A Sweet Smelling Fragrance

Philippians 4: Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

The Philippian church was Paul’s joy and his crown. I believe one of the reasons for this was their faithfulness in giving. They were the only church who communicated with Paul regarding giving and receiving while he was traveling and were very generous in taking care of Paul’s needs. (Verses 14-17) They bore fruits of generosity and compassion that the other churches which Paul established did not exhibit at that time. He took joy in their example and the love that they showed him. They were his crown, his prize, his ornament, his honor. He took pleasure in partaking of their love, and because of this, he released a supernatural blessing upon them: “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Verse 19) Because of their unselfishness in meeting his needs, he proclaimed that all of their needs would be met by God Himself! There was a condition in this – because of their charity and the manner in which the Philippians gave, whatever need they had was now met by the God of the universe. Their giving was a sacrifice, which was accepted by God, releasing a sweet smelling odor and was pleasing to God – this was because they gave in love to His servant Paul who was in need. (Verse 18) God will supply all of our needs as well when we follow the example of the Philippian church and sacrifice for the needs of others. The riches of God are stored up in the glory of God and we are able to receive them through Jesus Christ, our mediator, high priest and redeemer.

Our needs are met when we glorify God in our mortal bodies. One way to do this is by displaying the fruits of the Spirit in our giving.

Experiencing the Glory of God

Click the play button below to listen to the track:

Intellectualizing the Gospel

During a casual conversation with a prophet I met at a church I was visiting, he told me that in order for me to truly experience God the way I desire I would have to throw all logic out of the window and trust Him alone. This was in 2005 and 3 years later I still struggle in this area. The Bible says that knowledge puffs up, that Israel continues to fall short because they are ever learning but never coming into the knowledge of the Truth, but does this mean that knowledge is a bad thing? The LORD said through Hosea that His people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Solomon said that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. In fact the Bible talks much about the importance of acquiring and maintaining knowledge. The first two scriptures are merely warnings that while obtaining knowledge is to be desired, there is a tendency to trust in the actual knowledge itself rather than the giver of knowledge. All true objective knowledge is designed to point to the cross of Jesus Christ and not to individual man.

One of the issues that Jesus had with the Pharisees of His day was not that they were ignorant of the law, but that they misused their knowledge of the law for deceitful gain and in doing so were unable to receive the very Giver of the law manifested in human flesh, Jesus Christ, the Messiah Himself.

Today the church is full of men and women possessing great knowledge, yet just as the Pharisees they are also full of pride. There are many great theologians who are able to intellectualize the gospel in laymens terms to the point that even a baby would be able to understand the basic fundamentals of the Christian faith. Yet despite the great head knowledge of scripture, some have no real relationship with God. Some of these people are actually holding on to a form of godliness yet deny the power of God therein. The fruits of the Spirit are often missing from their life, and the joy and liberty of the gospel are far from being experienced. How do I know this? Well there are times when I have fallen and sometimes still fall into the temptation of intellectualizing God out of the gospel. Caught up in revelation, I have oftentimes failed to walk in the very revelation I have been entrusted with. Humility is something I try to maintain, but in times past I have found myself constantly casting down prideful thoughts.

God has blessed us with an intellect and there is nothing wrong with using it! Just make sure that you stay humble and understand that you don’t know everything and always have the propensity of being wrong. A man always thinks he is right in his own eyes, and no matter what the issue, never lean on your own understanding. Instead trust in the LORD with all your heart and He will reveal the mysteries of the gospel to you, which in the end should humble you all the more.

in Spirit and in Truth

God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in Truth.
John 4:24

On my way to work this morning as I was praying and meditating on the Word, I began to think about what it truly means to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Why did Jesus say specifically “Spirit and Truth”? It suddenly came to me that in order to worship God we must be led by both the Holy Spirit (Spirit) and the Word of God (Truth). Paul spoke about this in his 2 letters to the Corinthians. As most who are familiar with the Pauline Epistles know, the Corinthian church were a people who were very gifted spiritually. They operated prophetically, spoke in tongues, exhibited gifts of healing, and signs and wonders followed them. As a whole, their problem was that they were unbalanced. They began to focus more on the gifts than the Giver. I get the impression they sought the gifts of the Spirit of God, but forsook the proper study of the Word of God. Paul himself said to covet the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. However he also said that he would rather speak 5 words of understanding than 5000 words in an unknown tongue. Yet Paul spoke in tongues more than them all AND he walked in a divine understanding of the Word. He was balanced.

