The Road We Travel

The Road We Travel

Wow what an awesome God. “Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above Him is no other, Jesus is the way.” In His name we move forward as Christians. Dedicated at some level, individually and corporately, to carry His word, and His story to the world, and to our world.

I doubt there is anyone that doesn’t have a family member or friend that is struggling with life. Struggling with their faith in God. Dealing with hurts and failures. Trying to understand the answer that will move them beyond all their stuff, and find a meaningful relationship with Christ.

Paul in prison wrote this to Timothy in his second letter 1:12. KJV “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” That day meaning when Paul faced Jesus

“This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.” “I love this stuff”

Isaiah 35:8-10

8 A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
9 No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

The road we travel will be, to say the least interesting. On it we will find all sorts of teaching tools. These tools have a singular purpose. Fulfill our purpose

Here is that purpose defined by scripture.

Ephesians 4:13

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

For the rest of this message I will be using road as a metaphor. You might say it is a journey that carries us forward in the knowledge of Christ. Learning, growing, embracing, and sharing what we know with the world.

Saul got on the road one day with letters to arrest and kill followers of Christ. “Jesus meeting on the road and changing the path”

God will prepare others to help you as the road changes in your journey. Same road, different process. Saul was blind.

Acts 9:17

So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Saul was not trusted by the Apostles. They knew him as a killer of followers of Christ.

Acts 9:27

But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

Saul who became Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles began his journey with murder in his heart. When he had an encounter on the road his purpose changed. He was now in an unfamiliar setting. God had positioned others to help Paul on his journey.

“What happens when you meet Jesus for the first time on your journey?”

The road to eternal life will test your character.

Luke 10:30-33

30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.

31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion.

“Religion wouldn’t help. It took compassion from someone despised in the culture of the day.”

The road, the journey will test your character. “The road, the journey will provide opportunities.”

Luke 18:35

As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.

What about us today? Traveling our road, our journey. Have we passed a blind, hungry, sick, discouraged, angry, unloved, wounded, all alone person? If so did we stop? The road, the journey will test our character. “It will test our faith as well.”

This occurred during Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Luke 19:35-38

35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it.

36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road.

37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

38 shouting: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Verse 36 Amplified

As He rode along, people were spreading their coats on the road [as an act of homage before a king].

The road, the journey is a place of worship. This was a common expression of joy in the day. Given as worship in response to the great things Christ had done.

What about the your road, your journey.

By The Grace of God

By The Grace of God

We have moved forward year after year. Prayerfully coming to understand more of God’s word. Embracing His purpose for our lives, and the ministry of this church.

Father is revealing and strengthening as we understand His Word, and follow His principles. What a compassionate, understanding, and forgiving, Father. His Son has redeemed us, restored us, and empowered us. “All things are possible, in His name”

In Luke 15 Jesus tells us the story of the prodigal son. When he came home and his brother protested the celebration the father replied.

Luke 15:31-32

“31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.

32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’” Awesome

Genesis 32:10-12

10 I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.

11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.

12 For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’”

Jacob speaking to God about his deceptions.

We know that this reunion went well. God is faithful. Even to hear the prayer, and keep His promise to someone with failures and mistakes. “By the Grace of God”

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.

9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Verse 9:Message and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.

How much clearer can this be. God is not demanding perfection. Humility and loyalty are the principles He builds upon. take your eyes and your mind off your fears and your failures. Focus your eyes and your mind on the gift of God within you.

This was part of John the Baptist response when he was questioned about being the Messiah.

John 1:27

It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.

Jesus said this about John The Baptist.

Luke 7:28 KJV

For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Success in Christ is not about your family tree. Your education or your perfection. Our success is built on our ability to reject our will, for The will of God. To recognize that it is not me, but Christ in me. To move forward with humility, and dependence on God.

Yes we must strive to be the best that we can be. Rejecting temptation to sin. To walk our own path. Just remember that when you become great. The least of these will be greater than you.

Paul said this to the Philippians. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Love the way the Message says it.

Philippians 4:13 Message

“Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am”

Hebrews 4:14-16

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16 Message

15 We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.

16 So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

For some it is time to reject the excuses, and embrace the mercy. Life is not over because you have an issue.

King and Priest

 King and Priest

Together we are experiencing a wonderful presence of God. I am so thankful for His love, grace, and the truth of His Word.

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

We must embrace Jesus. Everything about Him. His beginning, regarding creation. The prophetic that herald His coming and His character, all through the OT. His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. “Our life must be the image of Jesus. In understanding and in presentation.”

Zechariah 6:12-13

12 Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord.

13 Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’

Zechariah 13 Message

Yes, he’s the one. He’ll build the Temple of God. Then he’ll assume the role of royalty, take his place on the throne and rule—a priest sitting on the throne!—showing that king and priest can coexist in harmony.’

A King rules, and a Priest serves. Jesus fulfills both of these offices. “We are being built in the spirit to be the dwelling place of God. “

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,

22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

“all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.” Eph 2:22 MSG

1 Peter 2:5

you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:5 Amplified

You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.

“I talk a lot about Kingdom authority, and our role in its purpose. This office was proclaimed prophetically very early in th Bible. It has been God’s plan from the very beginning. The things that God has planned for His followers has never been a secret. It has never even been that complicated to understand.”

Let me start from the beginning.

Genesis 14:18-20 KJV

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

The Psalmist David said this prophetically.

Psalms 110:4

The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

The author of Hebrews confirmed this.

Hebrews 5:6

just as He says also in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 5:10

being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:1-3

1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, (Hebrew-rightness, justice, righteousness) and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

I want to talk for a few minutes about Melchizedek.

What is so unique about Him? He held two offices, that in a sense were in direct conflict with one another.

He was a king. A ruler of people. Making laws, passing sentence. Everything a king was supposed to do. He was a priest. Serving God and the people.

How is it that these two offices can be fulfilled by one person? What does it mean to us?

Revelation 5:9-10 Amplified

9 And they sang a new song [of glorious redemption], saying, “Worthy and deserving are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 “You have made them to be a kingdom [of royal subjects] and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth.”

Revelation 1:4-6

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—

6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The previous passage says they will reign, Reign means, to exercise kingly power. “Who is they?” Who is us?

The Fathers Business

The Fathers Business

I love the Lord, it may sound a little weird but I love Him more and more. His presence comforts, heals, and empowers. It is so strengthening to know that He has our backs. We can face each day knowing that Jesus is with us every step.

In success we give Him praise and glory. In moments of fear and confusion we worship. It aligns our will with His. Never a day goes by that I don’t need Him to calm my spirit. Give me wisdom to make decisions. Share my heart with His. As the old song says, “I love Him, because He first loved me.”

We live in a world today that us seasoned saints have trouble understanding. It is a great comfort to know that God knew this time would come even before it did. It may take more time in prayer to be relevant in this day. If we listen, the needs are the same. The hurt and confusion is the same. The answer is the same.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I want to share a passage 3 different ways.

Ephesians 1:18 KJV

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

Amplified

And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),

Good News

I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people,

“It is very difficult for me to move beyond the gifts, and promises God gave us, and His purpose for us all.”

With that said I have looked consistently for the words to encourage, and the tools to be successful. I believe God’s church. The body of Christ. Locally and globally must embrace His promises and the tools He has given us to increase His Kingdom. Let me establish His eternal presence and purpose.

Daniel 7:14

“And to Him was given dominion,Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting

dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”

Ephesians 1:22-23 Amplified

22 And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church,

23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].

Ephesians 2:6

and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

NLT

For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

It is time for God’s church to move beyond the elementary principles of the Bible, and embrace the who He is, and what He has done, to empower us to reach our world.

With that said I want to share two Biblical principles we must use to move forward in His purpose.

James 4:5-8

5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?

6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

James 4:7 Amplified

So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.

Who was he was talking to?

“First principle, submit and resist.”

Matthew 18:18-20 NASB

18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Amplified

18 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.

19 “Again I say to you, that if two believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”

“Second principle, bind and loose” Just so you know here is where the authority comes from.

John 14:12-14 Amplified

12 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father.

13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name [as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son.

14 If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it.

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The Same Place

The Same Place

The older I get the more I have a sense of urgency. I have so much left to do. With that said, I have less time to do it with as each year passes by.

For you younger folks the same principle applies to you. Every year you live, you have less time to accomplish your goals, and realize your dreams. Time is too precious to waste.

I heard someone quote a scripture this week, and it stuck to me. I began to think about the past. Missed opportunities, mistakes, incomplete dreams and

expectations.

More than anything I have shared, I pray that today you will be challenged and encouraged to be all you can be.

I read this week that many years ago, if the American Indians didn’t like someone they would curse them by saying, “May you stay in the same place.”

That is a very interesting statement. It is also very enlightening. What happens when you stay in the same place? You become stagnant. The word stagnant has some synonyms. “still, motionless, inactive, depressed, dying, dormant.”

“We often relate that word to the smell of a small body of water with no in or out flow.” No growth, change, or moving.

Jeremiah 4:3

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.

Hosea 10:12

Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

Farm land was often left uncultivated for a reason. To gain nutrients and for crop rotation. Left unplanted too long and useless things grow.

Jesus made a couple of statements while teaching in Luke the 9^th chapter.

Luke 9:23

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Luke 9:62

But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God

The message from these two scriptures is clear.

“God is telling us that our destiny is not behind us, it is in front of us.

Still there are gifts that have been left alone. God placed them in our hearts to grow and have value to the Kingdom. Yet they lay dormant, and have been choked by doubt and fear of failure.

“It is not about winning every time, it is however about getting up every time.” Leaving the failure or the mistake behind you in His grace, and moving forward in the gift that has been planted in you.

Here is the passage that stuck with me all week.

Philippians 3:12-15

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

Verse 15 Message

So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!

Conquer the past.

Can’t Steal My Praise

Can’t Steal My Praise

God has been faithful even in the midst of all the clutter and racket to share His love and grace. I am so blessed and thankful to be a follower of Christ.

His mercy, love, and grace has kept me through all the seasons of life. In just a few weeks Betty and I will celebrate 17 awesome years together. God has been so good to us. This church, you faithful warriors have brought us great joy and happiness. We have also felt the sorrow of loss, and yet we stand strong in His presence. We exist to give God glory. He is our strong foundation, and our constant help. Always there when we need Him.

The last part of Hebrews 13:5 AMP says this, ““I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!

I want to lay my foundation today with this very familiar passage.

Job 1:20-22

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

21 He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

With all the loss and sorrow Job experienced, Satan couldn’t rob him of His praise.

You have to read the entire chapter of Isaiah 43. It is awesome, and I will share just a small part of it.

Isaiah 43:16-21

16 Thus says the Lord, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

17 Who brings forth the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick):
18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.
19 “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
20 “The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people.
21 “The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.

Verse 21 Message, “the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.”

I could not resist one more time of God reminding us how much He has done, and how far it reaches into our lives. Our enemy will do everything possible to cause us fear and doubt. “Can’t Steal My Praise”

The Sons of Korah shared this word.

Psalms 42:9-11 NASB

9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

What an awesome declaration. Overwhelmingly oppressed by the enemy. “The enemy couldn’t steal their praise.”

David shared this.

Psalms 63:1-4 Message

1 God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.

2 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.

3 In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains.

4 I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

Even in the dry spots where God seems so far away. “The devil can’t steal your praise.”

Acts 16:25-26 NASB

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.

Praise will break the chains that bind. Chains of fear, doubt, anger, unforgiveness. Chains of discouragement, and rejection.

The enemy will throw everything at us over the course of our Christian life. His purpose and goal is to create a divide in our relationship with the Father. “Don’t let the enemy steal your praise.”

The Mouth Speaks

The Mouth Speaks

Love for the wounded and struggling begins the healing process in their lives. Many of you are very good at loving these folks. Keep it up. Love will change their world, and yours as well.

I say this often because I want you all to believe and embrace it. We are in a new season of ministry. The word is anointed and His presence is preparing our hearts to receive.

We find this admonition in Proverbs 18 from the Message.“20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. 21 Words kill, words give life;they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”

Fasten your seat belts, James 3 is titled, The Tongue is a fire.”

James 3:1-10

1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

3 Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.

4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.

5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

7 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.

8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;

10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

David shared this prayer.

Psalms 17:1-3

1 Hear a just cause, O Lord, give heed to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer, which is not from deceitful lips.
2 Let my judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with equity.
3 You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

Matthew 12:33-37

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

34 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

35 The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.

36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.

37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Jesus shared a powerful definition of character. What is in our heart comes out of our mouth. What we say is important. Our words can mend, or they can break. Build up or tear down. Encourage of discourage. Positive or negative.

James 1:19

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

Amplified Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];

Our words are very important. What we say can change a person’s life. Create value in a person’s life. Create hunger for God and build their faith to follow Christ.

What you say can activate the promises of God.

Matthew 17:19-20

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”

20 And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

Message

“Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”It is time to take Him seriously!!

To sum it up God has positioned us to see the victory, hear the sound of abundance of rain, and speak the promise of God with authority.

Ears to Hear

Ears to Hear

God has been so good to ALC over the years and we have yet to even see all the great things He will accomplish, as we remain faithful to Him.

My love for people and their Godly purpose is what drives me. I don’t always know an individual’s purpose. What I do know is that we all have one. I can also say with some level of authority that your purpose evolves as you walk in it. The Apostle Paul said it best. Philippians 3:13, (Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,)

Our Christian life evolves as we leave our past and move forward in Christ. Many people fear this next reality. (Always truthful)The more we know, the more accountable we are to God, to walk in our purpose.

Matthew 5:16

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

“Let people see, what you have seen.” Revelation

In Matthew 13 the disciples asked Jesus why He taught in parables.

Matthew 13:13-16

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them .’

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Ears come from a Greek word used metaphorically, “The faculty of perceiving with the mind, the faculty of understanding and knowing.” The word hear means, “to give ear to teaching, or a teacher. To comprehend or understand.” It’s not hearing the sound, it is hearing the revelation. There are two kinds of people who can’t hear. Hear meaning comprehending and understanding. “1^St, those who are not ready to comprehend and understand. 2^Nd, those who already think they know everything.”

1 Corinthians 2:6-9

6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;

8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Amplified

but just as it is written [in Scripture], “Things which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed].”

I don’t believe that Peter and John fully understood The mission of Jesus until they were filled with the Spirit in the upper room. Peter addressed a great crowd with the story of Jesus and 3000 souls were saved. You know the story of the lame beggar and Peter’s second sermon which brought 5000 to Christ. After his arrest and release by the Jews, and their threats, Peter said this.

Acts 4:19-20

19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;

(20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”)

Your revelation, and it’s purpose.

John 5:24

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

Amplified

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the person who hears My word [the one who heeds My message], and believes and trusts in Him who sent Me, has (possesses now) eternal life [that is, eternal life actually begins—the believer is transformed], and does not come into judgment and condemnation, but has passed [over] from death into life.”

Do you hear these awesome promises?

Colossians 2:8-15

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Colossians 2:14-15 Amplified

14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of legal demands [which were in force] against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross.

15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross.

Jesus was nailed to the cross so you would not have to see what the enemy showed you, and you would not have to hear what the enemy told you.

The cross and the resurrection changed the narrative. If you can see Jesus, and hear His words of life. You can do and be anything you can believe.

Eyes Wide Open

Eyes Wide Open

I have said for the last couple of weeks that I have felt a shift in the Spirit. That is a good thing. It usually means some prayers are being answered, and purpose is going to another level.

When we pray. When we hear and embrace His word. When we thirst for more, things will not stay the same.

Isaiah 55:1, “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.” John 6:35, “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

What an amazing opportunity that the church has today. As the church finds itself in repentance for it’s arrogance and neglect, God is changing things. As the church moves forward in His love and grace, God is changing things. What an awesome season of His power we are in. I hear this practically every day in prayer, “KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Not long ago I came across an article that I found very interesting. It was referring to gates, and how we each have three. Gates are points of entrance or exit. The article pointed out our three gates. Eyes, Ears, and mouth. To me the eyes and ears are entrances. The mouth is an exit. This will be something of a series, but not necessarily consecutive. Over the course of the next few weeks I will be talking about eyes, ears, and the mouth. “And boy this is going to be fun!!!”

Let me begin with the eyes today and lay a foundation with a couple of scriptures.

Hebrews 12:2

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Ephesians 1:18 Amplified

And I pray that the eyes of your heart, the very center and core of your being may be enlightened, flooded with light by the Holy Spirit, so that you will know and cherish the hope, the divine guarantee, the confident expectation to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),

In Hebrews the word for eyes is translated from a Greek word which means, “turn from other things and fix on something else.” Almost like repentance

In Ephesians the eyes of your heart is used metaphorically to mean, “eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing”

There is a very important distinction of what we see and what we understand.

We must understand how important the gate we open with our eyes is. In fact the very first temptation of man,

and the subsequent failure thereof had to do with the eye.

Genesis 3:4-6

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

It looked good, was a delight to see, had great results. Ring any bells? “Only problem, God said don’t do it”

Matthew 6:22-23

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23 Message

22“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light.

23 If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!

Remember Simeon?

Luke 2:29-32

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

From the Greek, “eyes means turn from to something else, seen means discover, and turn attention to, and light is used metaphorically to mean the revelation of God to the Gentiles.”

1 Peter 1:3-9

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:8-9 Message

8 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing.

9 Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.

What about in between? Being born again, and the death in Christ that will eventually come to us all. These passages in 1^st Peter listed many of the promises of God as we continue in our faith in Jesus. What do you see when you read and hear all the wonderful love and promises of the Father?

In one of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecies he said this.

Isaiah 52:15

Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.

Isaiah 64:4

For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

Departed, And Nobody Cares

Departed, And Nobody Cares

I am so in love with the church. Beyond these walls, and all over the world people are praying. Nothing can stop the progression of the church as long as people pray.

The world may change. People may embrace many different cultural ideas. Religion is splintered into hundreds, even thousands of different theological platforms.

Yet God has not changed. “James 1:17 says, Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

So culture may change, the world may change. Right and wrong has been redefined over and over again. We don’t answer to culture, we don’t answer to religion. Right and wrong is clearly defined. Christians must do two things to change our world, and move forward in Christ. “Love God with all you heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

As I begin I want to lay a foundation to build on. The Bible clearly tells us that the Messiah would come from the house of David. His seed would bear our Lord.

1 Chronicles 17:11-15

11 When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

12 He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

13 I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.

14 But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”’”

15 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

Confirmed by the Angel visiting Mary.

Luke 1:32-33

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

I love when the old and the new connect. What an amazing God that positioned individuals over thousands of years to keep the Messianic message real.

For the past few weeks I have been listening to the new and reading the old. While reading in the OT I came across a sentence that hit me like a ton of bricks.

In 2nd Chronicles 21 there is a very sad story. It begins this way.

2 Chronicles 21:1-3

1 Then Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.

2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

3 Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

Jehoram had it made. (Lineage, name means Jehovah is exalted. Financial prosperity and safe cites to dwell in as a king. Covenant)

He started with all he needed to succeed.

2 Chronicles 21:4-7

4 Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also.

5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

6 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.

7 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

God moved Elijah to write Jehoram a letter acknowledging his wickedness. It ended like this.

2 Chronicles 21:14-15

14 behold, the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity;

15 and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.’”

This story is so sad. His end is near.

2 Chronicles 21:16-17

16 Then the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians;

17 and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

2 Chronicles 21:18-20

18 So after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable sickness.

19 Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in great pain. And his people made no fire for him like the fire for his fathers.

20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Verse 20 AMPC

departed without being wanted. GNT Nobody was sorry when he died. TLB died unmourned. MSG There were no tears shed when he died—it was good riddance.

Now here was a man with everything.

He had financial security. Safe cities, a Godly covenant with his heritage in the house of David. A destiny with God’s favor. A name that honored God. (nobody cared when he died.)

How could someone have so much to begin with, and end with nothing? He wasted his gifts and his talents. He did not walk in the purpose of God.

What about your gifts, your talents. Your purpose. Jesus fulfilled His purpose to redeem all of us. Have you accepted the gift of Salvation. What is your gift, and what are you doing with it? Preach, People with little to begin with. The woman at the well was a mess. Mary Magdelene possessed with devils. Woman who washed His feet with tears and dried them with her hair. Gideon, Jehoshaphat. On and on through the Bible there were people who had very little to start with. Still they used what they had and changed the world they lived in for the better. We remember them today. Nobody remembers Jehoram.

What about your gift? (People won’t remember how you start. They will remember how you finish.)