Tag: #beboldbebrave

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP623 SHAPED NOT MOLDED

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THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: SHAPED NOT MOLDED

God is often referred to as the potter; we are his clay. This comes from Jeremiah. God sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house then he spoke to him about his authority over the clay. God holds the world in the palm of his hand. He has the ability to raise up nations or cause them to fall. He can raise up leaders in those countries and he can cause them to fall. He wants leaders who will do good and not evil.

Jeremiah 18:4-6 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 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.

No where did God say, I will shove you in a mold, because I want you all the same. No where did God say, pick someone and try to be just like them. As Children of God, we sometimes try to shape the clay. We have an idea of what a Christian should look like, we dismiss people who do not easily fit into our idea or our mold. If God had wanted us to all look alike, instead of fashioning us on a potter’s wheel with his hands so carefully, he would have put us all in a mold. That way we would all be exactly alike. We are called to holiness but we are not all called to be exactly alike.

We are the body that Christ works through in the earth. Collectively and individually, we are to be about our father’s business. We make a bigger impact if we can work together. It is our job as his hands and feet to reach the lost and broken of the world. People who have made mistakes and have fallen. Ones who have listened to the enemy and fallen into his trap. Ones who do not fit our ideal mold.

We are not called to judge; we are called to show compassion. When I think about God’s hands and feet I think about the parable of the good Samaritan. It is easy to walk by the broken and hurting when there are no outward signs of that brokenness. Physical wounds heal faster than emotional ones. Others passed by not thinking the man was worth saving. Only one tried to save the man. We have to be like this, we must show everyone the love of Christ.

Jesus died to set us free in every way. With that freedom we can work and live to be a light. But that freedom did not come with man’s by-laws, and rules that bind God’s children. It did not come with a denomination name. It came with freedom to live according to the written word of God and the leading of the Holy Ghost.

The clay is a metaphor for mankind; he can take the flaw people we are and remake us into a vessel of use. God cares about what we care about. He wants to see the people we love saved, healed and delivered the same as we do. God even wants to see those that we overlook or ignore set free. He died for all.

One example of how we are compared to God. Samuel was sent by God to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king. As the sons of Jesse lined up, Samuel looked at one of David’s older brothers, he looked like a warrior and leader. He is the one Samuel would have chosen. Many of us would have too, because he looked like a king. But his heart was not after God’s heart like David. To look at David, many would have thought that God was joking. He was a kid and didn’t look like a king. But God knew deep in his chest beat the heart of a warrior. God can see our inner strength and our faith.

1 Samuel 16:7 – But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

God sees and knows all that someone is carrying, their pain, disappointment, fears and tears. When we look at them, we may only see the things they have done to their appearance to protect themselves from pain. We may discount them, but God knows who will yield to his calling and who will not answer.

It is not our job to decide who is worthy to hear the story of Jesus, but to tell them and let God shape them into vessels he can use.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP622 A PLACE OF SAFETY

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THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: A PLACE OF SAFETY

In ancient times, cities were fortified with walls. These walls would have high towers or places that overlooked the land around the city.

This would give them a good view to see the enemy coming. These towers were for protection, when the enemy would attack. They were heavily fortified to withstand weapons of the time.

For example: The walls of Jerico were so thick that they held chariot races on the top of the wall. No army, with the weapons of the time could penetrate the walls of safety. It took God to cause them to fall.

Just as these fortified towers were protection from physical attacks, God is our strong tower or place of safety that will give us protection from the enemy.

In order to be safe, people had to be humble enough to seek shelter. Just as one lone man could not defeat a huge army alone, we cannot defeat our enemy in our own strength. We have to seek God’s strength and protection. We must seek shelter in the shadow of his wings.

We are assured in Prov 18:10 if we seek refuge in Him, we will be safe.

Proverbs 18:10-The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

One of the Hebrew names for God, Migdal-Oz translates to tower of strength. He is our tower of strength. A place we are safe and the enemy will not be able to touch us.

As we face uncertain times, we need to reinforce to ourselves that God is our strength, our safe place and our refuge. Getting this concept in our minds will give us comfort and strength when the enemy is trying to attack. We know that we have a safe place to run to when we need shelter. I googled a definition for refuge it said, refuge is a condition of being safe, sheltered from pursuit, danger or trouble.

The phrase sheltered from pursuit stuck out to me. God does this with the enemy. He shelters us from the enemy launching an all-out assault against us. We are safe because he will not allow us to be overtaken. We are sheltered from the pursuit of the enemy.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Let’s break this down. God is our refuge our safe place. The strength God gives will empower us with the ability to stand in the face of adversity. He is always available to give us immediate help.

Psalm 91:9-11 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Psalm 91 is a chapter full of encouragement. Because we trust in the Lord and make him our safe place or the place we dwell. He has said no evil will befall or no evil will happen to us. We will not be overtaken by a plague. Because he has given his angels the responsibility to watch over us and protect us.

As uncertainty in our world is on the rise. Many people are worried about the things going on around us. As children of God, we can be assured that none of it matters, because we are sheltered safe in God’s presence.

He will give us victory and in that victory we can shout and the walls of the enemy will fall.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP621 WAY MAKER

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: WAY MAKER

Our God is the way maker, he comes through when things look like there is no hope. We often come up against things in life that seem to be difficult. Look at God’s people all through the Old Testament. Many of them came up against things that seemed like the end. But God…

He is the one to bring the drama of surprise. He put heat shields around the three Hebrew men in the fiery furnace. He parted the Red Sea when there seemed no way across. Then he destroyed the enemy behind them. He caused the walls of Jericho to fall when they didn’t know how they would ever overtake the city. Time and time again he came through for his people. He will come through for us too.

Why should we doubt, why should we fear? There is nothing coming our way, nothing we will face that God will not see us through. He has always come through for his people. He is the same God, He never changes. We may not know how it’s going to happen. But God already has it all planned out. We will be victorious over our enemy.

Isaiah 43:16-19 Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. 18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

He has promised to do a new thing. The word says we will know it. Until he gives us our version of the parted Red Sea, we must not allow fear to blind us. We cannot possibly know how God is going to deliver us from our enemy. But we know God has us in the palm of his hand and he will deliver us in his time, and in his own way.

Isaiah 58:11And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

We do not have to fear making the wrong move as long as we let the Lord be our guide. We get into trouble when we try to decide our path on our own. When the fiery trials of life try to scorch us, he is our living water that keeps us from being overtaken.

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Often when the enemy approaches he is driving fear in front of him. He wants nothing more than to see that we are paralyzed with fear. Because fear will cause us to lose our faith. Without faith, God doesn’t move. It is a battle of cause and effect. It also works in reverse, if we have faith in God and do not allow ourselves to fear, God will come through for us because he is a way maker.

Do not be discouraged when the mountain in front of you seems too tall to climb. God will come through with the strength you need. We fall short and fail him sometimes, but he never fails us and he never will. He is the miracle worker the way maker that will see us through.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP620 GO AHEAD, WEAR BLUE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: GO AHEAD, WEAR BLUE

The enemy would like to make us feel like we are failures. He will put condemnation on us for something we have done wrong. We must put him in his place. If we have asked God to forgive us, then we have no reason to beat ourselves up over past mistakes and sin. But that is not my subject today.

I want to talk to you about the condemnation from other believers. Many do not know the difference between conviction and condemnation. There are many in the church world that want to keep people “in line” with their standards of belief. In true Pharisees style they will give you that disapproving look that makes you feel like you have done something wrong.

Let’s make up an example: Maybe a verse has been misunderstood and a small group believes it is not a good idea to wear the color blue. (Remember this is an exaggerated example) They will try to push that belief on everyone that says they are a Christian. There is not any biblical basis, but over time it goes from a denominational bylaw to gospel. Suddenly you are the worst sinner in the world if you are caught wearing the color blue. According to them it will send you straight to hell.

In reality there is a difference in conviction and condemnation. The Spirit of God that lives on the inside of us will often convict us of something. It can happen when we are alone or in a crowd of people. It is immediate, like a parent tells their child to stop doing something. Going back to my made-up example, If it is conviction from God, you would immediately feel bad putting on anything with the color blue, even if you are staying home by yourself. But condemnation is when you see someone, you know is judging you. You know they think you are a horrible sinner and you feel bad.

Jesus didn’t die so we could live under condemnation. We cannot allow people to change the way we live for God. We have to search the word for ourselves and live accordingly.

Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Jesus died to save us from condemnation. If we walk after the Spirit, according to the word of God there is no condemnation. The law was flawed; it was weak because of the flesh. But Jesus came to this earth and lived a perfect sinless life. He fulfilled the law, then shed his blood so that through him we might have the right to be saved.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

If Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, why do we put up with the judgmental attitudes. I for one am no longer living my life to please those types of people. There is only one I have to please and that is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As long as I can make corrections when God sends conviction, that is all I need to worry about.

Condemnation has no place in my life. It has no place in your life either. We have too many things to be concerned with as the body of Christ. We have lost souls to worry about reaching.

If you are attending a church where conforming to their cookie cutter way of life is the emphasis then you need to look for another church. By laws should not be raised higher than the word of God. Get in the word, know the word and walk in the path the word shows you.

There is a great move of God coming, we don’t want to be left behind because we were too much like the Pharisees’. They had Jesus in front of them but was too stuck in their ideas to see him. It grieves my heart for those who are going to miss Jesus because they are too stuck behind things that do not matter. So go ahead, wear blue. 🙂

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP618 SHARING BOLD FAITH

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: SHARING BOLD FAITH

How bold are you about your faith? Do you find it difficult to tell others about Jesus? Every Christian at times finds it difficult to share. Too many lives are hanging in the balance for us to shy away from our duties as children of God. In the days we are living, now more than ever the lost need for us to be bold. We do not have time to be timid. There are a lot of people searching for something, but they don’t know that what they are searching for is Jesus. Their soul is restless and they don’t know why. It is up to us to share with them the answer that they are seeking.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

When we are faced with an opportunity to witness to someone, we have to be prepared. It takes time to study and know the word. First, every day, we must ask him to help us be a witness. Some take the intellectual approach; they memorize the right verses from the word. They practice just how they should use those verses. Unless you are talking to a prodigal, some are intimidated by the bible.

People need to connect with the one doing the witnessing. Just be honest and share your story. Explain how important God is in your life. Listen for the leading of his Spirit. Listen for feedback from the one you are sharing Jesus. The Holy Ghost will lead you to have the right words. People often just need to know someone cares. They need to know God cares.

We don’t have time to be as timid as a kitten. The harvest is ready; it is time for us to get busy. It is time for us to be bold.

Bold means to be daring, courageous and strong. As children of God, we have to be confident in our faith. Studying the word and learning how to share Jesus is something we all must learn. Striving to be bold witnesses is what our faith walk is all about.

Prov 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

The righteous are bold as a lion. This means we are courageous and fearless. The king of the jungle doesn’t fear any creature. It does not flee from the threat of its enemy. Our courage comes from our God. We want to make him proud by standing our ground. We must be firm in our convictions.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear,

If we walk by faith and let our light shine, the world will know that we are different. We have hope that the world doesn’t have within them. This verse says we must be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks why we have hope. Sharing Jesus is not some complicated formula. Being bold enough to just simply tell someone what he has done for you is how we witness. Do not be discouraged if they don’t accept what you are saying. You have planted a seed, God will take it from there.

I Cor 3:6-9 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

All of our hope comes from Jesus. Someone shared that hope with us when we had no hope. It is only fair that we share Jesus with the lost world.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP617 FLIGHT SUIT

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: FLIGHT SUIT

I want to share with you an article that was written by my late husband. We published a Christian Newsletter for many years. I came across a copy and this stuck out to me as something I wanted to share with you.

The flight suits worn by fighter pilots and astronauts are an amazing piece of technology. It allows them to perform super human feats at speeds that were beyond all comprehension just one hundred years ago.

The forces they endure during high-speed maneuvers would turn them into sack of pudding without the flight suit. Even in the early days of flight, pilots had to dress for the cold of an open cockpit. The flight suit allows humans to escape gravity for a short time.

1Thes 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We have the promise of God that one day we will escape the bonds of gravity without aid of a machine. But we will still need a “flight suit” our wedding garments.

Matt 22:10-12 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Many of us have heard the story of a man on an airplane that is told to put on a parachute because it makes his flight better. The parachute is uncomfortable and awkward. The man eventually takes it off. The plane crashes and the man dies because he took off his parachute, he didn’t have time put it on and jump out.

There was a second man that kept his parachute on not because he wanted to improve the flight but because he knew the plane would crash. He would endure anything to keep from losing his parachute.

These two men are examples of people who make a start to live for Christ. The first one was told it would make life better, but he decided it is too awkward or uncomfortable. He gave up and end up crashing with the plane. But the second man understood, that his choice was clear. He must live for Jesus, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable. He must hold onto Jesus.

Some flight suits today actually allow one to glide. They are called “wing suits.” A wing suit turns falling into flying. We are still imperfect humans living in a corrupt world. There will be times we find ourselves in a fall. Satan will put a stumbling block in front of a pit and be more than willing to help us trip. If we have on our flight suit then, not only can we recover but we can gain victory over the enemy.

Gen 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

We do not have to hit bottom just because we are falling. All we have to do is spread our wings. We do this by prayer and praise. The word tells us to put on the garments of praise when we are feeling spiritually down. He will pick us up and make us feel like we are flying.

I want to leave you with one final verse.

Isaiah 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS LIKE, SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGMENT

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP616 ONE STEP FURTHER

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: ONE STEP FURTHER

On the journey of life, we can never go back. Even if we try to live in the past, it never works out. We have only one direction, that is forward. People are meant to move in and out of our lives, only a select few are meant to be there for a lifetime.

Think about all the people you have helped over the years and you no longer even know where they are now. It is not like you had any breech in your friendship. It is just hard to keep track of everyone with life being so busy.

There are some people that you meet and you know will be lifelong friends. These are the ones that God has placed in our lives to help us or for us to help along all the bumps in the road of life. Life is all about going one step further each day on the road of life.

We have a destination; we will never reach it unless we keep going. When life tries to stop us in our tracks, we must press on. God has given us light for our path. He has given us a guide. We must take the authority over the enemy when he tries to put obstacles in our path.

Matthew 17:20 –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.

When our problems seem the size of mountains, we can say to the mountain be moved and it will move. God has given us authority. As believers we must start using the authority he has give us. He didn’t say come to me and beg for me to move it. He said you will say to it be removed.

2 Timothy 1:7 –For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Fear is the opposite of faith. When we come against obstacles, we cannot allow the enemy to speak fear into our lives. Fear will tear us down and destroy us if we let it. However, we know the spirit of fear is not from God, it is from our enemy. This is why we cannot allow fear to control us. God has given us power over the powers of the enemy. He has given us love and a sound mind.

We must determine in that sound mind that we will not be slowed down or stopped by the traps of the enemy.

Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs tell us to acknowledge God and he will direct our path. Leaning on him and looking to him will keep our feet on the right road. But we cannot allow our hearts to get distracted by fear. It says trust in the Lord with ALL of our heart. Fear will keep us from trusting with our whole heart.

Galatians 6:9 –And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Staying consistent in our faith walk will go a long way. Persistence in showing good works will have the outcome of reaping good things, unless we stop. Every step we take gets us one step closer to our goal. It is up to us, no matter what happens we must keep pressing on to the goal. You can do it, I know, because God will never leave us to walk alone.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING –EP615 JOY

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: JOY

The word Joy inspires many ideas of what it means. It is a strong emotion of happiness, bliss or delight. When I stand in the sunshine and feel the peace of God that is when I feel joy. We all want to experience Joy in our lives. The best way to accomplish that is to stay in God’s presence.

Miriam Webster’s dictionary defines joy as a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being : gladness

Psalms 16:11-Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

In the presence of God is fullness of joy. This is why we are told to worship. Because our praise and worship bring God’s presence. In his presence is the fullness of joy. Which means the full range of joy.

Nehemiah 8:10- Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

The end of this verse is the one that always comes to mind when thinking about joy. Our strength comes from the Lord. Depression and anxiety are the opposite of joy. They will drag us down and make us weak. In God’s presence it is hard to have depression. That is why the presence of the Lord gives us joy and strength.

John 15:10-11 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Jesus said if we keep his commandments and abide in his love that his joy will remain in us and be full. We do not have joy outside of being in God’s love. The enemy doesn’t want us to have joy. He wants us beat down, full of hate, self-doubt and depression. We are in a battle with our enemy. We must stand strong against his attacks.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James tells us to have joy when we fall into temptation because when our faith is tried it will develop the fruit of patience. Which helps us to be complete. We want to develop fruit in our lives, because the more fruit we have, the more we become like Jesus.

