Tuesday, September 29, 2009

closed mouths don't get fed

So I’m reading my bible tonight and come across a powerful scripture in Mark, chapter 11. Before I begin to read I encouraged myself saying, “I need to read my Bible, I really need to get to know Jesus better,” or something like that. So I’m reading and the chapter speaks on how Jesus was hungry and approached a fig tree for something to eat. The tree bore no fruit though. Funniest thought ran through my mind when Jesus yelled at the tree. I was just like, wow… Jesus actually got mad! How human. I’ve always imagined him to just be a peaceful 24/7, turn the cheek kind of guy. Later I learn that there was something-to-be-learned here. His apostle Peter was amazed that what he actually said to the tree came to pass. This next part was really what was amazing. Jesus said, “…have faith for whatever you pray for, and it will be yours.” I’m already a firm believer in that, and with that I understand that there is a time and place for everything in our lives. God never forgets, and what we pray for tomorrow may not come for years but it’ll come! Many times we’ve already received what we are about to ask for or are asking for, and just don’t notice it. That word just allowed me to remember… I have a devotional to write! And this month’s topic is Prayer!

Thinking all this through, I began to think about this tool. How accessible… how limitless… how easy! It doesn’t require batteries, no power cord, and its power is as strong as your faith. Sure it comes with an instruction manual to use it properly – what doesn’t? We just have to stop being so lazy and figure out how to use it properly. This nation would most likely not be in a recession. We’d probably all be Christians. But there’s no telling.

I mentioned how powerful prayer is but I’d like to let God’s voice illustrate this power for me. The same Chapter states this, “This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him.(23)” God spoke and seven days later the world we live and breathe in was created. We speak, and mountains move on command! Are we not God’s children? We’ve come too far from believing what’s really true. Had this been a nation that prays the right way, mountains would be moving as much as we do. Just something we all need to think about and build toward.

Before this message gets long winded, I want to leave you with a few final messages. I feel it’s quite important to know the correct way to pray. God put it on my heart to spread this but I didn’t want to write about hearsay. So God did me one better. In the same message I read tonight, God revealed these steps as true. I’ve recently had to pray aloud more often and wasn’t pleased by the way things were coming out. God brought this algorithm back to me. P.R.A.Y. – stands for Praise, Repent, Ask, and Yeild. For those who don’t know how to pray, or just needed a reminder, this format brings forth powerful prayers for more than powerful people. Going down the list helps you cover all bases and pray a more complete, successful prayer.

The first of course is Praise. Entering with thanksgiving. Thanking God for the opportunity to thank him. For life today. For protecting you, your family and friends. It’d take all day plus infinity to thank God. So yes, we don’t pray enough! Whenever you remember something to be thankful for, don’t hesitate to pray! Don’t forget to finish off your thanks with thanking God in advance!

Repent and Forgive! Or forgive and repent. The 25th verse states, “Whenever you pray, forgive anything you have against anyone. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your failures.” There’s my conformation on this algorithm. Do unto others what you hope for for yourself. I always felt God would ignore my prayer if he were mad at me, until my burdens were released. It’s what’s kept me right by God for so long, so I stick to it regardless of how correct it is. And sure I know that sin is knowing you’re doing something wrong and doing it anyway. It’s always good to repent anyway just to be sure!

I’ve been waiting to say this since paragraph one, which was a long while ago, and I thank you if you’ve continued reading but… Closed mouths don’t get fed. This goes together with prayer as well as asking. The only being I’m comfortable asking anything of is God. You can ask my mom, I’m her child that “doesn’t like asking for anything.” She says it all the time. God is my provider though, and He’s got everything and can get anything! Why not ask!? Many times I’ve found myself not asking and expecting. I trust that God already knows the desires of my heart. It also goes to the 23rd Psalm, where “I shall not want.” Kinda makes it hard to ask when you have no needs. We’ve got to look at things like this though. Say you’re with your significant other, your mother, or brother in a store. If they see you trying something on, or eyeing something, they’re most likely to ask you if you want it. If they’re really nice, they’ll just get it for you, allowing God to work through them. Heh. But you’re more likely to get something you want on Christmas or your Birthday if you ask. Sure God knows. He knows all. We have a free will to ask just like we have a free will to live for him. If I had everything, I’d sure like people to talk to me in between me giving everything out to everyone.

