Prepare for the thief in the night!

What precautions do you take before bedding down at night? Do you lock your car, check all the windows in the house or lock and latch the doors? If you knew a thief was coming to invade you home, wouldn't you prepare? If you we're told that something great or either something terrible was going to take place for sure… would you not take the time to make arrangements and be ready? If you answered yes to any of these questions are you prepared for Christ's return? Luke 12:39-40 says, "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect." If you are a believer, you may not know the exact hour when the Son of man will return but you do know for sure that He is coming. Therefore it behooves us to prepare and help others prepare as well. I’m sure you would not allow your loved ones to be invaded if you knew they were in danger. Then why not be a witness and a light, a warning so to speak, to them and let them know that now is the time to prepare for the thief in the night. I Thessalonians 5:2-6 says; “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. So though we do not know the day or hour that Christ will return, let us “get our houses in order!” Make sure you are sober or attentive to the times around you. Make sure that you are vigilant or watchful over your soul. Keep the doors of you heart locked and secured with the love and obedience of Christ, so that when He does return you will be ready! Think about it!

Mountain moving fig tree faith

Have you ever been so hungry that you felt like you would eat the first thing in sight? In the book of Mark chapter 11:12-14 Jesus was in that predicament. After much travel the scripture tells that Jesus was indeed hungry and He saw a fig tree bearing leaves afar off. Now, have you ever been really hungry and started to crave something or smell a dish and begin to desire it; only to be let down because it wasn’t as good as you hoped or because “your eyes were bigger than your stomach?” This also happened to our Lord who, decided He wanted some nice juicy figs fulfill His hunger; only to arrive at the tree and find there were no figs. Bring this scenario in to our every day lives. There are and will be times that we will desire things, dare to dream and pursue with the intent to accomplish greatness; only to be let down by people, ourselves or circumstances. IT is at those times that we must exercise “mountain moving fig tree faith,” as Jesus did. Jesus must have been extremely hungry not realize that the fig tree was not at fault, verse 13 explains that it was “not the season for figs.” But that didn’t stop Jesus from retaliating against the tree. Verse 14 says, “In response (to the barren tree) Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.” Brief pause here….I wonder what the disciples were thinking when they heard their leader talking to a tree… Okay back to the point of this article. A day later Jesus and the disciples passed back by this same tree and discovered it was now, not only barren, but dried up from the root. Jesus’ curse upon the tree had taken place. In verse 21 Peter says to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.” Peter seemed to be impressed and even surprised. But what Jesus says next is what we must all obtain. He said in verses 22-24, “Have faith in God.” For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. See when Jesus wanted a thing; and it didn’t manifest to quench His desire, He did not whine about it. He spoke, believed and moved forward. He did not go back to SEE if the tree had withered, because He had mountain moving fig tree faith, he didn’t feel the need to double check! So the next time you are hungering for something in your life whether natural or spiritual, exercise your “mountain moving fig tree faith,” and let that settle it! Believe and you shall receive. THINK ABOUT IT!

Showing and Living your...THANK YOU!

Have you ever watched an award show and heard the artists, musicians, actors or other award winners say, "I want to thank God for blessing me." Have you ever met or do you know anyone who has escaped a tragedy, come close to death or lost it all, only to regain more and heard them declare thanks to the Lord above? Finally have you ever met or do you know anyone who is very wealthy and often gives God the credit by verbally thanking Him? If you said yes to any of these questions, please allow me to ask one more, do any of those described above not only speak but "show" their thanks? In an early morning study I read Deuteronomy chapter 8. In the passage the children of Israel are reminded of their journey through the wilderness. The chapter starts out by telling them to be careful to observe God's commands in order to continue receiving what God has for them. It goes on to have them recall that they were never hungry, thirsty or unclothed in the wilderness because of God's grace and mercy. The passage urges the children of Israel of some very important principals. Number 1: vs.18 says in part, "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth." Now most wealthy, un-wealthy, or blue collar people have this part down packed. They remember the Lord in thanks by saying grace over their food, or by thanking Him every now and again for their belongings, success and or loved ones. Some people even go so far as to give thanks publicly and I believe all of this is good. However, here is the main point I want to make, vs. 3 says in part, "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." This is where I feel many people forget to focus. They quote scriptures all day, but upon further observation of their lives, they do not live those scriptures. Many proclaim salvation but only from the things they "want" to be saved or delivered from. Deut. 8:5-6 says, "You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord God chastens you. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him." These scriptures prove that it is not enough to just verbally thank God. We must observe or pay attention to intentionally "show" Him our thanks. How do we do that? By living out the commandments or instructions/ordinances of the Lord, on purpose every single day, even and especially the commands we may not "want" to follow. Search within yourself, evaluate whether you are just saying, or if you are indeed showing AND living your "Thank You." Think about it!

The Little LUMP

Have you ever stumped your baby toe really hard and limped for days? Have you ever gotten a deep paper cut on your pinky and thought you would keel over? I know many women who have suffered from Cancer that almost took their lives but it all started as a little lump. Recently I cut my thumb pretty deep with a razor while shaving and for days it practically drove me mad! It was kind of like having a toothache and the pain affecting your entire body. That little razor cut affected my ability to get dressed, to write, to text and sometimes to think! Because the cut on my thumb was in such an awkward place it was making me have to figure out other ways to get things done. If you can not relate to any of this, though I’m pretty sure just about everyone can, think about how small things can bring large affects. What I mean is; sometimes little things can blow up and bring big blessing as well as big problems. If you don’t believe little things matter, try to log on to a website and omit one letter or even one symbol and see if that site opens for you. Try to cook your favorite meal, expecting it to taste the same and leave out one ingredient. Galatians 5:9 NKJV says, A little leaven leavens the whole lump, meaning it only takes a little bit to get the job done as well as to reek havoc. Now back to my thumb; for days I bandaged it and applied ointment to get it back to its original state; so that I could once again use my entire hand the way it was intended. What’s my point? Well just like my thumb and the incident with the razor…things happen, “little lumps” come up. We can not allow little arguments, heart break, hurts or even failures to handicap and cripple us from walking with Christ as we are intended to. We have to press on! Though my thumb was bandaged, I couldn’t call in sick to work I had to press on. I took the necessary steps towards my healing. That is what we all must do, when we make mistakes, when little lumps arise, don’t ignore them. And certainly don’t allow them to grow. Had I not taken care of my thumb, no doubt, it would have gotten worse. Dirt could have gotten inside and caused it to become infected. This can happen spiritually, if we allow the cares of this life to consume us, or if we allow what we are going through to take us over. With the great God we serve, if we strive to live for Him as His word commands, we can do all things through His strength. Do you need a band-aid or some ointment for you spiritual ailment…look to the word of God? (Philippians 4:13) Think about it!

DON'T stop waiting!

To wait is defined as; to stay in place in expectation, to stay until an expected event takes place or until someone arrives. Often times we wait for things to happen in our lives and we may even wait in expectation but sometimes the unexpected may come and bring blessings along with it if we rise to the challenge. St. John shares a story in his book the 5th chapter from verses 1-15 of sick, lame and blind people lying in wait at the Sheep gate near the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. An angel would come down periodically and stir the water in the pool; at that time whoever stepped in first would be healed of their ailment. I can imagine the anticipation of all those that were laying waiting on the angel to show up. I can also imagine the “black Friday” rush towards the pool when they saw the water being stirred. I wonder how many lost their lives fighting for their healing? At any rate, one particular man had been lying and waiting his turn for a healing for thirty eight years. One day Jesus showed up on the scene. Being The Almighty, of course Jesus knew the man’s condition as well as how long he had been waiting. Instead of summoning the angel to come down, which he very well could have, Jesus asked the man what some may say was an obvious question. He asked, “Do you want to be healed?” Here’s where the man, like many of us almost went wrong, in my opinion. I think his reply should have simply been, “yes.” Of course he wanted to be healed why else was he waiting by the pool for the last thirty eight years? Instead of answering the question straight forward it looks like to me; the man invited Jesus to his “pity party.” He said, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” He must not have known who he was talking to because if he had, he would have defiantly said yes! I think he was to busy still focusing on what he could or did NOT have. How many times have we done this? Just like this man, our blessing could be staring us right in the face if only we would stop whining and take time to notice. Despite the man’s failure to recognize Him Jesus, still desired to bless him, think about this for a moment…do I need to go there? Ok, I will. How many times does our wonderful Savior come to our rescue and provide for us even when we stand before him OVER LOOKING HIM? In verse 8 Jesus says to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. All I can think is, wow! He could have been healed at least 5 minutes earlier had he realized his healing was coming from the one he was speaking to…Jesus. So how much faster will you receive your next blessing despite the obstacles you may be facing? Stop looking for “someone,” to come to your rescue. Stop sitting around waiting for someone to tell you it’s your turn! Believe in your savior and just say “YES,” because He is always there when you want Him. He is standing before you with exactly what you need. Think about it!

Power Outage!

Due to the recent weather conditions in Georgia, I am sure that I am not the only one who began to think of ways to prepare in case of a power outage. A few of the essential items I decided we will always need around the house in order to survive are; candles, non-perishable food and of course water. This got me to thinking about how so many scrambled during the storms, hastily preparing. Hundreds of Georgians were rushing to stores purchasing items like the ones listed above to make their lives more comfortable in the event of a power outage. So I wondered, what about spiritual survival? Are we hurriedly doing what it takes to prepare our souls in case of “eternal power outage?” Many have heard and said the expression, “death like taxes is immanent.” Scripture tells us in Hebrews 9:27 “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” One of my Facebook friends posted an interesting and true status he simply said, “Weather man says, a storm is coming, people say we better prepare.” “Preacher man says; Jesus is coming, people say…whatever.” I believe this to be more than true. Everyday millions of men and women life as if they will never die. They say and do things that prove they do not believe what the word clearly states, “man will die and after that…judgment.” What was your reaction to the weather man’s forecast that said there would be ice and snow that could cause power outages? I’m sure some ignored but I’d bet more people prepared than those that did not. Why is that? Because they believed the “forecast.” They believed the words of the weatherman. Well I’m here to tell you that the Bible is nothing but a long “forecast.” It tells us of things sure to come that we must prepare for. When it is time for your “power outage” (meaning the end of your days) will you be prepared? Will you have “candles” (or the light of God’s love embedded in your heart?) Will you have food (or the non-perishable word of God engrained in your beliefs?) Will you have water (or the refreshing of God’s Holy Spirit leading you?) If you have not been preparing, start now! As long as you have breath in your lungs you still have time to get your soul ready for its earthly departure. So when it comes to making your natural life more comfortable in case of power outage by all means; gather up candles, food, blankets and whatever else you can think of. However, when it comes to ensuring your eternal life’s comfort when you experience your “eternal power outage,” look to THE BOOK (the Bible). Think about it!

"How you... waitin'?"

NKJV Psalms 62:5 “My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him” Do you watch Wendy Williams? Have you ever heard her catch-phrase, "How you doin'?" I'm pretty sure the majority of America has heard her say this popular phrase. What I want to know is not "how you doin," but, "how you…waiting?" There are so many instances when we have to wait, from waiting for a subway train or taxi cab to waiting on your family members to come downstairs and get in the car so you won't be late for church. I don't know about you but in more cases than not… I hate waiting! I'm a stickler for being on time so I value mine. I do my best to arrive or start tasks on time, that being said, I expect others to value my time and do the same. Time is one thing in this life that we cannot get back because once it's gone it's gone. Recently waiting on my daughter to come out of basketball practice I became impatient. She had asked me to arrive at a particular time and I did. Only when I arrived she wasn't ready, causing me to wait, and that didn't sit well with me especially after 20 minutes. As I sat and waited I thought, "I'm sitting here waiting and fuming yet she's inside without a care because she knows I'm out here, and if I weren't out here she'd know I was coming." I said all of that to say this, the next time you are waiting on the Lord, "how you waiting?" Are you waiting like I was at that moment, full of anxiety, mad and impatient? Or are you waiting like my child was without worry or care in the world, but with expectation and knowing that what you need is either already there or on the way. Let’s revert back to the scripture at the top of this article. Psalms 65:2 says “My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.” It is in God we must trust with expectation while we are waiting. The writer here says “for my expectation is from Him.” I interpret that as them saying they are saying, “Hey I’m going to expect great things for the God who created expectation, and it doesn’t get any better than that!” Now don’t think I’m saying that waiting on God to move and trusting him all the while is not a challenge because I know from experience it certainly is. However I also have several testimonies and know from experience that when you please God and wait on Him with expectation…well let me give you scripture, Proverbs 23:18 KJV says “For surely there is an end, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” Think about it!