Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So!

Often times, when we think of being delivered or needing to be delivered we think sin such as smoking, drinking, fornicating, and other sins physically commit. But I will have you to know that the sins we commit in our hearts and minds are just as bad if not worse. Of course I realize that there is no degree of sin but while reading The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Myers I am coming to understand that the thoughts that take place in our minds eventually effect our behavior. So in essence, if we were to transform our minds and align our thoughts with the Word of God then we will already be in the will of God (Romans 12:2).

The first part of this process is to stop thinking like the world thinks. The bible tells us that we are a peculiar people, a chosen generation- set apart. That means that while the rest of the nation is worried about the economic crisis, we are to remember that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. We are joint heirs with Christ. The wealth of the world is laid up for the just - that's us. God has already promised to provide all of our needs according to His riches and glory...yet I'll be the first to admit that every now and again that I'll listen to CNN a little too long start to look at economic projections instead of toward the One Who holds tomorrow in His hands.

Lately, God has been challenging me to continue to walk with Him even when I can't see Him and feel Him as vividly as in the past. God has been challenging me to simply trust that if I trust Him that everything will be alright. Why wouldn't it be? He is the same God that delivered me from so many times before. Yes, God has done marvelous things that are recorded in bible but every now and again we need to have a flash back and recall what the Lord has done for us: where He has brought us from and what He has delivered us from. God has not changed. So why should I feel discouraged? He has a proven track record in each of our lives.

Not too long ago, I had a problem with worrying. I believed in God and knew that God would supply all of my needs and would be there with me until the ends of the earth. I was fine when I could see or feel God moving but during the times when I felt that God was silent - I began to worry. I began to wonder if I was somehow out of the will of God or if I misinterpreted what God has spoken to me. There was even a period in my walk with the Lord where I believed that my salvation was dependant upon my actions (Thank God for deliverance!) . Every once and again I have to rebuke myself for allowing doubt to creep into my mind. Why? Because God has already delivered me from doubt and set me free from fear.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,
and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

You see, the enemy is cunning and crafty. If he knows that Jesus has delivered you from worry, doubt and fear he will subtly try to implant those thoughts into your mind. He will slowly try to cause you to look at your problems instead of Jesus, the Problem Solver. The enemy doesn't even want you to realize that it is a sin to worry. In stead, he will have you to believe that you are only thinking logically. The problem with that God wants us to trust him blindly. He wants us to believe Him for who He is and what He says. The mysteries of God are great. As finite beings, we are not able to understand the infinite wisdom of God

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

As humans, it is often hard to understand the unexplainable and fully grasp the intangible. That's why we need God. He came to do those things that are impossible by man. We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. So if the Lord has delivered you - you are free! If the Lord has healed you - you are whole. If God God be for you - who can be against you.

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; (Psalm 107:2)

Let us pray:

Dear Lord we come to you humbly confessing that we can do nothing without You. We repent of our doubt, and fear and leave it at the foot of the cross right now in the name of Jesus. Lord we thank You for for life, for your Living Word and all that You have done. We thank You for never leaving us and being right beside us in the midst of it all. Your Word says that if we lack faith we are to ask more of You as you are waiting to give it to us freely. I ask that you bless every person that visits this page and every page they visit and those that visit their pages. Touch our hearts and our minds. Create within us a clean heart and renew within us a right sprit. I ask that you endow us all with an added measure of faith. I ask that you give us boldness to proclaim your Word. Give us boldness to walk by faith and not by site. Make us like trees planted by the rivers of water unmovable, unshakeable, steadfast in your Word. Help us to continue to lift You up so that we can continue to draw men to you. Lord when you do this as always we will be ever so careful to give you all of the glory, honor, thanks and praise in Jesus name. Amen.

He Cares...

Have you ever had a situation that you saw to be so big and so impossible that you thought there was no hope? Have you ever had something weigh so heavily on your mind that you couldn’t think about anything but your issue? Have you ever been weary, troubled and you go to church and there the preacher is preaching about a similar situation or you turn on the television, answer the phone, or look out the window and there someone is going through the same exact thing you are going through? Let me take it a step further, have you ever prayed for guidance and just opened the bible to any page and landed upon a scripture that applied to your situation? I have.

Before I received Jesus as my personal savior, I thought these things to just be coincidence. I understood that God hears all and sees all but I didn’t think that He was concerned about me. I knew that God was all powerful and that there was nothing too hard for Him but I thought that God had more important things to be concerned with beside me and my little problems. I realized that it wasn’t until circumstances proved I needed God that I called upon Him. And even then my pride wouldn’t allow me to call on Him when I needed Him the most. I feared that He wouldn’t want to hear what I had to say considering I hadn’t bothered to talk to Him until I needed something. But on the contrary, God was right there with open arms waiting for me the whole time. God was right there watching me search high and low for answers and He never imposed Himself on me. Yet, I’m sure it saddened His heart to watch me turn every which way but to Him. I thank God that He is not like man and wasn’t vengeful. He waited for me as long as it took and then accepted me just as I was. (Imagine if we had the same patience with others.) Jesus wants us to understand that there is no one else who can make everything alright. I realized that it was the will of God for me to try doing things “my way” so that I could understand that He is The Way.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)

I am coming to understand that God not only wants me to trust Him with the “big” situations in life but the smaller things too. There is nothing “too small” for God. We often limit the power and purpose of God by delegating to God what we need Him to do (the big things) and electing to handle the lesser things ourselves. We have to learn to seek God in everything no matter how small it may seem.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Many times I find myself trying to figure out which way to go, what to do or what to say but I’m learning more and more everyday that that’s not my job. My job is to trust Him blindly. My job is not to make sense of the situation but to give up all of my own rationale and understanding because faith doesn’t always make sense. I can beg and plead to God, throw temper tantrums, give Him back every scripture in the bible, and pray to the top of my lungs but none of that moves God. Faith moves God. That’s why the Word tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. When we pray, Jesus told us to ask and BELIEVE. If we could see what God was doing and know the outcome we wouldn’t have to trust Him. The scripture says that God will make our paths straight. That means that as long as we seek him, and trust Him we can’t go wrong. Isn’t that good news?

I never conceived in my mind that God would pursue me. I used to think of God as some Great Superior Being that was so far away and preoccupied. But all thanks be to God that I now know God has not forgotten me. He is concerned about me. Not only is God concerned about me but He knows all about me and my problems and they matter to Him.

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

He is concerned about all of us. With God, there is no such thing as coincidence or happenstance. Those signs that I thought were coincidences were actually confirmations and convictions. God used certain series of events to get my attention so that He could save, heal, deliver and set me free. God allowed me to go through certain things so that my life could be a testimony to others to make me an effective wittness.

Dear Lord,
I thank you for your love, your grace, your mercy and kindness. I thank you for waiting for us . I thank you for all those you sent to wittness to us and all the things you used to get our attention. We repent for anything we said, done, thought or felt that was displeasing to you and ask us to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Secondly, we repent for being so preoccupied with the cares of this world and limiting your power in our lives. We acknowledge you as Lord of Lords and King of Kings and simply come to thank you for all that you are, all that your're doing and all that you're going to do in Jesus' name. Amen

I'm Back....

Hello Everyone!

I missed you all very much while I was away. I received all of your warm wishes and prayers. All is well with me. I had some computer issues, my cell phone (which I sometimes use to go online) died and then I went back to school to finish my degree in Business. I have 1 more semester to go after this one. Please, keep me in prayer! I am now a full-time mother, wife, employee and student. How do I do it you ask? By the Grace of God, that's how. I will try to post 2-3 times a week because no matter how busy I get with life, God is still good and I still need to testify to His goodness, grace and mercy. If you don't hear from me as often as you are used to know that I am still praying for you.

May God continue to bless you richly!
Shanita

If No One Sees Me, Am I Still Wrong?

Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: " 'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.' " Aaron remained silent. (Leviticus 10:1-3 NIV)

Why Oh Why do we insist on learning things the hard way? How many times does God have to tell us not to touch something for us to learn not to touch it? Do we need to get burned? How many times will we test the grace of God before He allows us to suffer the consequences of our own disobedience?

Why are we not always as careful as we should be with the anointing that God has endowed us with? Why do we think we can step in and out of the assignments God has for our lives and complete them in our own way in our own time? Furthermore, when God begins to correct our disobedience why do we question our punishment? Why do we tend to blame every unpleasant thing that happens to us on the enemy and often neglect to consider some hardships to be discipline that the Lord promised to those He considers as His children? Selah.

