Tag: #godfocusthismorning

EPISODE 324 JESUS MY KING

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The title of today’s episode: JESUS MY KING

I am proud to declare that Jesus is my King. I want to break down a couple of things I have been thinking about over the last few days. About how and why he is king.

During Easter week, we often concentrate a little more on the story of the crucifixion. I was thinking about the crown of thorns they placed on his head. When a crown is placed on the head it means you are a king. You are the government over the people. When the Roman soldiers thought they were mocking Jesus, instead they were crowning him with a curse. The curse of sin.

Think about Adam and Eve, how they had sinned, and God put them out of the garden of Eden.

Gen 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

When Adam fell, sin entered the world. When God cursed the ground, he said it would grow thorns and thistles. Without sin, there would not have been any thorns for Jesus’ crown. Without sin, there would not have been a need for Jesus to die.

The phrase “to crown” is used to refer to the act of formally declaring that the reign of one king is ending, and the one being crowned is beginning his reign. Jesus was crowned with the curse of the earth. He took on the crown of sin; it was a sign that the old leadership was about to lose its power.

While Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, he went to hell and took back the authority that Adam had given to satan. He came out with the keys of authority over the earth. Jesus gave the church some of the keys of authority.

Matt. 18:18-20 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

I have read and heard the story of crucifixion all my life, but I had never given a lot of thought about the crown of thorns. It was just part of the list of cruel, painful things that they did to him. Accepting that crown, he was submitting to the process of taking on the sin of mankind.

After a coronation, the king has his authority. When we think of a coronation, we think of a celebration. We think of a glamorous ceremony with a robe being placed on the would-be king. They also placed a robe on him and mocked him. The enemy was the one celebrating at that moment. But satan’s celebration was short lived when Jesus rose from the dead.

Right now, satan has been stripped of his authority. But God gave mankind free will. We can allow the enemy to have authority in our lives. If we do, he will be our king. We will sin and do evil.

Only by denouncing the authority of satan in our lives and asking Jesus to be our king will we ever escape the curse of Adam. We submit our will and authority to King Jesus. When we make a promise to allow Jesus to be our king, He will seal our relationship with an engagement ring called his spirit.

2 Cor. 1:20-22 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 21Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Notice verse twenty-two says He has given us the earnest of His Spirit I our hearts. When we are born again, we receive a down payment, which is what earnest means, a small portion of the whole. He gives us a small part of His Spirit as a seal or promise that we belong to him.

Being under His authority, He has promised to watch over us, protect us, and provide for us. He will lead and guide us in every way that we submit to him. He wore a crown of thorns to save us from the evil curse of sin in our world.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 275 –HONE AND SHARPEN

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: HONE AND SHARPEN

There is an old saying you have to walk before you can run. I see a lot of people trying to be something that they are not, they want to be the CEO of a company and do not even know what the company sells. They want to be an Olympic gold medalist, but have never tried the sport. But they love to give advice to those who are doing.

Among the body of Christ, we have a group of judgmental people that have one purpose, to be used by satan to cause conflict. They want to tell everyone what to do and what their problems are, without first considering their own heart. They say the sinners prayer and they feel like they can tell the world what to do, even those who have been pastoring for years. Just as God will use whosoever will let him, even if they are not the most on fire Christian. Satan too, will use anyone who will let him.

Jesus said

Matt 7:1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

This is why we need to not judge without compromising on the truth. It is not an easy balance, but people will do what they want and will make their own choices. The only one we are fully responsible for is ourselves. This is why we need to guard our hearts and lives against satan and his lies.

I don’t want to be judged harshly by God because I was judgmental. That is different than standing for the truth of God’s word.

Matt 7:3-5 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

This is why we have to guard our hearts and make sure to hone in on our motives, before we open our mouths. I recently had to tell a fellow Christian something that was hard to tell them. I knew it was for their good and I knew God was pushing me to say something. I prayed about it for a few weeks before saying anything. Then God opened the door and through love I was able to share what God has put on my heart with them.

