Luke 22:37-38  (NKJV)

37 For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’[a] For the things concerning Me have an end.”

38 So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”

And He said to them, “It is enough.”

As Jesus faced betrayal He stood in the company of His disciples…His armed disciples. But, not all of them were armed. As the scripture states, there were two swords. He didn’t say get rid of the them, but He also let them know two swords were enough.

Jesus didn’t say, “We need more swords”, and when Peter used one of them to cut off the ear of one of the soldiers confronting them, not only did Jesus rebuke Peter, He also made a Holy and profound statement that also holds true for guns and all weapons (since of course they had no guns then)…

Matthew 26:47-52  (NKJV)

⁴⁷ And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. ⁵¹ And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. ⁵² But Jesus said to him, “PUT YOUR SWORD IN IT’S PLACE, FOR ALL WHO TAKE THE SWORD WILL PERISH BY THE SWORD”.

Notice verse 52…all who take the sword will perish by it! Jesus warned of the consequence of putting too much faith and confidence in weapons. But, that’s not the only place the bible issues that warning. There’s no conjecture in saying that Jesus was exercising ‘sword control’.

Psalm 44:6  (NKJV)

⁶ For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.

Psalm 33:16-18  (NKJV)

¹⁶ No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV)

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

Ephesians 6:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

However, Jesus also uses the illustration of a man defending His home in a parable…

Luke 11:21-22 (NKJV)

²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²² But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.

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So here’s the thing. Our Lord permits and expects us to defend ourselves, but He is very clear in the fact that we should never, ever, ever put OUR faith in our weapons.

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People love saying that “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Well, God addressed that too. He is the creator who created the person who makes the weapons as well as the heart that uses the weapons to kill, so what did He say about that?

Isaiah 54:16-17  (NKJV)

¹⁶ “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

 I don’t care how big or powerful the weapon, God owns the fight based on what is in the heart of those involved. Who is your ultimate trust in…your God or your weapon.

Okay, for those who claim to be believers and live by the bible, go to 1 Samuel Chapter 17 and read how David, a young shepherd boy kills a trained, well-armed military giant named Goliath with a sling shot.

If you need more biblical evidence, go to 2 Chronicles Chapter 20 and read how Judah didn’t even have to fight even when they were out-numbered and ‘out-gunned’.

2 Chronicles 20:15-23  (NKJV)

¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

¹⁸ And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

²⁰ So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” ²¹ And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.”^[a]

²² Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. ²³ For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

So, even though the bible permits weapons, it is clear that God expects our ultimate trust to be in Him.

Either you believe Him or you don’t.

Either you trust Him or you don’t.

Either you believe His word or you don’t.

Again, Jesus told His disciples two swords were enough. He permit them to have them, but it was clear that He exercised ‘sword control’ as well.

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The truth is both sides of the gun control argument have merit. The issues are not mutually exclusive.  One side says, yes civilians should own weapons, but there should be limits to the type. The other side says, guns don’t kill people, so civilians should be able to purchase what they want with few to no limits.

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Based on what the bible says, moving your passions and feelings out of the way, and fully putting your faith in God…where do you think Jesus stands?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

 

 

 

So many people today equate humility to weakness. Our society values arrogance, self-indulgence, retribution, revenge, retaliation, aggression, threats and what is perceived as loud, strong words…all of this is the fruit of pride. And, we know what pride does to our relationship with God…

James 4:6  (NKJV)

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Even in our movies, people celebrate when the so-called ‘nerd’ finally stands up to the bully and ‘knocks him out’ to the applause of everyone watching.

That’s not what happened on the cross.

Yeshua, Christ Jesus, humbled Himself to open and public humiliation for our sins…

Hebrews 12:2  (NKJV)

² looking unto Jesus, the ^[a]author and ^[b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 Isaiah 53:3-12  (NKJV)

³ He is despised and ^[a]rejected by men,
A Man of ^[b]sorrows and acquainted with ^[c]grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely He has borne our ^[d]griefs
And carried our ^[e]sorrows;
Yet we ^[f]esteemed Him stricken,
^[g]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded^[h] for our transgressions,
He was ^[i]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes^[j] we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord ^[k]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

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.
⁸ He was taken from ^[l]prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
⁹ And ^[m]they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to ^[n]bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
^11 [o]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the ^[p]spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.

 God demands humility from His children. Humility is a sign of having faith in Him and the rejection of pride.

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God loves us enough sometimes to humble us when we refuse to humble ourselves…but it can be very painful and humiliating.

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When God humbles us, He isn’t trying to hurt us, but He is trying to help us to develop our character and walk in His Spirit. It’s a form of discipline, similar to when…

A parent has to punish a child in front of other children,

When a teacher or coach has to reprimand a student in front of others,

Or even when we’ve passed several cars speeding only to have them catch up to us while we are pulled over by an officer.

So NEVER, and I mean NEVER ask God to humble you. Just as we are encouraged in the book of James, humble yourselves so God does not have to do it for you. Don’t worry, it comes with a beautiful promise.

James 4:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

I can only speak for myself, but I think we’ve all experienced it. We have prayed to God…we have made a specific supplication…we have interceded for someone else. Then, sometimes immediately, sometimes shortly after and sometimes much later we see God answer that prayer…that supplication…that intercession, just as we asked.

Sometimes it’s exactly as we asked. While others it may not be exactly as we asked but, we can still clearly see it was an answer to our prayer.

Then it happens. That emotion that reveals our true level of faith. I’m not saying an absence of faith, but the true level of our faith. Our emotional response to God answering our prayer.

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SURPRISE

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Have you ever been surprised when God answers your prayer? Surprised when we already know what He promised…

John 14:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask^[a] anything in My name, I will do it.

Do we really believe Jesus’ promise when we pray? Now, I do know that sometimes God says “No”. For more on this read WHEN GOD USES THE ‘N-WORD’…

I do know that sometimes God answers in a manner that we totally don’t expect and I realize that even though we know that God CAN do it, we don’t know if He WILL do it.

But even at that, we should never be surprised. Be surprised if you hit the lottery. Be surprised if the team that’s the underdog wins…even be surprised if you get exactly what you want for your birthday, but we should never be surprised when God has already promised us what He will do.

Even if we know He can do it, but wonder if He will, what emotion should we feel when God answers our prayer?

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AMAZEMENT

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God wants you to be amazed. He wants to ‘blow your mind’. He wants to make you say, “Wow!” He wants to astound you and leave you in awe…because this is how God ‘helps our unbelief’.

Mark 9:23-24 (NKJV)

²³ Jesus said to him, “If you can believe,^[a] all things are possible to him who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Surprise implies that we didn’t believe. Amazement implies that we do believe.

When God answers your prayers, be AMAZED, but never SURPRISED.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)

¹¹ For the grace^(A) of God has appeared^(B) that offers salvation to all people.^{(C) 12} It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,^(D)and to live self-controlled,^(E) upright and godly lives^(F) in this present age,

“I’m only human!”

“I’m just a man!”

“I have needs!”

“God made me this way!”

These are some phrases we can find ourselves using to comfort ourselves or to explain to someone else when we have given in to sins of the flesh…especially sexual sin…

Fornication…

Adultery…

Homosexuality…

Pornography…

The bible reminds us that the ‘flesh’ wars against the ‘spirit’ and ‘spirit against the ‘flesh’. It’s a battle, therefore God knows that it’s not easy…

Galatians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)

⁴¹ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

God designed our bodies (flesh) to have sexual desire to be enjoyed within the boundaries of Godly marriage between a man and woman.

These desires are produced and regulated by our glands and our brain.

Testicles…

Ovaries…

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When we allow how we react to the hormones these glands release into our bodies to control us, we are allowing our glands to become our god.

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“I just can’t help myself!”

“I just can’t say no!”

“I just can’t stay away!”

There are some people who spend most of their time and energy thinking about sex. Even within a marriage, being obsessed with sex can be unhealthy and destructive.

The fact is that much of our society is obsessed with sex. It’s in television, social media, movies, music, art, literature…SEX SALES!

So, whether married or unmarried, we must control our sexual desires and not let them rule us. Because when something rules you, it becomes a priority, and it’s easy for what we prioritize to become our idols….our gods.

That’s why the apostle Paul asserts that he brought his flesh under subjection…

1 Corinthians 9:27 (NKJV)

²⁷ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Remember, lack of discipline over his flesh is what allowed Esau to give up his birthright and blessing. He surrendered it to his brother for a single meal (Genesis 25:29-34).

That’s why the exercise of fasting is so important. It’s bringing our bodies under subjection so that what our bodies ‘want’ and our cravings won’t rule us…we rule them.

Sometimes telling God YES is telling our bodies NO!

When it comes to the battle of HOLY vs. HORNY, the struggle is real.

Galatians 5:16-17 (NKJV)

¹⁶ I say then: ^(A)Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For ^(B)the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, ^(C)so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Don’t let your glands become your God!

Titus 3:3-8 (MSG)

^3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

This is word of admonition to those who call themselves to be believers.

The image of modern-day Christianity has been perverted by people who where pride as a necklace and their arrogance masquerades itself as confidence. Many of these people mean well, but they have been seduced by their passion against some obvious sins (namely abortion and homosexuality)…

1 Timothy 5:24-25 (NLT)

²⁴ Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. ²⁵ In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

…to excuse, justify and even indulge in the sins that aren’t as obvious or politicized such as pride, arrogance. They don’t share their faith in love. They are accused of hating those whose lifestyles they reject, while they themselves accuse others of hating the proud and arrogant personalities they support.

God used proud and arrogant nations ( namely Assyria and Babylon) to punish His people because of their idolatry, hypocrisy, assimilation, refusal of justice, violence and their arrogant leaders.

However, after using these clearly ungodly nations and ungodly rulers to punish His people, He later harshly punished Assyria and Babylon. Go back and read Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel through this context.

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The problem with many people in America who call themselves Christians is that they never see America as Assyria or Babylon…only as either persecuted or victorious Israel.

