Tag: #godfocus

TRADITIONS VS TRUTH

I was watching reruns of a TV show where people race all over the world against other people for a million dollars. I find different cultures fascinating. It is amazing most of all to me the different religions that people of this world have adopted. A lot of it depends on the culture and the traditions that were passed down from generation to generation.

One particular challenge got me thinking about the traditions of men and religion. The contestants had to walk through a temple in India. This temple was to worship rats. These people would cut themselves and put their blood on the door or walls of the temple. Then they would walk barefooted through a maze of rats and rat droppings to leave food for the rats as an offering. To the people in India, this is normal and what they have done from childhood. I don’t even want to tell you what I think is wrong with their religion. The point I want to take away from it is that this is a tradition of mankind. Something that has been passed down from generation to generation.

All the false gods of the world have a very devoted following. These people do all sorts of things for their false gods. Some climb flights and flights of stone stairs on their knees to get to the top of a mountain to make offerings to false gods. It is amazing the things people will do in the name of religion.

Our Real God; the Lord Jesus Christ is different than any other of the false gods. One he is real, and two he never asks us to do ourselves harm just to worship him. There was bloodshed, but he shed it for us. He sacrificed for us. All He asks of us is to follow him with all our hearts.

Christianity in America has almost become a cultural thing. People have left true faith for a watered-down version. They want to be Christians and still do their own thing in the name of grace. His grace is not so we can live any kind of way and walk in sin. God forbid. They do not know what it means to be dedicated to the cause of Christ. They want to embrace the fact that God is Love and miss the fact that we have to live a holy life. Will we ever be perfect? No. But we can walk as close as possible.

Phil 2:12-15 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

People think that working out your own salvation means you can piecemeal whatever you want to do as long as you say you have accepted Christ. Some are even adding elements of new age or witchcraft to their beliefs, without understanding what they are doing. But this verse means that we all are responsible for our own souls and the salvation of those souls. Do we follow Christ and follow close or do we repent and then do our own thing? We have to study the word of God, it is our roadmap for our soul. This is a lifelong study and we have to pray for God to guide us. We cannot lean on a denomination, a preacher, a pastor or teacher and fully trust them. We have to ask God for guidance. Many of these things seem right in man’s eyes but lead to destruction.

John 14:25-27 25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

We need to have God’s Spirit within us. Then we need to listen to that Spirit. He will lead us and guide us. (John 16:13–13 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.) He is the ultimate teacher. No longer can we depend on what we have been taught. Every denomination has things that are not right. It is time the body of Christ got on our faces before God and questioned everything. Ask Him to lead us in unity as the body. Only in the unity of His Spirit will we find true grace.

II Tim 11:15 –11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We cannot even begin to understand the depths of God without His Spirit leading us. It is time for the body to grow up. It is time to leave the milk bottle of man’s divisions, doctrines and denominations to honor God with our whole being, leaning on him. This is leaning not on our understanding but in all of our ways leaning on Him.

I Cor 3:1-4 3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

If Paul were writing to the American church today he would say we were carnal. Instead of saying I am of Paul or I am of Apollos. We would be saying, My family has been in this denomination or that denomination for ten generations. There is strife and divisions that need to stop. God will settle the matter if we come to him with an open mind and heart and seek understanding. We all come short of perfection. None of us will ever be perfect enough to sit on the judgement seat. It is not our job, so we need to quit being “religious” and start searching the word for direction.

We are not to walk after the traditions of men, but we are to follow Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day were the equivalents of our denominations today. People look to them as if they are good. But many would not know Jesus if he walked into the room. I want to know him. I don’t want to miss him because I am wrapped up in the traditions of men. He is coming back for a people without spot or wrinkle. It is time the body of Christ started removing the spots and getting out the wrinkles. Time is short.

God will never leave us or fail us if we can FULLY put our trust in HIM. Have a good week. If you like my blogs feel free to share with a friend.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

TRUE OR FALSE

When I was growing up, we took tests in school called true or false. We were given a statement and had to decide if it was true.

