Tag: Spiritual

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Watch What You Think

20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. ~ Proverbs 4: 20-22

King Solomon admonishes his hearers/readers to pay close attention to what he is saying because they are not just mere words. He is not just trying to sound philosophical or wise, but what he is saying is very important.

How important? So important that he advises not to let them out of your sight. You know how folks say, “I’ll keep it on the back burner?” Well, King Solomon is saying do not do that, but rather keep this on the front burner. Keep this in your heart so that it is ever on your mind. Why? They are life to those who find them.

What you focus on will either make or break you. It’s your thoughts that will decide your actions. So, watch what you think about. Guard your mind. Focus your thoughts and time on God and His word so that you may be changed by the renewal of your mind. For what a person thinks, that is who they are.

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

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Independence Day

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” ~ John 8:31–36

Did you notice their reply to Jesus’ statement about the truth setting them free?

We have never been enslaved to anyone.

John 8:33

I want to remind you that at the time of this saying, the Jews were under Roman occupation. They had a form of self-government, but they were not autonomous. Not only that but their ancestors were enslaved for 400 years in Egypt. The Assyrians had conquered and dispersed them out of the Northern Kingdom, and Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army had conquered and dispersed the Southern Kingdom. They hadn’t had their own king for hundreds of years. Not only that but during the time of the judges, before Israel had a king, they were always being oppressed by some other country because of their idolatry.

But they did not let their past define who they were. They did not let circumstances dictate their self-worth or how they saw themselves. They were free men and had never been enslaved. It was not their past. They would not let it affect their future.

In his song Redemption Song, Bob Marley says:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds

Redemption Song

So, let us have this mindset about ourselves. We are children of the Most High God, and we have never been enslaved to anyone, not even the devil because once you accept Jesus, you are no longer the same; the old has passed away, and the new has come, and you are now a new creation in Christ.

Therefore, if the old has passed and the new has come, you are not a sinner saved by grace. You are now a saint of the LORD God Most High. You are a child of God. This is your Independence Day so live like it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live Free.

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Command The Workers

1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with His disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” ~ John 2:1-5

When Jesus was at a wedding in Cana, the wine ran out, so Mary, His mother, wanted Him to do something about it. Now, Jesus’ earthly ministry hadn’t started yet, but Mary didn’t wait. She didn’t even respond to Jesus when He asked her what the wine shortage had to do with Him. Instead, she simply told the workers to do whatever He (Jesus) said to do. Because of this, Jesus not only turned water into wine and prolonged the wedding feast, He gave them an even better wine than they originally had. So much so that the master of the feast spoke out about how great the wine was.

See, Mary could’ve taken what Jesus said as a no. Mary could’ve gotten discouraged and walked away. In fact, if she had let herself become discouraged, not only would she have missed out on an even greater wine than was previously served, but the entire wedding guests would have missed out along with her. Instead of Mary becoming discouraged and giving up, she spoke with authority and commanded the workers. Mary understood that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Jesus didn’t tell Mary no; He left the door open for her to taste more than she was receiving. Mary understood her authority because she was the mother of Jesus, and He didn’t outrank her with a no; instead, He left the door open to the possibility.

Today we are in the same situation as Mary was 2,000 years ago. We no longer see the miraculous like they did in the time of Jesus or even the prophets of old. It’s as if the wine has run out. See, the wine in Scripture almost always represents the Spirit of God, and even though the LORD said He has poured out His Spirit on all flesh, it doesn’t seem to be much flowing of His Spirit today. We’re now at the point where we’re asking Jesus to do something, and He’s asking, “What do you expect me to do about it? I’m not on earth. What concern is it of mine?” Many of us get discouraged by this and give up, but don’t be discouraged. Jesus isn’t saying that He won’t help. Jesus isn’t saying no. Jesus is asking what concern of it is mine because I’ve given you authority in my name. Don’t ask to be healed; speak the healing. By His stripes, we have been healed. Don’t ask to be freed from the bondage of addiction, rejection, or any other spirit; command that spirit to leave in the name of Jesus. Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom. We’ve been given authority by God Himself, so why don’t we use it?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Command The Workers.

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Resist The Siren’s Song

11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. ~ 1 Timothy 6:11-12NLT

As we get closer to the return of Jesus, the world becomes more and more evil. As the world becomes more evil, the more it becomes enticing. As the world darkens, it will become harder to fight temptation unless we pursue righteousness from now. Unless we train our flesh and run from all manner of evil, the world will one day be able to suck us in.

It’ll become like a siren song that we can’t resist because we didn’t hold tightly to the hope of Eternal Life with God. And if we are drawn away by this siren song, it will only lead to death and destruction. We have to resist while there is time to resist. We have to seek God while He can still be found. We have to build our faith while it is still possible. We have to fight the good fight while we still can.

