Our Power for Ministry

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” [Act 1:8 KJV]

When Jesus gave this commission to His disciples it was sealed with a promise with the anticipation of the coming Holy Ghost. God has given us this precious gift to abide with us forever, “Peter said…repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). The disciples were instructed to “…wait in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high” (Lk. 24:29). Before the disciples started their ministry (or commission) they were instructed to wait for the power to come upon them, and if you remember, even Jesus had received the Holy Spirit before He went into His ministry and we too, need the Holy Ghost before we do what God has called us to do.  For He, the Holy Ghost is our companion, our teacher, our guide our help and our closes friend. He helps us to remember God’s Word, He bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God (Rom.8:16), He is available to all believers, there is no condemnation with Him, and when we don’t know how or what to pray He prays for us – the list is limitless.

This commission is also our directive to follow and receive the gift of God “…how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Lk. 11:13).  Now many of Christ followers today, may not be able to become a traveling evangelist, or stand amongst thousands preaching the gospel, or have a large T.V. ministry, but with the advancement of technology we can now reach nations world-wide and as close as our own family.  We need the Holy Ghost help since we have accepted this commission, we need His help in witnessing, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, casting out devils, and an array of other skills that He possesses. We don’t have to do this alone or in our own strength or power, and we don’t walk alone any longer. The Holy Ghost is with us even when we forget that He is there, and even when we forget to call for His help.  

I pray that the information below will be helpful in how to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. God says “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Mt. 7:7). Remember the Holy Spirit is a gift from God, receive this precious gift with great love, search the Bible concerning the Holy Spirit, for He is a wonderful person to know.

How does one receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

*Conversion must come first – “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a hear of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.  (Eze. 36:26-27)”.   “Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3,5)”.

*You must become converted and as little children – “…Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven (Mt. 18:3)”.  “Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein (Mk.10:15)”.

*Obey the great commandment – “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Mt. 22: 37-39)”.  “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself (Lk. 10:27)”.

*Obey God – “And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him (Acts 5:32)”.  Obedience is better than sacrifice according to (1 Sam. 15:22).  

*Have Faith to receive – “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place…there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house…And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4)”.

*Let your faith stand in the power of God, and not in the wisdom of men – “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Than your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Cor. 2:4-5)”.

*Determine to know only Christ crucified – “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor.2:2)”.  “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)”. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11)”.

*Relax and surrender every bit of yourself to God, especially your mind and your pride in intellect and worldly wisdom, for they mean nothing to God and are foolishness to Him – “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent (1 Cor. 1:17-19)”.  “But he giveth more grace.  Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:6-8)”.

*The laying on of hands sometimes helps but is not always necessary – “Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:17)”. “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word (Acts 10:44)”. “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied (Acts 19:6)”. “wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands (2 Tim 1:6)”.

*Finally, ask the Father, and He will give you the baptism in the Holy Spirit – “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto you children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirits to them that ask him? (Lk. 11:13)”.

We have been given this wonderful gift of God and He comes to live in every believer forever.  He gives us the power to stand courageous when rebuking sin “but truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgressions, and to Israel his sin” (Micah 3:8). He’s mightier than any physical force “…this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Host” (Zech. 4:6). The Spirit enables us to speak with authority “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).

Whatever doubts that come to your mind about receiving the Holy Spirit, cast them out immediately. The adversary – the devil, will cause you to think that nothing has happen. You receive your salvation by faith and therefore you receive the Holy Spirit by faith in what God has promised us in the Word. When the devil comes to make you doubt, do as Jesus did by saying; “it is written” (Mt. 4:3-11) use the sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God.  Humble yourselves into His hands so that He can help you in every area of your life, it is in our surrendering to Him that we are strengthened to live and walk in this darken world. Keep God’s Word before your eyes daily and in your ears, worship and praise Him for every victory, live each day expectantly, love one another and cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you.

Father, thank you for your perfect gift of Jesus Christ, who gave His all for us. Thank you for the promise of the Holy Spirit who will be our comforter and constant companion forever. I ask you to come Holy Spirit, have your way in my life, lead me, guide me, teach me, strengthen me and help me to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ. Teach me to worship God for it is written “but the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth; for the Father seek such to worship him. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth” (John. 4:23-24).  Show me how to have a full and effective ministry that will reach millions for Christ and that I may boldly proclaim the gospel of God in the power of the Holy Ghost with signs following. Thank you, Father, for loving me and all your children. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray amen.

Chosen2Prayer

Storms of Adversity

When we come face to face with adversity, let your faith arise and know that God has a greater plan He’s working. We cannot look at our circumstances through our own eyes, we cannot judge by our own standards, but what we must do is – in everything give it to God. God will not leave you, His providential hand is always at work in your life. In every trial or trouble, no matter how hard it may seem or how unbelievable things have turned out, we must give it all to God.  The only way we face adversity is by faith in Jesus Christ. Our understanding of things is never on the level as God’s, thinking we can see beyond the mountains and over the hills and through the valleys as God can, we are only deluding ourselves. Our perspective is very limited and often involves only what we want to see.

We must walk by faith knowing that God sees and is aware of everything, and that our involvement of things that are happening cannot change the true outcome. We must declare our dependency upon a sovereign and Omnipotent God who loves us despite our wayward ways. Step out in faith, believe and trust that God can deal with your situations. Peter was told by Christ that he would deny Him three times before the roster crowed on that night, the night that he was betrayed. But before all of this, it was during the Lords supper, Jesus revealed something that Peter could not have ever imagine: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Lk. 22:31-32).

Even in the most difficult of times we may make the mistake of acting the way Peter did. We question God’s faithfulness to us, we question His love, we even question our faith towards Him. But just as Peter, Satan is right there waiting to sift you as wheat, he is wanting you to keep this attitude of faithlessness going. Satan wants to kill, steal and destroy your faith and for you to turn away from pursuing God; he wants to be your god and if you open that door just a tiny bit, he will take you like a storm.  As hard as it may be, turn a deaf ear to the lies of the enemy and fill your mind with God’s Word, His love and His promises. I’m sure Peter would never had believe that he would deny the Son of God, after all he walked with Him, he heard the teachings and he had seen the miracles first hand, and now the thing that Christ spoke of has come to past.

Adversity has no standards to consider first, it has no qualifications to look at, it is not bias or racial, it is all inclusive. But God be praised, Jesus is praying for you, He is your intercessor, He has the ear of God and He is lifting you before the Father. He is praying that your faith does not fail and that you be strengthen in the difficulty you are facing. He is placing angels in your path to lead you, He is speaking a Word in you through the Holy Spirit – God has not forsaken you. Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith fail not, the Lord has shown compassion, forgiveness and now restoration of Peter’s Apostolic office that he though he lost. We see his restoration here, when an angel appeared to Mary “but go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you” (Mk. 16:7).  

Peter was strength by this message, it brought him the peace of mind and heart that he was still in God’s good grace. Just as Jesus is praying now for you that your faith fail not, so stand strong on your conviction, stand strong on the promises of God, and don’t allow the enemy to have any place in you. As hard as it may be for you to believe, God has a plan for your life, even when it feels as though you can’t breathe or that you can’t go on, He’s right there with you. God is a God of Love, seek His forgiveness, get to the Word of God and believe it. Ask God to lead you to scriptures that will keep you strengthen and walking in faith, pray with fervency and perseverance – never give up. Trust that even in your most difficult moment, in your troubles and in your trials, God is in absolute control – and you can be sure that He will deliver you and then you will give Him all the Glory.

Chosen2Prayer

The Valley of Weeping

There is a place that we all, at some point in time; will travel through. It is a place that will bring us a release, as well as joy that has been hidden. It is a place that one would not choose to go through yet, in a strange course of events it chooses us.  A path opens that must be traveled even though our heart doesn’t desire to go.  This valley is symbolic to our struggles in life and our tears that speak louder than we ever could as we press through on our way to seeking God.

The valley of weeping is its name, now don’t let the name fool you, for there is a time to weep…and a time to mourn (Eccl. 3:4). We weep for many reasons, for the sins we’ve committed, for the death of love ones, for our children, and for our deep need of God’s presence in our lives. Weeping releases the unspoken pain where words are inaccurate.  Weeping cleanses our soul (believe it or not) when burdens are so deeply embedded. And weeping even helps us to focus more on God rather than our situations. Growing strong in God’s presence is often preceded by our journey through barren places in our lives.  It is here that we can rid ourselves of the hurt, the pain, the frustrations and the anger. 

Since we have to go through the Valley of Weeping we might as well call upon His name to meet us here.  For it is in the valley that we seek Him for deliverance, it is here that we learn to humble ourselves and it is here where we strengthen our faith in His ability and provision.  But as we spend time with God, our adversity is an opportunity to re-experience God’s faithfulness. As we continue walking through the Valley of weeping, make sure that your pilgrimage leads you to God and not away from Him.

Nina

Chosen2Prayer

Methods of Satan...

We find ourselves in a world that seems to be over-run with every inconceivable, negative and immoral way of living without the evidence of consequences. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord Pondereth the heart.” These words are very definite and are very true. There seems to be a spirit of self-ness that has come into the hearts of people, what am I talking about? A spirit of self-ness is one that considers only self, it’s my way, my thoughts, my rights, my will and my thing. There is no consideration of others and if it is, then self has to come out on top some way.

Now there are those who ignore the second half of this statement “…the Lord pondereth the hearts.” God knows what is in the hearts of man for even at the beginning “GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). We can see this happening now, but there is a real enemy that many times we choose to ignore or believe is a fictitious character. Oh my friends let me tell you, he is real, as real as you and I and he has come “…but for to steal and to kill, and to destroy…” (Jn. 10:10). We call him Lucifer, but he has other names that he is known by; adversary, serpent, Belial, Beelzebub, the enemy and Satan.

He comes to deceive all men, he is the leader of all sinners and backsliders and all rebels, he causes sickness, disease, and physical and mental maladies, he takes advantage of all adversities of men to further his rebellion and hold them captive. He even provokes to sin, he steals the Word of God from those who have just begun, lest they should believe, he works false miracles and sets snares for us to fall into. This is what we have been facing for years, and now it seems as though the world has found solace in his deceptive and lying ways.

His work is mainly to oppose God whenever possible, he uses counterfeit doctrines to deceive the Saints of God and those who are open to his teachings.  That is why God tells us: 

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

The fact that we are believers does not stop the devil from trying in every conceivable way to imitate God. Believers are the ones Satan concentrates on and wars against. This is why we must keep our Spiritual armor on and our two-edge sword sharpen; by studying the Word of God daily.

Now, let’s look at the following 10 methods that Satan uses to capture and keep one bound in self-ness, that is until the light of God’s Word comes into one’s ears and is received in the heart.  Now this is not all of his methods, but it will give you a general idea of how he works and is working today.

1.    He uses every conceivable means to hold men in subjection to himself and keep them from turning to God. If he fails in this, he tries to kill the believer’s testimony and ruin his influence for God.

We have seen this in family, friends and co-workers; those who find every excuse not to believe in God’s Word and that even includes trying to put human reasoning to what God has done supernaturally in someone’s life. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). There are those who approve sin and ignore the need for repentance and holy living as they try to remove any penalty for sin and make you doubt if there is a hell or not; this is the workings of Satan only.

2.    If one falls he tries to make him stay fallen or commit suicide. He endeavors to cause men to end their lives by insisting it is the best way out; but he hides the true fact that this will be only the beginning of real torment in eternal hell.

Everyone has experience some kind of storm in life that has shaken the foundation that you believe in. It has been a category 10 hurricane that has left you feeling hopeless and lost. Suicide is never the answer to any storm, or trouble you are facing, it is never without serious consequences here and the hereafter. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:15). As believers we must “lift up our eyes unto the hills…our help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Ps.121:1-2).

3.    Satan tries to get one in a lukewarm condition and, if he succeeds, urges them to stay in that condition so that God will cut them off in the end.

The Laodicea church was one that was proud and self-satisfied, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, but they also failed to see that they were wretched, and miserable and poor, and blind, and naked (Rev.3:17). Yet to be lukewarm meant they were nauseating, sickening, and most of all blind. If one chooses to be in this state of their journey, then Christ says “…I will spue (spit) you out of my mouth” (v.16); and forever be lost.. We must remain faithful to God and believe beyond our circumstances, situations and what we see, and know in our knower that God is faithful to His promises.  

4.    He dares men to do many things which they would not do under ordinary circumstances; and men are foolish enough to think they are not brave if they do not accept his dares.

Sometimes all it takes is a small crowd to get a mob mentality going, and one person steps up in the midst and takes charge as the leader or the agitator of the mob. It grows and grows into something that is destructive and dangerous. Lives have been lost, families have been shattered and peace has been destroyed. “if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Rom.12:18).  

5.    Makes people think they are missing everything in life if they do not go into all kinds of sins which, in the end, will damn their souls.

Now, remember we are still looking at the methods that Satan uses to ensnare people and especially the children of God – if he can. Before salvation sin was fun, of course we never looked at it as being sin, for us it was fun and something to do.  For the Christian, Jesus has cleansed us from our sins and He has washed us white as snow. We have been forgiven and our sins have been forgotten. Satan knows which button to push to bring on temptation into our minds, and our lives; he tries to make you think of all that you are missing out on and this is what has weakened many a soul. Life does not truly begin until you have received Jesus as your Savior, don’t believe the lies of the enemy for his goal is to keep your soul damned.

6.    Emphasizes sin and sinful pleasures as innocent enjoyment.

“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:20-23). Now you choose!

7.    Stirs unholy passions in men and women, causing them to throw away all restraint and live a life of revelry.

Galatians 5:19-21,  gives us 17 works of the flesh and a very stern warning that “…they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21). Those who continue to want their way and those who say I’m grown and can do whatever I want, then know this – you will not enter the kingdom of God. The only way to enter is through repentance, confession and putting this life style out of your life forever. “be not deceived; God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal.6:7).

8.    Tries to make people think there is no joy in serving the Lord. This is one of his greatest errors. Serving Christ and winning souls who will be thankful forever pays the greatest dividends and afford the greatest pleasures known.

We are to fear the Lord our God, walk in all His ways, love and serve Him with all our heart and soul, and keep His commandments (Deut. 10:12). If one does this then there is a love beyond understanding that we have for our Father, God.  Therefore, “ Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:2-5)

9.    Preaches to the diligent in business that he needs to take all his time for getting rich before serving the Lord; while the fact is that if one will truly serve the Lord, he can be abundantly prosperous with God’s help.

As long as one focuses on getting that 1^st or next million, then their eyes are not looking unto Jesus. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil desires, as long as your eyes are making more money, they are not seeking direction or help from God and therefore, in prosperity there is a tendency to forget God. Man is so depraved that he wants to take credit to himself for any success and prosperity he has, but when truth be told, God is the one who gives us power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18).

10. Urges churches and their leaders to make religion a paying proposition by appealing to the rich and influential through lowering the standards of holy living, making salvation easy for all, and compromising essentials of the faith; and by feeding the sheep messages on current events and book reviews instead of the infallible Word of God.

The position of a pastor is a daunting task, and to say that one is call to fulfil this position you must be certain that you have heard right. For one, you have been chosen to be an overseer of God’s children, Jesus’ lambs, by feeding them and caring for them as Christ. Second, you must be one free from sin, be a seeker of God, shepherd the flock, protect and nourish the vineyard and protect and gather the sheep. As well as, comfort them in fear, be morally clean, be honest and truthful, and be free from deceit. Yes, this must be a call from God upon the life of one that only God chooses. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit…” (John. 15:16). If there is any compromising of God’s Word so that attendance goes up and finances increase, you are the one who will give an account as to how and what you have taught God’s children.

There is so much more that I can speak on but this will do for now. I encourage you to do your own Bible study so that you can have a clear understanding of the enemy that we face daily, and to know his strategies and schemes. God’s Word is sitting on the table or bookshelf, its right at our finger tips on computers, phones, tablets and IPhones, all we have to do is access it. The days are getting darker, and it seems easier for people to set aside their beliefs and faith and even compromise their morals, all because of hardship or current conditions. Faith is our shield (Eph. 6:15) it is part of our Spiritual armor that God has provided for us we my keep it upon us and if we take off our armor then we are vulnerable, and unprotected and open to all kinds of attacks.  

Pray for your loved-ones who refuse to listen, lift up those employees who laughs at you and seek God to help you reach the lost for there are so many more who need to hear God's truth, His Word. Pray that God will open their hearts to understanding and that they will make a decision to accept Christ before it is too late.  God bless...

NinaJ

Chosen2Prayer

The God who sees...

“…the God who sees me, for she said “I have seen the One who sees me!” (Gen 16:13 NLT)

El-roi – The God who sees

Sometimes it’s hard to grasp the idea that God does see all things, for many times we ask the question “God don’t you see what is happening?” At these moments our state of mind is not clear and neither can it remember any scriptures.  Hagar was in a precarious situation, she was running away from Sarai her mistress, because Sarai’s actions had cause her to be jealous of her handmaiden, who now was carrying her husband’s child.

You must remember this, that God sees even our mistakes, our evil hearts, our wrong motives and even our wrong attitudes as well as our ways and actions. Even our thinking is not hidden from Him:

            “The Lord knows the thought of man…” (Ps.94:11)

You see, sometimes our actions for the better good, (our own way) of solving a problem, only causes the problem to get worse, thereby causing our decision to bite us in the end. God also sees that we are not following His instructions when things happen:

            “Casting all your care upon him…” (1Peter 5:7)

He does see that we are trying to fix something that we are not qualified to fix. Know this, there is no problem too complicated for God to fix, but you must be willing to give it to Him completely and let Him work it out.  You never know what blessings God has in store for you, until you walk-it-out, walk out the pain, walk out the disappointment, walk out the frustration, walk out the anger and walk into blessings.

Now does God see you and all that is going on? I say emphatically YES, He sees and He is ready to help you walk through.  What must we do? Take every problem, every situation, and every negative event to God in Prayer, be comforted in knowing God is in control, be faithful to God and His promises, be strong to stand upon the Word, be grateful for the love God has for you and be sure that He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Prayer:

Father God, I thank you that you see and know what I am going through. Help me Lord to cast this burden upon you for you care for me. I release all my concerns, all my anxieties, all my fears and all my stresses and because you see, I can rest knowing that you are completely in control.  Thank you for your answer to my prayers and thank you for your loving care in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.

Chosen2Prayer

A conversation...

Father, I need to talk with you.  My heart is very heavy and my spirit is very angry. You see, there is a demonic spirit that is going around touching the hearts and minds of those who are open to his influence. You know them Father, these are the ones that have been assign in authoritative positions. I must admit Father, that I’m finding it hard to follow what you said; “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” [Luke 6:27 NASB].

Now many lives that should still be here have gone on home to you, and there are many angry and broken families that are trying to make it day by day. Some are trying to fix a system that has been one sided for years. How can a mother’s heart not remember the day her child was placed in her arms and not ache because her child is deceased, and how can a father go day by day looking into the face of those who despise him because of the color of his skin? Knowing that his child is no more. Father, I just don’t understand please help me to do your will. I don’t want to fall into that darkness that seems to have capture so many already.

“Harken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people” (Isa. 51:4). My child, I hear your concern and your heart. “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done; and there is no respect of persons” (Col.3:25).  For my Son came to save all “…they that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). So “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:19).  Therefore, “I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28). Finally, “therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head” (Rom. 12:20). So my child remember “let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).

Ok Father, as you will help me through this anger and hurt, I ask that you will please help all peoples to understand your love for them. I ask that you will forgive me for holding others in condemnation, cleans my heart and my mind as I place these into your hands, for you to do what you do. I now release them in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, amen.

NinaJ

Chosen4God

He understands the pain…

There is nothing that God does not know and understand.  His ways and His thoughts are infinite and should never be compared to man. Many of us struggle daily in keeping the faith, we struggle in keeping our flame of hope burning and we struggle in keeping our focus on the things of God.  Why is it that we struggle, why is our flame not as bright as it used to be?  Let’s just say it’s because of disappointment, pain, discouragement, frustration, helplessness and guilt, jealousy, false burdens, murmuring, unforgiveness, and so many other influences of today.

Is it because we can’t get past the abundance of strongholds that has bound our spirit, soul and mind?  We dwell on the negative because that is what we see daily, we are unable to look to the hills from whence cometh our help. To have a glimmer of hope in a sea of negativity is like finding a needle in the desert.  In truth, that’s all we need – just a glimmer of hope to help us to keep going, to keep us striving for the prize and to help us to keep our minds focus on God and His promises.

God knows the truth, He understands the true cause/reason for the pain in our hearts, He sees the reasons for all the disappointment we have faced, yes, God knows the truth behind everything.  We cannot hide, deny, contradict or hold back anything from Him; we can only try to hold truth from ourselves and others.  When you know that He (God) is the only one you can be totally truthful with then go to Him no matter the hurt, the pain you feel, the unforgiveable act or of the disappointment, God is the only one you can be completely truthful with. 

You don’t have to worry about your business getting out in the street, He won’t point an accusing finger at you, nor will He call you names for wrong decisions that you made.  God loves you in spite of all the failures, in spite of all the wrong moves you made, in spite of the confidence you lack, He wants you to keep drawing closer to Him. We must remember that God is in control, we must let go of all negativity, wrong thinking, and wrong speaking and we must remember where we have placed our trust in and in whom we do trust. As you begin to let go of the many hindrance’s just know that God is there with you in the process, even when it becomes too difficult to let go of the unforgiveness or the shame, He is right there next to you encouraging you, letting you know that He loves you.   

Be encourage my friends, know that there is no sin that God can’t forgive, there is nothing that we can do to tear His love away from us, as He was merciful to Israel He will be merciful to you. 

God bless

 

Nina

Chosen4God

NEWNESS OF LIFE

Eph. 4:24 “An that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

This is such a great point to be in our Spiritual walk, we have “put on the new man…” and this new man has put on bowels of mercies, kindness, and humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and love. 

As we are renewing in the spirit of our mind (v23), we are letting go of the wrong attitudes that has held us captive for so long, such as belittling, pride fullness, and vanity, and we are now on the way to choosing God's thoughts. At this point we are no longer walking as the world, where our understanding was darken, or in ignorance, and of blindness of heart.  We have been given a gift a most precious gift when we came under the blood, we now have the Holy Spirit residing within us.  This is the same power that was with Jesus working the many miracles that He did.

Yes, our entire course of life is now flowing in a different direction, we are now “in Christ…old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Cor.5:17).  It is foolish for any man to profess a relationship with Christ while still in the flesh, and while he remains unchanged in heart and life he is still dead in trespasses and sins; only the blood of Jesus can cleans you.  As we put on this new life, righteousness will be manifested and true holiness will will being to be evident in our walk, our ways, our attitudes and our thinking is changing.  As we “…yield your (our) members servants to righteousness unto holiness” (Romans 6:19), for we no longer live to the lust of men but to the will of God (1 Peter 4:2).

 Be bless

Chosen4God

Stuck between a rock and a hard place…

When I found this picture it brought back memories where I had found myself at times of my life, either by my doing or my choices.  We all have been “stuck between a rock and hard place” at one time or another and I’m sure many of you have heard this saying before of “being stuck between a rock and a hard place” right? What exactly does this mean? And how does it pertain to our Walking with God?  Well let’s say you have a choice that must be made and if you make the wrong choice the consequences could be more devastating than if you made no decision at all and the decision will affect more than just you. Of course this is just an example but we have all at one time found ourselves in this position. 

When we find ourselves in a situation that requires us to change directions we need to take heed to the path that God is directing us to.  But in our stubbornness and self-will,  for some of the paths we have chosen have lead us where we wish we hadn’t gone because we have made the grand decision to forge our own way.  The Bible tells us that "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein" (Jer 6:16 KJV). We have opted out from the tried and true path to be different, to be unique or to “to be me”.  What we have done then is we have chosen the flesh part of life; we have gone with our own mind set, and remember “…the carnal mind is enmity against God... they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-8). How successful has those choices been?

The Word of God is very clear when we choose our own paths, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (Jam 4:4 KJV).  When we are walking with God it should be a time of exhilaration, it should be a time of fulfilling what was commission to us by Christ, to go and heal the sick, to raise the dead, to preach the Word.  Nevertheless the path that we have chosen has been of our own making and choice and the consequences of this are ours to receive.

One thing for sure life has a way of challenging us and forcing us to take a good look at ourselves and as we start to get older our perspective about life changes and choices we’ve made come to mind and we begin to re-evaluate our lives, going back over some of the choices we did make and seeing where we shoulda, coulda and woulda made better choices had we known what we know now.  You must realize now that the past is the past and we can’t reach back to change it or erase it, there are no excuses we can give for the choices of the past.  What we must do now is “press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). 

God is calling us higher, our destiny is not here in this world if you look at Israel they were God’s chosen people and nation, "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." (Deut. 14:2 KJV) yet He never gave up on them even though they tried His patience many times with their idolatrous beliefs, unbelief, their rebellion and stubbornness.  It is imperative to understand that as long as we walk in obedience to His Word, obey His commands and remain humble before Him we, who are called by His name, will reach our eternal home; if we do not faint on the journey we are now on. Getting past the past means knowing that we have been made “…kings and priest and we will reign on earth” (Rev. 5:19) with Christ on day, and even Paul tells us that we are “…heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom.8:17).  Knowing all this we must let the past have no affect on our future neither upon what God says in His Word.

Walking with God means you do not walk alone on this path. You have the blessed Holy Spirit who will be with you forever because Jesus is your Savior.  Whatever the problems we find ourselves facing we can now take them to God in prayer. If you have a minimal prayer life or near non-existent one, you will most definitely develop a stronger and deeper prayer life that will become as easy as breathing.  Your faith level will be tested, your walk will be tried, you will have to deal with detours, roadblocks, stumbling blocks and yes, the enemy himself will be the one behind all of this, but don’t despair or become fearful for you have the “ELOHIM” the God of all creation is with you and He knows already what each of us will face and the victories that will be won in Jesus name.  We will not pass every test but remain faithful and true to God and you will find that your dependence on God will become stronger than a three-fold cord.

Chosen4God