Author: talk2shari

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Hey Superwoman…. let’s be honest.

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superwoman

It’s the superwoman syndrome that has gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion I assure you. And I’ve been that way since childhood. I have the mentality that for every cause I can surely come up with an effect that will make it “all better.” What this syndrome has often lead to is me being out of the will of God. There was a time in my life that if anyone invited me to be on their committee I accepted and was their “go to gal.” If it needed done I’d do it! I didn’t care how hard or long I had to work, it would get done. I was a dream member for “most” everyone. For control freaks I was nightmare. My get it done attitude often times put the cart before horse, or left out key components for success. What I have discovered through much intensive therapy with the Lord is there must be a method to my madness, or it is but chaos.

Proverbs 3 1My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

 Through much trial and error I’ve learned before any decision is made, and I mean any decision, I need to discuss it with God. I am not a clinical psychologist or physician, but I don’t think you have to be to determine that one of the top disease makers in the world is stress. And stress is almost always derived from poor decision making on someone’s part and most likely the breaking of a commandment!

Commandments aren’t tricky. They’re pretty much cut and dry: “thou shalt not.” If thou shall, you can expect trouble. The flip side of that is verse two, long life (health) and peace (which is great wealth, non-monetarily speaking of course). Are you now asking what this has to do with the Superwoman syndrome? Commandment number 1: Have no other gods before Me. A god is anything that we put before God.

Taking on any task in life without the guidance of God is saying that you don’t need His advice. Ouch! The cause and effect that I thought I could have was true; but the effect was not always good. Case in point: As a young mother I was involved in everything in the community. And this is not to discourage volunteerism, which is needful in every community, but I took volunteerism to a new level. Finding a balance in life is necessary. God intended us to help others outside our homes, after all, Christ gave another commandment, “Love thy neighbor.” But we’re not to love our neighbor at the expense of our family or our health. There are boundaries that we need to set as a family, and in prayer seeking His guidance. I fully believe that our lives are a ministry. I’m not a pastor or a preacher, but I’m a minister to every life I touch.

3Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man

Mercy and Truth should begin within you. If you’re honest with yourself, you know when you’re pushing yourself too hard. If you’re like me, a worn out you is a grouchy you and serves no one well. God said to bind mercy and truth upon your neck and write them on your heart. They’re like your cape and crest across your chest! With mercy and truth for all concerned in our lives, we can become super women! We find favor and good understanding with both God and those in our lives. How wonderful is that! And what peace it will assuredly bring into our lives.

5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Being superwoman doesn’t mean you have to save the world. The world is not ours to save, Christ did that on Calvary for those who come to His cross and accept it.  Being superwoman is being all that God desires you to be; not the rest of the world. What I learned in my superwoman years is that the end result was letting everyone down. It’s just too much. So… this Mother’s day, whether you have children or not, take off your cape. Put on truth and mercy. Start by being honest with yourself. We take on too much. Have mercy…

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Another Spirit… and it’s excited!

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Numbers 14:24 ~ But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

To set the stage for my message today, the children of Israel had just come upon the Promised Land. Two groups of men went out to spy upon the land and bring a report to Moses and the people. Joshua and Caleb returned full of excitement for they’d seen a land flowing with milk and honey, with food in abundance and all the provisions they would need. But the other men who went brought an evil report, seeing only impossibility and trials. Guess which report was received by the congregation of the Lord?

Why is it that within our churches an evil report is so much easier to believe and spreads like wildfire? It is that report which will be accepted and embraced for absolute truth while a spirit of revival in the soul of the saint, a good report, will be looked upon as a fleeting notion that surely will pass and takes far too much effort for everyone else to get on board that train.

One of my greater frustrations in the ministry is trying to drag people to the party; after all, it will surely end. Can you hear them? “Yes there’s joy in the camp, but we all know that when you go camping you’re not planning on staying, it’s just a vacation that will surely end with the reality of a world full of giants.” For fresh drinking water, make sure to bring the right type of water jugs. Well, me and my cockeyed optimism or my “Caleb-ism” believe that the reason those giants are in my world is help me carry the fruit God’s going to provide. Caleb had “another spirit.”

Their’s was a spirit of discouragement and defeat. They’d given up on the idea of the Promised Land before they even sat foot in it themselves. Neal A. Maxwell was quoted saying “Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.” Caleb wasn’t worried about the size of the giant, he was excited about the size of the fruit! He knew God would take care of the giant. He had courage!

