No matter how holy you strive to be, there’s nothing wrong with romance in your marriage. In fact…it’s necessary. I would even go as far to say that well-timed romance in marriage is holy.

After all, when God appealed to Israel concerning their unfaithfulness, He often used the metaphor that they have gone after other lovers, yet He still loved them…

Hosea 3:1 (NKJV)

3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover^[a]and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

And, doesn’t this sound like intimacy and anticipation comparable to two lovers who can’t stand being apart…

Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)

63 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts…

The reason many people can’t swim is because they were taught
fear of water rather than respect for water.

I remember as a child when at the lake as I went near the water
being told, “Get away from there!”

I was taught at an early age to be afraid of the water.

The disciples became afraid for their lives as the storm
raged while Jesus slept in the lower parts of the boat. When Jesus woke up,
before He rebuked the winds and the waves, He rebuked their fear and lack of faith…

Matthew 8:23-27
(NKJV)

²³Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.²⁴And suddenly a great
tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He
was asleep.²⁵Then
His disciples came toHimand awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save
us! We are perishing!”

²⁶

The power of true love is almost incomprehensible…

Have you ever heard anyone make this statement, or have made it yourself?

“You won’t go to Hell for doing it.”

Too many Christians feel as though as long as they are paying their tithes and going to church regularly that, ‘they’re good’.

Sometimes times there will be an issue or behavior that is questionable or vague, or maybe not even addressed directly in the bible. Many times there will be an issue or behavior that we really enjoy, but there is reason to believe it might be displeasing to God. Then there are issues that are addressed, but many people either don’t make the connection, or don’t care about how those issues relate to us today.

There are many Christians who don’t only define themselves as children of God, they also define themselves by ‘their’ zodiac sign.

How does God feel about someone asking, “What’s your sign?”

Zephaniah 1:5-6…

I may lose some readers and/or ‘followers’ for making this post, but it’s my prayer that God will gain some.

Okay, I know this is a morbid unpopular subject, and most people don’t like to talk about or preach about it any more, but as I read Matthew Chapter 7, I can’t read past verses 13 and 14 without drawing the conclusion…that most people will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10-15).

Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³“Enter by the narrow gate; for wideisthe gate and broadisthe way that leads to destruction, and there are MANY who go in by it.¹⁴Because^[a]narrowisthe gate and difficultisthe way which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it.

The LORD says, “many go in by it” meaning the gate to destruction, and then He goes on to…

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.

SURPRISE

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…

“YOUR WINTER FUN IS SOMEONE’S WINTER FEAR” maj

So many people love the cozy idea of sitting by a warm fire, and sipping egg nog or hot chocolate as they unwrap gifts with family or friends.

So many people get excited when they hear the weather forecaster announce snow is coming.

But, while some people rush the grocery stores for extra food in case they are snowed in…

While some people prepare to cook hot meals and watch the snow fall…

While so many children get excited over the thought of a snow day…

While some say, “Hmmm, what will we eat?”…

Others cringe at the thought of snow coming…

Others wait to see what the grocery stores will throw away…

Others wonder what cooked meals they can find in a dumpster…

Others wonder how they will keep their children warm on a snow day…

Others say, “what will we…

There are many atheists and skeptics who say that religion was created to control the masses.

As a Black man, I often hear others say how can you believe in a God that was forced on your ancestors by the slavemaster.

Once some people are convinced their particular view is correct, they claim everyone else is BRAINWASHED.

It’s amazing how one can assume you haven’t studied history for yourself and that you’re being naive.

There are plenty of believers like myself who are educated, have studied history, have studied other cultures and still choose to believe in the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting through His Son and our Savior Yeshua, Christ Jesus, The Lamb of God.

The history of the bible goes beyond and before European influences.

Besides…Those who are truly connected with God don’t have ‘religion’…we have relationship.

1 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)

For this reason I…

Sometimes the issue isn’t whether or not we trust God, but whether or not we trust ourselves…

We know He will lead and guide us, but are we making the right decisions?

We know He provides perfectly, but are we being the best stewards of what He provides?

When things don’t work out…

Is it punishment?

A lesson?

Or part of the process?

How do we know?

What should I do next?

Sometimes I need a victory to know I can trust myself AS I trust God.

I need a victory so OTHERS can trust me as I trust God and be encouraged.

I need confirmation that what I’ve done is right, rather than people telling me what I should have done.

I know my family loves me, but I want to know that they they’re of proud of me and respect me too.

I need to know that they…

It’s amazing how the moments I would have called boring when I was younger, I now call relaxing.

When you think about it, trouble, turmoil, conflict and drama are never boring.

So many times we can let the desire for or pursuit of excitement let us take for granted those peaceful moments that we can easily call boring.

I like to equate those moments to what the bible called ‘a season of rest’…

1 Kings 5:4(KJV)
⁴ But now theLordmy God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence.

This is when Solomon focused on building the temple.

But he later used the peace God gave him as a time to backslide…

1 Kings 11:5-7(NKJV)
⁵ For Solomon went afterAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and afterMilcomthe abomination of theAmmonites.⁶ Solomon did evil…

Evening Epiphany

Never take God’s grace for granted because if you think about it…

If you’ve been SAVED for a while, you’ve probably sinned MORE since you were SAVED than BEFORE.

Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV)

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

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…

Have you ever caught yourself complaining about something that you asked God for? You hoped for it. You prayed for it. You thanked God for it when you got it, but now, for whatever reason…you’re complaining about it.

Your job.

Your spouse.

Your child.

Your car.

Your house.

Your __________. You fill in the blank.

It may well be a blessing from God that you didn’t ask for, but God gave it to you. One great example is peace. How many times has God-given you peace and you complained that you were bored?

As I already discussed in SEVEN (7) REASONS GOD HATES COMPLAINING…, complaining is the exact opposite of thanksgiving.

I want to also remind you how much God hates complaining.

1 Corinthians 10:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

Complaining usually has one or two of three…

A few years ago my Senior Pastor, W. Michael Martin, did a series of lessons about faith. He shared a powerful revelation and revealed how many sincere Christians have erroneously taught that God is pleased with just ‘a little faith’. That is not true. They misquote and misapply Matthew 17:20…
Matthew 17:20 (NKJV)

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;^[a] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith AS a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Many have taught if you have faith OF, but the bible says AS. It would take great faith for a seed as small as a mustard seed to grow into a great tree. So, Jesus is saying if you have GREAT faith you can move mountains…not little faith.

This…

God is a forgiving God and He is willing to forgive us of
all our sins as long as we truly repent and have a forgiving heart towards
others.

But, sometimes we can wonder if we will ever recover from
the consequences of our bad decisions.

Let me give you a quick reminder that God loves us and He is
bigger than or bad decisions.

Any parent who has punished or disciplined their child will
look on them in pity and remove the punishment or give them relief from the
consequences if It’s in their power to do so.

God does the same thing…

Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

⁵ForHis angeris but fora moment,
His favoris forlife;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But^[a]joycomesin the morning.

Psalm 103:9-11 (NKJV)

⁹He will not always strivewith us,
Nor will He keep

It’s no question that our society today values appearances. Many people today love to look good and they want to be seen with people who look good.

Some men and women even consider some people to be ‘beneath them’ or ‘not in their league’ because of their appearance.

Some people expect their friends, associates and even their pastor to have a certain appearance or status.

Be honest with yourself. How receptive are you to people who look less attractive or not groomed as well?

The bible let’s us know that Jesus wasn’t what was considered that times’ standard of ‘good looking’.

Isaiah 53:2  (NKJV)

² For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no ^[a]form or ^[b]comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no ^[c]beauty that we…

The other day as my wife and I were getting ready for work, she asked me to get her clothes out of the dryer for her. We were both getting ready, but I stopped what I was doing and did it. The simplest gestures can be  the most powerful, especially when both husband and wife are working.

Do something simple every day to make life easier for one another. Bring him a cool beverage. Watch something that she wants to watch…with her. Iron his clothes for him. Go shopping with her.

These four gestures can make your marriage better. Nothing deep or romantic here, but doing it will make romance come easier.

HELP EACH OTHER OFTEN…

DO WHAT COMES EASY…

HONESTLY WORK ON WHAT’S DIFFICULT FOR YOU…

BE PATIENT WITH WHAT’S DIFFICULT FOR ONE ANOTHER…

Following these simple tips will make each day better, and difficult days more bearable.

 1 Peter…

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…

How many times have you said this, “I’m bored!”? How many times have you heard your kids say, “There’s nothing to do!”?

We live in a society with so many opportunities for entertainment and engagement that we can find ourselves in ‘paralysis by analysis’.

We expect our jobs to be entertaining. Our education to be entertaining, and even our worship to be entertaining.

Now, don’t get me a wrong. I’m by no means condemning being entertained. But, we do need to manage our expectations.

People also love ‘being busy’. We value hard work to the point that some people consider you a slacker if you ONLY want to work ‘9 to 5’…no over time. Since when did doing a hard days work and going home at a decent time become lazy?

Well, I’m saying all that to say this…

The older I get, the more I appreciate moments of having…

INFIDELITY…It’s the universal act of betrayal that many, if not most, find it difficult to come back from.

No matter what country, religion or culture, infidelity marks the end of many relationships. It’s viewed as the ultimate proof that love is lost.

However, the ability to come back from infidelity may be the ultimate proof of real love.

How can I say that?

Because marriage is the analogy that God uses throughout the bible, not only to describe His relationship with Israel in Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Joel, Isaiah and Hosea, but also Christ’s (who represents the invisible God bodily) relationship with His church in Colossians,  Ephesians and Revelations. All of the aforementioned, Old Testament books are stories of Israel continually betraying God, only to have Him continually forgive them and take them back.

Israel loved God… but they continued to choose other God’s over Him.

Israel loved God… but…

God uses imperfect people to carry out His perfect will. That being said, we know that the church is made up of those imperfect people. It’s unavoidable that the church has historically made some mistakes. What’s important is that we continue to learn from those mistakes…and change.

I feel that one of the most damaging mistakes that’s been made in many churches is about GIVING. I’m not talking about HOW MUCH. I’m talking about WHY?

Too many people have been taught to GIVE SELFISHLY. Too many people have been taught and are being taught to approach God and give carnally. The ‘prosperity’ movement has reduced giving to a selfless act, based on our culture of greed, as a ‘tool’ to get what you want out of life from God. This allows the idolatry (Colossians 3:5) of worshiping oneself to pervert faith. They believe God can do it, but the motivation…

How many times have you heard someone say something like this, “In this day and time, you have to have…

A cell phone…

Internet access…

A vehicle…

A nice suit…

Electricity…

Indoor plumbing…

Soap…?”

God has blessed many of us to live in an abundant society. If
we aren’t careful, we can begin to look at many of our luxuries as necessities.

The age of children
with smart devices is getting younger and younger because many parents say, “We
have to be able to get in touch with them”.

All across America people wake up in the morning and take
for granted the blessing of being able to do the first thing we have to do when
we all get up…use the bathroom.

Years ago, no one had indoor plumbing. Even the wealthy had
an ‘out house’. Then, with the innovation of indoor plumbing it was a blessing
for the…

Having you ever noticed a child throwing a temper tantrum when he or she doesn’t get something that they want? This is a natural reaction that must be overcome as the child matures. The reaction is natural…innate…the child was born with it.

As you know, the debate continues as to whether people are born gay, or is it a choice. The purpose of this article isn’t to debate that question, but to address this fact…

The truth is that we are all born with innate desires, feelings and proclivities that we did not ask for.

Many Christians reason to excuse some behaviors by saying, “I or they was or were born this way”.

This doesn’t mean that God made a mistake because the scripture clearly reminds us that we were all born in sin…

Psalm 51:5 (NKJV)

 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother…

1 Kings 11:1-2 (NKJV)

But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— ² from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

Anyone who reads the bible knows that King Solomon is recognized as the wisest man who every lived. They also know that he loved women and had many wives and concubines. So, it very be easily concluded that Solomon’s sex drive and love for women was a weakness. He allowed the women he loved to compromise his devotion to God – the wisest man who ever lived.

King Solomon’s wisdom was his greatest strength. His sex drive was his greatest weakness. And, both of…

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)

I’ve found the most intimate refreshing place to pray at my home. I love sitting in my chair on my front porch and enjoying quality time with God in prayer. When I’m out there, it’s like it’s just Him and me. Yes I pray everywhere. But, that place is special.

And yes, I said sitting.

You see, it’s good to get on your knees in submission to God, but contrary to what many may have been taught it’s not mandatory. That is not the exclusively acceptable prayer posture.

Your proper prayer posture isn’t the position of your body, but of your heart and spirit…

To a humble spirit… it’s about humility.

Psalm 51:17 (NKJV)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise

1- On Your Knees

Ephesians 3:14 (NKJV)

For this reason I bow my knees to…