We can “Photoshop” inches (or centimeters) off our stomach and years off of our faces. We can add muscles, facial hair and fine tune ourselves to look exactly the way we want others to see us. How many pictures do you take before you’re satisfied? How much editing do you do. No matter how many pics we take, or how many edits we do…each picture is still us.

We live in an age of selfies, live videos and profile pictures. Everyone wants to look their best. Even if people don’t alter their appearance through plastic surgery, they alter their photos with applications and software to digitally alter our images. Hence, comes the term “Photoshop”, that because the software is so well known, it has become the term used for altering ‘images’ much like ‘Google’, ‘Frisbee’, ‘Klennex’ and ‘Styrofoam have all becomeeponyms extending to other brands and uses.

But, those closest to us and God know how we really look.

The same holds true for our souls. People can be one person at home, another while at work and yet another at church, if they go.

No matter who we try to make people think we are, God knows who we really are…

1 Samuel 16:7  (NKJV)

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have ^[a]refused him. For^[b] the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

If you ever catch yourself trying to give a false image of yourself, remember…

YOU CAN’T PHOTOSHOP YOUR SOUL

God always sees you as you are.

BE BLESSTIFED!

When it sometimes seems God is ‘TION’ing  (shunning) you…

Isaiah 54:7-8  (NKJV)

⁷ “For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
⁸ With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

On those days you may think God has turned His back on you.

Those days you think He is avoiding, ignoring or even rejecting you…

For the days you think God is ‘TION’ing (shunning) you…

Maybe He is trying to take you to a higher level of…

ConsecraTION and SactificaTION

Joshua 3:5  (NKJV)

⁵ And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

So you can refocus your…

ConcentraTION…

Colossians 3:2  (NKJV)

² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

On His gifts of…

JustificaTION…

Romans 5:1  (NKJV)

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

ReconciliaTION…

2 Corinthians 5:18-19  (NKJV)

¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

RestorationTION…

Psalm 23:3  (NKJV)

³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

And, not take for granted His gift of…

SalvaTION.

Romans 10:9  (NKJV)

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

And, maybe, just maybe,

You’ve been…

‘TION’ing Him.

Jeremiah 3:22  (NKJV)

²² “Return, you backsliding children,
And I will heal your backslidings.”

“Indeed we do come to You,
For You are the Lord our God

BE BLESSTIFIED!

The enemy wants you to keep your head down. The enemy wants you silent about the Lord. The enemy wants you to sit down on your calling, anointing and purpose. He does this is by manipulating you to FOCUS ON YOUR FAILURES AND FLAWS. He wants you to feel unworthy to speak up or ‘live out loud’ for Christ. You may have made huge mistakes, FINANCIALLY, IN RELATIONSHIPS, even MORALLY…you know what haunts you.

Please notice that God continued to use David as a psalmist and leader, even after he had a man killed to take his wife, God didn’t tell him that he couldn’t continue to serve as King (2 Samuel 12:1-13).

In fact, some of David’s most powerful psalms came AFTER his greatest sin.

God already knew the sin that David would commit even when He initially anointed him. Because of his repentant heart, his sin didn’t disqualify his anointing.

Psalm 51 (NKJV)

Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,^[a]
And blameless when You judge.

Our greatest challenge sometimes is walking with spiritual confidence, walking with our heads up, speaking in God’s authority when people KNOW HOW WE HAVE MESSED UP. God is raising us up to walk boldly for Him even in the midst of our humanity.

Paul spoke boldly even though he persecuted the church and consented to the death of Christians, such as Stephen (Acts 7:1-60, 8:-1).

Peter stood strong for Christ even though he openly denied Him during the darkest hour (John 18:13-27).

So, if people tell you, “You can’t tell me anything based on what you’ve done!” You tell them, “God has given me grace and mercy, and allowed me to still be here to tell you DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES THAT I’VE MADE”.

So even if you’re working through the consequences of your mistakes, God expects you to KEEP YOUR HEAD UP and SPEAK BOLDLY IN LOVE FOR HIM. Sometimes it takes years to work through the process of restoration and recovery, but that doesn’t mean you are to be silent in the meantime, BE ENCOURAGED!…KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, STAND UP AND SPEAK UP FOR THE LORD!

Your failures don’t have to disqualify your calling!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Most of us have heard the saying, “Revenge is sweet”. We have all had moments that we have craved for revenge.

That’s why I think the metaphor is appropriate because REVENGE and SUGAR have something in common. Just like sugar slowly deteriorates your teeth, the desire for revenge slowly deteriorates your spirit. It eats away at your spirit, defiles it and consumes your mental energy.

Besides, God never promised us revenge or allows us to take revenge. It belongs only to Him…

Romans 12:19  (NKJV)

¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Why?

Because revenge is judgement. It is condemnation. It is us deciding that people deserve to be paid back for how they have hurt us .

However, God does allow us to have and will sometimes grant us vindication. He has even promised vindication in His Word…

Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)

¹⁷     no weapon forged against you will prevail,
    and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord.

In the bible vindication is getting justice or clearing one’s name.

We all know revenge is getting even and repaying someone for what they’ve done. It is retaliation. And, God does not allow us to do that…

Matthew 5:38-42 Expanded Bible (EXB)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21].’ ³⁹ But I tell you, don’t ·stand up against [resist; retaliate against] an evil person. If someone ·slaps [strikes] you on the right cheek [^Ceither an insult or an act of violence], turn to him the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ If someone wants to sue you in court and take your ·shirt [tunic], let him have your coat also. ⁴¹ If someone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles [^Calluding to the practice of impressment, whereby a Roman soldier could command a civilian to carry his gear for a mile]. ⁴² If a person asks you for something, give it to him. Don’t ·refuse to give to [^Lturn away from] someone who wants to borrow from you.

Revenge is getting them back.

Vindication is getting yourself back.

So, pray for vindication, but from the perspective that the person or those who injured you can be brought in right relationship with God.

