Tag: God Focus

SPIRIT OF TRUTH

I was thinking about the human perspective and how people’s opinions are tainted by the things they have been through. For example, I work with several women and on winter mornings. Some of them will be texting. ‘All the roads are so bad; everybody stay home.’ Some of them will be like, ‘oh, I was just out and it’s not that bad. I’ll be there.’ others are like, ‘well, I don’t know what I’ll do’

The one that says the roads are so bad and it’s so horrible to stay home.  She had a scary accident on winter roads; so she’s afraid. They are not as bad as she thinks they are in her mind. But the experience of the wreck makes her afraid.

We are the same way about spiritual things. If we didn’t have the experience of growing up with a loving father, it is hard for us to relate to God being our father. But if we had a good father, then it is easy to relate to God being a loving father who only wants the best for us. It is easier to trust in spiritual things because of our experience.

Experience cannot be our entire driving force. Especially when it comes to spiritual things. God is a Spirit and we must worship him in Spirit and truth. We cannot allow our human experience to get in our way.  God takes the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.

Education

Education cannot be allowed to get in the way of spiritual things. Some feel that they are superior to others if they have completed an education at a seminary or Christian school.  Education means nothing if they are not led by the Spirit. If they are taught man’s ideas or doctrines, they could even be dangerous, deceiving many.

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

Being led by the Spirit is critical to anyone in the ministry or really anyone that calls themselves a Christian. In order for us to walk by faith, we need to be empowered by God’s Spirit.  The Holy Ghost will teach us all things. He gives us the right words to speak to witness to and encourage others.  He is our guide and leads us in paths of righteousness.  He will give us power over the powers of the enemy. The Holy Spirit is the discerner of thoughts and will convict us when we step out of line.

God honors the bold and the brave. In order to have boldness against wickedness we need to grow a holy backbone; full of boldness. Allowing our God Focus to be on Jesus and not those around us. That holy boldness is what it is going to take in these last days to accomplish our tasks for the eternal kingdom of God.

Experience and education are good things in their place.  But none of it will replace being led by the Spirit of God. It should be our daily prayer, before our feet hit the floor every morning, that we be led by the Spirit and allow the fruit of the Spirit to show in our character. (Fruit of the Spirit is listed in Gal.5:22-23)

Take a few minutes and think about God’s plan for your life.  Then allow his boldness to arise in you.  He will empower you with His Spirit to be the light someone needs in their darkest hour.  One thing I do know he will never leave us alone, if we trust in Him.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

ALONE

There are seasons we walk through in life that we are meant to walk alone. Not completely alone, but alone with God.  He will cause our friends and family to not be available when we need a shoulder to cry on, because he craves alone time with us. He will isolate us so we can get to know Him. We consider times of isolation a low point. Almost like we are walking in a valley and we prefer the mountain top. We want to be anywhere but alone in the valley. But he wants to teach us that the mountains and the valleys are both necessary.  It is on the mountaintop that we exercise what we learn in the valley.

The top of the mountain has the best view, and the most exciting things happen. Look at history, God spoke to Moses on a mountain. He destroyed the prophets of Baal on a mountain.  But for us ever to get to the mountain top experiences we need to walk through the low places.  It is in the valley that we learn the lessons that will prepare us for our climb. God will walk us through the valley; just as he will help us climb the mountain.   He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.       

It is in the quiet places we can hear his still small voice speaking to us.  He will guide, comfort, strengthen, educate and encourage us.  We must be willing to wait on him, to speak to our hearts. We must be committed to the process.     

The struggles we go through make us who we are and what we are getting ready to become. Difficulties are not a part of our lives to cause us pain. They are a part of our life to strengthen us for our destiny. Goliath was not something David had to face just to get past fear.  God used Goliath to elevate David to his destiny as king.

The main thing to remember is that he will not leave us in the valley to suffer alone.  He will not leave us one second longer than we need to but will lead us out when it is time.  He can and will deliver us out of the hand of the enemy. It is our job to let go of our fear, anxiety, our ideas of what we need. He will give us what we need. We don’t always know what is best for us, but God knows.

If you find yourself dealing with something scary and hard to walk through, just listen for that still small voice that is whispering, “I am here with you, my child.  I will help you.  I need you to see ME in a new light. I have plans for you and they are going to be amazing, just TRUST me.” It is in these quiet times that we learn who we really are, deep down. Every valley is different some only last days. While others will drag on for years. God will only leave us there until we learn what we need and are empowered to take the next step.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

OCCUPY

Today I want to discuss something that has been on my mind.  God has been dealing with me about the attributes of a warrior.  I am working on something to do with our lives as warriors.  I am not sure if God wants it to be a bible study or a podcast but for now, I will keep working on it.

As born-again soldiers in God’s army, we all have a duty to our king.  I have been pondering a lot about what it means to be loyal to the wishes of my King Jesus.  We all have different talents and callings. Every soldier has a specific task but we are to occupy the territory we are given. Everyone is necessary and every talent is needed to further the cause of Christ.

Luke Chapter 19:13  And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

I want you to focus on the last part of the verse, Occupy till I come. This verse is in a parable about a nobleman that plans to leave his servants and gives them each an amount of money. Telling them he will come again once he has received his kingdom.

When the nobleman returned, each servant was asked to give an account of what they did with the money that the man had given him. Some gained a little and he gave them a reward. Others gained even more and the nobleman gave them a bigger reward. Another hid what he had, and he lost his original amount. Because he hid it and didn’t even put it in a bank to draw simple interest.

This was told to the disciples because Jesus was getting ready to be crucified and he wanted them to use what he had given them to gain the most important thing; souls into the kingdom of God.

What does it mean to occupy something? I don’t believe God wants us to just pass the time until his return like the one who did nothing with his money.  God wants us to use the time we are given to do something to further the kingdom.

Occupy means- having one’s attention, mind or energy engaged; to inhabit or fill up a space.  For example: one occupies a house, they fill it with furniture and use the space to give them shelter.

If we are to occupy, until he comes, we need to be using everything to fill up the space we have been given. To use our energy and talents to further the kingdom.  We are called to reach others; how can we do that if we hide what we have been given to do.  (Step out of your comfort zone and occupy whatever your calling.)

As soldiers, God has given us a territory and we are to defend it and keep the space from being overtaken by the enemy.  In many cases, we can go into the enemy’s camp and take back things he has stolen from us. The Israelites often ended up with the spoils of war, when their enemy ran away. God will help us fight our battles if we can just follow his lead. Then we can take back the territory God had given us that we allowed the enemy to steal.

When Jesus had been crucified, he didn’t just sleep in that tomb, he went to hell and took the keys of death and hell from the devil.  When he was risen and came out of the tomb, he was victorious over death, hell and the grave.

As soldiers with a territory to guard and talents to use, we need to ask our King Jesus for his orders. The prayer that Jabez prayed in the book of Chronicles comes to mind. I Chr 4:10 Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested. We need to be in prayer for the territory he has given us that we can show him an increase when he comes to call us home. It should be our prayer for God to enlarge our territory. Ask for protection from the enemy and the evil of this world. To be the warriors he needs us to be in these last days.  Seeing people saved, healed and delivered is truly the best use of the talents God has given us. I encourage you to occupy until he comes.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

BACKUP

Have you ever heard the phrase “I’ve got your back?” Many of us need to know someone is watching out for us.  In Medieval times, soldiers would often fight back-to-back in order to protect one another. They often had a shield or breastplate to protect their vital organs from the front, but their backs were mostly exposed and vulnerable to enemy attack.

I myself am blessed with a wonderful family that has my back. I also have a few close friends that I know are there when the battles rage.  But above all that, God is watching over me.  It doesn’t matter what I face, he is there to protect me.

Because we don’t have eyes in the back of our heads it is hard to see an attack coming sometimes.  We can get distracted and before we know it, the enemy has launched an assault. But God who sees everything will not allow us to be overtaken as long as we are obedient.

Police often call for backup when entering a dangerous situation. This means there is someone else there to watch and make sure they get to go home that night. Without backup they could easily be outnumbered by those doing evil. There is safety in numbers. This is why we need to cover each other always with prayer.  The enemy doesn’t have a chance when we watch out for one another.

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

I am glad to know that God has my back. He is my strength, my source, my friend, my comfort, the lifter of my moods, my rock, my salvation and so much more. But I know that no matter what, the Lord has my back.

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

If you have given your life to him, that makes him responsible to have your back too.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

TRUTH

In the book of Galatians Paul tells the church, that the gospel he preaches is not after man but after God. He didn’t receive it from a man but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. He was an abuser of the early church until God revealed who he was to Paul.  Paul helped kill early Christians for going against the teaching of the corrupt leaders of the Jews. The very ones who had Jesus crucified.

Three years after his Damascus Road experience, Paul went to Jerusalem to see Peter and was taught by him for fifteen days. He then started preaching Jesus to the people.  All of the early churches had their issues, just like the churches of today. Until the people of God really get serious about doing the right thing, we will continue to deal with issues caused by our sins. We need to accept the full truth of the word and make it a part of us.

Paul told them in chapter four how they had treated him so well and almost put him on a pedestal until he told them the truth. Gal 4:13-16  13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.  14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. 16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Many today want a form of godliness. They want people to think they are good. They have illusions of being saved when they are full of sin and do not want the truth of God’s word. 2 Tim 4:3-4   3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

I don’t want God to give up on me and let me believe something that will comfort my flesh.  I want the truth and nothing but the truth, even if it hurts.  I want the old-fashioned preaching that gets all over my toes.  I don’t need a fake smile and a motivational speech that it’s all a bed of roses. I need someone to tell me about the thorns on those roses.  Life is full of pain sometimes, anyone telling you differently is trying to deceive you.  But God will give us strength to endure the pain that life often brings.

We can find a way to endure the pain and come out on the other side stronger. It also adds to our testimony of how God helped us through it. If you are like me and want the truth, dig into the word of God. Jesus said he was the way the truth and the life. We can never go wrong with the whole truth.

BROKEN

PSALMS 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

People suffer all sorts of heart-breaking things in this life. Some never get over the pain and suffering, they keep the wounds fresh. If a wound is picked at, a scar never develops, and it never heals. Until the invention of the adhesive bandage people would wrap the affected part of the body with strips of cloth. This was called binding a wound.

God knows our heartaches and our wounds that run deep to our core. He is the only one who can reach down and pour his medicine on those wounds.  Love is his ointment to help us heal.  He has a way of restoring our hearts to a state before it was broken. In other words, he takes all our broken pieces and restores them to something that can be used for his glory.

It would be like breaking a mug and then gluing it back together.  It is whole again and ready to be used for a purpose. Many times, the purpose is different than before, but it is still just as useful. Now maybe it is used to hold ink pens or paintbrushes.

Once we have walked through a few hurtful things our purpose changes. We all become carriers of God’s light and love.  We do not want anyone else to suffer as we did, so we allow ourselves to be a guide. Why would we be allowed to keep the scars?  He allows us to keep the scars, to show we have walked through trials. We can use these scars and broken places to bring help and restoration to others.  We are not flawless, we all have made mistakes and sinned. It is in our weakness that he shines a light of strength.  When that light shines through us it is a beautiful thing for others to see. Allow him to bind up your wounds and heal your heartaches. He is our great physician.

Our souls are broken, Jesus took pain and suffering on himself so that we could have eternal life. His love is truly a miracle.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

JUNK FOOD VS REAL FOOD

I was sitting in a waiting room at the emergency room the other day. And this lady came out and sat down and started talking to me. She had just been released by the doctors and was waiting on her ride home. Now she had some gastrointestinal issues. But the first thing she did was go to the vending machine and get a bag of spicy chips. The very thing that had been causing her problems in the first place, was where she ran to when she got free to do what she wanted.