What about you? Do you have “another spirit?” The children of Israel were living in a camp, and I’m sure the conditions were not the best. The comforts of home were gone, and the menu of life had limitations. But here they stood on brink of happiness and contentment like they’d never known and they believed the evil report over the good. That’s not good enough for me. I refuse to allow the evil report of the day, that I see on the morning and evening news, to discourage me and plant a seed of despair in my mind. I know the obstacles that are before us are big, but I serve a bigger God.

I want revival in my soul; the “other spirit.” I spoke over the weekend at a ladies retreat with a goal to stir them up, and I hope I did. But what happens when you stir the pot is that the aroma comes wafting up and into your nostrils, and that thing that you’re cookin’ smells good, and excites your soul with the joy of what’s to come. My friend Loretta, who also spoke, read this scripture about Caleb and the other spirit. It added to seasoning to my soul this weekend and I could feel that spirit of revival stirring again in my soul. I know what’s to come!

This world is temporary– we are in tents. But that other land, that Promised Land is coming. Don’t spend your time in the tents discouraged, enjoy the journey. When adversity and opposition come against you, think of it as a strength building exercise to carry the fruit God’s going to provide. We’ll have battles, there can be no victory without it. When the naysayers come and tell you that it’s no use to get excited about what the Lord is doing, tell them you have “another Spirit.” The Holy Spirit! The naysayers among the children of Israel died without receiving their reward. Don’t do it.

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He Knows!

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1 Samuel 2:1-3 ~ And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

In the context of this scripture Hannah had just given her son back to the Lord. The child that she prayed for, and as a young mother would have adored the opportunity to raise him and spend that time with him, and yet her promise to the Lord would be kept. She delivered Samuel to the Priest and prayed these words.

She acknowledge Him with Rejoicing

Every prayer we pray should have praise to God for what He has done; acknowledging Him for His provision. How often I get so caught up in what I want that I forget just what He gave. Hannah was grateful for the child she’d been given, but she was most grateful that He was the God of Salvation. Is that not what life hinges on? Our life is so fleeting here, but to understand that the God of Salvation has saved us that we can spend an eternity unseparated from those we love. Oh my goodness! How Hannah understood. Yes, it was likely painful to leave her child in the temple to serve God, but she knew that the God she served would allow her to spend forever with him. I’m ready to shout!

She acknowledged Him as the Rock

There is “no Rock like our God.” Oh my goodness. What words those are. People will let us down, we’ll let ourselves down, but God is there every second of every hour. He knows every heartache, every thought, every fear, every need… our God knows and provides. It was Hannah’s prayer of faith that allowed her to have Samuel. What is it you stand in need of today? Have faith that God will provide!

She acknowledged His Reasoning

Matthew Henry said “Every stream should lead us to the fountain.” What wisdom there is in that! Hannah reminds us that there is nothing within ourselves that we can boast of. We’d have nothing were it not for Him and His goodness, and whatever it is that happens in life He knows why and as Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

When His actions are weighed, they are weighed with perfect measure, just what we need, at just the right hour. When my actions are weighed… I’m found short of it all.

Rejoice in the Rock today, He is so faithful! We all wonder “why” sometimes, but not God. Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God? He knows!!!

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Sunday Morning Blues

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bluesLet this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  ~ Philippians 2:5-8

The Sunday Morning blues… why that thought has been on my mind from the time I got out of bed I do not know. But it got me wondering today why some folks lack the motivation on Sunday to go to church.

Possibly the first reason is because they’re not in their right mind…

Paul said “Let this mind be in you.” And what mind was that? The same one that was in Christ Jesus. The mind that causes us to want to be like God. Wanting to be like God is okay when it’s in the biblical aspect. It really hit me this morning as I read this verse that people who say “So and so think they’re God,” Implying that a person thinks more of themselves than they should, may not be getting who God is either. In reality if one “thinks they are God,” arrogance is nowhere in the picture! God made Himself of no reputation but took the form of a servant. Being in “that mind” is polar opposite of arrogance.

What must Christ have thought when He went from being God to being God fashioned as a man? Paul said that He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of cross.

If on Sunday morning you have no desire to be in the house of the Lord (I speak to you as though you were saved) you’re not in your right mind. You should want to be where God wants you, and that’s in His house with His people, those that He gave His life for.  If you’re not saved there is still that desire to want to be where God is. God said in John 12:32 ~  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.  There is a desire inside of you to know God, and to know God is to desire being with His people.

Sunday morning blues can sneak up on anyone. But when your mind is on Him…

He brings joy.

1 Peter 1:8 ~ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoices with joy unpeakable and full of glory:

He makes the heart glad!

Acts 2:46 ~ And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

So… where is your mind this morning? There’s no room for the Blues in serving Christ! He deserves so much more and He wants so much more for you. He died that you might have life and that it would be abundant! So head on out to church and get ready to praise Him! He’ll meet you there!

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And you’re upset about noodles… really?

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A recent scroll on Facebook had me following a line of comments from “concerned” mothers. If it wasn’t so ridiculous I’d get upset. A posted picture of pasta dyed in food coloring sent parents on a tirade of comments about poor parental food choices, high risk eating and a pleather of insults toward a few moms who just wanted to make lunch a little more fun for their children. And yet…

We’ll let Planned Parenthood into our schools and call it a “choice” that children are old enough and mature enough to make, and yet noodles are worthy of a nationwide uprising. Really?

We’ll let government waste billions of dollars on funding like (If you can believe it!) $175,587 “to determine if cocaine makes Japanese quail engage in sexually risky behavior”. Really? True story!

We’ll allow terrorist into our country and pay them welfare benefits and give them housing, and yet a family is now homeless because they’re unemployment benefits are now exhausted after having paid taxes in America for 30 years. And you’re worried about noodles?

We’ll allow educated people to tell our children that premarital sex is okay, that their opinions matter (so long as it’s not biased by religion) and call porn “artistic expression” and then wonder why marriages fail when it doesn’t live up to the lies Hollyweird has convinced America is truth with their “new normal.”

Oh, I know… I’m on a rant this morning. By the way, God thinks it’s just as ridiculous…

Matthew 23:24 – Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

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God is Able! Yes Amen :)

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God is Able by True Gospel – www.truegospelonline.com

Nuggets of wisdom found in God’s Word come at the right time, with just the right words to soothe a tired soul. When I began my journey of faith 17 years ago I couldn’t have imagined the joy in the journey I was about to experience. I’d never known peace in all my years; I’d had a simulated peace afforded by people and things, but knew it would not last. And then there came the day that God shook me to the core! with the understanding that He would not leave me nor forsake me. EVER! He may not pull me out of the fire, but He’ll be right beside me in it and so it is that I praise Him today for His Word.

Hebrews 12:25-29 –  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  For our God is a consuming fire.

The first time God shook me was February 1996. I didn’t know what happened, I only knew it did. From the top of my head to the tip of my toe I was changed. Life did not get immediately better, I still had struggle, but God is not only able, HE IS STABLE! He never moved.

The writer of Hebrew penned these words by the divine inspiration of God and I believe God wants us to understand that the things of this world, “as of things that are made” by man’s hands will move, it doesn’t take much to shake our world. There is no stability in the works of man. Your job, your home, your family could be gone today, but… take heart dear child of God. One thing will not change… “that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

What are “those things?”

“Those” things “not” created by man.

The Kingdom of God cannot be moved.

Romans 14:17 ~ For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 4:20 ~ For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

The Kingdom of God is so much more than we can imagine! It is where the Power of God dwells, and if you are a child of God by the acceptance of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, that means you have the Kingdom and the Power of God dwelling within you. Oh shout!!! How wonderful is that?

The Grace of God shall not be moved

Romans 11:6 – And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

We can no more earn grace than we can keep it. We are saved by God’s grace. God, the great I AM. Who was, is and always will be, is the keeper of your grace. And it’s a gift not be earned or returned. It’s not going anywhere.

The Fear of God shall not be moved.

Revelation 21:8 ~ But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

As time draws night for God’s return it appears that man has no fear of what God can do. But that fear is still there laying just beneath the surface. There will be no arrogance on the Day of Judgment. Praise God for godly fear. It is that fear of Hell that draws many to the cross, but is the love and peace of Christ that you experience there that keeps you at His feet, praising Him for His goodness.

Thank You Lord that You do not move. You are not shaken by the condition of this world or the circumstances of life, and if we hold onto you, we too are able!

 

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Banishing the Mocker… a few thots on Boston

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File:Mimus polyglottos1.jpg

Genesis 2:9-11 ~ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

In light of the Boston Marathon bombing my heart again has been broken for our country. I just cannot fathom what the mindset of an individual is that plots an event like that without regard for life. When a soldier goes to battle he or she knows that their life lies in the balance of mercy. They’re there on the battlefield expecting to be shot at and prepared for the circumstance. But in the city of Boston, where it wasn’t a battlefield, the runners and spectators were not wearing Kevlar vests or prepared for the battlefield they were on without defense.

This morning as I sat in the hotel lobby with these thoughts running through my mind in the back ground they reported on the capture and death of one of the Boston bombing suspects. I don’t get life, but I know Who does. I don’t understand what makes evil “tick” but I know Who sees all and will repay.

When God told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a child, Sarah laughed. It was ludicrous to think of a woman her age giving birth, but it’s always God who gets the last laugh! Sarah had the child God promised, but because of their unwillingness to wait on God, Ishmael was also in the picture; Abraham’s son by Hagar. When Sarah see’s Ishmael mocking Isaac, she tells Abraham to get rid of the child and his mother. In my culture I don’t understand this way of thinking, I don’t think Abraham got it either.  I can’t imagine casting this child and his mother out into the wilderness without regard for their wellbeing, but Sarah does it. And what blows my mind greater than that is the fact that God okay’s it.

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Ishmael had mocked the child of God and was cast out. Ishmael’s descendants still mock today.

In our culture we may not understand it, but spiritually I have no problem understanding the message that lies in this text. Even though Sarah was partly to blame for this child being in her home, there came a time that she seen the damage that was being done and knew the need for separation. I have nothing against foreign people in America. I am friends with many and love them all and they love me, therein lies the difference. But those who are on American soil and mock us, that’s a whole other story. When Ishmael mocked God’s chosen his rights to be in the home were gone.

Abraham was still his father, but he severed the privileges. This morning as I watched the news, I get that. I love God’s people, all of them! God is the creator of all the earth, every soul created regardless of race is afforded the privileges of the Father’s home provided they believe they are there by the blood of Jesus Christ.

America was founded on Christian faith and because of that we’ve had the favor of God. For how much longer, I’m not sure. I believe that we will lose the favor of God for certain if we continue to allow the mockery of our faith, by those born on our soil and those born in other lands as well.

Tonight as a I try to put a cap on this blog, they’ve just captured the 2nd terrorist and the people rejoice, and my heart rejoices with them. My only prayer is… please get it America. This goes far beyond Boston. It cuts at the very core of our faith. I pray we see the need to stop embracing  those who mock us…

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In need of that second touch?

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Mark 8:18

Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

I can’t figure Christians out. Even being one and knowing that I am seconds away from backsliding any day, I still don’t get it. A preacher preaches his heart out, pours himself out before the congregation of the Lord, there are shouts of acclamation and glories to God with hands being raised and then they walk out of the church and back into the world and they have faith amnesia. Somewhere between the a.m. and p.m. service they’ve forgotten what Jesus did, and something else takes priority in their minds. Yep, I needed to vent.

I don’t know why I am so surprised, the disciples were no different and they were face to face with the miracles of God. Christ had twice in their presence fed thousands with a few fish and a few loaves of bread, and yet just afterwards on a journey across the sea they’re worried about lunch. Christ ask them “Do ye not remember?” They had just seen him feed thousands with a little bit of nothing, what would it have been for him to take care of a few men in a boat! Let me put it on a more personal level, what about you? Do you remember what He’s brought you through? What do you now stand in need of that Christ cannot supply? There are days I too forget when I get in the midst of a struggle, but God is so faithful to bring me through in ways I’d never imagine.

Christ asked in verse 19-21 “When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?”

Why do we not understand? In this same chapter Jesus heals the blind man by twice touching his eyes. Verses 23-25 read:

 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

You may be asking, why did it take God Himself touching him the second time before he was completely healed? And I lay to your charge the question “Why after God touched you do you not believe? Why do you fail to serve Him as you should? I asked myself the same question and I didn’t like the answer. A lack of faith, a heart not exactly right (which is wrong). In that same chapter Christ asks His disciples “whom say ye that I am?”

The world says all kinds of crazy things on who Christ is, but if you’re saved you know! Do you not remember? I pray today God brings to remembrance the miracles He’s done in your life and that your faith will be stirred and renewed. That you once again will receive another touch from Christ that will allow you to see clearly what’s going on around you and the need to get busy telling others what Jesus means to you that too may be touched. STIR US UP LORD!

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Meat & Potato Faith!

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Psalm 119:131-134 ~ I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments. Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.

I look back on my life and so much of it has been wasted under the oppression of man. I would let others define my day, be it good or bad. If my work pleased my master’s (note the small “m”) then it was great day, if it didn’t I would fret over it for days. I would rehash again and again what I could have done differently. As I’ve grown in the Lord I’ve changed. I won’t tell you I don’t have moments of relapse, but they’re temporary. I strive to live for Christ, and if man gets pleased along the way then that makes for an awesome day. But if I do all I can do in my ministry or in my secular career that has to be enough. And life is too short to waste it eating hash.

Hash is a meat and potatoes dish that I love, and these verses in Psalm 119 remind me of the “meat and potatoes” of Christian faith.

Longing for God’s Word

If you do not have a desire in your heart to read the Word of God, you are already defeated. Mark it down this day… you lose. Because as one who’s been there I know, I have a whole closet full of those shirts! You have got to make time in your day for the Word of God because in it is the wellspring of life! Proverbs 16:22 says it ~ Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

To understand that the Bible is a living document is key. I can guarantee, because my God is faithful, that if you open the Bible up and begin reading anywhere in it there is a word for your day. It’s shocking sometimes how spot on the Bible will be in my life, and yet it shouldn’t be. If I believe what I say, then why would it shock me? So… Do you have that longing in your heart? I have no doubt that you do, you may have mashed it down beneath the load of care you’re choosing to haul around by yourself today, but it’s in there.

Looking in God’s Word

David said that he wanted God to order his steps. He said earlier in Psalm 37:23 that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” David knew that the only way to find happiness and contentment in life was to follow the path that God had designed. It’s not always obvious, but there are always clues. You may be asking “So what does that mean when you live and work in a world that is not God conscious?”

Just because those around you don’t acknowledge God in the equation doesn’t remove Him. It just means that they don’t get to enjoy the favor of God. If you go to work looking for God, He’ll be there. It may be in a small way, or it may be huge! It begins with you going to work to please God, not those you work for, although they’ll be pleased in the process. I’ve been blown away lately by the way God has been working with me on my job. My thoughts are clearer, my direction more defined both spiritually and mentally because I spend my day seeking Him in whatever I’m doing. I know that if I seek to please Him, I will do my job in a manner that will please my employer. And if I fall short (as I often do) God’s mercy has me covered!

Leaving behind the false word

David said he wanted God to “Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.” If you are trying to live a God focused life, it’s almost a given that Satan will send someone to blindside you. David knew that it would not be easy to keep the principles of God because he’d fallen so many times before. The oppression of man is the coercion of others to get off track.

They can do this in a number of ways:

DISCOURAGMENT:  how many times have we heard “that won’t work.

DOUBT: How many times have we heard “are you sure you want to do that?”

DOOM: “No matter how you do it, it still ends up bad”

LEAVE THEM BEHIND!

Focus on God’s Word, it’s guaranteed truth!

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Hold on!

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Revelation 2:25- But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

The Word of the Lord as John wrote to the church of Thyatira, and what great words they are! “Hold fast till I come.” John had just given them the good news/bad news report from the Lord. In verse 19-20 he wrote “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”

I found it interesting that he mentions “work” twice, and in the next verse He said that His “servants” had been seduced. Obviously this was a church with a servant’s heart, but they’d got seriously off track in doctrine at some point.  But not all! Therein lies the good news.

24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

The modern day church as a whole does not have a good name. There’s so much infighting, false doctrine and Jezebel’s of the church that the Name of the Lord is tarnished like a piece of neglected silver. But in this church like all others there was remnant who had held true to the Holiness of God and to them the Lord says “Hold fast till I come.”

I repeat those words this morning to you who are reading because I know how hard it is to stay faithful in this fallen world; but if ever there is a time to hold fast it’s now. Our family and friends need to see that Jesus is the same today as He was then. There’s still a few crucial things that you can to hold onto in the church until He comes.

The Word of God – The book of Revelation for many years was seldom preached in the church because it made little sense to those who read it. The metaphors were wild to even imagine, but now… they read like yesterday’s news. For John to have seen the visions of our day in his day, what must it have looked like? To see visions of our war machines! They look like monsters to me. But hold on till the end of the book!

The Wisdom of God – As a child of God our wisdom comes from Him. It’s so easy to get frustrated with the condition of the world and want to through in the towel at the Jezebel’s and just walk away, but hold on! It only looks like they’re winning. Have you read the end of the book? No war fought on this earth is as destructive as the one we fight. When I think of Jezebel I think of the harlot whose goal is to steal the lover of another, and that is exactly what Satan desires to do. He is the happiest when he can lure someone away from the church with the filth of the world and corrupt their minds into thinking that it’s the “new normal.” Hello can I can a witness on that one?! And if you caught my reference to the show on television that’s not new, it’s as old as time. But God is faithful to give us wisdom for this battle, just ask for it!

Another thing you can hold on to is the Ways of God. Don’t buy the lie of the world that we have to accept the standards of the day and drag the world into the church. So many churches have watered down the gospel to the point Christ’s sacrifice is unrecognizable. They’ve taken the “Thou shalt not’s out” and replaced them with “That’s not for us.” Satan has lulled many into believing that God’s ways changed with the times. They didn’t. Hold on to it!  God’s way is true and faithful.

If you’re struggling to stay in service, if Satan has buffeted you with people and things to get your eyes off Christ Hold on!!! Jesus is coming soon! If ever there is a time to let our friends and family see that we have something to hold on to, it’s now.