A GOD WORD!

Leaning on others for advice and or correction can serve as a helpful guide.  However, all that we receive from others must be discerned with the inward witness & truth which we continually receive from God's Word & the Holy Spirit.  When we (trust) allow the word to back up all that we hear, then no man will ever confuse us!!  You might hear something, but learn not to "receive" unless Daddy God says, it is so. Do you ever notice how you receive a particular scripture, at a certain time in your life, from a person & it encourages you in that exact area in your life?  Or, have you ever had someone come up to you trying to prophecy over you & they way off?  Through the truth which is already inside you, the Holy Spirit tells you whether it's right. That's why the more we HEAR & MEDITATE on God's word, the more wisdom & understanding we receive. Thus, empowering us to know & apply this God-given INWARD truth to our lives, in other words, to live it out!  Anytime you receive a word & that fits your life at that moment, it comes no other way, than through the revealing of the Holy Spirit.  And through each season, through the good, and especially the bad, receiving, applying & living God's word will cause your foundation to grow like to become one day like:
 Psalm 92:12-15
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in EVEN IN OLD AGE; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him."

A Committed Work!

What are you passionate about (singing, dancing, playing an instrument, leading others, even; administration, sales, nursing, writing, inventing, helping others, or anything...)?  Is it a holy desire? Was this desire birthed through your relationship with Christ?  Does your fulfillment of these desires involve mere self gratification, or bringing God to glory? 

There is nothing wrong with having personal ambition, as long as it doesn't outweigh our purpose for existence, which is to lift up the name of Jesus.  This is simply becoming a witness for Christ.  Otherwise, all that you do is done in vain.  

John 12:32 says, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 

I encourage you to put God 1st in all that you do! Through this you will not only succeed, but you will cause others to look to the one who has saved you, delivered you, who daily empowers you to be who be His witnesses, that you may become who He's called you to be!!

Ive carried this scripture in my pocket for 5 years which my motherSandra Shaffer gave to me. It serves me as a daily reminder of how when I commit my works to God He will bless & empower me to prosper, in all that I put my hand to!

When I'm committed to God, His desire becomes my desire.  Therefore, I can't fail!!

A NEW LANGUAGE. NEW CHRISTIAN?

I have been studying Spanish for some time and recently began studying Arabic.  I have discovered, as with any language, especially Arabic, you must deeply examine the language within its historical heritage and cultural context.  You must dummy up in order to start from the beginning.  There is no direct correlation between English (my 1st language) and Arabic.  It requires learning a completely new manner of alphabet, verbs, phrases, culture and more.  It even requires studying abroad in an atmosphere in which the language is spoken.  

Although learning a new language is a process which takes place on an intellectual level, something about it paints a picture of the process which began on a spiritual level when I gave my life to Jesus.  I began to deeply examine God's word through the historical heritage and the context of scripture.  I had to humble down and admit that I was a sinner in need of a savior.  In a sense, I had to dummy up and start from the beginning. There is no correlation between sin (the darkness of my past) and the righteousness (the light of my future).  It required me to begin from the inside out, learning a completely new manner of understanding, attitudes, confession and total way of life.  Just as with a new language requires the change of atmosphere, so does growing in the things of God.  Find yourself a church where God's word is proclaimed.   Surround yourself with others of like understanding, attitudes, who are confessing these truths and living their lives for God!

A difference between the process of learning a new language and growing in the power of an everyday life in Christ is that the Holy Spirit is right here, inside of me, enabling me to increase in the learning, understanding and living of God's word!  He is my interpreter!  Yes, I was granted salvation, love and a  relationship with Christ at the time of confession and belief that He is my Lord.  However, in order to thrive in my relationship with Him, I must remain ever-learning, growing, speaking and living in this new way; else I lose that first love which I gained. 

As with learning a language, my salvation must also be spoken and practiced daily, even until the day of Christ!

I want to exhort you to continue on in word and in deed.  Give your salvation the highest of priority!  Study the things of God, in light of scripture outside your previous understanding and don't quit!  This is not always an easy process and it requires dedication and determination, but you have a helper, translator, (the Holy Spirit) who will lead you and guide you into all truths!  He will never leave you, nor forsake you!!

Be blessed!

God's Vision & Your Words

I got this from what my Pastor, Russell Hylton preached on this evening at Bethel Family Worship Center!  

Don't allow anyone's doubts, thoughts, or opinions to box you in, keeping you from your God given destiny.  The vision God has planted in your heart is not born through man's interpretation of that vision.  The vision is brought to fruition through the combination of timing, obedience & the Rhema (God BREATHED) Word of God!!  A Child of God has the same ability that Jesus had, by which He called Lazarus forth out of the grave!  You can continue to speak the Rhema Word which God has already breathed into your spirit man! 

Line yourself up with the timing of God & the Word of God through your obedience to God. Continue to speak against the confining defining words of man, by speaking the truth of God over your life & God's plans/vision for you WILL come to pass!

Get Involved!

Many fail to recognize the value of serving in the local church.  Not only can you gain intrinsic benefits or "eternal rewards" (laying up treasures in heaven), but you will also gain practical, real life experience necessary to thrive in the workplace, home, and in all aspects of life.  Serving in the church is not about giving so you can get, as many unconsciously interpret it, as they begin yearning to be seen & praised. 

However, when you do selflessly and lovingly lay down your time & talent to be used of God, in any capacity, you become one who has not just been called, but chosen!  You become a wise steward, who sows & reaps.  You will not only begin to reap the benefits from what you have sown, but you gain access to a spoils which you had no hand in! God will cause even your enemies to begin to bless you! 

I want you to know that out of my personal experience of serving God through my church, I have gained experience and skill sets, knowledge, wisdom & understanding, courage, relentlessness, faithfulness.  I have learned and grown in the areas of how to discern situations, operate in culturally diverse settings, plan, organize and execute events, building maintenance, the list could go on.  Most importantly I've gained a "whatever it takes" attitude, which has been imparted to me through "priceless" mentoring relationships.  I say this not to boast, but to share with you, how great of an opportunity it is to even volunteer in the church.  I had never fully understood how much I've gained over the past few years of volunteering, until asked for experience on a job resume.  If you are a young person, especially.  Get involved with your local church and start volunteering.  Before you know it, you will have broadened your experience and beefed up your resume becoming someone who today's employers will seek out.  God is good!!

Thoughts On Prayer

You don't have to be confined to your community, state, region, nation, continent, hemisphere; you can make a global impact! Prayer is REAL, RELEVANT, NEEDED. It is the most talked about, the most doubted & the least practiced. Prayer is free. It's an investment that you don't have to finance! There is 0% risk & full return! You don't have to bury it in the back yard, or lock in a vault. You don't have to establish a trust for your loved ones to benefit from when you're gone. You can spend it whenever you'd like! The government can't tax it. A pre-nup won't affect it. No one could ever take your ability to call on Jesus!! Need I continue?? One prayer prayed could surpass the value of every dollar you could ever earn in limitless lifetimes! #JustSayin #Prayer #Jesus

We all need more in our lives! Good night

Wisdom From Above

I believe the finest example of wisdom is to know the beginning and ending of a matter. That is why many, as they grow older often develop greater wisdom. As time passes on they witness the rise & fall of many of life's events.

All the more reason we should trust in God's wisdom, rather than our own. He IS all that ever WAS, IS & IS to come! God knows the beginning and ending of your life, of my life and all eternity.

God always honors a request for wisdom. Young King Solomon asked for wisdom and God granted him not only great exceeding wisdom and understanding, but riches honor and glory!

Solomon was referred to as the wisest man in history. In his request for wisdom, Solomon properly discerned Gods will for his life & the nation of Israel. Attached to all that wisdom and understanding came the ability to steward great riches, the understanding to govern over such a great number of people & humility to remain submitted to God.

Pray for our country & the body of Christ all over the world, for godly leaders who seek God's wisdom from above!  We need that godly influence to maintain our freedom.

You Are Chosen!

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" (1 Corinthians 1:27).

You are chosen by God! You have been Hand-picked by the Most High, whether you've had an education, whether you've been marked by society as being ugly, whether you've lost every fight you've ever been in and are as skinny as a rail!

This is a promise that anyone can stand on. We have all been counted foolish & weak in some way, at some point in life.  Maybe you have a weakness when it comes to alcohol, or maybe you have been bound by pornography and it holds you powerless? Maybe you have a weakness when it comes to responsibility & commitment? Maybe you have run away from your own children, leaving someone else to raise them? Maybe you have been weakened by a bad report from the doctor and are in need of healing?

God only knows> either way, He has chosen you, as a vehicle to express His power and promise through! You can get through this! There is nothing impossible with God! "You can do all things through Christ who give you strength!" (Philippians 4:13)

This is a "sure thing" that if you surrender to God, whether your fault, or not, He will use you & your mistakes, weaknesses, issues, habits, hang-ups etc. So, trust Jesus today and watch Him begin to turn your situation around for your good. He can heal you & put the wise & mighty things of this world to shame, at the same time!

Jesus died for you!

Working On Your Testimony!

That pain,or uncomfortable situation is pushing you toward your God's  provision for your life. Provision has already been made through Christ on the cross, but you must get to a place where you can walk in it.

Don't suffer in vain, rather embrace whatever it is your going through by seeking God in through prayer, scripture & worship! No matter the severity or entirety of your pain, God can ultimately cause it to work to your good!

It is in God's nature to turned things around! 2 Corinth 5:17 & Rev 21:5 says, He makes all things NEW!!  God can take an old problem, an old hurt, an old divorce, an old mindset, an old addiction, an old arrest record, an old disease, etc adding His SUPER to our natural, and we walk away with; a healing, deliverance, restoration, reconciliation, expungement, rejuvenation! 

Then when you get through that particular trial, you will come out with a testimony of what God can do for your wife, husband, children, co - workers, employers, clients, & all who you come in contact with!! #LivingTestimony

GROWTH

Whatever you are experiencing today, whether boring, or exciting, seemingly insignificant or vital, wether tragic or joyous, ask God to help you grow as a result of it. When you have Christ, even tragedies and failures produce growth opportunities. 2 Corinthians 12:10 says, "When we are weak, He is strong!" These growth opportunities may not always come in a neatly wrapped as we would prefer, and are often intrinsic, therefore harder to recognize. My main point is that you don't discount your present situation and hinder potential dividends. Psalm 126:5 says, "They that sow in tears, shall reap in songs of joy!" You may be crying right now--consider those tears as an investment!
Don't walk away empty-handed! There is not one thing under the sun that we can't grow from, especially pain! If you keep the faith, God will not only bring you through, but you will come out stronger than ever!
He has done it for me, many times--God bless.

Want to know?

Want to know who someone is called to be, or the direction of their life? Look at who they run with. You run pigs, you might get fried!
1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Bad company corrupts good character." 

Want to know the heart? Listen to the mouth.
Luke 6:45 says, "Out of the abundance of the mouth, the heart speaks." 

Want to know if those words from that mouth are true? Observe the actions. Matthew 7:16 says, You will know them by their fruit (actions), whether good, or bad.

The meditation of the heart will generates words and ultimately a course of action.

Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, Oh Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." We all either are, or have been like David was when he cried out these words to God. He was at a place in his life where he desired a change, of company (friends), words, thoughts, and actions. He was not satisfied with being the same as he'd always been, perhaps making the same mistakes, time after time as we all do. David was a man of battle, so he decided to get viligant with his situation and seek the Almighty, his protector and redeemer, the only one who could help him change.

Are you searching for fulfillment in your life? Are you tired of being the same old you, making the same mistakes, time after time, trying to change all on your own? Then cry out to God and He will help you and empower you with His Spirit to change!

A True Testimony

A testimony will provide these things:

1.    Impart the wisdom from above to it's hearers (1 Corinthians 2) practically all of the 2nd chapter

2.    Lift up Jesus, not us! (Revelation 10:19)

3.    Edify (1 Corinthians 14:4)

4.    Draw those who hear & see, closer to Jesus (John 12:32)

5.    Freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17)

A true testimony will not just be heard, but seen in the fruit of life of the one testifying. (Matt 7:16)  There will be evidence of the fruit of the Spirit lived out in that life. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Just as Christ Himself bore witness of the Father, so we seek to everyday, through our lives (words, actions, attitudes & choices), to bear witness of Christ.  For we are the Body of Christ!  Just as the men of God of old foreshadowed and bore witness of Christ the Savior who was to be revealed, so we ought to as the body of Christ to bear witness of Christ who is one day coming again, so others may be reconciled to Him.

Men, how to treat your wife. Written by: Stu Gray

I found this cool article online written by a man named Stu Gray for men on how to treat their wives. I found it interesting & full of wisdom.
1. Encourage your wife. Do you know what your wife's dreams are? Do you care? You should. She needs you to support her in her life. She doesn't want to be thought of as a second-class citizen. When you find out what she cares about, encourage her to go do it. If she feels like you won't let her, she'll end up resenting you down the road, and no one likes resentful people.

2. Become the spiritual leader of your home. Your wife needs you to be the spiritual leader. The old "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything" saying is true. If you don't lead your wife in spiritual situations, she might try to lead you, and this can cause pressure in your marriage.
3. Stop looking at porn. Porn introduces someone else into your relationship. Now, you may argue, "It's not a real person," but when you're trying to be intimate with your wife, that picture is all you think about. And guess what? Your wife also thinks that picture is all you're thinking about, which makes her feel used. Pornography distorts your mind when it comes to real intimacy—that real human being you share your bed with. So, ditch the porn. Become intimately involved with your wife instead.

4. Have healthy, encouraging male friendships. No more hanging out with guys who badmouth their wives. No more guys who check out porn and send it via email. You don't need that. Find guys who love their wives, and can encourage you to keep getting better as a husband, and as a man.

More from YourTango: One Person Doesn't Really "Complete You" Or Your Marriage

5. Speak kindly of your wife to her. Find something your wife does well and point it out. Then, make a big deal of it! Even if it's just vacuuming the house. Tell her you appreciate it. You know, there is a traditional Jewish custom that every Friday night for Sabbath, the husband and family honor the mother by singing her a song to tell her how wonderful she is. Now, I'm not saying you need to break out the vocals, but an outward display of appreciation is important. 5 Compliments Every Woman Loves To Hear

6. Speak kindly of your wife to others. No more badmouthing your spouse to your friends. The old adage works: "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." First, your casual friends may not really care about your marriage. They could be either jealous of you or selfish. They could want you to hang out more often, so they may play up the "problems" that you tell them about. Second, there is no honor in airing your dirty laundry outside your marriage. Don't do it.
7. Help out around the house without complaining. I've written about this here on Traditional Love—there are some things that are simply part of life (i.e. taking out the trash, cleaning up the shower when it gets that black-and-pink mold in it, etc.) These are chores we just have to do. It's not even about showing love. It's taking responsibility.

8. Invite her to join in doing something you like. Maybe she never joins you watching the game because she doesn't understand it, or even more likely, she doesn't know why it's so important to you. Take time to explain why you like to do the things you do, why you want to share them with her, and then invite her to be part of them.

9. Make sure to take time for yourself. While you should invite your wife to take part in some things you do, you should also have activities you are able to enjoy for yourself. If you are constantly hanging around one another, you two might become weird drones that have no thoughts or feelings of your own! Make sure you find a hobby that is just yours to enjoy as a guy.

10. Be present. I think there is a real manhood crisis in our country, and it comes back to the family. I'll take it a step further: It's a problem brought on by husbands. Sometimes the man leaves, and the mother has to raise a family by herself. Sometimes, the husband just isn't present, even if he is physically there. Are you so exhausted by your life and work that you can't take a moment to be in the present with your wife and family? Turn off the electronics. Block out time that is for family only. Be present and fully engage with your wife. And remember: they say the best way to love your kids is to love their mother well. Want To Be A Happy Parent? Stop Trying So Hard