Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Longing for Something More
Ecclesiastes 1:18
18For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
King Solomon is noted in the Old Testament as the wisest man. He had more answers to questions then most could fathom. But one thing Solomon learned as he gave accounts of his life and all he tested and did, he understood as the NIV Study Bible says that wisdom without God leads to grief and sorrow. What good is it to obtain every piece of information there is without God who is the true author? What good is it to have everything at your fingertips when there is still no joy in your heart? True joy is from the Lord. To test the theory you need look no further then the news and Internet of people who seem to have everything in the world, but to them, they had nothing and ended their life. Without the Lord in your life, no matter what you obtain, the peace of God is the only thing that sustains. As you go through this life striving for whatever it is "your eyes desire" as Solomon said in chapter 2, know that without God, without understanding His purpose for you, you'll still be longing for something more.
Remember to check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Show on the Leap of Faith Network Monday-Friday from 6-9am ET on www.leapoffaithshow.com and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Even the Simple Will Comply
Proverbs 19:25
25Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.
Oh the wise King Solomon. He knew so well how the proud and arrogant see themselves. When they think the sun rises and sets upon them or at least desire to be the center of attention, if they are disciplined for something they quickly learn how to be more discreet about what they do. But one who actually is willing to see the difference between right and wrong will actually learn the knowledge necessary not to make the same mistake. So the question is are you proud and arrogant? Or are you a discerner? To discern means to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, what is true and false. The answer to your question is determined by how many times you have to go through the same mistake before you get it. If you have truly learned from a mistake you made, you won't do it again. If you haven't then you will. Or if someone fails to call you out on a mistake, you may do it again before you get the lesson you need to learn. So where does this apply in your life? Don't be simple. Be a man or woman of true knowledge.
Remember to check out the Tuesday Top 10 Countdown with DJ Ambermay on Church Beat Radio and Black Friday with J. Black on www.live365.com!
25Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.
Oh the wise King Solomon. He knew so well how the proud and arrogant see themselves. When they think the sun rises and sets upon them or at least desire to be the center of attention, if they are disciplined for something they quickly learn how to be more discreet about what they do. But one who actually is willing to see the difference between right and wrong will actually learn the knowledge necessary not to make the same mistake. So the question is are you proud and arrogant? Or are you a discerner? To discern means to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, what is true and false. The answer to your question is determined by how many times you have to go through the same mistake before you get it. If you have truly learned from a mistake you made, you won't do it again. If you haven't then you will. Or if someone fails to call you out on a mistake, you may do it again before you get the lesson you need to learn. So where does this apply in your life? Don't be simple. Be a man or woman of true knowledge.
Remember to check out the Tuesday Top 10 Countdown with DJ Ambermay on Church Beat Radio and Black Friday with J. Black on www.live365.com!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Setting the Stage
Proverbs 14:26
26He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it be a refuge.
You never really think about the things you do until you are responsible for others. It is then that you realize your every action is studied, followed and even mimicked. When you walk, those who follow you walk behind you in your footsteps. The wise King Solomon talked of the fear of the Lord being a fortress. A fortress is simply a fort but it is considered a fortified place. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary to fortify something means to 1)strengthen by military defenses 2) to give physical strength or endurance to 3) encourage 4) to strengthen or enrich with a material <~bread with vitamins>. So in essence, the fear of the Lord gives you strength, it encourages you and it's a place where you can go to be protected and nourished. So if you as a parent or leader fear the Lord, you're setting the stage for your children or those under your care to have some place to go when they need shelter from the world. It's hard to think of things like this but God forbid you leave those under your care too soon. What then? Where will they find strength if they do not have the proper foundation and understanding of the fear of the Lord? Where can they find refuge if you've never even showed them there is such a place? They will be subject to finding the vices that the world looks to such as gambling, drug and/or alcohol abuse, sex addictions, robbery or murder. These are the vices of the world that are not a true source of strength nor do they give life and nourishment. These vices actually cause problems in the body, pocket and mind. But such a fate doesn't have to be if you are willing to walk in the ways of the Lord. If you are willing to show the way, those behind you will follow you.
Remember to check out my man V of the Artist to Artist Show Mondays on www.Qliveone.com and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!
26He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it be a refuge.
You never really think about the things you do until you are responsible for others. It is then that you realize your every action is studied, followed and even mimicked. When you walk, those who follow you walk behind you in your footsteps. The wise King Solomon talked of the fear of the Lord being a fortress. A fortress is simply a fort but it is considered a fortified place. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary to fortify something means to 1)strengthen by military defenses 2) to give physical strength or endurance to 3) encourage 4) to strengthen or enrich with a material <~bread with vitamins>. So in essence, the fear of the Lord gives you strength, it encourages you and it's a place where you can go to be protected and nourished. So if you as a parent or leader fear the Lord, you're setting the stage for your children or those under your care to have some place to go when they need shelter from the world. It's hard to think of things like this but God forbid you leave those under your care too soon. What then? Where will they find strength if they do not have the proper foundation and understanding of the fear of the Lord? Where can they find refuge if you've never even showed them there is such a place? They will be subject to finding the vices that the world looks to such as gambling, drug and/or alcohol abuse, sex addictions, robbery or murder. These are the vices of the world that are not a true source of strength nor do they give life and nourishment. These vices actually cause problems in the body, pocket and mind. But such a fate doesn't have to be if you are willing to walk in the ways of the Lord. If you are willing to show the way, those behind you will follow you.
Remember to check out my man V of the Artist to Artist Show Mondays on www.Qliveone.com and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Babylon is a Temporary Place
Micah 2:10
10Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
The land had been filled with false prophets and Micah was called by the Lord to reiterate Israel and Judah's judgement and eventual restoration. Israel and Judah's judgement was to be driven from Jerusalem and held captive in Babylon. But eventually, they would be restored. God's wrath is not forever. THANK YOU JESUS!! If it were, all of us would've been terminated long ago. Our Heavenly Father has a heart. And for His people who were captive, the word Micah received was for them to leave Babylon after their time was served. It was a defiled place. "Beyond all remedy" means that there was nothing that could be salvaged from it. But that God's people were to return to the place they were to call home, Jerusalem. Babylon was a temporary place that was defiled by pagan ways. They couldn't take possession of anything in Babylon because God never intended for them to stay. For Israel and Judah they were to return to the land that God says was theirs.
Have you ever been in a place you thought was permanent? When God says it's temporary, it's just that. If it's not a place to call home, then you are not to get comfortable there. You are not to be complacent. When God says Get up, be ready to get up. If He says there's nothing you can go back for, then trust, there's nothing there but ruins. Ruins are nothing but feeble remains of what used to be. Ruins are not to be rebuilt in any way. If there's something in your life that was a Babylon, which is a place of punishment and lessons, once the lessons are learned, God expects you to move from that place. It served its purpose but to stay there means you are holding up the restoration process God has for you. You are telling God you do not desire the loving kindness He wants to offer by bringing you out. By staying in Babylon beyond your allotted time, you're defiling yourself. Let it go and let God bring you back to what is yours.
Remember to check out the Tuesday Top 10 Countdown on Church Beat Radio on www.live365.com!
10Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
The land had been filled with false prophets and Micah was called by the Lord to reiterate Israel and Judah's judgement and eventual restoration. Israel and Judah's judgement was to be driven from Jerusalem and held captive in Babylon. But eventually, they would be restored. God's wrath is not forever. THANK YOU JESUS!! If it were, all of us would've been terminated long ago. Our Heavenly Father has a heart. And for His people who were captive, the word Micah received was for them to leave Babylon after their time was served. It was a defiled place. "Beyond all remedy" means that there was nothing that could be salvaged from it. But that God's people were to return to the place they were to call home, Jerusalem. Babylon was a temporary place that was defiled by pagan ways. They couldn't take possession of anything in Babylon because God never intended for them to stay. For Israel and Judah they were to return to the land that God says was theirs.
Have you ever been in a place you thought was permanent? When God says it's temporary, it's just that. If it's not a place to call home, then you are not to get comfortable there. You are not to be complacent. When God says Get up, be ready to get up. If He says there's nothing you can go back for, then trust, there's nothing there but ruins. Ruins are nothing but feeble remains of what used to be. Ruins are not to be rebuilt in any way. If there's something in your life that was a Babylon, which is a place of punishment and lessons, once the lessons are learned, God expects you to move from that place. It served its purpose but to stay there means you are holding up the restoration process God has for you. You are telling God you do not desire the loving kindness He wants to offer by bringing you out. By staying in Babylon beyond your allotted time, you're defiling yourself. Let it go and let God bring you back to what is yours.
Remember to check out the Tuesday Top 10 Countdown on Church Beat Radio on www.live365.com!
Friday, September 21, 2012
When God Says Move
Genesis 12:1
1The Lord had said to to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
I had been referencing the story of Abraham each time I was asked why I was moving. And my response has been, "When God says move, you move." I always reference the story of Abraham especially when I get the blank look. The Lord hit me with something so deep yesterday on the train. "What if Abraham hadn't been obedient to the Lord?" I had an "oh my" moment out loud on the train because it hit like a sack of bricks. Abraham didn't ask questions. He just went. But what if he didn't go and was fixed on staying where he was and what he was doing at that moment? What if he continued to ask God questions when He could've been moving? What if he said, sure Lord I'll get to it and never did? God showed me that Abraham wouldn't have been the father of many nations. He wouldn't have been promised the land that the Israelites later occupied. There would be no Isaac nor Jacob whom God renamed Israel and from him came twelve tribes. There would be no Israel and there would be no Ruth, no David, no Solomon and no earthly born Jesus though He existed in Spirit and no salvation for us Gentiles. All mentioned came from Abraham's obedience. I now understand why so many scriptures make reference to Abraham's obedience. When God says you must move forward, there's no time to look back and say but I want to stay where I am. I'll stay just a little longer. You have no idea what your obedience means, who benefits and what God will birth from it be it literally or figuratively. I thank God for Abraham's obedience as well as each and every man and woman who listened and obeyed God from that point on. We all benefited. Next time God tells you to MOVE FORWARD, think about Abraham and what won't happen through you and for you because you're unwilling to move.
1The Lord had said to to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
I had been referencing the story of Abraham each time I was asked why I was moving. And my response has been, "When God says move, you move." I always reference the story of Abraham especially when I get the blank look. The Lord hit me with something so deep yesterday on the train. "What if Abraham hadn't been obedient to the Lord?" I had an "oh my" moment out loud on the train because it hit like a sack of bricks. Abraham didn't ask questions. He just went. But what if he didn't go and was fixed on staying where he was and what he was doing at that moment? What if he continued to ask God questions when He could've been moving? What if he said, sure Lord I'll get to it and never did? God showed me that Abraham wouldn't have been the father of many nations. He wouldn't have been promised the land that the Israelites later occupied. There would be no Isaac nor Jacob whom God renamed Israel and from him came twelve tribes. There would be no Israel and there would be no Ruth, no David, no Solomon and no earthly born Jesus though He existed in Spirit and no salvation for us Gentiles. All mentioned came from Abraham's obedience. I now understand why so many scriptures make reference to Abraham's obedience. When God says you must move forward, there's no time to look back and say but I want to stay where I am. I'll stay just a little longer. You have no idea what your obedience means, who benefits and what God will birth from it be it literally or figuratively. I thank God for Abraham's obedience as well as each and every man and woman who listened and obeyed God from that point on. We all benefited. Next time God tells you to MOVE FORWARD, think about Abraham and what won't happen through you and for you because you're unwilling to move.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The One You Fear
Isaiah 8:13
13The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,
Both houses of Israel, Judah and Israel, relied on Assyria and feared Assyria. Yet the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to remind them that it is only the Lord himself whom they ought to regard as such. Has much changed? Too many rely on man and fear man more than the Lord who gives them breath. They don't fear the Lord who has the ability to give, sustain and take life. When appearance by man's standards means more than the Lord Almighty, there is an imbalance. When fear of failure is more important than the Lord's will there is an imbalance. When fear of non-acceptance by man or group of people is more important than the Lord's will again, there is an imbalance. Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Your final destination is determined by God himself. It may seem far fetched to you if a man is holding a gun to your head but if you have a right relationship with the Lord, then you know no matter what, you will see the face of Jesus. However, if you let man dictate your outcomes rather the Lord as did Assyria, when you are in deep trouble, man will not be able to pull you out. Only the Lord will be able to deliver you. Israel experienced it over and over. Many times they made alliances with Assyria and Egypt for what they thought were their sources of living. But soon those alliances turned to dust and the Assyrians and Egyptians made war with Israel. Israel had to cry out to the Lord to save them. In what ways or situations have you feared man rather than the Lord? Wasn't it the Lord who came to your aid when man turned on you?
13The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,
Both houses of Israel, Judah and Israel, relied on Assyria and feared Assyria. Yet the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to remind them that it is only the Lord himself whom they ought to regard as such. Has much changed? Too many rely on man and fear man more than the Lord who gives them breath. They don't fear the Lord who has the ability to give, sustain and take life. When appearance by man's standards means more than the Lord Almighty, there is an imbalance. When fear of failure is more important than the Lord's will there is an imbalance. When fear of non-acceptance by man or group of people is more important than the Lord's will again, there is an imbalance. Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Your final destination is determined by God himself. It may seem far fetched to you if a man is holding a gun to your head but if you have a right relationship with the Lord, then you know no matter what, you will see the face of Jesus. However, if you let man dictate your outcomes rather the Lord as did Assyria, when you are in deep trouble, man will not be able to pull you out. Only the Lord will be able to deliver you. Israel experienced it over and over. Many times they made alliances with Assyria and Egypt for what they thought were their sources of living. But soon those alliances turned to dust and the Assyrians and Egyptians made war with Israel. Israel had to cry out to the Lord to save them. In what ways or situations have you feared man rather than the Lord? Wasn't it the Lord who came to your aid when man turned on you?
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Defining Your Relationship and State of Being
John 15:15
15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.
When you think of defining yourself and your relationship with Christ how would you do so? As Jesus said to the disciples so He says to those who love Him and walk in His counsel, you are a friend. You know how Jesus defines the relationship He desires to have with you but what words would you use to define your relationship with Him? In church we've studied the names of God. There are many names to define God. To define something as said by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary means to 1) set forth the meaning of, 2) to fix or mark the limits of 3) to clarify in outline or character. So to define your relationship means to give it meaning and character. Just like there are names to define God so we define ourselves. Many define themselves apart from God when He desires to be one with you and wants you to walk in how He defines you as you are His creation. As you become one with Him, how you define your relationship with Him will change and therefore how you define yourself will change.
In the Spanish language there are two verbs to represent "to be" or the state of being something. Ser for a permanent state of being and estar for a temporary state. For instance 'I am tired' is 'Estoy consada' from the verb estar because it's temporary and can change. But 'I am a sailor' is 'Soy marinero' from the verb ser and considered to be something about you that won't change at least not anytime in the near future. No, this is not about a Spanish lesson but to understand how you define you and your relationship with Christ is wonderfully illustrated by how these verbs are used. Many define themselves by their titles, jobs, marital status and bank account. But when you are in relationship with Christ He simply defines you as friend. The bells and whistles are not necessary because God knew you before you were formed as stated in Jeremiah 1:5 and he knit you together as stated in Psalm 139:13. He knows everything about you. There's no need for pretense with Christ and our Heavenly Father. There's no need to boast about your current state of being. For one, God can change everything in an instant because He is sovereign. Therefore, other than how He defines you, everything else is temporary.
Remember to check out my girl Stubbs of the Leap of Faith Show on the Leap of Faith Network on www.live365.com from 6-9am ET and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment! I will also be on the Leap of Faith Show live on Monday, October 8th!
15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.
When you think of defining yourself and your relationship with Christ how would you do so? As Jesus said to the disciples so He says to those who love Him and walk in His counsel, you are a friend. You know how Jesus defines the relationship He desires to have with you but what words would you use to define your relationship with Him? In church we've studied the names of God. There are many names to define God. To define something as said by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary means to 1) set forth the meaning of, 2) to fix or mark the limits of 3) to clarify in outline or character. So to define your relationship means to give it meaning and character. Just like there are names to define God so we define ourselves. Many define themselves apart from God when He desires to be one with you and wants you to walk in how He defines you as you are His creation. As you become one with Him, how you define your relationship with Him will change and therefore how you define yourself will change.
In the Spanish language there are two verbs to represent "to be" or the state of being something. Ser for a permanent state of being and estar for a temporary state. For instance 'I am tired' is 'Estoy consada' from the verb estar because it's temporary and can change. But 'I am a sailor' is 'Soy marinero' from the verb ser and considered to be something about you that won't change at least not anytime in the near future. No, this is not about a Spanish lesson but to understand how you define you and your relationship with Christ is wonderfully illustrated by how these verbs are used. Many define themselves by their titles, jobs, marital status and bank account. But when you are in relationship with Christ He simply defines you as friend. The bells and whistles are not necessary because God knew you before you were formed as stated in Jeremiah 1:5 and he knit you together as stated in Psalm 139:13. He knows everything about you. There's no need for pretense with Christ and our Heavenly Father. There's no need to boast about your current state of being. For one, God can change everything in an instant because He is sovereign. Therefore, other than how He defines you, everything else is temporary.
Remember to check out my girl Stubbs of the Leap of Faith Show on the Leap of Faith Network on www.live365.com from 6-9am ET and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment! I will also be on the Leap of Faith Show live on Monday, October 8th!
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