Minimize the Drama

Romans 12:9

9Let  love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

The apostle Paul addressed the church of Romans via letter regarding how to live life daily as Christians. A Christian or follower of Christ is to show brotherly love to all. But notice he said to be "without hypocrisy". There are many who claim to love the Lord but their relationships with others do not reflect as such. And there are those who just stand in the presence of Christ followers yet you see no evidence that they themselves are followers. Tension, discord and unfriendliness is a common problem whenever these type of people are involved. Pray for them to have a right relationship with Christ. Why? If they are always involved in discord, tension and unfriendliness then it is clear that their relationship with Christ is not in order either. The NKJ Study Bible reflects back to Matthew chapters 5-7 and says, "A genuine relationship with Christ will be evident in personal relationships with others."  To abhor means to loathe. True followers of Christ are to loathe the type of behavior that creates tension and discord. Honestly, sometimes it is difficult to separate the behavior from the person but we are still called to love. God loves us all even though He doesn't always like our behavior. Prayer with a right heart is a demonstration of love even when you prefer not to be in the presence of drama. When they get their relationship with Christ right, you will see a change in their interaction with you and others. Until that time comes, continue to cling to what is good and minimize the drama in your life.

You Can Be Free

Luke 13:12

12But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman you are loosed from your infirmity."

It was the Sabbath and a woman who had been bound with sickness by Satan for eighteen years had appeared while Jesus was teaching. She was bent over and could not stand upright. She did not ask for Jesus to heal her nor did anyone ask on her behalf as it is often seen in the scriptures. Jesus had compassion on her when He saw her and wanted to heal her.

Sickness is of Satan, the enemy of our souls. All sickness has it's origin in him. Remember he comes to kill, steal and destroy. Some people are bound by Satan and do not ask for help. Just as Jesus did with the woman, He can do with anyone He has compassion on. Have you ever seen someone who obviously needs help but won't ask for it? Some have settled for being  bound whether by physical sickness, circumstances, spiritual and/or emotional pain and never cry out. Do you know that Jesus can still see you? He wants you to cry out to Him and ask for help. But when Jesus has so much compassion though you don't cry out, He can step into your situation anyway. You don't have to live in any kind of bondage.  Jesus came so that EVERYONE can be free.

Today is Independence Day in the United States. As those of you who are celebrating today eat and be merry, ask yourself , are you settling for some type of bondage whether physical, circumstantial, spiritual or emotional when you can be free by and in the name of Jesus?

It Will Change the Way You Look

Ecclesiastes 8:1

1Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretations of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine. And the sternness of his face is changed.

King Solomon talked about wisdom because he prayed for it and God blessed him with it. When Solomon was handed the kingdom by his father David he was very young. Having charge of an entire kingdom was overwhelming. So he sought the one his father sought, God. When Solomon prayed he did not ask for riches. He simply asked for wisdom. And God responded with, that's all you want?! And God told Solomon indeed he would have wisdom but because he didn't ask for anything else he would also receive wealth. Solomon was so wise that people came from afar just to see for themselves how much wisdom Solomon possessed. What Solomon notes is that wisdom will make a person's face shine. Have you ever seen a glow in a person's face? Have you ever just thought it was because they eat right, get rest or are happy? Yes, these can all be contributing factors but more importantly, the more time one spends before God, the more wisdom will be obtained and the more their face will shine. Even Moses spent a lot of time in the presence of God and he had a glow. Wisdom is from God. Spend time with God. It will change the way you look.

P.S. To see highlight photos from the June 15th Pre-Release Book Signing and Reading of my new book, Shh Don't Tell visit the Get Your Joy In The Morning page on Facebook.

"We All Fall Down"

Matthew 12:25

25But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."

How much is accomplished when there is division? If no one can agree on the goal or "the win", then nothing gets done. If no one can agree on how to achieve the goal, then nothing gets done. Division is the way to ensure that everything and everyone fails. The apostle Paul used the analogy of a physical body in 1Corinthians 12 to show the importance of unity. Jesus used a house and a kingdom. The Pharisees saw Jesus cast out demons and accused him of operating by the power of Satan. But why would Satan want to cast out his own demons who are part of the kingdom of darkness? Jesus is the light and only wants to cast out the darkness. Jesus did not want to cast out the light. He is the light and everything that represents light, He wants to keep with Him.

There is a lot of division in various places. The question is, who is driving out what? If light is driving out darkness then everyone is on the right path. If darkness is driving out light, then there is a HUGE problem. If the people of God are divided against one another, who wins? If a house, church, etc, is not on one accord with God and the light of Jesus, it cannot survive. Jesus is the rock and the foundation upon which everything is to be built and how to remain standing. Jesus stands upon the will of the Father, our God. But if the will of God is not the main goal, then it all fails. Personal agenda instead of God's agenda is the reason for division. Personal agenda instead of God's agenda is the reason why a house, church, etc will fall. "Ashes, ashes we all fall down", as the nursery rhyme goes.

P.S. Remember to check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Network (www.lofnetwork.com)  and Listen Live Monday-Friday from 10am-12pm and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!