Take some time today to find joy in the little things. Stop and let the sunshine on your face and thank God for his love, joy and peace that goes beyond anything we could ask and believe.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP614 JESUS IS OUR JUDGE

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THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: JESUS IS THE JUDGE

We all have met them, they are not sold out to Christ. They say they are Christians but there is not any fruit. They have the Jesus bumper sticker, they attend church. But deep down you know that the only time they touch their bible is when they pick it up to come to church. Instead of judging them, it is our job to encourage them in their faith walk. Because if this is not currently us, we need to be thankful that God has grown us. This lukewarm state is dangerous to the body of Christ. Judging them is also dangerous and could tip the scales so that they decide they are better off cold instead of being on fire.

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

This means that having a friend that will be honest with you and call you out in love. A true friendship is a mutual growth process, based on compassion, encouragement and sharing the good and bad times. Judgmental attitudes do not sharpen anyone, they cut them. Sometimes to the point that people want to stop following Jesus.

I have bible study with a group of women who empower me to be better. They all are prayer warriors and love the word of God. I am thankful that God put me with them. I am encouraged every time we have a conversation. I would not know much about what is going on in the world, if I didn’t have them. They have led me to some people online that I follow their channels. They too are deep in faith and I grow weekly because of their teaching.

I said all of that to say, God didn’t call us to judge the lukewarm, the overly critical, the judgemental or the sinner. He called us to lift them up and encourage them to come up a little higher. Not to where we think we are, on our level, but up higher to be closer to Jesus.

ROMANS 14:1-5 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

How many people split hairs over man-made doctrine? That is the reason for so many denominations today. God is wanting unity in his body. We are not to judge one another, it is displeasing to God. Notice verse four, 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. How would you feel if you had a servant that you were pleased with, but people in the neighborhood went around talking about what a bad job they did. It would make you upset. When we judge one another, it displeases God. That we are judging is his servant. He loves them and understands what they are walking through. He knows what they will become, but judgment of others makes their journey even harder.

The last thing we want to do is satan’s job for him. We are supposed to stand united against him, not help destroy one another. We are being called to higher ground. God is wanting us to pray more and judge less. Compassion is what we should be walking in, instead of judgment. Truly Jesus is the only one who is qualified to judge any of us. Let’s do what we are supposed to do and leave the hard stuff to our wise judge.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP612 MOVE YOUR HANDS

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: MOVE YOUR HANDS

Many times, in life’s situations we say we give them to God. Then we continue to try to work things out the way we want them to turn out. We stick our hands into the situation even though with our mouth we have prayed and told God it was his to work out. Jesus is trying to shape us on the potter’s wheel and we are trying to jump off because we get dizzy going around. Instead, we keep on going around and around the same trial. Sort of like Israel kept going around the same mountain. The reason they had to keep walking around the same mountain was because of unbelief and disobedience. Let that sink in for a moment.

Imagine clay on the potter’s wheel. If clay was like we are, it would be trying to become a bowl, while the potter is trying to make it a pitcher. It ends up being an unusable mess. So, the potter has to start over with the lump of clay. This is why we stay in situations for too long. God is trying to use the situation to grow us into what he wants. Learning to ask for his help and then allowing him to help takes growth in trust.

Learning to be obedient to God’s nudging and gentle pressure will grow us into the bold, brave children of God we are called by God to become.

Jer 18:1-6 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 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.

God told Jeremiah that he was trying to do something with Israel, but they were not allowing him to shape the direction of their path. God desired repentance, he knew if they did not turn their hearts toward him, they would harden like clay and be unmoldable.

Can you see the clay of the wheel with its own hands sticking out in the way of the potter? Yet this is what happens in our life, every time we pray about a situation and then hold on to it.

This topic reminds me of a situation years ago, I had been in a battle for about a year. One day I was reading this passage of Jeremiah and it spoke to my heart about letting go. I prayed, “Lord, I cannot do this, I need you to fix it.” From that point on I had tried to keep my hands out of it. I had already seen a major turnaround in this situation.

A few days later, I was pretty frustrated because it seemed like things were getting worse. The enemy will always turn up the pressure before he has to let go. I was tempted to try to fix it, but instead I prayed, “Lord even though it looks worse, I know you are in control and however you work it out, I know it will be for my good. Your word says so.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The next morning, I was crossing the parking lot, at work and a sparrow landed on the back of a truck. I was reminded of the old hymn which goes, “his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.” It gave me a sense of peace. It was like God spoke to me in that moment and said, “I have you in my hand.” So, I kept reminding myself that God is in control. He didn’t need my hands he needed my obedience and trust.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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