I am sitting outside under a shaded tree, allowing the sun to warm my feet and the wind to blow on me, on this beautiful Wednesday afternoon, while watching the people walk by as my music of sweet whispers of God's symphony plays in the background. Yes, the perfect day! Beautiful moments captured today; yes today this beautiful Wednesday. The hills are green and the clouds are like thick white cotton in the clear blue skies. The grass blades applaud the vast splendor of God's creativity today on this beautiful Wednesday.
For three years God has been challenging me to fulfill what He calls " the love mandate". Hoo... yes, love is a command not optional as we like to assimulate. When we make love optional, we diminish its intensity and it's ability to transform lives from the inside out. The Word of God, what we refer to as the Bible, is God's love letter not only to the church but to the whole world.
FOR GOD THE FATHER SO LOVED THE WHOLE WORLD THE HE GAVE HIS WHOLE SON (SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY), THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH {DIE ETERNALLY}, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (JOHN 3:16).
Wow! Isn't that good? That's divine revelation revealed now. God the Father gave His whole Son. Jesus sacrificed all of Himself for us. He held nothing back.
I personally believe that was His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. God the Father was requiring Him to give all for us who were stricken with death and defeat, sickness and disease, sin and weakness. Cash in; all in; give all. Jesus gave all and because He gave all, we can be free in every area of our spirits, souls and bodies.
Our humanity doesn't have to get the best of us. We can win the war both internally and around us. We can love God, ourselves and others. Isn't that a blessing?! I believe so!
We can love God, ourselves and people from a whole place and not from a broken or bitter place. I have a saying, "Hurt people hurt people, but healed people heal people." Healing requires wholeness. BE THOU MADE WHOLE IN YOUR SOUL.
A whole soul can feel God's love entirely, because a whole soul walks in the Spirit and not the flesh. Moreover, not only that, a whole soul can distribute the love of Jesus thoroughly. Meaning, when people experience the love of Jesus through us, it should impact them in their total man. Their whole man should be impacted by the divine encounter of God's love.
We, the body of Christ, become the hands and feet of Jesus. We are His mouth piece; His ministry (living epistles) to the world. Our job is to reconcile the world around us to Jesus through the vehicle of love and the gospel (2Corinthians 5:18-21). WE ARE HIS AMBASSADORS OF LOVE. We must REFLECT WHO GOD IS! People, GOD IS LOVE (1John 4:8).
I thought three years ago that I was loving people because I was sweet and was approachable, for the most part. However, God knew me better than I knew myself. He knew I could and needed to love on a deeper level, to be rooted and grounded in love in my inner most man (my spirit; core) not just my soul or on the surface. Often times, what we define as a deep love, is really shallow to God.😯 I know... right? If we had to take the love test, many of us would fail miserably.
1Corinthians 13:4-8 is love amplified and our unwillingness to be selfless and forgiving toward one another blocks the free flow of God's love through us. God desires for us to be conduits by which His love can flow through freely. Do me a favor and repeat after me, say, "Lord, make me a conduit by which Your divine, agape love flows through for all man kind." Amen.
Now breathe... in and exhale out. How do you feel? Did something leave? Yes, of course it did! The demonic force that blocks God's love from flowing from our hearts is dispelled and the blood of Jesus expels it from coming back, while the love of Jesus acts as a repellant to keep the daily pestilence of offense away.
I was taught that there will always be a opportunity to be offended, but we don't have to become a housesitter of offense. No, we will not baby sit offense. We love forward by allowing God to heal us from yesterday's stresses, pains and blows. There's no more time to sit and mope. Our season of mourning has passed and God is counting on us to rise up and love people back to life.
We are commanded to LOVE ONE ANOTHER for real, even the people that get on our last nerves. I believe in healthy boundaries, because people will try to take advantage of you loving them. But I do believe we have to love freely, cheerfully and diligently. That's how Jesus loved us. HE was intentional.
The love of Jesus was preventional and attentive to our needs as a broken human race. Jesus was on a mission to love a broken world back to life by giving His very own life. Through Him, we are not a disjointed human race; WE ARE ONE BODY UNITED IN CHRIST through grace. We are commissioned to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and to spread His love to a dying and impaired world EVERYDAY without partiality but wholly and holy. Lol.. love it!
WE ARE THE REPAIRERS OF THE BREACH. WE ARE THE INGITORS OF REVIVAL AND DEFENDERS OF THE GOSPEL. WE ARE THE AGENTS OF CHANGE. THE WORLD WILL KNOW US BY THE LOVE WE SHOW ONE TO ANOTHER (JOHN 13:34-35). Why would they be a part of a body that is maimed? No! We are to be ONE body, knittly jointed together in Christ, in unity, in God's love through the ministry work of the Holy Spirit.
How are we doing saints? Is God's love manifested in our day to day actions and words and thoughts? If God had to assess us individually, what would our secrets, minds and hearts reveal??? Would He approve??? It's not our job to judge one another. The Word of God says, "Let a man examine their own heart, mind and motives (2Corinthians 13:5)."
If God took out His measuring stick, would we miss the mark? No one is without sin, no not one. BUT guess what, LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS (James 5:20). That's the power and magnitude of God's love amplified. We did not qualify, but LOVE qualified us. Isn't that good? My goodness! That's a heart full.😄 Whoo! Running...👣👣.
LOVE mandates us to be daily Samaritans; stranger's while on our journey who stop and bandage the wounded, those who cannot tend to their own wounds because of the severity of their condition (LUKE 10:25-37). Life is a journey right? Well, I love the fact that for a moment, the Samaritan was willing to share his resources, his space, his time and invite a wounded man into his journey; the colliding of journey's. Wow!!! That is good Holy Spirit!
Who will your journey bring you across?Who will you collide with, to heal, encourage, raise up, and empower? Yes, your ability to love other's, is EMPOWERING! What if God challenged you to bandage your enemy? Could you do it, freely from your heart?
When people cross our path, they should walk away feeling invigorated and not drained; liberated and not oppressed. When people encountered JESUS this is exactly how they felt. Jesus, while on the cross passionately loved those who crucified Him, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (LUKE 23:34)."
Jesus ministry of love, hope and forgiveness was revolutionary! It was the sign of the times! That's why the people kept coming around Him. Even the children loved Jesus. That's pretty special y'all.😢
I know I want my children to love Jesus and serve Him cheerfully and freely for the rest of their lives. I pray that more than my sins committed, fears and failures of yesterday, they see JESUS and the love of JESUS in my today gushing forth like a fountain from my heart. I pray they observe Him in my faith and future purpose and destiny in Christ, and even in my voice and my response and my embrace and everyday lifestyle. I pray they model the Christ they see and not just hear about.
Oh Lord, this is the mandate of love, that we love without regret. I pray that when our work is done and we see JESUS that He is smiling big, saying, "Well done thy good and faithful servant; enter into My eternal rest. You have done well! LOVE awaits to welcome us home with an eternal reward, because we were productive loving people back to life.
Isn't that Good News? Yes, it is dear hearts.
I love you with God's love, and there ain't nothing you can do about it.🤗 Go and change the world with God's love!😢 AMAZING! GOD'S LOVE IS OVERWHELMING!
Watch "Commissioned - Love Is the Way" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/oOhVgDuRKhE
-KINGDOM BUILDING UNITED -
(Promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ around the globe)
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
UNLOCKING SUPERNATURAL FAVOR FOR A LIFETIME
Sunday at Starbuck's
Well, sitting at my favorite coffee shop in the world. Yes! You guessed it, STARBUCK'S. Taking in the BIG bucks.😂
Any hoo... It's a beautiful day outside, and I am still pondering my thoughts on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah and their unwillingness to compromise their convictions over commands (Daniel 1). Mm... that's good, Holy Spirit. Yeah... I cannot shake the thought.
It's fitting though. So often we compromise our deep-seated beliefs because of external pressures. Man... call me a rebel, but forget what people think! I have been a prisoner of people's opinions of me for far too long. I am learning that the only opinion that really matters is God's opinion, because He's the only one that will jugde my life's story. What will it reveal? I hope it reveals my hearts affection toward Him and how I was willing to daily lay my life down for His will.
These four outstanding young men, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah had amazing character, I must say so myself. The kind of character I admire and mirror in my own walk with God these days. It speaks volumes about their willingness to rise up against pressures and to put their convictions on the line. Their actions reveal their deep-seated love and respect for God and the things of God.
They chose principle over preference. Which means more to you? Decisions are a tell tell sign of what holds significance in our lives. Decisions reveal the war or composure within. THE HEART IS THE SEAT OF DECISION. And our core beliefs or the effects of external pressures affect our hearts decisions.
External pressures overriding what we know is right in our hearts will cause us to miss out on God's best for us just as much as the harboring of internal fears. Both are dangerous to our ability to unlock the supernatural favor of God. We cannot emphasize one above the other. They are both enemies to God's will for our lives.
Our Plans vs. God's Will
Sometimes what we think is best, God knows isn't. Actually what God knows is best makes us uncomfortable, because it requires stretching pass our pre-existing capacity and going beyond our normal to obtain it. But what we define as normal in our pre-Christ days is really abnormal to God and a sense of mediocrity. The Bible says, "We go from faith to faith (Romans 1:17), from glory to glory (2Corinthians 3:18)." Divine dimensions and new realms of opportunity and mastery are open to us, through us, for us and over us. Isn't that good? That's good, y'all!
God has no problem challenging our faith level, because He knows, sometimes, that is the only way we will move into the new thing pre-destined to save us and bring us into his divine favor and out of the old systems, methodologies, and demographic configurations designed to oppress us and eventually destroy us. The Bible says, "The thief (Satan, the devil) comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy, but God... somebody say, but God, has come into the world to give us through His mercy and grace, life and life overflowing with supernatural, uncommon, tangible, matchless FAVOR (John 10:10)! Whoo... running!👣👣👣👣
We would think Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah going into Babylonian captivity was a horrific life event, but it wasn't. It was God's plan all along to spare a remnant and to preserve His name in the earth through them through the means of captivity (Jeremiah 24:1-7). God can use a horrible situation and turn it 180° for our good. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Say, God is working it out. And He is; in your favor! Just trust Him. Amen.
I Will Not
I will not was at the core of these four young men's existence. Although they stood as a unit, that was a personal conviction of precept over human preference. It looks good, smells good and it might even taste good, but I prefer these leeks and kale cooked in some chicken broth...😂😂😂. Right?!
It really was a matter of biblical principle which required absolute obedience vs. pagan rituals that involved lowering one's standards to eat and drink. It wasn't the food or the drink persay, because we need food and water (not wine😂) to survive. It was the act and beliefs that proceeded it. These things were apart of paganistic rituals that honored many false gods and not the true and living God, and as the people of God, Jews were commanded according to Jewish law to abstain from immoral behaviors that would jeopardize their Abrahamic heritage and inheritance as God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 6:10-25; 7:1-11).
Can you look back over your walk with God and see where you've compromised biblical principles for the sake of human opinion? Doing what carnal or unchurched people prefer may feel good at the moment, but in the end, it draws us further and further away from God. And we don't want that, because then we can miss out, not only on opportunities to prosper God's way, but we can miss out on New Jerusalem and our eternal rest. Lord, give us deep seated biblical convictions in our day and for generations to come that will lead others to be persuaded that Your way is best, after they compare our appearances and lifestyle to those of the world, in Jesus name. Amen.
Warning: DON'T ALLOW CARNALITY TO CHOKE OUT YOUR CHRISTIANITY. Un...high-five🖑, Holy Spirit... that's real good!
We can still enjoy life and not bend with the trends. Like Daniel taught us, upright character unlocks supernatural favor. These four young men surpassed their pupils in all kinds of literature and wisdom ten times as much, and Daniel was endowed with the ability to understand and interpret dreams and visions given to rulers in power. I like to think, God gave him extra skill and gifts because He was the first to purpose it in his heart not to defile his temple, and not only did he purpose it in his heart, but he was willing to speak up for not only himself but others.
Send me. Lord, I will go for you.👐
God is looking to promote people who are not ambitious for self gain or worldly acclaim but those who are selfless and who will remain selfless and will serve God and look out for other's no matter how much wealth, wisdom, opportunities or prestige is unlocked to and for them. You see, it was never about the promotion. IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLE. Isn't that GOOD NEWS? Oh... in my book it is! Hallelujah! Glory to God!
