God Knows: You Can't Hide Anything From Him

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." 

2 Timothy 2:19

King James Version (KJV)

I love the fact that the Bible is straight up with people. People can't pull wool over God's eyes & think He does not know. People cannot fake their way into Heaven. If you call yourself a Christian, if you claim to know Jesus, you should not continuously be sinning. Let's not mention the fact that your fruit should be good fruit. Matthew 7:20 lets us know that we can tell by the fruit people are producing if they are really for Christ or are just winging it. 

Believe it or not Saints, there are many people in church, claiming to be saved, sanctified, baptized in the Holy Spirit, Christians, but are little more than wolves in sheep clothing. I know many of us don't want to believe that people are in church for anything but the Word of God. But the fact of the matter is that church as become the social event on Sundays to, how do I delicately put this, snag a husband or to show up someone. Church has become a place to socialize or one up someone. What do I mean by one up? Many people go just to show others that they are going to church. They like the status that goes with it, and are primarily focused on that instead of focused on the worshiping of the Lord & Savior Jesus Christ or receiving a Word from God. But God knows. 

People will be standing up on the day of Judgment, expecting to be with the sheep, but are departed in the group of the goats, receiving the dreadful words from Christ "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (part of Matthew 7:23). Looking good in the face of man is not worth looking ugly to God. 

I encourage all that claim to be Christians, examine your hearts & minds. Make sure you are truly following Christ. Do not make a show of it. What does it profit you if you lose your own soul?

Until Next Time...Lord's Willing.

Bounceback

I get knocked down, but I get up again, he's (Satan) never gonna keep me down. I love the Lord. God is so Great! That setback was not that long. Praise Jesus! The Lord led me back. God doesn't give up on us. Unfortunately, often times it is us that give up on ourselves & in essence Him, but PRAISE God, He doesn't give up on us! Wow! My Lord is an awesome God!

The Lord brought me back to reality. Why was I not receiving the answers I sought? Probably because I was my own hindrance.You know God is not a man that shall lie (Numbers 23:19a). If His Word says it, than it is true. He said in Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." I was my own hindrance.

Hindrance # 1: Believe: When you ask God for something, you have to believe and receive it. People, including myself, have been guilty of asking, but not having anything to back it up. There was no belief in there. You have to have belief that God can do all things. Luke 1:37, "For with God nothing shall be impossible". Key words, with God, nothing, impossible. Nothing is impossible with God. We have to believe in order to receive. I want another job, I want my own place, I want a husband, I have to ask BELIEVING that God is more than able to supply these things. I have to believe that God will provide.

Hindrance # 2: Meaning what I say: We have to really want a change in our lives. For example, I have said time after time (just ask my friends) that  I want to lose weight. No! Not true! Had I really want to lose weight, by the power of God I would have lost it by now. Instead, I'm gaining. God knows my heart. He knew that I really did not want to change my physical attributes. Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Had I wanted to lose weight, I would have been able to through Christ. Clearly, there was no desire to lose weight.

In essence, all of my problems were brought on by myself. I sabotaged my own self. The Lord is an awesome God. As Christians we must know that we have to have 1)Belief (Faith) 2)A Sincerity of Change 3)Receptive of the change. If we lack these things, we are guaranteeing ourselves failures & disappointments, not because of Him but because of us.

I leave you with this:

 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" Proverbs 3:5 (KJV)

Until Next Time...Lord's Willing.

Set Back

With a sad heart, I must confess that today has seen a BIG set back in my life as a Christian. I don't want to get into specifics, but I will say that I feel so defeated. I know God loves me, but I don't feel it. I ask, knock, and seek. Yet, I'm not receiving, the door is not being opened, neither am I finding anything. I feel so low. My mother called me a hypocrite. You know what, she is right. Things have just gone from bad to worse. How will I make it through?

I can honestly say right now, that I'm feeling so down. I'm contemplating stepping down from my church duties and taking a break from my church family. I need some alone time with just God & me. I have to fight this thing off.

I ask all that read this to pray for me. I really don't know what to do at this point. Why am I writing this? I want to be able to look back and say "Remember when you thought you were down-you definitely weren't out." I pray that I'm not out although it sure feels like that.

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Update: 6:30 pm- Fasting & consecration-Draw closer to God is needed.

Do You Have a Man in Your Life?

I was asked this question the other night by a former co-worker. He was asking about a boyfriend or a husband of course. The answer to that would have been no. However, I do have a Man in my life that is better than any boyfriend or husband. His Name is Jesus. So, I told him that I did have a Man in my life. This Man is far better than any other.

I started thinking about this question a few minutes ago. The fact of the matter is that I'm grateful that I have Jesus. I don't need a boyfriend or a husband (although a husband is preferred). All I need is Jesus. He is the Great Love of my life. He is the One that will never leave me or forsake me. He does not pick on me for being overweight or nit pick on my height or hair color. He does not complain about the horrible decisions that I make but gently pulls me back with Him. He cares about me and wants the best out of me. It's amazing how we as society get so silly about getting married. Many women hear or say to themselves this My biological clock is ticking or I'm going on 30; it's time to get married. When the fact of the matter is that they need to be focused on the other area of their life-the other Man that matters. His Name is Jesus.

I can guarantee any woman that Jesus is the best Man that anyone can attach themselves to. He is the ultimate Picker Upper in time of sorrow or depression or anger. He is the ultimate Lover of us. He cares if we fail or succeed. He gladly listens to us and how our day has went. Never does He roll His eyes thinking Not this again. Instead, He desires to hear from us. He desires to know how our day has went. I'm so grateful for Him.

So yes Mr. Ex Co-worker, I do have a Man in my life. His Name is Jesus. He is the Great Love of my life. Is He yours?

Until Next Time...Lord's Willing.

By the way, Merry Christmas/Feliz Navidad!

Putting on Christ Series 12/17/11

12/17/11
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Matthew 6:24

King James Version (KJV)

Mammon is the "Greek form of a Syriac or Aramaic word for 'money', 'riches', 'property', 'worldly goods', or 'profit'...He meant that no one can be a slave of God and worldly wealth at the same time. The undivided concentration of mind to money-getting is incompatible with wholehearted devotion to God and His service," Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Who are we loyalty to? We can't be loyal to God while being loyal to materials. We have to be focused, solely dependent upon our God. I have my eye on a husband. Well, I'm not serving God by this. I should know that worrying & seeking after things besides God is not making me a slave to Him, but to this world. Psalm 23:1 says it the best, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Fully focusing on God, putting on Christ, walking in the Spirit requires all of me-not just partial.  

Putting on Christ Series 12/16/11

12/16/11
  ²²The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

 ²³But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23

King James Version (KJV)

My KJV Life Application Study Bible sums it up best: "Spiritual vision is our capacity to see clearly what God wants us to do and to see the world from His point of view. But this spiritual insight can be easily clouded. Self-serving desires, interests and goals block that vision. Serving God is the best way to restore it. A 'single' eye is one that is fixed on God." We have to constantly live on doing the will of God. Jesus told us this: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," Matthew 6:33. This is about worrying in the below passages of 25-44. We can allow things to block our spiritual vision when we focus on things that God does not want us to focus on. We need to be fixed on God, even when things get tough because the last thing we want is to be overcome by darkness. Putting on Christ & walking in the Spirit requires us to keep our focus on God & pleasing Him.

Putting on Christ Series 12/15/11 too

12/15/11
  ¹⁹Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

 ²⁰But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

 ²¹For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

King James Version (KJV)

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines treasure/treasury as "what one values, whether silver and gold or something intangible, and the storage place of what is valuable." What do we value? What are we storing up as values? Are we placing value/worth on some perishable item such as jewelry, houses, cars, or are we placing value on the Word of God, spending time with God, communing with God? All of these materialistic things will not profit us. Hence, there is no value in them. We prosper by spending time with God, talking with God, walking with God. We can't take these items (cars/homes) with us when we die. So why emphasize a value on these items. Proverbs 23:4 tells us to "Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom." The energy & time we consume by wanting needless items & trying to acquire them is precious time we lose with God. We don't need to rely on what we believe to be right & wrong, but rely on the wisdom of God, allowing Him to direct our every paths. James 5:2:3 provides a great description of these needless items: "²Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

 ³Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days." Matthew 19:16-23 shows a man wanting to know who to acquire eternal life, but unwilling to sell his possessions & follow Jesus. Jesus states in verse 23, "...Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." I'd rather have Jesus than 10 cars, a mansion, or any other mess in this world. According to 1 Peter 2:11(a), we are pilgrims & strangers. This is not our permanent resting place neither should we treat it as it. Putting on Christ & walking in the Spirit requires us to do the following: "Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:19). Lay up heavenly treasures-not earthly ones. Where our treasure is, is where our heart will be as well.