Now is the Time to Get in Position

It seems like this has been a season of struggle for many Christians, a season of endurance. God is not pouring out the way we think He should. But instead He is working on our character and preparing to take His bride to a new level of intimacy with Him where His power can be displayed on a broader scale. No longer will the mediocre life be acceptable. You must either be red hot or ice cold. There is no more room for compromise. Those that have taken His grace as liberty to sin will be exposed if they do not repent. What is done in the dark will be revealed and brought to the light. God is giving us a window of time to get things right and line up. But He will come as a theif in the night. When He comes you will either be as the wise virgins or the foolish virgins. You will either have your vessel (body) stored up with oil (anointing) or it will be empty. For those who have spent time worrying about themselves, chasing the things of this world, doing acts of no eternal value, your vessel will be empty and you will not be allowed to walk into the promise. For those who have spent time in the presence of God, sanctifying their vessels with the Word, spending time in prayer, in worship, giving glory to God in praises and thanksgiving, and who have persevered through pain and suffering, God is going to reward you and you will walk into the promise. Choose this day who you will serve. Prepare your vessel as one of honor. Only what you do for Jesus Christ matters.

Wrestling and Resting in Christ

I've been meditating a lot lately on what it means to rest in Christ. I preached a sermon last week from Hebrews 4 and touched on the subject slightly.

Hebrews 4:10-11
He that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Let us be diligent therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

In my free time this past weekend I listened to a sermon by Pastor John Piper entitled: Resting and Wrestling for the Cause of Christ - Together. He made some great points that I would like to share. He read from Romans 15:30-32, which reads in the ESV:

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.

Pastor Piper noted that in this passage Paul is longing for two things. That the church joins him in wrestling (strive together can also be translated as wrestle - Greek sunagonisasthai) and in resting (being refreshed - Greek sunanapauomai). I found this very interesting, specifically because he made the remark that we should both wrestle and rest at the same time. Piper quoted Luke 13:24: “Strive (wrestle) to enter through the narrow door.” then Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He combines these two passages and says that the two descriptions of Christian life are wrestling and resting:

"Strive to enter through the narrow door. Life is war. Fight the good fight. Wrestle.
Come to me, you who are weary, and rest. Find a light yoke and an easy burden. "

He then concludes that:

"It is both wrestling and resting partly because our hearts do not naturally rest in all that God is for us in Jesus. So we must fight against everything that inclines us to rest in anything but Jesus.

Money beckons us to rest in what it can buy. Sex beckons us to rest in the way it can make us feel. Power and recognition beckon us to rest in what they can give. Health and food and athletics and family and friends and hobbies and education and looks and accomplishments all beckon us to rest in what they offer.

But Jesus says, “Come to me and find rest for your souls.” Other shelters offer rest. Other yokes seem easy. Other burdens feel light. They are all an illusion. In the end, they enslave and destroy. Only Jesus gives deep and lasting rest and joy. Only Jesus supports the burdens he gives. Only Jesus uses a yoke to lift his team of oxen. "

My question to you (and myself) is what are you resting in? What are you yolked up to? Are you resting in Christ? Are you wrestling to continue in that rest? As Hebrews 4 says, when we enter into His rest, we cease from our own labors by diligently laboring or wrestling to stay in His rest.

Are You Fully Converted?

Luke 22:32
"I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. "

In the above passage, Jesus is speaking to Peter. He tells Peter that Satan wishes to sift him as wheat. Jesus then says that He has prayed for him that his faith fail not, and that when he is converted that he is to strengthen his brothers and sisters. This was during the last supper, when Jesus was preparing His disciples for His death. Peter responded saying that He will serve Jesus unto death, however Jesus prophesied that before the cocks crow in the morning he will deny Him 3 times.