WHATEVER YOU DO FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, DO IT ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD, and blessings for a lifetime, beyond your imagination, will be unleashed to you without delay, question, reason or hindrance, in Jesus name. Amen.
-KINGDOM BUILDING UNITED-
(Promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ around the globe)
Sometimes what we think is best, God knows isn't. Actually what God knows is best makes us uncomfortable, because it requires stretching pass our pre-existing capacity and going beyond our normal to obtain it. But what we define as normal in our pre-Christ days is really abnormal to God and a sense of mediocrity. The Bible says, "We go from faith to faith (Romans 1:17), from glory to glory (2Corinthians 3:18)." Divine dimensions and new realms of opportunity and mastery are open to us, through us, for us and over us. Isn't that good? That's good, y'all!
God has no problem challenging our faith level, because He knows, sometimes, that is the only way we will move into the new thing pre-destined to save us and bring us into his divine favor and out of the old systems, methodologies, and demographic configurations designed to oppress us and eventually destroy us. The Bible says, "The thief (Satan, the devil) comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy, but God... somebody say, but God, has come into the world to give us through His mercy and grace, life and life overflowing with supernatural, uncommon, tangible, matchless FAVOR (John 10:10)! Whoo... running!👣👣👣👣
We would think Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah going into Babylonian captivity was a horrific life event, but it wasn't. It was God's plan all along to spare a remnant and to preserve His name in the earth through them through the means of captivity (Jeremiah 24:1-7). God can use a horrible situation and turn it 180° for our good. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Say, God is working it out. And He is; in your favor! Just trust Him. Amen.
I Will Not
I will not was at the core of these four young men's existence. Although they stood as a unit, that was a personal conviction of precept over human preference. It looks good, smells good and it might even taste good, but I prefer these leeks and kale cooked in some chicken broth...😂😂😂. Right?!
It really was a matter of biblical principle which required absolute obedience vs. pagan rituals that involved lowering one's standards to eat and drink. It wasn't the food or the drink persay, because we need food and water (not wine😂) to survive. It was the act and beliefs that proceeded it. These things were apart of paganistic rituals that honored many false gods and not the true and living God, and as the people of God, Jews were commanded according to Jewish law to abstain from immoral behaviors that would jeopardize their Abrahamic heritage and inheritance as God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 6:10-25; 7:1-11).
Can you look back over your walk with God and see where you've compromised biblical principles for the sake of human opinion? Doing what carnal or unchurched people prefer may feel good at the moment, but in the end, it draws us further and further away from God. And we don't want that, because then we can miss out, not only on opportunities to prosper God's way, but we can miss out on New Jerusalem and our eternal rest. Lord, give us deep seated biblical convictions in our day and for generations to come that will lead others to be persuaded that Your way is best, after they compare our appearances and lifestyle to those of the world, in Jesus name. Amen.
Warning: DON'T ALLOW CARNALITY TO CHOKE OUT YOUR CHRISTIANITY. Un...high-five🖑, Holy Spirit... that's real good!
We can still enjoy life and not bend with the trends. Like Daniel taught us, upright character unlocks supernatural favor. These four young men surpassed their pupils in all kinds of literature and wisdom ten times as much, and Daniel was endowed with the ability to understand and interpret dreams and visions given to rulers in power. I like to think, God gave him extra skill and gifts because He was the first to purpose it in his heart not to defile his temple, and not only did he purpose it in his heart, but he was willing to speak up for not only himself but others.
Send me. Lord, I will go for you.👐
God is looking to promote people who are not ambitious for self gain or worldly acclaim but those who are selfless and who will remain selfless and will serve God and look out for other's no matter how much wealth, wisdom, opportunities or prestige is unlocked to and for them. You see, it was never about the promotion. IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLE. Isn't that GOOD NEWS? Oh... in my book it is! Hallelujah! Glory to God!
WHATEVER YOU DO FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, DO IT ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD, and blessings for a lifetime, beyond your imagination, will be unleashed to you without delay, question, reason or hindrance, in Jesus name. Amen.
-KINGDOM BUILDING UNITED-
(Promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ around the globe)
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