Let them praise the name of the LORD: for His name alone is excellent; His glory above the earth and heaven (Psa 148:13)~ Throughout Scripture God reveals Himself to us through His names. When we study these names that He reveals to us in the Bible, we will better understand who God really is. The meanings behind God’s names reveal the central personality and nature of the One who bears them. God’s name is of the utmost importance, therefore we ought to reserve it a position of utmost significance in our minds and hearts. We must be careful not to make God into just an “it” or a “thing” to which we pray. We should never take His name lightly but always rejoice in it and think deeply upon its true meaning. To hallow the name of God is to regard Him with complete devotion and loving admiration. He is the Most High God, All sufficient One, Master, Lord of Peace, the Lord Who Will Provide! He is our Father! How excellent is His name in all the earth!! God knows us by our name, and we should know Him by His! He is our Jehovah Raah, the Lord our Shepherd, who unceasingly watches over us. Think for a moment on who God is to you…and rejoice, again I say rejoice! Our Father which art in Heaven…Hallowed be His name!
Month: November 2015
I’m #Christian & God’s Got My Back; Who’s Got Yours?-
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:13-17); And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. (2 Kings 19:6-7)~ Notice that when you abide in Him, God – the Creator of the universe – the most powerful being and the source of all life – says, “I myself will come against your enemies. I myself will come against that sickness. I myself will come against those who oppose you.” It says God is the one who caused Hezekiah’s enemy to turn around. That means God can cause that unfair boss to take an early retirement. God can cause that neighbor that’s giving you so much trouble to decide to pack up and move. God can cause that classmate to be transferred to another school. He can even cause your enemies to do favors for you… To look out for you and to be convicted, convinced and converted because of your faith! Where many may think evil against you; God will turn it into good, to bring to pass His glory! (Gen 50:20). Today, no matter what’s coming against you, keep pressing into God. Put His Word first place in your life. Honor Him in all that you do. Let Him fight your battles and bring you the victory He has promised you!
#Faith IS Reality…
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (Heb 11:3)~ Faith is planted by the regenerating Spirit of God, it causes the truth to be received. By it we have a firm expectation, that God will perform all He has promised to us in Christ. Faith proves to the mind, the reality of things that cannot be seen by the bodily eye. It is a full approval of all God has revealed, as holy, just, and good. Because of Faith we can enjoy the reality of those things now as we wait on their manifestation! What we KNOW in Him from what we HEAR in Him is our strength to be confident regardless of what we SEE in the world! When things are happening, we tend to react and base our faith and ultimately our comfort on what we SEE, even overshadowing what we’ve always known and what we hear! When we do this we are putting aside what God promised in His word and trusting our own understanding; literally saying “I’ll believe it when I see it”; even though God said it!!! Just remember this, God created all things…from NOthing. By His very words, all that is….became. We can believe we will see it BECAUSE He said it! Just because it LOOKS like things are a certain way, you can’t give up on what God said…”And God Said “Let there be…”; and it was! Everything is under His command and subject to His word! Even “nothing” has to listen to Him! KNOWing this, have Faith!
Ain’t God Good? #Praise –
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that cry.
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders,
And fills you with the finest wheat.
He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
Praise the Lord!
-Psalm 147-
Why We Should Be Thankful- #Thanksgiving –
O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy (Ps 107:1-2)~~ As we focus on what we’re thankful for this Thanksgiving Day, let us not forget to be thankful that God is all about our good. We should be thankful that where people may have wrath on us and prefer our suffering and demise, HIS will upon us is mercy for our good. Be thankful that in His grace, the rules toward our infractions are pre-empted… He holds back what we deserve. Be thankful that rather than imposing the consequences of what we do, in His MERCY renders us righteous. Let us be thankful that when we are being ridiculous and only concerned about ourselves, focused on what we have, what we do and what we want.. even when we are turning our back to Him and committing our atrocities, His grace and mercy ENDURES our iniquities; yet “while” we were sinners, Christ died for us. Let us be thankful because although we are all “prodigal sons”, God allows to return to Him regardless of our state of affairs when we left or how long it’s been since we left or how we are when we come back. ..yes, His mercy endures FOREVER. Be thankful that It’s never too late to call upon Him! We are all redeemed in Him and by Him! As we celebrate Thanksgiving today and are in a mindset of gratitude, let us remain mindful of God’s grace and His desire for our good…and for that, He is worthy of and due our praise! As you reflect on why you should be thankful, remember that you are God’s treasure, fearfully and wonderfully made and He adores you! Now! Let us Give Thanks to the Lord for He is good and HIS mercy ENDURES FOREVER. Happy Thanksgiving!
#Waiting On The Lord? MOUNT UP! Let’s GO-
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 (Isa 40:31)~~ Many of us say we are WAITING on the Lord… because we call it faith in Him. So we sit and we wait… and we sit and we wait…and we sit and we wait so long that we get tired of waiting! Now we’re tired and weak and weary… and what has happened to our faith? Now we’re discouraged because in all our faithful waiting, it seems that our blessing never came; but my friend, faith without works is dead! Not the kind of work that proves your faith, but the kind of work BY your faith. Isaiah says they that wait on The Lord RENEW their strength… that strength is also is replenised; relentless; tireless; to be USED to MOUNT UP with the wings of Eagles – that make you to GET UP and take you high above any circumstance; to RUN the race set before us and to WALK in the paths of His righteousness! I mean really, why would God give us all of this for us to just sit around waiting for something to happen only to faint in adversity and stress out in hopelessness and depression while not going anywhere in life??? We are given all these things that we may PROSPER, PROGRESS and PERSEVERE and have that life more abundantly like Jesus promised (John 10:10)! Christ has healed our spiritual diseases, that we may GET UP and GO wherever He sends us, and TAKE UP whatever He lays upon us. The proof of our spiritual cure is not just our belief, but our ACTIONS of MOUNTING UP and SOARING in that belief; in Him! C’mon Eagle- MOUNT UP and let’s GO in Faith!
#TheStruggleIsReal – But Not For Long #Perseverance-
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor 4:16-17)~ Friends and even family may forsake us. Enemies seem to prosper over us. Life might kick us in the “butt”! We may lose much for the Lord, but we shall not lose any thing by Him. Whether the Lord gives us health and temporal blessings or not, if we patiently suffer according to his will, in the end we shall be happy. This struggle is real but it’s only temporary. Every single day you get a new beginning, with new mercies and new blessings. You just have to trust in God and Persevere the process! No matter what it looks like, seek His direction. Let this be your strength: “So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12). Yes my friend It WILL get better! Just keep living!!
#Faith in Hearing; #Hope in Waiting: #Prayer in Purpose-
Now Faith is the substance of things HOPED for – the evidence of things NOT SEEN (Heb 11:1); How do we get it? Faith comes by HEARING and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17); So, He who has ears let him HEAR (Matt 13:9) – So, what are you LISTENING to? How can you have faith to believe in what you hope for if all you’re hearing are seeds of doubt and negativity? Hear the Word of God that you may have HOPE! For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly WAIT for it with perseverance – (Rom 8:24-25); But those who WAIT on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isa 40:31); But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, PRAYING in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 1:20-21); But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive (Gen 50:20); And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to HIS PURPOSE (Rom 8:28).
No matter what is going on in your life, as much as it seems that it will defeat you, Faith is not about what you SEE; Don’t lose HOPE as you WAIT on the Lord, PRAYING for the strength that He gives you to persevere and knowing that even that which comes against you, HE will use for HIS PURPOSE to bless you!
Nothing can hurt you more than God can heal you; Nobody can hate you more than God loves you and regardless of how bad things get, they can’t outweigh how good God is!
Average Effort Doesn’t Get Stellar Results – #NoMediocre->
And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ (Col 3:23-24)~ Today’s society accepts mediocrity as the norm. People do as little as they can to get by, always looking for the easy way out, the favor and the hookup. They simply go to work to pick up a paycheck, then wonder why they’re not promoted. Men and women in marriages take the attitude that as long as they’re THERE, the rest will work out, then we end up in divorce court over infidelity and ‘irreconcilable differences’. We get all of our learning from Social Media and then wonder how we can be uneducated and misinformed. Parents let X-Box, PlayStation, HBO, MTV and BET teach their kids about life, and ask ‘why’ when we’re getting them out of jail or burying them! We follow actors and entertainers on Facebook and Twitter, looking wisdom from anybody who will gather a large crowd of supporters, without any moral consideration, party all night on Saturday, sleep in and watch the game on Sunday… And we don’t even know our Lord and Savior! We all need to do better!!! Whatever we do, we should be doing it to the BEST of our ability. Each of us has a higher and very attainable potential, but we can’t settle for average effort and expect stellar results! You know better, so do better so you can DO better!
Your #Revelation is Not My Rule – #DontJudgeMe –
Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand (Rom 14:4)~
Ever been beat up by someone who thought you should follow their personal revelation? God may have impressed on them that something they were doing was hurting their walk with Him so your life in that vicinity makes you less spiritual than them – maybe He told them to never drink again, so it’s a sin for you to have even a sip of wine.
The issue here is not whether or not these “hard line” individuals actually heard God. I have no problem believing God would say all of these things to “individuals”. Maybe it’s because they can’t drink without getting drunk and we know that drunkenness leads to many other bad things. Maybe it’s because God is calling them to something more than He calls others to do. Maybe God wants them to sacrifice something for His sake. All of these are fine. The problem is when someone assumes that their personal revelation is God’s final word on the issue for everyone!
I think one reason we do this is we don’t want to think we are “the weaker brother”. If you can drink without getting drunk but I can’t, I might feel bad about myself. Expecting you to not drink, and calling it sin if you do, is then about making me feel better about myself, not about edifying you.
Be careful about making your blessing testimony the 11th commandment! Whatever it is that God puts on you to do to make your life better isn’t always the same prescription for everyone else and it certainly isn’t a means for you to hold someone else in judgment over. What God has for you is for you and He’ll deal with them how HE sees fit.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith (Rom 12:3)
Tenntuxx 