Times have changed, our society has gone mad. They are saying whatever you believe is “true for you”. You can be a boy but believe you are girl and that makes it so. You can believe you are a cat and that is “your truth”. It is all lies from satan. There are only two answers to every fact it is true or it is false. It doesn’t matter if we believe the facts to be the opposite. Our opinions don’t change the truth. Just like the Bible; it will not change to please us. It is truth, it doesn’t matter if we choose to believe it or not. It will still be true.

Some synonyms for truth are honest, sincere, accurate or correct. Apply these to the statements above. There is no way that a boy can be a girl. They have lost touch with reality. It doesn’t matter what lying spirit, straight from the pit of hell is whispering in his ear. It doesn’t matter what he feels, truth is not a feeling it is a fact.

We are to walk in truth. This means we cannot allow ourselves to be lied to by the enemy. He tries to define us, but we need to tell him who we are, not the other way around. If we do not put on the full armor of God as protection against the enemy, we can fall prey to his lies. He loves to use fear, depression, anxiety and rejection to keep people from believing in God.

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

This verse tells us that the word of God is the word of truth. Because God is not a man that he could lie. His word is life to our soul and a light to our path. We can always count on it to be true. As Christians, we need to stand for the truth.

John 8:31-32 – 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

How do we get free from lies? We need to get the word of truth inside of us. Then we will spot the lies every time the enemy tries to spread false statements. The truth of God brings freedom. Learning of the truth of God’s love brings salvation to our souls. Then the Love that he gives us helps us to show the truth to others. God is the embodiment of truth. Everything about him is honest, sinless, pure and truthful.

The enemy is the opposite in every way. He is the father of lies. The devil will do everything in his power to destroy the truth. If he can plant a little doubt in our minds, he has the toe hold needed to keep lying to us. I chose to believe the word of God.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIONS AND LIARS

There is a story of a brave individual who was determined to love God. His name was Daniel. God allowed Judah to be taken over by the king of Babylon.

Dan 1:6-10 (6) Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. 8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. 10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

The first thing the enemy will try to do when he comes on the scene is to rename us. He will try to give us names like depressed, worthless, failure, hopeless, helpless, and unintelligent. If he can get us to believe the lies about ourselves, half of the battle is won. Then he will try to get us to bow down to something of this world instead of the One TRUE GOD.

The second thing was they were given the king’s meat and wine. But Daniel didn’t want to eat the meat of the king. He made a deal with the servant of the king to give him beans. He did better on the meal that they requested than the others did on the king’s meat and wine.

We need to eat the word of God and not the meat of this world. We need to drink the new wine (The Holy Ghost) and not the wine of the world. Spirits that will drag us down the wrong path.

Skipping ahead to Chapter 6

The story of Daniel in the lion’s den is one that many remember from Sunday school. King Darius highly favored Daniel. Many others plotted against Daniel out of jealousy and ambition. They could find no fault in him except his devotion to God. Many hate us because our devotion to God makes them feel bad. They know they ought to be devoted to him. The other presidents and princes manipulated the king to sign a decree that was geared to destroy Daniel.

Daniel 6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

Daniel knew of the decree but didn’t let it stop him. He went into his house and with the windows opened made prayers to God. Not just once but three times a day.

Verse 10–Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Our God hears our thoughts, he knows the cry of hearts when we have no words. He can hear a whispered prayer. Daniel could have whispered a prayer for 30 days. But he chose to honor the true God. He left the windows open and prayed to God.

When the king was informed by the ones that plotted against Daniel, he was sad, but could not change the decree. Daniel was tossed into the den of lions. The lions did not harm Daniel. God sent his angel to shut the lion’s mouths. They did not harm him in any way. The next morning the king came and found him alive. He was relieved and had him brought up out of the lion’s den.

Daniel 6:24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

Those who plotted against Daniel were destroyed by the very means they tried to use against him. Just as Haman in the book of Esther hung on his own gallows. Ones he had built for Mordecai. Our enemy will be destroyed in the end, we just have to be faithful to our God.

People in this life will lie on us, they may plot against us. But our God will shut the liar’s mouth as he did the lion’s mouth.

PSALM 63:11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

1 CHR 16:21-22 (21) He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, 22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Let this be a warning to anyone who sets out to harm a child of God. God will only allow things to go so far before he steps in and remedies the situation. If we are his anointed, we can be sure he is with us and will protect us from the evil lion. The word says that satan is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet 5:8).

This is why I am always encouraging you, to Keep your God Focus. If we focus on him, everything will be fine. God is on our side and he will stop the lion’s roar against us and shut the liar’s mouth.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

HEALING

Isaiah 53:5 – But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

He was wounded for our sins. Jesus’ death brought healing opportunities for our souls. But he also took stripes for our physical healing. Jesus heals us today. We can anoint one another with oil and pray for healing. God will heal us if we have faith.

Some say I don’t believe it; miracles don’t exist today. To those I would say don’t waste your time praying if you don’t believe it. If you don’t believe you won’t receive it. If God is not able to heal these bodies, he has created, then how can we trust him for our salvation from hell? That is a bigger miracle than healing our bodies.

James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

I have a unique perspective; I was raised to know the power of God. My grandpa had the gift of healing and miracles. I used to travel in the summers with him and my grandmother to revivals all over the upper east coast. I have seen things that God has done. I have experienced healing of my own. I recently was sick and had pain in my side after a few minutes of my parents praying for me I got better. I claim the blood Jesus shed for me. I am blessed to be his child. He healed me of chronic sinus headaches many years ago. He delivered me from depression and constant anxiety. Many more things that I cannot even remember.

Our lives as Christians are based on faith. Heb 11:6 -But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The God of the universe lives within us, we have all power. We just have to access it by faith.

As Jesus was being beaten, bruised and crushed something happened, his anointing flowed. Just as olive oil flows from crushed and bruised olives. That process released anointing. That same anointing lives within us. This is why we can pray and ask for healing, and he will deliver us.

3 JOHN 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. If we expect to receive things from the Lord, we need to have a relationship with him. We need to walk by faith and not by sight. As we grow in our relationship with God we gain power. The power we gain is to be used for the glory of God and to help others.

James 1 3-8 (3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

It comes down to what I wrote about a few blogs ago. Who’s report are your going to believe? Are you going to trust God or trust man. Do we have faith? Do we not have faith? We have to have this matter settled concerning these things before the enemy attacks. We have to have a made-up mind that no matter what comes our way we will walk by faith. That is what it means to be a child of God. We have to be determined that on this day, I will trust the Lord for all of my needs, physically, spiritually and financially. He is the God that cannot fail. When our eyes pop open tomorrow we need to say, “I trust you Lord to supply all my needs and take care of me. I will do all I can to be the light and witness you have called me to be on the earth.”

The time is drawing close that God is going to divide those who fully trust from those who partially trust. We are about to see the church rise up in the power and anointing that it once had many years ago. How else will we show the unbelievers the way to Jesus? Evil is all around us, but do not fear Lord Jesus is near.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

SEASONS

ECCL 3:1-8

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The scripture in Ecclesiastes lists different seasons that will happen in our lives. There are many things listed there, good and bad. Nowhere in that list does it say there is a season to give up and sit down. It doesn’t say a time to throw up your hands and let satan win. He can only win if we quit. Other than that he has no power over our lives.

I Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

We are to fight the good fight of faith. We need to dig into the Word and find things to encourage us in our faith. We need to be a light to the world. Giving up and quitting because someone hurt our feelings is not a reason. That is allowing our circumstances to seem bigger than our God. No one or nothing is bigger than our God. There is no reason to give up on Him. He has never given up on us.

We need to use the sword of the word against the enemy. When he tells us we are defeated, we can turn to the Word. And say satan Romans 8:37 says…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

We need to be steadfast, unmovable in our faith. We can only have such faith by putting on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:10). By growing in strength, grace and wisdom through the study of the word. We can only be unmovable in our faith, once that faith gets into our spirit. Our inward man is renewed day by day. We cannot be renewed if we don’t talk with God and spend time listening for him to speak to us. If there is dust on the bible, that is a good sign we do not study the word enough. It needs to become a part of us.

Remember when things look bad, there is a miracle in the making. I am sure it was scary for the three Hebrew children right before they were thrown into the fiery furnace. Right before deliverance. Things looked scary as the Pharoah and his army came racing toward the Israelites and they had nowhere to go. Right before the sea was parted. God is always on time and will protect and deliver his people, we just have to stand firm on the word of God. Ecclesiastes says there is a time for every purpose under heaven. It doesn’t say giving up is one of the things we have time to do.

It’s time to burn the ships and be determined to not turn around. We have nowhere to go but forward. There is nothing behind us but slavery to the enemy and his minions. There is nothing but grief and spiritual death behind us. We are almost to our father’s house, why would we turn around and quit.

I have walked through a lot of seasons in my lifetime. Everyone has taught me a lesson. The constant lesson I learn is that I can put my trust in God. He will never leave us or forsake us, he has promised to be with us through every season.

GUARD DUTY

Philippians 4:6-8 KJV (6)Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus., (8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

There is a song that children often learn in Sunday school. It goes, “Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father, up above is looking down in love. So be careful little eyes what you see.” It goes on with ears what you hear, tongues what you say, hands what you do, feet where you go, heart whom you trust and mind what you think.

This is amazing advice that adults should follow. We need to be ever-vigilant to guard ourselves against the enemy. He is waiting to destroy us and try to use our human emotions and reasoning against us. He will show us shiny things to lure us away from doing the right thing. Our eyes can see things that create emotional responses that get our minds to question the right path. If we don’t guard our eyes. We need to ask God to give us spiritual eyes so that we can see the things of him.

Satan is the father of lies. He will come whispering things that sound so close to the truth that many are deceived. We need to ask God for us to be able to hear with spiritual ears what he wants for our lives. Proverbs 4:20:21 KJV My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thine heart.,

I have often warned about the words we say out of our mouths, they can be a blessing or a curse to our lives. We need to be ever-vigilant about the negative words we say. I am not even speaking about gossip, although most of us know how God feels about gossip. Our words have the power to transform our lives and the lives of others.

We need to keep our hands busy doing the things we should do to build the kingdom. Having loving hands to carry a meal to a family in sickness or grief. Mowing a sick neighbor’s grass, anything that can show God’s love to someone.

Our feet are to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost of this world. We don’t have time to be going to places where God cannot be found. It is easy to get into trouble when our feet go where they don’t belong. Proverbs 4:26 KJV Ponder the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established.

The battle starts in the mind. The things we see, and hear, will cause us to speak, do and go places. If we don’t keep a guard on our mind lust will draw our hearts away from God and allow us to speak, do and go where we do not belong, falling into sin.

James 1:12-15 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

We are wise to teach children that information in a song. It is harder to forget. We are even wiser to use the advice in the song as a guide for our adult life. Make no mistake, God is there to help us guard our hearts and minds. We just have to lean on Him and build our relationship. If we have a relationship with Him, we will want to please Him. That gives us strength and incentive to guard our lives against all the ways the enemy can attack.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

BELIEVE GOD

There is a story in 2 Kings 7 – Samaria was in a bad famine. The Lord spoke to Elisha to tell the people that the famine was ending.

7:1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

The king’s assistant didn’t believe Elisha and went on to speak negatively out of his mouth. (Our words are serious business.) Elisha told him he would see the fine flour to be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, but he would not eat of it.

There are lessons about the lepers that are in this story. But I am going to skip over them for now except to say. God used them to scare off an army. They went back to Samaria and told them their enemy had left their camp and there were a lot of spoils. This is how that flour came to be at the gate for sale.

2 Kings 7:17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. (18) And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: (19) And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. (20) And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

The man died because of his unbelief and the words in his mouth. Pause a moment and think about that…he died because he didn’t believe the one God sent and he spoke against what the prophet of God had said.

Any time God does something the enemy has to counterfeit it. God has prophets, the enemy created fortune tellers and psychics. The difference is a prophet of God gets their words from God. Psychics and fortune tellers get information from evil spirits or witchcraft.

The seriousness of the man’s words cost him his life. We are living in serious times. We are on the edge of a breakthrough. Many people are saying that God told them things that are going to come to pass. One being a great harvest of souls. Another is that God is going to give his children back our nation. The one I pray about everyday is for God to set free the children that are enslaved in human trafficking. All of these things sound amazing. But before we get negative, remember how serious it is to doubt God. When someone tells you God said, first of all check your bible, does it line up with the word of God.

GAL 1:8-9 (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (9) As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

If it does not go against the Bible, pray about it. Ask God to show you. Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed. God will give you confirmation if you are humble before God and ask him. Never just assume that they are wrong and speak negatively out of your mouth against it.

It is easy to get wrapped up in our ideas, theologies, and religion. It is easy to dismiss things we do not fully understand. God did not create a body of believers for us to not be in unison. Denominations and man’s organizations have divided the body for too long. We have warred with each other over ideas and doctrines that mean very little in the grand scheme of things.

It is time for God’s people to unite and seek him to give us the answers. If we seek him with our whole hearts, He will reveal Himself to us. He will show us His plan. Set a guard over your mouth and watch your words and ask him for a revelation.

NO TIME

Feeling pressed for time seems to be a part of the American lifestyle. We never seem to have enough time to do what we need to do and want to do. Often, we feel like we do not have time to pray or read God’s word. It is a fact that people make time for what is important to them. Martin Luther said, “Show me where a man spends his time and money and I will show you his god.”

Many are driven in business and are very successful because they work hard all of their life. What does it really profit us if we gain earthly things and lose our souls? Fame, Money, Recognition and Adoration of the masses all mean nothing without God. We need to be like Joshua and Elijah. It is time we choose God. The battle lines are being drawn. Make sure you are on the right side when the dust settles.

Even Moses asked Who is on the Lord’s side? This was after Israel had committed idolatry by making a golden calf. While Moses was on the mountain getting the ten commandments, they were breaking each of them in the camp below the mountain. Only a few stood back and didn’t participate in idol worship.

Joshua 24:15-17 14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

Later in the Bible, in the book of I Kings, the people were asked to choose again. Ahab met with Elijah and they talked about how Ahab thought Elijah was troubling Israel. Elijah answered back that Ahab’s father’s house had forsaken the Lord to follow Baal, a false god. Elijah suggested that they gather all of Israel and the prophets of Baal to the top of Mt. Carmel.

20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

The prophets of Baal went first; they cried and cried from morning until night. They cut themselves with knives and bled for their god. Nothing happened. Elijah got his turn and he said a simple prayer, then suddenly, an explosion of fire fell from the heavens. It not only consumed the offering but the wood and the water in the trench.

Notice verse 21. Elijah asked them how long they were going to try to serve the Lord and serve Baal. The church of today is lukewarm and trying to “straddle the fence.” The lines are being drawn today. People’s fate hangs in the balance. I encourage you to choose the ONE TRUE GOD, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. There are many things and gods of this world to distract us. But make no mistake, when God is ready to call his children home, there will be “no time” to get ready. Everyone’s fate will be sealed. Don’t be left behind because of a lesser god. The one true God is waiting to hear your choice and accept your answer.

It is time for the warriors of God, to make sure you are battling on the right side. We can defeat the enemy, by investing the time to pray and speak faith. We will find time for what is important. I encourage you to make GOD a priority, and see how life will change.

A LESSON FROM JEHOSHAPHAT

Rejoice, for victory is ours. Just as in the days of Jehoshaphat, we can sometimes find ourselves surrounded by the enemy. He did something that, to the natural world, looks stupid. He put worshippers out in front of the army.

2 Chronicles 20: 1- It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

He received word that many others were plotting to come against him from beyond the sea. He feared and he started seeking God. He declared a fast throughout all of Judah. The people prayed and God honored their prayers.

God told them to go down before their enemy.

In verse 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, not be dismayed; tomorrow go our against them: for the Lord will be with you.

They worshipped the Lord for what he had said to them. The next morning, they rose early to start the march to the wilderness. Jehoshaphat stood before them and said (verse 20) ….Believe in the Lord your God, so shall be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

God took the enemies of his people and turned them against each other. By the time they arrived, the enemies had destroyed one another. All that was left for Jehoshaphat’s army was to collect all the spoils of war. It took them three days to gather all the riches of the enemy.

God will take what the enemy tried to use against us and give us a blessing while destroying our enemy. Today we have an enemy that is determined to destroy us. He hates us because God loves us. He wants to take each of us to hell. He cannot harm us if we keep our focus on God. God has made promises to his people today just as he did in the Old Testament. He wants to prosper us and bless us. He will go before us and fight for us.

We need to remember how Jehoshaphat put his worshippers out front before the battle. In the natural, that seems like a ridiculous idea. They would be mowed down by the enemy without protection. But God told them to march, but they would not have to fight. Worship invites God’s presence. The word says he inhabits the praise of his people.

He will go before us and fight for us. We need to go to war on our knees. We need to first invite God’s presence to us through worship. Then we pray for God to destroy the evil in our country. America needs to be saved from an enemy that is not a country but satan himself. The pure evil that is consuming and taking over everything.

By faith, we can reach out and pull down the enemy’s strongholds in the land. By faith, we can ask God to allow the evil to be revealed so that it can be destroyed. We will not have to fight if we have prepared for battle with prayer and worship. God is calling for his prayer warriors to go to battle on their knees. He is asking for his worshippers to arise.

He will fight our battles if we keep our eyes on him. He is craving a relationship with us. He wants us to get back to the place where he is the center of our lives. He wants to have his rightful place and that is first. If we keep our God Focus, we have nothing to fear.

Have a good week, my friends.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

NO OTHER gods

The Old Testament is full of stories that say this king did what was right in the sight of God and the whole country was blessed. But when a new king would come to power, they would be less than enthusiastic about God. They would create false gods made of clay or even gold. They would build up the groves (a place to worship false gods). The whole country would suffer. America is in a state of things looking bad. Evil is in charge of making our laws and we are doing things that are not right in the sight of God. The darkness of evil is so smothering we do not have a clue just how bad it really is around the world. Idolatry and evil are out of control. Children are being harmed as a result of false idol worship.

But God can turn it around in a day. He is all-powerful. We have something to do about the state of our world. God has asked us to humble ourselves and pray. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. I feel like the church needs to wake up. At least a large part of the body. This starts with me; it starts with you.

One of the first things we need to do is ask God to search our hearts. Psalm 139: 23-24 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The only way we can point the way for someone else is first to be able to see clearly ourselves. Prayer for our country. Being humble before our God. Asking him to search us and help us find anything that is not pleasing to him in our lives. Once we have cleaned out anything that is not pleasing to God. The next thing we need to do is, encourage others to follow Christ. Encourage them to tear down the idols in their lives.

Some idols are obvious; you have an actor, actress, musician or sports figure that you think can do no wrong. People desire to meet them, and they make them seem more important than they are in reality. Other idols can be actual statues, like Budda or Morlock. Some people chose to worship the stars, the sun and moon. Wrong thinking and ideas can become a god. Like worshiping the earth. Idols are created when we allow the desires of the flesh to change our thinking patterns. We end up concentrating on the wrong things.

The definition of idolatry –extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone:

God says he is to be first in our lives. Many of us have a hard time putting him in his rightful place. Anything we put between us and God is at risk of becoming an idol. Most of us are not dancing around a golden calf or bowing to Baal. (Although some in our country are doing such evil) We can make many things a god to us. Our spouse, children, our car, our home, our money, or even a job.

Some people make a god out of their church. They are more in love with their fancy buildings with their big screens and man-made programs. They are in love with the idea of community and all the busy things they do to feel good about themselves that they make it a god. I am not saying we cannot have nice church buildings or anything that I listed. We do these things because we love God and want to do his will in the earth. Just that the things we do for God can not become something that defines us, instead of our relationship with the ONE TRUE GOD. He should be the one who defines us.

Exodus 20 lists the ten commandments. Verse 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

We can make sure God has his rightful place in our life by keeping our “God focus” and magnify him in praise and worship. Having an active prayer life does a lot for our perspective on God. There is One God; Our Lord Jesus Christ. Even the devil believes there is one God and trembles. No substitution will do. We must worship Him in spirit and truth.

The church needs to get back to its worship of God. Allowing him into our services to move and operate as he sees fit. That is when we will see people saved, healed and delivered from the things that have them bound. As long as we are happy with our routines and the Christian things we do, nothing will change.

How hungry are we for a real move of God? How hungry are we to see people saved, healed and delivered? How much do we desire to go to the enemy’s camp and take back what belongs to us? Satan, for too long, has had possession of our country. It is time we got on our knees and took it back.

I encourage you to think about your focus. Is it a “God focus,” or is something in the way of your “God focus”. Remember, prayer and time spent alone with him is the key to seeing our country saved, not only from the present evil but people delivered from their personal spiritual wars.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS