The Power of Love

How many of us have ever stop to think about this statement “God is Love”?  if you think about what love is and all the goodness that you feel about love, that IS God. To understand the depths of His love for us would take an eternity and even then we would come to no end. Are we capable of loving the way God has loved us and are we willing to love as Jesus has shown us?  Well, let’s see what the Bible has to say of love.

In the Song of Songs 8:6-7 (NLT) “Place me like a seal over your heat, or like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, and its jealousy is as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many water cannot quench love, neither can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with everything he owned, his offer would be utterly despised.” This heart of a young bride who eagerly awaits her mate sends her to contemplate the depth of her love. One that is strong as death; that cannot be destroyed by time or disaster; and it cannot be bought at any price. The intense power of love affects the heart and mind of those in love. Love is freely given and it is priceless, there is no price in all the world that can buy true love. You must accept love as a gift from God and shared within the guidelines that He provides. Love is strong, quenchless, indestructible and invaluable.

In the Lord’s teachings of the guidelines of love, we must remember most of all that “love is an action” word; “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you” Luke 6:27-31 (NASB).  Jesus was telling the people to love their enemies, but such words were hard to hear especially since the Jews despised the Romans for the oppression of God’s people. In our own strength, we can’t love as Christ instructed, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us love our enemies. Most of us can’t even begin to love our enemies, because the things of the past are still fresh on our minds. Some of us consider another race their enemies, then, there are those who would not be obedient to the words of Christ because of unbelief and harden hearts. Love cannot grow as it should in darken, harden, rebellious hearts.

What Jesus was teaching is that, love is an act of your will, to do what God has commanded, and this kind of love takes a conscious effort and a yieldedness to the Holy Spirit. If you remember the mess of your own life and how God loved and forgave you, then loving our enemies means acting in their best interest. And the way we can do this is that, we can pray for them, we can ask God to forgive them and bless them and we can treat them the way we want to be treated. Jesus said; “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Mat. 5:43-44 NKJV).  We need the Holy Spirit to guide us as well as help our understanding of God’s will. Even though some of us would like to get revenge on our enemies, it’s not necessary for God says, “…avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:19).  God did not instruct us at any time to get revenge on those who have wronged us. He knows just how to deal with those who have hurt us, so what we must do is follow His command.

Think of how Jesus was treated the time He spent here on earth, He knew that men’s hearts were evil, yet He loved them, He gave His life for them and He wants all men who believe to be saved. Now we are not Jesus, I know this, but we have put our faith in Him, we have surrendered our lives to Him and now we must conform our lives to walking in the Spirit. For He says; “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mat. 5:45). By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good, and by loving our enemy as Christ loved us and treating them well, we will truly show that Jesus is Lord of our lives. For Romans 12:20 says it so clearly: “therefore if thine enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.”  If we loved as Christ loved us, we will be willing to forgive our enemy, we will be willing to pray and we will be willing to show compassion. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as you Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Mt.6:48).

Again, loving our enemy is not easy, our task is not to please self, nor hold others in condemnation, but it is to do God’s will. Look again at Luke 6:27-31 above, for our instructions are:

1.       Love your enemies

2.       Bless them that curse you

3.       Do good to those that hate you

4.       Pray for your persecutors

As believers, we are all call to excel, to rise above our weakness of living in this flesh, and become strong in Spirit by much study of the Word, and walking in obedience to the will of God. The true test of love is when your enemy becomes your friend, when you can see your enemy through the eyes of Christ, their need to know a Savior who can love them and forgive them. Now, you have that opportunity to deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ to them, to share the love that was shed on you. Because we choose to walk in love, and in forgiveness by giving our enemy a drink, we’re not excusing their misdeeds we’re only recognizing their need for Christ, their need for forgiveness, and their need for love in spite of their sins – just as Christ did for us. Our hearts must be changed from vengeance, anger, malice, and even hatred, love was given to us while we were walking dead in this flesh. He came and taught us God’s ways, He showed us God’s mercy, and love gave His life for all people, and all who now and will believe, have been cleansed by His atoning blood. Love has redeemed us from the grip of death, and love has given us eternal life.

