Approved Workmen

2Timothy 2:15

15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The Holy Spirit had been giving me this scripture over and over for the last 48hours and I had been waiting to see what He wanted me to do with it. When He brought to my remembrance a ministry for children I was once involved in at a former church called AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed). The program is for children starting at age 2 - high school. The ministry does several things. It teaches leadership skills for both adults and children but its primary purpose is to teach children the Word of God using fun methods and rewarding them as such. It also taught them the value of working hard, saving for something valuable and responsibility. It really is its own ministry outside of Sunday school and a lot of fun. I was called a "listener" for the "Truth & Training" group which is for grades 3-6. This was again one of the backdrops that God used to set me up as Sunday school teacher. My job was to listen to the students when they were ready to be tested on their knowledge of the Word to see if they learned it. If they got their questions right I had to mark it and then they were to show their leader in the class. If they did not get it correct then I had to tell them to go back and study. But at no point could I urge them on or help them in the listening scenario. The children had to get it right for themselves. Each booklet contained life scenarios where the Word was to be learned and applied. With each booklet they completed they earned what is called AWANA bucks which they could use in the AWANA store once per quarter to buy fun games, posters, etc.

If children as young as age 2 could learn about the Bible and grow up understanding the Word of God and how to apply it to show themselves approved and have the Word in them, then it means adults can too. No age is too young or too old to understand the Word of God and show yourself approved to God and not be ashamed. But you have to want it. The children were excited because they had something to work towards. In adult life, the rewards are not only the crowns obtained in heaven, but Jesus also gives crowns in our present life too. The crowns are called blessings. Blessings can range from little to gigantic. Our Lord is no respecter of persons and will pour out blessings in His time frame. But the greatest blessings come with operating in obedience out of faith. This means that you are willing to mix faith as faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God and applying it to your life. It means you move from hearer to doer and learn it for yourself. Are you willing to be one of God's approved workmen?

Main Ingredients

Acts 19:15

15And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"

The apostle Paul had gone through the region Ephesus and performed many miracles. God, through His Holy Spirit, allowed  the faith of Paul to be transmitted into handkerchiefs and aprons to heal the sick and those with evil spirits. Now the word says there were Jewish exorcists that took it upon themselves to call on the name of the Lord over those who had evil spirits. And the response in verse 15 is what they received. The exorcists were overtaken by the evil spirit. But why?

The Jewish exorcists were not acting per the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They were acting in their own accord and then desiring the blessing of the Holy Spirit which is a "recipe for disaster".  On top of that, they lacked the faith necessary for the miracles to be performed. The disciples went through through a similar scenario early in Jesus' ministry. The Holy Spirit and faith are the main ingredients for anyone working a miracle in the name of Jesus. If there is no faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit which He sent to us on the day of Pentecost (50 days or 7 weeks after the resurrection), then they are just words.  Anything you are doing in the name of Jesus must be at the prompting of the Holy Spirit in order to work, not by you. For you and I can do nothing on our own accord. If God didn't say through His Holy Spirit to do something, you doing it on your own can create a train wreck. Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to be our guide and our comforter. How is He the guide if you are not listening? How is He the guide if you are stepping into anything without His direction? Jesus said the Holy Spirit knows all things and searches all things. Doesn't that mean the Holy Spirit knows more than you? But if you are operating anything like the Jewish exorcists, the steps are off. Moving in faith by the Holy Spirit's direction brings victory.

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

A Favorable Outcome

Luke 22:32

32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Before Jesus was arrested He warned Simon Peter that Satan "asked" to test him. Just as Satan asked God if he could "test" Job, so he did the same with Simon Peter. OH BUT GOD! God had his fail proof plan in place! His fail proof plan was Jesus! Jesus had already interceded on Simon Peter's behalf. For He said, "And when you have turned back", as indication that Simon Peter would stumble a little but he would not be hopeless. And after Simon Peter's test, his instructions were clear, strengthen the others.

Do you know that because God loves you, thinks the world of you and has plans for you, you are an enemy to Satan? You are an enemy to Satan because you seek to honor God with your life. So what is Satan's motive? His motive is to prove that you are not who you claim to be to God. His motive is to also take your future. How so? With a test. The purpose of the test is to show that you don't deserve whatever it is God has waiting for you. But the devil is a liar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that's why God allows you to be tested. God's purpose is to show that you ARE who He says you are. God's purpose is to show that your faith is stronger than what the devil can see! And when you have turned back, your instructions are clear, strengthen your brothers and sisters in Christ. Let them know that just because they're in the test, doesn't mean they are doomed to fail. God believes enough in you that He sent Jesus to intercede on your behalf and believes in you so He expects and sees a favorable outcome.

P.S. Remember to check out my man V of the Artist to Artist Show on Mondays and Saturdays on www.Qliveoneone.com and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!

A Desperate Measure Gone Wrong

2Kings 1:3

3But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Go up to and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?'

King Ahaziah reined for only two years after his father Ahab's death. Ahab was married to Jezebel. Ahab allowed Jezebel to use the power she had with him to take over and convince him to serve her pagan god  and he even allowed her to have an innocent man murdered. He attempted to serve both the pagan god and the God who brought him to power. Ahaziah was in his upper room and he fell and hurt himself. Instead of seeking God for healing, King Ahaziah sent his messengers to seek the pagan god to see if he would live or die. Because God had been quiet Ahaziah decided not to even bother with the one and only true God. And for it, Elijah was told to pronounce his death. Ahaziah did not believe God would answer nor did he seek healing.

When God is quiet, where are you looking for answers? If you are hurt or there is a problem, do you believe God will heal you? Do you believe God has the answers? What questions are you asking or not asking? Seeking something other than God in the midst of your situation is likely to get you the wrong answer and the wrong result. Lack of faith in God can lead one to take desperate measures. The only one who has the ability to truly heal is God. The only one who has the ability to change a dark situation in the mid night hour is God. The only one who truly determines if you take the next breath is God. So why go anywhere else? Just because God takes His time in answering doesn't mean He won't answer you. God works on His time not yours. And He loves to work even more when you put your faith in Him into action.

Moving Mountains

Matthew 21:21

21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

Just a few days prior to Jesus making the statement above, he and the disciples were walking and saw a fig tree off in the distance. Jesus wanted to pull fruit from the fig tree. When He and the disciples arrived at the fig tree, Jesus discovered though the fig tree was alive, it was not bearing any fruit. So at that moment He pronounced its death. A few days later when passing the fig tree again, it had indeed died. The disciples were amazed. And then Jesus told them that with faith, not only could they do what He did but they would be able to move mountains.

Now to many that sounds just crazy. But with Christ, nothing is impossible according to His word. First of all, the tree which was alive was not bearing fruit. It was a fruit tree that did not bear fruit. It had a purpose but was not serving its purpose. So if it was not serving its purpose, why was it still in existence? There are some things in our lives that look alive from a distance but up close they are actually not serving their purpose in any way, they are just there. Just as Jesus did, it is time to pronounce those things as dead. The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines a mountain as a mass of land higher than a hill. It is considered to be something fixed. Much more than the fig tree. But Jesus said you and I have the ability to look at what looks like a fixed mass and tell it to move and it will indeed do so. A mountain in your life can be anything but with your faith to look beyond what you see with your physical eyes and focus with your spiritual eyes, you can command that the mountain in your life be removed. So what's it gonna be? Are you going to have something that looks alive from the distance but is really not serving a purpose and is just there to stay put or will you just command that it go ahead look dead just as it really it is? And will you declare any obstacle that stands in your way to be removed? It will all be done according to your faith.


P.S. Remember to check out the Tuesday Top 10 Countdown with DJ Ambermay on Church Beat Radio on www.live365.com!

Instant Recall

John 13:19
19"I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.

Jesus had just provided the disciples with the warning that one of them would betray him. As hard as it was for Jesus to know that someone he loved dear would hurt him, it had to happen so the prophecy would be fulfilled. But Jesus told the disciples that His purpose for telling them ahead of time was to increase their belief. The disciples couldn't stop what was happening even if they wanted to. First, they didn't know who the betrayer was among them. Second, Jesus had to repeat over and over during His time with them that what was coming was coming. He repeated the prophecy multiple times because the disciples didn't believe that any of them could do such a thing. But when it did happened, they immediately knew like instant recall. Our Lord does things everyday to increase our belief. Whether it's by giving us something our heart has longed for or having someone show up that came across our thoughts or even providing. All these things are done to increase belief in our Lord and Savior. And yes, sometimes He provides a prophecy which is a word from the Lord of things to come and indication of His will as encouragement, direction or rebuke when necessary. The purpose is to increase belief that He is who He says He is. Prophecy is for those who believe in God. It is to provide an even deeper level of faith and relationship with Him. Waiting for something you can't see yet is the very definition of faith.

Measure of Faith and Love

Matthew 8:13
13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would."

The measure of faith goes a long way with Jesus. The centurion felt that nothing he obtained was good enough for Jesus. The centurion was a man of great stature who had servants, yet he felt nothing he owned was good enough for Jesus. But he came to Jesus in search of healing not for himself but for the one that had been devoted to him. And he believed that Jesus could do it with an utterance of a word. Jesus was so amazed at the man's level of faith that He decided to heal the servant. It was the measure of faith that brought restoration to one he loved. The centurion was humble though he was great in the sight of others. His concern was not in what he had, but help for one who spent their life serving him. The centurion went to Jesus with love for not only Jesus but with love for the one who served him. In other words, he interceded on his servant's behalf. And his measure of faith delivered the one he loved. How powerful is that? Not only was it a measure of faith but a measure of love. And that's what we need more of. What measure of faith and love are you willing to demonstrate? Do you know that with it, God can use you to increase the faith in another?

P.S. Remember to tune in on Saturday to my man V of the Artist to Artist Show on www.Qliveone.com at 8:30am CT, 2:30pm CT and 8:30pm CT and check out the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment! And check out my girl Stubbs of the Leapoffaithshow on www.leapoffaithshow.com Sunday 6am-10am ET and Monday-Wednesday, 6am-9am ET and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!