Stage217

“BELIEVE”

I was sitting here wondering why I still wasn’t believing?

Could itbe that the enemy was deceiving?

or could it be that my bible I wasnt reading?

It should of been your face that I was seeking!

But instead I found myself unbelieving!

How many people do I have to watch falling?

Before I answer God’s true calling?

How long will I keep running?

Before I realize the enemy wont stop coming?

what happened to those mighty dreams id be dreaming?

of all the lives thru me you’d be healing!

What in the world happened to me?

Why am I still wallowing in my own pain and insecurity?

Did I forget what you promised me?

Lord You created me for victory!

and to possess unwaivering mental ability!

not to copy those things that are on t.v.

Especially those things found on mtv

filled with selfishness an immorality

How many people are waiting for me?

To answer the call you have placed upon me!

I dont have time to turn and flee!

When all those souls are depending on me!

Thats why he needs us all to truly believe!

because there are so many souls that need to be freed!

So go ahead and get your face off the floor!

Because God has destined you for so much more!

“THE RACE“

I thought id never win this race!

I was sure id end up another disgrace!

at least thats what everyone used to tell me in my face!

Instead I was held up by his holy grace

because I have been frequently seeking his face!

It’s tough living in this worlds ever quickening pace!

But u can surely finish this race

Just take a look in my trophy case

The enemy might be giving you chase

But he wont even be able to see your face

Because of how fast you will run this race

Once your covered by God’s holy grace

There are some of you that are stuck on the starting line

So let me give you some advice of mine

Just start the race and you will do fine

and I will introduce you to this God of mine

Do you wish you could run and not get tired?

Just wait till he fills you with his holy fire

With God by your side you will always get first place

So dont worry about ever being a disgrace

Dont listen to comments by those in last place

There just mad at themselves for falling out of Gods grace

or for never listening to him in the first place

Aword of advice to you running this race

Do not go to slow of pace

There is one who wants to take you out of grace

and see that you never finish this race

I will be waiting or you on the finish line

I trust that you will all do fine

Because you know that God of mine

-end

I am reading this book by Bill Hybels called “Courageous Leadership”
When chaos hits humanity, when something cataclysmic hits our normal routines, what is the response we are suppose to take? For example the tragedy that was 9/11 2001; I can still remember where I was at the exact time of that attack. As I am sure you can too. It was a cold brutal attack killing many. It was designed to steal the hope that Americans had in there lives. Many people in search for there loved ones hoping to hear something about there family and friends. Such a devastating moment in our history. And we are seeing one now with the earthquakes in Haiti. Then I read the statements from this book, “The local church is the hope of the world”(15). We all know that after 9/11 and even today in Haiti there are many organizations hard at work to help better the situation. But the Red Cross, humanitarian groups, millionaires who donate money, food donations and such can only go so far. Their work is very important, but the local church can do an even greater work, a deeper work during these times of chaos. We get to hug the hurting, sit and help heal the deep wounds of the broken. Talk and be there for people and minister to the very soul of a person. So as we sit back and wonder what we do during these times, during havoc. Trust and know that God has given us, his local church, the amazing gift of caring the way He cares for people, the way He loves people. The Acts 2 church modeled a caring community of people who loved and gave for one another. We can do the same. When the people in our small groups and circle of influences need a shoulder to cry on, we can be there. When a person is struggling to pay a bill, we can help them. We can minister to one another in the hard times, as a family, as a local community.

Acts 4

Fasting…ugh when I hear those words I cringe. It has always been my Achilles heel, my struggle. However, when I would fast my sensitivity to God’s voice and will intensified! But why do we have to fast? I mean I get revelation and understanding already from the Word of God, is there more to Him that I have not discovered? David, in Psalm 42 was fasting and he got to a point where he was past his earthly desires and was able to cry out from the deep of himself into the deep things of God. That’s a good place to be. I’m reading a book by Jentezen Franklin called “fasting” and he says something that I think we need to all hear, “the practice of fasting is not limited to ministers and special occasions” (9). I believe this to be true and a struggle of most people. Fasting was to be a normal part of a relationship with God, but we use it normally for special events, hoping God will show up and bless our events, or we think that only the ministers should fast elevating fasting to a level of exclusiveness that is was never intended for. Fasting isn’t exclusive (for the select few) it is inclusive (for everyone). “The three duties of every Christian are giving, praying, and fasting.”(11) Imagine that. Jesus said in Matthew 6 when you pray…when you give…when you fast…He made it clear that we should give as much attention to fasting and we do to giving and praying. “If Jesus could have accomplished all He came to do without fasting, why would He fast? The Son of God fasted because He knew they were supernatural things that could only be released that way. How much more should fasting be a common practice in our lives”(14).
I just wanted to encourage you today to fast, pray and give. God has so much more for you today that if you would position yourself on His wheel and remove all the impurities by the blood of Christ His perfect plan for your life will be revealed! Spend time with God today. Go into your room, close the door, don’t announce to the world that you are doing it, and just keep it between you and God. He has much more in store.

Psalm 42-“As a deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 “a threefold cord is not easily broken” -Prayer, giving and fasting

Matthew 6 “The Beatitudes”

So as i lay in bed thoughts run rampant through my head.  Here is one.  I was thinking about Christmas Eve, tomorrow, and how i wont be able to go to church because of spending time with my family.  My family however always goes, not all together, at some point in time or another.  Since they are Catholic this is an easy task because there are tons of services to pick from.  I will be at our dad’s house on Christmas Eve so i wont be able to go to the candle light service at HOP.  I would love to be there but Ill be happy enjoying time with my family as well. 

I then thought, well what happens when either my dad, uncles or grandma asks, did you go to church?  Which who knows, they may or may not ask.  They might ask just out of being polite or wondering what time my church has service; not thinking i wont have gone. 

My reply would be no, I was at dads when my church had the service. Depending on who asked that would be a good enough answer, but on the other hand it might not be.  Next would possibly come, How could you not go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas day?  My reponse would be something like well I dont think its necessary to go to church on a certain day or another in order to get favor from God or something of the sort. 

If you made it this far in the post congrats, because here is where the thought of the evening occured.  I would state that I have prayed and read my bible today and probably would have stopped there saying that that would be enough.  In the mind set they would be in, growing up Catholic I would know, they would have taken it at that and probably would have stopped the interagation.  Again though, being in that mindset, they would have seen it as JUST, almost as if it were just another book, reading the Bible and saying a few sentences to God.  What they would have missed is the whole relational connection that I meant but didnt say when i stated that i prayed and read my bible today.   They would have seen it as an act of doing like was seen in Matthew 7:22 and would have missed the whole part about spending time with God which is what he wants in Matthew 7:23. 

I thought up thinking how most people can read and talk to someone and ask them for things (i.e. Christmas).  I think that is how most of my family would have understood what i would have said, reading the bible and praying.  They would have totally missed the part of me meaning that in reading the Word of God and praying, I was spending time with God, getting to know Him and His ways, and communicating with him.  This would be the reason I dont find it life-altering if i do not go to church on Christmas.  Again, don’t get me wrong, i would love to be able to go to celebrate the birth of our Saviour with all my friends, but I just dont see the time working out is all. 

Make sure that what you say and what it means to you is understood by who you are telling it to because they might have their own interpretation of what you are saying.  When this happens, your words lose their impact and the person you are telling might make their own conclusions and not the ones you intended.

Just a thought…

“a promise is a strong word….” that is what my sister put as her facebook status last night.  As i read it on my phone while lying in bed, I pondered for a second and realized how correct she is.  Breaking that statement apart I notice two things.  First that the word “promise” itself is a strong word.  Usually we understand it to mean, as defined quickly by dictionary.com ”an express assurance on which expectation is to be based”.  When we promise something to someone, we are giving them a certainty that something will be done, completed, or not happen at all (i.e. I promise the Browns won’t win the super bowl this year).   The person receiving the promise is then charged with trusting the person who made the promise so that they won’t be deceived in what they have been told.  When we make a promise, its sometimes taken as a law that whatever we have proclaimed is absolute truth.  Sadly though, sometimes we “break” our promises.  We fumble the promise, let it go or forget about without realizing the pain and hurt that it has caused the person we made the promise to.  Secondly, a promise, or the statement we make as a promise is seen as such, an unbreakable word that one wouldn’t ever think of taking back or letting pass by.  Again, sometimes we forget the words we say even when we don’t use the words “I promise”.  We must be careful of the words we say to those around us and the things we say will or will not happen.  We do have a hope though!  We know that God’s word is truth and that He promises us so many great and marvelous things in His word, which is truth… John 1.  We also know that God never goes back on his word or any promise he makes Numbers 23:19.  So becareful of the strong words you speak and the promises you make.  Be integritable and keep them…

A word for myself…

So to attempt to sum up what I have learned yesterday and recently feeling the need to start writing these things down…

Every piece of a puzzle is needed to complete the whole puzzle and make complete the picture the artist intended to display.  When you put a puzzle together and you get the end and you notice a piece is missing, how do you feel; frustrated, anxious, annoyed?  That’s how I would feel. Angry because I have wasted all of this time putting something together only to, in the end, have to stop with my project unfinished!

At times I find myself thinking that what I do in not important; thinking that anyone could do what I do and probably do it better.  I have to keep attempting to exceed expectations to combat that thought. Yesterday though, I was reminded that I am needed and the work being done can’t be done with out me.  It reminded me of a puzzle.  A puzzle as bunch of pieces, all designed with different shapes, sizes, colors, edges, all come together to make the masterpiece look like just that… a masterpiece.  In our life, no matter how large everything seems to be around us, we have a job to do.  We might feel like the smallest and insignificant piece to the puzzle but the puzzle wouldn’t be complete without us.  Our job is to add to the puzzle in the way we were originally designed to since no other piece to that puzzle will fit in our place.  When that puzzle is completed, we should move on and start adding to the next puzzle we have become a part of.

Either way, every piece of the puzzle, no matter how big or small is needed for its specific purpose since no other piece fits its part.

This morning i have been thinking about the power that Abba father gives us. He has sent his only son to die the death we were suppose to die. HE then rose again to live the life we are to live. Then Jesus left and sent His Holy Spirit to be with us every single day, every moment, even when we don’t feel his presence! Today I am grateful for my relationship with the Holy Spirit! He is amazing! His love is nonjudgmental, it is unconditional. Where would I be without The cross of Jesus, the Power of forgiveness, the relationship with the Holy Spirit! Thank you today God for being to grand yet desiring to rescue me and give me the power of your presence! I am in love with you with an undying love.
If you find yourself surrounded by fear, take the time to really thank God for what he has done in your life and how he has pulled you through before he will do it again! God wants an intimate relationship with you. Talk to Him today!

What do you think a judge is?

To judge-to issue a decree, an opinion about someone or something; to decide (mentally or judicially), to try, condemn, punish, avenge, conclude, damn, determine, esteem, judge, call in question, sentence to, think, a decision.

Matthew 7:1-5

1) Quick judgment invites more judgment
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you”.

Have you ever judged someone really fast without really getting to know them? Why?

Have you ever been wrongly judged? Set on trial by someone?

2) Quick Judgment is distorted
a. And why do you look at the speck of saw dust in your brother’s eye, but you don’t consider the plank in your eye?
b. Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye; and look, a plank is in your own eye?
c. Hypocrite! First remove the plank in your own eye, and then you will clearly see to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

When someone judges people w/o checking themselves first there judgment is distorted.

Have you ever judged someone for the same sin you struggle with?

Have you ever been judged by someone who you know has issues too? How did that make you feel? Why?

3) Careful Judgment is Necessary
“Don’t give what is holy to the dog; nor cast your pearl before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you into pieces”

Proverbs 9:7-8

I am not saying that judging others and programs, or things is wrong. Actually we are supposed to do so. But there is a difference between judging w/o discernment and judging with it. Sometimes we need to slow down and calculate, take a look at, think about it, before we do, say, or act on something. That period of calculating and looking is at is called discernment.

Two kinds of Judgment:
Condemning Judgment versus Discerning Judgment
Quick versus careful
Focused on other’s faults v.s. Examining self
Legalistic v.s. Gracious
Motives v.s. actions

When someone new comes into our cell, or circle of friends, do you focus on what is wrong with them or what is right with them?

When someone is dressed differently then most others, do you accept their style or judge them as not cool?

When a new leader arises, do you look at what is wrong with them, or do you look at what gifts they have and how they are going to bless the body of Christ?
“Discernment is a helpful skill and a positive contribution. Good Judgment is a valuable quality. But some people miss the distinction between discernment and condemnation. They elevate fault finding to a ministry-as if they were doing the church a favor, or doing society a favor, or doing their spouse a favor-by making it their goal to find out what is wrong”. –Lewis B. Bell

Are you a condemning judge or a discerning one?

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