Surely asking is the largest part of prayer, but I also believe in not begging. Aside from not repenting, I believe that begging is another way to get ignored. Therefore, Yeilding is important. I don’t see a problem in letting God know that you’re going to allow him to work, but I don’t think this step always needs to be stated. It’s more of an afterthought you act on after the prayer. Patience is important with God. It’s our biggest test as well. We must be prepared to not always receive when we want to receive. You never know how fast God will choose to move. Continue to expect and never lose faith and you should receive. Also stay right by God and do what you should be doing in order to keep favor. This is where tithing comes in also. Will a man rob God? If he does I hope he doesn’t expect God to continue giving to him! Look at all aspects of your Christian walk if you aren’t receiving what you ask for or want.

That’s all for now! Be blessed and stay blessed.

C.j.

I have the answer

What do you do when you don't know what to do? You don't know the answers but you want them and they keep running from you. Stuff keeps happening and you don't know why. You want to ask people but you are too hard to open up. And when you do open up you get good answers but they don't seem to always work. You try to get along with your parents but that doesn't work. You try to get good grades because you know that's what your parents want but you can't seem to make it happen. You get a boyfriend or girlfriend but that doesn't work. You have sex but it's not what it was advertised and you keep doing it because you think everyone else is doing it. You turn to weed but that only lasts for a little while and your parents find out about it anyway. You turn to liquor and beer and you get a hangover the next day and you can't remember what you did the night before.




Some of the stuff I mentioned above is fun. The smoking, drinking, and having sex. Some of us turn to other stuff like food, video games, tv, etc. It's all fun. Trust me. I have been there and done that. They are fun but when it's all said and done they don't last and they don't help you when it really counts. The bible says that "sin is pleasurable for a season". Most of you haven't gotten to the place where it's not fun. All these things you turn to feel good and they seem like the answer right now. The only one act that you were meant to turn to and trust in is PRAYER!!! When you pray you get connected with Jesus. You were meant to. Everything else is a distraction to keep you from praying. I am not saying you shouldn't do certain things but if you are not praying first everything is going to be done by you and you will never get the help that you were meant to get.


If you bought a flat screen TV and put it in your room it would look sweet. Even if you didn't plug it in it would still look pretty. What happens when you plug it in? It turns on, right? And you get to see everything that was put in it. It comes to life. The way you really live is by getting connected to your source, which is Jesus Christ, through prayer. Without prayer you will be like that unplugged flat screen. You will look pretty but nothing happening. No answers and no life.


Mick

Adversity

Adversity: difficult or hard circumstances

That's a clear cut definition of what we have all had to face: troubles, trials...we have heard similiar names and (just in case you haven't already realized)..... every person who has ever lived on this planet has had to face some sort of adversity!

There are all sorts of reasons that trouble comes. Sometimes we create it for ourselves as a result of bad choices.... sometimes it brought on to us by other peoples' bad choices....and sometimes there just doesn't seem to be any logical reason for it. Despite all this two things are true about adversity: 1. Our enemy (the devil) wants to use adversity to rip us apart or to drive a wedge between us and God and 2. God wants you to use adversity to draw us closer to Him.

During difficult times we can choose how troubles and trials will affect us. We can let adversity make us bitter and cynical. We can let it ruin our attitudes OR we can choose to draw closer to God and to let ourselves become more like Him!

The Bible has so many wonderful truths about trouble, here's some examples:
James 1
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Romans 8
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Psalms 119

92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.

Choose today to let your adversities and troubles to push you closer to God!

Be Blessed,
Arlene

Double Trouble

Trouble always seems to find those doing right. If everything were easy though, nothing would really have any worth. What would easy be without trouble anyway? I tend to look at trouble as I do pain, it’s temporary. And what doesn’t kill you surely makes you stronger. Don’t look at trouble as a burden then. Find your strength on the other side of it. Let that be your motivation to keep strong and press through it!

There are two kinds of trouble. There are trials and tribulations where God puts you through tests to strengthen and build your faith, and there are attacks where the devil comes to steal what God has for you and discourage you.

I’m a firm believer in the notion that “everything happens for a reason”. Whether it’s just the devil or God working around you I strongly believe this. From the deaths of your loved ones, to getting fired at work… to divorces and separations among spouses and rebellious children, these things effect those involved as well as those around those involved. In many of the cases trouble acts as a wake up call. That would be a trial. In other cases the devil is plotting to ruin you and overall turn away from God. We often wonder why God lets these things happen to us too.

I’m so glad God has put this topic in our lives this month because all throughout this month I’ve been reminded of very important weapons to battle trouble as well as trails. These two principles echo in my mind constantly now. The first is this… The greater your trouble, the greater your reward. Along the same path as that is… God will give you double for your trouble. Isaiah 61 talks about these rewards more. So let those words motivate you to make it through!

Just this week I let the devil get me down with my grades. I got discouraged about mess ups that cost me a couple letter grades and knew that I worked much harder than what I received and while correcting the problem, my whole attitude took me away from realizing it was nothing but the devil. I was lucky to have a Christian around to help me through that, but we as Christians tend to think we’re alone through our struggles and trouble. If we as Christians can keep our minds on Christ, we’ll never be alone.

It’s within troublesome times when refusing to turn to God’s Word can and will be our downfall. I can admit to falling short often. I tend to make a greater effort then to surround myself with Christ-like people though as a reminder. Never turn away from the Lord and you’ll make it through for sure. He’s our greatest weapon in the fight against the devil and the best guide for the paths and tests He has set for us. We were put here and given a free will. If we refuse to use that will to seek him first, then we can’t blame anyone but ourselves. God helps those who help themselves. So don’t expect anything less. I’ve learned too that it’s when you’ve got nothing left, and you’ve tried it all that God steps in, in your favor. So press on, and be strong family!

Be bless and Stay Blessed

C.J.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Sa'down Somewhea'! (Sit Down Somewhere)‏

The next time you find yourself out of things to do, and in silence, observe what happens. You’re left to your thoughts and they seem that much more clear and louder in silence. I tend to think of what I should be or need to be doing. Just doesn’t feel right not doing anything, as Mick put it. I myself like to keep busy. The last couple of weeks or month or so has truly been draining. That’s how busy I’ve made myself. It’s to the point where I can barely even begin to stop what I’m doing. The upside of all that though is when it’s silent, I have the opportunity to think. That thinking allows me to remember to pray. It’s amazing how many prayer closets I’ve made in all that I do. My car has become my favorite. When I stop the music and stop the singing that I’m sure no one hears, it’s communication time. It feels good to pray out loud in silence and alone. Just as it does to pray silently. I find myself free to pray for any and everything because I’ve found time to do so. Praying is so easy, but many of us fail to make time to truly engage in deep prayer. Are you guilty of this? Check yourself!



There’s a time to shut everything off for silence, like in the car, and there’s a time to stop completely. Many of us, including myself many times, push study time aside. It’s very important to find time to study the word. You never know when a word is meant to come from your lips and you miss the opportunity to tell it for lack of knowledge. People die because of it (Hosea 4:6). It’s true! Don’t let it happen to you!



Disciplining ourselves is hard. But we can make it ten times easier on ourselves by just stopping whatever it is that’s not important. No stopping in ten minutes or so! Get out of the “Later” mindset. It repeats itself and what needs to get done never really does. Stop now, do all the other nonsense later!



