't gain strength until it is exercised and used.

In the middle of the night or in the middle of the situation with the boat being tossed by the waves and driven by the wind, Jesus came to His disciples, walking on the water. They in turn thought He was a ghost and began to scream. Isn't this just like us? In the middle of our storm and our tumultuous situation we don't recognize that it's a test of our faith? We can't even see that Jesus is there and that He is calling for us to step out of the whirlwind into the peace of knowing that He has everything in control.

But one person in that boat that day dared to think, "This could be Jesus." Peter called out to Him and said, "If it is you, command me to come." Jesus simply answered, "Come." Peter climbed out of the boat and begin to walk on the the water to the Master.

To the casual observer it looked like Peter was crazy. But like a popular rap song once stated, You can't see what I can see, 'cause you're blind to the facts! People on the boat may have had a lot to say. They were all terrified because they saw a being walking on the water toward them claiming to be Jesus. Instead of trusting they began screaming with fear. But Peter simply saw Jesus. He saw his friend. He saw his teacher. He trained his eyes on his savior. He looked to the hills knowing that his help was coming from the Lord! So Peter was able to walk on the water.

In my spiritual imagination I wonder what the people on the boat were thinking. They were all in the same boat and they all had the same opportunity to walk on the water to Jesus. But they did not all have the same focus, revelation or the same recognition. See in the midst of the toss and the shake Peter saw Jesus. Do you see Jesus in the middle of your bills being due? Can you see the Lord in the middle of your heartache? Because if you can see Jesus while you're in the middle of your struggle, then He can work signs and miracles in and through you for His glory.

Verse 30 reveals that Peter perceived the strong wind and he began to sink. To the casual observer, it may look like destruction is upon you and is about to overtake you. See some folks are waiting for your fall. They can see that you had the faith to step out of the boat and to walk on the water, but they are still looking at you and not the Lord. They still have their eyes on what's going on with you because they are waiting on you to fail in your faith. But like Peter all we have to do is call out to Jesus and ask Him to save us and as verse 31 shares, Jesus instantly reaches out His hand to catch us.

These are the situations when we all know that no body but the Lord could have done it. God will show up in the middle of your nighttime situation and in the middle of your storm. He will allow the testing of your faith so that you can grow and know that He will deliver you and give you peace. Then He will show Himself to the point where it cannot be denied that He alone is God.

In the end everyone in the boat glorified God because of all that they had witnessed. God was able to get the glory out of the storm. Ask God today to help your faith, to save you and to show Himself so that someone else can glorify God because of all that you are going through.

You're Not the Weakest Link. Hello!

Joshua chapter 2 reveals the story of a prostitute-or as the King James version reads-a harlot-who hid two Israeli spies. These two spies had been sent by Joshua to bring back a report about Jericho; a report needed to help Israel prepare to possess the land.

As the story goes, the King of Jericho learned about the spies and their whereabouts and he sent a message to the harlot asking her tell where the spies were because they knew that the spies were sent to scout out the land. For the King of Jericho, this was an urgent matter because it was an indication to him that the promise of God to the Children of Israel was imminent. He had heard that God promised the Israelites that they would possess the land.

But this woman, this harlot, in fact refused to give up the spies or to alert the King to their presence. As a matter of fact she not only hid these spies, but she also lied about where the spies went. She didn't deny that the spies had been to her home, but she advised that they were no longer there and that if the King wanted to find them, he'd better hurry up and go after them. Lying to throw the King off of the trail was a treasonous action. But this prostitute decided that after all that she had seen and heard about God and the people of God, that she'd rather take her chances hiding out the spies of people who were about to take over her home than to be loyal to her country and her king.

Let's examine this situation. First of all, this woman's occupation was not favorable and put her into a class of individuals who's behavior was not acceptable. It made her less credible in the eyes "good folks." It made her less desirable to be associated with in pubic. Interestingly though it also apparently made her the target of much observation and gossip, because the spies weren't at her house good before word got back to the king that there were some spies in town and that they were at her house.

From the spies' perspective, this must have seemed like the worst place to hid out. They must have been thinking, "We've only been here a few minutes and already folks are here looking for us!" They must have thought Joshua was wrong and the whole plan was about to be exposed because they were with the weakest link.

There are times in our lives when God entrusts us with ministry, with people's secrets and to do great things, but we do not see ourselves in a favorable light. We begin to wonder why God would choose us to do His will in our wretched and undone state. We feel like the weakest link.

