Matthew 5:44-47 (KJV) Says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?"
It is certain that we will have people come against us in our lives whether it be strangers, someone in the workplace, friends, those we are in a personal relationship with, spouses, or sometimes even family members. When this happens, we know immediately how we would react or respond in the flesh, but we also recognize that choosing to take a fleshly reaction or response to these situations would not fit who we are as followers of Jesus Christ. In the above passage of scripture Jesus himself tells us exactly how we are to react, and or respond, when people come against us.
Jesus tells us that we are to love our enemies, and that we are to bless those who curse us, and we are to do good to those who hate us. He further tells us to pray for those who use us, and persecute us. Behaving in this manner toward someone who has wronged us or hurt us is extremely difficult to do, but to do so is pleasing to God, and healing for us in that we are not walking through life carrying hatred, bitterness, and anger.
One of the two greatest commandments given to us by God is to love one another as God loves us. Some people are easy to love such as family and friends. The true test is found in our ability to love our enemies. Jesus points out to us that it is not difficult to love those who love us, and basically that there is no reward for that. When we choose to love our enemies, forgive them, and pray for them, however, that is when we are rewarded. First and foremost we have peace knowing we are living in obedience to God. Secondly, we are not carrying hatred, bitterness, or anger in our hearts which do nothing but create our own state of misery. Thirdly, we are witnessing to others by showing them the difference in how a Christian treats their enemies vs. how a lost person reacting or responding in the flesh treats theirs. This is a powerful personal testimony, and can lead the lost who witness it to have the desire in their hearts to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior; wanting for themselves what they have seen in you.
I am by no means encouraging you to allow people to abuse you in anyway, use you, or treat you badly; nor would God want that for you. You can forgive someone, love them, and pray for them even if you've had to end your relationship with them. I encourage you as a born again believer in Jesus Christ to love and forgive your enemies. I encourage you to pray for them, and I encourage you to do so in order to please God, bring peace of mind to yourself, and in order to be a witness for others as to what Christ-like behavior truly looks like.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Turn to the Lord
II Chronicles 30:7-9 (KJV) Says, "And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him."
Let me begin by saying that there are consequences for living in disobedience to God. We are all God's children and he loves us tremendously. Just as a parent doesn't reward their children for disobedience; God as our Heavenly Father will not reward us for ours. In the above passage of scripture the children of Israel have clearly sinned, and have turned their backs on God. Because of this they have found themselves in a state of desolation. Note also, that more times than one throughout history they found themselves in captivity secondary to their sin and disobedience. It often took drastic consequences for them to repent of their sins, and turn back to God.
God is the same today as yesterday, and he will remain the same always, his Word promises us that. Always remember too, that God has never broken not one single promise. With that said, the above passage of scripture applies to us today; in that there are consequences for our sins as well. We suffer ourselves in many ways when we refuse to turn back to God and live our lives in obedience to him.
The great news is that God is waiting eagerly for us to repent of our sins, and turn back to him. It is made clear in his Word that he desires for us to surrender our lives to him, find a good Church, serve him, and live our lives in obedience to him. We are told that God is gracious and merciful toward us, and that he will not turn his face from us, if we will only return to him; yet many refuse to do so and instead continue to live their lives in a state of worry, misery, and struggle.
Many people have the wrong idea as to what living a Christian life in obedience to the Lord looks like. Some feel that it would mean living a strict life that is nothing short of boring, and that could not be further from the truth. When you surrender your life to the Lord and live in obedience to him you are choosing to live the greatest life you could ever possibly hope to live. It is a life of joy, divine peace, and so much more.
When we first surrender our lives to God and begin living in obedience to him we can expect, of course, that Satan is not pleased. He will try to discourage us with trials and temptations in an attempt to draw us away from our walk with God. If we remain steadfast in our faith and trust in God, however, Satan will soon recognize that he cannot cause us to waver in our faith. Satan will attempt to work through situations, our thoughts, and even people to draw us away from God, but with strong faith and focus on our creator he will not win the battle and he will eventually give up.
If you are in a situation where you're facing problems of any sort in your life that you feel have you captive, whether it be relationship issues, financial problems, health issues, or any other problem, I urge you to turn to God. There is no problem so great that God cannot handle it. Go to him in prayer and ask forgiveness for your sins, repent, and begin this moment living in obedience to him. Remain steadfast in your faith, and keep your focus on him at all times. Take your worries and cares to him in prayer, and leave them there, and serve him with a joyful heart. The rewards of doing so are so great that there are no words that could ever possibly do them justice.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior I urge you to make the decision to do that immediately, right where you are. Simply go to God in prayer, ask him to forgive you of all your sins, tell him you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and that he rose again, and ask him to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior. If you pray this prayer and you are sincere about it in your heart then he will save your soul and give you the precious gift of eternal life. God is loving forgiving, kind, compassionate, understanding, and so much more. He loves you tremendously and he is eagerly waiting for you to cry out to him, to accept him, and to walk side by side with him.
If you accepted Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior, or if you were backslid and have decided to get back on track then you have made a priceless and most rewarding decision. You have made the decision to live the greatest life you could ever possibly hope to live, and you will never live a single second of your life alone as Christ will be with you every step of the way.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
Let me begin by saying that there are consequences for living in disobedience to God. We are all God's children and he loves us tremendously. Just as a parent doesn't reward their children for disobedience; God as our Heavenly Father will not reward us for ours. In the above passage of scripture the children of Israel have clearly sinned, and have turned their backs on God. Because of this they have found themselves in a state of desolation. Note also, that more times than one throughout history they found themselves in captivity secondary to their sin and disobedience. It often took drastic consequences for them to repent of their sins, and turn back to God.
God is the same today as yesterday, and he will remain the same always, his Word promises us that. Always remember too, that God has never broken not one single promise. With that said, the above passage of scripture applies to us today; in that there are consequences for our sins as well. We suffer ourselves in many ways when we refuse to turn back to God and live our lives in obedience to him.
The great news is that God is waiting eagerly for us to repent of our sins, and turn back to him. It is made clear in his Word that he desires for us to surrender our lives to him, find a good Church, serve him, and live our lives in obedience to him. We are told that God is gracious and merciful toward us, and that he will not turn his face from us, if we will only return to him; yet many refuse to do so and instead continue to live their lives in a state of worry, misery, and struggle.
Many people have the wrong idea as to what living a Christian life in obedience to the Lord looks like. Some feel that it would mean living a strict life that is nothing short of boring, and that could not be further from the truth. When you surrender your life to the Lord and live in obedience to him you are choosing to live the greatest life you could ever possibly hope to live. It is a life of joy, divine peace, and so much more.
When we first surrender our lives to God and begin living in obedience to him we can expect, of course, that Satan is not pleased. He will try to discourage us with trials and temptations in an attempt to draw us away from our walk with God. If we remain steadfast in our faith and trust in God, however, Satan will soon recognize that he cannot cause us to waver in our faith. Satan will attempt to work through situations, our thoughts, and even people to draw us away from God, but with strong faith and focus on our creator he will not win the battle and he will eventually give up.
If you are in a situation where you're facing problems of any sort in your life that you feel have you captive, whether it be relationship issues, financial problems, health issues, or any other problem, I urge you to turn to God. There is no problem so great that God cannot handle it. Go to him in prayer and ask forgiveness for your sins, repent, and begin this moment living in obedience to him. Remain steadfast in your faith, and keep your focus on him at all times. Take your worries and cares to him in prayer, and leave them there, and serve him with a joyful heart. The rewards of doing so are so great that there are no words that could ever possibly do them justice.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior I urge you to make the decision to do that immediately, right where you are. Simply go to God in prayer, ask him to forgive you of all your sins, tell him you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and that he rose again, and ask him to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior. If you pray this prayer and you are sincere about it in your heart then he will save your soul and give you the precious gift of eternal life. God is loving forgiving, kind, compassionate, understanding, and so much more. He loves you tremendously and he is eagerly waiting for you to cry out to him, to accept him, and to walk side by side with him.
If you accepted Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior, or if you were backslid and have decided to get back on track then you have made a priceless and most rewarding decision. You have made the decision to live the greatest life you could ever possibly hope to live, and you will never live a single second of your life alone as Christ will be with you every step of the way.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Losing Focus
Matthew 14:25-31 (KJV) Says, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt."
In the above passage of scripture notice first that as soon as the disciples cried out in fear Jesus spoke to them and calmed their fear. Note it says when they cried out in fear Jesus answered them "immediately." There are times in all of our lives when we are struck by fear, and when this happens we too can be assured that if we cry out to Jesus, he will calm our fear just as he did for the disciples.
Notice secondly that when Jesus called Peter to come to him, Peter demonstrating great faith stepped out of the boat, and began walking on the water toward him. At first Peter was focused on Jesus and had no difficulty whatsoever walking on the water, but then he allowed himself to become distracted by the strong wind and the storm going on around him. When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to focus on the things around him; he immediately began to sink. Afraid and now sinking, Peter cried out to the Lord again desperate for him to save him, and Jesus took his hand and saved him. Jesus pointed out to Peter that he had demonstrated little faith, and doubt. Peter had lost his focus. If he had continued to focus on Jesus putting total faith and trust in him when he stepped out of the boat and began walking on the water, he would not have began sinking.
Like Peter we have all found ourselves in a storm of some type in our lives whether it be the loss of a loved one, divorce, a break-up of a long time relationship, loss of a friendship, rejection, financial issues, and the list goes on and on. When we experience a storm in life no matter the type it can leave us feeling afraid, devastated, and even hopeless at times, if we do as Peter did and take our focus off of Jesus.
When you find yourself in the midst of a storm, I urge you to cry out to God, and to stay focused on him. Put your faith and trust in him and remain steadfast in it. I encourage you to stay focused on him reminding yourself that there is no problem greater than he is, that he is your strength, comforter, protector, shelter in times of trouble, and that he loves you tremendously. When you are walking through a storm of any kind, and you stay focused on God instead of the storm, he will see you through it, and he will not allow you to sink.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!
In the above passage of scripture notice first that as soon as the disciples cried out in fear Jesus spoke to them and calmed their fear. Note it says when they cried out in fear Jesus answered them "immediately." There are times in all of our lives when we are struck by fear, and when this happens we too can be assured that if we cry out to Jesus, he will calm our fear just as he did for the disciples.
Notice secondly that when Jesus called Peter to come to him, Peter demonstrating great faith stepped out of the boat, and began walking on the water toward him. At first Peter was focused on Jesus and had no difficulty whatsoever walking on the water, but then he allowed himself to become distracted by the strong wind and the storm going on around him. When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to focus on the things around him; he immediately began to sink. Afraid and now sinking, Peter cried out to the Lord again desperate for him to save him, and Jesus took his hand and saved him. Jesus pointed out to Peter that he had demonstrated little faith, and doubt. Peter had lost his focus. If he had continued to focus on Jesus putting total faith and trust in him when he stepped out of the boat and began walking on the water, he would not have began sinking.
Like Peter we have all found ourselves in a storm of some type in our lives whether it be the loss of a loved one, divorce, a break-up of a long time relationship, loss of a friendship, rejection, financial issues, and the list goes on and on. When we experience a storm in life no matter the type it can leave us feeling afraid, devastated, and even hopeless at times, if we do as Peter did and take our focus off of Jesus.
When you find yourself in the midst of a storm, I urge you to cry out to God, and to stay focused on him. Put your faith and trust in him and remain steadfast in it. I encourage you to stay focused on him reminding yourself that there is no problem greater than he is, that he is your strength, comforter, protector, shelter in times of trouble, and that he loves you tremendously. When you are walking through a storm of any kind, and you stay focused on God instead of the storm, he will see you through it, and he will not allow you to sink.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!
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