Tag: #Jesus

WHAT IS INSIDE?

If I have a pitcher full of tea, it is impossible to pour out fruit juice. Just like our spiritual life. If our heart is full of good, then we can only pour out good to others. The opposite is true also; if our heart is full of evil, we will be able to pour out evil on others.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit; you don’t go to an apple grove and get oranges. The type of fruit is determined by the type of tree. What kind of tree do you want to be?

Mat 12:33  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. 

We are judged by our fruit, our kindness, our love, and our compassion. We are also judged very harshly when we fall down. It may not be fair, but it is how the world sees us.

Mat 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  Mat 12:35  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. 

This says once again what I said before: It has to be in our hearts before it can come out. I want you to notice out of the abundance or fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.  If our heart is full of evil. We will speak evil.  If our heart is full of love, we will speak with love.

Psalm 119:10  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 

Hiding the word in our hearts will always give us a stored-up treasure to draw from when needed.  Like a savings account. I cannot tell you the times I came up against a situation, and God would bring just the right scripture to mind.  If it had not been in my heart already, I could not have drawn from it.

If we take a coffee cup and fill it as full as it can get, what happens when we add a drop. At least a drop of water will splash out because it is to capacity. If our heart is full, we will only have love to give. 

Every treasure needs a treasure map. In the old cliché pirate movies, X marks the spot. The pirate even hides his map to keep someone from searching for his treasure. This is where we differ from pirates. We want to share our treasure map (our bible). There is plenty of treasure for everyone. Our treasure map is the bible. It is God’s word that will lead us to the ultimate destination where there are treasures beyond our imagination.

1Cor 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

The word talks about heaven having a street paved with gold.  Walls of jasper and gates of pearl. There is plenty of treasure for everyone.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

CHURCH COME FORTH

Lazarus had died, and the mourners were with the family. In a normal situation, this would be the end.  He had been buried.  But Jesus came on the scene. He didn’t make a big production.  Jesus asked that they roll away the stone that sealed the cave where Lazarus was placed. He simply said a prayer for the sake of the crowd that had gathered, then said, “Lazarus, come forth.” Soon, Lazarus came walking out of the tomb.  He was still bound in his grave clothes and had his face covered with a napkin.  It took others to set him free of his grave clothes.

To look at the modern church, one might say we were all but buried. We were in a coma, allowing sin to enter the church and lull us into a deep sleep.  Jesus is calling us to come forth. He is calling for the warriors to arise and be the army we are supposed to be in this day. Every day, we need to put on our armor and go to battle.  Satan is after the body of Christ.  If he can keep us depressed and stressed, we will not be able to focus on our tasks. He is trying to cause us to not stand for the truth of God’s word.

We can be the church that the world needs by each being fully focused on God and what he asks us to do. We all have a job to do in the body of Christ. The task of seeing that the harvest is gathered before the night comes when no one will be able to work it is up to each of us. We need to do all we can to bring in the harvest before the rapture takes place on the earth.

We are at the stage where we need someone to help remove the napkin from our faces and set us free of our grave clothes. We can be the ones that help the body of Christ to arise and go forth in power. It is time for us to unite against our adversary, the devil.  People’s lives and souls depend on our ability to learn to get along and bind together in prayer and power. There is no greater purpose than to walk in our purpose and see souls saved.

Many souls are hanging in the balance; will they be saved? Will someone go out of their way to reach them? Will someone pray for them to be saved? Will that someone be you?

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LESSONS FROM DAVID

Part of our daily walk is to make sure we keep our focus fully on God.  In a world that is fighting every second for our attention, it is harder than ever to stay focused. David is one of my favorite people in the bible.  His heart that is revealed in the Psalms is inspiring. He understood most of the time how to keep his focus.  

He talks to God about his worries and the fears of his enemy’s coming against him.  Like we often tell God when we have troubles and feel like everyone is against us. Life can press in causing tremendous pressure.

David also understood the difference between thanksgiving and praise. Thanksgiving is thanking God for what he has done. We praise Him simply because He is God.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

David’s life as a shepherd prepared him to be king. The shepherd provides for the sheep in many ways. They make sure they are on land that has food and water. Shepherds protect them from predators. They anoint them with oil to keep away harmful flies that can lay eggs in their noses.

God is our protector. He protects us from the smallest microscopic thing to something huge that could destroy us. He is our provider; our source for all we need. Because He is our shepherd and He loves us.

God gives us times that he isolates us and gives us peaceful time to reflect. In the isolated times he is helping us to grow and prepare us for a new level. We don’t always understand the isolation, but God doesn’t do anything without a reason. We have to trust His plan.

Isaiah 55:8-9     8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Other times, He gently nudges us to the outside world where we are supposed to make a difference. We are supposed to all be a light to those who are in darkness. It doesn’t matter what we are dealing with or what phase of life we are in we need to look to Him.

I Chr. 16:11 Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

Notice this says continually, not when things are bad. Not when we slow down or our lives are falling apart.  It says continually. We need him at all times, not just when things look bad. It doesn’t matter the phase of life we find ourselves in, as His sheep, we know he will take care of it all. We just have to be strong and follow where He leads. He gives us light to shine into the darkness of this world.

Psalm 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

As we start a new work week, take your light and go light your part of the world.  It is needed now more than ever before in history.

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.

Why Does God Allow Evil?

As I sat watching a small sparrow flutter about in a tree, I thought about the verse that says God takes care of the sparrows.  He is so amazing; He also wants what is best for us. Many people question how such a good God can allow such evil to go on in the world.

When He made man, everything was perfect.  Then, sin entered the world through disobedience.  It is in that disobedience that all the evil we see entered the world. Because God is long-suffering and good, he wants to give everyone a chance to be restored. He wants nothing more than for them to repent and change their ways. He watches from above with sadness at the evil.

When He is pushed beyond the longsuffering and He has given people their last chance to change, He moves quickly to cut off evil. Sometimes, bad things happen to cause us to rise up in just anger and make changes or to push for changes in our government.

We cannot blame God for what is wrong in the world when we are not willing to be obedient to Him. God wants us to look to Him and trust that He will move quickly. He will bring justice to each and every one of us. Through the blood, we are justified.  Through sin, we are condemned by not allowing God to purify us by His blood.

Things appear scary as prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. At least, they appear scary to the average person.  But to those of us who trust in God, it is a sign that God is shaking loose the evil to set free His people.

God needs his warriors to arise and be strong.  We are to be the light, we are called to be in this world. Light is often thought of in the scriptures as enlightenment.

 Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

But light also exposes what is hidden in the dark. Luke 12:2-3 2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.  3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Luke 8:17-18 KJV  For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

God will bring every evil to light. Nothing that has been hidden will stay hidden. Now is the time to pray for his light to expose any darkness within us.  Ask him to help his body to get rid of everything holding us back from doing his will.

Now is the time to make everything, everything right before God. He will only tarry so long. The time of judgment is coming soon. If you don’t know Jesus, get to know Him.  If you are already a child of God ask him to search your heart. 

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.

Make sure you are on the right side of the line God is drawing. Choose this day who you will serve. God is tired of “Christians” who are worldly and Christian in name only. He wants us to be strong and stand for what is right. He wants us to have integrity and walk every moment as if someone is watching.

I want God to look down on me and look at my life with a smile and say, She is the real deal. If everyone who claimed with their lips that they were a Christian would walk that way, we could take this world by storm. The harvest would be gathered without one grain dropped to the ground.

“Why does God allow bad things to happen? Why doesn’t He stop the evil?”  He is waiting for His body to rise up and be the prayer warriors we are called to be; only a body of believers who have the heart to be intercessors (prayer warriors) will be able to call down the power to stop this evil.

Bringing Down Walls

I’ve often read the story of the walls of Jerico. It was always a miracle that the walls fell. But until recently, I didn’t realize that the walls were so thick that chariots raced on top of the wall at least three wide. Now it seems even more amazing just how awesome our God is. I used to wonder why the men on top of the wall didn’t attack those who rode around. They would have been easy to pick off, just marching in circles. But God had told them to be silent and just march. The only answer I can come up with is that the people of Jerico didn’t feel threatened by them marching around. It wasn’t until the last time they circled that they shouted. When they did, God brought down the walls of the city of Jerico and God’s people were triumphant.

 Joshua 6:20  So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

In 1982, Pastor Christian Fuhrer of Leipzig’s St Nicholas Church started a weekly prayer meeting to pray for peace and deliverance from the communist regime in East Germany. Although the authorities watched everyone closely, including churches. They didn’t pay any attention to the pastor or his church because not many showed up to prayer meetings.

After consistently having prayer meetings, the number of people grew, and on Oct 9, 1989, an estimated 70,000 people showed up for a protest. A month later, the Berlin Wall fell, and they were free. This wall fell by prayer and people standing up for the right thing.

Today, we have walls of a different kind. They are not actually made of brick or stone.  Some are personal walls of fear, anxiety, jealousy, negativity, sin, hate, anger or depression, for a few examples. Others are walls of political and economic policies of our government. These walls can only be brought down by God.  Like the walls of Jerico, these things are often massive borders that prevent us from living in victory.

The only way we can see these walls crumble to the ground is through prayer. The only way deliverance will come is through prayer. We can speak words of victory. We can shout to the Lord and cry out for freedom.  He is there to deliver us and help us to tear down the things that are in our way.  Victory can be ours if we do what God tells us. He will cause the walls to crumble. God will transform our walls into victory if we will just shout out to him.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LEARNING TO WALK

When a baby is learning to walk, a parent doesn’t say anything about how many times they fall down. It is a process of learning to walk. But they rejoice over the steps that the child takes. God rejoices over us. He delights in the steps of the righteous and forgives them when they fall.

Sometimes, the children can push themselves back up when they fall. Other times, their parents have to pick them up. It is a great comfort to know that God is with us and will never leave us. Sometimes, we fall down, but we can get back up.  Other times, we need God to step in and set us back upright. There are many in the scriptures that have written about feeling the same as we often do. Like God is far from us because we have made yet another mistake.

Learning to walk out our spiritual walk is not always easy.  We are waiting for God to lead us in a direction. He will come through and show us the way.  Other times, we have to step out in faith and see if what we have on our minds is God’s plan. Walking in that plan just a small amount of time, we will know if it’s God’s will for us.

Parents not only help their babies learn to walk and talk but also protect them and keep them safe. Our safety comes from the Lord. He is our strength and our deliverer. We have nothing to fear. Our enemy is under our feet.

Do we trust Jesus enough to pick us up when we fall? Do we trust him to be our guide and teach us how to walk like a follower of Christ? Do we trust him to be our father and protect us when the enemy attacks?

Ps 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

No good thing will he withhold from us as long as we walk upright.

Psalm 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Uprightness is often used in scripture to describe our Christian walk. David, in Psalm 92, referred to the righteous like a palm tree. There are two Hebrew words that are used to mean uprightness; “yashar”and “tam.”  “Yashar” means straightness, while “tam” is perfection or completion.

When the word tells us to walk upright, it is telling us to stay on the straight path and walk in perfection or completion. How do we walk in perfection and completion?  There is only one way; we are only complete and perfect in Jesus.  Because when we make mistakes and ask for his forgiveness, he gives us a clean slate to go forward wiser and more complete.

The old path of following in Jesus’ footsteps will teach us how to walk. This is what life is all about, “learning to walk” like Him.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

FOCUS ABOVE

Col. 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Now more than ever before, we need to set our minds and our attention on heavenly things. The things of this earth will soon pass away. In fifty years, if the Lord tarries, most of the things we have focused on will not even matter. If we are young enough to still be alive.

The things we do for God are forever, eternal, never-ending. They will matter in fifty years, a hundred, five hundred for all eternity. Every soul we win for Christ will have a lasting impact on growing the family of God.

There is a saying that I don’t know who said it, but it comes to mind as I write.  “Only one life will soon be passed, and only what was done for Christ will last.” Our status on earth, how much money we had, what kind of car we drove, none of it matters.

Every lesson we taught in Sunday school to a group of five-year-olds. They have made an impact on eternity. Every prayer prayed, and every time we invest time to worship, all of it impacts the eternal. It stands to reason that we should spend more time listening to God’s direction.

Worship will help us to set our affections on the things above. Worship is a powerful thing. It can get our minds and hearts to focus. As we try to become more like Christ, we can remember the above verse and be devoted to keeping our minds on things above.

Have a good weekend!

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

REAL MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

II Tim 4:3-5  (3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  (4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  (5) But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

We are in these times right now. People don’t want to hear the gospel. They want preachers to be motivational speakers. They want them to tell them how great they are and how God is going to bless them, even though many of them are full of sin.

I believe in motivational speakers, the REAL ones of generations gone by; they preached hell so hot that it motivated you to live a pure life.  The sermons were so hot they purified like gold tried in a fire. I want a preacher to be honest and not tell me it’s all wonderful.  I need the toe-stomping gospel that makes me want to be better.

If we are okay and everything is wonderful, we have no motivation to change and grow.  Fruit will not be produced in our lives if we are convinced that we are wonderful. Paul warned Timothy to watch in all things.  In other words, be careful what you do.

Paul also told Timothy to endure afflictions. He didn’t tell him that life was wonderful and everything was perfect.  He told him to endure afflictions. Things in this life will often shake us and cause us pain.  As children of God, we have to deal with the pressures of life, like everyone. But God is there to help us carry our burdens and will help us through our situations.

Bring back the days of the truth; it is time the church grew up and got rid of the fables. We need to be ever-vigilant to keep our feet on the correct path. God has some preachers that are true and right. Find them and support them in any way you can, because they are under tremendous pressure.

Study the word and know who is preaching to you.  Not every one that carries a bible and gets behind the pulpit is sent by God. Satan also sends preachers to destroy, divide and confuse the truth. We have to know the word for ourselves so we can judge within our hearts if what they are speaking is the truth.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

THE LESSON(S) OF ALONE

JOB 23:8-10  Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: (9) On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:  (10) But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Lately, I have had several friends comment that they feel like God is not near to them.  They say they cannot feel his presence.  I have been there at times in my spiritual walk with God. I understand how it can feel like you are alone. Job probably felt this more strongly than any of us. 

God allowed him to be tested by the enemy.  In that test, he proved to be true and faithful.  As gold tried in the fire. When gold ore is mined out of the ground, it has a lot of minerals, dirt and impurities.  The ore has to be put into an extremely hot fire and melted. During the melting process, dirt and other impurities cannot withstand the fire. They burn up.

The story of the three Hebrew men who were put into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar. This is a literal example of how we are often tested.  But they did not fear the fire. They knew their God would deliver them.  We must know that “OUR GOD” will deliver us out of the fire.

Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Do not allow the trials of life or the feeling that you are all alone to cause you to fear or worry.  God is right there with you.  He was with the three Hebrew men in the fiery furnace; he was with Job when he felt alone; he will be with you, too.

Sometimes, like Job, we have miserable comfort. People mean well but do not have the right perspective and their advice is not always sound. We must always filter other’s advice with a bible filter.  In other words, does their advice line up with God’s word? Is it sound according to what I believe God is telling me or has told me in the past.

Other times, God will isolate us from people too.  This could be because of a season of transition for us. He is preparing us for the next level in him. The distraction of people will often taint this process, so God isolates us from the influence.

I Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

There are many in-depth studies out there about gold and the way it is processed.  The process is compared to our walk with God. I will not take the time to go into great detail here. However, it is something interesting to dig deeper into if you have time. I hope I have said enough about the process to encourage you that if you faint not, you will reap in faith and blessings.

Look at the story of Job; when he was done with the process, God abundantly blessed him. I think that many times, the trial is taking out something within us that will hinder our next level of God’s presence and blessing.  Until it is gone, whatever it may be, we cannot level up. Embrace the times of isolation. He is there even when you don’t feel His presence or see His hand moving.

Keep on being faithful to what God has given you to do, even in times of isolation.

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