TBT: I miss this kitchen, and every meal that came from it.
I miss the hands that prepared those meals with love.
I miss the aroma of yeast on Saturday mornings as she prepared her light, fluffy yeast rolls (we never had biscuits).
I miss the voice, the humming that provided the soundtrack of my childhood.
These thoughts are therapy for me, peaceful escapes to priceless memories
I will always cherish. All this took place in a kitchen, in a house, on a hill, on the south side of Lexington TN. I love you Dorothy M. Johnson!
My maternal grandmother wouldn’t let me take one bite from that kitchen without giving thanks to God. She introduced me to true worship.
2 Timothy 1:5ย (NKJV)
5ย when I call to remembranceย theย [a]genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois andย your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
Jesus told His disciples that there will always be poor peopleโฆ Matthew 26:11(NKJV) 11 For you have the poor with you always, butMe you do not have always.
How many times have you made eye contact with a poor person, a beggar, a homeless person, and you quickly looked away because you didnโt want to be bothered? You had enough money to help one of their immediate needs. Of course you couldnโt โsave themโ, but you could give them one mealโฆa pair of shoesโฆa room for one night.
Often we donโt help because we say theyโre scam artists, or reason that they brought their situation on themselves and, yes we must use wisdom and discernment in how we give.
But, I do want to remind you though that God has given us the responsibility to showing kindness to those who are in need.
What is the beginning? When did everything ‘start’?
Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Time/tฤซm/noun (Oxford Online Dictionary)
1.the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.”travel through space and time”
2.a point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon.”the time is 9:30″
If you are a parent who believes in the the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting through our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) you have heard this question in some form…
“Where did God come from?”
“When was God born?”
“Who created God?”
I know most of you already know this, but please humor me so I can make my point. Besides, even the Apostle Peter let us know that we sometimes have to be reminded of what we already know…
2 Peter 1:12-13 (NKJV)
12For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this [a]tent, to stir you up by reminding you,
God introduced Himself to the world of many beliefs and many ‘gods’ through the perspective of a people He raised up to create a faith. FAITH, NOT RACEโฆ
He created this people through a man named Abram, later changing his name to Abraham…
Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV)
โGet out of your country, From your family And from your fatherโs house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.โ
I love the way that the bible refers to God as “The Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting” in so many places. Yes, it’s a mouthful. Yes, it’s a lot to type, but it is exactly who He is…
Psalm 41:13 (NKJV)
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.
Psalm 106:48 (NKJV)
48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, โAmen!โ
Praise the Lord!
That is the New King James Version but, look at how the Complete Jewish Bible says it…
Psalm 41:14 (CJB)
14 (13) Blessed be Adonai the God of Israโel from eternity past to eternity future.
I love that…“from eternity past to eternity future”. The thought of eternity past infers that there was NO BEGINNING.
God does not require a beginning. He does not require a birth. He does not require an origin. Why?
Because He exists outside of time.
God, Adonai, our Elohim is an eternal being that was never created. He has consciousness, emotions, feelings and the ability to communicate…but no recognizable form that our eyes can understand. GOD IS NOT โTHE UNIVERSEโ & THE โUNIVERSEโ IS NOTย GODโฆ
God created TIME for our benefit. So we can measure and have context to our lives, history and the future.
Galatians 4:4-7 (CJB)
4but when the APPOINTED TIME arrived (IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME), God sent forth his Son. He was born from a woman, born into a culture in which legalistic perversion of the Torah was the norm, 5 so that he might redeem those in subjection to this legalism and thus enable us to be made Godโs sons. 6 Now because you are sons, God has sent forth into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, the Spirit who cries out, โAbba!โ (that is, โDear Father!โ). 7 So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son you are also an heir.
Think about it. Even when scientists who say the universe BEGAN with a BIG BANG, you can ask, “Okay, what was there before the BIG BANG?”. One could very easily reason that when God said, “Let there be…” there was a noise and physical manifestation.
Some things are difficult for even the ‘greatest’ scientific minds to understand, and one of those things is TIME. After all, I think of science as our attempt to give a physical explanation to a spiritual world.
The fact is there are some things we won’t understand until Yeshua returns and we share in His eternal kingdom.
Look at the mess we’ve made of the world. Look at the mess we’ve made of time. Just think of how bad it would be if God gave us the ability to understand eternity.
God doesn’t need a beginning because He IS the beginning.
You’re trying to hear something on television, on your phone, on the radio, or whatever and someone keeps talking loud…
One of your favorite songs comes on, or something’s being said that you really want to hear…
You want them to be quiet, but you don’t want to tell them to be quiet…
So what do you do? To give a subtle HINT, you lean into what you’re TRYING to hear and SQUINT.
Someone is talking to you but they aren’t talking loud enough. It’s becoming annoying, so what do you find yourself doing…Leaning in and squinting your eyes.๐คฃ
If you want to REALLY make someone listen…whisper.
Squinting your eyes says, “I can’t hear you!”
