Tag: Food For Growth

²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. ~ Acts 18:24-26

In a TBN interview with Donnie McClurkin, Steve Harvey said, “That it is just my job, everybody has a job to do, and my job is playing music. I play artists like Lil Wayne…and you know when you listen to Lil Wayne, you have to get saved all over again.” So then, why are you still playing those kinds of songs?

Listen, I’ll tell you what John Cougar Mellon Camp said in his song Rain on the Scarecrow. He said,

Calling it your job Ole Ho’se sure don’t make it right,
But if you want I’ll say a prayer for your soul tonight.

Calling it your job doesn’t make it right. When we get saved there are things we use to do, and there are things we don’t do anymore. There are things we use to say, and there are things we don’t say anymore. We put off the old and put on the new. Let me break this down a little bit for you. This is how absurd this mentality is:

That’s like a doctor working in an alcoholic’s recovery place trying to help get young people off alcohol, but he also has a night job as a bartender selling these same young people he just got off alcohol or is in the process of getting them off alcohol. After handing them their drink, saying something like, “Remember your appointment tomorrow at the Alcoholics’ Recovery Center.”  It’s that absurd.

The interviewer, Donnie McClurkin (a long-time Christian), just laughed and accommodated it. This is the temperature of the Church today. We no longer want to correct because it’s judging, and judging is bad. We, as Christians, are called to judge the fruit (Matthew 7:15-20), the actions of others, in order to distinguish between sheep and wolves in sheep’s clothing. If we remove all forms of judgment, then we’ll all be spat out of the mouth of Jesus.

That’s what’s lacking today. Mentors. People make mistakes, and people need guidance, but sometimes those very ones that are supposed to be guiding us need to be guided themselves (Hebrews 5:12). The same people we are supposed to look up to and follow their example are the same people who lead us astray. They exploit their own notoriety and influence to support folks with agendas that are in direct conflict with what the Bible lays out as the right way to live.

I want you to understand that what you believe is what you support; otherwise, you are a hypocrite. What you support is what you sow, and what you sow is what you will reap. Therefore, sow good fruit, and you will reap eternal life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch What You Grow.

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²⁴ Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ~ Acts 18:24-26

Although Apollos was eloquent and competent in the Scriptures. He was fervent in spirit and taught accurately and boldly the resurrected Jesus, but Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and discipled him, taught him a more accurate way.

They were not jealous of his talent, or threatened by his eloquence, or even taken back by his boldness; they saw Apollos’ as a fellow worker and one in need of a little discipleship.

Notice also that Apollos was not insulted by their interest in him or their taking him under their wing, so to speak, for a time in order to teach him a more accurate way.

This is the kind of discipleship we need in the Church today. Not blasting someone on a YouTube video filled with hatred for views, but honest correction out of love. And in return, we need to be able to take correction when we are shown the error of our ways. We can’t allow pride to keep us from growing and understanding. Why? So that we might grow in the LORD. If we stop growing, we’ll become stagnant, and our spiritual life will suffer for it. Bearing fruit and growing in the LORD are how we please Him and grow closer to Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look For The More Accurate Way.

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¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. ~ Romans 13:10

Our spiritual temperature depends on the amount of love we have in our hearts. It’s the root of all other fruit and the foundational block of all gifts. Without love, we have nothing, not even salvation. Why? Because love fulfills the law. Therefore, if we don’t have love, we can’t please God.

Fear is overcome by dwelling in the love of God. Faith is powered by dwelling in the love of God. Patience is built up by the amount of love we have for others. Joy is founded on the love we have for God. Everything is founded on love. If you are struggling in an area, ask yourself:

Do I need to love God and the things of God more?
Do I need to love my neighbor more?
Do I need to love myself more?

Love fulfills the law. Therefore, love, and you will grow in the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Measure Your Love.

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³⁶ For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen. ~ Romans 11:36

All things were created by Him and for Him. Jesus is the Creator, and it was for His glory that He created everything. So, don’t get caught up in this neo-pagan idea of we are little gods and everything revolves around us. God said He will not share His glory. When interpreted correctly, that means: We, God’s creation, are not partakers in the glory that belongs to Him alone.

So, we are to value others above ourselves in all humility. That means we are to stop looking out for number one. Stop investing in our own best interests only. Why? Because we become selfish. If we aren’t the ones benefiting, we don’t want to do it. “Let me pray about it” becomes our freedom chant. It becomes our words of wisdom, Proverbs 32:1 “Leteth thou me, prayest about it.”

Each one of us is to take our eyes off of our own interests and place them on the interest of others. If the Church of Jesus Christ would only do that, we would not have all the division in our churches. But the problem, at least it seems to me, is that we believe that it’s our life and we have a right to feel this way or think this way. We have a right to look out for our own best interests because, after all, nobody else will.

But think of it this way. If Jesus bought and paid for you with His own blood on the Cross of Calvary, then you belong to Him, and you are no longer your own. And if this is the case, and we believe it to be, then do you not think that Jesus knows how to look out for the best interest and will look out for the best interest of what belongs to Him?

He does not need help taking care of what belongs to Him. Therefore, if this is the case, and your life is indeed not your own, then it is not about you. If you are going to grow in the LORD, you must understand that it is no longer you that lives, but Christ who lives in you, as the Scriptures teach us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Think of Others.

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¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. ~ Philippians 3:12

We press on or press forward to that great and glorious day when Jesus will break the eastern sky on His way back to get us. But how do we press on?

Very good question. I can tell you in three words:

• Dying To Self

Dying to self is not an easy concept to grasp and an even harder concept to put into practice. Because it is contrary to nature. The natural man’s main objective is to survive. To endure and to prosper.

The first and most important of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is derived from a person’s motivation or instinct to survive. God has placed that self-preservation in us by placing eternity in our hearts, according to Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Dying to self is contrary to natural instincts because we no longer look out for self-interest. We no longer look out for number one. We pray for those who persecute us. And when they curse us, we bless. We give to everyone who asks. And we bless and pray for our enemies.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Press On By Dying To Self.

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¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. ~ Romans 8:16-17

We, our family, were in the process of adopting a little boy several years ago, but before the adoption papers could be fully processed, his mother came and took him back. He enjoyed all the pleasures and all the rights of being our son. Why? Because to us, he was our son. To our daughters, he was their little brother. Even now, whenever we get to see him, he still calls us mom and dad, and our daughters call him their little brother.

It is the same with God; we are called sons or children of God, and we enjoy all of the rights and benefits of being children of God. Siblings with the LORD Jesus and joint heirs with Him. As Paul advocated in the verse above. This is one of the mysteries of God. You must understand that God calls those things that are not as if they were. He proclaims the end from the beginning. Meaning that He sees us as His children because He sees the end result.

If we had achieved sonship already, then that sonship could never be taken away from us because Jesus warned us to abide in Him. If we don’t abide in Him, we will be cut off and thrown into (John 15:1-8). This is why each of the authors and early disciples referred to themselves as slaves to Christ. This makes what Jesus said a lot clearer:

³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

John 8:35

Now we can better understand that if we had achieved the sonship, that sonship could in no way be reversed because the son remains forever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Aim For Sonship.

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¹ Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. ² As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. ⁴ Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. ⁶ But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” ~ Acts of the Apostles 3:1-6^NLT

I want you to notice that it took the disciples to see that the crippled man needed more help than he originally asked for. This is the same with us today. Sometimes, others’ faith isn’t enough to get them from where they’re at. Sometimes, their spiritual eyes are blinded to their own needs. This is why we need to be walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us. The same Spirit that dwelt in Peter and John lives in us.

Peter and John spent time in prayer, not just a short prayer every night before bed. No. They prayed for many hours every single day. In fact, they were on the way to the Temple to pray when they encountered the man. They didn’t just hear him ask for money, throw a coin his way, and then move on with their lives. They looked at him intently and then told him to look at them. Then Peter healed the man. He gave him more than he originally asked for.

Imagine if God only gave us what we asked for. We would be in serious trouble. Why? Because not everything we ask for is good for us. God has a better plan for us than what we can see for ourselves. This is why the Holy Spirit intercedes for us on our behalf because we don’t know how to pray the way we should. The man expected money; instead, he got a healing that removed his need to beg all together. This is how we, the Church, the bride of Christ, should be today. We should be able to give people more than hope. We should be able to change lives through the Holy Spirit that dwells with us and in us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk In Step With The Spirit.

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¹ Jesus entered Jericho and made His way through the town. ² There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. ³ He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. ⁵ When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” He said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” ⁶ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. ~ Luke 19:1-6^NLT

Jesus was passing through Jericho when Zacchaeus heard Jesus would soon be walking by. He knew that his height was an obstacle, but he wanted to see Jesus with everything that was in him. Zacchaeus didn’t let this obstacle keep him from seeing Jesus. No. Zacchaeus climbed a tree so that he might be able to see Jesus when He walked by. This is the same kind of determination we need to have.

Today, we all have obstacles. We all have something keeping us from seeing Jesus, but we all have a tree that we can climb. In fact, Jesus isn’t walking by. He isn’t passing through and then leaving our city. Jesus is knocking on the door of each and every one of our hearts. He’s calling to us. He’s begging us to follow Him. Today is the day of Salvation; tomorrow is promised to no man.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Climb Your Tree.

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⁴⁰ On the other side of the lake the crowds welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for Him. ⁴¹ Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come home with Him. ~ Luke 8:40-41^NLT

Jairus was the leader of the local synagogue. He was a very important man, but his faith needed Jesus to physically come with him to heal his dying daughter. Whereas the woman with the issue of blood was healed just by touching the fringe of Jesus’ garment. The Roman Centurion wasn’t a Jew in the slightest but had the greatest faith in all of Israel. Today is no different.

Our leaders talk a good talk and bring a good message but don’t believe in the power of God. Their faith is limited by their own beliefs and ideas. Whereas the common unknown person is seeing more healings, breakthroughs, and miracles than the leaders could ever dream of. Why? Because the abundance of head knowledge without the abundance of understanding is useless.

We have to have understanding of who God is and what He wants for us in order to see His glory work in our lives. If we just know a lot but don’t believe or put it into action, that knowledge is useless to us. It’s now just empty words that have no power or authority to save, heal, or redeem. If we want to see the glory of God, we have to have knowledge and understanding so that we can put it into action.

Dear LORD, please continue to bless us with knowledge, but please also bless us with understanding that we might put our knowledge into action. Help us not to just regard Your Word as empty, powerless words but as power and life itself. Grow our faith so that we might be like the Roman Centurion and the woman with the issue of blood. Help us to see signs, wonders, miracles, healings, and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ¹⁸ And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” ~ 2 Kings 20:16-19

Hezekiah was sick onto death, but prayed to God, and God had mercy on him and healed him and would add 15 more years to his life. So, the king of Babylon sent an envoy to Hezekiah, wishing him well because he had heard that he was seriously ill, but he had recovered. Hezekiah, filled with pride, took and showed the envoy all the treasures he possessed. All the treasure in his own palace and all the treasure in the Temple of his God.

God was not pleased with that, so God sent Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that the time was coming that all he had stored up from the time of his fathers until now would be taken away to Babylon, and even his own sons would be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then Hezekiah said, “That’s cool, I can deal with that. The word the LORD has spoken is good and acceptable to me.”

He was thinking that because it would not happen in his lifetime but in his son’s lifetime, it was a good prophecy. Com’on, dad, that was a really selfish thing to do. You would think that Hezekiah would be like his father, David, and pray for his son with Bathsheba. Although God had pronounced the judgment, David still pleaded with God for mercy. Because he knew God is a merciful God. But Hezekiah was like, “Better them than me.” When it was his fault that all of that would happen to them in the first place.

Dads don’t accept anything but the best for your children, even if it is their fault. Even if they brought it on themselves, we must pray and intercede for our children every morning and every evening. When we wake up and before we go to sleep, we must petition God on their behalf. God must hear the names of our children called before His throne every single day. They are our offspring. So, dads, let us not be selfish like Hezekiah and be labeled a Com’on dad, but intercede for our children every day.

Heavenly Father, please bless my children, and if they have sinned against You, please forgive them and deal with them in mercy and in grace. Watch over them and keep them from harm and from bad influences. Lead them in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Cover my children in the blood of Jesus, and give Your angels charge over them. Thank You, Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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