The Guilt Feeling

And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5 KJV)

The month of July started off with a bang, I had reached my 5th weight lost goal and celebrated by presenting myself with a new goal of another 5 pounds.   Let's just say I'm 4.8 pounds shy of reaching that goal July.

I have been dedicated to the gym but not really making good food choices.  While, pushing papers back and forth the question became tonight shall I attend the gym or bible studies.  I know! I know!  Im still learning who am in Christ Jesus, and even thinking of missing a day to worship and fellowship in the house of the Lord is a not good idea.  Like Judas, I wanted to depart and hang myself with guilt. It was creeping around my mind.

This I do know, to live for the Lord means to give oneself to Him, body, mind, and spirit.  

Don't forge ahead with your own plans in situations where you don't yet see what God is doing.  I know he's tranforming my body. I will wait for His guidance to become clearer.  I trust God with every part of my life.  I trust he knows I'm dedicated to the cause of losing weight but I must seek him first.

Prayerful, don't ask God to do what you want. Ask God to do what is right.

In the end, I made a decision I can live with.

Follow me on Twitter @ thegospelweekly.

Lies We Tell!

Proverb 12:22-23 (The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.  The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness). KJV

We have all been considered a fool at some point in our life.  Whether we have done a foolish act, lied and got caught or something we may wish we can take back.

There are plenty people in the bible who we may consider fools.  Take Peter, denying knowing Jesus three times after Jesus already predicted he would. (Mark 14:66-72).  Then you have Judas who gave Jesus up for some money that he didn't even get to spend cuz he kills himself.  (Matthew 27:3) Shame Shame!

Crazy right?  Nope!  Foolish people are sometimes considered lying people.  Talking big but walking small.  Lying so much that we can even justify them by layering lies on top of lies.

Do u know God is taking account of everything we do?  He knows every thought, every word and every action.  Once the Holy Spirit has taken control of you, lies will be no longer and you shall be set free.  

Satan is always roaming looking for ways to devour, "to steal, and kill, and destroy" (John 10:10) you.  The Bible tell us Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).  Do not fall victim to him, Children of GOD. We must be "on the alert." 

You have no secrets from GOD.  He's an understanding GOD.  The next time you feel the need to tell a "little white lie."   Remember that sin is ugly and Jesus is beautiful.  Reveal yourself to HIM and let HIM make it right by asking for
forgiveness.  

Don't let the Devil win a battle that has ready been won on Calvary.  The Devil will never take your place in death but Jesus has already.  Amen!

Justification for the less fortunate.

Psalms 140:12 - But I know the Lord will help those they persecute; he will give justice to the poor. (NLT)

He will give justice to the poor.  Today in church Pastor spoke boldly about giving money to the poor.  He said, "You know when your at a fast food restaurant and someone homeless comes tapping on your window asking for money and you reach out and give him/her a quarter or a dollar. What do u expect that person to buy with that little bit of money?  A hamburger or fontaine side cost about $1.25.  How do u expect a person to eat off change?  A person is  more worried with what he or she is going to do with that dollar than they are that u are blessing someone and in return the Lord will bless you." 

This has been true in my case many of times.  I'm always thinking they just going to buy drugs or something.  I never once realize this person could really be hungry.  And as a child of God, I need to take of the poor as Jesus took care of us.  I can remember I was at White Castle and this homeless guy walked up to my car.  He had drool running down his mouth, dirty jacket one and I quickly gave him a dollar and he said to me "I'm trying to buy food. Do u have more?"  I was so taken back by what he said, I could have snatched my hard earn dollar back and kept it rolling.  But now I wish I had given him more. Many people probably passed him by and I may have been the only person that gave to him.  The least I could have done is make sure his tummy was filled.  Even if that required buying his food directly.  Hmmm  Lesson learned for the future.  I may not have a lot but I am willing to share with anyone especially someone who is less fortune.

Prayer: Father, I come to you asking for your forgiveness.  Today the man of God preached to my about my wrongdoings and negative thinking.  When your Word is clear regarding the less fortunate.  I am thankful for him and you in Jesus Name.

Preparations need to made!

(Matthew 25:1-13, NIV) 

 1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.  6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’  7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’  9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’  10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.  11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!  12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’  13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

There are many scriptures in the Bible that reminds us Jesus is coming back to Earth for those who faith in HIM.  Matthew 16:27 and 1 Corinthians 11:26 are among the many scriptures that provides us with this evidence.  Are you prepared?  

The Parable of the Ten Virgins is an excellent example of preparation and who will be ready verse who will be left behind.   What do we know about these Ten Virgins? Are they different from Modern day people?

Looking at the text we know the following: 1) the virgins are all responsible for their own lamp, 2) they are all heading to the same wedding, 3) they all fall asleep waiting for the bridegroom, 3) they all have oil, 4) that five virgins have extra oil, 5) and the other five lamp burned out prior to the bridegroom arriving.  

In our Modern world, whom would we consider the five foolish virgins - Religious Hypocrites. People who do not believe in Christ, people who attend church for the wrong reason, and even people who attend church believing this is their gateway to heaven.   They do not know that Jesus told us in John 6:48' "I am the Bread of Life." No one can come to the Father unless you go through Jesus.  He's the "the door" to Heaven.  We don't know how long He will hold it open, as the text remind us it will not be forever.   But until the Second Coming, "the door" is open for anyone to walk through and find a new life.  Salvation is yours, if u want it.  Do not miss Jesus because your a procrastinator.  Procrastination could lead you to Tribulation instead of the Kingdom.

Who are the five wise virgins - True Believers in the Christ.  Christians who are reading their bibles, living like Christ, loving each other, repenting, fasting, praying, fellowship, dedicating their live.  People who are running after God with all they have and continuously growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  Asking HIM for the oil so that it will never burn out in you. God gives us the Holy Spirit that burns within us.  This can't be brought at a store or farmers market.  Nor is God giving it to just anyone.  He shining on those true believers who heart is prepared for the Lord's return.

Once the door is shut to the Kingdom of Heaven, Christian friends, it is too late.  There is no "Jesus, you should let me in cause I went to church on Easter."  Or "Jesus I called on you that one day when my son was sick."  You need to step up to the plate immediately, give your life to Christ who died for you so you can gain favor in God.  The doors were shut on the five foolish virgins.  They were unrecognizable by the bridegrooms because they did not carry the mark.  This means all that were inside has been marked and will be safe forever.  

Are you prepared for the Second Coming?  What does your preparation consist of?   Do you carry the mark of Christ?  The earthly things can be good - Jesus Christ is wonderful.

To the Women - Love Your Lover!

I’m an advocate reader of Christian blogs, article, books or pretty much whatever I can get my hands on that helps me grow in my faith.   I recently ran past this article by Dennis Rainey's Thirty Ways to Love Your Lover.  The article was addressed to "the men" but can be easy turned around and looked upon as to "the women."  

What I admire most about the article is the way he expresses these acts of affirmation, which are all nonsexual.  I know they say men have a one track minds but they also have feelings and need to feel praiseworthy. Romance isn't just a woman thing - it's our thing.  

With Valentine's Day just passing us, man all over the world have gone out and brought flowers, cards, candy, showing her more appreciation than when the basketball game is on.  The truth is Valentine's isn't just about women.  Men should be overly appreciated and showered with affection.  It's not to late ladies!

Mr. Rainey's article pointed out a few key nonsexual things you can do to appreciated your wife.  I have taken his article and wrote to the women.  Enjoy!

Dennis: Hug and kiss her every morning before leaving the house.    

Keisha:  The saying, "Life is too short." is one I keep in the back of my mind.  Whether my husband and I had a disagreement the night prior, we still go to bed with a kiss, wake up with a kiss, leave the house with a kiss, and as soon as he walks through the door - he walks over for a kiss.  This is our routine.  

Dennis: Call her from work and say, "I've been thinking of how good I have it with you in my life. Thanks for all that you are as a woman and all that you do for me and our family."

Keisha:  Your man would like an ego boost especially if his life's routine consist of working hard, head of household and provider and not in that order.  A simple "Thank you!” "You're Handsome!” or "All I need is GOD, you and my family - what could be better." Little sayings go a long way.  Validation is essential in a family. As a result, a husband will develop a sense of security and self-worth in his relationship with each family member.

Dennis: Go an entire day without criticizing anything about her. Instead, try to notice her doing something that you really appreciate, and tell her how much you value her.  

Keisha:  Dennis, my friend, this one is a list topper.  Giving value to your husband will be one of the greatest gifts he receives.  Seeing his positives shining bright will change how you view his negatives. Tell him you may not understand everything he goes through as a man but you appreciate and support him with all your heart.  The feeling of measuring up will help him grow in his role as a husband and father.

Dennis:  Initiate daily prayer with her. This one spiritual discipline has transformed millions of marriages. Make a commitment, and then begin to pray together every day. Begin by giving thanks for her and your family, and then pray with her about her worries and challenges. Ask her to pray for you about a challenge you are facing.  

Keisha:  I love this idea.  My husband and I are of different religions but that doesn't stop us from praying.  I have committed to reading a passage from the bible to him each night or discussing what I plan to write in my Sunday blog so he and I can have a full understand before I unleash it to the world. We not only give thanks to each other but to our Heaven Father for each other and our family.  

Dennis:  When the alarm goes off in the morning, wrap your arm around her, press your body next to hers, and cuddle for several minutes. When you leave, say, "I wish I didn't have to go."

Keisha:  Don't go! Stay in the bed 5 more minutes and hold him to you.  The kids will be breaking the door down soon.

Dennis:  The morning after making love, touch her tenderly, and tell her how wonderful it was to be with her.  

Keisha: Or let's make love again because I can't get enough of you.

Dennis:  With your wife in the room, tell your kids, "You've got the best mommy in the world. Isn't she great? I just love her so much."

Keisha:  Showing appreciation.  Reward your husband while the kids are listening.  Make a big deal about how handsome he his, his coming home early to help with dinner, they way he takes care of the family and most important his love for God. The importance of praising him in front of your kids is that you are saying, "I don't disrespect your father and my expectation is that you respect and love him."  

As a woman, you play many roles but do not hesitate to show your husband an abundance of love. Like Mr. Rainey, I will quote Ephesians 5:25 (NKJV): "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." For the women, I will remind you that Ephesians 5: 22-23 (NIV) Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

Learn to love each other as Christ loves us all.

Excerpt taken from Dennis Rainey's Thirty Ways to Love Your Lover.  Visit Mr. Rainey's website FamilyLife.com.

I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To!

As a youngster, my Mom would say, "I don't know what this world is coming to." Referring to all the chaos in the world.  From someone stealing to murder.  It's all wrong in the eyes of the Lord.  People tend to forget there is God. And that this world didn't just magically appear.  Today, the way of the world is in disarray but that doesn't mean as Satan roams the earth looking for his next victim it needs to be you.  I write this to you to remind you, we as sinners seem to have forgotten that a man without sin died so that you who has sinned will have favor in God's eyes.  Now the Scripture tells us in Romans 14:23 that "whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." This means that whatever you have going on in your life that is not by faith is a sin.

2nd Corinthians 3:4-5 reminds us “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.”  A person can live their life in a "worldly" good way.  Yeah you pay all your bills on time, you occasionally attend church; you treat your family with love and respect, you even volunteer yearly at a homeless shelter.  All sounds good right! Yep! All these things that you have accomplished does make you a genuine person but it doesn't say anything about you as a Christian.  Do you not only read your bible but are you studying the Words? Praying for their meaning. Are you attending church? Are you reaching out to nonbelievers telling them about Jesus Christ and all the great he has done for us Christians?

Learning to fellowship is an important part of being a Christian.  The more you are around people looking to accomplish the same as you are the less you feel like being a "good worldly person." 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Don’t let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people. Come back to the right point of view, and stop sinning. Some people don’t know anything about God. You should be ashamed of yourselves."  For you are a Child of God and building your relationship with your Father should be as natural as breathing.

People often ask, "If God loves me, why do I carry so many burdens on my shoulders?  If I pray, shouldn't HE just fix it?"  The start of their problem is they aren't living by faith.  Yeah they may "talk the talk" but their walk is stagnate.  Know that if you repent your sins, God will restore you but only on HIS time.

Today, I read a status on Facebook that said, "You do not need to go to church to get into Heaven." The people who were responding was merely agreeing with this status. Commenting that the church only wants your money and that all churches are corrupt.  My only response to this is unfortunately due to the bad publicity many churches and pastors have received people are less likely to attend.  And their belief in the church are gone.

If that's how you feel, but you know there is a God in Heaven, my advice to you is start by accepting that Jesus Christ died for your sins.  Say it out loud...God can hear you.  This is what we call Accepting Your Salvation.  Once you have that belief, invite HIM to come into your life and cleanse your mind, body and soul.  That's it!  You have taking your first steps. Put your trust in God and HE will light your path.

Needless to say, I want to be cautious with any information I provided to my Readers.  Any advice I am giving I do pray the Lord has blessed.  The goal is to exchanging spiritual insight and not empty worldly information.

Let us pray, Father, I look to you. You told me to first seek you and your kingdom and you will provided all my needs.  I give my everything; please do with it as you will.  Jesus Name, Amen!

Weathering the Storm!

"Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!". Psalm 27:14, NKJV

November 4, 2002. -
"So tell me why I should hire you?"
"Well let's see, hmm, I have been working at my company for three years right out of college which makes me a loyal employee.  I'm proficient in Microsoft Office and familiar with PowerPoint.  I'm a fast learner, eager to get my feet wet.  My ultimate goal is to be a successful Project Manager. I'm excellent multitasker and able to handle as many as 50 projects at a time."

That was eight years ago, and although I have managed to handled a hundred projects at a time;  I still have not been promoted.  It's not because I don't deserve it.  Everyone I encounter knows I work harder than the next person and is willing to take on whatever requires me to get to the next level in my career.

Nevertheless, with all the frustration of being in the same position, I couldn't fathom coming to work another day overwhelmed and unhappy.

Several weeks earlier, another department head approached me about a position opening in her department. She was unaware I was unhappy in my current role but was eager to have me join her group. Have you ever just thought when something good happens that's God's work?  I was assured that GOD had HIS hands in this, I was ready to drop everything and run to this new department.  I had already said "Yes!" without knowing the details of the position or the salary.  

Racing home that night to tell my husband - talking his ear off about how I was going to "ROCK" this new department and make it mine while getting that promotion I so deserve even if that means starting over again.   I planned to be unstoppable just like my old department but ten times better.  This position is mine.  The department head advised me that she didn't plan to interview with anyone else - if I accept the offer.

Here I am going through the moving process, interviewing with Human Resources and the department head, I was not offered the job because of the salary difference.  Unfortunately, I made a lot more than the position was offering. Of course, this made me feel sad but the bright side was knowing other people can see your worth. With that, my current department keeps me.

The need to do something different lead me to the opening verse, "Wait on the Lord." GOD expectation is that you are to lean on HIM during challenges in your life. Be patient and humble.

"Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart."  When I final was Still, I was able to talk to GOD.  I reconnected myself to what was more important than getting the promotion of Manager - my personal relationship with GOD. I had lust after this promotion so long I disconnected myself from reality.  It was time for me to trust GOD and stop taking matters into my own hands. Only when you retire to your quiet place can u hear our Father coming through to you. It's so important to have faith in God even in the midst of doubt. So when disbelief rears its ugly head, kill it by trusting God and by obeying his call on your life! 

Remember that nothing that GOD has planned for you is too big for you.  HE will give the tools by supplying the words, the resources, the strength, the time, the patience, and the grace we need to be successful. All you need to do is "Do the work."  

In the end, GOD shined his glorious light on me. In my current department, there is now a promotion on the table for me.  I guess "when a door close, a window of opportunity opens" is a true statement.  There will be more responsibility and I'm ready for the challenge.  With God on my side, how can I fail.

Let's pray
Father, I am now in my quiet place ready to listen and have you restore my faith and trust. There are times where I'm hard-head and take matters into my own hands. This is not what you expect of me. Teach me to lean on you through all situations big or small. In Jesus Name, AMEN!