May God Get the Glory!

Praise God! Hallelujah! Oh my! Sunday was so amazing!  Morning Service & the Men's fellowship with the beautiful singing from all the choirs was just amazing! The Lord was definitely in the house. I have seen the work of God Sunday & it is awesome. The Holy Spirit was at Nehemiah Pavilion.

I was feeling remorseful for things that, to me, were ill advised (my opinion). I prayed to the Lord for forgiveness. I prayed to the Lord for assistance. I prayed that someone from church had not been ran off from the meeting that took place awhile back. This is another story that I do not wish to go into details at this moment. All I know is that the person came into Church Sunday after I briefly prayed for her. Then, the Lord did a marvelous work after my second prayer. She gave me a hug and told me that she loved me. Hallelujah! I was just so flabbergasted at this. I was stunned. To top it off, the Lord gave me reassurance. My Pastor thanked me for what I have done. I really don't see much that I have done, but I quickly got the message from the Lord that this is my church home & this is where I will stay.

My Lord is awesome! My Lord is mighty! I leave you with this verse.

"For with God nothing shall be impossible," Luke 1:37

I believe it, I receive it, & I've seen it. Keep pressing on Saints.

Until Next Time...Lord's Willing :) Keep on Praising Him Saints!

Putting on Christ Series 10/27/11

10/27/11

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," Matthew 5:5 (Psalm 37:11). "The 'meek' like Christ exemplify gentleness, & self-control (Matthew 11:29)" Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Meek = humble. The KJV Life Application Study Bible for Psalm 37:11, discusses the following: "Meekness hardly seems the proper weapon to deal with enemies. But God's warfare must be carried out with calm, faith, humility before God; and hope in His deliverance. Jesus, likewise, promises a sure reward for those with humble attitudes (Matthew 5:5)." Through all situations, we must possess humility. Jesus was NOT pompous. Rather, He was humble, serving others, & even washing His disciples' feet. This was the Son of God doing this. We don't ever want to be belittling or high & mighty, but be meek. Psalm 147:6  lets us know that the Lord lifts up the meek & casts the wicked down. Psalm 149:4 > He will beautify the meek with salvation. FYI: Pride goes before destruction & a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18, paraphrased). We definitely want to be meek.

Putting on Christ Series 10/20/11

10/20/11


"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted," Matthew 5:4. "To 'mourn' is to be grieved and broken over sin (Isaiah 61:1-3; 2 Corinthians 7:10)" Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. We can be grieved over sin in general, the sin of those that we love, & our own sins. Sin is a selfish act that contradicts the Word of God; it's rebellion. I've been going through, & it is horrible because instead of listening & obeying God, I've been doing my ow thing. I'm broken over this mess. It has been a horrible two weeks. Of course, it started a few months ago, but only got worse. To be comforted, we truly have to repent. We have to be genuinely remorseful of the things we have done, changing our behavior for the better. Psalm 51:17 lets us know that a broken & contrite heart is not despised by God. He wants a genuine remorseful attitude. Apologizing & doing it again, is the complete opposite. Being truly remorseful, & a true repent requires a true change in one's behavior to a better, God approved behavior.

Putting on Christ Series 10/19/11

10/19/11


"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," Matthew 5:3.  "The Beatitudes can be understood in at least four ways: (1) They are a code of ethics for the disciples & a standard of conduct for all believers (2) They contrast kingdom values (what is eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary) (3) They contrast superficial faith of the Pharisees with the real faith that Christ demands (4) They show how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the New Kingdom. These Beatitudes are not multiple choice-pick what you like & leave the rest. They must be taken as a whole. They describe what we should be like as Christ's followers...The Beatitudes don't promise laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity. Jesus turns the world'd idea of happiness upside down. Being "blessed" by God means the experience of hope & joy independent of outward circumstances. To find hope & joy the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter what the cost," KJV Life Application Study Bible. "'Poor in Spirit' refers to an awareness of spiritual bankruptcy apart from Christ," Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. We have to understand that without Christ, we are still sinners heading towards a fiery hell.  We must come to the conclusion that we need Christ. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16. John 3:16 lets us know that we have to believe in Jesus in order not to perish & to get eternal life.  John 3:17 goes on to explain that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn it, but that the world through Jesus might be saved.  Romans 10:9-10, 13 lets us know that confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouth, believing in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, & that calling upon His Name are important steps. Those who do the above will be saved. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," Acts 4:12. Salvation is linked up with Christ. It is what He gives us. Before we have a relationship with Him, we must recognize that we are incomplete-that we are spiritually bankrupt. Romans 3:23 lets us know that we have all sinned & fall short of the glory of God. Without God, we will perish. Our sins our destructive, leading up to hell, if we continue on the track. We are saved by Jesus' blood. Ephesians 4:18 lets us know that we are alienated  from the life of God because of the blindness we had. Life with God is better than life without: no more alienation & no trip to hell. We are truly blessed who come to repent, believe in Jesus. We have eternal life through Him. PRAISE GOD!!!

Putting On Christ Series- 10/18/11

10/18/11


"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men," Matthew 4:19. Follow means "to come next, to conform, to happen as a result; to trail or pursue" (The New International Webster's Standard Dictionary." The next verse (20), we see that there is no hesitation on the part of Simon (Peter) & Andrew, who leave their nets, & follow Him. We are to be like this if the Lord tells us to follow Him; we need to follow Him, drop kicking things & people to the curve. Christianity is not a religion. It's a way of life, dedicated to following after our Lord & Savior Jesus. Following Jesus requires obedience, but also a willingness to give up things as well. Matthew 19:20 > A young man wanted to know what he lacked for eternal life. (v.21) Jesus told him that "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." (v.22) The young man was sorrowful. He had many possessions & apparently he cared more about them than eternal life, because he walked away. Earthly possessions are nothing to cling onto. Rather, we are to cling on to Jesus, following Him-placing Him first. Putting on Christ requires following Christ :)

Thank the Lord for Another Year :)

I bless the Lord for another year! Thank You Lord for Your mercy and kindness! I'm so grateful. Every since my nephew died at the tender age of 16, one day shy of his 17th birthday, I've learned to be grateful for not just every year but every day that I get to see. I realize that my life is in the Lord's hands. I have to live everyday as if the Lord could come at any moment. I have to be a grateful, humble Christian doing the work that the Lord would have me to do. I have to not just talk the Christian talk, but also walk the Christian walk as well. 

With this said, I'm going to leave this with a verse that will soon be one of my favorites: 

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever," Psalm 136:1

Until Next Time...Lord's Willing.

Putting On Christ Series- 10/15/11

10/15/11


"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matthew 4:17. "The kingdom of Heaven began when God Himself entered human history as a man. Today Jesus Christ reigns in the hearts of believers, but the kingdom of Heaven will not be fully realized until all evil in the world is judged and removed. Christ came to earth first as a suffering servant; He will come again as king & judge to rule victoriously over all the earth." (KJV Life Application Study Bible). Repent is to be sorrow for an action, but also involves the changing of the mind.  It also includes turning one's life over to God completely. Putting on Christ involves repentance: we are to completely change our mind, turning from ourselves to God. Not only do we regret & are remorseful about what we have done, we also strive not to repeat the issue afterwards. In other words, you don't repeat the offense again, but listening to God, heeding His commands. John the Baptist tells us this as well in Matthew 3:2. We all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). However, we must not stay in this situation. If we have Christ, we are NOT conformed to this world; rather we are transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). Transformed means to change; renew means to make new again, restore, or make as new again. In other words, we don't live by the standards of the world. When we make a mistake, we repent & move on. Christians don't keep the old mind, but have been transformed by the renewing of their mind. If your mind is not renewed & you continue in the the same mess, you have not repented. Put on Christ = having true repentance, a true mind to do right.

Putting on Christ Series- 10/14/11

10/14/11 5:06 pm > Excellent study of the Word of God so far in Genesis chapter 1. The Lord has truly blessed me with great resources, which came from the Holy Spirit, Who worked with those who put the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary together. From this, I learned that Heaven is a curtain that separates us from God's dwelling place. How amazing is this?! The Lord also allows the sea how far it can go. Such an amazing study.
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"Then, saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve," Matthew 4:10. In this temptation, Satan tries to get Jesus to bow down & worship him, by offering Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them" (Matthew 4:8b). "Jesus' response to the devil (Deuteronomy 6:13) emphasized the close relationship between worship and service while Israel had a tendency to chose false gods (Deuteronomy 6:10-15), Jesus maintained total allegiance to God" (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary). "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him, and shalt swear by his name", Deuteronomy 6:13. The 1st Commandment tells us to "Have no other gods before me [God]" (Exodus 20:3). The 2nd Commandment makes it known that we should not make any graven image (Exodus 20:4). Jesus made it clear that we are to serve Him (God), worship only God. We are to also serve & fear God. People want to idolize everything. They want to serve themselves. Serving yourself is unchristian. Jesus was not self serving. His allegiance was also clear: He kept 100% allegiance to God. That's the way we should be. We need to be faithful & totally committed to God , worshiping Him & only Him. He was the One that parted the Red Sea for His people. He is the One that created each & everyone of us, & He is the One that has been long suffering, not wanting anyone to perish, but to come to repentance. God loved us first. God has always remained faithful to us, neither leaving or forsaking us. Allegiance to God is totally putting on Christ, Who marvelously went to the cross to serve His Father's will.

Let us review the 3 ways to put on Christ:

(1) Our spiritual needs are more of of an importance to us than our physical needs. It's not food that sustains us, but every word that proceeds out of Gods mouth. READ THE WORD!

(2) Do not test God. Seriously, Jesus was 100% completely devoted & faithful to God. He trusted God, & didn't cave into this rebellious, faithless temptation.

(3) Allegiance to God. We need to be 100% serving God & only God. As Luke 16:13a states, "No servant can serve two masters." Either you are with God or you're against Him.

Putting on Christ Series- 10/13/11

Continued Putting on Christ Series...

10/13/11
"Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," Matthew 4:7. As Christians, we should not test Him. We shouldn't demand things from God. Do this God or do that. Christians have to have a strong unwavering faith in the Lord to know that God is capable of handling things. Romans 4:20 shows that Abraham did not waver in his faith; he was strong in the faith. That's what we need to have. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen," Hebrews 11:1. Deuteronomy 6:16 pointed out  how they had tempted God in Massah. According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Massah means "to test, try". Their demanding of water tested God. Testing God shows no faith. Rather, it shows the lack of faith on the person's part. Unsaved people demand signs from God. Their heart is stained in wanting to test Him. May that test Him won't be saved because they see, but don't see; they hear, but don't hear. Why, because of their rebellion, just like Israel in Ezekiel 12:2.

Testing God is lack of faith mixed in with rebellion. I for one don't want this. I count the Lord's Word good as done. I also know that God is reliable & the supplier of all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). I have no need to test Him because I have faith & I know my Lord is here 24/7, 365 days a year, snow hail, rain, floods, tornadoes. My Lord has never left me nor forsaken me neither has He failed me (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5). "Jesus refused to test the faithfulness & protection of God. He trusted the Father & needed no tests (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary).

*Added now: Satan tempts, so we know we should not be tempting God or anyone for that matter. Have faith in the Lord. Trust in Him with all of your heart & soul, never doubting Who He is & what He is able to  do*

Indescribable!

Psalm 8

King James Version (KJV)

Psalm 8

 ¹O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

 ²Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

 ³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

 ⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

 ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

 ⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

 ⁷All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

 ⁸The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

 ⁹O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Indescribable! Awestruck! My Lord, My Savior is so AWESOME! HE is SO GREAT! There are not enough words in all of the languages to describe Him! He is so wonderful! I was studying Genesis. I'm back at Genesis in Chapter 1, having decided to read the Bible in a chronological order. His creation is so amazing. The way He put everything together. God hangs the earth on nothing! Oh my goodness! 

As I was reading Genesis chapter one, I found a reference to Psalm 8. David is giving glory to God. I detect an awestruck David. I mean God has made this beautiful sky with the sun to control the day and the moon and stars the night. God made man a little under the angels, giving us dominion over the animals & the land. How can one not be awestruck! Let's not mention how God is our rock, our salvation, our strength. Our enemies have nothing on Him! I'm so in love with God right now. I will always be in love with my Creator because He loves me, He takes care of me, He thinks of me when no one else does. No husband, no friend, no family member does that.

I leave you with one of my favorite songs by Chris Tomlin called, Indescribable.

When you look at the sky, think of your Almighty Creator & His marvelous works. Thank You Lord for everything.