Develop a Tree mentality!

                                                       
                                       A Palm tree near a beach (*)

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;  (Psalms 92:12-14) (**)

                        Do you have a tree mentality? You should. As I read these verses, I did a research on the Palm and the Cedar tree of Lebanon. Both are unique in their characteristics and it speaks to us today. The Palm tree, when it is planted in the desert, it reaches deep into the ground for water. 

Did you know that in some places, the desert has water underneath? Parts of Israel were desert until the Jews came into the land.(Psalms 35:1-2 NIV) (1) They developed tremendous technology to irrigate the waters from the desert to transform it into an oasis. Likewise, when we are in a "desert", we can reach down deep into the Spirit-man and water ourselves with the joy of the Lord! As we do that, circumstances will change and we will see miracles happen. 

A  point to remember is that these trees (Cedar and Palm trees) in Psalms 92:12-14 were planted in the courts of the Lord. The word says to come into his courts with praise. (Ps 100:4) No matter how intense your testing may be---Praise him! He will turn your testing into a testimony. Now, let's look at the Cedar tree in Lebanon and it's characteristics. I want to emphasis two main points. First, it grows upward symbolizing spiritual growth. 

The second point is that it would last up to 1,000 years. Let's be real, unless we are living in the Millennium, we will not last 1,000 years. This symbolizes the legacy of our impact for Christ. What impact will you leave your loved ones, community or even your nation that will last 1,000 years? Folks, it is time to develop a tree mentality. Even our Lord Jesus is compared to a tree of life! So, bearing this in mind, let's apply these principles in our lives and move onto victory. God bless. 

(*) By Patrick Verdier, Free On Line Photos - Photo: http://www.folp.free.fr/Open.php?getTabSigIdeImg=1859Description: http://www.folp.free.fr/AddComment.php?getTabComIdeImg=1859, Copyrighted free use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68821 (Mr Verdier does not necessary support the contents of this blog.)
(**) Bible verses courtesy of www.biblegateway.com
(1) http://bibleanswerstodayblog.com/israel-makes-the-desert-fertile/ 

Interesting links---
(1) For a more detailed look at the Palm tree and Cedar of Lebanon,
check out this link. It contains great pictures and deeper thought....http://bit.ly/2c1v4vT
(2) Check out my latest book...http://www.prayerswithpower.com/
(3) http://literacybase.com/its-time-to-be-joyful/

Pastor's notes--A look at the priesthood of God.

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Rev 1:6)(1)


                                Greetings. I want to share with you about the priesthood and it's importance. While much can be said about Rev 1:6, I want to focus on two words---Kings and Priests. The word "King" denotes power and authority and we have been exposed to multitudes of teachings regarding this subject but not much on the "Priest" aspect. 

                       To understand the priesthood, let's look at the Old testament and the following verse below--

                 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.  (Exo 19:6)

                         If you read the Old testament accounts of Israel, they forsook their calling and God had to come up with Plan B--Raise up a priesthood out of the seed of Aaron. (Numbers 3:1-3) Sad state of affairs but what happened to Israel that disqualified them from being a nation of priests? Upon a careful study of the word priest, we find the answer.

 The Hebrew word for priest is Cohen. The root word means to draw nigh to serve. Please bear this in mind because when Israel had a choice to draw near to God, they drew back. They preferred Moses to speak to them (Exo 20:19) This little incident caused Israel to lose their calling and privilege of hearing God face to face. In return, God had to go to Plan B and raise up Aaron and his seed. Upon further study, the failure of Israel not drawing nigh to God caused them to get further away from him and get deeper into sin. 

Beloved, exercise your priesthood by drawing nigh to God. Serve him with praise and worship. Make it a point to hear from God and follow through with his instructions. You have the privilege of hearing from God and experiencing his presence. As you practice this, do not be surprised if you get addicted to his presence. It can be a life-altering experience that will bless you and your seed to come. God bless. 


(1) Verses courtesy of www.biblegateway.com
For more on the priesthood, check out this link....http://curiousandcozy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/high-priest-garments-gallery.jpg
Check out our facebook page---Word and grace. (The one with the world) 
https://www.facebook.com/wordandgrace56/?fref=ts
               

A wake up call.

Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.(Ps 82:3-4)

                          Greetings. These scriptures spoke to me as I conducted my daily Bible study. As I meditated on this, God told me that we as a body, need to wake up. I want to focus on the needy. Every day, a baby's life is terminated. Every day, innocent blood is shed. A baby cannot talk nor express the pain involved in the abortion process. Folks, blood has a voice and when it is shed in cold blood, it cries for vengeance. (Gen 4:10) 

                           Recently, a bill was introduced to abort a baby at 9 months.(1) Can you grasp this? 9 months! I do not want to get political because I have, always, believed that the donkey nor the elephant will save America but the lamb. Nonetheless, the body needs to wake up and be united. Yes, the above scriptures talk about the poor, too but we cannot look at the government to meet those needs.

                       Please do not misunderstand me, thank God for the government stepping in to help with the needy, but where is the church in the midst of this? Working with a phone ministry, my heart aches when I hear people who are about to get their lights cut off. Mortgages overdue and cars about to be repossessed. I asked them about their churches helping out and,in some cases, the church turns them down.
                   Just like Joseph, who stepped up the plate and used his wisdom to save Egypt so should the church raise up with wisdom to help others. I remember as a baby Christian, I had no money to fix my car but I spoke faith to it declaring that it was going to be repaired. A year had passed by and no car. Friends would ask about the car and when I said God was going to provide, they would snicker and smile.

                            I would depend on others for rides to the church and it was a challenge but God,always, provided. While on a Bible study, the Lord touched the heart of the area Pastor to raise money to repair my car. Then, a Christian mechanic came to my aid and fixed the car--free of charge! After the good deed was done, the area Pastor told me to be a blessing and provide rides to the church. God is so good.

        The church needs to rise up and lift up their voices against injustices. We need to go to our war rooms and pray. Pray that the evil of abortion would be eradicated from this country. Pray that the church would rise up in wisdom to provide answers to the body's financial problems. Together in unity, we can do it. God bless.

Note--To those who are reading and enjoying my posts, I would like to hear from you. I would, gladly, share our ministry's vision and direction. Feel free to contact me especially if there has been any issues in ordering my book. God bless. 

(1) http://www.truthandaction.org/100-democratic-senators-vote-for-abortion-9-months-pregnancy/

Finances got you down? Discover how to pray for your finances.....http://amzn.to/1lyY2BX

                 

Is your church motivating you?

                         

                                                         Pray for your church and Pastor. (1)           

           Is your church motivating you for God? If you are not in a church, you should be. Scriptures commands us to not to forsake the church. (Heb 10:25) The word says that we are the army of the Lord. There is not such thing as an army of one. We need each other.

                         True, some have been hurt in the church. Others have seen the fire leave the church. We are living in strange and interesting times. A popular Christian leader who is well known in the body said that having a sex-change surgery is not sin. Folks, no doubt about it---deception is creeping in the church but that does not give us reason to not fellowship with one another. 

                        First, we need to realize that there is no such thing as a perfect church. Churches have flaws and, sometimes, we jump to conclusions and see a couple of faults and want to jump ship. Sometimes, we visit a church flowing with the anointing and we get some nice feelings by the Spirit but I can assure you, there are some flaws in the background. If your church has flaws and it is not major then stay. Pray and see how you can make a difference. Is your Pastor lukewarm and the fire has gone out from the church? Pray. Sometimes, we do not see behind the scenes. Maybe your Pastor may be going through a tough trial.

                       When you have a church in which the fire and anointing flows, you want more.Watching God move in his power can be addicting. David experienced it and wanted to bring it outside the sanctuary(Church) walls....

                 O God, thou art my God;early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.(PS 63:1-2) 

                       David was so motivated by his fellowship in the sanctuary that he sought God early.God was in his mind constantly and even though, he was in a dry place, he longed for the power to flow.Tests and trials may sap all faith and hope in God but when you go to church, you can get recharged. So, don't go through your tests and trials alone. Go fellowship with other like-minded brethren and get ready to turn it into your testimony and triumph. Praise God! 

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter%27s_Cathedral,_Adelaide#/media/File:StPeter_2179.jpg

Finances got you down? Discover how to pray for your finances.....http://amzn.to/1lyY2BX