“There’s no such thing as a stupid question!”

People love saying this, but too many times they don’t mean it. In a recent meeting at my office, one of my co-workers shared an email from another co-worker in another department which had several questions. Other people in the meeting then began to laugh at, mock and make comment on how silly the questions were. Unfortunately, this went on for a while until I stated, “I thought there were no stupid questions”. After that was stated, comments transitioned to, “Maybe they’re new”, or “Maybe they just didn’t know”. Of course they didn’t know…that’s why they asked.

I’m pretty sure the person who sent that email would not have appreciated, or may have been hurt if he or she knew that their questions were being made fun of.

I can’t count the times that during a public Q & A session that I have waited to ask a question privately, and was sometimes even cautious about that.

It seems that belittling other people’s questions somehow makes others feel bigger.

It’s even more sad when people want to know more about God, His word, His will, or salvation and are afraid to ask because they think their question is stupid. Especially if the person is ‘older’ and thinks they should be expected to already know.

Let’s be very sensitive to how we respond to those who think enough of us to ask a question.

We can discourage someone who is serious and sincere about learning more about God by an inappropriate response to a question.

Remember what the word tells us…

Luke 6:31 (NKJV)

³¹ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

BE BLESSTIFED!

The very foundation of conflict resolution is finding common ground and respectful healthy communication that is not ruled by our emotions. This is supported by scripture (Isaiah 1:18).

No one of any faith will convert anyone through anger, malice, hatred, wrath, insults and disrespect.

We all know that much or our religious, social, cultural, and political narrative today is about Christians and Muslims. We all know in many ways how we differ, but I have noticed some interesting things we both have in common, beyond the tenets of our faiths…

HERE ARE 7 THINGS CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS HAVE IN COMMON

1. Both were created by the same God and in His image (capacity to love like Him, have His character and communicate with Him).
2. Both have sincere people.
3. Both can be overzealous.
4. Both can be self-righteous.
5. Both have their core beliefs perverted by radicals.
6. Both have, contrary to God’s will, had radicals kill in effort to spread their faith.
7. Both are enduring increased disrespect in our culture while other causes are gaining momentum.

PLUS, ONE BIG ONE

Both believe in the God of Abraham. I personally believe in the Lord God of Israel (Yah) through faith in the Lamb of God, The Son of God, Our Risen Savior, Christ Jesus (Yeshua). The one they have most in common is the one that makes them most different.

My belief does not allow me to disrespect or insult those who don’t believe as I do. To the contrary, the Apostle Paul treated the philosophers, the Epicureans and Stoics with respect. He debated with them from the perspective that they were sincere people who believed in something. He just wanted to submit to them the truth of the true and living God and let them make up their own mind.

Acts 17:16-34 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. ¹⁷ Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ Then^[a] certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. Addressing the Areopagus ²² Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; ²³ for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: ²⁴ “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. ²⁵ Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶ And He has made from one blood^[b] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷ so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ ²⁹ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. ³⁰ Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” ³² And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

 Paul sets a great example of how to relate with people who don’t believe as we do. I’m a Christian, but God commands me to love everyone, and show respect to everyone. If I hope to convince anyone to consider what I believe to be the truth…I can only do it through love.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Do you know anyone who seems to love drama? Dysfunction? Chaos?

Do you know anyone who confuses peace with boredom?

Some people can become so used to toxic environments, cultures and behaviors that they consider that to be normal. They are so used to negativity that they begin to unknowingly enjoy it. They enjoy creating it. They enjoy watching it. They enjoy talking about it….that’s why I think reality shows are so successful now.

They can create their own poison to what would be a good relationship…friendship…job. They sometimes aren’t even comfortable with peace within themselves because they anticipate something bad is going to happen.

I hope this is not you. We must be very careful that we don’t reject the very peace that God seeks to GIVE us. We must not be uncomfortable with the peace that God GIVES us through our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Not only does He give us peace…He gives us HIS peace…

John 14:27 (NKJV)

²⁷ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

His peace is more powerful than any trouble or fear that we have the tendency to allow to overwhelm us.

Think about it. The enemy, just as he did in the book of Job roams around looking to disrupt the peace that God has given you…

Job 1:7 (NKJV)

⁷ And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because^[a] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

 God has given you the power to ‘be the peace’ in any given situation.

Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

Claim your own peace. Be comfortable with it, and walk in the authority God has ordained for your life.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Movies. Television. Plays. Sports have much more value than just entertainment. They provide a healthy release for mature people to vent our natural capacity, propensity and tendency to hate. Yes, hate that emotion that God forbids for us to have towards one another.

But, God created us with the ability to hate. Even the bible says there’s a time to hate (Ecclesiastes 3:8).

God Himself tells us to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13), , but He expects us to love people.

It’s natural though, to let our dislike for people’s behavior to become hate.

Think about this…

When being entertained, a healthy person can separate the character being portrayed from the actor portraying the character.

And, we all have characters we love to hate from Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver, JR on Dallas to Kanye and the Kardashians, to WWE personalities.

So, the next time you are antagonized or aggravated by a rival. The next time you hear a politician say something that provokes your anger or rage. The next time someone hurts you. The next time you see someone who hates you… Don’t hate back.

Turn on the TV. Watch a video. Read a book. Go to a play…with a character good at being bad, and hate them.

Read your bible and direct that hate towards the devil.

Vent that hate in a healthy way, so there is only room left for love.

BE BLESSTIFIED

We all know there are millions of children born into poverty putting them at an undeniable disadvantage in getting ‘ahead’ in the world. However, there are those who still overcame the ‘curse’ of poverty. I don’t know why some are born rich while others are born into deep poverty. I do know that Jesus affirmed that the poor will always be with us (Matthew 26:11).

Sometimes those born into generational poverty can feel they are, and very well may be living under a curse, but I want to talk about an often overlooked ‘curse’. Those who are…

CURSED WITH EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED

Just as there are those born into generations of poverty, there are also those born into generations of wealth. Wealth that they didn’t have to earn for themselves. This unmerited wealth can be just as much a ‘curse’ as deep  poverty.

Some people call it SPOILED…

It’s when your so-called BLESSINGS have become a BURDEN and stumbling block…spiritually, morally and hindered the development of Godly character.

They are cursed with no real concept of need, lack, or sacrifice.

They are cursed with a mindset of entitlement…that they deserve everything they have and more with no sense of compassion for those with less.

They were denied the opportunities for the disappointments that are designed equip us to deal with the real world.

And here’s the thing, you don’t have to have extravagant wealth to have this CURSED mindset. There are plenty of middle and lower-income people who feel just as entitled because they really haven’t suffered lack in our prosperous society.

Simply because they weren’t told, “NO!”

After all, God tells us “NO!”. He has the wisdom to NOT give us everything just because we ask or it.

We must be careful that we aren’t raising a cursed generation that feels they DESERVE not only everything that they want, but also INSTANT GRATIFICATION. Parents must be careful not to focus ONLY on making sure their children have…

Smart phones and tablets at younger and younger ages…

The latest brand name shoes and clothes…

The latest video games…

Every extracurricular sport and activity as if it were a job…

While neglecting to give them a spirit of contentment, thanksgiving as a strong sense of responsibility.  We must be careful that we don’t neglect their spiritual development while nurturing their carnal development.

This may be what led to the attitude of the young ruler in…

Matthew 19:16-22 (NKJV)

 ¹⁶ Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good  Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” ¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”  ²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Remember, children don’t have to be rich to be ‘cursed with everything they want’…they only need parents that refuse to say, “No!”

And, yes there are various reason that parents don’t say, “No!”

Sometimes they want their children to have what they never had…

Sometimes they’re living vicariously through their children…

Sometime they are using their children as a symbol of their own status…

Whatever the reason. We must be careful that we aren’t raising a ‘cursed’ generation. In fact, some of the children born poor are better equipped to deal with the real world than their spoiled contemporaries.

These spoiled children grow up to lead and cause chaos and dysfunction in…

Families…

Companies…

Churches…

Countries…

So when you see that poor child in need, don’t feel sorry for them…help them if you can.

When you see that person who was clearly ‘cursed with everything they wanted’, send up a sincere prayer for God to give them a humble heart and His Spirit.

And, if you’re blessed with children, make sure you aren’t cursing them with everything they want.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

One morning not long ago I prayed, “Lord, I need a miracle!”

As I prayed God reminded me of something powerful. I’m going to share with you verbatim how it went, and I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me….

Lord, I NEED a miracle…

Lord I WANT a miracle….

LORD I AM a miracle….

Never Mind…THANK YOU JESUS!

Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)

Any tears you shed without prayer are wasted…

Tears of pain…”LORD Help me!”

Tears of joy…”LORD I thank You!”

Because you’ve never dropped a single tear that God didn’t catch.

Psalm 56:8-11 (NKJV)

⁸ You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?
⁹ When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because God is for me.
¹⁰ In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
¹¹ In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Prayer is a privilege of a real relationship with God through our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Prayer is a powerful weapon of spiritual warfare. But, unfortunately we can unintentionally or intentionally misuse prayer.

“I’m praying for you.” We need to very careful how, and why we say it. How many times have you said it without sincerity or out of malice as a retaliation in an argument? How many times have you heard it said out of arrogance rather than concern?

God lets us know through James that prayers is ineffective and unheard when we pray with the wrong motives in our hearts…

James 4:3  (NKJV)

³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Be careful when we pray for others, about others and with others that we are praying for God’s will to be accomplished in their lives and not our own.

Make sure we aren’t trying to get them to do what we think that should or want them to do. Think or act as we want them to but to submit to God’s will for their lives.

Be careful how you pray for your family members, coworkers, church members, rivals and enemies.

For example, it’s easy to be mistreated at work and pray to God out of your frustration or anger, rather than out of love. It’s easy for us to ask God to give people what we feel they deserve. SO YOU THINK THEY GOT WHAT THEY DESERVED…REALLY???

It’s easy to pray for God to ‘change’ your spouse, child, friend, rival or whomever to suit how you would like for them to be. I’m not talking about when we want them to be saved or conform to God’s will, but when we selfishly want to control how they are, who they are, what they do, who they see, etc. through prayer.

In short…when we use prayer as a weapon of personal warfare rather than spiritual warfare.

Yes, we can misuse prayer if we aren’t careful. I have done it. Have you?

1 Peter 3:12 (NKJV)

¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”^[a]

BE BLESSTIFIED!

1 Kings 11:1-2 (NKJV)

But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— ² from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

Anyone who reads the bible knows that King Solomon is recognized as the wisest man who every lived. They also know that he loved women and had many wives and concubines. So, it very be easily concluded that Solomon’s sex drive and love for women was a weakness. He allowed the women he loved to compromise his devotion to God – the wisest man who ever lived.

King Solomon’s wisdom was his greatest strength. His sex drive was his greatest weakness. And, both of them were given to him by God.

We all have strengths and weaknesses that are God given.

I’m not as organized as I would like to be, and when I put great effort into becoming more organized…I find myself slipping back into being less organized (notice how I’m trying to avoid saying unorganized:-)

I also don’t have much rhythm. As much as I try, there are some things that I just can’t do well physically (dancing for example). I am however very strong physically.

I believe that just the same as we have physical weaknesses, we also have spiritual weaknesses. We have weaknesses in our personalities. Some have difficulty paying attention. Some are naturally poor with words, and have trouble relating with others. Some are naturally poor with numbers and can’t manage money well, no matter how hard they try. Some have learning disabilities, even if the disabilities aren’t severe, they could still be considered a weakness. Some people are poor listeners and have trouble staying focused. The ‘weaknesses’ I’m talking about are things that can’t be taught. They are just a part of who we are. Just as I mentioned about Solomon, some have an unquenchable sexual appetite, that they didn’t ask for. Some have an attraction to the same sex, that they didn’t ask for. Some have a natural propensity for violence…that they didn’t even necessarily learn.