How many of you know that we have an enemy of our soul? The Word of God tells us this enemy is satan, and yes he is an enemy, along with his demons. But the true enemy is sin. As Christians, we know that we were all born in sin and shapen in iniquity, inheriting a sinful nature from Adam and Eve. This means that all humans are drawn to sin, they naturally sin. The word sin means to fall short of God's perfection. We sin by our thoughts, by our actions and by our deeds. Before we were born again we had no choice in the matter, we were sinners and practiced a lifestyle of sin. Once we became born again, the Holy Spirit regenerated us and we now have the ability to choose not to sin. But that choice is not always as easy as it may seem.

The enemy of our soul seeks to steal, kill and destroy us. Satan uses sin to accomplish this goal. He can only do this if we give him place, for if we submit to God, and resist the devil, he will flee. If we are serving the LORD, no weapon formed against us shall propser. But too many times we stop serving the LORD. We stop submitting to God. We stop resisting the devil. And we end up in sin.

But Jesus has prayed for us! Romans 8:34 says that "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." He is praying for us just as He did Peter that our faith fails us not. Now that we know that He has and is praying for us, we must walk in the faith He has given us and be converted.

What does it mean to be converted? In this text it means to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus Christ in worship. To convert means to transform, from the old sinful man to the new Christ-like man. When God drew us and gave us His Spirit, He gave us a new nature. However, it is still up to us to choose to be converted. As long as we live in this mortal flesh, sin will always plague as. The way to true conversion is putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit and walking according to the Spirit in the newness of Christ. Seems difficult huh? It sounds easy, but I can personally attest that sometimes it seems impossible. But how many of you know that what is impossible to man is possible to God!

When we are converted the things that used to bother us don't bother us anymore. The music that used to tempt us doesn't tempt us anymore. We are able to walk in the midst of demons and they can't touch us. Lust is no longer an issue, even when we are surrounded by images and seducing spirits. Our mind is renewed and we are able to quickly cast down every vain imagination that tries to exalt itself above the knowledge of God.

Only when we are converted will we be able to strengthen our brothers and sisters in the faith without stumbling ourselves. This is important because sometimes we think "oh, I haven't done this in a long time so I'm delivered." But that stronghold may just be lying dorment and as soon as you try to minister to someone else, you will find yourself dealing with that same sin all over again as you cry out: "I thought I was delivered!" Make sure you are delivered. Make sure that there is no common ground with the sins of other people before you try to minister to them. Make sure there are no soul ties present when you attempt to minister to someone from your past. Be mindful of the plots, the plans and the schemes of the enemy!

This may all seem overwhelming. But honestly, God will convert us and make us completely whole. Just as He did Peter. Just as He did Paul. Just as He did all of the other disciples before us who made up in their mind with no compromise, "for Christ I live, for Christ I die!"

He is still working on me. I'm not there yet. But I know that it is possible to be completely converted, fully persuaded as Paul puts it in the book of Romans. Let's all strive to be fully converted and walk in the power and in the authority of the Spirit of the Living God. It isn't easy, but it is possible and it is worth it.

1 Peter 5:6-11
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Which God Are You Serving?

After my last post on 'Taking Advantage of Your Season' I began to think about Solomon and how he worshipped false gods over the True and Living God. He not only knew of the LORD, he not only saw God move, but he actually spoke to God and heard His voice as the LORD appeared to him twice. How easy it is for us to lose track of what God has done for us and fall deep into our flesh, forgetting His Word and His sacrifice for our sins.

Temptations continually surround us to put up idols before the one True God. These idols can be ourselves, they can be a loved one, a wife, a husband, a pastor, a friend. They can be money, a career, even ministry. They can be lust, sex, pornography and infidelity. Anything that you place above God that causes you to sin against Him is an idol a/k/a a false god in your life. I just read a post from a young brother who struggles with pornography. Although he has made his struggle public I will not name names, but merely use his situation as an example. He illustrated his struggles in a rhyme where he is crying out to God. In one stanza he wrote that he is tired of dealing with it, and later on he says he is hooked on the excitement. He knows the Word, yet isn't applying it. He is caught up in his flesh, and whether he realizes it or not is choosing to serve lust over serving God. This is just as bad as Solomon serving the false gods Ashtoreth and Baalim. Though the brother mentioned above may not be bowing down to Buddha or Vishnu, he is being led of his flesh which is very dangerous. This was actually the very sin that caused Solomon to serve these false gods, his heart was turned to his 700 wives and 300 concubines who persuaded him to set up altars in the high places to worship idols. This was just a manifestation of what was already in his heart, for even before the altars were erected, his heart had been turned to the false gods of lust and perversion.

God is calling us to serve Him and Him alone. He wants our total devotion. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the company of people you love, the material blessings of God, and even intimacy with your spouse - however when your life begins to revolve around these things instead of Jesus Christ and you find yourself meditating on them rather than the Word, it's time to check yourself and place that devotion back on the LORD. Our God is a jealous God and will not have idols placed before Him. He will either move the idol out of your life, or move you for disobediently serving something other than Him.

Examine yourself today. If there is anything in your life that is distracting you from focusing on Jesus, repent and ask God to deal with it. It can be something as small as your favorite television show or something as big as pornography. No matter what the issue, the LORD can and will deliver you. He is waiting with His arms wide open to receive you. To cleanse you of your sins, to blot out your transgressions, and to remove every iniquity in the secret places of your soul.

We have all fallen short, so no matter what you have done it is time to repent. Punishment for even the smallest sin is eternity in hell separated from the manifest presence of God. Only in Jesus Christ can we receive reconcilation to the Father, who is waiting for us to cry out as David did in Psalm 51 after he sinned against the LORD. So let us meditate on the following passage and ask God to cleanse us and make us holy as He is holy:

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

Deliver me from the guilt of _________ (insert your sin here), O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

Take Advantage of Your Season

I've often heard it said that as Christians we serve a God of time and season. Though the LORD lives outside of time and in eternity, He has preordained and predestined a timeline of events leading up to the end of time when He comes back for His bride to judge the world. His plan is so intricate and detailed that He has set aside specific seasons for us as individuals to prosper, to endure suffering, to practice patience and experience every facet of life that we find ourselves in. This plan is so complex that He has granted us a sense of freewill, yet even that He is in control of. As sons and daugters of God it is up to us to recognize the season we are in and act accordingly. For some it may be a season to reap, for others a season to sow. There is an appointed time to speak, as well as a time to hold your peace. For some it may be a time of heavy warfare, yet for others a time of focused intercession. Every promise of God has a season where it will manifest, but in order to receive your promise you must be in position.

Jeremiah 5:24
...Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Sometimes what we receive in our season is conditional. In Jeremiah 5:24 the LORD said that if we as God's people fear Him, we will receive a harvest in the appointed season (in this context the LORD is using Jeremiah to rebuke the people of Israel for not fearing Him saying what their attitude should have been). In Galatians 6:9, Paul writes that if we do not become weary in well doing we will reap a harvest. Many promises are conditional, and God gives each of us an opportunity to receive the fullness of His blessings if we only trust and obey.

Solomon is an example of how being out of position can cause you to miss your season (1 Kings 9:2-7). God told Solomon that if he walks in integrity, obeys His statutes and does not serve other gods He will establish Solomon's name in Israel forever. The LORD then told Solomon that if he or his children act in disobedience and serve other gods, He will cut them off from the promised land and take away the temple (His house). Solomon disobeyed and missed his blessing by serving other gods (1 Kings 11). All of Israel was then cut off from his rule (other than Judah) and God gave Solomon's kingdom (the rest of Israel) to his servant Jeroboam. After Solomon passed, his son Rehoboam became king of Judah in his stead, but should have inherited the entire kingdom of Israel (all 12 tribes) were it not for Solomon's disobedience. Many years later, the Kingdom of Judah lost their land and were exiled during the Babylonian captivity of the 6th century BC as noted in Daniel, Jeremiah, 2nd Chronicles and 2nd Kings under the reigns of King Jehoikim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah (the last king). King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon not only took the people of Judah captive, but is recorded to have raided Solomon's Temple twice, afterwhich he burned it down and took all of its treasures back to Babylon (See Biblical References). The Kingdom of Israel was also taken captive and destroyed by the Assyrian Empire 200 years earlier around the 8th century BC under the rule of it's last king Hoshea who reigned in Samaria (2 Kings 17:6-24).