Another thing I like to do when I find my work has come to a halt is thank God. Looking back over the amazing things He’s blessed me with, all the trouble He’s gotten me through, and especially for the things to come. Thanking him in advance! I was guilty of forgetting to do that a lot in the past, but since I’ve made use of my silent time I remember to do so before I’m blessed, even though I’m always is! (Heh) So let these things marinate in your mind the next time you can actually hear yourself think, with yo busy self!



Be blessed, Stay blessed!

C.j.

[STOP] what you're DOing

Hey everyone,


I can't help it but last month's devotional was really good. And I can't help but to make a few more comments about it. Eternity can not be measured. There is no beginning and no end. There is no time. If you spend eternity in heaven, which is guaranteed by your surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, there will be no darkness. But there also will be no sun or moon, so how can there be no darkness? The light will come from what the bible calls the glory of Jesus Christ. HE is the light and all the light we will need will come from Him. We won't need to sleep because we will never get tired. The bible says we will get our new glorified bodies. Man, sometimes when I think about it I can't wait. Please make sure you are on the right side of eternity by making Jesus Christ Lord over your life.


Why don't you ever stop what you're doing? Why are you soo busy? Yeah, I'm talking to you. We are soo busy as a society that we never even stop to think. It is a trick of the enemy, Satan himself. We never talk much about the devil but he is real and he is putting a real beating on men and women. As long as he can keep you busy you will never stop to do what matters most. What matters most? Remember we talked about eternity, everything that is associated to eternity is what matters most. Everything that touches eternal life is what matters most. I am not saying that you stop everything that you are doing but if you can take moments of your day to put first things first it will change your life.


Do you know why the devil does not want you to stop and think? Because if you really do some deep thinking you will ask questions about yourself that will eventually lead you into a conversation with the one who made you who knows all about you. Then you will find out who you are and begin a relationship with the one who knew you before you were even born. The bible says "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord". If you never "stand still" or stop what you're doing you will never experience the supernatural work of Jesus in your life. Stop what you're doing and take some time to be quiet. Turn the TV off, the video games, and the music. Be still and practice spending time in silence with the Lord. It won't be easy but it is always worth it. "Stand still".


Mick

eternity in our hearts

Ecclesiastes 3
11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.


Have you ever read the book of Ecclesiastes? It was written by a man who set out to find the meaning of life. He examined everything on earth to see if he could find it. He definitely discovered a few things! He discovered that there is a season and time for everything! A time to be born and to die, a time to cry and to laugh, a time to be silent and to speak (Read Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11). And he declared that God has made everthing "beautiful in it's time". God has scheduled a time for everything under the sun!

He also realized that God has put eternity in us! When I first read this verse I thought "what the heck does that mean?" After asking God about it and mediating for a while I think I understand it better.

You see God created time. God lives in eternity. In eternity there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, there is only right now. What will happen tomorrow has already happened in eternity! He created time just for us! He created time so we could keep a measure of our own lives. (See Verse 15).

So how did he put Eternity in our hearts? The "preacher" who wrote Ecclesiastes said he implanted eternity in our hearts by giving us a sense of purpose that is not affected by time and that only God can satisfy.

Ever hear T.D. Jakes' testimony? He said even when he was a child he preached and grown people would listen to him! From the moment he was born he had a purpose (a dream, a goal). It was to preach. It didn't matter that he was only a child, his purpose was established. He didn't have to reach a certain age before he had one, it was already his. As long as he can remember, this is what he wanted to do, this was his gifting. And once we study our Word more, we discover that God had already given you a purpose even before you were born.

So what's the big deal about all this? If we understand that our purpose on this earth is eternal then we won't let anything or anyone stop us from accomplishing what God has set. It's never too late! No matter how much time has elapsed you can always begin again. If you've gotten lost in the mundane matters of this world you can pause now, refresh yourself in God and get back to your purpose! It is what will give your days on this earth meaning and worth.



God Bless,

Arlene