Squinting your eyes is saying nonverbally, “I’M TRYING TO LISTEN!”
1 Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Then He said, โGo out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.โ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.
Itโs frustrating when we feel all of our hard work and accomplishments are being ignored.
Iโm not talking about overlooked or not noticed.
Iโm talking aboutโฆBEING IGNORED.
Think about the people and the things you yourself have ignored. You noticed them, but made a conscious choice to either try your best not to notice or try your best not to ACKNOWLEDGE that you noticed.
Why do we do that? Many times itโs because…
We feel itโs something BENEATH us.
We feel itโs something BETTER than us.
OR,
Itโs presenting us with something essential to our growth
that we arenโt ready to accept yet.
Godโs people read and hear His word then choose to ignore it every dayโฆ
Hosea 4:6a
(NKJV)
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledgeโฆ
Rejecting the knowledge that God presents to us is ignoring it.
But, just as I stated in the video above, sometimes the ultimate acknowledgment is being ignored.
Embrace it when you know that you are purposefully being ignored.
Let it be confirmation that you are doing exactly what God called you to do.
Let it inspire you to push further and dig deeper into your purpose.
Let it provoke the passion to give them more to ignore.
Remember, you canโt ignore something that you havenโt first noticed.
The fact that you can remember the things that you have ignored proves that a seed is always planted. And, if it’s His will, God will give increase in His timing.
17 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
But, many of the people who you may think are IN your circle, may actually be ON it.
Check out the short video and this link to the original post…
When we’ve been hurt really bad, I mean REALLY BAD, forgiveness can be very difficult. Sometimes we don’t even want to see them.
When and if they feel godly sorrow for what they’ve done and want to ask us for forgiveness, we sometimes find ourselves not wanting to hear them out.
We have all been on both sides of this situation. We have both had to give and seek forgiveness.
When we are the one who has been wronged, it takes great humility and strength to put aside the pain of how we’ve been hurt to grant forgiveness to the one who has hurt us, but remember this…
IT TAKES JUST AS MUCH STRENGTH AND HUMILITY TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS AS IT TAKES TO GIVE FORGIVENESS.
Asking forgiveness involves admitting we are wrong, swallowing our pride, and dealing with the pain that we have caused to the person we are asking forgiveness.
It’s easier to forgive, when we remember how it feels to be the one who needs forgiveness.
Colossians 3:13 (ESV)
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
When it comes to sex, married couples aren’t in the mood at the same time.
“I have a headache.”
“I’m tired.”
I’m mad.”
It’s a given couples won’t be on the same page sexually all the time, but the bible gives some sound advice and a good reason (warning) why in 1 Corinthians Chapter 7…
1 Corinthians 7:3-5 (NKJV)
3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Hey! Don’t kill the messenger:-)
Notice I did say, “sometimes”. Of course you should always talk to you spouse and consider how he or she feels.
TOUGH LOVE. We want to make sure we aren’t ENABLING their dysfunction. We can’t let the dysfunction and evil of some bring us down with them…can’t let their issues infect our home.
Many times we’ll say, you have to let some people hit ROCK BOTTOM as the PRODIGAL SON (Luke 15:11-32) did and COME TO THEMSELVES.
But we must pray for wisdom and discernment and realize that the ROCK BOTTOM scenario may be a case-by-case basis.
Some people are STRONGER IN THEIR WEAKNESSES than others. For every PRODIGAL who CAME TO THEMSELVES, there are also those who never did.
ROCK BOTTOM didn’t shock them to their senses.
ROCK BOTTOM wasn’t a wake up call.
ROCK BOTTOM didn’t turn them around.
Everyone may not be equipped to handle ROCK BOTTOM.
Do you know anyone who died out there in their HOG PEN?
We must pray for wisdom and discernment when dealing with our challenged loved ones. Sometimes we have loved ones who are good people with a good heart, but they just can’t get it together. Sometimes we have loved ones that have been so HURT by the world, that it may have critically damaged their abilities to cope. We must ask for God’s guidance in which ones we must LET GO, and which we must BEAR THE INFIRMITIES and FAILINGS of the WEAK.
We have all been hurt, wronged, betrayed, mistreated, let down, disappointed. used and abused. It’s a part of life. Sometimes we feel we have been wronged when the other person of people actually meant no real harm. Sometimes we feel we were wronged when the other person or persons was actually doing something for our own good. Sometimes it’s us who was in the wrong.
In many situations we can’t change how we are treated, but we can always control how we react to when we are treated badly….ALWAYS.
So, I have a quick reminder for you. God expects to not only forgive, but have an attitude of forgiveness, even when the other person doesn’t seem as though they are sorry.
Have you ever had a person apologize to you and you weren’t ready to hear it? You want to remain angry…
YOU’RE HOLDING A GRUDGE, AND GOD AIN’T HAVING THAT!
Leviticus 19:18 (NKJV)
18ย You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people,ย but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: Iย amย theย Lord.
Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God inChrist forgave you.
Romans 12:17-21 (ESV)
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, โVengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.โ To the contrary, โif your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.โ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
GRUDGE (Oxford Online Dictionary)
Noun: A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury.โshe held a grudge against her former bossโ.
Grudges birthed from pride. Grudges require huge amounts of mental, emotional and spiritual bandwidth. You can’t be grateful, thankful, forgiving, joyous, kind, or love the way God requires while holding a grudge. Grudges our a spiritual drain and they ruin your testimony. It is impossible to move forward while you hold a grudge. The fact is…
THAT GRUDGE THAT YOU ARE HOLDING IS ACTUALLY HOLDING YOU!
How many blessings is God trying to put into your hand, but He can’t because you’re holding tightly to a grudge?
Let me first say that God never gives us a license to lie.
Wisdom and discernment are gifts of God. Discernment is an aspect of Godly wisdom.
We also know that the truth is always the truth, but we must be sensitive to God’s timing of when and how it should be revealed…of what we should say and of what we should not say…of what we should conceal and what we should reveal…but not for the sake of deception.
God protects us through wisdom and discernment…
Proverbs 4:5-6ย (NKJV)
4ย He also taught me, and said to me: โLet your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. 5ย Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Yes, even the truth has to be handled with wisdom and discernment.
DOES GOD SOMETIMES PROTECT US THROUGH THE DISCERNMENT OF WHEN TO USE ‘DECEPTION’?
The spies that Joshua sent to Jericho were protected by Rahab’s deceptionโฆ
Joshua 2:4-7 (NKJV)
4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, โYes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.โ 6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
As David fled from Saul, he was protected by pretending to be crazy…
1 Samuel 21:10-14 (NKJV)
10ย Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.ย 11ย Andย the servants of Achish said to him, โIsย this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:
โSaul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousandsโ?โ
12ย Now Davidย took these wordsย [a]to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.ย 13ย Soย he changed his behavior before them, pretendedย [b]madness in their hands,ย [c]scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard.ย 14ย Then Achish said to his servants, โLook, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?
Mary couldnot reveal who her Holy Son really was until the timeโฆ
Luke 2:16-19 (NKJV)
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely[a] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary KEPT ALL THESE THINGS and PONDERED them IN HER HEART.
Sometimes it’s best not to tell someone what was said about themโฆ
Proverbs 17:9 (NKJV)
9 He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
Proverbs 11:13 (NKJV)
13 A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
Proverbs 25:2 (NKJV)
2ย It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
God gives us the wisdom and discernment to exercise emotional labor. Which is managing our feelings and emotions in order to effectively do a job โ such as when a waiter or waitress can’t let his or her customer know how irritated they are at the customersโ rudeness.
Sometimes you can’t tell your boss how you really feel about him/her.
Sometimes you can’t tell your spouse how you feel about his or her parents.
Sometimes you can’t let those closest to you how discouraged, depressed, upset, or tired you really are.
Sometimes it’s not the right time to let people know how disappointed you are in them.
Sometimes it’s not best to reveal what’s really on your mind.
In the last days…even God Himself will send ‘deception’ only to be recognized by those who are truly connected to Him and in His in His word.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NKJV)
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason GOD WILL SEND THEM STRONG DELUSION, THAT THEY SHOULD BELIEVE THE LIE, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
God never gives us the license to lie.
But, our Heavenly Father does use everything for His purpose, even how we manage the truth. We should always handle it with the spirit of discernment, not the spirit of deception.
If you werenโt aware of the allegations against R&B singer/songwriter/musician R. Kelly, then you probably are now after the Lifetime Network documentary, โSurviving R. Kellyโ.
The show went into great detail through interviews to confirm that allegations of sexual abuse, predatory behavior and pedophilia are very serious.
There’s no question that R. Kelly had intimate relationships with many women. He admits that himself. And, itโs no question that his lust for women has gotten him in trouble. His problem is that many of these women have been underage. Heโs accused of summoning women to his โpalaceโ and abusing his power to influence them and take advantage of them. Some of the womenโs families have accused him of brainwashing their daughters. The women interviewed stated that R. Kelly abused his ‘power’ and influence to control them.
But, there is another man in history who had a love for and quite frankly, lust for many women. The bible lets us know that he was intimate with numerous women. This man was even identified as a man after Godโs own heartโฆKing David.
Acts 13:22 (NKJV)
22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, โI have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.โ
But, even though he was a man after Godโs own heart, he wasn’t perfect. None of us are.
King David was also a singer/songwriter/musician.
As he was relaxing on the roof of His palace he saw a woman bathing outside. This woman, Bathsheba, wasnโt only another manโs wife, but she was the wife of a man, Uriah, who was devoted and loyal to David. Uriah was one of the soldiers in his army. David was attracted to her and abused his power as king to summon her to his palace. In fact, David summoned many women to become his wives. Iโm sure she felt pressured to please the king, just as many of the women said they felt pressured to please R. Kelly.
After King David was intimate with Bathsheba, she became pregnant and to make a long story short, after the scheming and manipulating to hide the pregnancy didnโt work, he had Uriah killed. He then he took Bathsheba to be his wife.
We see that David and R. Kelly had some things in common,
But there was one big difference in David and R. Kelly.
As of the time that the documentary aired, R. Kelly hadnโt acknowledged or repented of doing anything wrong.
After being confronted with his sin, David repentedโฆ
2 Samuel 12:13 (NKJV)
13 So David said to Nathan, โI have sinned against the Lord.โ
And Nathan said to David, โThe Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Psalm 51:4 (NKJV)
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sightโ That You may be found just [a]when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
Davidโs repentance is what confirms he was a man after Godโs own heart.
R. Kelly has a huge library of music and some of his songs are even spiritual and sung in churches. However, there are many people today who refuse to listen to R. Kellyโs music anymore. Radio stations all over the world are refusing to play his music. There are those who are demanding to โMute R. Kellyโ. Again, Mr. Kelly has not yet acknowledged or repented of any wrong doing.
We all know that David, under the inspiration of God, wrote most of the Psalms which of course are songs. They teach us how to worship, pray, praise, celebrate and even lament.
If David was living today, even though he repented, there would be many people who would refuse to listen to or sing many of the Psalms. There would be people wanting to ‘Mute David’ because of his serious sins. But, hereโs the differenceโฆagain, David repented.
Both David and R. Kellyโs sins were revealed and made public.
We all have something in common with both of themโฆ
Everyone of us has had dark moments. Moments of which we are very ashamed.
Our shameful moments maybe not to the extreme of David and R. Kelly, but nevertheless, moments that we donโt want anyone to know about. Take a moment to think about some of the most shameful things you have done (or are still doing) and thank God for allowing them to remain secret.
If you havenโt already stopped that behavior, stop it now and repent, just like King David did.
And remember this, the same forgiveness that was available to King David is available to both R. Kelly and to all of us.
Because just like King David, you can be a man or woman after Godโs own heart, too.
I know there will be some people who will be critical of me comparing R. Kelly to David. But, God let’s us know that everything in the bible, especially the Old Testament, was written for our example…
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)
11ย Nowย [a]all these things happened to them as examples, andย they were written for ourย [b]admonition,ย upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
God’s gift of intelligence to humans is one of the characteristics that confirms that we are created in His image. It’s an aspect of His character that we too have. Not how He looks, but how He ‘is’.
Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Yes, some animals are more intelligent than others, but we, people, are His unique creation.
However, the intelligence and ability to reason, think logically and draw conclusions can sometimes be a curse. Animals’ lack of intelligence limits them pretty much to what God created them to do other than when we intervene.
It’s unfortunate when the people that God created say He’s not there, and then immediately take a breath of His air.
There are countless people every day who look at the world and universe around them, or study history and culture and decide for themselves God isnโt real, that the bible is written by man and is not the word of God. They use science to discredit God, when science is merely an attempt to give a physical explanation to a world to the spiritual.
People consider themselves to โwake upโ or be โwokeโ. When this happens, intelligence has become a curse rather than something to help us better relate to the God who gave it to us
They consider Christians as dumb, naive, silly, gullible and even foolish. But the fact is many of us are just as educated and have considered the same information that they have and still choose to believe in the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting through His Son and our Savior Yeshua, Christ Jesus. When you think someone is naive when they really aren’t, that makes you naive.
When God has given you a creative anointing, and you’re passionately sharing it with the world…
When you’re investing your time, your money, your heart, your reputation…
When your family even has to sacrifice along with you…
It can be very disappointing and discouraging when people don’t react the way you thought they would have, or thought they should have.
You know in your heart that you prayed about it, and you feel in your heart you’re doing what God called and equipped you to do…but it didn’t take off as you expected. And, sometimes it’s been years.
If you aren’t careful you can find yourself WHINING!
WHINING about the fact that you aren’t getting support…
WHINING about the fact that others’ are having the success that you would love to have, even if on the surface they don’t seem worthy…
WHINING that others’ may seem to be an over-night-success…
WHINING that others younger than you are doing so much more…
WHINING that others who haven’t worked as hard or sacrificed as much are doing so much better…
WHINING about the system that is holding you down…
WHINING about the corruption in the system and how you will make it different when you get the influence you hope to have.
WHINING! WHINING! WHINING!
I have to admit that when my wife, Gospel/Jazz recording artist Mechelle Johnson, and I first entered the Gospel music industry, I was very disappointed to have so much of what I heard confirmed. That it’s just another business. That it’s filled with people who are unholy. That it is extremely cliquish, and exclusionary…all true!
I was disappointed to see so many artist within our genre who seemed to be more concerned with begging for votes for awards than begging for souls.
And yes, I found myself complaining.
If this has ever been you too, I have a word of admonition and encouragement for US.
STOP WHINING AND DO WHAT GOD CALLED YOU TO DO!
PREACH!
TEACH!
SING!
PLAY YOUR INSTRUMENT!
WRITE!
BLOG!
PARENT!
MENTOR!
LEAD!
LEAD! Yes, it is not a good example when The President of the United States, leaders and Pastors are whining about how bad they are being mistreated. Just as the bible says “Endure hardship as a good soldier of Yeshua the Messiah 2 Timothy 2:3…SHUT UP AND LEAD!
WORK WITHOUT WHINING!
Notice in the bible when the leaders God called began to whine how He told them to get up, snap out of it, and get to work…
Joshua 7:6-10 (ESV)
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, โAlas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?โ 10 The Lord said to Joshua, โGet up! Why have you fallen on your face?
Notice how God doesn’t allow us to mope and whine after He as disciplined us…
Hebrews 12:10-12 (NKJV)
10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no [a]chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,
When you read your bible, the people complained against Moses for 40 years in the wilderness.
The apostles would have loved to have captive audiences rather than getting run out of town and beaten.
And, most of all, Yeshua our Messiah (Jesus Christ) went to the cross, and though He has already arisen from the dead, He is still waiting on His glory and giving more people time to come to God through Him.
The fact is, if our Savior can wait to receive His glory, so can we.
Remember this, If you truly believe that God is in control, and you truly trust Him, you will reach everyone He intends for you to reach in His timing.
Joshua 1:6-7 (NKJV)
6ย Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shallย [a]divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.ย 7ย Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the lawย which Moses My servant commanded you;ย do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you mayย [b]prosper wherever you go.
Okay, I consider my wife and I to be experts on marriage, licensed by over 32 years of ups and downs. Is our marriage perfect? No, but we are perfect for each other.
Even the marriages in the bible were far from perfect. Just go back to Genesis and read about Abraham and Sarah. Neither of them always made the right decisions.
Genesis 16:1-4 (NKJV)
16 Now Sarai, Abramโs wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, โSee now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall [a]obtain children by her.โ And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abramโs wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her [b]eyes.
Experience has taught us however, how to make the UPs in marriage higher, and the DOWNs less low.
Keep your marriage fun as much as you can through…
MUSIC
What’s ‘your song(s)’? Always remember those songs you used to listen to when you fell in love. Make the music you both love the soundtrack of your marriage, time stamping the years with fond memories that only the two of you share together. No matter how spiritual you are, enjoy romantic, fun and festive songs in your marriage. No matter how much you love God, He doesn’t expect you to get romantic while listening to “Amazing Grace”.
Remember, without music, life would be all talk!
LAUGHTER
Laughter is a gift from God. Never stop doing things to make one another laugh. The longer you live together, the more you learn how to make each other’s smiles turn into sometimes uncontrollable laughter. Make the most of every opportunity to laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourselves too seriously.
Your laughter will be a testimony to the world of the joy in a Godly marriage. Others will notice and be encouraged.
Psalm 126:2 (NKJV)
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the [a]nations, โThe Lord has done great things for them.โ
A LITTLE WINE
So many Christians think drinking alcohol is a sin. They are quick to proclaim, “I don’t drink!”
However, when you read the bible in both the Old and New Testaments, wine is a part of life and enjoyed in the bible.
One of the reasons that the religious leaders called Yeshua a ‘winebibber’ is because He drank wine. The fact is when, the wine ran out at the wedding party where he performed His first miracle, He provided the ‘next round’.
Matthew 11:19 (NKJV)
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, โLook, a glutton and a [a]winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!โ But wisdom is justified by her [b]children.โ
John 2:6-11 (NKJV)
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, โFill the waterpots with water.โ And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, โDraw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.โ And they took it.9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, โEvery man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!โ
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and [a]manifested Hisglory; and His disciples believed in Him.
Is it a sin to get drunk? YES, YES, YES, YES, YES! Getting drunk is forbidden by God…
Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
However, there are many scriptures that let us know we are free to drink wine as long as we do it responsibly.
Deuteronomy 14:26 (NKJV)
26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
Psalm 104:15 (NKJV)
15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens manโs heart.
1 Timothy 5:23 (NKJV)
23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomachโs sake and your frequent [a]infirmities.
So, find time to enhance the mood by enjoying some drinks together as long as you don’t get drunk.
Yes, marriage is work, and there will be times that you don’t even want to talk to each other, but in spite of that, the joy you share can make you marriage get better as the years go by.
Just a quick reminder that weโre never alone, and weโve never been ever alone. Remember Hebrews 1:13-14…
Hebrews 1:13-14
(NKJV)
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:
โSit at My right
hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstoolโ?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those
who will inherit salvation?
And, what Yeshua, Christ Jesus, told us in the book of Matthewโฆ
Matthew 18:10
(NKJV)
10 โTake heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say
to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father
who is in heaven.
God blesses us with heavenly โbodyguardsโ and โpersonal
assistantsโ to minister to us and protect us.
We’ve all had dark moments when we’ve done and said things of which we are now ashamed.
