The book of Psalms is a treasure teaching us how to…

Pray,

Praise,

Lament,

Question,

And celebrate the God of our salvation.

There are Psalms for when you are laying in your bed and overwhelmed dreading facing the day.

There are Psalms for when you feel defeated.

There are Psalms for when you want to praise God but don’t know what to say.

But, Psalm 20 is a song… a prayer… an encouragement for your success.

Read it bearing in mind that you can replace any reference to animal sacrifice with the word ‘praise’.

God reminds us that praise is our sacrifice, since we are to  praise God so many times when we really are at our lowest and don’t feel like it…

Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Psalm 27:6  (NKJV)

⁶ And now my head shall be ^[a]lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of ^[b]joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

I like to call this Psalm of David a Psalm for your success. It’s a Psalm for..

For our deliverance.

For our purpose.

For the desires of our heart.

For our success.

Read it.

Sing it.

Pray it.

Say it.

Release it into the atmosphere and let it minister to you. God will bring it to pass.

Psalm 20  (NKJV)

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob ^[a]defend you;
² May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
³ May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

⁴ May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your ^[b]purpose.
⁵ We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

⁶ Now I know that the Lord saves His ^[c]anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.

⁷ Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
⁸ They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.

⁹ Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Most of us have heard the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. God provided deliverance for Lot and his family, (Abraham’s nephew) from His judgment on those cities, but Lot and his family had responsibility in their deliverance. They had to flee the city and not look back…

Genesis 19:15-26  (NKJV)

¹⁵ When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that ^[a]he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be ^[b]destroyed.”

¹⁸ Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! ¹⁹ Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. ²⁰ See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

²¹ And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”

Therefore the name of the city was called ^[c]Zoar.

²³ The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. ²⁵ So He ^[d]overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

²⁶ But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

None of them really wanted to leave. They liked where they lived. God had to practically drag Lot out of the city.

When God provides deliverance for us from places we don’t need to be, we too don’t need to look back.

Don’t look twice at the picture or video or social media post.

Don’t look back at that text message. Don’t respond.

Don’t rewind that scene or that song.

Don’t tell them to repeat that.

Don’t go back there.

Some thoughts, places, pictures, messages, conversations, books, songs, videos, television shows, movies…even scents can take us our minds back to places we don’t need to be.

Remember Lot’s wife. Looking twice is looking back.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Never take for granted how clever the enemy is at trying to come between us and the God of our salvation.

He has been busy at trying to influence the lives of God’s children for thousands of years. The bible tells us that he disguises himself as an angel of light…

2 Corinthians 11:13-15  (NKJV)

¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

He is a deceiver and the father of all lies…

As you may already know, the very word devil comes from the Greek word diablos meaning slanderer, accusing falsely, deceiver. Even Jesus calls him out when rebuking the religious leaders…

John 8:44  (NKJV)

⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources,for he is a liar and the father of it.

One of his favorite methods is to use us (most of the time unintentionally) against the one’s we love.

He disguises himself inside of sincere love and good intentions. Remember how Yeshua, Christ Jesus, responded to Peter when he spoke up in what he thought was support of Jesus…

Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV)

²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ^[a]“Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are ^[b]an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus didn’t even address Peter. He addressed the enemy directly.

Think of the fact that the enemy used Eve to get to Adam and Adam quickly shifted the blame to his wife…

Genesis 3:12-13  (NKJV)

¹² Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

¹³ And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Wow! So, how many times has that happened to us in our lives?

How many times has the enemy used husbands, wives, sons and daughters to distract their loved ones from their focus on God’s word?

How many times have you seen a loved one being misused and instead of telling them to turn the other cheek, you told them to retaliate?

How many times has someone been ready to speak up against sin, wrong or injustice and because of the certain backlash a loved one said, “You better leave that alone”.

How many times have we held a love one back who was maturing and growing in Christ because of the changes it would force us to make?

How many times has a loved one wanted to give help to someone in need and we discouraged them…for whatever reason?

How many times have we hurt or hated someone because they hurt or hated someone we love?

How many times has a loved one given bad advice contrary to the word of God from their flesh?

How many traditions that God has forbidden have we allowed to continue through thousands of generations because we felt we were letting our children miss out on something?

Once when I spoke up against the sin of homosexuality, a family member told me (just for the record, it was not my wife), “You better leave that subject alone because if might make some people angry and prevent your music and your ministry from being accepted”

This relative didn’t mean any harm. They made that statement out of genuine concern for me, but they were being just like Peter. God wants me to trust Him with my ministry and music despite what people may say or do.

