Friday, April 18, 2014

Good Friday

Matthew 27:39-40
 
39And those who passed by blasphemed Him wagging their heads 40and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
 
 
Today is Good Friday because it was today that Jesus laid down His life. Many would question why today would be considered "Good."  The prophet Samuel once told King Saul, "obedience is better than sacrifice."  Crucifixion is a slow and painful death because it is death by asphyxiation. The translation of scriptures given by the NKJ Study Bible says, "Jesus stayed on the Cross because He was the Son of God obeying His Father. Had Jesus saved Himself, He would not have been able to save others. The Resurrection demonstrated God's powerful work in His Son."  If Jesus saved Himself from the cross, we would've been the sheep thrown to the slaughter. If Jesus had thought only of Himself, none of us would be here. His obedience meant grace and mercy for us and a connection to God the Father directly.  And this is why we recognize it as "Good Friday." Thank you Jesus for your obedience!! Jesus did not fear death because He prepared the disciples for it for months. The NKJ Study Bible denotes the separation from God, being cursed as what He prayed relief from. Jesus allowed Himself to be separated from God so we didn't have to be any longer. My God! Imagine your life without God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then think again about why today is Good.
 
As solemn as today is, better news is on the way because Jesus picked up His life again on the third day! Jesus is the temple referred to above. He conquered death! HALLELUJAH!!
 
P.S. For those of you who expressed interest in the teleseminar and have asked individually for assistance but cannot attend tomorrow for some reason, you can email me and we can discuss arrangements for the near future along with the consulting fee.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Speak Life

Ecclesiastes 7:21
 
21Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you.
 
The NKJ Study Bible gives the translation of this verse as, "Qoheleth's advice is not to take what others say about you too seriously. An individual may praise you to your face and condemn you behind your back."  Unfortunately, women are more prone to the behavior but men do it too. The most common comments are, "Who does she think she is?" "She thinks she's better than me?" Sad to say, I experienced this. Some people whom I loved dearly would praise me to my face but then they were talking about me as soon as we hung up the phone. They happen to possess similar spiritual gifts so they began praying against whatever we discussed. God heard and decided to send to me three who did not speak to one another to tell me that this was being done. I had suspected because sly remarks were made. Jesus said what comes out of a man's mouth is what is in his heart. I was earnestly wanting to help the individuals as one desired to do great things and I simply wished to see them succeed. But you can never want something more for someone than they want for themselves. If fear holds them back, they have to be willing to move beyond or remain bound. The remainder of the details are not important. But if you can't or won't be genuinely happy for someone else GOD is working on and through, you delay whatever GOD desires to do in and through you. You also delay the desires of your own heart. No person is greater than the other. It does not matter the age, race or financial net worth. We all "put our pants on one leg at a time." None of us can do anything without the Lord. I love to see people do well and get excited about what God does in others because it means His purpose for them is being fulfilled and people are being sincerely helped. I love to encourage others to do what they are called to do and what God has placed on their hearts. The fake and false are not impressive. God always reveals those who sincerely desire to do the will of God and that is most important.
 
Qoheleth goes on to say in the next verse that our own hearts may have cursed another. If you have been doing it, I am not taking it seriously. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No sin is greater than another. It may not be this sin but surely one has been committed. Sin is sin in God's eyes. I wish you well and God's blessings upon you. When you are engaged in God's will for your life, you don't focus energy on attempting to speak death over others. Speak life and you too shall receive life as Proverbs 18:21 states the power of life and death lie in the tongue and those who love it shall eat its fruit.
 
P.S. Have you registered for the teleseminar, "Do You Really Want to be a Published Author?" Time is running out! You must register by Friday, April 18th to attend the April 19th event! Don't let fear stand in the way of accomplishing a dream. If God has given you something to share, be obedient. Register at www.getyourjoyinthemorning.com. You can call from wherever you are and you do not need to be in front of a computer once you have the dial-in information sent to you!!!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

How Much is it Worth?

Matthew 16:26
 
26For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
 
Many have heard these words that were from the mouth of Jesus. Each person has a different view of what "whole world" means to them. In the case of Esau, his whole world was food. So much so that he sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. Esau was the first born. More so in the old Testament then our days now were there privileges to being the first born. Genesis 25:31 shows Esau's disregard of the favor God gave him in that position.  It was more important to him to have a meal then the future blessings that would come. His "right now" greed caused him to give up the 100 fold he had coming. The NKJ Study Bible gives the translation as, "The birthright guaranteed not only a larger part of the inheritance, but also the headship of the family. Some ancient Near Eastern tribes allowed the selling of the birthright but invariably at a high price." The translation goes on to say, "Jacob did not earn the birthright through righteousness but received it through God's free favor."  The cost of getting the "right now" was his entire future. Hebrews 12:15-17 references Esau as saying, "Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright."  Fornicator actually means anything outside of God's covenant and will. The NKJ Study Bible gives the translation as, "Esau was not spiritually minded but rather a man concerned with material things." What does this mean to you?
 
For some, their "whole world" could be anything such as money, title, status, sex, drugs, alcohol, food, etc. So meeting their physical want right then becomes so important that they ignore the spiritual needs as well as the ramifications and even sell their future. How much have some sold? Some have sold their birthright into the Kingdom of God and will bust Hell wide open because they knew the cost before they sold it and have perpetrated themselves in many ways. Some, like Esau, think so little of their blessings they have already given them away and will have to see someone else holding their blessings. Some have simply lost their peace of mind. How much is whatever you think your "whole world" is? When you look at the scale, weigh what you want right now against the blessings God has promised you. For some you take the right now because you can't see what God has coming. When God promises you something, it's always more than what you can see. Satan may even tempt you to believe that what you see will be as good as it gets. But God always has greater!! It requires faith which in Hebrews 11:1 is defined as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  How much is it worth?

P.S. Have you registered for the teleseminar, "Do You Really Want to be a Published Author?" Time is running out! You must register by Friday, April 18th to attend the April 19th event! Don't let fear stand in the way of accomplishing a dream. If God has given you something to share, be obedient. Register at www.getyourjoyinthemorning.com
 
and receive your dial-in information within 24 hours of registering.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Getting Past the Hurt

Mark 11:25
 
25And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
 
These words were from Jesus himself. Forgiveness is a touchy subject but even Jesus understood the pain because it took forgiveness for Him to get up on the cross knowing He was innocent. The NKJ Study Bible gives a translation of the verse as, "Though prayer is the most powerful resource known to man, it becomes impotent when the one praying harbors unforgiveness."
 
When someone does something to harm you it hurts. Most people don't get past the hurt enough to forgive. The mindset becomes, 'I will never forgive that person for what they've done." But what you don't understand is that hurt turns to bitterness in your heart. The bitterness can blind you so badly that you may even replay the pain to the point you get even and not always with the person who actually harmed you. Sometimes, it can be anyone who gets close enough to you. It is not easy to forgive but you must. Forgiving the person doesn't mean you need to hang around them nor does it mean you need to put yourself in the place of danger of being hurt by them again. What it does mean is you acknowledge what happened; you acknowledge that you cannot change what has happened though it was wrong. You know the person may never even have the courage or humility to even apologize for what they've done to harm you. But what you can do is make the choice to not be bitter and to know that God will still use what was done for your good so that He may get the glory. You can make the choice to let go. It is about letting love rule your heart and not hate. God is love and even in His anger He still loves.
 
Do you remember the story of Jonah? Many assume the story of Jonah is just about his disobedience to God in completing the assignment He gave him. But Jonah's reasoning for not wanting to take the assignment was because the people of Nineveh were enemies of the Israelites and had mistreated them horribly. Jonah was assigned to warn the people of Nineveh to turn from their wicked ways and repent. Jonah knew that if he delivered that message, God would spare them. Jonah wanted them to pay for what they had done. It wasn't Jonah's decision to do anything but what God told him to do. God has the final say on what happens to anyone no matter what they've done, even to you. His grace and mercy is made available to anyone who will accept. You did. It is more than likely you did something to harm someone and never had enough humility to say what you did to them was wrong, but Jesus welcomed you into the family right? God considers you His son or daughter right?

P.S. Have you registered for the teleseminar, "Do You Really Want to be a Published Author?" Time is running out! Don't let fear stand in the way of accomplishing a dream. If God has given you something to share, be obedient. Register at www.getyourjoyinthemorning.com and receive your dial-in information within 24 hours of registering.

Monday, April 14, 2014

It's Bigger Than You

Proverbs 16:18
 
18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
 
God does not like pride no matter who it comes from. Having a prideful attitude takes away from God and if you are unaware, our God is a jealous God. He wants absolutely no one put before Him. What is pride? Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines pride as 1) conceit; 2) justifiable self-respect; 3) elation over an act or possession; 4) haughty behavior: DISDAIN; 5) ostentatious display. Haughty is defined as disdainfully proud. In other words, your pride can be so excessive that it is sickening to any and/or everyone. When you have that kind of pride, people are reluctant to talk to you because all you can talk about is you and what you can do. It's as if no one else exists except when it comes to furthering your own agenda. When you possess this kind of pride, it means you believe you must the center of attention. What God, the maker of Heaven and Earth, wants you to know is, it's bigger than you. None of what He blesses you with is even about you. The purpose for the blessings is to be a blessing to another, whether it is through wisdom, talent or anything else, nothing you possess is of your own accord. The NKJ Study Bible gives the translation of this verse as, "The sin of pride is strongly condemned because it violates the first principle of wisdom, which is to fear the Lord. Our abilities, appearances, success, and wealth are not of our own efforts and energy but come from God. The sin of pride is attributing to ourselves that which comes by the mercy and will of God."
 
So if you come across anyone who tells you God has nothing to do with what they have and they did it all on their own, pray for them and that God may have mercy on their souls. If you notice a behavior of pride when you speak to someone or in their actions towards others, pray for them that they may fear the Lord before God deals with them. 
 

P.S. Remember to register for the April 19th teleseminar, "Do You Really Want to be a Published Author?" at www.getyourjoyinthemorning.com on the home tab and receive your dial-in information within 24 hours to get your questions answered and hear the testimonials!  You must register before April 18th in order to attend. I have had multiple inquiries over the months from those God has said it's time for them to write a book and/or it's been a goal. When the teleseminar is finished, you will know what to do and the secret the publishing world doesn't want you to know. You will hear not only from me, but from those God blessed me to work with to help steer them in the right direction. It's an open door to help make your dream a reality because there is a message God has give you to share!