Tag: #beboldbebraveandkeepyourgodfocus

HIDDEN

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The title of today’s episode is: HIDDEN

I want to start today with the story of Adam and Eve. Most know that the snake beguiled Eve into eating of the fruit of the tree that God specifically said do not eat. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Up to this point, Adam and Eve were innocent and naive to the knowledge of evil. Not defending Eve, but I want to make a point. She was so easily deceived because no one in her life had ever lied to her before, until she ate of the tree, she didn’t even know about lies and dishonesty.

The second point to make about Eve, she was given God’s command second hand through Adam. She didn’t have firsthand knowledge of his words to Adam. This is why it is important for us today to get into the Bible and read it for ourselves, so we have firsthand knowledge. This way we are less likely to be deceived by some smooth talking, false teacher.

Gen 3:7-8 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

People often commit sin and realize they are exposed. Instead of repenting, they try to cover their sin by hiding in the place that they were supposed to be at all along. They made clothes to cover their nakedness. They went and hid among the trees that they were allowed to eat.

People often want to clothe themselves in things to make people think that they are righteous, when their righteousness is as filthy rags. Then they go back to the place that God wants them to be, the place before their sin. If something really bad happens, they want to return to the moment of innocence. But there is never a way to go back to before things happen. We just have to move forward with God’s forgiveness.

I saw a post on social media that said, People will always tell you who they are, believe them. This is true, we often try to tell ourselves that our instincts about people are wrong. We force ourselves to give them the benefit of the doubt, until we are taken in by them like Eve was the snake. God gave us instincts and intuition for a reason. Sin is a harsh reality. If they would have listened to God they would have never known the evil of this world. Once enlightened to the darkness, we are never the same, we will always have the knowledge of evil. Even if we are saved from it ruling our lives.

Genesis3:9-12 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Adam was the first person to blame someone else for his shortcomings and sin. He blamed Eve. He had no one to blame but himself. Eve blamed the serpent. She was the first to say the devil made me do it. But God didn’t let either get by with blaming someone else.

We are all bare before God, there is nothing hidden. We sometimes hide things from ourselves or even other people, we but cannot hide them from God.

In Revelations Chapter 3, God is talking to the different church ages, to the church of the Laodiceans, he says:

Rev3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

In other words, we have material things, but are wretched, miserable, poor when it comes to the spiritual things and are blind and naked. Blind to the truth and do not have on the garments of God. The garments of Praise or being clothed in the spirit and righteousness.

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

We are going to have to go through the fire and be tried to see what we are made of, will we stand strong for the faith. If so, we will be rich in spiritual things and have a white garment, that our nakedness be covered.

People today think they are getting by with their sin. They are committing sin all week and going to church on Sunday. Like Adam and Eve ran and hid in the trees. God knew their sin before he asked them if they ate of the tree.

Luke 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

We are always bare before the Lord. There is nothing hidden, we are like a child covering their eyes thinking no one can see them. But in reality, we are exposed to the world.

It is a good thing to become clothed by God. He will cover us with his garments like he made clothes for Adam and Eve. We will no longer be exposed for our sins, because his blood covers all of our sins.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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NO FAMINE IN GOD

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The title of today’s episode is: NO FAMINE IN GOD

Our world is in the middle of a time of spiritual starvation, but not for lack of food. There are plenty of Bibles. Many people that are not willing to accept the word of God as a source for their soul. There are too few people trying to share the amazing word of God. The word that has the power to strengthen, enlighten, encourage and transform even the hungriest soul.

We find a story in the fourth chapter of 2Kings about a poor widow. She approached Elisha and told him that her husband was gone and that they were going to take her sons for bondmen to pay off her debt. Now there was famine in the land. People lacked a lot of the basic necessities of life.

The prophet said to her, what do you have in your house? She started to say nothing, then she said, except a pot of oil. He told her to go borrow vessels from all her neighbors, and he told her not to borrow a few but many. When she had them all, she was to go into her house and shut the door.

2 Kings 4:4-7 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Because there was a famine, people were lacking oil also. She was able to sell all the oil and become debt free.

I was thinking about how we have a spiritual famine in the world today. It is not because God is lacking. We are not using what we have in our house. The Holy Ghost is often referred to as being oil or the anointing of God. There is not a shortage of oil. But there is a shortage of willing vessels.

In order for us to complete the harvest so that Christ can come and get his bride, we need to go gather vessels. We need to gather as many as we can. People need to be filled with the power of God or the oil of his anointing.

The widow poured and poured until she ran out of vessels. God will do the same, he will pour out his Spirit until there are no more vessels (willing vessels). Then he will call his children home.

Just as her children were almost sold into slavery. The whole world is a slave to sin unless they have let God fill them full of his precious oil. This story is often used to reflect the nature of how God provides and takes care of his people, even in famine.

He sent the children of Israel to Egypt to get away from a famine. When Joseph was second in command of the land of Egypt. They were not meant to stay 400 years. Sometimes we move in and take up residence in the places that God only meant to be a temporary situation. A place to ride out the famine.

It is time that we help those around us to get out of the place they have set up residence. We need to help them get back to the place God has for them to dwell. We are to dwell in the secret place of the almighty, not be traveling in the sinful world. It is easier to dwell in the secret place of the almighty if we have oil in our vessel.

The next time your spiritual life feels like you are in a famine, remember the Lord will give strength to his people. There is nothing that we face today or will face tomorrow that he cannot handle. He tells us to not walk in fear, but to trust him. God is with us and will provide for us. He will fill our vessel or refill our vessel and give us a refreshing of his power and strength, if we trust in Him.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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HONESTY AND TRUTH

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The title of today’s episode is: HONESTY AND TRUTH

Satan is the father of lies. He loves to whisper things in our ears that cause us to fall into fear, anxiety and even sin. The word says that the truth will set you free. I recently had to have a hard conversation with a friend. I didn’t want to tell them the truth about a situation, but God tells us to not lie.

Telling lies is deceitful and rebellion, which is a part of witchcraft. We walk a fine line sometimes. But God wants us to always give our best, that includes the truth. We don’t always want the truth. It makes us have to measure up and sometimes sacrifice things that our flesh wants to hold on to. But real truth will also set us free from things that hold us back from being all we can be in the kingdom.

John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

This verse is Jesus’ words to a group of Jews. He was telling them to walk in the truth of the word, the intent of the word and not the legalism of the word. The intent of the word the truth would set them free from sin and other trappings of life.

I was doing my daily reading when I came across the story of Ananias and Sapphira. A group of believers in their city decided to sell their possessions and give the money to the work of the Lord. Many sold lands or houses and brought the prices of the things that were sold and placed them at the apostle’s feet.

But Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property and kept part of the money for themselves. They decided they would lie about how much they sold it for and would give that amount. It wasn’t wrong for them to keep part of the money, unless they had made a vow to give it all. It was the lie that they told in order to hold back something.

God revealed the lie to Peter.

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

Fear of man probably made them lie. They didn’t want to give all they had from the sale but didn’t want to tell them that they were keeping a portion. It wasn’t a requirement. It was just that the others felt like making the sacrifice. Since they were not in the place of giving God their all, He knew that and would have accepted what they freely gave to the work of the Lord.

Notice verse four Peter said to him, Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? (In other words, you had control of the property.)and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?(After it was sold, you still had control of the money. It was your choice.) why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

It does no good to give to the work of the Lord if you do it begrudgingly. God doesn’t need our money. (Contrary to what a lot of prosperity preachers will tell you.) He wants our whole heart. He wants us to freely give of our time, our resources and ourselves.

We don’t give God things just to check off the boxes that make us a good Christian. That is legalism and Jesus died to set us free from a bunch of legalities. If we spend time in the word just to say, I read a certain number of chapters, that is legalism. If we sit and try to make a God connection even if it is only fifteen minutes. God will honor the quality of the time. Daily devotions, prayer time, paying tithes, giving offerings, doing good deeds, attending church are all things we do as believers because we want to grow our relationship with God. The things we sacrifice, our time and resources he wants us to give to him out of our love for him. Not because he is sitting in heaven with a clip board checking off boxes.

After Ananias had been buried his wife Sapphira came about three hours later and shared the same lie with the apostles. She too was struck down in front of the apostles. Many there were struck with fear when they heard what had happened.

I believe this story was put in the bible to let us know God wants our honesty. He wants us to give to him out of a pure heart.

It is like our worship. He doesn’t want lip service. He wants a genuine connection with us, because we choose to follow him and love him. He will honor the honesty of our hearts and our actions.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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THE BEAUTIFUL GATE

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The title of today’s episode is: THE BEAUTIFUL GATE

In Acts Chapter Three we find a story of Peter and John. They were going to the temple at the hour of prayer. There was a lame man who had been lame from birth. He was carried there everyday to beg for money from the people going into the temple.

This area was Solomon’s porch which was at the gate called Beautiful. This was the external gate. This gate led from the court of the Gentiles to the court of the Jews.

The inner gate was covered with plates of gold and silver. Inside the gate he was at was what he was seeking, even though it was on the gate. He was looking for silver and gold. He was stuck in the outer place and could not get to the inner place under his own power.

What he needed was the God inside the temple, he needed a God encounter. It is not a coincidence that the gate was called Beautiful. This word translated from the Hebrew text, the word horaios means – belonging to the right hour or season; timely. It implied flourishing.

That morning probably seemed like just another day to lay and beg for the lame man. But he was about to have a God encounter. Peter and John walked by him and he asked alms from them.

Acts 3:4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

Notice the man was expecting something from them. He was expecting wealth. However, he received something far greater than silver or gold. He received a miracle from God. He had a God encounter and he was forever changed.

God wants us to come to him expecting he will do miracles in our lives. He will give us the strength we need to keep moving forward.

Notice Verse Seven, He meaning Peter took the man by the hand and lifted him up, and he received strength to walk. How often do we miss opportunities to lift up someone who is spiritually lame. Maybe they do not know God and have never had a God encounter. Maybe they are a Christian that is struggling with an issue and needs encouraged. It is our job to lift them up in any way we can.

ACTS 3:8-10 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

When God gives some one an encounter, they will not be able to keep quiet about it. He leaped up, then he stood, then he walked and entered the temple with them. If we can lift someone up, it will give them strength to stand. Once someone is standing it is easier to walk.

He sat at the gate called Beautiful for many years searching for things of this life. When what he needed was something greater. But one day the timing of God met him at that gate, which means belonging to the right season. He was forever changed by the power of God.

We can also take a lesson from Peter and John. We may not be able to solve all the problems of people in the world. Most of the time what they need is a God encounter. We can do all we can to be a light to them and help them, but it will take God to fully give them the strength they need to walk. They could have walked by and said, “We are in a hurry to go pray.” This is what religion would say, those that are so bound by the letter of the law. Or they could have said, “I can’t help you today.” These are the self-righteous that feel like everyone should get their blessing for themselves. But they did the God thing, and lifted him to his feet so he could walk.

Everything happens when we learn to recognize, the right season and timing of God.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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SEASONS OF TIME

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The title of today’s episode: SEASONS OF TIME

Eccl 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Today I want to talk to you about time and God’s timing. Every situation has a turning point. We sometimes spend so much time in a storm that we cannot see when it is turning around. We often stand at the crossroads in life and ask God for guidance. He is there even when we feel he doesn’t answer. We ask for him to open doors for us to walk through. Sometimes when we ask him to open doors, we are not close enough to the door to see if it is opened or not. He will work it all out in his time. This is when he says the word we all hate to hear from God…wait.

He has called us all to do specific things in the body. How do we find our place in the body? This is a question I have often asked myself. We are called to be lights and witnesses. Where and how do we begin? Prayer is the first choice I can think of, pray for guidance, wisdom, and God to open those doors. I pray, “Lord put someone in my path today that I can be a light to or offer help.” When we pray this prayer, he always answers. He wants willing vessels.

I was pondering the open door of opportunity. God often calls us to a task long before we actually get to walk in that calling. God prepares the way ahead of time. Look all through the Bible; He always has a plan in place. We just need to trust that he will open the door for us to walk through when he is ready for us to move into that space behind the door. Until then we need to just trust that he will see us through.

