I hear many reasons why people do not attend church. Most of them are because of the hypocrites, judgment and negativity. Some say the church talks more about it’s offering, than the sermon. All are valid points no doubt. I don’t judge. I will tell you if you can deal with church folk, it prepares you to deal with the world, which is full of many more types of God’s children. We are all God’s children, the good, the bad, and the ugly. As believers we have to learn to love and get along with everyone. This is not easy! That is why we need Jesus. The church is not just a building, we are the church. A building without believers is just a building. When Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). He was saying the Church, His followers, would not die out. The church should be alive, a warm and caring body of believers striving to serve God, to do His work and to support and encourage each other. That’s how it should be, but like a lot of things in this fallen world, the enemy is trying to take over. I for one refuse to let the enemy block my blessings! We go to work and face some of the same issues, the same attitudes we face in church but that does not stop us from going to work. We go because it is our means of survival. I believe the same of Jesus, He is my means of survival. So I will stay on team Jesus and I will be His number one fan. I look at church this way, not only is it a chance to study and get to know our Savior; it’s a chance to cheerleader and root for our team captain. It is a chance to worship and sing praises to His name, not only because of what He has done or what we want, but just because He is God! Sports fan love to sing their team’s praises. We wear t-shirts and hats supporting our team, and we can talk about our favorite teams all day. A true fan, whether their team is losing or winning, is still loyal. That’s how I feel about my Tarheels and Panthers! How can I not be loyal to Jesus who always wins! His team is always victorious! We know how it feels to win an award, or walk across a stage, or accomplish something major. The joy doubles when we are praised and recognized for our accomplishment. It feels good. I believe God feels the same way when His children, all together are in one place worshipping and praising His name. It pleases Him. Yes, we can do that alone and at home. That pleases Him also. However, look at it this way sports fans, I’m sure our team would appreciate that one fan in the stands, but it would not be same as thousands. Our truest and greatest loyalty must be to the Lord at all times. David said it best, “I will extol the Lord at all times” His praise will always be on my lips.” Think about how many times we praise things of this world more than we praise Jesus. We boast more about our successes more than what Jesus has done for us. When the fact is we would not have had those successes if it had not been for God’s mercy and grace. Yes, I love my teams but my number one loyalty goes to Jesus Christ. I am His number one fan! I can watch my teams play all by myself (especially when they are winning), but it’s nothing like watching them with other fans. I feel the same way about God; it’s nothing like worshipping with other believers. God did say where there is two or more, he will show up. (Matthew 19:20).

 It is not wrong to enjoy our teams, ours interest, and our accomplishments. But our highest praise goes to our Lord. “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3). #GOJESUS #TEAMJESUS #NUMBER1FAN Love and Blessings….

 

 

 

My grandson’s middle name is Ezekiel. Ezekiel means “God will strengthen”. I just finished reading the Book of Ezekiel and I pray that God blesses my grandson with the strength that He gave Ezekiel. Ezekiel was preparing to become a priest when the Babylonians attacked Judah and carried him and many others into captivity. He was a young man at the time of his captivity. Although he was a captive, God commissioned him for a great service. The prophet Ezekiel had the thankless job of proclaiming God’s message on the crowded and hostile streets of Babylon. At the same time that Jeremiah was warning the citizens of Jerusalem of the coming destruction of that holy city, Ezekiel was preaching the same message to the exiles in Babylon. They were hundreds of miles away from the Promised Land and the temple, but God would not leave them in the dark. He sent Ezekiel. Even though his exiled audience was cut off from the temple, the priesthood, and the related ceremonies and feasts, the prophet Ezekiel informed the exiles not only of these details, He warned the people of national calamity, including warnings of disease, death, destruction and deportation. But he also warned of the importance of obeying God’s law and seeking after Him.  His purpose was to remind the people of their spiritual unfaithfulness and of God’s faithfulness to His own promises. During Ezekiel’s life and ministry, the northern Kingdom of Israel was corrupt politically and spiritually. (sound familiar) They were in captivity because of their disobedience.

