Wednesday's Word

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I  do,  forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. (Philippians 3:13‭-‬15 NKJV)

Faith is trusting God in advance for what you will see in reverse.

Today, as I look back over my life I see what God brought me from and through:

• those things I walked away from was beneficial for me, although at the time it seemed so important...it really wasn't

• leaving behind  relationships that I didn't need have freed me to have a true relationship with Him

• I left hangups, attitudes and self-defeating bad influences that held me back from becoming the man I was meant to be

• and I left behind the need to be accepted by others, realizing that there is neither Heaven nor Hell that man can assign to me, I only need to be accepted and to please God!

Trust God in each of your tomorrows and don't be hindered by the mistakes of yesterday! #makeithappen

Assertive and Aggressive

There's a difference between being Assertive and Aggressive.

   •Assertive people state their opinions, while still being respectful of others. 

   •Aggressive people attack or ignore others' opinions in favor of their own.

This one right here knows the difference! Pastor Beverly, my man ("Did I say that right?") 😇

Thankful Thursday: Oh, Oh and Oh!!!

Have you ever noticed that when things just get sooooo good that you don't have words to describe it? You get to where you can only say "Oh". Sometimes you just string it, "Oh, Oh, Oh" and at other times you just let it trail off, "Oohhhhh . Well, when you sit down and begin to think just how good God has been to you, all that you can say is, "Oh"!

"Oh", Lord you didn't have to bring me through, bring me back from, bring me out of, bring me into... (You fill in the blank. He's brought all of us from something and to something better). When you think back on His Hand on your life, just say "Oh"!

• "Oh", thank you Jesus for saving me
• "Oh", thank you Jesus for loving me
• "Oh", thank you Jesus for my life, my family, my home, my job, my health, my wealth, my hope, my joy, my peace..."OH, OH, OOOHHHHH"!

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalms 34:8 NKJV)

Self-centeredness

Self-centered Desires and Covetousness

Self-centeredness and Covetousness, left unchecked, can cause great destruction. Likewise, with unchecked sinfulness in our lives the results are the same. We must work diligently to extract these from our lives by the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. If we dont, they will destroy us.

You see, some would say, "Well, just stop stealing, or cheating or killing or drugging or drinking and everything will be alright." It's not that simple. Those things just listed are not the real problems; they are simply the symptoms of the problem. The real trouble is not in our hands, the real trouble is in our hearts.

We enter into arguments and refuse to settle them because of our own evil desires that battle within us. We have affairs and take someone else's spouse because of our own evil desires that battle within us. We cheat on our taxes; We steal from out workplace; We enter into gossip and character assassination against one another because of our own evil desires that battle within us. We enter into physical fights because of our own evil desires that battle within us. We drink and party to the point of destroying our credibility and health because of our own evil desires that battle within us. While we try to blame the marriage, the alcohol, the drug, the boss, the system, the bully, or the parents who raised us...the truth is much simpler...IT'S OUR OWN EVIL DESIRES THAT BATTLE WITHIN US!

So, what must change are the desires that exist within us. We cannot change our hearts by changing our actions. We must change our actions by changing our hearts. When our "want to" changes, our "will do" follows. Simply put, people will do what they want to do. So, if you want to change what you do, you must do the work of changing what you want to do.

Think about it. The alternative is that we destroy our lives and perhaps the lives of others around us because of our own evil desires that battle within us.

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God." (James 4:1-2 NIV)

YOU are WILDLY LOVED by God!

Lord I pray for those today that are anxious. We are worried about many things. We worry about the people in our lives, we worry about circumstances that we are going through. We are worried about having more month than money, we worry about things that are out of our control and we worry about the things that we do have in our control. 

Today just know that you are WILDLY LOVED by God and He is concerned about you. Find your peace and your rest in knowing this truth today. God says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 NKJV) #makeithappen

I’m Better Than I Look - Time to Reassess...Be Encouraged!

Why do we need to assign blame on those who are not as fortunate as others? Truth is:

1. The poor are not those who don’t have resources, but truly are those who don’t know Jesus.

2. The sick and dying are not those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, but are those who face this life without Christ.

3. The sorrowful are not those who lost worldly possessions, but truly those who had put all of their faith, hope and identity in those things which are temporary and not on the things that are eternal.

We are quick to judge and assign blame on things that we don’t understand or we assign blame because our own prejudices. We assess what we see with our natural eyes and cultural inclinations and we fail to see with our spiritual senses.

I’m thankful that God doesn’t look on the outside, but He looks at the heart of man. Before we pass judgement on one another, ask God to open your spiritual eyes so that we may see us how He sees us. How does He see us? He sees us as His Beloved Children. He looks at us: our infirmities, our failures, our missteps, our sins, our selfishness and on and on and on...yet He still calls us His and He stills heals and restores those who receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Better put: I’m better than I look!

“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (John‬ ‭9:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Thankful Thursday

He who knows you the best, Loves you the most!

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” (Psalms‬ ‭139:1-18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)