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Resurrection – What’s Still Dead In Your Life?
In this resurrection season, when we should be celebrating what Jesus did for us on the cross, I found myself wondering how much true celebrating was actually happening in our churches since we have allowed the resurrection season to be about eggs, candy and bunnies!
Then as I sat in our Sunday morning church service on Resurrection Sunday, Pastor Rochelle said something that hit home for me as she touched on the true meaning of this season. She asked us to look inside ourselves to see if we had any dead things that need to be resurrected. Things like goals, dreams, hopes, etc. That, in a nutshell, describes the true meaning of the season! I loved it. During this resurrection time of the year, there is no better time to honor Jesus as we remember what Jesus (via his resurrection) was willing to lay down His earthly life for; for us to live a “dream come true” life! Let’s check out John 10:10 (amp). The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
Jesus proved Himself to be the good shepherd because He did exactly what He came to earth to do. You too have come to earth on an assignment from God, so why have we let Satan steal and kill our goals, dreams and our purpose? What’s still dead in your life? Can you resurrect them? What would change in your life once you do? Spend some time thinking about that one for a while (smile)! Resurrection is sounding real good to you now, isn’t it?
Each year during the resurrection season, we are given another opportunity to breathe new life back into those things we have allowed to die. So we have to make sure we do not blow this chance. With all of that being said, how do we bring something back from the dead?
1. The first thing we have to do is to take a hard, honest look at ourselves – answering the question, what did I let die that I once really wanted to do or be? Write all of those things down on paper. Nothing is too big or too small. God gave us this instruction in Habakkuk 2:2 And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by (amp). Easy right? Lets move on!
2. Next be honest about the reasons you’ve allowed them to die. What was really going on with you at that time?
Let’s take a look at some of the major things that trip us up.
SIN – we still want to do our own thing. When we hold onto our sinful habits, mindsets and actions, we give Satan access to our lives and the lives of everyone we love. It gives him something to hold over our heads – John 14:30 (nkjv) – I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
IGNORANCE– Look around, look around, we all know or have seen or heard of someone who has done something stupid and we’ve thought that they should have known better. But, if we are telling the truth about ourselves, we have all done something that we later admitted was dumb and stupid. All we ever have to do is ask God and be willing to do what He tells us to do. Hosea 4:6 – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. (amp)
UNBELIEF – This is a very serious thing. The bible calls this sin in Hebrews 3:12 – Beware then of your own hearts, dear brothers, lest you find that they, too, are evil and unbelieving and are leading you away from the living God (tlb).. Unbelief condemns you before you ever get started – Romans 14:23 – But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith. For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful] (amp). You do not have to agree with God, but we can all agree that God is smarter than us, so it’s in our best interest to defer to God.
FEAR – This is one of Satan’s most effective weapons against us. Mainly because we don’t see ourselves through God’s eyes – as the powerful creations that He made. But we see ourselves through Satan’s eyes with many weaknesses, faults and imperfections. This allows Satan to interject fear, which paralyzes us; freezing us where we stand. And many years later, you are still in the same place. Look at what God says about fear, 2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. We have to start believing what God says about us!PRAYLESSNESS – I’m not talking about the religious, rigid, ritualistic monologue full of vain babbling prayer. I’m talking about honest conversation between you and God. It’s us taking time out of our day to spend time with God discussing His word. It’s telling Him the truth about what’s going on with us in order to get direction and input on what God has put you on this earth to do and do well. Ephesians 6:13-18 – Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out (msg).
3. Now take all the info that you’ve gathered from the above steps (this should be enough to get your started) and go to God with them. To help you out, treat your time with God like it’s a doctor’s appointment. Set up a specific time with God (keep the appointment no matter what may come up) and lay it all on Him! There is nothing about you that is a surprise to God. He’s a big boy and can handle you and ALL your stuff. Keep meeting with God to get a plan of action. Write the plan down and then “work the plan”. Satan will try to stop you, so no matter what comes – stick with it. As you and God continue to work together, you will see resurrection in ALL of the things you thought was dead. God is so awesome and so cool that He will even throw in bonuses – He will bless you with things you may have forgotten you even wanted! God is amazing and HE will help you resurrect everything you desire! If you can dream it, God can bring it to pass!