 Our Lord is the God of second chances. God could have wiped them out but instead He sent Ezekiel to be a tower of strength among his people during their captivity. Ezekiel’s message to the nation was that they return to the Lord. God declared that he would restore them to their own land. Sometimes it is easier to give God’s message to other people than your own family or friends. But God is not concerned with difficulty, He is concerned with obedience. Ezekiel probably seemed strange to his neighbors and friends. Ezekiel did whatever God asked him to do, and God asked some extraordinary things of him. He shut himself up in his house, he ate his food by weight, and he sacrificed his personal appearance. It is one thing to prophesy about impending judgment and warn people to repent; it is quite another to lay on your left side for 390 days and then your right side for 40 days. And I can imagine what the people said when he did not mourn his own wife’s death!  But Ezekiel did not worry about how he looked to others, for he owed his obedience to God. So if God told him to do something he did it. God had a purpose in having Ezekiel perform each thing He told him to do. A point was illustrated and a lesson was taught. Some may have laughed at the prophet, and many probably ignored him, and unfortunately they missed the lesson.

 God did not just throw Ezekiel out to the wolves, He prepared him for what He was asking of him. Ezekiel received and reported revelations from the God. He told Ezekiel that “I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flit” (Ezekiel 3:9). Through his visions Ezekiel was adequately equipped by God for his calling. My favorite is the vision of the “dry bones”, it shows the power of God, how he can raise those who have been scattered, but who are also dead in sins. This was Ezekiel’s message to Israel, a nation that had been scattered and God’s promise to restore. God’s presence being revealed to Ezekiel in captivity demonstrates that holiness has nothing to do with geographical location, but the condition of people’s hearts. God is moved by the faithfulness of men like Ezekiel, who became a prophet not because of status but because of his faith in God in a dark land, no matter the circumstances. God told Ezekiel to speak to the people, whether they listen or fail to listen, was not his concern, his responsibility was to deliver God’s message. No one wants to hear bad news or hear about the consequences of their actions. Ezekiel probably was not very popular and people dreaded seeing him coming. But God strengthened him. God also told him, if he was not obedient, the people’s blood would be on his hands. It is our personal responsibility to spread the Gospel, no matter where we are, or how uncomfortable  we may feel.

 Obedience to the will of God can be difficult. It is a struggle to live the way God wants us to live while the rest of society continues in its sinful ways. Our actions may not be as dramatic as Ezekiel’s but the consequences can be important, both as examples to others, and as indications of our obedience to God. Obedience is better than sacrifice. The Book of Ezekiel stresses the ultimate aim of God’s charity and chastisement, that “they shall know that I am the Lord.” The message is clear, we must obey God and seek after Him! God may ask us to do things that are at odds from our wills and desires. We may be laughed at and talked about. The question is will we still be obedient like Ezekiel? Much Love…

 

 

 

 

 

We all have had those times when we are on top of the world one day, then feel like the world is on top of us the next day. The issues of life can weigh heavy on our shoulders. Health issues, financial issues, children issues, job issues, family issues and relationship issues; they can occur one at a time or all of them at once. When they come one after another, my mother would say; when it rains it pours or if it ain’t one thing it’s another. At these times we may question if God’s peace is powerful enough to calm life’s storms? We may ask ourselves is God’s peace always possible, even when we are going through storm after storm? Ok, maybe you haven’t wondered but I have. I now know without a doubt the answer is yes, we can have God’s peace through the storms and His peace is powerful enough to calm any storm. I know this because I am in that place right now. It is amazing! Just a few years ago I would never have imagined I could experience peace in the midst of a storm. I was in the wilderness with storms raging all around me, and there was no peace, at least I thought there was none. All I knew was pain, anxiety, depression, and worry. Who knew that having a relationship with Jesus can change you and the way you perceive things! I know that no storm is beyond God’s sovereignty.

When we are overwhelmed because of the chaos of life, it’s easy to forget that God is standing in the middle of the storm with us. No matter what we are going through, He is there. And if God is there, so is peace. God is peace. He is there in the storms next to us ready and waiting to reach out and rescue us. God is waiting for us to turn to Him for help. As soon as we turn to Him, Jesus reaches out without hesitation. Turning to Him means humbling ourselves, and admitting that we cannot handle this situation in our own strength. Turning to Him means handing over the situation to God and trusting Him to handle it how He sees fit. I use to say I could kick myself, because if I had done that, maybe just maybe, I would not have been in the wilderness so long or maybe it would not have been so bad. But I have stopped kicking myself because the lessons I learned are valuable and the relationship I developed with Christ Jesus is priceless! A relationship with Jesus can provide continuous nourishment in life’s storms. I learned I can thrive in any situation when I am in touch with my Savior. I learned that it is a rainbow after every storm; I learned to lean on Jesus when my strength is gone, and I learned the only way to get through the storm is to go through it and let Jesus lead the way. I learned nothing stays the same, that this too shall pass. Because of those lessons I believe I can take what life throws at me. In order for me to keep this mindset I have  to stay close to my friend, Jesus. I know that I know that I know that He has my back! I don’t ever want the old Curleen back, the one where there was peace only when life was going my way, the way I wanted it to go, when I controlled the outcome and the direction of my life. How sad. How stressful! It is stressful because we know that it is not realistic; we control nothing on this earth but how we choose to think, act, and handle what life throws at us. The storms continue, but during the storms I may cry, I may hurt, and I may even get upset at times; but I keep moving because even if I don’t know what’s coming next, God does. The same Jesus that calmed the raging storms for the frightened disciples is the same Jesus that I am in contact with every day. He loves me the same as he loved the disciples. He loves you the same as He loves me.

 I realize it is not easy to find peace in the mist of the storms, especially when they are coming at you like tornadoes. It takes strength that you probably didn’t  realize you had. It takes the courage to keep moving forward even with tears in your eyes. In the wilderness, every time I wanted to give up, God said no and then He would give me strength to make it another minute, another hour and then another day. He gives us what we need when we need it. The good news is each time you make it through; it strengthens you more and builds your resilience. In difficult times, we may not understand life and its unfairness. We have to ask God to help us to trust Him for what we cannot understand. When life’s journey gets wild and scary, we have to trust Him and know He is in control. Once I realized that, and turned my life over to Him totally, I now have peace and joy, instead of anxiety and worry , no matter the circumstance. I challenge you to trust Him. I promise you one of two things will happen; God will speak to that issue and like magic it will disappear, or He will guide you through it, giving you comfort and strength to endure. God will not abandon us! I pray that if you don’t have this joy and peace that goes beyond understanding (people will wonder why you dancing when it seems your world is falling apart) that you receive it. It comes from Jesus and it is free! Those who know me know I love free stuff. All we have to do is trust and believe! Love and Blessings…

 

 

 

In Israel times when people called out to God, they frequently wept, fasted, and put on sack cloth and ashes. These were not casual request for God’s blessings, but serious prayers because they did not have modern medicine, a strong army, police force to maintain law and order, or the money to fight someone who had falsely accused them. Their only hope was to depend on God for mercy and protection. They did not hide their feelings of sorrow or disappointment. They believed God could solve their problems. They expressed themselves because they believed their situation would change when God heard their prayers.

 Even though we are modernized, just like the Israelites our only hope is to depend on God for mercy and grace. In our busy world , people do not spend much time describing their problems or telling God how they feel about these difficulties. We just want a quick fix. Everything is instant and unfortunately, that sometimes include instant prayers. I’m not saying we have to pray long drawn out prayers every time we pray, but we as believers need to be open with God, tell Him exactly how we feel. When we call on God, we admit that we are unable to solve all the problems of life on our own strength. By calling on God and by faith, we can rest in his strength. Once we pray we must turn our attention from the problem to God. That is the key to surviving the storm as we wait on God. When we trust God, we are confident that God’s salvation will bring joy; He will turn our ashes into beauty. As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the struggles of this earth will grow strongly dim in the light of His glory and grace. Even life’s struggles will become beautiful struggles. You know, the man without shoes see’s the man without feet, the person who has to walk to work, see’s the person in the wheelchair or the one who has no job to walk to, the person who has no money and good health, see’s the rich person who has an illness that money can’t cure. You get my point. Your struggles of life become beautiful struggles  when you look around and you thank Jesus for what you do have!

Transportation was difficult in Israel times. People who lived a long way from Jerusalem were able to come to the temple and worship God only a few times each year. Because of Christ Jesus, we can worship and pray to God anytime! I think this is huge! For me it’s the same concept of not voting when people have died so I can have that privilege. Jesus died so we can come to God through Him. Thank you Jesus!  In times of difficulty we can bring all our burdens to God, we can praise and worship Him even if we can’t move from our bed! He always hears and comforts those who come to Him. The prayer for help should not be centered on the problem or what is needed. It should focus on God’s ability to answer prayer and our commitment to trust God, and to glorify Him and His divine grace. Love and Blessings…

 

 

I’m not sure why David took five smooth stones with him to fight Goliath. Some say it may have been because Goliath had four giant brothers (2 Samuel 21:22). Some say he may have doubted God or maybe he was just being prepared in case one stone didn’t do the job. I believe because God had been faithful in the past and protected him, David trusted God. One stone or five, David knew victory was his. David told Goliath that he came with spear and sword, but his weapon was God the Father. (1 Samuel 17:37). David knew the power was not in his sling but in God.

 I, like David have learned that God has the power! The last years I have faced physical, mental, and financial giants. And by the grace of God I am still standing. Not feeling or looking like what I have been through. I have survived! I know that God allowed situations and challenges to stretch me so that I could be ready to fulfill my purpose. Nothing prepares you more than when you have been stretched! There is no way I could be ready without training. Even athletes train, they have to if they want to be at their A game. I thank God for my time in the wilderness. I am stronger and better because of it. It is the reason I can handle life challenges today. I trust El Shaddai, God Almighty. God gave me strength at a time when I had none left. And because of that, there is no problem or circumstance I feel I cannot handle.  So you would think the enemy would go somewhere and sit down! You would think he knows I have a relationship with God and he can’t touch me. He  knows I am striving to be like David, a woman after God’s heart. Trust me, that don’t stop the enemy. That just makes him mad. The Bible teaches that God allows satan a certain amount of freedom (Job 1:12), but that freedom is always limited. We cannot blame God for what satan does. Our weakness to satanic attack started with Adam’s choice to follow satan’s lies in the Garden of Eden. When satan attacked Job through the loss of his family, wealth, and health, Job didn’t blame God. (Job 1:21-22). Neither do I blame God. I put the blame where it belongs, that lying thieving snake of a devil! I am furious with the enemy! He knows he can’t get to me. Every time he tries, I’m like, that’s all you got, my God is greater! So he has decided to come after my love ones. He thinks he can get me where my heart is. Well satan, my heart belongs to God! My loved ones belong to God! I declare war! And like David, I have faith that I will come out victorious! I know he comes to kill, steal and destroy, but he best believe he will not have my loved ones without a fight! I plead the blood of Jesus over my loved ones. I stand with my six smooth stones; the helmet of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sandals of peace, and the sword of the Spirit. The full armor of God, my six smooth stones. David only had five! I stand on God’s Word. He said I can do all things through Him that strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) I am a prayer warrior! When prayer warriors go down on their knees, the battle is not over, it is just beginning! There is power in prayer! Prayer is the way we draw strength from God and rely on Him. Prayer activates the armor. Without God, and dependence on Him through prayer, our efforts in spiritual battle would be useless.

 Sisters and brothers, y’all better take a stand. Don’t let satan afflict your loved ones with sickness, crime, tragedy or persecution, just because he can’t get to you. The enemy is not attacking you because you are weak, he is attacking you because you have a purpose. And if he can’t get to you, he will go through those you love. Declare war! Tell him as David did, “You come to me with a sword(disease), a spear(poverty), and a javelin(confusion), but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.” (1 Samuel 17:45-46). God can turn what the enemy meant for bad into good for his ultimate purpose. The battle is the Lord’s, but we are His soldiers. We must prepare and stand. It is God who goes before us, giving us the victory! (Deuteronomy 1:30-33). And He gets the glory! Ha, you lose again devil! Love and blessings…

 

 

Jesus treated women with a level of respect unheard in that era. I believe He had the same level of respect for women as He did men. Women were basically property at the time, but Jesus spoke to women, ate with women, let women sit at his feet and be taught by Him (usually reserved for men). Jesus made it clear that we are not second class. In Jewish culture men did not speak to non family women directly. The woman at the well was shocked that Jesus spoke to her because she was a woman and a Samaritan as well. Yet Jesus did not treat the woman as though she were less important than anyone else. Jesus does not follow the rules of man, but the heart of God. He came to offer new life to all people. Wherever Christ goes, womanhood is lifted. Jesus showed many times how he loved and respected women. He spoke with the widow Nain in a crowd of mourners and called her son back to life. (Luke 7:11-17). He cures a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years, laying hands on her in the Temple and saying, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity” (Luke 13:12). When the leader of the synagogue becomes indignant that Jesus has healed a woman on the Sabbath, Jesus uses a title of particular dignity for her, “daughter of Abraham” (Luke 13:16). While the expression “son of Abraham” was often used to indicate that a male Jew was recognized as bound by covenant to God, women had never been called “daughters of Abraham.” With this title, Jesus recognizes this woman as having equal worth. Jesus refuses to view women as unclean or especially deserving of punishment. Women who were menstruating or persons who had any flow of blood were considered ritually unclean. In this condition, women were not allowed to participate in most religious rituals. Anything or anyone she touched was deemed unclean. Jesus had compassion for the woman with the issue of blood. He says nothing of her ritual impurity, but instead addresses her as “Daughter,” saying that her faith has saved her and tells her to go in peace (Luke 8:48). Jesus recognizes the dignity of women in situations that seem by ritual law to demand judgment, for example, the sinful woman who anoints Jesus (Luke 7:36-50) and that of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11). In both cases he sees the person as someone deserving compassion. Jesus not only taught women, but some women traveled with him and ministered to him. In Luke 8:1-3, Jesus is described as journeying from village to village, preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. “The Twelve” were with him and several women: “Mary called Magdalene, from whom several demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.” And let us not forget about Ruth. Ruth abandoned her lifelong home and her pagan gods. She chose to make Naomi’s God her God. And she was blessed with her Boaz. In an age when childbearing was seen as the highest honor for women, Ruth played a key role in the coming of the promised Messiah.

Sisters, Jesus loves us and there is nothing we can do about it. We are the daughters of Abraham. So unshackle those chains, take His Word into your heart and run into your destiny. Set yourself free from limitations, our God is limitless. Let Him who loves you heal you, deliver you, and break the chains that are holding you back.  He can transform you. He can speak life into what you thought was dead. There is no problem or situation he can’t see you through. I feel the chains breaking! The Son has set us free! Love and Blessings…

 

Sometimes when we go through difficult times or trails we feel  no one really cares or understands. It does not matter how close our families are or how many friends we have, we still feel alone. At times you may feel  that God is far away and you don’t feel  His presence. Many people go through this. We have to remember that people may leave us but God does not lie. God is always with us. He said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God has promised us His constant presence. Because we cannot see Him, does not mean He is not with us. God blesses us with many gifts, but His presence is the best present. I believe we have to practice being conscious of God’s presence. We have to see God in whatever we do and wherever we are. Every morning when we wake,  we have to be conscious of His presence. If you have problems or decisions to make, He is there to listen and if we listen to Him, He will bring clarity and wisdom. I have experienced a peace that gives me joy beyond words no matter the circumstances.  That is because  I am conscious of His presence every single day. I find myself wanting to imitate Him. This is because you cannot be in God’s presence without His beauty, love, peace, power and glory rubbing off on you. The same earthly concept of who you hang with rubbing off on you applies, trust me, you cannot keep better company! When you become conscious of God’s presence in your life, worries and fears will have no grip in your mind. They may appear but just as quickly disappear because worry and fear cannot occupy the same space as God. Negative and destructive things you once said or did without a thought to yourself or anyone else, you will no longer do, not because of your own willpower, but because there is self-control which comes supernaturally when you know that the one who loves you and watches over you is with you. You’re not troubled when the enemy tries to attack your health, finances, or family, because He that is greater is right there with you. If you are conscious of God’s presence, whatever this world throws at you may cause you to bend, but never break.  It is comforting to know our Father will take care of us for the rest of our life. We are never alone and always cared for. Thank you Emmanuel (God with us). One way we can be conscious of God’s presence is to study His Word. Please read today’s scripture in Food for the Soul. Love and Blessings…

In the book, “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair there is a quote; “There is one kind of prison where a man is behind bars, and everything that he desires is outside; and there is another kind where the things are behind the bars, and the man is outside.” This quote can be interpreted different ways but if you read the book, the context is clear. The main character had been released from jail (should not have been there in the first place I might add), and while there he lost his job, his wife, and for a while ended up homeless and hungry. Even though he was no longer behind bars and he was free, everything he desired, everything he needed to survive might as well have been behind bars, because they were out of his reach. I have never been locked up, thank God! But I have been in a season where it seemed every way I turned, no matter what I did, I was getting no results. I have been in a season when I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from. I have been broke and I have been homeless. So I understand how one can be free physically but everything you need is out of reach or behind bars as the author puts it.

Whatever God inspires me to write, that is what I write. Usually I write and then I use my God-given creativity to find a picture image to go with Emmanuel’s post on Facebook. God has never shown me an image, until now. I saw the image and then I heard God say, open the door, I have set you free. Wow! So I’m thinking, yes Jesus, you died so that we could live. We are free because of your sacrifice. In Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made us free. Lord, you could have called ten thousand to destroy this world, but you chose to die so we could live. This has to be the Word you want me to write about! Or so I thought. It is true that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. However, His sacrifice was not so we can be physically free, but so we can be spiritually free. Whether we are awake with the living or asleep with the dead, if Christ is in us, we are alive with Him! We are spiritually free! The image God gave me of someone behind bars is not the physical being looking out, but the spiritual person looking in! So what exactly is a spiritual person? Spirituality is persistently seeking to know God and doing God’s will. Our knowledge of who God is, His character, love for us, and His mercy extended to us, should change us, it should cause us to want to live for Him and do things that pleases Him. The more I learn and know about Him, the more I want a genuine relationship with God. This is the image, the spiritual person looking in that God showed me. So why is a child of God looking in at all these things that seem out of reach; the job, the house, the spouse, peace, love, joy and contentment. Why would Jesus free us and keep these things from us? This is the message! These things that seem out of reach, Jesus died so that we can have these things, and have them in abundance. He did not die for us to live a life of sickness, injustice, suffering and pain. These things exist because of this sinful world, but He is greater than all these things! In all our troubles, we have complete victory through God who has shown His love for us. And if He does allow us to suffer as His son suffered, count it joy, remember that Jesus died but He also raised from death and is our advocate at God’s right side. Remember that it is but for a season and God promises us that there will be joy in the morning, trust Him enough to know He is in control and everything will work out for the good for those who love Him! Whatever these dangerous times bring, God is able to handle the situation. Our job is to seek God. His job is to care for His children. He has set us free! Thank you Jesus! Now open the door and receive what God has promised you! He has opened doors that no man can shut! Go get your blessings! Don’t take my word for it, read today’s Word in Food for the Soul. Love and Blessings…

 

 

 

 

 

Before I surrendered my life to Christ, I could come up with some good excuses for not doing what God wanted me to do. Now that I know God, I have no excuse and yet, I admit I still sometimes make excuses for not being obedient to the will of God. I don’t want to be disobedient. My desire is that everything I do is pleasing in God’s eyes. It’s just at times I have felt out of my comfort zone or sometimes I have just felt not qualified. You know what I mean, “I need to straighten myself out first,” or “I’m not ready yet”. As Christians we sometimes use the excuses of the lack of skill and qualifications. Now I know I can’t sing and God must know it too cause He has not called me to sing (the people thank you God). However, I do know people who can sing and God has put in their heart to sing, but because they feel they are not as good as someone else or they have not had professional training, they hold back. We all  feel  hints of insecurity and self-doubt ay times. But when God looks at us, he doesn’t focus on what we can’t do; he sees what he can do through us. In fact, sometimes the individual whom God chooses not only surprise us but also surprise the one chosen! All through the scriptures we find that it is God who does the empowering, and qualifying of His people. I could start with Moses who we know had many excuses on why he could not fulfill his calling. And what about David who represents himself as weakness itself in his Psalms which is the text-book for all human weaknesses, sorrow, struggles, and aspirations. But I rather talk about the four women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba, all women who had morally questionable backgrounds. Tamar resorted to deception and prostitution to produce children through her father-in-law. Yet, it was from her line, the tribe of Judah, that the Messiah came. Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute in Jericho. She became a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She also became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. Ruth was morally upright. But as a Moabitess, she was a Gentile and therefore considered unclean. Yet, she became the grandmother of David whom the Jews regard as their greatest king. Bathsheba committed adultery with David. Later, she gave birth to King Solomon from whose royal line Jesus descended. I’m not judging but these women were far from what I would call qualified to be in the genealogy of Jesus. What does this tell us? God is saying that He is greater than our sins. His grace is greater than our sins, so that even when the world disqualifies us, He can qualify us to receive His blessings! God is saying that he is a God of second, third, and many chances. These women’s stories show us that even when our troubles are of our own making, they are neither final nor fatal. Even when all our earthly connections are gone, and we may think it is the end, God can instantly turn things around. Then end becomes the beginning. The pain becomes joy. The lost is restored. I am a witness! Yes, if we look at our natural circumstances we can become discouraged. But if we look at our God and trust in Him, He can make the impossible possible. He qualifies the unqualified. Exercising our faith allows God to do great things in each of us. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world and our weaknesses. Step out in faith, for it is God who qualifies us. Love and Blessings…

 

Our character is the sum of all the qualities that make us who we are: our values, our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Our character is much more than just our reputation.  Our reputation is only what others see and think about us.  Our character is who we really are, even when no one is watching. Growing up, my parents expected us to act sensibly and responsible. My mother was strict and used physical discipline(which now would be considered child abuse). My mother demanded obedience. Neither of my parents drank or smoked. Although my mother could curse like a sailor, she insisted we went to church every Sunday. I was raised to know the difference between right and wrong, and that there were consequence when you chose to do wrong. I believe our childhood and how we are raised has a lot to do with the building of our character. I also believe God puts a moral knowledge within us. The Holy Spirit is our voice of conscience, the voice of reason, wisdom, good sense, and good judgment. When we activate it (by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior) and we make it a habit of listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit within, it builds our character. We each have to make personal decisions that will decide our character. We have to decide whether we will lie or tell the truth, do the job right or fake it through, take the easy road or the right road, etc. Life is filled with temptations, obstacles, frustrations, inner struggles and dilemmas that we all have to cope with, things which test our character. To be a witness for Christ, we have to sometimes walk a separate road than the popular road. The popular road belongs to the world. God’s way is not the way of the world. We can’t have both, God and the world.

 What characteristics should describe a true Christian? How is the true follower of Christ to live? We can find the answer to these questions in our instruction book on life, the Bible. We know that we are Christian because we profess Christ to be God and hold Him in the highest esteem. We know that we are Christians because we walk in the light. Our style of life is gradually conformed to what God has revealed to us about His nature and will. (John 1: 4-7). We know that we are Christian because we keep Gods commandments. (1 John 2:3-4). We know that we are Christian because we love other Christians and we love those who do not know the Lord. To be a Christian means to follow Christ, to strive to be like Christ. We fall short most times, but we have the desire to know God’s will, strive to obey it, and we repent when we are disobedience. As Christians there should be a change that happens in our character. One of the changes in me is that my focus has changed. I recognize the importance of the eternal. I value the character of Christ that makes all things new. Instead of comparing ourselves with other people and judging ourselves better, we should keep our comparisons between ourselves and Christ and have the desire to change into someone more like Jesus. The struggle is real. It takes practice. It takes prayer, but it takes more than prayer. It takes God’s Spirit living inside of us, and it takes knowledge and the study of God’s Word. It takes practice! As the saying goes practice makes perfect. It is a process! Because of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace we have the power to make that change. It is a process. Our Character should match our witness for Christ. Love and Blessings…