The #Pain That God Imposes….

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure (2 Cor 12:7); I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. —(Ps 119:75)~~ How does the thorn work? Through pain. The thorn is given that we may “share in his holiness” (Heb. 12:10). It is not pleasant; it is painful. A thorn hurts, but It gets and keeps our attention. Why would God inflict us with pain? Keep in mind that this thorn doesn’t kill us – it isn’t designed to; it only hurts us. The pain is necessary because God’s glory is a no-joke thing. He is determined that no flesh will glory in His presence (1 Cor 1:29). To a great extent, the thorn will keep us from glorying in His presence. If there were no pain, we would forget; we would lapse into our normal, fleshly routine. In the same way, the thorn in the flesh keeps us from competing with His glory. It ensures that we will not take any personal credit, and it gives Him all the glory. In other words, the thorn hurts. It is a constant trial, and it is ever obtrusive. It is always there; it is a reminder. It is a nuisance. Paul even says, ” … to buffet me”, which is synonymous with torment. You may say, “God, that’s not very nice”, but it keeps one’s feet on the ground. It keeps me from thinking that “I have arrived”, that I am “good” enough, that I am worthy of some type of being “lifted up” because of “me”. It hurts so that I might be driven to love more. It is obtrusive so that I might develop empathy and won’t be judgmental. God has a way of sending a thorn in the flesh… that nuisance, that pain… that produces…

Humility. 

Life Is So Against Us, But #GodIs For Us So…

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (2 Cor 4:8-9)~~ How can this be??? How can we possibly be stable in such unstable conditions? Well, we’ve got God on our side – and we are like a wise man that builds his house upon a rock (Matt 7:24).  See, life sends all sorts of storms and challenges our way, whether it’s health, relationships, jobs or any other kinds of stress. Just because we are believers and followers of Christ doesn’t mean that we’re exempt from trials and tribulations. In fact, the Word reminds us that Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble (Job 14:1). Knowing this himself, the enemy is crafty in sending all sorts of trouble and stress and confusion our way and even making us believe that it’s some sort of task from God, but God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Cor 14:33). Knowing this, the enemy gets us fearful of things going on around us and causes us to act on that fear, but God did not give us this spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). The enemy also gives us false feelings of power and self sufficiency that we can get through trials on our own, enacting our prideful ways, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2 Cor 4:7). The enemy with all of his tricks and lies seeks to keep us in confusion and and fear and darkness but we have salvation – For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.(2 Cor 4:6). Are you seeing the ‘light’ my friend? Are you seeing the One who provides all of these things? In the world ye SHALL have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have (Jesus has) overcome the world (John 16:33). And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phi 4:7) – yes, it is tough – you don’t know how to even FEEL sometimes and you might not be thinking clearly and probably don’t always know which way you’re going. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matt 6:33). What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31).

Hang On To Him!

God Wants Us to Fear NOT! But Have #Faith ~

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)~~ God has given us the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to boldly face difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love to Him, which will carry us through opposition, and the spirit of a sound mind, peace and quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion, a timid or cowardly disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to bear our afflictions well, when we acknowledge our strength and power from God and the ability of those gifts to enable us to bear tribulations. You have all you need to overcome anything that could possibly push you toward fear, but your faith is required in the truth…because faith casts out fear! Faith is based on the TRUTHS you KNOW where fear is based on falsehoods that attempt to challenge the truth with man’s interpretations that instill fear and confusion and change with the times. The truth of God never changes no matter what the times. His Word is everlasting and uncompromising. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isa 40:8). Fear Not, Only Believe! —  May we find courage in Him, to stand up and be counted, to stand up for others who cannot stand up for themselves. To stand up for ourselves when it is needful to do so. Let us fear nothing more than we fear the Lord. Let us love nothing more than we love Him, for then we shall fear nothing. Let us have no other God before Him, whether nation or party or state or church; no position nor possession shall we let replace Him. No circumstance nor situation shall we let circumvent our FAITH in Him! Let us seek no other peace but the peace which is of Him, and may we be its instruments, opening our eyes and our ears and our hearts, so that we should know always what work of peace we should do in His name. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isa 26:3-4)!

No Fear….

