Renewing of Your Mind

"Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him." Colossians 3:10

We are forgiven of our sins and because of this we are free from our old ways. We no longer need to be chained to guilt or behave immorally. Instead, allow yourself to be renewed and refreshed. Learn the heart of God by reading the Bible today and putting into action the teachings of Christ. It is with him you will find freedom. 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." 

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." 

Ephesians 4:22-25 (NIV)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."

2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV) 

"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 1:13 (ESV) 

Million Dollar Question

This week I was asked a "million dollar question":

What helps me obey God?

I sat and pondered on this question for a moment and then I responded which I will share with you.

I obey God because if I do not what else do I have?

The things in life I have experienced, because of the choices I made, has resulted in me relying on God as my primary source of existence, life, purpose, etc.

Without the realization of God and His purpose, then I am just going through the motions of life as a FOOL. I wake up everyday to go to work for a paycheck, then I come home eat, sleep, and then do it all over again. What kind of life is that?

With the realization of God, I am made anew--I am refreshed to have a sense of purpose. Through the realization of God I am a new creature. All the wrong I have done has been erased!!! Knowing this gives me peace. On this alone, I will follow and obey God for his GRACE that he has given me that I do not deserve. He should of struck me dead for the things  that I have done, but instead he said :

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." Matthew 6:25 (KJV)

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)

Therefore, I obey God because he is the only one who has been there for me. When family and friends turned their back on me , God stood right by my side. He stayed with me through my "mess". He took a beating and was persecuted for my "foolishness". For that, I will obey God because obeying Him is good for me. When I do not obey God, all "hell breaks loose"and I am not at peace. But when I obey God my path is set straight and I see the light before me and I am at peace. Thanks be to God for his GRACE!!

"There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)

Why do you obey God?

Our Hearts Must be Right to Follow God

I think sometimes as Christians, we get in the habit of thinking following God is easy--just do what the Bible says and follow the commandments and we are SAFE!!!!

Well that's not true---if it were, then we would not have needed Jesus to come down off his throne to save us. Thank goodness!!! By HIS GRACE, we do not have to live like that anymore.

Consider this scripture:

Matthew 19:16-22

"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."

From this we can see the rich man was grieved...his heart was sad because he had to sell all his possessions. It is important to note that we do not have to be poor in order to follow God or to even be considered as a Christian. The issue becomes when we allow our money/things to become more important than God. That was the issue with this rich man.

Therefore, it doesn't matter how many laws we keep or how good we are. If our hearts aren't right then we are not considered his.

Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

" The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

Luke 10:27 (KJV)

"..Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind....

Having Faith Gives Us Access to God's Grace

" Faith is the access to God's Grace."

Understanding God's Grace

God established many covenants with man, in order to have a personal relationship with man.

In the beginning there was God before the foundation of the Earth. It was God who spoke existence into all creation-- except one thing. God did not create man by speaking man into existence. God created man by breathing life into him. 

After man and woman was created, God told Adam that he would be God over the Earth and God will be God over the heavens. God created man in his own image and likeness. He gave Adam equal power and authority to rule over the Earth. When Adam sinned he gave that power and authority over to Satan. 

When Adam sinned we lost:

1. Our mind- to use our brains to full capacity because we are no longer perfect.
2. Perfection- we are know suspetible to many diseases and each generations life spans gets shorter.
3. Relationship- our connection with God and access to Him changed.

This is often known as the Adamaic Covenant.

Because of this, God had to create a covenant with man because He wants to have a  relationship with us. He created the Noahaic Covenant establishing that he will never destroy the Earth/Man with water again. God flooded the Earth initially and destroyed everything except for Noah and his family and selected animals. He destroyed the Earth because it was filled with wickedness and all kinds of perverse things. But God promised Noah, no matter how bad man becomes he will not destroy it by water again. To establish this covenant he created the "rainbow" as a sign of remembrance of this covenant.

There are other covenants such as: Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenant. I just wanted to give you an idea of God's Grace. God loves each and everyone of us. If God did not love us, then he could of just taken back his covenants and wipe out the Earth and start over. He's God----he doesn't have to explain Himself to us. But that's not what He wants to do. He wants to have a relationship with each and everyone of us. God took time to make each and everyone of us uniquely in his image.

It's only through His Grace and love that we are able to receive His blessings. In order to receive His blessings we must believe that what God says is true. This requires faith. Hebrews 11:1.

"Faith is comfortedness in God's word"

"He saved us and called us before the foundation of the Earth, before time began." Hebrews 4:1 (KJV)

Faith summons the answer from God. We need to have faith in order to receive the "hook-up" from God. Faith is the "hook-up". You cannot use your physical tools and expect to fight in a spiritual warfare. You must have faith in order to fight in spiritual warfare.

The Truth about FEAR

Fear is:

False
Evidence 
Appearing 
Real

God did not give us the spirit of fear. Anything that is not of God is of the Devil. 

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7(KJV) 

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32 (KJV) 

The purpose of Fear is to keep us distracted from staying on the path that God has shown us. Sometimes the enemy doesn't even have to do anything, we take care of distracting ourselves by the things we do.

For example, the sin in your life sometimes creates fear which is the result of one's own sin and guilt. If you have committed a sin or done anything evil, your fear is probable the god of your own conscience and trying to get your attention. You need to repent, confess your sin, seek God's forgiveness, and set it right.

"So that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Matthew 13:6 (KJV) 

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is no made perfect in love." I John 4:18 (KJV)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1 (KJV)  

"And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake the; fear not, neither be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJV) 

So if God is for us and with us all the time--who can be against us? The spirit of fear is not of our nature and must go immediately!! We as Christians operate in the power and authority of God only. He has already won. Let us endeavor to stay the winning team! Amen. 

Gateway to Heaven: Be Poor in Spirit

"Blessed are those who are poor in spirit." Matthew 5:3 (KJV) 

This is the first principle needed to enter into the kingdom of God. Before God can use you, you must have a sense of "uselessness" and be humble enough to waive your "white flag" and let God know that you need his help.

"This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles." Psalm 34:6 (KJV)

"When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faith for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them." Isaiah 41:17 (KJV)

". . . and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Matthew 11:5 (KJV) 

"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." 2 Corinthians 6:10 (KJV)

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, blessed be ye poor; for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now for ye laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast our your name as evil, for the son of man's sake rejoice. . . your reward is great in heaven." Luke 6:20-23 (KJV)

Being "poor" does not mean being poor in terms in physical conditions. God is concerned about your heart condition. You must be "poor in spirit". To be poor in spirit is related to being humble and meek.

In order to be humble we must strip away any pride and willing to be lowly in rank. In order to be meek we must be willing to be submissive and patient.

" And he said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3-4 (KJV) 

Walking with God is Not "Easy"

Problems arise with walking with God when we refuse to acknowledge his presence. Have you ever wondered when you were "lost" living in the world, why your plan did not work ? It may have worked temporarily , but I guarantee you that whatever you do, if it is not in line with God's plan for your life it will always fail. I am a living testimony of this. For years I ran away from God until I exhausted all of my options and abilities in the natural sense, that I had no choice but to run towards God.

God tells us:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30 (KJV)

Sometimes its hard for us as Christians to have a relationship with God because we cannot see God nor tough him. We are human creatures who requires a lot of different things. Unfortunately, this is the essence of FAITH. If we do not have our faith or place our trust into the one true God then what do we have?

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

"But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them tha diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

Just because we are Christians, does not mean that we are immune from "life" happening to us. We will still experience pain, hurt, anger, and disappointments of life; however, when we are saved by God's through Jesus Christ we are better equipped to deal with such encounters.

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience: And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:3-5 (KJV)

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:2-3 (KJV) 

"Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:14 (KJV) 

Following God's way is hard if we try to walk with God in our own strength. We are only able to walk with God through the Spirit of God. 

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me." Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

Which team would you rather be on? There are only two paths we can choose in life. We can choose the path of death and destruction, which Satan will be our ruler and we are his servant. Or we can choose the path of life and eternal blessings, which God will be our ruler and we are his servant.

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and the other..." Matthew 6:24 (KJV)

Spreading "His" Word

God has qualified all of us to be messengers of "His" word. 

Jesus told his 11 disciples to:

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 (KJV)

God told Moses that he will tell him what to say. So why do you think God will not assist you in preaching the message? God is the one that can qualify you to preach HIS word.

"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or death, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." Exodus 4:10-12 (KJV)

Paul tell us to:

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." 2 Timothy 4:5 (KJV)

There are numerous scriptures throughout the Bible that indicates that our primary purpose in life is to preach "His" word and bring his lost "sheep" back to him. Therefore, be mindful in your Christian endeavors from shunning those who are not "ordained" according to man's laws to preach the gospel. Pray to God and he will give you the ability to discern what His truth is.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and , lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) 

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Matthew 10:16 (KJV) 

We all must "study yo shew thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

God's Grace=Freedom

The GRACE of GOD gives us FREEDOM. 

"Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Romans 5:20

When we confess our sins to God we are given a "fresh start", a "redo", a "new life" because of the Grace of God. 

Romans 6:1-4 (NLT Version) Personalize the scripture to be applicable to you

"What shall I say then? Shall I continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall I who died to sin live any longer in it? Don't I know when I was baptized into Christ Jesus I was baptized into His death? Therefore, I was buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so I also should walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:12-14 Personalize the scripture to be applicable to you

"Therefore I will not let sin reign in my mortal body, that I should obey it in its lusts. And I will not present my members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present myself to God as being alive from the dead, and my members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over me, for I am not under the law, but under grace."

In order for sin to "reign" over you, then you must be habitual in your sin. In order for sin not to rule over us, it requires effort on our part to not allow it to.

 

Personal statement for dealing with sin ruling over me

" Sin shall not reign over me because I am under Grace. Sin will not reign over me because I am not under the law." 

1 Corinthians 6:12

"All things are lawful for me, but all thins are not (HELPFUL/EXPEDIENT) : All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 

 

We have to deal with the authority of sin over our lives. Sin should not have authority over us because we are under grace. Just because the law aka the world says it is okay, does not mean it is spiritually and morally oaky.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

"Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three time that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My Grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore  most gladly will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ Jesus may rest upon me."

 

God knows if he "removes" are weaknesses/thorns, that we will result back to the law and exalt ourselves. When I am weak, He is strong.

• God's grace gives me power

God's power works best in our weaknesses/infirmities. Every time we "slip" we have the power to get back up because of God's grace. Which means we have the power to see the "slip" coming. 

Graced for Good Works

The shift from the law, to love...

God's grace is:

1. God's mercy;
2. God's forgiveness; and
3. God' love toward us.

Consider this:

( Personalize the scriptures for yourself)

 "I was dead, doomed forever because of my many sins. I used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refused to obey God. I used to live that way, following the passions and desires of my evil nature. I was born with an evil nature, and I was under God's anger just like everyone else."  

Ephesians 2:1-3

"But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved me so very much, that even while I was dead because of my sins, He gave me life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that I have been saved!) For He raised me from the dead along with Christ and I am one with Christ Jesus."  

Ephesians 2:4-6

" And so God can always point to me as an example of the incredible wealth of His favor and kindness toward us as shown in all He has done for me through Christ Jesus. God saved me by his special favor when I believed. And I can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God, salvation is not a reward for the good things I have done, so I cannot boast about it for I am God's masterpiece. He has created me anew in Christ Jesus so that I can do the good things planned for me long ago." Ephesians 2:7-10

Our heavenly father is so wondersful and awesome. He still shows us love even when we do not acknowledge His existence. He still takes care of us even when we turn away from him. Remember the stroy of Adam and Eve? When they sinned they knew they were naked. They hid because they were ashamed. God specificlaly told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge, but they disobeyed God anyway. God punished them and let them know the consequences for their sin. He told Adam he will have to labor all the days of his life and that Eve must bare children. But, after he laid down the punishment he still provided away to take care of man even though he was disobedient. He clothed Adam and Eve. 

If God was not loving or cared about us why would he clothe Adam and Eve after they deliberately went against what He had said? Can we honestly say that we can display this type of love for one another when we are disappointed by each other. Personally, for me I tend to have the attidue of "personal problem", why should I be inconvenienced because you don't listen?

Lucky for the world I am not God. But you see the difference. God wants us to be taken care of us. He does not want to see us struggle despite our shortcomings. Now isn't that a wonderful blessing to know that our heavenly father loves us that much? It is indeed!!!

Sin v. Iniquity

"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Romans 6:23

Sin and iniquity are two different things according to the scripture referenced above. Let's examine the distinctions. 

SIN

Sin is rebellion against God. To disobey God and His laws. There are actually two types of sin:

1.) Original Sin

Original sin is the inherited sin we received from Adam when he and Eve made he decision to be independent from God. They wanted to have their own source of wisdom and understanding instead of asking God what they wanted. As a result, all men are born into sin.

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death..." 

Romans 5:12 NLT

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

Psalms 51:5 NIV

2.) Actual Sin

It is a deliberate, intentional, desire , act to commit sin. You commit a sin because you want to. The shows the intentional desire to rebel against God---to make God your enemy.

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

James 4:17

INIQUITY

The Greek word for iniquity is "anomia" which means lawlessness. It is the weaknesses in our nature--the breeding ground for sin, it is not actual sin yet.

For example, have you ever wondered when you looked at a family everyone of them were alcoholics , or drug addicts, or prostitutes, or liars, or thieves, etc.? These all are better known as generational curses. Sometime we have feelings to do things and we do not even know why. The reason why we experience these things because iniquities (i.e. generational curses) are passed down through generations until the chain is broken through God.

"..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 them who hate me."

Exodus 20:5

GOD'S GRACE FOR PARDONING SIN & INIQUITY

"The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression."

 Number 14:18

"Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He ail again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."

Micah 7:18-19

I pray that this has gave further spiritual insight into God's word. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Seek the Kingdom of God First

Matthew 6:33

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added.."

Have you ever wondered what the benefits of serving God are? God is a righteous God and he intends to bless us. He wants us to be prosperous even though were are sinful in nature. From the beginning God intended for us to be "fruitful, to multiply, and to replenish the earth, and to subdue it: and to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that move upon the earth." Read Genesis 1:28. God intended for his to be rulers--kings and queens.

But, when Adam sinned we lost that power and authority over the Earth. We gave our power over to Satan. God wants us to be powerful. For generations, God has made several covenants (i.e. promises) with man, in order for us to regain our power and authority over the Devil (the ruler of this Earth). (We will examine God's covenants in another post)  The final covenant of God, restored man to his rightful place. We are know able to have power and authority of the devil; however, the residue of sin still remains, until Jesus returns. We are rulers in our own personal space. We have dominion and authority over our minds, body, and soul. The devil no longer has us imprisoned because Jesus has freed us from Satan's power and authority. 

How do we seek the kingdom of God?

1. We must get to know God
2. We must understand God
3. Be obedienet to God

Once we follow these three steps then God will begin to bless us---give us the "additions". If you do what is written, then you shall receive the additions that God has promised. 

If we quit seeking things to be added to our life first such as a new car, new house, new job and start seeking God first, then God will give us the desires of heart. Read Psalm 37:4. When we do not seek God first and his Kingdom , we cause our spirit to feel anxiety because we are trying to add things in our manly ability which cannot be done. It can only be done spiritually, through the will of God. The consequensces of not seeking God first can result in God substracting from our lives-- taking away things...until we start being obendeint and seeking his righteousness. 

I pray that this post has opened you minds and planted a new seed within your heart. If you have any questions please contact me. 

How to be Successful in the Kingdom of God

What is is success in the kingdom? Is there such a thing since we all are imperfect by nature? Success is defined in many ways. One particular definition that I am fond of is that success is "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors." In order to be successful in the Kingdom of God, we have to believe that we will be successful; despite the fact, of our inherited nature. 

We can be successful in the kingdom by: 

1. By being obedient to God;
2. By following the Word; and
3. By having faith. 

Obedience to God

We must obey our heavenly. Just as we obey our natutral father, we must obey our spiritual father. God is not of this world "his ways are higher than our ways". As Christians, our responsibility and sole purpose on this Earth is to save souls and build the kingdom of God. We cannot build the kingdom of God if we are not being examples and being obedient to our spiritual father. When we are not obedient to God, we send the message to non-believers is that they do not have to be obedient to God and his word. 

However, being obedient to God in this secular world can be hard. We live in a world where the world tells us to question everything. The problem is...God is a god who cannot be questioned. He is the most HIGH. To be obedient to God means to listen to God and not question him.

Be Dependent on the Word of God

Read Deuteronomy 6:4-7, we must embed the word of God in our hearts. The bible holds the basic truths for living in the world. Consider this , the BIBLE stands for Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth...Cool right? Who would not want to follow a God who is as cleaver as that? But seriously the truths contained in the bible--God's word are:

1. The Ten Commandments
2. The Lord's Prayer
3. The 6 Covenants God made with Man
4. Apostle's Creed
5. Contains all of God's original words

The Bible is inspired of God. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness". 2 Timothy 3:16

Having Faith

To have faith is hard to accomplish, especially if you are a rationally thinker who requires reason for everything. Unfortunately God is a god of mystery. To be his servant we must believe in him in faith. 

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

" Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I pray this will help you in your endeavors with being successful in the Kingdom. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Trusting God's Timing

The moment you prayed, God has a "set time" established to answer your prayer. We must have faith to trust God and know that our time is coming. We have to stop worrying and thinking about when "something" is going to happen.

Hebrews 4:3 (KJV)
" For we which believe enter into rest."

Habakkuk 2:3 (KJV)

" For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie, it will not tarry."

Through having faith in God, that he will do what he says he will do and waiting through patience, we will inherit God's promises. We must quit trying to figure things out on our own and allow God to do things his way.

Consider Sarah and Abraham. They wanted a baby. God told them that they will bear a son and he will carry God's blessing. But years past and Sarah began to get older and older. She lost faith and patience that God's word will come true. So Sarah tried to take matters into her own hands. She gave her maid to her husband in order for her husband to impregnate the maid so Sarah can have a child. When Sarah took matters into her own hands all other problems arose. She became jealous of the maid and the child so she sent them away.

The point is, we must wait on God's timing and not take matters in our own hands. When we take matters into our own hands the results can be disastrous.

When you get anxious and want to make things happen, sit still and relax. Be patient and rely on God through faith. Be at peace with the Lord. Be at rest with the Lord.

Pray this daily if you are struggling: Father, give me the grace to accept your timing.

I hope this post helps. Please contact me if you have any comments or concerns.

Disappoinments of Life

At some point or another we all have been disappointed because our expectations were not met. In life, as long as sin exists, we will be disappointed. We cannot isolate these "disappointing events" and hold grudges. We as Christians, must recognize that everything happens to us according to God's purpose.

Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

For example, consider baking cookies from scratch. You have your flour, eggs, margarine, sugar, milk, but you forgot the baking soda at the store. You decide to go ahead and bake the cookies without the baking soda. You figure it is only a tablespoon that you need and it won't harm the cookies. When you pull the cookies out the oven, they were flat and tastless. All from missiong 1 tablesppon of baking soda.

The point is, God allows things to happen to us because they are the "key ingredients" needed to shape and mold us. If God prevents events from occurring then we will be missing key ingredients and then we will come out flat and tasteless just like the cookies. We must recognize that God is the master chef. He knows the recipe for our lives. He knows how to add key ingredients into our lives according to his time.

In life we will face situations that do not make sense and it will cause us to feel bitter when we look at that incident alone. Always remember that nothing in life happens to you, it happens for you. 

Do not let life change your name. For example consider Naomi. Her name means "my joy" but when she went through a rough time in life she changed her name to Mara , which means "my sorrow: (Read Ruth 1:1-22) Naomi allowed life to make her bitter. Always know that your future will be greater than your past. You just have to have faith and patience in God. 

I pray that this has helped you. Please contact me if you have any comments or questions.

Fasting

Ah---Fasting..... I do not know about you but I loovvvvvvvvvvve to eat. So, the concept of fasting was a little difficult for me at first, until i did some researching, I found the real reason for fasting, which made it a lot easier to do. 

What is fasting?

It is another means by which we can "suffer" for the Lord, through voluntary abstinence from eating. The purpose of the fast is to bring "spiritual results", and NOT for physical purposes. Fasting is one of the keys needed to unlocking and inheriting the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 4: 1-4 (NIV)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Reasons for Fasting

1. We receive spiritual cleansing and as a result our spiritual eyes are opened.
2. We can obtain victory of the Devil by breaking bonds of wickedness (Read Isaiah 58:6) 
3. Fasting helps build our faith.  
4. When we fast, it makes it easier for us to hear the voice of God.   

When we fast we our afflicting our soul and saying to our flesh, "flesh you are wanting to eat, but God is stronger than the desires of my soul. My spirit shall rule my soul and my soul shall not have dominion over me." God wants us to be ruled by the spirit and not by the flesh. By fasting, we bring the flesh into subjection of the spirit. (Read Matthew 4:4)

We should not eat out of habit or tradition, but rather that we might eat to glorify Christ in our bodies:

"Whether therefore ye eat , or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (Read 1 Cor. 10:31) 

Therefore, the purpose of fasting is bring our flesh into subjection of the will of God by strengthen our spirit by feeding him God's word. I fast for various reasons. Mainly to break strongholds and to strengthen my relationship with God. In addition to fasting, I will not only inflict pain on my tummy :) but on my mind as well. For example, I may abstain from doing activities I really enjoy doing such as watching tv, exercising, texting, checking emails, etc., so that I am not distracted from feeding my Spirit the word of God. When determining how long I should fast, I always pray to God and he gives me an answer. He will give you an exact schedule on when, how, and how long you should fast. Just pray and he will answer you as always if you are earnestly seeking him.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

Surrendering to God's Purpose

I believe one of the hardest task in life is "surrendering" to His purpose. It is not enough to say "I believe", "I have faith", "Jesus is Lord and Savior"-- it simply is not enough.

When we come to a pivotal point in our lives when we realize we are not in control and that our lives are not our own, then God says , " come to me."

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

 ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

God cannot use us if we intend on doing what we want. Our lives are not our own. We were bought at a price. 

We must surrender to His will, His purpose in order to be at peace and under His wonderful grace.To surrender means to yield to the power, control, and/or demand. It is a hard concept to grasp when we see things on tv that states "you have control of your destiny", "pick a good college in order to get a good job", "choose your husband wisely", "you can chose what gender baby you have", and the list goes on.... but this is a misconception. The world tells us we are in control. We have been conditioned to think that we are the "masters and captains of our ships" , but it is not so.

To know this truth is devastating to the flesh and our minds. The flesh feels that this means I cannot do what I want--and sadly, that is why so many of us flee from God because we do not want to stop doing what we want. The truth is , God is our heavenly father; he wants the best for us. He can see the future , "for his ways our higher than our ways and his knowledge and understanding surpasses ours." (Read 1 Isaiah 55: 8-9)

God will grant us the desires of our hearts as long as those desires are aligned with His will and purpose. In order for God to grant the desires of heart we must "check ourselves" and make sure that our heart is in line with God. "For whatever proceeds out of the mouth is where the heart is." (Read Matthew 15:18) The statements that we make , determines where our hearts really are. For example, if we state that we really want to be rich , then our heart is set on money. Wealth is not a bad thing. God in fact wants us to prosperous. Wealth only becomes a bad thing when we make it a priority over God and His purpose.

  
Question to ask yourself when surrendering: Am I ready to stop "doing me"? Am I ready to start doing what God wants me to do? 

How to Surrender to God's Will

1. Set goals through God   
2. Surrender your thoughts
• Our thoughts are often "demonic" in nature. (i.e. wanting revenge on someone who has wronged you, jealousy, lust, and etc)
• If your mental state is not right, then your spiritual state will not be right
• Pray to God and ask him for a "clear mind"
3.  Stop wasting time on foolishness
• You become what you watch, see, and speak
• Turn off the distractions
4.  Change your vision
• Every time you try to do things your way it will fail
• You must ask God what is His will and to use you as an instrument to accomplish His will
• Look to Jesus as an example on how to surrender
5. Establish your contract with God 
• You will be accountable for your agreement with God
• Your "walk" with God is your responsibility  

I pray that this was helpful. I know one of biggest struggles for me was surrendering to God. I kept searching for answers on how to do it and when I heard this sermon message it helped me. Keep praying and asking and he will provide the answers to what you are seeking. 

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me.