Crossing/Transitioning Over

Matthew 14:34

34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

Jesus and the disciples crossed over to an area that was on the west side of the Sea of Galilee as the Zondervan NIV Study Bible points out. It says it was a plain area considered to be a garden spot, fertile and well watered. This occurred after Jesus and Peter walked on the water. Walking on the water was one major event before the crossing over but so was the acknowledgment by the group with the following words, "Truly you are the Son of God" upon seeing the wind die down."  As soon as they crossed over and people saw, word spread all over the country and the sick were brought to Jesus. A new state of mind for the disciples because another significant miracle was coming.

God kept saying crossing over was significant not just for me but transition is in the atmosphere. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary transition means passage from one state, place, stage, or subject to another. We are about to transition from summer to fall (which represents harvest) but also what the scripture above shows is that the crossing over or transition was to a fertile place. So the old place is now dead. Even in Joshua 1:2 God said to Joshua, "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the Land I am about to give to them- to the Israelites. Before a new place can be entered, whether it's a state of mind, physical place or whatever, a couple of things have to be acknowledged. First, acknowledging that the Lord is in the center of it is the only way you can move into a blessing or state of transition. Second, whatever was is now dead. You cannot walk into a new place of growth without leaving something behind. It's the changing of the guard in many words. If it's felt like the LONGEST week to you, it has been. Because it's been an attempt to keep the distraction from where you are going. Where are you going? A new place, whether mentally, spiritually or physically, today is the last day, not only of this month but of where you've been. It's time to cross over and be at peace.

Giving A Sign

Psalm 86:17

17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

The one after God's own heart, David, prayed to God to help protect him from his enemies. David was often the subject of scorn and especially by those who refused to honor God. David was God's champion and warrior. Not only with Goliath but with anyone God sent David to war with. Because David loved the Lord, his enemies were that much more disgusted with him. David not only prayed to God but he praised Him and worshiped Him in the same breath. His love and devotion to God were "complete" and he was "undivided". No one or thing could take David's heart away from God.  He would not choose anything over God. David called out for God to send a sign of His goodness. What kind of sign? It could be anything but God pouring out blessings and more blessings that ONLY HE could make happen upon David is indeed a sure sign that goodness and mercy follow David. David longed to be comforted because he endured the ruthless men who sought to take his life. But as David said, they were all men who were "without regard for God". Having no regard for God is basically saying that obedience to God doesn't matter, God's decision's don't matter, God's Word doesn't matter. All that matters is that person's lust for whatever. But it is these very people that God brings to humbleness. Whether it is through the crumbling of their own circumstances or watching God advance those who love and are devoted to Him.


Remember to check out my girl Stubbs of the Leap of Faith Network from 6-9am ET on www.live365.com and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!

Will He Say, No Charge?

Genesis 9:5

5And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too.  I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.

God made a new covenant with Noah after He washed away everyone but whom He asked Noah to preserve. The covenant allowed meat to be added to the diet not vegetation. And it also consisted of each person giving an account of their life when each person dies. You know that everyone must die, but rarely do people realize that EVERYTHING you've ever done must be accounted for both good and bad. The good news, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and decide to live in Him, then many of the wrongs you've committed have been atoned for already. Meaning those you've repented for. His lifeblood was drained in the 39 lashes He received from one of the guards and then on the cross when the guards drove nails into His hands and feet and then pierced Him in His side. His lifeblood was taken for yours and mine.  How so? You probably don't even remember the first sin you ever committed. But the day you made Jesus your Lord and Savior and decided to walk in Him, God decided to forget about the first sin you ever committed. The whole reason why God called Noah to build the Ark was because He was disgusted with what He saw in the land and all those who had no regard for Him. Noah was willing to listen to God and that's why his family was preserved. Jesus is the Lamb of God, unblemished. Yes, every man must die but those who truly accept Jesus as their Lamb of God are spared from an eternal death in the lake of fire. Jesus took the keys of death when He laid down His life in exchange for yours and mine. How is your life honoring the lashes He took for you? How is your life honoring the nails that were driven in for you? Your account must be given before Him. Will He say, no charge?

Remember to check out my girl DJ Ambermay for the Tuesday TOP 10 Countdown on Church Beat Radio on www.live365.com!

A Heart of Gratitude

Good Morning Everyone,

No this is not a typical message but a sign of gratitude!! The LORD showed up and showed out at Saturday's book signing event at Family Christian Bookstore! It was a SELL OUT event!! I want to give a special THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support!! I also want to give a big THANK YOU to my assistant for the day, PR expert and friend Daria Fennell as well as Gary Walker my photographer for  the day!!! We had lots of fun!! Not only was it a sell out day but God brought people who either knew people that wanted be published or they themselves so giving words of wisdom were awesome!! There were some fellow authors and writers who came out!!  The staff at Family Christian Bookstore in Elkridge, MD are now carrying copies in store!! They were very impressed with the event!!! To see pictures from the event go to facebook and check out Get Your JOY In The Morning! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Your-Joy-In-The-Morning/159407174099742

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!

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

Insecurity is Rooted in Fear

2Timothy 1:7

7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

This scripture has often been used regarding a spirit of fear. But did you know it's also about insecurity? Yes, the Lord revealed that insecurity is rooted in fear. He had me look up the definition of insecurity as defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. Insecure is defined as: 1) uncertain 2) not protected: unsafe , 3)loose, shaky , 4) not highly stable , also: lacking assurance: anxious fearful.  God then confirmed it by having me see the background of this particular text. First, the apostle Paul was encouraging Timothy. Now Timothy was young but strong in the Word of God and called to lead the church in Ephesus. He was raised by strong women who knew God and instilled wonderful teaching in him. The apostle Paul took Timothy in as a son in the Spirit. The apostle Paul was talking about walking in whatever gifts the Holy Spirit had bestowed upon him but also that as he grows in his walk, so too the gifts would develop. But what the Zondervan's NIV Study Bible records is that lack of confidence was a serious problem for Timothy and it references 1Corinthians 16:10-11 when the apostle Paul asks the church at Corinth to welcome him and make sure he has nothing to fear and is accepted. Fear of non-acceptance is insecurity. Not being sure of who you and if you can stand will develop the characteristics of insecurity but it's root is simply fear. This fear is not of God. When you know who you are in Christ, there's nothing to fear but God himself out of reverent love. So how do you come to know who you are in Christ? It requires a willingness to grow and develop in Christ as the apostle Paul mentioned to Timothy. You are not to stand on your own but on the shoulders of Christ. When you rely on you and you alone, you will always fail. But when you rely on God, Christ's love and the strength of the Holy Spirit, you will stand with a new boldness and confidence.

May deliverance go forth this day and the spirit of fear of be broken in Jesus' name!!!

Do you have Saturday, August 25th marked on your calendar? I will be at Family Christian Bookstore in Elkridge, MD so drop by anytime between 12-4pm and get a copy of the book Get Your JOY In The Morning! I look forward to seeing you!!!!

Have You Turned to the Lord in Prayer?

Isaiah 35:5
5Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

The prophet Isaiah was given a glimpse of what the coming Messiah would bring with Him. As documented in the New Testament, what God showed the prophet Isaiah was joy, peace and healing. The healing being both physical and spiritual. Jesus healed not only those who had physical ailments but those plagued by evil spirits. Those healed by Christ as Isaiah saw would receive joy. What some people don't realize is there are physical ailments that are indicators or manifestations from what is happening in one's spirit. Worry and stress do what? They cause physical ailments. Jesus said in Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Jesus wasn't just saying this for the sake of speaking. We've seen what worry and stress can do. Oh but God! There's a remedy!! The man after the Lord's own heart, King David, learned early that when facing illness, take it to the Lord in prayer! In Psalm 6 David was facing terrible illness. For him it was a rebuke or discipline from what he had done. Even still, David cried out to the Lord. Why? Because he knew the Lord could heal him. Deuteronomy 28:15-20 talks about the sickness that the Lord brings for one's sins. However, not all sickness is because of wrong doing. Some sickness like that of Job, is an attack from Satan in the spiritual domain as a way to hinder and distract. The Lord allowed it to show that Job would not be stopped by it but would turn to Him. Not that modern medicine doesn't help but many do not understand who the true healer is. So then when you are facing illness have you ever asked yourself is it a spiritual manifestation? What is it that you are doing for the Lord? Is it something major? Is what's happening a distraction factor? Or is there something you need to seek the Lord's forgiveness for? Either way, it's all meant for you to turn to the Lord in prayer.

Remember to check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Network at www.live365.com and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!

Clearing the Myth

This is not a typical message.

2Corinithians 6:14

14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.

What did the apostle Paul mean when He said this to the church at Corinth? First, the church at Corinth had been plagued with false teachers. Now just in case there is any question, just like there is only one of two places your spirit will go after death, Heaven or Hell, so too you can only be a child of God or a Child of Satan. We know that Satan is the father of Lies while God is the Father of truth. Jesus is the way, truth and the life. So anything false has it's origin in what? Satan. False teachers and or anyone who is full of lies is a servant of Satan not a servant of God. As the Zondervan NIV Study Bible puts it, they have "charming and persuasive ways". More like deceitful. Secondly, this example extends to every aspect of our walk as believers in Christ. We are not to surround ourselves with those who have NO DESIRE to grow in Christ. Doing so pulls one in a direction away from Christ, especially if that unbeliever has "charming and persuasive ways".

Just a little over a week ago I saw something on Facebook regarding marriage. The caption pointed out that just like your relationship with God is important, the second to that is your marriage, which is true. It said that you are responsible for upholding and nurturing that relationship with a godly perspective even if the other spouse doesn't. Immediately, God brought to my remembrance what I have learned from my church through the study of the Word of God, which is you are not to marry one who is unequally yoked. If you are looking to grow in your walk in Christ, marrying someone who isn't creates nothing but discord and God cannot get the glory from it as He is designed to. It means that you married them based on worldly standards not God's. Marriage is a ministry. For it reflects the relationship that Christ has with the Church as said by the apostle Paul.  The ministry isn't just for the outside world to see but for your children. If your children see nothing but discord, what do you think they will search for when they are adults if they have not been delivered by Christ? My assistant pastor quotes Amos 3:3 How can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so.  I must say before I move forward I want to thank my pastor and assistant pastor for their following Christ and letting us know that first and foremost, God is the one who ordains a marriage. If you are with someone that God did not call you to be with, He may honor it but he doesn't have to bless it. To honor as defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary states in the second definition: 1) to regard or treat with honor 2)to confer honor on 3) to fulfill the terms of; also to accept as payment. There are many blessings with a God-ordained marriage. To bless according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary states: 1) consecrate by religious rite or word 2) sanctify with the sign of the cross, 3) invoke divine care for 4) PRAISE, GLORIFY 5) to confer happiness upon. So in other words, God will honor or recognize your commitment if you sincerely made it even if it's to a person He didn't call you to be with but just because He recognizes it doesn't mean it will be one filled with happiness. Those benefits are solely for those who pick the godly mate He has made especially for them. Second, the one who officiates the ceremony is also held accountable to God. For they are to uphold the Word of God at all times no matter who the two people are. The minute it is discerned and made known that the two are unequally yoked, the officiant has the responsibility to God and for the good of the two to call it out. Otherwise, that is spiritual blood on the hands of that officiant. I say this because what the caption said would be understood by the other spouse if they are equally yoked. Now the misconception and misrepresentation of 1Corinthians 7:12-15 is how and why many are set up. The verse says, "To the rest I say this, (I not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her."  The apostle Paul was talking about couples who were already married when the husband became a believer as quoted in Zondervan's NIV Study Bible. This actually supports that the couple when starting out were on equal footing. So it's not to say that a believer is to marry an unbeliever or one who has NO DESIRE to grow in Christ from the start. God does not operate contrary to His word. So if you are married, is your marriage reflecting the relationship that Christ has with the Church? If you are single, is your concern with that of Lord's business? God will put in front of you who He has for you. Until he designates otherwise, your ministry, as the apostle Paul states in 1Corinthians 7 is to be about the Lord's will.

BLESS THE LORD!

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