EPISODE 8 –DO NOT DELAY YOUR BLESSING

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Unbelief can delay your answer.”

We are starting today with the prophecy of the birth of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:13-20 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

What an amazing prophecy for a future father to receive. Think how many men down through time would have been excited to receive such a word. What a great thing to be said about your future child. He will be great in the sight of the Lord. We don’t really know what went through Zacharia’s mind. Maybe it seemed too good to be true.

Verse 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Why did Gabriel cause him to not be able to speak? Gabriel knew how powerful our words can be and stopped him from delaying the prophecy with his negativity. Everything had to be timed perfectly with the birth of Christ. God would not let anything stand in the way of his plans. Our words can affect the future. We can delay the blessings of God with our words of doubt and negativity. I cannot say enough about the power of our words.

We are limited within our human capacity. But God has no limits. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Sometimes, we ask what would appear to us to be impossible from the human perspective. But nothing is impossible with our God. We cannot ask him for the impossible, however, and then doubt that he will come through for us.

Have you ever prayed for something then allowed unbelief to get in the way of that prayer? I have. It is easy to allow our human perspective to dictate our faith. When we take our eyes off of God and his ability and start seeing our situation with human eyes, our faith wavers.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Why should we waste our time if we are not going to believe God for what we ask? Having faith means to simply believing in God.

Look at the children of Israel. Because of their words of unbelief, they were made to wander 40 years in the desert. When it was originally less than a two-week journey. But because they didn’t believe in God when the situation looked impossible, he made them wander until they all died in the wilderness. They never received what God had for them because of their unbelief.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my promises to die in the wilderness. I am going to try to guard my unbelief. This is why I try to live by 2Cor 5:7- For we walk by faith and not by sight. It doesn’t matter how big the giants are in your way. It doesn’t matter what the doctors say. What matters is what God says, and he says he will save, heal and deliver his people. Don’t let unbelief cause you to speak negative words out of your mouth. Instead, look at the situation through the eyes of faith and say, I know it doesn’t look the way I want, but God answers prayer.

Take a few moments to reflect on your words. Are you talking unbelief, or are you talking Faith?

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 7-DOUBLE MINDED PEOPLE

Hello my friends:

The title of today’s episode is “Double-minded people”

James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

We are to walk in pure faith. If we allow our faith to waiver, we can become double-minded. Have you ever been at a crossroads in life, not knowing which way to go? It helps sometimes to seek direction from someone who is wise. When I am trying to decide which way to go. I can normally see both sides of a situation, so it is easy to get confused. But I have to take a step back and get past the sympathy, empathy, and emotions of the situation before I can logically decide.

When we ask for God to do something, we believe he will …until circumstances start looking the opposite way. Then, if we are not careful, doubt will creep in and cause us to waiver in our faith. God moves for those who believe, but when we doubt, he will not move for us. We need pure faith, not mixed with anything else.

Take the mustard seed, for example. Many say if we have a little bit of faith that is all we need. But it is not about the size as much as the mustard seed is pure. It grows when planted but will not mix with any other herb. Therefore, mustard is pure.

The seventeenth chapter of Matthew has a story of the disciples who tried to cast out the devil but could not. After the man brought his son to Jesus, he cast out the demon, and the boy was cured.

Matt 17:19-21 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

A mustard seed grows quickly. It produces fruit quickly. And also makes a bush large enough for the birds to nest in or to hide in from predators. Our pure faith can grow a tree for people to take shelter in when they need God. We can have faith for others when they cannot have faith for themselves. Like the people who peeled back the roof and lowered their sick friend to Jesus. The man was too sick to have much faith on his own, but they had faith that Jesus was going to heal him. Jesus did. This is why we ask others to pray for our situations. Sometimes, we lack faith because we are too close to a situation. It is easier to have faith for others than for ourselves.

The twenty-first verse says this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting. In other words, we need to have a close relationship with the father. We need to have our God Focus. Fasting is not about doing without food, it is about having power over our flesh. When we deny our flesh, we gain control over our impulses. It is about strengthening our spiritual man. The closer we walk to God, the less control our flesh has over us.

We are in a constant battle of flesh vs spirit. If we are strong in faith, with pure faith, we too, will have the power to cast out devils. But if we are weak in faith and it is not pure faith, then our fleshly ego may get in the way. If we walk in pure faith, we understand that things God does through us has very little to do with us. Let me say that again: the things God does through us has very little to do with us. It is all about Jesus. It is up to us to learn how to have PURE FAITH and to not be double-minded.

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

NEW ADVENTURES

I am excited about what God is doing in my life and those around me. That is why, from now on, I am combining my blog and my video ministry. Each blog post will be in the written form of the video for those of you who would rather read it. At the top will be the video of the day. God Focus This Morning is the title of my daily videos. The posts will be Monday thru Friday.

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Made Up Mind”

We used to attend church with a man who was constantly reminding us that we have to have a made-up mind. He would say that the enemy will send all sorts of things to get us to give up. We cannot allow the enemy to get us to falter in our faith. We cannot take a step backwards. We have to hold the line.

Troubles may press in from every angle, but if we have a made up mind, nothing will phase us. Nothing we go through will cause us to waiver.

Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. We are in a battle for the soul of our nation. We cannot be moved by the enemy or what he tries to do. We need to have deep roots and be planted. Can you see a tree get up and walk away, because it didn’t like the angle of the wind? No, a tree digs deep. The stronger the winds blow the more need the tree has to dig deeper.

As warriors in God’s army, we must be determined to do our duty and honor the wishes of our King (Jesus). As warriors we need to have loyalty to the cause of Christ and be determined that we will not be bribed by the flashy things of the enemy to cause us to back up or sin.

We need to dig in and hold the line, saying, Satan, I will not back up, I will not back down. I am going through with Jesus guiding me. Many brave soldiers down through time won battles that seemed impossible because they were determined to not back down, but to hold their ground.

Lines are being drawn in the sand. We have to be determined to stand up for what is right. I will not be moved, I will not back up, I will not back down, I will stand for Jesus even if I have to stand alone. Gideon started with a huge army of men. But God needed that number paired down to the ones who believed him. With 300 men, God defeated the enemy.

Phil 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

I believe we are going through a season in which God is separating the wheat and tares to an extent. Many who have been lukewarm and call themselves Christian will be separated. God wants a strong army of determined men and women who will have a made-up mind to stand for him. There is not a battle we cannot win as long as we believe that he will go before us and fight our battles. We have to be determined to stand for the truth.

We cannot waiver in our beliefs, even when things don’t look like they line up with our beliefs. Ephesians Chapter Six is all about putting in the whole armor of God. Warriors of God are equipped with God’s armor. All of this armor was designed for meeting an enemy head-on. There was no covering for a retreat. If you turn around to run, the enemy can easily get you from behind. So we have to stand strong.

Romans 12:2 says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God….

We have to stand strong and allow our minds to be renewed with the word of God. If we keep our spiritual mind strong, we will be determined and always have a made-up mind.

Thanks for listening.

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

PRESS ON

Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In this life, we have many troubles and trials. Many situations arise that we worry about that are nothing. We allow the day-to-day routine to rob us of our focus. The main thing for us is to press on, closer to the goal. Our main goal should be seeing Jesus face to face.

The things in this life that we pay so much attention to will all fade away. Our stresses and disappointments will be a thing of the past. So I want to encourage you to keep your eye on the prize. Press on toward the goal. Never look back. We have nothing to look back to, if we had been satisfied where we were, we would have stayed there. But the life of sin was misery. Why would we want to go back? If we aren’t going back, we have no choice but to press on and go forward.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

FAITH

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is seeing light with our hearts when our eyes see only darkness. Often, situations look bad in this life, so it looks dark. But if we believe that God will work it out for our good, then there is hope. Hope creates a small pinpoint of light. God takes that small pinpoint and starts chipping away at the darkness until it disappears. Having faith is knowing he will see us through any situation.

We don’t have to see things with our eyes to know that God is going to move in our situations. This is what it means to walk by faith. Believing that God will take care of our situations even when they seem impossible. It is about having hope that God will deliver on his promises even when we don’t see it.

God wants us to have pure faith, not mixed with any doubt.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

DRY LAND

Psa 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; Psa 63:2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Psa 63:3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

We have all walked through spiritual deserts in which we feel like we are alone. We feel like God is not there. But he is walking silently by our side while we work out our issues. Being in the desert gave David a good perspective. It was during the time he was running from Saul that God used to grow him. It was in the solace that God taught him to be king.

Our bodies desire water; we cannot function without it. But just as our flesh needs water, our soul needs God’s living water. I want to take time to remind those who feel like they are in a spiritual desert that God is there and will not leave you. He has promised he will never leave us or forsake us. Just when we think we cannot go one more step, he sends a refresh to our soul. We feel like we can begin to take one more step. O Lord, how our souls thirst for your presence. Help us when we find ourselves in a desert place. Remind us that you are with us and doing a good work within us by preparing us for the next level in our Christian walk. Fill us up, Lord.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

REFLECTION

Often the last day of the year, we reflect on the past 12 months. We think about the good and the bad. Some have regrets and fears over things that have happened. This year’s end I want to ask a question: Do you know anyone who is true to their word? The truth is a dying courtesy. Very few people today are true to their word.

God is always true to his word; if he says it is going to rain, get your umbrella. If He says He is going to come again for His people, He will. Learning to depend upon His word is part of our walk as Christians. I think this was easier in ways for generations gone by because most men were true to their word, unlike today, when few people are honest and walk with integrity.

I try to take a few minutes to reflect on the lessons I have learned over the past year. I try to think about where I fell short of doing what God asked of me. I spend some time praying that the year ahead will bring me to a deeper walk in Christ. I don’t make resolutions like most people because I have found that they are normally broken by February. This is why I chose to reflect. This year, I included a flip through my prayer/ bible study journal to help me reflect.

As you reflect on this year’s end, remember what God has brought you through. Remember how much he loves you. Look to the new year with hope that no matter what happens in this life, God is true to his word. He will save, heal and deliver his people. 2024 is a year to expect great things from God. Remember that it doesn’t matter how scary things look, we walk by faith. There is nothing we face that God cannot see us through.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

SYMPTOM OR CAUSE?

We often see people and we judge them by how they appear to be. We see their actions and judge them to be evil. In reality, they have let Satan move in and guide their life. Often, what we see is the symptoms and not the cause. We try to change people’s symptoms, instead of introducing them to the one who can cure them.

Look at Mark Chapter 5. There is a story about a man that had a legion of evil spirits (sent by Satan). People judged this man by his actions. He was naked, he cut himself with stones. He had great strength because he had broken chains and fetters. The people were afraid of him.

Mark 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Then they were afraid because Jesus had the power to get rid of the unclean spirits. They knew he was different because he was clothed and in his right mind, sitting calmly. Often, people try to get others to change the way they dress, speak or act. But when someone truly meets Jesus, the change that comes on the inside will show on the outside.

All the people around knew that this man was different. The big question on their minds was why and how? Once people learn how and why we are different, they will want to follow Christ, too. But we have to allow Christ to work in us to make us different from the world.

When you look at someone who needs Jesus, who is not living a moral life, don’t look at them with judgment. Look at them with compassion, knowing what you see is a symptom and not a cause. Everyone grows at their own pace, none of us are perfect. We have to allow God to do a work in us. We have to allow him to do a work in others. Be encouraged, if you have lost loved ones. Jesus can still change the cause of their symptoms.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.

COMING JAN 1, 2024 I am launching my YouTube channel. There will be short daily devotional videos and longer teachings as God leads. Follow the link to subscribe to my channel. https://www.youtube.com/@AngelaDempsey-xy9ny

MERRY HEART

Pro 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

God wants us to be happy and enjoy our lives. He knows there will be days of happiness and days of pain. When things are bad, he wants us to lean on him. When they are good, he wants us to acknowledge him.

This verse makes me think about attitude. An attitude of gratitude leads to a merry heart. Sadness and depression will suck the life out of you. We get depressed when our circumstances are bigger to us than God. But showing God how much we appreciate him and love him will lift our spirits. Lean on him, be grateful and allow him to give you a merry heart.

During the Christmas season, we sometimes get sidetracked about the reason we celebrate. The obvious reason is ofcourse Jesus our saviour. Christmas is also a time to spend with those we love. I appreciate all of those who read my blog. I want to take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful Christmas. May you have a merry heart today and all through the year. May your blessings be many and your burdens be few.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

SUBMISSIVE CLAY

Jer 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

As long as we are submissive clay in the potter’s hand, he will form and shape us into a vessel of use. Sometimes, we feel like we are being put through a long, painful process of changing into what God wants us to become. Have you ever watched a potter work the clay? First, he has to beat out all the air bubbles, not because he loves to pound on the clay. If he doesn’t, it will explode in the fire.

There is much to be learned about our relationship with God by studying the process of pottery making. The thing that sticks with me most is a fine porcelain cup is fired hotter than an earthenware mug. God wants to use us to be examples to others. But sometimes, he also puts us on a shelf, so to speak. Earthenware mugs are used every day, but often, fine porcelain cups are kept for special occasions. Maybe during the waiting process, God is saving us for a special assignment. One that he has created us specifically to carry out.

We are not to waste the time that we are on the shelf…waiting. No one wants to be in a holding pattern. One of the worst things we can hear from God is wait. But there are things to be learned in the waiting. Sometimes, He is just wanting us to sit quietly with him and get to know Him. Don’t ever waste the quiet time of waiting.

I Peter 4:12-13 (12) Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: (13)But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

This process is a long one, to take clay from the ground and form it into a vessel of use. Being submissive clay will allow God to form and shape us. We will become a beautiful (vessel) pitcher that can pour out water on a dry and weary soul. The life of a Christian who is sold out to God will have fiery trials. We need to remember that the things we endure are not only for our benefit, but also for the benefit of others.

Once we have been through a trial, we have power over it. That puts us in a place in which we can help others overcome that trial when they are faced with it. We will not overcome unless we are pliable clay in the hand of the master potter. Ask HIM to help you to be submissive clay in his hands.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS