seeking God through His Word

Every day is a new learning experience. An integral part of human development involves learning and growing. We grow physically with each year that passes and intellectually based on our interests and pursuits. Although we learn a great deal through observation and interaction, a large portion of the information needed to acquire knowledge is only available in written form and requires effort on our part. We become good students and ultimately great professionals by seeking and studying the knowledge found in specialized books. How much more does our spiritual growth depends on us seeking and studying the truth found in the ultimate book, the Bible. Spending time in God's word not only draws us closer to him, but also provides: - Knowledge: Hosea 4:6 states that my people perish for lack of knowledge. We will continue to miss the mark, deceive ourselves and ultimately perish, unless we understand God's position on different issues and situations. - Allows us to keep our minds focused on God: The biggest battle we will fight on our Christian walk involves our thought life. The bible tells us to renew our minds and in Romans 1:28, it states that knowledge of God allows us to keep our minds on the things of God. - Makes us aware of God's instructions for our lives. Proverbs 19:16 says he who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die. Ignorance is not a defense especially when we have a copy of the rule book. So we truly seek God when we spend time in his word and learn his ways and instructions for our lives. One sure way to learn biology is by reading a biology book. In the same way we seek and understand God by taking time to learn his word. Make a decision to grow in him through growing in your knowledge of his word. GG

rutters of tongue

Folks,

Words are powerful and are have the ability to usher either victory or
defeat into our lives. God spoke creation into existence through words,
Gen 1: 3-26. As beings created in the image and likeness of God, we also
through our words have the power to speak things into existence. Be it
good or bad. The tongue is the rudder of the body and what we say
influences where we'll go. There are numerous scriptures that make
reference to the tongue and its ability to do both good and evil.
Therefore, it is critical that we not take our words lightly and that we
watch what we speak. The bible teaches that:

1. We have the power through our words (tongue) to speak whatever we
choose into existence - Proverbs 18:21
2. Through our tongue we can write our destiny - Psalm 45:1
3. We can have victories in life based on our words - Paslm 12:4
4. We will be held accountable for perverse chatter - Proverbs 10:31.

The book of proverbs is loaded with warnings and corrections regarding the
mis-use of the tongue and exhortation regarding its proper use. The tongue
which enables us to speak words plays a vital role in our current situation
as well as our future. Our tongue was created to prasie God, Psalm 35:28
and Psalm 145:6 and to speak God's plans for our lives into existence, as
well as to strengthen, encourage and uplift those around us - Pov 10:31,
Prov 15:2 and Prov 15:4.

We determine the direction of our lives by the words we speak.
Where are you going?

-GG

Walk

WALK

By Manny Mendez Jr.

Left, Right.

Left, Right.

Left, Right.

Left, Right.

This Walk I Go Thru may seem so tight.

Chest all squeezed up, like a wheeze in the night.

This Walk I Go Thru makes me Really Scared.

Making me think, “Stay Indoors Beware, Beware”.

This Walk I Go Thru Makes me think.

“It seems so Hard Right now, Do I Give up, do I stay on the ground”.

This Walk I Go Thru Makes it hard to live

, So ask myself, “Is this all there is”.

“NO”!

This Walk I Go Thru fills my mind with Stress,

Wondering “ am I Next,

Will I be laid to rest”.

Lord, help me, please I don’t understand,

Why must I go through this with filthy hands?

All this drama, all the memories,

I just want to pick this junk up like I was Hercules.

This Walk I Go thru puts this to mind, don’t drop,

Simply tell your mind to please, STOP!!!!!!!!!!

Left, Right.

Left, Right.

Left, Right.

Left, Right.

This walk I went thru put my spirit to the test,

I Can Say Now I did my best,

I took that mess and laid it to rest.

This walk I went thru, ignited a new fire in me.

Never to be put out, because I’ve been set free.

This walk I went thru, seems so funny at times.

“Why was I consumed in that drama? How could I be so blind”?

This walk I went thru, Helped me put fear away,

never to be lost again, never be astray.

Because God’s in the midst of things,

“so guest what Devil, let my freedom ring,

this freedom that makes me new and profound,

holding my head up high never to be on the ground”.
This Walk I been thru helps me for my future,

My promise, my reward,

standing in front of the holy of holies,

Proclaiming JESUS IS LORD.

So I say to you all,

know that your walk is not in kept in vein.

But this is GODS way to train,

and when that day comes I will take flight

and please know That I LEFT RIGHT.

obey (daddy & mommy said so)

Everyone knows the importance of seeking the Kingdom of God in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." But did you know that obeying our parents is a way that we seek the Kingdom of God first. God has establish leaders and authoritative figures to help guide us on His path. Our parents are authoritative figures in our lives that we must always obey. If God did not want us to obey our parents then He would not made it one of the ten commandments, 'Honor thy father and mother.' Obeying our parents is showing respect and honor to the people that God has appointed in your life. Even if your parents are not living right now in Christ, God has still placed them in your life for a divine reason. Some might ask why should I obey my parents? It is not important, right?
WRONG!!!! When we obey our parents, we are truly obeying God,too. For example, when my parents tell me to wash the dishes then I should (and I do) obey them. Also, when we obey our parents, we should do all things in a pleasing spirit. We should not murmur or complain because murmuring and complaining are not pleasing to God. Therefore by obeying our parents we are seeking the kingdom of God first because when we obey our parents, we are obeying God. We should also heed to our parents' instruction because the instructions are valuable on how to be a successful child of the Most High God. In Proverbs 4:1 , "Hear, my children, the instruction of a father." God has given wisdom to our parents which we receive from them. By obeying them, we obey God's instruction. When we obey our parents, we seek first the kingdom of God. God bless!!

Brittany

choose friends wisely

Hello and Hola to all!

This week we will talk about how we seek God in our relationships.

Do you remember when you first got saved? Or when you had your first true encounter with the Glory of God?
I remember mine. I threw out books, music, movies and anything else that I knew were not pleasing to God.
Not only that, but then I got new things that I knew would help me grow in my relationship with God. I got new books and inspiring movies. I got music that praised God.
We need things in our lives that are not just there to be there, but that are there to help us grow our relationship with God.
One of the biggest “things” is people. God has blessed us not to be loners but to be able to bond with others. It might be friends or family. When God created Adam he knew it was not good for him to be alone. This speaks about more than just marriage. Marriage is just one form of a relationship. There are parents, friends, siblings, husbands, wives, mentors, pastors, etc.
One awesome way to grow is to find mentors. There are people all around that have experienced more of God than you. People who have more wisdom and who have learned more through different experiences. God speaks to us through people all the time. We are to surround ourselves with people who love God, who are seeking more of Him everyday. That is because these people will help inspire us. They will help encourage us. They will challenge us to grow to the next level.
Our closest friends should not be people who want no part of God. Hanging out with the wrong crowd will bring you in the wrong direction. It always seems easier to become like others instead of them becoming like you!
2 Corinthians 6:14 says: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
To be yoked means to be bonded to. Like I said, it is always easier to go with the crowd. For this reason we should seek out friends (or crowds) who also love God. Seek a mentor --- someone who can pray for you and counsel you according to the Word. Seek out those who can nudge you towards God and your destiny and not towards your own destruction.
Relationships are powerful, so choose with care! The right relationships will bless you for a lifetime.

God Bless!
Arlene

first things first

I love almost all sports. During January, everyone watches NFL because it is awesome. Football is full of passion, determination, intelligence, drive, will-power, teamwork.....the list goes on and on. We all cheer for our favorite wide receiver, quarterback and team. Are there Christian football players? Yes, we know Mark Brunell, Kurt Warner,Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Tony Dungy but are there more? ARE there more sold-out, on-fire Christian men living their lives to please Him, the Big Chief ? Hmmm....I wonder

What is the Biggest Game of the Year?....The Stanley Cup...no.....The World Series...no......THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!! Even non-football watchers enjoy watching the Super Bowl. On Saturday before the game, I was on my couch doing history homework and trying to find something to watch on the tube. I was channel surfing and stumbled upon channel 13 TBN. Today was my lucky day...on that channel was Rex Grossman, "THE BEARS" quarterback. I watch him play because he is growing as a NFL quarterback and he is a former FLorida GAtor. Go Gators! On this channel, Rex was being interview about Lovie Smith. He told the reporters how awesome Lovie is and he is a great coach. I decide to watch this show. The next player was Dallas Clark. On National TV, He boldly confessed that he is a sold-out Christian. He went on the tell more about his daily walk with God. Dallas Clark is the tight end on Indy Colts. The next plater was Mushin Muhammad, which was on e of my favorite interview. He stated the importance of putting the Kingdom of God first in life. His testimony was powerful because he explain that putting the kingdom of God first in your life is the key to have a great relationship with God. He also referred to Romans 6 which talks about how you would be a slave to the world or a slave to God. A slave to God is not a bad thing because God is ruler in you life and the Holy Spirit guides you. When you put God first in your life, He adds "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."- Ephesians 3:20. So why would you not want to put Him first ? Begin each day by putting Him first and watch how your life changes for your good.



Peace Out,

Brittany Baker

willing to pay the price?

As we wrap up the series on seeking God, wanted to share an analogy from my own life. I consider myself health conscious. I watch what I eat and like to exercise. However, over the years I have not been exercising consistently as it takes effort, time and discipline. So I find myself working out sporadically whenever I can. I love the way I feel after a good workout and that's one motivation why I continue, despite the infrequency. Unfortunately, sporadic work outs will not give me the result I want. In order to meet my fitness goals, I would need to be consistent and challenge myself to more difficult routines whenever I work out. It's the same with our relationship with God. As christians seeking God is vital, as it provides the spiritual food we need to be strong and successful handle the daily challenges we face. However, like my workout routine, we need to be consistent and take our times with him to newer heights in order to experience supernatural results in our lives. Our walkwith God involves a relationship, which will grow and develop when we go after him in prayer, worship and time spent in the word. This should result in our total surrender in gratitude, love and obedience. It's at this stage that God begins to change and use us in a new way. Seeking God takes desire, time, effort and persistence. But so do many things we want in life. What thing etc. in this life matters the most to you? Does achieving or accomplishing it involves a cost on your part? (time, dedication etc.). What are your goals for school? If it involves doing well academically, it is going to cost you in study time away from friends, TV etc. What are your goals for your walk with God? Are you willing to pay the cost to develop a relationship that matters in eternity? We spend so much time and effort going after the things that are temporal, and yield immediate results. But little time going after the relationship that will change our present life and shape our destiny. As Rick Warren notes in the book The Purpose Driven Life, the way we see our lives shape our lives. Going after God continuously will not be a desire unless our views and purpose for life aligns with his. Unless we develop a relationship with him. Developments usually happen over time, so if you have a desire to seek God, push through the apathy, laziness and inconsistency. Take the stand to put him first, get back on track whenever you miss the mark. Press through despite the internal and external opposition and go after him. Trust meet he will meet you. Have a great day!!
Ms. Gayann