Can you think of a time when the devil used a loved one against you? Can you think of a time you have do so?

The good news is that God has given us discernment, so the enemy doesn’t catch us by surprise…

2 Corinthians 2:11  (NKJV)

¹¹ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Be very careful of your ‘Peter’ moments. Don’t let the enemy use you against the people in your life.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Okay, I admit that I have to remind myself of this quite often. If we aren’t careful, we can let Monday, or whatever day we return to work, to become oppressive. So, I just want to give you the short reminder that the 2^nd day of the week is a blessing.

Remember to let the joy of the LORD be your strength, no matter what your Monday challenges may be.

Nehemiah 8:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Remember that we represent God’s image, His presence, His glory and His character in every environment we enter.

Colossians 3:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Remember that no matter how challenging or dysfunctional the culture, we have the power to make the ground on which we step…Holy Ground.

So, make sure you don’t allow your Monday to become Mournday!

Breathe life into every room, every interaction today. Just as complaining is contagious, so is joy.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Be very careful when you say, “I can love them from a distance!”

“I’m not ‘fooling’ with them anymore!” “I’m not dealing with them anymore!”

There’s usually a form of this statement for every regional or social dialect.

Have you ever heard anyone say something like that? Have you ever said something like that yourself?

Yes, sometimes things can happen when relationships will never be the same but be very careful when you judge that someone doesn’t deserve fellowship with you anymore. Matthew 7:1 is broad in its application…

Matthew 7:1-2  (NKJV)

“Judge^[a] not, that you be not judged. ² For with what ^[b]judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

When you judge someone doesn’t deserve your fellowship are you opening up yourself to the same judgement from God?

Not only is forgiveness one of the greatest gifts we receive from God, but we are supposed to forgive AS He forgives us…not LIKE He gives us. We are supposed to forgive in the same way…

Ephesians 4:32  (NKJV)

³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

So, what if God said, “I forgive YOU, but I’m not going to ‘fool with you’ anymore.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

How much are you worth? Can you really quantify your value to…

Your family?

Your relationships?

Your church?

Your job?

God has created us and gifted all wonderfully and uniquely. No one else can be as good at being you than you!

Psalm 139:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
You ^[a]covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You, for ^[b]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

It is our responsibility to recognize, nurture and perfect what God has placed inside of us. And to use it not only to sustain our lives, but to build God’s kingdom and make the world a better place.

Luke 12:48  (NKJV)

⁴⁸ But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

God has created us all with great value!

So much so, that no one should ever be able to pay us what we’re worth.

How much money do you make? What’s your salary? What’s your hourly wage?

Do you feel that’s ALL your worth? Do you feel that’s ALL you bring to the table?

We should all be irreplaceable. Not only in your job description but also in the intangibles. There should be a void any time we leave a workplace, relationship, church etc.

Your energy, positivity, love…your very presence should be missed. You should bring those things that can’t be trained or taught. Those things that go beyond experience, such as being the person everyone looks to in a crisis.

Even if they can replace YOU, they should never be able to replace WHAT YOU DO! Anytime you feel you aren’t bringing enough to the table…YOU AREN’T.

We are placed here to be God’s representatives in every environment and relationship we occupy. God blesses us to bring glory to God through the anointing on our lives, the gifts He’s giving us and the seeds we sow.

And that is priceless.

Now, are you being underpaid?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

As I was growing up, I never did really grasp how young Dr. Martin Luther King was when he stepped onto the world stage.

Then he became involved with the Birmingham bus boycott at the age of 26 he wasn’t trying to make history, he was just trying to do his part to make a difference.

At the age of 35 he was the youngest man at the time to receive the Nobel Peace prize.

At the young age of 39 he made his historic “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech that prophetically eluded to his death the very next day.

In 39 short years Dr. King changed the world. His wife and children had to share husband and father with history. And, his children grew into adulthood without their dad.

Many of you reading this who grew up hearing and reading about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have outlived his 39 years.

What have you accomplished in your time here so far?

Maybe you haven’t changed the world, but have you been a good father? mother? sibling? son? daughter?. Have you been dependable to the people in your life?

Can the people in your circle of influence count on you? Are you fulfilling your purpose of being God’s representative in every relationship and environment?

2 Corinthians 5:20  (NKJV)

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God

You may not be Dr. Martin Luther King, and really should thank God that the weight of your purpose isn’t as heavy as his…

You don’t have to change the world to make history, you just have to change the world around you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. KING!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Do you know anyone who tries to get affirmation and validation by claiming that they don’t need it? Have you ever heard anyone say that? Have you said it yourself?

People usually say this because they are really ‘in their feelings’ because they want affirmation, validation or appreciation and feel they aren’t getting it.

Yes, it’s good to be confident in who you are and not need anyone else to tell you, but the truth of the matter is that God created us for relationship, and one aspect of relationship is affirmation from others.

Whether we admit or not, we all need validation and affirmation sometimes. We give God affirmation and validation by praising Him.

GOD LOVES PRAISE!

Praise is affirmation of His greatness, holiness, sovereignty, justice…His love for us and our love for Him.

GOD LOVES PRAISE and there’s nothing wrong with that.

So here’s the thing…

We all need a little praise sometimes too. We all need affirmation sometimes. We all need validation sometimes…especially by those who are closest to us.

Do you know why?

Because we were all created in God’s image, and it is our duty to affirm Him with our praise.

Does God NEED our affirmation to be God? Absolutely not! He has Holy angels to declare His greatness day and night…

Revelation 4:8  (NKJV)

⁸ The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy,^[a] holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!

God teaches us to honor our parents in the Lord…Affirmation.

Ephesians 6:1  (NKJV)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

The bible teaches us to esteem others better than ourselves….Affirmation.

Philippians 2:3 (NKJV)

³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

We’re told ordain those set aside for the ministry by the laying on of hands…Affirmation.

The key is to not feel disqualified by God when we don’t receive affirmation, and certainly don’t let it go to our heads. Jesus taught us this early in His ministry…

John 2:23-25  (NKJV)

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. ²⁴ But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, ²⁵ and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

People are very fickle. Remember many people cried “Hosanna!” to Jesus at the beginning of the week and ended the week crying “Crucify Him!”

So. don’t feel to guilty for feeling the need for affirmation sometimes. Don’t let it go to your head when you get it. And, don’t feel like God doesn’t value you when you don’t.

BE BLESSTIFIEDA

ENOUGH FOOD for a snack.

ENOUGH WATER to wash your hair, car or water your lawn.

ENOUGH CLOTHES for two days.

ENOUGH SHELTER to cover yourself.

ENOUGH STRENGTH to bathe yourself.

ENOUGH SENSE to know your name.

ENOUGH FAITH to know God through Yeshua, Christ Jesus.

Remember that many of our worries spring from worrying about tomorrow. If God has given you enough for today…

You’re blessed!

If you have something left over for tomorrow at the end of the day…

Your abundantly blessed!

There are many in the world would LOVE THE LUXURY of a snack, clean water and a change of clothes for two days.

Don’t let our society and culture of excess allow you to become unthankful or think God is mistreating you because of what you don’t have. Do most people you know have more than enough for one day?

I encourage you to stop and take a moment to thank God for what you have TODAY, especially if you’ve been complaining or worrying about what you don’t.

Matthew 6:31-34  (NKJV)

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

1 Timothy 6:8-10  (NKJV)

⁸ And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows

BE BLESSTIFIED!

This is a picture of my family in a van traveling to Florida. Before we left home, we all held hands and asked God for His divine protection. We asked for each of our angels to be with us. We asked Him to put a hedge around us, just as He did Job (Job 1:10). We asked for a safe trip…a safe stay and a safe return home.

As we left Memphis at mid night we traveled safely through the night on schedule. I drove the entire time. Around midday we crossed over the Georgia/Florida county line and made a last stop for gas and get something to eat.

We were then on our last stretch of the trip.

As I drove down I-75 near Gainesville, I was in the fast lane of a three- lane stretch of highway. The interstate was extremely busy because this was the Friday before Christmas. Every lane was full of cars and trucks…BIG TRUCKS.

Suddenly, immediately in front of our van a huge cloud of smoke appeared. As I drive into it I discovered that not only could I NOT see the cars around me, I couldn’t see 1 inch in front of us. I couldn’t even see the windshield wipers!

I WAS DRIVING BLIND! We were definitely riding by faith and not sight.

I expected to hear vehicles crashing around me any moment. My wife told me to stop the van, and everyone was bracing themselves.

