EPISODE EP282 BE CAREFUL

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The title of today’s episode: BE CAREFUL

There is a children’s song that should apply to all of God’s people today. It says, be careful little eyes what you see. We are in the middle of an information explosion of evil that has been done right under our noses with our tax payer dollars. In our quest for understanding there is a lot that we need to guard our hearts from taking in through our sight. Once you see something, you cannot unsee it.

I have a friend that clicked on a video, and it was disguised as one thing but ended up being a video of a man abusing a child. It crushed her spirit for days. She had to pray for several days to shake the evil she felt. This was a few years ago.

I was reminded of her experience recently with all the talk of witchcraft at the super bowl. There was at least one woman with a voodoo doll of a player, she sat the whole game poking it with needles. Some may not think this stuff is real, but the enemy has power. The powers of darkness are real, but God’s power is stronger. We need to be careful about what we watch on television and what we open on social media.

These people use click bait to flaunt their evil. It used to be evil was hidden in dark alleys and secret clubs. Now satan knows his time is short and he has it all out on display for all the world to see.

Psalm 101:2-3 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

We need to pray over our homes, our children and pets. Pray over our phones, TV’s and computers, that God will protect us from evil. I don’t say these things to cause fear, but it is a reminder to be wise and aware of what is going on it this world.

Be careful little ears what you hear.

There is an agenda by evil people in this world to make sure the air waves are bombarded by music and other forms of so called entertainment, that is full of evil. Their agenda is to see how much of their evil they can spread. They do not care about people they care about money. It is their god, and they will do anything to gain more and more of it.

Romans 10: 16-17 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

People will not always believe our report. But we are obligated to keep telling them. Because they will gain faith by hearing the word of God. The word will eventually take root and grow as long as the ground is good.

This also goes the opposite way, if we are listening constantly to the wrong things it will take root in our lives and suddenly the things that used to bother us, we have grown numb to and will overlook. Just as we need to guard our eyes we need to guard out ear. Pray for God to tell you the things he has for you. Speak his word out loud as you read, hearing his word and understanding it will give you faith and spiritual strength.

Which brings me to my next point, the words of our mouth. I often have spoken about how our words have power in our lives. It is easy in a moment of frustration to speak negatively about a situation. With that one sentence we have undone our prayers. Because we have to believe and have faith in what we are praying for, speaking the opposite only serves to void those prayers because we are showing God we don’t really believe He will come through for us.

Matt 12:33-37 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Human beings are naturally negative, we have to train ourselves to not listen to our flesh but to speak life and the things of God. We need to guard our mouth and make sure we are saying things that are words of faith. Words that God would have us to say.

Never before in any generation of America have, we had to fight such evil. It is time we prayed for God to help us to set a guard on what we see, hear and say. Be vigilant; our enemy, satan, is trying to destroy us all, but we will prevail as long as we guard our hearts.

God is trying to get his church ready for the harvest. Soon there will be a large amount of people flocking to the house of God. We have to be ready to help them by being in a position that God can use us to not judge them, but share His love with them all.

Take some time to think about what you see, hear and say. If Jesus were in the room, would you be ok with him watching, hearing what you hear or say? Then remind yourself he is in the room, because he is everywhere.

He only wants what is best for you and so do I.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 281 HOSEA AND GOD’S ENDURING LOVE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: Hosea / God’s Enduring Love

The book of Hosea is a small book of the Bible found in the Old Testament. It is one that people rarely talk about, maybe because it is scandalous. A prophet of God married a woman that made people question his reasons. God told him to marry Gomer because she was about to be used by God to teach him some incredible lessons of how God was feeling.

The people of God were enjoying a time of prosperity and growth. This is normally when thing start to go wrong. People often forget that the reason for that prosperity is God’s hand on their lives. They start doing their own thing and allowing idols to get between them and God.

Look at the children of Israel. God saved them from slavery and poverty. Made them wealthy and promised them a land of milk and honey. But they could not set aside the desires of their flesh and wait on God. While Moses was on the mountain getting God’s law, they decided to create something for themselves. They reverted to the old ways and built a golden calf. They committed idolatry by worshipping this statue.

