Trees of Transitions

I am nervous to even write this blog. I just believe that I am not the only one in this particular place and wanted to share my heart with you.

There are so many of us who were raised in church, to believe in God and serve him. We attended Sunday school, ushered, sang on the choir, danced in the liturgical dance ministry, led services, prayed, fasted, read our poems, did our Easter skits, preached, taught, and some more. You thought that was all there was to it. You serve God, lead others to him and get into heaven. Whatsoever you do, please get to heaven.

Now you are at a place where your spirit is saying there has got to be more to my walk with Christ than this. You are not only saying it but you know deep down and it is almost hard to articulate. Church services as you have known them are no longer enough for you. You don’t want to be entertained but you want an encounter. Your thirsty in a dry place and the only water you need is Jesus.

You are having dreams and visions that you dare not even speak of unless God tells you to do so. You have retreated, you attend church less because you are scared of where you are. You are in this unknown place and it is scary to you. You feel like you don’t have anyone to turn to and that many will think you are crazy. When you say you need more, the response is more of what? I know I cannot be alone in this.

God is calling you higher and you are saying I just want to be normal. Why me Lord? It’s not a conceited, specialized why me but a why me that is cry from the depth of your soul. You are overwhelmed. God is calling you to step out and walk on water and you haven’t a clue as to where the destination is. Nobody has been there that you know of and there isn’t a book, a pastor, a prophet or anyone who seems to truly understand.

Can I just say that I am there too. My hope is that this blog will allow some of us to interact and realize we are not alone. I will just say that I felt like I was losing my mind because deep down I sort of know that this next dimension will cause me to stand out in a way that I never have before. I don’t even expect many to understand or get it. Many didn’t even understand Jesus and he is the one who we serve.

Today is one of those days where I just want to be like Elijah and go sit under a tree. I want to sit in a mountain, not because I fear for my life that someone will take it but because I fear the unknown. I fear going to this place in God that I experience what some of those before me have experienced. Deep calls unto deep. I am in relationship with Christ, an intimate relationship. There are books I need to read, scriptures I need revelation of and I am not reading too much because I am terrified to move forward.

Nobody could have prepared me for this. I thought I was going to settle down, have a family and teach them to believe in God. God is now saying to me yes you may have that, but I need more of you. I require more of you. So I write this blog today to simply say I know you need more and yet you are scared of what more is. Things you used to believe you no longer believe and what once was satisfactory has left you starved. You are sitting under the tree of transition. You may even feel inadequate like Moses wondering how can you speak to these people when you don’t know enough. You don’t feel ready and you want to just have a normal life.

Yet again I say, I don’t have all the answers. I just know that all we can do is seek God. Exercise some patience. Cry if you have to, weep if you have to. Take deep breaths. But don’t run because we saw what happened when Jonah ran. Run to the God who is calling you and be assure that in the midst of this new, scary unknown place, God is able to keep you and he will never leave you. Until more is revealed, I can only hope to let you know you are not alone and not crazy.

You are loved, cherished and valued.

To Fear or To Be Kind

It’s funny, when I was growing up I wanted to help people who were in need. When I saw homeless people, I wanted to give them whatever change we had in the car or in our pockets. I would actually get angry if someone with me laughed at them because somehow at a young age I knew that could easily be us and there was nothing funny about being homeless and in need. Then it’s as if innocence slowly begins to go and you come into this knowledge of real life and things you wish you didn’t know about. Everything changes and you wish you could go back to the innocent kid who simply wanted to help people.

Today my dad was outside doing something on the outside of the house and a older man passing out flyers for pizza asked to use the bathroom. My dad of course being the kindhearted man he is told him to come in. So he came in and used the bathroom, thanked us and was out the door to continue passing out his flyers. I found myself feeling guilty because it was this conflict going on within me. On the one hand I was glad we were kind to this man and did the right thing. The other part of me was filled with “what ifs”.

You see we live in a perpetual state of fear without even realizing it. Most of us deny it but the truth is we do. We can’t go to the airport without dang near being strip searched, we are scared if someone coughs we might get Ebola, we are scared the person looking at us might want to shoot us for some sick twisted reason, we are scared of loved ones dying and we are scared of taking a risk because we might fail and society says we are supposed to be perfect. We are terrified of helping a homeless person because we think they might use our money to go get drugs or alcohol so now we have to be led by the holy ghost to give a $1. We are scared to speak to a stranger because we think that they might have ulterior motives. We are scared to forgive because we think somehow it gives the other person the power.

It makes me think of the scripture from Ecclesiastes 1:18 (KJV) that states “For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” Solomon was telling us that with all the wisdom God blessed him caused great sorrow. You know the phrase, “the less you know the better” or “what you know can’t hurt you.” I understand those phrases to an extent. We used to be people that breathed differently and did most things fearlessly but because we have gained certain knowledge we no longer do that. The bible says we could be entertaining angels unaware and all I could think today is even if that man was an angel, my heart was still filled with clutter so what good was this good deed. All I could think about was repenting and praying to God about how sick and twisted of a world we live in.

It saddens me that we have to be so fearful in this world and that random acts of kindness have to come with such paranoia. I am not sure why I am writing this blog but maybe it is simply to say that my heart breaks for this world and us as a people. There is so much fear, hate and discrimination. I wish I could go back to that innocent child who just wanted to help the homeless man we saw at the stop light who made my heart have so much joy. I still help, I am just saying that I want to not over think everything. I don’t want to over think all of my life decisions. I just want to give the $1, the sock, let someone use the bathroom, tell someone they look great, buy someone a coffee and be at peace that to the least of these I did it to Christ himself. So I guess I pray for all of our hearts Lord that you would do a work and forgive us for analyzing everything because we know too much. Help us to do better and better because truth be told there is nothing better than just being kind without looking for something in return.

Your Destiny is Above This Mountain

I have been intending to write this blog for quite some time now. It has been something I have been piecing together in my mind ever since I went hiking back in July for the first time. My cousin asked me if I would go hiking with her and I said yes as I have been trying to get back into shape. It was something new for the both of us. We went early on a Sunday morning and had no idea what to expect. We didn’t know a thing about hiking, trails, what you wear or anything of that nature. 

When we got there, we were blessed enough to see these two men. One who hikes all the time and the other was his brother who was accompanying him for the first time. He was explaining to us the different trails, that each trail is marked by their colors so that you don’t get lost. He told us if we do get lost, all we have to do is walk back to where we last saw a marker. He informed us that some trails are more difficult than others because some have more rocks to climb etc. and how long some trails actually are. So we decided to do the blue trail as it seemed something suitable for two people starting out. We thanked them and went on our way.

We quickly realized we were not dressed for the occasion and I quickly realized that I was not in shape to go hiking. I had recently started working out again and truth be told, the more we hiked is the more out of breath I became. I think I was hyperventilating without realizing it at some moments. My cousin exercises consistently and so she was having the time of her life as I struggled to keep up. She would stop and wait for me, to let me catch my breath so we could continue. Some people were running past us, others were laughing and having a full conversation with their friends. Some people had full hiking gear, with backpacks. So we kept going and I saw a frog leap past us. I was becoming one with nature and being stretched outside my comfort zone. I have sprained my left ankle twice and my ankle twisted about two times while we were in the woods. 

I had to be more careful as we stepped over tree roots, fallen branches and tree logs. We climbed up and down rocks and we were doing well until we came to a high rock and I flat out said to my cousin. “Oh hell no.” She busted out laughing and I said listen, not today. We did a lot and I have to start out small. She said okay and we started heading back. The whole time we are heading back all I could think about was writing this blog. 

Hiking to me was a reminder of life’s journey and our walk with Christ. Sometimes in our walk with Christ, we feel like it’s this mountain we are climbing and we are never going to get to the top. We are on our destined trail, and we have the markings to direct us where to go. We see the markings sometimes through the holy spirit revealing to us where it is we need to go and what it is we need to do. We have gotten a word of prophecy and we begin to believe that word. Then life happens, we come into warfare (the rocks, the tree branches, the tree logs, the frogs leaping across us), and we begin to panic. We realize we don’t have on the right gear and we need to put on the whole armor of God for this journey. We begin to have shortness of breath in our walking or in a spiritual sense we become weary. We get lost along the way and instead of turning back to what God last instructed us to do (going back to the last marker you saw on the trail), you spin a circle like the children of Israel with Moses. 

We get so frustrated. Why can’t life be easier? Why can’t there be less pain? Why is the door for this job not opening? Why don’t I have what I need? Why are my finances tied up? Why is this friendship ending? Why is this relationship ending, I invested so much of myself? Why did you let them die God? Why, I needed more time? Why did he/she walk out of my life at the most critical point without so much as looking back? Why does it feel like the walls are caving in? Why do I feel beaten up? Why is my skin breaking out in hives? Why am I having chest pains? Why is this family member sick? We begin to ask the question. Where is God in the midst of all of this? WHERE IS GOD? Has he abandoned me out here in the woods, the wilderness? Has he left me out here to die? 

Mind you we are still walking, even if it’s aimlessly. We then get to that final rock, that final test, that final challenge we must face and we sometimes give in. We say enough is enough. We are wearied from the process. Christ is standing there. He never left. How could he? He knows exactly how we feel! He identifies with us. He is that still small voice saying “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Corinthians 4:17). But I am so tired Lord. I don’t want to fight. I don’t have the strength to climb. And sometimes we miss our destiny because we give up during that final test and we go back the way we came. We go to climbing the same rocks, over the same tree logs, the same tree branches because we are unable to see beyond the mountain. We are unable to see God in the midst of the battle. 

I encourage you today as I encourage myself not to give up. Face the mountain. Climb it. Face your Jericho, shout until the walls come down. Keep praying, keep pushing. For I am choosing to believe that God would not bring us to the moment of giving birth and not cause us to deliver our purpose. I know the battle has been intensified. There have been things happening that you are unable to explain, but you have got to climb this mountain. Don’t turn back. It’s time you see what the top looks like. It’s time you enter the promised land. It’s time that you experience your Godly inheritance. To whom much is given, much is required. God loves you, of this I am sure. Whatsoever has been spoken over you will come to pass. He sees, he knows. He is causing a shift and a change. Don’t look at the mountain. Allow God to open your spiritual eyes to see what is beyond the mountain. Your destiny. 

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Shadowed Valleys

I was driving home from work about two weeks ago when this blog dropped in my spirit. There are many different routes for me to get home, but one particular route allows me to drive through a cemetery. There is a street that passes through and the cemetery is on both sides of it. It is a very windy road and some might actually be scared if they were driving by themselves.

I was driving and trying to jot down a note to myself at the same time. I suppose that is the issue with us creative people who are always thinking and allowing God to show us something that we never noticed before. So as I am driving; the scripture came to me and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Psalm 23: 4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

It is a scripture many of us know but I somehow looked at it in a new light that day as God said to me, you just drove through death, without fear and came out on the other side unharmed. There were graves on either side of me, death is surrounding me on both sides and I was not fearful at all. I was in a sense living out the this scripture quite often without realizing it. What God was showing me is that sometimes we have to drive, walk, crawl through a deathly situation in order to get to the other side. Sometimes it hurts like heck and we want to throw in the towel but there is no other road but the one that winds through death. Sometimes in order to get to the promised land, we must go through a death experience.

The scripture says “yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. Something Bishop Jakes said a few years ago has never left my mind about this scripture. I think it was actually the day I realized I need to dig deeper into the word and not just look on the surface. He was speaking on his program individually at closing and he said, in order for there to be a shadow there has to be light. So I say to you, that God was always letting us know that whatever situation we are in that feels deathly, his light is always there. John 8:12  states, When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So if I have Christ, the light why should I be fearful when he lives within me through the power of the Holy Spirit? This also reminds me of Elisha and his servant who could not see what he could see. Elisha was not fearful and his servant was thinking surely we will be over taken by this army for we are only two people. 2 Kings 6:17 says And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

God is always there in our shadow of death or even real death situations. So if you feel some area of your life is dead or decaying I speak life to it today. Whether it be a relationship (God ordained, marriage (God ordained), finances, health, friendships, ministry or business. Please know that the same God who was with Elisha is with you today. Sometimes we can’t see the army of the angels prepared to fight on our behalf because we have allowed our spiritual eyes to be closed. However, let me say this; FEAR NO EVIL. If I can drive through a cemetery with death on both sides, God can revive every dead thing in your life. I cancel the spirit of death right now and speak resurrection power of Jesus Christ. I say to the death angel, it is not your time to take them out so go back to your post in Jesus name. You shall live and not die.

Sweet Aroma in the Glory of God

Daniel 3: 13-27 states: Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

In life we come in contact with people who we call “haters”. People who literally seek to tear us down and will try to find any reason to discredit us. People who find pleasure in seeing our downfall. Don’t fret over these people. The same God that delivered the three Hebrew Boys is able to deliver you.

Watchers: So the Chaldeans decided to go and tell the King that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not bow to his god, his golden image. You know those people that watch everything you do and are quick to speak on it. They don’t have a relationship with you but they sure do know a whole lot about your life. Don’t despise them, for it is a set up for God’s glory in the fire.

The King: So the king tells them the decree yet again and asked them if it is true that they did not bow to his false god. He asked them because one he has already been made aware their God is real and because the consequence to not bowing is death by fire. I love the response of the Hebrew boys. They said, King we don’t even have to be cautious about this response. It is what it is. We will not bow to your god, your golden image. Our God is able to deliver us, he may not even deliver us but he is ABLE. That is extreme faith. That is faith that says even if you don’t heal or save me here in the natural, I know you still got my back in the supernatural. In other words, our faith is so solid that we will not bow because we know even if he does not deliver us, we have the assurance that WE WILL see the KING of KINGS.

The Furnace: Nebuchadnezzar gets so upset, he tells the guards to turn up the fire 7 times hotter. Seven is the number of completion. The king didn’t realize that his decree was now for the fire to be God’s Glory. For it to turn into the all consuming fire. He decreed their deliverance without realizing it and he did it urgently. Their deliverance was complete before they entered the fire. His guards tossed them in their bound and they (the guards) died because the fire was so hot. They died because it was the all consuming fire from heaven. Don’t worry, your enemies will die for throwing you in the fire. They will die for causing the chaos around you, the stress, the pain, the difficulty. Whatsoever they attempt to do to you will take them out. You don’t have to fight your battle. You don’t have to fight your enemies. Vengeance is the Lord’s and he will deliver you.

Loosed: King Nebuchadnezzar was having a nervous breakdown at this point. Why? Because three men were thrown in bound and he now saw FOUR men WALKING, LOOSED! Lord have mercy. Please ponder what I am saying. These men have been tossed in a fire, BOUND and now they are walking around LOOSED. They were not walking alone though. This is the profound part of it all. The king says “And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”. Now hold on a second. This is OLD TESTAMENT. JESUS HAD NOT EVEN COME YET. THIS MAN IS SERVING FALSE GODS. How in the world does he know what Jesus would look like? How does he even know God has a son?  Because even Satan knows when Jesus is on the scene and must acknowledge who he is !

JESUS SHOWS UP IN YOUR FIRE ! He DOES NOT let you walk through it alone. He not only shows up he allows you to walk in freedom ( loosed ) in the fire. Do you understand what I am saying? JESUS, the son of the living God, the Christ, the risen one, the HIGH PRIEST, the miracle worker, the healer of broken hearts, the intercessor, the king of kings, WALKS WITH YOU IN FIRE. Notice he never took them out the fire, he walked in there with them !

Come Out of the Fire: Your enemy will call you out of the fire, because he will have been made your footstool. Jesus never took them out the fire, he made them able to withstand the fire. Their enemy called them out acknowledging the God they serve. The same enemy who through you in the fire, will now have to take you out of it. Oh glory be to God ! When you come out, you will not smell of smoke and no hair on your head will be touched. Your clothes will be in tack. You will not have a mental breakdown. You will not have an injury. You will not be so broken you can’t go forward. For the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will cause you to stand firm, flat footed, saying my God walks with me through fire. He is able to deliver.

 

White Horses Galloping in the Dirt

“Sin will take you further than you want to go and let you stay longer than you intended to stay.” This is a quote my aunt would say to me repeatedly some years back. I find it registering more and more as I grow in my walk with Christ.

James 1: 13-15 states “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”. (KJV)

As we continue to walk with the Lord it is imperative that we understand God does not tempt us. God does not dangle temptation in front of us, but instead it us who is drawn away by our own lust. It is vital for you to protect your gateways. You must be cautious about what you see and what you hear. I would even go so far as to say watch what you think, because there is power in a thought. If you think on something long enough, you will begin to see it manifesting.

Many of you are walking in disobedience and wondering why so much hell is going on in your life. You are blaming Satan, saying you are under attack when in reality you brought it upon yourself. The God we serve is a God of love, oh yes he is. However, he is also a God of wrath, judgement and correction. He is a holy and a righteous God, who does not stand for any unclean thing. The word is as plain as day. When you are drawn away or dragged away (NLT) by lust, lust leads to sin, sin leads to death. What area of your life are you suffering death because you were drawn away by your own lust, your own desrire. The NLT phrases James 1; 14-15 as “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

My God on high, it says you give birth to death because you allowed sin to grow in your life. Is this why your finances are dead? Is this why you marriage is dead? Is this why the spirit of infirmity won’t loose itself from you? Is this why you are depressed and oppressed? What area of your life have you been disobedient and drawn away by your own (fleshly) desires. Let me be transparent. I made a vow to God some years back that I would keep myself until marriage. I was 18 years old and I fell into sexual temptation over and over and over again. Let me clarify I was not a whore, roaming the streets sleeping with everyone, but I did rationalize who I did sleep with at the time. I had actually gotten to the place where I convinced myself it was okay.

I went through hell with relationships as a result. I have been verbally abused, treated less than the dirt you walk on, I had a loss of self worth, not $1 could seem to stay in my hand. I would find myself crying by the lake in college trying to figure out what in the world was going on. Why can’t I get a financial release? Why is life so tough, and now looking back…God was sore displeased that I had broken my vow. I have paid a hefty price for my sin, for my giving birth to death. It nearly led to my own death.

Let’s look at David, because we all love David so much because he was a man after God’s own heart and he is so “relatable”. Yes some of you have used David’s relatableness as an excuse to sin. We see it and expose that wicked, deceptive demon even now and cast it back to the pit. David was King, slept with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. He got her pregnant and then tried to cover up his adultery by committing murder. And this is what God says to him.

2 Samuel 12: 10-12 “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. (KJV)

God rose up the evil on David’s house because we even see later down the road, his daughter Tamar was raped by her own brother. Guess what, he thought he could do his mess in the dark and nobody would know about it. What’s the phrase? Whatever happens in the dark, will be brought to the light. Keep thinking you can do whatever you want behind closed doors because nobody can see you. GOD SEES ALL AND KNOWS ALL! He will expose it before everybody!

What is sin costing you in your life? How many times must he tell you to get out of that relationship? How many times must he tell you not to fornicate? How many times must he tell you to come out from among them? How many times must he say do not commit adultery, do not lie, do not steal, do not covet, do not be unthankful, do not murder? How many times must he say be ye separate before you get it? Sin COSTS you more than righteousness will ever COST you. THINK ON THAT!

1 Peter 1: 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (KJV)

Leviticus 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. (KJV)

Leviticus 20: 22-26 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out. And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. (KJV)

If we are to be Christlike, we have to be holy. God calls us to be holy. He calls us his, to not be like other people. To put away the unclean thing. Repent and turn away. He is a God of restoration and forgiveness. Do not take his grace and abuse it, but truly repent and turn away from your sin. Turn away from your idols and what is an abomination to the Lord. Every seed you allowed the enemy to plant in your mind, your home, your family, I root it up in the name of Jesus. He wants to release you to the promised land but you have been disobedient. My Lord, you made your own self stay in the wilderness longer than he intended for you to stay. Don’t you want to enter into the land flowing with milk and honey. Let me put it in today’s terms, good health, wealth, an increase of finance, purpose, healthy relationships, overflow of love and kindness, destiny, walking in your calling, the house you been praying for, the new job you been praying for, the car you been praying for, seeing your children set free, getting married or having your marriage turn around for good.

As I have come out of my backslidden state and surrendered all to Christ. I want to get it right. Don’t you want to get it right? Don’t you want to be in right standing with God. I have made a choice to present my body a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable unto him. My body is the temple of the holy ghost and I dear not let any unclean thing near it. As I write this it is a challenge even to myself. I am convicted even myself, to walk upright before the Lord. To know that it is not God who tempts us, but it is us who have caused death to come into our camps because we refuse to put away the unclean thing and stop sinning.

This is what I want for me and what I want for you. What James 1: 12 states “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” I want my crown of life, don’t you? Stop playing with fire, for you will get burned. Stop rationalizing your sin. Stop this day in the name of Jesus and repent. Fall on your knees to the father that you may be counted blessed for enduring the temptation and not falling into it. Resist the devil and he shall flee. For one sexual fall turns into several, one puff of weed turns into several, one drink turns into several, one adulterous act turns into several unless you shut it down.

Remember this when you try to convince yourself it is okay to fall into sin and temptation. “Sin will take you further than you want to go and make you stay longer than you intended to stay.” It will bring the sword upon your house.

Be blessed, be encouraged and go forth in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Rain Drops on Your Soul

Have you ever been in a relationship, and felt like it was dying? You know, you thought you guys were going to “grow” together. You made goals and had plans to accomplish them. However, somewhere along the line your significant other stopped growing. Your best friend and you no longer have anything in common because you aren’t the same person you were when you became friends. You saw changes within yourself and you wanted more for your life but they did not. I know I have been in relationships/friendships where I realized the person wasn’t going to change and that they would eventually stunt my growth.

So what do we do when we have a situation like this. We often end up clashing with the person because we expect more from them. We expect them to grow! I mean seriously who wants to be in a relationship with someone who is at a total standstill? I know I don’t and I am sure all of you reading don’t want that either. Nobody wants to have a friend who is doing the same exact thing they were doing the day you met them. What do I mean by that?

You know that friend that is always jumping in and out of relationships and cries whoa is me; yet they expect you to listen as if though it is the very first time and say poor baby. The boyfriend who says he is going to change but he is still running the streets and somehow you think he is going to turn to Jesus the next time you blink. (You shouldn’t be with him anyway because you’re unequally yoked, but I will save that for another blog. -_-) That man who has been dating that girl for 4 years and she still won’t even take a class to learn something. You have that spouse who still won’t get off the couch and to do laundry let alone play with the kids. All these scenarios are of someone who is stuck, stagnant and unwilling to grow. 

And when someone is unwilling to grow, there is always conflict.The person who is growing is upset because the other individual is not. The man or woman who is not growing wants you to stop because they feel like they are losing you and keep trying to drag you down memory lane. Remember when we used to…. So my question is, if we 9 times out of 10 don’t want to put up with a person who isn’t growing, why do we expect God to put up with it. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

This is something I have never understood and probably never will. Why don’t you want to grow in your walk with Christ? How do you think God feels when you become complacent and comfortable in your walk with him? Why are we not as adamant for growth in our walk with the Lord as we are in our natural relationships? People will go to church Sunday after Sunday, sing the same songs, read the same scripture, go to work, come home, go to every meeting and be in the same PLACE when they first came to Christ 20 years ago. If you ask them about a particular passage, they haven’t a clue as to what you are talking about. If you challenge them in their way of thinking, they get upset. They still haven’t even read the entire bible, let alone do they know why Jesus wept. Come on, we have got to do better. 

God has wanted growth since the beginning of the world. There was water, before the world even came into existence!! Where there is water, there is growth. A plant or vegetation cannot grow without water and of course there needs to be sunlight! Genesis 1:1-3 (KJV) says “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Water was already there for growth, but we both know that with water and light, that is when growth really takes place.

So why are we not letting the rain drops of the word feed our soul; that Christ’s light can be shown through the power of the holy ghost to ignite growth. 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV) says “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” It says to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God wants us to grow. He does not want us to be at a standstill EVER. We should be seeking him while he may be found. Seeking him with such a fervency so that we can know more about our purpose in him. Don’t you want to get to destiny? You will not get there if you do not grow and allow God to show you new things. How often are you praying? How often are you reading your word? If the answer is not often, I pray a shift happens by the time you are finished reading this blog. 

My Lord have mercy! We can’t be the first ones to clash with a human being if they are not growing but okay if we don’t grow in our walk with Jesus! NO NO NO, it cannot be okay! It is NOT okay! Your flesh should be being crucified daily; you should have more knowledge today than you did yesterday. Three months from now you should be even higher in him than you were before. You should be understanding aspects of your calling more. You should know what you are gifted to do and learn how to use your gifts in order and decency. What are you sitting on because you refuse to grow? What opportunities have you missed out on for God to use you because you refuse to grow? Get it together, repent for your comfort-ability and make a serious turnaround.

I know momma and them went to church all they life and couldn’t tell you a prophecy from a preaching, but my Lord have mercy I break that complacent spirit in the name of Jesus.I know all your cousins sang on the choir and never amounted to nothing, but that does NOT have to be you. You are supposed to cause a change and a shift even if you have to stand alone. Hosea 4:6 states (NIV) “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. Listen if this verse alone doesn’t shake you up!!! Your actions will affect your children. Look at what God said, well if you reject knowledge, ultimately rejecting me, imma reject you. And on top of that I am going to ignore your kids. The kids don’t even know a THING and they already are reaping consequences to your lack of growth.

Don’t you feel like you are dying? You are spiritually dead if you are not growing! Proverbs 29:18 declares “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” To perish is to die. Where is your vision? Where is your dream? Why are sleeping on the plans God has for you. The same way you get aggravated dealing with folk who will not grow, is the same way God is sitting on his throne, tapping his big toe, causing earthquakes to shake you out of you slothfulness. He is trying to wake you up, so you can move forward. In my walk with God I always endeavor to grow. I dear not stop dreaming or pursuing the most high. I have to chase the God who holds my purpose in his hands. Stop being stagnant! I speak life over you being spiritually dead. Come forth, God is waiting on you to come forth. There is so much he wants to show you. Life is more than the typical program at each church service. It’s about you realizing you are the church and bringing it to the world. GO! 

 

 

 

 

GOD IS HERE, EVER PRESENT IN THE WILDERNESS

People travel and think God is in a specific geographical location when he is in relationship. Sometimes people don’t want to go through the wilderness process which launches them into ministry. Oh you thought you were exempt from the wilderness? Think again! Jesus was baptized and the spirit IMMEDIATELY driveth him into the wilderness and he was tempted of Satan on all accounts but also ministered to by angels! (Mark 1:12)

So you try to run from the wilderness experience and think Satan is attacking you but not every painful experience is of Satan. Everything is not an attack of the enemy! There is a crushing process you must go through for the oil to flow. Olives are crushed for the oil to flow. So you travel from church to church, state to state, country to country looking for God there because a move of God happened and you want the “same” thing to happen again! Waiting for the next revival service, the next prophetic word and God is saying knock knock, who is there?! Is anybody home? I long for you and I am RIGHT here. I long to be in relationship with you. I am trying to break off that old man, that old mindset. Seek him wherever you are and he will be found.

I know you don’t want to sit under that Pastor because you think they don’t know what they are doing, but God has not released you yet because he is crushing you and watching how you behave. David sat under Saul!! Hmmmmm…My God, My God! He was called forth to be king at a young age.  He was called from the back to the forefront but God did not release him to be king until the age of 30. Hmmmm, he had to sit under Saul, trying to kill him, listening to a man where the glory had departed ! Mercy!!! Do not get up and go to another location looking for the God who has strategically placed you to sit and go through the process. David could have killed Saul more than once but he did not! He was gracious and because he was obedient to God, in due season he became king! When the hour cometh and now is! (John 4:23). You will be released to be king or queen in whatsoever way God would have it! Now do not confuse this with sitting in a church that is spiritually stagnant and God told you to leave long time ago but you stayed out of loyalty to man and fear of the unknown!

However, if you know without a shadow of a doubt that God has you in a specific place to do a work in you, then stay. Don’t move ahead of God and go off wandering into the wrong direction. The God of the universe is omnipresent and you do not have to wait until you reach church on Sunday to encounter him. He wants to love you and spend quality time with you. Why are you running all over the place, now wearied, trying to find God who is right there with you. I know the process sucks and it doesn’t feel good. Guess what it didn’t feel good when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:39 (KJV) says “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Jesus, the Christ went through the process before going to the cross. It was heavy, he felt the weight of his purpose, but he said NEVERTHELESS and still went forth to carry that cross. Although he did not want to go through the pain, he chose God’s flawless will over his own. He died, was buried and resurrected that you might have life and have it more abundantly! 

 

We all have to go through a process, but when he releases you! My Lord have mercy ! The fire that will come out of your mouth, the way you will pray, the prophecies he will have you to release, the anointing that will flow will make every demon tremble from the moment you open your eyes. If you breathe they will scatter, in the name of Jesus. You will NOT die in the wilderness. I know people talk about you because they do not understand. I shut the mouth of every gossiping, backbiting, lying and wicked spirit that comes to sow discord. I shut it down in the name of Jesus. Whatsoever God has for you is for you. I cover your family and declare healing in the name of Jesus! Spirit of infirmity loose yourself from every man and woman of God. I know you want to give up and you want to throw in the towel, but do NOT.

Stand and see the salvation of The Lord. Arise out of your slumber!!! Get in that prayer closet and seek him LIKE NEVER BEFORE. The walls of Jericho are coming down and they are falling inward that you come out unharmed. Shout until every giant falls to the ground. Come down, come down!!! I bind up every curse that comes to attack your household and your mind. Peace be still in the name of Jesus!!! Devil take your hands off their children, off their house, off the family, off their friends, off every single relative! We loose the region and every house of every demon by the blood of Christ! You shall come out without a smell of smoke! It is your time, it is your season! I don’t care what the circumstance says! Confuse the enemy with a praise from the depths of your belly and call those things that are not as if they are! Manifestations shall happen !!! If God be for you, who can be against you! It is so in Jesus name !