I often hear many of my fellow Christians say that they don’t believe in luck.  They say that since God is in control, there is no such thing as luck. They say that since they have God’s grace, they have no need for luck.

Romans 8:28  (NKJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 3:23-25  (NKJV)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified ^[a]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a ^[b]propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

But, what about those who DON’T have grace?

If grace is ONLY for the believer…

So many times we are told what we should do, but not told how to do it. It’s easy to teach and preach what the bible says, but it doesn’t do much good if you don’t give people the tools to do it.

One great example is when we’re told to love our enemies. We all know and acknowledge what Jesus teaches us…

Matthew 5:43-48 (NKJV)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’44 [a]But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have…

It’s one of the oldest and most contentious discussions, interracial marriages. Marrying outside of one’s own race angers some people to the point they would kill to protect the ‘purity’ of their own. Just as with other controversial issues, people either twist, misunderstand or cherry pick bible verses to suit their purpose, agenda or desires.

So when both or all sides of an issue are using the bible as their foundation, how do you know which is in harmony with God’s truth?

I’ve officiated several interracial weddings, and this information is a part of my premarital counseling sessions. I want to give ammunition to people to defend their relationships.

Let’s look at some verses used by those who WANT God to say interracial marriage  is forbidden…

Deuteronomy 7:1-5 (NKJV)

 When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before…

Just say WOW instead, it takes the same number of letters.

It’s one on the most common acronyms now…OMG! The texting world has infected our day-to-day speech.

Of course you know that OMG is an acronym for “Oh My God!

These days, people very casually say “OMG” to express surprise, astonishment, amazement, shock, disbelief, etc., without any thought they are referring to God.

But, OMG isn’t just referring to God…it proclaims to “MY” God! The one true and living God!

We all know that the bible commands that we don’t take the NAME of the Lord in vain…

Exodus 20:7 (NKJV)

…but does OMG do that? It’s not like using His name when cursing, as so many people do…is it?

Well, what…

If God makes it so easy to join His organization (Romans 10:9), why do we make it so hard to join  some of ours?

I was watching a television show in which a young lady hoping to join a prestigious college band was beaten into intensive care during her initiation, and it was swept under the rug and defended by those in authority to protect their tradition.

I’ve heard many comment and reason that such behavior is just ‘part of the process’…that some initiations and inductions are just ‘part of growing up’.

I’ve heard that enduring this foolishness with others breeds loyalty, brotherhood/sisterhood, comradery, etc.

Now, I’m sure some of you reading will defend it out of loyalty to your own beloved organizations and traditions, but if you’re a Christian…if you know God’s word…if you know the character and culture of His Kingdom…and if you’re honest with yourself, you…

STOP PLAYING WITH GOD’S PRAISE…AND HIS NAME

There was a time when God’s name was referenced more. We need to be careful how we refer to God casually and not in reverence…how we let what is meant to be praise be reduced to idle words. Look at what Jesus said about idle words…

Matthew 12:36-37(NKJV)

³⁶ But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We must make sure that we never play with His praise. Many movies, plays and songs, have turned what is meant to be sincere praise into a joke, or cliché…

Please don’t say HALLELUJAH unless you’re really praising Him.
And, don’t play with it.

Please stop saying “HALLELUYER!”

Remember this…

JAH (YAH) is…

Have you ever noticed that many times in order to be healed physically, we must endure some pain?

Sometimes we have to have our skin PIERCED by needles.

Sometimes we must endure being CUT open with a scalpel.

How many times have you noticed an itch or irritation as a cut or sore heals?

Medicines can taste unpleasant.

Pills can be hard to swallow.

Most prescriptions have some uncomfortable side effects.

Even emotionally as we process the pain of disappointments and losses in our lives, we endure some emotional and psychological pain.

Yes, time heals wounds, but as we heal…we endure pain.

If we think about it, it’s only fair because Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, endured such great pain for us.

Isaiah 53:5

But Hewaswounded for our transgressions,

He wasbruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peacewasupon Him,

AND BY HIS STRIPES…

Sometimes we have people who don’t like us, just because they don’t want to like us.
Sometimes we have people who go as far as to work against us or undermine our efforts.

Sometimes people talk about us behind our backs, whether we do good or bad.

Many of these people don’t like us, even though we have done nothing to them…we call these people HATERS.

People even pray that God give them vindication from their haters…

Psalm 25:2(NKJV)

2 O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me.

But, when we’re honest with ourselves, we have given some of our HATERS as good reason to dislike us.

Yes, God expects us to be loving, and God expects us to be forgiving, but God also commands that we don’t be an offender or a ’stumbling block’ to others (Matthew 18:6,1…

How big is your vision?

God has given you vision and purpose, but He didn’t give it to you only for yourself. And, even though God gave it to you, you cannot carry it out alone.

Even Yeshua, Christ Jesus, had chosen men and women to help carry out His vision and purpose…

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Go ^[a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

 Luke 8:1-3  (NKJV)

8 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and ^[a]bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, ² and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and ^[b]infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, ³ and Joanna the…

Don’t get angry AND sin; Get angry AT sin…

Matthew 21:12-13 (NKJV)

¹² Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³ And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

As Jesus walked in and saw the building dedicated to God’s worship being used for commerce, He was filled with anger.

He wasn’t consumed with anger…

He wasn’t ‘mad’…

He wasn’t pissed off…

It was a controlled, righteous anger.

God’s righteous anger is noted throughout the bible, but God doesn’t angry AND sin;

He gets angry AT sin.

God tells us to get angry and sin not…

Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)

“In your anger do…

One morning back in 1999 while getting ready to go to church I received a phone call from a young friend of mine from jail…

He said, “Brother Al, I need to talk to you brother! I can’t do this! This is my third time being locked up, and I know that I will be away from my family for a very long time. I really need to talk to you!”

I responded, “Okay, I will stop by to talk to you as soon as I get out of church”.

I had ministered to this brother by phone and letters while he was in prison before. My phone would ring and I’d hear… “You have a call from ____________ at the ____________ Center for Corrections.” I would quickly respond, “Yes”.

He was very sincere, and He told me that he had been brought back to Christ while in prison. Not…

Have you ever noticed how little the bible says about being NICE?

Does God ever tell us to be nice? To the contrary, the bible says be careful when men speak well of you…thats being nice.

Luke 6:26  (NKJV)

26 Woe to you[a] when all[b] men speak well of you,
For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

The bible speaks of men flattering and blessing with their mouths but, hiding what’s in their hearts.

Psalm 5:9 (NKJV)

9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.

Psalm 62:4New King James Version (NKJV)

4 They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. 

That’s being nice.

There’s a reason that being nice isn’t a fruit of…

Notice what Jesus prayed for before He went to the cross in John 17. Notice how many times He said,”ONE”.

John 17:20-23 (NKJV)

 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Now, notice how many times He said I and my father are ONE.

John 10:30 (NKJV)

 ³⁰ I and My

Most of us clean up really well. We put on our public faces. We play the role. Some people go about their daily tasks with such a level of confidence, professionalism and excellence that you would think they are close to faultless.

They are always perfectly groomed…

Their credit score is 800,000,000…

They always know the right thing to say…

Their focus is surgical…

Their anointing is nearly biblical.

They are never shaken by anything.

Do you know someone like that?

Watching these people can make you feel…

Unqualified…

Inadequate…

Ugly…

Weak…

Unproductive…

Unfocused…

Insecure…

Naked.

But God sees ALL of us as we really are.

We all stand NAKED before God.

Even the most fit person has some physical imperfections that they don’t want anyone to see when they’re naked.

God sees us all spiritually NAKED.

Jeremiah 17:10 (NKJV)

10 I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the…

Isn’t amazing how people give coaches a pass? They don’t want the teacher or police to ‘curse’ at their children, even if they are disruptive. They don’t even want the preacher to speak too ‘harshly’ to or of their children – but the let the coach say what he or she wants and how he or she wants. Some will even let a coach hit their children…hit not spank.

Have you ever heard anyone say they had to talk to someone ‘on their level’ to reach them, especially when they are disruptive or have harsh speech themselves.

God says very clearly that we are not to allow corrupt communication to come out of our mouths…

This applies to coaches too!

Ephesians 4:29  (NKJV)

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

He clearly…

It seems that social media has revealed how much some people didn’t pay attention when they were being taught grammar in school. It’s amazing how people sometimes type the way they talk. Plus, understanding grammar and sentence structure is key to getting good understanding of scripture.

Think about how much one comma totally changes the meaning of this sentence…

Luke 23:43  (NKJV)

⁴³ And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:43 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴³ And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The first example is written in the NKJV. It implies that you will be in paradise today.

In the second example, I moved the comma. It implies that the statement is being said today, but not necessarily that you will be in paradise today.

Saying or…