Let down your guard

Let down your guard. This is quite an interesting thought. When we let down our guard, we are open to receive what comes. Yet, when it comes to God we holdfast to our guard, we become impenetrable. We are more willing to let down own guard for people, than for God. But when we let down our guard for God, we can do this…James 5:16 -Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. (MSG) Yeah, that is right we are able to live whole and healed, and become a formidable power to consider.who would not want to do that.. However, when we are more willing to release our guard to man, than to God, not so much power or whole healed life for us. See, it is really not a mystery why we have so much strife, chaos, or stress in our life. We have become vulnerable to man as we seek their approval, their love, their camaraderie, and meet their expectations. It is nothing wrong with this, other than we have gotten the order wrong, so the outcome is skewed. Our focus is releasing and getting man’s approval, then God. Not quite the blessed way to do it. We are disappointed over and over again, because man is subject to their emotional compass which is temperamental at best. They are covered with the experiential understanding based on a fear-factor perspective resulting from years of unforgiveness and impatience because of the repetitive nature of our behavior. This gives an outcome of disagreements and intolerance. But in the bible it states -Isa. 40:28-Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired, His understanding is inscrutable (unfathomable). (NASB) Which means he endures all, patiently working with us to get through, and reminds loving to us until we get it right. Letting down our guard open doors to riches, to peace, and to sweet release, when it in the will of the Lord we settle in a refreshing faith. That even when we do not see the end, we know we are in good hands and go, we let go...

Living the sufficiency of God's grace!

I received this today in an email and thought wow! What a thought.

I was shocked, confused, bewildered As I entered Heaven's door, Not by the beauty of it all, Nor the lights or its decor. But it was the folks in Heaven Who made me sputter and gasp-- The thieves, the liars, the sinners, The alcoholics and the trash. There stood the kid from seventh grade Who swiped my lunch money! twice. Next to him was my old neighbor Who never said anything nice. Herb, who I always thought Was rotting away in hell, Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, Looking incredibly well. I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal? I would love to hear Your take. How'd all these sinners get up here? God must've made a mistake. 'And why's everyone so quiet, So somber - give me a clue.' 'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock. No one thought they'd be seeing you.' JUDGE NOT. Every saint has a PAST... Every sinner has a FUTURE!

We forget that as we are looking through our own lens of unrighteous and skewed truth because we hold on to our expectations, unfulfilled dreams, and unforgiveness that have nothing to do with God but all ‘us’. We hold on to our hurt-filled heart and mind which clouds our way as it festers and grows. We forget this creates a division between the person and the Father, thus…we cannot worship fully in spirit and truth, because we are not being it…
See we all have a story to tell filled with triumphs, victories, mistakes, bad choices….love taken advantage of, manipulative relationships, twisted mercy, misinterpreted grace, and blunt force trauma justice (some we have been the giver, and some we have been the receiver)…I know, I have….Hezekiah Walker got it right with his song – God Favor…would not fall, would not bend, not compromise…God favor me…I speak life, I speak prosperity, I even speak health…This is what we should do as Christian; walk it out, let God handle it, forgive it, because all things work out for those who love God. His will, not ours…I can speak for me, my life changed, I obtained PEACE of mind, once I stopped trying to ‘fix it’. When I stop trying to get people to see their mistakes, and understand my point. I saw the error of my ways. Then, I had to realize, I cannot make anyone do, change or see by being hostile, angry, rude, or combative, and own my contribution to the problem. However, I could still loved with the same intensity, and not put myself in the hurtful places or be around negative people. I cannot make individuals who live in a negative space because of their doing, to move out of their fear and hurt. Just like no one can make me move out of mind. This was a hard transition, but I can say it is a blessed position and disposition. You know, I finally got this, when Paul stated - 2 Cor. 12:9-10 - My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. (MSG). God’s grace is sufficient for me, and I am stronger because I am not loaded down with the excess of baggage of madness and confusion. I free to see God’s picturesque light, whether big or small, shine unconsciously from all…God got me, does not mean I am without the hurt, the blame, or the consequences of my past actions, but what it does mean, I am not imprison by my fear, unforgiveness or insecurity…God’s grace is sufficient and it is has power to take my mess to become my message, my tests to be my testimony, and struggles to become my story…wink

When will we learn

When will we learn we cannot lie, deceive, or manipulate an event or situation and get away it? Many times it is done for no reason, just because we think we should. We make promises, commitments, then decide – I am not going to do this or that. However, instead of saying I have changed my mind, I am not going to do it. We lie. There are two problems, and they both have with being self-focus. The first we promise something trying to follow the crowd and ‘be part of the group’, look good but we just need to be you, and we will be better off. While the second has to do with our decision to just not do, after promising because it was more work or the abundance was more than we expect. We do not get, we receive, when we give from our heart (God’s math, not man’s). God always return to us more than we could ever imagine in this life, but yet we lie and begin our own slow demise and/or immediate deconstruction of our life ,both figuratively and literally. The important lesson is acting from a negative place, sin, will take us further then we expect, and cause more problems than we can handle. Let us look at the story of a husband and wife, who were self destruction because they got lost in the frenzy of doing, and decided to lie to the LORD; yes the Lord. We lie to man, we are also lying to God…rem: thou shall not lie?…Acts 5:1- 8 -But a man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds from the field? Wasn't it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn't it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God!" When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. The young men got up, wrapped [his body], carried him out, and buried him. There was an interval of about three hours; then his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. "Tell me," Peter asked her, "did you sell the field for this price?" "Yes," she said, "for that price." Then Peter said to her, "Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!”(HCSB) We would do well to remember our little lies are still lies, and never make a promise to save face because you will find it difficult to fulfill. See the bible, the instruction guide or manual for Christians, yeah all the answers to our issues really are in there…Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. (21st KJV). So, the question still on the table, when will we learn lying never pays off, only create more problems and become the breeding ground for more lies. When we have the fertile ground for lies, we begin to form insecurities, window open to the breezes of contention, and blossoms sprouts of unforgiveness. Then we wonder why no one is treating ‘me’ right. Most our discomfort we create it and have-nots, through our manipulative motive, conspiratory spirit, and I-know-better attitudes…When will we learn God loves us! We do not have to lie, manipulate or conspire to receive it. Everything He requires is for our good…How many people do you know are like that to ya…smiling

The righteous shall live by faith

Roms. 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (NASB)
The just shall live by faith. However, it is indistinguishable in this world for most to see the just, the faithful from the unjust or the unfaithful. Just like it is difficult to see the Christian from the un or non-Christian. We are quick to battle the in the spirituals as well as the physical wars, but nervous about submitting and living for God in truth. We desire to correct before we try to perfect the word in our own life. We tend to ignite or ignore, not channel the power that is given through the word. See the word has power, and the authority -Ecc. 8:4 Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, "What are you doing?"(NASB). Yet, we hesitate or become distracted from living and receiving the blessing of Abraham, the favor of David, the commitment of Ruth, and the insight of Abigail. All because we do not understand we cannot, we are unable to go from faith to faith, without going through the fire to get to the reward, the abundance. We just want the difference, without being the different. We have not comprehended in our pick-and-choose perspective of the Lord’s requirements that He does waste words. And the killing or destroying of the dreamers, the innovators, the change agents, the cornerstone should be conduit for the greatness of the dream. Instead we hide, we draw back, and assume the persona we should not, become more intolerable, increasingly combative, worldly confused, and distant from the faith. We focus more on the person God sent, the word God sent, and now we are afraid.
No one is seeking perfection, but we are seeking your illustration of living the power of the faith we teach, speak, and counsel. Loving right when it is difficult, having a humble heart when it is overwhelming, waiting on the Father guidance when it is not popular or conducive for ‘you’ to shine, or acting on the Lord keen insight when the logic is not present all because you live by faith. I know what an idealistic perspective to have but I tell you it is not. We all know people who inspite of circumstance (fabulous and dire) draw others to them, the knowledge is crave, we sit in awe of their faithfulness, and are awestruck about their grace combed intolerance or right that never pushes us others away – it is faith. Ecc 1:1 - Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam (NASB)
When we live by faith, it is owned by us, our King’s word is the final authority, not in conceit or arrogance, with a shining light mercy faith that is aware – there is more, I require of thee. In such a way it sends chills over your body, eyes glisten on the brink of tears, and a peace love washes over you because you now get a glimpse, a peek of what Peter felt when Christ asked him to feed his sheep for the third time…We act upon, live, believe and comfortable with, what we know and been taught. We have totally forgotten, God is in the impossible, improbable, and his way is far from us finding out. So, tell the storm, the battle, the difficult, etc, I will not be denied; the amazing grace of my Father will bring me through better than bless- faith!