The Power of Love

In our world today many people believe that the most powerful nations are ones with nuclear weapons en massed.  Others believe that if you can defend oneself with various weapons of their choosing that they can intimated their enemies and keep them bringing them harm.  Some people believe that if they have unlimited resources they can effect change whenever they like at the nod of their head.  These things can and do have impact and can force others to make changes but when one truly examines this much more closely does it not appear that it is driven more on the basis of fear than anything else.

I believe that the truest and most powerful force in the universe is the Love of God.  Why do I believe this.  For one the Bible states that God is love(1 John 4:8).  When one thinks about what Christ has done for each one of us, how He died on the cross for our sins, sins that He himself do not commit, just how deep is that love?  It is truly unfathomable.  It is one thing for me to do good to my fellow man, who I have love and concern for, but to die for those who will hate you and spit in your face and never change their mind about you, that is real love.

I believe that we as the Church have trivialized this.  We have come to accept His love as if we deserve it, when in reality we don't.  However God wants to have relationship with each and everyone of us.  Thus His love never does end.  It is when we as His people exhibit that love to one another as Christ prayed for in John 17:23 that the world will know and see that God truly is among us.  When will we see the manifest glory of God?  When the love of the Father God follows out of us unto those He has commissioned us to reach out to.  I use to believe that the signs and wonders was what I truly wanted so I could demonstrate and prove the existence and the reality of the God of the Bible.   I have come to re think that position.  Now all I want is His love flowing into me so I can turn and give it out to those who need to know that love.  For as I pursue my future in God and leave behind some precious people the power of Love that God gave me has shown me just how much impact it can truly have on those who wanted to receive it.  And for that I am eternally grateful.

 

The Will of God

Recently I have many a discussion with family and fellow believers about what the Will of
God is for one's life.  I know that my time at my current employer is nearly over and I believe that God has called me and my family to Charlotte North Carolina area to continue the work that has already been started in us.  But how does one know what the Will of God is?

To find out what the Will of God is for one's life you have to be able to hear God speak.  Does this mean that God speaks through an audible voice?  Sometimes He does and it is through a person that you may have a deep regard for but in most cases God will speak to your spirit by the time you spend with Him in prayer and in the Bible.  Whatever witness you get will be backed by God's written word, if it does not I would trust it to be from Him.  Another thing that will confirm His will to you is whether you have peace about what He is calling you to do or go.  If there is no peace about what you are about to embark in than stay where you are or what you are doing. 

For where the Will of God is there will be no fear.  For fear is of the devil and our God is love.  If you encounter a person who is trying to make you do something or go somewhere you don't have peace about then you don't go or do it.  God will witness to you about whom you should be with and where you should go.  In the book of Acts Paul wanted to go to Asia to preach God's word but was not permitted to do so by the Spirit of God(Acts 16:7).  So even though there are good men and women of faith who want you to something that is of God you may not be led by the Spirit of God to do it simply because it is not the Will of God for you to do it. 

If one will do as God leads than you will find joy and every need met.  To live in God's Will and plan is the only way to live one's life to the fullest.

The Power of Love and Forgiveness and how it Figures into Discipline

I have recently been involved with a situation with someone who is close to me and how this person was in the process of making some life changes that are pretty dramatic.  I discovered during a conversation with this individual and another person within their circle of influence that possibly they were thinking of "shacking up" with their significant other.  As a Christian man I am not one who thinks highly of this way of living because it does take away from the relationship between the two who are in love, but even in a greater way it hurts their relationship with Christ and helps to spoil and tarnish their witness for Christ.

When I had the chance to speak with the one who was in the process of making this life change I confronted them about their choice.  How did I make that confrontation?  The person that I was dealing with was sure that I would yell at them for the potential mistake they were considering on making.  However, when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden did the Lord yell at them (Genesis 3: 8-9).  No, He went looking for them.  When the father of the prodigal son saw that his son had spent all that he had gotten from him and his son had come to his right senses in that he made his way home, the father ran to meet him and threw a huge party celebrating his return.  So how did a handle this situation.  Just like the Father God would.   I showed love and forgiveness along with stern instructions on why this was not a smart move to make.  When it comes to disciplining those you love you must be willing to put yourself in their shoes.  You must understand where they are in their relationship to you and to the Father God.  For if the Lord God can forgive David for his adulterous affair and still let him reign as King over Israel how can I come down so hard on a person who loves the Lord but is still learning their way and place in the Kingdom.  For if I had been overly harsh I may have crushed their spirit and instead of them learning from the experience it may have given them a place of hopelessness that may have led to them walking away from the One who loves them more than anyone.  And I don't want that blood on my hands.  Do you? 

Is Prosperity what God wants for His People?

A lot of people would argue that God is not one who believes in seeing His people do well but I would beg to differ.  When we hear the word prosperity we almost always think of money.  But is that what God means when that word is mentioned?  I do believe that God wants His people to have the resources necessary to bless people because without an abundance of resources how can the Gospel of the Kingdom of heaven be financed?  Prosperity also includes one's health and the relationships that one has with one's family and friends.  Prosperity covers all areas of one's life and thus if one is prospering than all areas has God's blessing written all over it.  I remember hearing a story about Howard Hughes who was billionaire in the past century.  From all indications Howard Hughes did not know the God of the Bible and in his last days lived in fear that someone was out to steal his money.  He supposedly died in a hotel room as a lonely man who lived in constant fear.  In the world's term of prosperity it would appear that Howard Hughes had made it, but in reality he lacked the peace that God's prosperity brings. Remember to be prosperous in God means that one will have peace, joy and God's purposes in mind when it comes how one lives their life.  It is the kind of prosperity that I am seeking to attain.  How about you? To read more about God's prosperity click on the following link .

Ungodly Soul Ties

One of the things that binds a man or woman is something that I call a soul tie.  Now soul ties are not necessarily a bad thing and in the case of marriage a soul tie between a man and woman who revere and honor God and themselves is a good thing.  But ungodly soul ties are things which binds a man or woman into a habit or to a person who helps to bring about destructive behavior.  An ungodly soul tie is something a person cannot free themselves from without help from the Lord.  Whether that addiction is to sex, alcohol or something like overeating an ungodly soul tie holds a person bound in a particular area and makes it feel like one cannot exist without feeding the habit that has been formed.  People in this state are unable to break free from this unless they have a desire to brake the habit and are committed to making the change.  In most cases these habits need the support of another.  Christ wants to be that person for you.  If you are bound to something that you have hidden in your closet it is time to bring that which is in darkness out to the light where Christ and those whom He has called will be able to break the chain and provide the support one needs to work out the salvation you desperately need.  Please join me this day in seeking Him out and allowing Jesus Christ to be your bondage breaker today!

Is God's Word True?

I recently had a discussion with a person who has a difficult time believing in God's word as it is stated in the Bible.  They constantly think about things such as the fact how does one know if what is in the Bible is actually God's words.  I can tell you that this is a question that everyone in the universe who has existed, does exist and or will exist has wrestled with.  The world system and the devil don't want God's way of doing things because it means that if what the Bible declares is truth than people will have to change their behavior to reflect what God expects.  The reason people question God's word is they hope to keep control of their life and the way they choose to live it by saying that God's word is not authentic.  How do I know that God's word is true?  When a man who is religious extremist who kills Christians changes his life from that position to one who becomes the greatest apostle in the Bible this shows me that God's word has power to change lives from one extreme to the other.  Obviously I am talking about the Apostle Paul.  There are many other examples and other witnesses that one can draw from including many of the apostles of Christ who as the first witnesses of the risen Christ were willing to lay down their lives for what they had witnessed.  Would a man lay down his life for a lie?  I think not.  Jesus Christ is a authentic person of history who either was the Savior of mankind or the biggest deceiver that mankind has ever known.  When it comes down to making a decision on Christ it still comes down to faith.  Do you want to believe Christ is who He said He was or not?  Take a look at the facts.  Books written by Josh McDowell like Evidence that demands a Verdict and Ray Comfort's How to know God Exists:  Scientific Proof of God are excellent materials in helping one weigh the facts.  After looking at the facts it will still require one's faith to be exercised in God before changes will occur.  Will you join me in this journey of faith.  I pray that you will.

For some more information on this topic please check out the following blog post from Josh McDowell. 

Should God be Blamed?

In the years that I have walked with the Lord there has been many a time where I or most anyone I know has blamed God for something that didn't go the way we had hoped.  But should we lay this blame on God's doorstep?  I believe that this is the wrong approach.  If one believes that God is good and that His intentions are for our best than when something doesn't go the way we would like it to leaves us with the following options, was it us, sin, or the devil who brought the wrong into our lives.

In most cases I believe that the reason things don't go the way we would like them to has to do with something we did or didn't do.  Whether we miss stepped on something or we were not obedient to what God told us to do or for some other reason we need to examine ourselves to determine what when wrong.  Asking God to show us where we failed is the best option for He will shows us when we ask in faith. 

Sin is the result of disobedience and this is an area that we may be aware of or we may need  God to come in and help us see what we need to change.  Repentance will get us back on track with what God intends.  Sometimes the devil will step into a situation and provide resistance that will hinder what God intends to do with us and for us.  In these cases once again as in all the other areas that I have mentioned we need to seek God out to see if what we are experiencing is from the enemy of our souls or not.  God will reveal these things to us if we will seek Him out.  Remember when it comes to whether or something turns out the way we had hoped that in most cases the problems originate with us or another fellow human failing to do as God requires.  If you want to see all that God intends than be willing to be obedient to what God has stated to you in His book and you will experience victory as never before.