Remember, God doesn’t love your enemies any less than He loves you.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Let me first say that God never gives us a license to lie.

Wisdom and discernment are gifts of God. Discernment is an aspect of Godly wisdom.

We also know that the truth is always the truth, but we must be sensitive to God’s timing of when and how it should be revealed…of what we should say and of what we should not say…of what we should conceal and what we should reveal…but not for the sake of deception.

God protects us through wisdom and discernment…

Proverbs 4:5-6  (NKJV)

⁴ He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live.
⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Yes, even the truth has to be handled with wisdom and discernment.

DOES GOD SOMETIMES PROTECT US THROUGH THE DISCERNMENT OF WHEN TO USE ‘DECEPTION’?

The spies that Joshua sent to Jericho were protected by Rahab’s deception…

Joshua 2:4-7  (NKJV)

⁴ Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” ⁶ (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) ⁷ Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

As David fled from Saul, he was protected by pretending to be crazy…

1 Samuel 21:10-14 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. ¹¹ And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:

‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”

¹² Now David took these words ^[a]to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ¹³ So he changed his behavior before them, pretended ^[b]madness in their hands, ^[c]scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?

Mary could not reveal who her Holy Son really was until the time…

Luke 2:16-19  (NKJV)

¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely^[a] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary KEPT ALL THESE THINGS and PONDERED them IN HER HEART.

Sometimes it’s best not to tell someone what was said about them…

Proverbs 17:9  (NKJV)

⁹ He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

 Proverbs 11:13  (NKJV)

¹³ A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

Proverbs 25:2  (NKJV)

² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

God gives us the wisdom and discernment to exercise emotional labor. Which is managing our feelings and emotions in order to effectively do a job – such as when a waiter or waitress can’t let his or her customer know how irritated they are at the customers’ rudeness.

Sometimes you can’t tell your boss how you really feel about him/her.

Sometimes you can’t tell your spouse how you feel about his or her parents.

Sometimes you can’t let those closest to you how discouraged, depressed, upset, or tired you really are.

Sometimes it’s not the right time to let people know how disappointed you are in them.

Sometimes it’s not best to reveal what’s really on your mind.

In the last days…even God Himself will send ‘deception’ only to be recognized by those who are truly connected to Him and in His in His word.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12  (NKJV)

⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this reason GOD WILL SEND THEM STRONG DELUSION, THAT THEY SHOULD BELIEVE THE LIE, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

God never gives us the license to lie.

But, our Heavenly Father does use everything for His purpose, even how we manage the truth. We should always handle it with the spirit of discernment, not the spirit of deception.

THE LIES WE DON’T INTEND TO TELL (MOST OF THE TIME)…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

For those of you who don’t know, Juneteenth, marks the day when U.S. troops arrived in Galveston TX  in 1865 to ensure that all enslaved people be freed by taking control of the state. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.

However, most people have never heard of it.

Why?

Because it hasn’t been a part of the national narrative.

Why?

Because it wasn’t important enough to be a part of our nation’s story. Our history. So, that means no recognition in the history books, no days off work, no fireworks.

Why?

Because if the freedom of those who were slaves was important as the freedom of the colonists from their ‘oppressors’ it would have been a part of our history, celebrated by all races and not just those of African descent.

On July 4th, 1776, Black people in America had no independence. It wasn’t for them. Those inalienable rights were written into the Constitution by hands that also signed bills of sale for slaves. Can you imagine slaves overhearing their oppressors celebrating their ‘freedom’ from their oppressors?

So, when the end of slavery was officially enforced on June 19, 1865, it should have been celebrated by everyone who considered themselves to be a child of God, because as the Constitution states, those inalienable rights were granted by the Creator, The Lord God of Israel from Eternity Past to Eternity Future, through His Son, the Lamb of God Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

Happy Juneteenth America! Let the fireworks begin!

Galatians 3:28  (NKJV)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

FOR THOSE WHO SAYS THE BIBLE ‘JUSTIFIES’ SLAVERY…

IF THE CONFEDERACY WAS GOD’S WILL, THEY WOULD HAVE WON…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Most American’s are passionate and protective of their right to free speech…

Or are we?

How many people have willingly signed away their right to free speech because of their job or career.

Companies, school systems, municipalities, government agencies, and even religious organizations don’t want their employees making them ‘look bad’ or liable; so they make one of the conditions of employment a contract that ‘limits’ what they can say publicly if they are to remain employed.

I’m talking about speech that’s respectful and responsible, not reckless.

Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV)

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary ^[a]edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Colossians 4:6 (NKJV)

⁶ Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Are you free to say what you want to say about your company and where they stand on issues?

Are you free to say how you feel about the culture of your organization without fear of retaliation?

Is there something that you want to responsibly express or share about your organization… about your faith… about what’s in your heart, but if you do so you know you could lose your job?

How many people endure toxic cultures, bullying, inequity, unfair policies, abuse of authority, basically from people who are merely ‘working for a living’ just like them because they fear losing their job…career…even their retirement?

Is that freedom of speech?

Restricting our ability to respectfully and responsibly be critical and hold accountable the leadership in our places of employment or our concerns about social or spiritual issues is quite frankly not allowed in many workplaces.

It can’t be equated to shouting ‘FIRE’ in a public place. That protects life. And there is some speech that is not protected by the constitution because it’s a threat to the ‘public good’ however, withholding what’s on our mind about our employers sometimes only protects egos, reputations and the threat of litigation.

Think about this, Americans are more free to say how they feel about their national, state and local leaders… their pastor… their loved ones… than their boss.

Many people even express their criticism to God Himself before the do so to their boss!

We are more free to tell God how we feel without fear of relaliation than the person for whom we work.

Psalm 142:1-2 (NKJV)

I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
² I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.

God is more willing to ‘reason with us’ than many of our places of employment.

Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.

Is you freedom of speech that’s protected by the Constitution, surrendered in your contract?

Think about it, but be careful what you say about it at work.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Isn’t amazing how people give coaches a pass? They don’t want the teacher or police to ‘curse’ at their children, even if they are disruptive. They don’t even want the preacher to speak too ‘harshly’ to or of their children – but the let the coach say what he or she wants and how he or she wants. Some will even let a coach hit their children…hit not spank.

Have you ever heard anyone say they had to talk to someone ‘on their level’ to reach them, especially when they are disruptive or have harsh speech themselves.

God says very clearly that we are not to allow corrupt communication to come out of our mouths…

This applies to coaches too!

Ephesians 4:29  (NKJV)

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

He clearly tells us that we aren’t to swear (an oath) or to curse ( cursing is pronouncing condemnation)…

Matthew 5:37 (NKJV)

³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

That means it’s sin to say “Hell yes!” or “Hell no!”. Jesus says that “anything more is from the evil one”.

To reason that it takes profanity or cursing to get the best out of someone is to imply that it takes ‘the evil one’ rather than God to do that. Why do people trust their children to language straight from the devil. In other words, we are saying God can’t handle it, but the devil can. God forbid!

Some say it prepares them for the real world or competition. I say that teaching them how to get the best out of you according to God’s will prepares them to be light in the real world. Remember, God is sending us out like sheep among wolves…that’s how He prepares us.

Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)

 ¹⁶ “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

There is no game, competition or battle on earth than the one Jesus endured on the cross. There was no profanity and cursing in preparation for that…only submission and humility.

If I don’t curse or use profanity to get the best out of my children, I’m not going to allow a man or woman to do so when it’s within my power.

Giving a coach the thumbs up to curse out or belittle your child is another way that a parent can provoke their children to wrath.

Allowing a coach to curse your children is cursing your children…

Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV)

⁴ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

There are plenty of coaches out there are very effective and do it the right way. But to those who don’t…God will hold them accountable and hold the parents accountable for allowing it.

Just because our culture has normalized this behavior as acceptable doesn’t make it right. Trust God’s word and not the ‘devil’s words’ with your children.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Psalm 26:3 (NKJV)

³ For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And ^(A)I have walked in Your truth.

Psalm 86:11 (NKJV)

^{11 (A)}Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
^[a]Unite my heart to fear Your name.

If you consider yourself a disciple of Christ, you must be very careful of a popular affirmation these days…

I’m living my truth!”

Sometimes our truth is sin, anger, wrath, rage, lust, jealousy, prejudice, betrayal, hate, blame,a hardened heart, refusal to read God’s word, refusal to pray, forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, worshipping our desires, satisfaction of our flesh, rebellion against God.

The truth is, we can’t trust our heart or our ‘truth’ because without the truth of God’s word…it’s wicked.

Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV)

⁹ “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And ^[a]desperately wicked;
Who can know it?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

What is the beginning? When did everything ‘start’?

Genesis 1:1  (NKJV)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Time/tīm/noun (Oxford Online Dictionary)

1. 1.the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.”travel through space and time”
2. 2.a point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon.”the time is 9:30″

If you are a parent who believes in the the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting through our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) you have heard this question in some form…

“Where did God come from?”

“When was God born?”

“Who created God?”

I know most of you already know this, but please humor me so I can make my point. Besides, even the Apostle Peter let us know that we sometimes have to be reminded of what we already know…

2 Peter 1:12-13 (NKJV)

¹² For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. ¹³ Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this ^[a]tent, to stir you up by reminding you,

God introduced Himself to the world of many beliefs and many ‘gods’ through the perspective of a people He raised up to create a faith. FAITH, NOT RACE…

He created this people through a man named Abram, later changing his name to Abraham…

Genesis 12:1-3  (NKJV)

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
² I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

I love the way that the bible refers to God as “The Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting” in so many places. Yes, it’s a mouthful. Yes, it’s a lot to type, but it is exactly who He is…

Psalm 41:13  (NKJV)

¹³ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.

Psalm 106:48 (NKJV)

⁴⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

That is the New King James Version but, look at how the Complete Jewish Bible says it…

Psalm 41:14  (CJB)

^14 (13) Blessed be Adonai the God of Isra’el
from eternity past to eternity future.

I love that…“from eternity past to eternity future”. The thought of eternity past infers that there was NO BEGINNING.

God does not require a beginning. He does not require a birth. He does not require an origin. Why?

Because He exists outside of time.

God, Adonai, our Elohim is an eternal being that was never created. He has consciousness, emotions, feelings and the ability to communicate…but no recognizable form that our eyes can understand. GOD IS NOT ‘THE UNIVERSE’ & THE ‘UNIVERSE’ IS NOT GOD…

God created TIME for our benefit. So we can measure and have context to our lives, history and the future.

Galatians 4:4-7 (CJB)

⁴ but when the APPOINTED TIME arrived (IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME), God sent forth his Son. He was born from a woman, born into a culture in which legalistic perversion of the Torah was the norm, ⁵ so that he might redeem those in subjection to this legalism and thus enable us to be made God’s sons. ⁶ Now because you are sons, God has sent forth into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, the Spirit who cries out, “Abba!” (that is, “Dear Father!”). ⁷ So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son you are also an heir.

Think about it. Even when scientists who say the universe BEGAN with a BIG BANG, you can ask, “Okay, what was there before the BIG BANG?”. One could very easily reason that when God said, “Let there be…” there was a noise and physical manifestation.

Some things are difficult for even the ‘greatest’ scientific minds to understand, and one of those things is TIME. After all, I think of science as our attempt to give a physical explanation to a spiritual world.

IF YOU BELIEVE IN SCIENCE, YOU CAN BELIEVE IN GOD (HERE’S A PERFECT EXAMPLE)…

THE THINGS THAT SCIENCE CAN NEVER EXPLAIN (From my archives)…

FAITH VS. SCIENCE…

WHEN SCRIPTURE & SCIENCE AGREE…

The fact is there are some things we won’t understand until Yeshua returns and we share in His eternal kingdom.

Look at the mess we’ve made of the world. Look at the mess we’ve made of time. Just think of how bad it would be if God gave us the ability to understand eternity.