But like this woman, God places the future of His people in our hands so that He will be glorified and so that His people can be edified. Where we may feel inadequate, God is saying, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." He wants us to know that He's putting order, rulership and governance in the hands of those that others may have shunned or talked about or ignored or put down. He's trusting you to understand what it's like to be lied on and gossiped about. He's betting that your experiences will give you compassion and a soft heart. So where you couldn't see yourself as the best choice, God made you the perfect choice.

There was a game show where the host would say to the player who couldn't answer the question, "You are the weakest link. Goodbye!" But I'm sharing with you that God says today that, "You're not the weakest link. Hello!" You are the head and not the tail. You are above and not beneath. You are the lender and not the borrower. You can carry out the will of God for your life. You can evangelize. You can start a business that benefits God's people. You can take care of children. You can get your education. You can minister from your experiences. You can share your testimony. You can share the Word of encouragement, life, reconciliation and redemption. You can by faith.

The woman in this passage of scripture had seen and heard about the wonders of the God of the Children of Israel. She had heard about how He delivered them over and over. She was in awe of God and His people and it must have dawned on her when the spies showed up at her home and even more when the King sent to try to find them that she was involved in something huge. It must have occurred to her because she asked the spies to remember her and her family and to keep them alive when they returned to occupy the land.

It is high time that you realize the situation that you are in. You have seen the scripture and heard the Word. You have seen what God can do for others and you have experienced what He has done for you. As a result, it is high time that you now realize that you have the opportunity to stay in position so that you can play your part in fulfilling the will of God. Hold your ground. Stay in place. Operate in your authority. You are not the weakest link.

Today choose to trust that God has a plan that includes you. That He is seeking your obedience and your willingness. That He makes no mistakes. That you are supposed to hid the Word in your heart and to share it with your family. That you are supposed to love people and through that love you are to cover a multitude of sins. That you are needed to share what God has done for you so that someone else can overcome. Trust that when you feel weak, God will be there to work through you so that everyone will know that only He could have done it. God will be glorified and the enemy horrified by you staying in position.

Every Day with Jesus

Like most Christians trying to walk out my calling in 2012 I daily look to the Word of God for guidance and listen for His voice to order my steps. I sometimes even imagine what it must have been like to be recruited by Jesus like the disciples. These men were approached and compelled to follow Jesus. They developed a bond and a relationship like Rabbi and students or Father and sons and at the same time Jesus loved them deeply and counted them as His friends.

They went where He went. They observed and heard all that He did and said. He advised them. He taught them. He helped their ignorance and their unbelief. He helped them to exercise their faith muscles and to get over their own self interests and sins to be the rock upon which the modern church was built, the evangelists that spread the gospel to the nations and the men that performed mighty miracles and healings chronicled in the holy manuscripts that we read today.

What I find interesting is that every day with Jesus these men were being groomed and prepared for greater works, for higher heights and for deeper depths. They were being prepared to shepherd and care for God's people. They were being prepared to heal the sick and to raise the dead. They were being prepared to do what Jesus did. Yet while Jesus was with them they never fully understood. Jesus knew that they didn't grasp the full picture, but he continued to guide them to take care of people's need like when he fed the group of 5000 men with the two fish and five loaves of bread. He showed them how to be compassionate for the people when he shared the story of the Good Samaritan. He instilled the need to forgive people when he knelt down and drew in the sand daring any one to throw the first stone at the adulteress. Jesus laid the example of obedience and submission to the Father when He taught the disciples to pray. And eventually, He showed them how He came to fulfill the will of the Father and to reconcile His people back to the Father through the ultimate sacrifice of His life to provide salvation for the world.

He enlightened these men and prepared them for the purpose of preaching, teaching, being apostles and walking in the gifts and calling of God so that they could share the good news of His life, death, burial and resurrection; so that they could tell the world that through His sacrifice the gift of salvation is free.

In other words, these men didn't follow Jesus just for the simple sake of following someone. After all, there were many false prophets that had followings too. No. Jesus taught these men to yield to the will of the Father and to obey Him. All of this because of the Love that the Father has for us. Jesus introduced these men to that Love. He showed them that there really was no greater love than a man that would lay down His life for His friends; than a God who would sacrifice His son's innocent life for a world of sinners. Every day with Jesus was a valuable lesson for the disciples to learn how to reach people with the message that Jesus is the atonement for our sins; that He took the sting of death for us. When Jesus ascended into the heaven He gave these men instruction to share with the world what He had lived out with them every day.

Every day I ask myself if I am fulfilling that same call. In spite of my failings, my own self interests, my faults, my mistakes, my weakness. In spite of my mess, my past, my struggle and my longings. Am I living out the example of obedience to the will of the Father? Am I sharing the gospel? Am I working to provide the Word of life, redemption and reconciliation to everyone that I influence? Do I understand why I follow Him? Am I leading people to Christ and letting them know that the gift of salvation is free because of His sacrifice? Am I telling people that Jesus lived, died, was buried and resurrected so that they can have abundant and everlasting life with Him. Or do I just believe it for myself? Can anyone witness that I told them that Jesus saves to the utmost?

There's a song that says Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before, every day with Jesus I love Him more and more, Jesus saves me and keeps me saved, He's the one that I adore, every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. The Bible tells me how I love the Lord; by keeping His commandments. Matthew 28 19 and 20 says it this way 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Make everyday a day to follow the example that Christ provided and to keep His commandments.

God's Longing for His People

The book of Hosea chronicles the story of a man whom God led to marry a prostitute. Interestingly, little is known of the man himself, but much attention is given to Hosea's relationship with is wayward wife Gomer. We know that this story in fact is a representation of the relationship between God and the Children of Israel.

Fast forward now to 2012. Our Bishop prophesied at the beginning of this year that this is our year to experience governance, order and rulership. It is our time for God to put some things into our hands and to set our lives in order, yet for many of us this new season of our lives has brought us to a Hosea like place. God has been dealing with me on this for months and I am only able to write this morning.

God has revealed that so many of His people are wrestling with the enemy. People are dealing with Gomer situations because they are prostituting the gifts of God. People are refusing to come to the alter and to seek God, but they can't because of the rift they feel is between them the people of God, the leadership of God and God himself. People are wrestling with addictions, with loneliness, with false doctrine, with hard heartedness, with hatred, with demonic forces and all of this is leaving them in a dry and desolate place where they cannot feel the Lord.

God has told me that this is a time to learn. The lesson you ask? That lesson is found in the love story of Hosea and Gomer. Yes, I said love story. Hosea loved Gomer and every time she would stray, he would find her and redeem her. And although their relationship was used by God to express the struggle that the Children of Israel went through--constantly pursuing false gods--the story also shows us God's unrelenting love because of His covenant with His people. No matter how Israel played the harlot, God's love found her and redeemed her each time. That's love. How many of us are up to the challenge? It's not pretty. It's not convenient. It's not comfortable. It's not easy. It can be a lonely place.

How does all of this relate to the words of our Bishop? God's word is true. This is our year for rulership, governance and order. However, this is not our year for forgetting the body and forsaking the reason why God has chosen to move us into a more deeper relationship with Him. I believe that we are experiencing this Hosea like place so that we remember the people of God and so that we use whatever resources that He blesses us with to give the word of redemtion and reconsiliation to the people. What we have been struggling with and what we have been experiencing is only a light example of what our community is struggling with and what our children are going through. God wants us to use our own experiences as a way to see how He is longing to redeem our community, our children, our mothers, fathers, our school teachers, our police officers, our leaders, our smallest to our greatest. He wants us to be sold out like Hosea so that no matter how many times someone leaves the church, WE don't shun them and WE don't stop talking to them or loving them. He wants us to continue to speak the Word of life and redemption over them, after all, if it wasn't for God's grace and mercy, our sins and iniquity would be exposed. None is perfect except our Savior.

What should you take from this? God is constant. His word is true. That means if we are wrestling with something then there is a lesson and a blessing in it. If God promised you that you would see your family saved then why have you stopped inviting them to church? Why have you grown tired of forgiving and of sharing the Word of God? Why have you stopped praying? If God promised you that you would own a business then why have you given up? If God told you to preach the Word and be instant in season and out then why have you stopped studying? If God told you that you were part of a body, then why is it okay for you to move forward without your legs or arms? If God told you that you were an evangelist then why have you stopped fishing? If God called you out of darkness then why aren't you doing everything within your power to help reconcile others to Christ? If God delivered you from your fall and your backslidden condition when you were sinking to rise no more then why for heaven's sake would you watch your brother or sister drowning and not lend a hand; why wouldn't you reach out to restore?

God's word reveals that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Most of us wouldn't have lived out Hosea's experience to serve as a warning and a lesson to God's people. Hosea suffered. His life was messy. His experience was grueling and difficult. Yet out of Hosea's sacrifice came a message of how far God's love would reach, and just how fierce God's love for His people really is.

Today reflect on what you have been going through and ask yourself if this is an opportunity for God to be glorified because of your efforts to reconcile others. While you are going through the devil just might mean it for bad, but know and trust that God is working it for your good because greater is He that is within me than he that is within the world.