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2 Angry_with_God? A Loving Invitation
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October 2009 Week 4 An extreme amount of wisdom can be gleaned from closely examining the small things we take for granted. So many opportunities for advancement and expansion slip through the cracks because we don't take the time for careful scrutiny. Our minds are sometimes so focused on the big things...the bills, the house, the car, the job, the relationship....that we can't feel the ground slowly evaporating from beneath us. Some of us are being swindled, bamboozled out of what's ours and we don't even realize it. God doesn't want this.
Matthew 10:16 KJV In Matthew 10:16 KJV, Jesus gives us marching orders. He very clearly indicates that we have a mission, and that being "in the midst of wolves" comes with the job. Our mission doesn't require that we waste a lot of time fooling around with the wolves. We are to be wise about them so that we learn how to maneuver our way to safety. Rest assured that God wants us to increase in knowledge and to understand how life works. He doesn't want our lives to be a series of putting out fires. He tells us about the thief so that we can be careful and watchful. He wants us to continue onward and upward, towards higher spiritual heights, with as little interference as possible. In Matthew 10:17-42, Jesus Christ continues to tell the disciples about some of the things that will happen to them simply because they are his followers. He spells it all out for them very clearly, forewarning them because not only does he want them to be aware, but prepared as well. This is an overwhelming example of his love, and no one can teach us how to love better than our blessed Lord. From his straightforward conversation to his disciples, you and I can know with certainty that love doesn't keep things in the dark. It doesn't hide vital information, even if the information is hard to hear. Loves bears it all. It reveals the details. And just like the example of Christ, it is important to our loving Heavenly Father that we become attentive, enlightened, and wise. No matter how you slice it, there is no way to become more like Christ without saturating our minds with the right knowledge. This is how we begin to walk in Christ. The more of his example we put on in our minds, the more like him we can become. Just think if Jesus had forgotten or neglected to reveal to the disciples the fate that awaited them. Then they could have come back and said, "Jesus, you should have warned us about what was to come. How could you have expected us to be prepared for all this drama and mayhem without proper warning? How could you have overlooked this detail?" Jesus was so in tuned with the Father that he would never have neglected such a thing. He didn't forget the details, and God doesn't want us to neglect them either. As we saturate our minds with the Word of God, we are better able to embrace our potential and power through the love of Christ. When we focus our attention on really learning the Word...when cultivating an intimate relationship with God through Christ becomes the most important thing to us...we will learn to be extremely attentive and sensitive to the details. This means that when it comes to the things of the Kingdom, you won't leave things undone or unsatisfactory. You'll check, and double check to make sure that you've done something that is worthy of our Lord. Press into the spirit, always check in with God before you call your deeds done, because my friends, victory is in the details. You will win the battles by noticing what others don't or won't.
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October
2009 Week 3 TEACHING Are you still making negative confessions? Are you still allowing expletive or profane language to roll off your lips at random? We have received so much teaching and exciting revelation about the power of the tongue, that it seems a bit redundant to be asking these questions, but if you'll pay attention to the conversations you have on a daily basis, you'll see these questions are still very necessary. If we're honest, we'll admit that most of the people with whom we converse will steer the conversation in the direction of judging, ridiculing, or impugning someone else. Before you know it-- we're joining in, doing the same thing. This is not without consequence. While you are speaking unkindly about someone else, you can be assured that someone is speaking unkindly about you. Words mean something. Proverbs 18:21 tells us emphatically that life and death are in the power of the tongue. We can either build ourselves up or tear ourselves down by what we speak. Some of us use what might be considered by others as offensive language just as a matter of course. We've done it so long that it is now a habit pattern; one that is difficult to break. We rationalize it by saying "It's just the way I am. I can't help it." This isn't the truth. If someone gave a person ten bucks for every nice word they spoke, that person's conversation would change drastically. They would be speaking praises and niceties all day long. The point I'm making here is that we can change any time we want, and in most cases we are more apt to change when we believe it will be to our advantage. We often think that God will give us a pass in the area of poor choices of language and conversation. We overlook the power of our words and the effect they have on our lives as well as on the lives of other people. This is irresponsible behavior and we have to come clean about it. We have to begin to so change our way of dealing with circumstances and people that as soon as our buttons are pushed we respond with the love of Christ. We don't have to be ooey gooey gum drops all day long, but we have to do two things, 1) recognize the situations that trick us into undermining our spirituality, and 2) develop the skills to deal with them. Situations that undermine our spirituality are those that trick us into behaving contrary to the ways of Christ. They set us up for failure. Sometimes we say to ourselves, "What is going on? I'm doing all the things I'm supposed to do and I'm still not getting any closer to what I desire." Often times the culprit is your tongue. It is causing you to self-sabotage because you are either cursing yourself, another person, or your situation by the words you speak. I'll give you an example: Sometimes, during the course of business, some of us will get a rude and obnoxious person on the phone. We think to ourselves, "Boy!!! If I wasn't saved I'd eat you up and spit you out. I'd tell you off so bad that you'd feel like running home to your mother." We think this in our heads because that is what is in our hearts. We may not actually speak an unkind word, but we'd like to. And then there are times when a complete stranger has the audacity to get so far up in our business that they presume to tell us who we are, what to do, and how to be. They may even go so far as to label us unjustly, or call us out of our names. You really don't want to take it there, but sometimes "You better watch what you say" bypasses the better judgment whistle and whirls right out of your mouth. What do we mean when we say this, "You better watch what you say" ? This statement is a thought out loud. It is signaling our brains, as well as the other person, that he or she is treading on shaky ground and is about to approach an area of which there is no return. Once that ground is breached, it's on like popcorn. You know what happens next...we unleash some words that we perhaps haven't used or thought about in years. Then, when it's all over, we regret it. We could kick ourselves because we realize that we let someone whose never given us a morsel of bread or a drink of water get to us. We gave them our power by allowing them to goad us into doing something that was beneath us. Many of us deal with situations like this every day. Whether it's an obnoxious person or a gossiping friend, you have to recognize that no one has the power to make you do something you genuinely don't want to do. Your mouth is one of your most valuable tools. Don't let the temptation to use it unwisely cause you to continually miss your blessings. Change your strategy by first acknowledging these errors and asking for God's forgiveness. Develop the skills to deal with them by first recognizing that your heart needs to change. It will take time, but the initial step is to ask the Lord for help. Jesus Christ is your personal savior. He knows how to steer you away from danger...away from self-sabotage. He knows when you're going to get that phone call. He knows when a friend has gossip on his or her mind. He knows when you are about to approach a situation that will hinder your blessings. Purpose in your heart to change and then ask him to head these things off. Begin your day by praying that he will intercept these kinds of attacks. God's ways to assist you in godliness are innumerable, but you not only have to want His help in this area, you must seek it and recognize it. If you are serious about change, if becoming more like Christ is your heart's desire, you can be sure that He'll assist your efforts. Recognize those little cues that He positions in your environment. Sometimes, an unexpected interruption will cut your conversation short, or a friend will be called away right before he or she heads down the path of negativity and tries to drag you along with them. Thank God for helping you to keep your mouth closed, and before you know it, you will have developed godly finesse in this area. Remember, the words that come out of your mouth shape and mold your reality, so watch what you say! |
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September
2009 Week 4 TEACHING
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September 2009 Week 4 TEACHINGKnowing When to Let Go Human beings are known as creatures of habit. Most habits are simply patterns. We usually develop these patterns as a way of living out our lives. They help us to accomplish tasks around self-care, family, and our livelihoods. They are things we do without much conscious thought. We do them customarily at the same times and very often in the same places. A routine develops and it becomes the thing we cling to. This type of behavior can summarize our entire day. It use to be that psychologists thought these habits were based on a particular stimulus, meaning that when the alarm clock rings you automatically know that it's time to get up, brush your teeth, and wash your face. The alarm clock would be referred to as a direct form of stimulus. It's something that is present in your environment and it triggers you to do the same thing each day. It was also thought that habits became entrenched as a result of positive reinforcement. This is when you do something repetitively and receive a benefit or reward for doing it each time. It's what's known as a motivated form of stimulus. Therapists at one time believed that both direct and motivated forms of stimulus would automatically cause any person to develop a habit. Now, they are more convinced that habit patterns and routines are spun from each individual's goals, intentions, and other dispositions. So our choice in the kind of life we want to live has a great influence on the kind of habits we will develop. Once formed, habits are then triggered by cues that exists in our daily life. For instance every night before a person goes to bed, he or she watches their favorite television show. When the show is over he or she turns off the television and then sets the alarm clock to wake up in the morning. So the end of the show becomes a cue to set the alarm. These things are so engrained in our everyday routine that we wouldn't think to consider stimuli and cues or how they affect our behavior, but we need to. Understanding how a habit is developed is extremely important to altering or kicking it to the curb. The heavier side of habits is of course what we refer to as addictions, and this is where we'll spend a little more time. Some of us look at those who have substance abuse issues and we think to ourselves, "how could they have allowed themselves to be overcome with such a thing?" But the truth is that most of us have a psychological dependency in some form or another, and we should consider ourselves blessed if it doesn't seem to cause significant harm to our lives, at least not in the way that we see others do. God has designed life to be a continuous cycle of growth and awareness. It's a cycle that we can neither slow down or speed up. Either we get on board for the ride or it will pass us by. Yes, life will pass you by. If you will not recognize when a growth spurt is upon you and actively pursue change, you will be what I like to call "stuck in neutral". You'll wait continuously on a blessing you could have had years ago, all because you fail to grow. Many of us live our whole lives in this state because of stubbornness and fear; two qualities that are tremendously harmful to our spiritual walks. Studies have shown that even if it causes us extreme discomfort, we will still practice a habit repeatedly. Logically this sounds a bit crazy, but it's true, particularly when it comes to harmful substances and toxic people; we know that we should let them go, but we indulge them any way. We develop a dependency to these harmful things and they turn into addictions. This is what happens when the conditions which caused us to learn the harmful behavior in the first place exist from day to day. Before we know it, we begin to count on things not changing. This assumption is what allows the habit's reach to extend deep into the recesses of our minds. Romans 5:1-5 (The Message) 1-2By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. 3-5There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans 5 tells us that we are to be alert for whatever God will do next. We have to retain pliability and flexibility. When we don't—when we become too comfortable—we will just about lose our minds when things change. We feel as though everything's gone haywire. In actuality things are doing what they are supposed to do. They are responding to the cycle of change and growth. If this response catches us off guard and rocks our world emotionally, we know that it's time to release and let go. Things drop off! People leave, relationships end, and jobs terminate, either because they've exceeded our capacity to handle them effectively, they develop another agenda, or we outgrow our use for them. This is something we must accept, and even if we don't the separation will still occur. Sometimes those things are restored and sometimes they are not, but the things, conditions, or people who leave or change should never be our primary focus. God designed life to foster our growth. Expansion and promotion are the names of the game. We must learn to release, surrender, and let go. Our tendency to hold on to harmful relationships and addictions stems from emotions, attitudes, and behaviors that are birthed from a fear that is hidden in our hearts and minds. 2 Timothy 1:7 affirms that God didn't give us a spirit of fear, so we must make it a priority to rid ourselves of it. Jesus Christ has set us free! Galatians 5:1 (The Message) says 1"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you." In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, YOU must take a stand against the things that bind you! How do you do that? Romans 5:2 (The Message) says "We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise." You must be willing to let it all go for the richness of what you will gain through God's love. You've got to throw open the doors of your heart to Him and Him alone, and realize that nothing can replace or come close to the joy and fulfillment of your relationship with Him. When you become convinced of that...you'll know that the time to let it go is right now. Stay with us for Part 4! "Knowing When to Let Go: Part 3- When Do I Release It?" written by Reverend Fran Times-Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2009. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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September 2009 Week 3 TEACHINGKnowing When to Let Go Part 2- Why Do I Need to Release It? Ephesians 4:22 tells us that we need to "put off" negative behaviors, thoughts, attitudes, and deeds. These are the things that hold us back in life, and more to the point, they interfere with our relationship with Heavenly Father. If we don't purpose within our minds and hearts to deal with negatives, they will sometimes turn into larger problems or what is commonly termed "strongholds". If my son misbehaved and I failed to address it, my father would say "You'd better deal with that now or you're going to spoil that child!" As a young mother I didn't understand his wisdom, but now I do. Warnings against rearing a spoiled child was often spoken by my elders, and I dismissed it as their reliance on old thinking and traditions that hinder progress. We're so inundated with books and messages that presume to tell us how to raise our kids; sometimes we forget that good parenting really boils down to just plain ol' simple common sense. My father was telling me that if I didn't take corrective measures to confront my child's negative behavior, then he might not know that he was doing something inappropriate or wrong. The elders understood that one seemingly insignificant misstep can turn into something that causes a huge roadblock down the road. Many of us have carried negative patterns and habits from childhood into adulthood. We perhaps were never called to task on those things, or we were allowed to continue the behavior. It's possible that now those negative patterns have turned into habits that are a bit challenging to break. In some extreme cases, the little cravings for the inappropriate or wrong that we had as children are causing us to feel as though we can't do without those harmful things as adults. These are what some consider to be strongholds. They are addictions or negative patterns that have developed as a result of repetitive negative behavior.
Ephesians
4:22 NKJV Deceitful lusts have been on the scene for a very, very long time. Adam was created perfectly. He was God's masterpiece, His pièce de résistance! Adam was not a robot. He was created with the ability to make a choice. He could choose whether or not he would obey God's wishes, and so can we. And just like Adam, our choices are fueled by what we desire, and in many cases they are fueled by lust. When it comes to our spiritual well-being we have to make a decision between two things. Will we satisfy a desire for righteousness, or will we satisfy the lust for those things that undermine our walk with God...for those things that deceive us? The lusts that undermines our relationship with God are the deceitful lusts it mentions in Ephesians 4:22 NKJV. They deceive us by tricking us into believing that if we satisfy them- we will be better off than we would be if we didn't satisfy them. This is a trick from the devil indeed. These lusts may have been spun from a bad attitude or a desperate need that wasn't addressed when we were children. As an adult they can become destructive habit patterns that--if left unaddressed--may cause us to continue to spiral downward. All of us have to realize that whatever we feed will grow. Therefore, we have to stop feeding ourselves the wrong things. It's a misconception to think that we will not have deceitful lusts; we will, but it is solely our choice to feed them or not. Ephesians 4:22 doesn't tell us to put off the lust, it tells us to put off the conduct. It tells us to stop nourishing and nurturing things that cannot bring true prosperity, love, peace, and joy your way. Most will say that they don't have any issues like this, but that is only because they have been deceived. We all have something that we need to work on. Some of us are addicted to the wrong kind of people. We nurture a lust for the person who either constantly tears us down and/or helps us to remain stuck at a level that is far beneath our privilege. We do this by responding to their negativity with more negativity. We can't see ourselves doing without this person, even though they're hurting us. Others of us are addicted to substances like food, alcohol, and drugs. We excessively crave these things because we feel deeply that something inside us is missing and a substance, person, or thing can fill the emptiness or make it feel better. A whole lot of us are in bondage as a result of bad attitudes. We simply haven't changed our hearts because we are waiting on God to do it for us. God wants us to let Him help us, but He will not make the changes that He has told us to make. He told us to take it off, get rid of it, and put it away and that's what He meant. We have to want to change and then begin to do something about it. We have to move our feet in the direction of change. God will then help us as we demonstrate our desire for something real. If He has told us in Ephesians 4:22 to put off the conduct that keeps us in a negative state, then it must be possible for us to do it or else He would not have commanded it. Trust with your whole heart that through Jesus Christ it can be done. Christ made available an extraordinary gift from God that resides on the inside of us. It's the indwelling Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 NKJV says "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise," John 16:13 tells us that this Holy Spirit of promise will lead and guide us. Wake up and realize what it is showing you. God wants you to move up. He wants you to stop going around in circles, making the same mistakes over and over again. The gift that resides inside you will help you to release the negativity so that you can move forward in blessings and spiritual growth. Why do we need to release negativity? We need to release it because it blocks our vision. Negativity keep us from seeing the very things that we want so much in life, but you can't hold on to it and expect to hold the goodies too. Understand that with God you are always in a position to trade up. You are never the worst for trusting Him. Ephesians 4:24 (The Message) tells us to get rid of negative thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, and deeds, and embrace a whole new way of life, a life that is renewed! Know that as you release anything toxic....anything worldly that's been rooting and settling at the seat of your being, there's bound to be some discomfort. But we have Jesus Christ! He's our precious Lord and Savior and we can make it through anything with him. He is on the inside of us working. Sometimes we may not see how, but if you'll have the humility to recognize that you've got some internal housekeeping, if you'll have the courage to begin to look for help and ask Jesus Christ to lead, guide, and direct you; I guarantee that in a little while from now, you won't recognize the "new you" you will have become. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. "Knowing When to Let Go: Part 2- Why Do I Need to Release It?" written by Reverend Fran Times-Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2009. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God. |
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September 2009 Week 2 TEACHINGKnowing When to Let Go Everybody is dealing with something. Whether it's marital problems, problems at work, or problems in general....we've all got our crosses to bear, and we've all got our share of baggage. If we're not careful, we could develop a very dim view of our fellow human beings, surmising that if everybody's got baggage, then no one is really equipped to offer the much needed stewardship and experiential guidance that we all need from time to time. But we know this isn’t true. There are some really terrific folks who offer tremendous instruction and guidance in the Word. We admire them so much because they have learned how to release the things that hold them back. People who lead extraordinary lives have mastered the ability to identify the personal, negative attributes that hamper their success. Overcoming them is their trademark. It’s an impressive quality that can be found in nearly all the great leaders of our time. And they don’t just release the baggage for their own good, but for the good of others as well. Now it is true what they say, when you let go of one thing that's been holding you back, you discover something else. There's no way to get around that one. It's the nature of life. It's one of the reasons why we were put on this earth...to grow...to discover our weaknesses and summon the courage to deal with them through the strength of Christ. The subject of our teachings this month is “Knowing When to Let Go”, but we don't want to put the cart before the horse here. Before we can even begin to talk about knowing when to let go, we've got to first explore exactly what are the things that God wants us to release, and then ask for His help to let them go. As we talk about the things that God wants us to release, we don't need to look any further than Ephesians 4:22 NKJV, which says "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,”. God has issued a swift warning. When it comes to behaviors and deeds that are not Godly, but have their roots in the world, He wants us to put them off. He wants us to get rid of the conduct, thoughts, and attitudes that are negative. If we don’t, they can potentially become more and more corrupt as we begin to lust after things that are not in our best interest. What do I mean by negative thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, and deeds? Well Ephesians 4 gives us a pretty good depiction of them. One of the things it mentions is an attitude of not caring about what is right or wrong, of living a life that is filled with impurities. Greed is another no no; it's an attitude of doing anything to get what you want because nothing is never enough. Other negatives mentioned are lying, stealing, and the use of profane words. These verses strongly encourage us to make sure that we have a good handle on our emotions. Of course we're going to get angry from time to time, but Ephesians 4:26 tells us to be careful not to allow our anger to cause us to react vengefully. When someone does something that offends us, we shouldn't take it upon ourselves to get revenge. This would only put us in a worse position than where we were when we started. As Christians, God expects us to keep the peace, which means that we squash the anger before we slip up and allow the devil to use it against us. Likewise, when someone says something nasty to us, the worse thing in the world is to say something nasty back. Both negative and positive actions have a snowball effect. Once you commit them, the effect of the harm or the good they cause becomes larger. What do I mean by that? Well let’s take a look at the negative side. Quite simply, you should always expect that when you do the things it talks about in Ephesians 4 that there will be an after effect...a consequence...a negative result. Our actions also have what I like to call a "bounce" effect. I call it this because when it comes right down to it, the ball is in your court; it always is. The ball represents the choices you make. You can't control people and circumstances; you can only control yourself. You can't make a person treat you the way you want to be treated. You can only govern how you respond to what is before you. You can bounce the ball in a negative direction by reacting and behaving poorly, or you can bounce it in a positive direction by reacting peacefully... with, in, by, and through the love of God. It is so incredibly important that you make the right, positive, and Godly choice. Why? Because the after effects of that choice will always, always, always bounce back on you. And when it bounces back to you, it will have gained strength. It will hit you with more force than it had before. If you bounced it positively, it will bounce back with more positive force, showering you in blessings. If you bounced it negatively....watch out! Sometimes our spouses get crazy. Some of them abandon their commitment and our marriages fall apart. We become disillusioned in the faith and ask "Father, why did you let this happen to my marriage?" We have to come to grips with the fact that there are times when our marriages fall apart because we bounced our ball in the wrong direction too many times. We haven't learned to put on a positive attitude and truly love our spouses with a Christ kind of love. God's love does not fail...it cannot fail. It's perfect! There is no glue, no bonding agent stronger than the love of God. It will hold every detail of our lives together. He wants us to have unwavering faith in that, and He will back it up every single time. We trust in God’s love by living it. You can’t say you believe that God has your back and then behave in a way that runs counter to that. Your mind, heart, and soul have to act on one accord in order to bounce that ball in the right direction. When you know how to live right and you get committed to doing so, you can take a bruising from life and still stand strong in His peace. It's the only way to stand in front of a man or woman who has done you wrong and say "Listen, I'm sorry for whatever I've done to make you feel that I didn't love, respect, or honor you. I'm sorry for all the things I've said that have made you feel less than who you are." This isn't about you feeling as though everything is your fault. It's about admitting to your spouse, loved one, and most importantly, to God, that you acknowledge your part in the way the ball bounced, and you're sorry for it. And you know what; this is a very important step towards letting go. When you acknowledge your part—a little bit of that old man nature dies and you make a little more space in your heart for the love of God to grow. We have to stop helping people to mistreat us. Take a stand and refuse to keep the negative cycle churning. Any actions that we take out of negativity are going to hurt us in some way, because we will not be able to escape the consequences of those actions. God will forgive us for the wrong that we do. He will forgive us for the sin, but His forgiveness does not mean that we don't have to pay for what we've done. The sting may be a little less, but it will sting even so. Asking His forgiveness means that we acknowledge the fact that we did something wrong. It also means that we understand the difference between right and wrong, and that we will do what we can to prevent the wrong from happening again. Earnestly asking for God's forgiveness restores our fellowship with Him. It puts the relationship back in good standing. But what happens if we keep asking Him for forgiveness for the same things. Does He forgive us? Yes, He absolutely does, but remember that continuing to indulge the negative behavior takes a costly toil and at some point we are going to have to make a decision. That decision is one that causes us to take a stand against the negativity that keeps us tied to the baggage. Let's take a look at The Message translation of Ephesians 4:22-24. It says "Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you." God will not come inside us and start moving the bad stuff out. If that were the case then He would have removed Adam's doubt long before the devil tempted him. We have to make the decision to put off, surrender, and let go of our baggage, and we have to do so with the full assurance that when we let it go--God will replenish it with something infinitely better....His love. Stay tuned for Part 2! |
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August 2009 Week 4 TEACHING
Plan and Practice
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August 2009 Week3TEACHING
Plan and Practice How in the world are we expected to move forward in faith when we're faced with so much negativity and disappointment day by day? The bible tells us that we can have a "never let'em see you sweat" attitude of champions. We're supposed to keep our chins up and remain cool, calm, and collected when everyone else may be panicking around us. We ought to be the go to persons...the folks people look to for encouragement and wisdom. This is a tall order for sure, and considering the times in which we now live, it has become increasingly difficult for many of us to operate at this level of optimism. The dictionary defines optimism as the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world. Most of us can get on board with that. What we have a problem with though, is holding ourselves together mentally and emotionally when the turnaround time for the "good" exceeds what we consider acceptable. We can take a slap in the face if the person doing the slapping is going to get what's coming to them before we feel the sting, but often that isn't the case. Sometimes we've got to take it on the chin with no sense of when justice will prevail. And not only that, we've got to remain positive and enthusiastic about life even when things look bleak. This is the kind of stuff you can't fake. Many Christians try to put on a happy face when their worlds are crumbling around them, and it just doesn't fly. Their disappointment with life is as transparent as water, and what's worse is that they don't believe they can turn their circumstances around. Optimism comes from the unwavering belief that one has the capacity to do just that...to summon their internal source of power in a way that turns darkness into light. Because here's the big clincher, no matter how hard you try-- you can't put on a happy face if you don't believe that you have the power to bring about a change for the better. The thing that translates and affects the hearts of everyone with whom you come in contact is a deep and abiding belief in your own power through Jesus Christ; and you can't believe in it if you don't have sufficient knowledge about it. 1Corinthians 13:12 tells us that "now we see through a glass, darkly..." Most of us have a dim view of what is before us. We develop opinions and beliefs about things based on our knowledge, and if that knowledge is limited, then so will our opinions and beliefs be. This verse suggests that there is so much more that we COULD know, but for one reason or another we have limited ourselves. It is not God who limits our knowledge, because 1Timothy 2:4 KJV says that God wants everyone to be saved and come into a knowledge of the truth. The Word of God is life. It is a lamp unto our feet, guiding us into becoming more than we ever thought we could be. It is the most valuable thing that can be owned in all the world's treasures, but you will not see it for the treasure it truly is unless you trust that it holds the key to your happiness. If you are a person who sits and waits for God to put something in your lap, then you may wait a lifetime, but if you trust in the gift that is within you, then you will study the Word to find out how to plan for what you want to have and practice for what you want to become. These are the things the Word teaches us. Those of you who have been with me a while have often either heard me say, or seen it written in my teachings, that you've got to have a plan...you've just got to. Not only did God give us a mind to think strategically, but He has given us spiritual intelligence. We have the capacity to see and hear beyond what is before us. When we are spiritual infants, God's grace and mercy carries us until we are able to stand tall and firm, but when you've been on this Christian journey a while you cannot expect this coddling to continue. While you are waiting on God, He is waiting on you. The Christ in you is more than enough to live a life of abundance. Right this very moment you have all you need. You are already a conqueror. There is nothing more that God needs to give you. He has not set limitations on what you can or can't have. Nor is He limiting what you can or cannot do. Those limitations are ones that you have set for yourself. We continue to ask Him for more not because we need more, but because we need a greater appreciation and vision of who He has made us in Christ. We can find no record in the Word where Jesus Christ asked the Father to provide more of His spirit. He knew that when God did something, there was never a need for Him to backtrack. God provided all that was necessary for Jesus to carry forth his ministry in the earth. He trusted that Heavenly Father had not withheld any good thing from him. He knew that all he needed to do was to walk out in faith. And that's exactly what Christ did, but he didn't do it without having a plan first. John 8:29 KJV You see, the plan of Christ was a simple one, it was to always please the Father. How about that? It was so engrained in his mind and heart that he lived it every moment of the day. He didn't need to check in with any particular person, or look to another human being for instruction or approval. He stayed zoned into the Father morning, noon, day, and night. He knew that the key to living a blessed existence was to make pleasing God a number one priority. This is how faith works! It's a confident hope based on a genuine desire to please God. It's knowing that if we do our part God will certainly do His. Pleasing Him is everything, and He has taken extraordinary measures to ensure that we are well equipped to do it. Romans 12:1 beseeches us to present our whole beings to God as a reasonable sacrifice. We should desire to do this because of all that He has done for us. We owe Him every drop of consciousness we can muster. God would not ask us to do something that we are incapable of doing. We can offer ourselves as an acceptable presentation before His throne because He has made us complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10) And yet, we go back to the Father constantly, asking Him to fill us with more when we haven't begun to tap what He has already provided. We don't have any excuses, because He has equipped us to go the distance with every success. To speak, think, or behave as though you lack what is necessary to extract what you need to live in bliss-is to say that you lack what is necessary to please God, and that simply isn't true. It's our stubbornness, fear, and limited vision that holds us back and keeps us from being all that He has called us to be. We spend the majority of our lives doing what we want to do. We awaken each morning and decide how to spend our day, but we're quick to play amnesia when it comes to the things of God. We claim we just can't figure out His plan for our lives...that we don't know our purpose and that we don't know what He intends us to do. We figure out how to do everything under the sun for the devil, but can't figure out how to fully walk in Christ. Now does that make sense? Of course it doesn't. The onus is ours and ours alone. It is our responsibility to take the time to think, analyze, strategize, and develop a plan to please God. Pleasing Him is the key to getting our heart's desires. And when you design your plan, make sure you take in account your mission to live, give, and share the Word of God. Know that your mission is to shed light in dark places, to raise up a family of believing children who know Christ in the pardon of their sins. Your mission is to continue that same legacy that God imparted unto you through His beloved Son. And make doubly sure that you don't take ownership of something the Lord didn't give you. Shed the fear; it's not a part of your DNA. Shed the thing that holds you back; it's not of God. He didn't give you limitations; He set you free. You have liberty! Through Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Savior, you've got all the building material you need, and you've got a mind to plan how to use it. Never for one minute let it be said that you refused to use it for God's glory. Stay tuned to Part 2-Practice for What You Want to Become!
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August 2009 Week1TEACHING
Steer Your Vision!
In the preceding session, I mentioned that there is a science to being successful; there's a science to obtaining anything we desire. The reason why I say that is because, like faith, science does not discriminate. It doesn't care about your ethnicity, socio- or economic status. As long as the conditions for the desired outcome are met, science will produce the expected results time and time again. Most of us understand that on a rational basis, but when it comes to our own personal lives, at times our emotions throw rationality to the wind. As you can imagine, the rational mind is invaluable. It stands guard over our decision making and forces us to find a logical reason to believe in what we believe. The rational mind is chiefly interested in keeping us safe, and would prefer it if we stay in a place that's familiar and/or comfortable. In order to shift gears and trust in something new, it requires us to prove our faith. For many this becomes a huge problem, because again, faith is a spiritual element; it deals with the supernatural. Faith beckons us to believe in something to the degree that what we haven't tangibly seen becomes as real to us as any tangible thing we can readily touch, taste, smell, hear, and see. Faith may say "Go for it!!!" The rational mind says "Hold on a minute partner. Before you believe it, I've got to have some convincing evidence. You've got to bring me something that makes sense, and then I'll latch on to it." And so goes the struggle, where we continuously pit the vision of what could be against the reality of our everyday circumstances. One of them has to come out on top and only you can decide which one does.
Romans 8:5 NKJV Even though the spirit abides within us, we are still flesh and blood beings. Our minds are of course concerned with taking care of our everyday needs, but God has warned us against allowing the flesh to hold our thoughts hostage. It's a very limited thing, the flesh, and setting our minds primarily on its pleasures will surely limit our potential. When you live according to the spirit, you will mind the things of the spirit. Mathew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 says "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." There's no faking this. If your heart is to please God, then you will treasure His spiritual gifts to the point that they become your focus; you will set your mind on spiritual treasures. You will desire them more than anything else. God doesn't want you to robotically say "...yes, my wish is your command." He wants you to weigh the evidence of His goodness, and reason that He's faithful to His Word. He wants you to use your rational mind, add 2+2, and figure out that He's 4 you all the time. He wants you to know in the depths of your heart that trusting Him is the most logical thing you can do, because He's 100% faithful to His Word every moment of the day. You must realize that everything you are enduring is cementing this kind of unwavering, fully-persuaded faith within you. This word, "treasure", is a doozy. Don't make the mistake of underestimating it. Used in Mathew 6:21 and Luke 12:34, it refers to a receptacle or storehouse where good and precious things are collected and housed. On the surface, the assumption may be that if one considers money and fine things to be his or her treasure, then it is in money and fine things that his or her heart is consumed; that the collection of those things will be the greatest indicator of who the person is and what he or she really wants deep down within. But there's another side to this that must be explored. What we consider treasure does not always jive with the true treasures of God's heart. Mark 4:19 lets us know that the cares and riches of this world can potentially choke the Word from our hearts and cause us to miss the blessing that the knowledge of it brings. The things of this world are corrupting and decaying daily, so if in fact the treasures of our hearts are stored here--we are in dire straits indeed. Don't get me wrong, God delights in our abundance, but the love of abundance should not capture our hearts; abundance can't be the focus. When it is--we become emotionally attached and consumed with either the failure or success of getting more stuff. God is interested in our understanding the extraordinary capacity of the heart. He designed every aspect of life to teach us more and more about how to operate through His kind of love. You see, when the heart is ill-focused, so will be our results. Money and fine things are perfectly good things to desire, and most of us consider them to be decent treasure, but they are extremely limited. They cannot extend life or bring love, light, and liberty to your existence, so if they are indeed your optimum treasure, the most that you could hope for is all the entanglements that come with trying to hold on to something that was never meant to last. We may not even recognize that we are focusing on the wrong thing, but our continued lack of the right thing is evidence that some aspect of our vision must shift. We must constantly look at what we want and measure it against what God wants for us. Often this is where the resistance to change begins. The mind is the real battleground. It is where battles are won or lost. The wins always mean that we grow closer to God through Jesus Christ. The losses signify our refusal to acknowledge Him in all our ways. We came from God and are therefore a part of Him, but He will not force us to acknowledge that. He lovingly stands at the door of our hearts and knocks, hoping that we will have sense enough to let Him in. When we do we absolutely must expect change. Not surface change, but the kind that transforms our souls; the kind that peels back all the layers of hurt and disappointment and reveals the truth of who we were always meant to be.
Ephesians 1:11 (The Message) Who we were meant to be is the real treasure. Through all of the turmoil, problems, heartache, and pain that you have endured, that is what God wants you to see....that through His beloved son, Jesus Christ, YOU are the real treasure. The only way that you will truly walk in that is to make the things of the spirit your number one priority. In spite of our very best efforts, sometimes we steer our vision away from God. We want autonomy because, let's face it, God's way requires endurance and patience. Both of those qualities have to be learned and cultivated, and sometimes that's no fun. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we belong to Him. It is in Him that we "live, and move, and have our being;" (Acts 17:28 KJV) Outside of Him we have no hope but to continue to travail in darkness and despair. Faith cannot take root in doubt, worry, indecision and other remnants of fear, it simply can't. We cannot keep our minds focused on God's Word and the things of this world at the same time. Step by step, little by little, we have to fill our minds with enough of God's Word that we have no other choice but to trust Him wholeheartedly. Life was not meant to be a platform for fantasies. It's filled with ups and downs, and through them all--we are to stay focused on the highest vision of ourselves by learning to love greater through Christ. If your vision is not quite at the steering stage, recognize that it needs a little more tweaking. The Holy Spirit will help move that process along. Don't allow your mind to trip out and cause you to deviate from God's plan. Faith is a science that works with flawless precision every time, and just like science, faith must be studied. Go in search of the evidence to back your believing; study the Word! Even more so saturate your mind and heart with it. Your faith isn't failing you. God is teaching you to masterfully employ it. He's showing you that the vision of all your desires isn't just for you. It must be sturdy and sharp enough to impact His plan for many others as well. So be patient and learn well.
"Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994,
1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing
Group." |
July 2009 Week4 TEACHING
Steer Your Vision!
Make no mistake about it, you and I are most definitely on a journey, and it is ALLLL about the spiritual—it’s about how far we are willing to go to reach spiritual heights in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The vehicle that transports the Christian from point A to point B is faith, and we can't go anywhere or do anything without it. And let's face it, a great deal of energy is spent...and if we'll be completely honest....wasted...on trying to get our vehicle facing in the right direction. We all want something special, and often find ourselves maneuvering and manipulating to get it, but we must be resolved not to forget this one thing, there’s a science to success. There’s a science to obtaining anything we want, because that is the way God set things up. We can push and lock heads against our circumstances all day long; it doesn’t matter. Whether it's a desire for marital restoration, employment, prosperity and abundance, a Godly mate, or good health, you WILL not, CAN not see movement until you alter your course and get on board with faith. Then, you must steer your vision...your intention...your vehicle of faith in a direction that yields the results you seek.THE STARTING POINTHebrews 11:6 NKJV
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July 2009 Week3 TEACHING
Steer Your Vision!
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July 2009 Week2 TEACHING
Steer Your Vision!
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June 2009 Week 4
TEACHING
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June 2009 Week 3 TEACHING If you're single and you pay your own bills, bought your own car, pay the mortgage on a home you sweat bullets to call your own, the last thing you want is someone who steps to you without bringing anything to the table. The first thought that comes to your mind is someone who's trifling, ain't got two rusty nickels to rub together, and is looking to mooch off the little empire the Good Lord has helped you to build. My grandmother would say, "Honey, you can do bad all by yourself..." Now I know that's one you've heard before, but really, no one wants to do "bad" all by themselves. More to the point, no one wants to do "bad" period; including our seemingly trifling somebody with two rusty nickels. We all want our piece of the pie and we want to share it with someone capable of appreciating its sweetness. Let me peep something to you, Deuteronomy 8:18 (KJV) says "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for [it is] he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as [it is] this day." Just as He "giveth thee power to get wealth...”, He also gives you the power to get everything else you desire as well. God empowered you to get all the things that are in your possession this very moment. Now here's where you have to zoom in to the critical truth of this verse; you see it doesn't say that God GIVES you wealth, it says that He gives you the POWER to GET wealth. There's a radical difference between the two. Most of us consider wealth as the upgrade, but this perception is a result of blurred vision for sure. The upgrade is in the "power to get"! Many of us are still in wait mode...have been for years. Some of us have the house, the car, the job, and are waiting on the spouse. Others of us have the spouse, the job, the car, but really want the house. We wait endlessly for God to put that blessing in our paths without realizing that we've already been empowered to get what we want through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God has given us an internal source of power, and it extends to us the capacity or potential to achieve positive results, this is what power does. Who does the achieving? We do! How do we do it? Well now, this is the nitty gritty question that stumps many of us. How do we utilize the power of God to get what we feel we need and want? Those who have been waiting on "the spouse" may consider an income challenged person a misfire. You may have targeted your faith on Mr. or Mrs. Right, and landed yourself someone who’s wayyy to the left of what you want. This can happen in just about any aspect of life. You think you know exactly what you want down to the nth detail, and you end up with something that, in your mind, doesn't quite measure up. When you really get right down to it, with Christ there are no misfires. There is no detail in our lives that escapes the Father's care; that is what we must trust as Christians. What we desire is the target, and until we get it, any and every thing that comes our way speaks to our potential and preparedness to acquire what we seek. The indwelling Holy Spirit within you is a gift that is more amazing than what your mind and heart can comprehend. We know that it does three things for sure, it helps you to attract what you need and desire, it helps you to triumph over life's little hiccups, and most importantly it helps you to be a blessing to others through the love of Christ. The spirit within has this attracting or drawing power, for Jesus Christ said in John 12:32 (NKJV) "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." The spirit within is the spirit of Christ! It draws out the resources you need to get what you want, and those resources are often in the form of people to whom we will either BE a blessing or they will be a blessing to us. The Christ in us does the drawing. That's the power to get! 2Corithians 2:14 says that God ALWAYS leads us to triumph through Christ. Isn’t that awesome! God's strength and power makes it possible for us to live out our lives each and every day, but we don't really begin to see it crank up to "moving mountains" status until we put on the mind of Christ… until we begin to walk by his example. You see the thing about walking by, in, with, and through the love of Christ, is the astoundingly crucial impact it has upon our vision. As you’re grooving to the beat of your own everyday hustle, what you notice within your environment is limited. You probably don’t notice those little extraordinary clues that will lead you along the path of more infinite possibilities. You won’t zone-in to or notice them until you allow for the possibility that there is something you have FAILED to notice. There’s an aspect to the love of Christ that you haven’t fully realized. And guess what? That “aspect” is essential to your power to get, and it is also important to your power to become who God wants you to be. Christ is the single greatest and strongest image of power in human history. When you are diligently and delightfully focused upon him, you will undeniably cause the positive to gravitate your way. God set up the universe to respond to a Christ-kind-of-love, and as I say a million times a week, the universe does not respond to ambivalence; it doesn’t know what to do with it. Either you are fully persuaded in a Jesus-kind-of-faith, or you’re not. You can’t have double vision. James 1:8 tells us that a double minded person is unstable in all his or her ways. James 4:8 NKJV admonishes us to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” God says we’ve got to draw close to Him and work some stuff out in our hearts. Most of us have two standards, the “what would Jesus do” standard, and the “keeping it real” standard. The latter throws Christian sensibilities to the wind, and placates to a very flesh oriented compulsion to put “ME” first. That will NEVER do if you want to learn the ways of success. Again, the entire universe is set-up to unequivocally and unanimously respond to the standard that was etched in stone by the example of Jesus Christ. The image of what you want not only has to be razor sharp and clear, but it has to be made that way through Christ; we triumph through him. Through his lenses you will see that every person, thing, or detail mirrors where and who you are spiritually, therefore you can never see them as a set-back, but a set-up for victory. They are a way for you to raise your sights, and to be even more convinced of your power to get. Examine whether there are lessons of godliness and compassion that you have yet to learn, and the most important thing….and this is a big one, upgrade your mind to the mind of Christ and allow God to upgrade your options. Psalm 75:6 and 7 tells us that He is in charge of promotion and elevation. When something doesn’t quite feel like the blessing you’ve been hoping for, know that it’s a blessing none the less. It’s an opportunity to manifest the greatness of what God has placed within you, and it is usually that last step to go before you acquire the blessing you so earnestly desire. So if you attract someone whose character isn’t exactly what you had in mind, you can’t throw him or her back into the ocean like a wet fish. That’s the wrong action and it will most definitely set you back. Make a spiritual investment in them, no matter how great or small, and leave a lasting impression of God’s love. Whether a person is interested in the curve of your hips, the length of your hair, the glide in your stride, or the size of your wallet, how you treat them will determine whether or not you are truly ready for an upgrade. Let HIM Upgrade You! written by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2009, edited by Kim Times. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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June 2009 Week 2 TEACHING
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June 2009 Week 1 TEACHING
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May 2009 Week 2 TEACHING Did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams that you would live in a day and time like the present. Some of the most amazing things have happened, things that have brought us a great deal of joy. It feels like a shift has occurred, like we've all been invited to a big bash, but nobody knows the when, what, and where. Something different is in the air, and there's a sense that whatever it is that is going to transpire, it is just around the corner. Feelings of optimism and joy surround some who sense this, but a great many others are dismayed, and feel that things will only get worse. They feel that what's just around the corner is a life filled with more doom and devastation. I have no doubt that those who lived a generation ago also experienced a nuance that caught them by surprise, and they reacted much the way many of us do now. The difference between them and us is that we know more, and are therefore more accountable. But who wants to hear that? Particularly at a time when the situations facing many of us can seem so bleak. With rampant job losses and the dismantling of relationships left and right, it is hard to fathom handling anything more than what is already on our plates. God never adds to our burdens. Although for some it is very comforting to hear and think that the old saying "He will never put more on you than what you can handle." is true, you won't find that sentiment in the bible. What you will find is a loving invitation by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Matthew 11:28 NLT The first thing you are going to look for on a hand-written or printed invitation is the "What". You want to know exactly what it is you are being invited to. Jesus Christ handled that in three words, he said "Come to me..." He is telling us that if we will just come into his presence, it will be well worth the time. He guarantees that if we will simply open our hearts to receive something from him, he will deliver; you will be better than you were before you came. There isn't any person, place, or thing capable of extending an invitation like that. It's a pretty standard courtesy to always bring along a small token or gift whenever we are invited to a function; to give something that reflects our appreciation for being thought of and included. Jesus Christ doesn't ask us to bring anything but ourselves and our burdens. He says "I want you to know that whatever it is that you are carrying right now, you can bring it to me. I know all about it, and I can fix it. Just bring it with you when you come, and please know that you won't be leaving with it. I'm going to give you rest, and I'm going to teach you how to lay that burden down and leave it there. I want you to replace it with my love, my peace, my rest." Jesus Christ said in verse 29, "I am humble...." In essence, he is telling us that he's not about playing head trips on us. He won't play with our emotions and leave us high and dry. He isn't trying to swindle us out of anything. He is humble and lovely. Ephesians 1:21 NLT says that he is "... far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come." He could employ his power in any way that he chooses, and he chooses to offer it to us. Jesus Christ is fully aware of his power. If anyone has a right to brag about it-- it's him, but he doesn't do that because that's not who he is. He wants to share, and to show us the heart of the Father. He wants to teach us how to take authority over our circumstances so that we don't feel defeated and depressed, but victorious and thankful. The second thing you look for on an invite is the "When". You want to see if you can fit the date into your schedule. If you are like me and have a pretty full plate, you might start to think about how you can juggle things around a bit to accommodate yet another thing to do. Jesus Christ knows the propensity of our minds. He knows how difficult it is for some of us to commit, especially when we are not quite sure that we can let go of the worry and doubt we clinch so tightly. His invitation says "Listen, whatever it is that you think is so important, I got it covered. My Father took care of the need before you knew anything about it. I got chu' in every way, so don't stress. Don't let anything keep you from coming to me, because nothing is more important that what I will give you." No matter how long you've been a Christian, you need to be reminded of what Jesus Christ so freely gives. He doesn't need anything from anyone; he just wants to pour into us, so that we can become better than we were. When we allow the condition of the world to dictate the condition of our souls, our lives can become stale and mundane, but our Savior knows that we were never intended to fit into the world's mold. He said "I've tailor-made my yoke to be a perfect fit for you. Put it on like a second skin and wear it everywhere you go. Then, no matter what happens, or when it happens, you'll be prepared." In our day and time, we are all strategically positioned to access some of the most exciting revelations from the Word of God that has ever been available in the history of humankind. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 11:30 NLT that the burden he gives us is light. It doesn't weigh us down the way that our worries and fears do. It lifts us up into the glorious light of our Heavenly Father's love. The more we know about Jesus Christ, the more we will begin to see that the Father has not left us alone. He has a plan that includes our well being and happiness, and He would like nothing more that to share it with us. So don't continue to carry feelings of doubt, anxiety, and fear about your circumstances. Take them off, accept his invitation, and leave everything at his feet. He will give you rest and a whole lot more.
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May 2009 Week 1 TEACHING by Kim Times
"You don't miss your water until
your well runs dry."
We've all heard this metaphor before; said a million different ways
regarding a million different circumstances. I want you to know that as a
born again Christian, you shouldn't miss out on anything. The eyes of our
understanding ought to be enlightened and we should be open to any and every
thing God would have us to see. He has given us a little something on the
inside that will ensure that this happens, if we're prepared that is. People are so incredibly important to God, and they should be to us as well. Relationships are the spice of life. They are a blessing from God and we should view them as real treasures. We should care about the feelings of those we love and learn to appreciate that although they are in our lives, their spiritual journey is just as unique and individualized as ours. But this is often the part that we forget and neglect. It is the thing that causes us to suck every ounce of life from our relationships, and leave them bone dry. This shouldn't ring true for us, but it does. Christian relationships are about as much in trouble as any other, and we have to begin to reverse this. We hit the jackpot as soon as we spoke the words of Romans 10:9-10, as soon as we invited the love of God to come into our hearts and accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We have access to a never ending fountain of living waters, so why should our well ever run dry? It shouldn't. What's at stake here is our failure to learn the lessons of God's love well. All of us will say that we've learned them, but if we have there would be undeniable evidence of that.
1 Corinthians 8:9 NLT One of the lessons that we often miss is learning to catch ourselves before we take our relationships for granted. We have tremendous liberty through Christ. He desires us to milk life for every drop of joy we can get out of it, and some of us use this as an excuse to get a little loose with our commitments. Whether it's your spouse, your sistafriend, or your ace-boon-coon, you've got to always keep your radar up. You've got to keep it real; be honest with them, but also remain humble and loving towards them as well. It takes the same energy to maintain a relationship as it does to begin to build one; no matter what type it is. God holds us responsible for adding to the well-being of those we care about. We shouldn't purposely do anything that hinders their spiritual journey in Christ.
John 15:2 NLT God prunes us. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit and His matchless Word, He helps us to strip off the stuff that keeps us from moving forward. He does this so that we can produce even more....more love, and more goodness! Our relationships are so special because they give us opportunities to produce something of value for the Kingdom of God. He has given us the best that can be received. We have the spirit of Christ dwelling on the inside of us. It's enough to keep our fountain overflowing with the waters of friendship and love for an eternity. We have enough to nurture bunches of folks with encouragement, inspiration, and care. This is the essence of God's love. One of His most crucial lessons of love involves your personal reflection. Our reservoir of spiritual good stuff ought to remain on "full", but there will inevitably be times when our "A" game is below par. Feeling depleted can sometimes leave us depressed, with attitudes of jealousy, anger, and selfishness. These are feelings that have broken many marriages and friendships. They drain the goodness that others see in us and cause them to abandon the relationship altogether. When you feel a down spurt coming on, come clean and put yourself in check. Our friends and loved ones will be a mirror, reacting to whatever it is we reflect. Always bear that in mind.
James 1:21 NLT We have to constantly look in the mirror of our hearts, minds, and souls, and be about the business of improving what we see. As saints of God, our well is never dry, but it can seem that way to loved ones we've disappointed or offended. We are called to be beckons of light. Our responsibility is to serve God and be examples of His son, Jesus Christ; to keep a snapshot of what our Lord accomplished in the forefront of our minds. Our savior demonstrated time and time again how we should behave, what to think and what to say in every situation. God has given us everything we need to love from a really good place, so that we don't have to worry about the wells of friendship and marriage running dry. We can continually pour into them, and the indwelling Holy Spirit will help us to do that. Be a continuous fountain of forgiveness and care. Be the same friend to your husband, family, and loved ones that Jesus was to you, and he will make sure that your well never runs dry. |
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April 2009 Week 3 TEACHING Have you ever been in a meeting or situation where you swore you were going to keep your thoughts to yourself, then someone said something to push your button and you opened your mouth before you knew it. You might have rehearsed your cool, calm, and collected demeanor in your head a thousand times. You imagined how proud you would feel after having remained composed while everyone else bickered back and forth. "I'm not going to feed into that mess..." you think, "...and there's nothing anyone can say or do to cause me to lose it." But you DO lose it. To your surprise, you go off because of something that you never suspected would affect you. Your intention to stay calm in a heated situation indicates that you were challenging yourself to be better, even if you didn't succeed. You wanted to exude confidence, because as Christians, that's part of the package. We are supposed to remain anchored in the goodness of our Heavenly Father amidst any raging storm. If the storm rages a little too hard and you lose your bearings, don't miss an opportunity to learn something new about yourself. Any time we deviate from the script, we have a chance to explore what's at the core of who we are. For some this is a scary place. It reminds us that becoming born again didn't wipe away the dark spots on our souls; they have to be dealt with, not pushed further down. The world hasn't strayed so far from its rockers that it doesn't appreciate such Godly virtues as kindness, patience, and respect. These qualities still have a place in our society, a diminishing one mind you, but a place none the less. Christians have long been admired as models of virtue, and most of us think it automatically comes with the territory. We want people to respect and honor us simply because we wear the title. We want the glory, but don't want to do the work. Philippians 2:12 NKJV Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; Salvation isn’t where our work ends, it is where it begins. We are admonished by our Heavenly Father to take notice of those things that we are accustomed to doing out of habit, to pay attention with a keen eye to those things that cause hiccups in the flow of life, and to work them out so that we end up on the other side better than we were; we must measure up to the great gift we have been given through our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There's a reason why God has told us to study to show ourselves worthy of His approval, (2 Timothy 2:15) and it is because it takes time to work through our issues. We work through them by learning more about His Word, and then walking in it, but we certainly can't work through our issues if we refuse to confront them.
Matthew
22:29 KJV Not many days before he would endure great suffering, Jesus Christ had a few discourses in the temple, some with those who considered themselves paradigms of virtue and knowledge. These discussions were of significant importance, as we see in Matthew 22:29 KJV. He said to the Sadducees, "...Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." This statement was in response to a question they posed concerning the resurrection of the dead and the future state. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead or the afterlife, and hoped that Jesus might say something of which they could accuse him. As he did so masterfully, Jesus put them on blast...he threw the high beams on them, but did it ever so simply. He said "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know the scriptures, but you think you do. You've missed the meaning entirely, and because of that you are making some errors." The Sadducees were entrenched in their way of believing. It was very doubtful that they would allow themselves to be enlightened, not even from the Son of God. Their frame of mind is where many of us who are followers of Christ find ourselves today, and we hate to admit it. We don't like admitting that our own failure to learn more about God's Word has caused us to make preventable errors. We can become so wrapped up in our daily lives that we can't hear the Word we need to hear. We consider ourselves so spiritual that we fail to grasp the deeper meaning of God's Word; and before we know it, we lose the ability to see what we need to see all together. We can't see those who need to hear a profound word of inspiration from our lips. We can't see the simple ways to be a blessing to others each day, and if you can't see a way to be a blessing, then you can't see a way to receive one either. None of us ever know ourselves as well as we think we do. God has purposed that we discover new things as we grow in Him. He wants us to challenge ourselves to be better by confronting the ungodly things we see, and then ask His forgiveness for them. If we'll ask Him, and if we'll give ourselves permission to change, God will come into those places so that we can be even more anchored in His love. Understand that through your mistakes and missteps, through the Words of wisdom and encouragement that are within your proximity each and every day, Jesus Christ is showing you the way. These things come to you for a reason. Although life can feel very uncomfortable at times, it may even feel like a wilderness experience, know that nothing about your life is random. Everything can be employed as an instrument to lift you higher. From your view, the things of this world should never be as harsh as they seem. They are meant to be an opportunity to grow and become closer to our Heavenly Father. So don't stop growing when discomfort arises. Don't stop learning just because you feel you've had enough. Raise your sights and see life's hiccups for the opportunities they are; they are challenges to be better in Christ. |
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April 2009 Week 1 TEACHING Ask yourself a serious question and be as brutally honest as you can be, why don't you have what you want in your life right now. Is it because you don't know what it is you really want? Is it because you haven't asked God? Is it because you think you're not deserving of anything good? Or is it that you don't believe that you have what it takes on the inside to get what you want? A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that God is withholding their blessing for some reason, but nothing could be further from the truth. So to ask yourself this question is simply to get you pointing the finger in the right direction. You might be surprised to hear this, but it really doesn't matter what you think the reason is. TRUTH is the only thing that matters, and the "truth" for the Christian is the Word of God. In Matthew 19:16 NLT, Jesus Christ said "...but with God all things are possible." Jesus is letting us know beyond any uncertainty that whatever you desire, you can have it! We can have the desires of our hearts and then some. We can have abundance and all the trimmings that come with it, but there's one condition...it has to be "WITH God". To be "with God" is to be in partnership with Him. He’s the ultimate partner, so you can relax and come to grips with the fact that you are not working alone to achieve the things you desire; you have some help. As Christians we have everything we need within us to reach out and grab the Father’s goodies. We are Kingdom Kids...at least that's what I like to call us. Kids humble themselves and go to their parents for what they want. They realize that they are not in a position to acquire it for themselves, so with all the expectation they can muster, they ask mommy and daddy. Now I know this is a very simplistic way of looking at things, but our Heavenly Father likes simple. Look at Matthew 18:2-4 NLT: 2 Jesus called a small child over to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, "I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Children want what they want, and they don't always see what is ahead of them, so they ask the people who love them the most for help. It takes humility to ask for help because you have to realize on some level that you are not able to get to where you need or want to be without some assistance. Being humble doesn't mean that we put others above ourselves. It means that we don't put ourselves above others. It means that we understand that our view is limited, and we need help to gain a broader perspective. We may not view humility as being important to exercising faith, but the two go hand and hand. It's crucial to have desires, dreams, goals, and aspirations, but we must understand that our view of what we want is a very limited one. God has a greater view, and He requires us to be humbled enough to accept that.
Matthew
6:33 NLT I love the New Living Translation version of this verse, although the King James Version is probably more familiar to you. It says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". God is telling us not to run to THIS person or THAT agency first. Psalm 75:6-7 KJV tells us that He is in charge of promotion. He knows how to lift you up at the appointed time. In case you didn’t know it, a partnership with God means that we allow Him first dibs at calling the shots, because He’s the one with the plan; that’s why we seek Him first. He wants to be in partnership with you. He wants to expand your vision of what is possible, and most importantly, to expand your vision of who you are and what you can accomplish through His love. So if you don't understand why you can't seem to get ahead, if you are in dire need of a blessing in the right now and you have no idea how it will come to pass, remember your Partner. Remember that all things belong to Him. He's not going to just plop them in your lap without evidence of your commitment to hold up your end of the bargain. He requires that you set your eyes upon Him; that you prioritize your life in such a way that His love is #1. You've got to give it out! God's business should always come first. Our relationship with Him should never take a back seat to anything. There is absolutely no reason you should ever settle for less when you are one of God's children. We have a right to expect the best, but it takes more than just expecting it, we have to be in a position to give it. Only then can we witness the kind of momentum in life that moves us up the spiritual ladder of bounty and blessings. Whether it's taking time first thing in the morning to give thanks, speaking an encouraging word to co-workers and friends or helping someone who has lost their job, the number of good and Godly deeds are too many to number, but we can't skimp on them. They are a requirement for Kingdom Kids. It's about prioritizing and making strides to become a better person through giving your time and showing your love. Opportunities to do good are all around us, we just have to keep our eyes open to them. You have multiple opportunities every single day to demonstrate God's love, and if you are missing those opportunities, how in the world will you see an opportunity to acquire what you want from God. The answer to that question is that you won't. If your arms are not open to give love, then they are not open to receive it either. You are God's partner, an ambassador for Christ, so open your eyes to goodness. If you expect a rainy day, put an extra umbrella or two in your car in case you see someone unfortunate walking in the rain. You may run across a mother with young children waiting in the cold for the bus. Keep a bag of pretzels at your desk for that hungry co-worker or friend. Don't expect to get paid for every deed, but allow God to compensate you. This is a loving mindset that pleases Him. Your blessing will come, don't doubt that for a moment, but the love of God within you must draw it out. So stay open to whims of kindness. Set your heart to be a good partner first, and the spirit will lead and guide you to be a truly more loving kid.
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March 2009 Week 4 TEACHING I often wish that there was an easier, less hard hitting way to talk about marital restoration, but the truth is--this is a serious subject. There is no other way than to hit you with the meat, because the time for milk has long past. It is almost impossible to sugarcoat this thing because it can be such a devastating matter. I have so much love in my heart for those of you who are dealing with the pain of a broken marriage, and so much compassion for your plight. But I want you to know something, for every bit of pain and hurt that you are feeling, it will take that much strength and more to reverse the situation or move past the pain. You have to be strong enough to hear some strong talk. So if you are not ready for the truth, if you are not prepared for change, very little I write in this teaching will be of much use to you. "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm..." this verse in Joel 2:25 KJV is often what people recite as encouragement to those who have lost something precious. "God is going to give you back everything that the devil has stolen from you!" they say. The truth that very few have the gumption to face is that if indeed the devil has stolen it from you, then you had to provide an entrance. When the thing that was stolen happens to be a spouse, well....that's an even harder pill to swallow. As hard as it is to accept, it is true that "the devil hast no foot hole lest we provide it.” which is a fancy way of saying that he can’t get in unless there is an opening. When your spouse abandons you, that's the last thing you want to hear, but hear it you must if restoration is in your sights. Anything that has been done by the devil can be undone by our Heavenly Father; there is no question about that. But we have to understand that when God steps into the picture, there's a whole new and powerful dynamic that must be considered. God is interested in you finding out where that "opening" is, so that He can help you close it. You might ask the Lord, "Father, why did You let this thing happen to me? Why didn't You prevent it?" We ask questions like these because our hearts are breaking and we know that the Lord is the only one with medicine to treat that kind of pain. But that's just it, strong pain requires strong medicine, and with any good medicine-- serious rehabilitation is always needed. The kind of rehabilitation it takes for marital restoration is no joke. Some require years and years of therapy before the trust is even halfway restored. And often couples just don’t make it because one or the other lacks the required patience and they just give up on each other. When it comes right down to it, it really doesn’t matter whether infidelity is involved or not, the fact is that a union that was sanctioned by God has been broken, and that’s rather serious spiritual business. If you never considered your marriage to be something God put together, then that maybe part of the problem, but don’t be too disappointed, because it can definitely be part of the solution. Believe this; absolutely everything under the sun is spiritual. In order to restore and repair, you may not have to go all the way back to Christian Basics 101, but some revamping is unquestionably necessary. To shed some light on this subject, let me share a story with you. Lula had fond memories of the summer vacations she spent in Chicago with her aunt and cousin over twenty years ago. For a 10 year old girl who use to live in a small country town with one stop light, this was a dream come true. Her Aunt Bettie was a police woman who stopped working after she married a doctor. She had incredible taste and Lula thought she lived the most glamorous life. She had fur coats, lots of them, and absolutely beautiful clothes. Lula thought of her aunt as her very own Cleopatra Jones, and her aunt always made her feel as if something exciting was just around the corner. Lula's Aunt Bettie had so many girlfriends and play cousins that Lula couldn't keep up with them, but there was one particular couple that stuck out in her mind. They just seemed so mysterious. They were probably in their late thirties, and each of them had a distinctive quality that made her remember them until this day. The man had a deformed arm that was always bent and rested on his chest, and the woman seemed to have an indescribable glow about her face. She was so pretty, and Lula had never seen a person as at peace as this woman seemed to be. In Lula's eyes, this woman had a heart of gold. She treated her husband and everyone else with such kindness, and Lula swore light beamed from her like an angel. She was deliriously happy whenever this couple visited her aunt. The husband would be sure to bring her and her cousin a treat, and his wife, unlike her Aunt Bettie, would adoringly gaze at the shenanigans of two ten year old little girls with such amusement. Lula later found out that the couple had been unable to have children of their own. The wife prayed all the time her Aunt Bettie said, and Lula figured that was the reason why. She had a “hallelujah” for everything good and a “praise the Lord any how” for everything that wasn't. Lula held this couple in her heart so tightly; they were perfection to her. She didn't want anything to shatter the image of them in her mind, but deep down she knew that something would, just as it had shattered the marriage of her own parents. There was something unspoken about the couple, and her aunt made sure it wasn’t unspoken for long. A notorious story teller, she loved to talk and no secret would stay a secret if it were left up to her aunt. One day Lula overheard her Aunt Bettie tell someone on the phone that there was a period in this couple’s marriage when the husband drank heavily and had been very abusive. The wife would come to church black and blue and fall down at the altar, and there she’d stay all during service, her aunt said. No one bothered her…she was on a mission and they knew it. Well one Sunday night, this husband raised his arm to strike her and something happened to him. Whatever it was, it left him with an arm that would not move. After that, he never drank again, and he was as kind to his wife as any man could be. I first heard this story in the company of a few women. Immediately after hearing it, one of them remarked, "Uhh, Huh!!! That's what he gets....God don't like ugly." Most of them agreed with this sentiment concerning the husband. I cannot vouch for how true the story is, but it stuck with me. It bothered me because unlike everyone else, l could not see the wife as a complete saint nor the husband a complete villain. I saw them both as wounded people, one who almost lost his life and could have taken someone else's as result of substance abuse, and another who was so obsessed with another human being that she either forgot that God was her sufficiency or she never learned it. The wife would fall on the altar, laboring in prayer for a husband who was out of control. She didn't think of all the young single sisters...all the young girls in church who saw the bruises on her body, and because of them may have thought it was acceptable for a saved daughter of the Most High to be someone's punching bag. She just did what she felt she had to do to preserve her marriage; she took it to the Lord in prayer. This was at a time when women didn't have nearly as many options as they do now. Now, we know better, but do we DO better? We may not labor before the Lord over an abusive husband, but most Christian women who have been abandoned by their spouses will spend an enormous about of time begging God to save their marriages. Should you pray to God about it? Unequivocally Yes!!! God honors the marriage as a blessed union. He wants us to be married because as married couples we can learn so much about His love. But while you are spending time in the Father's face about your marriage, be sure you put a few things in check first, namely your own spiritual growth. Was the issue that made the woman stay in an abusive marriage resolved just because her husband changed? I don't think so. We have to understand that pain of any kind is a wake-up call. It's an attention getter, and if you don't address it from the root, the situations and circumstances that keep you in pain will continue to cycle back over and over again. The story tells us that the woman seemed to have such peace. I don't think the peace she had is the one that most of us are looking for. We might think it is, but trust me, it isn't. It's the kind of peace that a person has when an addiction has been fed. It's the kind of peace we experience when someone has given us their permission to gobble them up and pack them inside that big gaping hole in our inner being. The peace that this beloved daughter had was one that allowed her to remain a spiritual infant. It may have been ok at that time, but we no longer have this luxury. God demands that we make our spirituality in Christ our first priority. As hard as it is for us to hear, the question is never "will he come back?", it's "will you love God greater if he doesn't?" It's about a shift not only in your priorities, but also in your thinking as well. Every time you think you're beginning to feel okay, something happens...a word is spoken, or a memory is triggered, and you are right back in the dumps. Your whole being sinks to the depths of your soul, where the pain knocks you out of the driver's seat and begins to drive your life further down. I'm not going to tell YOU to get back in the driver's seat, because you are not capable of steering yourself where God is going to take you. Put Jesus Christ in the driver's seat. Call on his name and ask him to come into the deep wounds of your pain. You have to grow up unto Him in ALL things, and you don't get to decide when the requirement for "ALL" has been fulfilled. If the husband is gone, you have to let him go in your heart, mind, and soul, because you are trying to hold on to him with fear rather than with the love of God. The fear tells you that you can't be whole without him, that you need him to make you sufficient. You are expecting God to coddle your fears rather than strengthen your weaknesses. That will not happen. The fear must vacate the premises because its taking up space otherwise occupied by God's love. Trust Him! He loves you. Let go and trust Him! You can cry, yell, and wrestle with that thing all you want, but make sure you are doing it with your spiritual elevation in mind. Wrestle with it until you know- that you know- that you know- that God will see to it that you are wonderfully blessed. Be fully persuaded that He is going to bring you out and know beyond a shadow of doubt that He will heal your wounded heart. He'll take of your family and He will see to it that your life will be so much greater than you ever thought it would be.
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March 2009 Week 3 TEACHING Guiding You to the Top by Rev. Fran Times-Mack Living at a time when it seems as though everyone is scurrying about in a state of panic, if you happen to be one of those people who likes to remain on the cool, calm, and collected side, you may feel a little out of place. Well, the Word of God tells us in Philippians 4:6 NLT, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." So if you have managed to hold on to your peace with all the pandemonium out there, be thankful! For those of you who have lost your jobs, or you are about to; for those who are struggling to make ends meet, and those of us who are just plain tired of all the stuff that is going on in the world today, we need to take a cue from Philippians 4:6 and tie up a few loose ends. The first of which is--"Don't worry about anything". That's a tough one isn't it. But you have to ask yourself why you would engage a process that yields absolutely no benefit whatsoever. As a matter of fact, worrying makes a situation worst; and that's why God told us not to do it. Worrying is a choice, one that absorbs a great deal of mental and emotional energy. It steals the space in our minds that should be occupied by faith and thankfulness. We rob God every time we focus our minds to that degree on anything other than His goodness. Robbing God is a pretty strong accusation, I know. But it's the truth. John 10:10 KJV says "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly." Jesus Christ came to set us free from worrying, so that we could have a life that is the exact opposite of one that is enslaved by fear. Worry at its very fundamental level, is plain ol' fear. It isn't the joy of God's love that keeps the devil busy, it's our fear that 1) God won't fix it and 2) we don't deserve to have it fixed. No matter how you look at it, both of these two scenarios give the devil the opening he needs to steal what God has for us. God doesn't cause the thief to steal our joy, we offer it freely by spending so much time doubting God and His love. Make a shift in your attitude. It make take some doing and some time, but you can change your circumstances dramatically by shifting to an attitude of faith. You begin this process by doing the second thing, which is to "pray about everything". Now listen, when the Lord says pray about everything, He has an expectation that you have done the prep work to get your head and heart in gear. Hebrews 11:6 NLT says "So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." We cannot take a worrying heart before God and expect Him to draw faith from it. God hears us when we pray, no matter what it is that we are praying about, but we want Him to do more than just hear us, we want Him to move on our behalf. That's why He gave us this tremendous gift called "faith", so that we could have every confidence that He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. He will reward those who sincerely seek Him, as it says in Hebrews 11:6 NLT. To sincerely seek Him is to make some room in yourself to accommodate who He is. You have the great privilege to go before the throne of God, the creator of the universe, and have an audience with Him. It is a gob smacking moment of awe every time you open your mouth in His direction....to know that you are speaking to God Almighty. He is due every ounce of honor we can muster. So when we step up to the plate to have a word with Him, we had better recognize. When we have this kind of reverence and respect, we are poised to pray about anything and everything, because we know that it is NOT in vain. We come to God recognizing the greatness of who He is and what He is able and willing to do to bless us. The third thing we need to do is to be specific, "Tell God what you need." And if you are going to tell Him what you need, spend the time it takes to figure out exactly what that is. It is never about that husband, that child, that friend, that co-worker, or that job. It is always about our relationship with God. Romans 8:28 NLT says " And we know that God causes everything to work together* for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Know this, you have been called for a divine purpose, and no matter what the source of your pain is this very moment, God has already factored it into the victory that will most assuredly be yours. You will be triumphant. You will be successful, and you will rise to a new place in Christ that will be nothing short of glorious. God wants you to lean on His strength, because it is a strength that never fails. Ephesians 6:10 KJV tells us to be strong in the power of His might. And if you don't believe in the power of His might, then that is the "need" you ought to be praying about. Change doesn't occur from the outside in, but from the inside out. When you purpose your mind and heart to become a person whose faith is strong, the indwelling Holy Spirit will partner with your efforts. It will begin to help you move out the stuff that is weighing you down, so that you can move lighter, and with more of God's love in your heart. The situation that caused us to worry is not the problem. The problem is that when the devil threw the dart our way, we didn't have sufficient armor. We didn't have enough in our spiritual reserves to stand impenetrable amidst the attack. Replenishing our spiritual reserve must be the priority. Our relationship with God must come first. The fourth and final thing we must do is "thank him for all he has done." When we are in the midst of heartache and struggle, cultivating a spirit of thankfulness may not be the easiest thing to do if you haven't made a shift. That's why the shift is absolutely necessary. Your mind is the greatest instrument that can be employed to foster your total well-being. If you will not discipline it to help yourself, then you will severely limit what anyone else can do to help you. Put your thoughts in check. Every time you want to obsess about your situation, think on the sweetness of our blessed savior. Ask Jesus Christ to comfort you. Call on his name as many times as you need to; there's power in that name. Allow his love to fill your heart, and know that as you call upon him, he will help to clear your mind. He will give you peace and help you figure out your next move. You may not feel victorious right now. You may not
feel like a winner, but that's okay. It's not about feelings, it is about
you honoring our Heavenly Father. He is a God who sits high and looks low.
He knows your plight, He knows you are hurting. He is telling you
"Listen, you don't have to be thankful for where you are right this moment.
I understand that it may not be the best place, but you are not anywhere
that my love can't reach you. Grab on to it. Hold it tight. Stop looking
back down that hole at all the mess you left behind. Just keep holding on
and look towards me; I got you. I won't let you fall. I'm guiding you to
the top, and that's what I want you to be thankful about....that I'm guiding
you to the top."
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March 2009 Week 1 TEACHING God wants to be sought after and He wants to be found. He knows that if and when any of us expend the energy to look for Him, we are not shucking and jiving, but we plan to step up to the plate in a very real way. And when we find Him, it is because we had faith that indeed we would. He likes that. You see God looks for an opportunity to bless us. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says that the eyes of God run to and fro throughout the whole earth, looking to show how strong His love is for each of us. But here's the thing, we have to hold up our end of the bargain as well. Our hearts have to be right, and the only way to get them to be right is to have faith. A lot of us think of faith in terms of getting what we want. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 17:20 that if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can tell a mountain to move and it will giddy up. But there's a little bit more to the story than that. Sometimes, when we read the Word we forget English 101; we neglect to put the verse in context with the subject matter at hand. When Jesus Christ talked about the faith to move mountains, he was speaking to the disciples in the context of ministering, blessing, and healing people. So often we forget our mission. We forget that the faith we employ as Christians is the faith of Jesus Christ. This means that as we grow in faith, as we exercise it by gaining victory over our circumstances, that we will grow in love as well. God expects that we will be interested in accomplishing something for the kingdom, because that was certainly the kind of faith Jesus Christ had. At some point in your life you will be faced with a situation that forces you to learn where your help really comes from. You will have to trust Him, and He will answer your call. But you needn't think that your relationship with God can be summed up in you needing Him and Him answering the call; much more is required of you. The faith that it took for you to become a born-again believer is just the beginning. Sure, there may be times when you go through struggle, where you ask "why does my life seem so difficult?" And you lean on the Lord because you know He'll help you, but each victory should bring a deeper window of love in your heart. God knew you long before you arrived on the scene, because Ephesians 1:4 says that you were predestined before the foundations of this world. He makes no mistakes and we certainly can't think that he made a mistake when he called us. He knew that we would look for Him and that we would find Him. And now that we have found Him, He said in Romans 8:37 that we can have overwhelming victory through Christ, who loved us. Verse 38 goes on to say that no matter what comes our way, nothing can separate us from the love of God, not death, not life, not angels or demons, not even the fears and worries of today. Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Boy, you
can't help but to be reassured when you read that. It just blesses your
heart. If the bill collectors are calling, it is probably because you bought more than what you could pay for. If the supervisor at work is acting out, you can be thankful you have a supervisor and a job to go to. If hubbie, wifey, or the youngens are misbehaving, you can be thankful that your family is alive and well enough to get on your last nerve. We can be thankful, pray, and have faith that God will make all of these things all right, but let's not forget that we've got a stride to hit and a mark to make. We've got a high calling to live up to. God told us that we could have overwhelming victory. He told us this so that we would not be afraid to administer His overwhelming love. Romans 8 references a time when Christians were being brutally attacked and killed simply because they were endeavoring to spread God's Word. They were convinced of God's great big love and that's why they didn't stop talking about it. They didn't stop sharing it. They were keepers of the faith, no matter the cost. We have nothing like their circumstances, but we too are keepers of the faith; God has called us to be. He expects more from us than to just sit on it and use it only when we are in crisis. Jesus said in John 13:35 that people will know that we are keepers of the faith by the way we love. In other words, we have to understand and hold up our part of the agreement. We knew God was about loving His people when we sought Him out. And we also knew that when He loved on us, He expected us to pass it on. So remember---that as you grow in the faith, it is definitely yours to keep, but with it comes a bounty of love to give as well.
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February 2009 Week 4 TEACHING Are you getting in your own way? Who are we kidding…hardly anyone answers that question honestly. That's the trouble with getting in your own way; most of the time you don't realize you're doing it until it's too late. Discovering that YOU are the reason that you are not where God desires you to be can be a devastating blow to the ol’ ego, especially if you are accustomed to getting what you want, no matter the cost. Old habits are hard to break, and one of the biggest habits is letting pride drive our desires. Our pride can easily get in the way of attaining the “true” blessings of God. What do we mean by “true” blessings? Keep reading. The first order of business, though, is to understand how destructive pride can be. It hinders our spiritual development and distorts our ability to discern what things are from God and what things are gotten purely out of a lustful heart. A lot of us take the attitude that if our way has gotten us to where we are today, then everything is gravy. This is where we have to be careful, especially if things are crumbling all around us and we refuse to acknowledge it. Society's rampant obsession with materiality has gotten us in a world of trouble. We've put ourselves in debt trying to front massive bling; being car rich and house poor, as it were, and we think that just because we look the part we can get away with it. The fact of the matter is that it has caught up with us big time, but somehow the acknowledgement to ourselves and to God that our way is not the right way hasn't made it to the surface of our consciousness. Many of us are in denial about our circumstances, refusing to believe that the credit card slickness that got us the goodies in the past has made its final curtain call. Some of us think that it will manifest in a different, perhaps better form, and allow us to continue the masquerade. It ain't happening. The season of careless spending is over; it was never meant to last, but it WAS meant to teach us a lesson. Most of us can remember throwing a temper tantrum or two as a child. We thought that if we acted out we would get what we wanted, but some of us ended up wishing we had never thrown that tizzy fit. As adults, we continue those tantrums, only in different ways. We neglect to nurture our spiritual growth and to concentrate on our relationship with God. Instead we mask our spiritual hunger with a lust for thrills and materiality.
" When Your Way is Not the Right Way!"
written by Kim Times and
Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning
Sistas ©2009. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God
through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to
spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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February 2009 Week 3 TEACHING Who could have ever imagined that life on earth would be as complicated, fantastical, and dangerous as it is now. It seems to be so intricately woven with complexities in fact, that most of us would not dream of speculating where we'll be ten years from now. Truth is, we don't know whether to be frightened or thrilled by it. So most of us find ourselves these days just taking it as it comes; living, working, and struggling to find our bearings in a world that is changing faster than we can keep up. The only ones who seem to be remotely poised for this new frontier are young folks. They were practically born with a psyche that's internet ready, with fingers that glide over keyboards as if they've somehow been programmed at birth to do so. These youngens have an air of confidence that makes them think they're all geniuses. In their minds the rest of us are just slumps who would be better served to hand over the world and step aside because, as they are so quick to point out, they can do a better job with it. Every generation thinks they'll do better than the last. In some ways that is probably true, but in some ways it isn't, and it doesn't take much to prove that point. All we need do is look around. With each passing moment we tend to love material things more and more, as we move further away from God and the standard of His Word. So if you're over forty or fast approaching it and are wondering exactly where you fit in, wonder no more. You are the constant...the bridge for that young hopeful few who will almost lose their souls, but will stop just short of it and recognize what a privilege it is to love God. This is the work we were destined to do. In our own individually unique and small way, we were purposed to make this contribution; to shine a light in this dark world of ours, to pray often, and to continue to grow in wisdom. This is our charge. Matthew 5:6 says "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Well, first off --when we talk about letting our lights shine, some of us will immediately hearken back to childhood days in Sunday choir, twirling our ponytails and picking our noses while trying to belt out "this little light of mine...", in the most angelic way possible of course. This kind of childhood memory stays with some of us, and that is where we left our light...back there, in a time when we were innocent and trusted the Father wholeheartedly. The world is definitely a dark place, no one will argue that. It is so dark in fact that we think we couldn't possibly do anything to breach it, but in truth we can. Through the love of Christ we have an infinite supply of light. It is with us everywhere we go. You don't have to be concerned with how brightly the light shines. Your responsibility is to make sure it isn't hidden--to be sure that you are always poised to do a good deed and to speak a word of truth, and that you don't miss an opportunity to do either.
1Thessalonians 5:17-19 NKJV A friend of mine once told me that he was praying in the spirit while mowing the lawn and almost ran over his cat. God isn't suggesting to us in 1Thessalonians 5 that He wants us to pray morning, noon, day, and night, but we must keep in mind that the Christian life is intended to be a spiritual one. It requires that we are constantly doing those things that promote a clear and clutter free line of communication with our Heavenly Father. So while you may not be able to pray 24/7, your mind and heart should always be in a place that honors your spirit. We should give God His time in prayer and allow nothing else to hinder us when we do. Too many of us pray only when all else fails; when we're exasperated, exhausted, and out of focus. Our prayer life must accommodate room to pray for others and for ourselves as well. We're not talking about a few words here and there. God desires meaningful dialogue with us, where He hears us and we wait to hear from Him. Verse 18 says "in everything give thanks." This is how we can really set an example for those who are looking for the slightest glimmer of light. Negativity is rampant. People are constantly tearing each other down through gossip, through the airways, and in print. We have a choice to either add to this negativity by continuing to spread it, or to put a stop to it by at least refusing to further its sting. We can give thanks in everything, and all things can be influenced by the prayers of those of us who love God and keep His Word. It isn't about being superficial, flaky, or appearing ultra religious. It is about knowing the transformative power of praying to God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The reality of who He is and who we are through him increases as we pray in earnest. We become better than we thought we would ever be. We have been changed and that is why we are in a prime position to understand what it is to be truly thankful. It's the appropriate response to any negativity that comes our way. Although there are times when these things are appropriate, our time in prayer is not meant to be monopolized with emotionalism, mindless chatter, or with repetitive requests. To quench the spirit is to extinguish its fire and that is exactly what we will do if we spend too much time on any one of the aforementioned. In 1Corinthians 13:11 KJV, the Apostle Paul said "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Those of us who have been on this journey a while must step up to the plate and put away childish things. We have to realize that God has called us with a holy calling; we have to get a few things done. "Gimme, Gimme,Gimme..." will not work anymore. The spirit burns to uplift the body of Christ--to help us live up to his example; and our hearts ought to yearn to do that as well. We are equal to the task that God has set before us, and it is time to get it done. Pray for others, in everything give thanks, and don't allow your actions to quench the momentum of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Proverbs 4:7 KJV Proverbs 4:7 says that getting wisdom is the most important thing we can do. Everybody is walking around either searching for purpose, fulfilling a resolution, or trying to find the next best way to make themselves younger, richer, prettier or more handsome. They are out there looking for a gold mine when the Word tells us where it really is. Wisdom is our treasure. We're not talking run-of-the-mill textbook, but God desires that we seek the upper echelon, the top branch of wisdom where respect and honor for the things of God are hand and hand. We are to be diligent in our pursuit of this jewel because it holds us in that place of authority, where we can instruct others in the Word and they will listen because of the Christ they see in us. Words of wisdom are not just intelligent, but impactful, carrying with them a persuasive reasoning that causes one to mend his and her ways and take up the cross. No two people will carry out this work the same way. We all love God a little differently, but make no mistake about it, the path before us is clear. It has been marked out by our savior. No matter what the future holds, on that glorious day when we give an account of the life we've lived, God will look at how we have loved Him. And when we unveil our body of work, there ought to be a long line of people we have prayed for, those of whom we've shared our wisdom, and those whose way has been made a little brighter by our light. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. |
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February 2009 Week 2 TEACHING The title of this teaching may evoke images of the jungle, where the laws can be brutal and often fatal when an animal's hunger is at stake. Or given the current shenanigans of Wall Street, corporate heads and business moguls who have sold their souls to the devil for the almighty dollar may come to mind. And let's not forget a music industry that makes guns and skulls must-have accessories, where some of the most promising talents of our time have lost their lives trying to prove their credibility. All of these scenarios paint a "me against the world" scenario that seems surreal and farfetched , but in fact most of our lives have been touched in some way or another by a reality that maybe more ruthless than anything I've written here. Let me say for the record, I believe in infinite possibilities. I believe we each have a God-given right to dream a beautiful dream for ourselves. We should nurture it, give it all the things it needs to survive, and then hold it in faith until it becomes a living, thriving reality. I seldom interject the world's condition into my teachings because I want folks to keep their eyes stayed on Jesus and their hearts focused on their dreams; our dreams help us to grow in Christ. But I find myself in the most peculiar of circumstances and I can no longer ignore what is happening . Times are indeed precarious on every front. The war, harsh economic times, and problems facing the family unit in this country are of enormous concern. But instead of folks running to the comfort of our Heavenly Father, they are panicking... and what's worse, they're giving up. Even those who were steadfastly waiting on a breakthrough this time last year, are now abandoning it for a "just let me get by" mentality. This kind of defeatist thinking goes against everything that Jesus Christ taught, lived, and died for. It sends a message that a son or daughter of Zion isn't fit to survive when the pressure is hot and heavy. We now have to come to grips with the fact that expecting a breakthrough isn't enough; it was never enough. It represented the promise of a brighter tomorrow in our minds, but it left out some crucial ingredients that some prosperity proselytizers have neglected to include. That crucial ingredient is our unwavering commitment to our Heavenly Father's agenda. Past sins are coming home to roost. As the dirty laundry of indulgent and self-aggrandizing tycoons and public figures is aired, and the perplexities of a changing climate and diminishing peace in the world is among us, we can't help but think that a cataclysmic upheaval is stirring in that higher spiritual dimension. There's a spiritual battle going on and all signs point to these being our last days. But hold up....wait a minute! (this is where you hear the screeching noise of brakes coming to an abrupt halt.) Did we miss something? Did the foretold and much anticipated period of jubilance and abundance pass us by? I think not. Spiritual warfare is nothing new. Times are perilous, there's no denying that. It's a jungle out there, and it may get worse, but the Christian has no excuse. God told us in 1Peter 5:8, " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" Did we think God was kidding around? For years I have warned that we will all face a point in our lives where we would need the full accompaniment of the armor that God has supplied. We need it to keep our heads above water. He has been incredibly patient with us and given us plenty of time to have enough ammunition in our spiritual reserves. And yet, many of us are still not ready...if we had to do serious battle this very moment, we would not be ready. Some of our co-workers and friends are in the fight of their lives. They've lost their source of income and don't know how they'll make it. We think to ourselves, "but for the grace of God go I." But what if it happens to you? What if you too are hit by some unforeseen event that devastates your reality. Don't wait until it happens, get prepared now! How do you do that? How do you get prepared for whatever comes your way? Well the first thing to know is that what God has promised He is faithful to deliver. This is not the time to be quaking in your boots, but to have faith and sure up your commitment to the things of God. Take a cue from Joshua 1: Joshua 1:1-9
NLT Joshua was getting ready to do some pretty powerful things amidst a daunting set of circumstances. Moses had been the leader of the children of Israel. He was admired by all and he had just died. Joshua knew that the Israelites didn't have an impeccable record of following directions, and yet he was handpicked by God to lead them into the promised land. God made a promise to give them a land of rest, and He fulfilled that promise. He has promised in 2 Corinthians 3:6 to be our sufficiency, to take care of us no matter what is happening around us. And He will fulfill that promise as well. But a promise is a promise only if there are at least two parties who are willing to have faith in it, the one who makes it and the one who receives it. Joshua 1 set a tremendous precedent for how we are to respond to our end of the bargain regarding God's promises. God said "look, I'm fulfilling my promise here, but you need to be strong and courageous. Don't get all wobbly and flake out about the drama...drama comes, drama goes, but you're still my people. Obey all the laws that I've given you, because they'll keep you safe and out of the devil's territory. Don't turn away from it and success will follow you everywhere you go. Be a craftsman of my Word. Study it all the time. Meditate on it day and night. If you do this, I guarantee you will be set for life. Now remember, don't flake out when trouble is all about you, just keep doing what I've told you to do and you'll be just fine." This was God's instruction to the children of Israel, and it is His instruction to us as well. In the King James Version, Joshua 1:7 reads " ... do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go." God said when it comes to His Word, don't turn to the right or to the left, just keep your eyes stayed upon Him. This is how we prepare ourselves for battle. You don't have to scurry about in a state of panic. You don't have to claw your way to the top. You simply have to know that God is who He says He is. You have to stand on His Word, which means you have to study it and know it for yourself. It should have taken the children of Israel a few weeks to get to the land that God had promised them, but they wondered around in the desert for 40 years because they failed to trust God implicitly and to heed His Word. It took them 40 years to get their game together, and in the meantime, Joshua was honing his skills so he would be prepared for whatever God had in store for him. This is your "Joshua" time. While it looks to everyone else to be a season of uncertainty and gloom, it's an opportunity for you to reprioritize, redevelop, and renew your relationship with our Heavenly Father. It's a time to get your house in order. And lastly, about our breakthroughs, well we must never give up on them. But as you can see, it isn't enough to just expect them, we have to prove that we are prepared to seize them and usher them in with a deeper commitment to the faith, one that reflects our courage to stand firm even in times like these.
"Survival of The Fittest...Are You Ready to do Battle?" written by Reverend Fran Times-Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2009. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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JANUARY 2009 Week 2 TEACHING A good friend of mine asked if I knew the difference between "joy" and "happiness". In the back of my mind I suppose I knew that there was indeed a difference, but I had never really given it much thought until that moment. To investigate, I looked up both words in the dictionary. It defines happiness as emotions that one will experience when in a state of well being. It gives the meaning of joy as an emotion of great happiness. Both of these meanings sound the same, but there's an edge that's fundamentally incorrect when it comes to the scriptures. From these meanings, one might think of happiness as the foundation upon which joy is experienced--when in actuality, it is the other way around. As we examine the scriptures we will see that the difference between the two words can be worlds apart.
Galatians
5:22-23 KJV Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy is an inside joy. It is a byproduct of receiving the seed of God, which is the indwelling Holy Spirit. Like all the other fruit of the Spirit, having it on the inside doesn't mean that we will use it, nor does it mean that we will be happy just because we are born again. Harvesting any one of the fruit will depend largely on our choices about what we will plant. To "plant" is to put something in the ground for growth. It means that the planter has some concept about the labor and endurance that is required in the "right now". He or she understands that sowing in the present is preparation for the harvest or "blessing" in the future. God is forever telling us to shift our minds from what we see right now, and look forward to the treasure that is yet to manifest. This is the whole premise of faith, and joy comes by way of faith. As Christians, there is no question about it, we will face adversity. Luke 6:22 (NLT) says "God blesses you who are hated and excluded and mocked and cursed because you are identified with me, the Son of Man." This verse lets us know that we could be hated, excluded, mocked, and cursed because we are followers of Christ. Those are some pretty fierce words. But God also says in this verse that we will be blessed. This verse summons us to make a judgment call. What will we think is most important, the blessing that comes from knowing that we have pleased God, or the temporary sting of being ostracized and excluded by those among us? None of us would probably run around shouting "Wow, isn't this great...I'm being persecuted!" It doesn't feel good to be talked about behind our backs, or to invest years in friendships only to find that those we thought would be in our corner have abandoned us. These are hurtful things, but God doesn't try to hide the fact that being a Christian can be difficult. He is upfront about it. Throughout His Word, He is teaching us to shift our focus on what we plant. You see most of us are interested in planting seeds that will bring us happiness, and we equate happiness as the absence of pain and hurt. When we are hurt by others, the natural instinct is to want revenge, because we think revenge will bring us a feeling of happiness. When we are lonely, the natural instinct is to want someone near to comfort and make us feel valued, because we think our happiness can somehow be fulfilled within another. Although these feelings are natural, they are not spiritual, and we must always renew our minds to appreciate the difference between the two. God created the ability to feel happy within us. It is a very wonderful emotion to experience, but it must be kept in perspective. The whole world is out of balance because people are seeking happiness from the wrong things and in the wrong places. Happiness is a temporary state, and it was meant to be that way. It can be fleeting and very much contingent on what is going on in your life from one moment to the next. God is all about promotion and elevation, but first things first. We have to plant, endure, and then reap a harvest of not just the blessing we desire, but a harvest of spiritual growth too. Sometimes we want the quick-fix. We want to experience the "right now" happiness, but God knows that the "right now" happiness will not bring us real joy. As disappointing as it may be to hear, sometimes we have to endure a little while longer. We have to get to a point where we will desire the joy more than a temporary state of happiness. I was fifteen years old the first time I felt joy. It was the first time I prayed in the spirit. It was a supernatural experience that swooped down upon me like an eagle targeting its prey. All I wanted to do for the rest of my life was duplicate that enormous rush over and over again. I wanted to hold on to it for dear life. This joy is a constant in my life and it grows deeper as I learn more about God and as I become more and more like Christ. Joy is a deeper emotion than happiness. Some say they felt it during the birth of their children or falling in love for the first time or even hearing an old song on the radio that ignites tender emotions. These are joyous occasions for sure, but nothing compares to the joy that God gives us through Jesus Christ. If you are not happy with your life, perhaps it is because a co-worker is extremely negative. Maybe your children are causing you grief, or maybe you are having a hard time finding a compatible and potential marital partner. Any one of these things can make you unhappy if you let it. The thing that you have to be completely sold out about is this, there's a way through Jesus Christ to bring the zest and zeal back into your life. You are never alone, and your situation is never as dire as it seems. God wants you to see that He will make a way out of no way. He wants you to witness that even when it seems that there is no chance for your happiness, there is. He wants you to see your "unhappiness" as an opportunity to plant seeds of joy...to plant seeds of His Word in your heart, and in the hearts of others. "Am I Happy?" is a good question to ask ourselves, but how we approach the answer is extremely important. Happiness is wonderful, but choose joy first. In so doing you can take the smallest gesture and turn it into an opportunity to change your life for the better. So be careful to choose the things of the spirit. It begins with you having faith that there isn't anything about your life that God does not see and that through His love, you are strategically positioned to experience joy right where you are. Say "yes" to joy, and happiness is sure to follow. "Joy and Happiness-Do You Know the Difference?" written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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JANUARY 2009 Week 1 TEACHING Started working on that New Year's Resolution have you? Before you dive into it with all cylinders blazing, hold up...wait a minute. Digest a little food for thought first. Before you set sail on the ocean of self deprivation, ask yourself a question. What are resolutions about anyway? The dictionary defines "resolution" as a firm determination to accomplish something. For each of us that "something" is a little different. For some it involves better health choices like losing weight, exercising more, and cutting loose some bad habits. For others it may involve changing jobs, terminating unhealthy relationships, or finding new ways to an increased quality of life. Whatever our resolutions are about, in most cases we consider them to be a bridge to a happier state of being. It is said that 90% of us will fall short of our resolutions and not accomplish what we set out to do. Now you probably don't like those odds and I don't either. But the truth is-- so many of us fail when it comes to sticking to New Year's resolutions that they've now taken on a kind of negative connotation; people just expect to fail at them, and what's worse is that they expect everyone else to fail too. Tackling the problem or circumstance that is the focus of our resolution isn't the bridge to happiness (If it was, 90% of us would be doomed to a very unhappy existence.) And in some cases making a resolution may do more harm than good. It's not exactly what you want to hear when you need to make a change and have chosen the start of a new year to put it in motion, but help is on the way. God never intended that any us should be in bondage. He wants us to be free of anything that causes us to feel defeated and unhappy. Our lives are so incredibly complicated and weighted down with baggage that we can't see our way clear to trust that, but we must. Trusting His love opens the channel to our success. So if we want to be committed to resolutions of any kind that is the place to start, by unloading the baggage that hinders us from being fully persuaded in God's love. How do we navigate our way to success? Well kicking the ol' heavies of doubt and insecurity to the curb is a good place to start, but it ain't easy. It requires preparation, and preparation is the map that will point us in the right direction. As you've heard me say many times, preparation is the process of taking some old stuff off and putting some new stuff on. Trust me ladies and gents, that is the process by which any form of promotion or elevation will take place. Change will not occur unless we make room for it. You can see this principle in just about every aspect of life. Colossians
3:9,10 NLT God has an expectation that dictates we put off the negative aspects of how we spoke, thought, and behaved (the language, attitudes, and behaviors that are contrary to His will), and put on the things that are in agreement with His will. If we are unwilling to do that, then there is little hope that we will do much more. Colossians 3:12-17NLT goes on to tell us exactly what we ought to be putting on: 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
The love of God must swell to overflowing in our hearts. It's a tremendous reality and it takes up a tremendous amount of space in our lives. We don't have time to focus on the negative. Doing so slows us down and causes us to miss opportunities. And focusing your attention on the external won't get you very far either. As I stated earlier, tackling the problem or circumstance that is the focus of our resolution isn't the bridge to happiness-- the Word of God is.
Luke
11:28 NKJV True happiness comes from hearing the Word of God and allowing it to saturate our minds and hearts to the point where we are living it day by day. The Word tells us that God wants us to clothe ourselves with " tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." He wants us to wear love as a second skin. He wants us to love unconditionally, out of a pure heart. This is particularly poignant for single sistas and brothas, because you sometimes think that to love unconditionally is to give of your body....uh,uhh,uhhhh!!! Romans 12:1 very clearly tells us that God requires us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to HIM. Your leftovers won't cut it. How can any of us so freely offer the most precious thing we own to another human being and not present it as a holy sacrifice to our Heavenly Father? That's just plain out of whack. To love unconditionally is to love with the love of God in your heart. It means that you are willing to support, bless, care for, pray for, and minister to a man or woman without the lower part of your body being involved, until you walk down the aisle of course. At a time when we can clearly see that dreams DO come true and anything and everything IS possible; when it seems that everyone is getting their 15 minutes of fame, we would do well to remember that our turn is just around the corner. Will we swerve into it gracefully by being fully prepared and wearing God's designer gear, or will our suits still be at the cleaners? Don't let it be you. When you're making your New Year's resolutions...first things first. Think about clothing yourself in tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and most importantly, love. Then ask God if you've got any holes or tears in that clothing that need a little mending. If it does, He'll show you how best to do that. Begin your resolutions with a commitment to be more anchored in the things of God, and then allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct you through the trouble spots. When you do this, you'll be well on your way to resolute success. "Hold Up...Wait a Minute..." written by Reverend Fran Times-Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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DECEMBER
2008 Week 3 TEACHING “Can You Stand the Rain” was a title of an R&B song that I used to love back in the day. It was the late 80s and I was just getting my feet wet in the Word. If I remember the song correctly, it was about a man who wasn’t sure he could count on his woman when the storms of life came raging down. He kinda knew that she would hang in there with him when times were good, but he wanted to know if she would stand by his side no matter the circumstances. He wanted to know the depth of her commitment. At a time when so many women and men are looking for Godly marital partners, this song really hits home. I’m sure many Christian brothers and sisters have experienced the hurt of being abandoned in a relationship by someone they really loved. Or maybe they have known friends who have gone through it. Either way, it’s a pretty traumatic event; one that leaves you haunted with lots of unanswered questions. Those questions can do a real number on your self-esteem. If you are not sufficiently anchored in the faith—you could find yourself spiraling deeper and deeper into an emotional dark hole. Many people are not able to claw their way back to the light. They end up creating barriers that separate them from the possibility of ever being loved again. The one thing that many of us fail to realize is that if we don’t let anyone in, we won’t let anything out either. The latter is the scary part that thrusts us into that vicious negative cycle. “Why?” you might ask, because we were put on this earth to give love and to give it freely. Galatians 5:13 (NLT) says “For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.” Often, residual pain from past hurts will take on new layers of insecurity, and slowly we define ourselves by what we have been through rather than what we have triumphantly overcome. There could be spaces in your being right now that should be filled to the brim and oozing over with love and joy, but instead they are capped by a fear of loving. When our hearts are hurting,
the Holy Spirit yearns to take us to a new place, but it can’t because we
are too consumed with either the love we didn’t get or the person who didn’t
give it to us. These are the unresolved wounds that too many of us drag
into our new relationships. Believe it or not, pain should make us more
compassionate, tolerate, and stronger than we were before we endured it, but
only if we give ourselves the space and time to heal, and also give God what
He needs to tend to our wounded souls. Instead of doing that, many of us
get busy looking for another host; someone who will nurture the immaturity
that caused our brokenness in the first place, rather than help us to confront it.
Where you are today is a direct result of everything you do, think and say. If you don't like the results of bad behavior, then practice good behavior. So it doesn’t matter whether it was you who abandoned ship or if someone left you standing in the rain, you need to get dry and begin to walk in the light. You are obligated by God’s code of ethics to deal with this thing and make it right. We all at one time or another have faced obstacles that seem insurmountable. Whether it is escalating financial woes, relationship issues, or a sick parent or child, these circumstances hit hard. If you couple any one of these with the complexities of being unmarried, divorced, and/or a single parent, you’ve got a recipe that will require a whole boatload of faith. Marriage is a beautiful thing. If it is our heart’s desire to be wed and have someone to help us bear the load, we need to know that God desires it for us as much as we desire for ourselves. If we’ll ask, He will teach us how to demonstrate the kind of faith that is necessary to not only find a good mate, but to also sustain a good marriage. Christians are not immune to the consequences of sin, as a matter of fact, we are held to a higher standard because of the awesome gift we’ve been given. We have an umbrella that allows us to walk in the rain and not get wet. That umbrella is the indwelling Holy Spirit and it gives us the strength to endure the discomfort of undoing the wrong we've caused. Undo it we must, and the best way is God’s way. Our Merciful Father has given us a way to realign and reprioritize our life again and again, so that it will be an example of Jesus Christ. God loves us so much that there is never a wrong action that we can't make right through His love. Whatever you've done in your life to detour from where God intended you to be, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the way to get back on track. Colossians 2:9,10 KJV says “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Can you stand the rain? If you love God and seek to please Him, you can stand just about anything the world throws at you. If you’ll humble yourself and open your heart to the spirit of God, you won’t ever have to question your own ability to stand. Nor will you have to worry one bit whether someone will leave you standing. Just love God and love His people. Take responsibility, and seek forgiveness from Him and others who you may have offended and hurt. Not only will that keep you nice and dry, but it will ensure you’ve got room under that umbrella for two. "CAN YOU STAND THE RAIN?" by Kim Times and Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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DECEMBER 2008
Week 2 TEACHING A wise Christian woman once told me “honey, you can’t bargain with God, so don’t even try it…” I heard her loud and clear, but I still tried. “God, if you will just give me this thing, I promise I’ll be so faithful to You, and You know that little secret sin of mine, well I won’t do that any more either.” All of us, at one time or another, will promise God that we will be so careful to give Him the glory if He’ll just cause the thing we want most to land in our laps. God has made covenants and promises with His people because....well... He can do that! He is 100% faithful and He will always back His Word. Promises that are made by me and you in an attempt to petition God for His goodies feel very much like we’re bargaining with Him for what we want. They feel that way because we’re never in a position to hold up our side of things. Tomorrow isn’t promised and none of us are ever really sure what we’ll do under adverse circumstances. So I’ve learned, the hard way I might add, that there is a better way to prove our faithfulness and to tap into the abundance that Jesus Christ made available. That “better way” involves a few things that must be understood mentally, dealt with emotionally, and carried out physically. The things that we must understand are not clandestine. God is not keeping them a secret. He has revealed them to me and I talk about them with every opportunity I receive. These jewels of understanding are in the bible and most of us know them, but with all the stuff that is going on in our world today—the mind can become insanely cluttered. Quite frankly, we sometimes forget pieces of information that are essential to maintaining our walk with Christ. The mind will always revert back to what it is used to if it is not stimulated to do otherwise. Our minds are used to that “old man” way of thinking; it is the way we thought before we stepped into the light of Christ. As a result of thinking the same way for years, neural pathways were established in our brains. Those pathways have to be broken and replaced with new ones. In order to do that a constant screening of our thoughts is required to bring those “old man” thoughts under subjection. Then we can change them to fall in alignment with what the Word says. You may be thinking “That’s too hard. There is no way I can immediately summon a catalog of the entire bible every time I need to make a decision.” You must remember what God has told us. He admonishes us in Proverbs 3:5, 6 (NKJV) “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” This verse contains one of those jewels I was talking about. You see, you do not have the answers. You do not know as much as you think you know. And the older you become, the more you will realize that you do not even know what you thought you knew. God has the answers to your life’s puzzle. Yes, you can have the kind of life you desire. You CAN be God’s best and you CAN be the “you” you’ve always dreamed of being, but you can’t get there leaning solely on your own mental prowess. We are spiritual beings and spiritual information is unequivocally necessary. We must tap into an understanding that comes from loving God and learning His Word. The Word of God is foundational. One truth builds upon another—and it does take time for us to get it. That’s why God’s mercy and grace is so wonderful. He is very patient with us, and waits as we wade through the mistakes and missteps that come along with getting anchored in His Word. No, in and of yourself, you cannot summon the entire Word of God at a moment’s notice, but never doubt that God has equipped you with a brain that is more than capable of summoning exactly what you need-when you need it. And He has given you the indwelling Holy Spirit to gently, and sometimes not so gently, guide you towards the lightening bolt revelation that will cut through years of confusion and strife. The other diamond that will set your brain cells on fire is the fact that the big bang…the gigantic, gi-normous breakthrough that you’re waiting on…it’s waiting on you too. There is some piece of God’s Word that is incredibly integral to your purpose and continued spiritual elevation. God is waiting on you to GET it. And when you do, you will have to deal with it emotionally, and then figure out how it will enhance the work that He has purposed you to do for His Kingdom. We made a commitment through salvation to make our relationship with God our first priority. We obligated ourselves to put on the mind of Christ by studying God’s Word and to allow Him to direct our paths. That is how we please our Heavenly Father. So don’t be fooled into thinking that you can bargain with God. He doesn’t require us to do anything other that what we were put on this earth to do. "DON'T BE FOOLED BY A BARGAIN" by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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NOVEMBER
2008 Week 4 TEACHING In Debt...Help Is On the Way! Particularly within the last decade, the increased popularity of the prosperity message has skyrocketed. No matter the origin, Christian or secular, thousands upon thousands have flocked to see the latest self-proclaimed guru put a new spin on how to do better, live better, and have more. This message was said to contain the key to your long awaited breakthrough. Is it lost on anyone that although its proselytizers have lavished themselves in luxury while spreading it, the country on a whole is experiencing one of the worst economic seasons of its history?
It’s possible that we are at the beginning stages of what has been prophesied to be that great tribulation period, when the consequences of greed, immorality, and spiritual neglect will converge to deliver a deadly blow to those who have denied Christ. Pessimistic, most assuredly, but the bible declares the reality of such a fate and it would be wrong not to consider that it may be presently upon us. But it is also possible that we are approaching the zenith of a remarkably unique and pivotal opportunity to usher in a revival, the likes of which has never been experienced in the history of mankind.
We all hope that things will get exponentially better, that after all the marketing gimmicks to get wealth fast and feel-better quick, we understand that God is the source of all comfort. He sees our suffering and has promised deliverance. For that reason, whether or not the season of great tribulation is upon us should have very little impact on the faith of a Christian. What should be of significant interest to us though is the missing element of the prosperity message. From its inception until now, the missing element of this message was, is, and continues to be the absence of accountability and responsibility to God’s agenda and the importance to move it forward in the earth.
The equation for our current global situation is very simple… “Wealth” minus “Responsibility and Accountability” equals “Unmanageable Debt”, which is precisely where many of us find ourselves today. Debt is a symptom of a much greater problem than a lack of finances. It represents our rebellion against God’s order. James 4 speaks very clearly about our refusal to get it together.
James 4:1-10 (The Message) 1-2Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3You
wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not?
Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're
spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
4-6You're
cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the
world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And
do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a
fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than
anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against
the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."
7-10So
let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him
scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit
dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit
bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious,
really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only
way you'll get on your feet.
The body of Christ has an awesome opportunity to revive the hearts of millions and bring God's love and light into the dark state in which the world now finds itself. In order to do that we must individually commit ourselves to some soul work. Debt is the consequence of an internal stronghold which of course manifests itself outwardly. It feels like the weight of the world on our shoulders, but we have to realize that its roots are internal; therefore its solution must emanate from the internal as well. If your debt is mounting and you feel as though you can’t get from under it, you can. It won’t be easy, but you must start by doing as James 4 tells you and purify your inner life.
Do away with any doubt in your mind about whether or not God has called you to a distinct purpose. That’s the absolute first thing you must do. Although it may not feel like it, He has specifically picked you out for great and wondrous things. The second thing for you to understand is that you have a responsibility to the faith to carry out your purpose. Just as God has an agenda for the earth, He also has a plan for your life. Settle within your mind, heart, and soul to be sidetracked no longer.
Don’t look to the left, nor to the right. You have witnessed firsthand that there are no quick fixes to your situation, but there are indeed Godly solutions that require your patience and will ultimately benefit your spiritual well being. Help is on the way and now is the time to keep your eyes locked upon Jesus Christ so that you don’t miss it. Realize that you are embarking upon a new level in your walk with God and surrender yourself to where He desires to take you. Begin to pray about your release, but don’t look for the quick fix. God is the source of your strength. Seek His wisdom and don’t make any decisions without hearing from Him. And remember, if you don’t absolutely need it do without it.
Stay tuned for more….
Scripture taken from The
Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995,
1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. "In Debt...Help Is On the Way!" by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God. |
| OCTOBER 2008 TEACHINGS | |
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Click here for a downloadable PDF version of this teaching Scriptures link to OCTOBER 2008
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Spiritual Focus for the Month of
OCTOBER
2008:
October 2008 Getting into Position(Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.)
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OCTOBER 2008
Week 5 TEACHING Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek the kingdom of God first. It is very easy to say that we put Him first, but if in fact we do, the evidence will be so overwhelmingly apparent that there would be no need to say anything. Putting God first means that we have an earnest desire to be like Him, for no other reason than the fact that we love Him and are committed to walk in the righteousness that He has provided through His son, Jesus Christ. We have to put God first because it is the only way possible to acknowledge the greatness of what and who we are; it is the only way to acknowledge the totality of our spiritual reality. In order to acknowledge our standing in Christ, we absolutely must acknowledge where we were without him. Without Jesus Christ we were in pretty bad shape, because we did not have a way to keep our connection to God strong and holy. Most of us couldn’t see past the desires of our flesh. We couldn’t see the big picture, only a small keyhole view of promise, but as soon as Jesus Christ entered the picture our view suddenly became a lot larger. We could see God’s vision of what a relationship with Him is all about.
Ephesians 1:5 NLT What you and I must keep in the forefront of our minds at all times is the fact that God intended us for glory way before we were born. It was always His intention to have a huge family, and everybody knows that when you are born into a loving family, the benefits will be long lasting if you honor the ties by communicating often and doing what you can do to strengthen the connection. John 3:16 tells us that Jesus Christ was the only begotten son of God, and He gave him to the world so that the rest of us would have a chance to belong to His family as well. We came into the family of God via adoption. We were not born holy, quite the contrary. We were born into sin thanks to Father Adam’s and Mother Eve’s treacherous faux paux. They enjoyed perfect fellowship with God and had Him all to themselves. Everything they could have possibly wanted was at their disposal, but it wasn’t enough for them. Spearheaded by the devil who was all too pleased to lead the way, Adam and Eve took a walk on the wild side. Yep, our predecessors slipped up majorly. They had a choice and they made the wrong one, but we can’t throw any stones. Everyone after them had a choice and we all made some doozies too. In Revelations 1:8, God tells us that He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He is Holy and He is spirit. And because He wants us around a very long time…an eternity even...He has given us what He is, which is spirit. It’s our very special gift, the indwelling Holy Spirit. We receive this special gift through his son, Jesus Christ. You see all of us at one time or another was on the outside looking in. We perhaps heard a few stories about our great big wonderful God, but it sounded too good to be true. And then one day we took a closer look inside and saw the very personal relationship shared between a loving Father and His son. We learned that He sacrificed His only begotten son for the good of a people too great to number. He then raised him from the dead with all power in his hands. And when we believed in what we learned about this supernatural bond between our Spiritual Heavenly Father and His spiritual Son, Jesus Christ, Romans 10:9, 10 tells us that our adoption was sealed. It is the belief—the faith—that God will do FOR us and IN us the very same as He did for and in His only begotten son. This knowledge makes a tremendous and miraculous gift possible, and it can belong to anyone who desires it. When you allow the heft of the new birth reality to impact your mind and heart, you should be filled to overflowing with excitement about the prospect of transforming your pain into power, because the faith of Jesus Christ that abides in you is greater than any pain. God has clothed us in righteousness through His son. We each have all the accoutrement we need to be prepared for anything life throws our way. Although it is quite obvious, it must be said; our connection to God is nurtured and continues to thrive as we surrender the things that keep it from being strong. God is not responsible for our pain, discomfort, or disappointment; much of it is remnants from things that we will have to pull off to become more like Christ. In the context of our spiritual development, the very act of surrendering means that we will give over something, because that “something” has taken up space that should be occupied by the love of God. And not only is it taking up space, but it’s weighing us down. The Holy Spirit yearns to elevate us as far in the things of God as we are willing to go. It accomplishes that by swelling within. As it grows it will lift us higher and higher to new blessings and greater spiritual heights, but if we continue to hold on to the baggage of our situations and circumstances, then it stands to reason that we have refused to grow in the spirit. Not only will we continue to be weighted down by our circumstances, but we will not be prepared with the spiritual strength to reach out and grab the blessings that are rightfully ours. In Ephesians 6:11, God admonished us to put on all of the armor that He has provided so that we are able to stand firm against the tricks of the devil. He makes it very clear that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces in high places of authority and other wicked spirits. We should not walk around in fear, but we must understand that this is not child’s play and we need to be serious about our spiritual weaponry. We are told to use every piece of God’s armor. He wouldn’t have provided it if it wasn’t needed.
Colossians 2:6 NKJV Our accoutrement is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes with the peace of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. These spiritual treasures are available to us when we receive salvation, but it is our choice whether or not to accept, put them on, and walk in them. Whether it is addictions, abuse, phobias, depression, disappointments, or anything that keeps the negative cycle churning, our spiritual work is to figure out what part of our soul still harbors the darkness…because that darkness sends out a homing signal to attract devastation like a magnet. Our inner light is the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is OUR responsibility to aim it in the direction of that darkness. God will not force us to do that, it is solely our choice to heal in those places. Some of us may not know ourselves well enough to know where darkness resides within, but God knows. Matthew 7:7 KJV tells us to “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” If we ask Him the critical questions, He always answers
Romans 5:2 NLT There are three parts that comprise your total being: body, soul, and spirit; all three anchor us in the will of God. They work together to elevate us to the place of highest privilege through Christ. We don’t have to walk around pretending to be happy when deep down we’re a mess. We can have unwavering confidence and joy that there is a way to win in life. There is a way to make sense of life, and it involves your choice to create a beautiful existence based on the truth and power of God’s love. You were designed and intended for glory, and at this very moment you have everything on the inside to carry out the things of which you were purposed. It all boils down to how you use your choices—your tools…your mouth, mind, and heart. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” We began with this verse in James 4:10 KJV and it is where we will conclude. You see, you are not a victim of your circumstances. There are countless folks who walk around with this mentality; thinking that they are the most humbled when adversity befalls them. They believe that God handpicked them out to be the devil’s whipping post because they are so pious…so good…so favored. They may be pious, good, and favored, but it has nothing to do with getting knocked around all the time. Pain is too small a reality to nullify the matchless, redemptive, and transformative work of Jesus Christ. It does not define you nor can it keep you down. You are not the devil’s punching bag and you WILL grow higher. Don’t give your power to pain—don’t allow it to transform you into something less than your privilege. Do as James 4:10 says and humble yourself in the sight God. Allow Him the privilege of spearheading your transformation. Realize that He has a full view of every facet of your existence. He is intimately familiar with every detail of your situation and there is nothing about it that escapes His eyes.
2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV
The eyes of God roam the earth looking to show Himself strong on behalf of those who please Him—who are loyal to Him, so set your mind to do just that…to please Him and to be loyal to His ways. Have authentic assurance that He is rooting for you to succeed. Whether it is the result of a lost love, illness, loneliness, abuse, addiction, or depression, understand that the pain you are experiencing can position you to seek a greater walk with God, and therefore be the catalyst to your wholeness in Christ Jesus. It took time for you to get in the situation you are in and it will take time for you to get out of it. Healing, restoration, and deliverance are processes. They require your willingness and humility to seek the right knowledge through the Word of God. It also necessitates that you are patient as the abundance of it saturates your mind and heart. Have every confidence that you are intended for glory, and as you humble yourself and allow Him to steer your healing, He will lift you up! "TURNING PAIN INTO POWER- PART 5-Conclusion: You Are Intended for Glory!” and "Getting In Position Prayer" by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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Click here for a downloadable PDF version of this teaching Scriptures link to OCTOBER 2008
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 7:
Spiritual Focus for the Month of
OCTOBER
2008:
October 2008 Getting into Position(Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.)
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OCTOBER 2008 Week 4 TEACHING The engine that fuels our triumphs over obstacles and adversity is knowledge! You cannot rise above that which you do not know, do not understand, or haven’t been taught. Therefore if doubt, fear, condemnation, and strife are all you’ve learned from the lessons of life, unless you change your thinking you will continuously draw situations and circumstances that propel these negatives. God has given us enough goodies to be complete, whole, and joyous every moment of every day. If that isn’t your reality a good portion of the time, then it is imperative that you consider that a new way of thinking may be exactly what you need. Some of the information on which you have staked your very existence is faulty. It does not tell the truth about who you are in Christ, who God is, and what He will do for you. Unless you are prepared to expand your thinking by releasing the toxic information that is blocking your blessings, you may not be able to get past your pain and to receive the enlightenment from God’s Word that you deserve. You will continue to draw situations and circumstances that keep you constantly seeking a breakthrough that you should have and could have received years ago. You simply must develop an enthusiasm for expanding your thinking through the relentless pursuit of the right knowledge. Turning pain into power will be just another catchy title if you do not have more than a casual interest in hearing and seeking the knowledge that can set you free. This is where the prerequisite of humility takes on a tremendous importance, because it takes gob-smacking, gut-wrenching, knee-bending humility to admit that the knowledge you have acquired up to this point is not enough to get you through the pain you may be experiencing right now. Believe this, your mind is your greatest instrument of healing, success, and personal well-being. It is the bridge to your spiritual growth and development, and the extension that allows you to reach out and take what is rightfully yours. Simply put, “Right knowledge” is the truth. It is useful information that expands or enlightens our understanding and awareness, heightens our positive attitude, and increases our capacity to love and to be loved. There is only one source of it, and that source is our Creator. Through His infinite mercy and grace He has made known to us the great mysteries of His will through His Word, as it says in Ephesians 1:9. Hosea 4:6 informs us that a lack of knowledge will ultimately yield in destruction; therefore, we must conclude that an abundance of right knowledge will very definitely lead us to success. Knowledge is fundamental to turning pain into power. That’s why God desires us to soak in as much of the Word as possible in our hearts and minds. Not only does the bible clearly express the enormous importance and benefits of acquiring spiritual knowledge, but it provides the very information that will position us to receive the peace, joy, and abundance we desire. Appreciate the fact that God has not left us in the dark concerning His promises or what He desires for us. That is why Jesus Christ is so pivotal to our relationship with God. He models for us how that relationship should look…what it should consist of. Jesus said in John 8:29 KJV, “…he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” He had never experienced a consciousness that would cause him to do anything other than those things that pleased God. Imagine that! He was intimately connected to the Holy Father, to the point that it fueled his every thought, deed, and act. Everything about him was perfect. He had perfect blood, a sinless nature, and he enjoyed a perfect connection to God. Now we weren’t physically born that way, but after salvation we make a spiritual transformation that mirrors the very power and love that Jesus Christ had. Salvation gives us the opportunity to renew, reprioritize, and redevelop. It gives us the clean slate that we so desperately need. This isn’t where our work ends, it’s where it begins. Will we make mistakes? Sure we will, but we have everything we need through the indwelling Holy Spirit to please God. Pleasing God must be our priority. We have grossly underestimated the extent to which He holds us accountable for measuring up to the example of Jesus Christ by following His Word. Many of us make the assumption that we can continue our spiritual course towards higher heights by knowing only what we know right now, and that simply isn’t true. Moving to the next level of spiritual growth requires a greater arsenal of knowledge.
Proverbs 4:7 KJV Proverbs 4:7 clearly tells us that wisdom is the principal thing, and wisdom cannot be acquired without an understanding of what the information is, and how it should be applied. There are times when incorrect information can be useful, but never optimum. We can get along reasonably well believing wrong information, but at some point we will face a situation or circumstance that challenges our assumptions. There comes a time in our lives where all of our experiences culminate, where we will be forced to question what we’re made of. At that juncture, we can either retreat to our comfort zones or we can press forward to new territory by seeking a better understanding of the Word of God. At one time, people believed that the earth was flat. Many people who lived in that era actually died believing a fundamental piece of information that was not true. Although it was erroneous information, it served their understanding to some degree, but imagine their capacity for advancement had they known the truth. God knew that we would all face a point in life when the entanglements of the world would become empty and unfulfilling. He knew that worldly offerings would not be sufficient to feed our spiritual hunger. We are wired to seek the truth, because it the only way to grow. Pain, any type of discomfort, is the calling card for change. It’s an alarm clock that should signal for us that it is time to move up! Psalm 119:105 says that the Word is a lamp unto “YOUR” feet, and a light unto “YOUR” path. “YOUR” feet must do the walking. In the split second it takes to position your body to walk, a message must be sent from the brain to the part of your leg that moves first. And even before that instance, you will have established your proximity and determined the direction of your next step. We do the walking, and we choose the direction. We have to get really honest with ourselves and admit that no matter how spiritual we think we are, if our lives are not blossoming we have steered ourselves in a runt, and we need to understand more about the map, which is the Word of God, to navigate a new course. Our lives become chaotic when our experiences surpass our current level of awareness and lessen the effectiveness of our current way of thinking. This is the critical juncture in life where we have to get honest with ourselves, and ask “Is it working for me?” Cause’ if it ain’t working for ya’, you need to turn it loose or fix it. "TURNING PAIN INTO POWER- PART 4: Knowledge Is Power!" and "Getting In Position Prayer" by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
Ephesians 4:14- 31 NLT 14 Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. (*the puzzle so wonderfully fits together when we follow the plan God outlines here in this passage.) 17 With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. (*Don’t allow your mind to be consumed with the pettiness and vanity of this world. Renew it to the things of God.)
18 Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the
life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts
against him. 19 They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. (* When we lack the tenacity of real believing power, we give ourselves over to any ol' thing the enemy throws our way.)
20
But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. 21 Since
you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, 22
throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten
through and through, full of lust and deception. 23 Instead, there must be a
spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24 You must display a new
nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness-righteous,
holy, and true. 25 So put away all falsehood and "tell your neighbor the truth"* because we belong to each other. 26 And "don't sin by letting anger gain control over you."* Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. 28 If you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. *Notes for study emphasis. Words in blue not in biblical text
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Spiritual Focus for the Month of
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October 2008 Getting into Position(Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.)
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OCTOBER 2008 Week 3 TEACHING God designed everything in the universe to be in perfect balance, including you. He did it so brilliantly in fact, that we have no cause to even give it considerable thought. Take for instance the growth process of a healthy human being. Our minds, organs, and extremities all grow in relationship to each other pretty smoothly. You don’t see too many 8 year olds walking around with a left foot as large as a 200-pound man, and a right one as small as an infant. As long as it has an environment that is conducive to growth, every thing grows proportionately, according to God’s design. Romans 8:29 NLT For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. His eyes are upon us, for we belong to Him. We are not inconsequential. We are apart of eminent holiness. We are chosen, handpicked, and singled out for a purpose. Our realization of our spiritual nature is an awakening, a remembrance of who and who's we are. Jesus Christ was the most loving, wonderful human being that ever graced the face of this earth. When we accept the reality that he is in truth our big brother, we are declaring that we are as he was when he walked upon the earth, as he demonstrated love in its greatest capacity. We rewrite the chapter of our existence by affirming that we are spirit beings having an earth experience, not the other way around. Once we are born into our earthly families, with a biological mother and father, try as we might, we can never undo our biological origin. Our parents will always be our parents. When we allow the reality of Christ to resonate deep within our knowing, we are ushered into an eternal spiritual and unbreakable bond with God. His connection to us is more permanent than our biological relationships. He will always be our Heavenly Father. The King James Version of Ephesians 1:13 says it this way, we are “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise”. Our spiritual journey did not begin in our mother’s womb. Our destiny as spirit beings was singled out long before any living being had knowledge of it. So even though God does not cause us to walk around like robots or make us follow His Word against our free-will, He knows us intimately, because He has birthed us out of what he himself is. Ephesians 1:13 NLT And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. We have been identified by God as members of His family. Our destination is the Father’s house. How we end up there absolutely matters. Your spiritual fate is sealed. Your destination is set, but the path you choose to get there is left to your own devices. There are only two paths we can choose in life: 1) the path of love, and 2) the path of pain. Although most of us vacillate back and forth from one to the other, the path we travel at any given time is completely up to us. Most of us say that we haven’t the faintest clue how we ended up on a painful path. It’s as if we were standing by the sidelines of our consciousness, watching someone who looks and sounds like us live out our lives. That’s because sometimes there’s a disconnect between our experiences, our understanding, and our faith. We need to comprehend in the most profound way that life is a cycle that revolves without our permission. Too many of us have not garnered the spiritual strength and maturity to handle what life throws our way. That has no bearing at all on whether or not it hits us in the face. If you are not prepared through the faith, love, and power of Jesus Christ, you will not have what you need to dodge the dart or to stop it dead in its tracks. You will experience its pain…all of us do at one time or another. The thing of which we must be convinced is that God does not cause our pain. He knew we would have it, but He never intended us to stay in it. He desires that we work our way through it, and He has given us everything we need in order to do that. But before we get ta’ working it out, we have to understand something, pain is very much like a tree. Once you pull back the bark of a tree you will expose what looks to be its inner surface, but in truth another outer layer is revealed. It has many layers and every time you whittle down another layer the tree is more vulnerable to the extremities of its environment, like disease and pestilent attacks. The layers must be skillfully pulled back to allow the tree an opportunity to receive nutrients in places that were perhaps cut off from sustenance in the past. This also allows it greater room to grow and flourish. Like the tree, peeling back layers of deeply imbedded pain must be patiently and masterfully done. If professionals with several years of study have difficulty mastering this process, you and I should certainly have a healthy respect for its complexity. We need an expert whose credentials are exemplary and whose skill is incomparable, and God has provided us with an internal one through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit that dwells within us is more perfect than anything that dwells in this earth. It is love in its purest form. It harbors no darkness, no ill-will or evil intent and it is supremely intelligent. It is a good and perfect gift from God that will not only lead, guide, and direct us through life; it will preserve our lives and help us to heal. In as much as we will allow, it will marry our consciousness with everything it has to give so that we become the very essence of God. Upon salvation, it doesn’t instantaneously fill our minds with God’s Word, heal all the wounds of our souls, or cause us to feel in our hearts only emotions of joy, peace, and love; although it is perfectly within its power to do so. Its purpose is to increase our consciousness so that we walk in these gifts as we put them on bit by bit. God didn’t allow the horrendous torture and sacrifice of His only begotten son, our lord and savior, Jesus Christ, only to afford us a marginal existence. No! We are more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37) Our Heavenly Father never intended that we should remain in a painful state, on that we can depend. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit He has provided a way for you to be better than you were before. Remember, life revolves continuously. Whether it brings negativity or the sheer delight of the opposite, it will roll right on by us if we are not careful. So the process is not to stop the negative cycle, but to reverse it through spiritual growth. The methodology to do so is revealed in God’s Word and it works! This is not to say that we will not need the assistance of skilled physicians and therapists, quite the contrary. They are often instrumental towards our restoration, but it is paramount to any healing process that we recognize the authority of Jesus Christ, and the delivering power of his love through the indwelling Holy Spirit. "TURNING PAIN INTO POWER- PART 3: Understand the Process" and "Getting In Position Prayer" by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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Scriptures link to OCTOBER 2008 Day
1: Day 2: Day
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Day
4: Day
5:
Day
6: Spiritual Focus for the Month of
OCTOBER
2008:
October 2008 Getting into Position(Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.)
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OCTOBER 2008 Week 2 TEACHING The first time that we see any evidence of pain in the bible is when Adam and Eve sinned. They hid themselves from God Genesis 3:9,10 (KJV) tells us, because they were ashamed. Somewhere deep within they knew they had compromised their relationship with God. None of us can fathom how catastrophic the emotional and physiological changes must have been for them. To have had communion, and to have enjoyed a connection with God that was severed at the very instance of their choice and act to disobey Him; it must have been utterly devastating. Within the context of human existence there is no greater pain to be experienced than this. They walked and talked with God and enjoyed an intimacy that kept them in continual bliss. Once they chose to pursue a path that was the opposite of love, fear crept in and brought its most trusted companion, pain. This feeling, shame, is defined by some psychiatrists as an unrelenting emotion that causes one to feel unwanted or unworthy. It is thought to be so insidiously entrenched in the psyche of an individual that other dysfunctional and surface behaviors are spun from it. Adam and Eve’s reaction tells us a bit about what humans typically do when we feel ashamed—we hide. Whether it’s physical or emotional, many of us hide out in our pain rather than face the root cause of it. Anna was a woman who was determined that she wouldn't spend her entire life hiding behind her pain. She is an extraordinarily gifted photographer who was born to a teenage mom in the late 50’s. Anna's work has been sought after by galleries and ad agencies all around the country, but for years she abandoned those opportunities. She had been an extremely shy person all of her life. She knew her shyness had prevented her from meeting with executives and high profiles clients, and she made the decision to do something about it. She began to get focused in her prayer life about this and solicited family and a few close friends to help. As she began to ask questions and receive revelation and insight from the Holy Spirit, she realized a few things. She had been born amidst whispers and rumors of a mother’s alleged indiscretion, and ultimately she had inherited some of her mother’s shame. Anna never felt good enough, and always assumed people were talking behind her back about how inadequate she was. As she began to work towards surrendering her feelings of inadequacy, some of the layers of shame started to peel away and she came out of what she describes as a shroud of darkness. It can take a while to work through these feelings, some of which Anna believed caused her to be unusually shy. Often the help of a mental health professional is needed, but one thing is definitely true and it is this, we have to start somewhere. Rather than focusing on lost opportunities or the individuals that she felt had caused her pain, Anna focused her prayer life on cultivating the courage, commitment, and patience to get beyond the thing that had held her back. It was important to glean some understanding of why she felt the way she did, but it was crucial to know beyond any uncertainty that wholeness through Jesus Christ is possible. Pain can be a vital piece of your soul’s puzzle when you realize that God didn’t cause it, but He has most definitely provided a way out of it. The memory of our greatness is forever pressing upon our souls. If and when we remember, it will remind us of our destiny. That’s why we go to God in the first place, because we recognize that pain and hurt is an unnatural state. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” This verse describes God’s archenemy as a roaring lion. A lion roars to intimidate its prey. The prey’s automatic response is then to freeze dead in its tracks from fear. A multitude of worldly distractions have been strategically designed by the devil to do just that; to cause us to freeze in our tracks, and lose sight of that most precious and purposeful memory of who we were meant to be and what we were intended to do. The devil has no new tricks. He has used this tactic for centuries. No, a life filled with scrambled pieces is not a natural state. Something deep within our innermost acknowledges that, and leads us to invite God in the mix through prayer. God was not the author of your tribulation. He did not cause it to test your resolve or strength; He already knows everything there is to know about you. Your propensity for a particular behavior, the secrets you’ve kept locked away from prying eyes….God knows all of it. So why would He need to test something of which He already knows the outcome? He doesn’t! He knew you would face the situation you are facing and He allowed it. He allowed it because the root of that pain would cause you to make the same mistakes over and over again. He knew that continuing to remain in the shadow of spiritual immaturity would cause you to miss your blessing. And He knew that if you were ever going to muster the courage and spiritual strength to reach out and grab what is rightfully yours, you would have to pull back those layers and deal with the baggage underneath in a very real way. Pain is the important piece of the puzzle that should cause your prayer life to shift and be covered in a new level of faith. That level holds for you a better understanding of your purpose, so that you are convinced of God’s plan and the vital role you play in it. It anchors Romans 8:28 in your mind and heart as you garner a new found confidence that God is most certainly working it out for your good, particularly as you face the circumstances of a wounded soul, a broken heart, or a broken body. Trust and never doubt His power! "TURNING PAIN INTO POWER- PART 2: Pain, An Important Piece of Your Soul’s Puzzle" and "Getting In Position Prayer" by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.
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Scriptures link to OCTOBER 2008 Day
1: Day 2: Day
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Day
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Day
5:
Day
6:
Day
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Spiritual Focus for the Month of
OCTOBER
2008:
WEEK1Prayer FOCUS: Getting into Position(Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.)
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OCTOBER 2008 Week 1 TEACHING
You can’t turn on the television these days without someone spouting a new way to release the pain to become the “you” you’ve always dreamed about. Feeding into the frenzy of Reality TV and infomercials, willing participants have obtained their 15 minutes of fame while under the spell of pop psychiatrists and overzealous spiritual healers. Together, they’ve created a whole new level of superficiality that is entertaining and almost believable for some, yet demoralizing for others. They have so watered down the transformative results of the healing process that many would rather just stay in the misery they are in. This is the result of an insidious overload of the wrong information, but even in the heat of circuit busting hoopla-we can be assured that the authentic and copious reality of turning our pain into power does in truth exist; and preparation is crucial to the process. Turning your pain into power isn’t a transformation that can be exploited by self-help gurus or reality shows. It isn’t the next big gimmick to speed up your metabolism without exercising, and it isn’t a quick way to feel happy and save the day. Quite simply it is a way for you to have what God intends you to have and to become the person that He intends you to become by overcoming some of the most hurtful experiences of your life. It is a meaningful transformation that begins deep within, in places that you have not yet begun to explore; it is then manifested in your external reality. The two most common types of pain are physical pain and emotional pain. There are studies which suggest that the two are related, sighting that there are cases in which physical pain can be a manifestation of an emotional pain that was at one time deeply imbedded in one’s psyche. It is also a well-known medical fact that severe emotional distress and depression can manifest in the form of chronic physical pain. Both of these findings tell us that, in general, pain is a totally subjective experience. Discovering its organic cause in any one individual is still a quest that baffles some of the most brilliant physicians and therapists. This is not to say that an organic cause of one’s pain is lacking, but it does speak to how perplexing it can be to get to the root of our wounds. For instance, the declaration of infidelity from a cheating spouse in a twenty year marriage could no doubt prompt extreme and immediate feelings of hurt within the spouse who is being cheated on. But careful examination may reveal that the admission of quilt was not the culprit that triggered the onset of his or her severely depressed state, but a whole host of other issues like the sacrifice of personal dreams and aspirations, the fear of loneliness, or a fear of financial instability. Digging a little deeper, the disillusioned spouse might discover that what’s really at the core of this hurt is an incredibly low self esteem that prompted him or her to marry a spouse who was emotionally incapable of experiencing real intimacy. Emotional pain is so traumatic because it can come out of nowhere and ram us right in the gut. And in the case of loneliness and depression-it seems to linger like a dark cloud over our heads. It’s as if another entity is somehow sucking the breath out of every facet of a person’s existence. Don’t get it twisted; pain is a devastating reality for many of us. This article in no way suggests a speedy way to get over deeply entrenched pain, but it absolutely and unequivocally asserts that there is a way to turn it into power. What is power? Power is the confident ability to effect change, and it is God’s gift to every man, woman, and child. Genuine power has two prerequisites—courage and humility. Courage is the mental and spiritual strength to venture into the unknown, to persevere, and to withstand some level of pain with the full assurance of ultimately and victoriously overcoming it. To change one’s life or impact it profoundly takes this kind of courage. It is something you cannot fake, especially when it comes to confronting your pain. Courage becomes particularly important when it comes to the other prerequisite of power, which is humility. Man, this is one of the most overused and misunderstood virtues in the Book. Folks often think it means to subjugate one’s self below what is considered the superiority of others or to underrate one’s self unduly. This kind of diffidence undermines humility rather than supports it. True humility greatly pleases God, because it not only recognizes His omnipotence, but our right-standing and power through it. James 4:10 says “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” In order to be truly humble one must begin to know and understand his or her rights through Christ, and have the patience to endure all the nonsense that surrounds the unknowing of others while doing so. Humility is our willingness to learn spiritual lessons well. It doesn’t mean that we acquiesce to a lesser degree, but that we allow one part of ourselves to decrease as another part of us increases. The part that needs to decrease is usually connected to any emotional or even perhaps physical pain we are presently experiencing or have experienced in the past. The courage to surrender, release, or reverse it is the real key to turning it into power. The momentum of pain goes without saying. It is a negative cycle that can consume our entire existence bit by bit. Trying to stop this negative cycle is hardly ever a winning strategy, because it can be a never ending game of putting out one fire only to discover that another has been ignited. Reversing the negative cycle into a positive one is a game plan that fits beautifully within the context of God’s Word, and it is one I explain in my book “Reversing the Negative Cycle”. All of life is cyclical, and you and I decide whether its rotation will be one that escalates or declines. Spiritual death is its only definitive end, and spiritual growth is its infinite climb to higher heights. Growth of any kind often causes wavering uncertainties; the kind that cause many to abandon ship. Spiritual growth can do the same, but its benefits are bathed in the richness of God’s favor, dipped in the bounty of His love, and clothed in the certainty of His rewards. So it is far more critical to the positive cycle of life that we develop the faith and resiliency to stay the course as we make the transformative journey of healing and restoration through Jesus Christ. It allows us the unparalleled opportunity to be made whole and to please God through the process. Romans 10:17 NLT tells us that “…faith comes from listening to this message of good news-the Good News about Christ.” To listen is to closely attend for the purpose of hearing. We must consciously cue our brains that the possibility of new and useful information is on its way. If this new information is pertinent to our spiritual growth, our minds must be in agreement with it or else we will dismiss the information and loose an opportunity to grow in strength and power. We could have literally bypassed numerous opportunities to hear this information, or we very well could have heard it but simply was not prepared to accept it. That is the purpose of this article—to open up a channel in your thinking whereby your mind is cued to accept a Word from heaven that will undoubtedly rock your world; it will be in agreement with your spirit. Very few of us know what we need to hear in order to be delivered, but God knows. The fact that you are reading this article is proof positive that you are preparing for a transition that will be caused by His supernatural move within. And you must be anchored in some foundational truths so that you are cued and steady as a rock as the indwelling spirit of God transforms your pain into power. There are five of these ground breaking truisms that we will explore over the course of the next few weeks, so stay tuned. OCTOBER 2008 PRAYER-"Getting in Position" Heavenly Father, In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, I thank You for the circumstances and situations that have occurred throughout my life. Whether or not they were good or bad, they inspired within me a hunger to know You; therefore I cannot help but be thankful for them. As I come before Your throne this moment, I humbly ask Your forgiveness for the things I have said, thought, and done that were contrary to Your will. Some of those things, Dear Father, I didn’t realize were wrong. For those infractions—I especially seek Your forgiveness. Sometimes the things we let slip are the very things that hold us back, so please help me to be more mindful. Allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to knock at the door of my consciousness before I cause someone’s feelings to be hurt or do something that might injure their opinion of You. I want to talk to You, most Holy Father, concerning the things I want for my life. You already know what they are. You also know how frustrated and impatient I’ve been at times. I apologize for those feelings, because they are not the best representation of my faith. It’s just that I know what Your Word says. I know that You want the best for me…that You have promised the best for me; yet, I still have lack and need in some areas of my life. 2Chronicles 16:9(NKJV) says that Your eyes are constantly combing the entire earth to demonstrate Your awesome power and goodness to someone who is faithful to Your Word. I realize that I haven’t always done everything I should have—I haven’t always been faithful, but I have always trusted Your power and authority. I have always known that through Your love I am a better person today than I was yesterday, and I will be a better person tomorrow than I am today. I believe the things I desire will help me to be a better person, and I will use those blessings to glorify You. So Dear Father, I humbly ask that You cast Your eyes upon me…upon my heart…my need…my life. With all that is within me I give You permission to show forth Your awesome power and goodness in my life. As You do this, I realize that there will be some
things that I have to let go; I simply must give them over to You and cut
them off from my life completely. This can be a very hard process and I
need Your help. Help me to not only to realize what those things are, but
to be honest about the hold they have on my life. As I transition through
the discomfort of the separation phase, help me to take on a deeper and more
profound relationship with You through Jesus Christ. I am confident that as
I do-You will have most lovingly positioned me to receive the things of
which I so earnestly desire. In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray.
Amen.
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September 2008 Week 3 Prayer Scriptures link to SEPTEMBER 2008 Day
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Spiritual Focus for the Month of
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WEEK3Prayer FOCUS: To value ourselves through the love of Christ (Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.)
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SEPTEMBER 2008 Week 3 TEACHING
There are many women and men from different walks of faith, culture, and background who come to Sundie Morning Sistas for many reasons. Some come seeking prayer. Some come because they are curious about what it is we teach. Others come because they are uplifted by our brand of encouragement, and then there are those who come because they simply feel welcomed and loved—and rest assured…we love and pray for you all. No matter the reason, we are overwhelmingly blessed by each person who visits our site, writes to us, or reads our publications and books. Recently we’ve noticed an increase of those who write in their emails and letters that they are being viciously attacked by the enemy in either their finances, marriages, or other relationships. Some of these individuals are extremely emotionally distraught and feel as though God has handpicked them out to be the devil’s punching bag. If you take no other piece of encouragement from this site, please walk away with this one truism that is the backbone of all that we do—God is good all the time and all the time God is good. It’s a simple statement I know, and it may be the most redundant proclamation in all of Christendom, but even if you lived ten thousand years-you wouldn’t even scratch the surface of just how good God is. Belief in His goodness is a deeply intimate reality that lays the foundation for every ounce of success, victory, and bliss that you will ever experience. If you are in any way struggling to overcome at this very moment, and you are wondering how to begin to see your way clear, be assured that your first step is to wrap your brain around the goodness of God. What does that entail? Well in part, it encompasses three elements that will assist our spiritual growth and development if we keep them in the forefront of our minds. These three are usually only identified with seasoned veterans in the Word. I say that because there is an overwhelming preponderance of Christians who are struggling to latch on to these three principles; mostly because we are all so busy trying to get a million things done in twenty minutes. We don’t allow ourselves time to sit down and really think about them. But the urgency of the times in which we now live isn’t lost on anyone. The luxury of having years to work out jaw-dropping revelation is one we simply don’t have. If you and I are ever going to manifest what we know God has promised and what we know is rightfully ours, now is the time. The first of these elements is what we’ve already mentioned—the goodness of God. How we view Him will decide whether or not we are prepared for victory; how we view ourselves through His love determines whether or not we’ll have it. You and I must have authentic assurance that there is never a time in which God is unwilling to bless our lives with a wealth of overwhelming goodness, and there is never a reason or circumstance in which He causes us to fail, falter, or regress. You can’t have a great relationship with someone you don’t believe has your best interest at heart. You must have authentic assurance that God has sealed your success, and that He will partner with you to create a phenomenal existence. This is the one thing to hang your hat on. It is the river from which all the other good stuff you desire will flow. The second element is the matchless, redemptive, and transformative work of Jesus Christ. Some of our minds and hearts are probably filled to capacity with knowledge gleaned from numerous studies and teachings on his life and ministry. It’s incredibly important stuff and we must never diminish that, but there is a danger in exorbitantly focusing on how many scriptures we can quote—to the point where we forget to develop our relationship with Christ. He’s our savior and redeemer, and he is also a big brother who wants to see his younger sisters and brothers have the best.
Romans 5:2 NLT Jesus Christ made available a very special gift. It was indeed the promise of our Most Holy Father. That gift is the indwelling Holy Spirit and we can do infinitely more through it than we could ever do without it. Through our spirits-Christ will not only lead, guide, and direct us through life—as any big brother would—but he will also elevate us to the place of highest privilege. We don’t have to look at life as though it were a playground of randomness. We can have unwavering confidence and joy that there is a way to make sense of life—that we have a friend who we are never without, and he will help us to create a beautiful existence based on the truth and power of God’s love. The third element that will assist our spiritual growth and development is one that puts victimization in check. We have all been victims of something at one time or another and there’s an expiration date as to how long we can wear that label. James 4:10 NLT says “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” There are countless folks who still walk around with the mentality that they are the most humbled when they have been wronged. They believe that God chose them to be the devil’s whipping post because He wants to show the world how pious, good, and favored they are. Nothing could be further from the truth. Victimization does not equate to humility, victory does. Humility doesn’t mean that we acquiesce to a lesser degree, but rather that we allow one part of ourselves to decrease as another part of us increases. It is our willingness to learn spiritual lessons well as we begin to know and understand our rights through Christ. We must have confidence that we are well positioned in this place of highest privilege. We must know that we were predestined for God’s glory, and that we can lay claim to the abundance that Christ came to make available; not out of a spirit of arrogance, but one of thankfulness.
1 Corinthians
15:57, 58 God has given us the best that can be given, and through it we can be victorious! Pain and the circumstances that lead to it do not define who we are. It is too small a reality to nullify the greatness of who we can become in Christ. When we are committed to that which God has called us to do-He will see to it that we abound in His work. In case you have forgotten…to abound is to increase and move higher. If you’ll trust that God wants the best for you; if you’ll take time and care to develop your relationship with His son and allow His Word to take center stage—that is exactly what He will do… He will lift you higher. Heavenly Father, Please forgive me for the things I have thought, felt, said, and done that were contrary to Your will, and hear me, O’ God, as I make the desires of my heart known before Your throne. Lord at this very moment I yield my will for Yours, because I realize that Your desire for my good and well-being are far greater than my own. I also know that You will do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or think, and that even though it may not feel like it at times, You are causing all things to work together for my benefit . As I read and learn more about Jesus Christ, help me to allow the reality of all that he accomplished to really sink deep in my heart. I want to be rooted in his love because I know that it is truly the only way to love myself. Through Christ I can put on more and more of Your kind of love, and I thank you for the privilege of doing so. Help me to understand true humility as I move higher in spiritual knowledge, so that when people see me they see an earnest representation of Your son. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. "From Victim to Victor” by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God. |
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September 2008 Week 2 Prayer Scriptures link to SEPTEMBER 2008 Day 1: Proverbs 21:2 Day 2: Philippians 4:19 Day 3: Proverbs 14:12 Day 4: Romans 8:37 Day 5: Philippians 2:13 Day 6: Proverbs 12:15 Day 7: Romans 14:7-9 Spiritual Focus for the Month of
SEPTEMBER
2008:
WEEK2Prayer FOCUS: To Value Others through (Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.) Scripture Study:
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SEPTEMBER 2008 Week 2 TEACHING
The Right Way Imagine that our present emotional state was visible on the surface of our skin. Many of us would look like we’ve been in the boxing match of the century. We’ve been so bruised and battered by life, and the question all of us must have the guts to ask is did we have to be. Could we have minimized the impact of a harmful set of circumstances by following God’s Word? The answer to that question is of course “yes”, so why didn’t we follow it. Most of us have an adequate reservoir of biblical knowledge at our disposal. Why didn’t we apply it to some of the most meaningful and hurtful situations of our lives? Oh, we can come up with a gazillion different explanations why, but they all have their root in one basic reason and it is this—we think our way is better. Proverbs 14:12(NLT) informs us that “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” This verse lets us know two extremely important things about life. The first is that there are very definitely two paths that we can take. The second piece of information that Proverbs 14:12 imparts is the fact that you and I make the choice as to which path we will choose; one that IS right and one that SEEMS right. Do you see how subtle that is? As clever as you and I think we are, there will be times when our natural senses are not enough to distinguish the two. God’s Word is the definitive source on anything pertaining to life. There isn’t a situation any of us can face that would preclude or fall outside its directives and guidance, but when our backs are against the wall, particularly if we feel we have something to lose, we choose what seems right to our natural senses—we go with what we think will make us feel good. This is hardly ever a winning strategy. Romans 8:37 says that we are more than conquerors. If we were to be brutally honest we’d have to admit that somewhere in our thinking we really don’t believe that. We don’t see ourselves as having the power to take authority over our circumstances. God has no feet but our feet…no hands but our hands...no mouths but our mouths. He works within us both to will and act according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). So if we don’t see God as having the power to positively change our lives through His Word, we certainly can’t see ourselves that way. God works through us—that’s the confidence maker. He works through us as we put on the mind of Jesus Christ and walk by it. But here’s the big thing, you cannot rise above that which you do not know. You can’t walk in God’s Word if you don’t know it, haven’t heard it, or it isn’t written in the deep recesses of your mind and heart. I’ll give you a good example. Recently I’ve learned that an acquaintance of mine has broken off his engagement. He is extremely distraught having invested 5 years into this relationship, not to mention quite a bit of money and time in wedding preparations. Of course I’ll protect their anonymity here, so for the sake of this story we will call this couple Jason and Carol. Jason’s relationship with his fiancée had been tumultuous from the very beginning. Now that it has ended, he has sworn off marriage for the rest of his life and has done what most individuals who refuse to honor the authority of God’s Word will do—blame someone else. He blames his girlfriend, Carol, for every argument and for refusing to see his side of things. Their biggest source of contention was Carol’s commitment to financially support a brother who couldn’t seem to hold down a job. He had been the rock of her family and helped her to pay for college, but after his own marriage fell apart he seemed to lose his way. In Jason’s mind Carol’s allegiance to her brother outweighed any goals they had. It factored into every decision and plan they made as a couple. The bottom fell out when Carol insisted that they not buy a house right away. She wanted to help her brother purchase a car to get back and forth to what he considered his new dream job. Jason felt that Carol put her brother’s needs before his. So on top of his hurt feelings, there is also an unwarranted bitterness that he continues to resurrect in conversations with anyone who is willing to listen to his side of the story. What if Carol came to Jason crawling on her knees, begging for forgiveness, and admits that she was all wrong and he was right all along. Is it possible that Jason would draw more satisfaction from seeing her in this state than he would from seeing her smiling face walk down the isle on the arm of her brother who, coincidentally, would be giving her away? At face value, probably half of us would say that Jason has a valid point and his actions were justified; half of us would say exactly the opposite. But love rules the day, and there is no better way to see how it does than to seek the authority on the subject, the creator; He created the love, the rules, and the daylight. The one thing that we know about Jason is that he assumes that he is right, and he does so with no other authority than that of his own. “Right”, according to Jason, has left him without the love of a woman who wants to repay a brother whose sacrifice paved the way for her success; it also placed her in a position to meet her ex-fiancée. “Right”, according to Carol, left her without the love of a man who cannot stomach the idea of sitting back and doing nothing when there’s a possibility that someone is taking advantage of the woman he loves. “Right”, according to God, is “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” (Romans 8:28 KJV)
Proverbs 21:2 NLT
If you don’t have faith in anything else, you can most assuredly be guaranteed of one simple fact that will hold true for not only the rest of your life, but everyone else’s—you cannot trump God! You and I cannot see what is in each other’s heart, but our Heavenly Father is intimately familiar with its contents. Perhaps in the instance of our couple, one was more at fault than the other, but you and I will never know. We do know, however, that God “…will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NLT) Even if Jason was being emotionally immature and acting selfishly, Carol could have trusted that God would take care of her brother’s needs; which would have allowed her to be attentive to Jason through love and prayer. According to Philippians 2:12, spiritual work is a constant in life, and if we are earnest about our love for God—He will help us to spiritually grow. Therefore, Carol could have been patient. She could have had some level of peace that Jason would eventually get to a place in the Lord where he wouldn’t see her devotion to her brother as a threat. On the other side of the aisle, had Jason allowed the Word of God to govern his thinking, perhaps he would not have felt the need to call off the wedding.
1 Corinthians 2:10 God reveals vitally important information to our spirits. Faith fuels the connection that allows that information to flow into our consciousness. It anchors a swell of spiritual treasures within, and it allows us to operate with the same level of joy and functionality, no matter the circumstance. Romans 10:17 tells us that this same faith is cultivated through hearing God’s Word, that’s why it is so awesomely important to read it. Remember one incredibly important point, Adam had dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26), and it wasn’t until he disobeyed the Word of God that he lost it. How do you and I take authority and dominion over our circumstances? How do we take our power back? How do we reverse the negative cycle to a positive one? We accomplish it all through the Word of God…by reading it, understanding it, and applying it. It’s the “right” way! Heavenly Father, Please forgive me for the things I have thought, felt, said, and done that were contrary to Your will, and hear me, O’ God, as I make the desires of my heart known before Your throne. I know that people mean the most to You. Help me to develop a heart to value others and honor my relationships. Reinforce my commitment to be patient, loving, and kind with the treasure of revealing that I am well pleasing in Your sight. As I take one step to be the person You have called me to be, anchor me in the next…and the next…until I am walking tall on Your Word. Help me to stay rooted in Godliness and to maintain my own individuality—that piece of me that so many of my friends like and count on. I realize that as I grow, many will not remain in my life, but for those that do—allow my light to be a witness of Your great love. Help me to show them that we all have a place in Your kingdom, and we don’t have to look a certain way, or appear to be something we’re not to reflect Your love. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. "The Right Way” by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God. Scripture quotations
marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. |
| AUGUST 2008 TEACHINGS | |
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August 2008 Week 4 Prayer Scriptures link to New Living Translation.com AUGUST 2008 Day
1:
Jude 1:24 Spiritual Focus for the Month of
AUGUST
2008:
WEEK4Prayer FOCUS: (Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer List.)
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AUGUST 2008 Week 4 TEACHING
Anyone watching the Olympics can’t help but glean a whole new level of respect for its challenges and for those who have walked away with medals. One of the things that make the contests stand out is the fact that there are rather strict standards and regulations in place. We appreciate the victors so much because we realize that not only did they abide by the regulations and often exceed standards of excellence, they also dedicated themselves to a tremendous work ethic. They made sacrifices for something that was really important to them. Those who stood on the podiums while the anthems of their countries played in the background received their medals with dignity and with a joy that was almost inexpressible. They withstood the everyday rigors of becoming a disciplined and accomplished athlete, and at the point of ultimate victory—I grant you that not one of those Olympic medalists feared that someone would run up to them and snatch that medal from their necks. They stood triumphantly and confidently on the grounds that they had done what was necessary to be a winner. They had followed the rules, put in the time and labor, stayed the course, and won! Now in some folk’s mind, an Olympic victory may not be the greatest analogy of the glory that God has in store for the faithful, but it is an earthly conquest that is unmatched by most. It symbolizes the ultimate, and for those of us who have been waiting on a blessing of epic proportion—we can rest assured that basking in that blessing will be just as rewarding as winning an Olympic medal. In the August 2008 Week #2 Teaching we talked about a very foundational scripture that is profoundly integral to our stand in Christ. It is the Gospel of John, Chapter 10, verse10. In it Jesus Christ tells us that he came to this earth to make available a more than abundant life. Diametrically opposed to the mission of Christ, we see in this pivotal verse that the thief’s mission is to heap destruction, death, and devastation upon our lives.
1 Peter 5:8
KJV In the August 2008 Week #3 Teaching we examined 1 Peter 5:8 KJV, which admonishes us to take care and be extremely watchful because our adversary, the devil, combs this earth looking for an opening to get into someone’s life and start all manner of mayhem. The key words in this verse of which you and I must be especially attentive is “seeking whom he may devour”. To seek is to go in search of something. It is to attempt to attain a tangible or intangible object by expending some level of energy looking for it. An experienced thief is a cunning criminal. He wants to take everything of value that you have, but he is much too skilled to walk into a situation of which he is ill-prepared. He first cases the joint. He studies the neighborhood where you live—familiarizes himself with your comings and goings. And after careful scrutiny to discover your most prized possessions, he makes his move. If you can expect this from an experienced thief, imagine the craftiness of a master one. As children of the Most High who are destined for the extraordinary, seated in heavenly places (Eph 2:6), and transferred to a place of highest privilege (Rom 5:2), we need to ask ourselves two very fundamental questions regarding the thief and his shenanigans: #1 “If I have to constantly stand guard against the thief, how do I focus on standing for Christ?” We answered this question in the August 2008 Week #3 Teaching. Question #2 is the one of which we will address our attention now: “If the thief is relentless in his pursuit to reap havoc in this world and on my life, why haven’t they both been destroyed by him?” The thief is indeed relentless in his pursuit to reap havoc in this world and on our lives, and it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to know how to protect our stuff. If the devil could destroy anyone at any time that he chooses, none of us would still be alive. I will venture to say that he would have so turned the world on its ear that those of us living today would not have had any probability of ever being born. And so, in order for the thief to get in and steal, kill, and destroy, first he must look for an opening. You and I must be extremely careful—sober—vigilant, as it says in 1 Peter 5:8 KJV, that we don’t provide one. But the shear fact of the matter is that all of us have holes in our armor, and we ought to make it our life’s work to close them up.
Proverbs 4:23 NLT The holes—the opening exists within our own hearts and minds, that is why God admonishes us in Proverbs 4:23 to guard our hearts above ALL else, because whatever is in our hearts will determine the outcomes of our lives. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 15:11 that "You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do." We are corrupted by the toxic negative thinking that corrodes our hearts. It spews from our mouths and becomes the impetus of our actions. It minimizes our blood-bought guaranteed victory through our Lord and Savior, and replaces it with the toxicity of a victim, defeated mentality. Imagine for one moment that your mind and heart represent a 15 story apartment building. A thief is not going to waste time and energy trying to get to the top floor because he figures that those who live in the penthouse have extra protection. He’s going for the easiest target, the easiest access, which are those who have left themselves exposed on the ground floor. Our adversary is a cunning devil, a master thief who must investigate and see if there’s an opening for him to get in. Now if you’re on the ground floor in your thinking, if you haven’t elevated your mind to accommodate high level, kingdom thoughts that are sculpted from the standard of God’s Word, then you will be easy prey.
Ephesians 1:3 KJV
Ephesians 2:6 KJV You and I have a heavenly view, because that’s where we are positioned. We have a key to the swankiest pad in the building, the penthouse, but it is up to us whether or not we will actually live there. If we do, the Word will inhabit the deep recesses of our hearts and positive affirmations will roll from our lips on every occasion.
Matthew 6:19-21 NLT The Christian should never fear that the thief will get in and steal their most valued possessions, because our most valued possessions ought to be stored in heaven. According to the Words spoken by our blessed savior here in Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT), the thief has no access there. The only way that you can protect your stuff is to lay it up for yourself in a place where he can’t get to it. Not only must you live in the penthouse, where your treasures are well protected, but you’ve got to have “penthouse” thoughts, “penthouse” conversation, and “penthouse” deeds. Now don’t get it twisted and make my usage of the word “penthouse” synonymous with the worldliness of arrogant attitudes or salacious lifestyles. I’m talking about elevating our thoughts and speech to reflect who and whose we are; that is how we keep our armor nice, shiny, and without holes.
Jude 1:24 NLT You don’t have to worry that the bottom will fall out from beneath you. You don’t have to tiptoe about as if something can be snatched from you at any moment. That isn’t the way of the Christian. Our way is to fully comprehend that God’s love can take us wherever we need to be. His love has the power to elevate us, to inspire us, to promote us, to energize us, and to keep us in that place where we are made complete in Jesus Christ.
John 14:2 KJV God is rich. He is rich in mercy. He is rich in grace…rich in everything that can be acquired in the universe. Jesus Christ came to make the vastness of God’s wealth available for all those who want to partake. John 10:10 declares that! The thief wants us to think that there is a limited supply of God’s blessings of which you and I can have access. Why, because that is what he believes. He believes that his access to God’s supply is so limited that he has to take what doesn’t belong to him.
Exodus 20:15 KJV God has told us that stealing goes against the very nature of love. It is not God’s way. He would not have commanded us NOT to steal…and then set us up to be stolen from. My family’s dire need of food is not license to take it from another family. My responsibility is to trust and believe God to provide a way out of no way. He holds me accountable to walk by faith. He has provided a way for us to be fully covered, fully protected, by clothing us in righteousness and making it available for us to walk therein.
Philippians 4:19 NLT We shouldn’t steal because our faith must not be in things, nor the acquisition of them. Our faith must be in the great truth that God will supply all our needs according to His unlimited supply of ALL things. That is where our hearts and minds must be. You see sometimes we slip into that thief mentality. It’s one of the adversary’s greatest tricks—to get us to believe as he believes; that there is a limited supply of blessings and we will not have enough to be more than sufficient. That is a lie from the very depths of hell. This is not the thinking of an ambassador. This is not the thinking of someone who is more than a conqueror, justified and made righteous by faith, and who knows that greater is he that is within them than he that is in the world. This is the thinking of someone who is determined to leave their treasures on the ground floor, unprotected and unguarded.
THE QUESTION "Moving On Up to the Penthouse" by Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2008. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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August 2008 Week 3 Prayer
Scriptures link to AUGUST 2008 Day 1:Ephesians
6:10,11
Spiritual Focus for the Month of
AUGUST
2008:
WEEK3Prayer FOCUS:
(Remember to pray for those on the SMS Prayer
List.)
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AUGUST 2008 Week 3 TEACHING
Those of us who are lovers of mathematics possess great affinity for it because you can prove an equation to its nth degree and it will always be true. It will hold up against any argument and provide the foundation of which future proofs can be made. As fundamental and necessary as mathematics is to our everyday living, it doesn’t hold a candle to the Word of God. Last week we talked about the contrast between the abundant life that Jesus Christ made available, and the destruction that can envelop our lives without him. John 10:10 very clearly lays out this difference and declares the existence of the thief and his mission. If August 2008 Week #2 Teaching is a little foggy in your brain cells, I strongly suggest that you re-read it. It works in tandem with this lesson to build a foundation of understanding that will really blow your socks off. It may very well open the door for more new and exciting revelations, the likes of which you have not experienced heretofore.
1 Peter 5:8
KJV 1 Peter 5:8 admonishes us to be careful and be on watch because our adversary, the devil—the thief, is on a mission to devastate our lives. He is constantly seeking a way to kill, steal, and destroy as it says in John 10:10.
THE QUESTIONS Ephesians 6:10-11 (NLT) makes the answer to question #1 relatively easy. It says 10 A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. 11 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all |