We need to pray for God’s timing this is called Kairos timing. Kairos is a Greek word that means God’s perfect timing. An appointed time to change the course of all involved. Kairos timing says his ways are higher than yours or mine. This is not to be confused with Cronus, which is what governs our day to day. It is where we get the word chronological. We cannot walk through our door of opportunity and God’s plan until the Cronus meets Kairos.

I am sure that most people have a time in their life when they felt like they wasted themselves on a job, a relationship or a project. We look at that time with regret. Since God is outside of time, he can accelerate us and put us back on track as though we had not been sidetracked. God’s timing is perfect, and he allowed for the detour when making his plan.

Moses had to end up in the desert in order to see the burning bush. If he had stayed in Egypt, he would have never accomplished his calling. He would have missed his Kairos moment. It took his whole life to prepare him to walk into his calling. This was his Cronus time. We were always taught the reason Moses was put in the basket as a baby was to save his life. This is true, however there was a deeper purpose. If he had lived with his family, he would have grown up with a slave mentality. He would have never developed the skills of good leadership, as a slave. These were skills he learned in the palaces of pharaoh.

But when God sent him, he acted like we do, he started making excuses. God took care of all his excuses and had opened the door. Moses had to go. Pharaoh would have intimidated most people, but Moses grew up with him, so he was not at all intimidated by his position.

Sometimes we wonder why we are in the middle of a struggle. Why do we stand at the crossroads so long? Maybe it’s because we have to wait for the right time to step out and walk. Just like Peter, he had to step out of the boat at the right time. If he stepped out too soon it would have been disastrous.

But with the right timing, Jesus was there to help him walk and to catch him when he fell. But if he had waited too long, Christ may have been on shore. If this had happened the results may have been different. Timing is vitally important.

God is listening for us to ask for his divine timing. Understanding that there is a Kairos time for every season of our life, doesn’t make the waiting any easier. But we cannot be like Abraham and end up with an Ishamel that we created and will only cause trouble for us. We need to be patient with God and allow him to work in our lives, he knows the right timing of everything. He understands the perfect time to send our Issac.

He is the God of opportunity. He will open the door when it is the right time. Just be ready to walk through the door of opportunity when the everyday meets God’s perfect time.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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IN THE VALLEY

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The title of today’s episode: EVEN IN THE VALLEY

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

One valley we never want to find ourselves in is the valley of decision. This is a reference in the bible to the place people end up when God is dealing with them to follow him. They need to make a choice to serve Jesus. Without him, we are nothing and have nothing.

One way will lead to a life of ups and downs with Jesus and then eternal life. He will help in trouble but will not spare us from everything in life. But the alternative is trouble here in this life and torment in hell for eternity. We need to do all we can to reach those people that are in that valley of decision.

There are other kinds of valleys. We often refer to what we are going through as being in a valley or on a mountain top. The valley often means that things are going wrong. We think of the valley as being a dark place. However, there are good things in the valley too.

In the natural world, not all valleys are deserts. Some are lush and green with beautiful flowers and edible plants. When we find ourselves in a valley we need to look around and see what God wants us to learn while there. Are we there to rest with him? After all, Jesus is the lily of the valley. We can rest in him and let his sweet fragrance soothe our troubled soul.

The mountain tops are great, you get views from really high up and you can look down and see for miles. There is a sense of accomplishment and awe once we reach a mountain top.

In the valley you can’t see as far, but what you see has finer details. We are able to get clarity in the quiet of the valley. He will lead us by quiet streams and let us rest in Him. Valleys are places of growth. God takes our troubles and gives us wisdom in return. That is what it means to grow in grace and knowledge of our savior.

It is in the valley; we can look over and see Jesus with compassion in his eyes. We ask him why we have to go through certain things we are facing. He just tells us that it is all for our good.

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.”

In the dark valleys of life, we sometimes wonder how what we are going through can be for our good. Somewhere down the road we normally realize that what God allowed to happen, prevented something worse. Other times we never really understand why, but if the word says its for our good, then we have to believe it is for our good.

Even in the valley, God is still the way maker and a miracle working God. When things don’t seem to be going our way, we need to remember, that even though things look bad or may not be going our way, God is still good. He is still in control. This is where we open up our mouth and we speak to these situations, and we tell them to turn around. We need to use the authority given to us by our heavenly Father. We can’t believe everything we see or hear. Unless we hear directly from God. Because as much as there’s truth out there, there’s also a lot of false out there. Sorting through it all, it’s a full-time job. Most of us don’t have time or energy or the resources to research all this stuff that that is supposed to be true. This is why we must look to the Lord Jesus Christ he will lead us into all truth.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

If you are filled with God’s Spirit, he is there to be our guide and comfort. It says he will guide into all truth, not part of it, but all. We cannot go wrong if we learn to listen to the leading of God’s Spirit, even if we find ourselves in a valley.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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POWER IN THE BLOOD

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The title of today’s episode: Power In The Blood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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MURDER BY WORDS

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode is: MURDER BY WORDS

I often say that our words have power. If you don’t believe me, you have never been on the receiving end of unkind words that crush your heart and spirit. It leaves you feeling less than human, like you don’t deserve to live.

This is why God tells us to not gossip. People spread rumors about others that they do not know if there is any truth in them or not. Those lies can do harm. This is why Jesus tells us to not judge one another. If the rumors are true, then they need prayer and understanding not talked about behind their back. They need encouraged and lifted up, not slaughtered by judgment of others.

I John 3:15-17 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

It is easier to believe a lie. It is easier to listen to the lie and share it. Gossip is spread to hurt and destroy. It is not called character assignation for no reason. The false words chip away at the perceived reputation and character of the person. Gossip is often spread in hate; therefore it is murder.

Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

We as children of God are only to speak words that build up and encourage one another. Ephesians says to not let corrupt communication come out of your mouth. Many think it is cursing, but that is only part of it. It is speaking gossip and lies about others. One passage of the scripture says that the liar will have his place in the lake of fire.

Prov 16:27-30 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. 28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. 29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. 30 He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

Godly people, who walk in the spirit do not delight in seeing people fall. Many are being exposed for their evil. These things are true and are not gossip. Many more will fall before the shaking is finished. We need to thank God for our freedom from evil. But we should not delight in seeing anyone fall. But for the grace of God, it could be any of us.

Prov 11: 13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

If we learn something about someone that could be considered gossip. We need to take it to the Lord. Then keep it to ourselves, sharing it will only cause more damage. Most things that are spread as rumors and gossip end up being lies. Remember God considers hate to be murder.

Now in light of what I have said about gossip and how it hurts people. I want to share the other side of gossip. If you are the recipient of lies and rumors. What are you supposed to do about the situation? Let us see what God’s word says about being the victim of false witness and gossip.

I Peter 3:15-16 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Our good conduct will turn back on them and make them ashamed that they ever spread rumors or gossip. If we can learn to hold our peace, God will fight our battles. The phrase “hold my peace” means to grasp on to peace, carry peace, or keep my peace. Jesus is our peace. As long as we can walk with him.

We can never allow ourselves to fall into hate. I understand the emotion may show up, but we have to pray and overcome the emotion. Emotions are temporary, it is how we respond to them that will make or break us. We can take our pain and hurt that causes anger and hate and do something positive with the pain. Some choose to retaliate to do other things that are not a part of God’s will for their lives. Choose to walk in your integrity before God, he will bless you for putting aside the hate.

Peter 4:14-16 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Often people gossip because we are Christians. The devil in them wants to see us fall because he doesn’t like for a Christian to be happy or prosper. If we suffer for the cause of Christ, God will undertake. If we walk in the fruit of the Spirit and hold our peace God will receive the glory. Jesus didn’t defend himself, we shouldn’t either. We cannot control what people think. The ones that matter will not believe it anyway. The ones that will believe it, don’t matter anyway.

We do not have time to waste on people who would not give us a drink of water in the desert. The world is full of people that need us to be the light. They need to see us being a light and holding onto our peace. The Lord will fight for us, we just need to sit back and watch.

People do not realize how serious our words are and how powerful. Make sure your words are ones that edify yourself and others. There is no room for negativity, degrading or gossip. Now is the time to be strong and not allow the enemy to get us into a place that we sit in judgment of another or walk in half-truths of gossip. Now is the time to walk in faith and God’s love.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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BOX OF CHOCOLATES

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode is: BOX OF CHOCOLATES

The famous line from the movie, “Forrest Gump” went through my mind as I sat thinking about what to share with you today. It is true to a point that, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get.” But if we allow God to direct our path, we can be sure it is all for our good. I decided to give you a box of chocolates or some random thought, some sweet and others more like the not so sweet jelly filling.

Random though one: We often are not happy with what is going on in our country. This is jelly candy. Evil has taken over but just for a season. Complaining will not do a thing to fix it. It only makes us emotional and stirs up others. Now to the chocolate coating on this one. These things we see needs covered with prayer. God and only God alone can fix the mess we find ourselves in, but we are not alone. It is this way all over the world.

I Thes 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Giving thanks when things are not going right or are even painful situations seems the opposite of how we are feeling. We cannot go by our emotions, but press through and give God thanks anyway. Even the hard things are working out for our good. Even if we will never understand.

Random Thought Number Two: God honors the bold and the brave. This is why I encourage you to be bold and to be brave and keep your God Focus. If we can keep our focus on Him, everything else will work itself out. The enemy loves nothing more than to put us in positions of fear. Fear is not faith. Fear is seeds of doubt that enemy tries to plant in our minds. If the fear is allowed to grow it will turn into full blown doubt and unbelief.

We have to cut the enemy off when a stray thought enters our minds. When situations arise that we have never dealt with before, it is easy to have trepidation. The enemy can spot our uncertainty. At this point he is rubbing his hands together in excitement. Then he will say, “I have the perfect lie to plant doubt and fear.”

As children of the most high God. We have power over him and his lies. The hard part comes in discerning the difference in our thoughts and his whispered lies. Paying attention to our thoughts is one way of taking into captivity the lies of the enemy. Throw them into a bin for God to deal with, then pray for him to show us what we need to know about the new situation in our life.

Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Random thought Number Three: Grief is a personal thing. No one can tell you how to grieve. When I lost my husband two and a half years ago. I went through all the full range of emotions. I had the questions of Why? I believe that is normal. Then I realized that it wasn’t all about my pain. Some of it had to do with God’s plan for him. He was God’s child too, and God did what was best for him. I would have to make peace with that fact. I found myself saying to a friend, “It is not my place to question Why, it is my place to say I trust you Lord.” Even though I would never understand the reason Why. But I found myself every time I wondered why, I started saying, I trust you, Lord. God sees the big picture and understands everything, he does what needs to be done.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:4 – Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Psalms 34:18 – The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Random Thought Number Four: Find Joy In The Little Things.

Some find joy in long walks in the woods. Other find joy in hobbies or crafts. Some find that getting lost in the pages of a good story make them happy. As Christians, first and foremost our joy comes from the Lord. It is what gives us our peace and strength.

Knowing the Lord and being in his presence joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. So it would stand to reason the best way to stay strong is to know the Lord. I am not talking about understanding or knowing the stories of the Bible. I mean really knowing him. Having a close relationship with Him.

That relationship will give us the courage to navigate whatever life throws in our direction.

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

Being in God’s presence gives us joy and joy gives us strength.

Random Thought Number Five: God has a plan for each of us. Not all are called to the same things in life. But do whatever you are called to do with all of your heart. If you don’t know what that is, ask God. He will answer. Just make sure you are ready to hear the answer. We are all called to go out and win souls.

If he brings you to it, he will bring you through it. He will empower you to do what he needs you to do. I am hopeful for the future of the church. Revival is on the way. Even though things appear to be at the end. God has one final harvest time period. Now is the time to be gathering in the sheaves.

Take some time to think about this box of chocolates, I hope you found just what you needed. Always remember God Loves You more than words can say, he showed us with his amazing act of love on Calvary.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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HANNAH’S SACRIFICE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode is: HANNAH’S SACRIFICE

In 1 Samuel we find a story of a woman named Hannah. She was married to a man name Elkanah. He also had a wife named Peninnah. She had sons and daughters. Peninnah bullied Hannah because she was baren.

Every year they went to Shiloh to sacrifice and worship. Every time Hannah was sad. It grieved Elkanah that she was so sad and would not eat. She prayed many times for a son. She went before the Lord and wept asking God for a son.

1 Samuel 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

She continued to pray before the Lord. She had a discussion with Eli after he accused her of being drunk. She explained that she was distraught because she was barren.

1 Samuel 1:17-18 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

Hannah conceived and brought forth a son. He was named Samuel. As soon as he was old enough to be weaned, she took him to Eli. Hannah had made a promise to God that if he gave her a son, she would give him to the Lord. Eli mostly raised Samuel in the house of God. God then blessed Hannah with five other children.

Often the things we have worked hard or prayed hard to obtain in our lives are tested. Hannah wanted to be a mom more than anything in this life. But she then took what God gave her and gave back him to God. It is a great gift to God when we give him what he has given us. He gives us life and we give it back to him to honor him in worship and obedience.

God sometimes will allow us to be tested. Will we stand for truth and for God? Is our relationship with God the most important thing in our lives. Are you willing to give up the very thing you prayed for in tears before the Lord? That job, that house, your place of tranquility in the back yard, that position of standing in the community, or your position in church leadership? What has God given us that we should not be willing to give to him? Nothing.

He gave us life and we come to him in repentance and say I give to you, my life. But do we surrender all of it to him. I think over time we slowly take back control without even knowing it. Especially, if you have a personality that you are born to lead and control things.

Giving God full control is often hard. But he is the only one that can truly make our lives the fullest and happiest. There is a joy in serving Jesus. We often hear those words. They are very true. But there is also a lot of pain that people don’t want to talk about, that comes from the trials of being a Christian.

There are times that following Jesus will cost you a lot. Maybe even your family, because they don’t understand your passion. But as time goes by, people see that you did the right thing.

As we read the story of the life of Samuel, it is apparent that being a prophet of God was his destiny. We would not even know who he was, if it wasn’t for the position he held in God’s work. If Hannah had raised him then he would have never learned all he needed to know to be a prophet of God.

Hannah brought Samuel clothes from year to year when she came with Elkanah to worship and sacrifice. Samuel grew and was favored by the Lord and men. I am sure as she watched him become a grown man, that she was pleased with her decision.

God grew ever more weary by the day with the sons of Eli. He was displeased with Eli also for allowing them to continue in their wickedness. They cheated the people when they came to sacrifice to the Lord. They committed fornication with women who stayed in the doorway of the temple.

God always has a plan for his people. He knew that Eli’s sons would grow up to be evil and would not turn from their wickedness. Even after they were warned, they continued. God will let sin continue for a season. He is longsuffering and allows people every opportunity to make things right. If we choose to not turn from our evil, he will soon turn us over to it. When this happens, destruction is just around the corner.

God elevated Samuel to be the prophet of Israel. This happened right before God allowed Eli’s sons to be killed in battle. Eli died when he got the news of his sons. God’s will, will be accomplished even if He has to use a donkey. We need him more than he needs us. If we will not do what he asks us to do, he will send someone else.

It is easy to judge the people in the bible. I have often thought, how could the children of Israel build a golden calf. After all they saw God do for them. But human nature wants to be comfortable and in the absence of things working like we think they should we fill in the blanks. They had head knowledge of God, but not heart knowledge.

This I think was true for Eli’s sons. They were raised to know all about God, but somehow missed the relationship part. They didn’t really know who God was in their hearts. Because their hearts were full of evil. They allowed pride to get in their way.

But God used the desire of a woman to have a child and the knowledge that she wanted to please God. He knew she would give him to the work of the Lord. So I have to ask again, what are you willing to sacrifice? Do you have head knowledge about God or do you have heart knowledge? Questions to ponder as you meditate on the goodness of God today.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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