As she told me to stop the van, I calmly replied, “No”, but did stop accelerating as I eased over onto the shoulder of the road with only a small guard rail separating the oncoming traffic on the other side, hoping and praying not to slam into a wrecked or stopped car in front of me, while also praying that a car or truck didn’t slam into the back of us.

All I could think about is the multi-car pile-ups I have seen in white-out snow or blinding fog. Everyone in the car wondered if this was the day we were going to die or be severely injured.

I was driving, but I definitely was NOT in control! After driving several seconds in the smoke, we emerged and there was no accident. The man in the car next to us looked at my wife as if to say, “What was that?”

Here’s the thing. With dozens of cars enveloped in the smoke, how likely is it that abosolutley not one car, one truck, one SUV or crossover…not one 18-wheeler stopped? If only one vehicle stopped it would have been catastrophic.

ONLY GOD PREVENTED ANYONE FROM STOPPING!

We immediately began thanking and praising God.

God answered our prayer before our trip. Our families could have been receiving a horrible phone call later that day.

Two weeks later after returning home, I was watching the news and saw a report of a multi-car accident on the same interstate, in the same area and one of the vehicles involved was a van. Not only that, 7 people were killed and 7 people were injured.

It was 7 people in our van that day (one person can’t be seen in the picture above).

I pray God’s strength for the families involved in that accident, but God quickly reminded me that could have been us.

So many times after near death experiences or after living foolishly many times people say, “I shouldn’t be here” as a testimony of God’s grace and mercy.

But I have learned that those experiences are confirmation that, WE SHOULD BE HERE! It’s confirmation that God still has purpose for our lives.

That experience gave me brand new appreciation for…

Psalm 118:17-18 (NKJV)

¹⁷ I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened^[a] me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 20:6 (NKJV)

⁶ Now I know that the Lord saves His ^[a]anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.

Just as Psalm 118:17 say, “ I will declare the works of the Lord!”

When God delivers us, saves us, rescues, protects us from certain hurt, harm, danger or death it is our responsibility to let the world know.

God delivered my family from death that day December 21, 2018. We still don’t know where the smoke came from.

I do know that God proved to us that when trouble, pain or uncertainty, surrounds you like a cloud.

When you seem to be enveloped in darkness and you can’t see your way through.

When it seems you’re driving blind…

Your faith will see you through.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

40 years ago today, January 11, 1978, my uncle LARRY HENRY JOHNSON was killed over a case of mistaken identity.

He just turned 24 years old the month before. He had recently moved back home to Lexington TN with his new wife a little over a year earlier to be near his mother because his father died about a year and a half before ( July 4, 1976) as a result of injuries from an automobile accident.

I was excited to have my uncle back in town. He got blamed for someone else’s foolishness and became the target of a jealous husband. Larry was innocent. He asked for help from the local police and they gave him none. They only told him to get a gun. As I think back, I remember him telling his mother (my grandmother) in the kitchen, “Momma, I don’t even know the woman.” He was very upset. At 9 years old I didn’t understand it at the time.

If you are caught up in some foolishness…please stop it now! It always affects someone else.

By the way, Larry managed to get to his truck, get his gun, and get one shot off. The jealous husband died too.  What a waste of life. Larry Henry Johnson. Husband of Jaqueline Gentry Johnson. Son of Charles H. Johnson, Dorothy M. Johnson, Brother of Diane Johnson, Charlene Johnson and Peggy Walker.

Aren’t you glad that Jesus died for our foolishness?

BE BLESSTIFED!

The purpose God has for each of us on this earth is so much greater than us or even our knowledge of our purpose. It isn’t necessary for us to fully know ALL the reasons that God has us here to be successful in fulfilling our purpose. Don’t stress not fully knowing your purpose, just keep working for God with a loyal and sincere heart.

Notice that John the Baptist was not even fully aware of his own purpose…

When asked who he was, he responded…

John 1:19-21  (NKJV)

¹⁹ Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

But Jesus confirmed to His disciples that John fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah returning…

Matthew 17:10-13  (NKJV)

¹⁰ And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming ^[a]first and will restore all things. ¹² But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Be sensitive to the Spirit of God.

Be consistent in reading and studying His word.

Pray for wisdom, understanding, discernment and revelation.

Even if you are unsure of your purpose, God’s will…will be done through your life…

Philippians 1:6  (NKJV)

⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

BE BLESSTIFIED!