Love and forgiveness was given to you when you accepted Christ, then, who are we to deny showing God’s love even to our enemies? You are the light of the world, allow God to use the light in you to draw desperate, hurting, despondent soul to your light. Don’t let the enemy steal from you any longer, your peace, your joy or your love for God. Rise above your feelings and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in your life, through teaching, guiding, humbling you and showing you how to love your enemy.  “And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13)

Father, help us to love as you love us each and every day. Help us to forgive our enemies as we show compassion and love towards them and as you have shown to us. Let us not dwell on past hurts and injustice, but we choose to dwell on your goodness, your love and your mercy.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Chosen2Prayer

The Door

One night I couldn’t sleep, I laid in bed in the darkness tossing and turning, I prayed, I talked with God for a while and yet I couldn’t sleep. I looked toward my room door that was shut and there was an outline of light which was coming from the kitchen light over the stove. I keep this on at night so that I won’t bump into things if I needed to get up. Well, it got me to thinking about something and when I get inspiration I have to get up and write it – so here it is.

A door stands in front of you a sliver of light penetrates the top and side, you wonder what’s on the other side. But then you hear someone say; “if you go through that door blessings are waiting for you”, but before you do, you are also told that “God will require something of you”.  A puzzle look comes over your face, then you ask, “what is it that He will want of me?” You are then told “you must first walk through to know the answer.” Your mind begins to race on what it could be, your blood pressure starts to rise as well as your heart rate. The thought that God would want something of me, was more than you could imagine. What is it that I have that He would want of me? images start to run across your mind, is it my heart, my home, my family, my life, what could it be?

You began pacing back and forth contemplating what it might be. But as soon as you are willing to take that chance and you resolve to go through the door, here comes another voice, the voice of fear, pride, and doubt. “I wouldn’t go through if I were you, He might want more than you’re willing to give up”. You begin to reason this thought, that it makes sense to you and you stop and listen to more “what if He wants all that you have worked hard to achieve, your money, your house, He might even want you to quit your job and do something less attractive”. You begin to ponder how you have worked hard in school, getting your dream job, you have a beautiful new home and a family that depends upon you. The voice begins to say, “you can make this decision later, you have time” and as though the voice was standing right next to you, you turn in the direction and say, “Right, maybe later, after all I’m still young and anyway, I want to enjoy life and all that I have accomplish”. But what you don’t see is that image of that voice smiling a devilish smile and his arms crossed in front of him with a satisfied look, for his goal was accomplished.

How many times have we talked ourselves out of what God has wanted to do in our lives? When we wanted to go left but God was drawing us to the right, because our eyes was more focus looking at the left with all its enticements and goods and choosing our own path. The left, had everything we desired and wanted. Why would we even reason that “our achievements” were greater or better than what God has? Because our minds have been blinded with get rich quick schemes, or have this new body by summer, or buy the newest sports car, build a bigger house, or take a luxury vacation, all the enticements we see people doing and we think this is life at its best.  When our focus is drawn to these things and not God, we have taken our eyes off of Him and put them on things of this world.

When we begin to accept this kind of thinking and reasoning we have come in agreement with the father of lies. His ways of deception are subtle and before you know it, you have dug a deep pit that you can’t climb out of. You’re swimming in debt, the stress of your job has increase, things at home are not going well and now you’re experiencing some physical problems. When we being to turn away from the ways of God and be more accepting of the things of the world, the Word of God has given us a choice, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and thy seed may live” (Deut. 30:19).  God does not force anyone to surrender to Him, we are all free to choose life or death, but also understand that “therefore this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else” (Deut.4:39).  God is God no matter where we are or what we think and If we rationalize why we choose death and why we believe the lie instead of the truth, it’s because our hearts have been harden and we believe the lie that we have all the time in the world to make a choice.

 God said, “I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply: and the Lord your God shall bless you in the land whither you go to possess it” (Deut. 30:16). There are blessings and promises here when we make God our God and obey His Word.  For “…behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Sam 15:22). The next verse deals with the person who feels that they have time to make the decision later on in life “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” (1 Sam 15: 23).  Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins which the only fruit that it bears is death. Just as David prayed we too, must pray with repentance “Do not withhold your compassion from me, O LORD. May your mercy and your truth always protect me. Countless evils have surrounded me. My sins have caught up with me so that I can no longer see. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost heart. O LORD, please rescue me! Come quickly to help me, O LORD!” (Ps. 40:11-13 GW)

All our accomplishments that we achieve come from God. Somehow along the line we began to think that “we” are the ones responsible for all that we achieve. Wisdom comes from God; our understanding comes from Him and our gifts and talents also. For “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever: (Psalm 111:10 NASB). Is there a Godly fear among us anymore?  No matter what the world says, we can do nothing without God.  Even the unsaved and the unbelieving are partakers of His grace and mercy “for God is no respecter of persons…That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45).  “The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9 NKJ).  In other words, God will wait for you to come back to your right mind, but He won’t wait forever, and before it becomes too late you must make a choice.

