EPISODE 292 – POWER IN THE BLOOD/ PLEADING THE BLOOD OF JESUS

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The title of today’s episode: POWER IN THE BLOOD /PLEADING THE BLOOD OF JESUS

Most people know that in Ephesians chapter six it speaks of the whole armor of God. We have a shield of faith. Our faith is what makes us strong. Our faith protects us from attacks of the enemy. Faith is how we receive our blood covering, by faith we believe on God for salvation.

Eph 6:11-12 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

In the story of the Children of Israel, God told Moses to tell the people to kill a lamb and place the blood on the door posts. This was a sign to the death angel that would pass over that house. All the houses in Egypt that didn’t have the blood over the door, would have a death of its first born. This is a foreshadowing of Christ and how his blood is placed over the door of our heart. The placement of the blood prevented death. Christ’s blood on our lives prevents spiritual death.

This event was a life-changing moment in the lives of everyone on both sides. It was the beginning of freedom to God’s people. The enemy was seeing that they were no match for the One True God.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that they passed through the Red Sea. I believe the name of the sea is prophetic and represents the blood line. God’s people went through, but Egypt could not follow. They could not because God had drawn the blood line. He said to the tormentors, you will not trouble my people any longer, you can go no further.

Jesus always brought freedom to the hurting and sick. He brought joy and understanding to those that lacked the education of the Pharisees. To the arrogant and elite, he brought fear and trepidation. They were afraid of his popularity, because they didn’t want to lose their standing in the community.

As people who are blood bought, spirit filled Children of the most high God, we too have been set apart. Because the blood of Jesus has been applied to our lives, we have victory in our Lord Jesus Christ. There is not a devil in hell that can come through the blood.

There is power in the name of Jesus. The blood has transforming power. There is nothing the enemy can throw at us that can overpower the blood of Jesus. We cannot fear what the enemy is doing or going to try next. We need to plead the blood against it.

For those of you who are new to Christianity the phrase “plead the blood” means we ask God for his blood covering against the situation. Since the enemy cannot cross the blood line, then we can plead the blood for protection. In other words, we are asking for God to draw a blood line around us to keep us from the enemy. Many illnesses are demonic attacks, whether you want to believe it or not. They are spirits that are on assignment to distract us from our assignment by causing us to have pain and symptoms of disease. When we plead the blood of Jesus against these attacks, we are asking for a blood line that the enemy cannot cross.

Before you say the blood is not for healing, Jesus took stripes for our healing. Not only our spiritual healing, but emotional and physical healing as well. He wants us to be completely whole, body, mind and spirit. Jesus is the only way to achieve this balance. Having this balance or wholeness is the best way to be effective in the world around us. If we are out of balance in any area it can keep us from running our race effectively.

Faith in Jesus Christ is our shield, the blood is our covering. We often are told to check our hearts to make sure all of our sins are under the blood of Jesus. We do this by repenting immediately if we know we have slipped up. But it is good to also ask for forgiveness for the things we do not realize we have done.

As we move forward, our country is in need of prayer. There has never been a time that it needs prayer more than now. Fear and fearmongering are trying to take control of our society. We need to stand strong and not allow fear to get a toe hold. I am sure things looked scary for the children of Israel. God parted a sea for them, he can do exceedingly, abundantly more than we ask or think to take care of his people today.

Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

The power of the Holy Ghost within us will give us the strength and power to face whatever the enemy tries to throw our way. Walk in Love, Encourage One Another, Pray for God’s Peace Against Fear. We will make it as long as we stay under the blood covering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember; There is power in the blood.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP291 SOMETIMES VICTORY IN THE SHOUT

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The title of today’s episode: SOMETIMES VICTORY IS IN THE SHOUT

There is no substitute for true praise. Worship is not always a person sitting quietly with their hands folded in their laps with their eyes shut. Sometimes it is shouts, tears and displays of emotion. God wants us to give him worship from our hearts and not lip service.

I was reading Luke 19 today and came across the account of Jesus riding a colt into Jerusalem.

Luke 19:33-38 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

They were not quiet, they were singing, rejoicing and praising with a loud voice for all the mighty works. Sometimes God is so good that we cannot contain the praise. It is not undignified to be loud, if someone is doing it for attention then God knows that too. I don’t know where the church got the idea that everything had to be silent all the time. I can’t find it in the bible. When the church lost their shout, they also lost their praise, which led to the loss of joy and strength. Soon the churches became social clubs and not places of worship. It is time we lost our dignified ways and gave God exuberant praise from our hearts. If everyone was doing this no one would have time to look at one another with judgment.

Luke 19:39-40 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

The religious people didn’t want them praising God in a manner that didn’t fit their theology. And of course, they didn’t believe that Jesus was the son of God. They didn’t think he should be praised. There are many Pharisees today in all walks of life.

Worship is not about candles, long robes and silence. These people have a form and a fashion but deny the power of God. Because when God shows up for church it will wreck your theology. It is about a heart connection to the one that saved our souls. If we really allowed that to sink in about where he has bought us from, we would remember the reason he deserves praise and worship.

I then think about Jerico. The Israelites marched for days around the city. They were quiet and didn’t provoke their enemy. It didn’t cause anything to happen. But on the last day God told them to shout, and the walls fell. The shout of triumph can make our enemy scared and bring down the walls the enemy has built.

Jesus would have walked past Bartemaeus, but he cried with a loud voice. The people around him tried to silence him, but he cried out anyway. When we want to receive something from God, sometimes it takes a shout. Jesus answered him and gave him his sight. Think about how close he came to missing his miracle. If he had listened to the crowd, he would have remained blind.

Many people are spiritually blind today. It is up to us to lead them to Jesus. We cannot stand in their way and tell them to be dignified and quiet. We need to tell them to cry out to Jesus for his soul cleansing, never ending, healing power. Time is short and we need to cry out and let our voices be heard. Many are needing to meet Jesus. We cannot let the Pharisees of today, those who wish for us to be silent, stop us from telling people about Jesus.

It is time we left our comfort zones. It is time we got serious about our witness to the world. I don’t want rocks crying out for me in praise or witness. I don’t want to come before God and him say, you should have told others about me. I want to hear him say, Well Done.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP290 UNAPOLOGETIC WORSHIP

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The title of today’s episode: UNAPOLOGETIC WORSHIP

Today I want to talk to you about keeping your focus on Jesus. We need to worship him unapologetically. There is a story in the gospel of Luke of a woman that was determined to worship Jesus. This woman brought an alabaster box of expensive oils, and anointed Jesus.

The Pharisees sat in judgment.

Luke 7:36-38 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

The Pharisee was uncomfortable with her open worship of Jesus. Because he didn’t believe Jesus deserved worship. He didn’t see him as anything more than maybe a prophet. The Pharisee questioned if he was even a prophet. He thought it was wrong of him to allow her to continue.

Luke 7:39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

He questioned Jesus’ status by saying if he were a prophet, like he wasn’t even worthy to be a prophet. Then he judged the woman, saying she is a sinner. Like there was no hope for her.

Luke 7:40-43 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

Jesus understood the heart of the woman. He knew all about her circumstances and didn’t judge her for the past. She had lived a sinful life and needed much forgiveness, but she showed her gratitude toward Jesus by interrupting their dinner to sit at his feet and worship.

Luke 7:44-46 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

Luke 7:47-50 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

No where does it say the woman defended her interaction with Jesus. She didn’t care that the religious leader (the Pharisee) was watching her. An account in another of the gospels says that the disciples said she could have sold the ointment and given the money to the poor. Like they thought it was a waste.

Anything we give to Jesus is never wasted. Our time, our praise, our tears, the substance of our finances. We could learn a lesson from this woman and continue to pour out our hearts in praise as the woman poured out the oil. She didn’t see anyone but Jesus, she was focused completely on him. She didn’t apologize that they were judging her for her behavior.

One of the biggest lessons we can take away is that true worship from the heart and a life lived fully sold out to Jesus will draw criticism from those who are not comfortable with that level of openness to the Lord.

I don’t care how perfect you walk as a Christian there will be those with a judgmental spirit that will criticize. Sometimes out of jealousy because they really want to be free enough to worship openly, showing their heart. But they are afraid of being judged.