God has made a promise to those who have succumbed to pride and arrogance…

Jeremiah 50:31-32 (NASB)

³¹ “Behold, I am against you, ^[a]arrogant one,”
Declares the Lord ^[b]God of armies,
“For your day has come,
The time ^[c]when I will punish you.
³² The ^[d]arrogant one will stumble and fall
With no one to raise him up;
And I will set fire to his cities,
And it will devour all his surroundings.”

Jeremiah 50:31-32 (NKJV)

³¹ “Behold, I am against you,
O most haughty one!” says the Lord God of hosts;
“For your day has come,
^[a]The time that I will punish you.
³² The most proud shall stumble and fall,
And no one will raise him up;
I will kindle a fire in his cities,
And it will devour all around him.”

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You can’t fight against one sin by accepting and engaging in another.

Remember, pride is the first mentioned among the seven deadly sins because it is the parent sin to countless offspring sins.

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.

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before ^[a]a fall.

James 4:6 (NKJV)

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Many of those who call themselves evangelicals do not represent the true image of Christ any more than the Scribes and Pharisees them. The fact is that Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ warned to beware of their hypocrisy and teaching…

Luke 12:1 (NKJV)

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the ^[a]leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Remember that the LORD’S scathing rebukes WERE NOT FOR THE ‘SINNERS’ but those who called themselves to be religious leaders!

Think about Jesus’ response when the woman was caught in adultery. Think about how He dined with ‘sinners’. Then think about His responses to those who called themselves to be ‘religious’…

Matthew 23:13-36 (NKJV)

¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. ^14 [a]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of ^[b]hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ ¹⁷ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that ^[c]sanctifies the gold? ¹⁸ And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ ¹⁹ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? ²⁰ Therefore he who ^[d]swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. ²¹ He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who ^[e]dwells in it. ²² And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and ^[f]self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and ^[g]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. ³³ Serpents, brood^[h] of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? ³⁴ Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, ³⁵ that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

BE BEBLESSIFIED!

• 

We have all done it before. We asked God to forgive us, and promised Him that we wouldn’t do it again…then found ourselves right back in the same behavior again, and sometimes again and again.

Has this ever been you? Sure, we all have.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Whether you slipped up or carefully planned your presumptuous (premeditated sin in the 1st degree), you did NOT surprise God when you messed up.

Psalm 19:13  (NKJV)

¹³ Keep back Your servant also from PRESUMPTUOUS sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of ^[a]great transgression.

Think about this, David was ordained King and a man after God’s own heart, God already knew that we was going to see Bathsheba bathing, lust after her, abuse his authority and have her brought to him, have sex with her, get her pregnant and then carefully plan to have her husband Uriah (who was very loyal to him) killed to conceal the sin. David did not take God by surprise.

God already knew Noah was going to get drunk after he delivered him and his family in the flood (Genesis Chapter 9).

God already knew that Abraham was going to sleep with Hagar when it was taking too long for Isaac to be born (Genesis Chapter 16).

God already knew that Jacob was going to lie to steal Esau’s blessing (Genesis Chapter 27).

Yeshua already knew when He called Peter that he would deny Him three times (John Chapter 18).

And, God already knew when you accepted His Son as Lord and Savior that you would ____________________________. ( You fill in the blank. You know what you did or are doing).

Their sin didn’t disqualify them and yours doesn’t disqualify you.

Think about this. It wasn’t David’s sexual sin that disqualified him from building a house for God, as he longed to do. It was his violence (2 Samuel Chapter 7).

Notice that David’s sin did not disqualify him from being King, He did not have to surrender his ‘thrown’.

David’s sin did not mean the Psalms that God gave us through Him could no longer be sung, read or prayed.

David’s sin did not disqualify Him from being a man after God’s own heart.

Why? Because David repented (2 Samuel Chapter 12 and Psalm 51), unlike King Saul, who he succeeded. Saul never repented and He was rejected by God and lost the throne to David (1 Samuel Chapters 15-16).

The key is repentance. Yes, you may slip up. You may even stay in that sin for a season. But, the fact that you weren’t comfortable in that sin is proof that God’s Holy Spirit was convicting you. The fact that you aren’t comfortable in that sin, if you’re in it right now, is proof that the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) won’t allow you to have any peace right now. It proves that you are His.

You didn’t catch God by surprise. If you’re practicing a sin right now that you know hurts God…stop right now, before God stops you. If you have repented…be strong and don’t go back.

Be encouraged. God already knew everything you would do when He chose you!

Your sin didn’t or doesn’t disqualify you, as long as you truly repent…now.

ENCOURAGEMENT: YOUR FAILURES DON’T HAVE TO DISQUALIFY YOUR CALLING…

WARNING! DON’T ASK GOD TO MAKE YOU STOP_________.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ANYMORE…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

John 4:24 (NKJV)

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

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!

SOME OF THE BIGGEST LIES WE TELL ARE…

Not intentionally (most of the time)…have any of these come from your mouth????

I love you…

I’ll pray for you…

I’ll call you back…

That’s okay…

I’m okay…

What’s wrong? “Nothing!”…

That’s hilarious…(and you don’t laugh)

Oh yeah, I remember that…

I don’t remember…

I don’t have it on me…(when asked for money)

That tastes great…

You look great…

I like that…

I’ve got your back…

I love everybody…

I don’t see color…

I’m doing this for you…

That didn’t bother me…

I don’t even care…

I’m over it…

It doesn’t matter…

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 12…

 Matthew 12:36 (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.

Take a moment and thank God for His grace and mercy for the lies we tell…intentional and unintentional.

 BE BLESSTIFIED!

When you’re pursuing your God-given purpose,

When you’re loving and forgiving,

When you’re sharing God’s love, it frustrates the devil.

But, he has absolutely no power over your life except that what God allows…

 Job 1:12 (NKJV)

 ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ^[a]power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

God gets glory out of our lives when we overcome the devil, just as He did when He allowed the enemy to have temporary access to Job.

He bragged on Job, and sometimes God is bragging on you…

Job 1:8  (NKJV)

⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[a]considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and ^[b]shuns evil?”

That’s why sometimes frustrations come from nowhere…

Frustrations to your health…

Frustrations to your finances…

Frustrations in your relationships…

Frustrations on your jobs…

Those aches and pains. That boil on your behind. That person who has been frustrating you in traffic for the past 20 miles. That co-worker who continues to conspire against you. Those people who are insensitive, inconsiderate and unapologetic.

The devil see’s when you’re not letting those frustrations get to you. So, he sends another frustration…and another…and another, until God tells Him, “That’s enough!”

The enemy knows He has no real power over your life, so those frustrations are just him ‘giving you the finger’…

---

He’s flipping you off because you’ve pissed him off.

---

So, don’t let him get the best of you! Keep your cool. Praise God. And, let God get glory out of your story.

More BE BLESSTIFIED articles about the devil:

7 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PISS THE DEVIL OFF TODAY…

WHEN THE DEVIL GET’S ‘THE BEST OF YOU’…

WHY THE DEVIL IS NOT A PYROMANIAC…

DON’T ASK GOD TO LEAVE TO INVITE IN A DEMON (Short & to the Point)…

TRADITIONS FROM HELL…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

• 

“I wouldn’t piss on you if you were of fire!”

Have you ever heard anyone say anything similar to that? Many times when someone has hurt us, we want to see them hurt. We can find ourselves daydreaming comforting ourselves with the thought of getting even with or even hurting them, just as Easu did his brother Jacob for deceiving their father Isaac out of his blessing…

Genesis 27:42  (NLT)

⁴² But Rebekah heard about Esau’s plans. So she sent for Jacob and told him, “Listen, Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you.

Sometimes when we see misfortune come upon someone who had mistreated us, we may take pleasure in that misfortune. And, if given an opportunity we may even gloat to their face…

“That’s what you get!”

“See, you got what you deserved!”

Or even…

“God doesn’t like ugly!”

God warns us agains gloating in our enemies calamity, even if it came from Him, and even if we feel they deserve it. This is what God warned Edom when pronouncing their punishment for their violence against Israel.

Obadiah 12-13  (NLT)

¹² “You should not have gloated
    when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced
    when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly
    in that terrible time of trouble.
¹³ You should not have plundered the land of Israel
    when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction
    when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth
    when they were suffering such calamity.

Why? Because when we arrogantly celebrate someone’s misfortune, we are in direct contradiction to the word of God…

Matthew 5:44-45 (NLT)

⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies!^[a] Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Second, it’s judgement and condemnation, judging in your heart that they deserved what they got…

Matthew 7:1-2 (NLT)

7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others.^[a] The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.^[b]

We have all hurt others and sometimes we did it without knowing. Can you think of someone who you have given a good reason to hate you? Have you ever hurt someone without intending to do so? The pain is still real. When you judge someone deserves what happened to them, according to Matthew Chapter 7 verses 1 and 2, you are pronouncing that same judgment on yourself.

Also, be careful when you lie by telling someone you’re sorry to hear about their trial or misfortune when you’re really glad in your heart. Be careful when your consolation is really a celebration.

The next time you see someone getting what you feel they deserve, stop and thank God for His grace and mercy for not giving you what you deserve. And pray that their calamity brings them closer to God.

BEFORE YOU CELEBRATE THEM ‘GETTING WHAT THEY DESERVE’…

WHEN YOU COMFORT YOURSELF DAYDREAMING OF SEEING SOMEONE HURT…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

I recently shared the picture above on a social media platform. The context was just as some entrepreneurs used to frame and display the first dollar they made, I was sharing the email that led to the first music licensing contract I acquired back in 2015 with NBC Universal on behalf of The Tonight Show.

It wasn’t my skill, talent, or connections…but God suddenly and unexpectedly allowed this opportunity to fall into my lap.

I shared this on social media to give God glory, and to give hope to others pursuing their purpose, dreams and vision.

I received several positive reactions, both LIKES 👍🏾 and LOVES ❤️ .

BUT CHECK THIS OUT…

I received a private inbox message from a fellow minister who never, ever, ever acknowledges me on social media. He told me that even though I ‘blacked out’ the name of the person who sent me the licensing email, that if you BLOW IT UP, you can still see the name.

🤔

I looked back at where I posted the picture and he didn’t click LIKE👍🏾, ❤️ LOVE, or even ANGRY 😡.

He chose to ignore the reactions and BLOW UP the picture which was very intentional. It took effort.

Sooooooo, what is his behavior saying without saying?

It’s amazing how people are unintentionally transparent.

By reading between the lines, whose behavior is transparent, his or mine?

Psalm 28:3b(NIV)

³…who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.^(A)

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Should you leave your faith at home when you go to work? Remember, that Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, engaged Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew while they were busy working on their jobs.

He could have waited until they finished for the day, but he ministered to them while they were still working.

Matthew 4:18-22 (NKJV)

¹⁸ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Matthew 9:9-13 (NKJV)

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Sometimes God places disciples in the workplace to be light.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV)

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

If none of us could see the color of our skin,

would it be easier to sense, what lies deep within?

Would all of our cultural differences that we base on race,

if none of us had sight, be gradually erased?

Would it suddenly take away one of the devils’ tools,

to use us against one another, just like fools?

So if we learn to close our eyes, and see with our hearts,

that’s one less thing to keep us apart.

Mark 4:11-12 (NKJV)

¹¹ And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the ^[a]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, ¹² so that

‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Consider this…

You wake up, reach over and kiss your spouse. You then you turn on the television to check the weather and traffic. You go into the kitchen and grab a bite to eat and promptly brush, floss and take a shower so you can get out the door and be on time for work.

What’s wrong with this morning scenario?

You acknowledged your spouse…

You acknowledged the weather…

You acknowledged the traffic…

You acknowledged your hunger…

You acknowledged your hygiene (even your ‘low’giene:-)…

You acknowledged your job…

But did you acknowledge the One who made everything else you acknowledged possible?

Did you acknowledge God? Did you tell Him good morning? Did you tell Him thanks for protecting you and your family, while you were unconscious all night? Did you thank Him for waking you up? Did you thank Him for brand new mercies..

Lamentations 3:22-23  (NKJV)

This world is far too dangerous. Too unpredictable… Too evil for us to begin our day without acknowledging the God of our salvation.

Too many people say they are believers, but when they are honest with themselves, they live as if God isn’t even there.

---

We acknowledge, relate to and take seriously what is real to us.

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I believe that beginning the day without acknowledging God first thing each and every morning is the ultimate ‘intentional’ act of arrogance and pride.

We are saying, (without saying )… “I’ve got this.” “I don’t need your protection.” “I don’t need your provision.” “I don’t need your guidance.” “I don’t need your wisdom.” “I don’t need your help.”

---

In as sense we are saying, “I don’t need you today!”

---

When you love someone…when you’re in love someone, you act like it. In fact, not only do we expect the love we give be reciprocated, we demand it of one another.

We prove how real God is to us, and how much we love Him by how we relate to Him. How we talk to Him. How we fellowship with Him in His word and prayer.

Have you talked to God today? If not, why not stop right now and…Tell Him you’re sorry. Tell Him you love Him. Thank Him for His grace and mercy. And make a commitment that God is the first Person that you talk to each morning.

Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

• 

There are many ‘cliche’s among believers that have become almost as revered as scripture. Some are more common in different Christian subcultures. From “LET GO AND LET GOD” to “GOD CAN DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL”, those who call themselves to be a part of the Body of Christ encourage, admonish and hold one another accountable with several spiritual cliches. For example, saying “PRAYER WORKS” can reduce prayer to a gimmick. However, we must be very careful with how we use these phrases.

Two of the most popular of these phrases among many Christians are the cliches…

“SPEAK IT INTO EXISTENCE!” or “NAME IT AND CLAIM IT!”

These are popular spiritual inferences that are drawn from several scriptures such as:

Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)

²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 21:21 (NKJV)

²¹ So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.

We must be very careful when we take scriptures and ‘turn them into what we want’. The fact is that when we ‘add to’ what the bible says, it can often do more harm than good.

There are no bible verses that explicitly say we can simply say things and they will happen. And, inferring that some verses mean that we can ‘name it and claim it’ is a dangerous conjecture.

Here are 2 quick reasons why we should be careful before we say, “Speak it into existence” or “Name it and claim it..

1. IT CAN CAUSE SOMEONE TO QUESTION THEIR FAITH

Yes, Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), told us that whatsoever we ask according to His will, shall be done for us, but, we all know that no matter how many times we pray for something that isn’t according to God’s will, it will not happen. And, having intimate conversation with God in prayer isn’t the spiritual equivalent to arbitrarily saying something out loud so that it will happen. The fact is that a prayer doesn’t even have to be ‘spoken’ or verbalized because God knows when we are speaking to Him in our thoughts without words. So, if someone ‘speaks it into existence’ through prayer, and God doesn’t do it…it can cause someone to question their faith in both God and prayer.

2. ‘SPEAKING IT INTO EXISTENCE’ CAN ACTUALLY ‘SPEAK IT INTO RESISTANCE’

Remember that Satan, his fallen angels and his emissaries on earth are not omniscient nor omnipresent. They aren’t all knowing and can’t be everywhere at the same time. The devil or demons CAN’T know your thoughts unless you make them known to them.

Notice how the bible reminds us that Mary didn’t share what God had told her verbally…

Luke 2:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Notice how the angel of the Lord acknowledged the spiritual resistance and battle taking place in the ‘spirit world’…

Daniel 10:12-14 (NKJV)

¹² Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

The angel of the Lord dispatched to Daniel met resistance from a high ranking, territorial fallen angel identified as the Prince of Persia. The angel was delayed three weeks!

When we verbalize…

Our intentions…

Our hopes…

Our dreams…

Our frustrations…

Our anger…

…God isn’t the only one who hears it. The enemy also hears it, and just the same as a human enemy can respond to undermine, frustrate or harm you based on what you make known with your mouth…so can the devil.

Many times when we arbitrarily SPEAK INTO RESISTANCE, we’re inviting SPIRITUAL RESISTANCE.

Some things are meant to be between only you and God, spoken in the spiritual language of your heart. One of the beautiful benefits of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the fact that His Holy Spirit, (Ruach HaKadosh), speaks for us nonverbally when we don’t know what to say.

Remember, spiritual cliches are NOT scripture.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

We have all messed up some stuff in our lives…

Money…

Marriages…

Relationships…

Credit…

Reputation…

What have you messed up in your life?

We also know that even when you’re in relationship with God, there are still real consequences for sin, bad decisions and weaknesses. And even now, many of us are living out those consequences.

It’s God’s will that we learn from our experiences, the mistakes of others, and listen to good Godly advice. We must learn those lessons of…

Repentance (Completely turning from our sins and changing our behavior. Not just asking for forgiveness, but actually changing.)

Accountability (acknowledging and owning where we need to change).

Stewardship (carefully managing the resources that God has given us).

Responsibility (owing and living up to our responsibility)

Relationships ( making sure we are doing everything we can for healthy relationships with God first, then one another)

Once we learn the lessons that God requires for our growth, even though we are living out the consequences, God can still restore all of the things we have screwed up through out mistakes, if He chooses. Time after time in the bible Israel and Judah hurt God and suffered the consequences, then after crying out, He heard them and restored what they lost….after repentance.

Check out these encouraging scriptures about restoration…

Psalm 23:3  (NKJV)

³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

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

Joel 2:25-26  (NKJV)

²⁵ “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.

Isaiah 1:16-19  (NKJV)

¹⁶ “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
¹⁷ Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke ^[a]the oppressor;
^[b]Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;

Isaiah 54 (NKJV)

Sing, O barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
² “Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
³ For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.

⁴ “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
⁵ For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.
⁶ For the Lord has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.
⁷ “For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
⁸ With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹ “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
¹⁰ For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

¹¹ “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
¹² I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
¹³ All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴ In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵ Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

¹⁶ “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an ^[a]instrument for his work;
And I have created the ^[b]spoiler to destroy.
¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

Job 42:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ And the Lord ^[a]restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

If you know in your heart that you have learned from your mistakes, as well as the trials that God has allowed to arise in your life, it’s okay to ask God for restoration.

God can and sometimes will…

Restore your relationship with Him…

Touch the hearts and minds of people that you’ve hurt for restoration in relationships…

Work miracles to restore money and property that you thought will never see again…

Work situations so that your credit can be restored…

Bless you with opportunities to restore your influence and reputation.

GOD CAN DO IT IF YOU TRULY TRUST HIM!

God loves you. Just like a parent who has a baby that had a horribly messy bowel movement that leaked out of the diaper and spread all over the child’s body…the parent doesn’t throw away the child. He or she gently cleans washes the child and restores it to it’s original cleanliness and beauty. That’s what God does for us.

So, begin to ask God during your regular prayer life that as you repent, learn and grow to deliver you from the consequences of you sins, bad decisions and weaknesses.

A SHORT PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF BAD DECISIONS…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

We all make them sometimes…bad decisions. Some of those decisions are sin, but some aren’t.

We make bad decisions in our…

Finances…

Relationships…

Careers…

Choices with our education…

Raising our children…

Diets, health and how we manage our bodies…

How we take care of what God has given us…

…Which way to turn at a crossroads in our lives.

What’s a bad decision that you have made, that may not necessarily be a sin, but you can clearly see that you and possibly the one’s you love are living out the consequences of that decision?

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Yes, you’ve learned the lesson, and now you’re just trying to navigate your way through the ditch you have dug for yourself until you can find a place to crawl out.

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Well, God told us that we can ask whatever we desire in His name and He will answer according to His will…
1 John 5:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

John 15:7-8 (NKJV)

⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you^[a] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

We also know that God is a deliverer, with a bible full of examples of Him delivering, and snatching His people out from the consequences of their sin and bad decisions…

Psalm 34:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.

The fact is that some of our bad decisions are made out of our own human weaknesses. God made us all, which means He gave us both our strengths and our weaknesses.

We sometimes make mistakes and choose unwisely, even after we pray for guidance, and there are always lessons to be learned.

So, this short prayer is for those times you find yourself living out the consequences of a bad decision, and you have learned your lesson.

It’s a short prayer for two of God’s greatest benefits…mercy and deliverance.

“Our heavenly Father as I present myself to you right now please accept me in the name of our Risen Savior, Yeshua, the anointed One, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your unfailing love and faithfulness, even when my love fails and I’m unfaithful.

I also thank you for the abundant blessing of more than enough for today.

Now, I come to you with a specific request…

Please have mercy on me and forgive me from all my sins, blot out all my transgressions, and cleanse me from all my unrighteousness. I’m so sorry for hurting you, and sometimes putting you to open shame.

---

Please Father, grant me wisdom from my mistakes, and please deliver me from the consequences of my bad decisions, if it be your holy will.

---

Please snatch me out of this painful place, bring glory to your name through my life, and anoint me to walk in the anointing, authority, influence and victory You’ve ordained for my life as a testimony of my love for You and trust in You.

I ask this specific prayer in the Name and Authority of Your Son and My Saviour, the Lamb of God, Yeshua, Christ Jesus.

Amen.”

Yes, sometimes we must live out the consequences and lie in the bed we’ve made. But, sometimes God will come and snatch us out of that bed, if we ask.

Psalm 130 (NKJV)

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
² Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.

³ If You, Lord, should ^[a]mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
⁸ And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

One of my greatest disappointments in ‘growing up’ was realizing how much we really don’t. You can look at some adults and sometimes easily tell who was the cry baby, the know it all, the spoiled child…the one who took their toys and went home when they didn’t get their way.

You can work in an office, school, store, restaurant, or even a church and you’ll find the same thing…proof that some of us never really grow up. Many work places aren’t much different from high school…

You have the so-called…

Popular/Cool kids

Nerds

Jocks

Preps

Bullies

Loners

You have those with aggravatingly high levels of ‘school spirit’ and those who ‘smoke in the bathroom’ and could care less…those who are ‘company people’ and those who spend most of their day in the designated smoking area.

You have those who ‘remind the teacher (boss) we have a test’…those who can’t wait to remind the boss of that meeting that no one wanted to have.

You have those who are always late for class and never have their assignments…those always late for work and hold up the process, the line…progress because they haven’t done their part.

You have the teacher’s pet…those who love ‘kissing the bosses behind’ trying to get noticed or get ahead, and you see it sometimes backfire on them at work just as it did in school.

You have those who keep their ‘desk’ in perfect condition…those whose desk is an organized mess…and those whose desk is a disaster area.

School should be a place where all children can go to learn in peace and safety…be challenged and enjoy rewarding friendships.

Our workplaces should be places where we can earn a living for ourselves or our families and be respected as adults.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Both school and workplaces are ruined by the same things…

Selfishness

Immaturity

Over Ambition

Arrogance

Untrustworthy

Cliques

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People who forget the real reason they’re at WORK.

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God’s word tells us that we should always be mindful to treat others not only as we want to be treated…

Matthew 7:12 (NKJV)

¹² Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

But, also better than ourselves…

Philippians 2:3 (NKJV)

³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

God also expects us to do whatever it takes within us to get along with others…

Romans 12:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

The bible teaches us that God expects us to be ‘perfect’. But, perfect in the bible does not mean without fault. It means ‘mature’ (according to Strong’s Concordance Greek teleios means mature or consummated).

Matthew 5:48 (NKJV)

⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

Philippians 3:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

When you’re in fourth grade, you should be at that proper level of development…intellectually, emotionally, behaviorally and socially. You aren’t expected to be in the fourth grade on an eight grade level…or vice versa. If you are on your appropriate level of development, according to the bible you are ‘perfect’ or mature.

The problem is that in our workplaces…too many people remained at the ‘forth grade’ level even though they have moved to ‘high school’. God expects us to grow up.

If we take God’s work serious enough in our homes to instill it within our children, we will find our schools much better places to learn, which will create adults who make our workplaces better places to work.

God’s word will make us grow up.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Let me first say that I absolutely believe that God gives us the right to arm ourselves as individuals. Notice what Yeshua, Jesus, told His disciples…

Luke 22:35-36 (NKJV)

³⁵ And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?”

So they said, “Nothing.”

³⁶ Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.

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The Lord told His own disciples that if they don’t have a weapon they should get one…to defend themselves. Jesus made this clear when Peter used His sword when Jesus was arrested.

Matthew 26:51-52 (NKJV)

⁵¹ And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

⁵² But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will ^[a]perish by the sword.

John 18:10-15 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”

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However, even if God permits us to arm ourselves, just as He doesn’t want us to put our faith in riches, He also doesn’t want us to put our faith in our guns…as if they are what insures our salvation when attacked.

Psalm 33:16-18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a ^[a]vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,

Psalm 44:6-8 (NKJV)

⁶ For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
⁷ But You have saved us from our enemies,
And have put to shame those who hated us.
⁸ In God we boast all day long,
And praise Your name forever. Selah

Remember God delivered Israel from Egypt without one weapon. He fought for them.

Remember also, though out numbered, God fought for Judah because Jehoshaphat put his faith in God…

2 Chronicles 20:15-23 (NKJV)

¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ^[a]brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

¹⁸ And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

²⁰ So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” ²¹ And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.”

²² Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. ²³ For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they ^[b]had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

In Joshua’s farewell address, He reminded the Israel of the real source of their help…

Joshua 23:8-10 (NKJV)

⁸ but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. ⁹ For the Lord has ^[a]driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. ¹⁰ One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.

Too many people in our society have prioritized their weapons over what’s more important to the Lord…just as when Yeshua rebuked the Pharisees of neglecting compassion while prioritizing their tithes…

Matthew 23:23 (NKJV)

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

There are some people who quickly react when they feel their guns are threatened, but are silent when it comes to JUSTICE, MERCY and FAITH.

Just as God allowed Israel and Judah to be taken into captivity, God can allow GUNS TO BE TAKEN and loss of freedom because of PRIDE, ARROGANCE, COMPROMISE, COMPLACENCY, ASSIMILATION, and SPIRITUAL ADULTERY! That’s why God said…

2 Chronicles 7:14  (NKJV)

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

The most powerful weapon we have is the word of God. That’s what Jesus used to resist the devil while He was in the wilderness. The word of God is more powerful than any weapon ever made…

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Remember God’s promise through the Prophet Isaiah…

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

Don’t place your faith in the wrong weapon…YOU CAN’T BRING A GUN TO A SWORD FIGHT!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

It’s very easy to take our blessings for granted. Especially the blessings that some of us might call ‘the little things’…like water.

Plenty of water…

Clean water…

Available water…

Anytime you want it.

There are many people in this world who consider clean water to be a luxury.

There are many people in this world who bathe and drink from the same water that animals drink from.

They just want clean, easily accessible water to drink and bathe in.

But, so many of us don’t only have plenty of water to drink, we can sometimes catch ourselves saying “There’s nothing here to drink,” if there is no juice, soda, wine, beer, or Kool-Aid in the house because we don’t want water.

So many of us have enough water to water our lawns.

So many of us have enough water to wash our cars.

So, the next time you get ready to wash your car or drive through a car wash, stop and thank God for enough water for this task that could be considered by those who don’t have enough as vain.

Then say a prayer for those who can’t go to the faucet and turn on the fresh, clean water.

Exodus 17  (NKJV)

17 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. ² Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”

So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?”

³ And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone^[a] me!”

⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. ⁶ Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ So he called the name of the place Massah^[b] and ^[c]Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they ^[d]tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Just like God, your spirit is invisible. But, what if you could see it…

IF THE WORLD COULD SEE YOUR SOUL

If the world could see your soul

what would we see?

Would it be well-manicured, or

scarred horribly?

Would a lifetime of ‘walking in

the Spirit’ show?

Or would people stare and say,

“You sure let yourself go?”

Would your spiritual body look like

it’s been handled with care?

Or, would it be bruised and abused

with irreparable wear?

Would it always leave behind the

scent of aromatic flowers?

Or, would there linger the stench of sin

that lasts for hours and hours.

The good new is that anyone in Christ

is a new creation.

True repentance releases God’s spiritual healing

and your soul’s restoration.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Let me preface this piece by saying this piece is not addressing dangerous, abusive relationships.

We all encounter people who ‘get on our nerves’. We all have people in our families, workplaces, and even churches who love to cause trouble, drama and who cause us high levels of stress and anxiety.

Some people have a chronic propensity to bring negativity to every interaction.

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One of the most common and seemingly practical pieces of advice is to remove the people toxic people from our lives…but does the Bible support that teaching?

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It sounds good in blog posts, self help books, sermons, and motivational speeches, but how does God expect us to handle the situation?

Notice that God told Ezekiel that He was sending Him to…well a nation of ‘toxic people’.

Ezekiel 2:3-5 (NKJV)

³ And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. ⁴ For they are ^[a]impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ⁵ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.

God equipped Ezekiel for the challenge, and He is trying to equip us…

Ezekiel 3:7-9 (NKJV)

⁷ But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are ^[a]impudent and hard-hearted. ⁸ Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. ⁹ Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

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Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, sent His disciples into ‘toxic situations’…

Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless^[a] as doves.

The fact is that Jesus gave us instructions for how to handle people who intentionally antagonize us…

Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)

^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,

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Notice that the Lord didn’t say avoid your enemies, block those who curse you, and remove those who spitefully use and persecute you from your life.

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God expects us to strong enough to be light, and a positive spiritual influence to those who are ‘toxic’. The very person or persons that you have decided to eliminate from you life might have been specifically sent into your life to benefit from your light.

Let’s say you’re one of those people on social media who announce they are unfriending or blocking the ‘negative or messy’ people from their lives. These are people who haven’t unfriended or blocked you from their lives, even though they may be sometimes annoyed by your passion or love for God. You may be the only light they see in a sea of the craziness on social media.

God expects us to be strong and grow in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, self-control and faithfulness enough so we can represent His glory and image in every relationship and interaction.

This is when what God told us through the apostle Paul is the most powerful…

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

¹³ I can do all things through ^[a]Christ who strengthens me.

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Before you get rid of someone toxic, why not pray for the strength, wisdom and patience to be a blessing to them?

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What if Jesus had decided to reject the negative people in His earthly ministry?

Before you block their calls, what if blocked yours?

BE BLESSTIFIED!