This is your time! This is your season! It’s your turn for Resurrection!
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Hang On! – Don’t Give Up, Never Give Up!
Have you ever had days when the attacks come so hard that you feel like you’re being kicked in the teeth or punched in the stomach so hard that the breath is knocked out of you and you can’t breathe?
As Christians, we all know that Satan attacks all of us, but there are times that bring overbearing pressure that’s so heavy it feels like we will break into pieces; you feel like you can’t take it anymore. That’s how last week was for me. I felt like I was hanging on for dear life!
So what do you do when you find yourself in that position or in that place? Over the last 15 plus years, God has taught me many things about being and operating as a spiritual being, how things work in that realm, and how it affects how things work in this realm. So let’s look at the basics.
According to Genesis 1:26 – 27 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.
As you can see, human beings are distinct from all other creations because out of all the things God created, humans are the only thing God created in His image. As God is a tripartite – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – so human beings have three parts – body, soul and spirit. Paul also made reference to it in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
I like referring to the 3 parts of man as “boxes”. The flesh box, the soul box and the spirit box. I do that because each part is a container of unseen components:
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Flesh Box (Body) – the physical or material structure of human beings. This is where carnal spirits/demons like to hang out trying to influence and control us.
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Soul Box – the mind (which includes the conscience), the will and the emotions live. Demons or bad spirits like to hang out here and like to do things that foster negative emotions to get our flesh to do things that are bad for us. Here is where we process the things that have happened to us and our responses to it.
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Spirit Box – the “you” God made lives here and once you get “saved” God’s spirit comes to live there too.
So, getting back to my story, when I’m (or you’re) being attacked or something bad happens in our lives, each of the boxes react to the attack at the same time. Each having something to say about the situation and each wanting to be in control. Normally, depending on your personality, the flesh box or soul box speak the loudest with how it feels and what they want you to do. Have you ever wondered where God is when you’re under attack and the other boxes are speaking so loudly that you can’t even hear God at all? Unless you’re life is on the line, God normally doesn’t yell, scream nor cuss, but the other boxes do, don’t they? (smile)
So, with all that being said, when all hell is breaking loose around me, here is what I do:
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I go find God – The other boxes may be yelling and screaming, but I force myself to turn away from them and I turn toward my spirit box to find God. Wisdom dictates that if I don’t, I may find myself in jail. So to avoid making a bad situation worse, I find God.
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I tell God the truth from the flesh & soul boxes – I don’t lie to God and try to act like I don’t agree with some of the things the other boxes are saying. I get brutally honest with God and “keep it real” with Him. He knows the truth anyway so it’s stupid to waste time lying.
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I control my tongue – As I’m going through this process, I consciously make sure I stay in control over what I allow myself to say, ensuring that I don’t say anything that will make my bad situation worse. Even though a part of me may agree with what the flesh and soul are saying, wisdom dictates that I remember Proverbs 18:21(cev) – Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you will have to eat everything you say.
Ok, I hear you talking, saying “how the hell do I do that?” Normally, we talk about the problem over and over. To ourselves and then to other people. Most times, we go to God last, if at all! I get that, I was there, but you have to remember, we are spirits having an earthly experience, not the other way around. The problem is no one has really taught us how to walk that out. So how do we do this – practice, practice, practice. One situation and circumstance at a time. Was hoping for a quick fix right? So was I, but there is none. I’ve looked, and I still look. This is what works every time!
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Remember, this is only a test – Remember how God allowed Job to be tested by Satan in Job 1:12? And just like Job, God has set the conditions for your tests. You can pass each test, every time, but only if you follow God’s instructions. So I simply ask God what to do to pass the test, and then I “do” what He tells me, the way He tells me. With His help of course.