Those who would walk through the door have completely resolve to give up everything not just for the blessings but because of the love that has been freely given to us so, “Take diligent heed to…love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all you soul” (Job 22:5; Deut 11:1, 13,22). And because our love for the Father, and the Son is more precious than anything we could ever hold dear. “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love...” (Eph. 3:17 NASB).

 We can’t repay Jesus for what He has done for us, but if it means giving up this whole world and all that we were able to gain here, those who believe – would do it, “and those who use this world as not misusing [it]. For the form of this world is passing away” (1Co 7:31 NKJV).  This world is passing away and as believers, we should not get bogged down too much with the cares of this life, God has given us instructions to “cast all our cares upon Him…” (1 Peter 5:7). We are to trust Him with our whole heart, mind, strength and body.

Consider your choice, look about you and see the numerous blessing already in your life, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).  Now are you willing to walk through that door and give to God whatever He asks of you?

Chosen2Prayer

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

A Father’s discipline

“It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” Hebrews 12:7-8 (NASB)

It seems funny to me when you hear people say, “I’m grown” as if it’s not noticeable already. But does that mean that everyone else are children?  God sees us as His children, and as such we must endure His chastening from time to time.  Correction is something that grown folks don’t take to kindly too, but we hand out correction to our children, in order to direct them on the right path.  God does the same with His children, we have all had days, even months when at every turn there seems to be a battle waiting to confront us, and there are reasons why we just can’t seem to get ahead of all the troubles. One important thing to remember before I go on, is we can’t live as we please or do what as we please or treat others as we please knowing we are His Children. The seeds that we sow will one day come to full harvest and we will reap what we have sown. God’s Word has given us an answer for our rebellious ways and the reason for our chastisement:

“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His corrections. For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” (Prov. 3:11,12)

God’s purpose for discipline is when He sees that we are depending upon the worlds way of handling things more than upon Him.  Or that we have become lax in our spiritual walk and our old ways are beginning to pick up strength, like a car going downhill. Teaching is necessary to help us go the way God desires for us and discipline is necessary to render that teaching to be effectual. Correction is mandatory to bring our minds into submission, without which it cannot acquire knowledge. Never reject the procedure or process of God, only humble yourself under His mighty hand.  It is no use trying to rebel, for every act of rebellion against God, is a wound to your own soul.  God will either end you or mend you; the choice is yours.

He loves us and He wants the best for His children. “…we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits, and live? (Heb. 12:9). It is never pleasant to be corrected or discipline by God. But this discipline is a sign of His deep love for each of us. When God corrects us, you must see it as poof of His love.  How we respond to His correction has a lot to say; again we can accept it with resignation, we can accept it with self-pity, we can be angry and resentful toward God or we can accept it gratefully, as this is the appropriate response – the choice is yours.  

“As many as I love, I rebuke: and chasten be zealous therefore, and repent” (Rev. 3:11)

God is not only a disciplining parent but also a demanding coach who pushes us to our limits and He requires our lives to be discipline. We may not feel strong enough to push on to victory, but as long as we keep following Christ we can draw upon His strength to make it through. Most of our thinking is not all that great and we tend to make choices out of fear, anger, jealousy, spite and so many more emotions that leads us down the path of bad choices, which then leads to more intense correction from the hand of God. Matthew Henry said it best and in a clear and precise way that one cannot miss the true meaning of the scriptures above.

