Psalm 120:1
1I call on the Lord in my distress and he answers me.
The psalmist recognized that it is only by the Lord's hand that he would be delivered from the deceitful plotting of his accusers. When in distress who do you call on? When you find out that people have been wrongfully accusing you, who do you call on? When you find out that those you thought were your friends were only out to cause your demise, what do you do? You call on the Lord. For it is the Lord that hears and sees conversation in the spirit. It is the Lord who can reveal the deceitful plots and it is the Lord who can terminate ANY and ALL weapons formed for your destruction. But what is needed? You have to make the step and open your mouth and heart so He hears you. Yes, the Lord knows your thoughts before you do but what type of RELATIONSHIP is it really if the Lord has to do all the work? Call on Him and He will answer.
P.S. Check out my man V of the Artist to Artist Show on www.Qliveone.com Saturdays at 8am CT/9am ET!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Believe on the Evidence
John 14:11
11Believe in me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
"Or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles". Evidence is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as 1) an outward sign 2) proof, testimony; esp matter submitted in court to determine the truth of alleged facts. The evidence is the miracles performed by Jesus that could not be performed by ordinary or man-made means. If one does not believe that God the Father exists in Jesus based on the words of His mouth, the miracles He performed should provide enough evidence. But how many still don't believe no matter how much evidence has been provided? How many still don't believe though not just anyone can perform a miracle? The body of evidence has been provided every day of your life if you don't believe Jesus to be true based on His statement. It's a miracle that you woke up before the alarm clock went off. Or that you thought of a person and shortly there after you either received a call, email, text or saw them in person. It's a miracle that it can rain on one side of the road yet be dry on another. It's a miracle that someone can walk away from an accident that totaled a car without a scratch. It's a miracle that just when you need a word of encouragement or confirmation of something you were thinking about, the Lord sends someone to confirm though they had no idea previously. Are these not miracles? Are these not proof that the Lord hears you, sees you and looks after you? What other evidence are you in need of to verify that the Lord is who He says He is?
11Believe in me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
"Or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles". Evidence is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as 1) an outward sign 2) proof, testimony; esp matter submitted in court to determine the truth of alleged facts. The evidence is the miracles performed by Jesus that could not be performed by ordinary or man-made means. If one does not believe that God the Father exists in Jesus based on the words of His mouth, the miracles He performed should provide enough evidence. But how many still don't believe no matter how much evidence has been provided? How many still don't believe though not just anyone can perform a miracle? The body of evidence has been provided every day of your life if you don't believe Jesus to be true based on His statement. It's a miracle that you woke up before the alarm clock went off. Or that you thought of a person and shortly there after you either received a call, email, text or saw them in person. It's a miracle that it can rain on one side of the road yet be dry on another. It's a miracle that someone can walk away from an accident that totaled a car without a scratch. It's a miracle that just when you need a word of encouragement or confirmation of something you were thinking about, the Lord sends someone to confirm though they had no idea previously. Are these not miracles? Are these not proof that the Lord hears you, sees you and looks after you? What other evidence are you in need of to verify that the Lord is who He says He is?
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Building Up
24Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Building one up in sincerity is good for anyone. The problem is too many are eager to tear a person down rather than build them up. But why? One's own self-esteem and worth is often not in the right place and let's face it, misery loves company. For some, tearing a person down means bringing that person to the level at which they themselves are feeling. No one is to feel better or do better than they. But building a person up if done with the right heart and right way can be healing for both individuals. To encourage one is to encourage yourself. Jesus said we are to love thy neighbor as thyself. But many do not understand who they are in Christ to understand the love one can give and receive in return. Pleasant words bring smiles, laughter and a warm heart. When was the last time you sincerely built a person up? How did it make the other person feel? How did it make you feel? Or do you make a habit of tearing others down?
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Building one up in sincerity is good for anyone. The problem is too many are eager to tear a person down rather than build them up. But why? One's own self-esteem and worth is often not in the right place and let's face it, misery loves company. For some, tearing a person down means bringing that person to the level at which they themselves are feeling. No one is to feel better or do better than they. But building a person up if done with the right heart and right way can be healing for both individuals. To encourage one is to encourage yourself. Jesus said we are to love thy neighbor as thyself. But many do not understand who they are in Christ to understand the love one can give and receive in return. Pleasant words bring smiles, laughter and a warm heart. When was the last time you sincerely built a person up? How did it make the other person feel? How did it make you feel? Or do you make a habit of tearing others down?
Monday, April 16, 2012
To Whom is Your Spirit Committed?
Matthew 27:50
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
We recently celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior as well as Passover. Did you know that we are spiritual beings? Our physical body houses our spirit. How so? Not to be morbid, but have you ever seen a dead body? It is lifeless. What gives the body life? It is the spirit. Jesus "gave up" his spirit. He willingly died and committed his spirit to God the Father. It is the "spirit" of a person that we come to know and love. The physical body is just a shell. If we only take notice of a person's physical body, then we miss the core of who they are. If all you see is a physical body and never come to know a person's spirit, then you can't say you really know the person. But the question then becomes to whom is your spirit committed? Jesus, God in the form of the Son, committed His spirit back to God the Father who is the source of all. There is only one of two places to where a person can commit their spirit. It is either to our Heaven (our Lord) or Hell (Satan is real). Where your spirit is committed while you're here on earth determines where your spirit will reside once your physical body can no longer hold it. So again, to where and to whom is your spirit committed? If you're unsure make a decision because you don't know when your spirit will be recalled from your physical body.
P.S. Hopefully everyone was in reflection over this last week. God wants to know will you seek Him or does He always have to chase you. Please check out my girl Stubbs on www.live365.com/
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
We recently celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior as well as Passover. Did you know that we are spiritual beings? Our physical body houses our spirit. How so? Not to be morbid, but have you ever seen a dead body? It is lifeless. What gives the body life? It is the spirit. Jesus "gave up" his spirit. He willingly died and committed his spirit to God the Father. It is the "spirit" of a person that we come to know and love. The physical body is just a shell. If we only take notice of a person's physical body, then we miss the core of who they are. If all you see is a physical body and never come to know a person's spirit, then you can't say you really know the person. But the question then becomes to whom is your spirit committed? Jesus, God in the form of the Son, committed His spirit back to God the Father who is the source of all. There is only one of two places to where a person can commit their spirit. It is either to our Heaven (our Lord) or Hell (Satan is real). Where your spirit is committed while you're here on earth determines where your spirit will reside once your physical body can no longer hold it. So again, to where and to whom is your spirit committed? If you're unsure make a decision because you don't know when your spirit will be recalled from your physical body.
P.S. Hopefully everyone was in reflection over this last week. God wants to know will you seek Him or does He always have to chase you. Please check out my girl Stubbs on www.live365.com/
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Blotted Out
Deuteronomy 9:14
14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they."
God was certainly angry and He let Moses know it. Moses had been up on the mountain for forty days and nights with no bread or water praying on behalf of the Israelites after leaving Egypt. While Moses was before the Lord, the Israelites grew impatient and turned away from the Lord. They melted all their gold and created a gold calf to worship. So the Israelites spit in the face of God while the man called to stand in the gap for them suffered on their behalf. Can you imagine the anger God felt? God was so angry that He just wanted to blot out their existence. Moses continued to pray on behalf of the Israelites in spite of what they did so God would have mercy on them. Thank you Lord for Jesus! But know this..Jesus continues to stand in the gap for you and me. What would you do if God said to Jesus, I'm blotting out ____ 's (insert name) existence because I keep delivering him/her from this or that wretched thing in his/her life but ______ (insert your name) keeps going back to it?" or If God said I told _____ (insert name) to get rid of this or that and he/she still hasn't? or last but certainly not least, If God said to Jesus, I gave_________ (insert your name) so many opportunities to accept you but _______(insert your name) refused you. Blotting out means to erase from existence. Would you want to be erased from existence and have no place in heaven? Thankfully Jesus paid it all!!! But if you don't confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the son of God and died and resurrected for your sins during this Holy week, then unfortunately, there will be a blank where your name should be. Record of everything you've thought, said and done is recalled by God to be evaluated. Don't be blotted out because you refused to accept Jesus Christ. Don't be blotted out because you spit in the face of God and refused to repent for your sins.
P.S. Check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Show at www.leapoffaithshow.com!
14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they."
God was certainly angry and He let Moses know it. Moses had been up on the mountain for forty days and nights with no bread or water praying on behalf of the Israelites after leaving Egypt. While Moses was before the Lord, the Israelites grew impatient and turned away from the Lord. They melted all their gold and created a gold calf to worship. So the Israelites spit in the face of God while the man called to stand in the gap for them suffered on their behalf. Can you imagine the anger God felt? God was so angry that He just wanted to blot out their existence. Moses continued to pray on behalf of the Israelites in spite of what they did so God would have mercy on them. Thank you Lord for Jesus! But know this..Jesus continues to stand in the gap for you and me. What would you do if God said to Jesus, I'm blotting out ____ 's (insert name) existence because I keep delivering him/her from this or that wretched thing in his/her life but ______ (insert your name) keeps going back to it?" or If God said I told _____ (insert name) to get rid of this or that and he/she still hasn't? or last but certainly not least, If God said to Jesus, I gave_________ (insert your name) so many opportunities to accept you but _______(insert your name) refused you. Blotting out means to erase from existence. Would you want to be erased from existence and have no place in heaven? Thankfully Jesus paid it all!!! But if you don't confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the son of God and died and resurrected for your sins during this Holy week, then unfortunately, there will be a blank where your name should be. Record of everything you've thought, said and done is recalled by God to be evaluated. Don't be blotted out because you refused to accept Jesus Christ. Don't be blotted out because you spit in the face of God and refused to repent for your sins.
P.S. Check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Show at www.leapoffaithshow.com!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Worthy of Death
Matthew 26:66
"What do you think?"
"He is worthy of death," they answered
The high priest was extremely frustrated and wanted nothing more than to humiliate Jesus. It was forbidden for the high priest to strip one on trial of their clothes according to the NIV Study Bible but in the case of Jesus, their hatred went beyond the law. Jesus didn't respond the way anyone anticipated which frustrated the high priest even more. For the Sanhedrin to say that Jesus "is worthy of death" was to say that he is nothing more than a common criminal and not the King of kings and Lord of lords. But in our Heavenly Father's eyes, Jesus is spotless and without sin therefore He is the perfect sacrificial lamb. A lamb without defect was usually slaughtered to atone for sin. Jesus is the ultimate lamb which made Him worthy of death on behalf of the entire world present and future and the sins you have yet to commit.
We are in Holy Week. Prayerfully you are in a time of reflection and not just tradition. Is Jesus not worthy of your thoughts since He was worthy of death for you and I?
P.S. Countdown to LifeLoveSoul in AMC Theaters the weekend of April 13th! Checkout the trailer at www.noelcallowayfilms.com!
"What do you think?"
"He is worthy of death," they answered
The high priest was extremely frustrated and wanted nothing more than to humiliate Jesus. It was forbidden for the high priest to strip one on trial of their clothes according to the NIV Study Bible but in the case of Jesus, their hatred went beyond the law. Jesus didn't respond the way anyone anticipated which frustrated the high priest even more. For the Sanhedrin to say that Jesus "is worthy of death" was to say that he is nothing more than a common criminal and not the King of kings and Lord of lords. But in our Heavenly Father's eyes, Jesus is spotless and without sin therefore He is the perfect sacrificial lamb. A lamb without defect was usually slaughtered to atone for sin. Jesus is the ultimate lamb which made Him worthy of death on behalf of the entire world present and future and the sins you have yet to commit.
We are in Holy Week. Prayerfully you are in a time of reflection and not just tradition. Is Jesus not worthy of your thoughts since He was worthy of death for you and I?
P.S. Countdown to LifeLoveSoul in AMC Theaters the weekend of April 13th! Checkout the trailer at www.noelcallowayfilms.com!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Runaway Train
Isaiah 30:18
18Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
The Israelites had been punished by God for their sin once again but the Lord actually desired to bless them. Most parents do not enjoy punishing children but know it's necessary in order to teach them. God is our heavenly father and He doesn't delight in punishing us but as His children, He knows that punishing us is often the only way we learn. We associate the incorrect behavior with the negative outcome so to prevent the negative outcome we no longer distribute the behavior which brought it on. The Lord desires to bless us just as He wanted to do for Israel but misdeeds must not go unpunished. It is sometimes hard to conceive that God doesn't like punishing us but think about it. He would prefer that we listen to Him in the beginning so we can avoid the misdeeds that lead down the wrong track. A runaway train that's headed off the cliff to death has to be stopped with an emergency brake. The emergency brake is the punishment or consequence we must endure that causes us to stop in our tracks but keeps us from the edge of the cliff. Once the wheels go over the cliff, gravity pulls the train downward and nothing can stop it. If we keep going in whatever the bad behavior is, eventually we go over a cliff to a fate we don't want. The punishment is not always equal to the misdeed THANK GOD! If it were, we'd all be dead. But God doesn't want to keep us there. He wants us to understand the lesson so we can move on and extend a blessing to us. Not because we deserve it but just because He loves you and me. How long have you been the runaway train? Is the Lord about to put on the emergency brake or is it already on? Are you at the edge of the cliff?
18Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
The Israelites had been punished by God for their sin once again but the Lord actually desired to bless them. Most parents do not enjoy punishing children but know it's necessary in order to teach them. God is our heavenly father and He doesn't delight in punishing us but as His children, He knows that punishing us is often the only way we learn. We associate the incorrect behavior with the negative outcome so to prevent the negative outcome we no longer distribute the behavior which brought it on. The Lord desires to bless us just as He wanted to do for Israel but misdeeds must not go unpunished. It is sometimes hard to conceive that God doesn't like punishing us but think about it. He would prefer that we listen to Him in the beginning so we can avoid the misdeeds that lead down the wrong track. A runaway train that's headed off the cliff to death has to be stopped with an emergency brake. The emergency brake is the punishment or consequence we must endure that causes us to stop in our tracks but keeps us from the edge of the cliff. Once the wheels go over the cliff, gravity pulls the train downward and nothing can stop it. If we keep going in whatever the bad behavior is, eventually we go over a cliff to a fate we don't want. The punishment is not always equal to the misdeed THANK GOD! If it were, we'd all be dead. But God doesn't want to keep us there. He wants us to understand the lesson so we can move on and extend a blessing to us. Not because we deserve it but just because He loves you and me. How long have you been the runaway train? Is the Lord about to put on the emergency brake or is it already on? Are you at the edge of the cliff?
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