Are We Taking God For Granted?

Romans 7:21

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

I love this chapter as I feel like Paul was keeping it real here.  How many times as children of God, we know to do good, but our flesh!  You know you are fasting and yet somehow you can smell those McDonalds fries a mile away.  You know not to covet, but that person man is looking mighty good to our eyes.  You know not to fornicate, but he is looking so good and saying all the right things and making you feel like you’re only his alone.  You know you shouldn’t looking at things that will just entice” your heat”, but you sneak off and do it anyway.  The flesh!!!  It can lead you to a road that can carry you straight to hell.  It can ruin relationships not just with people, but with God.  Worse of all, it can take away your anointing! 

Yet we find ourselves to all have sinned and come short.  It is a deep thought to process.  Could it be we are just taking advantage of our Savior’s love??  His love is unconditional.  His love is indescribable.  His love  never fails!  Yet does that mean we take advantage of it??

Romans 6:1

What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin, that grace my abound?

Is it really ok to think I can do “flesh” things as long as I just repent?  Is that true repentance? We love to say how God looks at the heart when it comes to our clothing.  Yet God is looking at that same heart when it comes to our actions, even with repentance.

My sister in Christ had me thinking today!  Am I taking God’s love for granted?  It’s  something for us all to think about! 

Inspired by Carla

Something To Think About!

These three African American men…

All three are educated

All three maintain good jobs

All three support  me

One is my husband, one is my dad, one is my brother

Do they look suspicious to you?  Marinate!

Let’s continue to keep our African American men covered in prayer.  There has been a demonic attack on them that only the blood of Jesus can prevail against!  Wives, daughters, sisters, and mothers; lets support our African American men.  They go through so much on a daily basis just by stepping out their door.

What Makes Us Stay...

There you are minding your own business when you look up and see a tall, caramel skin, nice brown eyes and a heck of a smile kind of guy.  You make eye contact.  He starts to approach you.  You feel chills as he takes each step towards you.  Then within a blink of an eye, you give him your number.

There’s conversations that leads to dates.  There’s dates that leads to laughs.  There are laughs that can lead to memories.  You even say to yourself could he be the one?  You start picturing the ring, the dress, and the day of the wedding.  Yet you can’t help but notice things have changed.  The texts are less.  The calls are few. The time spent is now short.  You find yourself giving your gift of time only for it not to be returned back to you.  He says he loves you, but.  It’s the “but” that now has you feeling insecure, being depressed, and even at times feeling lonely.  That good God looking man has now shattered your heart and left you empty.  So you leave right? No, we still hold on.

How many of us women do this?  We are experiencing a bad relationship, but we hold on.  Hold on to the thought of I can help change him.  Hold on to the thought of but he’s so fine.  Hold on to the thought of it’s better than being alone.  Notice how everything we do starts with a thought!

This is a root called rejection and under it is a spirit of insecurity, sex for love, denial, loneliness, and low self-worth (Cindy Trimm, Rules of Engagement, p236-240).

Our Avi, Father has made women beautiful, intelligent, and unique.  Our Avi, Father did not make us to feel belittled, used, or even to settle.  If a man can’t appreciate your worth, he is simply not worth your time!  I know this issue too well, as I spent two years purposely alone to seek God for deliverance, as low self-esteem led me to think I didn’t have a life unless I had a man.  I spent that time repenting, intense honest prayers, fasting, and reading God’s word.  I went to the movies by myself.  I went to eat out by myself. I went to beaches and parks by myself.  I spent time with me and God!  Was it depressing at first to do, you betcha.  Was it worth it at the end, you betcha.  Thank God for Yahweh Mephalti, the Lord my deliver!  I know my worth!

Even Song of Solomon 4:7 states:  You are all fair (beautiful), my love; there is no spot in you.

So I leave you with this…he is fine, but is he really worth your time!

Be Encouraged.

What Are You Seeking?

In the voice of Sophia from the show Golden Girls, picture it.  You are watching the time, as you hurry up to get dress to get in the car.  You make sure you are on time to that church service, as you don’t want a miss a second of what God may do.  The minister starts off the service with such a powerful prayer, that God’s presence enters the room.  There’s no pumping up praise, as the praise is already there.  You leave church renewed, refreshed, and full of armor.

So what happened to our services particularly here in America?  The rush we once had now has turned into dragging our way to church.  The praise that uses to be already there is now spent pumping the saints up.  That powerful start off prayer over services has turned into a five minute bless the service Lord Prayer.

