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

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                 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy                     mouth. (Proverbs 6:2)

                                                             

           Greetings. I want to call your attention to words. When it comes to words, people do not pay much attention to it. Some would joke around when they have a problem saying things like ---I feel a tumor growing or that tickles me to death. Friends, words have power and we need to take heed to how we talk.

          The famous Buddy Holly was joking around with a well-known country singer saying--"I hope your ol' bus freezes up." In response, the singer answered Holly--"Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." We, all, know what happened---Buddy Holly's plane crashed and those words would torment that singer for years to come. 

         Why are words so important. Jesus said it in a nutshell---My words are spirit and they are life.(John 6:63) When you release words, good or bad, you are releasing spirits that will influence your course of life and even alter history. One case in point was the Jews. They had seen the miracles of Jesus. 

       Some may have even, felt, the presence of the Holy Spirit,yet their hearts were hardened. They were filled with hate and envy because of Jesus. When Pilate disputed about them concerning innocent blood, they said a statement that would impact their lives and change the course of history. Let's look at the verse below---- 

     

 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. (Matt 27:25)

          Those words opened the door to a curse. Not only were those people affected, but it paved the way for a curse upon them. All through the centuries, the Jews have been persecuted and killed by the multitudes. The blood that was meant to save them became a curse for them. 

          But not all is lost, the Jews as well as the Gentiles can come to Christ. They can have their future, as well as their destiny changed. Thank God, that he gives us a second chance. So, friend, stop foolish jesting. Start saying what God's word says about you.

              When you do this, you will be better off in the long run. Your words can affect your family and even change the course of history. Let us keep a watch over what we say. Tomorrow, I will continue this study in more detail. Be blessed and thank you for reading this devotional.  

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Is God in control?

                                               Image courtesy of [image creator name] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

                        "  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live"  (Deut 30:19)  
              
                              Have you ever heard the saying---"God's in control?" People will use that saying in the midst of trials and testing, but is that really true? Many times, we hear people say----"I cannot believe in a God who allows bad things to happen to innocent people. Where was God in the Sandy Hook killings? Why did those children have to die?" Then, we would have answers like----"God's ways are mysterious and we cannot figure them out." While tragedies like this happens and people have a hard time coping, we need to, nevertheless, find answers to why bad things happens to innocent people.
            First, we live in a fallen world. Since Adam sinned and bowed his knees to Satan, it opened the door for tragedies that has affected innocent lives through the centuries. The good news is this---There is an answer and its Jesus! He died for our sins and has provided a way to answer life's toughest questions. Let's start with analyzing Deut 30:19. As we study this verse, we find that there are two witnesses---Heaven and Earth. Some important words are spoken here and it is to our advantage that we pay attention to this.
             This verse speaks of choices---Life and death. Blessing and cursing. Everyday we are faced with choices. What to eat for breakfast. What to wear to go to work, but friend, we have the choice to choose life or death. You may say--That's easy. Serve the Lord and live right for the day. That, in itself is true, but it goes deeper than that. 

                 " Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Prov 18:21)

                    Did you know that you can be blessed by your words? This is not some new age teaching as some claim, but it is God's word! Many times, we listen to the news and hear of the high crime statistics. We, also, allow fear to dictate to us what to do. For example, many in America do not go to night services on Sunday because of the fear of becoming a crime victim. Brethren, thoughts are going to come to us. Everyday, whether you believe it or not, we will have bad or even crazy thoughts come to us. We need to take control of those thoughts and allow the mind of Christ to flow through us.
                When we allow the thought of fear to come to our minds, we need to grab a hold of our mouth. Why? Because if you speak your thoughts, you shall have what you say. Jesus said in Matt 6:31 to take no thought saying...
In other words, don't speak those thoughts. Don't say for example---"I don't go to church for fear of becoming a crime victim." Instead, say to yourself---I have the angels of God surrounding me because I am an heir of Salvation. In Jesus name--Amen! 
                 If we want God to be in control, we must do our part. He did his part by sending his son to the cross. He did his part when he gave his back to his tormentors and purchased healing for us. He did his part when he gave us all things pertaining to life and godliness. (II Peter 1:3). Now, we have to do our part and that is to use our tongue to speak life or death!
                     In fact, we as a body need to take out time to pray in the spirit. I know that we cannot avoid tragedies world wide, but we can make a difference in our circle of family, friends, community and even our nation. I am convinced that due to the prayers in the body is the reason that we have not had an attack of the magnitude of 9-11. In fact, many terrorist plots have been averted due to the power of prayer. 
                     Prayer is so important that it can change the course of history. In World War II, America was losing important battles against the powerful Nazi machines. Hitler had the best minds and technology. America was on its way to defeat, but it wasn't until the wives and mothers got on their knees. When that happened, America and its allies rose up to victory. 
                      That is why the Bible says to pray without ceasing. When you pray God's word in your prayers, something happens. Faith starts to rise up and before you know it, you are on your way to victory. So use your tongue and let God be in control! Start speaking life and blessing today! 

Prayer--Dear Lord, Forgive me if I have talked foolishly. Help me to control my tongue. Help me to speak life and blessing over my circumstances. I bind every word of unbelief and fear. I put it under my feet. I declare that this day, I am more than a conqueror. This day, I confess that I delight to do your will. This day, I confess that I love righteousness and hate iniquity. This day, I have more than enough to pay my bills. This day, I walk in divine healing and sickness and disease have no place in me. I have the mind of Christ and I make the right decisions each and every day. Thank you,Lord, for giving me the victory in this day. In Jesus name--Amen! 

Scripture reading---Deut 30