What is your weakness? What are your weaknesses?

The good news is that God is greater than any weakness that He gave us. God can bless you and you can be a blessing to others in spite of your weaknesses.

Moses wasn’t an eloquent speaker. In fact, he considered it to be a weakness. God didn’t allow the weakness He GAVE Moses to get in the way of his purpose…

Exodus 4:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I amslow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Remember, what the Apostle Paul had a weakness that he didn’t ask for. God gave it to Him, but also remember…

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God’s strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. God can and will bless us and use us in spite of your weaknesses!

God wants us and others can know that every blessing, every success, every victory, is because of him and not ourselves. He wants us to bring Him glory and that any glory we have is through Him.

Just as Paul said, when we work through our weaknesses, God’s power is resting on us.

He wants to use our weaknesses to show us His power so we can lean on Him, depend on Him, trust Him and love Him.

Anyone and everyone that you know who is successful has multiple weaknesses. We spend so much time focusing on their strengths, talents and abilities that we think make them successful that we don’t notice their weaknesses…unless one of their weaknesses causes them to fall.

Yes, you are far from perfect, but so is every person that God has ever used.

God fulfills His perfect will through imperfect people.

So, acknowledge your weaknesses that God gave you. Pray for God to help you with them and through them. Leverage your strengths to God’s glory.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

How many times have you heard those who already have a relationship with God through our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus say, “Change me Oh Lord”? How many times have you heard Christians say, “If you find anything in me that shouldn’t be, take it out and strengthen me?”

When we sincerely accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and filled with His Holy Spirit we are instantly changed…once. God never said He would continue to ‘change’ us over and over again.

A catapillar turns into a butterfly once.

A flower changes into a fruit only once.

When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, He gives us His Holy Spirit to convict us when we’re wrong and won’t allow us to be comfortable in our sin. And, most of all He gives us the power to overcome.

He gives us the power to…

Subdue and overcome the lust of our flesh and our sinful nature…

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Resist the enemy…

James 4:7 (NKJV)

⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Put away…

Ephesians 4:31 (NKJV)

³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

1 Corinthians 13:11  (NKJV)

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Rid ourselves and put off…

Colossians 3:5-8  (NKJV)

⁵ Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. ⁸ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Lay aside…

Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Renewing of our thinking…

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

God gives us the power to change ourselves. Does God have the power to change us? Of course, but, if you ask Him to take something from you, your lust for example, you may not like how He chooses to do it.

If you ask God to make you stop doing a sin that you’re caught up in…you might not like how He makes you stop.

This is why we can’t ‘change people’. We can help them. We can inspire them. We can motivate them, but we can’t change anyone.

God gives us the power to stop on our own. We can’t do it without Him, but He expects us to do it ourselves.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

1 Peter 2:4-5(NKJV)

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Do get tired of getting stepped on? Well, that’s what rocks do…get stepped on.

Do you get tired of being the ‘strong one’? That’s what rocks do…provide stability.

Do you get tired of holding everyone else up? That’s what rocks are…a firm foundation.

Christ is a living stone, but so are we…

Who are you being strong for? 1 Peter 2:5 says we are also living stones! We are a part of God’s spiritual house, and just as Jesus is our Rock…He is building us up to be rocks in the lives of others.

So, the next time you feel like you’re being stepped on or carrying everyone else’s weight. Praise God for trusting you to be a rock.

BE BLESSTIFED!

Many times after we have hurt someone, and they have ‘forgiven’ us, it angers us and hurts us when they bring it back up. We quickly remind them that ‘you are supposed to forgive and forget’. We remind them of how God says He will never remember our sins anymore…

Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

God is letting us know the power of His forgiveness, but do you think our omniscient, all-knowing God can’t recall what we did? Do you think He actually can’t remember it anymore?

This must be understood in proper context. God forgives us and doesn’t hold our sins against us WHEN WE REPENT. But, what is repentance? Repentance is godly sorrow over what we’ve done (2 Corinthians 7:10). Repentance is a change of heart, and doing our best to never do that again. Repentance is making every effort to not put ourselves in the path of temptation for those sins. Repentance is an all out, sincere effort to turn around. But, Israel sometimes continued to rebel against God. Israel sometimes continued in the same sins…that’s not repentance. Israel sometimes put themselves in the path of temptation making it easier to fall.

You will notice that when Israel returned to their previous sins, that God STERNLY AND LOVINGLY BROUGHT UP THE PAST.

God was always first hurt, and then angry when Israel backslid. It’s not that they surprised Him. He already knew what they would do, when He forgave and restored them. How many times have you forgiven someone, but you fully suspected they weren’t yet strong enough to resist going back or hurting you the same way. When they did it again, you thought to yourself, “I knew it”, and it made your flesh even more angry because you expected it. You expected it because you could see them slipping back into old habits.

When ISRAEL backslid after being forgiven by God… BROUGHT UP THE PAST, HE CALLED THEM OUT, HE REMINDED THEM in a stern and loving manner. In your free time read these scriptures, and these are not the only ones, where God BROUGHT UP THE PAST. I suggest you read the entire chapters for context…

·       Judges 2:1-4

·       Judges 6:7-10

·       Judges 10:10-15

·       1 Samuel 10:17-19

·       Ezekiel 16

·       Ezekiel 20

·       Psalm 81

Following God’s example, when someone repeatedly hurts you with the same sin expecting you to ‘get over it’, expecting you to not allow it to bother you, expecting not to have to have anything to say…remember that, in love, God called out ISRAEL when they fell back into rebellion against Him. He reminded them of everything that He had done for them. How He delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians, gave them a land inhabited by others, made their enemies subject to them. He reminded them of all He had done for them and pointed out what they did.

When someone blatantly hurts you, just like God, you have a right to remind them of your love for them, and bring up the past responsibly….in the spirit of love, STILL WILLING TO FORGIVE. This works both ways. You are willing to forgive no matter how many times they do it (Matthew 18:21,22), as Jesus commanded. And if they care about you, reminding them pricks their hearts, hopefully leading them to repent and have a sincere desire to not do it again. God said if we delight in Him He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). If it’s our desire to not do these hurtful things again…then we won’t. It works both ways towards forgiveness and repentance.

Read the scriptures I’ve listed above. Study this topic. See how God sounds like a hurt lover when His people chose evil over Him (Judges 2:2). Notice how He sternly, but lovingly reminds them His love, their sin and their promises. Then look at how He is willing to forgive again, and how they are led to repent. BRINGING UP THE PAST IN LOVE….it all works for both parties involved.

So, if you find yourself to hurt someone in the same way you did before, and they forgave you, have enough humility and respect to allow them to remind you of their love and your promise. And, if someone blatantly hurts you again after you’ve forgiven them, ONLY BRING IT BACK UP IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE, fully ready to forgive again…and again…and again.

I would love to know your thoughts on this.

BE BLESSTIFIED!!!

Acts 13:36  (NKJV)

“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;

The bible states that David served his own generation by the will of God. There will never be another David. There will never be another Peter. There will never be another Paul. There will never be another Mary.

These people fulfilled the purpose for their lives and left their mark on history…on their families…on the lives of those in which they interacted. But, there are innumerable people who never had their names mentioned in the bible, but had an impact on establishing our faith. They also had an impact on their families, their villages and communities, their nation…and the world. Some people’s influence is greater than others, but everyone has influence. Sometimes it’s good…Sometimes not so good…Sometimes bad…Sometimes very bad.

We all know people in our lives who can and will never be replaced. Those who have ‘gone on’ and are greatly missed. And, others who have ‘gone on’, and even though you wished them no ill will, you don’t miss them so much.

And, the truth is, there are people so evil, so parasitic, so dysfunctional, so negative, so destructive that the world is better off without them. I won’t call any names, but we all know of figures in history that can’t be replaced…and it’s a good thing.

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER YOU…IS THAT GOOD OR BAD?

What value are you to the kingdom of God. How strong is the influence in your family, but immediate and extended? What affect do you have on those in your life? What ripple effects result from your day-to-day interactions? Good? Bad? Evil? Positive? Negative? Constructive? Destructive? Good Fruit? Bad Fruit?

John 15:5 (NKJV)

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

 John 15:8  (NKJV)

⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

 John 15:16  (NKJV)

¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

 Matthew 7:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

 Many people view bearing fruit carnally, as if the accumulation of wealth confirms one’s faithfulness…this IS NOT what Jesus is talking about. To the contrary…

Matthew 3:7-8 (NKJV)

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,

…Our good fruit is the work we do to build the Kingdom of God. The hearts, minds and souls we turn to God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The positive influence that we have on the lives of others and the world. In short…

IS THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE AFTER YOU’VE BEEN HERE?

IS THE WORLD A WORSE PLACE AFTER YOU’VE BEEN HERE?

IS THE WORLD NO DIFFERENT AFTER YOU’VE BEEN HERE?

Or on a more personal level…

ARE PEOPLE BETTER OFF HAVING INTERACTED WITH YOU?

ARE PEOPLE WORSE OFF HAVING INTERACTED WITH YOU?

ARE PEOPLE NO DIFFERENT HAVING INTERACTED WITH YOU?

Please be the unique ‘you’ that God created! Even twins are not alike, Jacob and Easu proved that (Genesis 25:19-34; 27: 1-40)

Do you!

Be you!

But remember, you are not your own…you were bought with a price…

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[a] and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Be the unique person God created you to be to His glory.

There will never be another you. It’s up to you as to whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

I was stopped by a man living in his car today. He was a veteran from California who had just arrived in Memphis. He needed help with the parking meter, so I put his change into the meter for him. It was his money. He kept commenting that he was not college educated, but he was clearly a man of faith. He then asked me if I could help him, and I did.

I felt broken with him. No family. No place to go.

I looked at myself through his eyes…and felt broken. I was on my lunch break. I was dressed nicely and well groomed. He wasn’t.

I felt broken with him.

I was going to return to my office, then to my family…where was he going? I did what I could and that’s all we can do is what we can do as an individual. I asked his name so I could continue to pray for him, because…

I felt broken for him.

I encounter people living on the street on a pretty regular basis. Most of the time I will purchase them a meal, or give them cash when I feel comfortable and then pray with them if they allow me. But, sometimes my heart is harder.

When we allow ourselves to get beyond judging why people are in their situation and stop making excuses we can see what God means in His word when it says…

Romans 12:15-16 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Matthew 9:13 (NKJV)

¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’^[a] For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”^[b]

Only when we truly empathize with others can we feel broken enough to want to help them, and plant a seed of God’s love.

There is a thin line between not sharing our charitable deeds, which Jesus told us not to do,  and letting our light shine, which He told us to do, so others can see and be encouraged. I sincerely hope this encourages someone to look through the eyes of someone in need and share God’s love. Pray for discernment…Pray for wisdom…Pray for God to breathe on your words, and don’t harden your heart.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

If you’ve had a tough day. If things didn’t go your way. If you were mistreated today. If you are angry. If you’ve watched those who don’t acknowledge God prosper. If people have conspired against you. If you have been lied on…

This beautiful Psalm will bless you before you go to bed tonight…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Our challenge is to love the sinner without condoning or justifying the sinful lifestyle…while we struggle with our own.

Our challenge is to call out sin and warn of it’s consequences in spite of our own imperfections, faults, failures and weaknesses.

We must remember that calling out sin, warning about it’s consequences and holding one another accountable is not judging…it’s our responsibility.

Condemnation and stating what we believe is in someone’s heart is judging.

None of us are perfect. Far from it. But, God still expects us to warn about the consequences of sin.

The truth is that none of us are never at any moment, ‘sinless’. Does that make us all hypocrites?