Weโve all had moments of weakness and times when we were not representing the glory of God. .
Sometimes we may have been in a place or with a person or people with whom we shouldn’t or sometimes we may have been at home…’alone’.
We all havenโt had the SAME shameful moments, but we have all participated in some work or works of the flesh. Which of these have you been guilty ofโฆ?
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [fmurders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
Think for a moment of some of the things that your angel has had toโฆ
Watch you doโฆ
Hear you sayโฆ
Protect you fromโฆ
Rescue you from…
Hide you from the rest of the world to keep those moments between you, your angel and God.
Stop for a moment and thank God for your own personal angel, and tell Him โIโm sorryโ for some of the things your angel had had to ‘put up with’ while taking care of you.
How many times have you looked back in retrospect, and could clearly see how God’s timing worked in your life?
Why some things happened when they did, and why others didn’t happen when you wanted.
Even Yeshua gave us a good example when He told His disciples there are some things He couldn’t tell them yet because they weren’t ready…
John 16:12 (NKJV)
12 โI still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
God tells us,
shows us,
gives us,
allows us
all in His timing!
Back in 2018 Hidden Beach Recordings, Neo-Soul artist Jill Scott’s, record label reached out and asked my wife to participate in a social media challenge called the #unwrappedchallenge, which celebrated the release in series of compilation albums.
So, she had fun putting a Gospel twist to a song originally recorded by R&B and Hip-Hop artists Ashati and Ja Rule…
It proclaims the Old School church culture cliche, He may not come when you want Him, but He’s always on time!
Arguments in relationships, families, on the job, even in church are unavoidable.
Do you know anyone who actually enjoys arguing?
On the other hand, there are others who do everything they can to avoid an argument.
Even on social media there are some people who won’t respond to you unless they disagree. In fact, social media has given people the ‘distance’ to be insulting, disrespectful, and condescending.
But no matter where the arguement takes place, there is one thing that remains true…
Many times our pride won’t allow us to stop arguing until we get in the last word, especially when we know in our hearts we are right, and sometimes when we know we are wrong.
But remember this, when Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) died on the cross, those who crucified Him went home that day thinking that they had won.
Isaiah 53:7 (NKJV)
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Matthew 27:13-14 (NKJV)
13 Then Pilate said to Him, โDo You not hear how many things they testify against You?โ 14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Notice how Joshua and Israel’s army allowed the army of Ai to thing they were winning as a strategy to defeat them…
Joshua 8:16 (NKJV)
16 So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
The one way to stop an argument is to humble enough to let someone else have the last word.
Proverbs 26:4 NKJV
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.
That’s right, plant the most important seed, make the most important point respectfully and then shut up!
Remember, letting someone else have the last word, isn’t LOSING the argument, it’s STOPPING it!
Sometimes, just as Yeshua The Messiah (Jesus Christ) did, it’s best to let them think they have won.
Have you ever been caught up in thoughts, behavior, habits, relationships, etc, that you wanted to STOP, but found STOPPING to be an enormous struggle?
Are struggling toSTOP doing something right now? Are you fighting that battle between the flesh and the spirit?
The Apostle Paul even admitted to and described this struggle…
Romans 7:18-20ย (NKJV)
18ย For I know thatย in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to willis present with me, butย howย to perform what is good I do not find.ย 19ย For the good that I willย to do,ย I do not do; but the evil I will notย to do,ย that I practice.ย 20ย Now if I do what I will notย to do,ย it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Galatians 5:16-17 (NKJV)
16ย I say then:ย Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.ย 17ย Forย the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another,ย so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Many times, in the heat of this struggle, one might ask God, “Lord, please MAKE me STOP!
Remember this, YOU MAY NOT LIKE THE WAY THAT GOD MAKES YOU STOP!
When you read God’s word, He doesn’t want us to ask Him to make us stop. When we choose sin, we are choosing sin over him. It’s a relationship decision, much like a spouse choosing a rival over his or her spouse. No one wants to make a husband or wife stop choosing someone else over them. A spouse would want their loved one to CHOOSE TO STOP seeing someone else.
God gives us the power, strength and responsibility to STOP ourselves.
Notice where God places the responsibility in these verses…
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)
12ย Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,ย LET US LAY ASIDE every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnaresย us,ย andย let us runย with endurance the race that is set before us,
Ephesians 4:31ย (NKJV)
31ย Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,ย clamor, andย evil speaking BE PUT AWAY from you,ย with all malice.
Colossians 3:8ย (NKJV)
8ย But now YOU YOURSELVES ARE TO PUT OFF ALL OF THESE: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
2 Corinthians 7:1ย (NKJV)
7ย Therefore,ย having these promises, beloved, LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
It is clear that God does not want us asking Him to make us STOP doing anything that is displeasing to Him.
A lot of laughter, a little wine, and a lot of ‘lovin’๐ฅฐ
I recently had the conversation above with my wife. My statement isn’t original, but my wife couldn’t stop laughing.
Marriage has it’s ups and downs, but never forget the reasons you fell in love, don’t stop making one another laugh, and never lose sight of what attracted you to one another.
Keep it fun and frisky๐
Hebrews 13:4 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
4ย Marriage is honorable in every respect; and, in particular, sex within marriage is pure. But God will indeed punish fornicators and adulterers.
Humility doesn’t mean that you have to let people ‘run all over you’. It doesn’t mean that they have a right to demean or belittle you, your knowledge, your experience, your character, who you are…especially just to feed their ego, or sense of pride.
It is not a sin to assert yourself as long as you do it in a Godly manner.
Look at what Job said when his friends, who were supposed to be there to comfort him, began to blame his troubles on him…
Job 12:3 (NKJV)
3 But I have [a]understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
So, if someone expects you to feed their ego by belittling you, here’s some help if you ever can’t think of what to say…
I respect you. But, I lick my lips too many times a day to kiss your behind.
After over 32 years, I’ve learned that marriage is work, especially when the wifey is handing out jobs to her hubby all day long…
Don’t forget to…
Will you please…..
Please hand me my…
Are you going to the kitchen?
Are you going out?
One day not to long ago that when I answer her phone, I going to start saying, “Hello, this is HR.”
She fell right into my trap for the punch line by asking me, “Why?”
“Because all you do is give me jobs all day long.”
But, it’s all good though because it’s the little things you do for each other is how you can really show your appreciation for one another and make marriage richer and more fulfilling.
Proverbs 31:28ย (NKJV)
28ย Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husbandย also,ย and he praises her:
The wisdom in the inspired word of God is amazing! It provides a guide, a measuring stick and a test for behavior that transcends time, culture and our own personal theologies, you know, what we CHOOSE to believe.
It’s easy to say I love you or to say I don’t love you anymore, but how do you know if it’s really love?
Well, the bible gives us an incredible test to tell whether or not behavior is actually love that we can use daily in our families, on our jobs, in our churches…in every situation.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [b]thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
If it’s not patient…it’s not love.
If it’s not kind…it’s not love.
If it’s arrogant…it’s not love.
If it’s not humble…it’s not love.
If it’s rude…it’s not love.
If it is selfish…it’s not love.
If it is easily provoked to anger, lust, greed etc,…it’s not love.
If thoughts linger on things against the will of God…it’s not love.
If it rejoices and celebrates evil people, behavior or thoughts…it’s not love.
If it isn’t willing to carry the weight of those who are weaker…it’s not love.
If it isn’t willing to endure, no matter what the difficulty, believe through when belief and faith are most challenged, hope through the the most difficult and seemingly impossible circumstances…it’s not love!
Save this. Copy and paste this. Share this. Use this every day. Look at every situation, and use this as a test to tell…Is it really love?
Many Christians say they don’t do social media, or they are getting off of social media because it’s too messy.
But, you can misuse anything…
Phone…
Television…
A piece of paper…
Even God’s word.
In fact, many people misuse God’s word to fit their own agenda.
So, how do you tell who is in harmony with God’s word when all parties involved are using it?
You can tell by the person(s) most trying to view from God’s perspectiveโฆmoving their own perspective and desired interpretation out of the way.
Use social media responsibly and, it can be a powerful tool.
And, to those who Christians that say they are unfriending, blocking and deleting so-and-so because they post too much foolishness…
Maybe he or she can benefit from your LIGHT.
Besides, if they havenโt unfriended, blocked or deleted you because of you spiritual posts, then why should you because of their ‘foolish’ posts?
After all, are you going to delete yourself from the world because of the foolishness in it?
2 Corinthians 2:4
2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully,
1 Corinthians 5:9-10
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
Have you ever noticed that some people are naturally funny? They have a wit so quick, you wonder, how could they think of that so fast.
Why?
Think about these verses in the context of laughter…
James 1:17 (NKJV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Romans 12:8 (NIV)
8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously;if it is to lead,[a] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Proverbs 17:22 (NKJV)
22 A merry heart does good, like medicine,[a] But a broken spirit dries the bones.
I’m convinced that comedy is a God-given spiritual gift of exhortation.
I mean, what is more encouraging than a good laugh? A well-placed laugh in a good sermon only helps keep the audience engaged and possibly drive a point home.
The bible tells us that one of the promises from God is that we will all see trouble during our days on this earthโฆ
Job 14:1(NKJV)
14 โMan who is born of woman
Is of few days and full of trouble.
Itโs Godโs gift of laughter that gets us through many of those tough days.
Iโm convinced that God has appointed some of us Ministers of Laughter…
So, do you know anyone with a special anointing to make the best situations better and inject some encouraging humor into the worst. Those who can make us smile when we feel like crying. Is it you?
Unfortunately, many comedians and comediennes use their gift to glorify the enemy through vulgarity and profanity, but that doesnโt mean the gift isnโt from God. Itโs just misdirected.
Are you a Minister of Laughter? If so, walk in your anointing. Youโre important to the Kingdom of God!
It happens to all of us. A situation arises where we feel we deserve an apology…but don’t get it.
Think for a moment about Jesus on the cross. As He was being brutalized and mocked, He still had enough love to say, forgive themโฆ Luke 23:34 (NKJV)
34 Then Jesus said, โFather, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.โ[a]
And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Think about the fact that Jesus offered this forgiveness and love, without an apology. It’s one thing that the Romans crucified Him, but His own people…those closest to Him consented to and called for His death.
One of the most difficult things to do is move forward with people that we feel owe us an apologyโฆespecially if theyโre someone close to us.
Yes we still have to work with and relate to people who arenโt close to you, but how do you avoid the lack of apology turning into resentment and becoming a wall in your close relationships.
You may find yourself thinkingโฆ
โHow can they be so content acting like nothing happenedโฆacting as if they didnโt hurt me?
You may have said to yourselfโฆ
โIf they loved me, they would apologize.โ
Yes, it’s not easy, but here are 9 tips to help you move forward in your relationships without an apology…
BE READY TO FORGIVE IF AND WHEN THEY APOLOGIZE. Sometimes if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t want an apology…because it takes away our excuse to be angry. If they apologize and you don’t accept it, the burden has shifted from God to you.
DON’T JUDGE THEIR APOLOGY IF AND WHEN THEY GIVE IT. When they come to you and apologize, don’t judge their apology by saying that they didn’t mean it or it wasn’t sincere. Especially if you didn’t like the tone. Don’t find yourself saying their apology wasn’t good enough. Even if they weren’t sincere…many times when we do what God has told us to do, we ‘don’t feel like it’, but God still honors our faith, effort and obedience. Sometimes when we apologize, we don’t feel like it, but in our heart we want to do what’s right.
DON’T LET THE ENEMY ‘FLIP-THE-SCRIPT’. Realize that when you remain upset because you haven’t gotten an apology, the enemy has tricked you into not forgiving them for not apologizing to you.
REALIZE THAT THEY MAY NOT BE AS SPIRITUALLY MATURE AS YOU. Apologizing isn’t easy. It takes spiritual maturity to do so. If you feel they ought to be strong enough to apologize, realize that they might not be as spiritually as you. In fact, the bible tells us the strong must bear the failings of the weak (Romans 15:1 NIV).
REALIZE WHEN YOU ‘VE GOTTEN SOMETHING BETTER THAN AN APOLOGY. Even if they haven’t apologized, if they have stopped the behavior that hurt you…if they aren’t doing the same thing anymore…if they have clearly moved on as if nothing happened…if they’ve completely turned around, but not apologized, you’ve gotten something better than an apology – you’ve gotten REPENTANCE. Think of all the people who actually apologize to God, but don’t really change.
FIND A ‘REPLACEMENT THOUGHT’ WHEN YOU THINK OF HOW THEY HURT YOU. Of course you’re going to think of what they did sometimes, which can make you angry all over again, So, when you think of what they did…When they don’t seem to appreciate your kindness…find a replacement thought. Think of the good times…the best times… Think of the sacrifices they’ve made for you…Think of kindness they’ve shown you in the past…Think of the times they made you smile…or, Think of how you’ve hurt someone and regret it.
REALIZE THAT YOU HAVEN’T APOLOGIZED FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU’VE DONE TO HURT OTHERS. Have you apologized for everything that you’ve done to hurt others? No! Because there are some people you offended and didn’t know you offended them. You can’t apologize for what you don’t know. Sometimes our words hurt, and we didn’t even know it…Sometimes our tone was not taken as we intended…Sometimes we did something hurtful and we didn’t even realize it. Those people are going on without an apology from you.
PRAY ABOUT IT! Ask the Lord to give you the desire and strength to ‘love through’ the lack of an apology. Ask God to give you a heart that doesn’t NEED an apology to move on. This is another situation where Philippians 4:13 is most powerful…”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Moving on without an apology isn’t easy, but it is possible. This is another situation where Philippians 4:13 is most powerful…
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
13ย I can do all things through Christย who strengthens me.
There’s nothing like a mother’s love…most of the time.
Sometimes a mom isn’t everything she should have been…sometimes, she is or was far from it.
Some even qualify for being called a BAD MOTHER.
So, does God expect you honor a mother who who wasn’t the best?
What does the bible say?
Ephesians 6:2 (NKJV)
2 โHonor your father and mother,โ which is the first commandment with promise:
God didn’t say “Honor your GOOD parents in the Lord”. When God said honor your father and mother, he knew some parents would not be good parents. And ALL parents make mistakes.
Why honor all mothers both ‘good’ and ‘bad’?
Because that’s who HE CHOSE to bring you into the world. He could have chosen anyone, but He chose your mother to birth you.
TOUGH LOVE. We want to make sure we aren’t ENABLING their dysfunction. We can’t let the dysfunction and evil of some bring us down with them…can’t let their issues infect our home. 
BE BLESSTIFIED! 