Can We Endure Correction....

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.   Romans 7:18-20

Let’s pause for a minute on those scriptures.  Selah.  How many of us can relate to what Paul is saying here?  The battle of the spirit vs. the flesh is real!  It is a constant battle even for us in the body of Christ.

 For example, you have a disagreement with a co-worker, how many of us can say you rather cuss that person out than to still show the love of God to them?  You know you are married, but he/she looks so good that your flesh just desires to have that other person.   How about you are home alone and you know you shouldn’t be looking at porn by yourself, but you’ll sexually arouse and hey, no one will see you looking at it.

Here’s another thought: 

Proverbs 15:3

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.  

Yes, God sees us.  He sees us when we are in the right and He sees us when we are in the wrong!  He sees what we are doing behind those close doors!

 Revelations 3:19

I correct and discipline everyone I love.  So be diligent and turn from your indifference. 

Meditate on that for a moment….

When God is correcting our ways, why do we get mad at Him?  Why can we come up with excuses when He shows us the truth about ourselves?  For instance, I confess I have asked God why certain things have to be considered a sin.  Don’t you know this is 2011?  Yes, I have said it. 

The truth is we all want to cater to our flesh.  Catering to our spirit man crucifies the flesh, and let’s face it, it hurts when we are being dead to sin!  Yet knowing that God is only correcting because He loves, it should makes us want to do right by Him.

John 14:15

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

I come to find that we can’t just confess our love for God, but we must also show our love towards Him.  As we all have quoted “actions speak louder than words” towards each other, how much more so towards our walk in Christ!

Psalms 29:11

The Lord will give strength unto His people.  The Lord will bless His people with peace. 

Some can be prayed out, some can be word out, and some need prayer, fasting, and God’s word.  What a blessing it is to know that we can call on Him for help with our weaknesses and in return, He will give us strength.  Saints, the world need us to be powerful!  Let’s get our love walks right by confession, repentance, and then seeking His face for change.  Let’s not stay in our flesh with our weaknesses.  It will only lead to spiritual death.  I am learning there is a freedom in obedience, but the road to get there is mighty hard to follow.   Let’s appreciate His correction which is His love!  Stay encouraged.

Are We Keeping It Real....

I woke up a little late so I found myself flying to early morning church service.  It's just something about meeting God at the 6 o'clock in the morning hour. His presence is the best part of waking up :)

Yet, can we handle it when God tells us the truth about ourselves?  Pride, doubt, selfishness, rebellion...these are words describing sinners, right?  Of course these are not words you think of when you see a saint. 

We come to church and put our Sunday best on with one another. "Oh, I'm blessed and highly favored."  "Oh I'm victorious in Christ."  We are all dressing and saying the part, but are we REALLY living the part?  Let's dwell on that for a minute. 

We wonder why the world is so discourage when it comes to the church.  We wonder why the power of God isn't meeting us at our services.  We even wonder why we're not completely satisfied with our salvation.  At the end of the day, have the saints learned how to act out this thing?  Should we all be receiving academy awards for our performances?  Are we really "keeping it real" with our God?

These are questions that pounded my heart, as I was listening to the minister speak.  I haven't been "real" in everything to God.  I say Jehovah Jireh but then go into panic just over a thought of another car note, for an example.

Proverbs 22:4

Humility is the fear of the LORD,its wages are riches and honor and life.

Let's face it saints, we have to be humbled in our walk with God.  Put that "godly" pride aside, get the tissues, and be real.  It's in our weakness that He makes us strong!  It's in that honesty is where we will experience intimacy with Him.  And as the scripture says, that's when we will have true riches and honor and life.  Amen

A Thought...

There are times when I can look at my husband and know exactly what he's gonna say before he can even say it.  Sometimes we can be talking to one another in a setting without saying one word.  I sense when he can use me to give him that back rub or space from a long day. Sending me flowers cause its a Tuesday, intimacy.

As I reflect how intimate I am with my husband, I begin to wonder how intimate are we with our God? Do we truly give all to Him?  Is He the first person we think of when a problem arises.  Do we fast in a crisis or fast cause its a Tuesday?  How often to we set aside time to be alone with Him? Do we play a favorite gospel song just to think about Him?

Are we treating God like a genie in a bottle, or are we intimate with Him?  Hmmm

John 14:21

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

Do you want God to show himself to you?  Then its time for some intimacy!

Have Women Lowered Their Standards?

Let's go back to my parent's generation of music.  "You're the greatest, my greatest inspiration." Good old Teddy. Yet now, the lyrics in what is suppose to be a love song is quite different today.  What has happened from our parent's time until now?  Upon a conversation with my Uncle, I pondered upon this question within my heart.

There was a time when men showed respect towards women.  They spoke nothing but sweetness in our ears.  They reminded us how beautiful we were, and made us feel like we were number one in their world.  Yet today, I find some men are saying things like they just want sex, not a relationship. What is more disturbing is how some women are agreeing to this, only to get their emotions hurt at the end.  Hmm, Let's see if we can dig deeper into this.

Proverbs 18:22

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.

Even the Lord said we are a good thing.  Then why are we as women not acting accordingly?  Maybe it was abuse, maybe it was low self-esteem, maybe you were taught sexuality is the way to a man.  It's time to get a release from emotional pains of the past that maybe hindering our present and future!

John 4:13-26...

I am reminded of the Samaritan woman and how clever Jesus ministered to her.  She had affairs with five husbands.  Yet our God let her know they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.  He showed compassion on an adulterous woman and sent his truth, as He is truth.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

The same God that showed compassion towards the Samaritan woman is the same God that can heal your emotional wounds.  So I ask you, call on Jehovah Rophi, the Lord our healer.  He doesn't just heal physically, but emotionally.  He is here to help you release the emotional baggage you have been carrying around for years.  Sex can't do it, a man can't do it, only Jesus Christ can meet your needs.  He can restore your soul. He can help you realize your worth!

Psalms 32:5

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"--and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

You don't have to lower your standards just to feel complete with a man.  You don't have to dress lustful to get a man.  You don't have to be having sex just to feel loved.  Jesus Christ is waiting for you to give your heart to him.  So I encourage you as women to know your worth!  Let's go back to demanding respect from men by respecting ourselves!  Amen.

* For those you may not know Jesus Christ and will like to give your life to Him, click on the link below. It's a sinner prayer.  I can guarantee you He will change your life for the better!

http://www.intothelight.org/answers/sinners-prayer.asp

The Spirit of Rebellion

"No, you can't wear that to school."  Remember those words when you were a teenager?  Oh, how we would roll our eyes and tell our friends how our moms just didn't understand us.  So behind their backs, we would put that makeup or that short skirt in our book bag, calling ourselves being cute. Yet the word is not void, what's done in the dark comes to light.  So we would all eventually get caught by our mothers, and reap the punishment that was to follow due to our rebellion.

The body of Christ is acting just like the rebellious phase of our youth. "It don't take all of that."  "I'm not doing that cause I'm free."  These are statements we hear many times within the body when it comes to doing something physical to crucify our flesh.  It appears today we rather cater more to our flesh than our spirit man.

James 1:25

But whoso look into the perfect law of liberty, and continue therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Are we really being doers of the word or just hearers only?  How many times do us women rebel against dressing modestly? We rather adorn our flesh to look like a harlot, and then wonder why we have a problem with men lusting after us.  We haven't spent anytime in prayer doing the week, and then wonder why His power is not falling within our services.  We barely spend personal time in His word, and then wonder why we yo-yo in our love walk.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Saints, we are in those times.  A spirit of rebellion has been lose in the atmosphere, even amongst the saints.   There is liberty in Christ, but as a doer of the word; not as a hearer only.  The same word that says you can look to the hills which comes our help, our help comes from the Lord; is the same word that says watch as well as pray.

Let's reap the blessings of obedience, even when it hurts our flesh.  If not, God grants free will and we will reap the consequences of rebellion.  Does the children of God that was delivered from Egypt ring a bell? Think.

Appreciation Day

Remember the day you got married.  The butterflies you felt in your stomach all morning.  Being overwhelm with joy as you watched your bride comes towards you.  Your heart melting as you look upon your gorgeous groom, thanking God you finally found "the one."  It's your anniversary, a day set aside to reflect on your journey of love.

Today, I reflect on my journey of love with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Oh, how I remember that life changing event as if it was yesterday.  The year was 1983, right in my parent's kitchen is where I got saved.  I came before Him full of worry, and arose full of His glorious peace.  I remember feeling the butterflies in my stomach, the heavy burden lifted, and such joy unspeakable introduced to my heart.

Throughout this journey, He has been my Jehovah Shalom.  He has been my Jehovah Jireh.  He has been my Jehovah Nissi.  He has been my Jehovah Rapha.  He has been my Jehovah Gibbor, and the best psychologist you could ever go to!!  He has shown His unconditional love, a love I yet can comprehend.  He has been faithful, even though I have not.  His word is truth, power, and life. Jesus literally changed my life!

I love my family, some friends, and have an awesome husband; but there is no greater love than God's love. He is the only one that can fill the empty void.  He is the only one that can make a person full.  So today, I smell the roses with my God.  It's a day of reflection, a day of appreciation.

Do you remember the day you started your love journey with Him?

The Bible: Just Another Book

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

I can understand a sinner thinking the Bible is just a book, as they are spiritual dead.  Yet a saint??  Why would a child of the most High ever think the Bible is just a book?  Come, let's explore:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

Did you catch that, the Word is God, life is in him!  Therefore the Bible is life to a saint.  It is our sword over the enemy.  Still not sure...let's explore some more:

I'm feeling weak, had a long day at work and I just need some restoration. Should I go take a pill to uplift me as a sinner, or is there something in God's word that I can relate to...oh:

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Psalms 28:7-  El Gibbor

Wasn't expecting the problem I encountered today.  I'm feeling vexed.  Should I go to the liquor store and buy a false sense of peace, or is there something in God's word that I can relate to...oh:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 - Jehovah Shalom

Good grief I have all these bills to pay.  We all have those "If I was only Oprah" moments.  Is it possible I can even call on God with money issues?  Sure can:

Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Psalms 118:25- Jehovah Jireh

So my dear brothers and sisters, since God is the word and there's life in Him, our Bible is not just a book.  It is life:   life to our spirit man, life to our everyday issues, and our sword against the enemy.  I don't know about you but when I pray God's word, I feel and see the results!  Don't allow satan to have you believe this lie straight from the pit.  I dare you to get into this word and watch how it will change your life for the better!