Many places the people of God went lusting after other gods. Instead of holding on tight to the only God that can really be the one to worship. He is the God of promise, hope, peace, joy and love. He can fulfill our hearts desires as long as He is first in our lives. If he is first, then our desires will align with his will for our lives. We were bought with a price and created with a purpose. We are not our own, we are the bride of Christ, yet it is easy to commit adultery by being drawn away to the idols of this world.

Hosea learned how God felt when his wife committed adultery. He complained to God and God said, this is how I feel when my people go after other gods and doesn’t trust me.

We cannot be an adulterous bride. We need to be faithful to God and his plan for our lives. Gomer was drawn away from Hosea several times and was unfaithful to him. Each time Hosea forgave her and even rescued her from slavery. During the course of their marriage they had three children that God named. Each one was a message from God for his people of Israel and Judah.

Before I read the passage of scripture I apologize for the names if I don’t get them exactly correct, I did google how to say them so here goes.

Hosea 1:3-9 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. 4 And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreelfor yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel. 6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. 7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. 8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. 9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

Jezreel

The first son was named Jezreel which means, I will punish, or I will sow. (Verse 5) The bow was broken when Israel fell to the Assyrian army. Sometime later, Israel fell and God scattered his people. God scattered his people like seeds.

Loruhamah

The next child born to Gomer was Loruhamah -her name means no mercy (verse 6) God said he would no longer have mercy on Israel, but would have mercy on Judah.

Follow me for just a second here, God was saying he would turn from his covenant bride for her adultery. Notice verse: 7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

Judah would be saved not by bow, sword, battle, horse or horsemen but by the Lord their God. He was sharing his plan for cutting off the Jewish people and making a way for us through the tribe of Judah, which is Jesus’ lineage. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Those who come through the tribe of Judah will not be saved by sword, battle horses or horsemen, but by Jesus. That is the only way for Jews or Gentiles to be saved today is through the blood of Jesus.

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.

Loammi

The third child born to Gomer was Loammi, meaning not my people. (verse 9). This represented a broken covenant, meaning that God was aware that his people had broken his covenant and he was angry. Like a spouse would be hurt and angry over infidelity. This did not mean that God did not love his people. It doesn’t mean that he still does not watch over them even today, but in order to correct their status of covenant breakers, they must come through the blood to find forgiveness and completion.

Hosea always went after Gomer when she ran off with other men. He would pursue her and bring her back because of his love for her. This is a symbol of God’s great love for us. We may allow things sometimes to get in between us and God. But he is waiting for us to make it right. Infidelity to God is allowing things to become idols in our lives. It doesn’t have to be an actual statue we are bowing to and doing rituals. It can be anything we allow to become more important to us than God. A car, a job, a house, a business, our family, anything.

I have read Hosea before, but this was the first time certain things stuck out to me. It proves the more we study the word the more it makes sense to us. I hope this has been interesting to you.

We cannot end up like the children of Israel after God delivers us from our bondage of the systems that have ruled our world for a long time. We will soon see a great revival, we can not at that point get complacent and start building our own version of the golden calf. We need to keep God in his proper place, first in our lives.

I know this has been a heavy subject. But a very needed one. Before I go, I want to share something with you that made me smile. When looking up the meanings of the names of Hosea’s children and how to say all these names I had to laugh at verse three.

Hos 1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. Gomer’s father is Diblaim, so you can decide if he is the blame for how she turned out or not because it’s not always the parent’s fault.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP280 TIME TO CLEAN THE JUNK OUT

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: TIME TO CLEAN THE JUNK OUT

I’ve been doing some decluttering and early spring cleaning. When I came to my junk drawer. Before you sit in judgment of me, almost everyone has a catch-all drawer or closet. Unfortunately, I have both.

As I went through the junk drawer, I came across a box and immediately knew what was in it. Every time I clean out that drawer, I have kept it until this time. It was a bunch of keys left by the previous owners of the house. As soon as we moved in, we changed the locks on the doors, not knowing who else had a key. But there were a lot of keys that we didn’t know what they were for, so just in case, I kept them for thirteen years. Crazy hun?

Our heart is a filter for everything we experience. Every emotion gets turned into memories in our brains, but still, when we are reminded of things, we feel the emotion. If we have been hurt by people, often we bury that hurt deep in our hearts. We try to push aside the memories.

