Jesus mirrors to us on how we should be living our lives. Jesus often mirrored what He saw from the Farther. God always showed Himself faithful. In the Old Testament we saw His faithfulness to the children of Israel over and over and over again.
Faithfulness is one of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is the consistent, reliable action and belief in our faith. The Bible says our faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, if our faith pleases God, we should be faithful to Him in our actions of believing in Him.
So, if God is faithful and loyal to His people, we should be faithful and loyal to Him. Although we have challenges and difficulties in our lives, we should remain consistent and loyal towards God. Our faithfulness helps us to stand in the storms and crises of life.
The beauty of our faithfulness is we are not doing it on our own. It is the supernatural strength, as with all of the Fruit of the Spirit, that we receive from the Holy Spirit. That supernatural strength allows us to live this out in the abundant victorious life God promised us. As we are living it out it is humbling. We realize it is Christ’s spirit that is helping us to do what you cannot do on your own! That is a BEAUTIFUL thing! Love & Blessings!
Part of our relationship with Jesus is being able to relate to situations and circumstances He dealt with. After all, the Bible says we will share in God’s glory and sufferings (Romans 8:17-18).
One of the piercing moments in Jesus’ life is in the Garden of Gethsemane. He sweated drops of blood (Luke 22:44). He is anguished. So much so He asks God three times if He will pass this bitter cup from Him (Matthew 26:39, 42,44).
Jesus ends those requests with nevertheless, not my will but your will be done (Luke 22: 42). We know that Jesus went through with the crucifixion to save the world from sin… It is finished! (John 19:30).
Recently, I picked up one of my journals and started reading. The passages I read I recognized as a Gethsemane moment in my life. It was not pretty.
In reading my journal it brings back painful moments in my life. Nevertheless, it also shows me how anchored in the Lord I am, too. Further, I realize the situation I was in. As a result, I needed to surrender myself totally to God to survive and keep my witness for Christ.
After reading those passages in my journal, I started reflecting on other Gethsemane moments I have had in my life. Without a doubt, it solidified to me the importance of us staying focused and committed to our faith.
In times of turbulence in our lives Satan will come against us. However, God showed me those who were a support for me and those who were not. Fortunately, it is comforting to see the Lord leading and guiding you out of your storms.
God is faithful. Moreover, we see how He was faithful to Jesus. The purpose God had for His life came to pass. For this reason, if God is faithful to His son, Jesus, we know He will be faithful to us. In the same, when our hearts and attitudes bend towards God He is obligated to be faithful to us. He knows His children. We belong to Him! Amen. Love & Blessings!
Christians are called to be Christ followers. We are the hands, mouth and feet of Jesus on the Earth! Last week I wrote about God giving us visions, revelations, and dreams to carry out for Him.
If the vision, revelation, and dream magnify God and promote His purpose and will on the Earth, it is a good indication it is coming from Him. If it is something that you can not accomplish on your own gifts and talents, it is another indication it is probably God born.
Unfortunately, many times we lack the courage and boldness to move forward in the name of Jesus. We become afraid of how we will look to others and what they will say. As a result, we become paralyzed and unable to do anything. I believe this saddens God.
The Bible says it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrew 11:6). This is the value of our faith. It pleases God. That also means Satan will do anything to destroy, kill and steal it (John 10:10, Luke 22:31, Peter 5:8). Further, we know this is how Satan operates. Moreover, all the more reason to move forth in boldness in the name of Jesus.
So, move forward in Jesus’ name. Nevertheless, if you go in the wrong direction, trust that God will redirect you in the right direction. This is the importance of us remaining humble and keeping our eyes on God. If we are not paying attention to Him, soon our own agenda will replace God’s agenda.
If our heart is bent towards Him, we will willingly and intentionally look for Him. Therefore, we will wait on Him to give us our next step. Then, we will boldly move forward in Jesus’ name… Amen. Love & Blessings!
God speaks to us every day. He uses His children to get His work done on the Earth. God gives us revelations, visions, and dreams that are in His will. So, when we walk in the will of God, His plans are manifested.
We see God giving dreams, visions, revelations to His children in the Bible. He used Moses, David, Jonah and Esther, to name some that He used. Each of these had hesitancy moving forward in God’s will.
Our humanity can trip us up sometimes. Needless to say, we become unsure and afraid. Nevertheless, that is the enemy, Satan, trying to prevent us from doing God’s will on the Earth.
If God has given you a revelation, dream, vision, desire for something that will honor, magnify, and glorify Him, BELIEVE what He has given you.
Satan will try to kill, steal, destroy the things of God whatever it is. Furthermore, he NEVER wants to see God’s revelations, visions, dreams and desires come to pass.
Many times we must SEE ourselves in the future of what God has called us to do. Certainly, this is POWERFUL! The Bible says without a vision the people will perish. (Proverbs 29:18). Once we SEE it, we move forward to establish it. Moreover, we lean and depend on God to show us the way… Amen. Love & Blessings!
We serve a supernatural God. I believe many times we forget that. God is the WOW factor in our lives.! He is constantly working on His children’s behalf.
Now, Satan does not want us to be aware of this. He is constantly stealing, killing and destroying the things of God in our lives (John 10:10, Mark 3:20-27). This is why the Bible tells us to remember the things God has done for you (Isaiah 46:9). Of course, we really have to use our spiritual eyes to see this.
Using our spiritual eyes is walking in the spirit. Further, it is an intentional walk with Jesus everyday. Moreover, we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit to speak to us. God becomes our constant companion. We engage with Him throughout the day.
When we are paying attention to God in our lives we realize the many things He is doing for us DAILY. Recently, I attended an event at one of my alma maters. They were recognizing alumni who have small businesses. Upon arrival they asked those of us who have business cards to drop our cards in the bowl for a prize drawing. I dropped my card in the bowl.
This week I received an email saying I won the prize drawing! I thought, God did it! In my conversations with Him I am asking Him if I am on the right track? Am I doing things the way He wants me to do them with ministry?
Many times God will send us encouragement or close doors to direct us. If I am intentionally looking for Him I am going to be sensitive to God’s spirit around me. For example, while attending the small business event, I saw a wall art that said “Despise not the day of small beginnings, Zechariah 4:10.” That spoke to and encouraged my spirit… God Did It! That was His way of encouraging me to move forward! Needless to say, we are a very small ministry at this point.
Later, in the week, I was talking about the goodness of God to a group. I shared about the ministry and the plans He has for it. Additionally, I spoke about the repellent He gave the ministry to have funds. As a result, I remembered those things He had done for me in the past. When it seemed like I was on the wrong track God became the powerful Wow Factor! For sure, He let me know I was on the right track! This was ENCOURAGEMENT from Him!
When I checked my messages later that evening, I discovered someone I had never met ordered three repellents! That was God! God Did It! God is our Wow Factor! I believe God put a desire in this person’s heart to order the repellent. When I met the person, they were in definite need of repellent! That confirmed to me God is working and leading me in the right direction… AMEN!
Jesus has given us eternal life. That means our soul and spirit live on forever. The Bible talks about when we encounter our earthly death we are absent from the body and present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Accepting Christ as our Lord, Savior, and Master means we are citizens of heaven! (Philippians 3:20) We, being citizens of heaven, means we are passing through this world. Therefore, we are sojourners or temporary residents. Additionally, Paul tells us we should not conform to this world. However, while we are traveling through, living in this world we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. (Romans 12:2).
To make this journey in this world easier on us we have to take on the mind of Christ. That means with His help, we should walk in the Spirit. Another mindset that makes life easier is realizing life is not about us. Being citizens of heaven means we serve God on Earth through helping others. We surrender our lives on Earth to do the will of our Father. This is a supernatural process we live with help of the Holy Spirit.
When we know we are citizens of heaven, it sets us free! We are free from sin not to sin. We are not perfect, but through the strength of Christ, it is He who shows us the way to the abundant victorious life we can have now to the precursor of being citizens of heaven… Amen!
Once we accept Christ as our Lord, Savior, and Master we get a new life. Because we have accepted Christ, we daily walk in His way. Moreover, we do the things He has called us to do. Further, we do this to have the abundant victorious life God promised us through Christ (John 10:10).
The old man represents our lives without Christ. We are lost sinners. Unfortunately, even if we tried to be good on our BEST day, we are still lost sinners. Christ died to cover our sins (1 Peter 2:24). Fortunately, we are now saints! (1 Corinthians 1:2) Graciously, God looks at us through Jesus Christ. Jesus covered us! Jesus said it is finished. Done!
Now we have to put on Christ. Needless to say, we have to walk out our faith daily. We demonstrate our love for Jesus by obeying Him (John 14:15-17). So, we put off the old man and put on Christ. We shed our old man. Transforming our hearts and our minds. We are a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The more we obey, surrender, yield ourselves to Christ and His Spirit, the easier it becomes to walk out our faith. We live with expectation and anticipation of experiencing our faith. It becomes so much a part of us that we look forward to spending time with our Father. It is what the intimate relationship with the Father is all about. Love & Blessings!
God calls us to be on fire for Him. Revelation 3:15-16, relays God wants us hot! Yet, many Christians walk around lukewarm for God, as this same scripture eludes to.
Another word for fire is passion. I believe a passion for God is living a lifestyle that honors God. To live for God is an example of having fire for God.
Psalm 113:3 says we should praise God from sunrise to sunset. That is an indication of being on fire for our God. Paul tells us to renew our minds everyday (Romans 12:2).
Each of us as Christians possess the Holy Spirit. It is something we have to nurture and cultivate in our lives. Allowing the Holy Spirit to be actively involved in our lives helps us to stay on fire for God.
Jesus lived under the leadership of the Holy Spirit in His life. He was constantly communing with God throughout the day (Luke 5:16). Jesus walked in the Spirit while on Earth.
Jesus demonstrated throughout His life how to live the Christian life. It was not always easy for Him. We saw him pray for strength through the tough times to do the will of our Father (Matthew 26:39). We must do the same. It is living a life on fire for God.
We must stay on fire for God in our lives. Otherwise, Satan will come and steal, kill, and destroy all things of God. The beauty of things that God has called us to in this Christine life, is to give us the abundant victorious life God has promised us.
When God calls us to surrender, obedience, and commitment, it is because He knows it is the best way to stay on fire for Him. It is Satan who leads us to destruction. Of course at the time we do not see it as destruction. We see it as the pleasures of life. This is Satan’s deception because it leads to our demise.
If, when you think about being on fire for God, you become unsure, that is Satan trying to deter you from the blessings of staying on fire for God. Recognize when the enemy is deterring you from the things of God. Stand strong and stand tall. Stay steadfast and unmovable. This is how we stay on fire for God… Amen. Love & Blessings!
HAPPY EASTER! It is indeed happy for those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives. As a result, Jesus promised us an abundant, victorious life (John 10:10).
Some like to put Jesus’ death simple. That meaning we are not going to hell! Jesus did promise us eternal life (John 3:16, John 10: 27-28). However, we get so much more!
The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us (1st. Corinthians 3:16).With that spirit that dwells with us, we have the Fruit of the Spirit! The Fruit of joy, love, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Moreover, possessing these Fruit is like heaven on Earth!
The beauty of the “New Life” Jesus has given us can be experienced right now on Earth! Therefore, we walk and live in the Spirit. To experience these Fruit becomes apart of our lives. It is the supernatural power we have in us through Jesus Christ.
To experience this supernatural power is to surrender and obey those things of God. Further, we look to Jesus because He is our example in ALL things. Needless to say, that is why we are Christ-followers! We are to live our lives with Jesus in us.
When you feel Jesus’ presence through the Holy Spirit, it is humbling, yet real thing. It is an unmistakable feeling when it comes. The more we surrender and obey, the more His presence is familiar to us. It is truly a BEAUTIFUL thing. Experience Him today! Love & Blessings!
God has purpose and a plan for each of our lives. It is a journey to seek the purpose and plan God has for our lives. It is full of twists and turns. There are progress and setbacks. We face challenges and triumphs.
The beauty of our God is He is the Master Planner. If we know who He is, we know He will not mismanage our lives. We yield, surrender and obey! It is the ultimate TRUST we give to Him. It is what our FAITH is built on.
Joseph is a perfect example of yielding, surrendering and obeying God. After his jealous brothers, who the Bible says hated him, sold him into slavery, his life took many twists and turns. Nevertheless, it did not matter what happened to him in his life. He remained committed to God! Without a doubt, it is devastating that your own family hates you and sells you. Furthermore, he faced even more hardships.
Once in slavery, Joseph faces hardships of being falsely accursed of rape and then imprisoned. The chief butler and baker forsake him after he interprets their dreams. However, God did not forsake Joseph. He sees Joseph’s faithfulness. Because of his impressive gift of interpreting dreams, Joseph is made second in command over Egypt.
God, being the master planner, had to strategically place Joseph in position in Egypt. Joseph is able to help those, including his family, in Israel, when the famine comes. Unbeknownst to everyone what God was doing, including Joseph and his brothers, Joseph delivered his people, and the Israelite, from the famine.
God used Joseph’s life to save His people in Israel. When you read the story of Joseph, it is heartbreaking in a sense. On the other hand, it is a story of commitment, stability, inspiration, motivation. Moreover, it demonstrates hard work, dedication, pleasant disposition, and pure grit!
We all can take a script from Joseph’s life of what it is to persevere. We never read about him complaining. For sure, he had enough hardships to happen in his life to complain. Instead, we consistently see him moving forward. He is not plotting and planning for revenge. We see him in an act of forgiveness toward his brothers.
Some say Joseph’s life was a foreshadowing of Christ. God had planned both their lives. They both were sold, betrayed, suffered, saved people, fed people, ruled with authority. The comfort is God was in control of it ALL. We learn that hardships come to shape our lives. They can be used to make us better if we do not become sour about them. Jesus and Joseph did not become sour. They TRUSTED God for what He was allowing in their lives. Even when they did not like it. Steadfastly, they stayed with God. They knew that ultimately, God would not mismanage their lives… Amen
