Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Friday October 1, 2010)

What’s Love Got To Do With It?...

John 13:34-35 (Amplified Bible)

³⁴I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. ³⁵By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

My daughter not long ago asked me how would she know that she was in love? I told her it was not just in what she felt for a person or what they felt about her, but it was about the exhibition of love. I told her love is something that has strength that is unmatched; it is like a rose that can bloom in the desert and a flower that pushes its way through the snow to bud. I told her it will cause you to sacrifice and think of someone other than self. It is an attribute that can be seen in our actions and identified easily by others. Love will bloom even in adversity and it will not run from a challenge but it will be considerate, and caring. One of my friend’s said one of the most profound things, they say that love should not be expressed in words so easily especially if we have not grown to it, it should never be used lightly or just because someone wants to hear it, we should understand the responsibility that comes with a declaration of love.

The phrase “I love you,” is one of the most over used statements. It is one of the statement most used out of context. We throw love around to one another like we say good morning, but yet there is no substance to back it up. There is no strength to uphold it. We even say we love God and the minute things do not go our way or He does not answer us in a timely manner we do not exhibit love. Even in our day to day lives when we get bored of the obedience we chose to disobey His commandments, even though He tells us if we love Him we will keep His commandments. How do we know that we love God? Are we doing what He asked of us to do? He asked us to Love Him with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. He asked us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and He asked us to show love to other as He has showed love to us. But how many of us can say we even consider others, let alone love them the way that God through Christ demonstrations to us? How many of us lay down our lives in service to another human being, let alone how many of us can honestly say that we are committed to laying down our lives in service to God? For many of us our inability to be obedient and serve God and man is because we have not submitted to growing in love. We have not let God deposit the seeds of love within us in order for us to begin to love Him effectively as well as others. Love is not a self-serving venture and for many of us we have made it one. We have made love a feel good moment and about feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Love is about doing the hard things that will cause our flesh to be crucified under the choices of obedience. Love will suffer long and endure, it will tarry, when it looks hopeless it will see hope, and continue on.

For many of us our lives have little to do with love and everything to do with what serves our purposes in the now. It has little to do with service and more to do with being served. It has little to do with allowing God in, but it is more about us shining out. Our life should be “Love is by association.” When we are associated with, connected to, and in covenant with God, love should be evident. It should be displayed in our very nature and disposition. It should not be an element that people are searching to find or see. Love should be the banner seen over us, and the truth that shines through us. If truly we are aspiring to have true love with people we have to know the love of the Father. God is love and by Him depositing His nature, His character and His DNA within us, then we too can be the very essence of what love is, towards God in our obedience and service to Him and to one another. What does love have to do with it, everything!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Thursday 09/30/2010)

Happy Birthday To My Big Brother Jerome James Jr...Abundant Blessings!

Finding A Place To See Your Face More Clearly…

Song of Solomon 8:14-15 (New Living Translation)

¹⁴ Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.

Last week I was lead to start a fast, although our Bishop had instructed the church to go on a fast this week, it only served as a means of confirmation as to what God had given me a week before. As this week came in I felt a draw to be kind of quiet. Not to do a bunch of talking, but rather to spend time quiet and in meditation and prayer. My Goddaughter who is in the final stages of her wedding planning and preparation thought I had fallen off the face of the earth and asked was I fasting her. I responded with you know how I get when I fast; I get quiet, because I get with my Jesus. I have learned that to hear God clearly and to see Him visibly, in plain sight I often have to remove myself from my daily routine and do things differently.

We often forget the importance of finding a place to get away with God and to get to know Him deeper, to establish a deeper relationship and even renew covenant with Him. There are so many things that are on our plate and we need God’s guidance, wisdom and Grace, but we neglect to take time to find a place where we can consult Him and gain the knowledge necessary to progress, grow, release and heal. We keep moving through life as if it is okay and all will eventually fix itself. We don’t think that we need to get quiet or come away with God to gain His wisdom and to recognize His voice without doubt. There are so many noises, distractions and voices that can divert us from seeing God moving and hearing God give us direction, comfort and uncommon peace. That is why even Jesus when He was on the earth took time to go away from the apostles, disciples, followers and everything and everyone else that could take His attention, so that He could love on His Heavenly Father and He could do the same for Him. He came away so that He could gain closeness and receive instruction. He came away to solidify His relationship and to seek the Father in a way He could not when all were around.

People tease me by asking am I MIA or have I gone underground. My God daughter likes to say that I am all up in God’s face…all I can do is smile, because the truth of the matter is we all need a little face time with the Father. To come away and spend time just waiting on God and learning more about Him, it is so vitally important to our growth and development with God. To get into a place with Him that allows us to see His heart and intentions for us more clearly is imperative. It helps us to be obedient and to walk in a way that is pleasing to Him. You will never get to know someone until you spend time with them, why is it that we think we can know God without spending anytime with Him, without getting close enough to see Him clearly and hear Him even clearer, to feel Him pulling upon our heart stronger and loving on us more intently? When was the last time you have taken some time to come away with God? Are you over do for some face time?

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Wednesday 09/29/2010)

Out With The Old In With The New

Pt II…

Romans 7:5-6 (Amplified Bible)

⁵When we were living in the flesh (mere physical lives), the sinful passions that were awakened and aroused up by [what] the Law [makes sin] were constantly operating in our natural powers (in our bodily organs, in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh), so that we bore fruit for death. ⁶But now we are discharged from the Law and have terminated all intercourse with it, having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve not under [obedience to] the old code of written regulations, but [under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life].

The other day my mother came an asked me to pray for someone that we know. I said “sure no problem.” My mother usually gives me the details of the situation (if she has them or if it is not a violation of confidence)) in order for me to be specific in my prayers, but this time she did not. So I went back to my mother and asked her, “What specifically am I praying for?” She immediately said “Her mind is under attack, she is having anxiety attacks and things of the past are attacking her mind.” She asked me to pray for forgiveness and freedom for them, from things that had been done to them, that they had not let go of. As I walked through the house, on my way going upstairs, it hit me that this person’s inability to release the past was tormenting their mind and affecting their ability to live and have peace of mind.

There are so many of us walking around carrying things that people have done to us, and wrongs that have been intentional done against us. We have not let them go, we have not forgiven. Before we were in Christ the law of the flesh and the streets would say hold a grudge or never trust them again. It would tell us to do them, just like they have done us. It even told us pay back is a witch (usually said a different way). But we do not realize when we keep the wrong that people have done before us and we harbor unforgiveness, we are allowing access to our mind that these events can control us long after they have occurred. We miss the point that these people and events can mess with our ability to think clearly and process thought rationally. We allow it to steal our peace and our joy. But when we come into Christ we are supposed to be a new creation, old things being passed away and behold all things are to be new. God wants us to understand that forgiveness and letting go of the past is important for us to be forgiven and for God to be able to transform our lives and make it what He desires it to be. If we are dragging the past and people’s sins against us into the future have we really left the past, certainly not. We are stuck in the past not being able to move on or progress, we are shackled to the crimes and sins committed against us. We are bound by our yesterdays' instead of progressing towards our tomorrows, free in mind and spirit.

To really get free in our mind we have to be free from the past. We have to let go of all that people have done to us. We will never get to a place of peace in God, in mind and in heart if we are still reliving hurts, pains and misgivings of the past. It will become as a shackle around our necks limiting our movement in God and our abilities. It will torment our thoughts and have us paranoid about people’s motives and us paralyzed from forward movement and progression. It is time to forgive, get free and let go of the past in order to have peace of mind, and heart and forgiveness from God. Let go of the old laws that governed our thoughts and behaviors when we were wronged and place God’s law their instead, forgive, forget and move on, let old be past and let it all become new!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The DAy ( Tuesday 09/28/2010)

Out With The Old In With The New…

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (New Living Translation)

¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Some months back, after my God daughter became engaged, I felt lead in my spirit to talk to her about something. I knew it probably was going to be a rough pill to swallow, because of the nature of our relationship (because I am her go to person), but I realized it had to be done. We were speaking on the telephone one day after work, like it was customary for us to do almost daily, and I said, “you do realize that our relationship will have to change, because you are getting married? You do realize that Shane will be the priority and we won’t be able to talk as much.” She said yes, she did realize that, but it would be hard because I was her person, but we talked a little bit more and I told her I would still be there but that her person would become her husband when she married. Although we have a covenant and a very strong relationship, theirs should be stronger and greater still.

It is funny how we sometimes do the same thing, in our relationship with God. When we come to Christ we want to still try to maintain the same relationships we had previously in the same way that we use to maintain them but still have a new existence in Christ. For others of us God is wanting us to move in our relationship with Him, by going deeper or going to a new level of commitment with Him and to become closer to Him and yet we are holding on to people that do not fit the bill for where God is taking us, or God knows that they will be the priority and not Him. We do not want to let go of the old life to obtain the new. We think that business as usual, and still living as usual will still produce in us the closeness, the seal and the covenant that we need with God. But it won’t. To have something you have never had before you must do some things you have never done before. Just as my Goddaughter could not get married and have me as her person in her life, we cannot enter into a committed, covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ and still hang on to a lot of the people in our lives that are causing us to prioritize Him, less than what He deserves. We cannot make God number four on our priority list under people, jobs and so many others things and then expect that we will formulate and maintain an irreplaceable bond with Him. One that gives us a life with Him that is brand new and that will be in a constant state of maturity, evolution and growth.

All of us have something old that God is calling for us to move out of a place of priority in order for our relationship with Him to become the priority, for us to go deeper and to obtain a relationship and life that is really brand new. God wants our relationship with Him to become a place where we know Him and rely upon Him and He knows that we can be relied upon. Our relationship with God should be a place of commitment, covenant and meaningful relationship. God should always be the priority in our lives, no one or nothing should be more important than He is. We should be determine to go out with the old and in with the new to ensure our relationship is strong, and secure, and God knows that we prioritize Him above all else! If we want something new in our walk and relationship with God, we have to learn to put away the old! You cannot be married to the old us and life and enter into a new marriage with Him and expect it to work, something will always interfere and mess up the flow and the continuity of the other…You have to make a choice, do we want the old or the new?