EPISODE 38–THINK ON THESE THINGS

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v4e83ko-god-focus-this-morning-episode-38-think-on-these-things.html

Hello my friends,

The title of today’s episode is: “THINK ON THESE THINGS?”

In a world where things always seem to be going wrong. There is rarely anything encouraging on the evening news. Everyone wants to tell us how to feel and what to think. If we focus on negativity, we can even get depressed or allow fear to get a foothold in our lives. It is easy to get down, especially if something goes wrong in our personal lives. But in the darkest times we need to concentrate our efforts to stay positive. Keep our focus on God and not the situations. His words are full of encouragement. He tells us what to think about, but before I get there, let’s look at Job.

Look what Job went through, yet he kept his focus on God. He is a good example of a person dealing with grief and pain without blaming God. If anyone had a reason to complain, he did. Even those who should have been trying to encourage him were miserable comfort. Sometimes we cannot depend on anyone else, sometimes we must fully lean on God to lift us out of our troubles.

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We don’t always have a clear view of what is going on to cause our fear. God often allows things to teach us to trust. Other times, we go through things to strengthen our determination to keep pressing on toward the prize. But when He picks us up, we get a clear view of what He is doing in our lives. For that brief moment, it all makes sense.

God will not waste any of the pain we have walked through. He will use it to strengthen us and elevate us. We can take what we have walked through and use it to help others in their time of pain. That will give us better comfort than those who tried to help Job. But do not be surprised if people separate themselves from you when they are walking through tough times. God may be teaching them to rely fully on him.

Do not be weary in well doing, for at the right time, we will reap what we have sown. Keep your eye on the prize, and hold on to your faith. Jesus is with us and will see us through anything we have to face. The main thing to remember is that He is there for us and will never leave us. Today is a new day. We have the choice, do we allow a negative attitude to attach itself to us, or do we shine brightly, looking to Jesus. The choice is up to us. It is not always easy to shine when the dark clouds of life are hovering. But it is worth it to press through the darkness. Stay strong and be courageous in these troubled times. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and don’t allow your circumstances to look bigger than your God.

God doesn’t always answer when we want or think he should. I am sure Job wanted God to heal and restore him the first moment that it all fell apart. We get impatient with God sometimes and want Him to move our way and at our time. But God knows best and rarely moves the way we think he will or in the timing we think. But he is always right on time. He has the puzzle box with the picture, all we have are pieces.

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. We could all use a little bit of strength and courage. He will send it to us if we can lean on him and wait for his timing.

I want to leave you with a verse to meditate on today.

Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 37–OLD LANDMARK

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v4c3o2b-god-focus-this-morning-episode-37-old-landmarks.html

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Old Landmarks”

Prov 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

The early church didn’t neglect prayer and fellowship. We need to be consistent in the word of God. We have been given a solid foundation. Standing firm on that foundation of the apostles is the old landmark that many churches have left in order to be more modern.

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.

I recently heard it said that some mega-churches took the marketing approach to building their church. They did surveys about what people wanted in a church. This is why many are nothing more than social clubs, with their coffee bars and fog machines. Without sticking to the old paths, they have gotten away from what makes “THE CHURCH” different from the world.

In order to be effective, the ministry of “THE CHURCH” has to show people that they can walk the walk and not just talk the talk. People are craving a REAL move of God. They want to know him for themselves. All the marketing in the world will not replace prayer and knowing God. Really truly digging into the word. Putting it under a microscope and asking what does this really mean. Dig deep below the superficial surface of the word.

Psalm 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

This should be our prayer every day. Hold up my goings; in other words, support my sense of direction. Direct my way in your will. Because if you don’t, Lord, I might slip and fall.

Just like in the natural, if the wind blows strong enough it is impossible for a human to stand up. The winds of this life can spiritually knock us for a loop. Without Jesus to hold onto, it is possible that the storms of life will drown us. But he always keeps us settled and on the right path.

Let me repeat Prov 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

Landmarks can be something unique so you know what city you are in, like the arch in St Louis. It can also be as simple as a stone, which lets you know you are on the edge of your property. It is something that gives you a sense of direction, in spiritual terms. The boundaries have been set long ago by God. His words are specific. The apostles and prophets of long ago set the guidelines as a landmark to keep us on the right path.

Our path is not as clearly marked as it once was, because the church has allowed weeds to grow up over the path. The road less traveled may not be as worn down. It may take a bit of looking to ensure we are going the right way. We need to find and stick to the old path. In it and in it alone we will find our way home.