“There is a proneness in believers to grow weary, and to faint under trials and afflictions; this is from the imperfection of grace and the remains of corruption. Christians should not faint under their trials. Though their enemies and persecutors may be instruments to inflict sufferings, yet they are Divine chastisements; their heavenly Father has his hand in all, and his wise end to answer by all. They must not make light of afflictions, and be without feeling under them, for they are the hand and rod of God, and are his rebukes for sin. They must not despond and sink under trials, nor fret and repine (complain), but bear up with faith and patience. God may let others alone in their sins, but he will correct sin in his own children. In this he acts as becomes a father. Our earthly parents sometimes may chasten us, to gratify their passion, rather than to reform our manners. But the Father of our souls never willingly grieves nor afflicts his children. It is always for our profit. Our whole life here is a state of childhood, and imperfect as to spiritual things; therefore, we must submit to the discipline of such a state. When we come to a perfect state, we shall be fully reconciled to all God's chastisement of us now. God's correction is not condemnation; the chastening may be borne with patience, and greatly promote holiness. Let us then learn to consider the afflictions brought on us by the malice of men, as corrections sent by our wise and gracious Father, for our spiritual good.” (Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary)

If truth be told, we bring on God’s chastisement because we persistently ignore His guidance, and insistently take our own path. Even though that still small voice deep within us says not to do that, we turn a deaf ear and proceed down destruction avenue. We should never listen to the voice that goes against the will of God or that puts an uneasy feeling within us. Our faith is not in figuring a way out or listening to the counsel or advice of others, but we must humble ourselves under His hand of judgment. We must look to Him for direction and guidance as children. However, He chooses to bring correction, it is imperative that we keep our faith in the promises of God, we must keep our focus on Him, we must remember how much He loves us, we must repent of our wrong and we must endure chastisement till our hearts are turned and our minds renewed by His Word and by His loving hand. Claim the promises of God, resist the devil who walks about like a roaring lion, and never give him any place in your life.

For God tells us: “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him…”       2 Samuel 7:14-15 (NASB) 

Father, sometimes I don’t understand the “why” of situations that happen in my life and I know that I may have caused much of my own suffering by going and doing what I thought was right, without acknowledging you. I ask your forgiveness for my wrong thinking, I ask your forgiveness for not taking heed to the voice of your Holy Spirit. I ask forgiveness for being foolish to think my way was better than yours. I know that when I am judge I will be chasten of you Lord, that I may not be condemn with this world. For you told me clearly, be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son who he receiveth. Thank you Father, for I am your child, for if I endure chastening, I know that you deal with me as your child.

Chosen2Prayer…

The Hope of Glory

We are living in an age of anxiety, many are paralyzed by fear of anything and everything, except God. Have you ever seen someone who looks as though they have it all together? Everything about them says they know how to live life and we may even envy them for how together they are. But if we had the eyes of God to see into their hearts, you would see that they are a nervous ball of fears, uncertainty, anxious thoughts, strained emotions.  What is shown on the outside is a false front, design to disguise what is truly going on in the inside. You see, even as Christians we struggle with self-issues that we don’t want to deal with since we have moved on. Nevertheless, underlying issues remain and the more we keep the outside clean and shiny, the darker and dense the inside becomes.

Oh, how wonderful God is when His light has begun to shine on the dark and dense places on the inside. All who are Christians remember the moment when you decided to choose Christ as your Lord and Savior, the moment He became your deliver, and your redeemer.  Life w

as better, there was a feeling of joy and finally peace, but as the days moved on you found yourself moving back toward your old way of thinking and the fears have come back. The only way to fight the enemy is to get into the Word of God, it is time to fight the good fight of faith through the Word. it’s time to seek out what God says belongs to us as being His children. We need to remember that our old man has been crucified with Christ and that we have been freed from sin (Rom. 6:6,7). 

Our hope for growth, meaning and fulfillment as a Christian is based on understanding who we are – specifically, our identity in Christ as a child of God. The Bible is our source book to seek, understand and Learn who we are and all that has been bestowed upon us since we are now in Christ.  Study the following scriptures, meditate upon them, let them soak deep within your soul and Spirit. Read them daily so they will flow from your tongue as you wield the sword of the Spirit – the Word; so, when the devil comes to tell you otherwise, your sword stands ready.

Knowing who we are in Christ is like an eternal light coming on in the inside of you. Our old has gone, and we are new creatures in Christ, as we embrace our adoption, let us understand all that this privilege has given us and let us walk accordingly. I want to reiterate what I said above, don’t let the devil get to your mind and you start to doubt the Word of God. Don’t give him a chance to talk you out of what Christ has done for you. He will try to bring your old ways and thought patters back, he will try to make you dwell on past failures and fears. So, embrace the truth as God begins speaking to you personally, because the devil doesn’t want you to know who you really are.  He knows that when you start to embrace who you are in Christ, his attempts to deceive you makes him a defeated foe and he has no power over you any longer – but that will not stop him from trying to get into your head to make you doubt.  There is power in God’s Word and there is power in your mouth, receive these and other scriptures as truth, for God cannot deny His Word. This list of “who you are” is one that is inexhaustible, so as you study these scriptures and think on them add to your own personalize list as God shows you who you are.

Scriptures

I am a child of God - John 1:12                       I am Christ’s Friend – John 15:15

I have been justified – Rom. 5:1                     I am united and one spirit with Christ – 1Cor. 6:17

I have been bought with a price                     I am a member of Christ’s body – 1Cor.12:27

1 Cor. 6:20                                                      

I am a Saint -Eph. 1:1                                      I have been adopted – Eph. 1:5

I have direct access – Eph. 2:18                      I have been redeemed and forgiven – Col.1:14

I am complete in Christ – Col.2:10                  I am free from condemnation – Rom. 8:1,2

I am assured that all things work together for good – 8:28

I am free from any condemning charges against me – Rom. 8:31-34

I cannot be separated from the love of God – Rom. 8:35-39

I have been established, anointed and sealed by God – 2 Cor. 1:21-22

I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected – Phil. 1:6

I am a citizen of heaven – Phil 3:20                I am hidden with Christ in God – Col. 3:3

I have not been given a spirit of fear -2 Tim. 1:7

I can find grace and mercy in time of need – Heb. 4:16

I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me – 1 John 5:18

I am the salt of the earth – Matt. 5:13           I am the light of the world – Matt. 5:14

I am part of the true vine – Jn. 15:1,5            I am chose to bear fruit – Jn. 15:16

I am a slave of righteousness – Rom. 6:18     I am enslaved to God – Rom. 6:22

I am a joint heir with Christ – Rom. 8:17        I am a temple of God – 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19

I am united to the Lord and am one spirt with Him – 1 Cor. 6:17

I am a member of Christ Body 1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30          I am a new creation – 2 Cor. 5:17

I am a son/daughter of God – Gal. 3:26,28       I am God’s workmanship – Eph. 2:10

I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved – Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4

I am a son of light and not of darkness – 1 Thess. 5:5

I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ – 1 Peter 2:5

I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling – Heb. 3:1

I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation – 1 Peter 2:9,10

I am an enemy of the devil – 1 Peter 2:11     

I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live – 1 Peter 2:11

I am born of God, and the evil one-the devil-cannot touch me – 1 John 5:18

God bless

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

SEEDS...

I love the story of the "Seed and the Sower" and as much as I have read this story I always come away with something different. This time, as God showed me how we meet people and when we talk with people, we can see them in one of these scenarios. Some may receive a word from you with joy, some may debate you on every scripture you speak and others will blatantly refuse to believe what you say as truth.  I can say I have met many who I could relate to the four stages of  heart condition.  But, truth be told, I have found myself to have visited each of these stages at one time in my life. I give all glory to God for HE IS a God of His Word, for He never left me to my own foolish thinking, He has kept His hand upon me guiding me and directing back on His path. I may have wondered here and there, but He never let me go too far out of His sight. I pray that this insight from the God above will be enlightening to you as well as a blessing...

 The wayside

Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord... (Hosea 10:12) For we need to prepare our hearts and this is done through much praying and diligently seeking God on a daily basis. “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)” 2 Cor. 9:10.   God is the supplier of the seed as well as the bread that we eat for all comes from His hands. Our hearts seem to have been seared as with a hot iron, we are stubborn, high minded and arrogant“…he that hardens his heart shall fall into mischief” Prov. 28:14.  Our pride says we can do better, we have given ear to the enemy in following all his ways, unknowingly, we have let him have control of our lives, for when the Word of God is sown he comes immediately and takes away what we have heard. Our pride says this is rubbish, but now something is breaking within us, something is changing our way of thinking, let us strive to break up that fallow ground of our heart, let us begin with fervent prayer; we must fight off the lies of the enemy who will try to destroy the Word which we have heard, and we must not give him an opportunity to whisper in our ears to deceive us any longer. Don’t give him any place in your mind and your heart, “…resist the devil and he will flee” James 4:7.

The stony, rocky ground

When we hear the Word, it is received with great joy, it is sown within us but our foundation is shallow and weak and we don’t have the ability to receive the deeper meaning of the Word.  And because this is the condition of our heart for it has no deepness in which to take root, the Word says; “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” Jn. 6:66. Those who walked with Jesus, those who saw His miracles and heard His teachings, suddenly turn away, they allowed doubt, fear of persecution from others, and unbelief to come in and they chose to turn away from Christ.  Our soil is partially prepared not all the stone have been removed for the seeds cannot fully develop. Many times, we hear people say that the Word is too difficult to understand, or it's just confusing. Because there are still many obstacles (stones) that still stand in your way, Jesus says: "...In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). He knows that we all face the temptation to doubt, and we may even turn away for a while, but we will all come back to the only source who is able to help us when we call upon Him. Our faith is critical in fully believing in what we hear, tribulations and all sorts of evil that arises may come, but knowing that God is on our side we are assured to be an overcomer just as Jesus. Whatever the hindrances are to the Word being planted deeply with you must be dealt with immediately. For that stony ground is covered with more and more rocks that prevent the seeds to fully grab hold of the richness of earth.  Therefore, when you hear the Word, resist the lies of the enemy when he comes to take that away which was planted. You must keep striving never give in to fear or doubt, but believe that God desires to give you another heart: “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” Eze. 11:19. Continue to break up your fallow ground, don’t give up.

The Thorny Ground

“…break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns” Jer.4:3. As we come to God, as we truly receive Jesus as Lord of our lives, a cleansing starts within and this is where we agree with God that this bad habit, arrogant attitude or this selfish way of thinking must go.  Our ground is receiving good seed, and it’s beginning to take root in us, but the cares of this life, the things we find ourselves so concern with daily are beginning to chock the seeds. There are so many concerns that many of us face daily and it may seem hopeless at times but we must grab hold of the Word and believe it with all that we have. We must let go of the negativity, we must break away from the naysayers and we must close our ears to the lies of the enemy. There is no justification for holding onto things that displeases God. You must learn to let go, to relinquish control and know that all is in God’s hands. Don’t allow the cares of this world to smother your seed, don’t think that your way is better for this is just lies from the enemy to make you stop pursuing God. And don’t allow the “deceitfulness of riches” of this world, rob you of your glorious riches in heaven. The Word is in you and the Word is doing what it’s supposed to do – and that is, helping you to produce fruit.

The Good Ground

Now this is the place where we should strive to be, we hear the Word, we receive it and now we are beginning to bear fruit. This is the level that we all should desire our hearts to be, the soil is plowed up and made ready for good seed. Our soil is supple, we are receiving the Word and cherishing every moment to read it; and its roots are deeply planted.  The Word of God is within us, it feels as though we have finally come home. It took some time for us to reach this point, but in the struggle, we found the strength to keep breaking up our fallow ground. There were struggles about letting go, there was doubt as to if this Word is true, and there was spiritual warfare that we had to engage in to battle the lies and to turn our focus onto God. Now, God’s Word is firmly planted, we have complete access to His throne of mercy at any time of the day and we know how to respond to those who ask us of our hope. Our faith grows stronger every day, our knowledge of God enlightens our understanding and His love fills us with not only assurance but with a sense of awe. We are producing fruit that pleases God, we are sharing, helping, encouraging, and praying with others on their journey to the Good Ground.  

Chosen2Prayer

Promises and Power of God

Jn. 3:27 “…a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

Rom. 8:25 “…then do we with patience wait for it.”

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2Peter 1:3). All that we will ever need is in Him, for He is our source for strength, ability, might, and power and He has given to us these thigs where we draw strength, endurance, faith to work the work He has given for us to do. His Word is His promise that we can trust completely in: “for all the promises of God in him are yea (yes) and in him amen (truly, so be it), unto the glory of God by us” 2 Cor:1:2.  What a wonderful blessing to know that in God His promises are sure, His Word is sure, and that not one promise of God is “no” to those who will believe. If He said it will he not do it?

As we look in Matthew 17:20 we see Jesus speaking; “… if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove...” this is a powerful statement, the story here was that the disciples were unable to cast out a demon from a young man and the father went to Jesus to see if He could help his son. Of course, Jesus was successful but He told the disciples "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" Mat. 17:21 (NASB). unbelief or doubt is a killer to faith, it hinders our prayers from being answered, it stops the Word from producing fruit when we speak it because our faith is mixed with doubt.