In the previous chapter (Leviticus 9) the priests had just been annointed for office and begun their work in the Lord's ministry, yet here we see in Leviticus 10 that one fatal mistake caused them to be consumed by the anger of the Lord. Both their lives and ministry were over in an instant. Why? They were appointed by God to the Levitical Priesthood, why would they die for performing the duties of the priesthood? It wasn't "what" they were doing but it was "how" they were doing it. God is a God of order. The proper procedure was for the priests to use the fire from the altar. Also, the ceremony was to be performed by one priest at a time. Nadab and Abihu waited until the rest of the congregation were in worship to perform their unauthorized ceremony. God sees all and He knows all. Our prayer partners and fellow labourers in the Lord may not know when we are out of the will of God operating as if "everything is everything" but God knows. I wonder if the brothers purposely waited until Moses, Aaron and the rest of the congregation weren't around to break the rules. I wonder they didn't think it counted if they weren't walking worthy of their priestly calling if there wasn't anyone around to witness the offence.

The bible tells us that a novice or an inexperienced person shouldn't be placed in office lest they fall into temptation and condemnation (1 Timothy 3:6) Pride is a "dangerous sin". All sins are dangerous but pride is one of those sins that can be hidden and masked for quite some time before it is evident to others. However, we know that pride comes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Pride has a way of contaminating your mind to lead you to beleive that you are greater than you are. The flesh begins to increase as the Spirit of God decreases because the Spirit of God cannot dwell in an unclean temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). This is contrary to what has to happen so that God can be glorified in our ministry (see John 3:30). Nadab and Abihu would have been the 3rd and 4Th in line with Moses and Aaron being the most influential men amongst the congregation. Perhaps they allowed their new found title/position/assignment/auxiliary go to their heads. Perhaps they forgot that it is God that appointed them to their office to serve him. We must be ever so careful not to allow our success and accolades of men to drive our ministry but rather (as Jesus said) our meat should be to do the will of He that sent us.

After Moses explained to Aaron that his sons were already forewarned of the consequences of mishandling their anointing, he remained silent. Many times we see our loved ones suffering because of choices they intentionally made to go against the will of God. As humans, we are proned to error. Sometimes we err on the side of being angry at the system/mates/circumstances/ourselves and even God for allowing our loved ones (and even ourselves) to suffer. We can't always understand how a loving, long-suffering, compassionate forgiving good God would allow bad things to happen to what we consider to be "good people" but He does. Some trials are only to make us stronger but there are others that are a direct result of us disobeying God.

Therefore, let us pray:

Dear Lord in the name of Jesus, We come to you in a repentant spirit. We ask that you forgive us for all the sins we committed both by commission and omission. We thank you for your grace and your mercy. We realize that we too deserve the same fate that the sons of Aaron received every time we take for granted the assignments you have given us. I pray that we will all examine ourselves, our actions and our motives more carefully. Let us do all that we do in word and in deed to your glory. We want to be vessels ready to be used by you. Purify us, sanctify us wholly to be used by you . We thank you for choosing us. We thank you for allowing us to be part of your Royal Priesthood and most of all for coming down to earth as the perfect High Priest and sacrificing yourself for us.

We thank you for your word and how applicable it still is today even though you wrote it so long ago. Now I ask that you bless every person that visits this blog, those that visit their blogs and those that visit their blogs. Fill them with your spirit, Lord. Comfort the wounded, heal the sick, deliver the bound and most of all Lord - save the unsaved. I pray this pray with the expectation that you are able to perform above and beyond all I asked if it be your will with much thanksgiving in Jesus' name. Amen.

I WILL NOT Fear

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:3-4)

Have you ever heard that old expression: "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile"? Today, I gave the enemy an inch and if it were not for the Grace of God, he would have taken a mile and my joy right along with it. I received some disturbing news about a situation that was out of my control. I had already prayed and felt confident that God would move on my behalf but I allowed the messenger's voice to ring so loudly through my mind that I could only faintly hear the voice of the Lord. The messenger said that things were bad and only going to get worse but God told me to fear not neither be dismayed because it is He that goes before me and will not fail me (Deuteronomy 31:8). Once I realized that I was beginning to fear, instantly the enemy was right there waiting to kick me while I was down. You see the enemy's sole purpose to to steal, kill and destroy. It is not uncommon for him to pretend to be your friend, trustworthy and have your best interest at heart and then turn on you in the blink of an eye.

Aren't you the one that's always preaching about the spirit of power, love and a sound mind that God gave you? Right now, all I hear is fear. Where's your faith?

The taunting and teasing echoed in my mind. Here I am, the one that's always praying, ministering and witnessing telling every one else that fear is the opposite of faith and there I was beginning to worry about tomorrow. But why? Jesus told me not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). I politely ended the conversation and resolved within myself that I wasn't going to listen to the naysayers and doubters because I believe what Jesus said. I also believe that doubtful, negative spirits can be contagious. If you sit in the presence of negativity long enough - sooner or later you will become negative. If you spend more time listening to doom and gloom than you the promises of God - sooner or later you will loose your hope. More importantly if you allow fear to replace your faith, you will have no joy, no strength and no power. Ask me how I know.

I had to get away from everyone else and into the presence of the Lord. I repented for my disbelief and sought encouragement in His word. My first stop was Psalm 27. There is something about the first two verses of this psalm that always fills me with peace and tranquility when the storms around me are raging. There is the blessed assurance in this verse that no matter what the report is there is nothing to fear. It doesn't matter what the doctor says, the judge says, the employer says or the stock market says. I'm not going to fear anything of those thing. In fact, I'm going to pray that God will have mercy on those that come against me. The Word says that they'll stumble and fall. I pray that the Lord will left them up and save them. Therefore I WILL NOT FEAR. My mind is made up.

Let us pray:
Dear Lord, we come to you in the name of Jesus to say thank you. Thank you for your protection, your provisions, your promises and your power. Help us to keep our minds and hearts focused on you as the storms of life rage all around us. Help us not to be moved by what we see or feel. Don't allow us to sink in fear, doubt and disparity. Help us to acknowledge you and trust in you in all of our ways for you promised to direct our paths. Lastly Lord, we pray for those that curse and come against your servants and the will you have for our lives. We ask that you would bless them, save them and deliver them. We give you glory, honor, thanks and praise in Jesus' name. Amen.

Shhh! Don't Tell Nobody!

40A man with leprosy[f] came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (Luke 1:40-45 NIV)

I had to read this passage of text a few times before I could understand #1 why the leprous man blatantly disobeyed the Lord who had just healed him, #2 why Jesus told him to make no mention of the fact that it was He who healed the man and #3 why Jesus was unable to enter the town openly because of the miracle He had performed. Why wouldn’t Jesus want our Father in Heaven to be glorified in His good deeds? I thought to myself that if the townspeople knew that this man whom had been a leper all his life met Jesus one day and became whole that others would surely chose believe on Him too. Doesn’t that sound like the making of an awesome testimony? How many others would have flocked to the Lord seeking Him to perform miracles and meet their needs?

The leprous man went out and spoke openly about that which Jesus told Him to keep in secret no sooner than he was healed. If you’ll notice, Jesus told the man to go to the priest and offer sacrifices that were commanded for his cleansing as a testimony to them. Jesus clearly stated that He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). I believe that Jesus wanted the man to follow the same protocol that would have always been in order had he been healed of his disease by God and not Jesus (God in the flesh). Jesus did not want the people to think that He was a fad or deviating from what the Lord had already commanded through the prophet, Moses. Thus, the man should have gone to the priest, made the proper sacrifice then this would have been more of a testimony to the people than his running through the streets speaking openly when he was commanded not to tell anyone. The man was out of order. Jesus wouldn’t want anyone bragging about how blessed they were for being out of order. The man should have gone to the priest and made the sacrifice that was required for his healing but he was bragging about how God had blessed Him. It makes me wonder about Christians bragging about financial blessings when they don’t pay tithes. (Ouch!) I have to assume that the leprous man didn’t want God the blesser but rather the blessings that flowed from Him. So he had no regard for the Lord’s word. He had already been healed so He forgot about their quiet time together. This reminds me of the times that I prayed earnestly for God to move and spent less than half the time thanking Him as I did petitioning Him.

Before Jesus came across the leprous man, He had prayed and sought the Father for instruction (verses 35-38) as He always did before He made a move in ministry. Jesus was on His way to preach in the nearby villages. I believe that Jesus wanted the people to hear the Word and believe. I believe that Jesus wanted the people to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Jesus knew that He would not always physically be there with them so He wanted them to learn to trust Him and to believe that He would always be there for them.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

Once Jesus healed the man, He was no longer viewed as a preacher or God in the flesh but a healer. Jesus described himself as meek and lowly at heart (Matthew 11:29). Based on what Jesus tells us about his character, I don’t believe that Jesus would have wanted to enter the town as a celebrity. I don’t believe that Jesus would have wanted people to believe in Him for the miracles he could perform but rather for who He was, Who He represented and the salvation He offered. There were others that performed magic and practiced primitive medicine in those days. If the people were to believe in Jesus only because they saw signs and wonders it is possible they would believe in everyone that performed signs and wonders. Jesus came not to draw attention to himself but rather to the Father. Jesus told the disciples that they would do even greater works in His name than He did. I believe that Jesus wanted the people to understand that the results were simply a manifestation of the power that all would have who believed in Him.


**My dear sister and fellow blogger, Spring brought this particular story to my attention and asked me why I thought Jesus commanded the man not to tell anyone that He healed him and asked me to blog about this. I would like to say that I am a huge fan of Spring’s Love Letters To The King and am honored that she wanted to know what I thought the answer to her question was. I am also flattered that she requested that I blog about something. I meditated on this scripture all throughout the day and have shared with all of you what the Lord revealed to me through this passage of text. I would also like to hear why you guys think Jesus told him not to tell anyone. There are no wrong or right answers. For the word of God says let God be true and every man a liar.**

New Year - New Thought Patterns

Happy New Year's Everyone! I am so excited about 2009 and all that God will do this year. I don't really believe in resolutions because I have never kept them. That's the thing, I can't keep them - not alone anyway. I need the power of God to help me. I can't do anything in my own strength.

As 2008 closed, my husband and I decided that we would join a new church by the start of the new year. We had been visiting a few churches and they were really great but we wanted to be sure that we were where God wanted us to be. Our old church was nearly 20 miles from home. The distance and time was really beginning to be overwhelming so we obeyed the voice of the Lord and moved on to our next assignment. It wasn't easy because we had grown to love the members and the ministry over the years we spent there.

Throughout the process of looking for a new church, I went through many highs and lows. Either it was too far, too traditional, my husband liked the place and I didn't or vice versa. There was always something. There were several times I found myself feeling discouraged and ready to give up. I reasoned that I could just continue to visit churches forever and it wouldn't matter as long as I went. What did I need to be a member of a church for as long as I was a member of the Body of Christ? As long as I tithed, it didn't matter if it was going to the same congregation as long as it was going to the Kingdom of God, right? I didn't really feel that way. I needed to make excuses to make myself feel better.

You see, I understood that it was time for me to leave my old church. There were parts of me that couldn't wait to leave but then there were other parts of me that wanted to stay because I was comfortable. I knew what to expect. I didn't have to meet new people and learn new ways of doing things. Things were the way they were and there was nothing I could do about it.

Then on the other hand I felt out of place, out of touch, out of fellowship even though I was in somebodies church every Sunday. I began to feel like we would never find "the right place". Well, this Sunday when the church we had been visiting for a few months opened the doors of the church, my husband led the way up to the alter. We decided to unite with International City Community Church. I am sure that this will be a new and exciting experience for us both.

I decided to share my testimony about finally finding a new church because there are a lot of us that are trying to decide which move to make, which way to go and want to start the new year off in the direction we hope to be headed in for the rest of the year. Sometimes we feel like God has promised us that there is more out there for us and that it's time to make a change but WE decide to stay where we are out of complacency and fear. My prayer is that we will all seek the face of the Lord for direction and allow Him to lead us by His Spirit.

We spent months searching for a new church home and then ended up going to the first church that we ever visited together which is less than 10 minutes from home. I couldn't help but feel a little like the Children of Israel. How could a trip that should have talked us 10 minutes take us 10 months? That's something for me to pray about.

How did you end up at your church? How did you know that was "the place"?