God doesn’t need a beginning because He IS the beginning.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Early in His ministry, Jesus was confronted by the enemy as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11,  He was confronted/attacked while His FLESH was weakest. He had been fasting for 40 days. The enemy tried to catch Jesus in His flesh’s most vulnerable state. But, even though Jesus’ flesh was weak, His will was strong. Jesus knows us, and He knows our flesh gets weak too, that’s why He encourages us…

Matthew 26:41  (NKJV)

⁴¹ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Even though Jesus’ flesh was weak, His Spirit and resolve was still willing and strong.

Why?

Because He fought off the enemy’s attack with the WORD OF GOD. The word of God is our most powerful weapon against the enemy.

As much as so many Americans are preoccupied with and put faith in their GUNS…our greatest attacks aren’t against the FLESH, but SPIRIT. Even those who attack you physically have succumbed to a spiritual attack that led them to result to violence…it started in the Spirit.

That’s why you can’t bring a gun to a sword fight!

Temptation is an attack of the enemy, and Jesus made the devil back down with the word of God in Matthew 4:1-11.

He was tempted with HUNGER (vs 3)…which many have used as an excuse for violence and theft. Jesus’ response…“IT IS WRITTEN, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”. (vs 4)

He was tempted with PRIDE (vs 5,6)…which has led many to violence. Jesus’ response…“AGAIN IT IS WRITTEN, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test”. (vs 7)

He was tempted with POWER (vs 8,9)…which has led many to kill countless people. Jesus’ response…“Be gone Satan! FOR IT IS WRITTEN, you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” (vs 10).

Verse 11 tells us that the devil fled…Jesus overcame the temptation/attack with the word of God.

Everything that leads man to violence and gun fire BEGINS with a temptation to the spirit, but Jesus taught us how to fight before the guns are drawn.

Read Matthew 4 :1-11 again for context. Read 2: Corinthians 10:1-6. Read James 4:7. And read Psalm 33:16 and remember….
YOU CAN’T BRING A GUN TO A SWORD FIGHT!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

It has happened several times when COVID-19 forced many classrooms and meetings to go virtual.

A conversation among teachers, administrators or stakeholders in our children’s education was accidentally broadcast publicly and sometimes went viral.

Those conversations that have historically taken place in teachers’ lounges, empty classrooms, on telephones…privately were overheard.

Many of these conversations were moments of venting about the children they teach or unrealistic expectations placed upon them.

And, usually these are typical responses…

“What?”

“How could they say that!”

“They said they were annoyed at that child!”

“They said that child was bad!”

“They said they were glad that child didn’t come to school!”

“If they feel that way, they don’t need to be a teacher!”

“They need to resign!”

“They need to be fired!”

The fact is that every parent has vented about their own child or children. Parents know their own kids, and know when the teacher‘s complaint about their child is true. Every parent gets frustrated with their own children, and many are more than ready to send them back to school at the end of summer vacation, fall break, winter break or spring break. Parents vent about their spouse, boss, co-workers, politicians, etc…..teachers WILL vent about your kids.

Many teachers are forced to sometimes neglect their own children to fulfill the expectations place’s upon them.

Many teachers and administrators are sometimes accused of poor time management when the states and districts do a poor job of managing teacher bandwidth…equating managing to giving teachers an endless list of tasks.

With these pressures, how can anyone expect the people who have assumed responsibility for their children without being adequately compensated for the hours, level of responsibility and liability to NEVER vent about the same children with whom they sometimes lose patience.

Many don’t express how they really feel for fear of retaliation.

COME ON NOW! THAT’S NOT REALISTIC!

It’s healthy to allow teachers that space to release the pressure of teaching, co-parenting, counseling, and dealing with other people’s children.

Most of the time, after teachers have had the opportunity to ‘get that out of their system’ to their peers, spouses or friends, they go right back to giving children the love, care and patience required to do their job.

Remember these two things from scripture…

Children are going to act foolishly (be bad) sometimes.

Proverbs 22:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

Even Jesus got impatient with and publicly vented about ‘God’s children’.

Matthew 17:16-17 (NIV)

¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

¹⁷ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

When teachers vent about your children, don’t expect more from them than you do yourself or Jesus.

BE BLESSTIFED!

Let me say first that I’m not excusing adultery, fornication or any other sexual sin. These sins also result from an innate, natural desire that we don’t ask for, and people make a choice to commit these sins based on that desire.

However, there are many people who are now trying to defend homosexuality by saying that Jesus never addressed it, or forbade it. They say only the Apostle Paul addressed it, and some even try to contend that he wasn’t really talking about homosexuality.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet.

We all know there are several sins that Jesus never directly addressed…

Rape…

Incest…

Domestic Abuse…

Bestiality…

Gossip…

Jealousy…

To name a few.

Jesus didn’t even say directly that getting drunk is a sin. It was indirect.

He did address marriage, fornication adultery and divorce.
And, no one disputes that the LORD only permits sex within marriage.
In Matthew Chapter 19, Jesus repeated what He Himself said as The Living Word in Genesis 5:2 , yes He was there in the beginning (Elohim, the name for God in Genesis is a plural noun)…
Matthew 19:4-5(NKJV)

4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made[a] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’[b]5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?[c]

The context of the conversation here is marriage and divorce. Jesus specifically calls out MALE and FEMALE in the context of marriage. This is not a cherry picked scripture.  It is Jesus in perfect harmony with what God established in the beginning. 

Jesus clearly says let HIM (male) be joined to his WIFE (female), because some try to contend, ‘who says that a wife has to be a woman’.

This undeniably defines marriage as between a man and woman.

These verses (Genesis and Matthew) define marriage as between a man and woman. And, since God only permits sex within marriage, sex with any partner, heterosexual or homosexual is sin.

So yes, without saying the word ‘homosexuality’, Yeshua, Christ Jesus addressed it. Any other conclusion is conjecture…reaching…trying to fit a square peg into a triangular slot.

For those who say that it’s okay because some people are born that way, click this…JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE’S ‘BORN THAT WAY’ DOESN’T MAKE IT OKAY…

For those who want to bring up slavery in the bible to justify their argument to defend homosexuality, click this…LET’S TALK ABOUT SLAVERY IN THE BIBLE…

And remember, no matter what sin someone is struggling with, God expects us to love everyone without excusing or condoning the sin.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

God wants a REAL relationship with us. It’s almost become cliché to say that He wants relationship and not religion, but it’s very easy, if we aren’t careful to slip into…

Religion…

Ritual…

Even let our faith be reduced to Superstition…yes just like a rabbit’s foot… a good luck charm.

It’s easy just to go with the flow of what you’ve been taught growing up.

It’s easy to ‘come to God’ simply because you are looking for something (not necessarily someone) to make your life better, or to get it on track.

It’s easy to worship and go to church because you think it’s the right thing to do.

But, God wants to be just as real to us as the people in our lives, and to be treated as such.

You spend quality time with the people you love. You communicate with the people you love (communication is talking and listening). You sacrifice for the people you love. You give to the people you love without expecting nothing but love in return. You give your life for the people you love…You would die for the people you love!

So, family of God! Take a moment and look at your relationship with God to make sure that it’s just that…relationship. Here’s a quick relationship counseling session for your marriage with God.

Isaiah 54:5 (NKJV)

⁵ For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.

ALLOW YOUR FAITH TO BE PROVEN THROUGH BEING CHALLENGED

No relationship is proven until it’s challenged. No marriage. No friendship…None. When a real rival or threat challenges a relationship, love is proven. Sometimes that love may be denied or even betrayed, but if it survives the challenge, then it’s proven. So it goes with our faith. Our faith will be challenged. Sometimes you may doubt God’s Word. Sometimes you may wonder if He’s really there. Sometimes you may entertain other religions, but if your faith in God is strong enough, if you really believe His word is truth. If you really WANT to love Him, your faith will sustain and grow. Remember, when we present Christ to someone of another faith, we challenging their faith.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)

⁵ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

MAKE SURE THAT READING GOD’S WORD ISN’T REDUCED TO A RITUALISTIC VERSE OF THE DAY

There’s nothing wrong with reading a verse of the day if you will truly meditate on it and incorporate it into your thinking…into your life. But, if you read a verse of the day simply because you think it impresses God, that you think it’s going to make your day magically go well, or you’re afraid something will go wrong if you don’t – it’s been reduced to ritual and superstition. Read a verse of the day, but never neglect not just reading, but studying God’s Word, so you can grow.

1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV)

² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,^[a]

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

¹⁵ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

DON’T JUST GIVE SO YOU CAN BE BLESSED

Don’t allow the promise of giving to become a stumbling block to you…

Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

It’s easy to allow your giving to be driven by wanting a blessing to be poured out that you don’t have room to receive. But, the true purpose of giving is so that needs can be met, ministry can go forward, and prayers can be confirmed. We should give out of genuine love for God, His people, His Kingdom and people in general How many times have you heard this scripture preached or taught…

Luke 6:35 (NKJV)

³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, HOPING FOR NOTHING IN RETURN; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

It’s easy to allow giving to be reduced to a good luck charm or no different from any of your other ‘bills’. People don’t pay their car payment or mortgage because they love the finance company or bank. People don’t pay their utility bill because they love the utility company. They do it because they want to keep their car, their house…to keep their lights on. Don’t just give because you don’t want God to ‘cut off’ your blessings. Examine your true motives and intentions as to why you give.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (NKJV)

⁶ But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”^[a]

¹⁰ Now may^[b] He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, ¹¹ while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. ¹² For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, ¹³ while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, ¹⁴ and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

WITNESS TO SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A BELIEVER

Many of us witness and testify of God’s goodness to our friends, family, church family and other Christians…and that’s good. But, intentionally witnessing to someone who doesn’t believe is a good exercise in making sure your relationship with God is real. Witnessing to unbelievers makes us vulnerable. It puts us at risk of rejection, insults, ridicule and sometimes harm. But, you don’t make yourself vulnerable to that level for someone who isn’t real, someone you don’t love, or someone with whom your relationship isn’t important. Remember we are ambassadors for Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV)

²⁰ 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.

ALLOW SOME THINGS TO BE BETWEEN JUST YOU AND GOD

Have you ever had an issue, problem or situation and just needed to talk to someone? It’s good to be able to talk to people, but sometimes we have to let some situations be between us and God. We sometimes say we ‘take our burdens to God and leave them there’, but may not feel real peace until we have talked to a ‘real person’. Make up in your mind that you will trust some situations ONLY to God. Pray about it, know He heard you and then feel confident that He is going to work it out to your good.

Let God be real to you! Make sure your relationship with Him is as real as any others in your life. Don’t let worshiping Him become ‘going through the motions’.

Don’t let God be your GOD luck charm.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

This is not scientific or philosophical, but it is God breathed. And, there is some degree of randomness as it is for the most part stream of consciousness…

More and more people are falling into modern, popular culture pantheism. They are replacing God with ‘The Universe’.

“The universe will bring it to you.”

“The universe is on your side.”

“The universe will judge you.”

“The universe has heard you”

“The universe sees you”.

This doctrine is straight from the devil (who loves the fact that many don’t believe he exists).

In short, rather than acknowledging the one true, living and sovereign God, these people say everything is determined by the natural laws and natural order establishes and ‘maintained’ by ‘the universe’.

And, there are some who try to actually give the universe ‘consciousness’. However, they don’t even imply that God is the universe, but that the universe is God.

GOD IS NOT THE UNIVERSE, NOR VICE VERSA.

God created the universe..

Hebrews 11:3  (NKJV)

³ By faith we understand that the ^[a]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Even Hebrews Chapter 3 says, “the worlds were framed”.

God is an eternal, invisible Spirit. Quite frankly, He is not an ‘old, bearded, grey-headed white dude’.

Colossians 1:15  (NKJV)

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

John 4:24  (NKJV)

²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Romans 1:20  (NKJV)

²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and ^[a]Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Science contends that the universe had a beginning. God had no beginning. Yes the bible says, “In the beginning” for our benefit to reference when God began His relationship with our perception of reality and man, but an eternal God needed no beginning. It that was so, what happened before the beginning.

If the universe had to have a ‘beginning’, by what or whom did it begin?

The universe is not alive.

The universe doesn’t have a will.

Here’s the problem, science and our ability to learn and draw conclusions from what we learn is only as good as our ability to understand.

Even the brightest human minds are incapable of understanding the infinite deep knowledge of God, or even the universe.

In fact, I define science as our attempt to give a physical explanation to the spiritual.

Think about this, God is has not beginning and has no end. He cannot be created or destroyed. Sounds a lot like the Law of Thermodynamics…

This law states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed,

but can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. sounds a lot like God doesn’t it?

Science looks for planets similar to earth that can sustain life, but God can create and sustain life that can live in -200 degrees below zero and breath methane gas if He so desired.

Science, philosophy and all this world’s knowledge will never be able to understand the mysteries of the universe, and definitely will never understand the wisdom of God…

Isaiah 55:8-9  (NKJV)

⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts

People think there is no God because they feel earth is too small relative to the entire universe. But, if God chose to have life on a million planets, that would still be small relative to the entire universe. The fact is that ten million light years away, God is still God.

And, just as you can’t see the internet, but can be ‘on’ the internet in your Tennessee, while millions of others are on the internet all around the world, while someone else is on the internet in space, God can be everywhere at the same time.

I’m saying all that to say this. God is alive and He is bigger than the universe. It takes just as much faith to believe in ‘the universe’ as it does to believe in God.

Just open your heart and believe.

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 (NKJV)

²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ²⁶ For ^[a]you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many ^[b]noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the ^[c]base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Are you one of those people who tries to be strong for everyone? Are you the type of person who doesn’t even give yourself the opportunity to ‘absorb the blow’ of the daily shocks, challenges, and tragedies of life because you are trying to be strong for everyone around you?

I just want to give you a little reminder that it’s okay to temporarily…

Fall apart…

Loose it…

Break down…

Be ‘in your feelings’.

Are you stronger that Yeshua (Jesus Christ?)…

Matthew 26:37-39 (NKJV)

³⁷ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. ³⁸ Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

³⁹ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

The Lord was about to fulfill His purpose and endure shame, humiliation, and excruciating pain until death…

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)

² looking unto Jesus, the ^[a]author and ^[b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Notice that Jesus didn’t try to hide His aguish from the disciples who were closest to Him, but He told them, ““My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Sometimes you can’t continue to face your challenges until you give yourself an opportunity to break down, cry and even even ask God why…

Psalm 13 (NKJV)

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.

When you read the Psalms of Lament, such as Psalm 13, God allows us to have our human moments and even ask Him, “Why?” and “How long?”, but we must always pull ourselves together and reaffirm our trust in Him.

So, go ahead cry. It doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you’re wise.

WHEN NO ONE SEES YOU CRY…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Anyone who believes in God has been asked these questions.

Most if not all believers, if they are willing to admit it to themselves, have asked some of these questions.

Not only are there some difficult things to understand in the Bible, but there are things God does today that are difficult to explain.

Why does God allow babies and children to suffer with terminal illnesses?

Why does the bible not explicitly forbid slavery?

Why does God allow abusive parents to have children, while others who would be loving, nurturing parents to go childless?

Why does God allow some people to be healed but other people, some we would even call ‘good’ people, to not be healed?

Luke 4:27 (NKJV)

²⁷ And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

There are countless questions that atheists and some believers ask concerning God, either arrogantly or anxiously waiting for answers.

God gave us the example through the Psalms that He will allow us to question Him in humility, as long as we continue to trust Him…

Psalm 13:1-2 (NKJV)

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.

If you’re like me, sometimes you feel pressured to give a quick and definite answer to ‘defend’ God. Sometimes you want a definite answer to satisfy yourself. 

But the truth is that some things we simply don’t know.

That means sometimes the best answer is…

I DON’T KNOW!

Even those who depend on science to shape their beliefs have to admit that with all of our advances in science and medicine, there is still more that’s unknown than is known.

Scientists still have to sometimes say…

I DON’T KNOW!

Doctors have to sometimes admit…

I DON’T KNOW!

There are times that after a deadly diagnoses that the illness sometimes disappears and the physician has to admit…

I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!

So, no one should really scoff when a believer says they simply don’t know.

The fact is, there is great peace in admitting that even though you don’t know…you still trust God. He has told us that there are things that will be beyond are human minds, and even science helps prove that. There is much in science well beyond the reach of scientific knowledge.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Don’t deny yourself the blessing and peace of simply saying…”I DON’T KNOW!”

Psalm 131:1 (NKJV)

Lord, my heart is not ^[a]haughty,
Nor my eyes ^[b]lofty.
Neither do I ^[c]concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too ^[d]profound for me.

Admitting that you don’t know doesn’t confirm God isn’t God, it just confirms that we are human.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

It’s okay to want things done the way you think to be correct. It’s okay to be particular…to be a perfectionist…it’s okay to be detailed.

It’s okay to provide constructive criticism, but it’s not okay to be petty or hypocritical.

It’s not okay to hold people to a higher standard that you hold yourself.

It’s okay to try to maintain control in your life, but not everyone else’s.

Remember how Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. Read the entire chapter for context, but check out this verse…

Matthew 23:4 (NKJV)

For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Jesus rebuked them for being ‘nitpicky’ and overly critical hypocrites. They were obsessive about criticizing others and expressing their expectations while not holding themselves to the same standard.

People are much more willing to hear what we have to say if we aren’t nitpicky over every little detail in regard to them. We can get to the point to where people won’t even listen to us when we are right.

People not only will avoid your good advice. They will avoid you.

People will view you as obnoxious, nasty, and overly opinionated…even those closest to you.

The term for this obsession, derived from Freudian psychoanalysis, is referred to as anal-retentiveness, or simply ‘anal’.

Don’t be so ‘anal’ that you become an a**

Remember what the Apostle Paul said…

Romans 12:18 (NKJV)

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

People who love one another don’t always see eye to eye. There are times that those closest to you won’t agree with you, what you are doing, the way you think, you decisions or your ambitions, goals and vision.

There may even be seasons when those who are in your inner-circle will seem to turn against you. Their comments and actions may be out-right mean, vicious, and humiliating. They may make you feel totally alone. Sometimes it’s you who makes someone closest to you feel you are turning on them.

What do we do when this happens? Look at what David did before he became king…

1 Samuel 30:1-6 (NKJV)

Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, ² and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. ³ So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ⁵ And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. ⁶ Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was ^[a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

David’s men, who had proven to be loyal to him, were so distraught over their families being kidnapped that they talked among themselves about killing him. As you know this happened to Moses more than once.

David was understandably very distressed and felt totally alone. Questioning himself… Blaming himself… Disturbed about the welfare of his family as well.

But what did he do?

“BUT DAVID STRENGTHENED HIMSELF IN THE LORD GOD.”

After comforting himself and inquiring of God, David and his men went has rescued their families and not one person was lost.

Even though those closest to us may not want to stone us to death, they can resist us and say and do things that hurt us to our very souls. What do we do when that happens?

Here are a few suggestions…

1. ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE WORD OF GOD…

This account of King David is only one of many in the Bible of when those who were chosen by God received resistance from those closest to them. Read the Bible with fresh eyes noticing how many times the children of Israel turned on Moses in the wilderness. Notice how instead of comforting him, Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. Notice how David’s wife despised him for his public act of praise over he return of the Ark of the Covenant. Take note of the fact the Yeshua’s (Jesus) half brothers did not believe in Him before He went to the cross, and sarcastically berated Him…

John 7:4-5 (NKJV)

⁴ For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” ⁵ For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

2. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT IN TRUTH THEY MAY HAVE SAID ABOUT YOU…

Even though it hurt, sometimes some of what your ‘rebellious’ loved ones says may be true. God may be using them to give you some painful truth about yourself that you may have not recognized or accepted. God may be using them to help you make necessary changes to fulfill His purpose for your life. Sometimes God uses those close to us to show us His ‘tough love;.

3. PRAY AND ASK GOD TO FORGIVE THEM FOR ANY THING THEY SAID OR DID TO HURT YOU…

Sometimes your loved one’s can say and do some things in their ‘flesh’ and in their anger that you can allow to become a wall in your relationships. They can say and do some things so painful that you can begin to hold grudges. You must ask God to forgive them for their harsh comments and actions even if they haven’t yes asked for forgiveness. Remember, God forgives us based on how we forgive those who have sinned against us. And, as stated above, God could’ve been using them to hold us accountable. YOU CAN FORGIVE ANYTHING…TODAY! #FORGIVENESS

HOW TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT AN APOLOGY ( 8 TIPS)…

4. ADJUST YOUR THINKING, ATTITUDE, VISION, GOALS, PATH, STRATEGY, TACTICS BASED ON WHAT YOU LEARNED…

After consulting God’s word and considering what those close to you said or did, be honest with yourself and make the necessary adjustments. Does your attitude need changing? Are there changes you need to make in how you think or do things? Have you been listening to God and praying before you act, or going out on your own? Have you prioritizing your will or someone else’s will over God’s will? Learn and grow through the painful experience.

5. MAKE SURE YOU AREN’T THE ANTAGONIST IN SOMEONE’S LIFE…

Remember when Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me Satan?” (Matthew 16:23). Peter meant no harm, but at that time the enemy was using him against Jesus. One of the enemy’s favorite strategies is using loved ones against one another. Make sure that the enemy isn’t using you against someone close to you in your life.

WHEN THE DEVIL USES US AGAINST OUR LOVED ONES…

There will always be ‘dark’ seasons in our relationships. But when those seasons arise, we have the responsibility to be the LIGHT. It isn’t always easy, but it is possible.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

If you weren’t aware of the allegations against R&B singer/songwriter/musician R. Kelly, then you probably are now after the Lifetime Network documentary, “Surviving R. Kelly” that originally aired a few years ago.

The show went into great detail through interviews to confirm that allegations of sexual abuse, predatory behavior and pedophilia are very serious.

There’s no question that R. Kelly had intimate relationships with many women. He admits that himself. And, it’s no question that his lust for women has gotten him in trouble. His problem is that many of these women have been underage. He’s accused of summoning women to his ‘palace’ and abusing his power to influence them and take advantage of them. Some of the women’s families have accused him of brainwashing their daughters. The women interviewed stated that R. Kelly abused his ‘power’ and influence to control them.

But, there is another man in history who had a love for and quite frankly, lust for many women. The bible lets us know that he was intimate with numerous women. This man was even identified as a man after God’s own heart…King David.

Acts 13:22  (NKJV)

²² And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’

But, even though he was a man after God’s own heart, he wasn’t perfect. None of us are.

King David was also a singer/songwriter/musician.

As he was relaxing on the roof of His palace he saw a woman bathing outside. This woman, Bathsheba, wasn’t only another man’s wife, but she was the wife of a man, Uriah, who was devoted and loyal to David. Uriah was one of the soldiers in his army. David was attracted to her and abused his power as king to summon her to his palace. In fact, David summoned many women to become his wives. I’m sure she felt pressured to please the king, just as many of the women said they felt pressured to please R. Kelly.

After King David was intimate with Bathsheba, she became pregnant and to make a long story short, after the scheming and manipulating to hide the pregnancy didn’t work, he had Uriah killed. He then he took Bathsheba to be his wife.

We see that David and R. Kelly had some things in common,

But there was one big difference in David and R. Kelly.

As of the time that the documentary aired, R. Kelly hadn’t acknowledged or repented of doing anything wrong.