Nope. God justifies us and ‘views us as righteous’ only through faith our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:23  (NKJV)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:1 (NKJV)

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have^[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The key is to never be content or satisfied with our own sins. To constantly allow His Holy Spirit to convict us of our own wrong, working diligently to ‘lay them aside’…

It’s your attitude about your sin that prevents you from being a hypocrite.

Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Pray for God to give you wisdom, knowledge, understanding, discernment and revelation for how to be His image, His voice, His representative in this generation. And, leave behind a heritage of good fruit for the generations to come.

Colossians 1:27-28  (NKJV)

²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which^[a] is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

 Psalm 71:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.

 BE BLESSTIFIED!

Matthew 26:58  (NKJV)

⁵⁸ But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

Even though Peter followed from a distance…he still followed. Even though he denied Him, he didn’t forsake Him.

Be encouraged even if you aren’t where you should be in your relationship with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you have allowed distractions to create distance between you and God.

Even though you may be following from a distance…

Not praying as much as you should.

Not reading His Word as much as you should.

Not attending worship as much as you should.

Caught up in a distracting weakness.

Just discrouaged, but…

At least you haven’t forsaken Him.

Jesus restored Peter and He is anxious to restore you too.

John 21:15-17 (NKJV)

¹⁵ So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah,^[a] do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah,^[b] do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah,^[c] do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

God hasn’t moved…you have, and He’s ready for you to follow close behind Him

Today is a good day to come back close again.

Psalm 63:8 (NKJV)

⁸ My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

God told us we will have trials and tribulations in life. He also gave us a promise. 

“Many are the affictions of the righteous, but God delivers him out of them all” Psalm 34:19.

The devil knows of this promise and does everything he can to convince you to give up not only during the trial, but when things are TURNING AROUND. He may even attack harder. I’m in a turn around season myself, and the devil is trying to discourage me even as I type this word to inspire US.

I declare in the name of Jesus Christ that the devil is a liar! My wife and I can tell God is turning things around. If you are sensitive to God, and in constant prayer, you can tell that a change for the better is coming. You can tell that things are TURNING AROUND. That’s why you need to continue in prayer, thanksgiving and praise for your deliverance from the storm through out the trial, and in THE TURNAROUND.

You’re on the right path! Don’t lose your faith in God! Don’t turn back around! Don’t give in to frustration! Keep pressing on! Don’t get flustered by the devil’s distractions! Keep pushing your way through, around and over obstacles! Keep praying your way through disappointments! Keep praising your way to victory!

Keep working your way through THE TURNAROUND because even though the turnaround seems gradual, your victory comes suddenly. Think of a slow and gradual turn on the road. The turn may be slow, but if you keep going FORWARD, you suddenly find yourself going straight. Sometimes the turn, the change in direction is so gradual that you can barely sense it, but you CAN SENSE IT. You can tell God is working it out, and the devil wants you to give up. DON’T GIVE UP!

No matter how long, dark and gradual the night seems, the sun always breaks forth SUDDENLY! DON’T GIVE UP IN THE TURNAROUND!
Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Have you ever made Him feel you’ve forgotten Him?

How many times have you started your day without saying, “Good Morning”?

How many meals or snacks have you eaten without saying, “Thank you”?

Have you gone a day without ‘calling’?

How often do you check what He’s ‘posted’ in His ‘HOLY MEDIA’?

How many times has He tried to get your attention and you responded, “Not Now!”

How many times have you asked Him to leave ‘your house’ and invited the devil in?

Even when you’re diligently seeking Him, He sometimes may seem far away… because no matter how close you may THINK you are to Him, you can still be closer.

No matter how much faith you THINK you have…we all still have some unbelief.

Remember this…

Every person used by God in the bible at some time felt forsaken…including His Son.

Matthew 27:46 (NKJV)

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

If you feel God has forsaken or forgotten you read Psalm 13. Notice how it begins in sorrow, but ends in an affirmation of trust and praise…That’s why He seems far away sometimes. So we can follow even closer behind Him.

Psalm 13 (NKJV)

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?
² How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴ Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵ But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

BE BLESSTIFIED!