We have a new President. Yet, we have the same God...

Today marks the inauguration of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America. Today also marks a day in which many people are exposed for who they really are...

As I often say, "Anyone can be a Christian (Christ like) when it is easy. Yet our faithfulness is proven in the times when we do not get our way, the times when we face adversity, when tempers flair...when it is NOT easy!"

I wish I could say I was amazed at the number of people who abandon their character and moreover, their commitment to godliness when it comes to politics, but lets face it. People often times just suck! It is in moments like this where we have the opportunity to identify the few (very few) who actually hold true to biblical character. Naturally there will be people stating scripture and giving opinion on what they believe is "so bad" about Donald Trump. Meanwhile, they completely disregard the fact that everything about them is equally as bad. Of course to them its not (because we all think we are good), but to God it is. To God we all fail. We all fall short and Jesus is the only reason we have grace, forgiveness, and worth! It reminds me of a wonderful scripture found in the 7th chapter of Matthew:

"First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye."

Suffice it to say, we are not in any position to judge another man. Especially when God's will is that he be our leader! Wait, did I just say God's will is for Donald Trump to be president? Yup, sure did! and regardless of how you feel about his character, I can assure you God knows WAY more about Mr. Trump than you ever could! 

So Check it...

This may not be our preferred president. Heck, he likely wasn't your preferred candidate! But that doesn’t mean it may not be God’s candidate... in order to accomplish something much greater that we don’t see (and maybe never will)...It is possible that we may look back in a few years and say, ‘Wow, he really did some things that none of us expected.’ It is possible that what this nation needs is someone like him in the office of the President so that we can get to where we need to go as a nation. Remember this:

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28

Does that include you? Do you love God? If so, then this is a presidency designed to work together for YOUR good

with that being said, I am a whole lot more open to the fact that God may have something going here that is much bigger than what we think or see. Our job is to trust God. Trust HIS process and surrender our need to understand it...God said Donald Trump is our president. God's will is better than ours! Therefore, We are in the best possible hands under this presidency. No matter how good any other man may be morally or according to our standard, NO ONE is better suited than the Man God put there. Period!

For those who struggle to forgive a man you don't even truly know...

Remember we are called to BLESS those that curse us and pray for our enemies...so if death and life are in the power in the tongue (like scripture says) then I KNOW the people of God will ultimately speak life to and about Donald Trump and not death. I know that the Holy Spirit will convict us to the point of obedience and our prayers will lead to the success of our nations leader! Again, I know the heart of Christian belongs to God and that we will pray for his success and his obedience to the King of Kings!

This post doesnt make me pro Trump.... I am pro Holy Spirit! God showed me long ago he would be our next president and that I should speak life, pray and uphold God's will over my own and over yours! Therefore I have remained committed to what God's word instructs. I love him. I love his people. I do his work. I seek his will. 

Psalm 37:23 says "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way."

I delight in this very place we are now. I am excited to see greater trials and more difficult tests strengthen our faithfulness.

May we all submit our ways unto God and speak life at all times. May our light shine brightly and our hearts be filled with Joy. May we love our God and love our neighbor as ourselves.

-Terrance Aye

Worry and anger

Today I want to talk about worry.  A friend of mine was struggling with worry and having trouble sleeping.  I tried to give him some peace, and it made me reflect upon my own life. The more work you do for the kingdom, the more the enemy is going to fight against you. My experience lately is that if Satan isn't finding a crack in my foundation to get in, he starts picking away at me through my relationships with other people. Things get taken out of context and people make mountains out of mole hills. Just try not to get caught up in the moment, you are in control of your emotions and how you react to every situation. Love will always win, if you let it.

This is especially true with me currently.  I'm learning to control my anger.  I understand and deal with big issues, but when little things get blown way out of proportion I can get angry very quickly.  This is my biggest conviction and I'm working on showing love even when not given.  I'm starting to take a moment, and give a quick prayer for peace for them and myself.  I wonder what has gone on in their life today to make them so angry at something so little.  There is always going to be a battle to be fought, choose your words and actions with a calm mind.  Quick, angry decisions are almost never the right ones.  It only takes a moment to ground yourself and make a better choice.  Do not blame your anger for your own wrong doings, no matter the reason for any of your actions, they are still your actions.  You can not take back the steps that got you to your current location, but every morning you choose which direction you're going to walk. 

-Adam

Hidden Issues

Too many times, we preach to behaviors instead of addressing the root. Many of us are guilty of trying to project what we believe people expect of us instead of looking at who we are underneath the layers of influence and camouflage. When we fail to grant God access to our inner self, we limit what He will do in our lives. We hope this message blesses you as much as it did us! 

Giving your burdens to the Lord.

   A lady at church Wednesday (Jennifer, she’s awesome) gave this great delivery of the word and I think it’s too good not to share.   This take a little audience participation so you’ll have to work with me here.  Imagine I give you a piece of paper or two to write down what is currently getting you down.  What dwells in your mind or heart, what is bothering you, stressing you, depressing you?  These things take up a lot of your time, you dwell on them every day. Take a minute and think about it.

   Got one or two?  Good. Now hand me your piece of paper.  Now I have a stack of papers that people need help with.  Can you give me your paper?  No, you already gave it to me and you don’t have it anymore.  Now you can still walk around with your fist clenched like you’re holding it, but you don’t have it any longer.  This is what you do when you give your problems to the Lord.  He can fix them, but you have to give them to Him.  Once you give them to Him, you’re free.  You don’t have to walk around with that burden, you don’t have to let it hinder your life any longer.  Now a lot of people do, and they let it stop them from doing things that could potentially better their situation.  All because they’re walking around thinking they’re carrying this burden that isn’t even there.  The only way you have it to carry again is if you take it back from God.

   Imagine I have a stack of problems and I’m going through and fixing them.  If you come up and take yours out of the stack before I get to fixing it, then it’s yours to carry again and I can’t fix it because I don’t have it.  Once you give your problems to the Lord, let him take care of it for you.  Don’t take it back, you can’t handle it better than He can.  If you could, it wouldn’t be a burden on you.  He is faithful, give it to him and trust in him.  Once you do this, and really give it to Him and stop being prideful and thinking you can handle it better or faster than He can, you’ll feel His peace because you no longer carry that burden.  Let Him fight your battles for you, he is all powerful. 

  Once you let go of your burdens, you’re free to go out and be His hands and feet.  You’ll be renewed and able to go out and spread the word of the kingdom.  Nowhere in the bible does it say that God only gives you what you can handle.  It does say that you can look to Him when you are in need.   God isn’t the one giving your problems and burdens, that’s the work of the enemy trying to bring you down.  If you give them to God, the enemy will never win with you.  That fight has already been won.

   I challenge you to do this exercise.  Think about what is burdening you, give it to the Lord and pray.

-Adam

Choices and change.

   Today I want to talk to you about how some people live their lives.  Our culture today is so tolerant of sin of any kind it’s sickening, yet most of us aren’t trying to fix the problem.  We’re trying to save souls, we’re trying to bring people to Christ, but we aren’t confronting their demons.  There are plenty of people that go to church every Sunday and put on a front that they’re Christian and everything is great, but they don’t live a Christian lifestyle.  We need to practice what we preach.  Everyone will stumble, but it’s how you react that makes the difference.  Repenting for your sins doesn’t work if you continue to do the same sins.  When you repent, you must change your thought process and change your behavior.  Jesus died for our sins and wants us to be saved, but you have to want it.  He’s already done everything he could, the rest is up to us.

   Then there are people that are so accustomed to sin that they believe it’s part of who they are.  They say they were born that way or they can’t change it.  What if your brother was addicted to heroin?  He was convinced that it is part of his life and he can’t live without it.  Would you say that’s just who he is and leave him be?  No, you would tell him that he isn’t well and do everything you could to save his life.  Why won’t we do this for Christ?  We need to show them that they need healed so we can save their life, so they can have eternal life.  We need to treat this like their lives depend on it, because they do.  Their lives literally depend on it.

   Does this apply to you?  Are you struggling with demons that have been around so long that you just accept them as part of life?  God doesn’t want to watch you struggle, but you have to do something about it.  Make the choice and make a change.  You are worth it.

-Adam

What are you looking at?

¨A cave-dwelling fish with no eyes and no scales has been discovered on a tiny island in Vietnam's scenic Ha Long Bay, according to conservation group Fauna & Flora International. Its lack of eyes and scales are actually common adaptations for animals that have evolved in the darkness of deep limestone caverns. Like other cave fish, D. narinosus is limited to a life in freshwater, which means it is likely confined to a system of subterranean caves on Van Gio Island, unable to swim out into the surrounding sea.¨ (www.livescience.com/25175-new-eyeless-scaleless-cave-fish-found.html)

I have heard many times people say that they used to be saved or used to go to church. In the majority of these cases, the so-called former-Christian has multiple reasons that he or she uses to explain or justify why his or her belief isn't the same. Although the reasons are often different and almost always circumstantial, it made me wonder, ¨What happens to a person after they have been out of fellowship with God for an extended period of time?¨ The answer may surprise you.

The snippet from the article (above) describes the adaptive condition of a fish that has lived in a light-less environment for such an extended period of time that its eyes have actually disappeared. Because there has been no use for vision due to the lack of light, its eyes had become obsolete. This is eerily similar to what happens to believers who don't fellowship with God. The discernment, guidance, and wisdom that can only be produced by the development of a believer through the Holy Spirit, by spending time God's presence becomes obsolete when a believer is out of fellowship with God.

Think of it this way; why would a computer need to use valuable RAM space for functions that it no longer utilizes? Computers automatically dump some files that take up space for other files that are deemed more important. However, in theory, if the files are system files, this could negatively affect the performance of the computer in some ways. By the same token, when we don't spend time with God, sin will inevitably creep in and, as a result, our understanding and ultimately our lifestyle will be affected.

Have you ever noticed that when you sin (trust me, you do), things tend to upset you quicker? Your husband's annoying habits become more annoying. Your best friend's personality becomes a lot more difficult to deal with. Your parents' nagging pushes you further than it used to. All these factors are impossible to deal with in a way that pleases God if you are lacking the tools that God has provided you with. What's more disturbing is that your entire view of God is shifted. You haven't been exercising faith, so faith seems to become less important. You haven't been faithful to God in serving Him, so serving Him makes less sense. You have been putting yourself first, so sacrifice becomes less logical.

A former believer that has fallen out of fellowship with God absolutely lacks the capacity to handle the load of a true believer. A person in this state tends to compromise for pleasure and make excuses for sin, instead of recognizing the trespasses, praying for grace, and seeking God for direction. When a person is found to be in this place, the only option is to stop and turn around.

I have been emphasizing the importance of spending time with God, but what does that really mean? The first thing that one must realize is that time spent with God is not something that happens by chance, but rather, it is the result of an intentional act by way of sincerity, discipline, and humility.

“We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.” R.A. Torrey

Don't allow life's obstacles and distractions to divert your attention away from what matters the most. Our time spent with God prepares us for the journey, giving us awareness of what lies ahead in our path.

“If God doesn’t want something for me, I shouldn’t want it either. Spending time in meditative prayer, getting to know God, helps align my desires with God’s.”  Phillips Brooks

Taking time to pray expresses your trust in God's plan for your life. This is enveloped within the understanding that God has an incredible purpose for placing you where you are at any given time. There is never a need to worry about your future to the point that you deviate from the course that God has designed. Instead, prayer will give you comfort that God has considered all things and is bringing all things into alignment in a way that only He can.

“Spending time with God puts everything else in perspective.”

When items toward the visual horizon are far, they seem small. When those same items are nearer, they seem larger. Although the items never change in size or volume, their position affects how we see them. Simply put, when we spend time with God and we position ourselves near to Him, everything else shrinks. When we neglect spending time with God, our perspective is altered and we don't see things the way that we should.

To close, I will pray this prayer: ¨I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people¨ - Ephesians 1:18

...while you pray this prayer: ¨Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.¨ Psalm 119:18

Seeing Rejection As Redirection

They say to write about what you know, but this is a topic that I'm not too thrilled to be familiar with.

Rejection.

Ugh. I mean even the word is ugly. We've all experienced it in our lives at one point or another. It comes with many different faces and in many different forms. Whether it be from a significant other, friend, family member, job, etc. Its painful, its scarring and its messy. If we're not careful we can allow it to turn us into a person that we are not.

In my own personal life I've experienced it more times than I can count. I've been rejected from jobs that I thought I was qualified for, family has left me, I've given my all to guys that just sent up the peace sign, and "best friends forever" have just turned into those Facebook friends that pop up every now and again. In the past I've allowed it to make me question if I'm good enough, pretty enough, funny enough, smart enough and made me examine every part of who I am and what I have to offer.

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lords purpose that prevails."
-Proverbs 19:21

Have you ever heard that saying that says "Rejection is Gods protection"? It may sound cheesy and cliché, but, my friends, it is oh so true. Looking back on those situations in my life I'm so thankful that the Lords hand was on my heart and protected me from what I THOUGHT I wanted. His thoughts are not our thought and His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8) He sees things that we cannot see and experiencing some rejection right now is much easier than experiencing destruction later. Allow the Lord to calm your heart and lean on Him in those times all the more.

Who you are is not found in the job you have, the numbers you have in your contact list, who you have on your arm or how much money you have in your bank. You are the child of a King. Point blank period. His plans for you are far greater than you can fathom. So next time you experience a "no" just say "Thanks Jesus. I know that's you nudging me in another direction."

You are loved. You are cherished. You are valued. He wants the best for you.


Be blessed.
Love you all.
-Nikki

God´s Instructions

It has been said that one of the most damaging experiences for a person is loneliness. We can classify loneliness as an emotion, because it can be totally based on feelings. For example, a person can be surrounded by a group of people and still feel alone. Although the person is not physically alone, he or she may feel separated from those nearby. Imagine being in solitary confinement. You are completely isolated from the general population and have no contact with other people. Darkness is all around and no one is able to come to your aid. As if it was not enough to be imprisoned against your will, now you have been stripped of all things that you deem valuable, almost to the point of being malnourished and becoming deranged. This is depression. It cannot be categorized by any single feeling. It is not delegated to any particular type of person. It can only described as a feeling of extreme loneliness or even solitary confinement.

In the twelfth chapter of Book of Acts of the Apostles the Apostle Peter was imprisoned for being a witness for Christ. This happened right after James (brother of John) was killed for the same reason. There was no logical reason behind the actions of those who headed the campaign to attack the church, other than to ‘please the people’. The story goes that as Peter was imprisoned and as the church prayed with intensity and faith for his rescue from a certain death, the Lord sent an angel to free him from bondage and bring him home again. But what happened in between?

Consider Peter’s predicament. His good friend had just been murdered, shocking the church. He was then dragged to death row to await his execution. He was all alone. Look at your own life experiences; you either have been or are now at the same place that Peter was - a victim of circumstances, hurting, and feeling all alone. But as we recall the story, we remember that Peter was not really on his own. The Lord sent an angel to facilitate his rescue. Think about it. Peter did nothing to aid his own escape, except follow directions. This communicates to us that 1. We are not really all alone and 2. We must depend completely on the Lord.

In 2 Corinthians 1:9, Paul tells how his circumstances caused him to lean totally on God. He says that it had gotten so bad that he and those with him “...expected to die…” How bad can it be for a person to expect to die? Pretty bad, right? But God masterfully weaves His sovereignty in the situation by delivering His people when all is seemingly lost. This means that it was in His plans for it to happen the way it happened all along. The key for Paul was to recognize that the ability to save was not in him, but rather in Christ.

In either case, whether it be Paul, who expected to die or Peter, who was scheduled to die, the theme is set as completely surrendering and leaning on Christ. Sometimes the circumstances that make us feel alone or imprisoned can be things like addiction, anxiety, or stress. What if I told you that God purposely allowed you to come across these things in order to teach you to depend on Him? As 1 Peter 1:6-7 reminds us, we are tried and refined by fire. Your addiction is not present in your life to kill you, but instead, by leaning on God completely and following His directions, it will refine your faith in Christ. Nothing is more comforting than the fact that as we walk this journey with God, we are securely guided by His word and His life. He is an all-sufficient God and He loves us enough to bare with us in our disobedience and thick-headed mistakes.

You may feel like you are in a place that is seemingly constructed of the bad decisions that you have made in life or you may feel like you are in a pit, dug by those who hope to kill you. God has something to say about your light and your life. He is ready and willing to rescue you from those things that seek your destruction. 1 John 5:14-15 guarantees that God hears our prayers and will respond by giving us the deliverance that we are looking for. Our only responsibility is to lean and depend completely on Jesus and follow His instruction. What is His instruction? “Take up your cross, follow Me, deny yourself…” (Matt 16:24, Mk 8:34, Luke 9:23)

Hope In The Unknown

Today I have some good news and some bad news for you:

Pain is real. Heartbreak is real. Sadness is real. Poverty is real. War is real. Backstabbing is real. Loneliness is real. Failure is real. Death is real.

BUT..... So is hope. Hope is real. 

"What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later."
-Romans 8:18

I lost my 18 year old brother a little over 2 years ago in a way that no one should ever have to lose a family member. I can still remember the feeling I had when my dad called me after work and told me to pull my car over because he had something he needed to tell me. My whole world changed that day. October 24, 2013 is a day that is forever engrained in my head and in my heart. That is the day that I found out what real hope is. 

In the days after, leading up to his funeral, I felt a pain that I have never felt in my life, but I also felt this weird sense of peace that I kept telling myself was delusion because "it hadn't set in yet". Today I know that's not what it was. People who saw me that week kept telling and asking me things like "You seem so at peace.", "How are you smiling right now?", "Why aren't you a total mess?"

I have two words for that: Jesus & Hope.

Jesus IS hope, my friends. He is the author and creator of hope and He longs to love on you and hold you through the battles of this life. You weren't put on this earth to fight alone. You have a Saviour that literally longs to fight FOR you. He wants you to rest in Him. To rest in His goodness and faithfulness.

Today, I have used the tragedy of losing my brother to minister to so many people that have gone through what I have or have gone through what he did in the years before he died. The Lord gives purpose for pain. He brings healing in times of not understanding why bad things happen. I challenge you to trust Him and have hope in Him. He has never failed me. Not once in my 23 years of living on this planet.

Trust him in pain. Trust him in the sadness, in your failed relationships, unemployment, in the strife of life, when friends betray you, when your heart is broken, when you're rejected...... Have hope in the unknown.

 Jesus/Hope changes everything.

" We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure...."
-Hebrews 6:19

Love you all.
-Nikki 

 

How Do You Minister To Those Living In the Homosexual Lifestyle?

One of our favorite teachers of today here at WeLivePure, Francis Chan, breaks down a really taboo subject that a lot of us seem to avoid these days. Listen to him explain it with such grace yet complete boldness.
 

“If you disagree with God on an issue, would you still submit to him? I really believe that’s the core issue here.”

Love you all. 
-Nikki

Sometimes I cry...

Sometimes I cry…

When no one is watching,

Cold and alone, the air becomes heavy and graceless,

The pain devours me like a fire engulfing an abandoned building,

Flashes of lightning burst across my sky,

Sometimes I cry…

When no one is near,

Fear and all consuming guilt rage inside my heart,

The thrashing of sorrow plays boisterously,

whispering lies into my ear,

Sometimes I cry…

When surrounded by crowds,

Swallowed up by the company of strangers who know me,

Following the footsteps of familiar shadowy figures,

Covered by billowing, blackened, smokey clouds,

Sometimes I cry…

In the presence of the King,

He shares my burdens and brings a refreshing song,

Healing my wounds and diseases, treating my sores,

Granting me access the ever fleeting, yet eternal peace

“Come, let us return to the Lord . He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the Lord ! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”

Hosea 6:1-3 NLT

Life is filled with many ups, downs, and unexpected turns. At times, it can feel like life itself is unpredictable. Unanswered questions and unresolved issues can hinder us as we try to find our way on the road of life. Have you ever felt like giving up? Has it ever felt like every turn of life was more unbearable than the last? As you read this, I challenge you to change your perspective about the issues in your life. Believe it or not, you didn't create the problems that are present in your life all by yourself. Negative thoughts and degrading self images are your biggest opponent because they directly object the word of God. God has amazing plans for your life and the only thing that can stop or slow them down is your refusal to believe it. Stop whatever you're doing right now and pray to God for His will to be done in your life. This means that all of your deficiencies are planned for. All of your flaws are covered. It is in God's plan for your future for your addiction to be broken, for your hurts to be healed, and for your unresolved issued to be addressed and corrected. Make a decision to believe God right now and witness His faithfulness!


-SiccsFo

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Why does God allow suffering?

I have been in a tough spot this past week.  My six year old son had surgery on his hips and has been in quite a bit of pain every day.  He has a cast on both legs so he cannot roll over or anything.  It’s stressful on myself and my wife because he is nonverbal so he can’t tell us what hurts or how we can help him.  I think it’s the unknowing that makes it worse.  This then drives a wedge between my wife and I because we are on edge.  Luckily we know God is bigger and we talk to each other (she’s better at this than I, that’s one of the things I’m working on).  

That begs the question, why does God allow us to suffer?  We suffer because of sin.  I also believe that suffering brings us to Christ.  We turn to Him when we are in need.  He has always been faithful to me and has always prevailed.  

1 Peter 1:6-7 says “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ”

The struggle is real though, I still get angry sometimes.  I. Get. Angry.  Very angry, very quickly.  I struggle with this from time to time in stressful situations.  It is usually fleeting, but strong none the less.  I’m never angry at God, but I do get angry at the situation and have to be reminded that this too will pass and God is good.  I think God is trying to get me back to the patience that I had before, and I’m working on it.

If you take a look at Job 42:5, he says “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.”  Job endured much suffering, but it brought him an intimacy with the Lord.

I also believe that suffering and healing will help me in my journey to minister to people in their time of suffering.  I can walk alongside them since I have been on this journey before.If you are suffering, reach out to God.  Tell him you love him, tell him of your pain, and ask for healing.  Just know that this triall will pass, and you will be closer to Him because of it.

-Adam

Expect For the Unexpectant

Often times we feel as if people need to have the right intentions or the right expectations in order for God to move on their lives. Well Acts 3 gives us reason to believe this is not the case.

We can believe FOR and expect FOR others...just a Paul and John believed for the beggar. Their love for that man resulted in a miraculous move of God. It is time that we love others like this and allow God to move on them in a similar way!

-Point5

The Two Scariest Lies..

Just as God is a God of love and compassion He is also a God of justice. I pray this opens yours eyes and speaks to your heart as it did mine. Love you all.

-Nikki

The Effect of Your Blessing

As I like to do, let me first define the word blessing.

Blessing:

1: consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified: the Blessed Sacrament.

2: worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity.

3: divinely or supremely favoured; fortunate: to be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.

4: an endowment of great power.

Today I want to take a moment to expand your understanding. I often times find myself hearing people say things like "I received a blessing of 20 dollars today" or "oh he gave you an 'A' that's a blessing!"

I want to challenge statements like those and show you that they are incorrect. In fact, when things like that happen they are not blessings, but instead the effect of the blessing God has given you.

That 4th definition above states that a blessing is a "a great endowment of power." Well my wonderful people of God, once God has endowed you with power it is done...you are blessed! Once you are blessed by God your life should reflect that and you should be expectant of great things happening as a result of your blessing.

This is the type of revelation that us as believers must gain in order to take advantage of the life that God has for us.In the book of John, Jesus says, "blessed are those who believe and have not seen."
 
Proverbs 8: 32 says "Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways."
 
Proverbs 28:14 says "Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD"

 Jeremiah 7:17 says "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."

Ladies and gentleman, I know that I have been blessed by God; and as a man who is blessed by the God of all that we know and have yet to know I am not afraid to say that it is only natural that everything around me should be the effect of my blessing from God.

I am blessed therefore my finances will reflect that, my health will reflect that, my relationships will reflect that. I AM BLESSED BY GOD.

Take hold of the scriptures my friends and know that from now on everything you encounter should be the effect of your blessing. Claim it as your own! The word tells you that you have been perfected by the sacrifice of Jesus and that you are blessed because you believe. Per the 1st definition above you are holy and sacred. You are the blessed property of God himself and it is time that you let satan know it.

Until next time.....

 -Point5

When Temptation Comes..

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

-Matthew 4:1-11 NIV

These verses show that Satan's goal was to attack Jesus' faith on three very specific grounds. This attack is portrayed when Satan tempts Christ to turn bread to stone, throw Himself down to see if God will disperse His angels, and fall down and worship Satan.

 This is an attack on the Son's faith in the Father to provide, protect, and fulfill His promise. The application is that we are tempted to doubt God in those three specific areas. By realizing this reality, we should be more prepared to withstand the tests that we encounter. God will surely provide. This a a display for the need of faith in God's ability to provide which is expressed in trust in God's order. Psalm 91 is written regarding God's protection for His people. The temptation is to become reckless without abandon in our conduct.

The passage says, "Because he has set His love upon me, I will deliver Him..." The nature of this verse shows that God's protection is most effective when we are operating from love for the Father. Any other motive proves us to be self-centered and puts us in danger. God has promised us an inheritance beyond anything that we could imagine. The world we live in attempts to discredit God's promise to His people by attacking our faith in His promise. It is important that we stay focused on God by staying connected in prayer and worship. False worship is placing anything in priority before God. This action shows doubt that God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do.

 We must always be aware that Satan is constantly attacking our faith in God to provide, protect, and fulfill His promises. However, the trying of our faith makes is stronger and more capable. Let us continue to exercise our faith in God.

-SiccsFo

Choose What's best

Credit: Harrison House devotional..

Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power. - 1 Corinthians 6:12 AMP

From time to time it is a wonderful thing to confront ourselves and see where we are in God. Then we can make the changes we need to make so He can continue to take us to places in Him we have never been before and show us things we have never seen before. He can unlock mysteries, give us new strategies to fulfill our callings, and free us from old ways of thinking and doing that have kept us from enjoying our lives in Him.

When you begin to set priorities according to God’s Word, you will find you are doing a lot of fine-tuning. As 1 Corinthians 6:12 above says, we have tremendous freedom in Jesus, but we want to make the best choices instead of mediocre or bad choices. And we certainly don’t want to become a slave of anything or anyone—except Jesus.

As I have pressed into a higher dimension in God, there have been various things that I have had to lay aside. These things were not sinful or evil, but they were not adding to my spiritual life. I began to understand that there were certain things I was allowing in my life that caused fear to come. I knew how to cast off fear, but as I prioritized my life I realized I was wasting my time and energy getting rid of fear that I could have avoided in the first place.

For example, I used to sit up and watch movies about serial killers! Of course, this often caused me to have nightmares about somebody chasing me and trying to kill me. At that time I didn’t mind the nightmares, but one day I realized that I couldn’t go where God wanted me to go and continue having them. He wanted me to have sweet sleep and to be completely refreshed when I awoke. Therefore, I chose to lay aside what I was giving my eyes to, what I was giving my mind to, and what I was allowing to come into my heart that was causing fearful dreams. I wasn’t trying to be super-spiritual and religious; I just wanted to continue growing strong in God. He meant more to me than scary movies.

The Amplified Bible says that “everything is permissible.” Watching movies is not bad; however, we want to make sure that movies don’t have any rule over our lives. The verse also says, “I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.” Although I did not feel like I was a slave to these scary movies, and I knew my authority in Jesus over any fear they caused, when the Holy Spirit impressed me to give them up I knew they were a weight I needed to lay aside.

Another example of something being lawful but not expedient is when we adopt the lifestyle and habits of other ministers and believers. We emulate them because we look up to them, but then we wonder why we don’t see the same results in our lives. Even though imitating other strong Christians can bring some good perspectives and habits into our lives, eventually we find out that in order to be where God wants us to be, we have to live our lives the way He wants us to live them. It isn’t that what other Believers are doing is bad; it is just that what they are doing is not what God wants us to be doing.

Other believers may be able to watch movies about serial killers. It could be God has called them into professions where the information in these movies would give them insight and wisdom. But they were not for me! If I modeled my life after those believers’ lives, my walk with the Lord would be hindered. Therefore, it is really important for us to follow the path God has set for us.

First Corinthians 6:12 gives us an important key to setting our priorities in a godly way. The apostle Paul is telling us that in the freedom we have in Jesus Christ, we also have His wisdom to choose what is best for our lives.

Setting Your Priorities Today

His mercies are new every morning!

Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life that might be lawful and permissible but not expedient and profitable. Then ask Him how to eliminate it from your life. In most cases He will want to replace it with something else that will prove helpful and fruitful. Remember, Jesus gave you the Holy Spirit to guide you, teach you, and comfort you. With His help you are able to choose what’s best!

What Are you living for?

Life is but a vapor!


-Point5

7 Christian Stereotypes that need to change!

I have always said I think Christians are some of the most judged and stereotyped people on earth. Truth is, I hate when people assume certain things about me without getting to know who I am just like I am sure you do. Whenever people figure out I am a Christian, Gospel Rapper, and/or Minister, they tend to always assume the following:

1. Cussing around me is a no-no. Really? I’m honored that you feel the need to change your attitude/language around me, but you don’t need to try and be on “good behavior” when we are together. Typically, I’m not offended by your language and its not like I have never heard it before. I would rather you just be yourself than trying to be someone else for me. Some Christians curse at times too. I know that everyday I live on this earth, I will likely hear a curse word at some point. It is what it is.

2. I don’t like Gays. I understand why you may have gotten this impression considering some of the ridiculous Christians out there. But, I love all people regardless of their sexual orientation and preference. To be honest, I don’t know why so many of my Christian brothers and sisters elevate this specifically over everything else. When it comes down to it, I love homosexuals just as much as I love you. I wish Christians would fight as passionately against poverty and sex trafficking as they do homosexuality.

3. I don’t drink alcohol. Now you won’t catch me passed out on the floor drunk, but to assume that I don’t drink at all because of my faith is a bit of an overstatement. After all, the first miracle Jesus did was turn water into wine, Does anyone know a better way to get the party going? lol

4. I don’t like to have fun. This probably has a lot to do with rule #3. Because “I don’t drink” then it can be assumed that I don’t like to have fun. Quite the contrary, it just means I have learned to have fun without the need of over-intoxicating myself.

5. I am ignorant or uneducated about beliefs other than my own. Actually, it is not “my way or the highway.” Obviously, I like the rest of Christians, spend most of my time trying to understand my own faith, but to say that I have shut my eyes to everything else in the world is absurd. Don’t assume I have no clue of what exists outside of Christianity.

6. I think I’m better than you. Somehow, because I am Christian, you assume I believe I am better than you. I understand you might get this impression from some of those who wear the Christian name tag, but humility is one of Christianity’s greatest attributes. I don’t think I am better than you regardless of who you are or what you’ve done. We are all on our own journey and everyone’s look a little bit different.

7. I ignore science. You might be under the assumption that things like the “Big Bang” and natural selection kill my theory for religion, so I just ignore them altogether. The truth is, I love science and it doesn’t crumble my faith at all. I am just as interested as you are to see how God did it and have yet to come across something that totally shakes my faith to the core on whether or not there was a creator.

Granted, there are probably a lot of Christians who these do and do not apply to. Everyone is not the same, but the point is simple: We are all human. The only thing we perfectly represent is humanity. Everything else, including Christianity can only be represented to the best of our ability. Our abilities unfortunately fail at times but that is why we celebrate a God who shows us grace through our failures, gives us his righteousness through Christ, and loves us unconditionally!

-Point5

Where is the love?

IMPORTANT: Whenever you find yourself being bombarded with scriptures by someone via social media that claims to be trying to help, immediately message them your phone number and ask them to call you! 

This will often show their true motive.

If they really love you, they will call. If they really care to help you, they will call. However, if their response is to send you more self righteous, psuedo-religious banter, then they are not led by the spirit of God and they are not FOR you. They are in fact AGAINST you.

See, the enemy wants to create division amongst the Saints and his greatest resource is the flesh! He can stir up pride in the average believer with relative ease. So often times even when someone means well, the enemy activates the pride of their flesh and they begin to believe that they are in a right position by using scripture to condemn.  However we must remeber, JESUS CAME NOT TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE IT. 

Knowing scripture is incredibly valuable however LOVING GOD AND LOVING PEOPLE are the ultimate commandments. Love must be at the foundation of all that we do, and this is especially true when it comes to correction. 

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ASV)"

God wants us to know that if love is not the foundation of all of our actions, beliefs, and speach, then we not only have nothing, but we are nothing! 

God is love! So if ever something has no love, then it has no God.

So when that individual is unloading a duffle bag full of scriptures on your Facebook page, and you ask them to call, you are providing an opportunity to share hearts and  build a relationship. The enemy will run from that. He will hide behind facebook and fire away, justifying his cause but avoiding any and every opportunity to actually glorify God by "meeting you where you are at", hearing your voice, and learning your hearts desire. God is drawn to the heart of man and with every invitation, he crushes in like a mighty wind, ready to captivate the soul and show you his love! 

So with every conflict, be sure to invite God (invite love), and hastily seek a resolution that bring Him the most glory!

Here's to ending facebook condemnation! All across the globe! 

Share, Share, SHARE!

-Terrance Aye