SEE TO IT!

It is OUR Responsibility to "SEE TO IT"!

To all of my Christian Family, we must know that people are watching our every action and reaction!

It is our responsibility to SEE TO IT, that bitterness not be allowed to creep into our hearts. Bitterness brings with it jealousy, dissension, and immorality. Allowing bitterness to creep in will overshadow every christian value and relationship that we pray daily to be equipped to maintain.

We must SEE TO IT that we continually ask and allow The Holy Spirit to fill us because only He can heal the hurt that comes our way which causes bitterness to creep in.

Today, someone is watching you to see how you're going to react to the challenge of today; how you're going to react to the words spoken against you today; how you're going to react to the news, gossip, insinuation and accusations that may be intended to get a reaction out of you!

SEE TO IT that after doing all to stand, that you stand on your faith; stand on The Word of God; and stand in Christ Jesus!

SEE TO IT that those who are watching you in the storm actually see The Jesus in you who speaks "Peace. Be Still" to the storm.

SEE TO IT that we don't cause someone to miss God's Grace that He has for them by failing to embrace this same Grace that we preach and teach to others!

SEE TO IT that you are SEEING TO IT!!!

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:15)

Happy Birthday Dad!!

I LOVE MY DAD!!

Truth - I thank God for Dad
Truth - I praise God for Dad
Truth - I'm proud of my Dad
Truth - I cherish time with my Dad
Truth - I'll forever respect my Dad
Truth - I'll always celebrate Dad
Truth - I'll always be there for Dad
Truth - I promise to look after Dad
Truth - I pray for Dad
Truth - I'm "Me" because of Dad

Happy Birthday Dad!! Yea, Truth Is...I LOVE YOU DAD!!

Motivating Moment

THIS I KNOW!

Sometimes it's difficult to get motivated to begin another week especially if we barely made it through all of the "people issues" of last week. Yes it's true that people will drain you; weigh on you; plot against you; set traps for you; lie, despise, trick, cheat, manipulate, degrade and belittle you...sometimes because people are just cruel, but other times people are ultra-competitive or just plain mean & selfish.

But let me motivate you by sharing God's Word that motivates me everyday. You see, David was captured by his enemy and he wrote these words when he took his mind off of his situation and placed his mind on The Lord. May David's prayer be your prayer if you require motivation on today:

"THIS I KNOW, because God is for me. In God (I will praise His word), In the Lord (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalms 56:9c-11)

Today, you must know that there is a God that YOU MUST KNOW! Today, take your mind off of your situation and place your mind, your trust and your faith in God!

THIS I KNOW...If you do, this day will be like a walk in the Park! :) Are you motivated now?

Go get it done!!

Thankful Because His Mercy ENDURES FOREVER!!

Be Thankful because His Mercy ENDURES FOREVER!!

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord , for He  is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever— The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever; The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever. To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever; And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever; With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever; And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever; But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever; Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever; Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever." (Psalms 136:1-16, 23-26 NKJV)

The WORD

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known. (John 1:1-5, 10-14, 16-18 NIV)

True Love is GREAT LOVE!

Even in our disloyalty, unbelief, wavering views and opinions of who we think He is and who we think Him NOT to be (denying His Lordship) and even while out hearts were far from Him or have been hardened by thoughts of self-supremacy and self-preservation... God has told you of His love and now God has shown you His love.

What friend, which entity, what imaginative notion or day-dreaming fantasy can come come close to the true love and friendship in which God has so aggressively restored and made known to you?

Today, think about love in its purest sense and think on where that love has originated from. True love is ALIVE, LIVING, VIBRANT, ACTIVE and GIVEN IN ABUNDANCE! The love of God Lives in Christ Jesus, the Risen Savior! Men live but for a season, created things tarnish over time, But God is from everlasting to everlasting and His Love Endures Forever!!

"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." (Romans 5:8-11)

HE IS RISEN

Thursday - The Last Supper, Betrayal, Prayer in the Garden, Arrest and Trials

Passion Week (Holy Week) - Thursday:

Jesus held the Passover Meal; Jesus teaching of the Last Supper; Jesus is betrayed by Judas; Jesus prays in Gethsemane; Jesus is arrested; Jesus on trial before Annas, then Caiaphas; Peter denies Jesus 3 times; and Jesus goes on trial before the Sanhedrin.

Passion Week (Holy Week) - Wednesday

The Bible doesn't say what the Lord did on Wednesday of Passion Week. Scholars speculate that after two exhausting days in Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples spent this day resting in Bethany in anticipation of the Passover.

Bethany was about two miles east of Jerusalem. Here Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha lived. They were close friends of Jesus, and probably hosted him and the disciples during these final days in Jerusalem.

Just a short time previously, Jesus had revealed to the disciples, and the world, that he had power over death by raising Lazarus from the grave. After seeing this incredible miracle, many people in Bethany believed that Jesus was the Son of God and put their faith in him. Also in Bethany just a few nights earlier, Lazarus' sister Mary had lovingly anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume.

While we can only speculate, it's fascinating to consider how our Lord Jesus spent this final quiet day with his dearest friends and followers.

Passion Week (Holy Week) - Tuesday

Religious Rulers Challenge Jesus' Authority in the Temple

On one of the days when Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests, legal experts, and elders approached him. They said, "Tell us: What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?" He replied, "I have a question for you. Tell me: Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin?" They discussed among themselves, "If we say, ‘It’s of heavenly origin,’ he’ll say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘It’s of human origin,’ all the people will stone us to death because they are convinced that John was a prophet." They answered that they didn’t know where it came from. Then Jesus replied, "Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things." (Luke 20:1-8 CEB)

Passion Week (Holy Week) - Monday

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "[

Luke 19:45-46 (NKJV)

Let us EXPLODE and ERUPT in the Knowledge of the DEPTH that God Has Gone to Prove His Love for Us!

What this means is that in order for us to Finish Strong on today, we need to know how we made it through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!  Actually, we really need to stop and reflect on how we have gotten to where we are today…and then we will not even think twice about giving Him the praise and glory that He is so worthy of.

Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12-14)

May the Depth of God's Love for us Explode and Erupt in our Lives

God in His awesomeness has done 3 great things for you and me, things that are so great that they just EXPLODE our imaginations! If we but stop to think and concentrate on these 3 things, the DEPTH of what God has done will ERUPT in our lives for good.  We will never be the same. So what are these 3 things? 

1.       God has given us an Inheritance

2.       God has Delivered us from the power of darkness

3.       God has Redeemed us, even forgiven us of our sins

May your day be filled with the knowledge, wisdom and understanding of how much God loves you.  When you think on these things then there is absolutely no way that you could do anything other than FINISH STRONG!!!

A Football Analogy

Have you noticed how life just sometimes seems like a "No Huddle Offense"? We get use to freelancing; just going with the flow; and we tend to be in a hurry up frame of mind just because the world seems to be moving in a hurry up kind of way.

However, I'm thankful for my early morning quiet time with The Lord, where I purposely take a much needed timeout, talk things over with my Coach and then go into the "playbook" to gain knowledge, wisdom and understanding for my next move.

Once I seek the "Playbook" the Coach says it's time to come out of the "No Huddle Offense", that it is time to huddle again and call the play that He has determined is best!

You see, the "No Huddle Offense" was incorporated by man to keep pace with this fast paced life. The Playbook, which is The Holy Bible, oftentimes is not sought while in our hurry up posture. The Coach is The Lord and commands that we huddle up, seek the next and best play and after receiving the play, trust the play to be successful in moving us closer to the Goal. During the timeout we talk with our Coach (pray) and He reveals His Playbook to us.

In a football game, a team is limited to the amount of timeouts that can be used. However, in God, we can and are encouraged to take many/daily/every necessary timeout to consult our Coach and His Playbook.

This morning, during my timeout and while talking (praying) with my Coach, He called an audible and told me to write a Parable that His team will easily understand.

Today is a good day to call a timeout, huddle up and consult the Coach, get a new play and execute it to gain an advantage. You have been stuck on 3rd a long and the play that is being called in your life will gain a guaranteed 1st Down!

By the way, the End Zone and the reward for reaching it is indeed much greater than 6 points!!

The timeout is over and I'm running the play, even right now, for today!!

IT'S YOU!!

The Search is Over...IT'S YOU!!!

