Jesus is the light!

When a woman is pregnant, people always tell her, "you are glowing!" This usually refers to the radiance she exhibits due to her bundle of joy growing inside of her. In that same way we have radiance because we have Jesus Christ in us.

John 15:5-7 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

During this dark and pagan holiday, let us shine forth the light of Jesus Christ. He changed the world forever through His love and He calls us to do the same thing. Remember you are representatives of Jesus! People will look to you to see what the light can do in their lives.

2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

David prophesied and referred to Jesus Christ as the light in the book of Psalms.

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?

Jesus took us out of the dark. He took command of God's commandments given to Moses by snatching it from the hands of the Pharisees who were filled with the ways of Satan. David referred to Jesus as his light and then asked, "whom shall I fear?" Jesus fulfilled this prophesy through the resurrection. Before Jesus, Satan lugged death over our heads. He was given this power after Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. 

Satan used death as a way to control us by fear. After God was complimenting His servant Job, Satan replied to God saying,

Job 2:4 “A person will give up everything in order to stay alive. But now suppose you hurt his body—he will curse you to your face!”

Satan knew that we feared death and he played off of that. But once Jesus died and was resurrected, He conquered death. So David was right in saying "whom shall I fear?" Jesus told His disciples,

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Before dying on the cross Jesus made known all the things we must do to be His disciples and join Him in Heaven. Through His death and resurrection He became the way to God. He became our high priest, ridding us of the need to go through man to speak with God.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This means through Jesus we have mercy, and through Him we have access to God. We have an inheritance that awaits us in Heaven.

John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Jesus Christ isn't meant to be a secret. When He came here He told us the ways of God. In this same way we must tell others that Jesus is the only way.

Jesus is our light, and we use light to shine in darkness. We don't conceal the light. What makes our Savior so amazing is He came here and showed us how it ought to be done. He endured way more than we could ever imagine, and He did it without sin. Now He could have just bragged about it, went to Heaven, and told us we are on our own. But instead He reaches out His hands to us and welcomes us to join Him. Through Him we became sons and daughters of God.

Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

A light is made to shine. Don't cover it. Allow Jesus to shine within you!

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5 Worship Songs for Every Emotion!

Music is a powerful tool. Sometimes you want to hear this, and sometimes you want to hear that. It all depends on how you're feeling right? So here's 5 suggestions for you. I advise you to use these songs as a way to set the atmosphere for praise and worship. Not every song works for every occasion. Sometimes you need a song that speaks to what you are feeling.

Without further adieu, Here we go:

1.) When you feel like you can't handle it anymore, ask God to step in. He will carry you through it.

Josh Wilson-Carry Me

2.) When you just want to praise God for who He is! Pure worship!

Matt Redman-Heart of Worship

 

3.) When you've messed up, and Satan is beating you up about it.

 

Big Daddy Weave-Redeemed

 

                                      

4.) Who says you can't turn up for God? Kick the volume up a notch and have a festive praise!

Byron Cage-Presence of the Lord
                                     

 

Last but not least.....

5.) If you want more of God, here's the song to set up the environment.

Jesus Culture-Fill me up

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Enjoy God!

 The world tries to convince us that living your life for God is boring. The media is filled with stereotypes of lifeless dry Christians who often ruin parties and are slaves to the rules God gives you. This image of a Christian's life is what causes many people to be "circular Christians."

Circular Christians are people who love God, but in cycles. They enjoy the best of both worlds. One moment they are spending every second with God, and a few days later they are completely back to their old ways. Or perhaps they give their all to God on Sunday and live in their old ways Monday through Saturday. Circular Christians are a disciple of Jesus one day and then they are back to being a fisherman the next day.

Jesus describes circular Christians in this parable:

Matthew 13:3-8 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

He later on describes it in more detail:

Matthew 13:18-23 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Hey there's no judgment here. I was a circular Christian for years! I simply enjoyed both lifestyles. I loved God and I wanted to do right by Him. But I also loved the clubbing, the secular music, and to be completely honest, I loved giving into my lusts. I enjoyed the lack of restraints on my anger and temper. I would curse someone out Monday through Saturday and praise God on Sunday. I loved the convenience. So I would spend weeks at a time partying, drowning myself in secular music, and I would let my lusts fester. When I began to experience the consequences for my lifestyle, then I would come crying and running to God. I danced in-between two lines. I took what I wanted from Satan's side and I took what I wanted from God's side.

Picture yourself spinning around in a circle. We used to do this silly stuff all the time as a child. We would spin ourselves around or run in a circle really fast. Although we had a ball  during that moment, remember how awful we used to feel afterwards! Our heads would be throbbing, and we would feel dizzy and even nauseous. For many of you, this is how being a circular Christian makes you feel. You feel unfulfilled, empty, and stuck, and that's a good thing. It's great to feel that way because that means you know you can do better.

Quick clarification: What deciphers a disciple of Jesus from a circular Christian is comfort. We all struggle with letting go the things of our past. But disciples know that feeling when your spirit is telling you, "you know good and well you shouldn't be...." However circular Christians are comfortable with their old lives and instead of picking up one or two pieces of their past, they pick up the whole thing. When it becomes too heavy, they come to God for Him to take the burden away from them. Being a circular Christian doesn't mean you don't love God, and it doesn't mean you don't desire Him. You are dipping your toes in the pool of God, getting a little wet, then running back out to your comfort zone.

This is how you break the cycle, and it's quite simple--have fun with God. Enjoy having a relationship with Him. If you don't discover Him in that deeper way, then you will get bored with Him and turn to the world for entertainment.

God is your best friend

Not to diss your friends, but man God's friendship tops it all! You can tell God any and everything, and you don't have to worry about Him gossiping or spreading your business to everyone. God has seen me at my darkest moments and He hasn't exposed me as I deserve. When I feel like reminiscing, God is the best one to speak with. I was just laughing with God the other night thinking about how I used to pray back in my preteen years.

God you remember right? I used to say,

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray my lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray my Lord my soul to take. Please bless (then I would go on forever listing names). Then I would close the prayer listing the boys I had crushes on, and I would ask God to make them like me.

I had a good laugh with God thinking about that one.

You and God will come up with your own ways of communication. Your thing. For me, whenever I'm depressed God cheers me up with animals because He knows I love them. One day I was walking my dog and I was near tears and completely depressed. Out of the blue, a turkey came out of the bushes. Now where I live, turkeys are the last thing you expect to see. I've never seen a turkey before until that day. It gobbled at me and walked right up to me. I laughed so much that I forgot about my worries. I immediately looked up at the sky and smiled because I knew what my father was doing. Think about it, what is your thing with God?

Back in high school, I used to always hear older folks tell me, "why are you sitting in the back of the bus? Don't you know there were people who fought and even died so that you can have the right to sit in the front of the bus?" I would always think, who cares? But when you think about it from their prospective, they knew everything that the previous generations had to go through. So it baffles them when they see that we are not taking advantage of the privilege we now have.

Jesus Christ died so the veil between us and God could be torn. Right before He was arrested He told His disciples,

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Knowing all that Jesus went through so that we can be reconciled with God, who are we to not take advantage of it? Through Jesus Christ we have the ear of God, waiting to hear our voices. Start out by talking to God at least ten minutes a day. It can be about anything. I talk to God in the same way I would talk to my friend. Doing this will expose you to another side of God you haven't discovered before. I find this to be true every time I talk to God.

The more you talk to Him, the more He shows Himself to you. The more He shows Himself to you, the more you crave Him. The more you crave Him, the more you will seek Him. The more you seek Him, the more rooted you become. The more rooted you become, the more you will abandon the ways of this world. Then your relationship with God will be less like a circle and more like a wave. Once your relationship is like a wave you will understand that even though you have ups and downs, you are still a part of the body of water, the body of Christ.

God will give you progress

I fell countless times trying to end my circular relationship with God. I want to stress that every time I fell God welcomed me with open arms. It got better every day, every month, and every year. I started off as a runaway, running to the world every time I felt bored or uncomfortable. I completely threw away the new life God gave me and took on my old identity for weeks at a time. But weeks turned into days, days turned into hours. Now I am at a point where I can't go a day without acknowledging and talking to God. The same thing will happen for you as well. But first things first. Become friends with God and have fun with Him. He loves you so much, no matter what you've done and no matter how many times you've done it. Embrace Him!

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The Origin of Negativity

Satan's biggest attack on mankind was convincing the world that he doesn't exist. The enemy works through people all around us, and we can't make the mistake of forgetting the ways he attacks.

When people hurl insults at us, we have to remember that it's Satan working through them.

Last night God told me, "My people are blocking me because of the words they hear on earth."

Satan is using the people we love the most to discourage us and make us feel unworthy of the will God has for us. But we must unmask the enemy by recognizing that it is him speaking through that person.

"Eat sh*t and die"
"You ain't no real Christian. You're a phony!"

These are some of the many hurtful words hurled at me by my closest family members. I can't lie and say I wasn't upset, but God reminded me that this was an attack by Satan.

The enemy wants you to be caught in your emotions. He wants to throw blows at you and hide in the crowd afterwards. He leaves you hurt and wondering what you could have done for your loved one to say or do such things to you.

But remember this: at the end of the day, there's one battle between God and Satan. As long as you are on God's side, Satan is going to attack you the only way he knows how--through people. It's nothing that you did wrong. God will allow some of these attacks to hit you only to build your testimony. Rejection is a common struggle that people without God face, and how can you reach out to them if you've never faced it?

Just remember to stay close to God. Talk to Him about it. He will strengthen you.

The enemy will try to attack you through multiple people who will say the same thing. But a lie is a lie no matter how many times it is told. So declare Satan to be a liar and put on the armor of God.

No matter what anyone tells you, you are qualified of every blessing and every plan God has for you. Jesus made you qualified through His death and no word can reverse that. Sometimes it's hard to believe that God loves you when you look back at the things you've done. But believe it. He loves you, and His love for you is stronger than anything you can ever imagine.

So Satan tries to convince you that you are unworthy?! Guess what? You never were! God loves you anyway because of His grace and mercy. He looks at you and says your purpose outweighs your sin.

Don't let Satan block you from the love God wants to pour on you. Open up and let Him in.

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Word from God: Get Ready for a move!

In the middle of prayer last night, God told me:

"I will begin to move my children. Some will be elevated and some will go through warfare. As I shift them they may wobble, but the foundation still stands. I am your foundation."

After hearing this, I thought, "how can we prepare?" But before I could ask God that question He said, "Don't get stuck in a comfort zone."

God is going to put us in places that will makes us uncomfortable. But as long as we allow God to be our foundation, we will be ok.

To prepare ourselves, we must seek God's presence. This week I am pulling myself away from anything that isn't about God. For me this means straying away from the sitcoms I watch on YouTube, and the movies I watch on Netflix. I challenge you to do the same. Use this week to give God your complete and undivided attention.

For those who will be elevated

Let's not get things twisted. Elevation can be just as uncomfortable as warfare. Both positions require us to step out of our comfort zone. Jesus said in Luke 12,

Luke 12:48 From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Maybe your elevation will be in the world and God will trust you with a new job, relationship or connections. Or maybe your elevation will be spiritual and God will awaken gifts that lie dormant in you, or entrust you with a new ministry. Whatever the case is, we must remember God. Think of yourself on a elevator, and God is the floor of the elevator you are standing on. Although you are in movement, God's foundation is keeping you steady. Without that foundation you would fall.

Learn from Saul's mistakes. After God anointed Saul and made him king through His servant Samuel,

1 Samuel 10:25 Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

Meaning immediately after his elevation, God told Saul everything that was required of him. There were people who doubted him, but God prepared battles for him and won on his behalf in the presence of the naysayers. Once the people saw what God was doing through him, it was confirmed that he was meant to be king.

But Saul's heart wasn't where it should have been. He heard words from God through Samuel, but he didn't allow God to be his foundation. So the moment he began to elevate, he lost his balance and fell. The first time he disobeyed God was during a battle with the Philistines. After his son attacked one of the Philistine outposts, the Philistines began to gather to attack Saul and his army. Many of Saul's men fled at the sight of the Philistine army, and the remaining men were terrified. Saul was told by Samuel to wait there seven days until he came. But when Samuel didn't come at the appointed time, he began to panic. He went to try to set up burnt offerings for God's favor. Sometimes we want to please God on our terms and times, but nothing pleases God more than obedience. When Samuel arrived, he rebuked Saul.

1 Samuel 13:1315 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”


Samuel's rebuke/prophecy was fulfilled when Saul disobeyed God a second time. After battling the Amalekites, he disobeyed God by not destroying everyone and everything in that town as he had been told.

1 Samuel 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
 
Once again he chose to glorify God on his own terms. He kept what he wanted to keep and destroyed the rest. He told Samuel his reasoning for keeping the best animals was because he wanted to sacrifice burnt offerings to God. But once again and it's worth repeating, the best way to please God is through obedience.

1 Samuel 15: 22-23 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

I personally made the mistake Saul made after God elevated me last year. I went through a season of laziness in the spirit. I began to push God aside and only spent time with Him when I felt like it. I would say, "after this show goes off and there's nothing good on TV, then I would talk to God." I had a spirit of arrogance and God had to knock that out of me. So He took everything away from me. There are things today that God still hasn't given back to me. It was a hard year to go through, but I thank God for every moment. Now when God elevates me again, I know to keep Him first in everything I do.

David is an example of how we should be when we are elevated. David didn't just wait for prophets like Samuel to give him a word from God. He actively sought after God and he truly loved Him. For that reason God told him,

2 Samuel 7:11-16 The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

Elevation and peace are not the same thing. We can't let our guards down because God has elevated us. Still seek and praise God the same why you did when you had nothing.

For those who will go through warfare

 

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

As long as you are a follower of Jesus Christ, no struggle you go through will be in vain. What you are going through are labor pains that must be endured in order to birth a blessing.

Let's examine when Jesus was taken to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Jesus had already fasted 40 days and 40 nights before Satan approached Him. Think about how weak His body must have been. For some of you who will have to go through warfare, you are already weak from what you've been through in the past. But God will take over and fight for you and through you. Staying close to God is the key to getting through this situation. Imagine standing outside during a heavy thunderstorm. God is holding an umbrella and He's telling you to come near Him. The closer you are to Him, the more you will be covered and protected from the rain.

The first thing Satan said to Jesus was,

Matthew 4:3 “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Satan will try to attack you by questioning your worth because you don't have something. He will try to make you feel inadequate because you may not have the job you want, or the car you desire, a spouse, and any other desires you may have. But that is why Jesus came to us. He endured what we are going through and He showed us how it should be handled. He replied to Satan saying, 

Matthew 4:4 “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

In other words, you may not have everything you want, but you have everything you need because God supplies it all.

Satan tried to hit Him with another blow.

Matthew 4:5-6 The devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

This is the premise of suicide. Many times, Satan will try to convince you that God has forgotten about you, and doing something extreme like suicide will get His attention. He tries to tell you if God sees you doing something that extreme, then He will get off of His throne to save you and turn your situation around because He sees what this trial is doing to you. But pay attention to how Jesus responds:

 Matthew 4:7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

What Jesus is saying here is God has already proven Himself. He proved Himself way before you came into this world, and He is so sweet that He went out of His way to prove Himself specifically in your life as well. This is why it's important to write down every blessing God gives you (I feel convicted as I write this because I stopped writing my blessings down). Therefore you can look back at your blessings and know that God did it before and He will do it again. Rest in His strength.

Satan tried to attack Jesus again.

Matthew 4:8-9 The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Satan constantly tries to tempt us by showing us the things of this world that we are missing out on for God. How many times have you logged on to your Facebook and seen enemies or people with no relationship with God prosper? You are bombarded with people announcing new jobs, new romantic relationships, and enjoying fun vacations. You can't help but think about how those things haven't come to you yet. Perhaps you even begin to doubt if those things will come at all. But remember this--Satan showed Jesus the splendors of this world, but he conveniently left out the violence, death, and sorrows of this world. When you see people of the world enjoying life on social media, you are only seeing a snapshot. You don't see the emptiness they feel because they need God in their lives. You are doing the right thing by rejecting the world and serving God, even if it doesn't seem like it now. Jesus replied to Satan saying,

Matthew 4:10 “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Jesus endured Satan's attacks because God is His foundation. Every response He gave came from the Bible. After the trials He suffered in the wilderness, God sent angels to strengthen Him and deliver Him out of that situation.

 Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

 By looking at the bigger picture, it is clear Jesus had to endure those trials in the wilderness for His purpose. Now when we come to God tired and feeling down, we have a intercessor who knows what we are going through because He went through it as well. In this same way you are going through warfare for an important element of your ministry.

That leads me to the next point. During these times you are going to reach a point where you feel like you can't take it anymore. That's fine! Just remember to keep holding on to God. Meaning if you are upset with God because of what you are going through then tell Him. If you want to cry, cry. Just cry to Him. Jesus understands because He went through it as well. What you don't want to do is turn away from God or distance yourself from Him. Satan is going to tempt you to respond in that way, but you must resist as Jesus resisted. The closer you are to God, the more He can console you and strengthen you. Satan wants you to run away from God so he can attack you in ways that he couldn't do when you were closer to God. So hang on tight to your father and you will endure!

I praise God for always warning us. Find out where you stand in this message. If it is set for you to be elevated, or if it is set for you to face warfare, remember to stay close to God. That is the only way to remain standing during this move.  

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God is waiting for you!

Let's take a moment to think about Heaven.

Imagine being in the presence of God forever! Angels surrounding you singing beautiful melodies to God, and you dancing in the face of greatness shouting praises to His name.

In Heaven there is no sickness, no pain, no fears, and no worries. There's no need for a job, a degree, a friend, a husband, a wife, a doctor, or a lawyer--God is everything you need and more. God's glory fulfills you on every level.

Now back to earth.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us how to pray. He gives us a prayer to say to our father. Here's a line that stands out:

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

If it is so on earth as it is in Heaven, then why do we worry? Why do we fear?

In Heaven God is all that we need. God is calling for us to see Him in the same way on earth. We are turning to the world to fill the voids in our hearts, and it's unsuccessful. Then comes the worrying and the stress. God wants us to come to Him for any and everything.

God's glory isn't restricted to Heaven. He wants to pour His glory on you right now. But how can we receive it if we are set on finding temporary fixes to our problems?

I challenge you to tell God He is all you need--and mean it. Let's pull ourselves away from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Netflix, video games, television and all other distractions.

Think of who God is. He is mighty and nothing short of amazing! This is the same God who parted the Red Sea so His people may cross. He is the same God who sent His angels to close the mouths of lions when His servant Daniel was in the lions den. Last but far from least, He sent His son to come here and die in the most horrific way for us. He loves us so much that He allowed it to happen so that we can be forgiven.

That beautiful and merciful God is the same God that we have access to speak with through Jesus Christ. What an honor! He wants to hear from us! He loves to hear our voices. Jesus died so the veil could be torn. Take advantage of what's been given to you and spend time with Him.

Don't consider every interaction with God to be formal gestures. Approaching God in that way will eventually turn you off and lead you to distractions. Instead see Him for who He is, a friend. Tell Him about your day. Talk to Him about your worries and fears. Even if you are angry, it's ok. When I am overwhelmed and I feel like my life is too much, I tell Him. I tell God that I feel like I can't handle it.

Have fun with God. Enjoy His presence!

Don't let the enemy fool you with the distractions of this world. He has made it so that we crave those things instead of God. Satan tries to make us see our relationship with God as more of a chore than a treasure. Everything will eventually age on this earth. YouTube gets boring after a while, and so does Facebook. God's glory will fulfill us forever. In Heaven we will be with God forever, and believe me, you won't complain nor face boredom.

There are treasures God has to offer, and He is saying we don't have to wait until we are in Heaven to enjoy it. He is ready to pour it out on us. So ditch the distractions and bask in His glory!

John 6 Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." 

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

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Remember the bigger picture!

 

 Life is a war, and everyday there is a battle. You are soldiers, and your uniforms are covered with the blood of Jesus Christ. You wear the armor of God and His angels watch over your camp. There is an enemy who wants you dead. He plots and lays out traps for you everyday. Falling is a reality. Enduring shots from the enemy is a routine. Losing people you love is natural in this environment, and peace is only momentary.

 This is the bigger picture. The elements of your life are only a small piece of a bigger puzzle.

 When we gave our lives to Jesus Christ, we were no longer civilians. We enlisted in a war. Whoever tries to sell you the idea of Christians living "happy-go-lucky" carefree lives are sadly mistaken. Jesus gives us peace in the storm. Choosing to follow Jesus isn't about seeking an easier life here on Earth, but rather about seeking an easier eternity with Him. It's about giving up the comforts of this world, the comforts of sin and ignorance, and instead stepping out of the box by sowing in the spirit and believing in what you don't see.

 Matthew 10:34:36 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."

John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

We have to remain focused on the bigger picture.

Think of undercover cops. They take on an identity for months and even years until their job is done. That gets difficult. Many times these officers get lost in the identity they became and forget why they took on the identity in the first place. This very thing is happening to us. Satan has distracted us with the everyday battles--battles associated with the world and not the spirit. Many of us are tangled in the cares of this world and have forgotten our mission. Fortunately for us, Jesus came to this Earth to free us from the constraints of this world.    

Love>Materials

Remember the bigger picture. We as believers of Jesus Christ are in a war. Are you fighting for the right reasons? Are you seeking God's face or His hand? In John 6, Jesus fed 5,000 people with just 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish. After doing so, a crowd began looking for Him. When they finally found Him, Jesus says,

John 6:26-27 “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

In other words, look at the bigger picture. God may have blessed you with a job, a car, a roof over your head and food on the table, but that shouldn't be the only reason why you became disciples of Jesus Christ. Following Him is bigger than material things. Follow Jesus because of the demons He freed you from, because of the relationship you have with Him, because of His mercy and everlasting love-not for material things.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God recently pulled me out of a season where all I had was my spiritual growth. When I started this blog I was sleeping in my car with nothing. For close to two years God gradually snatched things out of my life until I was down to the bare minimums. I can't even front by saying that I was content. I went through weeks of depression. I felt sorry for myself, and even though I was too afraid to say it, I was mad at God. I was never the richest person in the world, but I was always highly favored. But during that season God took that away from me too. After weeks of complaining, grumbling, and depression, God checked me. He asked me, do I love Him for the things He had done or do I love Him for who He is? Of course that broke me. After that turning point, God began to shift my attention to the will He has for me. Through that time with Him I began to see my struggles from God's point of view. Every battle I fought during that season was to prepare me for my ministry.

That's how we have to view our problems! Only when I began to look at the bigger picture did things begin to shift.

Ditch the distractions

For the 90's kids and older, we look at children today shaking our heads. We drive by empty parks telling our friends how we used to fill those parks back in the day. We blame technology for the poor communication skills kids exhibit today. We may have racked up on valuable social skills during our playground days, but now we are in the same boat as kids are today. We can communicate with each other, but we don't know how to communicate with God. Every form of entertainment is at our fingertips--that's for a reason. Satan uses our computers and cell phones to pull us away from our purpose here. Life isn't about the day-to-day struggles. It isn't about finding a job, a husband/wife, getting a degree, etc. Those are minor things in a bigger picture. When we chose to follow Jesus, we became God's children. We became a part of His covenant, His reassurance that we will be ok. So why sweat the small things?

 

Matthew 6:28-33 Why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

We have to speak with God. We battle the enemy by carrying out the will He has assigned to us. However, there is no ministry without God. If we are not spending time with Him, we cannot be productive spiritually. God wants to spend time with us. He loves to hear from us. Tell God about your day and about your plans. He loves that time with you. He will in return give you the peace and revelations you need to get by, despite your situation.

 

 

Ask God for focus everyday. Remember this isn't our home. Heaven awaits us. We already know the outcome of this war, and you are on the winners side. So hold tight.

 

Revelation 21:4-5  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

 

 

 

 

 

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Announement!

God is in the middle of shifting seasons in my life. He put it in my heart to spend more time with Him. This can only result in more revelations, more anointing, and most of all, more love. He has revealed some amazing things to me and I give Him all the glory for it! So check back next Friday, October 24 for more posts. Mark the date!

Please feel free to email me at proverbs31prospective@gmail.com.

I love you all so much!!!!!!

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A Good Laugh!

This is pure comedy! Would you fall for this ladies???

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