• 

Have you ever noticed in Matthew Chapter 23 that the religious leaders told Yeshua, Jesus, that if they had lived in the past they would not have mistreated and killed the prophets as their ancestors did?

Many people do the same thing today. They point a self-righteous finger at the Scribes, Pharisees, Chief Priests, those who shouted CRUCIFY HIM, those who worshipped the golden calf, those who bowed to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol God, and so on. People prove on which side of history they would have stood in the past by their attitudes, actions, and behavior today.

Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, sharply rebuked the religious leaders (the system) because they claimed if they had lived in the past, they would not have participated in killing the prophets as their ancestors did. He told them that they SHARED IN THE GUILT OF THEIR ANCESTORS because of their attitudes and actions TODAY…

Matthew 23:29-32 (NKJV)

²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and^[a]adorn the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

³¹ “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.

Matthew 23:29-32 (NIV)

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

People today claim they would have gone into the fiery furnace with the Hebrew slave boys, or lions’ den with Daniel, but prove they wouldn’t because they won’t take a stand for God at work, or conform to a sinful culture because they don’t want to lose their job.

People today claim they would have fled Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot, but prove they wouldn’t have because they support gay marriage and the gay lifestyle, when Yeshua clearly affirms that marriage is between a man and woman in Matthew Chapter 19 verses 3-9.

People today claim they wouldn’t have participated in worshipping a graven image or calling out the name of an idol, but they prove they would have by blasphemously calling a day to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior by the name of a pagan goddess (Easter, Eostre, Ishtar, Ashtoreth).

Exodus 23:13  (NKJV)

¹³ “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

People today prove where they would have stood during the American Civil Rights Movement…

People today prove if they would have considered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be a great man or a trouble maker…

People today prove if they would consider the peaceful protests to be a means to change or a nuisance…

People today prove whether they would have supported a system of slavery or against it by how they hold on to the symbols and paradigms of a sinful heritage of oppression, rape and separation of families because they feel it honors their ancestors.

People today prove whether they would have placed ‘traditions of man’ over the word of God (flags, statues, monunents, hazing, etc…

Matthew 15:1-8 (NKJV)

15 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ² “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

³ He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, saying,‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother,“Whatever profit you might have received from me isa gift to God”— ⁶ then he need not honor his father^[a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the^[b]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

⁸ ‘These people ^[c]draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.

How you respond to the teachings of Yeshua the Messiah today proves how you would have stood back then…

People today prove whether they would have shouted HOSANNA or CRUCIFY Him!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

There are countless people who have used drugs, alcohol and other forms of personal abuse to help them cope and ‘escape’ from the severe storms of life. And, we find ourselves often celebrating those who have climbed out of the abyss of personal abuse successfully…as we should. Doing so is a great accomplishment.

Disappointment…

Depression…

Betrayal…

Loneliness…

Chronic Pain…

Abuse…

There are countless factors that have led people to turn to drugs and alcohol to both confront and avoid the demons that are attacking them emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

This piece is not meant to belittle or diminish those who have conquered their drug and alcohol demons, but to ALSO celebrate those who have gone through life’s darkest days without turning to drugs or alcohol.

Do you know anyone like that? Has it been you? Is that you now?

Rather than turning to drugs or alcohol, many have turned to the therapy of…

Good memories…

Good music…

Creativity…

Family…

Friends…

And of course their faith in God through Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

It’s easy to say, “Just give it to God”, but how do you do that?

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Part of growing in relationship with God is learning to…

1. First tell Him, “I can’t handle this alone, please help me!”

2. Pray for the strength to carry the emotional, physical and spiritual load that God has assigned to you.

3. Realize that you may never truly have ‘closure’. Accept that you will have to deal with the physical and emotional pain for the rest of your life.

4. Accept that some thoughts will never stop making you feel horrible, even decades in the future.

5. And most of all realize that your real battle isn’t physical. It’s bigger than the disappointments, depression, betrayal, loneliness, abuse, and sometimes chronic pain. Those demons aren’t just figurative, but literal…

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of ^[a]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV)

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not ^[a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Sometimes we find ourselves trying to have closure… trying to get past ‘it’… trying to erase the memories and pain…

When we should be asking God for the strength to deal with those dark moments.

Is it easy? No!

Has everyone mastered it? Of course not. Even many of the ‘spiritually mature’ haven’t.

But, to those who have decided that they would not succumb to the temptation of drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, or other forms of personal abuse to deal with their personal ‘hell’…

You lay awake at night…

You cried tears that no one saw…

You went to work…

You cooked dinner…

You smiled through your pain…

You ignored phone calls…

You put one foot in front of the other…

You prayed…

You studied His word…

You cried out to Him…

You trusted Him more than yourself…

You discovered what, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” really means.

If that’s you…

WE CELEBRATE YOU!

Please share this with someone you know who has overcome their dark days without turning to darkness.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

As a child, did you ever play with a top? If so, when you spun the top it fun to watch it move around the top of a table. You allowed the top to spin on its own. If it got close to the edge of the table, you had the choice to intervene and stop it from falling, or you could allow it to fall. Now imagine if that top had its own consciousness and will.

Many people, even believers, ask how can a good, loving God allow evil to exist in the world. This is one of the spiritual realities that is difficult for our human intellect, not matter how sophisticated, to understand…

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NASB)

⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God created us for relationship. Real relationship. He doesn’t want robots, He wants to be loved. That’s why we want love and affirmation because we were created in His image. If God forced us to love Him, or if He forced us to believe, that love would not be genuine. If our actions were forced, they would not be from our hearts.

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One spiritual reality is that you can’t have good without evil. In order to have the reality of good, there must be also the reality of it’s absence. Another spiritual reality is that if good always exists, then evil must also always exist, otherwise how would we know that ‘good’ is ‘good’. The good thing is that God has the power over both.

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There must be a means for both good and evil to manifest for be displayed and exist. There must be a place for both to ‘reside’,

So, God gives us FREE WILL to come and go… to think for ourselves… to believe…to love… to reject…and to choose evil.

1. FREE WILL

Look at us, people, as that top spinning on the table. As we spin, if we have our on consciousness and will, we have a choice to choose where we spin on that table. We have the choice to choose good, and we have the choice to choose evil. If God forced us to choose good it would not be free will. God reserves the right to STOP us from falling off the table…to catch us if we fall…or to put us back on the table if we fall. Notice that when the end of time comes, God is not DESTROYING evil, He will SEPARATE good from evil…

Revelation 20:10-15 (NKJV)

¹⁰ The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where^[a] the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before ^[b]God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second ^[c]death. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

It was the devil’s, who was originally an angel, choice to choose evil. That choice thus made him the personification of evil. He was the first to choose it, and it is in Him it resides.

John 8:44  (NKJV)

⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Any ‘villain’ in biblical history wasn’t cursed by God to be evil. Their heart made them an ideal place for evil to reside. From Pharaoh to Ahab to Jezabel to Judas to Herod…to Hitler, they chose evil. They were not ‘victims’ of God doomed to evil. Their hearts made their ‘house’ a comfortable home for evil.

2. HE USES BOTH GOOD AND EVIL FOR HIS PURPOSE

God uses everyone and everything He creates for His purpose. Sometimes He has to discipline those whom He loves, and those who choose Him. Sometimes He allows bad things to happen as judgment and as a consequence of people choosing evil to prove He is sovereign. Sometimes this is done through a natural disaster, but sometimes He does it through people. It was prophesied that the Lord would be betrayed. God was not going to use anyone who ‘chose’ good to do this, so Judas made himself that choice because of his heart…

John 17:12 (NKJV)

¹² While I was with them ^[a]in the world, I kept them in ^[b]Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is ^[c]lost except the son of ^[d]perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

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There were several occasions God used those who chose evil to fulfill His purpose…

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Exodus 14:4  (NKJV)

⁴ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

Isaiah 10:5-12  (NKJV)

⁵ “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
⁶ I will send him against an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
⁷ Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
⁸ For he says,
‘Are not my princes altogether kings?
⁹ Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
¹⁰ As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
¹¹ As I have done to Samaria and her idols,
Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ ”

¹² Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has ^[a]performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.”

3. GOD HAS AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

I love the way that the Complete Jewish Bible translation refers to eternity as eternity past to eternity future…

Psalm 90:2  (CJB)

² Before the mountains were born,
before you had formed the earth and the world,
from eternity past to eternity future
you are God.

God exists outside of time. He has not beginning or end. WHY GOD DOES NOT NEED AN ORIGIN STORY… So, everything God does is from an eternal perspective. No matter how ‘bad’ things may be for us now whether it be war, sickness, disease or disaster, He uses it for His purpose because He knows that even 1000 years from now, when we are experiencing eternal joy with Him, that the temporary ‘ugly things’ of life and time will not even matter. His eternal perspective can see that top spinning on the table, and He already knows that if it falls He will pick it up, or when the table is no more, He will hold the top in His hand.

Romans 8:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

1 Corinthians 2:9  (NKJV)

⁹ But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

So, when we see the extreme evils in the world… When we see the tragedy of children with horrible illnesses… When we see those who are evil doing what they please with what appears to be impunity… We must still trust God and know that He is working what is sometimes difficult for us to understand for His eternal purpose…

Ecclesiastes 5:8 (NKJV)

⁸ If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent ^[a]perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

Remember, that as we spin on the table, God’s eyes are always on us (El Roi: The God Who Sees Me). Choose Him. Trust Him. Love Him, Work for His purpose and He will work all things out for our good…even when we don’t understand.

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.

Many Americans are afraid of losing their freedoms, and point their fingers at the ‘blatant, overt sinners’ in the land.

However, if you study the bible carefully, Israel lost their freedom and were oppressed and exiled not because of the ‘non-believers’ or heathens, (we are all sinners saved by grace) but because of the idolatry, hypocrisy, compromise and pride of believers.

God rebuked them for refusing to reject the ‘sins of their fathers’.

Leviticus 26:40-42 (NKJV)

⁴⁰ ‘But ^(A)if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me,

⁴¹ and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies;

if their ^(B)uncircumcised hearts are ^(C)humbled, and they ^(D)accept their guilt—

⁴² then I will ^(E)remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember;

I will ^(F)remember the land.

Too many ‘Christians’ are pointing their fingers at unbelievers and those they consider to be ‘worse sinners than them’ instead of repenting of their pride, arrogance and self righteousness, much like the Pharisee in the parable of The Pharisee and The Publican …

Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness^(A) and looked down on everyone else,^(B) Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray,^(C) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself^(D) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast^(E)twice a week and give a tenth^(F) of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast^(G) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’^(H)

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(I)

Remember, God Himself said national restoration wouldn’t take place through the repentance of ‘sinners’, but the repentance of those who consider themselves to be His.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ if My people who are ^(A)called by My name will ^(B)humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, ^(C)then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Remember, PRIDE is the first mentioned among the 7 deadly sins and the ‘parent’ sin to countless others.

If you’re afraid of losing your freedom, maybe you should put your pride in check.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

If you feel God is placing it on your heart to move, to act, to do something. Test it by the Word of God, pray for wisdom, guidance and protection…then move!

I learned this lesson the hard way several years ago…

One morning 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 only that, He felt God had called Him to be a minister.

After being released he, came to church and was given the opportunity to preach his first sermon, “Are You Lame” from Acts Chapter 3. His sermon was very good. He then told me he was anxious to go and witness to the people he used to ‘run with’. Those who were his ‘partners in crime’…both figuratively and literally.

I told him, “I admire your passion to reach back and grab them, but PLEASE don’t do it until you’re strong enough, so you aren’t drawn back in. I then reminded him of the warning in the bible…

Galatians 6:1

 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 

 And also,

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)

 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

He did in fact try to reach back, and unfortunately, he got drawn back in. That’s why he was calling me from jail.

Well, as I said…He asked me to come and talk to him that morning, and I told him that I would as soon as I got out of church.

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While I was in church, he hung himself and died.

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My church should have been at the jail that morning.

I let him down…

I let God down…

For religion…

For duty…

For tradition…

For ‘a form of Godliness’…

I missed the entire puropse of what church equips us to do. (Ephesians 4:12)

I missed an opportunity to save a life.

This is one of the reasons Jesus said…

Matthew 9:13 (NKJV)

 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’^[a] For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”^[

This is one of the reasons the bible says…

James 2:15-17 (NKJV)

 ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ 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? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

This is one of the reasons the bible says…

1 John 3:17 (NKJV)

 ¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

 And most definitely why Jesus said…

Matthew 25: 31-40 (NKJV)

 ³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy^[c] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

God told me to move that morning and I ignored Him, because I felt I was doing the right thing. But, had I looked closer at the word of God…I would have quickly gone to the jail.

If you feel God is placing it on your heart to move, to do something, to bless someone, to pray for someone…test it by His word…pray for wisdom, guidance and protection…and do it.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Why?

Why do we ‘bite and devour’ one another? Why do we continue to repeat the same mistakes of history, even when we know them

Galatians 5:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

People love to say, “If you don’t know your history, you are condemned to repeat it.”

However, simply knowing history and even learning ‘what happened’ does not prevent us from going down those same paths to destruction.

God continually reminded Israel of the mistakes of their ‘fathers’, but they continued to ‘repent then repeat’, sometimes only one generation later. Go back and read Psalm 78, 1st and 2nd Chronicles and 1st and 2nd Kings.

James 4:1-6 (NKJV)

4 Where do ^[a]wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires forpleasure ^(A)that war in your members? ² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and ^[b]war. ^[c]Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ^{3 (B)}You ask and do not receive, ^(C)because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ^{4 [d]}Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that ^(D)friendship with the world is enmity with God? ^(E)Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ^(F)“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”

Pride,

Greed,

Lust,

Jealousy,

Fear,

Hatred,

Aggression,

Revenge,

Unchecked anger.

The one lesson from history that we never seem to learn is to control our emotions.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NKJV)

^{31 (A)}Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, ^[a]clamor, and ^(B)evil speaking be put away from you, ^(C)with all malice. ³² And ^(D)be kind to one another, tenderhearted, ^(E)forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

We all know that God expects us to love everyone, even our enemies. And, we also know that’s not always easy to do. Sometimes peoples’ actions can take us beyond not just liking them.

There are people who clearly don’t like us, people who don’t have the same beliefs, values and opinions. People who we feel don’t respect our traditions, heritages and cultures. Those who unapologetically work against us and try to hurt. People who hate us.

Well, the fact that God forbids us to hate people hasn’t changed, but He does allow us to hate THINGS about people. So, the next time you look at someone in such intense anger that hate begins to fill your heart, here are a few things that it’s okay to hate ABOUT people…

Their behavior…

Their attitude…

Their habits…

Their clothes…

Their taste…

Their traditions…

Their temper…

Even the organizations and institutions they create.

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Everything mentioned above can be hated without hating the person. How do I know that? Because God, who loves all of us, also hates some things about us too…

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Proverbs 6:16-19  (NKJV)

¹⁶ These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to ^[a]Him:
¹⁷ A^[b] proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

But, He never lets what He hates about us provoke Him to hate us, even when we’re His enemies…

James 4:4  (NKJV)

^4 [a]Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Romans 5:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

We were created in God’s image. He hates stuff too. He just doesn’t hate us…ever. So, the next time you feel your natural God-given emotion to hate fill your heart, do these five things…

1. Stop and focus on what it is you hate ABOUT them.
2. Focus on that or those things.
3. Ask God to help you love the person.
4. Then sincerely pray that God strengthens them in the areas you hate, and to open your eyes if you’re wrong.
5. Ask God to help you love them through the things you hate about them, just like He loves you through those things He hates about you.

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You see. Learning to love people through the things we hate about them gives us the opportunity to be more like God.

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These posts about may also bless you too…

HOW YOU DON’T HAVE TO HATE SOMEONE TO NOT LOVE THEM…

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE…

NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID, GOD DOESN’T ALLOW YOU TO HATE THEM…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

An intangible is something with no physical substance. It can’t be touched or seen…it’s immaterial.

God is intangible…we can’t see Him, but His creation is evidence of His presence…everywhere.

Romans 1:20

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

It’s interesting that it’s the intangibles in life that are so valuable, that those things that hold so much value can NEVER…

Be bought, but are yet so valuable…

Be seen, but are most real…

Be held, but fill you up…

Be touched, but touch you…

They’re God’s TANGIBLE INTANGIBLES.

They’re like God..not physical, or material…Just like God, they can’t be seen, but they leave so much evidence of their presence. Think about it…

Love…

Faith…

Joy…

Hope

Peace…

Patience…

Kindness…

Self-control…

I’m sure you can think of more.

They’re nouns that can’t be seen…

They’re verbs that pack so much power…

They’re from God, and He transfers them from His spirit to ours.

It’s a gradual, but sudden transfer as you feel yourself going from…

Unloved to loved…

Faithless to faithful…

Sad to Joyful…

Hopeless to Hopeful…

Chaos to peace…

Impatience to patience…

Mean to Kindness…

Undisciplined to disciplined…

You can’t see it, touch it, smell it, buy it, or sell it…

They change you…

They change your world…

They change the world of everyone around you…

They allow the world to see God in you…

They’re God’s TANGIBLE INTANGIBLES…

AND THEY’RE MORE REAL THAN ANYTHING YOU CAN SEE OR FEEL!

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

1 Corinthians 13:13

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

Two of the most common insults in today’s society is calling someone COUNTRY or GHETTO!

People use these insults to call people…

Low-class…

Lazy…

Not fashionable…

Not ‘cultured’…

‘Slow’…

Uneducated…

Sheltered…

Not progressive…

And, the list goes on and on.

However, people who look down on these demographics of our population could actually learn a lot from them…

Some of the strongest parents are in the COUNTRY and GHETTO…

Some of the strongest families are in the COUNTRY and GHETTO…

Some of the most resilient and focused students are in the COUNTRY and GHETTO…

Some people in the COUNTRY and GHETTO have the most grit, determination, commitment to those who are important in their lives.

Some of those with the strongest integrity and character are in the COUNTRY and GHETTO…

Some of the strongest values are in the COUNTRY and GHETTO.

And most of all, some of the strongest FAITH in GOD is in the COUNTRY and GHETTO!

I grew up in a small town that had many of the big-city problems on a smaller scale, such as drugs for example. Everyone knows the correlation between drugs sand crime.

However, there was one difference. When I grew up, there were also drug addicts of every race just as in the city, but EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY in my small town. So, no matter how bad their drug habit was, they kept some sort of job to support their habit. And remember, smaller towns have fewer job opportunities. The result…less drug-related crime. Also, that sense of community led to people helping one another when in need rather than just turning their nose up at them. Those are distinct cultural differences.

As much as people in big look down on ‘trailer parks’. In smaller towns, those people who live in the smallest most humble trailers aren’t homeless.

One of the things that attracts people to ‘gang’ culture is the sense of belonging and loyalty. How much loyalty and what sense of belonging do you find in corporate America, politics, manufacturing, education, or in some of the most ‘affluent’ and ‘upper-class’ neighborhoods?

Some of the strongest family ties are in the COUNTRY and GHETTO. There are people who work two and three jobs to make sure their families are taken care of.

Many people label the ghetto as being filled with ‘deadbeat‘ dads because they say they aren’t there for there kids and don’t support their children.

However, I can’t count how many ‘professionals’ who are ‘deadbeat’ parents because even though they have the same address as their children, they are absent in their lives as they prioritize career over family…sometimes throwing money at their children to replace true parenting.

Many country and ghetto families keep their heads to the sky…knowing the only one they can truly trust with their lives, families, safety and future is God.

Remember what the Bible says…

James 2:5 (NKJV)

⁵ Listen, my beloved brethren: ^(A)Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be ^(B)rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom ^(C)which He promised to those who love Him?

I was raised in a small town and protect many of those values that were instilled in me. I’m unapologetically COUNTRY!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

How much of yourself…your time do you give to others?
Here on earth, time is life. You can get back lost money, but you can never get back time.

When you sacrifice your time for someone, you’re giving away part of your life. Ask any caregiver.

Jesus said….

John 15:13

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

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YOU DON’T HAVE TO DIE TO LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR SOMEONE…

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Many have given up their dreams so that someone else can pursue theirs.

There are those who spend and have spent years taking care of others…serving others. Serving others is giving up your time for someone else.

Who in your life is giving up their time for you?

Who are your sacrificing your time for?

One of the greatest measures of love is giving up what you can never get back…TIME.

BE BLESSTIFIED!