Tag: #godfocus

EP289 IS JESUS LORD?

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6pe5mc-god-focus-this-morning-ep289-is-jesus-lord.html

The title of today’s episode: Is Jesus Lord?

I am going to ask you a question I have been pondering about my life. This question is for you to think about today. Is Jesus Lord? Most would say yes immediately. Think about his place in your life. God wants to be first. People all around the world want to make Jesus their savior. They are willing to give up a few things to have someone tell them they are saved. But do they ever make him the Lord of their lives? It is one thing to say he is Lord, but it is another thing to live that way.

When he was born as a baby, he was named Jesus. He was flesh and grew up as we all do. When he started his ministry after John baptized him. The spirit of God came and rested on him like a dove. After this he was called Christ or Jesus Christ. Christ meaning the anointed one. But the account in Acts 2:36 is one of the earliest places that he is referred to as Lord.

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

When Jesus came out of the grave victorious over death, hell and the grave and ascended into glory. His victory gave him the authority and made Lord of all.

Paul stood on the day the church was born and declared that Jesus was both Lord and Christ. He was letting them know that he was both Messiah and God Almighty, Lord overall.

Eph 3:14-15 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

This verse says that the whole family in heaven and earth are named after the Lord Jesus Christ. He is more than a savior that died on a cross. Although that is a major part of what he has done. He is so much more, he is Lord above all, over all and hopefully in us all.

We often say when someone repents that they made Jesus the Lord of their life. We really mean that they have made a good start toward that goal. But it takes a period of time to learn to surrender fully to his leading. To give up our control and put him in his place in our lives, which is the first place, in charge, and in control.

Most of us, and I did say us including me, want to do what we choose until we hit an obstacle then we wonder why God is not moving. Because we never gave him the situation to control. We didn’t follow his leading and ended up somewhere he didn’t mean for us to go. There are many reasons things happen but sometimes it is because we have not given the proper place in our lives to God Almighty our Lord.

Wikipedia says the word Lord means – “Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler.”

The word appellation is defined by Miriam Webster Dictionary online – as an identifying name or title: designation. For example: not everyone can be called doctor, only those who have graduated medical school.

When we say Lord, we are giving him the proper respect. Not everyone can be Lord, it takes certain credentials. He died for our sins; he is the one who has the right to be in control. He is Lord.

Since he is Lord, he gave us power to become the sons of God. We cannot say he is Lord until we have been born into his family, we have no right to call him Lord.

I Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

We could never begin to put him in his proper place in our lives without the power of His Spirit that lives within us. Like I’ve said before, we are not born knowing how to love God. We are born in this flesh. It is a process that takes a lifetime to grow into; all he wants is for us to try to give up our control and let him be who he was created to be to us. He is more than our savior, he wants to be our Lord and Savior. Again, I ask the question, Is Jesus Lord? Have you given him the proper place in your life? Something to think about as you go about your day. I know I have been pondering it.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EPISODE 288 REST IN THE YOKE

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6oyd0c-god-focus-this-morning-ep288-rest-in-the-yoke.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: REST IN THE YOKE

In the fast-paced world in which we live there are times I am envious of people in the late 1800’s. Except for electricity and indoor plumbing they had the perfect life. People back then valued friendship and family above material things and having the latest gadgets.

Now we rush about, pulling long hours at a job that is not our dream, just to survive. We live for the weekend. Then when it comes it is so full of activities that we do not get rest. If we are lucky, we will get two weeks a year of vacation. We plan trips and it takes us until Mid-day Wednesday to get unwound enough to enjoy our time, we blink, and it is right back to the rat race.

Jesus says there is a better way. In him we can find rest for our weary soul. Having God’s peace inside of us will give us a better attitude and perspective on our lives. He can give us hope and help us to figure out what is really important to us.

Matt 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus is with us to help us carry our burdens. If we take his yoke upon us, it means we are working in tandem with him to carry the situations of life. A yoke was traditionally a piece of wood with straps or rope that the animals were tied to, they then would be given encouragement to walk and pull the burden together. When both pulled it made the load move smoothly forward.

To be yoked with Christ means that we too are connected with a piece of wood. The old rugged cross. When Christ died for us on that cross, he made a way for us to shun the heavy weight of sin. Our hearts and souls can find rest in him from the burden of sin.

If we are yoked to the world, we are the ones carrying the weight. Not only is it hard to pull that weight, but it keeps getting heavier and heavier. Because we are yoked to satan and he will not carry any of the weight once he has you hitched to the yoke. Up until that time he paints a pretty picture and carries all the weight. When we agree to put on the harness and he says, Now I can drop it. The full weight of sin falls on us, and it falls hard.

When training a young ox, it is often yoked with a larger more experienced one. It will resist but gets encouragement from the older ox as he often is pulling more than his share. The yoke is not always level in this case. The mature ox is carrying three quarters of the load. But the young one will soon learn how to be yoked and then it will carry more of the burden.

The young ox needs to learn not to try to run ahead of his partner. He cannot lag behind either. Falling in line with the pace of the one leading makes for the smoothest, easiest journey. We too cannot run ahead of God, or we will make a mess of what he wants to in our lives. We do not want to fall behind and feel like we are being dragged to our destiny either. Because God will not force us. He expects our willingness to go the distance.

Exodus 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

When we get a made-up mind to follow Jesus and not try to do our own thing. We will find rest and peace for our weary heart. It doesn’t mean that there will not be storms and steep rocky places. But he will see us through them all as long as we look to him and make sure to let him carry the heaviest part of the burden.

Just as I sometimes wonder about a simpler time, I am reminded of the old paths and how we are supposed to look for them.

Jer 6:16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

In the old paths we can find the deep meaning of living a Christian life, fully devoted to the path God has for our feet. In that path we will find peace and rest for our weary souls.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EP286 THIS SAME JESUS

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6ne8ax-god-focus-this-morning-ep286-this-same-jesus.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: THIS SAME JESUS

The great I AM our Lord Jesus Christ is the same, he never changes. I started to think about how he has proven himself to every generation. All through the bible the people would stray, and he would draw them back to him. What triggered this thought was the verse in the first chapter of Acts.

Let me create the setting for you. Jesus had walked for forty days with the disciples after he was raised from the dead. They went up to the mount and he was taken up in the clouds to heaven.

Acts 1:9-11 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

This same Jesus is the phrase I want to focus on. This same Jesus that walked on water. This same Jesus that raised the dead. This same Jesus that died for us. This same Jesus that went away is coming again.

God has always blessed and protected his people. This same Jesus we serve will be our comfort, our strength, our peace, our hope, our joy. This same Jesus will never fail us.

It is good to have people we know we can depend on when we need help. But even friends and family cannot or will not go with us as far as Jesus does and will go. This is why I encourage you to keep your focus on God. This is why I encourage you to dig into the word. The more we study the deeper our understanding.

There are many great mysteries in the word. Some of the prophets have written things that are hard to unravel. It will take God to reveal the meaning to us. Just because we do not understand everything, doesn’t mean we should give up. A lot of the bible is written like a story. Other parts, God will reveal when we need the understanding. Then there is Leviticus in a class all by itself. Every time, I have to read it or scribe it, I am so thankful for Jesus and his work on the cross. Because he fulfilled the law, I no longer have to keep up with my sin and how many animals I have to take to the priest to atone for them. This same Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice so that I could live.

God was referred to in the Old Testament as Jehovah, Yahweh, the Great I AM. This same God that rescued the children of Israel will rescue us from the Pharaohs of today. He will slay our giants and part the troubled waters. He will set us free and lead us to our promised land of heaven.

We can easily get sidetracked by all the “Christian things” and forget to just walk everyday the best we can, looking to our Lord and Savior to see us through whatever is facing us that day.

We only need enough of his grace and mercy for that one day, because his mercies are new each morning. We get a blank page to start fresh everyday to be all that we can be for the cause of Christ.

This same Jesus will open doors in walls that have no doors. He will do amazing things for us that love him. Learning to be obedient and trust him is some of mankind’s largest obstacles. Most of us feel we can do things on our own. That is when we find out the hard way that we cannot make it without him.

He will often let us try our wings because we ask him to, he knows we cannot fly but will applaud our efforts. And just like a mama bird, he will not let us hit the ground but will swoop down and catch us in just the nick of time.

This same Jesus has not lost any power. He can still heal the sick and raise the dead. The issue is that the church; his disciples today are not the same. It is time we returned our hearts to the dedication of our ancestors. People will say they don’t have time to pray and read their Bibles. I get it, I was one of those people. But we can watch three or four hours of TV in the evenings or scroll social media for hours. We make time for the important things. This same Jesus that went away wants to walk with us and talk with us. He wants to share every aspect of our lives. This same Jesus that went away, is coming back soon. Make sure you are ready to see him.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EP285 SHELTERED SAFE IN THE ARMS OF GOD

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6mzl8r-god-focus-this-morning-ep285-sheltered-safe-in-the-arms-of-god.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SHELTERED SAFE IN THE ARMS OF GOD

For several days the words to an old hymn have been running through my mind. “Sheltered In The Arms of God” is a song written by Dottie Rambo in 1969. She was walking along a beach in Florida after a storm. Weaving her way along amont the drift wood and sea weed that had washed up on shore. Dottie wrote the words to this beautiful song. She was talking to the Lord about some storms in her own life, a betrayal of a good friend. Out of that storm came inspiration that would encourage people for decades. God doesn’t waste our storms, but he will not allow them to over take us either.

As I thought about what it means to be sheltered in his arms. My thoughts immediately went to Psalm 91 since I read and declare it over my home almost every night before bed.

Psalm 91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is the first key to unlocking the door to breakthrough. We have to learn how to dwell in the secret place of the most High. Finding that place to have quiet alone time with him is critical to our faith walk. Then we must abide or stay in his presence to be under the shadow of the Almighty. Think about a shadow, the only way to be in someone’s shadow is if we are close to them.

We can depend on him to be our refuge and place of safety even in the most fierce storms imaginable. He is our safe place. We can trust him. But we have to get into that secret place before the storm hits. It is a lot harder to get into his presence when life is falling apart.

Psalm 91:2-4 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

The song goes, “Let the storms rage high, the dark clouds rise, they won’t worry me, for I’m sheltered safe within the arms of God. He walks with me and none of earth shall harm me.”

This was her way of saying, I am under the shadow of his wings, he is my covering and I will be safe. It doesn’t matter how dark the clouds, how much the wind howls, how many trees are falling. We will be safe under the shadow of his wings.

If we draw close to God and use the keys, he has given us in his word we will have nothing to fear. Fear is caused when we get into a weak moment and listen to the enemy. He is all too ready to spread fear.

Psalm 91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

The whole chapter of Psalm 91 is an awesome chapter to commit to memory. It is a Psalm for dangerous times. And we are in dangerous times if we look at the storm. But if we keep ourselves in the secret place of the almighty, we will only see him and not the storms of life.

We sometimes come up against something in life and the harder we try to make sense of it the more complicated it gets, until we get frustrated. Some doors are not meant for us to walk through because God has other doors, better ones. If we try to move in our understanding, we often make things worse.

But waiting on the Lord, we shall be strengthened when we find that place of rest under his wings. We are sheltered and protected from the fiery darts of the enemy. When we wait upon God to unlock the door, then we will know he has checked things out and it is safe for us to enter.

Psalm 91:9-10 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.

If we spend time in the shadow of his wings, sheltered safe, because he is our habitation. The word habitation means to occupy, reside, a place we live like a home.

We can pray against sickness coming near our dwelling. As the world spins out of control with all the talk of viruses and disease today, we can ask for God’s protection from these harmful things that are being unleashed. If we stay within his shadow, sheltered in his arms he will send his angels to protect us.

Psalm 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

As we go forward, we have to remember that it doesn’t matter what the enemy tries to do to us. It doesn’t matter how scary the storm sounds; we can make the choice to be sheltered safe within the arms of God.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EP284 DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6mjgoc-god-focus-this-morning-ep284-drawing-closer-to-god.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

I want to apologize for missing a couple of post. We had a storm blow through and I didn’t have any internet. Pray for the people in the path of this storm, there is flooding and damage all over the place. Some even died in Kentucky and around. So pray for those families.

The title of today’s episode: DRAWING CLOSER

Ask any Christian if they think they need to draw closer to God and most will tell you yes. Now is the time that God is drawing his people to him. For us to be effective as the body of Christ we have to be in a position to hear God’s voice.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

The body of Christ is needed in this day and age to be a light. We cannot be a light if we are not close enough to God to reflect His light. It is time the church, caught on fire.

We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. We cannot have the stench of sin in our lives. We have to keep our sins under the blood. In drawing closer to Christ, the more we will be a sweet savor to God.

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Which means we kill the desires we have and only have the desires God wants for us. We put aside the things of this life and take up our cross and follow Jesus. By doing this we will draw closer to God and be in a position He can use us.

The objective of God is to save as many people as possible. He didn’t design hell for mankind. But if we do not use our free will to choose him then that will be our destination. But we cannot simply repent and be saved.

I Cor 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Every day we have a choice, do we do what we want to do, or do we follow Christ? By choosing to die out to ourselves, we accept what God’s plan is for us, for that day. We have to ask him daily to forgive us of our choices that we make that are sinful.

God is getting ready to set the church on fire. He will have a body of believers. We have to make sure that we are part of that body of believers. People who are willing to stand for the truth even if it costs us our lives. That used to cause fear in me when I thought about having to die for the gospel. I wondered if I would be strong enough. But I now know that if it came to that, the Spirit of God within me would rise up and give me strength. As long as I walk every day as close as I can to his presence.

I have walked through some things I never thought I would have to walk through. But with each hard thing that came my way God was there to see me through it. He was there to show me how to take one breath at a time. He will show you too.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

The word abide means to dwell, remain, stay, or continue in a state or relationship. We cannot wait until the moment that our world is falling apart to pray and expect that God will always move. We must create an atmosphere where God’s presence is welcome around us. Then when the trials of life come to burn us to the ground, we will be on fire for God and it will be a controlled burn.

Just like firefighters will often set smaller fires to stop a bigger one. They want to use up all the fuel so the large fire will not have anything to burn. We too have to have God’s holy fire in our lives to get rid of anything that the enemy could use as fuel to burn down our lives.

We get this fire, by drawing closer to God. Everyday this should be our prayer, Dear Lord, draw me closer to you. Breathe in me your breath of life and make me more like you.

I am sure some are probably tired of me saying read the word. Don’t just carry it around with you. Read it. It is life and strength to our spirit man. Talk with God, ask him what he wants for your life. He will answer, because he only wants what is best for his children. He wants us to draw closer to him, so that our relationship can be full and blossoming.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

The kingdom of God is not in carnal things, but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. We gain, peace, joy and righteousness by drawing closer to God. By living a life dedicated to what God want for us, not what we desire.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EPISODE 283 HAPPY DAY OF LOVE

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6kmew7-god-focus-this-morning-ep283-happy-day-of-love.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: HAPPY DAY OF LOVE

I want to say, Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. This holiday was started by people wanting to honor a man named St. Valentine for his amazing show of love. I want to share with you the meaning of love.

Popular television and movies have shaped our idea of love. We grow up thinking it is a feeling of butterflies and suddenly the birds start singing. You see fireworks and are so full of joy that you think you may burst.

Real love is not fireworks but quiet times. The trips to the store for you when you are sick. The trips one takes even when they want to sleep because the one, they are with wants to go somewhere. True love is sitting quietly in your recliners reading quietly, just being together.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus is our example of what real love is the word is full of his love story to redeem something that is lost. Earlier this week I wrote about Hosea and how God used his marriage to teach him about God’s love for the people of Israel. We have all sinned against God and his laws, this is why Jesus came in the first place. He came to redeem us from the choices we made, a life of sin and rebellion.

Marketers would like to tell you that Valentines Day is about flowers, diamonds and candy. But real love is sharing Jesus to the world. We as Christian have been given the most amazing gift ever experienced by human beings. We understand a little bit about God’s love. Although I do not think that we will fully understand until we shake off this mortal body and are with Jesus in heaven. Then and only then will we be able to understand what a price he paid and will understand fully his love.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

When we are disobedient, we are not walking in the love of God. To say we are a Christian and not show it with our lives can cause those who are watching to justify their sin, by claiming to be as good as the Christian not fully walking in his commandment. That will not be an excuse on judgement day for them, but we need to not be stumbling blocks for those around us.

None of us are perfect me included. We need to strive to do the right thing in every situation. We want the love of God, the peace he gives to show in our lives.

Many think that charity is an organization that you donate money to that does things for the community. But charity means Love. This word was adopted by organizations trying at one time to show God’s love and over time became a blanket word for any non-profit organization that supposedly does good.

We couldn’t talk about love without going to the love chapter I Cor 13

I Cor. 13 1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

We often feel like having faith is the greatest thing. But if we have faith that we can move mountains and do not have love we are nothing. We could give everything we have to the poor but if we are not walking in love it will be in vain. Because God is love, we have to strive to be full of His love toward mankind. It is a process of learning how to walk in love.

Verses 4 through seven explain in more detail what it means to walk in love.

I Cor. 13:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love is longsuffering. That is interesting because long suffering is also a fruit of the spirit. As we grow on our journey, the more of the fruit of the spirit we will have in our lives. This fruit will show in our lives and so will God’s love.

Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Paul wrote about the fruit of the Spirit and he told us to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6. Because you can do whatever you want to the outside, but if the fruit is not inside you will never be a warrior in God’s army. Now is a time of warfare with our enemy, so we have to be all we can be inside.

Love is not just a mushy feeling. It is an action word, we have to go and do the things God’s Spirit leads us to do, even if it is difficult. It is for a greater purpose.

Jesus has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us. He has promised he will protect us and provide for our needs. He is our healer and our deliverer. I cannot think of a better Valentine than him.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EPISODE EP282 BE CAREFUL

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6k5a14-god-focus-this-morning-ep282-be-careful.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: BE CAREFUL

There is a children’s song that should apply to all of God’s people today. It says, be careful little eyes what you see. We are in the middle of an information explosion of evil that has been done right under our noses with our tax payer dollars. In our quest for understanding there is a lot that we need to guard our hearts from taking in through our sight. Once you see something, you cannot unsee it.

I have a friend that clicked on a video, and it was disguised as one thing but ended up being a video of a man abusing a child. It crushed her spirit for days. She had to pray for several days to shake the evil she felt. This was a few years ago.

I was reminded of her experience recently with all the talk of witchcraft at the super bowl. There was at least one woman with a voodoo doll of a player, she sat the whole game poking it with needles. Some may not think this stuff is real, but the enemy has power. The powers of darkness are real, but God’s power is stronger. We need to be careful about what we watch on television and what we open on social media.

These people use click bait to flaunt their evil. It used to be evil was hidden in dark alleys and secret clubs. Now satan knows his time is short and he has it all out on display for all the world to see.

Psalm 101:2-3 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

We need to pray over our homes, our children and pets. Pray over our phones, TV’s and computers, that God will protect us from evil. I don’t say these things to cause fear, but it is a reminder to be wise and aware of what is going on it this world.

Be careful little ears what you hear.

There is an agenda by evil people in this world to make sure the air waves are bombarded by music and other forms of so called entertainment, that is full of evil. Their agenda is to see how much of their evil they can spread. They do not care about people they care about money. It is their god, and they will do anything to gain more and more of it.

Romans 10: 16-17 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

People will not always believe our report. But we are obligated to keep telling them. Because they will gain faith by hearing the word of God. The word will eventually take root and grow as long as the ground is good.

This also goes the opposite way, if we are listening constantly to the wrong things it will take root in our lives and suddenly the things that used to bother us, we have grown numb to and will overlook. Just as we need to guard our eyes we need to guard out ear. Pray for God to tell you the things he has for you. Speak his word out loud as you read, hearing his word and understanding it will give you faith and spiritual strength.

Which brings me to my next point, the words of our mouth. I often have spoken about how our words have power in our lives. It is easy in a moment of frustration to speak negatively about a situation. With that one sentence we have undone our prayers. Because we have to believe and have faith in what we are praying for, speaking the opposite only serves to void those prayers because we are showing God we don’t really believe He will come through for us.

Matt 12:33-37 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Human beings are naturally negative, we have to train ourselves to not listen to our flesh but to speak life and the things of God. We need to guard our mouth and make sure we are saying things that are words of faith. Words that God would have us to say.

Never before in any generation of America have, we had to fight such evil. It is time we prayed for God to help us to set a guard on what we see, hear and say. Be vigilant; our enemy, satan, is trying to destroy us all, but we will prevail as long as we guard our hearts.

God is trying to get his church ready for the harvest. Soon there will be a large amount of people flocking to the house of God. We have to be ready to help them by being in a position that God can use us to not judge them, but share His love with them all.

Take some time to think about what you see, hear and say. If Jesus were in the room, would you be ok with him watching, hearing what you hear or say? Then remind yourself he is in the room, because he is everywhere.

He only wants what is best for you and so do I.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EPISODE 281 HOSEA AND GOD’S ENDURING LOVE

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6jsnt1-god-focus-this-morning-ep281-hosea-gods-enduring-love.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: Hosea / God’s Enduring Love

The book of Hosea is a small book of the Bible found in the Old Testament. It is one that people rarely talk about, maybe because it is scandalous. A prophet of God married a woman that made people question his reasons. God told him to marry Gomer because she was about to be used by God to teach him some incredible lessons of how God was feeling.

The people of God were enjoying a time of prosperity and growth. This is normally when thing start to go wrong. People often forget that the reason for that prosperity is God’s hand on their lives. They start doing their own thing and allowing idols to get between them and God.

Look at the children of Israel. God saved them from slavery and poverty. Made them wealthy and promised them a land of milk and honey. But they could not set aside the desires of their flesh and wait on God. While Moses was on the mountain getting God’s law, they decided to create something for themselves. They reverted to the old ways and built a golden calf. They committed idolatry by worshipping this statue.

Many places the people of God went lusting after other gods. Instead of holding on tight to the only God that can really be the one to worship. He is the God of promise, hope, peace, joy and love. He can fulfill our hearts desires as long as He is first in our lives. If he is first, then our desires will align with his will for our lives. We were bought with a price and created with a purpose. We are not our own, we are the bride of Christ, yet it is easy to commit adultery by being drawn away to the idols of this world.

Hosea learned how God felt when his wife committed adultery. He complained to God and God said, this is how I feel when my people go after other gods and doesn’t trust me.

We cannot be an adulterous bride. We need to be faithful to God and his plan for our lives. Gomer was drawn away from Hosea several times and was unfaithful to him. Each time Hosea forgave her and even rescued her from slavery. During the course of their marriage they had three children that God named. Each one was a message from God for his people of Israel and Judah.

Before I read the passage of scripture I apologize for the names if I don’t get them exactly correct, I did google how to say them so here goes.

Hosea 1:3-9 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. 4 And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreelfor yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel. 6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. 7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. 8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. 9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

Jezreel

The first son was named Jezreel which means, I will punish, or I will sow. (Verse 5) The bow was broken when Israel fell to the Assyrian army. Sometime later, Israel fell and God scattered his people. God scattered his people like seeds.

Loruhamah

The next child born to Gomer was Loruhamah -her name means no mercy (verse 6) God said he would no longer have mercy on Israel, but would have mercy on Judah.

Follow me for just a second here, God was saying he would turn from his covenant bride for her adultery. Notice verse: 7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

Judah would be saved not by bow, sword, battle, horse or horsemen but by the Lord their God. He was sharing his plan for cutting off the Jewish people and making a way for us through the tribe of Judah, which is Jesus’ lineage. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Those who come through the tribe of Judah will not be saved by sword, battle horses or horsemen, but by Jesus. That is the only way for Jews or Gentiles to be saved today is through the blood of Jesus.

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Loammi

The third child born to Gomer was Loammi, meaning not my people. (verse 9). This represented a broken covenant, meaning that God was aware that his people had broken his covenant and he was angry. Like a spouse would be hurt and angry over infidelity. This did not mean that God did not love his people. It doesn’t mean that he still does not watch over them even today, but in order to correct their status of covenant breakers, they must come through the blood to find forgiveness and completion.

Hosea always went after Gomer when she ran off with other men. He would pursue her and bring her back because of his love for her. This is a symbol of God’s great love for us. We may allow things sometimes to get in between us and God. But he is waiting for us to make it right. Infidelity to God is allowing things to become idols in our lives. It doesn’t have to be an actual statue we are bowing to and doing rituals. It can be anything we allow to become more important to us than God. A car, a job, a house, a business, our family, anything.

I have read Hosea before, but this was the first time certain things stuck out to me. It proves the more we study the word the more it makes sense to us. I hope this has been interesting to you.

We cannot end up like the children of Israel after God delivers us from our bondage of the systems that have ruled our world for a long time. We will soon see a great revival, we can not at that point get complacent and start building our own version of the golden calf. We need to keep God in his proper place, first in our lives.

I know this has been a heavy subject. But a very needed one. Before I go, I want to share something with you that made me smile. When looking up the meanings of the names of Hosea’s children and how to say all these names I had to laugh at verse three.

Hos 1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. Gomer’s father is Diblaim, so you can decide if he is the blame for how she turned out or not because it’s not always the parent’s fault.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EP280 TIME TO CLEAN THE JUNK OUT

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6jdeta-god-focus-this-morning-ep280-time-to-get-rid-of-the-junk.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: TIME TO CLEAN THE JUNK OUT

I’ve been doing some decluttering and early spring cleaning. When I came to my junk drawer. Before you sit in judgment of me, almost everyone has a catch-all drawer or closet. Unfortunately, I have both.

As I went through the junk drawer, I came across a box and immediately knew what was in it. Every time I clean out that drawer, I have kept it until this time. It was a bunch of keys left by the previous owners of the house. As soon as we moved in, we changed the locks on the doors, not knowing who else had a key. But there were a lot of keys that we didn’t know what they were for, so just in case, I kept them for thirteen years. Crazy hun?

Our heart is a filter for everything we experience. Every emotion gets turned into memories in our brains, but still, when we are reminded of things, we feel the emotion. If we have been hurt by people, often we bury that hurt deep in our hearts. We try to push aside the memories.

Sooner or late,r they all accumulate like the stuff in our junk drawer. For all the things we don’t know how to deal with or think we may need later, we hold on to them. Offense is one of the biggest tools in satan’s arsenal against the body of Christ.

Then satan will constantly remind us of the offense. Like he was sitting beside us, poking us with his finger. If he can get us to feel offense, we will avoid others. This isolation can lead us to not be able to be a light to others. It is easier to hide in our offense. Which could make room for him to use fear, anxiety, and depression against us.

Unity and real reform in the body of Christ cannot happen until we can learn to let go of offense. Jesus is there waiting for us to give it to him. He will take care of it.

Prov 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

Holding on to offense makes us unapproachable. The more pain, envy, anger, bitterness and offense we hold onto the less room in our lives for the good things that God wants to give to us. Just as that junk drawer has only so much space, so does our heart.

It is not easy to let go of painful things. Just like those keys, we often hold on to it way too long when we could have used that space for something productive.

If we ask God, he will help us to be able to let go of the pain of what others have done to us. This is why it is a good idea to ask God to search our hearts and see if we are carrying hurt and offense. Ask for his help to forgive and he will help us to let it go.

Col 3:12-14 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

If we put of charity, which means love it is the bond of perfectness. Walking in love is how we share Jesus with the world.

Walking in love means asking for forgiveness if we have hurt someone. We have be mature enough to admit when we are wrong. It is the only way God can use us, if we cleanse our hands of causing others pain.

Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

There is no room for peace and painful offense to dwell together in our hearts. One will be dominant, and one will be shoved back in the corner. We want peace to prevail. Because God gives peace that goes beyond our ability to comprehend. Ask Jesus to search your heart and see if there is something in a forgotten corner that you can let go of, to make room for more of God’s love.

It is time, as the body of Christ, that we clean out our pulpits. They have accumulated all sorts of junk. It is time we get rid of the immoral actors who are pretending to be ministers of the gospel. Get rid of the light shows that lull us into a false sense of peace. If Christians would take a stand and find a church with a real minister of the gospel and leave these fake social clubs, then the body would be effective in the world. We will see the miracles, signs and wonders of the early church. We will see people whole, delivered, and set free from satan’s grasp. Once again, I say it is time we got rid of the junk from the church.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EPISODE 278 IN HIS PRESENCE

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6hxgep-god-focus-this-morning-ep278-in-his-presence.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: IN HIS PRESENCE

The enemy will do anything he can to keep us from being present in God’s presence. God is always there, he is always present. But often we do not acknowledge that presence. If satan can keep us distracted with the things of this life he will accomplish keeping us out of God’s presence in the spiritual sense of the word.

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.

In God’s presence is fullness of Joy. The word says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. So to be in his presence we will find strength to face even what seems impossible.

If we walk in the path of life we will be in God’s presence. How do we know we are walking in the path of life? We are given a choice to choose life, which means to live our lives in Christ as his children. To be in His presence for eternity is life. To be in his presence is joy forevermore.

If we do not choose life, we will be on a path to spiritual death and an eternity in hell.

Deut 30: 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

The choices that we make not only affect our own lives but future generations. I know I am blessed to have been raised in a Christian home. Because I didn’t have to deal with a lot of things that my friends did growing up. If God’s presence was not in their homes, they were more likely to end up choosing a life of sin and death.

Do not be discouraged if you were not raised in a Christian home, you can still choose life for yourself and show future generations what it means to be in God’s presence.

Prov 3: 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Jesus is the path to eternal life. If we acknowledge him or make others aware of God’s presence we can be a light to help them find the peace of his presence. Acknowledging God in all things will help us to keep our perspective.

For example, when everything is going wrong, we sometimes feel like God is not there. We feel he is far from us. But it could be that he has allowed the things you are walking through to draw you closer to him. Maybe there is a lesson someone close to you needs to see in you. God could be teaching you to trust in him more. He knows the path your life will take and what skills you need to get you to the finish line. That is why he allows things in our lives; these fiery trials only make us stronger.

We could also take things in a different direction. Say everything you touch goes the way you want. You are prospering, and everything is picture-perfect. He may withdraw them from us if we do not acknowledge God’s presence in our blessings. If everything is perfect, we could allow pride to enter our hearts. We never want to be prideful and feel like we are better than anyone else. By acknowledging God we can keep our perspective correct. When we know he is responsible for our success, then we have a heart of gratitude toward God.

Which will bring us full circle to needing to acknowledge his presence in our lives. We do this with prayer. Talking to God and sharing our hearts, hopes and dreams, as well as our problems. Then we need to sit and listen for that still small voice that brings his guidance, peace and joy.

We acknowledge his presence by telling others and studying his word. It is his love letter to the world. Think about how much God loved us and wanted to fellowship with us. He wanted us to be forever in his presence, so much so that Jesus came and died so that we could choose the path to his presence.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT