New Year, New Places!

God is going to take you to new places in 2015, and it's not going to be subtle! He will drastically move you to higher places. Around this time next year you will be able to look back at this moment and see you are in a completely different place. There are doors in your life God has scheduled to open in 2015. Sounds great right?

This year was preparation for the blessings that are to come. But let this be a warning: use this year as a reference for 2015. There will be two kind of people next year. There will be people who will be given more and more, and there will be people who will be given things but it will be taken away. Where you fall between these two possibilities is completely up to you. It's dependent upon how you apply the lessons God taught you in 2014.

So here's a bird's eye view on the lessons God wants us to take from this year.

He is enough:

God is preparing to really blow you away next year. There are seeds you sowed in 2014 that you may have forgotten about, but God hasn't. He remembers how you gave part of your last to the homeless person on the street, He remembers the sweet things you said to Him during praise. It's the things we did this year that seem little to us that God will grow into fruitful trees next year. Now this doesn't necessarily mean as soon as the clock hits 12am New Years Eve that opportunities will pour in (although I place no limitations on God!). For some of you things will begin to move fairly early in the year, and some of you will have to wait a little. God is doing this to test you and see what you learned through your struggles in 2014.
The way to pass this test is by remembering God is enough. Yes it's true that you will be given plenty in 2015. But that shouldn't be the only reason you are looking forward to a new year. Remember our parents used to tell us "don't place all of your eggs in one basket." I would say feel free to place your eggs in one basket, just make sure it's God's basket. Make sure the root of your happiness is because of God's love, and not strictly on what He can do for you. This was a lesson God taught me in 2014. I expected all these things to fall in place earlier this year, and when it didn't I fell into a depression. I even became upset with God. I felt like I waited long enough. But God checked me and asked me, "Are you sticking around for what I can do for you or do you really love me?" This moved me.

So keep this in mind in 2015. Lately Satan has been trying to tug people into depression. The way to stay firm is to think about God's love and His grace. God is taking you places next year and that's great. But remember the spiritual increase is what's most important and that only comes with some form of pressure. So hang tight. God plans to move you up levels spiritually, but He also wants to increase you financially, career-wise, and maybe even romantically. Each of us have our own pending blessings. But the difference between the people who will be given more and the people who will lose it is how central God is in their lives. It's about recognizing worldly blessings are great, and God is great for giving it to you--BUT worldly blessings are like an advance. It's like a mother who gives her child a taste of the food she's cooking. Heaven is the feast that awaits us. So don't get caught up in the little tastes.

Detoxify yourself:

Every January the world goes on a diet. We want to cleanse our bodies and start off on the right track. This is what we must do spiritually as well. All of us have something or perhaps someone in our lives that/who are hindering our relationship with God. Maybe it's our cell phones that distract us from the words He wants to speak to us. Or maybe it's a person who brings back the old you every time you are around them. Identify all the blocks in your life. Better yet, ask God to reveal it. Sure there are some that are obvious, but there could also be some that are not. I encourage you to read the post on idolatry published December 3, 2014. Use it as a guide to see what's standing in the way between you and God.

God is so gracious that He's also giving us fruit from seeds we didn't even sow! Seeds that we should have sown in 2014, but we were too busy drowning in the things of this world that tries to take God's place in our lives. So let's show God that we can do better. We can sow more than we did in 2014. Let's leave our hearts open to Him so we can have more encounters with His love. Those who make the same mistake in 2015 will find themselves back at square one when God snatches those blessings away. Unfortunately, some of us seem to focus more when we are in times of distress than during seasons of plenty. It's not too late to change. Keep God as your focus in 2015.

Seek Him:

Don't think once you are blessed you can simply lay around and bask in it. We were not sent here to just slothfully sit on our blessings, like a bird sits on eggs. We're not chickens. Blessings mean work. Period. Jesus Christ said much is expected from those who are given plenty. So the way you praised Him in 2014 won't cut it in 2015. The way you served Him and the way you served others won't cut it either. We have to step our game up. You won't be alone. God is stepping His game up as well. Just when you thought He was good, He's going to show you He's great. And when you declare Him to be great, He will show you He's nothing short of amazing. And it goes on. Seek Him. God will have so much to pour on you. Blessed will be those who take advantage of His presence. Those who just want to sit around will miss out. You will end up with little by the end of 2015 and you will lose that too. God wants to take you places, but if you are not making yourself available to hear His instructions, then you won't go far in 2015. 

Matthew 13:12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

Think about your relationship with God. Did it progress in 2014 or did it remain the same? Jesus Christ holds us near and dear to His heart despite our mistakes, and despite the many times we wondered astray from Him. So who are we not to hold Him near and dear to our hearts when He's done absolutely nothing wrong and everything right? Think about your best friend. The more you two share, the closer you become. Talk to Him more in 2015. Tell Him your feelings. My brother in Christ prophesied over me earlier this year and told me that there were some unopened treasures God wants me to discover. I realized later in the year the treasure God was referring to was my communication with Him. I began talking to Him when I was stressed, happy, you name it. I noticed once I started doing so God started eliminating problems in my life before it even had the chance to become a problem. The key to your favor in 2015 is communication. The more you are in tune with Him, the further you will go.

Borderless Love:

Have you ever passed by a homeless person or someone in need and thought, "God I wish I could help them?" Well in 2015 you will! Just don't forget the urge you had to help them. Maybe God will bless you with a lot financially so you will be able to give to them. Or maybe God will awaken and strengthen your spiritual gifts, giving you a boldness to walk up to them and pray. Maybe He'll do both! Just remember God gives so we can give.

Once again, we are not chickens! In 2014 we were given many promises and we were told to sit on it patiently  and seek God. In 2015 those promises will hatch into blessings that will come to pass. But if you continue to sit on them they will suffocate and die. You can't ask God to take you to higher places and at the same time refuse to move. Seek God and ask Him to reveal your purpose. If you already know, then start! Show faith by starting before your blessings come. Plan things out with God. The point is we must sow into others. If you see someone who looks down, ask God to give you a word for that person. If you're out grabbing some lunch, treat someone to a bite to eat as well. Ask God to reveal how He wants to use you.

Let everything you do come from love. God has been teaching me to be a better representative of Him. We must! Ask God to give you borderless love. This means forgiving those who hurt you and loving those who hate you. Don't let something like bitterness block your heart from Him. God plans to take you to great places, and there will be people who won't like you. Love them because God loves them. Love them because God loves you despite your mistakes. Your blessings aren't about you. Ironic huh? God doesn't bless you just so you can simply go on Facebook and update your job info, change your relationship status, or take pictures in the clothes you bought with your financial increase.

When Paul boasted, he boasted about his sufferings. Even then he knew the only reason why he made it through was because of God. So if you want to talk about your new job on Facebook then tell your Facebook friends how you struggled before your increase. Then end with giving God the glory. This shows humility and it also shows God you are willing to help others through your blessings instead of bragging. The more you use your blessings in 2015 to love others, the better you will be. Those who close up their hearts or those who are not productive with their blessings will end up with nothing by the end of 2015.

Matthew 23:12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

You've basically been in an oven this year. God seasoned you with gifts and placed you in the heat. He knows 2014 wasn't easy for you. This year was our time to be under heat and pressure so we can be prepared. Once you are ready, God will put you in the forefront. He will place you in front of others so you can be a blessing to them. Have you ever baked a cake? If so, then you are familiar with having to stick a toothpick in the cake. Sometimes it may look ready, but when you place a toothpick in it there's still some uncooked batter on it. In 2015 God is going to take you out of the heat and see how ready you are. If you are prepared, great! You will be in the group with those who will receive more and more. But if God sees you are not ready, then He will place you back in the oven until you are. Let us be wise and take use of the heat (our trials in 2014) to prepare every raw part of us!

Happy New Year!

I look forward to seeing what God is going to do with A Proverbs 31 Prospective in 2015!

Thanks to all the readers! I love you all! :-)

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Your character gifts are under attack!

 

God calls for us to love one another. This is a fact we all know by now. We are held to the same standards, and we are all a part of the body of Christ. But even in our uniformity, we have distinctive qualities. Think about a cell phone. It does a little bit of everything--it takes pictures, plays music, records videos, and the list goes on. But in its core it is a device used to communicate with others. That's what it does best because that's its main purpose. We are the same way. We are required to have empathy for others, serve people, and in these ways show love. But each of us have a distinctive way we love. It's the gift God gave us.

 

1.) Gifted Empathizer:

I have a sister who can hear of someone's misfortune and breakdown in tears. I, however am not that kind of person...yet. I'm learning! Anyway, there are some of you who have a gift of empathy. You love strong. You can have one conversation with someone and honestly say you hold them near and dear to your heart. What an amazing personality trait to have! This is the kind of love Jesus Christ calls for all of us to give to one another. This kind of love makes even the toughest demon flee. God is going to use that heart of yours to do great things for His people. Typically people with these traits are called to be evangelists, because they have the love it takes to get out there and share the love of Christ and bring them to the church. This is why Satan hates you! He knows the dangers of love. This is why he constantly tries to weaken the definition of love by portraying it in shallow ways through the media. But people like you can show lost souls a love they never thought could exist. A love that comes from God. I'm sure you've had many people tell you things like "I've never had someone show me such kindness!" That's your gift! But Satan will constantly attack that love in you. He will do this through people. His goal is to get you to close that beautiful heart God has given you. So he will speak through people and insult you. That's the most common way Satan will attack you. Since he doesn't fight fair, he will even go as far as to speak through the people you love the most. This means your mom, dad, sister, brother, best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife--you name it. The weakness you often struggle with is unforgiveness. This is because you love hard. You often give every ounce of you to love others. So when someone mistreats you, of course you are going to be upset! But remember this. The bible tells us,

 

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

 

Love covers a multitude of sins because love is strong. Despite what Satan will try to convince you, stick to the truth. Love shows strength, and anger shows weakness. Since love is so strong, it has the ability to soften even the hardest heart because love makes demons flee. For this reason when Satan attacks you through people, it will be through extremes. I mean people will say and do downright evil heartless things to you. This is because Satan knows he has to come with his toughest stuff to try to defeat the love God placed in you. So why would God let him? Because after every attack God will be there to strengthen you again. He will fix you up. Don't get anything twisted. God is VERY overprotective of you. He has placed a unique gift of love inside of you, and that's a large investment. He's going to protect that. So I suggest you pray and ask God to have mercy on every person who attacks you.

 

Forgiveness is key for you. Every time you forgive, it's like a child opening their mouths to let the doctor take a look in. It allows God to come in and fix all damages. This strengthens the love God has given you. It enhances your gift. This is why God lets it happen. So hang tight and trust that it will be worth it in the end. You have to trust that God knows what He's doing. You are doing nothing wrong. You should be more concerned if you were not being attacked. God is looking out for you every step of the way.

 

Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

2.) Gifted Servers:

 

 Helping people isn't just a responsibility to you like it is for the rest of us. It's a passion! God is going to bless you with so many things because He knows you will use it to help others as well. You are like a nurse in war, you help many people who are injured, but you rarely see the dangers of battle yourself. Sometimes Satan will try to make you feel inadequate because you see others go through so much but you hardly go through those things at all. But God keeps you in a special place because you are important. If there's no nurse to pull the injured from the line of fire, then the army would be in a bad situation! Being a Christian is all about serving others. Jesus spent His time in the world serving us.

 

Matthew 20:27-28 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

Satan will try to attack you by making you feel used. He will try to convince you that the people you help are thieves looking to take from you and walk away. This is a tactic he uses to get you to close up. He wants to arouse your suspicions about everyone because the more you see people as your enemy, the less likely you are to help. This is an attack to get you to shut down the gift God has given you. These thoughts are poison to your spirit. Jesus Christ said to give to others even if their intentions are bad.

 

Matthew 5:46-47 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

 

Although you love serving others, you can't help but feel like there's no one there for you like you are for them. That may be true depending on where you are right now in life. But ignore Satan when he tries to convince you its a bad thing. Since you have a gift from God to give in ways that many do not, then it is no surprise that those around you aren't giving to you in the same way you are to them. I am blessed to have many friends who are gifted servers. Often when they do things for me I think, "man why didn't I think to do that for them?" This is because God has blessed your mind for the purposes of giving. He will bless you with organizations and/or business for this reason, and He will give you innovative strategies to lend a hand to His people. Your gift of giving comes from Him so when you feel like those around you aren't giving you everything you need, then turn to God. He will refresh you and strengthen you.

 

Your gift is the embodiment of James 2:14-26:

 

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,  and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead

 

For that reason God will always give you favor. You may go through periods of isolation and periods when you can't get a moment to yourself. This is all to strengthen your gift. When you are in periods of isolation, God is pulling you aside to work on you and build you up. He does this because sometimes you are so dedicated to helping others, you often forget about yourself! Don't worry, He loves you so much for that! Your dry seasons are for Him to polish you back up before you go back into the ring.

 

Then there are times when you are surrounded by people. This can only be stressful when you listen to Satan who tries to convince you these people are only using you. The more you ignore him, the more your true heart shines forth. Your heart in its purest form loves to help these people flooding into your life. Remember God will always provide for you because He knows that you are not just thinking of yourself when you ask for things. It's no different than with King Solomon's life. God told him he can ask him for anything he wanted. Instead of asking for money, fame, etc., he asked God for wisdom to lead Israel. God was so touched by his selflessness He told him,

 

1 Kings 3:11-15 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,  I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

 

So continue to do what you do best. God is with you and He will continue to provide for you. If you feel like there are takers in your life, forget about it. It's not your job to worry about who has bad intentions and who doesn't. It's your job to give what you can. God will deal with those who abuse the gift He has given you!

 

3.) Gifted Advisors:

You're the one everyone knows to go to for advice. You always know just what to say. This is your gift! God speaks through you to help His people. The moment someone asks you for advice, you hear the words you need to say to them. Remember this is God speaking through you. Many times you can confuse it and think it's your own thoughts. That's one way Satan will try to get to you--by pride. People will often call you wise for the things you say. But it's not wisdom from your own accord, it's God's wisdom. Many prophets/prophetesses fall into the gifted advisors category. The key is to stay in tune with God at all times. Satan knows that your gift is a very powerful weapon. He knows God will speak to you and it sounds like thoughts in your head. So he will often try to torment you with thoughts that are not of God--things that are unspeakably evil, and he will try to convince you it's your thoughts. Rebuke those thoughts and expose Satan for the liar he is. 

 

If tactics like that doesn't work, then he will try to harden your heart. Since God often speaks to you and uses you to give advice to others, you often learn from others mistakes. You don't fall into some traps that those around you may fall into. If you're not careful Satan will use this to harden your heart so you don't empathize with others. God is love and He works with love, and love requires understanding of all situations. Just because a problem didn't crush you like it crushed another person, doesn't mean their feelings aren't valid.

 

Romans 12:15  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

 

Take a lesson from the gifted empathizers. The key to strengthening your gift is to fight the urge to dismiss others emotions. God speaks clearer through you when you have an open heart. The more open you are, the less static will interrupt your gift.

 

Since you hear from God often, you have to seek His presence as much as possible. You can't afford to surround yourself with the distractions of this world. Of course there's nothing wrong with kicking back and watching a movie or something. But it's not ok to go a day without communicating with Him. Satan will attack your mind the most because he knows it's a form of communication between you and God. So you really have to beware of media that will put perverted thoughts into your mind. In other words, you can't afford to be listening to Trey Songz and other baby-making music. It will hurt you more than those without this gift because Satan wants to cloud your mind with as much filth as possible.

 

The more you build on your friendship with God, the more powerful your weapon will be. God has given you favor in this area. This means God will tell you things that He might not tell others because it's tied to your gift. So don't let Satan pull you away from God. Study the word and ask God to reveal Himself to you everyday.

I thank God for the unique gifts He has sprinkled into our hearts. The common thread for all these attacks on our gifts is love. Satan is trying to attack our love. The more we keep the love of God and the love of others in our minds, the more power we will have against Satan's attacks. Each of us serve the kingdom of God in our own unique way. Even if two of you are gifted servers, you serve in unique ways. Seek God and ask Him to reveal your identity in Him. In return He will show you your unique gifts and He will reveal how He wants you to use it. I can't wait to see how God will bloom you in His presence!

 

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

 

 

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Common Forms of Idolatry

God warned us from the start about idols. Often when the Israelites fell to sin, it began with some form of idolatry. Even though most of us don't necessarily make gods and worship them as our ancestors did, we still fall to idolatry in other ways. These ways are more subtle and therefore more dangerous.

God provided the Israelites with a clear definition of idolatry. After rescuing them from the hands of the Egyptians, He told them,

Exodus 20:3-6  “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Because of people like the Pharisees, the definition of idolatry had to be expanded. Even though they didn't carve any images, they created idols out of money, power, and a false sense of righteous based strictly on the law. Through Paul, God expanded the definition of idolatry. He told us,

Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

The dictionary definition of covetousness is "inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy." (Dictionary.com). So when we began to place the possessions and desires of this world over God, that is idolatry.

The point of today's post isn't to call you out or make you feel bad. It's more of a guide so we can make sure we're not making these mistakes. We have to check ourselves everyday, because now with the growing presence of technology, it's easy to form an idol intentionally or unintentionally. I'm going to start off with more obvious forms of idolatry, and then work my way to the more subtle forms.

1.) Celebrities

1.) Whenever someone compliments a post on this blog, I make sure I say "glory to God." This is because I know He is working through me. The most I will do to prepare for a post is pray and ask God to reveal a topic He wants me to write about. Then He takes care of the rest. I begin typing and let Him feed me the words. God uses us as His vessels. He is making deals through you on Wall Street, teaching His kids through you, and singing to the ears of His sheep through you. In this same way Satan can use people as his vessels. When God works through you it's by His beautiful Holy Spirit. When Satan works through a person it's through demons. Unfortunately, most celebrities are vessels for Satan. They open themselves up to demons and in exchange receive fame and fortune.

I used to be a HUGE Beyoncé fan. I owned every song she breathed on, even all of her live performances. I would listen to her live vocals for hours, and I began to memorize every run and other vocal techniques she used in her songs. I learned her dances, and I even began to act like her (that part was unintentional). God began to open my eyes and He showed me how she, like her counterparts, is a vessel for Satan. In the same way I say glory to God because I know it is Him working through me, every time I idolized and dwelled on how I loved her voice, I was glorifying the demons who worked through her.

The demonic presence in celebrities is a whole other post in itself, so I don't want to stray. Whether or not you believe celebrities are a part of that practice, the point is the same. If a singer, rapper, video game, sports team, T.V. show, movie, or any other form of entertainment is consuming so much of your time to the point that you are not sowing in God, then it's a idol. Ask God to get rid of it.

2.) Money

Of course you know money had to be on this list. It never fails--every time I'm on Facebook I see statuses like, "I'm chasing this paper." Not to mention the infamous "money over b**ches" phrase. Chase Jesus Christ instead of money. He is the giver of all you desire and then some. Satan tries to trick us into thinking money is the answer to all of your problems. He does this as a means to control you. The singers, actors, athletes and rappers who portray a life of luxury are the same ones who felt it was necessary to give their very soul for money. They idolize money and they want you to do the same. The sad part is many of them have already came to the realization that money isn't everything. They gave their souls for cash and are still unhappy. Let the many celebrity suicides speak to the unhappiness they face. Many of them take medicine just to go to sleep because they are constantly taunted by demons. God warns us that money is the root of all evil, and as soon as you put a dollar first in your life, you open yourself up to these demons. Unfortunately instead of telling you the truth, many celebrities would rather hold onto a lie.

So we get it. Money isn't everything. I don't think many of you reading this would disagree with that statement. So why is it as soon as we face some financial troubles, our whole day is ruined? Come on, I know I'm not the only one! Sometimes when my wallet suffers a blow my whole positive outlook goes down the drain. If we truly believe money isn't everything and God is everything, even when we face financial difficulties, we will stay afloat knowing God is enough.

Here are the more subtle and more dangerous forms of idolatry....

3.) Boyfriend/Girlfriend

The media constantly tells us that a relationship is the best thing that could ever happen to us. "He/she is my world, my everything." It's the basic formula for Hollywood. Many movies you see are the same format: Life is miserable until that person steps into your life. Now it's fun and lively. Now there's a reason to live. Ditch these lies! A boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't complete you. You should already have an identity. The bible tells us that our identity should be in Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:34 An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.

The more you define yourself through and by God, the more you will cherish yourself. The more you cherish yourself, the less likely you will let some man or woman come and strip you of all God has given you.

Jacob's older brother Esau didn't know his worth and that's why he sold his birthright to Jacob for some stew. He didn't know the mistake he made until Jacob took his blessing as well. After his father blessed Jacob instead of him, he begged his father saying,

Genesis 27:36 For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

 If you don't value the anointing God has given you, you are jeopardizing it. Anyone who wants you to compromise your anointing is not the right man or woman. The bible says a man is supposed to protect a woman's virtue, not defile it.

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Everything you have and will get is from and by God. So remember this when Mr. Right or either Ms. Right steps into your life. The only way a relationship will work is if God is FIRST. The moment you begin to let your thoughts consume you by daydreaming about that person, drowning in love songs thinking about him/her, etc., you push God from the top position. This leaves room for the enemy to come in. Instead try praising God for giving you that person. Leave Him in the equation because He is and always will be the solution.

4.) Race or culture

One time I was hanging out with a friend and she introduced me to a girl she knew. I said hi and asked her how she was doing. She didn't respond. Instead she looked with a sour face at my friend and asked, "Is she even Jamaican?" This is one of many cases of how we can let our race/culture get in front of God. Racism alone is an example because racism is an antonym of love, and God is love. I knew I had an issue in this department when I felt uncomfortable visiting churches with a majority of members who were a different race. When race becomes an idol in your life, it can allow you to see everyone in your race as your friend and have you more likely to see those outside your race as your enemy.

Minorities in particular are taught to support their race. Especially when it comes to matters of the media. If we allow race to cloud the wisdom and discernment God gave us, then we are in danger. Satan won't jump out and attack you with horns and a pitchfork like it's portrayed in cartoons. Instead he's going to come as someone who looks just like you. It took discernment for Jesus to know Judas was going to betray Him. He didn't say, "oh no he couldn't do that. He's my brother, my disciple." He kept His Father first and therefore was in-tune with Him. We must remain sharp and in-tune with God, because someone from our own race/culture could harm us just as much as anyone else will. In that same format someone from another race/culture can love us just as much as someone in our own race/culture could.

 We were taught by Jesus to love everyone--no borders or restrictions. The moment we let our background compromise that responsibility, then we are compromising our relationship with God.

5.) Technology

We are all guilty of this one. We spend so much time on our phones, laptops, iPads, etc. It's okay to enjoy yourselves and relax after a long day. But is it interfering with your relationship with God? That's when it becomes a problem. Are you talking to Him, worshipping Him and doing what it takes to elevate yourselves spiritually? Technology is great, but it can also be dangerous. It can consume us and handicap us spiritually. Let's take a moment to think about how many hours we spend on our devices vs. the time we spend with God. I challenge us (meaning myself as well) to spend more time with God than we do on our phones. We can't truly say with our lips we put God first, but in our actions drown ourselves on the internet.

To sum things up, we need to detoxify ourselves spiritually and get rid of all the things in our lives that are trying to take the place of God. We are in a battle everyday and there are demons trying to push God out of our lives. These demons seek to defile us and get us to rebel against God. In Robin Thicke's hit "Blurred Lines," he says,
                  " OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you
                     But you're an animal, baby it's in your nature
                     Just let me liberate you
                     Hey, hey, hey
                     You don't need no papers
                     Hey, hey, hey
                     That man is not your maker"
That Man is your maker and He loves you more than any man on earth ever will. Satan constantly tries to take the place of God. Since he couldn't in Heaven, he was cast down to earth. Now he's going for your heart. Put Jesus Christ first with your words and your actions. Push aside these distractions and go after He who can quench our thirst forever. He is waiting for us!

John 14:2 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."
 

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