Don't look outside yourself for a Leader, now is the time for you to look inside of yourself to see the Leader that is being called into today. WE ARE THE THE ONES THAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! Trust yourself in God's agenda and plan.

"Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord God ! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord . Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:4-10 NKJV)

BREATHE DEEPLY TODAY!

GOOD MORNING! Isn't it amazing to know that The Creator God has breathed His breath into you once more, calling you forth into yet another day? 

It's not that you woke yourself, nor was it the set time on your alarm clock, as we sadly know that there have been many this morning alone, where the alarm clock will sound off loudly, yet there will be no response from the one who relied on it to wake them. Please know that ONLY GOD can command your awakening each day!

Everyday that you and I rise, we stretch and breathe in deeply from the very breath of God who calls us into newness, new opportunities, new challenges, new mercies and new faith!

Truth is, I'm excited for what God has planned and purposed for me today. Today won't be like yesterday and the strategy that was good for yesterday will be renewed for today, the success of yesterday will not carry us through today... but rest assured that The Lord who was with us on yesterday to give us our strategy and to make us successful, is the same God who will Lord over our lives today!

His breath brings not only Life, but healing and wholeness. His breath brings cleansing; blowing away all which is not clean before Him so we begin with a fresh clean start. His breath brings the wind of the Holy Spirit from heaven to blow over lives and fill us afresh.

The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4 NKJV)

Job knew his very existence; his every breath belonged to God, who gave him life.

My friends, even when we were dead in our sins, God breathed into us the breath of life for us to be born again, breathing His life within us. How sweetly does the breath of Life taste! How completely does the gift of Life fill our lungs! The most wonderful part is that one day we will breathe in the very air that He breathes in the city of God, in Heaven itself.

If your heart is deadened by the death of sin, then cry out to the Living God to breathe into the deadness of your life with His breath of Spiritual Life so you may be born again, with fresh Spiritual lungs breathing in a different and a new Life.

Breathe Deeply Today!!

Meditate on This!

It May Not Make Sense, But it Does Make Faith!

Getting out of the boat to walk on water, I'm sure, didn't make a whole lot of sense to Peter, but when he had faith that he could do it, he indeed walked on the water. It is when he tried to make sense of it that he began to sink.

Today, there may be something in your life that just doesn't make sense (like forgiveness of those who have hurt you or showing love even to your enemies) but know today that it doesn't have to make sense, but it will make faith.

Watch what happens when you trust God...He is the One who is faithful and He is the One who can make since of a senseless matter!

You know, other than Jesus, Peter still is the only other person who can truly say that he really did walk on water. It surely didn't make sense, but this single senseless act of Peter increased Peter's faith more than anything else that would ever happen to him. From that point on, Peter became a significant witness of Jesus Christ.

A Great Opportunity!

Finishing Strong Friday: A Great Opportunity on Today!

"Seek ye The Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6 KJV)

1. Who shall you seek? "Seek ye The Lord"
2. Why? Because He is near
3. When? "While He may be found"
4. How? "Seek and Call on Him"
5. Who? "Ye" (YOU)!!!!

There you have it...5 steps to a Great Opportunity to Finish Strong.

Hint, if you are skeptical, JUST TRUST me and try JUST step 1; I'll be here to share with you 2-5 because I KNOW His love for YOU!

DON'T GLOAT OVER ME!

I'm thankful because it is another great day! "IT" thought that it had me down on yesterday, but I'm a comeback kid!

Today and everyday I'm Bouncing back better than ever! So, I say this to yesterday, I'm in it to win it, that was only one round of a 10 round Prize Fight...I have 9 more Great Rounds still in me!!

Who else feels like bouncing back on today? Come on and bounce back, there's still a lot of fight in you! Whatever you're fighting on today, may "IT" look at you in shame and bewilderment as you comeback stronger, wiser and more focused...stomping "IT" into submission...take authority over "IT"!!!

"May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace." (Psalm 35:26)

Intercession

Prayer warriors please understand that while it is good to pray for ourselves, it is indeed gracious to pray for others.

Praying for someone else comes with the most awesome and beneficial incentives...a satisfied as well as a thankful heart...both of the recipient and for the one praying.

Think about it...when you pray for someone else, you are also being strengthened in the knowledge and understanding of who God is and all the love that He has for His people and creation.

In Psalm 20 David intercedes in prayer with confidence and as I read each verse, I am filled and blessed as the Psalmist says as a confident prayer warrior:

- that our prayers are heard
- that we will be defended
- that we will receive help
- that we will be strengthened
- that we will be remembered
- that we will be accepted
- that we will be granted
- that we will be fulfilled
- that we will rejoice
- that we will set up and wave victory banners
- we will be Saved!

Here is the full passage of Scripture to read for yourself:

"The Lord HEAR thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob DEFEND thee;  Send thee HELP from the sanctuary, and STRENGTHEN thee out of Zion;  REMEMBER all thy offerings, and ACCEPT thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.  GRANT thee according to thine own heart, and FULFILL all thy counsel.  We will REJOICE in thy salvation, and IN THE NAME OF GOD we will SET UP OUR BANNERS: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.  Now know I that the Lord SAVES His anointed; He will HEAR him from His holy heaven with the SAVING STRENGTH of His right hand. 
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." (Psalms 20:1-7 KJV)

The Word of God will cause you to always pray in confidence... both for yourself and in interceding on behalf of another.

Prayer Warriors the need for intercession is greater now than ever before. All that God has revealed to you in His Word has already equipped as well as strengthened you...let's get back to interceding for our families, our people and our nation. Prayer is an awesome responsibility and WE have been CALLED AND ANOINTED to carry it out!

God bless Your people everywhere they go and in everything that they will face today, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Decision Time

"How Long Halt Ye Between Two Opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21)

It is during these times that I find myself raising (have raised) a soon to be 21 year old son and another nearly 17 years old, that I begin to reflect back and oftentimes act like MY PARENTS.  I find myself asking (yelling) at them at times the same thing that was told (yelled at) me. The question was "Boy, you better make up your mind on what you want to do with your life!"


You see, as they are, I was.  Yep, indecisive, very opinionated, but easily swayed and influenced by others. We all were at one time or another. These days there are so many influences, schemes, devices and cleaverly disquised snares brought before our young people. The things that we were so concerned and sometimes overwhelmed with are nothing compared to what the enemy has devised to destroy our children of today!


I find it sometimes needful to "halt between two opinions," IF what is before you is not quite clear at the moment, BUT when the choice that you are having to make CLEARLY STANDS OUT as a "Right decision" or a "Wrong decision", your indecision can become sin! Why? again, CLEARLY you know the difference between right and wrong...we all do.  It is when you stand at the edge of deciding what to do or which way to go and cannot come to a clear deliniation of how to choose, is where sin comes in...simply because you are torn between doing right as equally as you are torn to do wrong. The one who cannot make their mind up as to doing what is right as they know it, is in danger of being ruined.


As an example of this, I remember when I was a young boy in middle school and all of the "smokers" would huddle across the street from our school to have their cigarettes. I know of so many who began smoking "just because" others asked them to try it so that they could be cool like them. Peer pressure is tough at that age as we want to fit in somewhere. However, I mentioned that not making a decision is putting us in danger of being ruined. The time of decision is at the time of temptation. If I know that smoking is wrong and decided beforehand that it wasn't something that I wanted to do to my body, then I cannot be tempted by it.  IF I have not made a decision on smoking and now I am confronted with it, I may very well give it a try, although I know that it is wrong.


In this state of indecision, no progress can be made, as long as the mind is not clear.  It is in these times of indecision that a halting person is a useless person, worse than useless, for they are a stumbling-block to others...not saying anything but giving credit to the saying that "Silence breeds Consent".


There are those of you who may be reading this and know that Jesus is The Truth, The Way and The Light, but have not yet decided to believe and trust in Him. It has become popular to "think" otherwise, that we are our own source, our own creator and our own fate. All the while , we "KNOW" that there is something greater than ourselves, yet we have not decided or we have become "halt between two opinions".  Doing so, being indecisive, in the most in your face TRUTH, is not only causing you to stumble, but all those who are attached to you.  We are raising our children under the guise of "free will/decision making", but in doing so, we are shielding them from the opportunity to make a decision for themselves and thereby we are causing them to "halt between two opinions".


"HOW LONG HALT YE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS?" - BE BOLD AND DECIDE TODAY!  As for me, I CHOOSE JESUS!