If you are anything like me, when something happens it may take you a while before you actually believe it. When President Obama took the oath of the presidency, I am sure that there were many, many people that just took a moment to say to them that “this is really happening” and “I am witnessing history in the making”.
But now I want to put a twist on the phrase that is the title of this blog. I believe that most of today’s Christians do not experience the fullness of the power of God because that cannot believe that it really exists. Too often we find that a saint will be seemingly be in a constant state of depression………they always are saying ‘please pray for me’ or ‘why am I going through this’. The Bible declares that if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we are able to move mountains. However, it also declares that to fully exercise this so great a faith, we must become like little children. Children believe that any and everything is possible, simply because they nothing else. We as mature Christians have become accustomed to stipulations and boundaries because in the natural realm we have heard the word ‘No’ so many times. But what we must return to is the basic doctrine of faith: God is above the natural way of doing things!
Deitrick Haddon said it best: God is supernatural, meaning that there is nothing that God cannot do. However, we cannot move past the natural because it is so easy to see. However, if we could see God naturally and how He operates, then faith would be unnecessary. But because God moves by His spirit and by His time, we have a hard time believing that God has heard our prayer and are willing to save us. But the old saints put it best when they said this: ‘He may not come when you want Him, but He is always right on time!’ Can you believe that!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Confident vs. Conceited
Here is something that I have thought of on a consistent basis: what is the difference between being confident and being convinced? Is there a line between the two, or do they walk hand in hand? Another word that can be substituted here is convinced. When does know when they have crossed the line, if there is one to be crossed? Well, here is what I believe: it takes some sort of confidence to walk this thing we call Christianity. With the world in the shape that it is in today, you have to be sure that you know God, and that He knows you. Now just because you know God (or whatever you may call it) does not give you the right to look down on others. In all of the being convinced, confident, or whatever, remember that if you cannot be convicted, then you are indeed a counterfeit. Here is what real saints are confident in: the fact that God is holy, righteous, and the judge of all deeds. He chastens those whom He loves. If you feel you haven’t been chastened in a while, you may want to check your relationship.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Renewed Passion
Here is something I have come to understand: in this day and age, you need not to wait until your birthday, New Year’s Day, or any other day to renew a passion or a resolution that you may have started, thought that you wanted to start, or maybe even just thought of. I believe that the word of God declares that “NOW is the acceptable time”. In other words, there is no time like the present. Charles Buxton once said, “You will never find time. If you want time, you must make it.”
That quote is truest in this era. We have become so busy that people often say they need more than 24 hours to accomplish all that they need in a day. Technology has become so advanced that we are able to program DVR’s from our phones……we can keep up with the latest news, gossip, etc. via Facebook, Twitter, and other applications. However, we somehow have lost touch with the outside world. Vacations are used to catch up on business, the Xbox, Playstation, and the Wii has taken the place of going to the beach and local amusement parks. Family time consists of instant messaging and playing games on cell phones at the dinner table.
Where has the time gone? I challenge you to make the time to do what you have set out to do. If you want to lose weight, commit at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Doctors conclude that devoting at least that much time a day, 3-4 days a week will steer you in the right path. So many other things have taken a back seat due to the excuse that there is not enough time. Stop complaining about you not having time. If you want to do something you set out to do, and I mean really set your heart and mind to it, you will do like Charles Buxton said and “make time”.
That quote is truest in this era. We have become so busy that people often say they need more than 24 hours to accomplish all that they need in a day. Technology has become so advanced that we are able to program DVR’s from our phones……we can keep up with the latest news, gossip, etc. via Facebook, Twitter, and other applications. However, we somehow have lost touch with the outside world. Vacations are used to catch up on business, the Xbox, Playstation, and the Wii has taken the place of going to the beach and local amusement parks. Family time consists of instant messaging and playing games on cell phones at the dinner table.
Where has the time gone? I challenge you to make the time to do what you have set out to do. If you want to lose weight, commit at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Doctors conclude that devoting at least that much time a day, 3-4 days a week will steer you in the right path. So many other things have taken a back seat due to the excuse that there is not enough time. Stop complaining about you not having time. If you want to do something you set out to do, and I mean really set your heart and mind to it, you will do like Charles Buxton said and “make time”.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
It's Alright ... It's OK
Mistakes happen……point blank. Name me one person who has never made a mistake!? There is only one man, and his name is Jesus. I will never understand for the life of me how one can justly “cast stones” at someone when they themselves have their own closets that are full of only God knows what!
What gets me most is that these people are the so called “people of God”. They are quick to throw the line of, “I am not judging, but I am just saying…..”. If I am not mistaken, as soon as you utter the word “but”, do you not erase everything that you previously stated? So not only are you passing judgment, but you are assuming a position that is only designed for God himself. Then wonder why no one can notice the change in your walk, your talk, your relationship with Christ. You wonder why you are seemingly going around and around in circles…..you yourself are walking around in judgment because best believe that the same measure that you are judging with is the same measure that you are being judged with.
When will we fully learn to live what we preach…..forgiveness. There is a quote that declares, “To err is human, but to forgive is divine”. We say we want to be like Christ, but we don’t want to do what He has instructed. Can we really tell our brother…..our sister that it is alright…..it’s ok? You messed up, but the grace of God is sufficient unto thee?
What gets me most is that these people are the so called “people of God”. They are quick to throw the line of, “I am not judging, but I am just saying…..”. If I am not mistaken, as soon as you utter the word “but”, do you not erase everything that you previously stated? So not only are you passing judgment, but you are assuming a position that is only designed for God himself. Then wonder why no one can notice the change in your walk, your talk, your relationship with Christ. You wonder why you are seemingly going around and around in circles…..you yourself are walking around in judgment because best believe that the same measure that you are judging with is the same measure that you are being judged with.
When will we fully learn to live what we preach…..forgiveness. There is a quote that declares, “To err is human, but to forgive is divine”. We say we want to be like Christ, but we don’t want to do what He has instructed. Can we really tell our brother…..our sister that it is alright…..it’s ok? You messed up, but the grace of God is sufficient unto thee?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Where Is Your Head?
Looking at the present world as it is today, I cannot help but to ask this question to some people today……where exactly is your head? In other words, can you tell me exactly what it is that you are thinking? For those who may not understand what I am talking about, let me explain.
There isn’t one day that goes by, and I am sure that you witness the same thing, that I do not see a young man with his pants below the allotted waist line, a young lady with clothes so tight that you can see every organ and vein in her body performing its function through her outfit. I see tricked-out and “pimped out” rides, but if I go ask the brother where he lives; he says his mom’s house. I see young mothers whose hair is “popped”, but her children are still in their pajamas. Or a young man bragging about how many women he has slept with, but has no idea how many kids he may have.
So again I ask, and allow me to rephrase the question: What is most important to you? Can it be the famed money, power, and respect? To earn the three, you must give them as well. You must spend money to make money, and I am not just talking about investment. It takes money to get gas in the car to go fill out the application of the job you want to get. It takes money to buy the groceries to cook the food that people eat, and then say you need to start your own catering business. To earn power, you must learn to be subjected to it…..in other words, if someone has authority over you, you must learn to give away your pride, your selfishness, your own personal views and submit until you are put in a position that power can be entrusted to you. I am reminded of a line from a movie that declared that “with great power comes great responsibility”. Power doesn’t make you great……WIELDING that power is what makes you great. Lastly, to get respect you MUST give it. There is no way you can take respect. It must be given, and it must be earned. If you cannot respect one of the most important people in life, that person being YOU, you will never receive the respect that you seek.
There isn’t one day that goes by, and I am sure that you witness the same thing, that I do not see a young man with his pants below the allotted waist line, a young lady with clothes so tight that you can see every organ and vein in her body performing its function through her outfit. I see tricked-out and “pimped out” rides, but if I go ask the brother where he lives; he says his mom’s house. I see young mothers whose hair is “popped”, but her children are still in their pajamas. Or a young man bragging about how many women he has slept with, but has no idea how many kids he may have.
So again I ask, and allow me to rephrase the question: What is most important to you? Can it be the famed money, power, and respect? To earn the three, you must give them as well. You must spend money to make money, and I am not just talking about investment. It takes money to get gas in the car to go fill out the application of the job you want to get. It takes money to buy the groceries to cook the food that people eat, and then say you need to start your own catering business. To earn power, you must learn to be subjected to it…..in other words, if someone has authority over you, you must learn to give away your pride, your selfishness, your own personal views and submit until you are put in a position that power can be entrusted to you. I am reminded of a line from a movie that declared that “with great power comes great responsibility”. Power doesn’t make you great……WIELDING that power is what makes you great. Lastly, to get respect you MUST give it. There is no way you can take respect. It must be given, and it must be earned. If you cannot respect one of the most important people in life, that person being YOU, you will never receive the respect that you seek.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Yon Can't Be Serious
You cannot be serious…..
There was a recent event that I heard of that has left me speechless, hence the title of this particular blog. I have a very good friend of mine who was a member of a great church for 3 years. The pastor is a very good friend of his that has proven to be an outstanding preacher and a sort of big brother/father figure since the passing of his birth father 6 years ago. My friend was an associate minister for the church and was also the church musician. They have long history together and share a wonderful friendship.
Just recently, my friend decided that, along with his wife, it was time for them to leave the ministry as they felt they were being led of God. My friend drafted a letter and sent it to the pastor of the church expressing his feelings about various issues, none demeaning or destructive in any way. He expressed how much he loves and appreciates the pastor and his wife, and that they have taught them so much throughout their time there. He reiterated the order of life as taught by the pastor: God, then family, then the church. He wrote that he must do what is in the best interest of his family, meaning his wife. This was done not to appease his wife, but was done out of agreement between the two of them that this move was not only led of God, but best for the both of them.
Not even a few hours after he sent the letter to the Pastor, he was on Facebook and found that one of his the people on his friends’ list drafted a mock letter and put it on the Pastor’s wall. In the letter, he accused my friend of stabbing the pastor in the back, wanting to be “babied”, and a few other disturbing sentences. What made it even sadder was that he included direct phrases contained in the letter that was sent to the pastor, using them as if importance was not an issue. The icing on the cake!? The individual who drafted the mock letter is also an associate minister of the same congregation, and a spiritual son of the pastor. Is this how we really respond to saints trying to fulfill the will of God? Is this how we support the elect in finishing the race? Why was this letter even in the presence of this individual!!!! And we wonder why some churches have “revolving” doors and “join this week and leave the next” saints!
There was a recent event that I heard of that has left me speechless, hence the title of this particular blog. I have a very good friend of mine who was a member of a great church for 3 years. The pastor is a very good friend of his that has proven to be an outstanding preacher and a sort of big brother/father figure since the passing of his birth father 6 years ago. My friend was an associate minister for the church and was also the church musician. They have long history together and share a wonderful friendship.
Just recently, my friend decided that, along with his wife, it was time for them to leave the ministry as they felt they were being led of God. My friend drafted a letter and sent it to the pastor of the church expressing his feelings about various issues, none demeaning or destructive in any way. He expressed how much he loves and appreciates the pastor and his wife, and that they have taught them so much throughout their time there. He reiterated the order of life as taught by the pastor: God, then family, then the church. He wrote that he must do what is in the best interest of his family, meaning his wife. This was done not to appease his wife, but was done out of agreement between the two of them that this move was not only led of God, but best for the both of them.
Not even a few hours after he sent the letter to the Pastor, he was on Facebook and found that one of his the people on his friends’ list drafted a mock letter and put it on the Pastor’s wall. In the letter, he accused my friend of stabbing the pastor in the back, wanting to be “babied”, and a few other disturbing sentences. What made it even sadder was that he included direct phrases contained in the letter that was sent to the pastor, using them as if importance was not an issue. The icing on the cake!? The individual who drafted the mock letter is also an associate minister of the same congregation, and a spiritual son of the pastor. Is this how we really respond to saints trying to fulfill the will of God? Is this how we support the elect in finishing the race? Why was this letter even in the presence of this individual!!!! And we wonder why some churches have “revolving” doors and “join this week and leave the next” saints!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Is It Possible
The famous Clark Sisters, in the song titled “I’m looking for a Miracle, wrote the song lyric, “The sky is the limit to what I can have”. Now do not mistake this for artistic criticism, because it is not. The Clark sisters are masters of their gift, and they have rendered a countless number of gospel hits throughout the course of their collective and individual careers. I just believe that the sky is not the limit to what I or you can have, but is merely another ceiling for us to bust through. For so long we have limited ourselves to what I like to call basic faith. Basic faith is the faith that says, ‘I believe that God hears prayer and maybe He heard mine. If He answers, fine. If He doesn’t, then obviously it wasn’t my place to pray for that”.
We now must transition from basic to what I call “beyond” faith. What I mean by that is we must begin to believe beyond what the limits may have placed, because God is not bound by time, space, or power. He is called the great “I AM”, not the once great I was. What you think is impossible, God has already made possible. You must simply declare to yourself that it is possible.
We now must transition from basic to what I call “beyond” faith. What I mean by that is we must begin to believe beyond what the limits may have placed, because God is not bound by time, space, or power. He is called the great “I AM”, not the once great I was. What you think is impossible, God has already made possible. You must simply declare to yourself that it is possible.
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