This short piece isn’t a debate on the validity of calling crime in the Black community ‘Black on Black crime’.

It’s simply coming from a Black man with a wife, a daughter, two sons and a granddaughter.

Every time I hear a headline about someone who looks like me senselessly killing someone else who looks like me, it pisses me off!

Does poverty breed violence? Yes.

Are there some residual affects of decades of institutional racism that contributes to violence? Yes.

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No matter what’s going on externally, it’s time for an INTERNAL SPIRITUAL and CULTURAL REVOLUTION!

There is absolutely no excuse. Every culture has to address its internal threats as well as external. While some communities must face their own pride and arrogance, others must address the violence within their subcultures.

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God demands excellence from all of His children no matter what situation they are in. Look at what He told Israel and Judah when they were exiled in Babylon…

Jeremiah 29:4-14  (NKJV)

⁴ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

⁵ Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. ⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. ⁹ For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

¹⁰ For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. ¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

They were exiles in a foreign land who had lost their freedom. But, God still expected them to thrive and live up to His standards. He expected them to pray for the peace of the city in which they lived, not contribute to it’s destruction.

I encourage everyone who hates racism, don’t give ammunition to a racist’s argument or hatred with the bullets that come from YOUR gun.

Matthew 26:52 (NKJV)

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

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Let me preface this piece by stating that I’m not saying this is ‘the mark of the beast’, but I am pointing out how easily the devil (I’m not capitalizing devil on purpose) is a great deceiver. I’m illustrating how even the greatest so-called theologians can take the word of God, which is so eloquently delivered in figurative language literally — especially in The Revelation and Daniel.

So many people are looking for microchips, tattoos, even the COVID-19 vaccinations as the mark of the beast from The Revelation

Revelation 13:16-18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has ^[a]the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

As people through the centuries have speculated as to what that mark may be, let me remind you that when God told us that He would write His word on our hearts, there are no literal words written on our hearts.

In the same manner, we could easily assume that having the ‘mark’ on our hand or forehead isn’t literal either. On our right hand could very well mean in the way we do things and on our forehead could mean the way we think.

Keeping that in mind think about the fact that the world has accepted the Gregorian calendar names months of the year and the names for days of the week. The months of the Roman calendar are named to honor a mix of gods, goddesses and rulers. The days of the week our named to honor Greek gods — idols.

No one can make a purchase, execute a contract without a date. Each time a date is written or printed on a receipt, contract or even a school assignment it is acknowledging an idol god, goddess or ruler other than the Lord God of Israel through our Savior Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

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It is impossible to legally by or sell without accepting the ‘mark’ that was left behind by those who created the Gregorian and Julian calendars.

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Remember that God warned us through Daniel…

Daniel 7:25 (NKJV)

²⁵ He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute^[a] the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.

Changing the calendar and days of the week could be a fulfillment of that prophecy.

Again, I’m not saying this is the actual mark of the beast, but illustrating how easily the enemy can convince the world to conform to his thinking and way of doing things.

Think about it, and read this WHY THE MARK OF THE BEAST WON’T BE A CHIP, BAR CODE OR TATTOO…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

God has made it clear in His word that our Adversary the Devil, and those that the bible describes as his ‘ministers’ disguise themselves as ‘light’…

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NKJV)

¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Notice that God tells us through the Apostle Paul that his followers are ‘deceitful’ workers. The devil can’t deceive the people of God by doing evil. The term ‘ministers’ isn’t limited to ‘preachers’, but those who are serving the devil’s agenda rather than God’s.

Some people’s sins are very overt and obvious. There’s no deceit in that…

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.

However, too many Christians are being deceived by ‘ministers’… preachers, politicians and leaders who disguise themselves in ‘good works’. That’s why God teaches us that ‘good works’ can’t save or justify us…

Ephesians 2:9-11 (NKJV)

⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) also taught us that the false messiahs, (false deliverers) would try and deceive the ‘very elect’…

Matthew 24:24 (NKJV)

²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

This won’t be done by acts of overt sin and evil, but by pretending to care about the concerns of true disciples. It’s too often that believers are putting their hope or trust in a man or woman to ‘deliver’ rather than God. That’s elevating that man or woman to the level of messiah.

So, how can you tell the difference? God makes it clear.

“BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM.”

Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJV)

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

“BY THEIR CHARACTER”

No matter what ‘good’ they may claim to support or even champion, if they do not display the Fruit of the Spirit —

If they don’t display the behavior, attitudes and character that God gives as EVIDENCE that He lives in them — If they refuse to repent or be accountable for the wrong they’ve done —

If they constantly cast blame and accuse, which is evidence of the Accuser of the saints —

If they take pride in never giving in, apologizing or being willing to yield —

If they don’t clearly display God’s love—

Then they are not of God.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

James 3:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Don’t be deceived. Yes, people can change, but a person who has never been know for their character, integrity and faith, and has not publicly repented of that reputation can never lead disciples of Christ…politically or spiritually. WHEN ‘CHRISTIANS’ CHEAT ON JESUS WITH ANOTHER ‘MESSIAH’…

It was King David’s heart of repentance that made him a man after God’s own heart.

You cannot determine if someone is a ‘Laborer for the Harvest’ by the ‘good they do’.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Profanity! Insults! Rumors! Gossip! Retaliation! So, many times we say, “I just had to say it!”

So many times we assert, “I couldn’t hold it in!”

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Yes, we can!

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You don’t have to say it!

You don’t have to curse them out!

You don’t have to let them know how you feel!

You don’t have to tell them what was said about them!

You don’t have to spread that rumor without any facts!

You don’t have to say everything on your mind!

You can hold it in!

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Just as no one embarrasses themselves by blurting out a loud, smelly fart in public…just as we one restrain the hot air that comes out of his or her behind

We can also restrain what comes from our mouths.

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No matter how bad one’s stomach may be ‘upset’, not matter how severe the case of diarrhea may be — no one will every embarrass themselves by just ‘letting it go’.

You do everything you can to ‘hold it in’.

We need to learn to do the same thing with our mouths. If we can restrain the hot air that comes from our butt’s, we can restrain the hot air that comes from our mouths. RESTRAINT!

Proverbs 17:27 (NKJV)

^{27 (A)}He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

• 

During the COVID-19 pandemic many well-deserving workers have been recognized as heroes and essential. From medical professionals to shipping and logistics to retail workers and educators — many workers have consistently receive recognition and honor.

However, one group of essential professionals are consistently forgotten or ignored. — Sanitation Professionals . ( I made it a proper noun on purpose). In most cases, these hard-working professionals are Black.

One of the reasons the bubonic plague was so devastating is because of waste. It doesn’t take long for our waste to accumulate in our homes and on our streets if it isn’t quickly and properly disposed of.

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As much as many people missed their sports, favorite restaurants and entertainment during shut-down days, Sanitation Professionals have continued working through the pandemic and many of them got sick. Hardly no one talks about that. What would you have missed first? March Madness? The NBA Finals? The Super Bowl? or your garbage being taken away?

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down while in Memphis TN as he came to fight for the rights, and dignity of Sanitation Professionals. The fact that these heroes have been ignored proves some things never change. The workers pictured above are in a suburb of Memphis.

If you happen to be around when your Sanitation Professionals are doing their job, tell them they are appreciated. Shout them out on social media. Show them some love.

And please thank God for them and mention them in your prayers…

Ephesians 1:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

• 

• 

Sex is a gift from God. Even though it’s the means He intended for us to be fruitful and multiply, it is also meant to be enjoyed within the bonds of holy matrimony between a man and a woman.

Our bodies with their various curves, shapes, textures, contrast of colors, smells etc., are meant to provoke sexual arousal. It’s up to us to control these urges so that they are only fulfilled within marriage.

One of those divine combinations of curves, shapes, textures, and contrast of colors is the female breast.

Yes, these were created for mothers to make sure their children are nourished, but that’s not all.

They were also created for the mutual pleasure of the husband and the wife. Breasts were created:

As a means of seducing her husband…

For her pleasure during times of intimacy…

To be aesthetically pleasing to entice her husband…

For his enjoyment during times of intimacy…

The fact is that even though God created female breasts to nurse their children, that boobs aren’t just for the babies. Check out these bible verses about female breasts and intimacy within marriage.

Proverbs 5:18-19  (NKJV)

¹⁸ Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
¹⁹ As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be ^[a]enraptured with her love.

Song of Solomon 1:12-13  (NKJV)

¹² While the king is at his table,
My ^[a]spikenard sends forth its fragrance.
¹³ A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me,
That lies all night between my breasts.

Song of Solomon 4:4-5  (NKJV)

⁴ Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built for an armory,
On which hang a thousand ^[a]bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
⁵ Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies

Song of Solomon 7:2-3, 8(NKJV)

² Your navel is a rounded goblet;
It lacks no ^[a]blended beverage.
Your waist is a heap of wheat
Set about with lilies.
³ Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.

Song of Solomon 7:8  (NKJV)

⁸ I said, “I will go up to the palm tree,
I will take hold of its branches.”
Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
The fragrance of your ^[a]breath like apples,

Song of Solomon 8:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ I am a wall,
And my breasts like towers;
Then I became in his eyes
As one who found peace.

Hebrews 13:4 (NKJV)

⁴ Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

1 Corinthians 7:2-5 (NLT)

² But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

³ The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. ⁴ The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.

⁵ Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

So, couples enjoy one another, and may your marriages…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

You may also enjoy these BE BLESSTIFIED articles on Godly marriage…

GODLY MARRIAGE: WHAT IF THE ‘BIG O’ WAS TOO BIG (Adult but Holy)…

GODLY MARRIAGE: HOW SEX IS SUBMISSION AND HONOR PERFECTED (Graphic but Holy)…

4 SIMPLE THINGS THAT CAN MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE BETTER IMMEDIATELY…

GODLY MARRIAGE: YOU CAN’T GET ROMANTIC WITH A HYMNAL…

MARRIAGE ADVICE: IT’S YOUR DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE YOU A PERFECT FIT…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

God teaches us in His word that wise counsel is priceless…

Proverbs 19:20-21  (NKJV)

²⁰ Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise in your latter days.

²¹ There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

It’s good to get the benefit from the experience of others. But do you know anyone whose advice you really don’t want? Why? How do people feel about taking advice from you? Why?

Do people make any of these statements about you?

Is _____________ going to be there?

Is______________ going with us?

Are you inviting _________________?

Oh no! Here comes _______________?

HERE ARE 5 REASONS WHY PEOPLE MAY NOT WANT TO TAKE YOUR ADVICE…

1. YOU CAN’T HAVE A CONVERSATION WITHOUT GIVING ADVICE…

Some people don’t know how to have a conversation without giving advice. I know I young man who didn’t have his father around when he grew up. All the men in his life felt they had to mentor him. That’s fine, but not all the time. They would never just laugh and talk. Never could just tell jokes. And, if jokes were told, it was about how the young man wasn’t doing something right. “If I were you I would…”, “When are you going to…”, “Ha, Ha, Ha, that’s not how you do that, here let me show you…” He got to the point that he dreaded when they came around. “Oh know, here comes Uncle ________” he thought. Remember this, every moment doesn’t have to be a teaching moment. Every situation doesn’t have to be a lesson. And, people don’t learn by making fun of what they do wrong.

2. YOU AREN’T A GOOD EXAMPLE…

I had a barber once who loved to give advice about healthy eating. That was fine be he couldn’t cut my hair without his stomach rubbing against me. I also have an acquaintance who is always full of financial advice, but he is not doing very well financially himself. And, most parents get frustrated when people who have never had children try to advice them how to raise their children. I’m not saying people with children can’t give advice, or that you can’t learn from someone else’s financial mistakes, or that someone overweight can’t advice someone else on how to lose weight. But, I am saying that

3. YOU ARE ARROGANT & CONDESCENDING…

Yes, we see your level of success. Yes, we see that you’ve made great decisions. But, know we aren’t looking for advice every time you come around. Because when you give that advice you act as though everyone else is so stupid. When you give advice you belittle what they have done well. When you give advice, your tone is so mean that your advice goes unheard.

4. YOU USE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF & FEED YOUR OWN EGO…

These people really aren’t concerned about helping you, they just want an opportunity to glorify themselves. No, we are not interested in how well you planned, how smart you were, or how hard you worked. Because guess what, we planned carefully too. We made intelligent decisions too. We worked very hard too, but sometimes things just don’t work out. Ask any entrepreneur who had a strong business plan, researched their market, sacrificed for their business, put in ‘blood, sweat, and tears’ and because of factors beyond their control, things didn’t work out.

BEFORE YOU SAY YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE BECAUSE YOU WORKED HARD FOR IT…

5. NO ONE ASKED YOU…

I’m not saying that unsolicited isn’t good sometimes, but most of the time, if people want your advice, they will ask you. If you notice that someone needs some help and aren’t willing to ask, find a way to BE an example of the behavior that you feel could benefit from their experience. Be creative. Pray and ask God for wisdom, or even let the know you’re available if needed, but blurting out unsolicited advice can be so insulting that it goes unheard.

Remember, advice is only good if it received, so stop, think, and pray before you speak into someone’s life.

The next time you get some unwanted advice, come back to this list to see how many reasons apply.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Those of us who have faith in God through Yeshua the Messiah, with confidence, look forward to the promise of eternal life…

John 3:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

However, Christians, even though some may not admit it, can still experience anxiety and fear from the fact that none of us have ever died before. Even though we are eternal, spiritual beings who are simply occupying our current temporary bodies, its difficult to see beyond what our consciousness has allowed us to experience.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NKJV)

⁷ Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

We are only ‘aware’ of when God allowed us to step into the continuum of ‘time’ and the physical world when we were born.

Many people think about the thousands of years that occurred before we lived and the fact that we have no consciousness of those years.

Many may sometimes wonder if we will return to the ‘nothingness’ of before the moment when God ‘quickened’ us into consciousness or gave life to our spirits and we stepped onto the stage of the world.

But, think about this…

None of us can remember the day we were born or even our first birthday, but we were all most certainly aware, conscious and ALIVE.

None of us can remember when we were in our mother’s womb, but we were most certainly aware, conscious and ALIVE.

So, our existence can’t be limited to what we can remember experiencing. The fact that eternity is something we can’t currently comprehend is confirmed in the word of God…

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

Now consider this…

How many times have you gone to sleep and slept for hours and when you woke up, you didn’t even realize how long you had slept? You couldn’t even remember what you dreamed.

Have you ever been ‘put to sleep’ with anesthesia? If so, all you remember is possibly counting backwards and waking up. You remember nothing about the surgery and activity going on around you while you were ‘out’.

Why?

Because in both instances, just like God, your temporarily existing outside the continuum of time. You have no concept of seconds, minutes or hours. You have no concept of time or the physical world around you.

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Our consciousness while we sleep is a partially spiritual consciousness.

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Notice what the bible says about what will take place when Yeshua returns…

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NKJV)

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen ^[a]asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who ^[b]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[c]asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Those who are dead in Christ will be resurrected first. So, it’s very possible that just as when we go into a DEEP SLEEP and don’t notice how much time has passed, it’s very possible that when the Lord returns, those who died 2000 years ago will be no more aware of the time they were ‘sleeping’ than someone who died 20 minutes ago.

It’s very possible that as soon as you ‘die’ you immediately experience waking up to Christ’s return even if it’s 1000 years from now. You’ve just simply stepped out of ‘time’ and the ‘physical’ world.

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God is preparing us for death each time we go to sleep.

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So, if you feel some anxiety or fear of when you experience your last moment in this body, don’t be too hard on yourself. God knows that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

BE BLESSTIFIED!

We have all done this. The one and only interaction that you had with someone was a bad one. You left a bad impression. Someone caught you on your worst behavior. Someone caught you on your worst day. Someone caught you in the heat of your anger and frustration. You were rude. You were mean. You were short. You were arrogant. You were proud. You were jealous. You were horny. You were apathetic. You were unholy. You were in your flesh.

It was the one and only time he, she or they interacted with you on a personal level, and you were at your worst behavior.

You were out of your character, but they didn’t know that. It was a lapse in your character, but they were left thinking…that’s just how you are.

Even though we are commanded to love one another, you gave them a good reason to not like you.

That person or those people were left thinking you weren’t a very good person.

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Has this happened to you?

How can you fix it? What can you do?

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Well who in the bible left a horrible first impression ? Let’s look at one well know example…the Apostle Paul.

We all know that Paul was passionate in his persecution of the church. His first impression was negative to countless Christians whom he persecuted, and his reputation preceded him.

Acts 8:3 (NKJV)

³ As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

 Galatians 1:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³ For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

But, once Paul was converted, he began to build a new reputation, which took time. He was even more passionate and more zealous for sharing the word of God than he was when he persecuted the church.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 (NKJV)

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Through his labor and his sincere effort to share God’s word and God’s love, Paul built a new reputation, and many of those who knew him to be a persecutor of the church recognized him as a devout preacher whom they didn’t fear, but respected.

 Galatians 1:23  (NKJV)

²³ But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

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So, what can you do about the bad impressions that you have left behind? What can you do about the bad seeds that you have planted? It’s nothing deep, and really quite simple…

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You may never get an opportunity to see those people again, but if you do, make sure they see the real you, no matter how they act.

You have to work hard just as Paul did to leave behind enough new good impressions to outweigh the bad. You have to continue to prove that those bad impressions were not your true character.

You have to establish your reputation so that if any of those people who you hurt, snapped at, provoked to sin, left a bad impression can’t help but think… “That wasn’t him or her”.

Of course, there will be some people who will always be convinced you are the bad person that you introduced to them, but overall, just like Paul, you will be known for who your are.

God has promised that your good character and integrity will protect and preserve you…

Psalm 25:21 (NKJV)

²¹ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.

 

BE BLESSTIFIED!

What? What are you talking about Aldtric? When God causes division in your relationship?

Well check this out…

Matthew 10:34-36 (NKJV)

³⁴ “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’^[a]

Wow! Why would Jesus say this? I thought Jesus was all about peace…harmony…agreement. I have to admit that years ago I used to let this scripture trouble me.

Let’s read one more verse that brings it all home…

Matthew 10:37 (NKJV)

³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

God demands that we love Him first and that we always put Him first, even when it comes to family. He knows how much we love our parents. He knows how much we love our spouses. He knows how much we love our children…especially our children.

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God wants to make sure that we don’t allow our love for those closest to us to become worship…the idolatry of putting them first.

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He knows that sometimes the love we have for those closest to us will cause a spiritual conflict and dilemma.

God knows sometimes we will have disagreements in our homes over spiritual things. Because of the verses above, I believe that sometimes God Himself presents these situations.

It could be over where to go to church, when to go to church, how much to give, what changes we will make in our household.

We all know that even when both people in the relationship are believers, they aren’t always on the same page. Couples don’t always mature spiritually in harmony. They don’t always  receive and respond to the word the same.

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Have you ever had a disagreement in your family over something spiritual?

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Sometimes, God will present to you an opportunity to choose between you and your loved one. He will give you the opportunity to assert to those closest to you that you will put Him first, and will not compromise…even then it comes to them. And, when you choose Him and His will, you then have to trust God to bring peace.

There are also some situations where there may be a married couple who does not believe in God. One of the two may come to believe before the other…here God did not bring peace, but division, just as the scripture said. This most likely happened very often in the early days of the church, and perfect provision was made for this situation in 1 Corinthians Chapter 7.

You may have a child who wants to participate in an activity that will prevent them from attending worship service. If do what we are supposed to do as parents and assert that nothing comes before worship, it will cause division.

How about this one, your child wants to listen to music that is inappropriate…this can cause division.

Sometimes the person who’s closest to you may want you to go somewhere, do something, read something or watch something that you feel may be displeasing to God… this will cause division.

But, when this takes place, God is still working it out for the good of everyone involved. When you find yourself being put in the position to put God’s desires before you loved one’s desires…

 

1. Stand your ground based on the bible and not how you feel.
2. Go and pray that God soften your loved one’s heart to submit to His will.
3. This is a big one! Regularly pray for His spirit of agreement in your relationship, just as He is one with our Lord and Savior, Yeshua Christ Jesus. (Read John 17:20-23)
4. Trust God to THEN bring peace into your relationship.

 

One more thing…

The next time you are frustrated with God, or feel He is being unfair to you. Be careful that you DO NOT share how you feel with your loved one. You don’t want their love your you to cause them to be upset with go too. Trust God! He will eventually resolve the situation that’s troubling you, and when He does, you don’t want to have been a stumbling block their relationship with Him.

Whether it’s a marriage, parent child relationship, close friends or whatever…

When God causes division in your relationship, it isn’t to tear you apart, it’s to bring both of you closer to Him.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

God’s wisdom is amazing! Have you ever thought about God’s wisdom in raising up a FAITH rather than RACE?

WHEN GOD CALLED ABRAM, HE WASN’T CREATING A RACE OF PEOPLE, GOD WAS CREATING A PEOPLE OF FAITH.

Abraham was not called based on his heritage, but his FAITH.

Genesis 15:6 (NIV)

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness

God is not Black, White, Asian, or any other RACE. RACE is of the flesh, and God is a SPIRIT.

Colossians 1:15(NKJV)

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation

People need to stop trying to claim God for themselves, He is an invisible spirit and Jesus, Yeshua, represents the invisible God bodily…

Colossians 2:9(NKJV)

9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

He was born into the Jewish/Hebrew faith because that’s the people the one true and living God raised up to introduce/reveal Himself to the world…and remember Jesus (The Living Word) was also there in the beginning…

Genesis 1:16 

“Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness.

John 1:1-3 (NKJV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

There is only one description of the Son of Man after He was resurrected in the scriptures, and you rarely see Him portrayed accordingly…

Revelation 1:12-18(NKJV)

12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;

Trying to attribute a RACE to God the Father is one of the enemy’s tricks to divide people of FAITH…Portraying Jesus as anything other than Mediterranean is, well…silly.

John 4:24 (NKJV)

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

BE BLESSTIFIED!

When God delivered Lot from Sodom, Lot really didn’t want to go. God had to literally snatch him out, and gave them a stern warning that they DO NOT LOOK BACK!

Genesis 19:15-17  (NKJV)

¹⁵ When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that ^[a]he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be ^[b]destroyed.”

Looking back implies that you don’t want to go...

Looking back implies that you regret leaving…

Looking back implies that your heart is still there...

We all know what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back. She turned into a pillar of salt as an extreme example for us of the dangers in LOOKING BACK…

Genesis 19:26  (NKJV)

²⁶ But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Remember what God taught us through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10…

1 Corinthians 10:11  (NKJV)

¹¹ Now ^[a]all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our ^[b]admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

God doesn’t change. God gets just as angry when we look back as He got when Lot’s wife did. He get’s just as frustrated when want to hang on to what we should let go of.

So, let me warn us of some situations when we should never look back.

IF IT MAKES YOU ANGRY

Unmanaged anger leads to rage and rage leads to hatred and wrath. Wrath is the result of uncontrolled anger. Why continue to look back on things that can lead to greater sin? Why look back on things that can prevent you from forgiving?

IF IT MADE YOU HORNY

We all know that lust leads to a variety of sins, but lust must be fed. It is fed through our senses. What we see…What we hear…What we smell…What we touch…What we taste… So, some pictures or videos you don’t need to see or watch ever again. Some colognes or perfumes you may never need to use again if it reminds you of a relationship that you should not have been in. Some text messages and phone calls you do not need to return..

Don’t look back!

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IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL DEPRESSED

Depression is real, but just like lust it can be fed with the thought on which we choose to linger. So, don’t look back on those triggers that make you feel bad. It could be as simple as you may be depressed that you can’t afford a vacation. Well, then you don’t need to spend time on social media scrolling through people’s vacation pictures and videos if you know it will depress you…Don’t look back!

IF YOU’RE TRYING TO STOP

Remember God had to snatch Lot from Sodom, but He would have much rather that Lot left on his own. The same goes for us. If you are trying to stop a behavior, habit or relationship that you know is displeasing to God, then stop putting yourself in the position to continue. There are some routes home that you may never need to take anymore. If you are trying to stop getting drunk, then stop walking down the aisle in the store with alcoholic beverages, until you’re strong enough. Again, don’t answer that phone call or respond to that text message if you know it’s someone that you need to leave alone. AS A MATTER OF FACT DELETE THEIR NUMBERS AND EMAIL. SINFUL RELATIONSHIPS DON’T NEED CLOSURE. THE NEED FOR CLOSURE IS LOOKING BACK. JUST STOP 🛑…Don’t look back!

IF IT MAKES YOU COVET

We live in a society where covetousness can sneak up on the best of us. There is nothing wrong with wanting more, but an excessive desire for wealth, possessions or something that someone else has leads to what you desire becoming your god…

Colossians 3:5  (NKJV)

⁵ Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but I think you get the idea. You know you better than anyone. What are some things that can come between you and God that you know you shouldn’t look back at? Looking back can make your weaknesses stronger than your strengths.

DON’T LET YOUR WEAKNESSES OVERPOWER YOUR STRENGTHS…

HOW GOD HELPS US MANAGE OUR WEAKNESSES, LUSTS & VICES…

GOD IS GREATER THAN THE WEAKNESSES THAT HE GAVE YOU…

HOW GOD’S DELIVERANCE HAS BEEN TAUGHT WRONG…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

We have a tendency to categorize sins based on our culture, experiences, perceptions and personal theology. We tend to have BIG sins and little sins.

And, there are even some people who actually even feel that they don’t sin because they feel they aren’t committing the BIG sins.

We have this idea of what’s ‘evil’. When think of ‘evil’ things like violence, illicit sex, porn, drug abuse, physical abuse, oppression, racism, profanity, etc., etc., etc., come to mind.

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However evil is simply that what is contrary to God’s will and falls short of His expectations.

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Think about when Jesus was telling His disciples about His coming death and resurrection what Peter blurted out…in so many words he said, “No way! I got your back!”

Matthew 16:21-23  (NKJV)

 ²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ^[a]“Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are ^[b]an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Notice how Jesus responded. Even though what Peter said sounded noble, it was contrary to God’s will. That’s was sin. It’s not malicious. It’s not sexual. It’s wasn’t criminal, but it is WAS evil.

Now consider this example I often use. Jesus clearly forbids taking oaths and swearing under any circumstances.

Matthew 5:33-37  (NKJV)

 ³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of ^[a]old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let^[b]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

But, even the U.S. Constitution demands an oath or affirmation office (President, for example Article II, section 1, clause 8). Now it has become tradition to swear in elected officials, military, law enforcement and sometimes on the very bible that forbids it.

Our culture today values pride and arrogance that is disguised as confidence and sometimes patriotism.

How many times have we ignored a beggar or someone in need?

How many days have we gone without praying for someone else?

How many opportunities to share our faith have we squandered because we were afraid, ashamed. or it just wasn’t a priority. That is the sole reason for many of our interactions and relationships to be God’s representatives.

Remember what Jesus said…

James 4:17 (NKJV)

17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

 You don’t have to be ‘bad’ to be ‘evil’, and you don’t have break one of the Ten Commandments to sin.

Now is a great time to stop and thank God for His grace and mercy.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Atheists love to prove not only Christians to be wrong, but anyone who they consider to be a ‘theist’.

In their passion to discredit the God, the bible, and those of us who believe wrong, many go to two sources…

SCIENCE

THE BIBLE

The fact is that if you have had a conversation with atheists, or monitored/participated in an online or physical forum with them, they often quote scriptures from the bible…

Questioning them…

Belittling them…

Mocking them…

Trying to find contradictions in them…

Trying to disqualify them and anyone who believes them.

Many of them dig pretty deep and go as far as to STUDY the bible trying to look for evidence to make their case against it stronger.

However, this tactic is not new. Even the devil himself knows the bible and tried to use it against Yeshua (Jesus Christ) in the wilderness…

Matthew 4:1-11 (NKJV)

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” ⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” ⁵ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not ^[a]tempt the Lord your God.’ ” ⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, ^[b]“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” ¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

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It’s unfortunate that many Christians are not equipped to contend against an atheist whose using the word of God because they don’t read and study it enough for themselves. It is essential that we in the Body of Christ study the work of God not only for our own relationship with God and spiritual maturity, but so we can be ready to give an answer to those who refute it…

2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ But ^[a]sanctify ^[b]the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

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The word of God should be a part of our daily spiritual nourishment. Any Christian who goes days, weeks, months and even years without studying God’s word along with history, culture, biblical language and anthropology…is seriously spiritually malnourished. In many ways believers who don’t study God’s word do more harm to the Kingdom of God than good.

It’s a good practice to add to you prayer life prayers for atheists who read the bible trying to disprove it, that God will let what they read be ‘good seed in good soil’. Pray that God will actually give increase to the ‘seed of the word’ that they read so that they can believe in Him through Jesus Christ. Pray that God actually makes them laborers for His harvest, and give them a passion FOR Him that is even greater than the passion they had against them…

Matthew 9:38 (NKJV)

³⁸ Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

If Saul/Paul, a man who passionately worked to destroy the church can be converted…anyone can.

How often do you enjoy quality time with God in His word? PLEASE don’t dishonor God by allowing an atheist to know more about His word than you.

A ‘VERSE OF THE DAY’ is not enough!

BE BLESSTIFED!

What if you smelled like your thoughts?

What if your odor revealed what’s on your mind?

What if people could sniff what’s in your heart?

Would it reveal a dirty mind? Or, a mind meditating on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy?

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Would it reveal the works of the flesh or the Fruit of the Spirit?

Would it reveal malice or good intent?

How would you smell at work? At school? While sitting in your home? While looking at your smartphone?

How would you smell while sitting in church?

How often would you smell good? How often would you stink?

What do you think?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

What is it that you like least about yourself? When was the last time you got ‘fed up’ with some aspect of your own character?

When was the last time you felt like the Apostle Paul when he said…

Romans 7:20-25 (NKJV)

²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

²¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

When was the last time you examined …

Your heart?

Your motives?

Your moods?

Your behavior?

Your prejudices?

Your priorities?

How you manage your emotions?

What makes you angry?

What makes you happy?

What impresses you? And why?

Are you a good, Godly influence to the people in your circle?

When was the last time you really thought about what God thinks about your character?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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Be careful when you’re more devoted to a person than the cause.

Be careful when the hope for the victories you seek has shifted from God to an individual — that’s dangerous.

Be careful when the person in whom you are submitting to as a leader does not display the Fruit of the Spirit or the character the God demands, no matter what so-called ‘good’ they may do…

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

James 3:17-18 (NKJV)

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Never forget the warning God gave us in order to identify false prophets, and leaders who have been appointed by the devil rather than God…

2 Corinthians 11:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

YOU CAN’T AVOID THEIR CHARACTER!

There have been many self-appointed Messiahs, but many times peoples’ confidence and loyalty to a leader can morph into worship, and ignoring their character.

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Be careful when your faith is in a man or woman to save the nation, church, or even family rather than God.

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Remember, what Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) did when the crowds wanted to take Him by force and make Him king.

John 6:14-16 (NASB)
14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 So Jesus, aware that they intended to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself,

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Relationships are complicated and difficult, even good ones. But as we all know some relationships can slip into the category of ‘abusive’. And, abusive doesn’t always mean physical abuse.

When someone takes advantage of someone else’s love and mistreats them verbally or emotionally, that’s abusive.

When someone loves you enough to allow you to hurt them over and over again while always willing to forgive and move forward as if nothing happened, that’s abusive.

Micah 7:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all ^[a]our sins
Into the depths of the sea.

Isaiah 43:25-26 (NKJV)

²⁵ “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
²⁶ Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be ^[a]acquitted.

That’s how powerful God’s loves is for us.

How many times have we abused Him verbally by taking His name in vain, or simply not giving it proper reverence and respect? Remember, YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY “GD” TO TAKE GOD’S NAME IN VAIN…

How many times have we taken advantage of His love by promising we wouldn’t do something again, only to do it again…numerous times?

Psalm 103:10-14 (NKJV)

¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
¹² As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
¹⁴ For He ^[a]knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

How many times have we hurt Him emotionally buy putting others and things before Him?

How many times have we provoked Him to jealously?

Psalm 78:58 (NKJV)

⁵⁸ For they provoked Him to anger with their high places,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.

How many times has He witnessed us committing spiritual adultery right in front of Him only to stand with His arms wide open welcoming us back into His love?

Notice how sometimes in the bible, God sounded almost like a hurt lover before He got angry at Israel’s sin…

Judges 2 (NKJV)

2 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. ² And you shall make no ^[a]covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?

How many times have we put Him to open shame before His enemy and our adversary, choosing the devil over Him in our decisions.

How many times has the enemy had the same conversation with God about us that he had concerning Job? Have we always maintained God’s character through our trials?

Job 1:9-11 (NKJV)

⁹ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not ^[a]made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse^[b] You to Your face!”

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How many times have we physically abused the Lord?

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Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)

⁵ But He was wounded^[a] for our transgressions,
He was ^[b]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes^[c] we are healed.

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NKJV)

⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ^{6 [a]}if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

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Have you crucified Christ again today?

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The fact is that if this were a marriage (and our relationship with Him actually is) many of us would have ended it a long time ago.

2 Corinthians 11:2 (NKJV)

² For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Isaiah 54:5 (NKJV)

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.

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God loves us with a relentless love. He allows us to hurt Him over and over again. Quite frankly, that’s abuse.

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Never take for granted God’s grace, mercy and faithfulness to us. He endures our ‘abuse’ every day and allows gives us brand new mercies every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)

²² Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

The first thing we tell people in abusive relationships is to GET OUT! Aren’t you glad that God hasn’t gotten out of His relationship with you?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

There’s nothing wrong with being recognized and awarded, but it can be a problem when we come to expect it. I was recently watching a Gospel music industry award show. The glitz. The glamour. The red carpet. The speeches… It almost seems like sometimes we’re saying, “The world has a red carpet, and we want one too!”

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Here again, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it, but we must be careful that those of us in Gospel aren’t conforming, but reforming.

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Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

And as I said, we also must be very careful that we don’t allow pride to slip in to the point that we EXPECT rewards, awards and recognition.

I wonder how many artists, songwriters, producers, etc., were actually disappointed or angry they didn’t win, or jealous of those who did? How many thought in their hearts, “They didn’t deserve it!”. Not to mention the thousands of people laboring for Christ, whose work is just as good, but are never recognized. In fact, in many cases, it tends to be the same group of people who continue to win or be honored.

We are human, and sometimes we can feel hurt when we see others getting all of the attention…especially when God’s anointing is working powerfully in your life.

On those days, remember this…

Remember that during His earthly ministry Jesus wasn’t:

Nominated for an award…

Accepted by the establishment…

Appreciated by those who needed Him most…

The ONE and ONLY time He was triumphantly celebrated (Matthew 21:1-11)…

Some of the same people shouted for, consented to, mocked at and celebrated His death (Matthew 27:16-26).

If you feel that you aren’t ‘getting what you deserve’…

If you feel that others are getting recognition while you’re being ignored…

Don’t get caught up complaining, whining, lashing out at the world for ignoring you.

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Stay focused and work your ministry.

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Our Lord has been waiting over 2000 years for His glory. If He can wait. So can we.

John 17:24 (NKJV)

²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Does everyone ALWAYS practice what they preach? Do we always hold true to our standards, values, morals, disciplines…all the time? Do we all sometimes have lapses in our character?

Yes!

The apostle Peter was with Jesus from the beginning of His earthly ministry. He was there when Jesus performed miracles. He was an intimate part of Jesus’ inner circle. We all know that he betrayed the Lord, but Jesus warned him beforehand and restored him afterward.

Luke 22:31-34 (NKJV)

³¹ And the Lord said,^[a] “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” ³³ But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” ³⁴ Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

John 21:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah,^[a] do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Peter went on to be used by God to help birth the church, spread the Gospel, perform miracles himself and co-author the New Testament. To say he was anointed and used by God would be an understatement, but he was also far from perfect…just like us.

In fact, Paul (as Saul), who didn’t walk with Jesus. Who wasn’t there for the miracles. Who may have even consented to His death at the cross was also eventually anointed and used mightily by God. Notice what happened when Peter would associate and eat with Gentile believers unless Jews were around…then he would separate himself from them fearing what they would say and how they would react.

Galatians 2:11-16 (NKJV)

¹¹ Now when Peter^[a] had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you^[b] compel Gentiles to live as Jews?^[c]

Peter was being a hypocrite. Paul withstood Peter to his face, called him out and corrected him…publicly.

I know you are saved and sanctified. I know that you love God. I know that you are devoted to God, but are you a hypocrite sometimes too?

When have you found yourself acting outside of your integrity?

Sometimes publicly.

Sometimes privately.

Sometimes no one knows about it but you and God…but you do know. Don’t you? You notice it. You think about it. You may even pray about it and ask forgiveness, or you may be comfortable as long as no one else knows.

I’m not going to go through a list of the possible areas in life that we are sometimes hypocrites, but it could be as simple as…you portray yourself or even brag about being a law abiding citizen, but you sometimes drive above the speed limit.

That’s why God’s grace and mercy should never be taken for granted, because it is impossible for us to totally avoid sin, and hypocrisy is a subtle manipulation from the enemy which we ALL fall for sometimes.

The truth is that even when someone you love or someone you know has a hypocritical moment, you still know their true character…

So, let’s make sure that any lapse in our character is just that…a lapse. Because enough lapses in your character becomes your character.

Let’s hold one another accountable in love.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

• 

During the American Reconstruction after the Civil War, many of the first domestic terrorists used masks and violence to protect their ‘way of life’, that included the oppression and suppression of those who were recently freed from slavery. They even had the audacity to claim that God supported their evil cause. They did this by interpreting the bible through their own perspective, which is a sin…

2 Peter 1:20-21 (NKJV)

²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private ^[a]interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but ^[b]holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Many people want to claim the fact that disciples of Christ are no longer under the law, but they want to use the violence that God allowed as He fulfilled His promise to Abraham and his seed to give them the Promised Land — that has been accomplished.

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Search the scriptures and you will not find ONE (1) example of Jesus or His Apostles using violence to build the Kingdom of God…not ONE.

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To the contrary, Jesus let it be known that was an option that He didn’t choose.

John 18:36 (NKJV)

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.

God let us know that promoting peace is a sign of those who are His children…

Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

He let us know that displaying the Fruit of the Spirit is true strength…

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Too many Christians are impressed by violence rather than peace.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

If you’re a father, mother, son, daughter or child of God, at least one of these links will be a blessing to you. If you feel that you or your family is far from perfect, but you trust God with your family…click them all.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJV)

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not ^[a]puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, ^[b]thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things

1. WHY EVEN GOD CAN’T BE A MOTHER…

2. 3 REASONS FATHERS SHOULD KISS THEIR SONS TOO…

3. THE HUSBANDS, WIVES, PARENTS & CHILDREN IN THE BIBLE WERE MESSED UP TOO…

4. LEARNING TO FUNCTION IN DYSFUNCTION…

5. IF YOU EVER THINK YOUR CHILDREN DON’T APPRECIATE YOU, THINK ABOUT THIS…

6. EVEN IF YOUR FATHER WASN’T WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN…

7. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN FROM THE ANXIETIES OF THE WORLD…

8. WHAT GOD MAY BE TRYING TO TEACH YOU WHEN YOUR CHILDREN ARE DISOBEDIENT OR DISRESPECTFUL…

9. WHAT HAVE YOU TAUGHT YOUR CHILDREN TO FEAR?

10. WHY IT’S NOT OKAY FOR COACHES TO CURSE YOUR CHILDREN…

11. WHEN GOD’S CHILDREN GET ANGRY AT HIM…

12. IF WE DON’T DO A BETTER JOB OF ‘MODELING’ ADULTHOOD, OUR CHILDREN DON’T HAVE A CHANCE…

13. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BLESSINGS YOU CAN PRONOUNCE OVER YOUR FAMILY…

14. WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE YOUR HOME & FAMILY ARE ‘COVERED’/2021 MAY BE WORSE…

15. THE DAY GOD DELIVERED MY FAMILY FROM DEATH…LITERALLY!

BE BLESSTIFIED!