Monday, December 23, 2013

TELL THE TRUTH. SHAME THE DEVIL

Hugh Latimer a preacher, who was burned at the stake for his involvement of trying to get the bible translated into English is credited with coining the phrase "say the truth and shame the devil", that was back in 1555. (Christianity.com)

WHAT IS TRUTH?



John 8:44 For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and a father of lies. (NLT)


John 14:6 Jesus said, I AM... the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 

Jesus is Truth, He is the reality of God's promises, the Messiah, the Saviour, and King.

When I was in my early 20's, I was saved, but my mind had not been renewed/transformed yet (that is a daily process). Some of the television programs that I watched had couples - "unmarried" couples living together and to me that was no big deal, it was NORMAL. After I met my children's father, we decided to live together, because that was NORMAL, right? Well, anyway I was told by someone that - "it was not something that I should do" - "that it wasn't a good idea", but they didn't tell me why. Could I buy into the fact that it was wrong, (yes and no). Let me try to clarify, this person was telling me a truth, but I perceived it as THEIR TRUTH, so therefore it had no power in my life (because it didn't reference Jesus/God), now if they had said, God said, this, this, and that .... now that's a GOD TRUTH that has power which leads to conviction, but the choice was still mine to make. I hope that made sense.

After two years, the relationship ended, Michael was born and Jessica was on the way and I had moved back home. Some years had passed and I began to study God's word and I came across this big word in the bible, "fornication" I could see that God didn't like it but I didn't know what it meant, so I looked it up -  "sexual relations between two people who are not married" Gasp! Now, I'm aware that I had been sinning against God and I didn't even know it. Well, I couldn't undo what had been done, but I could learn and grow from the experience and share this truth with others.

"Right Believing leads to Right Living" when you believe right, you live right.
- Joseph Prince

As followers of Christ we need to help one another by sharing God's truth, but it must always be mingled with love. We don't share this truth to condemn or shame but it is to lift up, edify. encourage and motivate right living. Joseph Prince says, "right believing leads to right living". So many of us hold back our testimony of what God has done in our lives and in essence we rob God of His Glory and we empower Satan.

Someone needs to hear that you have been delivered from drugs, alcohol, sexual sin, cursing, lying, cancer, etc. Be that mouthpiece that says God is "no respecter of persons, if God did it for me, He can do it for you" - "If God delivered me, He can deliver you", our testimony brings HOPE to those that our struggling and tangled up in sin. Don't just tell them that 'God is able' when you've got a testimony locked up within your spirit, that testifies of His delivering power. Remember that our words are not to condemn but to love people back into their rightful position in Christ, now those that are not saved/born again, I encourage you to receive the gift of Salvation that has been provided for you through Jesus, read John 3:16; Romans 10:9.

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!
- A Few Good Men

Tell the Truth and shame the Devil, the Devil would like nothing more than to keep us in the dark and silent and ignorant to the truths of God. "Ignorance Is Bliss" as I get older I can see that ignorance is not 'always' bliss. Break the law and find out what happens, you can plead ignorance ("your Honor I didn't know") if you want to, but you still have to deal with the consequences of your actions/choices. We can't afford to keep lollygagging through life as if  we have no one to answer to, our time here is just like vapor (fog or smoke), it is fleeting.

James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Christ has made it possible for us to go directly to God for forgiveness, but confessing our sins to one another still has an important place in the life of believers. If we need loving support as we struggle with a sin we should confess those sins to those that are able to provide that support. (NLT Study Bible)

Revelation 12:10-13 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, "It has happened at last - the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of Christ! For the accuser has been thrown down to earth - the one who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night. And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony. And they were not afraid to die. Rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea. For the Devil has come down to you in great anger, and he knows that he has little time."

Remember Until Next Time... You Are Blessed!

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Monday, December 16, 2013

NO FEAR...JUST FAITH PT. 2


Ephesian 6:16 In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.



Hebrews 11:1-3 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. God gave His approval  to people in days of old because of their faith. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (NLT)


Hey Everyone,

There was so much to say about Fear and Faith that there had to be a Part 2. Through out the scriptures we are reminded to 'fear not' or 'don't worry' or 'lose heart'. Those words can bring us comfort and joy because it's true and Jesus said it, as followers of Christ we must constantly remind ourselves of all that Jesus has accomplished for us. Sometimes we live our lives as if Jesus is still up on the cross, don't forget about His death, burial and resurrection and the fact that He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and making intercession (praying) for us.

In my lifetime I've come to understand that this faith walk (living by faith) builds my confidence in Jesus, this faith in Christ crushes my dependancy on self and my on abilities which are constrained (I can only go so far). It's natural for us to want to control every aspect of our being, but the reality is it's not going to happen and I can give you three reasons as to why it's not going to happen, we are not omnipotent, omniscient or omnipresent, but we do serve a God a Father who is. We don't know what's best for us, we are limited in knowledge, we can't see into the next minute, and we are weak because we all have a sin nature within in us. As a believer in Christ I do have Holy Spirit living within me, but I still have a evil (sin) nature that I must contend with.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Every obstacle or trial that we encounter  is an opportunity to develop our faith, but if we're not careful we will let fear snuff it out.  It's essential  for us to know what God has to say about our particular situation and to trust that He has a plan and a purpose, we must stay close to God (seek Him, pray, meditate on His Word) so that He can guide us in the direction He would have for us to go. When I quit my job in 2012, it took faith because it wasn't logical, I didn't have another job to go to and I'm sure some people may have thought I was foolish and I even questioned it myself, but faith doesn't require me to make sense of it all, it only requires trusting God.

In February of 2012 my Dad passed away, in my eyes he demonstrated a great deal of faith. No matter what the doctor said concerning his health, he didn't let that slow him down, he kept living his life and going where he wanted to go. He never stopped singing praises to God and he didn't miss a Sunday Service, until it was close to time for him to go be with our Lord Jesus. When he was placed in hospice it was a shock to a lot of people, they didn't realize how sick he really was and that's because his faith was sustaining him through his sickness. He didn't complain about how he felt, he was always FINE and he would talk and joke with you, that was his way. There is a lot that I could say about my Dad, but I'm going to reserve that for my mother who will be the Guest Blogger in February.

Until Next Time...Keep The Faith and remember You Are Blessed!

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Monday, December 9, 2013

NO FEAR...JUST FAITH

2 Timothy 1:7  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. (NLT)

*In the Greek the word Fear is translated Cowardice.



Matthew 21:21-22 Then Jesus told them, "I assure you, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, "May God lift you up and throw you into the sea, and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (NLT)

Hi Sweetie,

As a little girl around the age of 3 or 4, I was so afraid of people (strangers), I would hide behind the back side of the bed or hold on to my mother's leg. When I was 18, I was able to attend a 2 year fashion college. I completed the 1st year...the 2nd year I was to put together a mini-fashion show and because I was afraid to do that, I didn't go back. When I was about 23, I moved back home because I was afraid to live alone with 2 small children. I'm afraid to get on a cruise ship (that's a lot water), but I'm not afraid to fly (even though I've only done it once). I'm afraid of the dark (I used to love to sleep in a dark room), so I sleep with the lamp on.

Throughout my life fear has worn many disguises: shyness, rejection, doubt, anxiety, worry, burden, dread...Fear had been ruling in my life all these years and it kept me from 'being all that I could be' for God, I was that person that would get so close and give up... quit...  and it was because I couldn't admit that I was afraid. Why? Why couldn't I just admit it? Sometimes, depending upon the circumstances we'll use fear to hide behind and make the accusation/excuse that, "it must not be God's will for me", you know we do that.

When I began to study the word of God I soon realized that this 'particular' fear comes from Satan and that it's a SPIRIT, not just a feeling or an emotion, but a Spirit and this Spirit was controlling my mind with fear. Once upon a time I found myself stuck between 'the fear of failure and the fear of success' and we know that's a lose-lose situation, no "WINNING" here. My pastor always says, "never underestimate Satan, he's clever and he's been at this a long time and he's a hard task-master, if he can control your mind, then he can control you".

Psalm 34:4 I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me, freeing me from all my fears. (NLT)

Satan comes against us in our minds, that's why it's so important for us believers to have the mind of Christ. We need to know what God says about living the Christian life, we need to know His promises for us, we need to know that authority has been given to us through Christ Jesus, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus has already conquered Satan and everything that he stands for. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, he doesn't care if you're young/old, male/female, rich/poor, educated/slightly educated; he will use any means necessary to keep God our Father from receiving Honor and Glory from us and FEAR is one of many arsenals.

"Sometimes God will deliver you from your fears, most times he will deliver you in your fears."
- Jimmy Evans

Fear is a bully that consistently mocks and intimidates you and I into submission and then dares us to tell anyone or do anything about it. In April or May of this year I began to learn how to drive a school bus. In the beginning I was pretty confident that I could do this, but during my training I became terrified and I was about to quit at something... again. If it had not been for Holy Spirit encouraging me, I wouldn't have completed the training.

Luke 17:6 "Even if you have faith as small as a mustard seed," the Lord answered, "you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May God uproot you and throw you into the sea,' and it would obey you! (NLT)

Holy Spirit kept impressing upon my heart, 'your breakthrough is right there, hold on'. My breakthrough was so much more than me learning how to drive a school bus, it was me conquering a fear... me depending on God and trusting what Jesus had already accomplished for my life and relying on the power within (Holy Spirit) to strengthen my faith. "Do It Afraid!", is one of my favorite quotes from Joyce Meyers. I would like to elaborate by saying, fear will paralyze you and keep you from being any earthly good to the body of Christ, it will keep you from the plans and purposes of God for your life and it will also hinder your spiritual growth as well, so therefore sometimes we are just going to have to "Do It Afraid!"

DO IT AFRAID!
- Joyce Meyers

Overcoming a fear doesn't mean I'm completely FEARLESS, it means I can overcome it (fear), it means, 'greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world' it means 'without Christ I can do nothing' but with Him 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' It's during those times, we must not lose our focus, it's just another scare tactic from the enemy to distract us from God's best for us. Everyday we have an opportunity to face our fears, whether it be subconsciously (those fears that lie beneath the surface) or consciously (those fears that we are fully aware of) by keeping our faith in Christ Jesus.


NO ONE is exempt from fear, no one. I'm reminded of a teaching that I heard recently about Jesus overcoming His fear. I know, you're like wait a minute!!, "when has Jesus ever been afraid of anything?" I know right, me too, WHEN? REALLY? He's JESUS!! THE HOLY ONE, THE MESSIAH, THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD.

Then the teacher went on to say, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He prayed to the Father three times asking the Father to "remove this bitter cup from me", Jesus was in a great deal of agony and distress at that time (He had the sins of the world (all mankind) upon Him: Past, Present, Future, every generation from Adam and beyond today, he was about to face beatings, humiliation,crucifixion and death ), yes He is the SON OF GOD (divine) but He is also the SON OF MAN (humanity) but He said, "nevertheless, not my will, but thine will be done." To some, this statement may be debatable, I'm not a Scholar or Theologian, but I don't think that statement was meant to demoralize or dishearten (by bringing Jesus down to the same level as me/you), but it was meant to magnify/manifest who He is -"HE'S GOD."

Hebrews 4:14-16 We have a great High Priest who has gone to Heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to Him and never stop trusting Him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He face all of the same temptations we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. (NLT)

In order to over come our fears we need to:
1. Admit there is a fear 
2. Submit the fear to God 
3. Face our fears by Faith through Christ Jesus.


If you want to know if its God's will, see how it (that thing that you want to accomplish) measures up to God. Ask yourself a series of questions: Will it take away time spent with God? Will it keep me from attending Worship Service, Bible Study, Prayer Meeting? Am I rebelling/sinning against God? This is just an example of the kinds of questions I ask myself, to help eliminate any confusion or doubt that I may be having.

Until Next Time - Remember You Are BLESSED!

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