Evening Epiphany

Remember this…

Not DISCOURAGING bad behavior is ENCOURAGING it.

James 4:17 (NKJV)
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Some people love titles. Many titles have been earned through years of hard work, and I respect that. However, sometimes titles can allow people to ‘smell themselves’ and believe their own press, or even be worshiped. That’s why God reminds us to humble ourselves and have a servant’s heart.

Matthew 23:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

We must also remember that we are all human, and no one is as GREAT as their prefix or suffix…

President

Dr.

Pastor

Bishop

MBA

MA

SVP

CEO

Esq

Judge

Rev

General

Admiral

Chief

Prime Minister

King

Queen

Father

Pope

Yes, God expects us to submit to leadership (Hebrews 13:17, Romans 13:1). It’s easy to be impressed by those we call great. By their accomplishments…by their confidence…by their authority. But no matter how great or influential, EVERYONE has:

Weakness

Insecurities

Fears

Faults

Immaturity

Limitations

Temptations

Vices

Virtues

No matter how confident…sometimes they just don’t know.

How much authority…they’re just a person doing a job.

Don’t trust anyone anymore than you do yourself in your own greatest strength.

Psalm 146:3-7 (NIV)

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Or, any less than you do yourself in your greatest weakness.

And, only follow ANYONE as they follow Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

11 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Who’s the only one who lives up to His title?

His name is Yahweh/Elohim…His title is God.

His name is Yeshua/Jeush…His title is Christ.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

How many times have you been frustrated or disappointed when God says “No” to you? When those doors that you desperately want to enter but He seems to refuse to open.

None of us like it when God uses the ‘N-Word, WHEN GOD USES THE ‘N-WORD’……but we have to accept it.

But, if we stop and think about it, while we’re so focused on what WE want to do, many times people are ‘bugging’ us to do things in which we have no interest. A project…a task…a favor…an opportunity that we didn’t ask for. Many times we say…

“I don’t have time for that!” or,

“I don’t know how to do that!” or,

How about This? “That’s not in my job description!”

Could God be sending those unwanted ‘opportunities’ to us to set us up for a greater purpose…His purpose?

Something greater than us or what we want? Why is God saying, “Yes” to something I don’t want?

Think for a moment that Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Joseph or any of the apostles asked or applied for their assignments. In fact both Moses (Exodus 4:7) and Paul (2  Corinthians 11:6) were NOT gifted speakers, but the core of what God said, “Yes” to in their lives involved speaking and writing.

Stop for a moment and think about what’s being requested of you right now. Is that God saying, “Yes”?

Don’t be so quick to say “No”, when you get unsolicited requests. Pray about it. Measure it against God’s word. Pray for discernment.

You may be saying, “No” to the next move in your purpose.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Have you ever made Him feel you’ve forgotten Him?

How many times have you started your day without saying, “Good Morning”?

How many meals or snacks have you eaten without saying, “Thank you”?

Have you gone a day without ‘calling’?

Have often do you check what He’s ‘posted’ in His ‘HOLY MEDIA’?

How many times has He tried to get your attention and you responded, “Not Now!”

How many times have you asked Him to leave ‘your house’ and invited the devil in?

Even when you’re diligently seeking Him, He sometimes may seem far away… because no matter how close you may THINK you are to Him, you can still be closer.

No matter how much faith you THINK you have…we all still have some unbelief.

Remember this…

Every person used by God in the bible at some time felt forsaken…including His Son.

Matthew 27:46 (NKJV)

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

If you feel God has forsaken or forgotten you read Psalm 13. Notice how it begins in sorrow, but ends in an affirmation of trust and praise…That’s why He seems far away sometimes. So we can follow even closer behind Him.

Psalm 13 (NKJV)

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?
² How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴ Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵ But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

We all have them in our lives…dry seasons. Periods of time when we endure serious trials and tribulations. Some people’s trials may be more severe than others, but when you’re going through…your trial is still difficult to you.

We’ve read what God told the exiles in Babylon in Jeremiah 29…

Jeremiah 29:4-7 (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… 

He told them that He expected them to not only be at peace with their situation, but to make the most of it, and pray for the city of their oppressor.

We’ve also read what God commanded of servants in Ephesians 6…

Ephesians 6:5-7 (NKJV)

⁵ Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; ⁶ not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

There’s not much worse on earth than not enjoying one’s freedom. Notice that God didn’t ignore the existence of slavery to the point that we were given instructions on the proper attitude if we were bound as servants. More on why in my post link….

Also consider what we’re told in the book of James concerning difficult trials…

James 1:2-3 (NKJV)

 ² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

 We are not only told to be patient in trials, but to ‘count it all joy’. Wow! I know this might sound easy to some ‘super spiritual’ people, but I am willing to admit that this is sometimes not just difficult for me, but very difficult. And, that’s okay because Jesus Himself comforted us letting us know that He knows that even when our spirit is willing that our human side gets weak (Matthew 26:41).

So, in those seasons of our lives when we are experiencing a drought in our lives…those seasons when it seems that NOTHING seems to go our way, why won’t God allow us to ‘fall apart’? Why does He demand JOY?

DROUGHTS ARE NECESSARY

Sometimes we encounter droughts to develop our character. There are times when we have to go through the valley to get to our blessing. And, sometimes our droughts are because of our bad choices…either way, we are to learn patience in those difficult seasons as advised in James, to develop our character.

DROUGHTS SOMETIMES LAST A LONG TIME

It’s easy to read about droughts and famines in the bible that last several years in one sitting, but the reality is that the days and nights of those people in the bible were just as long as our days and nights. Notice in Jeremiah 29, if you continue reading that chapter you’ll find that the captivity was to last 70 years. Sometimes our dry seasons will last a long time. God doesn’t want us to endure those periods of hardship depressed and hopeless. He wants us to learn to have joy in difficulty so we can even enjoy our lives in challenging circumstances.

YOUR ARE EXPECTED TO BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE WHILE IN YOUR DROUGHT

How many times has someone come to you in need of spiritual, emotional or even financial help while you’re enduring your own personals storm? Have you ever sent someone away saying, “I can’t help you, I’m trying to deal with my own situation!”. God is developing us to be strong enough to bless someone else while we are ‘going through’ ourselves.  You may save someone else’s life while in your storm.

IT’S ONLY FAIR

Philippians 1:29 is one of the most overlooked and under preached verses in the bible. Quite frankly it’s because no one wants to hear it, and it’s very hard to accept…

Philippians 1:29(NKJV)

²⁹ For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

Suffering, trials and tribulations are a part of our purpose as Christians. Why? Because it’s only fair. Jesus suffered and died a horrible death for all of our sins. How difficult is it to have access to all power and submit to the shame of the cross (Hebrews 12:2) knowing that some people will never appreciate it But, still He squeezed out enough joy on the cross to forgive the very one’s who were crucifying Him.

GOD EXPECTS US TO HAVE ‘JOY IN DROUGHT’ TO DEVELOP A GODLY MINDSET

Learning to have joy in our most difficult seasons because doing so is truly CONFORMING to the image, character and mindset of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God expects us to conform enough to His Son’s image to do the same (Luke 23:34). How can you love your enemies and bless those who persecute you unless you (Matthew 5:43-48) unless you learn to have joy when they are persecuting you.

Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Trails are sure to come. Pray for God to help you have joy in your drought. Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Yes.

Happiness is based on conditions around you, but joy is based on the condition inside you.

BE BLESSTIFIFED!

I’m a Black man, and naturally I have concerns of a Black man. I would be foolish if I didn’t. However, that doesn’t mean that I will agree with ALL Black people on how to address all ‘Black’ issues. Some will even disagree with me on using the term ‘Black’ instead of ‘African American’. All Black people don’t have to and will not agree on everything. Black people should be able to feel the way they feel…to have their own opinion without being labeled a ‘sell out’ or not ‘woke’, ‘down’ or aware. All Black people didn’t agree during the Civil Rights Movement. There’s no race that agrees on everything. That’s a myth. Some cultures may facilitate collaboration differently, but NO race is totally united. Accomplishments and progression are achieved through unified groups within each race.

The truth is that in my life, I have been equally helped and hindered by both Blacks and Whites. There are times when both Black and White people could have acted in my behalf and chose not to do so…and so have I. Yes, I know there are other racial issues, but in America, the biggest race conversation has always been Black and White. I’m blessed to have friends in all races and cultures.

I will never have an us against them attitude!

It’s God’s will that we are all one in Christ…

Galatians 3:28 (NKJV)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus

…which by the way wasn’t White or Black (that’s another converstion), Christ was born Jewish but existed before there were Jews or any other ‘race’ (John 1:1-14). And, the world was given the ‘oracles’ of God (Romans 3:2) through the Jewish culture and context.

But, even the Jews aren’t a race. Notice that through Abraham God didn’t raise up a race. He raised a faith. Read more about that in my article, FAITH, NOT RACE…

I will never have an us against them attitude.

I love people…all people! I love everyone, but my first allegience is to God. Because of that…

Sometimes I will piss off Black people…

Sometimes I will piss off White people…

Sometimes I will piss off Asians, Latinos etc.

Sometimes I will piss off Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and, yes Christians.

But, that’s okay as long as I DON’T piss off God.

I’m Christian first, then Black…but I love everyone.

I will stand for you equally as long as you are in harmony with God’s truth.

I will never have an us against them attitude!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

No matter…

How great your mind…you didn’t make it.

How beautiful your face…you didn’t mold it.

What you’ve accomplished in the world…you don’t move it.

How dumb you think you are…God made it.

How ugly you feel you look…God molded you.

How much you’ve failed in the world…God keeps it moving to give you another chance.

Thinking too much of yourself will bring you down.

Not thinking enough of yourself will keep you down.

Notice the parable of Jesus mentioned in Luke 14…

 Luke 14:7-11 (NKJV)

⁷ So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: ⁸ “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; ⁹ and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In other words…Eventhough you shouldn’t think too much of yourself when you get there, you sill have to think enough of yourself to go.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

God is…

All-powerful!

All-knowing!

And, everywhere at the same time.

There is nothing impossible to Him but there’s still a few things He can’t do…

He can’t die.

He can’t lie.

He can’t fail…

And, He can’t be a MOTHER.

Yes, I know we say He’s a father to the fatherless and a mother to the fatherless…and He can feel those voids in our lives, but…

Notice what Psalm 68:5 says…

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.

It says that our loving heavenly FATHER is to the fatherless, but not a mother to the  motherless.

He’s our FATHER, but,

God gave a special role to women. He gave them honor of being the first connection to every life on this earth. To nurture every life…to introduce every person to the world, and with that role comes a special bond. There’s nothing like a mother’s love.

Even when it comes to our salvation, in the fullness of time, God still didn’t step outside of the authority He gave to women by still using a woman to bring His Son into the world.

Yes, He could have made another man of ‘dust’ if He wanted, but He chose Mary to be a Mother to our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, Jesus Christ.

Galatians 4:4 (NKJV)

⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born^[a] of a woman, born under the law,

There’s nothing like a mother’s love. That’s why it’s possible for some women who didn’t even physically birth a child into the world to still have the anointing to fulfill a mother’s role and love…it is a gift of God to the child and mother.

In those unfortunate circumstances when a mother does not live up to her role, even though a father can step it up or step in…nothing can ‘replace it’. Sometimes there is just a void, unless another ‘woman’ steps in (grandmother, aunt, sister, adopted mother).

Praise God for the blessing of mothers!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

There’s something going on!

In talking to people…

In reading posts on social media…

In people confiding in me…

I’ve noticed especially, in the last year or two, there seems to be an intense attack on the Body of Christ by the enemy. So many devoted Christians are reaching out sharing the fact that they are going through a variety of CRAZY situations. Sometimes one situation right after another…without a chance to absorb the blow.

There are times when you’re deep in your own struggle, that you can feel as though you’re all alone. That no one else is going through what you’re going through. That no one else can understand or relate to your struggle. That God has forgotten about you.

My family and I are going through our own challenges right now…together. But I know everyone doesn’t have someone with whom to share their struggle. This is especially for you.

Even if you aren’t going through some of the severe persecutions to the point of bloodshed (Hebrews 12:3-4), that were not only endured in the past, but are still being endured by some Christians today…your personal struggle is still difficult TO YOU!

Please help me encourage someone else right now…

While letting God know that in the midst of your struggle, pain, uncertainty, heartache, betrayal, sickness, shame, financial problems, persecution …whatever you’re going through, let God know that you still love Him and trust Him.

Help me let someone else know they aren’t struggling alone…

If you’re going through a trial, please COMMENT OR REPLY, “I LOVE YOU AND TRUST YOU LORD”!

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NKJV)

 ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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!

The American Civil War was a horrible time in the past, and it’s legacy and how people feel it should be remembered causes division today. Yes, it should be remembered, but not celebrated.

There has been much controversy and disagreement concerning efforts to remove certain images of the Confederacy from public places and entities.

Those who defend these images claim they are historic symbols, and they assert that those who want them removed don’t understand, know or appreciate history.

The problem with too many people who claim to be Christian is that they celebrate aspects of their culture, past and history that they should be ashamed of.

People quickly say, “You can’t erase history.” “You can’t erase the past”.

The truth is that EVERY culture and even family has aspect of their past that they should REMEMBER, but not celebrate and glorify.

We can remember the past without honoring, glorifying and celebrating aspects of a culture and heritage that oppressed others…And, expect the descendants of those who were oppressed to honor the symbols of the oppressor.

If that’s the case, we tell the story of the American revolution, but where are the statues of King George III? Hmmm… the statue that used to exist in New York city was interestingly pulled down. Where are the British flags in our buildings…that’s our history too. 

Those who claim to be Christians cannot justify by the word of God glorifying a system and culture that supported  and thrived on American slavery. Which cannot even be compared to or defended by the ‘servanthood’ in the bible, addressed in my post, LET’S TALK ABOUT SLAVERY IN THE BIBLE…

Especially a system that was completely built upon kidnapping and selling people into slavery, which was strictly forbidden and punishable by death in the bible…

Exodus 21:16 (NKJV)

16 “He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

The American south isn’t the only culture who committed this atrocity, but it is equally wrong.

God had Israel remember their past, but without graven images. Could this be one of the reasons He forbade making graven images? People tend to honor (worship) them. We honor God WITHOUT a statue or a flag.

Exodus 20:3-6

³ “You shall have no other gods before Me. ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

If you notice this commandment goes beyond worshipping vs 3. It says don’t make ANY images first (v 4), THEN don’t bow down to them (vs 5).

The fact is that you can honor the past without disobeying God. This isn’t the first time that we have blatantly disobeyed God in our ‘establishment’. Notice that when people testify in court, or take office, they are asked to ‘swear in’ on a bible that strictly forbids swearing…

Matthew 5:34-37  (NKJV)

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 your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Think about it…people don’t celebrate shameful aspects of their family history.

If your parent or grandparent was drunk or criminal do you celebrate that? It’s your history.

If your father beat your mother do you celebrate that? It’s your history?

We remember that Judas betrayed Jesus, but we don’t celebrate it.

The Jews remember war between Israel and Judah, but they don’t celebrate it.

The enemy keeps us divided and holds us back by convincing us that we should celebrate things that we should be ashamed of. God repeatedly tells Israel that they should remember the sins of their ‘fathers’, but not glorify them…

Hebrews 3:8  (NKJV)

⁸ Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,

I ask you to consider this article with an open heart to God…not with your emotions.

 This is the first in as series of articles that address CELEBRATING THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

As we were riding down the street the other day, my wife noticed a car that we both like. She said, “Did you see that ________?”

I just missed it because I was paying attention to the road, and for a moment I caught myself reaching for a remote control to rewind so I could see it.

I’ve become so accustomed to watching live television with the convenience of being able to rewind it on a DVR, that my first reaction was to try and REWIND REAL LIFE.

Our technology, if we aren’t careful, can give us the illusion that we actually have more control than we do.

We can instantly communicate with people on the other side of the world.

We can even see them on our portable devices…that’s Jetson’s stuff!

We can walk into a hot room, and within minutes make it comfortable. We can send information instantly via text, email, fax or scan. Just take a look out of your window and look at the buildings and infrastructure than humans have achieved.

We allow traffic signals to manage the chaos of everyday traffic. We don’t think twice about planes flying over our homes. We have weapons that have allowed us to ‘control’ animals much larger, stronger and faster than us. Even the bible says:

Psalm 115:16 (ESV)
16  “The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth He has given to the children of men” Psalm 115:16 (ESV).
God has given man dominion of the earth:

Genesis 1:26-28 (ESV)
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

But in an instant, with the right natural disaster, God can snatch all of our technology and remind us who is really in control.

Psalm 135:6 (ESV)

Our spiritual wars started ‘a long time ago’…

Ephesians 6:12(NKJV)

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

MAY HIS FORCE BE IN YOU!

GOD is the SOURCE! Psalm 121:2

JESUS CHRIST is theVOICE!  John 1:14

HOLY SPIRIT is the FORCE!  Acts 1:8, Romans 8:11

THREE AUTHORITIES – ONE GOD!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

One morning not long ago I prayed, “Lord, I need a miracle!”

As I prayed God reminded me of something powerful. I’m going to share with you verbatim how it went, and I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me….

Lord, I NEED a miracle…

Lord I WANT a miracle….

LORD I AM a miracle….

Never Mind…THANK YOU JESUS!

Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)

Evening Epiphany

Remember this…

No matter how fast a lie runs, the truth will always catch up in the end.

Proverbs 10:9 (NKJV)

⁹ He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.

Psalm 100:5 (NKJV)

In His darkest moment, those closest to Him abandoned Him…

Matthew 26:31 (NKJV)

 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But, I think that Jesus was cool with that. I know He wasn’t surprised. It was prophesied and He knew they would all scatter.

He knew Peter would follow, but far away. He knew he would deny Him three times to the point of cursing…

Matthew 26:74

Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!”

Many times, in the comfort and conveniences of our 21^st Century lifestyles, we will read about or hear in a sermon about the disciples scattering and deserting Jesus just before He went to the cross. We may even think to ourselves, “What a shame”.

We may wonder what we would have done had we been in that situation. I can quickly and confidently answer that…we would have done the same thing.

How do I know that?

Because it was God’s will that they scatter.

What could they have done to prevent Jesus’ crucifixion? Nothing…because it was God’s will.

What good would it have done if they had died with Him, because that’s exactly what would have happened had they stood with Him.

Had they stood with Jesus at that time and were crucified with Him, how would we have gotten the Gospels? Who would have told us of what they experienced while they were with Him?

He was preparing them to spread the Gospel, not to die with Him.

He was preparing them to GO….not DIE….at least not yet.

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Think about it like this…

Jesus could have stayed here longer. He could have put off the cross until His disciples were stronger…but He didn’t.

Jesus left them while they were WEAK enough to scatter and desert Him, but STRONG enough to get it back together and continue.

I believe that Christ was glad they scattered.

So, stop worrying about those who have…

Left you…

Abandoned you…

Deserted you…

Ignored you…or

Betrayed you.

Stop and look for God in it.

The next time that someone leaves you…look for God in it.

And, remember, that sometimes we must share in His sufferings…

Romans 8:17 (NKJV)

 And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Yes, they scattered and deserted Him, but that’s not how the story ended…And, that’s why I believe that Jesus was glad they left Him alone.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Confession is good for the soul, but remember this…make sure they’re offering a listening EAR and not NOSINESS.

You don’t have to tell ALL of your business to confess your faults and be delivered. Some people need to be delivered from nosiness.

James 5:16 (KJV)

¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Some issues you can’t ignore. Doing so can cause irreparable harm or worse.

Why?

Because when you ignore the symptoms or lack thereof…

You let it grow…

Give it room, space and freedom to work…

To thrive!

The next thing you know it will be bigger and stronger than expected…

Wait a minute!

Now you see why it’s not always bad when PEOPLE are ignoring YOU.

On your job…

In your relationships…

You know where they aren’t taking you seriously.

Maybe that’s God’s way of giving you a path of least resistance.

Use it.

Matthew 10:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

BE BLESSTIFIED

When an atheist loves or does good, is it from God?

Is a spiritual truth from another faith still wisdom from God, even though it may not be attributed to the one true God?

The fact of the matter is there are some atheists and people of other faiths more loving, friendly and generous than many of us Christians.

We were all made in God’s image. God IS love, and any love that is in us is from Him. Just because some people don’t attribute that love to Him doesn’t mean it doesn’t come from Him. Love definitely cannot come from the devil.

Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)

²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

But, being made in God’s image doesn’t mean that we look like Him physically because He is a spirit.

John 4:24 (NKJV)

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

In fact, Jesus represents our invisible Father in bodily form…

Colossians 1:15 (NKJV)

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

Colossians 2:8-9(NKJV)

⁸ Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

But, being made in His image means we look like Him spiritually. It means we can have His character…His heart…His attributes…His mind.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?”^[a] But we have the mind of Christ.

It means we can love like Him. We can hurt like Him. We can be angry like Him. We can feel like Him.

He gives EVERYONE of us a measure of faith…

Romans 12:3

³ For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

He also gave us free will, and because of that free will, some choose place that faith in idol Gods…other religions…themselves…or no one at all.

It’s just like a son who looks just like His father but resents and rejects him saying, “You’re not my father!” “I look nothing like you!”

Consider this verse…

Romans 2: 14-16

14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Anyone’s ability to love and do good comes from God, even if they don’t believe in Him, it still originates from Him.

Also, since God is all-knowing, and the source of all knowledge…then even the wisdom of other religions is still from God. They just don’t attribute it to Him….

Romans 1:20-23 (NKJV)

²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Just because that same son we mentioned earlier doesn’t want to admit that he inherited his intelligence or talents from his father or mother, doesn’t mean that he didn’t.

It’s evident in everything the son does, he proves he came from his parents, he proves they exist or existed…whether he admits it or not.

So, when unbelievers love. When someone of another faith speaks wisdom. When either of them are generous…it still comes from God. They are still created in His image. They just don’t give Him credit as the source.

For example, the wisdom behind ‘karma’ is still the same Godly knowledge of ‘reaping what you sow’…

Galatians 6:7-9(NKJV)

⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

When you hear truth coming from an atheist or someone of another faith…the fact that they don’t believe in the one true and living God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ doesn’t prevent it from being truth…in fact, they are proving God is real.

It is our responsibility to convince them to give their measure of faith to God.

BE BLESSTIFIED!!!

It’s not where you live that makes you somebody, but who lives in you. (1 John 4:4)

It’s not how much you have in the bank, but what’s deposited in you. (2 Corinthians 1:22)

It’s not your education you’ve acquired, but who you’ve inspired. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

It’s not your titles before your name or letters after it, but it’s by whose you’re called. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

LET’S KEEP IT REAL…

We are all a blessed mess. Some of us would have turned our noses up at Jesus…

No matter how clean you are now…you smell sometimes.

No matter how ‘clean’ you eat…you get rid of it ‘dirty’.

No matter how much you shine…you have a dark side.

No matter how much ‘better’ you think you are than someone else…

God doesn’t love them any less than you.

Even if you’re saved and they aren’t…

You have God’s grace, but they have His mercy. (Psalm 145:9)

His sun shines on them too. (Matthew 5:45)

His SON died for them too. (2 Corinthians 5:15)

How dare you think you’re better than anyone. Don’t let God have to show you that you aren’t. (Matthew 23:12)

Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

³ For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Galatians 6:3 (NKJV)

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Evening Epiphany

Remember this…

I respect you. But, I lick my lips too many times a day to kiss your behind.

It’s not a sin to assert yourself.

Job 12:3 (NKJV)

Have you ever heard someone say, “Give God a chance”?

A chance to do what?

To change our lives?

To save us?

What power do we have to ‘give God a chance’? God has all power. The one with the power is the only one who can given anyone a chance.

In fact, anything that God can do has already been ordained. It’s already been prepared. It’s already available. In the spirit…we just have to get to it in the physical.

The day of your breakthrough, deliverance, healing, salvation has already been ordained. That day has already been prepared…you just have to get to it.

Psalm 139:16 (NIV)

 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Just because something didn’t take place doesn’t mean it wasn’t God’s will. For example…He said that it’s will that ALL be saved, but of course all won’t accept His invitation.

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Salvation is already prepared, provided and available for everyone…it’s up to us to accept it.

Many times, our blessing…healing…deliverance has already been established, but we just have to keep the faith and endurance to get to it.

This is much like the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).

His father was waiting to receive him any day the son chose to back, but it was up to the son to come back home. If he never came back, it didn’t mean his ‘chance’, his ‘deliverance’, his ‘salvation’ was never available. In fact, he never lost his opportunity for salvation, but it was up to him to claim it (that’s another post coming soon). His father gave him a chance…he just had to take it. It wasn’t up to the son to give his dad a chance to save his life. It was up to the son to take advantage of the chance his father gave him.

And so it is with us and God. It’s not about us giving God a chance…He’s giving us a chance. As a matter of fact, He gives us chance after chance after chance. We must take advantage of the chances He gives us.

It’s not about us giving God a chance…it’s about us giving ourselves one.

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

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

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!

Your Passion is the fire God gave you to fuel your vision.

Your vision…That snap shot of what He wants you to be. Where He wants you to go. What He wants you to do.

I didn’t say dream because dreams are for those who sleep. Your vision used to be a dream, but you’ve taken the first step. You’ve invested time…money…reputation…your faith!

I’m talking about your vision…

Your vision… That’s so much bigger than you or your abilities.

Your vision… That sometimes seems so far away.

Your vision…To some it seems impossible, improbable…even foolish.

Sometimes no one else will understand it, even those closest to you. That’s why God gave YOUR vision to YOU…that’s why He  trusted you with it.

That’s why He gave you that flame…the passion inside you that won’t your vision die.

So, when the devil sends resistance through people to try to BLOW IT OUT…

When He tries to shut off resources to CHOKE and SNUFF your fire…

When He tries to QUENCH it out with you tears of disappointment and hopelessness…

Let the mighty wind of God’s Holy Spirit turn your flicker into a RAGING FIRE…divinely inspired passion that consumes your resistance.

God gave you your vision. Keep the fire burning.

Habakkuk 2  (NKJV)

² Then the Lord answered me and said:

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Would God allow you to fail? Well, I guess that depends on how you define, “fail”. Oxford dictionaries define fail as 1) an unsuccessful attempt to reach ones goal, or 2) neglect to do something…

That being said, and considering Romans 8:28…

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

…God promises that all things work together for our good when we are called according to HIS purpose.

So, God is saying His definition of success is when our goals are according to His purpose, but we all know that sometimes our goals aren’t aligned with God’s purpose.

We must understand that sometimes when things don’t work out according to OUR plans, it isn’t always, ‘the devil’.

A good example is in 1 Kings Chapter 12. King Rehoboam, Solomon’s son didn’t listen to the sound advice of the older men who stood before his father, but rather listen to the bad advice of the young men who were raised with him. This led to a bad decision that led to Rehoboam losing the loyalty of the people and the kingdom being split. But look closely at what verse 15 says…

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

 God actually set Rehoboam up to fail, but only because of His own pride and hard heart. Though there are many in the bible, this serves as a perfect example for us today.

Let’s look at a few reason why God would ‘set us up to fail’. Some of these will overlap somewhat, but I think you will get the picture.

YOU MOVED WITHOUT CONSULTING GOD AND HIS WORD…

How many times have we made a decision because it was something that we wanted so bad…we didn’t want to consult God. Sometimes we even reason that if it wasn’t meant for us, God wouldn’t have sent the opportunity.

The truth is, that the enemy sometimes presents himself as an ‘angel of light’ (2 Corinthians 11:14), and some ‘good’ opportunities aren’t good for us. You may have accepted a job or relationship that actually came between you and God. God loves you enough to sometimes, ‘get in the way’, to make us lose that which is not good for us.

 YOU CONSULTED GOD AND HIS WORD, BUT IGNORED IT…

Sometimes we consult with God, and we know that what we want is clearly not His will, but we do it anyway. In 1 Kings Chapter 2, evil King Ahab complains that Micaiah is a prophet that, “I hate him, because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad…”. King Ahab consistently acted against the prophet’s advice, and it led to his downfall.

When we step out on our own, knowing better, God will sometimes intervene, or strategically shape events that will allow us to ‘fail’ so that we can get back in line with God’s will.

 YOU CONSULTED GOD BUT MISUNDERSTOOD…

 There are times when we just simply misunderstood what God would have us do. We may have even gotten some bad spiritual advice. Sometimes God will lovingly allow things to fall apart, so we (and those around us) can learn from that mistake and move on wiser and stronger.

 YOU STEP OUTSIDE HIS WILL..

 Sometimes we can be on the right track, but get DIStracted. This can happen to the best of us. As I said above, God will sometimes allow us to fail, lose something or someone, so we can get back on track according to His will.

 GOD IS TRYING TO MOVE YOU TO WHERE YOU’RE MEANT TO BE…

 I love the example in 1 Kings Chapter 17 when the prophet Elijah was right where God placed him and wanted him to be. He was being fed by the ravens, and drank from the brook of Cherith, but the brook dried up and the ravens stopped bringing the food. God allowed what was sustaining Elisha to fail, because He was ready for Elisha to move on to his next assignment.

Sometimes God has to allow things to ‘dry up’ to get us to move on…sometimes we’ve stayed there too long…Sometimes we’ve completed our assignment…Sometimes God knows you will get comfortable where you’re not meant to be and has to allow you to ‘fail’, be rejected, be ignored, be embarrassed, be unproductive…He has to do what it takes to get you to move on where you meant to be.

Can you look back over your life and honestly see where what you thought at the time was a ‘failure’ was actually God redirecting you to success.

Remember this…

Proverbs 19:21 (NKJV)

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Would God allow you to fail? Well, I guess that depends on how you define, “fail”. Oxford dictionaries define fail as 1) an unsuccessful attempt to reach ones goal, or 2) neglect to do something…

That being said, and considering Romans 8:28…

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

…God promises that all things work together for our good when we are called according to HIS purpose.

So, God is saying His definition of success is when our goals are according to His purpose, but we all know that sometimes our goals aren’t aligned with God’s purpose.

We must understand that sometimes when things don’t work out according to OUR plans, it isn’t always, ‘the devil’.

A good example is in 1 Kings Chapter 12. King Rehoboam, Solomon’s son didn’t listen to the sound advice of the older men who stood before his father, but rather listen to the bad advice of the young men who were raised with him. This led to a bad decision that led to Rehoboam losing the loyalty of the people and the kingdom being split. But look closely at what verse 15 says…

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

 God actually set Rehoboam up to fail, but only because of His own pride and hard heart. Though there are many in the bible, this serves as a perfect example for us today.

Let’s look at a few reason why God would ‘set us up to fail’. Some of these will overlap somewhat, but I think you will get the picture.

YOU MOVED WITHOUT CONSULTING GOD AND HIS WORD…

How many times have we made a decision because it was something that we wanted so bad…we didn’t want to consult God. Sometimes we even reason that if it wasn’t meant for us, God wouldn’t have sent the opportunity.

The truth is, that the enemy sometimes presents himself as an ‘angel of light’ (2 Corinthians 11:14), and some ‘good’ opportunities aren’t good for us. You may have accepted a job or relationship that actually came between you and God. God loves you enough to sometimes, ‘get in the way’, to make us lose that which is not good for us.

 YOU CONSULTED GOD AND HIS WORD, BUT IGNORED IT…

Sometimes we consult with God, and we know that what we want is clearly not His will, but we do it anyway. In 1 Kings Chapter 2, evil King Ahab complains that Micaiah is a prophet that, “I hate him, because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad…”. King Ahab consistently acted against the prophet’s advice, and it led to his downfall.

When we step out on our own, knowing better, God will sometimes intervene, or strategically shape events that will allow us to ‘fail’ so that we can get back in line with God’s will.

 YOU CONSULTED GOD BUT MISUNDERSTOOD…

 There are times when we just simply misunderstood what God would have us do. We may have even gotten some bad spiritual advice. Sometimes God will lovingly allow things to fall apart, so we (and those around us) can learn from that mistake and move on wiser and stronger.

 YOU STEP OUTSIDE HIS WILL..

 Sometimes we can be on the right track, but get DIStracted. This can happen to the best of us. As I said above, God will sometimes allow us to fail, lose something or someone, so we can get back on track according to His will.

 GOD IS TRYING TO MOVE YOU TO WHERE YOU’RE MEANT TO BE…

 I love the example in 1 Kings Chapter 17 when the prophet Elijah was right where God placed him and wanted him to be. He was being fed by the ravens, and drank from the brook of Cherith, but the brook dried up and the ravens stopped bringing the food. God allowed what was sustaining Elisha to fail, because He was ready for Elisha to move on to his next assignment.

Sometimes God has to allow things to ‘dry up’ to get us to move on…sometimes we’ve stayed there too long…Sometimes we’ve completed our assignment…Sometimes God knows you will get comfortable where you’re not meant to be and has to allow you to ‘fail’, be rejected, be ignored, be embarrassed, be unproductive…He has to do what it takes to get you to move on where you meant to be.

Can you look back over your life and honestly see where what you thought at the time was a ‘failure’ was actually God redirecting you to success.

Remember this…

Proverbs 19:21 (NKJV)

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Most of what we worry about is beyond today. There are some things that God only dispenses one day at a time. Just like He gave Israel manna…

Lamentations 3:22-24  (NKJV)

Why?

So we will learn to lean and depend on Him…trust Him. So we trust Him and not ourselves. Our abilities… Our wealth… Our Education… Our technology… Our wisdom… Our systems… Our own strength.

Why?

Because all we ever need of ANYTHING is enough for TODAY…

Enough grace…for today.

Enough mercy…for today.

Enough faith…for today.

Enough food…for today.

Enough water…for today.

Enough hope…for today.

Enough joy…for today.

Enough money…for today.

Enough work…for today.

Enough laughter…for today.

Enough clothing…for today.

Enough shelter…for today.

Enough electricity…for today.

Enough courage…for today.

Enough love…for today.

Enough heartbeats for today.

Because today is all we ever have, and it’s all God ever promised. If you have enough for today…you’re rich.

Tomorrow will take care of itself, if God let’s us live to see it.

Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)

³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

When you think about it, tomorrow never actually ever arrives. Yesterday is always in the past. When 11:59 pm becomes 12 am, it’s not suddenly tomorrow…it’s once again today. And GOD’S GOTCHU!

BEBLESSTIFIED!