So many times as Christians we walk imbalanced. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 11:1 that a false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight. When Jesus gave his instruction on how to worship God, he used the word “must” which actually made it a command. If we want to worship God we have no choice but to do it in Spirit and in Truth. We can’t focus so much on the Word that it becomes a dead letter. And we can’t focus so much on the gifts of the Spirit that we end up falling into witchcraft. We must be led by the Spirit and led by the Word; walk in the Spirit and walk according to the Word; pray in the Spirit and pray according to the Word. We must know the Spirit of Truth, as John puts it in John 16:13 along with the Word of Truth. I believe a reason why many have not and do not see the power of God working in their lives is because they are imbalanced. We (I say we to include myself) have yet to worship God the way that Jesus instructed. We have yet to surrender our body as a living sacrifice and give up everything for Jesus. We have yet to tap into the manifested glory of God and allow Him to reign in our lives to the point where people no longer see us, but Christ within us. We have yet to truly worship God. Worship is a lifestyle. It is a form of adoration and humility before our Creator. It is only in worship that we can develop an intimate relationship with the LORD. Anyone can praise God, but it takes a true son and daughter of the Most High to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Perfect Peace

God's perfect peace is amazing. So much so it is impossible to put into words. In the midst of trials and disappointment, I find myself in a state of constant peace that I have rarely experienced. It is almost as if I am aboard that boat on the raging sea with Jesus and his disciples (Mark 4:36:41), except the storm is in the form of trials, suffering, and rejection. Rather than be moved by the storm as the disciples were, I chose to call on Jesus, who said "Peace, be still." And what could have caused me to panic and doubt, instead elevated me to a place of perfect peace where my faith has multiplied to a level it has never been.

Even as I write this I am listening to a song called Peace by Othello. I am reminded of one of my favorite scriptures:

Philippians 4:6-7
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Being careful for nothing also means to be anxious for nothing and to take no thought for anything! For as Isaiah said in chapter 26 verse 3: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." As we keep our mind on Christ we prove that we trust in Him. When we trust in the LORD with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, God's peace will reign. That is why Paul wrote through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the next verse of Phillipans 4 - "...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (verse 8) What we meditate on affects our very state of being. This is why we must meditate on the Word day and night. Not only does the Word of God bring renewal to our mind - but it also brings peace. The Word was with God, the Word was God, the Word became flesh in Jesus, and Jesus is our peace!

Ephesians 2:14 - "He is our peace"

Hold On... Be Strong....

I'm sitting here unable to sleep listening to a song off of Flame's new album called "Hold On, Be Strong". You can listen to it here:
Flame - Hold One Be Strong (select the song in the audio player and press play)

I have to admit that I'm not really feelin the rest of Flame's sample tracks, his style has changed up a little too much for me. But this song is my theme song right now. No matter what happens I have to hold on and be strong and fight for my joy cuz the joy of the LORD is my strength. God is processing me, sanctifying me, and I have to fight to persevere through the trials.

While I was on the phone with my pastor yesterday, he told me that the line between obedience and disobedience is choice. Sometimes I wish the choices of other people couldn't affect you - but I've learned an all encompassing fact - even though we have a sense of freewill God is still sovereign and in control of even our freewill and will work all things out for the good to those that love Him, those that prove that love by keeping His commandments. (Romans 8:28; John 14:15; John 14:21)

The Battle To Lose Control

I'm finding in life that things don't always go the way that you would like. I mean, I realized this early on in my childhood, but it is becoming even more of a reality as I mature in my walk with God. I'm finally over my low self esteem issues, no longer struggle with depression and don't battle anxiety as often as I used to. My battle has now become the reality of no longer being in control. I have verbally submitted my will to God, said yes to His will and to His ways, but my heart has not fully accepted what comes along with this decision. Jesus told us to count the cost - that cost being our very life, including our will. I don't have a right anymore to do what I want to do - as much as I want to! I don't have a right to complain when things don't go my way. My only right is to do God's will. I've been thinking about Jesus' statement before He was betrayed when He said "I did nothing except my Father in heaven told me." I read this a few months ago and told God that before I die I want to say "I did nothing except my Father in heaven told me." I've already slipped up, but I want to reach a point in my life where this is the case. I know it is possible! However right now it "looks" impossible.

The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus learned obedience by the things that He suffered. Perhaps that is what God is doing with me. I'm experiencing so much right now, no one person knows the extent of every situation. God is certainly strengthening me and teaching me to be content and not complain - but it isn't easy!! What makes it difficult is when the people who you love don't supply the comfort, the encouragement or even the love that you desire! This has made things 100X more difficult for me - but again, God is strengthening me. I guess He is allowing this to happen so that I would find my comfort, encouragement and love in Him alone. Even David had to encourage himself when He was enduring trials, and I am learning how to encourage myself too.

Life can be tough. But who said it would be easy? Pain is not always bad. I want to be dead to myself and my will. I want to walk in the will of God 24/7!!

LORD, I cannot do it out of my own strength! I need the power of Your Spirit!! You know what is best for me, and I know that my choices outside of Your will are only going to be detrimental! Give me wisdom and understanding so that I might glorify You! Help me to accept Your will, to walk in Your will, to exalt Your will!

I need a personal revival of my soul. It is time to lose control.

Ministry Mess - Part I: Traditions of Man

Every person follows a tradition, whether it be the customs of one's culture, habits passed down from one's familial line, or learned behaviors adapted from one's environment. They are what make us unique as humans, and can result in wonderful expressions of our beliefs. Traditions often change as beliefs evolve and people grow. In essence, there is nothing wrong with carrying tradition - for we all do it! The problem arises when we mix the traditions of man with the word of God.

"...the Pharisees and the scribes asked him (Jesus), “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) — then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

— Mark 7:5-13

In the above passage Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees, who were influential religious leaders in the Jewish world. Jesus pointed out their error in elevating their traditions above the Word of God. In doing so, they made the Word of God void by developing new doctrines and passing them off as God's commandments. He gave the example of the 5th commandment to honor thy mother and father. The Pharisees set up traditions that superseded this commandment and made it possible for Jews to lawfully forsake their parents.

Meditating on this passage and the example of the Pharisees given by Jesus, think about some of the things that you have seen and experienced in ministry. How many traditions of men have been established that have replaced the teachings of the Apostles and made the very Word of God void and of none effect?

In this age of "non-tradition", the very overzealousness that saints have to reject the traditions of our forefathers in the faith have created a vast number of new traditions of men which have infiltrated the church. This happens for a few reasons: ignorance of the Word; absence of the leading of the Holy Spirit; and pride.

The error in this thinking is that tradition is wrong. As Christian's we have a tradition!! The problem we face is that we must follow the correct tradition:

"And they (the believers) continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." - Acts 2:42-47

Our tradition is to carry out the work of ministry that was laid out before us, Christ being the chief cornerstone, the Apostles laying the foundation, and us building upon that foundation. Our tradition is not in what we wear, how we speak, or the way in which we conduct worship. Our tradition is to uphold the Word of God and preach the Truth of the Gospel to people of every kindred, nation and tongue. This is how we build upon the foundation laid before us, following our forefathers as they followed Christ (and not as they followed man).

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter (Those traditions being the Apostles' Doctrine) - 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (Paul speaking to the church at Thessalonica)

Be careful not to fall into the traditions of men - the body of Christ is full of them, in fact many denominations are founded upon them. Discard any tradition that causes you to forsake the greatest two commandments: 1. love the LORD thy God with all your heart, soul and mind; 2. love your neighbor as yourself.

The church has allowed so many things to infiltrate and affect the very word of God from being preached rightly. We have tainted the Apostle's Doctrine with our traditions of men, and the Word of God has become of none affect - the power of the cross has been lost. Don't act as the Pharisee's did. It is possible you might not even realize you are caught up in traditions of men. Let us stop focusing so much on vain traditions and instead allow the love of Christ to flow through us as we build upon the foundation laid before us - the Word of God being our guide.

Intimacy

God has created us as relational beings. Because of this, we have an inner longing to be intimate - to feel the touch of another; to share our innermost secrets, issues and desires; to be completely naked and transparent before another without fear of being hurt; to bear our all and in doing so feel comforted and protected. It is almost as if without intimacy there is no sense of satisfaction in life because that inner longing has not been met.

Deception has crept into mankind through sin and has corrupted these desires. The longing for intimacy still exists, but rather than satisfaction, comfort and protection - the end result has become discontentment, pain and regret. Love is the key ingredient in being intimate and satisfying these desires, yet the enemy has cunningly disguised lust as love, and many fall victim to his schemes, perverting the gifts of God.

Intimacy was originally created to be between God and man, what I call "vertical intimacy". I was meditating on 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 this morning and God began to reveal His desire and His call for us to be intimate with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

Verse 9 reads: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." I looked up the word fellowship in Strong's concordance and found that the word "koinōnia" can be defined as: communing intimately; having intercourse; to connect. Looking again at verse 9, we can clearly see that God has called us to intimately know His Son. This "vertical" intimacy is why God created us. It is the reason why God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins - so that we could be clothed in His righteousness and be made holy as He is holy. This sanctification (cleansing of our sins) allows us the ability to enter into the presence of a Holy God and begin to intimately "know" Him. God saved us for Himself. He wants to reveal His hidden treasures, His hidden mysteries, He wants to share His joy and bring us pure pleasure in His embrace.

This is why God instituted marriage, to give us a type and shadow of how He wants our relationship to be with Jesus as our husband, us being His wife. The LORD desires that in marriages between a man and a woman, the two become one, grow together in pure intimacy, and experience joy together in fellowship by truly getting to know each other. I call this type of intimacy "horizontal intimacy".

It is only in these two covenants that true intimacy can exist. However, if we are not careful it is possible to allow perversion to enter into even these two holy relationships. Some of us may have fallen victim to the enemy's illusion of experiencing intimacy outside of the covenants set up by God. In doing so, we have perverted our minds and may very well bring something into a relationship that has nothing to do with God. Sometimes soul ties exist, which are emotional ties that develop through relational contact with another person. This happens not only through sexual intercourse, but also occurs when you become so close to someone that they become tied into your soul - you begin to think about them (mind), desire to be around them (will), and/or are affected by them emotionally. It is possible to have a soul tie and not even realize it. Sometimes people suppress them rather than ask God to remove them. This not only affects your intimacy with Jesus, but will also affect your intimacy with your spouse in the event that you are or one day do marry. Soul ties create hurt and can cause people to put up barricades and hold back from being completely open. Their main assignment is to stop true intimacy and unity and instead bring dissention and division. Whether you are aware of a soul tie or not, I adjure you to first examine your relationship with God. Are you experiencing pure intimacy with Him? If not, ask Him to cleanse you, to remove every soul tie that is coming in between you and Him. And He will cleanse you!

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:19

If you are married, be open with your spouse! Sometimes details of your past are better left unsaid - you don't want to create unnecessary warfare on either ones behalf. But if there are any issues with you, or if you notice any issues with your spouse, bring them before the LORD and deal with them so that you can experience the pure intimacy that God desires. God wants us free from ALL soul ties so that we can freely get to know Him and our spouse.

If you are not married, now is the time to sanctify yourself and deal with these issues! In the event you do get married one day, you do not want to bring any mess into the relationship. You don't want to bring anything unholy into the bedroom. The marriage bed itself is undefiled, but we can defile it by bringing in our past, our lusts, our perversions, our comparisons, our expectations, our soul ties. Allow God to shower you with His anointing, to remove every burden and destroy every yolk. To sanctify you by the washing of His Word.

Let us all strive to be more intimate with our husband Jesus Christ. Start today. Ask Him to remove every hindrance and be completely open - stand bare and transparent before Him. Our husband is a perfect gentleman, who will never take advantage of us, never hurt us, and will love us unconditionally, even when we don't love Him back.

Feb 18, 2008: I just came across a website link that I thought was very interesting pertaining to this very blog entry: http://www.pureintimacy.org

The Evil That Men Do

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart." - Genesis 6:5-6

Imagine the state of mankind during the days of Noah prior to the flood. The intentions of mens' hearts were pure evil, they were constant workers of iniquity, doing whatever their sinful nature desired. It was to the point where the LORD was sorry that he created man. Imagine no one serving God, no one worshipping out of a pure heart, no one doing what they were created to do which was to glorify their Creator. No one except one man named Noah whom the LORD found favor with. Seeing this, God decided to destory all living creatures, human-kind and animal-kind alike, and start over with Noah and his immediate family of 7, along with 2 of every animal.

"The Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth."
- Genesis 8:21

After the LORD flooded the earth high above the mountain tops, He restored Noah upon the earth, told him and his family to "be fruitful and multiply", and vowed never to destroy the earth again by a flood, making a covenant with Noah, using the rainbow as a sign to remind every living creature of this covenant.

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." - 2 Peter 2:4-10

Though our hearts are deceitful and despirately wicked, full of evil intentions, God is able to transform us from an ungodly people, such as the ancient people before the flood, into a godly people, such as Noah and his household.

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." - 2 Peter 1:3-4

As Christians, the LORD has rescued us from the corruption of this world that has come through the sinful desires of man. Not only that, but He has also rescued us from our own sinful nature, which stems from the condition of our human heart, and has allowed us to partake in His divine nature.

Having read what God has done to those who have continued in wickedness and succumbed to the sinful desires of their hearts, we should stay humble and full of awe having experienced the transforming power of Christ in our own lives. Each one of us should have been destroyed long ago just as those in the ancient world and those of Sodom and Gomorrah. But instead, God has found favor with us, just as He did with Noah, and has rescued us from the consequences of our sin.

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:5-11

The Issues of Life

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
- Proverbs 4:23

Most Christians know what the Bible says about the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 reads: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" But if you read on to verse 10, the LORD says: "I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Even though the human heart is prone to sin, we have a responsibility to guard it. We cannot use Jeremiah 17:9 as an excuse to sin.

What does it mean to be deceitful? It means to be sly, cunning, mischievous, treacherous. Our heart has the same characteristics as the devil. The heart's main objective is to trick you. It is desperately wicked. When you are desperate for something you need it, and you are willing to obtain it by any means necessary. This tells us that our heart seeks evil, it needs wickedness. So if this is the case, how can God search our hearts and find anything good to reward us of?

God has given us the ability to keep or guard our hearts. We can control what goes in and what comes out. We must not think that we know what is in our hearts, for who can know it? But we must work to deprive our heart of what it seeks. We can do this by feeding our heart the Word.

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." - Psalm 119:11

In doing so, we are allowing God to cleanse our hearts from the wickedness it desires. For we are sanctified by the washing of the Word. Once we store the Word in our hearts, we must choose to follow the Word rather than the sinful appetite of our heart. Whoever said that they can trust their heart doesn't know scripture, and whoever said that God knows their heart is right, He knows that it is deceitful and desperately wicked!

"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.
...whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled. But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person."
Matthew 15:11;17-20

So here we see Jesus explaining that what comes out of our heart is what defiles or pollutes a man. This is because the heart is full of wickedness. We have to guard what comes in and out of our hearts. Whatever causes us to sin, we must cut it off from our life. Whether that be television, the internet, or even friends and associates.