We need to focus on our worship of Jesus and let them say whatever they want, their opinion doesn’t matter. Only the opinion of the one who died for us matters. Unapologetic worship allows us to connect with the heart of God. Get out of that comfort zone, ignore people and love openly our Lord Jesus Christ.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP289 IS JESUS LORD?

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The title of today’s episode: Is Jesus Lord?

I am going to ask you a question I have been pondering about my life. This question is for you to think about today. Is Jesus Lord? Most would say yes immediately. Think about his place in your life. God wants to be first. People all around the world want to make Jesus their savior. They are willing to give up a few things to have someone tell them they are saved. But do they ever make him the Lord of their lives? It is one thing to say he is Lord, but it is another thing to live that way.

When he was born as a baby, he was named Jesus. He was flesh and grew up as we all do. When he started his ministry after John baptized him. The spirit of God came and rested on him like a dove. After this he was called Christ or Jesus Christ. Christ meaning the anointed one. But the account in Acts 2:36 is one of the earliest places that he is referred to as Lord.

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

When Jesus came out of the grave victorious over death, hell and the grave and ascended into glory. His victory gave him the authority and made Lord of all.

Paul stood on the day the church was born and declared that Jesus was both Lord and Christ. He was letting them know that he was both Messiah and God Almighty, Lord overall.

Eph 3:14-15 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

This verse says that the whole family in heaven and earth are named after the Lord Jesus Christ. He is more than a savior that died on a cross. Although that is a major part of what he has done. He is so much more, he is Lord above all, over all and hopefully in us all.

We often say when someone repents that they made Jesus the Lord of their life. We really mean that they have made a good start toward that goal. But it takes a period of time to learn to surrender fully to his leading. To give up our control and put him in his place in our lives, which is the first place, in charge, and in control.

Most of us, and I did say us including me, want to do what we choose until we hit an obstacle then we wonder why God is not moving. Because we never gave him the situation to control. We didn’t follow his leading and ended up somewhere he didn’t mean for us to go. There are many reasons things happen but sometimes it is because we have not given the proper place in our lives to God Almighty our Lord.

Wikipedia says the word Lord means – “Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler.”

The word appellation is defined by Miriam Webster Dictionary online – as an identifying name or title: designation. For example: not everyone can be called doctor, only those who have graduated medical school.

When we say Lord, we are giving him the proper respect. Not everyone can be Lord, it takes certain credentials. He died for our sins; he is the one who has the right to be in control. He is Lord.

Since he is Lord, he gave us power to become the sons of God. We cannot say he is Lord until we have been born into his family, we have no right to call him Lord.

I Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

We could never begin to put him in his proper place in our lives without the power of His Spirit that lives within us. Like I’ve said before, we are not born knowing how to love God. We are born in this flesh. It is a process that takes a lifetime to grow into; all he wants is for us to try to give up our control and let him be who he was created to be to us. He is more than our savior, he wants to be our Lord and Savior. Again, I ask the question, Is Jesus Lord? Have you given him the proper place in your life? Something to think about as you go about your day. I know I have been pondering it.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 288 REST IN THE YOKE

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The title of today’s episode: REST IN THE YOKE

In the fast-paced world in which we live there are times I am envious of people in the late 1800’s. Except for electricity and indoor plumbing they had the perfect life. People back then valued friendship and family above material things and having the latest gadgets.

Now we rush about, pulling long hours at a job that is not our dream, just to survive. We live for the weekend. Then when it comes it is so full of activities that we do not get rest. If we are lucky, we will get two weeks a year of vacation. We plan trips and it takes us until Mid-day Wednesday to get unwound enough to enjoy our time, we blink, and it is right back to the rat race.

Jesus says there is a better way. In him we can find rest for our weary soul. Having God’s peace inside of us will give us a better attitude and perspective on our lives. He can give us hope and help us to figure out what is really important to us.

Matt 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus is with us to help us carry our burdens. If we take his yoke upon us, it means we are working in tandem with him to carry the situations of life. A yoke was traditionally a piece of wood with straps or rope that the animals were tied to, they then would be given encouragement to walk and pull the burden together. When both pulled it made the load move smoothly forward.

To be yoked with Christ means that we too are connected with a piece of wood. The old rugged cross. When Christ died for us on that cross, he made a way for us to shun the heavy weight of sin. Our hearts and souls can find rest in him from the burden of sin.

If we are yoked to the world, we are the ones carrying the weight. Not only is it hard to pull that weight, but it keeps getting heavier and heavier. Because we are yoked to satan and he will not carry any of the weight once he has you hitched to the yoke. Up until that time he paints a pretty picture and carries all the weight. When we agree to put on the harness and he says, Now I can drop it. The full weight of sin falls on us, and it falls hard.

When training a young ox, it is often yoked with a larger more experienced one. It will resist but gets encouragement from the older ox as he often is pulling more than his share. The yoke is not always level in this case. The mature ox is carrying three quarters of the load. But the young one will soon learn how to be yoked and then it will carry more of the burden.

The young ox needs to learn not to try to run ahead of his partner. He cannot lag behind either. Falling in line with the pace of the one leading makes for the smoothest, easiest journey. We too cannot run ahead of God, or we will make a mess of what he wants to in our lives. We do not want to fall behind and feel like we are being dragged to our destiny either. Because God will not force us. He expects our willingness to go the distance.

Exodus 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

When we get a made-up mind to follow Jesus and not try to do our own thing. We will find rest and peace for our weary heart. It doesn’t mean that there will not be storms and steep rocky places. But he will see us through them all as long as we look to him and make sure to let him carry the heaviest part of the burden.

Just as I sometimes wonder about a simpler time, I am reminded of the old paths and how we are supposed to look for them.

Jer 6:16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

In the old paths we can find the deep meaning of living a Christian life, fully devoted to the path God has for our feet. In that path we will find peace and rest for our weary souls.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP287 WHEN DOES A BLESSING BECOME A BURDEN?

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The title of today’s episode: WHEN DOES A BLESSING BECOME A BURDEN

There are times we pray for a big thing. We have an end goal in mind. But God in his wisdom gives us what we can handle and adds to it as time goes on. Think about it. God blessed the children of Israel with Manna. He sent Manna to them fresh daily. What if he said, it’s going to take so many tons to see them through the next forty years of wandering and had poured it down on them all at once.

It would have gone from a blessing to a burden. Even if it had lasted and not ruined, God had that ability. We often ask for the big things, the end result, but God says, you must grow into that end result. Little by little, I have to give it to you. Like a little boy that walks around the house in his dad’s shoes. They are heavy and cumbersome until he has time to grow up and the shoes will be closer to fitting.

We should never allow the enemy to give us our view of where we are now. We cannot look at life with a discouraged spirit because we are not where we want to be. God will take us there as we mature in him.

Zech. 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

The people of Zechariah’s time were tasked with rebuilding the temple around 536BC. The temple was half completed. God sent Zechariah to encourage the people to finish the work they started. The name Zechariah means “Yahweh remembers or has remembered.” It is the theme of the book of Zechariah. Israel will be blessed because God remembers his covenant with them.

The word plummet is what contractors today would call a plumb bob it was a weight on a string used to measure when building a wall that everything was solid and not leaning inward or outward.

I Cor 10:13 -There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God doesn’t allow us to have burdens too hard for us. He knows what we are capable of carrying. We cannot despise where we are in life, because God will elevate us to do more or carry more as soon as we show him, we are mature enough to handle it. He doesn’t tempt us, our enemy does, but God puts boundaries on him and only allows him to go so far, before God stops him.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

With the trying of our patience and our ideas of how things need to be, we are taught by God that we can depend on him. The word upbraideth means reproach or blame. God will not blame us for our ignorance when we ask him about something, he will not judge or criticize. But he will enlighten us, because we ask for his help to understand. This is why it is vital to pray and ask God the questions that are on our mind. He is not shocked by them, he knows we have them. When we verbalize them to God he can help us find the answers we seek.

We are in such a moment right now, but instead of building a temple, we are building a body of believer’s called the Bride of Christ. We are not to look at someone who is just starting in judgment. We are to look and thank God for their beginning. We must come together and work together to see God’s will accomplished in the earth.

He has a remnant of people in all denominations who are truly hungry for a move of God. They ache to be a part of what God is doing. They pray daily for God to show them what he will do with their lives. As I said at the beginning, if we could see the end results, it would probably be too big of a burden, and we may try to force things before their time. But God has a plan for each of us; he just wants us to trust him and walk in the light he has given us for each day that comes.

One day, we will look back and see how far God has brought us. He just desires for us to look to him and trust. He will take care of the rest.

Thanks for watching,

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP286 THIS SAME JESUS

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The title of today’s episode: THIS SAME JESUS

The great I AM our Lord Jesus Christ is the same, he never changes. I started to think about how he has proven himself to every generation. All through the bible the people would stray, and he would draw them back to him. What triggered this thought was the verse in the first chapter of Acts.

Let me create the setting for you. Jesus had walked for forty days with the disciples after he was raised from the dead. They went up to the mount and he was taken up in the clouds to heaven.

Acts 1:9-11 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

This same Jesus is the phrase I want to focus on. This same Jesus that walked on water. This same Jesus that raised the dead. This same Jesus that died for us. This same Jesus that went away is coming again.

God has always blessed and protected his people. This same Jesus we serve will be our comfort, our strength, our peace, our hope, our joy. This same Jesus will never fail us.

It is good to have people we know we can depend on when we need help. But even friends and family cannot or will not go with us as far as Jesus does and will go. This is why I encourage you to keep your focus on God. This is why I encourage you to dig into the word. The more we study the deeper our understanding.

There are many great mysteries in the word. Some of the prophets have written things that are hard to unravel. It will take God to reveal the meaning to us. Just because we do not understand everything, doesn’t mean we should give up. A lot of the bible is written like a story. Other parts, God will reveal when we need the understanding. Then there is Leviticus in a class all by itself. Every time, I have to read it or scribe it, I am so thankful for Jesus and his work on the cross. Because he fulfilled the law, I no longer have to keep up with my sin and how many animals I have to take to the priest to atone for them. This same Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice so that I could live.

God was referred to in the Old Testament as Jehovah, Yahweh, the Great I AM. This same God that rescued the children of Israel will rescue us from the Pharaohs of today. He will slay our giants and part the troubled waters. He will set us free and lead us to our promised land of heaven.

We can easily get sidetracked by all the “Christian things” and forget to just walk everyday the best we can, looking to our Lord and Savior to see us through whatever is facing us that day.

We only need enough of his grace and mercy for that one day, because his mercies are new each morning. We get a blank page to start fresh everyday to be all that we can be for the cause of Christ.

This same Jesus will open doors in walls that have no doors. He will do amazing things for us that love him. Learning to be obedient and trust him is some of mankind’s largest obstacles. Most of us feel we can do things on our own. That is when we find out the hard way that we cannot make it without him.

He will often let us try our wings because we ask him to, he knows we cannot fly but will applaud our efforts. And just like a mama bird, he will not let us hit the ground but will swoop down and catch us in just the nick of time.

This same Jesus has not lost any power. He can still heal the sick and raise the dead. The issue is that the church; his disciples today are not the same. It is time we returned our hearts to the dedication of our ancestors. People will say they don’t have time to pray and read their Bibles. I get it, I was one of those people. But we can watch three or four hours of TV in the evenings or scroll social media for hours. We make time for the important things. This same Jesus that went away wants to walk with us and talk with us. He wants to share every aspect of our lives. This same Jesus that went away, is coming back soon. Make sure you are ready to see him.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP285 SHELTERED SAFE IN THE ARMS OF GOD

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SHELTERED SAFE IN THE ARMS OF GOD

For several days the words to an old hymn have been running through my mind. “Sheltered In The Arms of God” is a song written by Dottie Rambo in 1969. She was walking along a beach in Florida after a storm. Weaving her way along amont the drift wood and sea weed that had washed up on shore. Dottie wrote the words to this beautiful song. She was talking to the Lord about some storms in her own life, a betrayal of a good friend. Out of that storm came inspiration that would encourage people for decades. God doesn’t waste our storms, but he will not allow them to over take us either.

As I thought about what it means to be sheltered in his arms. My thoughts immediately went to Psalm 91 since I read and declare it over my home almost every night before bed.

Psalm 91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is the first key to unlocking the door to breakthrough. We have to learn how to dwell in the secret place of the most High. Finding that place to have quiet alone time with him is critical to our faith walk. Then we must abide or stay in his presence to be under the shadow of the Almighty. Think about a shadow, the only way to be in someone’s shadow is if we are close to them.

We can depend on him to be our refuge and place of safety even in the most fierce storms imaginable. He is our safe place. We can trust him. But we have to get into that secret place before the storm hits. It is a lot harder to get into his presence when life is falling apart.

Psalm 91:2-4 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

The song goes, “Let the storms rage high, the dark clouds rise, they won’t worry me, for I’m sheltered safe within the arms of God. He walks with me and none of earth shall harm me.”

This was her way of saying, I am under the shadow of his wings, he is my covering and I will be safe. It doesn’t matter how dark the clouds, how much the wind howls, how many trees are falling. We will be safe under the shadow of his wings.

If we draw close to God and use the keys, he has given us in his word we will have nothing to fear. Fear is caused when we get into a weak moment and listen to the enemy. He is all too ready to spread fear.

Psalm 91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

The whole chapter of Psalm 91 is an awesome chapter to commit to memory. It is a Psalm for dangerous times. And we are in dangerous times if we look at the storm. But if we keep ourselves in the secret place of the almighty, we will only see him and not the storms of life.

We sometimes come up against something in life and the harder we try to make sense of it the more complicated it gets, until we get frustrated. Some doors are not meant for us to walk through because God has other doors, better ones. If we try to move in our understanding, we often make things worse.

But waiting on the Lord, we shall be strengthened when we find that place of rest under his wings. We are sheltered and protected from the fiery darts of the enemy. When we wait upon God to unlock the door, then we will know he has checked things out and it is safe for us to enter.

Psalm 91:9-10 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

If we spend time in the shadow of his wings, sheltered safe, because he is our habitation. The word habitation means to occupy, reside, a place we live like a home.

We can pray against sickness coming near our dwelling. As the world spins out of control with all the talk of viruses and disease today, we can ask for God’s protection from these harmful things that are being unleashed. If we stay within his shadow, sheltered in his arms he will send his angels to protect us.

Psalm 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

As we go forward, we have to remember that it doesn’t matter what the enemy tries to do to us. It doesn’t matter how scary the storm sounds; we can make the choice to be sheltered safe within the arms of God.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP284 DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6mjgoc-god-focus-this-morning-ep284-drawing-closer-to-god.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

I want to apologize for missing a couple of post. We had a storm blow through and I didn’t have any internet. Pray for the people in the path of this storm, there is flooding and damage all over the place. Some even died in Kentucky and around. So pray for those families.

The title of today’s episode: DRAWING CLOSER

Ask any Christian if they think they need to draw closer to God and most will tell you yes. Now is the time that God is drawing his people to him. For us to be effective as the body of Christ we have to be in a position to hear God’s voice.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

The body of Christ is needed in this day and age to be a light. We cannot be a light if we are not close enough to God to reflect His light. It is time the church, caught on fire.

We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. We cannot have the stench of sin in our lives. We have to keep our sins under the blood. In drawing closer to Christ, the more we will be a sweet savor to God.

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Which means we kill the desires we have and only have the desires God wants for us. We put aside the things of this life and take up our cross and follow Jesus. By doing this we will draw closer to God and be in a position He can use us.

The objective of God is to save as many people as possible. He didn’t design hell for mankind. But if we do not use our free will to choose him then that will be our destination. But we cannot simply repent and be saved.

I Cor 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Every day we have a choice, do we do what we want to do, or do we follow Christ? By choosing to die out to ourselves, we accept what God’s plan is for us, for that day. We have to ask him daily to forgive us of our choices that we make that are sinful.

God is getting ready to set the church on fire. He will have a body of believers. We have to make sure that we are part of that body of believers. People who are willing to stand for the truth even if it costs us our lives. That used to cause fear in me when I thought about having to die for the gospel. I wondered if I would be strong enough. But I now know that if it came to that, the Spirit of God within me would rise up and give me strength. As long as I walk every day as close as I can to his presence.

I have walked through some things I never thought I would have to walk through. But with each hard thing that came my way God was there to see me through it. He was there to show me how to take one breath at a time. He will show you too.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

The word abide means to dwell, remain, stay, or continue in a state or relationship. We cannot wait until the moment that our world is falling apart to pray and expect that God will always move. We must create an atmosphere where God’s presence is welcome around us. Then when the trials of life come to burn us to the ground, we will be on fire for God and it will be a controlled burn.

Just like firefighters will often set smaller fires to stop a bigger one. They want to use up all the fuel so the large fire will not have anything to burn. We too have to have God’s holy fire in our lives to get rid of anything that the enemy could use as fuel to burn down our lives.

We get this fire, by drawing closer to God. Everyday this should be our prayer, Dear Lord, draw me closer to you. Breathe in me your breath of life and make me more like you.

I am sure some are probably tired of me saying read the word. Don’t just carry it around with you. Read it. It is life and strength to our spirit man. Talk with God, ask him what he wants for your life. He will answer, because he only wants what is best for his children. He wants us to draw closer to him, so that our relationship can be full and blossoming.

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

The kingdom of God is not in carnal things, but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. We gain, peace, joy and righteousness by drawing closer to God. By living a life dedicated to what God want for us, not what we desire.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 283 HAPPY DAY OF LOVE

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6kmew7-god-focus-this-morning-ep283-happy-day-of-love.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: HAPPY DAY OF LOVE

I want to say, Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. This holiday was started by people wanting to honor a man named St. Valentine for his amazing show of love. I want to share with you the meaning of love.

Popular television and movies have shaped our idea of love. We grow up thinking it is a feeling of butterflies and suddenly the birds start singing. You see fireworks and are so full of joy that you think you may burst.

Real love is not fireworks but quiet times. The trips to the store for you when you are sick. The trips one takes even when they want to sleep because the one, they are with wants to go somewhere. True love is sitting quietly in your recliners reading quietly, just being together.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus is our example of what real love is the word is full of his love story to redeem something that is lost. Earlier this week I wrote about Hosea and how God used his marriage to teach him about God’s love for the people of Israel. We have all sinned against God and his laws, this is why Jesus came in the first place. He came to redeem us from the choices we made, a life of sin and rebellion.

Marketers would like to tell you that Valentines Day is about flowers, diamonds and candy. But real love is sharing Jesus to the world. We as Christian have been given the most amazing gift ever experienced by human beings. We understand a little bit about God’s love. Although I do not think that we will fully understand until we shake off this mortal body and are with Jesus in heaven. Then and only then will we be able to understand what a price he paid and will understand fully his love.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

When we are disobedient, we are not walking in the love of God. To say we are a Christian and not show it with our lives can cause those who are watching to justify their sin, by claiming to be as good as the Christian not fully walking in his commandment. That will not be an excuse on judgement day for them, but we need to not be stumbling blocks for those around us.

None of us are perfect me included. We need to strive to do the right thing in every situation. We want the love of God, the peace he gives to show in our lives.

Many think that charity is an organization that you donate money to that does things for the community. But charity means Love. This word was adopted by organizations trying at one time to show God’s love and over time became a blanket word for any non-profit organization that supposedly does good.

We couldn’t talk about love without going to the love chapter I Cor 13

I Cor. 13 1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

We often feel like having faith is the greatest thing. But if we have faith that we can move mountains and do not have love we are nothing. We could give everything we have to the poor but if we are not walking in love it will be in vain. Because God is love, we have to strive to be full of His love toward mankind. It is a process of learning how to walk in love.

Verses 4 through seven explain in more detail what it means to walk in love.

I Cor. 13:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love is longsuffering. That is interesting because long suffering is also a fruit of the spirit. As we grow on our journey, the more of the fruit of the spirit we will have in our lives. This fruit will show in our lives and so will God’s love.

Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Paul wrote about the fruit of the Spirit and he told us to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6. Because you can do whatever you want to the outside, but if the fruit is not inside you will never be a warrior in God’s army. Now is a time of warfare with our enemy, so we have to be all we can be inside.

Love is not just a mushy feeling. It is an action word, we have to go and do the things God’s Spirit leads us to do, even if it is difficult. It is for a greater purpose.

Jesus has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us. He has promised he will protect us and provide for our needs. He is our healer and our deliverer. I cannot think of a better Valentine than him.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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