Showing posts with label Growing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Growing. Show all posts

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Why Read The Bible Daily?

Reading the Word of God is essential to growth in Christ Jesus.

The Word is living. It is alive.

Putting it into our minds and hearts daily is the only way for ongoing transformation.

Over time, we develop a taste for it and must have it everyday.

There is no better addiction than to the vital lifeline to God. This is through the revelation of his Son via the Holy Scriptures.

Like our daily meals, scriptures need to be put in daily. We must eat and drink them, for man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

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Sunday, February 4, 2024

How Can I Call God Father?


It's very difficult, because of early traumatic experiences, for many Christians to embrace calling God Father. My heart goes out to all, especially men, who are struggling with being repelled by God's title as Our Father. 

I recently shared with someone, who is struggling with this, that it has helped me to realize that My God in Heaven is not like the father that I had here on earth. He is the Father that I wish I had always had, the Father that I should have had.  

Thinking like this helps because it takes the focus off of the earthly father, who was never able to be the example of a perfect father. God in Heaven, the Father of Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father, has come to me to fulfill all that I did not receive through my earthly father.

I am not with my Heavenly Father physically but that is coming at the end of time. I can't yet touch him and hug him, but one day soon I will be with him in my new, physical, glorified body. 

For now, as I grow close to him spiritually, he fulfills all that I need in a father. Why call God father? He restores and repairs what was done, not done and what I did not receive from earthly parents. 

My growing spiritual relationship with God The Father supersedes the physical needs of touch as I learn to crucify my flesh and bring my body under. 

God is the key, the most important connection for us. Jesus says throughout the Word that he has come to restore us to The Father. He is the link to The Father. The only way that we can reach The Father is through him. He and The Father are also One. 

Knowing Christ and growing in Christ must include coming to accept and know The Father as The Father, even if we call Him something else because we haven't yet accepted the word father.

He is fully aware of the shortcomings of our parents, guardians, keepers and those adults who had such a huge impact on our formative years. 

He has come in the form of his Holy Spirit to comfort us and guide us into a new experience of love, fatherly love. Embrace him as Father. Call him Father, and be healed.



Sunday, September 10, 2023

Poetry: I Met God In The Morning by Ralph Spalding Cushman


I met God in the morning when the day was at its best.

And his presence came like sunrise like a glory in my breast.

All day long his presence lingered all day long he stayed with me,

And we sailed with perfect calmness o'er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered.

Other ships were sore distressed,

But the winds that seemed to drive them

Brought to me a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings with a keen remorse of mind

When I too had loosed the moorings with the presence left behind.

Now I think I know the secret learned from many a troubled way.

You must meet him in the morning if you want him through the day.


by Ralph Spalding Cushman


Sunday, June 25, 2023

Don't Hesitate To Receive

Walking with God should keep us in a position to receive. Our Father will give into our bosoms many types of things in various ways. Many of us Christians are so afraid of offending God that we offend him everyday. We don't want to receive money when it is offered to us. We will reject it or delay receiving it. 

Ecclesiastes 10:19 says that money answers all things. I agree with the explanation at the Biblical answers website, Got Questions,

Here is the whole proverb: “A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything” (Ecclesiastes 10:19). The Bible is not teaching here that we should focus on partying and making money; rather, it is making a broader point about wisdom vs. foolishness.

This scripture shows the importance of money compared to certain lifestyles and pursuits. It is pointing out that we should take money seriously. God does. 

In Deuteronomy 8:18 we are told to remember Our Father for he is the one who gives us power to get wealth to establish his covenant with us. He fulfills his promises and he will bring wealth to us in various ways. One of the ways is through receiving gifts of money, not only earning it.  

Proverbs 13:22the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. Money can come to us through unrighteous people. God can wrench it from them and pass it to us, in various ways. Does it matter how it was earned or what you may think of the person? No. There is no blood money with God, The Father. The Blood of His Dear Son has cleansed it on the way to us.

I'm sharing these scriptures to make the point that as followers of Christ learning to do things God's way, we should not be afraid of receiving money when someone offers it to us. We should not reject it, deny it or slander it. If we know God, it is from God. We should always be in the position to swiftly receive from God.

Don't be pious and hyper-religious and waste time saying you have to ask God first. Don't delay by saying you have to wait on God about it. Don't be so holy and blind that you can't receive from God. That is foolishness. 

Receive immediately from God when someone offers you a gift, money or otherwise. Receive with humility, gratefulness and obedience. The door will close on that gift if you delay too long. You'll lose your opportunity. Maybe you'll be wiser at the next opportunity that comes through Our Heavenly Father.



Sunday, May 28, 2023

Listen To The Holy Spirit & The Bible

This morning at the Lakewood Church service, Lisa Osteen Comes said: 

If you don't know The Word, Satan will use that against you!

Many of the answers that you are seeking are in the Bible. Just open it up when you feel discouraged.

When I open up the Bible each morning, I feel like I am sitting with Jesus.

I feel that the Bible is the closest thing that we have to God on earth. I know we have the Holy Spirit and He is the presence of God in us. I can feel him but I can't touch him. I can touch the Bible.

Fall in love with the Bible. It will change your life. As you read, the Holy Spirit will help you to understand. Get a version that is easier for you to understand. The Holy Spirit will give you spiritual wisdom and insight.

What the Holy Spirit hears from the Father he will transmit to us. We sense the answer in our spirits and it's registered in our minds. Like a thought, something we need to know, something to pray for or an answer to a prayer. It's like an impression that you can't get away from and that you know did not come from you. A still, small voice.

The Apostle Paul describes God's voice as a perception. Everyone was saved on the ship during a hurricane because Paul listened.

Philip, the disciple, heard the voice of The Spirit that sent him to help the Ethiopian man in the chariot. Because Philip listened, he was able to explain the Gospel to him and he was saved and chose to be baptized on the spot.  

God's plans are higher than our plans. There were many times that God interrupted my plans and the outcome was much better than I could ever have imagined.

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Monday, May 15, 2023

Bearing Our Crosses For Jesus

We who are growing in Christ are called to suffer with him because we are heirs to the throne and joint heirs with the Savior. What does it mean to suffer with Christ? It is not a concept that our fleshly being readily accepts. The word suffer does not denote fun and pleasure. 

To suffer with Christ means that, through the experiences that God allows into our lives, we are able to identify with what Christ felt. Even more important is that we are able to perceive, through difficult experiences, that Christ knows how we are feeling. Why is this important? Because it sets us up for spiritual riches in the New Heaven and the New Earth and for the best rewards. 

It sets us up to rule with Christ. Even though this is at the end of time, it is what those who love Christ are living for. No matter how attached we become to this world, no matter how immersed we have to become in it to survive and thrive, we are always living for Christ's return to claim us. 

Our Father allows trying experiences into our lives so that we can better relate to what Jesus did for us. You have heard it said that Only what's done for Christ will last. It is not only about accepting Jesus as Savior, but also about being able to relate to his obedience to the Father at his own hurt. Since all that Jesus did was for us at Father God's request, it is the Father's will that we experience a little of what Christ did. 

While none of us have been called to be crucified on a cross, God allows symbolic crosses, in the way of highly-challenging experiences, into our lives. These experiences can be somewhat minor or devastating.  He wants us to bear the experiences on behalf of his beloved and obedient Son. Through developing a personal perception of what Christ endured, we become one with him. Not only does this please Our Father but it comforts us to know that we are understanding more about what the Lamb of God suffered.

Does your flesh want to fight with someone to show them that they can't do you that way? Let them do it. Jesus had to let the soldiers do him that way. We don't even know the extent of all that he had to suffer, for it was much more than what has been revealed to us in the Bible.

Is someone trying to take something away from you that they are not entitled to and your fleshly spirit rises up to fight for it? Let them take it. Jesus had to let them take his garments from him and  divide them, and so much more did he have to allow them to take.

Do you feel alone in your trials, as if the whole world is against you and winning? Accept your feelings and continue on in fellowship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for you are not alone. Jesus felt the hatred of so very many who were against him and he had to endure as Our Father allowed them to continue with their evil plans against him.

You don't want them to feel like they are winning against you so you want to fight them? Let them think they are winning. Jesus had to be unfairly judged and convicted. Every step of the way of his suffering he had to let them all think they were winning. He had to let them think they were winning as he suffered and died on the cross. 

You want to speak up for yourself and argue with them? Don't be deceived by your flesh. Don't become enraged and allow sickness to come upon you because of what God is allowing them to do. Jesus did not open his mouth when he was mistreated and unfairly charged, judged and sentenced. He had to allow himself to be quiet. Most of all, he had to suffer allowing them to have their way with him, as if they were in control. 

When our spirits rise up in a fleshly attitude against him/her/them, whoever is afflicting and maligning us, we must submit to the circumstances that God has allowed to come upon us. In this way, we choose to crucify the flesh and walk in the spirit, understanding that we are submitting not to them but to Our Heavenly Father. It takes bowing in humiliation, like Christ did. It never feels good but obedience to The Most High God is not founded in the feelings of the flesh. Bowing in humiliation and submitting to God is based in knowledge, acceptance and yielding. It is an informed decision.

We know when God is doing this special work in us because the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and ears to what is happening. The Holy Spirit does not do the work for us however, because we would not learn and grow in that way. We have to do the work of cutting our flesh off from what it wants to do, denying it and crucifying it. This causes us to suffer because we can't have our way, our fleshly way. 

We suffer as Christ did as we submit to and obey God in these unfair circumstances. This is bearing symbolic crosses for Christ and suffering with him. God has promised to take care of us when we submit to him and let them think that they are having their way. 



Sunday, March 12, 2023

We Need The Entire Bible For Transformation


It is important to read several scriptures, a whole chapter, a complete passage and over time, the entire Bible. We must also try to read it everyday. We learn the context of points, lessons and stories and get a more accurate understanding about what is being said.

Christians who only read and quote favorite scriptures do not grow. 

We need all of the Word over a period of time for our minds to be renewed and to begin to be transformed. 

As we daily read the Bible the conversion begins. This is through the Holy Spirit. He took up residence in our reborn spirits when we acknowledged and accepted Jesus Christ as God's ordained Savior. The Holy Spirit is a person, like Our Father and Our Savior. He's not a dove, a tongue of flame or a breeze, though he can use these things to operate. 

Working with the Holy Spirit through acceptance and obedience, and eating and drinking a variety of Bible scriptures daily starts the miracle transformation within us. We can then learn to apply the Word to our daily lives in a practical and beneficial way.



Saturday, March 11, 2023

Spiritual Growth Not Fleshly Control

As I've grown to the level that I am at in the Lord, I've come to understand that we shouldn't be striving to stop "sinning". As Christians continue to harp on that, I feel that there is something wrong and that they are making Jesus' blood to none effect. I know it's hard for some to not focus on working to stop sinning because of sinful habits. How terrorized, sinful and hopeless we feel when it comes to sinful habits that we can't seem to break. 

The Bible teaches us that we are only to focus upon:

  • eating and drinking the Word everyday, 
  • taking time to acknowledge and appreciate Jesus' sacrifice, 
  • worshipping God, 
  • and obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
The result of these efforts is: 

our thoughts, words and deeds will become regulated to God's kingdom. 

This is what we want and what God wants for us. We'll become knowledgeable and wise on how God wants us to think, speak and behave. The most important effect through focusing on spiritual builders is that we'll lose the desire for anything that is not of him. We steadily become who God has ordained us to be and we don't even have to work to stop sinning. Isn't that amazing?

The Bible plainly teaches us that focusing upon the flesh profits us nothing. Trying to accomplish righteousness and holiness through carnally-minded efforts profits us nothing. Focusing upon spiritual efforts transforms and renews us everyday and stores up riches for us in Heaven. The riches that we each store up in Heaven are not just there to look pretty. We will be able to use them in the New Heaven and the New Earth.                                                               

We have to be faithful with reading the Bible, appreciating Jesus, praying, talking with God and obedience to the Holy Spirit. This is because our flesh or carnal mind is not changed in this world. It is only suppressed, crucified and brought under each day as we choose to live our lives through spiritual pursuits. Our flesh and its affections, passions and desires are always with us in this life. The flesh and the carnal way of thinking are not converted. It is our spirits that are converted or brought to life. We are choosing every day to walk in our reborn spirits through the help of The Holy Spirit that lives in us. These two facts are why we struggle so much. Romans 8 tells us what to expect and how to think about it so that we will not neglect our spiritual growth. It is easy to rely upon the flesh because we were born into it. Only through choosing to function in our reborn spirits with the help of The Holy Spirit can we daily defeat the carnally-minded flesh.

Remember that Jesus' blood paid it all. Don't be deceived into striving for things that will leave you lacking at the end time. Be attentive to spiritual things and your control over your physical life will follow. You'll experience the righteousness and holiness that has come to us through Jesus' sacrifice. You'll begin to live the change that can only come through a growing, personal relationship with Our Father.



Monday, March 6, 2023

Why Did You Let Me Do It Father?

When I find that I've made what appears to be a poor decision and traveled in a direction that did not work out, I know that my Father knew it would happen and how it would end. I know that He was not surprised by my journey. He knows the beginning to the end of everything. He knows everything about me. I come from him and he has numbered all of the hairs on my head. He is concerned about every little thing that has to do with me. 

Most importantly, I look to him when I make plans. I am becoming more consistent about running every idea, goal and pursuit by him before I embark upon it. I want His supreme guidance and if it is not in His plan for me, I don't want it.  Because of my determination, when a path seems to goes awry, I lament to Our Father, Why, oh why did you allow me to go this way when it wasn't going to work OUT! 

I have learned that even when he allows us to go on a track that seems to not produce a favorable return, it's still in his plan for us and will work out for our good. We learn things and collect experiences that he will use to benefit our upcoming purposes. 

If you love God The Father, appreciate God The Son and obey God The Holy Spirit every day, don't ever think that an experience is useless. God does not produce useless things in our lives. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Rejoice! Just rejoice in the experiences that God allows into our lives, fully believing that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28



Sunday, February 12, 2023

A Little Leaven Leavens The Whole Person

Evil spirits always want to entice us with what we should not have but it's rarely in the form of an outright transgression. It's usually something on the thin line between what is acceptable and what is not, something that our flesh can slip past our reborn spirits. 

Paul, in Galatians 5:7-8, says, "You were doing well in your faith." He then asks, "Who persuaded you to not continue in the truth? It was not God the Father who called you to follow his Son Jesus." He goes on to share that he believes that through the Lord they will understand and remember the truth about the leaven of lies and seduction. 

We may think that little, questionable indulgences are not that bad but a little leaven will eventually leaven the whole attitude and direction of the person. It will cripple our walks in Christ. (Galatians 5:9) Succumbing to those minor fleshly desires will wreak havoc in our spiritual lives over time. 

Temptation and enticement to subtle, ungodly things are not insignificant. Evil spirits are not out to play with us. They are out to destroy us in as many ways and from as many directions as they can. The more that we brush off accepting small allurements and discount receiving little inducements the more destruction that rulers of the darkness of this world can do. Just as we eat and drink the Word of God everyday, they eat and drink plans for our destruction every day.  

When we work with God as he shows us the little issues, we allow our spiritual eyes to be opened so that we can see what the enemy is doing. We can perceive evil influence and control in our lives. We can obtain the answers that we need and information on directions to take regarding issues in our lives. Leavening takes over. That's what it's designed to do. Depending on what the leaven is, it can also be beneficial.

Adding the leaven of the Word by reading and studying it everyday will transform us. The Holy Word is living, like leaven, and will cause us to become more like Christ and draw closer to God. We don't have to be overcome by all of the Christian practices and traditions that we are judged for not being able to keep. When we focus upon putting the Word inside of us, we will please God and grow in him. A little leaven leavens the whole person, for bad or for good.



Friday, January 27, 2023

Happy Friday: God's Sin-Covering Love

It is with God's love only that we can love our enemies because it is his love that covers a multitude of sins. When we try to love with our own, fleshly love, we can't, especially when we have been offended, disappointed or hurt. God's love, however, triumphs over all of that. It is through God's love in us flowing out towards the unlovable, that we are able to make Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the Cross valid. 

If we can't come to love those whom we insist that it is impossible to love, then Our Savior's sacrifice has no power in our lives. If we are working with God to love ourselves then we can, through the help of his Holy Spirit, come to truly love those who have offended us.

Ask God to fill your heart with love and expand it within you so that you can love the unlovable in the way that pleases him.

HAPPY FRIDAY!


Sunday, January 22, 2023

A Way Out Or A Way Through?

The Lord promised in his Word, Psalm 23, that he would prepare a place before us in the presence of our enemies. This scripture was illuminated to me by the Holy Spirit and I discerned that it is not saying, necessarily, that God will remove the enemies from our lives. Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. Maybe he will at the time he has appointed. When we read this scripture however, we want immediate deliverance from our enemies' attacks.

We want so badly (especially those of us who have been suffering attacks for so long) for that passage to mean that God is going to wave his divine hand and say POOF! and the enemies and their attacks will be gone. Psalm 23 is revealing that the enemies are present to see our advancement, deliverance, success and favor in the midst of their evil. Thou shalt prepare a table in the presence of my enemies.

These people under the influence of rulers of the darkness of this world may or may not care. Seeing God's favor on us may make an immediate difference in their lives but it mostly likely will not. People who are bent on following the influence of principalities and powers are not quick to see their wrong.

We were there at one time, living reprobate lives, subject to any wicked thing against others, no matter how good we thought we were. We hurt people overtly and covertly, purposely and unconsciously. We know that it takes the timing of the Holy Spirit to bring us into His marvelous light of truth and set us on the path of transformation. It's up to God when and how our enemies are blocked from their access to us. 

We are quick to embrace a way out but is that best at this time? Is it God's good, acceptable and perfect will for us to have a way out on this stretch of our journey? When it is not the appointed time, a way out keeps us weak. A way through, alternatively, builds our faith and spiritual strength. 

After the way through comes the way out. I want increased faith to walk in the freedom of Christ and more power to destroy the works of the devil, don't you? That's the ultimate goal, the building up of our most holy faith and the reception of power from on high, no matter what our enemies are doing. 



Sunday, January 15, 2023

Mistakes Now Serve A Purpose

Was listening to R. C. Blakes, Jr. recently at Youtube and he made a profound statement which blessed me. His message was about how difficult it often is for us to forgive ourselves. His message encourages us to allow the shackles of guilt and shame to be broken off of us. He ministers to help us to step into that place of the forgiveness of the Father towards us and the forgiveness of ourselves from within.

At a point about 3/4 of the way he said, We are not defined by our mistakes. We are refined by our mistakes. That statement caught more of my attention. As I pondered it, it seemed to be saying that the things for which I am sorry for in my recent and distant past are helping to mold and shape me into someone who is useable by God. My mistakes are not the end. They don't have the last say-so.

You can listen to his message here:

FORGIVE YOURSELF AND MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR LIFE by RC BLAKES

His statement reminded me of another one from the website Homeword.com about grace.  

HomeWord shares this about their mission: 

HomeWord seeks to advance the work of God in the world by educating, equipping, and encouraging parents and churches to build God-honoring families from generation to generation. At HomeWord, we believe in STRONG MARRIAGES, CONFIDENT PARENTS, EMPOWERED KIDS and HEALTHY LEADERS. We exist to strengthen and equip parents, couples, families and leaders. 

God already loves us. He loved us from the beginning. He commended his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). When we did not know God and did not care about his only, precious Son, he sent him to suffer and die so that we can be whole and have our souls redeemed.  Since God did that for us when we could not have cared less, we know that he is always willing to take our blunders, errors and slip-ups and turn them into good. He works our sorrows out for good to bless us and glorify his name.

We should work to forgive ourselves. We should not worship God with shallow and ineffective babblings which make Jesus' precious blood to none affect in our lives (Galatians 2:21, 5:4, I Corinthians 17). Accept God's forgiveness and grace today. We are worthy, because of Jesus Christ.






Sunday, January 8, 2023

How Can You Forgive The Unforgivable?

There is no trespass, debt or transgression that we cannot choose to forgive through the power of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The operative word is choose. When forgiveness is difficult or next to impossible, we have to choose it. 

When we come to understand just a little of what Jesus did for us, we then get the power to forgive anything and everything. It takes a revelation of Christ's sacrifice. We will never understand, in this earthly life, just what He did for us. We can grow into a better understanding of this Perfect Gift. 

Our Holy Spirit-given knowledge of the obedience of The Lamb of God will begin to give us the Heart of God. Why is this important? Because God's love covers a multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8) His love can't cover our sins and not the sins of those who have hurt and damaged us. His love given to us through the shed Blood and the broken Body of his precious Son covers all sins. 

Now, the Bible speaks of a sin against the Holy Spirit that cannot be forgiven but that is another issue. For our understanding of forgiveness towards others, Jesus paid it all. There is nothing that we cannot forgive because of His total sacrifice.

We can be proud and grateful of our ability to forgive through God's provision of his only Son, Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. Ask God today for a revelation of what Jesus did for you so that you can soon start your new, holy journey of forgiveness.

One Of These Is You. Start Your New Journey Of Forgiveness Today. Ask Our Father To Give You A Revelation Of Christ's Sacrifice For You.

  • There are some things that you feel you just can't forgive and never will be able to.
  • You've told someone that you will never forgive them.
  • You've said "I forgive you," but in your heart you are secretly unforgiving.
  • Something so unfair, so devastating, so tragic happened to you and that is why all of these years, all of these decades you have not been able to forgive those involved.
  • You want to forgive but you don't know how.
  • You have forgiven but you still feel weighed down and you do not feel free.
  • You can't forgive what the adult(s) who raised you did to you or did not do for you in your formative years.
  • You know that you're weighed down with so many grudges but can't shake them.


Monday, December 19, 2022

Father Teach Us About Charity

Dear Father: 

Help us to receive a deeper understanding of the ways that we should allow charity to reign in our lives, for we know that it involves more than our initial thoughts on what love is. Thank you for the knowledge and help us to be more obedient. Amen!

Sunday, December 18, 2022

We Forget To Ask God About The Small Things

Though we pray faithfully, we forget to ask God for many things, big and small, before we step out and try it ourselves. It's easy to go to God with the big things. Sometimes, we go to him for distressing and devastating things when we haven't been giving him the daily time that we should. Our Father, however, does not condemn us and we can always devote more time to building our relationship with him.

What about the small things that we could ask him about? He has time and time again given me favor about something that I was thinking about but never asked him for. I know it was him because after he blessed me he lovingly touched me through His Spirit and let me know. I always feel bad when he shows me this because I know that what I received was what I was thinking. I know that it only came from him and I feel bad because I didn't ask him, that I didn't acknowledge that he was there. 

Instead, I did the old habit of thinking fleetingly about a want or need and quickly shoving it on the back burner to bring it about later by myself. My Father let me know, however, that he was there and heard my thoughts. I did not talk to him about those small things but he chose to respond. He let me know that he wants me to ask him about the small things, because he is there for me, always listening.

Some Christians say it's being obsessive and that we don't have to ask God about every little thing. Well, I say ask God about what they are saying. I know from him communicating with me after he blesses me with simple little things that he is telling me to rely on him more, communicate with him more, love walking with him more. Committing to asking him about small things and for help with small dilemmas will help us to walk better with him. Determining to consult him about small decisions and to ask him for small blessings will help us to draw closer to him.



Sunday, December 11, 2022

To Be Right Or To Be A Light?

The problem is that we want to be right instead of letting our lights shine. Being right means to be drawn into debates and arguments with people who wrongly criticize us. It can lead us to discouragement and neglect on the path that God has us on. When we argue and retaliate with those who subtly and covertly attack us we are basically agreeing with them. 

Letting our lights shine means to overlook the negative criticism and oppression of others and to respond kindly. It means to keep doing what we're doing and to stay in the center of the path that God has us on. We are to keep pressing on and to not look to the right hand or the left. This means to not get involved with defending ourselves and repaying evil for evil by cutting others down in like kind. 

You know what that statement says, The greatest revenge is massive success!"  We shouldn't be focused on revenge at all because that belongs to God. That quote is simply a soothing balm and positive motivation to not waste time and energy debating and retaliating. We need to keep to the mission or business that God has given each of us. Being the light means to respond to attempts to stop us with Godly grace, prompted by the Holy Spirit and to keep moving forward and looking ahead. Who cares about being right when there are so many benefits to being a light?





Sunday, November 27, 2022

God's Way Of Doing Things

God's way of doing things is the very best way. We can only learn what his way is by seeking his face everyday. We have to spend time with him in the ways that are available to us. We need to be consistent and persistent. How do we seek his face and learn his ways? We read his Word, The Holy Bible, everyday and we talk to him everyday.

Before we read the scriptures, we ask Our Father to illuminate his scriptures for us. To give us revelation knowledge through his Word. We ask for the ability to rightly divide the Word of Truth. We thank him for breaking up the stony ground of our hearts so that his Word can enter in, take root and bear much fruit. We thank him for transforming us through his Word and helping us to rightly divide it. We ask him to give us discernment of his Word so that we can apply it to our lives in a practical way. We confess that we want to see circumstances and people in the way that he sees them. Most of all, we thank him for helping us to see our lives and ourselves in the way that he sees us. We make sure that we open the Bible every day and read something, no matter how much or how little.

The second way to seek God's face is to meet with him and talk with him everyday. There are 3 types of prayer that will help us to understand God's way of doing things, formal prayer to God, conversation with God and listening to God in quiet time. Formal prayer is when we have a format in which we pray. It is a rotating combination of words, phrases, scriptures and favorite statements that we give to God at a specific time of day. This is the prayer that we pray each day, such as in the morning when we commit our way to him before we face the world. 

 

Though it consists of our favorite format, it shouldn't be repetitive, traditional or ritualistic. The word tells us that our traditions and rituals make his word of no effect. (Mark 7:13)  The most important use of the formatted prayer is in committing our path to God at the beginning of each day. Our formatted prayers are not enough to learn God's way of doing things because they consist mostly of us talking. While commitment and statements of confession are very important to our growth, there is a more important way of seeking God's face.

We need to have conversations with God throughout the day. This is when we talk to him candidly and openly. We revere him as Our Heavenly Father but we talk to him as a friend. If you want to pray and talk to Jesus, that is ok because Jesus is God also. For me, I find that praying and talking to God works better. I also talk to Jesus and thank him for many things. Because God is the one who sent Jesus to shed his blood and have his body broken for us and who raised Jesus from the dead, who cares for me and has numbered the hairs of my head, and is my only Heavenly Father, spending time with him and committing all to him works best for me. 

Jesus is Heir To The Throne and I am joint heirs with him. I will rule and reign with him and without him I can do nothing, so my relationship with The Lamb of God is just as important, but different. It is God's Holy Spirit that bore upon me so that I could accept Jesus as my Savior and it is God The Father who holds the time of Jesus' return. The most important things about my existence and origin I can attribute to God but not to Jesus. It is through Jesus' obedient sacrifice that I am able to seek God's face but God sent Jesus so that I could be restored to fellowship with him, God The Father. (I Peter 1:21)

When we have conversations with God throughout the day we should simply tell him our feelings, our hopes, our confusions our angers. Yes, he knows our thoughts, our hearts, but building a relationship means that we need to tell him about our lives. Our father wants to commune with us, laugh with us, cry with us, share with us. Many of us don't know how it is to have a real father, so we have to learn, to practice having a true, pure, holy relationship with God. 

We've seen TV programs and movies where fathers were loving and kind. We can take cues from them on how to cultivate a loving, sharing relationship with Our Father. It's just a matter of pretending that he's there, imagining him listening, seeing in our minds' eye him nodding his head, choosing to believe that he's answering and conversing. As we reach out he will help us and make it real to us. Before long, we'll look forward to sharing with him day and night. 

The third type of prayer is to be quiet and just listen for the still, small voice of God's Spirit to talk to us. For me, this is the hardest. It's difficult to quiet the mind talk. To not be distracted. I try to sit somewhere quiet, where I can look at the sky if I can. I have chosen to sit 15 minutes each day and just listen for God's voice. Very few people would hear him in the beginning of the process. It takes time, patience and commitment. It takes time to be able to truly quiet our minds. Don't worry if you don't hear anything for a long time. The most important thing is to have this quiet time before God as often as you can and to stick with it. The reward will come. Our Father is faithful!

Seeking God's face to learn his ways makes all the difference in appropriating and manifesting his promises that we find in The Bible. It's one thing to be saved. It's another to live in the fullness of God. Getting closer to him and sharing with him is a peaceful place, not only to learn his personality, but for restoration. We begin to recognize his ways of doing things in our lives and can work with him, not against him. We enjoy going to a place where we can bare all, be exactly who we are and know that we are loved deeply, no matter what. 



Sunday, October 16, 2022

From Emotional To Equipped

Sincere Christians learn not to build their faith on passion, enthusiasm, excitement, dancing and shouting. Why? Because these emotions are not lasting. They are of the flesh, which does not become converted when we are born again. These emotions will let us down every time and cannot stand against the onslaught of demonic assault. 

Emotional displays have no lasting value, neither do they store up riches in heaven. So, once we shout, once we feel some passion, once we experience a touch of euphoria, we have our reward. It's in the flesh and it's fleeting. It's based on how we feel and emotional excitement. While an intense, outward display of worship, praise and appreciation is sometimes needed, there is no foundation in it.

There can be necessary healing and deliverance in emotional outbursts and praises. I needed them very much after a lifetime of oppression and depression. Often, new Christians and Christians who have not grown need to have those initial releases to move forward. There is a point, however, that as we grow in God we move past the need to be so outwardly explosive in worship. We can still relate to and appreciate others who are at that point of Christian growth, but the majority of our power begins to be built up inside.

This emotional power that turns inward becomes concentrated in the heart, the mind and the spirit. Inwardly is where the true battlegrounds against the devil exist. When we begin to understand this truth, we are no longer compelled to expend precious energy in outward displays. We realize that outward expenditure is based in the flesh and leaves us nothing to rely on when we are in the trenches of spiritual battle. A built up mind, heart and spirit can work with God's mighty weapons of warfare as we become less emotional and more equipped. 

These thoughts came to me after listening to this message by Dr. Dale C. Bronner, pastor of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral. He is such a good speaker, knowledgeable, quietly powerful, succinct and anointed. I'm sure you'll be blessed by this message.

Dr. Dale C. Bronner is a bishop, church planter, author, conference speaker and leadership trainer. He is the founder and senior pastor of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral. He was consecrated as Bishop by the International Communion of Charismatic Churches. Bishop Bronner resides in Atlanta, GA, with his wife, Nina, Pastor of Worship and Arts at WOF. He is the father of five and grandfather of eight.

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Receiving God's Magnificent Blessings

Many of us were raised in the church, got baptized and/or saved but did not understand entirely what we were doing. In addition to that, adults pressed their personal ideas and hangups on us in an attempt to guide us in the name of Christianity. It caused most of us to reject the Christian life, especially during our teen-aged years when we wanted to be appreciated and accepted by our peers. 

In later years, when we began to seek God again, we learned about him for ourselves through personal Bible reading and consistent prayer. In the Bible, we found out things that we never knew were in there. We learned about the never-ending, unqualified love of God and how it can make a difference in our lives.

What Christ did for us began to personally touch us and we learned, and continue to learn today, how to relate to God. The great value  in growing in Christ is to not only read the Bible but to grow in learning how to practically apply what's in it to our everyday lives.

I'm grateful that through daily transformation and the ongoing renewing of our minds we learn how to receive the healing, deliverance and prosperity that God provides for us through his precious Son's sacrifice. The magnificent blessings for accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior are not only for the coming New Heaven and New Earth, but for our lives today. I thank God that we can learn to receive all that he offers.

How To Be Saved

Say with your mouth that you receive that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only Savior. Believe in your heart that He is alive because God Our Father raised Him from the dead. Now you are saved. 

Romans 10:9–10