Look Within!

The same message continued to echo in my spirit throughout prayer this morning. So many women and men look to people like Beyonce for strength, courage and even beauty. Not hating on Bey/Mrs. Carter. But women what about looking within you? What about looking at who GOD created you to be? What about tapping into GOD and seeing the beauty and strength within you? Men, did you know that it takes supernatural strength for a mom or mother figure to raise you? It takes courage for a woman who is your aunt, sister, cousin, spouse or girlfriend to encourage and stand with you? It takes a woman of wisdom to have a shoulder for you and say what God has said to say. It takes a woman of strength to even keep silent when God says you have to fumble a little but you have to get it on your own? So women, you are overcomers!! If you believe yourself to be watch the 20minute documentary! If you don't believe you are an overcomer, then all the more reason to watch the documentary! Men, if a woman has helped you in any way, watch and share the documentary! Not even for you but because you love the women GOD has placed in your life! ALL OF THIS, is what https://www.facebook.com/RatliffEvents/app_506967579379410 Power of Femininity is really about!

Are You a Part of the 91 Percent?

Good Morning Everyone,

No, this is not a typical message. But then does God have a typical message? I shared this message with some yesterday individually but God has laid on my heart to share with everyone what God is doing in the lives of the three people featured in the link below. It is a short 20 minute documentary but is very powerful. Please share with everyone God lays on your heart to share. Both men and women can benefit. I BLESS GOD for all of you and your faithfulness.

http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e6a588829f3e6a02acec19055&id=d87ec902ec&e=22988da9d0

Deriving at Purpose

Mark 1:38

38But He said to them, "Let us go into the next town, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."

Jesus took time away from the crowd to spend time in prayer with our Heavenly Father. All the disciples were looking for Him wondering where He went and why. And when Jesus responded He told them where they were going next and explained His purpose.

Now if you believe Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life, then you believe Him to be your example of how you ought to live. Two things are happening here. 1) Jesus spent time in prayer with our Heavenly Father and  2) this is the way He derived at His purpose. So basically, the ONLY way you will derive at your true purpose in life is to spend more time with God the Father as Jesus did. And when He reveals it to you, you are then to go forth just as Jesus did. Here's the deal. Jesus was alone when He understood. He was not with the crowds of people and His purpose was not derived at through the acquiring of external things. Your purpose can ONLY come from God. So if you do not understand why you are here and what you are to be doing with your life, then there is only ONE way for you to discover it and that means getting closer to God. It is through faith that one finds purpose.

What is scary right now is that in the last week or so there have been three people under the age of 30 who have taken their lives and yet they appeared to have everything and be the sweetest people. No, all of the facts are not known but one thing is known, when you understand why God placed you here and you are moving forth in it, you have a new level of motivation, a new drive and you will not let anyone or situation stand in the way of you accomplishing why God placed you here on this earth. Outside of giving God praise, which is the common purpose we all share, you have one that is unique to you. Those who don't understand their purpose may nag at you because you are not going in the same direction they are. But when God reveals the purpose for your life, then it will not matter what everyone else is doing.

There is nothing wrong with having things but if you have been searching to find your purpose through the acquiring of external things then you are missing it. Because that is NOT where your purpose can be found and the devil is a liar!! As said in His word, God will bless you with things so you can give Him praise and also bless others but do not mistake acquiring them as your purpose in life. Deriving at your purpose will ONLY COME when you GO BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD.

Move From Desire to Action

Proverbs 13:4

4The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

King Solomon notes the difference between a lazy man and one who is diligent. The man who is lazy will simply dream but not take action. But the man who dreams and moves to action succeeds.

Daydreaming about what you would like to be and have is not a bad thing. For it gives you a vision. However, lining up those visions for yourself, according to what God has for you, is important. Moreover, when you have successfully lined up the desires of your  heart with that of what the Lord wants for you, and the Lord gives the steps and opportunities to take, then you have the choice to move to action. Many say, "I want to be___ " or "I want to do ___" but one who is lazy will be more content to talk about it rather than do it. A desire is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as to long or hope for, a strong wish or longing, a formal request for action, something desired. There is more but not relevant to this text. So you can hope for something and make a formal request for action but you are the one who must act. Diligent is defined as steady, earnest and energetic effort: painstaking. So in other words it means to work.

If you are lazy about what God has gifted you with then all you will have is your dreams and when you die, they die with you. But if you put steady, energetic effort into them, God will bless you. So what's it going to be? Is today the day you move from desire to action?

Not Easily Defeated

Matthew 26:3-4

3Then the chief priests, the scribes, and elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest called Caiaphas, 4and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

Caiaphas and his friends were tired of losing to Jesus. They were tired of His popularity, of His truth that often showed them to be in the wrong. Jesus was just the Word of God made flesh. He is the living Word. He took the principles from the Old Testament to teach but did so using methods these men were not familiar with. Jesus had become their enemy not by His declaration but by their hardened hearts. Caiaphas and his friends were so upset they decided the only way they could win was through trickery.

When an enemy has to use trickery to defeat you then it because you are not easy to defeat. When an enemy has to use trickery to win or gain something at your cost or others, then whatever was obtained was not theirs and will be short-lived. The enemy of our souls uses trickery all the time. He comes to kill, steal and destroy as the Word says. But he does it using guess what? Trickery. He is the father of lies as the Word says. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines trickery as deception by tricks and strategems. This method describes Caiaphas and his friends, the enemy of our souls and as well as anyone who does something intentionally the wrong way.

In the movie G.I. Joe the sworn enemy had to be pretend to be someone he wasn't in order to obtain what he wanted. But it did not last as the Joes became hip to the plan. The wonderful thing about our friend, the Holy Spirit, He loves to reveal the plans of man and Satan because He knows all things and searches all things. When the Holy Spirit decides to share with you the trickery the enemy would like to use to defeat you, take heed. Jesus knew the plan, but Caiaphas had no idea that it was still part of God's plans for Jesus to sit on the throne FOREVER!

A Time for Every Purpose

Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

1To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

 

King Solomon was full of wisdom and this book along with Proverbs contains very valuable lessons on how to view life, walk in life and how to see others.

 

Many of us have seen antidotes on seasons and how it relates to people in your life but what about how they are related to purpose? If you break down how God has used the seasons then you know that he uses winter to take away the germs, animals go into hibernation and to some degree so do people. He gives the grass and flowers a time to rest. Spring is when the flowers and trees come alive again. Animals awaken from their slumber and people begin to venture out. Some people even begin working their gardens. We get a lot of rain in the spring to rejuvenate the soil. Summer comes and the sun beams brighter than any other time of the year and washes out the rain. And then comes the fall. The trees change colors before they loose their leaves, the nights become cooler and the sound of crickets echo louder than ever. A season as a noun is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as natural season, appropriate time from the Latin word sation- satio which means action of sowing, 1) refers to division of year 2) a period of time associated with a particular activity, event or holiday

 

How does all this relate to purpose? Everyone has a purpose but not every purpose comes to full bloom until its time. Purposes are birthed in different seasons for different people. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines purpose as an object or resolution aimed at: intention 2) resolution, determination. The second use: to propose as an aim to oneself.

So a particular time of year associated with a particular activity for a specific intent or aim. God does not see time the same way we do. Our finite minds cannot comprehend for the Word says in Isaiah 55 that His ways are not our ways. But know this, every season has a beginning and an end. Every purpose has birthing and when it is complete it ends. Everything in your life God will use for His purpose at His appointed time. You are here for an appointed time for a specific intention. No one knows but God what season you are in. So it would be wise just as King Solomon notes to understand and inquire from God your purpose and season.

Justifying

Luke 10:29

29But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

All week I have been hearing the word justify in my spirit and when I went for a morning run the word echoed even louder.

A lawyer who was in the crowd while Jesus was teaching asked what he ought to do in order to inherit eternal life. The lawyer knew the law but wanted to see what Jesus had to say about it. Jesus answered the lawyer with a question and asked the him to recite the law for himself. And once he did, Jesus let him know he answered correctly. But the lawyer wanted to justify his understanding of who is neighbor was considered to be. And then Jesus gave the parable of the good Samaritan.

Justifying behaviors or beliefs are very common. But sometimes the justification is an excuse used to free oneself from responsibility. Hence, Jesus gave the parable as He did. He did it to show that regardless of the person, treat them as you would want to be treated. But if you always justify your own bad habits and behaviors, you will justify the same in others. Instead of holding yourself to the standard God has for you, you will justify what you do as the world sees and accepts and then you will do the same in others. What does justify mean? According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary justify means 1)to prove to be just, right or reasonable 2) to pronounce free from guilt or blame 3) to adjust spaces in a line of printed text so the margins are even.

The second definition is the one Jesus shed his blood on the cross for. To free us. However, when you bind yourself with excuses for why you will not or choose not to grow, change, let go of negative behaviors, or even negative people, you make what Jesus did on cross seem so trivial. He gave you the power to break free from ALL things that are not in line with Him. As long as you hang on to those things you are not loving you, not the way God loves you and you certainly are not loving your neighbor the way God intended you to. Loving those around you starts with you. But you have to love yourself enough to understand when God is showing you that what you are doing isn't good for you. If it isn't a good behavior for you, chances are, it isn't good for those God has called you to love. When Jesus shows you, be willing to stop justifying so you can be truly free and stop pretending to be.


P.S. The official trailer for my new book, Shh Don't Tell is here! Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvKJgK2gU30