If you have faith it will be done – whatever you say – but if you do not have faith it will not be done. We need this mustard seed of faith that which is pure and unmixed with doubt, to know that we can move every mountain, every obstacle, every road block that tries to hinder what God has given us to do. As you begin to search the Bible for the promises of God your faith will awaken, there will be a knowing that is birth within that is indescribable because faith has been stirred.  Never should doubt or fear come in us when God has called us to do something, in fact just kick those out of your vocabulary right now and know that “…nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Mt. 17:20).

Our Mustard seed faith is very powerful, if you have ever seen an actual mustard seed you will know that, that tiny seed is like an atom bomb waiting to be connected with your belief and what God’s Word says we have. And when it is released, it becomes the power of God, and the faith of God that will move the mountains and all that stands in our way.  There is great power even in a little faith when we trust in God’s power to act. The next time you feel weak or powerless, examine your faith, make sure you are trusting God’s power and not your own ability to produce fruit. 

A good example of this is in 1 Samuel 15, here you will find Saul who was anointed King over Israel, who was victorious over many of the enemies of Israel because of God’s hand upon him. But something went wrong in his thinking, he didn’t follow God’s command completely, he disobeys God in the taking of the king and the best of the animals (1 Sam.15:8-9).  Then, he intruded into the priest office by offering a burnt offering (1 Sam. 13:8-15), If men could only learn to obey God and be patient until He sends help in times of need, it would be a great lesson learned. Then he sought guidance from one with a familiar spirit, the same people he had vanquished and destroyed he was now seeking their help (1 Sam. 28:7-25).  

 Saul chose to do these things because he feared the people more than God, he was prideful and then in desperation he totally disobeyed the laws of God, the one who had given him victory over many of his enemies. But he never realized that disobedience to what God called him to had such a dire consequence.  You see, when God has given you a word, a task or a calling, and you fail in obeying or you half-heartily follow it or you are fearful of what people would say, the one at fault is you. Saul did not see himself as one at fault, he thought it was the people he feared, it was his impatience, and it was Samuel who had died and left him. He was the king the people followed him, as his faith weakened and an evil spirit rested upon him the people’s faith was lacking and as he disobeyed the people followed.

Saul is an example that shows us how life can become when we walk in our own ways and thoughts. Remember, we have the power of God in us, that is, those who have truly received the atoning work of Jesus as Lord of their lives. We have been given a precious gift when Jesus said; “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). This comforter, is the precious Holy Spirit, He is living in us, He is that power behind the mustard seed faith, He is that power that raised Jesus and Lazarus from their grave, and He is that power that worked when God said “Let there be…” When God calls us, we should let nothing stop us from going forth to do the will of God. And as we walk in obedience to God’s will good fruit will come forth.

Accessing the promises of God requires that we “have faith in God” and doubt not. For when we meet this condition we can thus know and believe that “…what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). We must ask according to God’s will our desires, what is your desire you ask? God’s will is God’s Word and God’s Word is your desire.  Ask in faith, believing and never doubting, for the deeper we get into Gods Word, and the more time we spend in His presence a relationship develops, an intimacy that you have never known is being formed.  And suddenly, all that you thought was vital to your existence no longer has priority, and every trial or situation has lost its urgency because now you know what it means when God say’s “but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33).

The desires of your heart are no longer worldly, for God does see the condition you’re in, He knows what you are facing, He has promised never to leave you or forsake you. So, let your faith stand strong knowing that he is an on - time God, let God handle the issues of your life and let Him work everything out according to His plans for you – in the meantime, continue to praise him, to pray unto Him, to seek Him, to study His Word and to love His presence, for He is faithful.

One other condition I want to mention is that “if ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you” (Jn. 15:7). Abiding in Christ, means living free from condemnation, knowing we are no longer bound to our sins, for Christ has freed us, he has washed us white as snow and we are now adopted into the family of God.  And therefore, we have the privilege of coming to the Father in prayer at any time with our desires, needs and wants. And with unwavering faith, God will do nothing in our favour without faith. It is right that we should have confidence in him; and if we have confidence, it is easy for him to help us, and he willingly does it. (Barnes' Notes on the New Testament) Because we understand that “…all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mk 9:23). Because “without faith it is impossible to please God for when we come to God, we must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). For God, cannot deny His word or Himself.

Chosen2Prayer