"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."
- Matthew 5:29-30

Our hearts must be single to the LORD. They can only become single when we put away the former things of this world and focus on things that are above. The things that we expose ourselves to play a big part in the condition of our heart, for "the lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness." (Luke 11:34) Our eyes are gates to our heart, and they must be set on things pertaining to Christ, for He is the light. One of satan's schemes is to desensitize us to sin through the world around us and one of his tools is the media. When we take in things that are sinful, such as watching movies and entertainment full of sin and ungodliness, our light begins to dim and our body becomes full of darkness rather than light. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and whatever we feed ourselves will ultimately come back out in our speech and in our actions.

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." - 1 John 3:18-22

Every issue that we have in this life has to do with the condition of our heart. If we supress the heart's deceitful nature and instead feed ourselves the light of Christ, our conversation and actions will bear good fruit and the LORD will reward us according to the fruit that we bear.

We can have confidence that God will change our hearts; that He will place His desires within us, take away the desires of our naturally deceitful and wicked heart, and give us a new heart of flesh, a heart after Himself just as David had.

I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 11:19-20

Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:3-4

Are You In Love With God?

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Have you ever wondered how God could love such an unclean, disobedient, selfish people? God not only loves us, but He is in love with us! Imagine being completely head over heals in love with someone who is not in love with you. That is what God goes through continually as His people reject Him, don't consider Him, don't take the time to talk with Him, stay away from His presence, and ignore the One who loves them more than life itself.

All throughout the Bible we see examples of what love is, and what love isn't. In fact, Jesus said that all the law and the prophets hang on this commandment: love God, and love others as thyself (Matt 22:35-40). When your love is perfected, you have become perfect and no longer have need of the law, for love is what fulfills the law (Matt 5:17; Romans 13:10; Galatians 15:14). We see above in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is more than a feeling. It is an action that flows from ones heart, it bears good tasting fruit, and it never stops flowing. Love is what causes a husband to give up his life for his wife, and a man to give up his life for a friend. Jesus Christ displayed this love as He sacrificed His own life for those whom God chose for salvation. Without love, everything we do in this life is in vain, even what we do for God!

Submit yourself to God. - James 4:7
Submit yourself one to another in the fear of God. - Ephesians 5:21

Jesus told us that if we love Him we would keep His commandments. So part of showing love is being obedient. With love, we don't insist on our own way (1 Corinth 13:5), but rather put others ahead of ourselves (Phil 2:4). If we love God, we will do what He asks even when we don't feel like it, knowing that He has our best interests in mind. It is important that we seek not our own, but the things which are Jesus Christ's (Phil 2:21). The same goes with people, if we truly love someone, we will do things for them even when we don't want to. Part of love is submitting yourself to the one that you love - whether it be a spouse, a friend, or God. If we truly love that person, we will take joy in serving them.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. - 1 John 5:1-3

Check your love today. Watch how you treat others. Pay attention to the way you go about serving God and man. Make sure you spend time with your Father in Heaven and let Him know how much you love Him. Show love to others. Let people know that you care for and love them. Love your enemies despite what they may say or do. Put away all feelings that cause you to walk contrary to the Spirit. For God is love, and God is the Holy Spirit, and if you are a true believer the Holy Spirit dwells within you, which means Love itself is in you. Tap into that Love today and don't depart from it. I love you and God loves you too. Search your heart, and if you find that your love isn't right, submit yourself to God and ask Him to fix your heart. Fall in love with God today, for He loves you more than you can ever imagine.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed (Anathema). Our Lord, Come! (Maranatha). - 1 Corinthians 16:22

Suffering for Sin or Suffering for HIM?

Let's face it. As Christians we are still susceptible to sin. When we commit sin there is a pricetag to pay, a price so heavy that there is no way that we can pay it ourselves. When God saved us, He paid this price with His blood - but we must be careful not to willingly sin with this knowledge, for "how can we, who are dead to sin, live anymore therein?" (Romans 6:2) When God saved us, "our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead is freed from sin." (Romans 6:6-7) In the event that we find ourselves living in sin after God has saved us, we should be aware that our old man is still alive. If this is the case, God will allow us to suffer until we are completely dead to sin.

"Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food...
...Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life."
- Job 33:19-20;29-30

In the above passage Elihu is speaking to Job during his time of suffering. He is explaining that God has purpose in allowing men to suffer. He continues to explain that the LORD is in control and completely sovereign, raining on both the just and the unjust. Elihu is the only one in the book of Job who speaks the truth while rebuking him. In verses 26 and 27 he says: "man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: 'I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me.'" Hallelujah! This is the story of every born-again believer. Many say that since Job was upright he did nothing to deserve his tribulations. I disagree. God said he searched for one that would stand in the gap, but found none (Ezekial 22:30), so He came Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, therefore we are all, including Job, guilty and deserve punishment. But praise be to God that we can exclaim "I have sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me!!!!"

Job's suffering was not for one particular sin. His suffering was purposed to prove God's Word. He suffered for Christ's sake when he was rebuked by his 3 other friends. He stayed steadfast in his faith, even though his wife told him to curse God and die. No matter what satan did to him, Job trusted in God's Word. Yes Job did murmer, he did ask "why me?". But He also trusted God, saying "'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:21-22)

How do we react when we suffer? Do we truly understand the reason for our suffering? Are we suffering because we are sinning in our flesh? Are we suffering for the sake of the Gospel? Are we suffering because we are doing right? Or are we suffering because we are doing wrong?

"It is better to suffer in obedience and have the peace of God, then to suffer in disobedience and feel separated from God." - me

If you are suffering because of your own sin - the answer is to repent and ask God to help you overcome that sin by the power of the Holy Ghost. Walk in obedience and fight the good fight of faith. "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) Just as with Jesus himself, God teaches us obedience by the things that we suffer. (Hebrews 5:8)

If you are suffering for the sake of Christ, rejoice! The one thing that every Christian is guaranteed in this life on earth is suffering. "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:16-18) "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12) "If you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:14-15) "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." (1 Peter 4:12-16)

"All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" - 2 Timothy 3:12

Let us therefore suffer for righteousness sake and not for our own sins. Selah.

How Bad Do You Want To Be Delivered?

This is a question I found myself asking sitting here on my sofa. I know all the right scriptures, I have been entrusted with understanding and divine revelation, but why does it seem so difficult to walk out what I know! Sometimes I literally feel like Paul in Romans 7:13-20 (ESV) - "...in my flesh... I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."

The teaching today at church was about overcoming struggles and conflicts. Pastor Jean taught from Galatans 5 and 6. He began by calling Galatians the handbook on how to get free, stay free and walk free. I'll share a few key points:

• All of your blunders (sinful acts) are only blunders because of what is inside of your heart - you have a choice, nobody can make you do anything.
• If you are struggling that means that you are in your flesh.
• When you are in your flesh you complain.
• When you are in the Spirit you have liberty and peace, and rather than complain you speak life into situations.
• Whenever your flesh is involved there will always be warfare. The only exception is when you are totally submitted to the flesh - at that moment satan is in complete control and warfare ceases.
• We must choose to submit either to the flesh or the Spirit.
• When you sow to the flesh (your sinful nature), you reap destruction because you are reaping from the nature of your old man.
• When you are affected by struggles you are in your flesh. When you are in the Spirit it doesn't bother you because you understand that what you are going through is just a process.
  
• Our struggles are purposed - God wants to see if we will press our way through them, if we truly love Him, if we are willing to sacrifice for Him, even to the point where we give our very life.

I've made many mistakes, and have been in my flesh way too much. But I praise God for His mercy, and for allowing me to overcome. It is time for us as Christians to submit ourselves to God and walk according to the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh. It is time for us to renew our minds by the Word of God so that we can be strengthened and have the necessary weapons to wage a good warfare as we hold our peace and allow God to fight our battles, dwelling in the rest of God.