My opinion, I think we started walking more after the flesh and less after the spirit.  If the Pastor got up and said Monday night we are having prayer for those desiring a financial blessing, I bet you there will be a great turn out.  That same Pastor can say we having Monday night prayer for spiritual breakthroughs, ten people may show up.  We as a body has got caught up to seeking things instead of seeking God!  We have catered to our flesh and as a result, we have flesh services. Even with a lot of our gospel music today, it caters to our flesh. Very few songs encourages praise and worship.

Don’t misunderstand me, God desires for us to be blessed with things.    The scripture says He has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants in Psalm 112. There should be a balance with our lives.  However let me be honest here, if a person gets sick, that car is not going to heal them.  If a person is depressed, that house is not going to free them. If there’s chaos at work, that three carat ring isn't going to change the atmosphere. If you need to forgive, those clothes are not going to help mend your heart to do it!

We know the scripture, seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

The question is what are we seeking first?

Saints, we need to be reminded that we are in this world, but we are not of this world.  Someone needs to be delivered.  Someone needs to be saved.  Someone needs to be made free.  Our services need to go back to the old landmark.  We need to go back to seeking His anointing.  It’s the anointing that destroys the yoke!  So again I ask what are you seeking FIRST?

Choices

We wake up; we choose to brush our teeth. We choose to pick an outfit to wear.  We even choose what coffee we will drink.  Choices, it’s something we do on a daily basis.

Just like we pick our outfits to wear, we also make choices with our emotions.  We can choose to worry.  We can choose to doubt.  We even can choose to sin.

I battle with the stronghold of worry.  I feel like I’ve been choosing to worry since I could remember.  Are my parents going to be ok?  I wish my siblings didn’t go that way.  Is my husband really happy with me?  With the economy, should I really get another car? 

Worry, the opposite of faith!

Let’s marinate on where worry leads.  It can lead to stress.  It can affect your health.  It can feel like a weight or heavy burden.  Hmmm...saints, does this sounds like our God?

The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Hmmm...doesn’t worry feel like it kills your spirit, it steals your joy, and it can eventually destroy some health?

We can choose to worry and remain with flesh results, or we can choose faith and remain with spirit filled results.  I was saddened to see what my mother was going through in the hospital.  Talk about feeling so helpless.  I came home one night and just worried, worried, worried.  Then the Holy Spirit let me know I can choose to sit here and worry or trust God with faith.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

So I proceeded to quote scriptures over the situation and go into warfare prayer.  Guess what, that spirit left.  Worry is demonic saints.  It is a spirit we don’t have to accept if we don’t want to.  I just wanted to encourage those that may have this ongoing battle as I do.  Remember saints, it’s a matter of choice!

Something to think about…

Celebrate

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

During this time of the year, most reflect upon the year and make new year resolutions that they know eventually they will break.  I figured instead, let us reflect upon all the things God did throughout the year.

For example, this time last year, my mom was experiencing going back and forth between hospital and rehab.  She spent the first six month of the year like this.  All kinds of valleys happened, including an amputation.  BUT GOD…we the enemy came in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord lifted a standard against it.  My mom is yet here, independent, yes she is still not having it, and praising God through it all.

2012 was let’s say an interesting year, however, the saints of God can yet praise HIM for His goodness, for His mercy, and for His grace.  There is a season for everything…now is the season for celebration.  Let’s celebrate our relationship with God and make a joyful noise before HIM!

 

Praise HIM saints!

The All Men Are Dogs Syndrome

How many times have us women said this?  I know at one time I was the president of this statement.  Yet are men REALLY dogs?

Hmmmm…let’s look at this a little further.

Some men have opened their heart to a woman and as a result, that woman took advantage of it. Having a feeling of vulnerability from that, that same men wants to protect his heart.  So his actions makes him looks like a slut, when really he is trying to stay numb for that experience.

Another scenario is some men may just fear the word commitment.  They may even tell you this from the beginning, but we as women think we’re going to change them. Yet what made him like that?  Could it of been his parents’ divorce or being raised by a single mother?  If a man doesn’t want to commit and you do, um, move on.  Save yourself the emotion and time!

 How about that guy that is sweet and single.  He just hasn’t found that person he feels is the one for him.  Yet some women may take it as if he’s so good, why is he still single?  Then they find themselves looking for him to be that “dog”. 

Truth…

When women are saying “all men are dogs”, what they are really saying is I’ve been hurt and I want to be numb from it.  This is away to protect our hearts.  Yet ladies, it goes even further.  Believe it or not, men can hurt too.  They can be doing the same thing we are doing, protecting.  However, they express it different then we do. 

So instead of putting past relationship experiences on the next on, let us as men and women take time out to heal, learn, and then move on.  Ladies, let us pray for our brothers to be the best that God met for them to be!  Let us heal from this syndrome and have better relationships as a result.

Stay encouraged!

PS:  special shout out to @toddalexander for inspiring this post.