That made me think, how often do we run to things in this life? Things that we know are not good for us and cause us problems. Yet we think that’s the answer. And God comes along, and he gives us the answer. He tells us to eat cooked vegetables or chicken broth instead of so much junk food that’s bad for us. But we would rather have our potato chips.

In other words, God’s word is good for us. It tells us good things that are food to the soul. We go to the master physician when in pain. We will get enough help to lessen the pain. But instead of reading the word and taking it in, feeding on it. We choose to indulge in a television show or a conversation of gossip with someone. We take in all the things that are hurting us in the first place.

Then we wonder why our prayer life has no power. We wonder why when we go to church, we can’t see the move of God. Many times, I’ve heard my grandparents speak about church services, when they were young and how the power of God moved and their services and people were saved, healed and delivered. I believe that the church is hungry, starving for that again. I believe that it’s coming to a place where people are going to get real and get right with God, and they’re going to sacrifice in order to make that happen.

You know, a lot of people never pray until they go to church. They’re there just to check off a box so they feel good about themselves. Well, I went to church this week. But you know, back when my grandparents were young, they had all the good services full of miracles and the move of God. Those people prayed all the time. They prayed while they worked. They prayed before when they got up in the morning, and they prayed before they went to bed. They spent time with God. Because they were hungry for him and not some time killing activity.

Psalm 100:4 – Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  Yeah, I love this verse because it’s the key to God. We are to come before him with Thanksgiving. Thanking him for what he’s done. Thanking him for who he is; for all that he has given us and done for us. That is the beginning step to get our hearts right and in the right mode to worship.

Then we slide into worship and praise, which is not about what he’s done. But simply about honoring who he is, our God, our Father and our Savior. It is about wanting to be in his presence. And if we can get to the place where we are in his presence then that is when things start to happen. That’s when you see the miracles, people being saved, healed and delivered. Because the if you’re ever in contact with the presence of God, you’re never the same.

The apostle Paul said, “I die daily.” You know our flesh every day wants to rise up and take charge. We have to die out to that every day and say instead of doing what my flesh says. I’m going to pray, I’m going to read my Bible. I’m going to trust you, Lord. I’m going to see if I can get my mindset right. Before I go out into this world so I can be light to those that are around me. We will never be victorious at winning souls until we have personal victory in our own lives. It is time we deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

HERITAGE

ISAIAH 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. 

The enemy is always scheming how he can tear us down. He is devising a weapon to destroy us. Each one of us has a different weapon that he uses against us because he knows our weaknesses. However, God says those weapons will not prosper.

It is our heritage. It is part of our bloodline as children of God.  We are born of the Spirit, we have Jesus’ blood, and we have the same rights to inherit things of God. Because Jesus overcame Satan and took the keys of death, hell and the grave from him, he cannot prevail against us unless we allow it.

What gives the enemy and his weapons power? It is the words that come out of our mouths. We start letting fear and anxiety take over and then we start talking negatively. This gives the enemy power, the things we choose to focus on, in this case, the negative things become bigger to us. If we can keep our God focus, He will be bigger to us. Because we know our God has our back. The enemy’s schemes will seem smaller and will not prosper against us.

We have power over the enemy because he is under our feet.  When I think about Satan being under our feet, I think about a little lady whom I was privileged to know.  She had such spunk, she took a black marker and wrote on the bottom of her shoe. ‘Devil, I am walking all over you.’  I learned so much from her. She suffered many things in her lifetime.  But she was always full of joy.  When she was buried, she had a golden fork in her hand. Because she wanted to remind everyone that it was not the end, but the best was yet to come.

The next time the enemy tries to attack, remind him that you are of the bloodline of Christ and no weapon he can create with prosper.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

Crutches

Crutches are a device used for someone to lean on to keep weight off their injured foot, ankle or leg; until it heals. Because the injury will not heal if there’s pressure from trying to walk on it. Spending any time at all on crutches causes your arms to be sore.  Arms are not used to carrying that much weight.

Sometimes we need to lean on something. In the spiritual realm like a crutch. Some people in the natural, they get hurt by somebody and they often turn to alcohol, drugs or whatever to soothe their wounded ego. These things are referred to as crutches.   Causing other things in your life to be out of balance. They end up losing their relationship with their family, all because of the crutches they are leaning on to solve another problem.

We can lean on Jesus when we are hurt, and he only balances our lives.  Some people like to say that Christians just use Jesus as a crutch. Well, I will lean on him any day because I know there will be no side effects. Speaking of crutches, some people turn completely around and turn away from God when something bad happens in their lives.

Look at the children of Israel. God had just performed a huge miracle. They watched the waters part, and the land was dry. It was not damp; it was not wet. They did not walk across in the mud; it says they crossed on dry land. The land had just been covered up by water. I mean, when God does something, he does it fully. He removed the water so much that the land was dry.

They had just witnessed the miracle of God destroying their enemy. When Moses did not come down off the mountain in a day or two like they thought he should, they went back to their old ways. Hey, why don’t we just build a golden calf and dance around naked? What makes people do that? What makes us turn so quickly? God has said time and time and time again. “I will take care of you. I will lead you. I will guide you. I am here for you. I will protect you. I am your provider.” He tells us He is all these things. And yet we still turn around and go build our golden idols.

I got thinking about the modern-day church. You know. The reason so many people fall away from church today, I believe, is that they get bored. If they get bored with the entertainment, they get bored with the same old, same old, same old routine. They leave the house knowing that it is going to be routine. We will have an opening prayer, so, so we’ll testify, this one’s going to sing song 328 out of the hymnal. They will take the offering and the preacher talks for 15 minutes and you’re going to go home. And you are like, why do I even bother going if I know what’s going to happen? We need to let God back into the church.

I can remember as a small child seeing miracles. God has worked many miracles in my life. Yeah, I remember one time, speaking of crutches, my great Uncle Bill had been injured in the mines and had his foot broken. I do not know how many places, I don’t remember. But he came to church on crutches. And he asked for prayer. And the people gathered around him and prayed, and he walked out of there without those crutches. And the doctors could not believe it when he went back, because he had to get a work release. They were like, no, the X-rays showed you had so many broken bones. And he was like, yes, but God healed me. And they were amazed. If people went to church and things like that happened, and they saw these miracles, it is no longer routine.  The presence of God was so strong that all we could do is fall on our faces before God. Then I guarantee church would never be boring, and I guarantee that you would not be wanting to build your golden calf. We would not want to stay home and watch a football game, or we would not want to stay home and watch a soap opera or a movie. We would rather be in the House of God.

Ask yourself who or what you are leaning on. Because every day we have a choice, I choose Jesus.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.

MOUNTAINS

Psalm 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

The beach is my happy place.  I love standing on the edge of the vast ocean.  I feel close to God like he created the ocean to take away all of my troubles. Every wave takes away anxiety and stress.  More than likely, it is just a change of scenery and being off from work for a week.

I am a West Virginia girl, born and raised. There is something amazing about the hills of West Virginia. Our mountains have sheltered and fed many generations. But I often look at our mountains and think about how God created such a beautiful world for us to dwell in.

God must love mountains; he allowed the ark to settle on Mt. Ararat. He sent Moses to the top of Mt. Siani to receive the ten commandments. He proved he was God, by sending fire down on Mt. Carmel for Elijah. He allowed his son to be crucified on Mt. Calvary.

Calvary is the most important mountain of all. It is where God showed his love for mankind. I wonder if it made God sad to look down on that mountain as he was creating it. Knowing what would happen there, to save me from my foolish choices and sin. We all played a part in the horrific torture Christ suffered. There are not enough ways to say thank you.

The mountains I see every day are often called hills too. Compared to the mountains of Colorado and other places, ours are not as tall. It is nice to see the beauty that God made for us to look at and find a quiet moment of peace. I guess it is not about the mountains or the ocean, it is about taking the time to look up and thank God for his help, strength, love, and peace. When we do we need to remember where our help comes from, that is our Lord.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS