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Parent

“13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” ~ 1 Samuel 3:13-14

We have gotten to the state in our society where parents no longer correct their children. We make excuses for our children saying that they were born this way, or they’re just going through a phase they’ll grow out of it, or boys will be boys, or they’re just kids testing the limits.

We make excuses for our children not realizing that one day that kid who’s just being a kid is going to grow up to be an adult just being an adult. We no longer discipline our children because it’s now child abuse to spank your child, or to simply tell your child that they are in fact, a girl even if they feel like a boy. We no longer are parents, but instead, we are letting our children parent themselves. We let our children choose their gender from young ages like 3 years old, we give them counseling and hormone therapy just because they feel that they are the opposite gender.

We do this not taking into account that they are 3. They don’t know what they are. At 3 years old they still believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny. At 3 years old they wanna put their hands on the hot stove not realizing that it’ll burn them. They wanna play with the outlets. They want to be princesses and pirates and helicopters at that age. How can we allow our children to dictate their own life with zero guidance?

We constantly say that the human mind is not fully developed until around 25 years old, so why can a small child know that they are not the gender that they are. We’ve stopped parenting because we believe our children know what’s best for them. A child may see a pretty snake and want to play with it, but as a parent, you should tell them, “no, honey, that’s a coral snake, very dangerous.” We need to correct our children when they are wrong. We need to be parents again, guiding them instead of letting them blindly run through the dark.

Eli never corrected his boys, and they grew up to be men who did not know the LORD. Eli didn’t teach his sons how to respect the LORD, so they didn’t. Eli didn’t teach his sons how to love the LORD, so they didn’t. Eli wanted to be his sons’ friend instead of their father. Eli failed as a parent, which lead to his entire household was punished. Both of his sons were killed on the same day, and Eli was to die and have no heirs. His family lost everything all because he refused to be a father. What is your family losing?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Parent.

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Praise Him In The Bad

“10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” ~ Job 42:10

Sometimes the LORD will allow us to go through times of difficulty, sorrow, pain, and suffering, so that the accuser may test us. See Satan accuses us day and night, and the LORD allows for him to take us through hardships that we don’t think we’ll be able to make it through. But that only lasts for a season, and if we still hold on to God. If we still trust in Him and give Him the praise and glory He deserves, He will take us through to the other side. And once we enter that other side, there will be a reward like we haven’t seen before. Whatever the devil took, God, will repay us, but with interest. Thank the LORD. For Job didn’t just receive back what was given to Him, but He received twice as much as before.

Times of trouble will come in each of our lives, but it’s how we react to those times of trouble that matter. It’s who we become in those times of hurt and pain that determines where we will end up, whether it be on the other side with less or on the other side with more. Don’t turn from God, for His benefits are everlasting. Praise in the good. Praise Him in the bad. And see if things will not change before your eyes. God honors the righteous.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Praise Him in the Bad.

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The Garment of Praise

“to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” ~ Isaiah 61:3

When we go through times of difficulty, we usually do everything in the book except praise. We cry. Scream. Yell. Rant. Get angry. Get counseling. Pray. Talk to each other. But we never stop and start praising. I understand why it’s hard to praise when your world comes crashing down on top of you. When you’re overwhelmed, and you can’t seem to get it together. It is hard to praise! But it’s necessary.

Praise isn’t for God. He doesn’t need our praise. God doesn’t suddenly get weak, or His glory grow dim because we stopped praising Him. Praise is for us. When we praise, God hears us. And if God is hearing us, then He will answer. Things begin to change when we praise because we’re no longer looking at our own self, we’re no longer looking at our own problems, we’re now completely focused on God. That’s when He can heal what’s been broken, breathe fresh life into us, and change our point of view. Depression has to flee when you praise. Suicide has to flee when you praise. Anxiety has to flee when you praise. Illness has to flee when you praise. Don’t stay defeated, put on the garment of praise, and watch your new outcome take place!

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Praise.

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Submit

26Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27And, a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28And Joshua, the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. ~ Numbers 11:26-30

Isn’t this us today? We get envious because someone else is doing great things in the Church and we try to discredit them. We doubt where it comes from. Or if we don’t understand why God gave them a gift that we feel they shouldn’t have or anyone should have, we doubt. We try to stop them. We try to shut them up. We try to quiet the spirit all because we do not understand. Because we don’t get it.

We get this false humility that tries to weaken the Church, but what we don’t understand is that God wants the Church to be strong. God wants His Spirit to rest upon all of us. He wants to use all of us. Why? Because that’s how He shows His glory. We are God’s biggest threat. Why? Because we are the only ones that can limit Him.

We limit Him with doubt. The lack of faith. Fear. False humility. A Judgmental Spirit. The lack of prayer. The lack of understanding. The lack of fasting. The lack of trust. The lack of belief. We limit God. We would have a much different world if we wouldn’t limit and hold back God. If we submitted to Him fully.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Submit.

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Sit At The Table

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” ~ Psalms 23:5

As Christians, Psalms 23 is one of the first verses we memorize. We all know it by memory, but do we fully understand it? Specifically, Psalms 23:5. What exactly was David getting at? What exactly was David trying to say? I believe David was trying to combat his fear. He was saying, when I’m surrounded by my enemies, you still prepare for me a table. No matter who is against me, no matter who is watching, no matter how much the world hates me, you still prepare for me my fill. You still give me more than enough. No matter how afraid I am. No matter how many there are of them, I am still given my blessing. I am still going to reap my harvest. I am still going to receive my just rewards.

David is overcoming his fear. He said to fear even though you speak loud, I will only keep my eyes on God. He said that it is God who anoints my head with oil. Why? Because in the midst of his enemies, God has chosen him. God has separated him and called him to a purpose. His cup overflows from the blessings God has poured out for him.

Fear will surround you and tell you, you’re not enough, and you’ll never be enough. But look to God, for He has set a table in the presence of your enemies so that you may eat and be made full. So that you may be chosen and anointed. So that you may drink and never go thirsty again. Don’t allow fear to keep you held back from the table, but walk boldly towards your call.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sit At The Table.

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Wait

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” ~ Acts 2:1-4

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples went into the Upper Room together. They were in one accord. They were waiting patiently. They could feel something happening in their atmosphere. And at the perfect time, The Father sent down the Holy Spirit, and He filled them. Things changed for each of them after that day. Death was no longer a fear for them. People were healed just by their shadows. Great things happened.

In our day and age, we don’t see that same greatness very much. The Holy Spirit didn’t change. Jesus’ promises didn’t fail. The Father didn’t suddenly change the rules. So what changed? The Church. We did.

We changed because we no longer wait upon the LORD, we no longer gather together, we no longer seek, we no longer follow Christ’s words, we have turned towards the world and allowed them to dictate to us what is important and what is right. On the Pentecost Sunday, I implore you to seek the LORD, to wait for an answer, and to follow His word. Don’t look to the right or to the left, look to the LORD for He is good and His plan is perfect. His ways are just. Don’t be distracted by church tradition, but let us come as one body because when we are united, there is nothing we cannot do.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Wait.

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Follow In Strong Footsteps

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. ~ Genesis 29:21-26

When Laban heard Jacob’s story, he said “surely you are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone”, could that be a family curse? Rebecca convinced Jacob to pose as Esau to receive Esau’s blessing. Laban tricked Jacob into serving 14 years for his daughter Rachel.

Was that a family trait? To be cheating and conniving? Do we have family traits that cause us to be held back in life? Laban cheated Jacob more than once, and was held back in blessings because of it. Do we have family traits that hold us back? Imagine how much blessings Laban could have received if he wasn’t always trying to cheat to get ahead. Imagine the blessing if we didn’t continue in our old ways because it’s how our family works or how our family thinks. What if we changed our mindset and broke the yokes of our past.

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Become Even More Undignified Than This

20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21 David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.” ~ 2 Samuel 6:20-22

A lot of times pride will stop us from praising God. We’re so caught up in what people will think, that we stop caring about what God thinks. We’d rather please humans than please God. God desires us to give Him our very best. He desires us to give Him our everything, but how can we do that when we’re focused on what the person next to us will think? David, the King of Israel, didn’t care what anyone said, not even his wife. David said he would make himself more undignified than this.

See, we get caught up with how we will look to people. Or how we will come across to people. We say, ‘oh I don’t want to turn them off from our church,’ but really we’re saying, ‘I don’t want to offend their religious spirit, it is better we offend God and not give Him our everything.’ Too often we allow the spirit of religion and pride to overtake us. We have to make a stand as David did, we have to decide who we’re doing all of this for. Who we’re celebrating before. Bringing praises to. We need to make a stand before man and before God. We have to choose who we’re going to worry about offending.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Become Even More Undignified Than This.

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Be Unoffended

“4 And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’” ~ Matthew 11:4-6

Blessed is the one who is not offended by me. It’s hard to believe that people would be offended by Jesus. I mean He’s doing all these miracles, healing the sick, the blind, the deaf, the mute, He even raises the dead, how can people be offended by Him?

But people are offended by Him today as well. People are offended by anyone who calls out their sin. People are offended by anyone who can do things they cannot. People are offended by anyone who is righteous if they are not. People are offended by others who are blessed, financially and favorably. People are offended by things they do not understand. God said the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Therefore how can they understand Jesus, when they have no knowledge because they have no fear. They have no regard for the things of God, so they are offended by those who do.

We are also offended by the amount of time that we are in trials and tribulations because we don’t deserve this. We’re good Christians. Here’s the thing. John the Baptist was a great prophet, what does this have to do with anything? This was when John was imprisoned in Galilee, during that time, Jesus was preaching in Galilee, but He never released John from his cell. In fact, John was eventually beheaded by the same man that put him in prison. Jesus is also saying here, don’t be offended by what I do. Trial and tribulation comes, but the Son of Man is not to always intervene. We will receive our reward after the trial, whether on Earth or in Eternity. Which is why He says, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” It’s a hard pill to swallow, but when it goes down, great things happen.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Unoffended.

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Worship Away The Pain

19 David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.” 20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions, and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request, they served him food, and he ate. ~ 2 Samuel 12:19-20

Because of David’s sin, his son died as a baby. David could have closed up and drawn into himself, but instead, when the news was told to him, he went and prepared himself that he would be accepted before the LORD and he worshiped. He went to God even when it was God who took his child, He still went back to God. He didn’t get angry at God. He didn’t rebel against God. He humbled Himself before God and worshiped. When we worship, we release pain. Regret. Sorrow. Anger. We release emotions that hold us back, and we give them to God.

How often can we say we bring our pain, sorrows, and hurt to God? More times than not, we go to friends. Family. Alcohol. Drugs. Facebook. Instagram. Snapchat. We go to social media more than we go to God. Why is that? The majority of the time, we don’t want to let go of our pain. We want to hold on to the pain, post on social media unnecessary TMI posts all to get sympathy and pity. We don’t want to release the pain, we want to gain recognition that we have it hard, that it’s such a difficult thing to overcome. Now I’m not saying, never talk to another person about your problems, or never share on social media your trials. I’m saying go to God first, worship, release that hurt and pain, then go to trusted friends and family. Go to them not seeking pity, but seeking to build each other up. Use social media to tell the world it’s possible to overcome, not woe is me. Worship changes things, don’t neglect a time of worship!

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Worship Away The Pain!

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