Sunday, October 28, 2012
Trying Walking A Mile in Someone Else's Shoes
You never really know a man until you understand things
from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. ~
Nelle Harper Lee
Scripture:
If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two
miles.
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one
who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:41-42 NIV
Very
often we are quick to criticize others based on our own opinions and positions
in life. We think nothing of judging the
conditions of others centered on what our life experiences have shown us. We will shake our heads in disapproval if
others do not conform to our standards and beliefs. We will quickly dismiss those who find
themselves in situations and circumstances we find appalling because of the
hand that life has dealt them. We tend
to forget that many of us are only where we are because of whose we are and but
for the grace of God go you or I.
Years ago when I first started my writing journey, I wrote a short story called Death at a Church. It was about a young prostitute who worked the corner near a church. Even though she didn’t know anything about God, there was something about the beautiful church, the beautiful sounds emanating from it and its beautiful people that fascinated her.
One day, she gathers enough courage to put on
her best and enter through its beautiful doors.
Once inside, she almost loses her courage because of how she is treated
by those beautiful church folk. Many of
them recognized her by her profession without knowing her story or that her
choice of profession had never been her choice to make but rather a choice made
by someone else. If those good folks had
been given the same cross to bear, would they be as strong?
Remember,
When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.
Be
Blessed
Prayer:
Father, we come to You this day asking forgiveness for the words spoken against another because of what we think they are. Help us Lord, to see other as You see us. Help us Lord to look beyond a person’s appearance and see into their hearts. Help us Lord, to show forgiveness towards those who have caused us such sorrow and heartache. Help us Lord to rebuke those who seek to destroy us. Teach us this day to have a forgiving spirit towards those who have misused us. Father, help us to see others in the same way You see us. With the eyes of Love. With a spirit of forgiveness, and with an open mind so that we may come to understand those who seem strange to us. Father, I am asking once again that You touch those saints who have asked for prayer for whatever situation they may be faced with. Father, our prayers are not complete until we tell You just how much we love You. We thank You Lord, for Your forgiveness of our sins and for looking beyond our faults. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Father, we come to You this day asking forgiveness for the words spoken against another because of what we think they are. Help us Lord, to see other as You see us. Help us Lord to look beyond a person’s appearance and see into their hearts. Help us Lord, to show forgiveness towards those who have caused us such sorrow and heartache. Help us Lord to rebuke those who seek to destroy us. Teach us this day to have a forgiving spirit towards those who have misused us. Father, help us to see others in the same way You see us. With the eyes of Love. With a spirit of forgiveness, and with an open mind so that we may come to understand those who seem strange to us. Father, I am asking once again that You touch those saints who have asked for prayer for whatever situation they may be faced with. Father, our prayers are not complete until we tell You just how much we love You. We thank You Lord, for Your forgiveness of our sins and for looking beyond our faults. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Footnote:
If anyone is
interested in reading Death at a Church to see how my character triumphs in
this moving story and others just as encouraging you can Order a copy of the
Triumph of my Soul anthology at: http://peaceinthestormpublishing.com/home/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=13 or at: http://amazon.com and http://barnesandnoble.com
Monday, October 22, 2012
Owning up to Your Faults
Nothing
can work me damage except myself; the harm that I sustain I carry about with
me, and never am a real sufferer but by my own fault. ~ Bernard, St.
Scripture:
And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me. Jonah 1:12 New King James Version (NKJV)
This past weekend I heard a very interesting take on
the Story of Jonah. In the past,
whenever a sermon was given regarding Jonah and his disobedience to God, it
simply referenced him running away from what God wanted him to do. However, in all the years that Jonah’s story
had been related to me, I had never heard the Prophet Jonah’s story told this
way before.
I had on several occasions read and heard of Jonah’s
initial refusal to go to Nineveh and tell the citizens to repent of their sins
or they will be destroyed. Jonah did not want the city to be saved because he
felt that they weren’t worthy of God’s grace and mercy. He didn’t want God to
forgive them so he took it upon himself to run in the opposite direction in and
effort to refuse God’s directive.
What I found most interesting about this sermon was
that the emphasis wasn’t placed upon Jonah running away, but on the fact that
he owned up to why the ship and its crew were in trouble. He admitted he was the reason and that it was
all his fault.
How many of us are brave enough to admit that we are
the catalyst for our own problems? How
many of us are willing to take the blame for causing stress and strife in the
lives of others? How many of us are
willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others? How many of us would have continued to run
away rather than own up to our mistakes and try to make things right.
It's not hard to find the truth. What is hard is not to
run away from it once you have found it.
Be Blessed
Prayer: Father God, I come before the throne of grace seeking Your face and Your favor. Lord, often times I hear Your voice and tremble. I tremble because I know that I am not doing your will but rather following my own. Forgive me Lord. I pray that You would forgive me for my mistakes of yesterday and I pray that You would find favor with me once again. Lord, I come standing in the gap for my family and friends. I pray for the family who lost a mother and the family who lost a young child. So many need so much. I ask that You would comfort those who are heartbroken, assure those who are at a lost, strengthen those who are weak. Lord, help us to realize just how blessed we are. We may not have all that we want, but you continue to supply all of our needs. Lord, we just want to thank You for all that You have done in our lives and for all that You are about to do. Keep us all in perfect peace and help us to keep our minds and our hearts set on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His name we pray. Amen.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sometimes there has to be a Breakdown in order to have a Breakthrough
Breakdowns can create breakthroughs. Things fall apart
so things can fall together.
Scripture:
And
we know that God causes all things to work
together for good to those who
love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans
8:28
So often
as we journey through life, things appear to be going along just fine and then
suddenly, something will happen to cause things to begin to fall apart. We sometime call these things an unexpected
turn of events. Or as some might say, we
hit a speed bump or bump in the road. These speed bumps could be called, financial
difficulties, infidelity, sickness and strife or simply “Life happens.”
The word
bottom is often used to describe a condition that most would not like to find
themselves, such as “At your lowest point, hitting rock bottom, bottom of the
barrel, or bottoming out.” Now to most of us, none of the aforementioned
conditions or places is anywhere any of us would like to find ourselves. However, when we look for positives in our
negatives, we can often find something to aspire to. Such as; “To descend to
the lowest point possible, after which only a rise may occur.”
In other words, sometimes the world or
life’s situations that we find ourselves in have to crumble beneath us and we
must hit rock bottom before we will make a change. It is at times like this
that God will allow everything that we have or believe in to be taken away so
that there is nothing left for us hold on to but Him.
Remember, when life knocks
you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up. And sometimes satan
will knock you down, but God can pick you up!
Be Blessed
Prayer:
Therefore I say unto You, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Lord, we come before You believing that You are the one and only true God. Lord, we thank You for remaining faithful to us. Father we give thanks to You alone for loving us and watching over us. Father, help us always to put You first in all we do and say. Teach us Lord, how to remain faithful in spite of our circumstances. Help us Lord to remain prayerful and diligent in our service to You. Thank You Lord for blessing us. Thank You Lord for new grace and mercy. Thank You Lord, for the Blood, the blood that washes away my sins. The blood that protects, heals, and sanctifies. Thank You Lord, for loving a sinner like me. May the prayers of my brothers and sisters be heard by You alone. May You touch the hearts and minds of all who have come before the throne of grace today. May we always give thanks to You first. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Be Blessed
Prayer:
Therefore I say unto You, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Lord, we come before You believing that You are the one and only true God. Lord, we thank You for remaining faithful to us. Father we give thanks to You alone for loving us and watching over us. Father, help us always to put You first in all we do and say. Teach us Lord, how to remain faithful in spite of our circumstances. Help us Lord to remain prayerful and diligent in our service to You. Thank You Lord for blessing us. Thank You Lord for new grace and mercy. Thank You Lord, for the Blood, the blood that washes away my sins. The blood that protects, heals, and sanctifies. Thank You Lord, for loving a sinner like me. May the prayers of my brothers and sisters be heard by You alone. May You touch the hearts and minds of all who have come before the throne of grace today. May we always give thanks to You first. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Listen
Remember, It is the still, small voice that the soul heeds, not the deafening blasts of doom. ~ William Dean Howells
Scripture:
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 (New King James Version)
The prophet Elijah had a personal relationship with God. God often spoke to Elijah and commanded him to do great things in His name. In the above passage, Elijah was running from Jezebel, after he had torn down her altars and killed her prophets in the name of the Lord. He then fled to the wilderness and went into hiding, fearing for his life.
Our all knowing God already knew what Elijah was running from, but asked him anyway, what was he doing. It was during this meeting that God, told him to find Elisha who became his servant and would one day, take his place.
The Lord, our God, is capable of many great things. So often when we are seeking him, we look for the “Big” sign. We want him to perform great miracles for us that we, ourselves can see. There are several instances in the bible that tell of him speaking in a booming, loud voice. However, sometimes, He just whispers the answer to our problem.
We must learn not to look for the “Big” sign, but rather to listen for His still small voice.
Be Blessed
Prayer:
Father, may we always hide Your word in our hearts. Father, may we learn to be still, listen and hear Your still small voice. Father God, help us to learn to be obedient to Your word. Your word, which is the same today, yesterday, and forever word. Your Word, that spoke the world into existence. Your Word, that sooths our souls when nothing else can. We come thanking You today for Your word. We come thanking You today, for Your hedge of protection. We come giving You our love and adoration for all that You do for us and our loved ones. But most of all we thank You for the greatest gift that could ever be given. The gift of Your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we just want to say thank You for Your word. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Monday, October 08, 2012
Peeling Back the Layers of Life
Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep. ~ Carl Sandburg
Scripture:
A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time
to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a
time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; Ecclesiastes 3:3-4 New
King James Version (NKJV)
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines life as the quality that
distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body. Life is the essence of who we are on this
earth and is further defined by our existence in this
world. Life is the combined accumulation of our experiences. Life is the sequence of physical and
mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual and can be one or more aspects of the process of living. Life or live, is after all, what we do.
The above scripture from the
book of Ecclesiastes
has been described as a book of perspectives.
It is implied that it was written by King Solomon who was considered a
very wise man. King Solomon’s ultimate
purpose for writing this book was to give Christians a chance to see the world
through the eyes of a person who is trying to find meaning in life.
Most every form of worldly pleasure is explored by the
writer, and none of it gives him a sense of meaning. In the end, the writer comes to accept that
faith in God is the only way to find personal meaning. He decides to accept the
fact that life is brief and ultimately worthless without God. The writer advises
the reader to focus on an eternal God instead of temporary pleasure.
Life teaches us that sometimes we choose things we
THINK will make us happy. However, true
happiness can only be found when we seek God first.
Be Blessed
Prayer:
Father
God, far too often we seek pleasure in all the wrong things and in the wrong
places. Lord, forgive us when we fail to
see that eternal happiness can only be gained by seeking first the kingdom of
God. Father, we realize that sometimes
we make choices that are selfish and self-serving. We allow worldly things to distract us and to
temporarily turn our attention away from You and Your word. Forgive us.
Lord, help us to keep You at the forefront of all our decisions. Help us to keep our eyes on the prize of the
most high calling. Help us to not be
swayed by him who seeks to destroy us.
Lord, we love You. We thank You
for fresh grace and mercy. We thank You
for always allowing us to opportunity to turn away from evil and return home to
You. We thank You most of all for Your
Son, Jesus Christ. It is in His name
that we submit this prayer. Amen.Tuesday, October 02, 2012
You Can't Conquer What You Won't Confront
Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have. ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Scripture:
What, then, shall we say in response to
these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He
who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also,
along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:30-32 New International Version (NIV)
As
we journey through life, we are often confronted with people or situations that
cause us to halt right in our tracks. We
become frozen in place and unable to move forward or make a decision for fear
of making the wrong one. We try to
pretend that what’s happening isn’t real or will quickly dissipate and just go
away. Far too often we would just rather
ignore our situation than deal with it.
Men
and women who may feel that their significant other may be cheating on them
would rather close their eyes to the truth than confront it. Parents choose to ignore the obvious signs of
drug abuse in their offspring than address the signs of addiction. We will often accept less than substandard
conditions as apposed to trying to change them.
We would accept wrong in our lives rather than try and make it right.
The
word of God tells us time and time again that we don’t have to accept something
just because. If we truly believe in His
word, that word lets us know we can change our circumstances and that He can do
anything that we ask with His help. We
are reminded time and time again that if we believe in Him that He can and will
change our circumstances. Saints of God,
the word of God tells us if we have faith in Him and His word we can positively
conquer our problems and situations if we are willing to confront them.
Yet
in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Be
Blessed
Prayer:
Father
God, we come before the throne of grace with praise and thanksgiving on our
tongues and in our hearts. Lord, we
thank you for fresh grace and mercy and for the love that You so freely give to
us. Father, just like a wayward child, I
know that I often disappoint You. I
realize that when I choose to do things on my own and don’t put You at the
forefront of my decisions, I become paralyzed with fear. When I fail to feed my faith I am unable to
confront the obstacles in my way. When I
do not partake from the bread of life, I become weak and scared. I become frozen in place and unable to move
forward or make decisions because of fear.
Help me to remember to always hide Your word in my heart and to call
upon Him who strengthens me in my weakness.
I thank You Father God for Your Son, Jesus. Jesus, the sweet, comforting empowering name
that helps me to confront my fears and helps me to conquer my demons. It is in His name that we pray. Amen.