"But ye are ..." 1 Peter 2:9a
I wear many "hats" and "roles" in life. I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a friend, a business woman, etc. Spiritually I have many roles as well. I am a Christian, a minister, light, salt, an ambassador for Christ, a prayer warrior, a worshipper, a teacher, a witness, an encourager, etc.
My roles in the natural are not "compartmentalized" I am all those things. It is who I am as well as what I do. There is no separation, although there are times when one is more predominant than another. This is true of my spirit life also. Each one rises to the occasion when it is most needed.
For some reason we think we are only one role instead of all. We are not. We are whatever is needed at the time-- naturally and spiritually. This is seen more in our spiritual lives. When a need arises in a particular area, we think we can't do it-- it is not our gift or calling. Many Christians don't share their faith because they say-- I am not a preacher, or a minister. Many won't pray for someone who has a need for the same reason. They will call someone who they know is a "prayer warrior" and get them to pray.
Let me encourage you this morning in this--- if you find yourself in the situation, then God put you there. And whether you need to be a prayer warrior, a witness, an encourager, a teacher, or anything else, He has not only equipped you to do what is needed, but He has made you into what is needed. You are that which is needed for the moment. You are that to meet the need. So stop putting it off on someone else because you "can't" do it. It isn't a matter of "doing". It is a matter of "being". And He has made you into what you need to be to meet the need. It is Him in you that does it anyway.
Have a great day. It is who you are, therefore, you can do it.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Friday, August 4, 2017
"Unworthy Praise"
"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23
Don't withhold your praise from the Lord! Too often we will withhold it when we have messed up, made a mistake or sinned. We allow our shortcomings, our faults, our failures to cause us to withhold our praise. We allow guilt and condemnation from the enemy and self to cause us to hold back our praise. We allow our emotions and our feelings to cause us to withhold praise.
Praise is not about us. It is about the Lord. We should never withhold it. When we are feeling all the things that I have listed above, that is not the time to withhold praise from Him. It is a time to praise Him even more.
We should praise Him even in our mistakes, faults, sins and failures. If for no other reason than because He is worthy of the praise. You may say, "but the praise isn't coming from my heart, just my mouth". That's all right. That is why the Bible also calls it a "sacrifice of praise"-- so don't withhold it. If you make a step of faith to praise Him, your heart will soon catch up.
Don't withhold your praise because God is worthy of it. You may not feel you are worthy to give it, but give it anyway. One day multitudes who are "unworthy" - actually they are on their way to hell and the devil is with them, but before they are cast out into the lake of fire, they will give the Lord one last praise and confess that He is Lord.
Lastly, don't withhold your praise because it is a powerful weapon. And though it is directed to the Lord, as you are praising Him and giving Him the glory-- in spite of your mistakes and unworthiness-- a change will begin to take place in you. The guilt, condemnation, the chains of sin, will begin to fall off and repentance will come, your heart will be refreshed and your mind will be set at peace.
Have a great day. Don't withhold your praise from the Lord because you feel unworthy of being able to give it.
Don't withhold your praise from the Lord! Too often we will withhold it when we have messed up, made a mistake or sinned. We allow our shortcomings, our faults, our failures to cause us to withhold our praise. We allow guilt and condemnation from the enemy and self to cause us to hold back our praise. We allow our emotions and our feelings to cause us to withhold praise.
Praise is not about us. It is about the Lord. We should never withhold it. When we are feeling all the things that I have listed above, that is not the time to withhold praise from Him. It is a time to praise Him even more.
We should praise Him even in our mistakes, faults, sins and failures. If for no other reason than because He is worthy of the praise. You may say, "but the praise isn't coming from my heart, just my mouth". That's all right. That is why the Bible also calls it a "sacrifice of praise"-- so don't withhold it. If you make a step of faith to praise Him, your heart will soon catch up.
Don't withhold your praise because God is worthy of it. You may not feel you are worthy to give it, but give it anyway. One day multitudes who are "unworthy" - actually they are on their way to hell and the devil is with them, but before they are cast out into the lake of fire, they will give the Lord one last praise and confess that He is Lord.
Lastly, don't withhold your praise because it is a powerful weapon. And though it is directed to the Lord, as you are praising Him and giving Him the glory-- in spite of your mistakes and unworthiness-- a change will begin to take place in you. The guilt, condemnation, the chains of sin, will begin to fall off and repentance will come, your heart will be refreshed and your mind will be set at peace.
Have a great day. Don't withhold your praise from the Lord because you feel unworthy of being able to give it.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
"Mercy"
"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22,23
For the last several days the song, "Mercy Came Running", has been on my mind and heart. Mercy is an attribute of God. It is like grace, it isn't earned or deserved. Most people never give a thought to mercy. They never think about it being because of God's mercy that they woke up this morning, have a job to go to, had food to eat, clothes to wear, have a sound mind, or any other good thing that is in their lives. You have heard the expression, "Living on borrowed time"? Well, we are living on Mercy.
Mercy is defined as- mercy, charity, clemency, grace, leniency, a disposition to show kindness or compassion; mercy implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it.
It was because of mercy that Adam wasn't killed in the garden when he disobeyed God. It is because of the mercy of God that we aren't consumed when we commit a sin. Many have this idea, when they are living in sin, that God is "all right" with it, or that He approves of it. They reason in their own minds that if He wasn't "condoning" it they would have already faced His wrath or punishment. Not true! Mercy comes to all just like the rain does-- it rains on the just and the unjust, the good and the evil. (Matthew 5:45)
Never think that He is condoning your sin, especially because He has not judged or punished you, or because it appears that you are being blessed. He loves you, but He hates the sin you are living in. The only reason you haven't already been consumed is because the Lord God is a merciful God who does not want any to perish. His mercy is at work in your life withholding punishment so that you will have time to repent. It is not because it is His "stamp of approval".
But, there will come a time when His mercy will end. It ends once you leave this earth in death. Then you will face the punishment. Or it will end before that day when He determines you have had plenty of chances to repent and He is not going to overlook it any longer. Mercy is part of who God is. Therefore, He can decide to give it or withhold it. The choice of whether He will extend mercy or not is solely up to Him. If you are living under His mercy, while living in your sin, you don't need to take it for granted. You should not think that He approves. You need to repent and turn to Him and turn from your sin before mercy runs out.
Have a great day. God does not condone your sin. He is only showing you mercy.
For the last several days the song, "Mercy Came Running", has been on my mind and heart. Mercy is an attribute of God. It is like grace, it isn't earned or deserved. Most people never give a thought to mercy. They never think about it being because of God's mercy that they woke up this morning, have a job to go to, had food to eat, clothes to wear, have a sound mind, or any other good thing that is in their lives. You have heard the expression, "Living on borrowed time"? Well, we are living on Mercy.
Mercy is defined as- mercy, charity, clemency, grace, leniency, a disposition to show kindness or compassion; mercy implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it.
It was because of mercy that Adam wasn't killed in the garden when he disobeyed God. It is because of the mercy of God that we aren't consumed when we commit a sin. Many have this idea, when they are living in sin, that God is "all right" with it, or that He approves of it. They reason in their own minds that if He wasn't "condoning" it they would have already faced His wrath or punishment. Not true! Mercy comes to all just like the rain does-- it rains on the just and the unjust, the good and the evil. (Matthew 5:45)
Never think that He is condoning your sin, especially because He has not judged or punished you, or because it appears that you are being blessed. He loves you, but He hates the sin you are living in. The only reason you haven't already been consumed is because the Lord God is a merciful God who does not want any to perish. His mercy is at work in your life withholding punishment so that you will have time to repent. It is not because it is His "stamp of approval".
But, there will come a time when His mercy will end. It ends once you leave this earth in death. Then you will face the punishment. Or it will end before that day when He determines you have had plenty of chances to repent and He is not going to overlook it any longer. Mercy is part of who God is. Therefore, He can decide to give it or withhold it. The choice of whether He will extend mercy or not is solely up to Him. If you are living under His mercy, while living in your sin, you don't need to take it for granted. You should not think that He approves. You need to repent and turn to Him and turn from your sin before mercy runs out.
Have a great day. God does not condone your sin. He is only showing you mercy.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
"Trust And Obey"
"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land". Joshua 1:19
When it comes to receiving the answers to our prayers and petitions, there are times when we just have to trust and there are times when we have to trust and obey.
When Jarius came to Jesus about his sick daughter, Jesus told him to believe-- just trust. But there are other times when our trust has to have some obedience behind it. Here are some examples of what I am talking about. We are told to give and it shall be given unto us. We are told to bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse and He would pour out a blessing on us. We are also told to "cast our bread upon the water and it shall come back to us in abundance". The Bible tells us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. There are times the obedience may simply be to ask-- you have not because you ask not. Naaman was told to dip seven times in the Jordan River. Today we are told to call for the elders of the church and be anointed and prayed for to be healed. And so on.
There is an old hymn that says to trust and obey. It always takes trust-- belief, faith. But it may also at times require obedience. We have to be willing to do both. If you are wondering why you aren't seeing more answers and blessings, you should seek the Lord to find out if there is an act of obedience that you need to fulfill.
Have a great day. It takes trust in order to receive from the Lord, but it may take obedience as well.
When it comes to receiving the answers to our prayers and petitions, there are times when we just have to trust and there are times when we have to trust and obey.
When Jarius came to Jesus about his sick daughter, Jesus told him to believe-- just trust. But there are other times when our trust has to have some obedience behind it. Here are some examples of what I am talking about. We are told to give and it shall be given unto us. We are told to bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse and He would pour out a blessing on us. We are also told to "cast our bread upon the water and it shall come back to us in abundance". The Bible tells us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. There are times the obedience may simply be to ask-- you have not because you ask not. Naaman was told to dip seven times in the Jordan River. Today we are told to call for the elders of the church and be anointed and prayed for to be healed. And so on.
There is an old hymn that says to trust and obey. It always takes trust-- belief, faith. But it may also at times require obedience. We have to be willing to do both. If you are wondering why you aren't seeing more answers and blessings, you should seek the Lord to find out if there is an act of obedience that you need to fulfill.
Have a great day. It takes trust in order to receive from the Lord, but it may take obedience as well.
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
"The Active Word"
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22
When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus answered him. The young man responded by telling Jesus he had done all that He said. Then he asked another question--- what do I still lack?
Many of you are wondering-- what do I lack? What do I still need in my life? What is missing? Where's my peace, my joy, my victory? The thing that you lack is the Word of God active in your life. When I say this, I am not talking about just reading the Word in a devotion each day, or following along with the verses in the sermon on Sunday. I mean having it "active" in your life. I mean you have it in your hand like a sword, in your mind renewing it and in your mouth speaking it. I mean it governs, and dictates, your thoughts, actions and deeds. I mean that it transforms your character and changes your attitude.
The Word of God is life. It is health-- health to our spirit, soul and body. It is truth -- truth sets us free. It is deliverance. It is wisdom. It is grace. It is powerful-- more powerful than a two-edged sword. It is hope. It is faith. It is enlightenment. It is strength. It is victory. It is joy and peace. We overcome every, any and all obstacles, plans, schemes and devices of the devil that he tries to use to steal, kill and destroy us.
If you know without a doubt that you are a Christian but you feel like you are lacking something in your life, check your relationship with the Word. Is it active in your life?
Have a great day. What you feel like you are lacking in your life is most likely is the Word of God.
When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus answered him. The young man responded by telling Jesus he had done all that He said. Then he asked another question--- what do I still lack?
Many of you are wondering-- what do I lack? What do I still need in my life? What is missing? Where's my peace, my joy, my victory? The thing that you lack is the Word of God active in your life. When I say this, I am not talking about just reading the Word in a devotion each day, or following along with the verses in the sermon on Sunday. I mean having it "active" in your life. I mean you have it in your hand like a sword, in your mind renewing it and in your mouth speaking it. I mean it governs, and dictates, your thoughts, actions and deeds. I mean that it transforms your character and changes your attitude.
The Word of God is life. It is health-- health to our spirit, soul and body. It is truth -- truth sets us free. It is deliverance. It is wisdom. It is grace. It is powerful-- more powerful than a two-edged sword. It is hope. It is faith. It is enlightenment. It is strength. It is victory. It is joy and peace. We overcome every, any and all obstacles, plans, schemes and devices of the devil that he tries to use to steal, kill and destroy us.
If you know without a doubt that you are a Christian but you feel like you are lacking something in your life, check your relationship with the Word. Is it active in your life?
Have a great day. What you feel like you are lacking in your life is most likely is the Word of God.
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