Yes, The Word Is The Truth But #DeliveryMatters ~

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Tim 3:16; 4:2)~ There is a word IN the Word for every situation in life and we are to use it to keep us on the right path. And while there is no specific right or wrong time or situation where certain guidance applies, we must however be proper in our intent when we present it to others. Our revelation of the guidance of the Word comes from our own faith and discernment as we partake in hearing and study of the Word (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God – Rom 10:17) – not by lecturing and chastising each other in reciting of memorized quotes that suit our argument. If we use scripture to beat up on others for what we perceive as their shortcomings or faults, are we benefitting them and bringing them TO the Lord or are we pushing them away from Him as we step on their toes and judge them by the Word while appearing to exalt ourselves over them? Furthermore, ask yourself where YOU stand because surely as you pass judgement with the Word, the judgement of that very Word will be on you. Are you ready to stand accountable? Putting the Word in someone’s mind is not done by hitting them over the head with it!!! Share your point with consideration, humility and patience; being beneficial rather than judgmental and willing yourself to stand under its doctrine!

#DeliveryMatters

When You #ManUp & Own it, You’ll Be Able to #MoveOn from it ->

For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin (Ps 38:18) I acknowledged my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin (Ps 32:5)~ Taking ownership of the truth of your guilt is the first step toward repentance. If you cannot be truthful because you’re trying to gloss over or diminish or hide facts of your guilt, you are not owning up to the truth of it. You can’t repent from a sin that you aren’t ‘man’ enough to truthfully admit you’ve committed. Confess it to GOD and HE is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us (1 John 1:9)~ Stand before GOD and declare your inquity! No PERSON is in a moral position to condemn nor forgive you for your sin! Those are God’s exclusive privileges! And HE chose in Christ Jesus to forgive us! Now get ready – Owning up to your ‘self’ and being truly sorry will bring some pain to your heart.. you will even mourn over it! But Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted (Matt 5:4)~ That Godly sorrow brings true repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind and continual dependence on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus! Finally, the hardest part for many of us…turn away from it and move on from it!! Yes, you can do this because you are no longer bound by it! He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but he who confesses AND forsakes them shall have mercy (Prov 28:13) and There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Rom 8:1)~ We have to stop holding onto stuff that’s already been forgiven. Stop holding onto self-defeating grudges and stop standing on the shore fishing out what God has thrown into the sea of forgetfulness! God has forgiven it and you are FREE from it! Why keep going back to it? Don’t imprison yourself any more…Confess it, own it, and move on from it – Be blessed!  

🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

You See What I’m Talking About? #Vision ~> ~

And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. (Hah 2:2); Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proc 29:18)~ A man has rules of the house to keep it in order. Without these rules, the house runs amuck. Companies have policies and by-laws to set standards for how they operate. Without them, there are no guidelines for the company to exist and failure is imminent. Governments make laws to set guidelines for how their societies should function. Absence of these laws invites absolute chaos. These rules, laws and guidelines are the visions of those entities. This is a practice modeled from God’s own mind in the Word He provides us. That Word is an open vision; a plan, which holds forth Christ, which humbles the sinner and exalts the Savior, which promotes holiness in the life and conversation: and these are precious truths to keep the soul alive, and prevent it from perishing. Without the principles and revelation of His Word, morality is a free-for-all in a tailspin…there is a total loss of social order and humanity is primed for devastation…the people imminently perish; what an easy prey it is to the enemy of souls! Without a vision, we don’t know which way to go! Without a vision, our reasoning and intelligence have no basis. Without a vision, we don’t do things on sound principles and doctrine, but on what “works for us”…. although it’s really just what feels good to do and what makes us “happy” at the time. But that happiness is short lived as the ever dissatisfied heads of desire, greed, jealousy, envy and lust plant themselves in our lives masked as ambition, strong will and determination. And because we have no vision of righteousness, we find ourselves down an unguided path to destruction.  Freedoms are to be fought for, celebrated and embraced, but must also be exercised with restraint and sound direction.  Without the guidance of sound vision, the very freedoms we cherish become our destroyers.

No Vision ~> No Victory!

🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

God Will Always Be There For You! #NeverForsaken ~

…For He hath said: I will never leave thee or forsake thee (Heb 13:5)~ Just how much does God love you? Well, it’s clear that if you have a child, there’s nothing he or she does that could ever cause you to love him or her less than 100%. The most wonderful gift you can give your child is the absolute conviction that you love him or her completely, without reservation, no matter what he or she does and no matter what happens.. NOW: God loves you just like that and then some— no matter what you do or what happens to you… no matter how another person does or how they treat you, KNOW that you have God’s love all over you… and He’s not going anywhere and He won’t turn His back on you!

🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

Feeling Like I Can’t Make It… #ButGod #DontQuit ~

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. (Ps 3:3)~

Sometimes, life becomes so tough and it feel like it takes all I have just to get through the day. I’m so tired from all of the craziness that is going on … family members and friends with Covid, people seeming to just ‘wild out’ around us and we’re constantly having to watch out for our safety. The daily worry about being able to make sure I can provide for my family… most of all, my own spirituality! All of the things going on, it’s just a fight to keep my head right! Now I start thinking that there is no more strength left in me to fight. I feel vulnerable and helpless, exposed to my enemies and conquered by my fears. My weaknesses overwhelm me and I feel defeated. I lack courage and strength. I almost want to just … quit!

But then I remember that no matter what life’s circumstances are, I have God on my side! The Bible says we are truly protected by God. If He is with us, who can be against us? Who can defeat us? That belief is something that fills me with strength and courage. Yeah, I’m going to stumble, misstep and completely fall, but under His grace, I can keep getting up! No matter how tired, frustrated or weak I am now, He is my strength and He lifts my head up. He is the reason why we should all walk courageously through life with our head held high looking to those hills from which come out help… and with a smile on our face.

You might feel that way… But God!!!!

DON’T QUIT!

🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

#Grace bridges the gap we can’t cross! ~

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph 2:8-9); “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-23).” The author of Hebrews talks about a “new and living way” opened up to Christians because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. To me, the “old and dead way” is a life under the law or works because that way of living is one completely self-centered. It’s all about what “I” do. It is a life where God’s blessings are completely conditional upon ‘my’ actions and utterly unattainable. It is a way of life dedicated to the impossible; living a life that you will never live in order to achieve blessings of the flesh God will never grant. It is a way of living that creates an attitude that says, “Look at what I’m doing for God.” “Look at how I go to church.” “Look at how I was raised in my denomination.” “Look at how I gave my money.” “Look at how I confessed my sins.” “Look at how successful my life is.” “Look at how I healed the sick.” “Look at how I spoke in tongues.” The list is endless. Nowhere in that way of life is the focus on knowing your God through faith in Jesus Christ.

However, as the scriptures tell us, the “new and living way” of life is one where we can boldly approach God because of our faith in the work of Jesus on our behalf. That is why we can “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” There is no assurance to draw near to God when we believe our ability to do such a thing is conditional on our behavior. We know we will fail each and every time to live up to God’s perfect requirements. But, the grace of God that we now live in changes everything about our lives in the Lord. Our new way of living creates an attitude stemming from the grace of God that says, “Look at what Jesus did for us.” “Look at how Jesus went to Calvary.” “Look at how Jesus was raised from the dead.” “Look at how Jesus gave His life.” “Look at how Jesus took away our sins.” “Look at how successful the death of Jesus was.” “Look at how Jesus raised the dead.” “Look at how Jesus spoke in love.” This list is also endless. The difference between the “old and dead way” and the “new and living way” is the difference between law and grace. You must ask yourself a serious question: “Are you willing to die to all self-effort and rest in the saving grace of Jesus Christ?” If your answer is, “Yes,” then it is time to “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).” The Old Covenant law can be described as man reaching up to God with self-effort to be accepted by Him. The New Covenant of grace can be described as God reaching down to man through Jesus Christ with love and acceptance.

By HIS Grace….

Don’t Feed The Ignorance – #ShutUp Foolish Talk! ~

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit (Prov 26:4-5) ~ No man can tame the tongue and there are many that pride themselves in not even trying to. There are those that make it their life’s mission to verbally degrade, disrespect and demoralize others. They will say anything just to get a rise (Or a LIKE) out of someone else. This is their ego on stage. The reaction they get simply feeds into it and encourages them to evolve in their self-promotion.  Rather than feed into foolishness, see that you don’t repay evil with evil! Don’t stoop to their level of ignorance just to answer or rebuke them. Sometimes the best way to deal with and shut down mouthy people is to ignore them. One thing a grandstander loves is an audience. Don’t give them one and eventually they’ll exit stage left! Give no place to the devil; Rather, resist the devil and he will flee.