LORD, help us to fight the good fight and not be distracted by the things of this world. Help us to not take Your salvation and mercy for granted. Help us to spend time talking and listening to You, abiding in You and You in us, so that we can unashamedly proclaim Your goodness and great salvation to all people, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

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Don’t React Like Michal

16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him. 20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life. ~ 2 Samuel 6:16, 20, 23NLT

David was dancing unashamedly before the Lord in worship, celebrating that the Lord’s presence would be dwelling in his place, in the city of David, yet Michal could not discern what David was doing and what was happening in the spiritual. She only saw through her eyes of jealousy and contempt that David was making a spectacle of himself before the servant girls; she was caught up with appearances before mankind.

It seems that, like her father Saul, the spirit of the Lord was not with her, and she had no discernment. She had never seen worship like that before and didn’t understand it, so she felt contempt for the man of God, and lack of spiritual discernment caused her to lose out on the blessing the Lord had for her that day. Instead of giving birth to something great, like a future king, she gave birth to nothing. We have to be careful what we say about the man of God or a move of the Holy Spirit; we need to pray for discernment so that we don’t miss out on our blessing.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t React Like Michal.

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Follow The LORD With All Your Heart

30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.’ ~ 1 Samuel 2:30 ESV

God promised that the house of Eli would go in and out before Him forever, but because of their evil, it didn’t happen. In the same manner, God gave Hezekiah an extra 15 years after sending him a death sentence because Hezekiah pleaded with the LORD. This shows that we can change the mind of God by our actions and by our prayers. Our lives don’t have to be set in stone.

If we aren’t on the straight and narrow path that leads to everlasting life, then we can change our path by repenting and asking for God’s forgiveness. This can also be true if we have been given a promise and we refuse to follow the LORD and His instructions. If we remain idle and refuse to move forward and follow the LORD, then His promise that He gave to us will be given to another. Don’t allow yourself to miss out on all that God has in store for you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow The LORD With All Your Heart.

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Hope in His Power

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. ~ Acts 2:14–18

The blessed Holy Spirit rushed upon all mankind when the Day of Pentecost came, yet there are people, pastors, and religious teachers who claim that the outpouring of the “Power Holy Spirit” was only for that time. Please take special notice of the time frame that Peter indicates:

In the last days.

If Peter was living in the last days, which he indicated that he was, then how much more are we who live in the 21st century, living in the last days? The power of God didn’t dwindle nor run cold. God still performs miracles, healings, signs, and wonders. There is still power in the name of Jesus. There is still freedom in His presence.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hope in His Power.

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Obey Over Sacrifice

17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” ~ 1 Samuel 15:17-23

We all know the saying, “It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission,” but is this the Truth? From the moment that Saul disobeyed the LORD and then tried to make it up to the LORD by making a sacrifice, things went from bad to worse. Saul was like a lot of us today. We think that because God loves us and He shows us grace that it’s better to live our lives in fear of the unforgiving world instead of the forgiving God.

Like Saul, every time we sin and just think we can ask for forgiveness after, we fail to realize that we can’t receive forgiveness without the shedding of innocent blood. Could this be why rebellion is the sin of divination? Because we treat shedding the blood of the innocent as a magic potion that erases all of our sins instead of what it truly is, a sacrifice. Obedience is better than sacrifice, not because God wants mindless robots following Him but because He doesn’t want the shedding of innocent blood.

When we begin to get used to living in sin with the idea of just asking for forgiveness later, we’re spitting on the innocent blood that has to be shed for our forgiveness. The innocent blood that was shed 2,000 years ago on calvary. We have to stop treating the precious blood of Jesus as if it was a magic potion that can just wash away our mistakes so we can live our lives however we want and start treating it as it is. It is the very embodiment of true love, for God Himself poured out His own blood that we might be saved. This isn’t a gift we should take advantage of, but that should be revered. A gift that should fill us with praise and thanksgiving for our God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Obey Over Sacrifice.

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Have Confidence in Christ

1 There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. 21 Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?” ~ 1 Samuel 9:1-2, 21

Saul was from a great family of influence and wealth. He was more handsome than any other man in Israel, even being head and shoulders taller than them, yet he saw himself as no one. He had no confidence in who he was. This is how a lot of us are today. We are sons and daughters of God Almighty, yet we don’t see our own self-worth. We look at ourselves through tainted eyes that can’t see who God has formed us into and who He is shaping us to become.

So many of us miss out on our potential and our call because we are too busy holding onto rejection from our past or shame of past regrets. When rejection or shame tries to sneak in, we have to remind ourselves who we are in Christ Jesus. We are sons and daughters of the Most High. We have a purpose and call for our lives from the Creator Himself. Our debt has been paid with the precious blood of God Almighty Himself. Don’t let the stronghold of rejection or regret keep you from seeing who you are in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Have Confidence in Christ.

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Call On The Word

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God ~ Ephesians 6:17

The Sword of the Spirit is our greatest weapon. It’s our defensive and offensive weapon. Why? Because the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, and Jesus is the Word of God. He isn’t dead but alive. He is the King of kings and LORD of lords. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the one who was, who is, and who is to come. He is the Word made flesh. Our greatest weapon is the Word of God because it is Jesus. The Word is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, because every time we quote Scripture, we are calling on Jesus to come to our rescue.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Call On The Word.

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