Don't Lose Sleep...It Is Normal

2Timothy 3:12-13

12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

The apostle Paul was giving a charge to the young Timothy about life in Christ, what to expect as one who preached the gospel of Christ. But Paul's warning wasn't just for Timothy, he says 'everyone' so that means you and I as well. Have you ever noticed the strange looks you get when you bow your head to God in public in order to thank Him for your food? Have you ever had the strange looks and words of discouragement from "so called friends" and even family because you no longer distribute the outrageous drunken behavior you used to that left you sick? Do you get the taunts or those who wrongfully project their issues of being out of line with Christ onto you to make themselves feel better? Do people look down on you because you men and women in Christ now refuse to literally lay down with anyone and everyone except the mate Christ has made especially for you, to avoid getting up with fleas and being left empty and unfulfilled? Then you guessed it? You have been persecuted. King Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun and it is true. Human behavior repeats itself. Do not lose sleep over this persecution because it is normal. Do not backslide because of this persecution. You are a new creature as Paul says. In order to move forward in your life in Christ, Paul says you have to renew your mind. Renewing your mind isn't a one time thing. It's something you have to do regularly by prayer, recognizing and listening to the Holy Spirit, staying in the Word and learning to apply it in your life. What is interesting is that Paul refers to 'evil men and impostors who will go from bad to worse deceiving'. Yes, there really are deceivers in the world and sadly there are those who are being deceived because they cannot seem to put on the 'mind of Christ' long enough to discern when an impostor and deceiver is in their midst. It's time to take off the glasses of darkness and turn on the light. Stop putting yourself in a position where you are willingly opening the door to deceit in your life. Let Christ give you new vision so you can see it and call it out. Trust and believe, when you call out deceivers in your life, they make an exit.



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

It's Okay to Ask for Help

1Peter 5:6

6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

The apostle Peter was addressing men both young and elder, Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians alike. Peter himself had to deal with learning humility from the hand of Jesus so he was willing to address the subject. He talked about men refraining from using their power as leaders to lord it over people. And for young men especially to be respectful and humble. God is the true chief and it is God who can help you. It takes humility to ask the Lord for help and to know He will show up at the right time. He is faithful in that once you ask for His help He will show himself as one who loves you and will deliver the help you seek.

Honestly, it takes humility to ask for help period. It means admitting that one cannot do it all on their own. There's nothing wrong with that. None of us was created to do it ALL by ourselves. That is why "the body of Christ" was created. Each person plays a role. And Peter says in verse 5 that God opposes the proud. This doesn't just apply to men but women too. However, Peter was aware that men suffer from it like no one else. Men are taught that they must be strong and carry the weight on their shoulders. If President Obama, a man who carries the weight of a country and the free world, admitted in a speech that he drops to his knees in prayer when he doesn't know what to do, then no man should be ashamed to do so. 

God should not be the last option any of us seeks for help but the first because He is the only one who already knows the outcome.

Is It Worth It?

Proverbs 10:2

2Ill-gotten treasures are of no value but righteousness delivers from death.

The word proverb translated in Hebrew means oracle or parable and is used to describe truths of human behavior as noted under the nature of proverbs in the NIV Study Bible. King Solomon provided another truth from the Lord about anything not obtained the right way. It's of no value. It means nothing as it will not last. And because it was not obtained the right way it will lead to God's judgement. If you stole to get what you have, God's word says you will not have it for long. If you lied and deceived to get what you have, you will not have it for long. The means by which you obtain what is in your possession means a great deal to the Lord. Many believe "if I want it I shall have it". But the real question is, "Did God give it to you?" Is it worth it? Is what you obtained worth the price you will pay later? If the Lord desires for you to have something, He will provide the open door for you to obtain it in His time.


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

Resistance is Futile

Acts 26:14

14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

The apostle was sharing his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus with King Agrippa. Many of you may remember Star Trek Next Generation. There was an enemy referred to as "The Borg" they were a group of people turned into a single consciousness. There common phrase was, 'resistance is futile'. Per the NIV Study Bible, Jesus' statement to Paul about the goads is translated into the same phrase in Greek. The point is that resisting the Lord really only brings harm to the person resisting. The circle of pain continues until one stops fighting Him. If you read both the Old and New  Testament, it is filled with examples of those who attempted to fight God but no one can fight the creator of Heaven, Earth and everything in it and expect to win. Even the enemy of our souls fights a losing battle. So why resist? Stubborn pride is usually at the root but the Lord says in His word that He disdains pride and He will break a prideful spirit. How far He has to break you depends solely on how long you resist the Lord. Many don't understand but He is such that He presents an offer, you can't refuse.  Resistance of the one who created you really is futile as it's only a matter of time before you have to call on Him.

P.S. Stay tuned over the next 2 weeks for your chance to win a free autographed copy of my new book, Shh Don't Tell!

Living Like It's Golden

2Kings 20:6

6"I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David."

There's nothing like being made aware of your own mortality. It's a very sobering experience actually. Having the experience like king Hezekiah is usually God's way of getting your attention enough to get you to change course. I know I am not alone in having a near death experience or being brought "to the point of death" as the Word references in verse 1. Here's what I do understand. Like Hezekiah, many of us would make a plea with the Lord. But Hezekiah's plea was reminding God of his faithfulness to Him and how he served Him. For those of us who have had the encounter, the conversation was more like, "I am so sorry Lord. If you bring me through this I will do your will." When God honors that request, that's when your real work will begin. There are some people who do not understand the road I am on and why I am on it as opposed to another route. The route I am on is my purpose and God's will for my life. If you've read the introduction of my first book, Get Your JOY In The Morning, then you understand my path a little better. What I can say is that I have gone from "partying like it's 1999" to "Living my life like it's golden." There really is a difference. Living like it's golden is understanding how precious the moments you have really are and wanting to take the time you have to not only enjoy taking in fresh air but add value. How are you adding value? Adding value can come in many different ways but breathing life means you have to exhale it or give it also not just take. I thank God for the experience I had because it has broken my attitude of "invincibility" and arrogance of "nothing can happen to me" as many of us young people seem to experience. I am fully aware that any moment could be my last. No, I don't dwell on it in a negative way but have decided to live it out like it's golden and help spread God's joy across the earth.

I don't wish the experience on anyone. I just pray that if you ever have to have it that your conversation is more like Hezekiah's in that you are reminding God of your faithfulness to Him. And that you are not like many of us who pleaded that we would finally walk out the will God has for our lives.


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

The Blame Game

1Kings 18:18

18"I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals

Elijah came out of hiding to meet Ahab. When Ahab saw him, he immediately accused Elijah as being the troublemaker for Israel and causing the drought. But Ahab's anger was misplaced. He needed to be angry with himself for allowing his wife Jezebel to take over and terrorize the men of God and for his own inability to stay true to God. The three year drought over Israel was the judgement pronounced for Ahab's unfaithfulness to God. Elijah carried it out. God placed Ahab on the thrown and yet he decided he wanted to serve the pagan gods of his wife. The root of the problem was Ahab was unequally yoked with an unbeliever who not only had no regard for his God, but for him either. And his lack of taking the household back as the rightful leader and turning his back on God led to everyone's suffering.

What can you learn from this scenario? Be careful about misplacing blame. What role did you play in where you are? What choices/decisions did you make or what did you not do? Be willing to confess to how you contributed to the problem. Second, when you know God is the source of your blessings, turning your back on Him is turning your back on your own blessings. Third, none of us exist in this world alone. You are connected to others. Your disobedience will have a ripple effect somewhere. Fourth, when the Lord gives you an opportunity to get back on the right path, take it. Fifth, as the apostle Paul mentioned in the New Testament to believers who were planning to marry, do not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. The reason, there will always be discord. Ahab and Jezebel are proof. She did not care to worship the one who put Ahab where he was which was also an indication of her level of respect for Ahab. There was none.

Don't Forfeit Safety and Peace

Proverbs 3:21

21My son, preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;

King Solomon talked about the benefits of God's wisdom. Most know Solomon as the wealthiest king of God's people in the Old Testament and that his wisdom from God brought him wealth. But Solomon talks about the other, more important benefits of God's wisdom. God's wisdom outweighs man's wisdom because the word says that the Lord's ways are higher than man's in Isaiah 55. Solomon talked of two common benefits that many overlook. First God's wisdom, discernment and judgement in your life keep you safe. When you listen to the Lord, He keeps you from stumbling and will move you into safety. How so? For example, the Lord tells you not to go somewhere and take a detour. You taking that detour may very well mean your own life has been preserved and keeps you from harm. Many take for granted when God says to not do something or to do an alternative. But it is better to heed the voice of the Lord's wisdom for your own protection. Secondly, King Solomon talks about following God's wisdom will allow you to sleep better at night further in chapter 3. Have you ever been worried? Jesus said worry does not add to your life but it takes it away. Worry keeps one from sleeping at night. But Solomon speaks of one who follows God's wisdom. Following God will allow you to be at peace and sleep. Decisions may be difficult but once you follow God's guidance, there will be a peace.

My pastor mentioned the song "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" a couple of weeks ago in reference to Jesus being a friend and the following line has echoed in my spirit, "oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.".  It's not just carrying it to God but it's to follow the answer to the prayer if you wait for it. His wisdom will give you peace once you carry out what He says and you will have safety. Even if it doesn't look like it to man, the Lord has your back.