Author: admin

True story, y’all! There has been an old metal lawn year in our yard for years. The chair was one of my husband’s Aunt Ruby’s lawn chairs. When she was living, we went and sat on her front porch to visit often. She has been gone for many years now.  The chair looked rough but because of sentimental value I couldn’t bring myself to trash it. So, this was the year I decided to paint it. It was in bad shape for sure. Over the years it had been painted green, red and at some point white and those colors were now showing after being out in the weather for so many years.

I knew I should have taken time to scrape and sand it, but I talked myself into thinking it would be fine with just a couple of coats of spray paint. I was badly mistaken. Instead of me dealing with the years of damage and neglect, I decided to try and cover the issue with paint. Just saying don’t try my method, because my method was oh so wrong.  I had hoped that primer and a beautiful shade of blue would do the trick.  From a distance it looks just fine, but with a closer look the rough edges, wear and tear of life can be seen and felt. 

It is the same with our lives.  Many times, we place on a mask going through life placing one foot in front of the other, all the time we are hurting inside. The rough edges and scars found on my chair reflect the attitudes and motives that are seen in our lives that come to the surface when we are placed under pressure. Because we have not dealt with the pain and past hurts of our past, those things keep coming to the surface, it all comes back to bite us.

It is time to deal with the past, and put it completely behind us, not just covered it up with a mask, just saying I am ok, you are ok. It is time to dig up the roots of shame, bitterness, deceit, and unforgiveness or whatever it is that has held you back. As we begin scraping and sanding these things out of our lives our future begins to look brighter, and we will have a brand-new outlook on life. As we do this, we will begin to walk in the freedom that Christ has made available to us through the cross. He paid the price so that you and I may live free, unencumbered lives, free from our past hurt and pain.  We cannot change our past, but we can do something about our present and our future. Each day is a new beginning, a new start. We can start with a clean slate. The only way this chair will look better is by me removing the paint then scraping and sanding away the past damage.  After sanding and scraping it can be painted again, revealing a chair that is ready for use again. Oh, it will still have some dents and flaws, but they will only remind us of the work that was done to make it beautiful. The peeling paint and rough edges represent our past issues that are holding us back from walking out a life of freedom. Healing doesn’t happen overnight; it is a process just like getting this chair scraped, sanded and painted again. Changing ourselves is a process that will be accomplished by allowing Holy Spirit to teach us, comfort us, and lead us with all our decisions. Some describe it as removing the different layers of an onion. I like to think the process is like the little chick pecking away at the shell until it is free to live its life in freedom without the confines of the shell. The act of pecking away at the shell helps the chick to become stronger in order face life’s challenges. God is wanting you to break free today from all that is holding you back.  Don’t give up when it gets hard. Keep pecking away at the walls that have you bound, walls of fear, insecurity, unforgiveness, low self-esteem, feelings of being unloved. As you keep pecking away, you will become stronger and stronger. You will begin to walk into the destiny that God always wants you to walk in. This is what Jesus said about it, John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”.  His perfect will for your life is a life of freedom.

Be Blessed,

Terry

Galatians 5:1

1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 

Luke 4:18

18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

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Have you ever felt like you are all alone in this journey that is called life? I will be the first one to raise my hand to state, “I have been there”! Whether you feel alone because your friends and family are so busy with their own lives that they do not seem to realize you even exist or that God feels so distant that you seem not able to find Him.  It is like He is hiding in some obscure place that it is out of range of your vision. Deep down you know He is near, but you cannot seem to find Him. I have heard it said, “during a test the teacher is silent”. I do not know about you, but I want to be able to raise my hand and ask some questions about the test when I am confused and do not know what to do.  I do not know that God is being silent because we are going through a test or if He just simply wants us to pursue Him.  Sometimes we are so busy waiting on God for the answer while He is waiting on us to pursue Him and to ask the right question. Sometimes when I do not understand why He seems so distant I ask Him two questions: “What am I supposed to learn from this situation?” and “How can You, God get the Glory from this situation?” What I always try to remember is that He is always near, that His love is great toward us and that He desires to receive glory through our lives. When I remind myself of those three things, I begin to see the situations of life a little clearer.  From my experience, He sometimes give me clarity quickly, while at other times it may be a while. Either way we need to trust Him in the process. Without a doubt He desires for us to quit our whining and complaining about the situation. We need to get our focus off the problem and instead gaze on the problem solver. As we begin to focus on the problem solver, we will begin to recognize the divine strategies He has available to help us to overcome whatever situation has presented itself.

Many of us try to work things out in our own earthly logic. He always has a better way and strategy than anything that we even can phantom. The Father desires to be real in our lives. He does not want to be seen as a last resort because we tried everything else before taking time to ask His opinion. We could save ourselves so much grief if He was the center of our lives and He became our first thought before going forward in life. Jesus did not die on the cross to give us freedom just so that we can obtain a ticket to walk through the pearly gates of Heaven. Jesus died and rose again because the Falther desired to have a family, that is you and me dear Friend. He wants to have relationships and communion with us.  Seek Him today and He will be found. He is hiding in plain sight.

Be Blessed,

Terry

Jeremiah 29:12,13

12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 

13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

Luke 11:9, 10

9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 

10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

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Have you ever wanted to just say, “why Lord”? I think many of us have been there and maybe there right now during this season. With all that is going on around us, we just do not know what to think sometimes. We do not know what to do with everything that is happening all around us. Not even to mention that many of you are experiencing troubles right at your own back door.  During these seasons we should be careful that we do not lose hope.  

When I think back to 2020, during the pandemic and the unrest that was taking place in our communities I remember that I temporarily lost hope and allow unrest to take hold of my spirit and emotions. One day I decided to do something about the uneasiness that I was feeling. I decided to turn my eyes toward Jesus instead of the turmoil and chaos that was happening all around me. I knew the Father loved me too much to desert me.  I knew He heard my prayers and would take care of me and mine.

As I prayed and praised, peace started settling on me like a warm, cozy blanket on a cold winter’s day. I had to continue to remind myself that He will never leave me or forsake me. Yes, the storms are raging and there have been many that have had great loss, but one thing is for sure is His love, grace, and mercy is greater than any storm we may go through.

A video I watched on social media recently was of some of the girls that had been at the camp in Texas that was flooded. Many lost their lives during this catastrophic event.  These young girls had experienced and seen great losses.  What they did convicted me! You see, you and I during times of storms in our lives we sometimes allow the circumstances to make us to misstep and stir up a desire to give up. These beautiful young ladies chose to sing praises to God even in the midst of hardship and loss. We can learn from them! There is just something that can be said of focusing on God and praising Him even during the storms of life. As we praise and worship God, our peace is restored and that sweet peace begins to settle on us, reminding us that He is right there in the midst of storm. The follower of Christ has the assurance that He keeps them in the palm of His Hand.  He sees you and cares about you.

Be Blessed,

Terry

Hebrews 13:5

 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

Isaiah 26:3,4

3  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 

4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. 

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Let God Out of the Box

I have heard it said that God does things in a logical way. Each time I think I have figured out the workings of the Lord, He does something that make absolutely no sense to me. This is because He is not man.  The Father tells us through Isaiah that His thoughts are not our mere human thoughts, His ways are far beyond our ways. You know what? I am grateful for that! If it was up to us there would be some people that would be zapped because of the meanness and evil that they have done.  He compares this to the heavens being higher than the earth, far beyond human sight. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He was, He is, and He will be! He brings rain down from the heavens and waters the earth that eventually brings forth growth.  This brings forth the food for us to survive. Science may have figured out the process, but they cannot determine the source. They are always trying to figure out which came first the chicken or the egg. We cannot keep Him in our confining little boxes!  We need to stop limiting Him and allow Him to work in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. He is speaking His word over you today and His word will not return void but will produce much fruit in your life today.  His word for your today is found in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” His word over you will prosper!

Be Blessed,

Terry

Isaiah 55:8-11

8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 

9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 

11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

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A NEW DAY DAWNING

When we awaken each morning, each day presents a chance for challenges and blessings. With each day we have possibilities that the previous day or a day the future may or may not have.  Each morning, I try to remember to speak the words “Lord, you have given me this day, show me how I can live my life in such a way that it will give You honor and glory. Each night before I go to sleep, I thank Him for the day He has given me.  Sometimes I forget to do this, but most days I pray these two prayers to the Father.  We need to place the past behind us and do not worry about the future and seize each day as it is our last day on earth. Forgive those that have offended and make things right with those we have offended. We cannot change our past and we cannot do anything about the future.

Yes, it is good to have goals, but we need to be careful that we do not get so focused on our future goals that we are not living our life to the fullest today. At the same time, we do not need to be bound by our past. So, with this new day that is dawning, set your mind on Christ, seek His will for your life, and go out and seize the day for the Lord. Jesus instructed us to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all your needs will be provided.  He also said not to worry about your future, each day will take care of itself.  The only thing that we should be concern about in dealing with our past and preparing for our future is that our own motives and attitudes line up with the Word of God, His righteousness.

Be Blessed,

Terry

Matthew 6:33, 34

33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

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MY ROCK

A RUDE AWAKENING

Have you ever been walking along and all of a sudden find yourself sitting on your butt on the ground.   Maybe something tripped you, or you stepped wrong or maybe you stepped on a slippery surface.  This has happened to me more than one time, but there was one particular time that I remember that made an impact on me.  We were having a winter storm.  I was going out to check on my dogs in their pen and to feed them.  As I stepped on the top step that I thought was safe, all of a sudden, I found myself sitting on the ground in shock.  I hit every brick step as I went down, hitting my elbow on the first and my butt on every step as I slid down the icy steps.  I sat there for a while, then gathered my wits about me and went into the house, got an ice pack from freezer for my gluteus media (upper butt) and laid in the bed for awhile watching my elbow become two times its original size. I laid there and prayed.  The roads were too icy for me to make my way to the emergency room.  As I prayed the discomfort and swelling of my elbow began to resolve.  God healed my elbow. My butt was very tender for a good many days. I learned from this episode that sometimes it is not good to be so independent, sometimes we need to lean on another for assistance.

LEARNING THROUGH THE PAIN

Sometimes we decide we are going to do things our own way and in our own timing. If I had waited for my husband to go out with me, I probably would never have had experienced the pain.  Is it not the same in our spiritual walk with God? If we lean into Him, there are so many situations/pains we would have never had to experience. Too many times we think we are strong in our own selves and do not need to lean into Him (Jesus), seeking His wisdom in our daily lives.  We lean on our own knowledge many times, looking at our past to be our teacher instead of the Holy Spirit being our teacher and counselor. (Psalm 3:5-8) Proverbs 3:5-8 speaks about trusting in the Lord with all our hearts, not relying on our own insights and sometimes past events.  Yes, we need to learn from our past and make changes in our way of doing things, but that knowledge needs to be sprinkled heavily with the salt and light of the wisdom of God.  Way too many times we allow hurt, pain, and offense guide us instead of the knowledge and the wisdom of God.  Proverbs 3 makes it plain that we should acknowledge and bring the Holy Spirit right into the center of our lives, right in the center of our mess.  When we do this, He will take that which is drama and chaos and bring His wisdom and clarity in every situation of our lives.

LEANING INTO THE ROCK, JESUS CHRIST

So today and everyday of my life I choose to lean into God and not my own understanding.  My own knowledge and understanding have gotten me in trouble many times, just like it did the day I decided I did not need any help going down those icy steps.  I choose not to be wise in my own eyes, but to be in awe of an all-powerful God that sees me.  He sees my past, yet still loves me!  He sees my present, with it struggles and need for guidance!  And He sees my future and He will be right there with me in spite of my wrong decisions and craziness! I can choose to delay His destiny that He has for me, or I can choose to lean into Him with my ear to His heart allowing Him to guide me in this beautiful way/walk.  I choose to lean my rock, my strong tower, my strength, Jesus Christ allowing Him to be my center/my soft place to fall! (Psalm 31:3, Psalm 18:2)

Proverbs 3:5-8

5Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart

And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

6 In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,

And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil.

8It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts]

And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.

Psalm 31:3

3Yes, You are my rock and my fortress;

For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

Psalm 18:2

2The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me;

My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge;

My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.

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Chewing the Cud

Within the pages of the Bible there are many secrets/treasures found that brings us great joy and peace to our lives.  There are secrets that bring healing to our troubled souls.  There is great wisdom that gives us answers to the issues that present themselves in our daily lives. These secrets reveal to us who God really is in our lives and who we are in Him. As we get to know Abba Father better, peace settles on us and in us that nothing will be able to disturb us because we know without a doubt, He has us.  Recently I was listening to a radio talk show, I do not remember the name of person on the show.  While I was listening the moderator asked why people that read the bible and went to church on a regular basis continued living lives of bondage. The answer given by the guest was these people had been in the Word, but the Word was not in them. They were just going through the motions of reading the Word and going to church, but they were not really growing in relationship with God. This is for sure a profound statement. James 1:21, 22: “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Many followers of Christ are forever hearing the word, but seldom apply the word to their lives, thus they continue in the same old rut. Many times, crying out to God to change the situations in their lives when the individual needs to change first and then the situations will begin to change. James talks about receiving the “implanted word” with humility.  By humbling ourselves before God we die to self and allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in us.  We read and then we read again.  We study and then we study again until the Word of God is implanted within us changing us and freeing us from the oppression that enemy has implanted within us from past experiences. We need to do like the cow in the pasture does, we need to chew the cud. When we chose to chew on the word of God repeatedly, the word becomes more digestible, and we get in our happy places just as the cow does in the pasture. So today I will be talking about how we get the word within us. When the word is in us, the joy of the Lord and His strength will rise in us and no matter what comes our way we are able to stand strong with confidence that He will never leave or forsake us.

Just a little info of how cows and other ruminants chew the cud. Ruminants are animals such as cows, sheep, goats, and deer. These animals have chambers in their stomach to help them properly digest their foods to reap the nutrients in the foods they eat and to become healthy animals. According to a dairy cow nutritionist on usdairycows.com, a cow chewing their cud is a sign that she is comfortable and is eating a good diet. Cows are ruminants which means there is one compartment in their stomachs that ferments the food that they eat so that the feed that cow eats will be converted into energy and protein. First the cows chew their food to moisten it and she then swallows it. The softened food is called a cud and is sent back to the cow’s mouth to be re-chewed before going to the stomach to finish the digestion process. As you ride down the road you may see cows lying down. They are not just taking a break to sleep. They are in their happy place chewing the cud. They need to be relaxed laying comfortably chewing their cud.

In Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” God was instructing Joshua on the importance of meditating on the word day and night. By doing so he had the promise that all that He did from that day forward would prosperous and blessed, he would have good success leading the people of God into the promise land. 

Psalm 119:9: 9 “Beth How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Many people are trying to do things the way God wants them to do yet they keep failing over and over again. Simply storing His Word in your heart daily is the answer for living the life of holiness. Strength for the day, strength for the battle, strength to fight temptation are found in the Word. In the Word are found instructions, comfort, strength or whatever is needed in our daily walk.

Job knew what it took to live a life pleasing to God.  He had suffered greatly, but in that suffering he learned a great lesson. Job 22:21-2: “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. 22 Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.” He found the importance of listening to the instruction of the Lord and never to let go of that instruction.  The Bible is our instruction!  Any other word that does not measure up to the standard found between its covers is false doctrine or false information. Job goes on to say, Job 23:10-12: “10  But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 11  My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12  I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.” He made it through the hard times and was a better man for it. He had chewed on the cud of the instructions of the Lord and did not let go of all he had learned. As a result, he received a double portion of all that he had lost.

Psalm 1:1-3: 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;  2 “but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” What a great secret of the garden is found in this Psalm. The promise is that when take time out to meditate on His Word day and night we will be like a tree planted by streams of water that produce fruit in its season. When we need supply or resources, we can walk in confidence that whatever we need we will be available. This has spiritual meaning too. The fruit of the Spirit will be produced in our lives. When need patience, we will find patience. When we need to show mercy, mercy will well up in us. When we need to show love, His love will be abundant in us. The list can go on and on. The Father promises that all we place our hand will prosper because He will be with us.

Jesus reminds us in John 15, that as His words abide in us, we will bear much fruit. John 15:7-8: 7“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”  Jesus tells us as we live in Him and His words abide in us whatever we ask, will be done. The purpose of answered prayers is not that we receive glory, but instead for the Father to be glorified. Many are praying and the prayers that they are praying are not being answered because they do not choose to walk in the ways of the Lord. Jesus said that if His Words abide in us, we can ask and will receive an answer. When His Words abide in us, we will understand what the will of God is and will not ask for something that is amiss from His will.

Let us look again at the cow lying in pasture chewing her cud she is a peace, receiving her needed nourishment, she is happy and contented. As we chew on the cud of the Word of God, we receive the spiritual nourishment that we need to live in peace and joy of the Lord will settle on us and strengthen us to live out this life we have been given.

A final word

As I was studying and comparing the cud to meditating on the Word day and night and allowing it to be planted within us so that we may prosper in everything we do, I was reminded of a very familiar scripture.

The 23^rd Psalm

• A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

• He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still
• He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

• Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

• You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

• Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 

This Psalm is an image of how our lives would look like as we implant His word in our hearts, living His word out daily. He will make us lay down in green pastures chewing on His word just like the cow chews on the cud. We will find that place of confidence and joy that is unexplainable. He will lead us by the still waters that make us like that tree planted by waters that causes us to produce healthy abundant fruit. He will restore us even in times of trouble. He will keep us on a righteous path even though we are tempted to stray from His way and make our own way. As we walk in places of difficulty whether it is a death loved one, a terminal illness, a chronic illness, place of ministry that people do not understand, or tough decisions that need to be made, you will walk in confidence that He has a plan for good and not evil. You will always find comfort in Him. In the midst of adversity, you will be blessed with His anointing right in front of those that have not supported you or doubted your motives during challenging times. His promise is His goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life and you will abide in Him right here on earth and in your heavenly home forever.

Shalom,

Terry

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In the Bible there are two types of leaven mentioned that affects us spiritually:

• Leaven with evil intent—the leaven of the Pharisees
• Leaven of the Kingdom of God

In all circumstance leaven make changes in whatever it is introduced into. In baking, leaven changes the product from a flat condensed product to a light, airy product.

In the natural there five types of leaven used in baking:

• Yeast
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Air—eggs whites
• Steam—puff pastry

First, I will talk about the Leaven of the Kingdom of God. Jesus talks about leaven in Matthew 12:33 “He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” As leaven changes the flour or dough in which it is mixed, so does the grace of Christ change the whole soul into Christ’s own likeness. God’s desire is the leaven so penetrate the soul that the whole of soul bear the image of Christ. As we change into the image of Christ, we should and will affect the world around us. This is a gradual change, a day by day walk with Christ.

Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians we are to become imitators of Christ. Ephesians 5:1, 2: “1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  By being imitators of Christ, we are showing that we are the children of God.  As we walk out the way of Christ, the love of God will be evident in our lives.  Again, in the book Romans Paul reminds us of the importance of being a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1-2: “1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Paul is appealing to the followers of Christ of realizing the importance of walking out their lives in a way that will give Abba Father all the glory and honor.  It is not about seeking the desires of our own hearts.  Instead, it is about seeking what the heart’s desire of the Father’s heart. Truth is, when we surrender our beings to Christ as a living sacrifice our heart’s desires change markedly.

How do we achieve being more like Christ every day?

1. Showing the Love of God
2. A life of Prayer
3. Being willing to Forgive
4. Being Humble
5. Studying the Word of God
6. Being Compassionate
7. Seeking First the Kingdom of God
8. Practicing Self-Control
9. Walking in the Authority of Jesus Christ
10. Being Obedience to the Word

All these actions of humility and being a living sacrifice will bring forth the good fruit of the Spirit. The list of the fruit of the Spirit are found in Galatians 5:22, 23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  As we walk out this beautiful way that Christ has already set the example for, we will gradually see the good fruit of the Spirit evident in our lives not the fruit of the flesh that is listed in the previous verses in Galatians chapter 5. This love, grace, mercy, beautiful life that has been given us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ is not just that we have our ticket to Heaven. It is not just about being home free, but is a message to be shared.

There was another type of leaven that Jesus talked about, the Evil leaven also known as the leaven of the Pharisees. In Matthew 16:6, Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  If we look back to the Matthew 16:1, we see the Pharisees and Sadducees were not there to learn more from Christ but to test Him. They were troublemakers, always looking after their own interest and taking advantage of the people of God. In Matthew 16:1, they are demanding to see a sign in order to test Jesus. Matthew 16:1, “And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.” Pride, hypocrisy, and worldly-mindedness of the Pharisees and Sadducees produced leaven that brought the people of God to ruin. The leaven of the Pharisees just as with many others that are teaching the Word of God today was full of half-truths and feel-good messages full of evil leaven to deceive the people of God. Evil leaven invades secretly, silently, but certainly through your thought processes just like the leaven infiltrates the dough or flour that we use in our recipes. We do not notice the progress of evil invading our life until the damage is done.  So, it was with the doctrines of the Pharisees. So, the same is true today with the false doctrine of hyper-grace that tells us that anything goes, and you will still make it to a heavenly home. There are many doctrines that taught today that do not line up with the Word of God. The doctrine that they teach is artfully presented in a way that appears plausible and makes sense to us.  The Pharisees of past and the modern-day Pharisees conceal the real tendency of their doctrines; they instill them secretly into the mind, until it changes a person’s spiritual life like leaven changes bread. Many people are being deceived today by these same principles. We should always be praying, “lord help me not be deceived by any of the deceits of the enemy of our souls, satan.

Matthew 3:7-10: 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8  Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9  And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10  Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

John tells that if we are not producing the fruit of the Spirit that is the evidence that we are truly a follower of Christ that we will be uprooted, the axe is laid on the root of our trees.  He says if we do not bear good fruit, we will be cut down and then thrown into the fire.  This can be prevented by allowing the Holy Spirit to prune away the branches that are causing us to be weak, ineffective followers of Christ. We need to be careful not to make excuses for our sins, wrong habits, our failings, or our motives. Yes, we live in human bodies that fail and sin often. At the same time, we need to be careful that we do not take on the attitude that we “are only human”. As result we fell to take time to humble ourselves before a Holy God and repent of our sins. When we do not repent of our sins, we are in error. When we make excuses for our sins or blame another for our sins, we have taken on a spirit of pride and rebellion just as Lucifer did when he was cast down out of Heaven. When we allow the leaven of the Pharisees take hold in our lives, we in effect become luke-warm Christians. Revelation 3:14-16: 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15  “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.  If we become lukewarm, He will spew us out of His mouth. Meaning we are no longer dwelling or in fellowship with Him. We are no longer abiding in Him or Him in us. The evil leaven has gradually taken over our lives. We have chosen the ways of the world instead of the way of the cross. We have chosen to make idols of the things that are most important to us, more important than obeying God and His commandments. Whatever come first in your life is a god in your life.

We need to be watchful always so that we are not deceived. Matthew 24 talks about that the followers of Christ can be deceived. Matthew 24:23, 24: 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24  For false christs and false prophets will arise and   perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. We need to always be on guard, praying often for discernment and wisdom.  The enemy of our souls is very cunning and will throw in a bit of truth to deceive the followers of Christ. Pray over every book that you read, pray over every message you listen to, so that you will not be deceived. Jesus tells us in John 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

Prayer:

Abba Father, I pray for each person that reads this message that they will not be deceived. I pray that You will open their Spiritual eyes to see what You see and their Spiritual ears to hear what You hear. Reveal in them the thing that is keeping them bound from a deeper and richer relationship with You. Lord, I ask that You reveal Yourself to them and that Your Manifest Presence will be with them right where they are right now. Set them free now in the Name of Jesus! Place a radical love for Your Word within them that they will not be able to resist. Praying that Your Word will be real to them and alive in them. Draw them to You Lord!

God Bless!

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As I was driving down the road the other day, I observed wildflowers growing on the ditch bank of the road.  I was thinking about how beautiful they were. Then I thought about how many only saw them as weeds, something to be pulled up and discarded. When I see wildflowers, I am in awe of their beauty growing in the middle of weeds that normally stunt the growth of other plants, but these beautiful plants thrive in a less than conventional place. Wildflowers in the right setting thrive, but in the wrong setting may cause harm such in a vegetable garden, taking away the much-needed nutrients that are needed to bring forth healthy vegetables. Sometimes we are not flourishing because we try to fit into a place that we were never meant to be, just like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.  We are trying to be something or somebody God never intended for us to be at all.  At other times someone may have intimidated us to fit into their ideas of who we should be. If we are not careful, we can get caught up in trying to please others so much that we lose who we are destined to be. 

There is story in the Bible that gives us an example of how the enemy of our souls will attempt to stop what God has preordained for our lives. This story is found in 1 Samuel. God had chosen another person to become king over Israel because of Saul’s continued disobedience.  God led Samuel the Prophet to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons to be king of Israel.  Jesse called all but one of his sons to stand before Samuel.  In 1 Samuel 16:6, 7, When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Samuel turned to Jesse asking him if there was another son that was not present.  David’s father, Jesse did not value David enough to send for him initially when his brothers were gathered before Samuel. Jesse did not see what God saw in David.  He was like a wildflower growing on the side of a ditch bank. When he was called to stand before Samuel, David was the one that God had chosen.  His appearance was not one of a kingly appearance physically, but there was found in him the beginnings of a king that may not have been apparent for others to see in the natural. Samuel chose to look at David through the eyes of God and he saw a king. 

Samuel anointed David to be the next king of Israel.  Did David immediately usurp king Saul of his throne? No! He waited on God, and it would be years before he would actually become the king of Israel.  He went right back to the sheep pasture, tending to his father, Jesse’s sheep. On the day that David was anointed, there began a change in the way he lived out his life.  He was now walking in the anointing of the Lord.  He was empowered with a mighty anointing.  Others probably did not see what was happening in him, but David knew that God was with him.  He was being taught by God Himself on the backside of the sheep pasture.  He had become a mighty shepherd of the sheepfold destroying the predators that came to kill and destroy his flock.

 As time goes on, Israel had an enemy that was defying and threating the children of God.  Everybody was afraid of him.  This enemy was Goliath the giant.  Goliath was over 9 feet tall. Goliath had a bronze helmet on his head, wore a coat of armor that was thought to weigh around 100 pounds, he had shin protectors on his legs and bronze javelin hung between his shoulders. He had a spear like a weaver’s beam with a blade head weighing 12 pounds or more. A shield bearer walked in front of Goliath.  They called Goliath a champion which means one that did not fight in the ranks with the ordinary soldier but would come out between the two camps to challenge the mightiest man of his enemies to come out to fight him alone. Goliath challenged Israel to send out their mightiest man to contest him in the fight.  He told them if they won the Philistines would then be their servants.  When King Saul and all Israel heard the words of Goliath, they were greatly afraid. No one thought they could go against Goliath and win the fight.

In the meantime, David was sent by his father Jesse to check on his three sons that had followed Saul into battle as well as to send them food. Jesse wanted David to bring back news concerning his sons and how the battle between the two nations was progressing. For forty days Goliath had taken his stand every morning and every evening challenging someone to fight him. As David came to the encampment, the army was going out in battle formation shouting the battle cry.  Then the champion, Goliath came forth defying Israel, challenging them to send someone out to fight. When the men of Israel heard the challenge, they were frightened and fled. David had many questions concerning the current events. David’s questions were not without opposition, his elder brother, Eliab questioned David’s motive for wanting detailed information concerning the rewards that would be given to one that conquered their feared enemy.

As we go forth being who called us to be, walking out our destinies, there will always be those that we will say that we are not called to the assignment that we know without a doubt that God has called us to complete, and many will question our motives.  We need to always lean into God and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, teach us, and comfort us during those times that it may feel like there is no one with us.  God is always faithful, and He is always with us.  Just yield to His Hand and allow Him to mold you and prepare you for the next season in your life. 1 Samuel 17:31-41,” 31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36  Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37  And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” 38  Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39  and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40  Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41  And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 

Even though David was young he believed that God was with Israel and would defeat their enemy.  He presented himself to Saul and offered to fight their enemy. You see, while he was on the backside of the sheep pasture God had been preparing him to be a champion.  After he was anointed by the Prophet Samuel, a great anointing was placed on him. With this anointing he was given wisdom and strength to deal with all the issues that were presented to him.  While on the backside of the pasture God was preparing him to be the king of Israel.  There were times that lions came to do his sheep flock harm, he killed them. At other times bears came to do the same, but the bears did not know who they were dealing with, thus the bears were killed.  These events were preparing David to be the keeper of the flock of Israel. Every event in your life is preparing you for the future and fulfilling your God given destiny.

Saul gives David his armor, but the armor did not fit, it was too big and cumbersome. He felt uncomfortable in this armor, he had not proved it or tested it out before, but he knew how to use a slingshot and a stone, a stone that was smooth and had been prepared for such a time as this. David chose 5 smooth stones and his sling shot to go into battle against Goliath, stones that lay in a stream wearing away all the rough edges, making them a weapon of exact precision so that they would hit the target and not miss. There are times we try to walk out God’s will for our lives following the dictates of man instead being led by the Holy Spirit. We need to always to be careful that what we are doing is not religious in nature. God sometimes using the unconventional to get His Word out. If you do not believe this, just take a look at the prophets of the Old Testament. Many times, God asked them do what was unconventional to get His point across to the nation of Israel. That said, whatever we do should always line up with what the Word of God presents.

 So, when the enemy, Goliath showed his ugly head, he knew that God was with him and had prepared him for such a time.  He took one of those smooth stones using his sling shot, slung the stone, and hit Goliath in his forehead where there was no armor.  David killed Goliath with Goliath’s own sword.  If David had gone out with Saul’s armor he would have failed and probably would have died, but he chose the way God had for him, that he had been prepared for on the back side of a sheep pasture. There are times that God allow abrasive people in our lives to remove the rough edges of our own personalities in order we may become just like those smooth stones that David pick up as a weapon against the enemy’s agenda, a weapon of precision and wisdom that will hit mark at just the right time.

The moral of the story is this.  We need to quit walking in another person’s shoes.  We need to quit trying to please others and, in the process, not fulfill the destiny that God has for us.  Many of us are like the wildflowers that grow and flourish on the ditch bank, but we are trying to conform to the way of another garden where we keep being offended and plucked up. God has a purpose for the wildflower just like He has purpose for vegetable garden that was planted by man.  Even in the midst of the weeds that seem to have no benefits, wildflowers flourish.  Truth is many of the plants that we consider to be weeds are edible or have medicinal properties. In the right environment they flourish while in vegetable garden they are pulled up and discarded. David was like a wildflower on the ditch bank. His own father did not see his worth, but God saw worth and purpose and He sees worth and purpose in you too.  Just like David, as you yield to the hand of Father God in your life He will prepare you to walk in all that he has prepared for you.  Yield to His hand and allow Him to change you.  As David walked out his life being an ordinary shepherd of the sheep, worshipping and listening to God, God was preparing him to be the shepherd Israel as their king. 2 Samuel 5:2 (the end of the verse) “And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” 3  So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. 

I conclude with this: it is time we quit trying to figure it out for ourselves. As we lean into God, allowing Him to lead and guide us, we will see a shift in our lives. Personally, I have spent way too many days of my own life trying to do things that I thought was best or at other times trying to do thing the ways I thought others would want me to do thus trying to please man instead pleasing God.  I even went to nursing school in an attempt to fulfill the calling that God had placed on my life and ended up feeling miserable and unfulfilled.  Now I have taken off the cloak of people pleasing and have begun to walk out the destiny that God has for my life.  He has an awesome plan for your life, a plan for good and not evil, a plan for peace and joy! Jeremiah 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Verse 12 tells us that when we call on Him and pray, He will hear our prayers.  When we seek Him out as our vital necessity, we will find Him.  This cannot be done half-heartedly, but with all our hearts, totally surrendered to Him and His purpose for our lives.  It is not too late to get back on track walking out your God given destiny!

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Each morning that we awaken is a brand-new beginning. One morning this week I was lying in bed, thinking about what I would do during the day. I heard these words in my spirit, “stop lying in bed planning your day, instead get up and start living your day.  I don’t know about you, but I have trouble with procrastinating at times.  If it is something that I don’t particularly enjoy, I put it off until later. Sometimes it is simply there is not a deadline to meet so I am not in a rush getting it done.  When I go to school, I have the tendency to do the same with assignments.  The Bible classes that I am taking most of the assignments are given at the beginning of the semester, but I usually do them the week they are due. Truth is there is probably some kind of root issue from my past that causes this.  This is something I need to search out and deal with. We all have something that we need to dig out and deal with for sure. 

Getting back to “stop planning your day, instead get up and start living your day”. Because of seeds that were sown in our lives we often avoid or delay certain situations. We build walls around ourselves to protect ourselves.  I know what I am talking about because I have done this most of my past life. God has help me overcome and tear down the many walls that I had built around myself for protection. That said, I am always on guard so that I do not rebuild walls when offenses come my way.  Sometimes we are so hung up on what happened in our past, we cannot live in the present. Then again, we sometimes are so busy planning for our future that we do not stop and smell the roses along the way. That is not to say that we should not plan for some future event.  It states in Habakkuk 2:2-3 “And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry”.   We should prepare for our future by going to school, saving money, or whatever way God leads us to do, but should never be obsessed to the point of not enjoying the journey.  When we think only about some future circumstance, we do not live in the moment.  Just to make sure you understand there is a difference between living in the moment and living for the moment. Living in the moment is about savoring every moment that God has given us. Waking up each morning, being grateful for another day to give God glory for all that He has done in our lives.  Living for the moment is about living a self-centered life without caring about the effect you have on those around you.  This narcissistic and immature view of life.

With that said, I remember a time when I had walls built so tall and so wide there was no way anyone could reach me emotionally unless I opened the gate for them to enter. Needless to say, because of the spirit of rejection that had imprisoned my heart, that gate was rarely opened. I was living life with an orphan spirit not realizing who I was in Christ. I was a Christian, but a bound Christian. There had been too many family members and friends that had trampled on my heart, and I felt that they had rejected me.  I cannot blame them because many times they did not realize how their actions affected me. It was all about the bad seed that had been sowed in my life at an early age.  The enemy of my soul was out to destroy me and out to do the same for you.  You see when I loved, I loved big and wholly.  Not that is a bad thing at all.  It is actually the way we should all love one another. The bad part was I expected things in return that they did not give back or were unable to give in return.  We all have stuff we are dealing with y’all. The walls that I had built were just like the walls that were built around Jericho to keep their enemies out. One of the walls surrounding Jericho was 6 feet wide and 20 to 26 feet tall.  There was a retaining wall surrounding Jericho too.  I have heard the wall was so wide that a chariot could ride on top of it.  Even though the wall was thick and tall it was not going to stop the children of Israel from reaching the destiny that God had for them and there is no wall so thick or tall that the enemy has engineered in your life that will keep you from fulfilling your destiny, if you will surrender your life to Jesus. In my own life, the Holy Spirit has been comforting, teaching, and healing me from past hurts and I am feeling more empowered every day of my life. He will do the same for you!

Without a doubt His mercies are new every morning! The book of Lamentations is one those books of the Bible that many avoid reading because much of it appears to be a downer, but it reflects the sorrow that Jeremiah was feelings because of the judgment that was coming to Jerusalem.  The people of God had turned their hearts away from following and loving the one true God and had turned their hearts to lifeless manmade idols.  They had forgotten the mighty works of God. Hidden in the midst of the words of sorrow can be found secrets. Secrets that encourage you and me just like they encouraged Jeremiah. Lamentations 3:22,23: “22  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”. This is so true! His mercies never come to an end. Each morning that we awaken is a brand-new beginning.  It is true that we may have to deal with something we did, seeds we sowed the day before or even a year ago or longer, but He is a merciful God who forgives.  He doesn’t just forgive He will give us strategies to deal with any past sins or mistakes. He is always faithful!

 Wherever you are today Abba Father continues to love you and has a plan for your life.  Psalm 30:5  “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”  There is hope through Jesus Christ.  You may have failed, but as you turn your heart toward Him and surrender it all to Him your hope and joy will be restored.  Psalm 143:7  Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. 8  Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. David was crying out God. He was discouraged! He knows that His enemies are many and are real. Your enemy may not be another nation or another person, but we all face the attacks of the enemy of our souls.  Many times, I say to myself if I knew then what I know now. If I knew how much Abba Father loved me. If I knew that He is truly faithful.  If I knew because of the cross and the blood of Jesus, I am child of the Most High God and am walking in the authority of Jesus Christ.  If I knew then what I know now, how different my life would have been. We cannot change our past, but we change this current day in which live in and in turn change our future.  What would happen in each of our lives before we got out of bed in the morning, we would get up with a grateful heart because of who He is. What would happen if we arose praising and adoring Him because He is good? Our entire outlook would change. The atmosphere in our homes and workplaces would change.  I am ending with this passage of scripture, Psalm 59:16  But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.  As we lift our voices in praise, honoring Abba Father our entire outlook on life shifts and changes.  The joy of the Lord will rise in us, and His joy will be the strength we need to live out our lives.  Declaring and decreeing blessings over you today and every day! Praising God because He is good, and His love and mercy endures forever!

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