We Need The Lord's Energy-Power

WOW...It is that time yet again for the World Cup football in South Africa. Lots of teams, lots of cheers and lots of countries are represented. Many teams got defeated and had to go back home (including England-my team). I have in this World Cup 2010 watched teams that were bad in the beginning but got better and better as time went on. They never quit looking at themselves as winners. They saw themselves winning the world cup. They may have dropped out at some point but they didn't give up. They kept on going as they heard their supporters cheer them on.

But unlike football which requires the players to use physical strength, the Bible encourages us to draw spiritual energy and strength from the Lord Himself. When everything seems to be falling a part, when our expectations do not materialize or our dreams don't come true, we need to draw energy from the Lord. Things in life may not go as desired (have experienced that even more recently), we need not try using our own energy and strength to achieve. Human nature will more than likely dictate the latter.

When the Apostle Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his life was forever changed. Prior to meeting Jesus, Paul was "breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples" (Acts 9:1). After the encounter with Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul "began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God" (Acts 9:20).

Paul had been given the task of preaching the gospel of God's grace through faith in Jesus; and he would do so for the remainder of his life. But Paul would endured many trials along the way. He faced those who desired to take his life and others who simply refused to listen to his message...but he continued on.

Colossi ans 1:29
"To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me."

Paul "labored" and "struggled" with the task he had been given. But rather than rely on his own strength and abilities, Paul learned to labor with the energy of Christ.

The word Paul used for "energy" refers to the active working of God's power. Paul used this same word to describe the power all believers have received from God; "That power is like the working {energy} of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the Heavenly realms" (Ephesians 1:19-20).

God has provided a power like the energy which flowed through Jesus and raised Him from the dead. This is a remarkable gift, yet one we seldom use. With His energy we can receive clear direction; we can be focused and accomplish all He desires. Without His energy we may wander from task to task, become exceedingly weary, and never accomplish anything of eternal value.

As we go a long, there will be times of overwhelming adversity when God simply takes charge and directly fights the enemy. But, for the majority of our journey, God directs us to continue struggling in the daily labor of accomplishing His work. Jesus said the burden of this work will be greatly eased as we learn to attach ourselves to Him and walk by His side; "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:30).

We only fail in His work when we fail to trust; "I can do EVERYTHING through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). God's path can certainly change direction and become difficult from time to time, but His provision will always be sufficient and it is ALWAYS too soon to quit - we must continue. We can do all things and find great fulfillment as we attach ourselves to Christ and labor with all HIS energy. He is the giver of life and everything was created by Him ans for him.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

There Is Life In The Lord's Waiting Room

"What are you waiting on?" When we hear those words spoken to us or toward us, we discover that we are the source of someone's frustration! Usually, we are standing in line at the grocery store or Post Office, waiting for service, or perhaps sitting in our car at an intersection. The line has moved, the light has changed, and we did not respond quick enough for that person behind us, so we hear "What are you waiting on? What shade of green are you looking for? You think we have all day?"
No one likes to wait, especially in our present culture where we measure everything on the basis of response time. Most everything comes to us instantly, whether it is food or information. If something is not happening, then we are attempt to make it happen! "Do something, ...even if its wrong!", people often say.
Waiting is part of what it means to be human. If we were super human or super heroes, and it was entirely in our heads to know and decide, and entirely in our hands to possess, we would all have our cake and eat it too! Everything would come to us easy and on time (that is according to our sense of timing)! There would be no waiting! The problem is, we are not super humans or super heroes. As humans, we have limitations. Unlike our God, we lack the ability to see into the future. Being human, we cannot know the hearts of people, as we seldom truly don't know our own hearts!
Because we lack the ability to control all people and situations, we often find ourselves held captive by the decisions of others. As a result, we are left to wait. Who do we trust? What is best for us? How will this situation work out? Paul Tillich in his book The Shaking of the Foundations, wrote: "The condition of man's relation to God is first of all one of not having, not seeing, not knowing, and not grasping." God knows all things, sees all things, controls all things, understands all things, discerns all things, and possesses all things. The problems is, God has purposed to keep us constantly waiting. Why? So that we will be ever dependant upon Him!
What are you waiting on? Are you single and waiting on that special someone to walk into your life? Perhaps you have met that special someone and are waiting for him or her to make a commitment. Are you without a job, desperate for a job, or tired of the job you presently hold, and are waiting for a better job to present itself? Are you waiting for the economy to rebound, the market to return to it's bullish state? Are you waiting for your children to grow up and leave home? Perhaps you are waiting for a prodigal, rebellious child to grow up and return home, at least to a right relationship with God. These situations and a thousand more, present themselves every year, every month, every day of our lives. We will always be waiting on someone or some situation. That's life!

Although it is not often listed as such, Waiting is a Christian discipline. Why? We are not naturally wired or inclined to wait. Babies are not born patient. A hungry baby demands to be fed, changed, entertained, now! Children have no concept of time, no sense of tomorrow, and no patience to wait. Fishing is a good measure of our ability to wait. It is the exceptional child who has the patience to fish! Waiting comes with maturity! Waiting is something we must work at and develop over time. Even when we grow to adulthood, waiting remains a problem!
Do you know how to wait on the Lord? Before you answer that question, here are a few things waiting is not!

Waiting is not passivity or inactivity. Waiting is not killing time! In God's book, waiting is never wasted time! When we are inactive or passive in our spiritual lives, we tend to drift in our commitment! Waiting is frequently a condition of high expectancy, infusing life with great energy, purpose, and love. Joseph was forced to wait on the Lord, but while he waited, he got busy doing what he could! His good attitude and work ethic, resulted in promotion along the way! Observing this quality in Joseph, someone said, "When your dream seems to be placed on hold, get busy and help others with their dreams!" Certainly God is not inactive when we are waiting. When you are waiting on God, most often He is working behind the scenes to put all the "missing pieces" in our lives in place, before He fulfills our desires or request.

Waiting is not to be associated with boredom and complacency. Actually waiting is closely related to hope. Hope has been described as creative waiting! Hope is anything but boring or complacent. Hope is filled with expectation! It anticipates! To live in hope, is to live in the power of the future without yet possessing it. In Psalm 130:6 the psalmist says, "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."
Waiting is not characterized by fretting and worrying. Waiting is as much an attitude as it is an activity. God never recommends worrying! Why? It is worthless! It is activity that is not centered upon Him! To wait is to trust, to rest in God's promises and provision. Psalm 37:1 begins, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." Verse 7 continues, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

" Elizabeth Elliott expressed the attitude of waiting when she wrote: "I know not what the future holds; What in one hour may be; But I can wait while it unfolds, And trust implicitly." When you find yourself in God's waiting room, here are three words to remember and consider.

First, when you find your self waiting, Look. Look where? Look to God! The psalmist begins in Psalm 130:5a, "I wait for the LORD." We must learn to patiently wait on the Lord. Our expectations must be directed toward God, and no one else! Psalm 62:5-7 says, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God."
Sometimes we are fooled into thinking that we are waiting on some person, some individual. It is especially frustrating when we view that person or individual we are waiting on as negligent, insensitive, or incompetent! When we look to others, when we place our expectations on mere men, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
The psalmist would remind us that God and only God is the One in control of all individuals, all institutions, and all situations. Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will." When we wait upon the Lord, we are encouraged and renewed.
Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Second, when you find yourself waiting, be willing to Learn. In Cantonese, a Chinese dialect, the word for wait sounds like the word for class. Making a pun on this word, some senior citizens in Hong Kong identify themselves as "third-class citizens," which also means "people of three waits." They wait for their children to return home from work late at night. They wait for the morning sun to dispel their sleepless nights. And with a sigh of resignation, they wait for death.