After being confronted with his sin, David repented…

2 Samuel 12:13 (NKJV)

¹³ So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

Psalm 51:4  (NKJV)

⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just ^[a]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

David’s repentance is what confirms he was a man after God’s own heart.

R. Kelly has a huge library of music and some of his songs are even spiritual and sung in churches. However, there are many people today who refuse to listen to R. Kelly’s music anymore. Radio stations all over the world are refusing to play his music. There are those who are demanding to ‘Mute R. Kelly’.  Again, Mr. Kelly has not yet acknowledged or repented of any wrong doing.

We all know that David, under the inspiration of God, wrote most of the Psalms which of course are songs. They teach us how to worship, pray, praise, celebrate and even lament.

If David was living today, even though he repented, there would be many people who would refuse to listen to or sing many of the Psalms. There would be people wanting to ‘Mute David’ because of his serious sins. But, here’s the difference…again, David repented.

Both David and R. Kelly’s sins were revealed and made public.

We all have something in common with both of them…

Everyone of us has had dark moments. Moments of which we are very ashamed.

Our shameful moments maybe not to the extreme of David and R. Kelly, but nevertheless, moments that we don’t want anyone to know about. Take a moment to think about some of the most shameful things you have done (or are still doing) and thank God for allowing them to remain secret.

AREN’T YOU GLAD GOD ALLOWED SOME THINGS IN YOUR LIFE TO REMAIN SECRET?

If you haven’t already stopped that behavior, stop it now and repent, just like King David did.

And remember this, the same forgiveness that was available to King David is available to both R. Kelly and to all of us.

Because just like King David, you can be a man or woman after God’s own heart, too.

I know there will be some people who will be critical of me comparing R. Kelly to David. But, God let’s us know that everything in the bible, especially the Old Testament, was written for our example…

1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ Now ^[a]all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our ^[b]admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

The religious leaders during the time of Yeshua the Messiah’s (Jesus Christ) earthly ministry pretentiously observed and interpreted God’s word through the lens of their self-righteous, self-serving and hypocritical perspective.

They felt they represented what God and wanted from His people. They ‘cherry-picked’ the sins they felt concerned God the most while ignoring and justifying others…

Matthew 23:23 (NIV)

²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

They continued traditions that were in contradiction to God’s word justifying them with their own reasoning…

Matthew 15:3 (NKJV)

³ He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

They condemned sinners without sharing God’s true word, will, love, truth and salvation…

Matthew 9:11-13 (NKJV)

¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with ^(A)tax collectors and ^(B)sinners?” ¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means:^(C)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, ^(D)but sinners, ^[a]to repentance.”

And, they responded with violence to those who opposed them or threatened their influence

Mark 11:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ And ^(A)the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because ^(B)all the people were astonished at His teaching.

However, the Lord was constantly rebuking them.

It’s amazing that so many (but not all) who call themselves or are labeled evangelicals can’t see the parallels. Many ‘Christians’ our preoccupied and prioritize two sins above equal abominations.

There are too many hard hearted, hypocritical people who call themselves evangelicals that are ‘ruining’ the brand of ‘Christianity’.

Besides, Jesus never called us to be Christians anyway. He called us to be disciples.

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)

^{19 (A)}Go ^[a]therefore and ^(B)make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

^{34 (A)}A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ^{35 (B)}By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I hope this doesn’t offend you. That’s not my intention, but if so…why assume that I’m talking about you unless it describes your behavior.

“In Jesus name” is his reputation and character. Notice how many times God says, FOR MY NAME’S SAKE in the bible.

It’s our responsibility to protect the brand!

Psalms 23:3

“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

We must never unintentionally give the devil too much glory or power!

Many people picture the enemy on a throne, ruling all those who are condemned to Hell. That is not the case.

He doesn’t love fire. He doesn’t rule fire, and he will not ‘rule’ Hell.

Hell is his condemnation…

Hell is his punishment…

HELL WILL BE HIS PRISON, NOT HIS KINGDOM!

Hell is his future, along with those who reject God through our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, Christ Jesus.

John 3:36 (NKJV)

³⁶ He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

The enemy doesn’t have the keys to the abyss. He does not control the intensity of the flames. He will not be the ruler of those who share his condemnation. He will be stripped of all power that was granted to him for a season.

Matthew 25:41  (NKJV)

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

 John 12:31  (NKJV)

³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

 Romans 16:20  (NKJV)

²⁰ And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

 Revelation 20:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where^[a] the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The enemy isn’t omniscient…omnipotent…or omnipresent, and he’s definitely not eternal. Best of all we have power over the enemy through our risen Savior…

John 4:3-4  (NKJV)

³ and every spirit that does not confess that^[a] Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

James 4:7 (NKJV)

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

Revelation 12:10-11  (NKJV)

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. ¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

There are more scriptures that speak of the enemy’s imminent defeat, and in all of them…he is powerless.

Remember, the devil didn’t set the fire in Hell, nor will he fan the flames…he won’t have to. God is in control.

Matthew 25:41  (NKJV)

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

Now, I know there are many people who don’t believe in Hell. This isn’t for you, but for those of you who do.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

When you think about it dysfunction is the norm. There’s no perfect marriage, family, relationship. There will always be issues on your job and in your career. There will always be selfishness, dishonesty and favoritism is local, state, national, business and even church politics.

Look at the people in the bible. Every person that God used was far from perfect. Every family featured in the bible was dysfunctional.

God has always carried out His perfect will through imperfect people.

But, the dysfunction around you doesn’t prevent you from changing your world, today.

How?

If no one else changes but you, your world and the world around you will charge.

A more accountable you.

A more loving you.

A more joyful you.

A more peaceful you.

A more patient you.

A more kind you.

A more kind.

A more faithful you.

A more gentle you.

A more controlled you.

A more disciplined you.

Sometimes a more medicated you.

A more ________________ you. (You know how you need to change).

A better you will make the world around you better.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

A new you!

Colossians 3:9-10 (NKJV)

⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

BE BLESSTIFIED!