If I had been judgmental and went to them a month earlier, before I prayed about it, the outcome could have been much different. But by waiting and praying, God used me to help them and not hurt them.

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

The right tool needs to be used to sharpen or hone a blade. When we are in a position to help someone in their faith walk, we need to tread lightly. We cannot approach them with a superior, judgmental attitude. We have to be humble and show them the love of Jesus. It takes the anointing or the oil to help with the process. Most of the time, the stones used to sharpen or hone a blade have oil put on them for lubrication. This ensures that not too much is taken off the blade at once. It is a process.

Knifeanalyst.com says, (Hone is a term often used in the context of bladed weapon maintenance. At its core, “to hone” means to refine or sharpen a blade to improve its cutting edge. While some may believe that honing and sharpening are synonymous, there is an important distinction: sharpening typically involves removing metal from the blade with a coarser abrasive to restore or create an edge, whereas honing involves the finer process of realigning and smoothing that edge after it’s been established.)*

I know from watching my dad when I was growing up that many use a special stone with oil to sharpen and hone their pocketknives. It takes our rock, which is Christ Jesus, and the anointing or the oil of the Holy Ghost to hone us into the person we need to be in order to be soul winners.

The word says the person that wins souls is wise. We have to be wise when dealing with people. We are all flawed. The moment we think we have arrived and are above everyone else is when we are on our way to a serious fall. Because that is walking in pride, and pride goes before a fall.

We are living in serious times. Now is not the time to be playing church. Now is the time to ask God for more love toward people; especially the judgmental, Bertha better than you’s. They need our understanding and compassion more than we know. These people are normally very insecure and want to point out our flaws and shortcomings to make themselves feel better.

I was raised to believe that everything was black and white, but the older I get and the more I learn about God’s compassion, I realize there is a little grey area called grace. His grace is something that we all need a lot more of, because Jesus is coming soon for those who are ready.

I don’t believe he is coming after a bunch of self-righteous, judgmental people. It is time for us to ask God to use the oil and the stone to sharpen us and prepare us for the harvest.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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*Information copied from https://knifeanalyst.com/hone-the-definition-and-meaning/

EPISODE 37–OLD LANDMARK

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Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Old Landmarks”

Prov 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

The early church didn’t neglect prayer and fellowship. We need to be consistent in the word of God. We have been given a solid foundation. Standing firm on that foundation of the apostles is the old landmark that many churches have left in order to be more modern.

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.

I recently heard it said that some mega-churches took the marketing approach to building their church. They did surveys about what people wanted in a church. This is why many are nothing more than social clubs, with their coffee bars and fog machines. Without sticking to the old paths, they have gotten away from what makes “THE CHURCH” different from the world.

In order to be effective, the ministry of “THE CHURCH” has to show people that they can walk the walk and not just talk the talk. People are craving a REAL move of God. They want to know him for themselves. All the marketing in the world will not replace prayer and knowing God. Really truly digging into the word. Putting it under a microscope and asking what does this really mean. Dig deep below the superficial surface of the word.

Psalm 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

This should be our prayer every day. Hold up my goings; in other words, support my sense of direction. Direct my way in your will. Because if you don’t, Lord, I might slip and fall.

Just like in the natural, if the wind blows strong enough it is impossible for a human to stand up. The winds of this life can spiritually knock us for a loop. Without Jesus to hold onto, it is possible that the storms of life will drown us. But he always keeps us settled and on the right path.

Let me repeat Prov 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

Landmarks can be something unique so you know what city you are in, like the arch in St Louis. It can also be as simple as a stone, which lets you know you are on the edge of your property. It is something that gives you a sense of direction, in spiritual terms. The boundaries have been set long ago by God. His words are specific. The apostles and prophets of long ago set the guidelines as a landmark to keep us on the right path.

Our path is not as clearly marked as it once was, because the church has allowed weeds to grow up over the path. The road less traveled may not be as worn down. It may take a bit of looking to ensure we are going the right way. We need to find and stick to the old path. In it and in it alone we will find our way home.

Where are the children of God who are standing on the truth of God’s word? Even we can be road markers for people to let them know which way the need to go to find God. By being steady and strong in our faith, others will take notice and will want to know how we endure the things of life.

What makes us different than those who are lost?

What are some of the road signs along the way that we can use for our guide?

Prayer, honesty, study and knowing the word, loving others, abiding by what God’s word says we need to do. Put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6) Allow the Holy Ghost inside of us to produce fruit of the spirit in our lives (Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law)

Be willing to reach down and lift another up when they have fallen.

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

Take some time today to think about the old landmarks. Do whatever it takes to find them in your life.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

NEW ADVENTURES

I am excited about what God is doing in my life and those around me. That is why, from now on, I am combining my blog and my video ministry. Each blog post will be in the written form of the video for those of you who would rather read it. At the top will be the video of the day. God Focus This Morning is the title of my daily videos. The posts will be Monday thru Friday.

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Made Up Mind”

We used to attend church with a man who was constantly reminding us that we have to have a made-up mind. He would say that the enemy will send all sorts of things to get us to give up. We cannot allow the enemy to get us to falter in our faith. We cannot take a step backwards. We have to hold the line.

Troubles may press in from every angle, but if we have a made up mind, nothing will phase us. Nothing we go through will cause us to waiver.

Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. We are in a battle for the soul of our nation. We cannot be moved by the enemy or what he tries to do. We need to have deep roots and be planted. Can you see a tree get up and walk away, because it didn’t like the angle of the wind? No, a tree digs deep. The stronger the winds blow the more need the tree has to dig deeper.

As warriors in God’s army, we must be determined to do our duty and honor the wishes of our King (Jesus). As warriors we need to have loyalty to the cause of Christ and be determined that we will not be bribed by the flashy things of the enemy to cause us to back up or sin.

We need to dig in and hold the line, saying, Satan, I will not back up, I will not back down. I am going through with Jesus guiding me. Many brave soldiers down through time won battles that seemed impossible because they were determined to not back down, but to hold their ground.

Lines are being drawn in the sand. We have to be determined to stand up for what is right. I will not be moved, I will not back up, I will not back down, I will stand for Jesus even if I have to stand alone. Gideon started with a huge army of men. But God needed that number paired down to the ones who believed him. With 300 men, God defeated the enemy.

Phil 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

I believe we are going through a season in which God is separating the wheat and tares to an extent. Many who have been lukewarm and call themselves Christian will be separated. God wants a strong army of determined men and women who will have a made-up mind to stand for him. There is not a battle we cannot win as long as we believe that he will go before us and fight our battles. We have to be determined to stand for the truth.

We cannot waiver in our beliefs, even when things don’t look like they line up with our beliefs. Ephesians Chapter Six is all about putting in the whole armor of God. Warriors of God are equipped with God’s armor. All of this armor was designed for meeting an enemy head-on. There was no covering for a retreat. If you turn around to run, the enemy can easily get you from behind. So we have to stand strong.

Romans 12:2 says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God….

We have to stand strong and allow our minds to be renewed with the word of God. If we keep our spiritual mind strong, we will be determined and always have a made-up mind.

Thanks for listening.

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

YouTube Channel Announcement

Good Evening, my friends. I am excited to share news of my new adventure with you. For the longest time, I talked about doing a podcast. I may still do that sometime in the future. But for now, God has led me in the direction of a YouTube Channel.

My plan is to start posting short devotional videos, Mon to Fri. I should be able to start posting them in early November 2023. I feel God has given me a ministry to enlighten and encourage the body of Christ to fully focus on him. My blog is called God Focus. The YouTube devotionals will be called God Focus This Morning. I will be sharing longer videos containing bible studies, testimonies and encouraging words as God leads.

You can watch my first video by clicking on the picture above. Like, Share and Subscribe to my channel so you do not miss what the Lord is doing in and through my life. I will keep you updated. Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.