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Pick Up Just Enough

“Then Moses told them, ‘Do not keep any of it until morning.’ But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.” ~ Exodus 16:19-20NLT

While in the wilderness, God rained down Manna for the Children of Israel to eat. Now God made a strict rule, only pick up enough for that day and don’t keep any until morning. But not everyone listened, so what they picked up spoiled and was filled with maggots. I believe God did this to build trust. He was saying, “look, I got you, okay? I got you. I will provide food for you every day. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to wonder what you will eat tomorrow because I will provide for you. You just have to trust me.”

I believe that’s what He still does today. He tells us not to take on too much and trust Him, yet we work on Sundays, we work overtime because we have the fear that we won’t be able to pay the bills. And I’m not saying that isn’t a real fear, but God said to put Him first, and He will provide everything you need. So don’t miss Church or miss time with God because of work, work but make time for God, and you will never be without. You will have enough to pay your bills and buy food. Just place your faith in God instead of yourself.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pick Up Just Enough.

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Pray Like The Spirit Ceased

“26 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” ~ Romans 8:26

Even as Christians, we still have weaknesses. Our main weakness, in my personal opinion, is prayer. Prayer is our main way of communicating with God, yet the majority of us don’t pray often, and the rest of us give the excuse that we don’t know how to pray. While I believe that everyone should pray multiple times a day, not because of strict religious beliefs, but because communication is the way you keep a relationship alive. Without communication, the relationship will die, and you will no longer know God, and God will not know you, as it is in our human relationships.

Here’s our saving grace, though. If we pray, even if we say we don’t know how, we are reassured that the Spirit will intercede for us. How amazing is that? The Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. When we don’t know what to pray or how to pray, the Spirit will pray on our behalf. So don’t give up praying; the Spirit will teach you how to pray. And in the meantime, while you don’t know exactly what to say or how to say it, the Spirit will intercede on your behalf. So pray in confidence. Be encouraged, Jesus didn’t leave us here to fend for ourselves but sent us the Helper.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray Like The Spirit Ceased.

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No Person Is An Island

“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:13-14

Paul writes two letters to Timothy, encouraging him as he oversaw the work in the Church of Ephesus as well as other Churches in Asia. Paul takes the time to encourage Timothy, as well as to strengthen him. This was the purpose of these letters, to strengthen and encourage a young man in a difficult call. But Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to try to do it himself. No, in fact, he tells Timothy to follow his sound or healthy words, with faith and love in Christ Jesus, and to guard or earnestly strive to do the call through the help of The Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we try to do things on our own without the help of anyone, but no person is an island. No human being can succeed in anything completely alone. Your call may be hard. It may even seem impossible, but if you rely on the guidance of a trustworthy and Godly mentor, faith and love in Christ Jesus, and endurance through the Holy Spirit, you will succeed. So don’t be discouraged today, but be encouraged, for you are not alone.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strive To Fulfill Your Call.

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Let Your Heart Beat Again

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” ~ Psalms 73:26

Even though our heart fails, and we feel hopeless, God is our portion. In other words, no matter how low you feel, how sad you are, or how much you miss a loved one who has passed on, God is holding you. When your heart fails, He revives your heart and strengthens it. No matter how many times your heart fails, God will always be there to tell your heart to beat again. Place your pain and suffering into His hands, and He will restore you and strengthen you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Your Heart Beat Again.

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Should I?

“7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, ‘Bring me the ephod.’ So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?’ He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.’” ~ 1 Samuel 30:7-8

Everything that King David did, he first asked God if it was what He wanted. When his family was taken by the Amalekites, which included all of his wives and children, and he saw the entire city of Ziklag (where they were staying) burned to the ground, first, he encouraged himself in the LORD. Then he asked God if he could pursue the Amalekites.

The majority of us would think that that is a no brainer, of course, pursue. You’re a strong warrior of God. You’ve won many, many battles, go pursue the Amalekites and save your family and your men’s families, but King David knew God’s plan was best. King David knew what it was like to follow his own heart and his own desires. He knew what it was like to lose someone he loved because he followed his own desires instead of following God’s plan.

When it came to something that seemed right for King David to do, he still waited for God’s okay. King David wanted to build the Temple; the Prophet Nathan even told him it was a good idea.

1Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.’ 2 And Nathan said to David, ‘Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.’ 3 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 4 ‘Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in.’

1 Chronicles 17:1-4

Imagine if King David began building the Temple after Nathan gave him the okay. He would have been outside of the will of God. But it seems as if he waited for a yes from God Himself because he didn’t go straight into building after Nathan’s yes. What would be the reason for that, other than waiting on God?

Things may seem like a given. Like God should want you to do it, but it may not be for you. Building The Temple seemed like a good idea, but it wasn’t for King David. It was for King Solomon. Saving his family seemed like a given. Why even question it? Because King David knew what it was like to be outside of The Will of God, and he didn’t want to feel that again. Things aren’t always what they seem. The Bible says to test the Spirits, so test them and see if your desires and new thoughts match the will of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ask, Should I?

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God Understands

He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” ~ Luke 9:59-62NLT

Jesus called a few people to follow Him, but they all made good excuses not to go, at least initially. Whether or not they were planning to go later, or after they had accomplished the things they said they needed to accomplish, is left to be seen. Jesus, on the other hand, equated it to putting their hand to the plow and looking back. Now, no one can deny that these men had some really legitimate reasons not to go.

The first man requested that he go and bury his father. To us, who are living in the 21st century, it would appear to us that his father has either just died or is about to die. The fact is that he was requesting a leave of absence to go home and perform his earthly duty as a good son, more than likely, firstborn son, that is, to take care of his parents until they died. We can’t argue the nobleness of that gesture. Yet Jesus says there are more important things to be done.

What about the other man? All he wanted to do was to say goodbye to his parents. Again, maybe in the time we are living in that would entail sticking our heads into the front door and yelling, “Bye.” But not in that culture. They would have a goodbye celebration that could take days.

These are all good excuses. What about us today? We have the same legitimate excuses not to follow or do what we are called or asked to do. And we say something like, “God understands.” Yes, you are right; God does understand. He understands that He has called you, and He wants you to respond right away without excuse. We’re only fooling ourselves when we say, “God understands.” It’s just another excuse to ease our conscience and let us feel that we have a legit reason not to obey. So the truth is, what God understands is that you do not want to do what He has told you to do or called you to do, and He understands that that is called putting your hand to the plow and looking back.

Heavenly Father, I ask You to help us make good, righteous decisions when we are called or asked to do something for Jesus. Help us to not to make excuses or to fool ourselves into believing that You overlook everything. Yes, LORD, You are merciful, and we thank You for that, but You expect us to be obedient as well. So, help us, Father, to fulfill our calling in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Build Your Wall

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” ~ Proverbs 25:28

You are the city, and self-control is your walls. If you don’t have self-control, sin can come in and overcome you at any time. Without walls, you will become a slave to sin. See, we have to build up walls by learning, memorizing, and using Scripture. We PHYSICALLY speak verses over our lives to set up SPIRITUAL walls around us.

9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!”

Job 1:9-10 NLT

According to verses 4 and 5 of that same chapter, Job would get up early in the morning and sacrifice on behalf of his children just in case they had sinned against God. If Job did this on behalf of his children, we can assume he made sacrifices on behalf of himself as well. Remember what Satan said about Job? ‘You have always put a wall of protection around and his and his property.’ This didn’t just happen because God liked Job; Job did a physical act to see a spiritual outcome.

We have to start speaking over our children’s lives. We have to start building up walls around ourselves, our family, and our property just as Job did. Building up walls won’t happen overnight. Building up self-control won’t happen overnight, but brick by brick you will build a sturdy wall that will be able to keep out the sin that’s trying to enslave you. You will build up a wall of protection around your children. You will build up a wall of protection around all that you have.

It won’t be easy, but it is possible to overcome every obstacle set before us because we have the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. We can overcome because Jesus first overcame, and when He left, He sent The Spirit to be our Helper. We don’t have bricks of stone to build our walls, but instead, we have Scripture as our bricks.

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

So don’t be defeated; anyone can gain self-control. Start speaking the Word of God over your life. Over your spouse’s life. Over your children’s lives. Over your home. Over your business. Build up an impenetrable wall around you and your family and all that you own so that when the day of temptation comes (and it will come), you will have a strong defense so that you may not be overcome.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build Your Wall.

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What’s Your Soul Worth?

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” ~ Matthew 16:26

It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day worries of life, so much so that we place our worship and prayer life on the back burner. We get so distracted with the here and now that we lose focus with eternity. It’s no joy when the pressures of life, family, relationships, or work envelope us.

But God is faithful, and though we are hard-pressed on every side, we are not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but we are not destroyed, praise the LORD. Let us, then, take time to set our priorities and refocus our sights. God will lift our heavy burdens when we set our eyes on Him.

Our Father and our God, You are the Great I Am, the one and only true God. We seek Your face and call upon Your mighty name. We lay our burdens at Your feet. Help us, O LORD, to leave them there and not carry around those heavy burdens. Teach us to trust and obey, even when we see no possible way. For You alone call those things that are not as though they are, You alone see the end from the beginning. So help us to increase our faith and our trust in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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It’s Just A Little Leaven

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” ~ Galatians 5:9

We often believe that we will be justified if our good outweighs our bad. But is the truth? Can our good deeds outweigh our bad ones? I believe this is what Paul is addressing in this verse. In other words, even a little sin makes the whole person sinful.

This is why Jesus’ blood cleanses us of our sins, and the Holy Spirit transforms us into a new creation. We can’t live our lives however we want and then try to justify our sin by the good that we do, but none of the good we do matters if we don’t have Christ in our lives. Without Christ Jesus, no amount of good deeds can save us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Dump The Leaven.

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A Seemingly False Word

16 And he [Elisha the prophet] said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ 17 For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’ 18 This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, 19 and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.” 20 The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water. ~ 2 Kings 3:16-20

When the King of Israel, the King of Judah, and the King of Edom heard these words, their hearts were encouraged. They went after Moab; as a matter of fact, they destroyed Moab to the point where Moab fled, and they continued beating them as they chased him. Now catch what happens when the King of Moab sees that he’s losing and could not break away from them.

27 Then he [King of Moab] took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.

Those men who all believed what Elisha the PROPHET just said were now running with their tail between their legs. Elisha specifically said that THE LORD would give the Moabites into their hands, yet they ended up running away and returning to their own land because GREAT WRATH came against them. You know what is never said in this story? That Elisha was a False Prophet. Not once is that mentioned. Not once was that even considered. They don’t even go back to war with the Moabites during the lifetime of Elisha.

Elisha prophesied with the utmost confidence that The LORD would give the Moabites into the hands of these three kings, but because the King of Moab turned to witchcraft, Israel lost. Now, I’m not saying that witchcraft is stronger than God. We know that isn’t true, but witchcraft isn’t just something to laugh at either. This is why Paul tells us to put on the Full Armor of God, tear down strongholds, cast down thoughts, etc. We wouldn’t need armor if the enemy had no power.

When God gives us a word, we have to hold to that word. Israel, Judah, and Edom were given a word, but they ran instead of calling on the Name of The LORD. What would’ve happened if they stood on the word given to them by Elisha from God? If they had only gone in the power of God instead of their own power, they would have seen the word God gave to Elisha come to pass.

God can give us a word, but unless we do our part, that word will not come to pass. And just like Israel, Judah, and Edom, we will have no one else to blame but ourselves. We have to do our part. Moses had to raise his staff in faith. Abraham had to carry his son Isaac up the mountain sacrifice him in faith. Noah had to build the ark in faith. We have to do our part in faith. Things don’t always go smoothly. Things don’t always happen the way we expect, but if we are faithful and stand on the word God has given to us, then we will see that word come to pass.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold To The Word God Has Given You.

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