Where are the children of God who are standing on the truth of God’s word? Even we can be road markers for people to let them know which way the need to go to find God. By being steady and strong in our faith, others will take notice and will want to know how we endure the things of life.

What makes us different than those who are lost?

What are some of the road signs along the way that we can use for our guide?

Prayer, honesty, study and knowing the word, loving others, abiding by what God’s word says we need to do. Put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6) Allow the Holy Ghost inside of us to produce fruit of the spirit in our lives (Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law)

Be willing to reach down and lift another up when they have fallen.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 KJV Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

Take some time today to think about the old landmarks. Do whatever it takes to find them in your life.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 36-WHAT THE LORD HATES

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/Uvt2YyfGvF4

WHAT THE LORD HATES

Ask the world about God and they will tell you He doesn’t exist, or they will tell you He is loving and accepting of everyone and everything. The first statement is not true. The second statement is not exactly accurate either. Our God is loving that part is true. He loves us all so much that he died for us. But God hates sin.

PROV 6:16-19 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.

A proud look– A proud look refers to a person who has a spirit of pride. They are self-centered and only care about themselves and their will. The image they portray to the world is the most important thing to them.

Proverbs 16:18 18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

God will only allow the prideful to go so far before he allows them to fall. Many today in our society have no respect for anyone else, they have a feeling of entitlement. If allowed to go unchecked, a proud spirit can turn into a god complex. These people are the worst of the prideful when they feel like they are equal to God. Some are so bad they may feel like they are above Him. These people will always fall. I think of Haman in the story of Esther as the perfect example of a prideful spirit.

2) A lying tongue– This one is self-explanatory. God hates lies because they are manipulative. God is pure and true. He hates lies because they are an attempt to deceive someone. Satan is the master of lying. He will tell you enough of the truth to be cunning and deceptive.

3) Hands that shed innocent blood- This is another way to say murder. Cain slew Able; this was the first example of hands that shed innocent blood. Today that could be in all forms of murder, including abortion.

4) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations- Means someone who’s heart is full of evil and they plot evil. They will do anything to get what they want, so they will scheme and manipulate to achieve their goals.

5) Feet running swiftly to mischief- Our life is often called a journey. The path our feet go down can lead us to sin or salvation. When our feet run toward mischief, it means that we will go where we can engage in sin, bad behavior, perverseness or be disobedient to God’s laws. This is in opposition to the direction God wishes for our feet to run toward.

6) A false witness that speaketh lies– A false witness can be speaking lies about someone through gossip. In other words, repeating a rumor without any facts to back it up as absolute truth. A false witness can also be the person who starts the rumor or accusation. Many with an accusing spirit will be quick to knock down others with rumors and gossip. They do this to manipulate or make themselves feel better about their own shortcomings and sins. Much could be said about the words we speak. I want to do a teaching about our words as soon as God leads.

Needless to say, the word says: Proverbs 12:17-19 17 He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. 18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. 19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

7) He that soweth discord among brethren- This is not in the world but in the body of Christ because is says among the brethren. People come in and cause chaos, trying to tear down everything that God is trying to build in a body of believers. This is an accusing spirit or a Jezabel spirit that has worked its way into the church. The enemy has released on the church these lying, accusing spirits to cause separation. Why do you think there are so many denominations among Christians? It is because that accusing spirit to divide and cause separation in the body of Christ is doing its job. But how do we deal with it if we are not the pastor? Let me share an example.

Several years ago, we had a so-called preacher come to our church. The pastor would let him preach. During the course of a few weeks, my husband and I saw many things that were not right with him. God had given us discernment when it came to him. We were discussing it with a retired minister who came to our church. He said to us, “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Which is in the bible in Matthew Chapter 10. In other words, just because you see this going on, doesn’t mean that you can do anything about it, other than pray and watch your own back. It didn’t take long before prayer worked, and the man left us to pursue other interests. But that is a tidbit of wisdom that was given to us at just the right time.

Let me leave you with this thought. The only way we can make it through what is facing us as the body of Christ is if we come together and seek Him. No one can lead us like Jesus can, He will show us what we need to know. He will make a way for us to not walk by sight but by our faith. Then we will not be guilty of doing the things that God hates.

Prov 6:20-22 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

Thanks for watching,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 35-STRIKE THE GROUND

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Hello My Friends,

The title of today’s episode is: “STRIKE THE GROUND”

II KGS 13:14-19 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. 15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. 16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. 17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. 18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. 19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

In the Word, all the different kings that were over Israel and Judah it lists their names and says they did evil in the sight of the Lord, or they did good in the sight of the Lord. Every time they did evil, God removed his protection, and they ended up in war, being defeated in war, being taken captive…bad things happened.

In this passage I just read, they had been under the rule of someone who did evil in the sight of the Lord. The Syrian army had all but wiped them out.

Elisha was on his death bed when King Joash came to him to pay respect to the prophet. He was concerned with the pending battles with Syria. Elisha told him to open a window eastward and to shoot an arrow. This was a prophetic act; he was saying we are going to strike the enemy with your bow and arrow. Elisha placed his hand on the kings to signify that he could not do it alone but needed God’s anointing. It wasn’t that the king couldn’t have shot the arrow alone. He was a warrior and had used a bow many times. But in order to win the battles ahead he needed God’s hand covering his.

Then in another prophetic act Elisha told Joash to take his arrows and smite upon the ground. Joash hit the ground three times and then stopped. Elisha was upset with him because he stopped. He told him he should have hit the ground five or six times, and it would have completely wiped out the enemy.

Some say the king stopped because he had sympathy for his enemy. I tend to lean to the other explanation, he was King, and used to people bowing to him. He had to be a little arrogant and felt it unnecessary to humble himself and be obedient. He half-heartedly hit the ground three times, probably out of respect for Elisha and nothing else. Maybe he didn’t understand the significance of his prophetic act. Because he was not enthusiastic about the task he was given by God, he didn’t completely defeat his enemy. We have to be enthusiastic about the things God asks of us. We have to do them with all our hearts.

Verse twenty-five, of the same Chapter says that three times he went against the Syrians and three times he recovered the cities of Israel. Just imagine if he had been more obedient. What would have happened if had hit the ground with enthusiasm and many times? Elisha says that he would have destroyed the enemy.

After he went against Syria three times and recovered the cities of Israel the tide turned once again under the reign of Jeroboam II.

Take this to heart, we need to take control of things when we are strong. Because if we don’t the enemy will come back when we are weak and defeat us. Each generation has a responsibility to the next to overcome generational curses or it will continue to be passed along to the next generation.

Learn from the kings of Israel and do what is right in the sight of the Lord. Tear down the idols and places of idol worship from past generations. Never be too proud to look silly if God tells you to strike the ground with arrows; it could be significant to the future.

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

NEW SHOES- A NEW LEVEL OF YOUR FAITH WALK

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/vIX-b_FSKmk

Hello My Friends,

The title of today’s episode is: “NEW SHOES, NEW LEVEL OF OUR FAITH WALK”

We often are told to not judge someone but to try walking a mile in their shoes. In other words, we do not understand how difficult things are until we are in the same situation. Often, the things we think we would not do under the same circumstances, we find ourselves doing when we end up walking the same road. This is why we are told to not judge one another only God knows all and is qualified to judge.

We are not meant to walk in anyone’s shoes but our own. Just like a child that goes through the house wearing their parent’s shoes. They scuff along, dragging the shoes that are obviously like giant shoes to their tiny feet. God designs our lives in many different seasons. Sometimes, the shoes we are wearing must change with the seasons. For example, we wouldn’t want to wear sandals in the middle of winter. They would not provide the protections we need. But they are much needed in the hot summer months to keep our feet from getting too hot.’We are not meant to walk in anyone’s shoes but our own. Just like a child that goes through the house wearing their parents shoes. They scuff along, dragging the shoes that are obviously like giant shoes to their tiny feet. God designs our lives in many different seasons. Sometimes, the shoes we are wearing must change with the seasons. For example, we wouldn’t want to wear sandals in the middle of winter. They would not provide the protections we need. But they are much needed in the hot summer months to keep our feet from getting too hot.

When we are born, we are given baby shoes to wear. Because we do not know how to walk, these often do not even get dirty on the bottoms. As we grow, we learn to walk and have outgrown the first shoes. The new shoes help us balance and take our first steps.

Then we grow from toddler to child, we get other shoes. During the course of childhood to adulthood, we will wear many shoes. Some are just regular shoes, some for athletics, maybe even tap or ballet. Dress shoes for the first school dance, our first set of high heels, or hunting boots.

