I Was Running

International star athlete, Forrest, Forrest Gump, popularized the statement, ‘I was running’ in the film Forrest Gump.

Image Source: Nike.com

 

As I reflect on the film, I thought of many races and games, and a couple of marathons I’ve ran. I think of challenges that I’ve faced and the things that I have been faced with.

I never want to get to the place where all I can say is I was running.  I want to be forever in the place where I run and move forward.

Progress is one of the most significant things that we can see in life.

Think about it. Progress, even a minuscule amount of it, can make the difference between you quitting, starting over again, staying at the same pace, or increasing speed.

Progress is important, when we assess the situation and are certain that we are progressing, we propel forward.

– Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain (I Corinthians 9:24).

– I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

I never want to speak of running this race in past tense.

Morover, I declare and I decree:

I will run the race that is set before me diligently (Hebrews 12:1).

I will press toward the mark (Philipians 4:13).

I will run, run, run, until the Lord says, ‘Well Done, My Good and Faithful Servant’

#FeelingDetermined

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It’s A Humbling,

so that none of us can boast.

Not long ago, I heard someone speak about humility. Humility is very important and as I grown to realize the full importance of humility, I think of the things that humble me.

In the city that I used to live in there stands a tall hill in one of the city parks.  After work, I would change into work-out attire and drive to the park and climb the hill, over and over again. Standing on the highest point of the hill did not allow me to see very much of the city at all really.  But, looking out at what I could see still made me feel small and insignificant.

Image Source: wikipedia.org

As I moved to the Atlanta area, I drove through the mountains and valleys of Tennessee. As I traveled, the views of my drive allow me to put a few things into perspective as well.

I already know, but these things remind me that I am nothing and no one.

Sometimes, going out the ocean makes me feel the same way …

A wise man once said, ‘The ocean is the king of 100 rivers because it is humble.’

Another familiar adage states, ‘the gentle outlast the strong’.

As I view the beauty of the land and thank God for all of His creation, I am humbled that He also took the time to create me. I pray that I am always making Him pleased that He has.

#Humbled

 

Take Dominion

Genesis 1:28 states,

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

As people of God, we are required to take dominion over every situation in our lives! Take dominion by recalling what the Word says and declaring that over your life.  Take dominion whether you have a title to lead or manage and if you do not.

As a Son or Daughter of the Most High King, ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ is the only title that you need to do your job.

-Pray for His Kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven,

Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

-Speak those things that are not as though they were,

(as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were (Romans 4:17).

-Pray in faith, not waivering

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

-Do not ask amiss,

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (James 4:3).

-Be of one mind,

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).

– Specifically, have the mind of Christ

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).

-Be not conformed to this realm.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).

 

Image source: http://thegeekiary.com/dominion-syfys-newest-post-apocalyptic-show-takes-wing/14525

Fear and Cross Intimidation

I resolve to:

be fearless.

live a life replete of fearful people.

be of good courage.

cast out fear with love.

Unfortunately,  my personal resolution does not enable me to stop encountering fear-full situations and fear-full people. It is also unfortunate that when many people are afraid to

-try new things,

-break bad habits,

-reach higher heights,

-get outside of their comfort zones,

… they try to plant seeds of fear in you.

Because they are intimidated by their own pasts, fear of success, fear of failure, current situations, their own failures, the failures of others, their own deficiencies, worries, lack of faith, lack of integrity, or even the amount of work that they have to put in to achieve a goal, they try to spread their disbelief onto you. They try to contaminate your thinking.  They try to contaminate your thinking.

I call it Cross Intimidation.  Before I reached the point where I am today, I faced these types of situations repeatedly.  Over time, I decided to be prepared.

I needed to prepare myself for:

1. what I would think about as they tried to plant doubt,

2. what I would say to them as they talked,

3. what I would think about after they left.

4. what I would do after they left.

When I interface with them, like clock-work, I do and say what I have prepared. Like a press conference, my words are ready.

If you don’t want to buy into their life style and their level of thinking. I invite you to commit to:

– love and not fear

– push yourself outside of your your belief system

– accomplish goals against popular thought

– accomplish more than your though accomplishable

– prepare your mind to respond (not react) to naysayers

– prepare a statement for your ‘press release’ or ‘press conference’

When I was growing up, my dad and granddad used to grow water melons. As kids, we would set outside and go to town with a big, thick slice of watermelon. Eating the yellow or red flesh, we would spit out the seeds …

When people say their opinions, try the spirit by the spirit whether it be of God.

Eat what is of God, spit out everything else!

By the authority that is invested in me, I spit out every seed of fear, doubt, or other similar spirit that people have tried to plant in my life. Cast them back into the pit of hell, where they came from, in the name of Jesus!

I am not afraid!

I am not afraid of success!

I am not afraid of failure!

I am going try my best!

I don’t care if others think it’s too hard!

I’ll either win or learn. Either way, I win!

#GoAllIn

#CantStop

#WontStop

#AllIDoIsWin

#AllIDoIsWinWinWin

#PressTowardTheMarkInChristJesus

Fear

Lately, the Lord has been dealing with me about fear also. As He was, I quickly ran to the written Word of God to see examples of this in days of old.   It’s obvious that God does not want us to be in fear.

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Genesis 21:17
And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

Genesis 26:24
And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Genesis 35:17
And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

Genesis 43:23
And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

Genesis 46:3
And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:

Genesis 50:19
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

Exodus 20:20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Deuteronomy 1:21 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context
Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 20:3
And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:8
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Joshua 8:1
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:

Joshua 10:25
And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

Judges 4:18
And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.

Judges 6:10
And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

Judges 6:23
And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

Ruth 3:11
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.

1 Samuel 4:20
And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.

1 Samuel 12:20
And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;

1 Samuel 22:23
Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

1 Samuel 23:17
And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

2 Samuel 9:7
And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

2 Samuel 13:28
Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.

1 Kings 17:13
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

2 Kings 6:16
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

2 Kings 17:34
Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

2 Kings 25:24
And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

1 Chronicles 28:20
And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 20:17
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

Psalms 55:19
God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

Psalms 64:4
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

Isaiah 7:4
And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Isaiah 35:4
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Isaiah 41:13
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Isaiah 41:14
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 43:1
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Isaiah 43:5
Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Isaiah 44:2
Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

Isaiah 54:4
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

Jeremiah 40:9
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Jeremiah 46:27
But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

Lamentations 3:57
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

Daniel 10:12
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Daniel 10:19
And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

Joel 2:21
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.

Zechariah 8:13
And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

Malachi 3:5
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

Matthew 1:20
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 28:5
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

Luke 1:13
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Luke 1:30
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Luke 2:10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Luke 5:10
And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luke 8:50
But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

Luke 12:7
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 18:4
And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

John 12:15
Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

Acts 27:24
Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Revelation 1:17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Put It On the Shelf

A few months ago, I bought two small white shelves.

I wanted to place a couple encouraging placards on them.

Periodically, I would buy things and say to myself, “Put this on there. Put that on there.”

Two boxes of business cards,

Two sets of DVDs,

Two books,

Another book,

Another book,

In a few days, it was over 13 items on them…

In the quiet of the day, I heard a crash.

It was the book shelf, falling down to the floor.

Oops! I think that I threw away the info about those shelves- what was the weight limit?

In this life, we don’t know our weight limit, I sure am glad that the Lord knows mine. I may be small, but He has fortified me from the inside out. He will not put more on me than I can bear: He promised to never leave me or forsake me.

 

It’s a Non-Issue

When the Lord brings you to something, know that He also wants to bring you through it.

Resolve to pass the test; refuse to fail.

Lean on Him for divine strategy to overcome.

Lean on Him for energy to endure.

Lean on Him for longsuffering when you want to quit.

Lean on Him to fight for you.

Lean in Him to give you the victory!

When you have passed, also make sure that when this circumstance comes again, it’s a non-issue.

No, I’m not having sex before marriage.

No, I’m not stealing.

No, I’m not going to lie, even though its going to be embarrassing.

No, I’m not going to backbite.

No, I’m not going to be jealous.

No, I’m not going to be a glutton.

No, I’m not going to do anything that the Lord hates.

No, I’m not going to gossip.

No, I’m not going to live life in fear.

No, I’m not going to hold on to things that God has delivered me from.

No, I’m not. …Why?? Because it’s a non issue for me.

I already passed that test.

… It wasn’t just me passing it, The Lord of Hosts, the Lord Mighty in Battle was with me.

And He’s with me right now, as I proclaim:

Satan, the Lord rebukes thee! This is a non-issue!

#MovingRightAlong

 

Pay It Forward

Pay it Forward.

Popular thought has emphasized giving finances.  Yes, it is important to do that, but as a person who has been in academia 28 years,  I realize that some times you just don’t have money …  therefore, NO, it is not necessary that everything that is ‘paid forward’ is paid with cash, credit, or debit cards.

If you have money, yes, you should pay your tithes and give an offering. 
Give other tangibles like food, or possessions when you know it’s your last.

Show genuine kindness and love to people you know hate your guts.
Smile when you know you wanna cry.
Volunteer your ‘much-needed’ time to serve a Godly cause.
Have a cheerful attitude in a difficult circumstance.

Shut up when you know you could have the last word.

Give, pay it forward, for God loves a cheerful giver. II Corinthians 9:7

 

 

Wrestle Not!

We wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities… Eph 6:12

We overcome through the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimonies… Rev 12:11

Stand and see the salvation of the LORD. Exodus 14:13 and II Chronicles 20:17

We’d rather hear someone say, ‘Yeah, you told me that!’ than to hear them testify that God changed their hearts, that God delivered them, that they are saved by God’s grace, that they thank God for doing this or that…

Wrestle Not!

We’ve got to learn to be quiet.
Be quiet and hear God.
Be quiet and let people hear God not our motor mouths.

The more you talk the more you exacerbate or worsen your situation.

It is better to dwell in a corner of the rooftop than with a brawling (or
in some translations- a nagging or contentious) woman. Proverbs 21:9

Sarcastic talking, combativeness, and strife, saying things ‘tit-for-tat’
can set you back years in the past and rob the function of the anointing.

Either you trust in your mouth or you trust in the spirit of the Lord.
Choose ye this day who you will serve! Joshua 24:25

One of the main reasons that we are not overcoming and we are not healing others because we want to take credit in some manner. On the contrary, all glory belongs to God.

Look back over your life and be honest about where your have mouth has gotten you…
Verses
Where the Lord has taken you…

And shut up!

Zechariah sat in silence:

… waiting for he who would usher in the Lord.
… waiting for he who would be the voice crying in the wilderness.

Let us sit in silence now, trusting in God to do His work.

Henceforth, now and forevermore, let the Holy Spirit work. Rather than talking, trying to convince people let the Holy Spirit convict them- the change will be significant to them and more meaningful, and  permanent.

Don’t be caught up on getting everything ‘off your chest’ or receiving credit but rather give God glory!!

Wrestle not!

Stand at the Gate and Watch

As those who are of God to present themselves before God, so came the enemies of God (Job 1:6 and Job 2:1). As our Lord stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20), the enemies of God do the same. The enemy always tries to present himself as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14).

Moreover, as a people of God, we must watch who stands at the door of our hearts.

We must stand at the gates of our physical and spiritual ears, noses, bodies, ears, and mouths  and watch!

Be honest, if this means that we have to stop:

– Interacting with some people, so be it.

– Visiting some social media websites, so be it.

– Stop going to certain places, so be it.

If thy right hand offend you, cut it off (Matthew 5:30). Watch the gate!

#CantStop

#WontStop

#AnyMeansNeccessary

#NoTimeForFoolishness

#AintNoBodyGotTimeForThat

#AnyMeansNeccessarySalvation

 

 

2015 New Year’s Prayer

O Lord I come to you this morning thanking you for this day. I thank you for the opportunity to pray as we walk into the new year. Lord forgive me for my sins, known & unknown. Purge me with hyssop.

Now Lord, Let your Word burn, like fire in my heart!
Manifest your tangible word in my life! Show me your glory!

Give me & show me my permanent place in you and in your kingdom.
Show me your vision.
Let me walk in  your way & your purpose for my life.
Fight for me, please Lord.

The tare influences the wheat by emotion, manipulation, and guilt.
I decree & declare I am wheat!

I decree & declare that I will never be influenced by manipulative people, neither will I be a manipulator.

I refuse to be entangled with people whose 2015 is just like 2014.
I refuse to be an audience for foolishness or partake in things that are sinful or that are not like You.

I decree and I declare God will separate me from people:
With recurring disobedience,
Who refuse to be disciplined,
Who want to carry baggage,
Who refuse to listen to God tell them how to let go of baggage!

Who refuse to forgive themselves or others,
Who steal my time, energy, effort, resources or ideas,
Who refuse to be naked before God,
Who serve God with their lips but their hearts are far from You.

Speak death, turmoil, or evil over their own lives and mine.
Destroy themselves and me with their words,
Whose life is dull, drab, complacent & purposeless,
Who camouflages fear with ‘waiting on the Lord’
Whose lives are laced with or full of fear & hesitation,
Who rely on words more than the spirit of the Lord.
… for the Word says the letter killeth but the Spirit brings forth life!

Instead, Lord make me keen- sharpen my discernment.
Keep the words from my mouth few, guide them that they always be true.
Have me to quickly obey the Word that comes to me from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Strengthen me. That I may not be afraid of the words of mere men- whether they be true or untrue.
Help me love you more each day.
In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

Valley of Dry Bones

As noted in an earlier blog post, several months ago, the Lord directed me to read the prophets. I’ve been wading my way through their materials and studying and learning to apply their writings to my life. A couple months ago, I’ve been consistently pointed to the major prophets.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

 

So, I meditated on this for a few days and I began to dream/envision myself standing over the dry bones of my life.   Later, my mentor in the Gospel lead me to an experience when I was again listening to someone minister about the account in Ezekiel 37.  I began to pray about this. Before, I called the winds from the north, south, east, and west:

Sweep in and give:

Good relationships, longevity, favor, love, great helps, resources, seed to the sower, good weather, love for God and His Kingdom, prosperity, knowledge and ability to walk in purpose.

 

… all for kingdom work!

After this experience, I prophecy over the dry bones of my life:

Desire to seek God’s face, awake!

Prayer, praise, and worship, awake!

Productivity, cheerfulness and mercy, awake!

Fruit of the spirit, awake!

Preaching, teaching, evangelizing, awake!

Apostolic Ministry, inspired living, awake!

Quick repentance and forgiveness of myself and others, awake!

Dynamic public speaking and interpersonal connections, awake!

Wake up! Wake up! Wake Up! Refreshed, recharged, and ready for Kingdom work!

Speaking of Wind

The thoughts from my last post reminds me of three similar events:

In Genesis 2:7

The wind of the breath of our Lord gave Adam life.

In Ezekiel, 37:9-10

A wind came forth and enabled the army to be built.

In Acts 2:2

There was a rushing mighty wind that filled the place where they ere setting… it was as the presence of the Lord- the wind came forth.

… to be continued.

Speaking to the Winds

Several months ago, the Lord directed me to read the prophets. I’ve been wading my way through their materials and studying and learning to apply their writings to my life.

Several months ago, I’ve been consistently pointed to Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

I meditated on this for a few days and I began to dream/envision myself standing over the dry bones of my life.   Later, my mentor in the Gospel lead me to an experience when I was again listening to someone minister about the account in Ezekiel 37.

I call the winds from the north, south, east, and west, sweep in and give:

Good relationships, longevity, favor, love, great helps, resources, seed to the sower, good weather, love for God and His Kingdom, prosperity, knowledge and ability to walk in purpose.

… all for kingdom work!

Pouring His Spirit On All Flesh

A couple weeks ago, I saw a Facebook post where a religious leader was ‘going off’ because someone used some of ‘her words’ in their own post.  She seemed to be upset because they were using her idea or the foundation of her message without crediting her as a source.

I was taken aback by her commentary for a few reasons, I’ve placed my notes below.

– God is pouring HIS Spirit out upon all flesh (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17). He is synchronizing HIS people to do HIS work. Many times, He is telling more than one person the same thing at the same time.  When we are not ashamed (Romans 1:16), not confused,  and not afraid, we share what He is saying. We need to remember this and be glad that He thought enough to share it with us, rather than blast people because they ‘say the same thing’ that you said.

– I don’t know what the original message was (what is was claimed to be- a testimony or a ‘Word from the Lord’ …) but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT ours. 

– I feel honored when the Lord shares revelation with me. It lets me know that He loves me and He cares. I don’t think that what He is saying to me is ‘mine’. On the contrary, it is His, He is directing me to take on what He said, and then share it with others for them to take on and then share and so on…

– We overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony (Rev 12:11).  We must share.  This being true: How else can we live right and work to overcome the whiles of the enemies of God?  We must share our testimony, less we will not overcome. Perhaps this is why many people are not overcoming- because we are not properly testifying.

– The gospel is hid from those who are lost (II Corinthians 4:3).  Ok… so someone wrote something that you wrote… You’re upset about that.   In a conversation with the disciples, Jesus stated, ‘If you love me, feed my sheep’. I feel compelled to question your motive. Are you ministering to people to help them- to set captives free, to help people establish and maintain a relationship with Christ, or are you writing to satisfy your own vanities?

Instead of being upset, realize that it’s great that someone’s ‘getting it’!!  The shameful events is when people aren’t understanding the underlying message.

I propose that we should be glad that we are getting together ‘on one accord, in one place’ in God (Acts 2:1-2) and that now, ‘… nothing will be restrained from them, which have imagined to do. (Genesis 11:6); for when we are together in obedience, that is when He blesses us (Matthew 14:15, Matthew 15:32).

We need to pray that those who do not understand get an understanding- that they fall in love with Jesus for themselves…

– What if Moses, Paul, Peter, or another leader of old felt this way and intimated their subordinates or others who read their writings?  Would the Bible have ever been written?  What if they felt this way and decided that they did not want to publish what the Lord had given them? Where would we be?

It is wrong to think in this vein, and there is something especially wrong with expressing this line of thinking publicly. Moreover, selfishness are vanity present.

– In general terms, the transference discussed here is similar to the spiritual transference of testimonies, relations, and prophetic releases. In the Bible days, stories were transferred by word of mouth many years before they were written into and compiled into what we know of as the Bible Collection of Books. These collections of divine words have been recited and are in the hearts of many people who believe in Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, the WORD promotes the spread of its contents:

I will say to the north, Give up; to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons and daughters form the ends of the earth; Even everyone that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him (Isaiah 43:6-7).

Wherefore, comfort one another with these words (I Thessalonians 4:18).

Go, ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, an of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).

Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, not speak any more in his name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not say (Jeremiah 20:9).  Moreover, Jesus specifically told some one not to share the instance of a miracle and they did anyway…

Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children and another generation (Joel 1:3).

This being true, the Word, Jesus Christ warns of those who might preaching contrary lessons. For if he that cometh preachest another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receiveth another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him (II Corinthians 11:4).

Furthermore, the Bible foretells of what they may try to say. Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ (Colossians 2:8) – we should rather be, Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Colossians 2:7).

– We should be emphatic about building the Kingdom of God- like the Dukes of Hazard (Acts 15:26) overcoming His enemies that we are not stuck in ‘who said what (first)’.

The biblically-recorded Apostles of Jesus Christ went through great lengths to deliver the message of salvation and good tidings. They insisted on preaching and teaching on the name Jesus. The pressed their way through to their destiny in Christ, despite threat of imprisonment, beatings, imprisonment, others being murdered, they still exclaimed that they will believe God, rather than men (Acts 5:12-42). Despite these and other antagonisms, floggings, and the prospect of losing their lives, many followers never failed to follow Christ because they recognized that God did not give them the spirit of fear, but rather of power, and of love and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). These individuals had heard of the message of Jesus Christ, and chose to follow His voice rather than their own, or the voice of mere men, or spiritual enemies of Christ. Moreover, generational after generation, the stories of old- the Bible and the personal life histories with testimonies are shared to glorify the name of Jesus!

– I assert that if you get upset when in a similar situation there are two options:

Either what you’re talking about is NOT from GOD- merely from your mind alone,

or

Your words are from God but you do not understand the mind of God.

It seems that if leaders continue to hold tight to this ideology they may be inhibiting the legacy of Christ. I cry, Lord, what ever you are doing in this season, don’t do it without me!  Rude, immature, statements about how somebody’s ‘copying what you said’ are intimidation tactics and are not the spirit of Jesus Christ.

True followers, YOU are the word of God manifested in flesh, don’t you dare return what He truly said unto Him void- share it and don’t expect a citation.

#UseMeLOrd #IamButAVessle #DontDoItWithoutMe

Familiar Ground

We have all been through ups and downs.  As we recall our past experiences, we should be able to assess what is ‘familiar ground’.

-With our favorite foods, there is a salivary reflex that comes when we know we are about to consume the tasty treat!

-In relationships, our hearts may begin to beat fast or our palms may begin to sweat…

On the one hand, there are those times we pay pucker our lips as we prepare for a gentle kiss from the one that we love.

On the other hand, there are those times when we disagree and words get crossed.

In either case, if we are wise we can see these places as familiar ground. Small clues can be gathered to indicate that we do not or we do need to move in this direction.

If, when dating, you find that your mate is jealous, envious, controlling, full of strife, has the tendency to backbite or be negative, make hateful comments, sabotage the lives other folks, oppress or otherwise make others feel guilty for this or that, verbally abuse others, or use his mouth as a weapon to hurt people …

Get out!!

It is better to stop while you are ahead. Stop before you like him, and certainly before you love him.

It is also important to stop before you invest a significant amount of your time and energy in the individual or into your relationship.  Doing this early on makes life easier. The quicker you get out, get up, and get going, the quicker you will find some one who does not display those character traits.

It’s not a matter of whether or not you think that what it is that they are doing is right or wrong or if those actions are a ‘sin’.  If you don’t want to be around those things, you simply do not. And that’s OK.

Scientific research has indicated that humans can only think of one idea at a time. In this vein, every negative thought was traded for a positive thought. Proactively overthrow those types of things – valuable thoughts, time, and energy and trade them for positive thoughts.  Think about it, if you had a choice between two thoughts:

a thought that is jealous about another person

OR

a thought about chapter 8 of your new book

which would you choose?

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about purpose. My final remark reflects on my advice about making sure that you know your purpose.  When you know your purpose, you attract people who know theirs (and repel those who do not know their own). Individuals who know their purpose will not be caught up in immaturity, jealousy, envy, or strife. We are to be enthralled in our purpose and pleasing our Lord so much so that we do not have time to have any of those traits that I described earlier.

Further, the best relationships are those where both people know their purpose and as individuals, each party is working to accomplish their own goals- when they come together, they compliment, encourage and edify one another and then part ways, super-charged to do their best.

Being around a mate who knows his purpose, believes in and supports yours- that should be your familiar ground.

Comments?