Sooner or late,r they all accumulate like the stuff in our junk drawer. For all the things we don’t know how to deal with or think we may need later, we hold on to them. Offense is one of the biggest tools in satan’s arsenal against the body of Christ.

Then satan will constantly remind us of the offense. Like he was sitting beside us, poking us with his finger. If he can get us to feel offense, we will avoid others. This isolation can lead us to not be able to be a light to others. It is easier to hide in our offense. Which could make room for him to use fear, anxiety, and depression against us.

Unity and real reform in the body of Christ cannot happen until we can learn to let go of offense. Jesus is there waiting for us to give it to him. He will take care of it.

Prov 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

Holding on to offense makes us unapproachable. The more pain, envy, anger, bitterness and offense we hold onto the less room in our lives for the good things that God wants to give to us. Just as that junk drawer has only so much space, so does our heart.

It is not easy to let go of painful things. Just like those keys, we often hold on to it way too long when we could have used that space for something productive.

If we ask God, he will help us to be able to let go of the pain of what others have done to us. This is why it is a good idea to ask God to search our hearts and see if we are carrying hurt and offense. Ask for his help to forgive and he will help us to let it go.

Col 3:12-14 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

If we put of charity, which means love it is the bond of perfectness. Walking in love is how we share Jesus with the world.

Walking in love means asking for forgiveness if we have hurt someone. We have be mature enough to admit when we are wrong. It is the only way God can use us, if we cleanse our hands of causing others pain.

Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

There is no room for peace and painful offense to dwell together in our hearts. One will be dominant, and one will be shoved back in the corner. We want peace to prevail. Because God gives peace that goes beyond our ability to comprehend. Ask Jesus to search your heart and see if there is something in a forgotten corner that you can let go of, to make room for more of God’s love.

It is time, as the body of Christ, that we clean out our pulpits. They have accumulated all sorts of junk. It is time we get rid of the immoral actors who are pretending to be ministers of the gospel. Get rid of the light shows that lull us into a false sense of peace. If Christians would take a stand and find a church with a real minister of the gospel and leave these fake social clubs, then the body would be effective in the world. We will see the miracles, signs and wonders of the early church. We will see people whole, delivered, and set free from satan’s grasp. Once again, I say it is time we got rid of the junk from the church.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP279 – FLEECE OR FAITH

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: FLEECE OR FAITH

I want to start today with a question are you the type of Christian that is constantly putting fleeces before the Lord? For those who are new to the word or Christian terminology let’s go to the story of Gideon to see what it means to put a fleece before the Lord.

Judges 6:36-40 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Gideon questioned God’s word to him about delivering Israel. Often times God will tell us something and we question. Some actually say, Lord if you meant for me to do this like I think, then let this happen and will give God an insignificant thing like the fleece being damp or dry at Gideon’s request.

God often will answer and indulge us when we are unsure. It is all a part of learning to know the voice of God.

I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

For example: God will tell us to go pray for someone or go talk to someone. Immediately, the false voice of satan will try to steer us away from obedience. Ask yourself what is the worst thing that can happen if I go and offer to pray for someone? What is the best thing that can happen? Then we step out of our comfort zone and try the Spirit to see if it is God. Do not be discouraged if they refuse, satan could be working on them also.

It is acceptable at times to put a fleece out before God. But most of the time he just wants us to act on our faith and step out of the boat. Some may go as far to say if we put out a fleece before God that we are lacking faith. I am not so sure it is a lack of faith, but a lack of confidence in our ability to hear God.

Gideon was apprehensive because going to war meant many people would die. He needed to know that God sent them to war. If he did, he would take care of them, but if they went against God’s will, many would die. It is easy to see why he wanted confirmation. Plus, this was before God’s spirit lived within the believer to be a guide. So don’t judge him as having no faith.

James 2:17-18 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

We as children of God have to have faith. But it is not enough to have faith, but it must be put into action. Faith is an action word. We walk by faith, we step out in faith, we share our faith. We cannot share our faith if we are unwilling to take a step and try to obey God.

Some get legalistic, with a laundry list of works that they say will make you a Christian. Some even go as far as believing works can save us. These people can do all the charity work they want, but it will not save them.

The Christian life is all about balance. It is about knowing when to put out a fleece and when to step out in faith. It is about showing God’s love without crossing the line into people-pleasing and telling them what they want to hear, not the truth.

God expects his children to live holy, pure lives and look to him for direction. He expects us to let our light shine into the darkness. He wants to be our everything, not just our savior but our Lord and our God.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 278 IN HIS PRESENCE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: IN HIS PRESENCE

The enemy will do anything he can to keep us from being present in God’s presence. God is always there, he is always present. But often we do not acknowledge that presence. If satan can keep us distracted with the things of this life he will accomplish keeping us out of God’s presence in the spiritual sense of the word.

Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

In God’s presence is fullness of Joy. The word says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. So to be in his presence we will find strength to face even what seems impossible.

If we walk in the path of life we will be in God’s presence. How do we know we are walking in the path of life? We are given a choice to choose life, which means to live our lives in Christ as his children. To be in His presence for eternity is life. To be in his presence is joy forevermore.

If we do not choose life, we will be on a path to spiritual death and an eternity in hell.

Deut 30: 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

The choices that we make not only affect our own lives but future generations. I know I am blessed to have been raised in a Christian home. Because I didn’t have to deal with a lot of things that my friends did growing up. If God’s presence was not in their homes, they were more likely to end up choosing a life of sin and death.

Do not be discouraged if you were not raised in a Christian home, you can still choose life for yourself and show future generations what it means to be in God’s presence.

Prov 3: 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Jesus is the path to eternal life. If we acknowledge him or make others aware of God’s presence we can be a light to help them find the peace of his presence. Acknowledging God in all things will help us to keep our perspective.

For example, when everything is going wrong, we sometimes feel like God is not there. We feel he is far from us. But it could be that he has allowed the things you are walking through to draw you closer to him. Maybe there is a lesson someone close to you needs to see in you. God could be teaching you to trust in him more. He knows the path your life will take and what skills you need to get you to the finish line. That is why he allows things in our lives; these fiery trials only make us stronger.

We could also take things in a different direction. Say everything you touch goes the way you want. You are prospering, and everything is picture-perfect. He may withdraw them from us if we do not acknowledge God’s presence in our blessings. If everything is perfect, we could allow pride to enter our hearts. We never want to be prideful and feel like we are better than anyone else. By acknowledging God we can keep our perspective correct. When we know he is responsible for our success, then we have a heart of gratitude toward God.

Which will bring us full circle to needing to acknowledge his presence in our lives. We do this with prayer. Talking to God and sharing our hearts, hopes and dreams, as well as our problems. Then we need to sit and listen for that still small voice that brings his guidance, peace and joy.

We acknowledge his presence by telling others and studying his word. It is his love letter to the world. Think about how much God loved us and wanted to fellowship with us. He wanted us to be forever in his presence, so much so that Jesus came and died so that we could choose the path to his presence.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 277 IT’S JUST A FEELING

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: IT’S JUST A FEELING

I want to talk to you today about feelings. Every Christian, experiences times of isolation. God will separate you to hear from him. He will separate you to protect you from something that someone would have done. We all have experienced times that we may not be isolated from people but feel isolated from God.

Satan thrives on the times when we don’t wake up with a shout of praise on our lips. He loves the stresses of life. Because the more distracted he can get us the less we have time to pray and draw close to God. But God is always there even when we don’t feel him.

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.

There are times that we have done something that causes us to not be as close to God. If we have sin in our lives, our faith walk will not be as close, just as Peter followed Christ from a far off before his crucifixion. We sometimes allow fear of man to get in our way. Or like Adam and Eve after they ate the fruit, they knew they had done wrong and hid. When we don’t feel close to God we need to ask ourselves if we have done something we need to repent. If we can’t think of anything then we need to ask God.

When we don’t feel close to God at all. Does that mean he is not there? God is always there waiting to talk with us. Our faith walk is not all about feeling. Granted it is amazing to feel the presence of God. But in spite of how we feel, we have to do the right thing. We have to be obedient.

Do you think Abraham felt like taking Issac up to the mountain top to sacrifice? We would have been shrieking in horror. We would be telling ourselves that can’t be God. Instead of getting into his emotions, he remembered God’s promise.

God promised him he would be the father of many nations. He knew no matter the outcome, God would keep his promises. So, he told his servant that he was taking Issac to the top of the mountain, and they would return. He had faith and spoke his faith out loud. He believed God would allow Issac to return with him.

Do you think Hannah felt like giving her precious Samuel away after praying for a baby for so long? She didn’t go by feeling, she acted with obedience. When he was old enough, she took him and left him at the temple to be raised by a man that had accused her of being a drunk.

The choices these people had to make sometimes are overwhelming to think about, but they didn’t go by feeling, they were obedient.

Satan will come along and tell us all lies to get us down, most Christians have thought the following things: I don’t feel like a Christian, I must not be saved. I don’t feel God so he must be disappointed in me, maybe he has given up on me.

This is why I lean so heavily on 2 Cor 5:7…we walk by faith and not by sight. I could also say, we walk by faith and not by how we feel. There is not one single emotion worth getting off track over, we have to walk by faith in obedience.

God will tell us something to do, and we will question if it was really God. He will tell us to go somewhere, and we will not feel like going. We have to push through and go anyway. Someone’s life or soul could depend on us listening to God.

Our emotions will lie to us when our back is against the wall. This is where it is crucial to be tempered the correct way. Steel is placed in a fire to make it bendable. If you leave it too long or too short, it will not make a good blade. It has to have just the right amount of even heat. Just as we develop temperance or self-control by being thrown into a few fiery trials.

There is a difference between self-control and not showing emotions. We are not meant to be robots. If we have self-control, we will feel the emotions, but we will act according to God’s word.

For example, many would look at Jesus running the money changers from the temple as not being very self-controlled. But he was righting an injustice. The money changers were thieves ripping off the people by not converting their money correctly or making them buy a sacrifice from them. Then using the people’s sacrifice to sell someone else.

As we mature as Christians we will grow fruit. We learn how to walk by faith and not by our feelings and how things look. Remember it’s not in a feeling. It is in that still small voice that is in us to be our guide.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP276 NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SWORD

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SWORD

Yesterday, I spoke to you about honing and sharpening our swords. As Christian warriors, we all have swords. Most of us have several. But even the finest blade will not protect a soldier in the battle if he doesn’t know how to use it.

In the days of warriors using swords and shields, it was essential to train and know how to use your sword. Although popular television and movies would like you to believe these swords were extremely heavy, they were around five pounds or less. It wasn’t the weight of the sword that made it a weapon, it was its cutting power.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The sword was quick, that to me means that it was light and sharp. The word of God is not a heavy burden. I understand when we get into Leviticus that it is hard to follow, but every word in the book is there for a reason. It is to help us cut through the attacks of our enemy.

The cutting away of our flesh is painful sometimes, just as it would be to get cut on the battlefield for real. But the sword of the word also contains the oil and the wine, the balm for our wounds. It is full of God’s love, compassion forgiveness and a divine source of encouragement. But it is our weapon against the enemy, satan.

I Tim 1: 18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

Paul is telling Timothy that it is his duty as a soldier in God’s army that he fights a good warfare. He is being called a soldier to fight a spiritual war. It is the job of a warrior to combat the enemy. God has provided the weapons for us to use, we just have to train daily and get to know our sword.

A good soldier always has his sword with him. I am not saying that we have to carry the literal book of the bible with us everywhere we go, but we need to have it down in our hearts.

Many armies won, not because they had the best or most equipment, but because they were well trained in using what weapons they did have. No weapon can make up for determination and heart.

We have to have a made-up mind that we will prevail over our enemy. Nothing he does will cause us to give up or retreat. No retreat, no surrender. It doesn’t mean we will not stumble from time to time, we are human. But the more we know how to use the word the stronger we are as soldiers.

Psalm 119: 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

The more of the word we have within us the less likely we are to fall.

Psalm 119:12-18 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. 17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

This passage shows David’s heart. He desired for a closer walk with God. Asking him to teach him his statutes. He proclaims that he will meditate in the precepts of the Lord. He asks for his eyes to be open to God’s ways.

We should always approach our study time as not something we have to do, but something we want to do. We need to develop a hunger to know more about God. Like David, we too can ask for understanding and the ability to apply what we learn to our lives.

Remember, if you are losing a battle, there is nothing wrong with the sword. God’s word is perfect. The problem is in the way we use our sword. We need to be bold soldiers in this day and stand to proclaim what the word says. One thing it says is satan’s kingdom is coming down. We will win, as long as we faint not, the sword says so.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 275 –HONE AND SHARPEN

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: HONE AND SHARPEN

There is an old saying you have to walk before you can run. I see a lot of people trying to be something that they are not, they want to be the CEO of a company and do not even know what the company sells. They want to be an Olympic gold medalist, but have never tried the sport. But they love to give advice to those who are doing.

Among the body of Christ, we have a group of judgmental people that have one purpose, to be used by satan to cause conflict. They want to tell everyone what to do and what their problems are, without first considering their own heart. They say the sinners prayer and they feel like they can tell the world what to do, even those who have been pastoring for years. Just as God will use whosoever will let him, even if they are not the most on fire Christian. Satan too, will use anyone who will let him.

Jesus said

Matt 7:1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

This is why we need to not judge without compromising on the truth. It is not an easy balance, but people will do what they want and will make their own choices. The only one we are fully responsible for is ourselves. This is why we need to guard our hearts and lives against satan and his lies.

I don’t want to be judged harshly by God because I was judgmental. That is different than standing for the truth of God’s word.

Matt 7:3-5 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

This is why we have to guard our hearts and make sure to hone in on our motives, before we open our mouths. I recently had to tell a fellow Christian something that was hard to tell them. I knew it was for their good and I knew God was pushing me to say something. I prayed about it for a few weeks before saying anything. Then God opened the door and through love I was able to share what God has put on my heart with them.

If I had been judgmental and went to them a month earlier, before I prayed about it, the outcome could have been much different. But by waiting and praying, God used me to help them and not hurt them.

Prov 27: 17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

The right tool needs to be used to sharpen or hone a blade. When we are in a position to help someone in their faith walk, we need to tread lightly. We cannot approach them with a superior, judgmental attitude. We have to be humble and show them the love of Jesus. It takes the anointing or the oil to help with the process. Most of the time, the stones used to sharpen or hone a blade have oil put on them for lubrication. This ensures that not too much is taken off the blade at once. It is a process.

Knifeanalyst.com says, (Hone is a term often used in the context of bladed weapon maintenance. At its core, “to hone” means to refine or sharpen a blade to improve its cutting edge. While some may believe that honing and sharpening are synonymous, there is an important distinction: sharpening typically involves removing metal from the blade with a coarser abrasive to restore or create an edge, whereas honing involves the finer process of realigning and smoothing that edge after it’s been established.)*

I know from watching my dad when I was growing up that many use a special stone with oil to sharpen and hone their pocketknives. It takes our rock, which is Christ Jesus, and the anointing or the oil of the Holy Ghost to hone us into the person we need to be in order to be soul winners.

The word says the person that wins souls is wise. We have to be wise when dealing with people. We are all flawed. The moment we think we have arrived and are above everyone else is when we are on our way to a serious fall. Because that is walking in pride, and pride goes before a fall.

We are living in serious times. Now is not the time to be playing church. Now is the time to ask God for more love toward people; especially the judgmental, Bertha better than you’s. They need our understanding and compassion more than we know. These people are normally very insecure and want to point out our flaws and shortcomings to make themselves feel better.

I was raised to believe that everything was black and white, but the older I get and the more I learn about God’s compassion, I realize there is a little grey area called grace. His grace is something that we all need a lot more of, because Jesus is coming soon for those who are ready.

I don’t believe he is coming after a bunch of self-righteous, judgmental people. It is time for us to ask God to use the oil and the stone to sharpen us and prepare us for the harvest.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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*Information copied from https://knifeanalyst.com/hone-the-definition-and-meaning/

EP 274 FINE TUNING OUR SPIRITUAL EARS

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: FINE TUNE (OUR SPIRITUAL EARS)

For those of you who are old enough to remember radio without digital tuning, it was a process to get your radio station clear. It all came down to a very minute turn of the radio dial. Too far, one way or the other, you either got static, another station cutting in and out or you lost the signal altogether.

As Christians we are in the time where there is a lot of static in the air. The enemy constantly puts out lies and deception to see who will fall for them. For example: I saw a clip warning against a religious song that is becoming popular. But upon a fine tuning of attention the song is sung to allah a false god. This is why knowing the source and listening to the lyrics is important. The artist is very open about her beliefs, but Christian’s are not paying attention. If it sounds pretty, they go with it.

I am in no way slamming contemporary Christian music; however, we need to be vigilant about what we are allowing to be put into our hearts. Music is a powerful thing. It has the ability to sway emotions and cause people to do crazy things if the music suggests it. Country music carries the spirit of depression, heartbreak and drinking too much. Other types of music seem to be about one thing, but end up being about another. We need to guard our lives, allow in our homes.

Prov 4:20-22 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

We need to keep the word of God on our minds and hearts. It is life to us who pay attention to the sayings found in the Bible.

Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

We keep our heart by being diligent or vigilant. When we pay attention and fine tune what we are allowing to influence us. We protect our future and our souls.

Prov 4:24-27 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

As we fine turn our receiver to only hear God we can be sure it will keep us on the right path. This says to ponder the path of our feet. We need to think about what we are doing. We need to question if we are doing the right things. It says to let our ways be established, which means something that has been taught a long time or entrenched. Entrenched means unlikely to change.

God’s ways need to be so deeply entrenched in us that we will be unwilling to change or allow satan to tell us lies.

Not everyone who says god means the one Christian’s assume they mean. To Christians there is no other God but our Lord Jesus Christ. But when some speak of god, they mean the god of money that they worship. They could mean any of the idols of the bible that are being worshipped today.

The name of my channel is God focus. I often say this, but it needs to be repeated. When I say God, I mean the only God our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one who died to save me and you. But by being a little generic in my title, I have had people of other faiths check out what I was saying.

Satan will fill our minds with static if he can, he will try to bring up things of the past that we thought were buried forever. But somehow, he can find them and try to resurrect them. But he doesn’t have resurrecting power unless we allow him to use the past pain to distract us today.

We need to be so finely tuned into the voice of the Holy Ghost, that when he leads, we don’t question what he says, we just follow. But most are where I am and find themselves questioning, was that really God. Did he say go over and tell that person that he loves them? Did he really want me to stop my car and pray for the lady at the roadside stand?

When we can finally get out of our own way and let God have his way fully, we will see the revival we have been desiring. Many souls are depending on us getting it right. So work on the fine tuning of our spiritual ears to hear what God is saying to his people today. If we follow his leading, we will see billions of souls saved before it is too late.

Jesus said,

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Above all the noise of the world, if we are his sheep, we will hear and follow Him.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 273 DON’T FORCE IT

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: Don’t Force It

How many times have you wanted something to work out so badly that you did everything within your power to make it happen. I can remember once I wanted something so badly that I was making myself crazy trying to force it. A friend of mine gave me words of reason that I have carried for over thirty years. You cannot force things in life to go a certain way, they have to happen naturally when it is the right time. That is what I want to share with you today.

God has his timing, but we want to take shortcuts. We want to force things to happen. Maybe it’s a job promotion, the purchase of a house, or maybe it is a relationship, or some type of breakthrough. Everything happens in the right season. We cannot make them any different.

God sets before us an open door. We have two choices: right or wrong. If we allow everything to come down to these choices and choose right, choose what God would have us choose, then everything will work out for our good. We have to be vigilant and always choose the door that leads to God’s will and plan.

Satan will come at us forcefully sometimes to try to knock us off guard. When he realizes that his tactics will not work. He will slither in with subtilty and try to cozy up to us and have a conversation.

We are wise to his deceptions; we cannot give in, even a moment to entertain an idea of how we can shortcut to our goal. If we do we may find ourselves trapped in quicksand.

Learning to recognize the times and seasons of our life is important. This is why I remind you to listen for that still small voice. He is our guide.

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

We can have hope through Christ. He will give us strength to be patient in our trials and when things do go like we want. This tells us to continue in prayer and be instant in prayer. Prayer should be our go to, the first reaction to our situations as they arise, not our last resort after we have made a bigger mess of things.

Jer. 32:17 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.

Nothing is too hard for our God. He will keep us safe from the enemy as long as we resist the devil. That is the key, we have to resist and put him behind us. God will do the rest. On Jesus we can always depend.

As we are getting ready for the new season, we are getting ready to step into, remember that everything is in God’s timing. We want to skip the shaking and go straight to the revival. But first we have to go through the storm to see the dark clouds of evil roll away.

For now I will remind you to stay strong, keep fighting the good fight of faith with patience. Resist the enemy and be ready to receive what God has for you.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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