Don't miss your season. Walk uprightly before the LORD and you will receive every promise of God in due season. For the promises of God are yea and amen and if you are not in position in the appointed season, He will move someone else into your place who will walk in your promise.

Ecclesiates 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

Hearing and Doing the WORD

James 1:19-25 (ESV)
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

What an on-time passage this is for me. I've found myself in the midst of extreme warfare lately, specifically this past week. I've fallen short many times, doing things in my flesh rather than walking in the Spirit. I truly want to have an intimacy with Christ, and I feel as if I am in an obstacle course full of hurdles and walls, ditches and lakes. Only when I overcome the obstacles will I reach Christ, who is waiting on the other end. I urgently want to get there, but I keep tripping on the hurdles, falling off the walls and into the ditches, and sinking in the lakes. His Word is my strength, but I've been weakened by my shortcomings. My focus has shifted from the end of the course and on to the actual obstables themselves.

Now I'm back at square one. I'm looking across the obstacle course and I know what I have to overcome. I've been equipped with the means to get there (the Word of God), and even have a strategy planned out (Faith). Now that I know the Word, I must act on the Word by Faith, only then will I reach the end of the course and obtain my reward. I have to watch what I speak and make sure that I listen intently while I make my way past the hurdles. As I listen to God's instruction I must act fast and talk later. Rather than get upset at how I feel and how things look, I must stay meek and low, climbing the walls and jumping the ditches, knowing that these obstacles are just a test of my faith. As I act on the Word, my faith will increase, and like Peter I will walk on water over the lakes to the end of the course, and I will receive my blessings of intimacy with the LORD and His will being done in my life.

Although this illustration may seem kind of corney, it is exactly how I feel right now. I know that I have the victory and that God has strengthened me to persevere as an overcomer. No matter what comes my way, I will press my way through and receive every promise that God has laid up for me.

Be of ONE Mind

James 1:8
"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

All throughout Paul's epistles he tells us to be of "one mind". Even Peter and the author of Hebrews (who is argued could be Paul, Peter or another disciple) commands us to be of one mind. In these passages being of one mind is explained as being on one accord with your brothers and sisters in Christ, esteeming them above yourself, having compassion, and being unified. Philipians 2 describes being of one mind as having the mind of Christ.

As Christians we must be unified, for "if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." (Mark 3:25) We must be on one accord. The enemy knows this and does whatever he possibly can to create division and confusion to hinder the unity of the saints.

Being of one mind begins with you - the individual believer. Many look at our minds as the battleground where we decide to either walk according to the flesh or the spirit. I believe that our will controls what we think about in our mind, that our mind controls how we feel in our emotions, and our emotions often determine our actions. That being said, the mind plays an integral part in our decision making. The Bible says that our mind is renewed by the Word of God - which is God's will. Therefore when we spend time meditating and studying the Word of God we are in actuality trading our will for His, and in doing so our mind becomes transformed into the mind of Christ. When this happens our thinking becomes clearer; we no longer have confusion but abound in understanding and wisdom; our mind becomes sound - meaning whole and complete; our faith does not waver but is firm for we know what the will of God is; we walk in love towards everyone, both our friends and our enemies; we bear good tasting fruit and display the fruit of the Spirit in everything that we do; men see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven; miracles signs and wonders follow us; God uses us to save souls and bring deliverance to other believers; and every temptation, trial and ounce of suffering is counted as joy because we understand its purpose and that our latter will be greater than our former because we will reign with Christ in eternity. And that is just a fraction of what will happen when you as an individual have one mind. Just as James 1:8 says that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways - a man with one mind is stable in all his ways.

Just imagine if every Christian had one mind. Imagine how much power the Body of Christ would be able to maintain. Imagine the impact we would have on the world. As David puts it in Psalm 133:1 -"How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

As an individual member of the Body of Christ your responsibility is to receive the mind of Christ and link up with other likeminded believers. You are to build yourself up, then build others up and bring them to the same level of maturity. You must be careful who you fellowship and connect yourself with. Minister to those that are weaker in the faith, but do not take part in their sin. Do not allow other people, whether they are a believer or not, to sow doubt, perversion and all other types of ungodliness into your mind. Once you receive the mind of Christ maintain that same mind. Do not waver. Do not doubt. Do not talk yourself into something that is not the will of God. Be careful of feelings and check every thought with the Word of God before you begin to dwell on it.

My prayer for everyone reading this blog entry (including myself) is that you receive the mind of Christ by spending time in God's Word and obeying His commandments.

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
- Philippians 2:2

Wise Beyond Belief

James 1:5-7
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. "

Everyday we have decisions. These decisions may affect the way our day goes, our week goes, and even the rest of our life. Our choices can also impact the lives of those around us - both in positive and negative ways. It is important that in every decision we acknowledge God and seek His wisdom (see Proverbs 3). In prior blog entries I've shared that Colossians 4 commands us to walk in wisdom towards them that are without wisdom, while Ephesians 5 states that the wisdom of God is synonomous with the mysteries of the gospel that we are made stewards of in 1 Corinthians 4. Coupling this understanding with James 1:5-7 we can then say that we receive this wisdom by asking for it by faith, in other words believing that we will receive what we ask for, then once we receive wisdom we must walk in that wisdom. If we doubt not we are guaranteed to receive this wisdom. However if we waver, or doubt, we should not expect to receive this wisdom because we did not believe that God would give it to us before we asked.

Faith is the secret ingredient in all things. We see this all throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. In fact, faith is the one thing that God truly requires of us. Faith is what gives us access to grace, which leads to salvation. Faith is what makes the impossible possible and the natural supernatural. Faith is the key to opening every door that is locked in our lives. As the late Smith Wigglesworth once said "Only Believe."

Wisdom is actually a by product of faith. When Solomon asked God for wisdom and discernment, he believed he would receive what he asked for and God showed Solomon favor and granted his request. Wisdom was given to the early apostles as they stood before worldly leaders, persecutors and men of high esteem. They didn't know what to say, but the Holy Spirit granted them wisdom and spoke through them as they opened up their mouth. Elders are often looked at as wise because of their age and experience, but the Holy Spirit that lives inside of each believer holds all wisdom, for we have an unction from the Holy one in which we know all things, so it is possible for the youngest child to be wiser than than the oldest and most experienced adult - all we have to do is tap in to the power of the Holy Spirit and we will be wise beyond our imagination.

I've heard a saying that wisdom is learning from other people's mistakes rather than going through them yourself. And yes, it is a wise thing to avoid A, B and C if you've seen other people do A, B and C and have to endure unwanted consequences. However true wisdom is not in learning from other people's mistakes, it is in learning from the Word of God. The Bible is the wisdom of God and the Holy Spirit is often described in the Old Testament as the Spirit of wisdom. We have no need that man teach us, but that the Spirit teaches us all things, whether through man or through the Bible.

Using wisdom is necessary as a Christian. Wisdom is a gift from God and comes from walking in the Spirit. Wisdom is granted to them that believe. Wisdom grows as we spend time in the written Word and grow in intimacy with the Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Psalms and Proverbs speak of wisdom in almost every chapter. Wisdom is knowing what to say and when to say it. Wisdom is knowing what to do and when to do it. Wisdom is being in tune with God and walking in obedience as He directs your paths and orders your steps.

Let us all walk in the wisdom of God as He supplies His wisdom liberally to us when we ask Him for it in unwavering faith.

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
- Proverbs 3:13

November 2007 - a month to remember, a month to forget

Once again it has been some time since I have written a blog entry. A lot has transpired this past month. I am currently in Boston at my mother's house. After service at church on Thursday the 8th I noticed that I had a voicemail message. My father's girlfriend left a message, francticly asking me to call her back. It was after midnight so I called the next day and was told that my father went into a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. I later found out that the seizure was caused by a brain tumor, and a few days later on Monday morning I took a rush flight into Boston. I spoke with the surgeon, other doctors, nurses and hospital staff who assured me that they would take good care of my father and that his surgery would take an entire day. Today I found out that it is scheduled for December 7th (a day I may not be able to be in Boston). There has been some drama and my father seems scared, but I am believing that God will use this situation for His glory, save my father, deliver him, heal him and raise him up as a preacher of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. Right now I can only stay in prayer and stand by faith knowing that God is able.

This past weekend I visited some very close friends of mine in New Jersey. I had a wonderful time, and even preached at their church sunday morning. The LORD prepared me and told me the Monday prior to be prepared to preach. Friday evening/Saturday early morning I was asked to bring the Word and I was excited because I was actually prepared. lol I preached about entering into the LORD's rest and serving God in faith and not by our own works. The main scripture I used was Hebrews 4. I then spoke a little about the house, encouraging the members to study the Word, support their Bishop, and come to Christ for forgiveness no matter what sin they may have committed. It went a little shaky at first, but after 5-10 minutes I loosened up and it began to flow much better. I was congested and lost my voice from praising God the evening before during a service that a powerful, anointed, gifted, virtuous woman of God ministered in music with a group she is a part of - Will Brown and Another Level. They ministered at 3 churches this weekend - a few of which were a hot mess, but that is another blog entry for another day. I also had the pleasure of attending a youth shut-in and hearing and supporting a close sister of mine preach. The LORD really used both of them and I was truly blessed.

That was a very brief synopsis of the past week and a half. The week before that we had service Wednesday-Friday at Divine Hope with guest speakers leading up to our Inaugural Service on Saturday where my Pastor was "officially" placed as pastor, had hands laid on him and was set apart. It was a great service and was more of an appreciation than anything else. The congregation handed him keys to a brand new Chrystler 300, a car he has wanted for years. It was a wonderful thing. The week before that was preparation for the event, and I was running around almost non-stop trying to help. I'm glad that it all turned out the way it did, that God was glorified and that honor was given to my Pastor for his years of hard work, obedience and sacrifice.

This sums up the month of November thus far in my life. Much more went on. There was actually some blood, sweat and a few tears shed. But God strengthened me, and I believe took me to another level. My discernment has increased, my perspective has again shifted, and I experienced life in new ways that I will not take for granted - even if it hurt at times.

I was searching for a scripture to include in this entry, and the one below truly sums up this past month for me:

James 1:2-5
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

A Mighty Fortress is My God

It's been a minute since my last post. I've written a few devotionals that I didn't post since my last entry, but I'm going to start fresh with this one.

God was dealing with me this morning about what truly matters in life. What good is having material possessions when you have no power to affect people around you? What good is being comfortable when there are people around you on their way to hell? I've been very uncomfortable lately, but it is a different discomfort than I've faced in times past. Yeah the living situation is crazy, the finances are tight, spirits around me use people to irritate me, and things are getting hectic in ministry. Yeah I'm dealing with some issues in personal relationships that make no sense. But that is not what is making me uncomfortable anymore. What truly bothers me is that I am in a dry place where it seems as if I have no real power to change situations. The anointing on my life seems stagnated. My prayers feel hindered. My mind feels cluttered, even in prayer. I have peace, yet people are pulling me in many directions, and I am noticing that it is distracting me from God's purpose for my life. I've put so much weight on relationships with people, that when they go sour, it bothers me and rather than work it out I feel like giving up. I'm noticing that even the people that you think are closest to you can turn on you and actually play with your emotions. I'm finding that it is a dangerous thing to trust in even an ounce of flesh - whether it is my own ability or someone else. So right now I surrender everything to God and I'm just going to stand, hold my peace, and allow Him to fight my battles.

Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away. - Psalm 144:1-4