Our spiritual lives can also come with lots of shoes for different seasons of life. I mentioned trying to walk in our parent’s shoes. God never meant for our experiences to be exactly like those of our parents, grandparents, brothers, or sisters. God has specific shoes made for us because of the path that he is taking us down. He has created us to have our own “faith” walk.

We often feel pressure when our parents have walked their “faith” walk well. We do not feel equipped to live up to their reputation. In some cases, their expectations. If we are not careful, we will run in the opposite direction from where we need to be because fear causes us to take the wrong path. Suddenly, satan is giving us shoes. He will take us to a place where the terrain is not made for us. We may end up on a rocky terrain in flip-flops. Walking in his shoes will cause cuts and painful blisters because the shoes don’t fit.

We cannot ever let other people’s opinions of where we need to be in life change what God is doing in our lives. No one else is wise enough to create just the perfect size shoes for the size of our current “faith” walk.

I want to share a little story with you. I call it tennis shoe wisdom. When I was a child, just learning to tie my shoes. Dad told me I couldn’t go to the store with him unless I tied my own shoes. I struggled with it for a little while then I did what any kid would do, I went to someone older and wiser. I asked my grandpa to tie my shoes. But if I had not let go of the strings, he could not have tied the shoes.

Often, we try to do things on our own, struggling. Then we decide to take it to God to handle for us. But now comes the hard part, we must let go of the strings. He cannot tie our shoes and move us into the next phase of life if we are holding onto the strings. We must trust that He knows what He is doing and will take care of the problem.

Proverbs 16:9 – The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. God puts things on our hearts sometimes and we feel strongly that we need to step out in faith. We make our plans and start walking. But for those plans to be established, we have to commit them to the Lord and make sure they align with His plan for our lives.

In order to walk things out in faith, we have to trust His plan and His timing.

Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Eph 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

God has ordained our steps. What does ordain mean? To decree, command, order, fix or establish. This shows us that our lives are his craft, he has created with skill His plan. Workmanship is the sign of someone with skills to design or create something, a craftsman.

This verse is saying that we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that he has skillfully planned and established. We need to put on our shoes, allow God to tie them and walk this “faith” walk with the courage to know that he has established our path.

It is my prayer for you that you find yourself growing in your “faith” walk and that God will decide that you need a new level in him. When He does, you will get new shoes.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 33–A TRUE LOVE STORY

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v4d7ifu-god-focus-this-morning-episode-33-a-true-love-story.html

Hello My Friends:

Since it is Valentine’s Day, I want to share an amazing love story with you that is not a fairy tale. It is a true story of a prince and a slave. As I was thinking about how we, as the body of Christ, are also known as the bride of Christ, this story came to me. I wanted to share it with you to encourage you to fall in love with the King.

_________

The prince of peace, the king of glory, pursued the maiden with passionate love. He shed his blood to save her from her wicked overlord. He cleaned her up and healed her wounds. He spoke softly to her, letting his words soothe her brokenness. She was more precious to him than rubies or gold. He did many things to gain her attention and affection. His intentions were pure; he wanted to lift her above what she knew; a life of slavery to sin. He desired to give her everything he had in his kingdom. He loved her with pure love, a genuine desire to be with her for all eternity. He wanted to take her to be his wife, to rule and reign with him in his kingdom.

He was consumed by the beauty of her, for he saw her with his heart of compassion. All he wanted from her was her love and adoration. He wanted her to give up the things of her past. Being His bride meant she could not go where she used to go. She could not do the sinful things she used to do. But leaving that life behind was a small price for her to give because His love for her was so strong she could not help but love him back. She didn’t accept His love out of fear of an eternity of torment but because she realized she couldn’t make it without him. He was breath and life to her. She truly fell in love with a King Named Jesus.

——–

This may sound like a fairy tale. But as Christians, we know better. He has pursued every one of us. We were the ones willing to say “Yes.”

Kings would decree something, and no one could reverse it. Jesus had decreed to give the bride a home in heaven. All she must do is show him love and follow his commandments.

John 14:15-17 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

When a marriage proposal is made, it is customary for the groom to give the bride a gift. Most give engagement rings today. When we go from being a slave to sin, the King gives us His Spirit as our pledge of the promise of the future. It is our engagement ring.

2 Cor. 1:21-22 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

I was curious about what the earnestness of the Spirit meant? In Greek the word Arrabon (arrrabone) is translated in English to earnest. It means pledging a down payment. The Holy Ghost is the downpayment of what is to come. We are the bride of Christ; the Holy Ghost is our engagement ring. It entitles us to certain wedding gifts from the King.

Eph 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance(down payment) until the redemption of the purchased possession, (until he comes to get his bride) unto the praise of his glory.

If we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

Matt 22:37-38 –37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.

Jesus is returning to get his bride one day. All he asks for is our hearts to be genuine and that we love Him with all of our hearts. If you love someone, you will put their desires above your own. We have to deny our flesh and have a pure heart turned to Jesus. He has given us His Spirit as our engagement ring. It takes the Holy Ghost to put us in the Bride of Christ. Romans 8-9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Without the engagement ring, the earnest of the Spirit, we do not belong to Him.

If we belong to Him, He will not allow the prince of evil to harm us. He will fight for us and destroy our enemy. The enemy of our soul who is Satan. These are things that He has promised in His love letter (the bible). He will never leave us, but will be by our side every step of the way.

When we agree to give him our heart we are sealed with this promise of marriage. We as the bride are to walk in Love.

It is time for unity in the body of Christ. It is time for us to love God more than our religious ideas. It is time for us to love people more than our denominations. If we love God and love people, the God of the universe that gave his life for us, our Lord Jesus Christ will help us to work out the details. If we truly seek the heart of God in ALL things He will lead and guide us. The things we do not see eye to eye on can never become about who is right, it always has to be about what is right. If we seek God’s answers and we all desire more of Him, He will break the chains of OUR ideas and will show us His heart and mind.

He asks that we learn how to walk in love. I Cor 13:13- And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

We know that Charity means Love. I want to share this verse in the Classic Amplified Version also.

I Cor 13:13 And so faith, hope, love abide [faith—conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us] In other words we love him because he first loved us.

Be bold be brave and keep your God Focus

And have a great Valentine’s Day. Go out and show someone God’s Love

EPISODE 32 – ROCKS OR PEARLS

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/rA-wMLjgPkU

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “ROCKS OR PEARLS”

If you ask most women if they would rather have a necklace like Wilma Flintstone, a bunch of rocks that are not diamonds or a strand of pearls. The logical choice is that the pearls have more value. But when we choose the people we allow to be in our inner circle, we are not as wise. We often trust people we shouldn’t to influence our life choices. We sometimes allow our inner circle to be full of rocks.

These are the people that are a heavy weight around our necks. They drag us down and never do anything to help themselves. Don’t get me wrong, we all walk through things and times when we need someone to lean on. There is a difference in needing someone to lean on and needing a conscience and someone to complain to constantly.

These rock people then are opinionated and get upset when you don’t let them control you. They may appear to be your friend on the surface but secretly want you to fall or fail. We are supposed to love everyone; it doesn’t say you have to take everyone into confidence and allow them to be in your sphere of influence.

Sometimes, we have to keep these people in our lives for a season because God needs us to be an influence on them and show them how to be a friend. They always need us to point them to Jesus and pray for them to find Him.

Prov. 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

If we allow foolish people to influence us, it could destroy us or at least cause us problems. We need to walk with the wise. Surrounding ourselves with Pearls of Wisdom, those people who make us better belong in our inner circle. We all need prayer partners and someone who will be bold and honest with us when we are out of line. They will do this in love, not judgment, and not because they want to control us.

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

These people are the rare individuals who are in your corner and remind you of where you have been. They are there to give us encouragement to reach our destiny. It is important that they are genuine pearls. They will not be jealous of our success but will be happy for us when we succeed. These friends will encourage us and lift us up.

These people make up an important part of our lives. They are there for all the adventures and tragedies we walk through in this life. But more important than our inner circle of real friends and family is our friend Jesus.

Prov 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

This verse refers to Jesus as being our friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He was our perfect example of how to be a friend. He has given us examples, and His written word that teaches us how to treat others.

We have to be the kind of friend we want others to be to us. This is the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Eccl4:9-10 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

It is a good thing to have someone you can share the joy and the sorrows with. More than anyone in this life, Jesus is there to share all our joys and sorrows.

Take a moment to reflect this morning on your circle of influence. Are they rocks or pearls?

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

THE SCARIEST THING TO SAY TO GOD

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/hBOFTH4v-Wg

I am about to share with you the scariest thing you will ever say to God. It is ok to be honest with God and tell him what is on our minds. He knows how we feel and what we think. There is nothing we can say to him that will shock Him.

In Isaiah Chapter 6, Isaiah saw a vision of the throne of God. It is a beautiful chapter to read. I suggest you go to it and just picture it as you are reading. The angels worship constantly, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty! I want to draw attention to the fact that Isaiah was at an altar and confessed that he was simply a man. He said he was a man of unclean lips. An angel took a hot coal off of the altar and touched his lips, making them pure.

Once we have been before God and have had him to cleans us and burn out our impurities, we are ready to start walking out our faith walk.

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Once again, God is asking if we are brave enough to say the scariest thing ever to him, “Here am I; send me.” For a control freak like me, that is a scary thing to say. Here I am, I will go where you want me to, say what you want me to, my life is fully in your hands. In other words, Jesus take the wheel. I am going to let you drive.

We all know we can trust Him. We believe He is big enough to save our souls from hell. He is big enough to solve our problems. There is so much that we trust Him for, but that last step is a big one. It is not one to be taken lightly. But in order to reach the loss of this world, it is going to take all of us being 100% sold out to the cause of Christ. (As the generations before us would say, “Be on fire for God.”)

If we ask logically, would God send us somewhere we couldn’t handle. We would say no. If someone asked, Do you trust God? Then the answer would be, “Yes, of course.” In our minds, we trust Him. Our hearts and emotions are something completely different. We hold back a little part of ourselves from Him. Many think that the sin we struggle with is our biggest battle. I believe surrendering fully is the biggest battle we will ever have with our flesh.

The flesh throws a temper tantrum, wanting us not to take this faith walk too seriously. We don’t want to get burned out and lose our witness. Some may even have a fear of falling into sin again and being a bad light. All the fears we could come up with are not as scary as full surrender.

Isaiah 45:9-13 9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? 10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? 11 Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. 12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts.

The God of the universe, Our Lord Jesus Christ, is a master creator. He has everything intricately planned. He knew everything about us before we were ever conceived. His plan was put into place before the moment we drew our first breath. Nothing we do or fail to do surprises him.

Like Jonah, God knew he would run. I am sure God adjusted the schedule to deal with the delay so that Jonah was right on time for a great revival.

Potsherds in the bible were earthen vessels or broken pieces of pottery. So this is saying, who are we to be contending with God and trying to persuade the way he is making our lives. We are clay; He is the potter. He knows how to shape clay. How much water it will take and how much pressure to mold and shape it.

We can trust His hands; they were nail scared because He loved us so much. He will take care of us. We just need to dig deep and find some of that boldness that so many of the saints of old had within them. Ones who would say, I don’t care what you say, I don’t care what you do, I am going to do the will of my Father in heaven.

If you find yourself struggling with total surrender. You are not alone. The harvest is ready and needs many laborers. May we all find strength to say, Here am I; send me.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

OPENING DOORS TO A NEW SEASON

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/9q1Bs5v_QF4

Yesterday, I talked about how we close doors on the enemy to prevent him from creating havoc in our lives. Today, I want to talk to you about opening doors that are shut. God opens doors during different times and seasons. Right now, the door of salvation is standing wide open. Everyone has an opportunity to be born again. This is a door that only God controls when it is open and shut. Just like the door to Noah’s Ark. Once God shut it, no one could get inside. If you don’t know Jesus as your savior, do not wait too long before entering the door of opportunity.

Some feel that all roads lead to heaven. But Jesus is the only way to receive salvation. He is the door to salvation. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. This refers to the door of our heart. That is one door that we have the power to open or shut. God has given us free will. He wants us to accept Him and allow Him into our life. But we have to make the choice to open the door and invite him to come into our hearts.

There are also smaller doors that open during different seasons. God sometimes calls us to step out in faith and do a ministry. (Not all ministries are about standing behind a pulpit and speaking.) Many have ministries and never speak to a crowd. You may feel like God is calling you to gather blankets for the homeless or start a food pantry. But every time you think about how to do this thing you feel like you are called to do, something gets in the way. God often gives us a vision for something long before he opens the door for us to actually do it.

Many times, we have to do research and see how to go about doing what we are called to do. Like for the food pantry idea. Maybe you would want to visit a pantry, ask them how they determine who to help. Find out about how to collect food and store it so that nothing goes to waste. Do you have to have permits in your city? Once that is done you may still need to pray for the project. It will come together when it is God’s timing. He will open the doors to use the ministry to bless many.

Sometimes doors are open before us and we have to ask God, is this a door I am supposed to walk through. The enemy will often offer us a shortcut to where we want to go. But his shortcuts will lead us down the wrong road every time. It will take twice as long to get back on track and to find where we belong. The enemy’s main function, if he realizes he can’t stop us, is to distract us.

There are seasons when God opens a door for us. We dwell within that season. But there are times when he wants to elevate us to a new season of life. When this happens, he will open a new door and lead us to shut the old door. We cannot reach our potential if we stay stuck in the doorway of the completed work.

Matt 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

The best way to get doors to open is through prayer. If we seek direction, He will always guide us and open the right doors. We can trust him that he will lead us to the right one. I often pray for God to open the doors I need to walk through and to make sure to shut the doors that I don’t need to walk through. Seeking God’s direction is always the right move.

We need to always be encouraging of others when they are in transitional seasons. We can lift them up in prayer that God will guide them and open the right door. As I covered yesterday, we also need to pray for God to help us shut any door that will give the enemy a toehold and cause us to sin.

As you open the door to new beginnings, remember that anything worth doing requires hard work and sacrifice. Pray about the seasons in life and live each day with a servant’s heart, knowing that God is there to guide you.

Until next time, be bold, be brave and keep your God

EPISODE 29–CLOSING OPEN DOORS

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/E0-zmftqKFg

Hello My Friends

The title of today’s episode is “Closing Open Doors”

ASK YOURSELF, Do you have open doors?

The enemy will walk through doors that are left open. There are certain areas that we need to be mindful of in order to shut the doors on the enemy. We can have beliefs that are in opposition to the word of God. We reject the ideas or morals that are of God. When we reject the ideas of the word, we leave the door open to unbelief. Unbelief will give the enemy a foothold to cause us to sin. We cannot adopt the ideas and beliefs of the world. The world is always in opposition to God’s way.

How do we close this door? We need to study the word of God. We need to find out what God thinks. Then, pray for God to help our thoughts to align with God’s thoughts. Romans 12:2 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Only God can transform our thoughts and help them to align with what he finds acceptable. We renew our minds by prayer and studying God’s word. If we pray, he will help us to align to His thoughts.

The second door that is left open is often things that came into our lives through willful sin. God had forgiven us, and then we opened that door to temptation. By willful sin, we allow Satan a stronghold that is hard to get away from, and that door is hard to shut. But we have the power to close that door and ask God to forgive us and close the door to that temptation. When we open that door, we allow ourselves to be shackled into slavery again to that thing that held us captive before.

To be set free and close the door to satan, we must speak out of our mouths a confession of sin. We need to renounce the hold it has on our lives. Being set free comes through repentance. Staying free comes from the resistance of the enemy.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Unforgiveness is another door that leaves room for the enemy. Matt 6:14-15 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. When we hold onto unforgiveness, we are holding onto grief and pain. We are hurting ourselves because we are keeping God from forgiving us. If we can learn to forgive others, we are not saying they didn’t do us wrong. We are not saying they didn’t cause us pain and loss.

We are saying, Because Jesus forgives our trespasses against Him, I can forgive this thing that was done to me. Sometimes, this takes prayer to overcome. Letting go of offense will close the door to the enemy to grow hatred and strife in our lives. Forgiving others sets us free, not our offender.

There is a door that is left open that we have had little to do with it. Our ancestors can leave doors open to generational curses. Alcoholism is one example. Many times, a parent who is bound by alcohol will have children bound by the same spirit. There are many things that can be generational curses in our lives and make us susceptible to attacks from the enemy.

We can close the door of generational curses through prayer. We need to renounce the covenants our ancestors have made with these spirits. God will set us free if we ask him for that freedom. Tell the enemy you are closing the door to the generational curses of your bloodline. Remind Satan that you are grafted into the family of God and that you have a heavenly bloodline that is stronger than your earthly bloodline. It is important that we close every door to the enemy. Do not give him even the smallest of cracks to get a toe-hold. Because toe holds turn to strongholds. The generational curses you break will not be passed on to your children, who will have to fight.

I know this was a little heavier message than most, but I felt like we needed to take a serious look at the doors that were open in our lives. Pray on this subject, Search your life, and ask yourself if you have left a door open to the enemy. Ask God to show you any open doors. Ask Him to close the doors to the enemy.

THANKS FOR WATCHING

UNTIL NEXT TIME BE BOLD BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS