Prayer

Make a decision in 2019 to spend time in prayer.  The Bible tells us to always pray.  We are told to pray without ceasing.  In scripture, we read that Jesus would go to a solitary place and pray.  Now if Jesus prayed, how much more should we?  Some may be asking, how do I pray always and without ceasing?  Or better yet, what is prayer anyway?  

Prayer is simply talking to God and, I must stress, listening to God.  As you go about your everyday, talk to God like you would talk to a friend on the phone.  The exception to this is, if I may, don't complain to God like you complain to/with your friend.  

Let me illustrate.  Let's say that you are having trouble or have a concern.  First know that God already knows what's going on in your life.  So when you pray to Him, say God, "I honor you and recognize that you know the trouble that I am experiencing.  You said in your word Lord, that in the time of trouble, if I would call on you, you will hear me and deliver me from my trouble.  So Father God, I give it to you and believe by faith that you will work it out for my good.  It is in the name of Jesus that I submit this prayer and I thank you for answering me. Amen." (This is a prayer of faith and it refers to the promises of God that are in the Bible.)

Don't say, "God, I've been dealing with this issue for a long long time.  When are you going to take care of it for me? I don't know how much more I can take/stand. I've been praying and praying and I haven't seen any results. Well, anyone, it's me again with the same issue." (This is a prayer of doubt and unbelief.)    Do you see the difference? 

Let's say that you do have unbelief.  Just ask God in the prayer to help you in your/with unbelief.  Remember, He already knows it anyway.  So be transparent and honest about it and move on.  

So you might say something like this, "Lord I've prayed about this issue for sometime now and I want to believe that I receive.  Help me Father God with my unbelief. Help me in my weakness.  And I thank you now for hearing me, helping me and answering me, in Jesus' name I pray to you. Amen."

One more thing, I don't want you to think that you cannot cry out to God in your suffering or going through.  You surely can.  However, the key is not to stay there time after time.  Learn to encourage yourself with God's word and get out of the swamp of misery.  Satan, the devil, hates it when you rise to praise and worship at your darkest hour because he knows he can't win -  God says that "He will inhabit the praises of His people."  And where God is, Satan, the devil, and his evil work got to go.

Give God the glory - Pray on in 2019.

Words to Live By

Words to live by is merely scriptures from various books of the Bible that will help you in life as you go through your journey.  If you have a Bible, I suggest that you turn to each of these and ask God to help you in your understanding.  If you do not have a Bible, I suggest that you write the scriptures down on a piece of paper and ask God for understanding.

1. Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.  Proverbs 22:4  (Fear meaning the referential fear of the Lord)

2. He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor. Proverbs 21:21  (Ask God to show you how to pursue righteousness.)

3. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. Proverbs 12:19

4. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue  from evil and your lips from speaking lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34: 12-14

5. Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

6. Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of trouble, I will call to you, for you will answer me. Psalm 86:6-7

7. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.   It is Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

8. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3:7-8

9. My son do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Proverbs 3:1-2

10. Jesus said, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."  John 15:12

BE BLESSED!

How to Stand in Difficult Times?

Whatever your difficulty is in life, God has provided the means (away) for you to escape it and to come out victorious.  We live in a world that is full of evils and it appears that it is getting worse.  Every day we are bombarded with news from around the world reminding us of such.  So how does one stand and believe in his/her own difficult times? 

First and foremost, we need to understand who is responsible for the abounding evils.  The Bible tells us that Satan (the thief) came to kill, steal and to destroy (John 10:10).  Satan is a spiritual being and he is real.  He is the culprit behind all of this mayhem.  The Bible tells us that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual powers in heavenly places.  

Take a look at the following scripture.

Ephesians 6:11-12 say, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s scheme. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Praise God, we now know who is causing the evils that we face.  Praise God again because Jesus was sent (by God) to the world to destroy the works of the devil (1^st John 3:8).  Praise God again because He (God) gives us instructions in Ephesians 6:10-18 on how to stand in our difficulty times.  How?

God instructs us to put on the full Armor of God. (It is suggested that you study these scriptures.)

Armor of God

1. The belt of truth – God’s word is true, believe it, speak it and see it
2. Breastplate of righteousness – You are the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ
3. Gospel of peace around your waist – Love all people and proclaim the Gospel
4. Shield of faith – Faith is your protection, believe God’s word
5. Helmet of salvation – Protection, provision, deliverance, healing is part of your salvation
6. Sword of the Spirit – The word of God coming out of your mouth.  Speak and declare God’s word

In reality our wrestling is praying, praising and believing. When we do our part, we are saying, OK Lord Jesus, I’m standing on your words.  I going to keep on praying, I won’t stop.  I’m going to keep on praising you, I won’t stop.  I’m going to keep on believing you, I won’t stop. 

Be Blessed

Trouble - You Are Defeated!

Trouble has a way of coming into our lives.  Trouble is always around lurking to see whom it may devour.  Believe me, I have had my share of trouble.  In fact Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  John16:33.   (Some versions for this scripture, says to "be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." ) 

Some of you may be asking or shaking your head with the following thoughts.  How can I be of good cheer?  How can I take heart and not worry when trouble comes? How can I?  The answer my friends is embedded in the word of God and faith in His word.  How do we activate the answers?  I'm glad you asked.  We activate the answers by praying in faith and praise. 

Let's say that you don't know where to begin your prayer.  I suggest that you look up the word "trouble" in you index.  Here you will find scriptures that reference the word trouble.  Now, let's take a quick look.  Get your Bible.  Psalm 107:13 says, "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them from their distress."  Psalm 91:15 says, "He will call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him."  Psalm 86:6-7 says, "Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.  In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me."

Pray these scriptures when trouble comes knocking at you life (do this daily). Give God praise for answering you and delivering you from trouble.  Share your testimony with others. 

Hang in there - God oversees His word to perform them.

Be Blessed. 

Deposit His Words

Most times I drive alone which allows me a lot alone time with God.  Would I have it any other way? Probably not.  Lately my thoughts and talk with God have been about how I've grown and changed in the Lord.  I've always read the Bible.  In fact, I asked my brother for a Bible (King James Version) when I was 13 years old (as a Christmas gift) and still have it today.

As I peruse my cherished gift, I took notes and highlighted key scriptures - trying then to understand the infallible word of God.  When I went off to college, my Bible went with me.  When I graduated from college and got my 1st apartment, my Bible was there.  And now as a full grown adult, a proud mother of three and a grandmother of two, my Bible is still with me. But not only that one, but many versions.

I read recently that the average household has 5 Bibles.  Think about that for a minute. Now that's a lot of God's word in the house, wouldn't you say?  So what point am I trying to make?  Glad you asked.

My point - Although we collect Bibles by the numbers, it is not the collection, it's the depository of  His word into your spirit. Depository is a finance term meaning to store in to keep. In this vein, we should spend time reading at least one of our collected Bibles on a regular basis so God can increase our understanding and knowledge of Him.   Read/study God's word  so (1) we can draw closer to  Him and He to us; and (3) so the Holy Spirit, which is His spirit, can pull out God's power of His word to perform miracles, to answer prayers or just to give us love and comfort.

Be blessed in all that you do.

A Righteous Life

As Christians, we are in the world, but not of the world.  We should not behave or act the way the world (people) act.  Over and over again throughout the Bible we are admonished to live a life worthy of our calling, to live righteousness and to live a life that glorifies God.  Some may be asking, what does this really mean?  How can I live like this in the world of today? To help you understand the life of righteousness, a life we need not to be ashamed, I’ve listed some characteristics or behavioral traits that should dominate our everyday.  

Don’t be alarmed if these listed traits and characteristics don’t describe you.  Remember it is a process and progression as you mature into the life that God has called you.  In addition, be aware that to live like this in our world today is largely dependent on your obedience to God’s word, your reliance on Jesus Christ and you allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you.  

(This is not an exhaustive list. These were taken from 2^nd Timothy, the Book of Ephesians, and 1^st Peter).  

The List                                                          

1. Humble in Spirit
2. Sympathetic, have compassion and show mercy
3. Kind Hearted
4.  Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult
5.  Love always
6.  Forgiving
7.  Be a blessing to others
8.  Serve others with the gift God has granted you
9.  Speak as it were the utterance of God, gracious in speech
10.  Quick to hear and slow to speak
11.  Fervent in pray and pray without ceasing, pray for others
12.  Sober minded and sound judgment, ask God for wisdom

Focus on God, Stay in Faith and Be Blessed.

Greater Love

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but shall have everlasting life (John 3:16).  God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to the earth as a man to die for us.  Jesus, so loved the Father that He (Jesus) was obedient to the will of God and laid down His life.  What greater love than this, may I ask?    

Many people will say, “I love you” today.  Many will give gifts and offer countless expressions of love.  As you go through this Valentine’s Day, I ask that you take a few minutes of your time and reflect on God’s love for us.  How He sent His son (Jesus in a man suit) who knew no sin to become sin for those who would believe.  How He allowed His son (Jesus) to die for us and raised Him (Jesus) from the dead, so that we who believe shall be raised from death into eternal life.   

Greater Love:   Jesus gave us a command in John 15:12 to love one another just as he has loved us and if we do, we are His friends.  In John 15:13-14, King James Version, Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you.”   

The Question or is it The Answer:  Do you want eternal life?  Do you want to be a friend of Jesus? If you answered yes, then you must love everyone as commanded and as a result you will receive eternal life.

Be Blessed

Beware of the Deeds of the Flesh

The book of Galatians, chapter 5:19-20 says, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these of which I forewarned you just as I have forewarned you that those who practices these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”     

As we go about our everyday, I’m sure most of have allowed at least one of the deeds of the flesh to manifest, that is, we have actually done it.  Whether it was an outburst of anger, or being jealous of another person, we need to stop it in its tracks.  Believe me; I know it is easier said than done particularly at the beginning.  But once you understand how the deeds of the flesh and the continued practice of these deeds will cause you to not inherit the kingdom of God, you will want to put an end them.

A technique I use to help me stop bad habits is I put a rubber band on my wrist and every time I do the bad habit, I pull the rubber band far and pop my wrist with a lasting sting.  OUCH!  Over time the habit is no more.  However, the rubber band pull is only good for some, such as an outburst of anger.  Others deeds of the flesh will need the power of God’s word and His Holy Spirit.  If you are struggling in any of the deeds of the flesh, give them over to God and allow His spirit to work through. You must be obedient to God’s word and obey His Spirit.  Obeying God’s spirit is simply when you hear inwardly not to do something or say something, you don’t.  That’s obeying the Holy Spirit.

Be Blessed!

God's Word = Life and Health

Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from you sight. Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their whole body.” (ASV) 

In this passage of scripture, God gives clear and precise instructions to us regarding His words.  In sentence #1, we are addressed as His children and are instructed to give attention to His words.  We are to pay close attention to His words and to hear intently to His sayings.  We accomplish this by studying or listening to His words daily.  We are to guard our ears as to what we allow to enter our minds.   We should be careful of what we see on TV, movies, and videos; what we hear through social media and music;  what we read; and what conversations we listen to.

In the 2^nd sentence, we are told to not let His words depart from our sight. We are to stay focus on His words.   The 3^rd sentence tells us to keep His Words in the midst of our heart (spirit).  As we study and focus on God’s words on a regular basis, our spirit will be built-up strong.

In the 4^th sentence, God promises that life will be found to those who pay attention, incline their ears, and keep His words in their sight and heart.  And for the grand prize, the last sentence, God’s word will bring health to all of our body. 

Be Blessed! 

Rejoice and Be Glad

Day 1 of 2018

Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day which the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”   Make a decision to be glad in this day, and for that matter, everyday.  Rejoice and being glad is an act of your will.  On this day, you have another opportunity to learn of God by studying His word.  As you study the words of God, you will become knowledgeable of the many promises He has made through Christ Jesus (2^nd Corinthians. 1:20).  God oversees His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).  So as you learn of God each day, receive and believe the promises of God, and are guaranteed by God that He will perform His words (promises) in your life, REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

Be Blessed and Grow in Faith