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Get some power on it – I ask God who will stand with me and help me win the battle. I then go to them and them only, asking them to stand in agreement with me for my victory according to Matthew 18:18 – 20 (msg) “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”
Once that is done, I don’t discuss it with anyone else. If someone else finds out about it and approaches me, I only discuss the results I want. I do not rehearse the problem, only the solution! It’s stupid and a waste of time to discuss the problem with people who have no power to help me. The bible says in Romans 4:17 to call those things that be not as though they were.
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I use my “Praise” weapon – praise acknowledges that we need God and it is not via our own efforts, but the power of God that brings victory. Praise takes our eyes off the problem and puts them on our solution. Praise gets God involved in your situation. Check out Psalms 8:2 – With praises from children and from tiny infants, you have built a fortress. It makes your enemies silent, and all who turn against you are left speechless.
Once I do all the things I’ve listed above, I notice that the yelling and screaming from my flesh and soul boxes have quieted down a lot. So I acknowledge what they still may be saying, but I inform them that God has instructed me on what to do and we (flesh and soul and I) will be doing what God said to do. They do not have to agree, but they do have to line up.
Using this process, I have won 100% of the battles I have applied it to. The only losses I have suffered have come because I didn’t work it or apply it. Please remember, Satan’s attacks are designed to get you to give up and quit! That is the only way he can win. He is powerless against you if you are following behind God!
So help you help you. Stay away from people who bring problems and hang around people who have your solution. God has sent many angels in human and spirit form to help you. Let Him lead you to them.
I know the pressure is heavy and seems unbearable sometimes but God has put enough of Himself inside you to bear it, lift it and defeat it! Use the info above and take the victory you want so badly! God has heard your prayers and this can help you get manifestation!
Let me know how this process works for you. We are waiting to hear about your victory. Remember WorkDatWord!
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Son of God! – The Movie
Go see this movie! I know you’ve seen Jesus movies before, and I know you know the story, but this time it’s being told by members of our kingdom family. So we need to support that so we can continue to tell the stories God wants us to tell and the world needs to see.
I saw this movie a week ago with my Authentic Life Church (ALC) family and we really enjoyed seeing it with each other. However, I really don’t like watching the crucifixion scenes because I get angry when they torture Jesus, but so grateful at His resurrection. It’s a big emotional ride for me! This time was no different with one exception. During the crucifixion scenes, I asked God if I could just get up and walk out of the theatre, but my legs wouldn’t move. After trying to move many times and my legs not moving, I just let the emotions flow and I asked Jesus, “What were you thinking about as they tortured you?” Jesus replied, “I was thinking of you.” I can’t explain the overflow of appreciation and gratitude that flowed from me hearing that. I couldn’t move so I just sat there, let my tears flow as I thought I was going to burst wide open. It felt like more than I could contain.
Fast forward to today’s Sunday morning service. Our praise team was singing a song called “I Will Love You Forever, Lord”. As I sang along with them, my movie experience came to my mind so I began to tell God how much I love Him, how much I need Him because I cannot do this life mission on my own. Then I began to see all the “little” miracles and blessings that I have received just this year alone! I say “little” because we have the tendency to lose sight of the daily miracles that we receive because our eyes are on the “big” things that have not manifested yet. Satan has a way of deflecting our minds away.
Then when it came time for special music, one of our church members who is not a part of our praise team, was introduced to sing. I know her from my former church and she can saaaaang! My daughter and I (and everyone else that has ever heard her sing) have been praying for her to sing since our new church ALC started in October 2013! She began to sing the same song (I Will Love You Forever Lord) that the praise team sang earlier in the service. For a second I wondered why is she singing the same song and then she opened not only her mouth, but her soul and began to pour out like only she can do. She sounded like an angel in heaven! My soul was lifted up so high that if felt like I was floating on air. It was amazing! If that wasn’t good enough, she began to direct the musicians in how to play (intensity levels) the notes and when. She then called on the various praise team members one by one as God instructed her and brought them onstage to join her. They seemed to be caught off guard so they had to flow with her and God. They did, and you could feel God moving like wind in the sanctuary!
So, each of us as we listened did the same thing. We opened up not only our mouths, but our souls and spirits, so how we felt about God could come pouring over our lips in a manner that we hadn’t done in a very long time. God met us all where we were today and each of us was touched forever. I look forward to seeing the harvests manifest from this seed sown today!
All of us should be pressing for the many promises that God has made to us to manifest. I know I am pressing to live inside of my dreams. I am pressing to live a “dream come true” life. However, we cannot lose sight of all the miracles and blessings that have already manifested in our lives and those that manifest everyday. Today I make that decision. God has done miraculous things in my life, and if you know me you know what I’m talking about, and it’s only just getting started! What amazing things has God done in your life?
So in the resurrection season, please don’t forget about all of the blessings and miracles you already have as you believe and pull in the ones you still want and need. All of us want better for our lives, but don’t forget how blessed you are today.
Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that the thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy but he came that we may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance, to the full, til it overflows. God also tells us in Psalms 37:4 that if you delight yourself in Him, He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
God knows that there are many things that you want to do in this life. He knows because He is the one who planted that desire in you. But know, believe, and walk in the knowledge that God has not forgotten you. He told you that in Deuteronomy 31:6.
So in this season celebrate all that God has brought you through, and share your testimonies of celebration with us.
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I Prayed, But It Didn’t Happen The Way I Wanted!
I went to a funeral or a home going service this week. The deceased person was a woman of God who was attacked with some type of disease in her body and succumbed to it. But how could this be if she was believing God would heal her? Doesn’t the Word promise us healing if we only believe?
I went with a lot of questions. Why didn’t God heal her? Was she believing to be healed until the day she died? What happens to our faith in situations like this? The service was at her church and from its reputation, is a good bible teaching church, so what happened?
During the service I learned from those speaking that she had been believing God to be healed, but in the last weeks of her life she decided that she wanted to go be with God instead. That only brought more questions to my mind. What happened to make her change her mind? As a woman of God she knew the power of God and what it could do. She has kids & grandkids, why would she want to leave them?
I immediately started talking to God about it. I knew this was a decision that she and God had the right to make, so why did it bother me so much? My soul was vexed & heavy because this was putting pressure on my definition of healing; then came spirits of doubt & unbelief. Should I now stop believing because it doesn’t work anyway? How do you know?
So in addition to talking to God, I started talking to other believers who are living by Faith like me. I even talked to my Pastor about it because He has always been straight up and direct with me.
Here’s what I re-discovered or what was brought back to the forefront of my mind:
There will be things in this life that will happen that you didn’t want to happen. There will be times when it seems that your prayers are not being answered the way you want them to be answered. There will be many things that don’t make sense to your definition of God’s ways or His word. God tells us that in Isaiah 55:8-9:
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
So what do you do when you’ve got questions & not enough answers? What do you do when things don’t make sense to you? I’ve decided to continue to do what I decided to do the first time I found myself in this place. I believe God anyway. I believe that He knows what I don’t. I’ll believe even when I don’t get what I want, the way I want.
God reminded me of a conversation that I once had with a gentlemen from my former church who was in the hospital fighting a sickness in his lungs. I asked him how his fight was going and I will never forget his response. He said that he was believing God for his body to be healed, but also felt that he could also get the victory in this battle if he decided to die. That shook me because that didn’t line up with my definition of “being healed”. How could there be a victory in death? Well, as he explained it, if God didn’t heal his body he would still be victorious over this demon of disease because in shedding the diseased body, he would get a new one free from the demon and he would also get to be with God too! He felt he had done what God sent him to earth to do and he could choose “going home” to be with God if he wanted to. Either way he wins!
That challenged what I believed but it also opened my eyes to other perspectives. As believers we have to evaluate & re-evaluate what we believe & why? My definition of healing is total restoration of the physical problem. But is that the only definition? Of course not. You are free to believe it the way God gives it to you. Demons of religion keep people bound & stuck in believing only its set of definitions. That’s a cult. No matter how hard it may seem, we have to keep our hearts open toward God so we can learn – add to and take away things as we learn from God.
The guy Iater died and because he felt it was a victory for him, so did I.
I don’t know about you, but I like having & knowing all the answers, and I want to know them up front. But, I have to accept that in a lot of cases that may not happen.There will be some answers that I will never get while I live in this earth suit and I have to accept that, but I can not and will not let it affect my faith in what I know to be true. I know I don’t know it all, but there is a lot I do know & I choose to work the Word I do know and flow in the power that it brings to my life. I don’t lean to my own limited understanding deferring always to God according to Proverbs 3:5-6:
5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6 In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
So I choose to believe anyway. I choose to keep my spirit open to God so He can fill it with the things He wants & needs me to know. I have worked God’s Word on purpose too many times in my life so I know its power to change things to make them better.
So don’t worry about what you don’t know, keep your heart open to learn, but work what you do know and God will meet you where you are. Because no matter what happens I choose to walk by faith and not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 –For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk ] not by sight or appearance.
What about you? What do you do when things don’t happen the way you want them to?
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I’ve Said “Yes” to Jesus – Now What God?
You may have just got saved by accepting Jesus as the Son of God or you’ve been saved for years but nothing has changed in your life. Either way you want the benefits of Him leading your life. That is wonderful, but what comes next? If you ask 10 people you may get 10 different answers. So since I’ve been “saved” for over 18 years let me make some simple suggestions that will help you:Myth # 1 -This will be quick. And I will be changed with no work form me. That’s a lie. This is not a quick fix & your life will not automatically get better. The truth is now that your spirit is saved there are other parts of you that are not. Soooooo, guess who gets to save your other parts? That’s right, you do. Good news, God has already laid out a plan for you to do it, but YOU do have to do it And it will take some time. God’s been calling you for a long time, so give Him at least that amount of time to show Himself to you. You will not be sorry you did.
Romans 12:2 (MSG) – Place Your Life Before God – 12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Myth # 2 – I have to be perfect or God will punish me. The truth is if you could be perfect you already would be perfect & you wouldn’t need a savior, you would be the savior. And since you are not the Savior, God made it simple for you. All you have to do is ask Him what to do in any & every situation & He’ll tell you what to do. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It really is. The challenge will be in waiting on God’s timing & not getting ahead of Him. But I am living proof it does work & work well!
1 John 5:14-15 (AMP) – Confidence/Compassion in Prayer – 14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.
So, now you have to discover what God’s plan for your life! Ask him to lead you to the Bible teaching church He wants you to attend. He would’ve already placed people there to help you.
Myth #3 – I now have to be like I think “church” people should be, or what “church” people say I should be like.
God made you the way He wanted you to be. He doesn’t want you to be like anyone else. He is not surprised about who you are & what you have done. He’s not even shocked about what you may do tomorrow. Yes, you’ve made some mistakes, we all have, but He loves us because He knows all the great things He’s put in you. Now it’s your job to discover these things for yourself. Your new journey of discovery begins now! Let’s get this party started!
I also strongly suggest you talk to God & ask Him to show you the difference between religion & relationship with Him. Get to know God for yourself by spending time talking with Him, asking Him questions about what He thinks & what He wants for your life. Ask Him questions that you may have always wanted to ask but didn’t know you could. God will talk to you like you talk to Him. Don’t depend on man to tell you what God is saying, always ask Him to tell you what He means. We are only here to guide you, not be your God!
Sooo, did this help you? Do you have something to add? Please feel free to respond
Also, If you have a subject about God you want us to talk about please forward it.
if you need something more personal or you want to talk privately, please go to my contact page to email me directly. You can also leave your prayer requests there too.
Today is the 1st day of the rest of your life – start living it on purpose now by Bringing a Real God to Your Real Life!
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