Waiting is everyone's portion, regardless of our age or station in life! One thing is certain, God's waiting room is a classroom! While sometimes being in God's waiting room has to do with timing, more often than not, it is all about teaching! We think we are waiting on God or waiting on someone else, when in truth God is waiting on us to learn a particular lesson, or to develop a particular character trait! Psalm 130:5 continues, "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait." What is your soul? Your soul is the seat of your being. It is composed of your mind, emotions, and will! When we are placed in situations where we are out of control and are forced to wait, we can be sure that God is teaching us something. Waiting is an opportunity to learn! Learn what?
We learn about ourselves. Waiting situations are tests, and tests measure us! How much faith and confidence in God do you possess? How well do you know God? How deep is your relationship with God? Are you a selfish and shallow person? Are you patient or impatient? Waiting will expose it!
We learn obedience. Waiting on the Lord is a commandment to be followed for every Christian. Psalms 27:14 says, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
Waiting on the Lord is a matter of obedience.
In I Samuel 13, the first king of Israel, King Saul was commanded to wait upon Samuel to arrive and make the necessary sacrifices before encountering the Philistines. Saul waited for a period of time, but when Samuel had not arrived, he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifices. When Samuel arrived, he rebuked the king and informed him that he had been rejected by God!
Notice verses 13-14. "And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee." The story of king Saul teaches us that we must be willing to do what God tells us to do, even when it is hard! When you are forced to wait, don't fret! Don't panic! Don't take matters into your own hands! Remain faithful each and every day to simply do what is in front of you!
We learn patience. Waiting and patience plays a central role in the Scriptures in shaping and developing people. Abraham and Sarah were promised a baby, and then were forced to patiently wait. Joseph was given a dream of promotion, and then plunged into the role of a slave to wait upon others! For a while at least, Joseph's dream became a nightmare! Before his promotion in Egypt, he was subjected to a life of lies and betrayal! David was chosen and anointed as the next king of Israel, and was promptly forced to live as a fugitive in the desert for ten years!
If you think about it, Patience is all about surrendering our control. This is so difficult for us! Instead of waiting, we are tempted to manipulate the circumstances or personalities in the situation, in order to get what we want, when we want it. Waiting demands patience! It demands that we give God the keys to our lives! This can be scary! What if God doesn't share my perspective, my sense of timing, my desires?
Third, when you find yourself waiting, Listen. Psalm 130:5 concludes, "....and in His word (speech, utterance, voice) do I hope." Listen to who? Listen for God's voice! How?
God will speak to your heart through His Word. God speaks to us through His Word, and we can be sure that His leadership will never be inconsistent with the Bible.
God will speak to your heart through His Holy Spirit. God often speaks to us in that "still small voice."
God will speak to your heart through people. Godly counsel from people such as our parents or mentors in the faith, are a part of God's voice and direction in our lives.
God will speak to your heart through circumstances. Sometimes a situation we are in can shout at us! I am reminded of Jacob in the house of Laban recorded in Genesis 31. No one in the family would talk to Jacob. All of his "in-laws" had an attitude towards him, because they were all jealous of him. It was in that situation that God spoke to Jacob and told him to go back to Bethel. When Jacob shared the news with his wives Rachel and Leah, for once in their marriage, they agreed! God knows both how to open and close doors! Have you ever experienced God slamming a door in your face? Sometimes God will allow us to push open a door He has not opened, but once through the door we discover it is not what we thought or desired!
We've all heard the story of the man who was lost at sea, leaving a wife behind. The husband is not dead, but is stranded far away from civilization, or locked in some foreign prison. It is his thoughts of his wife that keep him alive! Meanwhile back home, he is presumed dead, but his wife never gives up hope. She diligently, patiently waits, keeping her thoughts and love for her husband alive in her heart! Years later, there is a knock on her door, and who is it but her husband, who was finally able to make his way home. They embrace and everyone feels good because they both remained faithful in the face of terrible adversity.

If you do not know what to do, then do nothing! Wait on the Lord until you are sure you know what to do! When you are in the dark, wait for God's light. When you are weak, wait for God's strength. When you have lost your way, wait for God's direction. When you are overcome with sorrow, wait for God's comfort. When you are in the midst of trials and trouble, wait for God's deliverance! God protects and preserves us as we wait upon Him! The Lord gives us His very best, when we wait on Him. Psalm 37:9 says, "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth."

One day praise God, the waiting will be over! Isaiah 25:9 reads, "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
What are you to do while waiting? While you are waiting, get busy and do the things that are clearly every Christian's responsibility. Dwell close to God. Give your best right now! Don't wait till you think everything is perfect. Who knows, you might just catch God's eye and He might speed things up! Give your all to Him now!

"What are you waiting on?" When we hear those words spoken to us or toward us, we discover that we are the source of someone's frustration! Usually, we are standing in line at the grocery store or Post Office, waiting for service, or perhaps sitting in our car at an intersection. The line has moved, the light has changed, and we did not respond quick enough for that person behind us, so we hear "What are you waiting on? What shade of green are you looking for? You think we have all day?"
No one likes to wait, especially in our present culture where we measure everything on the basis of response time. Most everything comes to us instantly, whether it is food or information. If something is not happening, then we are attempt to make it happen! "Do something, ...even if its wrong!", people often say.
Waiting is part of what it means to be human. If we were super human or super heroes, and it was entirely in our heads to know and decide, and entirely in our hands to possess, we would all have our cake and eat it too! Everything would come to us easy and on time (that is according to our sense of timing)! There would be no waiting! The problem is, we are not super humans or super heroes. As humans, we have limitations. Unlike our God, we lack the ability to see into the future. Being human, we cannot know the hearts of people, as we seldom truly don't know our own hearts! Because we lack the ability to control all people and situations, we often find ourselves held captive by the decisions of others. As a result, we are left to wait. Who do we trust? What is best for us? How will this situation work out? Paul Tillich in his book The Shaking of the Foundations, wrote: "The condition of man's relation to God is first of all one of not having, not seeing, not knowing, and not grasping." God knows all things, sees all things, controls all things, understands all things, discerns all things, and possesses all things. The problems is, God has purposed to keep us constantly waiting. Why? So that we will be ever dependant upon Him!
What are you waiting on? Are you single and waiting on that special someone to walk into your life? Perhaps you have met that special someone and are waiting for him or her to make a commitment. Are you without a job, desperate for a job, or tired of the job you presently hold, and are waiting for a better job to present itself? Are you waiting for the economy to rebound, the market to return to it's bullish state? Are you waiting for your children to grow up and leave home? Perhaps you are waiting for a prodigal, rebellious child to grow up and return home, at least to a right relationship with God. These situations and a thousand more, present themselves every year, every month, every day of our lives. We will always be waiting on someone or some situation. That's life!
Although it is not often listed as such, Waiting is a Christian discipline. Why? We are not naturally wired or inclined to wait. Babies are not born patient. A hungry baby demands to be fed, changed, entertained, now! Children have no concept of time, no sense of tomorrow, and no patience to wait. Fishing is a good measure of our ability to wait. It is the exceptional child who has the patience to fish! Waiting comes with maturity! Waiting is something we must work at and develop over time. Even when we grow to adulthood, waiting remains a problem!
Waiting is not killing time! In God's book, waiting is never wasted time! When we are inactive or passive in our spiritual lives, we tend to drift in our commitment! Waiting is frequently a condition of high expectancy, infusing life with great energy, purpose, and love. Joseph was forced to wait on the Lord, but while he waited, he got busy doing what he could! His good attitude and work ethic, resulted in promotion along the way! Observing this quality in Joseph, someone said, "When your dream seems to be placed on hold, get busy and help others with their dreams!"
Certainly God is not inactive when we are waiting. When you are waiting on God, most often He is working behind the scenes to put all the "missing pieces" in our lives in place, before He fulfills our desires or request.

Waiting is not characterized by fretting and worrying. Waiting is as much an attitude as it is an activity. God never recommends worrying! Why? It is worthless! It is activity that is not centered upon Him! To wait is to trust, to rest in God's promises and provision. Psalm 37:1 begins, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." Verse 7 continues, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth." Elizabeth Elliott expressed the attitude of waiting when she wrote: "I know not what the future holds; What in one hour may be; But I can wait while it unfolds, And trust implicitly."
When you find yourself in God's waiting room, here are three words to remember and consider.
First, when you find your self waiting, Look. Look where? Look to God! The psalmist begins in Psalm 130:5a, "I wait for the LORD." We must learn to patiently wait on the Lord. Our expectations must be directed toward God, and no one else! Psalm 62:5-7 says, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God."

Sometimes we are fooled into thinking that we are waiting on some person, some individual. It is especially frustrating when we view that person or individual we are waiting on as negligent, insensitive, or incompetent! When we look to others, when we place our expectations on mere men, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
The psalmist would remind us that God and only God is the One in control of all individuals, all institutions, and all situations. Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will." When we wait upon the Lord, we are encouraged and renewed.
Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Second, when you find yourself waiting, be willing to Learn. In Cantonese, a Chinese dialect, the word for wait sounds like the word for class. Making a pun on this word, some senior citizens in Hong Kong identify themselves as "third-class citizens," which also means "people of three waits." They wait for their children to return home from work late at night. They wait for the morning sun to dispel their sleepless nights. And with a sigh of resignation, they wait for death.
Waiting is everyone's portion, regardless of our age or station in life! One thing is certain, God's waiting room is a classroom! While sometimes being in God's waiting room has to do with timing, more often than not, it is all about teaching! We think we are waiting on God or waiting on someone else, when in truth God is waiting on us to learn a particular lesson, or to develop a particular character trait!
Psalm 130:5 continues, "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait." What is your soul? Your soul is the seat of your being. It is composed of your mind, emotions, and will! When we are placed in situations where we are out of control and are forced to wait, we can be sure that God is teaching us something. Waiting is an opportunity to learn! Learn what?
We learn about ourselves. Waiting situations are tests, and tests measure us! How much faith and confidence in God do you possess? How well do you know God? How deep is your relationship with God? Are you a selfish and shallow person? Are you patient or impatient? Waiting will expose it!
We learn obedience. Waiting on the Lord is a commandment to be followed for every Christian. Psalms 27:14 says, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
Waiting on the Lord is a matter of obedience.
In I Samuel 13, the first king of Israel, King Saul was commanded to wait upon Samuel to arrive and make the necessary sacrifices before encountering the Philistines. Saul waited for a period of time, but when Samuel had not arrived, he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifices. When Samuel arrived, he rebuked the king and informed him that he had been rejected by God!
Notice verses 13-14. "And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee." The story of king Saul teaches us that we must be willing to do what God tells us to do, even when it is hard! When you are forced to wait, don't fret! Don't panic! Don't take matters into your own hands! Remain faithful each and every day to simply do what is in front of you!
We learn patience. Waiting and patience plays a central role in the Scriptures in shaping and developing people. Abraham and Sarah were promised a baby, and then were forced to patiently wait. Joseph was given a dream of promotion, and then plunged into the role of a slave to wait upon others! For a while at least, Joseph's dream became a nightmare! Before his promotion in Egypt, he was subjected to a life of lies and betrayal! David was chosen and anointed as the next king of Israel, and was promptly forced to live as a fugitive in the desert for ten years!
If you think about it, Patience is all about surrendering our control. This is so difficult for us! Instead of waiting, we are tempted to manipulate the circumstances or personalities in the situation, in order to get what we want, when we want it. Waiting demands patience! It demands that we give God the keys to our lives! This can be scary! What if God doesn't share my perspective, my sense of timing, my desires?
Third, when you find yourself waiting, Listen. Psalm 130:5 concludes, "....and in His word (speech, utterance, voice) do I hope." Listen to who? Listen for God's voice! How?
God will speak to your heart through His Word. God speaks to us through His Word, and we can be sure that His leadership will never be inconsistent with the Bible.
God will speak to your heart through His Holy Spirit. God often speaks to us in that "still small voice."
God will speak to your heart through people. Godly counsel from people such as our parents or mentors in the faith, are a part of God's voice and direction in our lives.
God will speak to your heart through circumstances. Sometimes a situation we are in can shout at us! I am reminded of Jacob in the house of Laban recorded in Genesis 31. No one in the family would talk to Jacob. All of his "in-laws" had an attitude towards him, because they were all jealous of him. It was in that situation that God spoke to Jacob and told him to go back to Bethel. When Jacob shared the news with his wives Rachel and Leah, for once in their marriage, they agreed! God knows both how to open and close doors! Have you ever experienced God slamming a door in your face? Sometimes God will allow us to push open a door He has not opened, but once through the door we discover it is not what we thought or desired!
If you do not know what to do, then do nothing! Wait on the Lord until you are sure you know what to do! When you are in the dark, wait for God's light. When you are weak, wait for God's strength. When you have lost your way, wait for God's direction. When you are overcome with sorrow, wait for God's comfort. When you are in the midst of trials and trouble, wait for God's deliverance! God protects and preserves us as we wait upon Him! The Lord gives us His very best, when we wait on Him. Psalm 37:9 says, "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth."
One day praise God, the waiting will be over! Isaiah 25:9 reads, "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
What are you to do while waiting? While you are waiting, get busy and do the things that are clearly every Christian's responsibility. Dwell close to God. Give your best right now! Don't wait till you think everything is perfect. Who knows, you might just catch God's eye and He might speed things up! Give your all to Him now!
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

The Inward and Outward Man

ANYONE who serves God will discover sooner or later that the great hindrance to his or her work is not others but himself or herself. He/she will discover that his outward man and his inward man are not in harmony, for both are tending toward opposite directions. He/she will also sense the inability of his outward man to submit to the spirit's control, thus rendering him incapable of obeying God's highest commands. He/she will quickly detect that the greatest difficulty lies in his/her outward man, for it hinders him from using his spirit.

Many of God's servants are not able to do even the most elementary works. Ordinarily they should be enabled by the exercise of their spirit to know God's word, to discern the spiritual condition of another, to send forth God's messages under anointing and to receive God's revelations. Yet due to the distractions of the outward man, their spirit does not seem to function properly. It is basically because their outward man has never been dealt with. For this reason revival, zeal, pleading and activity are but a waste of tune. As we shall see, there is just one basic dealing which can enable man to be useful before God: BROKENESS.

Notice how the Bible divides man into two parts: "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). Our inward man delights in the Law of God. ". . . To be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). And Paul also tells us, "But if indeed our outward man is consumed, yet the inward is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).

When God comes to indwell us by His Spirit, life and power, He comes into our spirit which we are calling the inward man. Outside of this inward man is the soul wherein function our thoughts, emotions and will. The outermost man is our physical body. Thus we will speak of the inward man as the spirit, the outer man as the soul and the outermost man as the body. We must never forget that our inward man is the human spirit where God dwells, where His Spirit mingles with our spirit. Just as we are dressed in clothes, so our inward man "wears" an outward man: the spirit "wears" the soul. And similarly, the spirit and soul "wear" the body. It is quite evident that men are generally more conscious of the outer and outermost man, and they hardly recognize or understand their spirit at all.

We must know that he who can work for God is the one whose inward man can be released. The basic difficulty of a servant of God lies in the failure of the inward man to break through the outward man. Therefore we must recognize before God that the first difficulty to our work is not in others but in ourselves. Our spirit seems to he wrapped in a covering so that it cannot easily break forth. If we have never learned how to release our inward man by breaking through the outward man, we are not able to serve. Nothing can so hinder us as this outward man. Whether our works are fruitful or not depends upon whether our outward man leas been broken by the Lord so that the inward man can pass through that brokenness and come forth. This is the basic problem. The Lord wants to break our outward man in order that the inward man may have a way out. When the inward man is released, both unbelievers and Christians will be blessed and God will be glorified.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!

Have a blessed day!!

We Sow, We Reap

In our previous reading, we talked of how we live in a very 'fast and Furious World' making it very hard for many to remain standing. God has given each one of us a measure of faith and has placed within us a zeal for Him. But...the choice remains ours to decide which way we want to go or even what we want to do. WE ARE FREE MORAL AGENTS!! As a result of the turmoil in our lives, we find ourselves in positions of bad decisions and choices. We soon realize as we journey along that it late to turn back. God is God of many chances but He will not strive with us forever. Question to us therefore is: WHAT ARE WE SOWING???? Also, ARE WE SOWING ON FERTILE SOIL?

We know there are times when we face severe trials which have nothing to do with what we have sown. Jesus made this clear when He said: "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33). We live in a sinful world and often reap the consequences for what others have sown; and for these troubles, Jesus wants us to find our comfort in Him: "But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

But we must also understand that many of our trials, and the trials of those around us, are often the result of a multitude of small steps taken outside the will of God.

Galatians 6:7
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

It's foolish to think we can continually walk outside God's will and not face consequences down the road. God dearly loves us and is patiently waiting for us to turn our heart to Him...but God cannot be mocked. Continuous deviation from His path can lead to a long and painful time of wandering.

The lesson we must learn and clearly teach others is: Obedience in the little things is important! There is nothing too small to justify a lack of obedience. "Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" (Luke 16:10). We must learn and teach, very early in life, the importance of honesty and truth, the value of submission and respect for authority. The wind of disobedience begins almost imperceptibly small with "innocent" lies and "harmless" acts of disrespect, but over time it grows until the whirlwind of consequences becomes inevitable.

If we are currently reaping a whirlwind which we know has been sown by our own hands, we must repent and seek His forgiveness, love Him and obediently trust Him with ALL our heart, and ask for the strength to endure. The whirlwind will end, but only in God's perfect timing. And if we know we have been sowing the wind of disobedience and yet see God's hand restraining the whirlwind, we also must repent and seek His forgiveness, love Him and obediently trust Him with ALL our heart...and thank Him for His mercy!

Let's honor Him by only sowing that which glorifies His name. Let's closely examine our life and the lives of those within our care, and be absolutely determined to stop sowing the wind.THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

The Whirlwind Of Spiritual Decline

When we look at our lives today and compare our current stand in the Lord to our stand when we first gave our lives to Him, we will discover that there has been a drastic decline in our affection for Him. Yes, we may declare and proclaim with our lips (others would call this lip service) but our actions reveal otherwise.We live in a 'Fast and Furious World' and as a result, we have abandoned the first love and have compromised our position in God.

How true it is even with the natural army on earth, when the position of troops in combat is compromised, they need to make a move to leave that area or stand their ground and fight. In our case, if we compromise our position and post a decline in our love for God and His Kingdom, then the enemy has an opportunity to assault our positions with the intention of course to steal, kill and destroy.


The Spiritual decline of God's chosen people in the Old Testament includes some of the saddest passages in the Bible. God dearly loved the children of Israel, but they continually rejected Him and turned away.

God appointed King David to unite the nation and focus their worship on the One True God. David made plans for the construction of a temple and King Solomon built the temple a few years later. But toward the end of Solomon's reign, "his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God" (1 Kings 11:4). The Spiritual decline began with the leadership and then flowed quickly down to the people.

In the Old testament, we read about how Solomon died, the nation of Israel divided and the northern kingdom immediately began to pervert their worship: "The king made two golden calves {and said} 'Here are your gods'" (1 Kings 12:28). After almost 200 years of continual disobedience, the northern kingdom had hardened their hearts so that repentance was no longer even possible; "their deeds do not permit them to return to God" (Hosea 5:4). God is ready, willing, and able to forgive every sin; but continual disobedience removes the desire to draw near and seek His forgiveness. After so many years of false worship, the people would not return to God and would now experience His wrath.

Hosea 8:7
"They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind."

The people of Israel had planted evil seed into their lives for many years - now the time had come to harvest the destruction they had planted. Soon after Hosea spoke these words of God, the Assyrian army invaded and destroyed the northern kingdom.

Our father God demonstrated His love for us long before we ever loved Him; "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). This love was unconditional love since we did absolutely nothing to deserve His favor. But if we do not receive His love, through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, and allow His Spirit to begin to transform us from within, we too will one day feel His wrath.

The wind of unbelief and lack of trust, false worship and a cold heart, will one day yield an eternal whirlwind which cannot be stopped. And the wind of open sin in the lives of spiritual leaders, or the spiritual compromise in the lives of parents, can lead many generations down a path of destruction.

We need to come to a place in our lives where we will plant and nourish seeds of truth and love which will thrive in His presence for all eternity. Let's trust Him with a faith which walks into the unknown without fear because we know He is by our side. Let's determine once and for all to live an uncompromising life which brings glory and honor to God; and on the great day of harvest, let's joyfully enter His presence without any guilt or shame.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

The Will Of God

Lets consider what the will of God is all about in the following:
The will of God will never take you
Where the Grace of God cannot keep you,
Where The Arms of God cannot support you
Where the Riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the Power of God cannot endow you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the Wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the Army of God cannot protect you,
Where the Hands of God cannot mold you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the Love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the Authority of God cannot overrule for you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Words of God cannot feed you,
Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the Eyes of God cannot find you.
Everything happens for a purpose.
We may not see the wisdom of it all now, but
“Trust and Believe”
In the Lord that everything is for the best
THIS IS OUR GOD!!

Have a blessed day!!

I Broke Many Promises, How About You?

All of us at one point or another in our lives, have been let down, disappointed and betrayed by friends or even family. Some of us have been promised things or we have promised people to do or give certain things for them but didn't fulfill the promise. I know that I made promises and broke them not only to God but to even my very own best friend. Which in all actuality and honesty...A BROKEN PROMISE RESEMBLES A LIE! When I take inventory of my life, surely there are numerous times when I disappointed and gave excuses for not fulfilling what I promised. FOR THAT...I'M TRULY SORRY!! I'm sure, you probably could find or see the same in yourself, somewhere in recent or distant past.

The Word of God teaches and encourages us to make a covenant to love the Lord and worship Him with all our heart. This covenant must be viewed as a pledge or binding agreement which directs all our actions. God gives many examples of covenants in His Word, and no where does He allow for a covenant with half-hearted commitment.When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. He promised special blessings if they would set themselves apart and worship Him with all their heart. But the people failed to honor their commitment - they worshiped other gods and disregarded His commands.After several hundred years of willful disobedience, God sent the prophet Hosea to remind the Israelites of the pledge they once made and to reveal their unfaithfulness.Hosea 6:6-7"I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Like Adam, they have broken the covenant - they were unfaithful to Me."Hosea was able to deliver this message with great passion because he understood the pain of unfaithfulness. God had called Hosea to marry a woman who, though she made a covenant of marriage, left him to live as an adulteress with another man. Hosea could literally cry to his Israelite Brothers of the hurt they were causing God with their spiritual adultery; he fully knew how it felt when the one you love turns away to love another.The covenant we make with our Heavenly Father must not be taken lightly. He loves us dearly and gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sin. And to those who believe He has given His Spirit, "with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). God is committed to this covenant and, though He forgives us when we fall short, He expects and deserves commitment in return.

When we turn from sin and believe Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, He promises forgiveness, and we promise to trust and follow where He leads. He promises a clean heart; we promise our heart will always be His. He promises eternity in His presence; we promise to worship Him with every breath!Have we truly entered into a covenant relationship with the Living God? And if so, are we being faithful to this covenant? Are we seeking His direction, or are we following our own path and our own desires? We must commit to love, honor, cherish...and follow, until the end of this life brings us fully into His presence.

Let's remain faithful and true to our promises. Let's renew our commitment to obedience and worship, and refuse to come to the end of this journey with a broken covenant. We need to ask God as well as those we have hurt or disappointed with our BROKEN PROMISES for forgiveness. I want be the first to own up.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Building In Vain Or For Eternity?

Years ago having been in the Hotel/Restaurant industry for a few years, there came a time when my wisdom dictated that I had to venture into business then. Tired of working and making money for other people ( I hear many people say this all the time), I thought it was time to start my very own. Armed with enough experience,I started both a catering business and a restaurant simultaneously. At this point of my life, things were going very well, business was booming but my relationship with God became worse. Here I was, trying to make money and had little time for the things of God. I was trying to build this business on a very fragile foundation. I did not pray nor seek God for His favor, nor did I seek His will or even direction. I just wanted to become successful. Thing is, God WANTS us to be successful BUT in order to succeed (in whatever area of our lives), we must build our foundation in Him. Rest assured that if God is in it, IT WILL SUCCEED NO MATTER WHAT! This lesson is applicable to all areas and aspects of our lives.

The tall and short of this story, is that the business failed due to many reasons. I lost the money I had invested. I made the decision to go back on my knees and seek God afresh. It took me a long while to find my footing again but this time, I did not let go of God. QUESTION: WHERE AND IN WHAT ARE YOU INVESTING? WE HAVE THE CHOICE TO INVEST IN GOD OR IN EARTHLY THINGS WHICH...WILL PERISH SOON OR LATER!


"which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it..." (Luke 14:28)

The Lord Jesus was not referring to a cost which we have to count, but to a cost which He has already counted. The cost was those thirty years of popularity, hatred, the unfathomable agony He experienced in Gethsemane, the assault upon Him the calvary-the central point upon which all time and eternity turn.

The conditions of discipleship given by our Lord in verses 26, 27 and 33 mean that the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building of the Kingdom are those whom He has done everything.

All that we build will be is going to be inspected by God. When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built empires and of our own on the foundation of Jesus? (See 1 corinthians 3:10-15). We are living in a time of tremendous enterprise, a time when we are trying to work for God, and that is where the btrap is. Jesus, as the master builder, take
s us over so that He may direct and control us completely for His kingdom and His building plan; and we don't have a right to demand where we will be put to work.

As we learn to walk and trust God, we need to come to place where we will re-organize our Goals, re-arrange our priorities and then we will re-alize all that God has for us.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

God's purpose Or Ours?

There have been times in my life when I have wondered what God's plan and purpose for my life was. I know, I'm not alone when it comes to this. As you read this blog, you might see yourself in the same boat. Many of us are attempting to walk His path in our own strength by working hard and carrying the burdens which are rightfully His. This is not our call! We must love Him with all our heart and serve Him with all our strength. But we must do so through joyful surrender, daily submission and obedience. He will accomplish His work in His time and according to His purpose.

There is a tendency to think that if Jesus compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great SUCCESS. We should NEVER the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose might be the exact opposite. We tend to have this notion that God is leading us towards a particular end or desired goal, but HE IS NOT! The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. WHAT WE SEE AS ONLY THE PROCESS OF REACHING A PARTICULAR END, GOD SEE AS A GOAL ITSELF.

What is mine and your vision of God's purpose for our lives? Whatever it maybe, His purpose id for us to depend on Him and on His power now. If we can stay clam, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil and storms of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in us. God is not working towards a particular finish-HIS PURPOSE IS THE PROCESS ITSELF. WHAT HE DESIRES OF US IS TO SEE "Him walking of the sea" with NO SHORE, NO SUCCESS, NOR GOAL IN SIGHT, BUT SIMPLY HAVING THE ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT EVERYTHING IS ALL RIGHT because we see "Him walking on the sea" (Mark 6:49). IT IS THE PROCESS, NOT THE OUTCOME THAT IS GLORIFYING TO GOD.

God's training is for NOW and NOT later. His purpose is for this very minute, NOT for sometime in the future. WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT WILL FOLLOW OUR OBEDIENCE, AND WE ARE WRONG TO CONCERN OURSELVES WITH IT. WHAT PEOPLE CALL PREPARATION, GOD SEES AS THE GOAL ITSELF!

God's purpose is to to ENABLE US to see that HE can walk on the STORMS IN OUR LIVES RIGHT NOW! If we have further goal in our mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. HOWEVER, IF WE REALIZE THAT MOMENT-BY-MOMENT OBEDIENCE THE GOAL, then each moment as it it comes is PRECIOUS!!Let’s continue to reflect more and more of His glory. Let’s draw closer into His presence and make every effort to enter His REST and come to a place of complete SURRENDER!
"My Utmost For His Highest"
THIS IS OUR GOD!!

Have a blessed day!!

Have We Abandoned God?

One of our worst enemies as christians is DISCOURAGEMENT. As I talk to people or maybe even just watch them, I see that so many are struggling and grappling with different situations in their lives which has produced discouragement. The reason I write about discouragement is that I also struggle and battle with it daily. In as much as I know that God is at work in my life (and your life), I still battle, still you balttle. But does how we feel change the fact that HE is ALONE IS GOD? Absolutely NOT!!!

My very dear friend Dervon who I have known for a few years now had the opportunity to share the Word of God yesterday at Church and his topic was "Rejoice and a gain I say Rejoice". He talked of how we need to give God thanks even in our bad times but equally as important, rejoice in the Lord at all times. Trust me, its hard some times especially when things are going the opposite direction.

Some of us have been on a journey and have been blessed by God and maybe are currently not facing troubles (yet) and have raised ourselves up to certain heights. We have forgotten where God found us and how He saw us. How He picked us up and placed us where we are now. Some of us used to have nothing and were no-bodies and He picked us up and transformed our lives into beauty itself, and surrounded with His favor. But...the sad part of this is that along the way on this journey, while others are going through tough times and wondering when God will rescue them, others have quickly forgotten and ABANDONED GOD who blessed them. It is very easy for us to forget where He brought us from. But allow me to submit to you at this point that it is A GRAVE MISTAKE to abandon the Lord. Beacuse without Him, we ARE NOTHING and without Him we will NEVER find our own direction. No matter what we face, even DEATH itself, we need to stand and remember His love, mercies, grace and goodness. We would have never been where we are now or today had it not been for God. I personally would have been dead by now had it not been for GOD. He has rescued us numerous times from the hand of the enemy even when we cant see it. The battle is in the spiritual realm. Surely, we CAN NOT boast that we got here by our own efforts. It may seem that way BUT...it has been the LORD who carried us ALL ALONG!!
Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt and it was 40 years after. During their years of wandering in the desert, God demonstrated His faithfulness as well as His holiness. Now, as the people were finally ready to cross the Jordan river into the promised land of Canaan, Moses gave one last encouragement.

Deuteronomy 6:10-12
"When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers - a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

Truth is that we have all lived in the land of slavery - a land where we were controlled by sin. We were born as slaves, but Jesus came to set us free: "Though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free" (Romans 6:17-18).

The Bible tells us that while we were still lost in our sinful condition, Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice (payment) for our sin; but He also broke the chains which kept us slaves to sin. Though we still struggle, we need not be mastered if we have placed our faith in Jesus and daily submit to the leading of His Spirit. His sacrifice provides a way to be "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). This IS the victorious life!

One will say, Jesus set us free and end of story. Very true, we have been set free but we did nothing to earn this freedom. We did not dig a well of righteousness or plant a field of forgiveness. Our "promised land" of freedom is a gift, given by a loving Father to those who believe.

For as long as we as we continue on our Christian walk, with its many peaks and valleys, twists and turns, we often forget. We become discouraged over trivial matters which are quickly fading away and forget the gift of eternal life we have been given. We wander in the dry desert of ungrateful hearts and ask, "Where is God?" We forget the joy we once had of abiding in His presence and forget His promise to always be near; "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

This alone should give us reason to praise His Name with every breath and live a life holy and pleasing to Him. Whether we are currently in a time of crushing trials or unparalleled peace, we must continually remember from where we were rescued. His gift is a blessing we can hardly comprehend! Through God's precious gift, we have an eternity to worship our Heavenly Father. And as we draw near and give Him all of our heart, His grace continues to bless us even more. Let's worship with a thankful heart, glorify His Name in ALL we do, and be careful to never forget about the God of Love who sent His son to become a sacrifice for us. LET US NEVER FORGET WHERE GOD BROUGHT US FROM! Having said that, let us NOT withhold our lives from HIM who has been faithful to us from birth. QN: Have we ABANDONED GOD and is our FIRST LOVE for Him still alive.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Are you A Giant or The Grasshopper?

It is very common for us Christians to veer off in our walk with the Lord when faced with situations. Some of us tend to just stop everything we are doing for God while others will give up altogether. There are many levels of faith given to each one but one faith In God. When God looks at you and me, He sees giants or more so conquorers in through His son Jesus. I have on numerous occassions looked at what I was facing and instantly without even thinking twice conclude that it wasso big to find a way out of it. I know many out there who are facing situations and it seems as you appear to be like a grasshopper in it midst.

Allow me at this point to encourage you. God will never give up on you! But God will NEVER override our will either. the scriptures are clear that God has given us authority and that we have victory over the enemy. DO NOT let situations cause you to think that you are a grasshopper. We need to get rid of the grasshopper mentality and take our place in God! For as long as we maintain the grasshopper position, we will only experience defeat. The devil would have you believe that your situation is to big for God to handle. That is a LIE from the pits of Hell!! All power belongs to God


After Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, they were led by God to the edge of Canaan - the land promised to Abraham. God instructed Moses to send twelve men to explore the land; "See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many" (Numbers 13:18).

The twelve "spies" traveled through the entire length of Canaan and brought back their report. All twelve traveled the same path, but Joshua and Caleb saw the land and its inhabitants through the promises of God: "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land" (Numbers 14:7-8). The other ten saw great danger and an enemy who was too big to be defeated.

Numbers 13:31-33
"We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are. The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

The promised land was truly a land flowing with milk and honey, but it was also a land with many enemies. Joshua and Caleb saw the same enemy as the other ten, but they had a much clearer view and understanding of God. They knew if God was on their side, the size and strength of the enemy didn't matter - God would provide the victory.

We often face the same fears as the other ten. God wants us to enter into His promised land, take possession, and reside there for the rest of our days; but there are often enemies which fill us with fear and make us feel small and insignificant. Enemies may come in the form of addictions, entertainment choices, finances, or worldly priorities. We may even face more tangible enemies who threaten to cause us physical or emotional pain. All these enemies keep us out of the promised land; all appear to be undefeatable giants; but with God on our side, ALL can be overcome!

Without a clear understanding of who we are in Christ, every enemy appears to tower over us; "apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). But when we place our trust in God and allow Him to work through us, our posture before the enemy is greatly strengthened; "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

God's land of promise - the contentment of His presence - is waiting for us to enter in and take possession. God did not create us to be fearful insects, but an image of the Most High! Let's know the One who gives us strength and victory in battle. Let's better understand that when God leads, we are much more than grasshoppers!

There is no situation too big for God! All power belongs to Him! Let us boldly without fear face the giants remembering that God is on our side.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Are you Going Through Spiritual Confusion?

I had a friend years ago who went through a really tough time (for a long time) in her life. She was part of my click of friends at church and we were involved in Drama, the youth band and several other ministries. she didn't know where to turn at a certain stage in her life. It just seemed like her whole world had come down. Not long after that did severe depression hit her so bad. She always looked up to the Heavens and cried out to God for a way out. One day, she came to the conclusion, that God had put her file with all her prayers in a "filing cabinet" and had gone on vacation. She got so depressed about everything to the point that she gave up on her walk with the Lord (for a long while). But friends, the Bible gives no indication whatsoever that God goes some place or even has a 'filing cabinet'. Are you one of those who has been waiting on God for something for a while now and it really does seem like God has forgotten?. Are you at cross-roads in your life and it sure feels or even seems that there is no way out of your situation? I pray and hope that this write-up will encourage and bless you at the place where you are.

As mentioned in my previous message, the book by Oswald Chambers called 'My Highest For the utmost' has blessed me so much. I have been so encouraged and now it is your turn to be encouraged as well. Many of us in our walk with Lord Jesus, are currently at the 'Red Sea' in our lives where we are faced with Red Sea in front and the enemy coming from the back (chaos and turmoil in our lives). So here we are faced with this enormous problem at this place in our lives. Our trust is in the Word of God and our faith is in Him? After walking with the Lord all these years or whatever time period it has been for all of us, we arrive at this place that will test our faith in God in great proportions like never experienced before. Are you at this place in your life? I know I am! What do we do? Maybe its not the 'Red Sea' but just a time of Spiritual confusion...not knowing which way to go or turn at this very crucial point in our lives. It seems as though we have been waiting 'forever' to hear from on high for direction. Some would even say..."the Clock is ticking". Question: Is God's Clock the same as ours? Isn't time in His hands?

There are times in my life and your life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of God taking you and me through a way that we we temporarily don't understand. And its only by going through the spiritual confusion that we will come to an understanding of what God wants for us.
In Luke 11:5-8, Jesus gave the illustration of a man who appears not to care for his friend. He was saying, in effect that is how the heavenly Father will appear to us at times. We some times think that He does not hear us or that it is because of some sin in the past that we committed and that's the reason we hear nothing from Him. Quite Frankly, there are times when the heavens are VERY SILENT, when we hear nothing but...silence. The time will come when everything will be explained. When God appears to be completely silent about our situations, are willing to hang on with confidence in him? I can tell you now that some times, its very difficult but that is what Faith in God is all about.

When we read Luke 11:11-13, we hear Jesus saying that there are times when our father will appear as if He were an unnatural father-as if He were callous and indifferent-but remember, He is NOT!! "everyone who asks, receives..." (Luke 11:10). Friends, if all we see is the SHADOW ON THE FACE OF THE FATHER right now, lets HANG onto the fact that HE will ULTIMATELY give you and me clear understanding and will FULLY JUSTIFY Himself in everything that He has allowed into our lives. I, like you have more than a million questions as to why things happened the way they did in my life or why they didnt happen. We ask "Why me or why this or that?" God ALONE has the answer and...its all part of HIS PLAN for our lives. NO WITCH OR WIZARD CAN EVEN TELL THIS!!! NOT EVEN READING THE HOROSCOPE OR THE STARS(like many desperate Christains do) can reveal or foretell the FUTURE!!! CHRISTIANS NEED TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO GOD AND THEN...Like Jeremaiah 33:3 says, He will show us great things we know not!

A question is posed in Luke 18:8. "...when the son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Where is our faith? in what or in whom have we placed our trust? Will the Lord find the kind of faith that counts or banks on Him in spite of the confusion in our lives? Friends, let us stand firm in faith, believing that what the Lord Jesus said is true, even though in the meantime, we don't understand what God is doing.

Psalm 77 is one of favorite because like the psalmist, I have been to the place (I'm sure you too) where God seemed to so silent. In verses 10 and 11 the writer comes to himself and declares that He will remember God's wonders of old. God HAS NOT FORGOTTEN US but rather He has THE perfect plan for our lives. His ways ARE HIGHER than ours!!! Be encouraged, He will turn our darkness into light (Psalm 18:27).
THIS IS OUR GOD!!

Have a blessed day!!

Individual Discouragement And Personal Growth

There are times when things get really tough in life...from all angles. I have been battling discouragement which hit me so bad (the last few weeks). Discouragement comes along with its 'friend' depression. I know I am not the only one going through a tough time. I look at people every day and I can tell that they too have struggles and are battling things in their own lives. The Bible does not promise a 'bed of Roses' but actually predicts times such as these. My biggest and main one is what I call "Emotional desert place'. Its a battle I have been fighting and have surrendered to God and taken back like a million times. Even though I very well know that God wants me to surrender all to him. 1 peter 5:7 encourages us to cast all our cares on Jesus for He cares. He sees our emotional struggles not to mention the others that we don't even want to talk about.

When we sometimes look around and seem to see no hope coming, hear the sound like a mighty rushing river heading our way, we tend to go into 'discouragement mode' (at least I do, that much I will tell you). Have you felt lately like you were drowning and that no one seems to care or even notice what you are going through? Well, God does see and He knows about it all. 2 Samuel 22:17 says that "God draws us out of deep waters". I have been feeling very strongly like I was drowning. The 'emotional desert place' can be very dry, lonely, cold which may bring about severe depression.There are are many reasons that cause all this but I wont delve into it right now. A few weeks a go, my dear friends Paul and Anne gave me a book called " My utmost for the Highest" by Oswald chambers...it helped me tremendously.

"...when Moses was grown...he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens" (Exodus 2:11).

When Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt and felt certain that He was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his spirit, he started to write their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God, He(God) allowed Moses to be driven into empty DISCOURAGEMENT, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for fourty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and told him "...bring my people...out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, ' Who am I that I should go...?' (Ex. 3:10-11).

When called called Moses, he Moses realized that he was the one to deliver the people out of bondage, but he had to be trained and disciplined
by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but was not the person for the job until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.

We may have the vision of God and very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses' fourty years in the wilderness. This is many times a place of DISCOURAGEMENT. It is as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly DISCOURAGED, God comes back and revives His call to us.

We must learn that our individual effort to God shows nothing but disrespect for Him- our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God so that He may be "well pleased" We tend to focus on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say " I know this is what God whats me to do" But we have not yet learned to get into God's stride.

If you are going through a time of DISCOURAGEMENT, there is a time of great personal growth ahead. Its seems like a life time when waiting on God for certain things in our lives...BUT God is more than able to do much more than we even ask of him. He is the "on time God"!!
THIS IS OUR GOD!!

Have a blessed day!!

What Are We Doing At this Place?

As I continue to walk with the Lord, I have come to a place of realization that God is willing to help melt the mountains in my life as well as many others out there, BUT...We have to re-evaluate, position, and where we stand in God. If God were to ask 'what is your location?', What would your answer be? Are we where we are supposed to be and are we doing what we are supposed to be doing? I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me on all that I was preaching about in this message.

Here are a few notes that will help us to become effective Christians in our daily walk with the Lord. We are daily faced with obstacles that are a hindrance to our growth which in return causes us not to have the kinds of breakthroughs that we desire. The sooner we wake and realize that we are in a battle and that God is wants us to have victory like He promised, then we shall see it. We blame God for delayed answers to prayer and yet we don't own up to say that we play a big role in the hindering. Our lives ARE NOT RIGHT with God! God is calling us back to a place of repentance then we shall see restoration.

1 Kings 19:19-21 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother good-by,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.

2 King 2:1-6 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel... Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “but do not speak of it.” Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

Vs 9. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

There are Four Keys that will bring about a Breakthrough.

1.Hunger After Spiritual Things READ- Matthew 5:6 ‘‘Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled’’· There are all Kinds oh hunger, but the only Hunger God wants us to have is- The hunger for righteousness.
· People don’t flow with the Holy Spirit because they do not hunger for the things of God.
· Too many Christians are playing games with God, not thirsting and hungering after His righteousness. Have a foot in the World or in other things and playing Church.
· We need to want more of God-enjoying what we have now but constantly hungering for more. We need to want is presence, His glory, and His power.
· We need to want Him in every area of our lives (family, finances etc…).
· Spiritual hunger will cause things in the natural realm to be less significant in our lives.
· If we hunger after the things of God, we must be militant in getting them. Tear down the walls of darkness. Matthew 11:12 (“And from the days of John the Baptist….)
· If we want to be blessed in the natural realm, we need to get our eyes on God AND OFF cars, homes, bank accounts or the other material things.
· PSALM 42:7 “DEEP CALLS UNTO DEEP”…HOW FAR IN GOD DO YOU WANT TO GO??? Deep calling is equal to Deep answer! If you want to catch BIG Fish, its is recommended to go to the deep of the sea (deep sea fishing). Casting your net or hook in the shallow waters will only let you catch the small Fish. Likewise, if we want to receive BIG from God, we MUST be willing to deep in Him. WE must seek His face and answer the CALL.
· Some people say they don’t have joy or happiness but the question is how much time do you spend with God? “In the presence of God, there is Fullness of Joy”.
· It is interesting how when we go to apply for jobs, we talk about ALL our skill and the things we can do BUT why is it that we can not tell God what we can do for His Kingdom? Are we kingdom minded?


2. Lay Aside All Weights (READ Hebrews 12:1-2 )
· We need to lay aside the things that bind us to the things of the world. Be free from anything that would keep us from fulfilling the call of God in our lives.
· Every believer and the whole church body must SHAKE loose from every entanglements of the world to be able to respond to God’s call. Many people take a few steps in the spirit realm but fail to remain there. Because they have not let go the worldly entanglements, they are not able to receive the FULLNESS OF GOD’S SPECIFIC PLANS FOR THEIR LIVES. What is your entanglement? Food, Sports, job, family, wrong friendships, television, Internet, FACEBOOK (FARMVILLE…Where do people find time for all that?) pride, Anger, Bitterness, inferiority complex, or Fear? Could it be something else perhaps? Ask God to help set you free. God will provide a way of escape for you.
· Avoid the kind of friends who walk in the flesh because they will discourage you. They might even call you weird. Friends that want you to be like them and to be where they are…OVERBEARING FRIENDS!
· THE TIME WE SPEND GOSSIPING AND TEARING EACH OTHER DOWN COULD BE SPENT IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
· QUESTION: HOW MANY HOURS OUT OF THE 24 DO YOU SPEND WITH GOD???????? I WILL LET YOU ANSWER THAT FOR YOURSELF!

3.Crucify Self(READ Romans 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."and READ Galatians 5:16-17 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would ), · Every Person has to pay a price to step into the fullness of God’s anointing. (Not your mom, dad, pastor, friend but you) Have a relationship with God…
· Some people love God and desire His presence, his miracles, His blessings, and His glory without limitations or Boundaries but are NOT willing to pay the price.
· You and I must die on our own Crosses. ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE?
· Let God have His way in our lives. Surrender your will and way to Him.

4. Yield To the Holy Spirit James 4:10… “Humble yourself in the sight of God and He shall exalt you up. · The Holy Spirit does not take directions from man… WE NEED TO STOP TELLING GOD HOW WE WANT OUR LIVES TO BE OR WHERE WE WANT TO GO. LET GOD LEAD US IN THE WEAY WE SHOULD GO.
· No person or ministry can succeed because of education, great financial success or connections made by man. (Titles I am Dr., Bishop, Rev…). Sad how people think that those with these titles can help them access the throne of God… These things DO NOT entice the Holy Spirit. Access if FREE and EASY!
· The only way to stay in the realm of the Spirit is to Spend time with God ALONE!
· God is looking for ordinary, yielded vessels. It takes dying to the flesh and learning to walk in the Spirit.
· WE NEED TO STOP BOASTING ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED AND BUILT FOR GOD (SOMETIMES WE EVEN TAKE GOD’S GLORY AND CREDIT OURSELVES). WE NEED TO YIELD AND NOT BE PRIDEFULL!!


CONCLUSION · Vs 9-13 ELISHA ASKED FOR A DOUBLE PORTION OF THE SPIRIT … HE HUNGERED AFTER GOD…GOD WILL REWARD US ALSO IF WE DESIRE AND HUNGER AFTER HIM. All will be added ( Matthew 6:33)
· What would your answer be if God asked what He should do for you? Would it be financial blessing, a husband, wide, car, house, a child…or Anointing, wisdom, knowledge, gifts of the Spirit…?
· Listen: God will open doors of blessings for you in the natural if will Hunger after Him, Lay Aside Weights, Crucify Self and Yield to the Holy Spirit. The Sky will NOT be the limit FOR YOU as they say…There is NO LIMIT IN GOD.
· GOALS THAT ARE NOT ALIGNED IN GOD’S WILL NOT BE ACHIEVED…COMMIT THEM TO GOD (cars, Homes, Husband, Wife…etc..)
· God Will reveal The plans of the enemy to you BUT only if you are in tune with The Holy Spirit and in the centre of His will.
· GOD will lead you by His Holy Spirit in the way you should go. This is possible after yielding to Him. NO MORE CONFUSION OF WHERE TO TAKE A TURN IN LIFE.
ARE YOU WONDERING AND WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE? LET GOD LEAD YOU.
So…What are you doing here? At this place in your Life?
Will you hunger after Him, Will you lay Aside ALL weights, Will you Crucify Self, Will you Yield to His Holy Spirit? If yes then Pray this prayer with me:

Father in Jesus’ name, I humbly ask that you forgive me for the things I have done, said and thought that have not pleased you. Help me to develop a hunger for you, lay aside all the weights in my life, crucify the flesh and yield to your holy Spirit. Lead me Lord in the way I should go. In Jesus’ name Amen!
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Be Anxious About nothing

Goodness, this is something that happens to me all the time. Even when I am equipped with scriptures and promises from the word. The pressure from the situations in our lives and the circumstances around us make it worse when we see or even hear what is going on. It kind of sounds like a 'mighty river' coming to wash us away. So when we hear, we start to worry and fret. BUT...the good news is that our God is more than able to help us overcome. When you find yourself in this state, talk to someone a close friend or even your pastor. I have learned from experience, that when we find ourselves in such situations, it is always advisable to talk to someone, seek couselling by all means. Short of that, the next stage of this will be severe depression (depending on how bad it is)

The definition of being anxious, or having anxiety is mentally troubled with worry or concern. Thing is, we have all been battling anxiety ever since Adam ate the forbidden fruit and tried in vain to hide from God; "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid" (Genesis 3:10). The negative effects of anxiety were understood three thousand years ago when King Solomon wrote his proverbs of wisdom; "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up" (Proverbs 12:25).

Paul preached a lot about anxiety during his teachings and preachings about the Good News of Jesus. Almost in the same breath that he gave instruction to "Rejoice in the Lord always!" (Philippians 4:4), Paul taught on removing anxiety from our life; "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6).

it is quite easy to find ourselves being overly concerned or mentally troubled about ANYTHING, we must go to God (with thanksgiving) and give our burdens to Him. This doesn't mean we ignore our problems, but we must learn to view the things of this world against the backdrop of eternity. The concerns of this life always fade as we compare them to the eternal glory of His Kingdom.

Matthew 6:25,34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry {or be anxious} about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

When we feel weighed down, pressured, or stressed - when concerns are coming in fast motion from all directions and we don't know where to begin - we must stop and take a long, deep breath! We must refocus on Jesus and His Word. We must be reminded of eternity in the presence of a loving God and diligently seek His Kingdom; "make every effort to enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:11).

As we draw closer to our Heavenly Father, our eyes become adjusted to His light and we see He has already given all we really need. As we love Him more, all fear is removed: "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). And as we trust Him more and more, we will receive His gift of peace and no longer live with the burdening weight of an anxious heart.We need to offload ALL our burdens onto Jesus for HE CARES FOR US (1 Peter 5:7)
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Satan Is Already Defeated

Many of us Christians today have failed to fully realize what Jesus did on the Cross for us. The cross propelled us into a new dimension of power and authority. Not only did Jesus defeat the old devil on our behalf but He also gave us authority over him.

There have been times in my own life when I quickly forgot how God had put me in a place of authority...in Him. By Him making me His son, following my acceptance of His offer (the free gift of salvation through Christ), made a pathway for the greatest opportunity for my freedom and victory. Sometimes, we have to go through quite a few bumps in life but God will keep showing or reminding us through His Word that we have the key to victory. Not only do we have the key, but the weapons too in form of: The blood of Christ, The Word of God and The name of Jesus. With these 'weapons of mass destruction' to the kingdom of darkness, we are able to take on whatever Satan tries to throw at us through prayer and generally living lives of purity anf Holiness. We as Christians, need to come to a place of realization that we have THE POWER TO OVERCOME because Jesus already did the biggest part of it...Overcame for us!. If God said we have victory through His son Jesus, then we do indeed have it. Lets just use the weapons and CLAIM the victory. YOU AND I SHOULD NOT LIVE IN DEFEAT BUT VICTORY!! NOT UNTIL WE REALIZE WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, THE ENEMY WILL KEEP SMILING AND LAUGING OUT LOUD.

As Joshua led the Israelites out of the desert and into the promised land of Canaan, the first enemy they faced lived in the mighty walled city of Jericho. When spies were sent to Jericho to determine the enemy's strength, Rahab told the spies, "all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you" (Joshua 2:9). Rahab said the people of Jericho had heard how God parted the Red Sea and how He had been with the Israelites in previous battles.

Joshua 2:11
"When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below."

Can you imagine the look the many faces when they were told that all they had to do was march and blow the trumpet? God caused the walls of Jericho to collapse and allowed the Israelites to take the city, but the first enemy in the promised land was conquered long before the Israelite army arrived. The people of Jericho knew of God's miraculous power and were already defeated. The only thing necessary for victory was for the Israelites to show they were willing to walk in the strength God provided.

It has NEVER been God's desire and will NEVER BE for us to remain in the desert place. The desert place is dry and dusty. He has "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). But in order to enter the promised land, we must be prepared to face our enemies and trust in the strength of our Heavenly Father.

The enemy "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). This enemy is very real and ready to attack our areas of weakness. But the enemy is also well aware of God's power and will turn away any time we make a stand; "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). The enemy's fate has been sealed - his end has already been determined - but we must resist daily by trusting in the power of God.

The one thing we need to do is to submit our lives into the loving hands our Heavenly Father and boldly enter the peace-filled land He has promised. The lion will continue to roar and try to bite, but we must never forget that Jesus has already assured complete victory. When we trust Him with all our heart and daily walk in His strength, we truly face a defeated enemy. This is not to say that we wont make mistakes and fail, but that when we do, we will get up, repent (which means completely turning around and moving away from sin) and move on in the Lord live victorious lives.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Lets Trust In The Grace Of God

When I gave my life to Christ years ago, I was not sure of what I had gotten myself into. The pastor preached a great message and the I felt the conviction of my sins piercing into me. I knew I needed the savior Christ Jesus to take over my life, and had He not done so, I would NEVER have made it to this point. From this point on now, I was moving into the unknown but as I sat in fellowship and Bible study groups, I began to gain confidence in the Word of God and understood better the story of salvation. Also my faith started to grow more each day because of hearing the Word, and listening to the testimonies of other Christians whose lives God had transformed, which placed me in a more trusting position (It was not instant growth). From there, I learned to boldly go into the presence of God by myself and to share with others about His truths... which have been made real in many lives today. As we continue to walk with our Heavenly Father, and better understand His love, we ought to experience a sense of awe which we can't help but share with others. How Loving is our God that He made a way through Jesus by way of His Grace which is all sufficient for us.

The complete story of Jesus Christ - which began before the creation of the world and continues for all eternity - is a love story whose central theme is grace; "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). The moment we believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, God looks upon us with love and welcomes us into His Family - this is His gift of Salvation! This means our Salvation is never something we earn or deserve - it is a gift of grace.

Romans 11:6
"And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace."

If we come before our Heavenly Father thinking we can do ANYTHING which makes us deserving of Salvation, then we do not yet understand His gift of forgiving grace. God's grace is extended to all who believe, but we are called to believe His grace is both absolutely necessary AND completely sufficient.

If we truly believe, our life will produce fruit and we will do good works; "Faith, if not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). But our good works will never save us - Salvation is a gift. If we truly believe, we will desire to obediently follow; "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands" (1 John 2:3). But our obedience will never save us - Salvation is a gift.

If we've never settled the issue of Salvation, then today is the day to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). We must come before God with empty hands, acknowledge our sin and need for a Savior, and receive the gift of grace offered through Jesus.

As we then continue our walk with Christ, we learn to love Him with all our heart and strive to present our very best, bringing Him glory and honor in ALL we do. But while we walk, love, and strive, we must remember that our "best" is not what earns His favor. Our "successes" will not make us more worthy, and our "failures" will not cause us to lose His love. His gift is everything! Let's give Him everything in return as we continue to live each moment of this wondrous journey by trusting in His grace.

We need to trust in the Lord's grace every step of the way in our walk with God. It is only by way of this trust that we shall see God move more on our behalf (To God be the glory). AMEN!
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Do we Labor In Vain?

It is very exciting to see God move on our behalf with miracles, signs and wonders happening but it is very important that we don't spend so much time trying to get these things instead of putting God first. There is a tendency for ministries or and individuals to be totally engrossed in pursuing goals and leave out the one who holds it all...God.

I, like many other Christians out there spend so much time trying to accomplish certain things for God. But in the process of all this happening, we leave God out. We get so busy trying to do way too too many things for God but the end result is negative. We may achieve all we can but if we leave or ignore God, it will all crumble at some point. It will be like the builder who built his house on the sand. We need God to build the 'house' for us.

As we are "crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20) and live "united with Him in His resurrection" (Romans 6:5), we begin to view more and more of our life through the eyes of God. What we once saw as critically important begins to fade; and what we once neglected, we now begin to see as beloved by our Heavenly Father.

We can no longer build according to our old set of priorities. In fact, when we truly come in full submission to the cross of Jesus, we find we can no longer build anything according to our own design or in our own strength. We discover we must make God the Master Builder of every area of our life or we are wasting precious time, energy, and resources.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain"(Psalms 127:1)


Our life goes by so fast and our eternal vision is so very limited. Many of us are frantically building our castle and have failed to see we are building with sand which will crumble with the swell of the next tide. We may be struggling to build in our marriage, children, parents, job, school, friends, or even our ministry. But if we are expending great effort without results which are pleasing to God, we must honestly ask the question: "Who is doing the building?"

Even if our effort meets with apparent success, we must ask the same question and relinquish controls to God. Our greatest projects, if built in our own strength, will one day pass through the fire and be consumed; "the fire will test the quality of each man's work" (1 Corinthians 3:13). The standard of quality is determined by God, not man! It will be a sad day if we find we have spent a lifetime building that which is consumed by fire; "he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Corinthians 3:15).

In order for God to properly build, we must first submit to the refining He desires to accomplish within us. He will mold us into the likeness of His Son as we are fully devoted to loving Him, learning His Word, and applying His Truth as the absolute foundation of our life: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22-24).

God is not just the best solution, He is the ONLY solution worth pursuing. Heavenly Father, help us to not waste another moment of this precious life you have given. Help us see where we have taken too much control and give us the strength and courage to turn over ALL to You. Dear Lord, work through us to build what will last for eternity! Beginning right now, help us to stop laboring in vain!
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!

Love As Jesus Loved

I work part time in a busy kitchen of a somewhat big restaurant and have for a while now. I was thinking the other day how we many times as christians dont really give a helping hand or share the love of Christ in us by availing ourselves to help those in need. A case in sight is my own: There is a man who comes to clean, scrub and basically wipe down everything. Over the past year or so, he kept coming to ask me (in the middle of a busy shift) to help him lift tables so he could mop or scrub the floor. I helped him a couple of times and thereafter started to say no to him. And each time I said no, this guy wore a very sad face which is understandable given the fact that the only one person who could have helped said no to him. He really needed help as the tables are not light at all. Each time I said no to him, the Spirit of God convicted me. The excuse I gave God was that I had to finish my own work quickly. Then came the question: "What about him? Dont you think he has to finish his work as well"?.

Now, I wonder why I didnt cheerfully help this guy when he needed help. It always took (still does)2 minutes of my time to help. Even in the middle of a busy shift, we can still have time to assist others. It took me a few months with the constant conviction by God to realize how selfish I had been and yet if I had been in his shoes, Im sure this guy would have helped me. I now happily help this guy and the smile on his face is wide but I also know that I do it for God when I help like this. Im also happy to take a few minutes of my time to help.
Are we as christians doing all we can to potray Christ through our lives? What kind of fruites are we bearing for the Kingdom of God or are we just busy trying to make ends meet?

The above is an excellent example of how we miss the chance to share the love of Christ with people just because we are in a hurry to complete or accomplish stuff in our own lives. This can only mean one thing: We tend to put ourselves before others which is a direct contrast to what Jesus taught. Is the Love of Christ that is in us overflowing into other people's lives?

God loved us long before we ever knew Him, and loved us far more than we deserved; "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to die for the forgiveness of our sins "that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). And He sent His Spirit to comfort, guide, and strengthen us all the rest of our days.

God's love has created a debt we can never fully repay, but it's a debt of love we now honor by loving others; "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another" (Romans 13:8). As we reach out to those around us, we are actually reaching up and loving our Heavenly Father; "He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people" (Hebrews 6:10). We know we should love one another, but what is the proper expression of our love?

Jesus had gathered with His disciples for what would be their last meal together. While they were eating in the upper room, Jesus "showed them the full extent of His love" (John 13:1).

John 13:4-5
"He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him."

In this, His clear demonstration of love, the Creator of the Universe lowered Himself to the position of a common house servant and washed the feet of His disciples. His example of love was completely void of pride or selfish motives. There was no agenda in His actions other than to pour out pure love. Only moments later Jesus told His disciples; "As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34).

Jesus was able to love with true humility and self-sacrifice because He was absolutely secure in His Heavenly relationship; "Jesus knew He had come from God and was returning to God" (John 13:3). Jesus knew who He was and where He was going; His self-esteem was independent of feedback from the world - independent of any appreciation He may have received in return. Jesus was sent to love, so He loved!
We are now sent to love with this same servant's heart - a heart that simply considers the needs of others and then reaches out to "take care of My sheep" (John 21:16). Let's secure our Heavenly relationship through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus and then live each day with a humble heart that only His security allows. Let's love our Heavenly Father as we reach out to the world and love as Jesus loved.Let the cup of God's Love in us overflow to touch and change other lives.
THIS IS OUR GOD!!


Have a blessed day!!