Hope Deferred

Proverbs 13:12 " Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But  when  the desire comes,  it is  a tree of life." 


There has been times in your life where you have hoped for something and because you haven't seen it come to fruition you've lost heart. You begin grow weary and begin to believe that all those things that you have been hoping for all this time will never come to pass. There's hope in God! He can see all the deepest desires of your heart and if you just hold fast and continue to believe in Him he will bring them to pass. Just believe!
Mark 11:24"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive  them,  and you will have  them." 

Mark 9:23 "Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things  are  possible to him who believes.” 
I know how difficult it can be to continue to believe when you have yet to see. But in believing lies the key. It's the weariness that causes you to want to give up, but just hold on. Keep the faith! Galatians 6:9" And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Your season of reaping is just on the horizon, don't give up. God loves you and wants to see you prosper. Jeremiah 29:11" For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Be encouraged today to not give up. Shake off the weariness and hold on to your belief in our loving Father who will take care of you. 

Be Blessed!!

Gods Plan

God has a great plan for your life. He has created you for great things. He is preparing you and placing you right where you need to be. Rest in Him knowing that He will guide your path and make your way straight. Sometimes we can get so intense in worrying that we are not where we are suppose to be. God will find a way to make it clear to you on where you should be. He will make your purpose clear and will see that you fulfill it.
Don't let the mistakes you have made keep you thinking God won't use you. Look at the apostle Paul, if anyone past excluded them from being used by God it would have been his; a persecutor of Christians. But just to make a point, God used a man that once stopped the spreading of the gospel to be one of it's greatest contributors in our History. Don't let anything hold you back from what God has spoken into your life. He will establish your way so that you can accomplish all He has set you out to do. Rest in knowing that God will bring about your purpose. Don't let anything keep you from running the race!!!

Be Blessed!!

Swift to Hear

  So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; (James 1:19 NKJV)

The tongue is a powerful tool. The Bible tells us that life and death are in the power of tongue. James tells us that the tongue is like a rudder of a ship having the ability to steer even the largest of ships: Jam 3:4,5 "Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!"
As much power is in the tongue, I believe our ears boast as much if not more power than our tongue. When I refer to our ears I refer to our ability to hear ( to comprehend, to understand-Strong's G191 - akouō). An art lost in a generation that always has something to say. While speaking what is on our mind is important it should be secondary to hearing. By taking the time to hear what others are saying we are establishing the importance of  fully understanding where their coming from. We are saying that what they have to say is important and we are going to show them respect by giving them our attention. This is something that has been lost in the age we live in. You can hardly talk to someone now days without them pulling out their phone to text or surf the Internet.

There is a reason why God tells us to be swift to hear and slow to speak. How many times in our lives have we got into arguments because we never allowed the person we were talking with to fully explain their point. We were so busy focusing on what we wanted to say that we cut them off or we didn't give them our full attention. I also believe that just as this scripture says that as we focus on hearing others and not so much on what we want to say it will cause us to not get as angry. We will be slow to wrath (movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger- Strong's G3709 - orgē).

Listening helps us to fully understand, which than helps us to be slow to wrath: Pro 14:29 "[He who is] slow to wrath has great understanding, But [he who is] impulsive exalts folly."
This is what exactly happens when we don't take the time to hear what others are saying. Because we don't hear them we act impulsively which leads to all kinds of problems. Remember to take the time to listen to those in your life. It will save you from acting impulsively which keeps you from saying things you don't really mean.

Be Blessed!!

Fulfillment

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered them and said,  “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

I stumbled upon this passage and it resignated deeply within my spirit. It was a good reminder to me of where I find my fulfillment. The reason I pursue God is not for what He can do for me, but rather because He's the only thing in this world that truly fills me; brings complete satisfaction. There are things in life that can temporarily satisfy but will never bring true satisfaction like He does. There is no better place than being completely reliant upon Him because it's only in that place that we can truly be satisfied.

A God Send!!

The other day I was at work and I was having one of those days where you just can't shake the negativity that surrounds you. I couldn't seem to rise above the muck that all to often surrounds me at work. Instead of rising above it, I got pulled into it and found myself wallowing in self-pity. For a moment I found myself cursing everything about my job. The more and more my focus continued on my own situation and how it was affecting me, the further I found myself falling down the proverbial rabbit hole. Just when I thought I was going to disintegrate in self awareness, in walked a man (who also works at the same place as I do just in a different department, so I rarely see him) and he begun to talk to me about his concern with where the world is headed. He began to talk about how bad things are getting around the world and how the world needs a Messiah. He began to share how he's been more aware of spreading the gospel because the time is getting short. I stood there listening to this man share his heart with me. We finished up our conversation and then we both continued on with our day. As I walked away from this man I felt my burden lift. I thought it to be strange because although our conversation was good it wasn't exactly uplifting (so I thought). In the past talking about the world coming to an end didn't exactly excite me! But there I stood; burden lifted. As I got back to work God began to show me the reason my burden lifted. He showed me that my perspective changed. It went from a place of self-pity and how my environment was affecting me to a perspective of how am I affecting my environment. I've always known that self-pity never leads to a good place but on occasion I throw caution to the wind and dive in feet first. Often times coming out the other side worse off. But because of Gods goodness He sent a man to me to help change my perspective. To get my eyes of my situation and onto the bigger picture. I thought to myself, "the harvest is plenty but the labors are few." I immediately thanked God for helping change my perspective and getting my focus back on Him. I also had to go to this man (who I know is also having a difficult time rising above the muck at work) and share with him how his conversation with me affected me. I thanked him for taking the time to share with me what was on his heart. I explained how it affected me and for a moment we were able to encourage each other to keep our eyes on the prize, the big picture. This was such a good reminder for me of the battle that is being wagged. The battle for our attention and focus. The enemy is at work to keep our focus off of Gods commandment (the great commission) and onto our own problems that in return keep our focus on changing our own situation instead of changing the world around us. Remember that God is at work taking care of that which concerns you so that you can be at work being His hands and feet to a world in need.

Be Blessed!!!

A Work in Progress

Phl. 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ."

Whenever I get down on myself because I'm not where I think I should be in life; I just stop and remember that I'm a work in progress. God is still molding and fashioning me into who He wants me to be. And it will continue until I meet Him face to face. He will continue to direct and guide me on how I should walk and look in this life. He is in control and as long as I remember that, I can take confidence in who I am because I know I'm being shaped by the almighty God. I'm His workmanship. He is handcrafting me unto His pleasure. Having this understanding that He is at work in me until He returns also keeps me from ever thinking that I'm already a finished product; that I have already attained. It keeps pride from taking root within me because as long as I'm looking to Him as the Creator and finisher of who I am, pride has no place in me. I realize that I'm not who I am because of anything I've done but rather because of who He is in me. This is also my defense when people judge me. I can tell them to take it up with God because He is the one in charge of molding me into who He desires me to be. And it is my goal to allow His process to take its full coarse in my life. I'm just along for the ride. Remember to not allow the enemy to remind you of your deficiency's but rather take confidence that God has you right where He wants you and that He is at work in you.

Be blessed!!

Those that Have Gone Before us Cont.

Seeing that this has been apart of my philosophy to life, it has also caused me to be very aware of the example I'm leaving for those who come after me. This is a big part of why I choose to live the way I do. Just as I have learned from my parents Godly example, I want my children and their children to be able to look at the way I've lived my life and be able to use my victories and mistakes as lessons for them to learn from. I also want them to be able to see the benefits to serving God and living a life that follows after Him. I believe this all boils down to this simple principle: that our actions, good or bad, not only affects those around us but it also affects the generations to come. And when we are making decisions, good or bad, we should remember that the decisions we make can negatively or positively affect those around us. This is why God has called us to live a life of obedience to Him. Because as we follow after Him our lives begin to illuminate the goodness of God that leaves a lasting impression upon those who come after us. Keep your eyes on Him!!

Be Blessed!!

Those that Have Gone Before us!!

I have tried in my life to glean as much as possible from those that have gone before me. The generations before us have left a legacy for us to walk in. There is so much that can be learned from their experiences.

Paul urges us a few times in the Bible to watch his Godly example and imitate him:
1Cr 4:15-16 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet [you do] not [have] many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
I believe there has been people in our lives that have been such great examples for us to follow after.
Why reinvent the wheel? Just as Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun"; there is nothing that we are going through that someone before us hasn't already gone through. And why not use their experiences as lesson for us to learn from? Having grown up around some amazing people in my life, I've always tried to have this philosiphy in life. I've watched and learned from all those important examples in my life and I can stand here today and say, I am who I am because of their great example. I know there is something inside of us that has to experience everything for ourselves. But if we can learn from the victories and mistakes of those that have gone before us, why not? I would call that wisdom!

Here's Solomon, one of the wisest men in all of history, and he starts out (one of my favorite passages in the Bible) by saying, "Son, give attention to my words", learn from what I done:
Pro 4:20-27 "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they [are] life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it [spring] the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil."

Be Blessed!!

Favor follows me

Psa 5:12 "For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as [with] a shield."
Psa 35:27 "Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, 'Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.'"

This is such a great reminder for us as believers. As we follow after God His favor follows us. He begins to open doors of opportunity in our lives that no man (or bad economy) can close. He gives us favor and is faithful to fulfill all of His promises. As our eyes are open to His goodness there is nothing we can do but give Him all we have.

http://frankkemberling.brinkster.net/blog/?p=435

Be Blessed!!

Arise in us

Jhn 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

It's so important that we are showing the world how He loves. As we allow the love of God to arise in us we then can approporately represent Him to those around us. I believe often times we make serving God so difficult that people around us don't want anything to do with it. Time to get back to the simple message of the cross. The power of salvation lies in Gods love. And this is what it is all about; that God loved the world. This is what I believe is part of His kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven. Showing a world that a loving God has provided salvation to all because of His love for all. This should be our voice to this world. Jesus saves!!!! Let God arise in us!!!

This is a great song and a great band. Check it out!
http://frankkemberling.brinkster.net/blog/?p=433
Be Blessed!!

Give me Faith

clink on link to hear music http://www.freedomtucson.com/blog/

This song is such a powerful song. For me right now it expresses everything I am and want to be. I need God so that I can love the way He has called me to love. I need God so that I can be the husband, father, and friend that He has called me to be. And this is where my heart desire lies; in being a true reflection of Him in every aspect of my life. It can only come through Him. My prayer is that my faith would arise so that I could trust what He says and that I would know that He is good and His love is great. Never forgot that although man may fail you, God never will!!


Be Blessed!!

Revisiting Gods Promises

Gen 26:24-25 "And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I [am] the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I [am] with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake.So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well."


In the old testament when God spoke or did something on someone's behalf they built a monument as a reminder of what He did. This monument could have been a well, a stone altar or some other kind of structure that when visited stood as a reminder of what God spoke into their lives. As I reflected upon this old testament principle, the Lord began to show me the importance of revisiting those promises He has spoken into my life. He began to show me that in a lot of cases the answer I had been seeking had already been spoken into my life from years past. I just needed to revisit those things He had already spoken over me. Often times God speaks into our lives and because we don't see immediate results we assume we must have heard wrong. It's important to remember the seasons of God. Things spoken now into your life may be for this season or it could be for years down the road. Hold fast to those promises because He is a faithful God and He will bring them to past; it just may not be in our timing. If your seeking God for direction and He has not yet answered you, revisit what He has said in years past and see if your answer is there. Seek God and He will answer or maybe He already has!

Be Blessed!!!

Fear of The Lord

Psa 89:7 "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all [those] around Him."


Hbr 12:28 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may [fn] serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."

The fear of the lord should be one of the founding principles behind our actions. The fear of the Lord is meant for instruction and the establishment of wisdom and understanding. I believe the reason people have such a hard time with this concept of fearing God is because they have had the wrong concept of fear. This fear isn't to be scared, but rather a reverence. A due respect for God who is much larger than ourselves and holds our lives in His hands.

The purpose behind the fear of the lord should be a holy reverence. That very reminder that stands as a check and balance in our lives, making sure we stay on track and more importantly don't mislead people. When there's a healthy fear of the lord in our lives it causes us to check all that we are doing. It makes sure we are representing Him right and that we aren't misleading people by false doctrine and the twisting of His word. We should all strive to allow this reverence for God to be the driving force behind what we do. It's not because we are afraid of Him but because we love Him and He deserves it.

Be Blessed!!

Renewing Your Strength!!

Phl 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ [fn] who strengthens me."


Isa 40:31 "But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew [their] strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

Take the time to allow God to give you inspiration and renew your strength. In Him is the stength to accomplish all we face. In Him we can do all things!! I find for myself that when I can take the time to be still and separate myself for a moment from the chaos that occurs in this life that He is always faithful to bring me the rest and strength I need. I find for myself that escaping into nature (Gods creation) gives me that place that I can filter out the noise of the world and allow God to renew me. It's nature for me but it may be something different for you; but the need for you to find that quite time is pivotal in keeping your peace and perspective on God. Make sure to start your week out right by giving Him the time He deserves and in return He will give you the strength you need to accomplish all that lies ahead of you this week.

Be Blessed!!!

Reaching Forward!!!

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing  I do,  forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13, 14 NKJV)

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares  us,  and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of  our  faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1, 2 NKJV)

It's interesting because forgetting the past and reaching ahead go hand in hand. If you can never let go of your past and all the baggage that comes with it, it's nearly impossible to reach for what's ahead with any expectancy of achieving all God has for you. Yes, you can grow from your failures and learn from your mistakes, but wallowing in the past will only keep you bound to a time and season that halts any momentum and progress into the future. Don't run this race bound to the failures of your past. Look upon Jesus and you will find yourself rapidly approaching all you've set out to do. Let go and let God!!!

Be Blessed!!

Your Flame

I believe God has given each and everyone of us our own unique flame. That passion that He brings into our lives when we surrendered to Him. What this flame represents is unique to us and reflects who God is to us. I call this a flame but some may call this our passion for God. This is the very thing that became a part of who we are when we asked Christ into our lives. It's what attracts some people to us and at the same time the thing that may repel some people or cause them to judge us. The trouble we as believers get into is when we try to mimic someone else's flame. We can evidently see how passionate that person is for God so we think if we do the same thing they're doing maybe our flame/passion will be as evident as theirs. This is where we can get in trouble because what we become is no longer honest and pure but rather fake; putting on an outward appearance all the while still being very lost on the inside. What we can't forget is that God is after our heart. He wants the decisions we make to come from a heart that loves Him and not because we are affraid of how others may judge us. God has made it clear that He does not see and judge things the way we do:
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
You see the biggest mistake we can make is to not be authentic. To have our own unique expression of who God is in us and how that reflects on the outside of us. My prayer is that we as christians would find our own flame for God. And that we wouldn't try to look the same but that we would be uniquely who God has made us to be.

Check out this song!!
http://frankkemberling.brinkster.net/blog/?p=388



Be Blessed!!

Bad News

I find it strange that we live in a time that thrives on bad news. I mean it seems that the only thing that excites people these days is to hear about what bad things are happening in other people's lives. I turn the news on and all they're talking about is who got murdered and what devastation has done in other people's lives. It's depressing!!

 I wonder what would happen if we stopped accepting bad news! I'm not talking about denying that bad things are happening in this world. I'm just saying we should stop participating in it. We should spend our time and energy on those good things in this life that bring us joy and life. If it isn't producing life in us we shouldn't be spending our energy on it. God has called us to think upon good things:
   Phillipians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." 

I wonder if by changing our behavior we would change those bad things occuring around us. It needs to happen. Come on! By spending our time and attention on good things our lives start to promote that. The more time we spend focusing on the bad things in this life the more it will begin to affect our lives. Pretty soon that is what will be the focus of our conversation:
Luke 6:45:"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Matthew 5:16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Its crazy to think that there is a generation out there that thinks the best way to get attention is by doing something wrong. When they do something good nobody cares but as soon as they do something wrong they have all eyes and attention on them. We need to begin to change this culture by allowing the good that God has placed in and around our lives to be where our conversation and focus lie.

Be Blessed!!

Gods Goodness

This song is a continual reminder of how good our God is. That no matter what comes our way, we can trust that He is at work. My hope is in the Lord. It is so true that day after day He is so faithful. He always comes through! I can look back at my journey with God and see that time after time He has come through. It hasn't always been the way I thought He would come through but He has always been faithful and has come through. This song reminds me of the faithfulness of our God and it causes me to grow in gratitude towards Him. He is worthy to receive all the praise and glory. He is the one constant in an inconstant world. Place your hope upon Him because He will come through!!
Click on the link to hear the song!!
http://frankkemberling.brinkster.net/blog/?p=380

Be Blessed!!

Gods Presence

I've grown up in this faith, being taught at an early age about the Bible and God. But it wasn't until I experienced God for myself that this faith in God became real. It went from the faith of my father to my personal faith. It became the very thing that drives me and causes me to be who I am. I believe that experiencing Gods presence is so important because it builds our faith. In His presence is everything we need. True satisfaction! This song always reminds me of my journey with God. It reminds me to set time aside to allow His presence to renew my strength and to give me rest. Go to this site to hear the song!!http://frankkemberling.brinkster.net/blog/?p=376

'Holy Spirit' by Bryan & Katie Torwalt

[audio:http://www.freedomtucson.com/blog/audio/HolySpirit.mp3]

Be Blessed

Music

I thought I would do a little something different this week and share some music with you. Music (specifically worship) plays a huge role in my daily life. Worship is a way in which I express my love to God. It is also a way for me to get my focus off the things of this world and onto Him.

There are times in my walk with God that I question why something happened the way it did. My soul longs to know whats going on at all times and insinsts that there must be a reason for everything that happens. While there may be a reason for everything that happens, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to try to figure it all out. Instead, I'm going to choose to lean upon His character and trust in His promises no matter what happens.The end of this song always brings me to that place that when I don't understand, I'm going to choose you.
Click on this link to hear music!!
http://frankkemberling.brinkster.net/blog/?p=295
Breathe You In God by Bryan and Katie Torwalt

Weapons Formed

Isaiah 54:17
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.


When my wife and I found out we were going to have another baby 7 months ago, you could understand how elated we were to find this out. Then when we found out we were going to have a girl our elation turned to jubilation because that is what we hoping for. But what we found out next was something that we definitely weren't prepared to hear! When We found out that our baby Eden only had a two vessel cord instead of three, our jubilation turned to deep concern seeing that we really had no understanding of what this meant. Immediately the enemy wanted to turn what God meant for good into something evil. As you could imagine my concern turned to fear and then came the meltdown. In the midst of my meltdown God reminded me of something my mom has always told me. "God never promised that weapons wouldn't be formed, just that they wouldn't prosper." Wow what a great reminder of our Gods goodness!  As I sought God on our situation He began to bring peace to my heart reassuring me that this was only a weapon formed that wasn't going to prosper. This peace is what we were going to need seeing that with each step along the way the enemy kept reminding us of this weapon fashioned against our baby. With each reminder the enemy brought to our attention, the light of Gods promises quickly dispelled them. The first weapon fashioned was the two vessel cord, we sought God and He brought peace to our hearts and minds. The next weapon was that our baby had too much fluid in her kidneys (which could be a cause of the two vessel cord). On our next visit Gods hand already was at work and the fluid in her kidneys was already dissipating. Than the enemy tried to tell us that our baby was going to be small as an affect of the two vessel cord. On our next visit to the doctors we found out the our baby was two weeks ahead of where she should be in her growth (which is what we were praying for), thank you God. The enemy has continued to try to have us latch on to his lies and to believe that this weapon formed against our little girl was going to prosper. And we've had a choice through this; are we going to believe this lie and allow it torment our minds with  fear or are we going to trust in the goodness of God and believe He has the best for our little one. This hasn't been easy, but we've chosen to trust in God. Our last visit to the doctor we were told that they saw something in our last ultrasound that gave them concern with our baby's brain. They immediately sent us off to a high risk specialist to examine the baby's brain. Seeing that this was new news to us we immediately had to make a decision if we were going to allow this weapon formed to steal our peace or if we were going to remain in Him. As tough as it was we allowed Gods peace to comfort our minds. After seeing the specialist we found out that there is absolutely nothing wrong with our baby's brain, she's ahead of schedule in her growth and she no longer has any fluid in her kidneys. All of which shouldn't be, considering she only has two vessel cords. Thank you Jesus for your goodness in our lives. This is a testament to the goodness of our God. Remember that when the enemy forms weapons against you that God will not allow them to prosper. Remain in Him and you'll remain in peace.
Be Blessed!!

God is at Work in You: Part 2!!

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;


Last time we talked a bit about Moses reminding God of his shortcomings (as if it were a surprise to God). I love how God uses us even when we feel we have nothing to offer. I'm sure this is kind of how Moses must of felt. This is what is great about Gods calling. He will use someone that the world may see as having nothing to offer and use them to accomplish great things:


1 Corithians 1:26-31
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”


This encourages me because I've realized that God wants to use us in areas we never thought we could be used. If we already thought we were masters at it there would be no room for Him to get the glory. I believe whole heartily that God has given us natural abilities to be used; these abilities are used in our daily functioning. He may even use those abilities as a vehicle to take us places we never thought we would go thus causing us to rely more heavily upon Him. But in our natural ability it is easy to not need Him, because our ability comes natural. It is something were confident we can do pretty good on our own. I believe He wants to stretch us far beyond what we ever thought we were capable of because He wants no flesh to get glory. The great part is that He is at work in us. He is bringing it about. We need to just pray that when He brings that season about in our lives that causes us to stretch far beyond our capacity that we will rise to the challenge. God has great things in store for you.
Be Blessed!!

God is at Work in You: Part 1!!

Philippians 1:6

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 

God has a plan for your life and He is bringing it about in you. I think about Moses and the call that God put on his life. I'm sure as a young lad with a stutter he never thought he would be the voice of God to a generation. I can imagine his surprise when God told him he was going to go before Pharaoh and speak on His behalf. I'm sure all the voices in Moses head were reminding him of all his inadequacies and his shortcomings. I find it funny that Moses even reminded the Lord (as if He didn't already know):

 Exodus 4:10

"Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 

I wonder how many times we do this in our lives. When the Lord says I have great things in store for you we quickly allow our inadequacies to speak. "But Lord I'm not smart enough to do that", "but Lord there's no way you would want me to do that."

That's the thing. God will usually call us to do something that is out of our comfort zone, something that causes us to stretch a little. This is because the further we get away from that which comes easy the more we need to rely on Him. And this is where He wants us; relying upon His strength. He will take the ability that He has given us and squeeze every last bit of potential out of it. To make sure we are accomplishing what He has called us to do. This is the great part; He is completing the work He started in us. We need to just sit back and allow it to happen. The thing we need to combat is to not be resistant to it but to be confident that He is doing His thing. So sit back and hold on!!!!! 

Be Blessed!!

Let Faith Arise!

As I read the Bible I can't help but be reminded of the importance of our belief. Time and again I see scriptures saying things like "according to your faith" and "as you believe". It is a good reminder that our whole understanding of who God is, is based upon our belief. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that this is the very thing the enemy will be after; our ability to believe. The enemy will try everything under the sun to try to shake our faith. Try to cause us to question if what we believe is true. This is why it is so vitally important that we have a firm foundation. A foundation that is built upon the Rock. How can we be certain that our faith is built upon a strong foundation? It simple, it's by by living out this faith. Seeing our faith in motion will cause a confidence to arise within us that recognizes the truth through all the lies. Actively living for God creates opportunities for us too see God move on our behalf. And when you see God move in your life and in the lives of people around you there's no denying Him. Here's a passage from Matthew: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27, 27 NKJV). It's so very important that we are doing what God says, because than when the storms of life come our faith will not be shaken. Let faith arise!!!
Be Blessed

Offense

Offenses will come! The question is how much will we allow it to affect us.  I believe that offense is a fiery dart developed by the enemy with the sole purpose of stealing our love. God has called us to love; not only Him but the people around us. And the hurt and pain that comes with offense if not released, will only affect our ability to trust people thus affecting our love for them. I think our need for vindication makes it difficult to truly let go.We think by letting go were saying that what happened to us was ok. It's not that letting go is saying what happened is ok, it's just saying that what happened isn't going to have power over you anymore, causing you to not be able to move on. That is what holding on to offense does. It keeps you stuck in that moment. It causes you to see the rest of the world through it's lens, cautiously approaching people with an expectation that somewhere along the line they will hurt you. In the end this affects our ability to have fellowship with others because we constantly feel the need to protect ourselves. As difficult as it may be God has called us to love those around us including our enemies and that vengeance is His.
"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance [is] Mine, I will repay,"says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"(Romans 12:19-21). By not allowing offense to take root in our lives in essence we are overcoming evil with good.  
Be Blessed!!

The Golden Rule

I continue to be inspired by Gods word. It is true that every answer to this life can be found in Gods word. In reading today, I came across this scripture: "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matt 7:12)."  I think so many times we are in search for the deeper things of God that on occasion we forget about what some may call the "foundational principles." I believe it is a good thing to be searching Gods word for the meat of His word, but it is also important on occasion to be reminded of the simpler things. Treating others the way we want to be treated truly is a simple principle that, when practiced, releases the love of God to all those around us. Walking this out can be difficult especially when most people in our society do just the opposite; they treat people the way they are treated. This is how our lights can shine. As we are obedient to Gods way of doing things our lives than begin to illuminate His presence and in return it unlocks His favor in our lives. And being obedient to the way He calls us to walk will only benefit us in all aspects of our lives. It will cause our relationships to flourish, it will open doors at work that otherwise wouldn't be opened and it will cause our lives bear much fruit. As we approach this week lets remember to treat others the way we want to be treated.
Be Blessed!

Peace

 Phl. 4:6, 7: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Peace is available to us in every situation. As we give God our worries through prayer His peace guards our hearts and minds. By giving God our worries we are realinquishing control and giving it to Him. The more we hold onto that control the more we will be anxious. By holding onto that control it is saying that we can handle whatever comes our way and in a way we are saying we don't need Him. I don't know about you but I need Him! And there is nothing that compares to the peace that comes as we give God full reign in our life. Trust that He has your best interest in His hands and let go!
Be Blessed!

Fear

Fear is the opposite of faith. God did not call us to a lifestyle of fear but rather a lifestyle of faith. Faith is believing in what is true even though you have yet to see it. Fear is believing in a lie even though you have yet to see it. The Bible says, "perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18)." What is this perfect love? It is Jesus! And He came so that we may have life and enjoy it (John 10:10 amp). This perfect love (Jesus) says He will provide for us, He will clothe us, and He will take care of our needs (Matt 6:25-34). I believe His point in this is for us to not spend our time worrying about the bad things that can happen but to trust in His ability to provide for us. He always comes through. What benefit is there in fear? What does it add to our life but torment. I believe that as we give God our fears its saying we trust in His perfect love. Faith is trusting in Gods kingdom; fear is trusting in the devils kingdom. I choose to put my faith in Gods kingdom!!
Be Blessed!

Power Of The Tongue!

Far too often we forget the power of our tongue. We forget that the words we use shape our world. The Bible says it this way : "Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit (Pro. 18:21)." We have the ability to speak life to those around us or to curse them. Far too often we have used our words to tear people down instead of build them up. I believe that God has blessed us with this ability so that we would use it to encourage and bring life to those around us. I think we should begin to look for opportunities to encourage those around us with a kind word. The Bible also says: "A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word [spoken] in due season, how good [it is]!" Lets look for those opportunities to speak life to those around us. 
Be Blessed!!!

Your the only you in this world

You see it's important you understand this. It is important because the church, and ultimately the world needs you to understand this so that you can fulfill your God given purpose on this earth.  God created you specifically for this time. 1 Corithians 12 tells us that God created you with a specific gift that is needed in order for the church to operate properly. He likened us to a body; we are all parts of this body each with a different function but all needed in order for the body to function properly. The more time we spend trying to be something we're not the more time the body will be deformed, unable to operate properly. Too often we think that our part doesn't matter. That we aren't gifted enough to make a difference. That we just weren't given enough talent to really change anything. This in part is true, we in ourselves cannot truly cause change but as we see ourselves as He sees us (truly relying upon His strength and not our own) the sky is the limit. This is where He wants us to place our reliance, upon Him. "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" Phil 1:6. As we gain this confidence in knowing that He is at work in us so that He can work through us; We will gain the confidence needed to be who God created us to be. Uniquely you! We will also then approach life with a sense of urgency in becoming who God created us to be so that the body can truly function to its full potential. Approach today with the understanding that your needed by the world to be you. Because there is no other you in this world!! Be Blessed!!

safe place

I'm strengthened by Psalms 91. It encourages me because all to often as I walk through this imperfect world I need a place of refuge. A place that I can find rest and regain my strength. A true safe place where I can come comfortable to be myself and be protected. This chapter in the bible, for me, paints a perfect picture of who my heavenly Father is: He is my protector, He is my shield, He is my rock, He is my fortress, in Him I can trust. He will be there when I call upon Him and He will deliver me from my enemies. He will be with me in times of trouble and He will keep me from evil. He is the one constant in an always changing world. And I don't know about you, but I desperately need Him. I would encourage you when life gets overwhelming to reflect upon this chapter and to remember how good our God is. Be blessed!!

Don't Stop Dreaming

Never give up on the dreams God has given you. In the right season He will bring them to pass, just stay the course. Look at Joseph; he had a dream and after sharing his dream not only was he rebuked by his father, his brothers plotted destruction against him and sold him off to slavery. I'm sure at some point Joseph (as he got further and further away from his dream) had to question the validity of his dreams; questioning if they were truly God or not. But he continued to believe in his dream and no matter what his circumstances said he stayed the course. And in the right season God brought his dreams to fruition. Even though it seems that your dreams are far from reach, continue to believe because in due season God will bring it about. I'm reminded of this scripture; "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9 NKJV). The trials we face develop the character needed to walk out our dreams. Never give up!
Be blessed

Greatness.

God has purposed you for great things. I think often times we take this too lightly. we get caught going through the motions and never really understanding why. Just barely making it, barely surviving, laking in love, laking in relationships, laking in the fullness He destined for everyone of us. I think the problem we run into is in our definition of what fullness is. We think that fullness must mean we have all the money in the world, that we lack in nothing. I do believe that God wants us lacking in nothing, but when our view point is defined by the worlds standard and not by Gods word we will always think we are lacking. I would challenge you that fullness is when we empty ourselves of us and fill in every void with Him. Allowing Him to define what relationship is in our life, allowing Him to define what wealth is in our life, allowing Him to define what greatness is in our life. I'm not saying lower your expectations, I'm saying allow God to define what your expectations should be. When our approach to life is filtered through Gods word we will live in greatness, we will fulfill all that God has called us to do, we will live in fullness. Allow God to define what greatness is in your life not those around you. Be blessed.

Storms of life

Sometimes I think we forget the power that comes with Jesus being in our hearts. I think we forget that the reason we asked Him into our lives is because we saw our weakness and realized we have a need for an all knowing and all powerful God in our lives. Its important we are reminded of this because of the times we live in. We are surrounded by an ever increasing darkness and the chaos and storms of life seem to be getting more and more difficult to walk through. So it's important we remember whose we are and who lives on the inside of us. When we become more aware of this and our focus turns more to Him for strength we will begin to see ourselves walking through the chaos and storms without getting shaken. I'm reminded of Matthew 8 where Jesus was asleep on that boat in the midst of that storm when His disciples woke Him up in a frenzy worried that the storm was going to overtake them. Jesus than woke up and commanded the winds to cease and brought calm to storm. I'm encouraged because this same Jesus that commanded the chaos to cease and brought calm to the storm now lives on the inside of us. And as our focus is on Him and not the surrounding chaos of this world He will give us the ability to walk through the middle of the storm with the calm and confidence that He will carry us through. And remember that just as Peter was able to walk on the water as long as his focus was on Jesus, we can walk on the waters of the trials and storms of this life as long as our focus remains on Jesus. And just as when Peter took his focus off of Jesus and started to focus on the storm that surrounded him he found himself sinking. This is a reminder to us that when we feel that the storms of life are overtaking us and we feel that we are beginning to sink, somewhere along the line our focus turned from Jesus onto the trials of life. And it is as simple as refocusing our gaze upon Him to find that strength we need to get through whatever the storms of this life bring. Be blessed!!  

Our Focus

I wonder how much we could change our situation by simply changing our focus. Easier said than done right ? I know, it's very easy for someone outside of your life to sit back and say just focus on the good in life when everything in there life appears to be going good. But is that the case? Are we really truly able to accurately be the judge of what others are struggling with or is that just another excuse to keep the focus off of our own struggles? The reason I ask is because there always seems to be a pretty valid reason in our lives to keep us from thinking upon those things that bring us joy and life. And I wonder if that's not the enemies way of keeping us in our junk, keeping us from ever getting our heads above water. I wonder how much we could change our situation by simply forcing ourselves to focus on those things that bring us life. I say forcing because when we are constantly surrounding by a world that thrives on negativity and drama we literally have to force ourselves from the drama and force ourselves to find the good things in life to focus on. Reflecting upon God word always brings life and continually gives us wisdom on how to change our situation. I find much encouragement from Phil 4:8 and find when I spend my time meditating on this scripture my attitude towards the difficulties in life begin to change. Than before I know it those things don't seem so tough anymore and I realize that what once seemed to be such a difficulty in my life isn't even a situation anymore. Be encouraged in knowing that in Gods word is the power to change whatever difficulty your facing today.

Seasons of life

There's this idea in life that life would be better if we just had more. It's the constant driving force of the world we live in. Always looking for the next best thing, never truly being satisfied with what we have. We seem to never allow the process we are in to take its full coarse because we are always in a hurry to experience the next thing. I think King Solomon put it best when he said "its all vanity." While I believe it's important to be ambitious and have personal drive; I also believe there's a delicate balance between being driven and being satisfied. Being satisfied is knowing that God has you in a season, no matter how horrendous that season is, and being content in it. Content with the fact that our loving God has only brought you to this season because He knows that there's something to be gained in that season. Something that will draw you closer to Him. I think Paul put it best when he said "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Its being in a place of realizing that no matter where you are in life, if your heart is surrendered to God, He will give you the strength to get through whatever season your in. Be strengthened in knowing today that God has you in the palm of His hand and although at times we have to walk through the fire its His hand that will always keep us from getting burned. Be Blessed!!

Need For God

I've begun to realize my need for God. I seem to go these long periods of time thinking that I can take on any situation I face all the while masking it as Gods strength. Making these claims that God is in control but in myself never giving up all control. I say ALL because I believe that there has been seasons of relinquishing some control but never All. That true abandonment of self. The Scripture from John 3:30 has become so true in my life, I must decrease so that He may increase. I'm realizing the more I begin to decrease, relinquish control over my life, the more room it leaves for Him to increase in me. To truly have Him as director over ALL the areas of my life. And I believe that it is in this state that true peace can be embraced, An understanding that as long as God is in control, no matter what comes my way He'll bring me through it.