LOVE BASICS

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A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 13:34-35

LOVE: THE COMMANDMENT

To fully understand what God expects from us, it is essential to explore the concept of love. Jesus summarized God’s expectations using just one word: “love”. However, this word is often used, yet not fully understood. To obey this commandment, we must first clearly understand what love is. Love is not just an emotion or a feeling, but a decision and an action. It is a selfless act of kindness and care towards others and an essential part of our relationship with God. Therefore, we must strive to have a clear image of what love is, and filter out what it is not. We must understand that love is not just a fleeting emotion, but something that requires effort and commitment. By exploring the true meaning of love, we can understand God’s intent and obey His commandments. In this blog, we will delve deeper into the concept of love and explore its various dimensions, so that we may have a better understanding of what it truly means to love others and fulfill God’s expectations.

WHAT LOVE DOESN’T DO

I will begin by highlighting what love doesn’t do.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:10

The verse above speaks to the fact that love is not only about what we do, but also about what we do not do. It is not just about being kind and compassionate towards others, but also about refraining from anything that may harm or cause ill to our neighbor. For example, love does not steal from our neighbor, because this act would cause them harm and violate their trust. Similarly, love does not lie about our neighbor or covet anything that belongs to them, because these actions would also cause them harm and rob them of their possessions. In essence, love demands that we act in a way that is trustworthy, honest, and respectful toward our neighbors and that we refrain from anything that may cause them harm or loss. By doing so, we build a relationship of trust and mutual respect with our neighbors and demonstrate our commitment to treating them with the same care and compassion that we would want for ourselves. Therefore, if we are unsure whether our actions towards our neighbor are loving or not, we can simply ask ourselves: will this action cause them harm or benefit? If it is the former, then we can be sure that it is not an act of love, and we should refrain from doing it.

WHAT LOVE DOES

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I will not be reviewing each word used in the verses above because the things that love does not do can be categorized in the section about how love does no ill or harm to one’s neighbor. Instead, let’s review the things that Paul says love does, as written in these verses.

  1. Love suffereth long
  2. Love rejoices in the truth
  3. Love beareth all things
  4. Love believeth all things
  5. Love hopeth all things
  6. Love endureth all things

LOVE SUFFERETH LONG

Can we admit that everyone has flaws? If so, then we should also recognize the need to be patient with people as they grow, just as we would want others to be patient with us as we grow. This ties into the instruction to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you would like people to be patient with you, then it is wise to be patient with others as well.

LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH

Paul emphasizes that love rejoices in the truth. Love always celebrates the triumph of truth and encourages honesty and integrity. It values transparency and is grateful when people choose to be truthful, even in difficult situations. Love also inspires us to seek the truth and to be open to new perspectives and ideas. It teaches us to be patient and understanding, to listen carefully to others, and to value their opinions. Love helps us build strong relationships based on trust, respect, and mutual understanding. It motivates us to live our lives with purpose and to make a positive impact on the world around us.

LOVE BEARETH ALL THINGS

This phrase means to cover (like a roof). When someone is going through a storm, which inevitably we all go through, how do you handle it? Do you expose them to the elements or do you cover them. If it were not for the roof of a building, a house would be exposed to rain, snow, and all other elements that could possibly get into the house. The Bible says if you’re going to love, then you’re going to cover them like a roof. You’re going to protect them from the elements that could do them harm. The purpose of love is to protect. So cover people like a roof and protect them from dander.

LOVE BELIEVETH ALL THINGS

What in the world does this mean? Does it mean that love is naive? Of course not. It means that you give people credit. Let’s look at what that means in the banking system and then we’ll evaluate what it means in this context.

In banking, you are giving the person a certain amount of dollars in credit, in advance of say for example them buying a house. So they purchase the home with the credit that you gave them. Now they pay you back for the money, in credit that you gave them.

How does this tie to love? It’s simple. You give them credit, meaning that you extend some trust to the person in advance of them proving they deserve it from you. If they are unworthy of the trust, you’ll find out and you can make adjustments at that point. But love gives people credit that they will either improve over time or ruin.

LOVE HOPETH ALL THINGS

Simply put, love has good expectations of everything that it finds itself in. So love is not paranoid. But instead, love expects great things to be born from anything it is attached to. Love expects good in all of its relationships whether marriage, dating, work, friendships, or family. It simply expects good, no matter the situation.

LOVE ENDURETH ALL THINGS

This means that love remains. Love is not persuaded to quit due to pressure from wherever it may come. You cannot lure love away from what it loves and what it wants. Faithfulness is built into love. Love, in its purest form, can be trusted because you know that it will always be there. You know that a person who loves you will always be there. They will not leave due to pressure because of the faithfulness that is inherent in love.

LOVE NEVER FAILETH

The word “faileth” means become “inefficient”. “Efficiency means to make the best use of time or resources. Therefore love makes the best use of its time and/or resources. This is an amazing summary of what was stated prior in this chapter. You see, the previous verses were actually telling us what the best uses of our time and resources are. You see, for example, it’s a waste of time and resources if you are in a relationship and not expecting or hoping for good. why are you there?

Another example would be jealousy. It would be a waste of your time and energy resources to be jealous or envious of someone. Do not spend your time or resources on things that serve neither you nor others. Love is the BEST use of your time and resources.

So let us love, as we have been commanded!

INTERCESSION: THE ART OF PRAYING FOR OTHERS (PART 1)

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Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

INTRODUCTION:

As we discuss the matter of praying for others, let’s look into our own hearts and seek to correct attitudes and beliefs that interfere with our ability to reach heaven and serve others with our prayers. As we evaluate our own hearts, not in judgement or evil criticisms, but to simply wash our hearts with God’s word, we will find ourselves in deep places whereby we are increasingly sensitive to God’s Spirit and prevail in prayer.

CONFESSION, PRAYER AND HEALING

As we explore the art of praying for others, we will lay some ground work here in focusing on 3 points of contemplation to start…confession, prayer and healing. Now, there tends to be a natural desire to pursue healing, which is the alleviation of pain or particular problems. That’s fine, but we will look at a pathway here that will lead us into the healing that we desire.

CONFESSION:

The first point that we will address is confession. Well what is a confession? Basically, a confession is an admission. It is a statement of truth. In this verse, James tells us to confess our faults one to another. Why would we do that? For what benefit will this confession serve? Here, we are instructed to confess our faults in particular. Have you ever been keeping something secret and you felt like you couldn’t share it with anyone else? Do you remember the pressure you felt inside holding it in? Do you remember the feeling of relief that you felt once you released it and shared the secret with someone you trusted? This is the reason for the confession.

In order for you to be healed, you must be relieved of the pressure that you are carrying inside. This pressure can contribute to stress, which can cause serious health problems for you. So here, God is wanted us to relieve ourselves of the pressure by releasing it. I don’t want to sound crude, but you can think of it this way. Imagine you had eaten a lot of enjoyable food. Of course you know that food was never intended to stay in your body. We eat the food, digest it and then it exits our body. So you at some point begin to feel pressure within that signals to you that you need to make it to the restroom soon or there will be problems. So you go to the restroom to eliminate the waste from your system.

Now if your body is not regularly eliminating waste, there are health problems that will develop. Likewise, If we keep things bottled up inside that we really should talk about, the result will be similar. There are physical and or emotional problems that may develop due to us holding things in. So we have to decide with whom we can open up to and when we should open up to them about our faults.

Here’s another reason why confession of faults is necessary. In context, this is a group of people confessing to one another their faults. One particular benefit this serves is that you understand that you are not alone. Oftentimes we are defeated by life because we feel isolated. We believe that we’re alone and as a consequence we suffer defeat because we thought something was wrong with us and we were an anomaly. In this group of friends, that lie is destroyed, shame is lifted and you are healed.

PRAYER

The next point is prayer. To piggy back off of the first point of confession, the aim of which is to take us into the point of prayer. So the purpose of confession is not for gossip, but it is for the purpose of prayer. You see we can prayer more effectively as we talk to one another. This is because, in conversation, we learn things that we may never have learned without it. So in this phase, we are to use what we learned in the confession phase as a point of reference in the prayer phase.

As an aside, you can use this principle when praying alone, as well as in groups. You can begin this type of prayer by confessing your faults and or sin to the Father.

So at this point when the group enters the prayer phase, you can take turns praying as you are lead based upon the confessions made in phase one. It is not necessary that all persons pray. Each setting may be different. The leader may pray for the group or each person in the group may provide prayers as they are lead to do so.

I want to point out something here that may not be obvious. We are told to pray “for one another.” In order to pray for one another, we need to care about one another. We need to love each other and care about each other’s highest good. Without loving one another and caring about the well-being of each other, praying for one another will be a daunting task.

HEALING

What does it mean to be healed? When I think of healing I think of a problem being resolved. For example, if someone had cancer, healing would be the cancer is no longer in their body. If they cut their finger, the wound closes up and there’s no more pain. Healing is the putting back of things as they should be or as God intended. So the aim of the first 2 phases is to carry those in the group into phase 3.

This, you should have in mind as your target or goal. But not only that, you are fully believing for those in your group to be healed. You are believing for things to be set right in your lives as a result of your confessions and prayers.

COMPONENTS OF PRAYER

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Suppose you want to bake a cake. First, you will decide what kind of cake that you want to bake. You will find a recipe that matches the cake you desire to have. Then you will get the ingredients together. You will then follow the steps in the recipe in order so that you can properly bake whatever the given cake may be.

Have you considered that there are ingredients or components to prayer. Now as with a cake, there are some ingredients that you add in or take out based upon the type of cake you are making, likewise with prayer. There are some basic ingredients or components that should be a part of every prayer. Also, there are some components that are not necessary for every “kind” of prayer.

Below I’m going to list 3 basic ingredients of prayer.
1) Desire
2) Faith
3) Prayer

DESIRE
Now each of these ingredients serve a particular role. Let’s begin with “desire.” Desire is the thing that you want. It is the thing that you want to come to pass. If you are praying for a relationship, then the desire is the mate. If you are praying for a job, then the job is the desire. That ingredient is rather simple to understand. You have to first want the thing that you are praying for.

FAITH
The second listed ingredient is “faith.” This ingredient may be a little more complicated to grasp, but you can get this. Belief has to do with what you think to be true regarding your current relationship with your desire. Using our previous example of the desire being a relationship, do you think that you have the relationship? Do you think you will have the relationship some time in the future? Do you think you will never have the relationship?

Let’s evaluate each of these questions and eliminate the incorrect answers one by one.

Do you believe you will never have the relationship?
Does this question match faith? I think we can easily answer this one “no.” It is obviously not an example of faith.

Do you believe you will have the relationship some time in the future?
This question appears to be a match for faith. However, this is not an example of faith either. This is not bad, but it is an example of hope, not faith. The reason this thought is not an example of faith is because it puts the desired thing into the future. Future is always tied to hope. However, faith is always tied to the present. Allow me to explain.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mark 11:24

In this verse, notice what Jesus said must be believed. He said “that ye receive them.” He didn’t say believe that you are going to received them. You have to believe that you receive it at the point of your prayer. The mistake that is often made is postponing belief until after the thing has happened or believing that God will do the thing at some unknown time in the future. However, the promise is tied to believing you are receiving it now.

Do you believe that you have the relationship?
Therefore, of the 3 questions, this is the one that matches faith. Biblical faith is accepting as true the desired thing as yours prior to your senses indicating it is so. Otherwise, you are not in faith. So in order to be in faith for your relationship, you have to accept as true in your heart that you have the mate even without that person physically in your life. Belief that the thing is so precedes manifestation in order for it to be faith.

PRAYER
Following our cake baking analogy, where does prayer fit in? Prayer is the bowl that you use. Prayer is the container in which you mix desire and belief. Prayer basically means to ask. We have come to understand that prayer is communication with God, or fellowship. So when we look at it from the standpoint of asking. We simply ask for what we want and believe it is already done while we are praying.

IN CONCLUSION
Make this lesson apply to you. Think of something that you would like to happen in your life. Mix your desire and faith in your heart and ask the Father for it. You will be amazed with the results that will follow.

PRAYER: RELATIONSHIP MATTERS (PART 4)

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But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 1:12

John 1:12 – Understanding Our Relationship with God Through Jesus

In previous discussions, we explored the nature of God the Father. This time, we’ll delve into our identity and relationship with God through Jesus, examining the impact of this relationship on our contributions to the world.

Defining ‘Sonship’ and ‘Father’

To fully appreciate this lesson, let’s define ‘son’ or ‘sonship’ and ‘Father.’ ‘Sonship’ implies being a ‘builder,’ while ‘Father’ signifies a ‘Source.’ These definitions reveal God’s role as our Provider and our duty as builders, utilizing what we receive from the Father.

The Crisis in America: A Severed Bond

The weakening bond between father and son in America presents a significant issue. This severed connection leaves sons without guidance, hindering their ability to contribute effectively to society. This concept is mirrored in nature, where a fruit or a tree disconnected from its source soon perishes, losing its ability to thrive or reproduce.

The Role of Faith

Our connection to God is forged through faith, particularly faith in Jesus Christ. This faith is the cornerstone of our walk with God.

Habakkuk 2:4 and Galatians 3:11 emphasize two key points: living by faith and the impossibility of justification by law alone in God’s sight.

Faith emerges as a crucial theme in the Bible, further underscored by Hebrews 11:6. Without faith, pleasing God is impossible, regardless of moral conduct. Faith is integral to every aspect of our relationship with God, with its absence marking a deviation from His path.

Conclusion: Our Contribution to the World

Returning to our analogy of the apple tree: Just as an apple tree nourishes others with its fruit, believers, rooted in faith, produce qualities that nourish the world. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) are fruits we offer to those around us.

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PRAYER: RELATIONSHIP MATTERS (PART 3)

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After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Matthew 6:9

Unveiling the Essence of ‘Father’

In our spiritual exploration, the term ‘father’ deserves a closer look. Beyond a simple title, it embodies the essence of an originator, a transmitter, a force that breathes its spirit into others. These layers of meaning enrich our understanding as we delve into Jesus’s guidance on addressing God in our prayers.

The Teaching of Jesus: A Call to Intimacy

Jesus, in His earthly journey, intimately called God ‘Father.’ This choice wasn’t arbitrary. Through this, He extends a profound invitation to us:

1) Echoing Jesus: By calling God ‘Father,’ we align ourselves with Jesus, echoing His way of relating to God.

2) Shared relationship: It signals that, through redemption, we share the same relationship with God as Jesus does.

3) Cultivating Trust: This term is a reminder to foster a childlike trust in God, shaping our mindset towards faith and reliance.

Thus, ‘Father’ is not just a term; it’s an invitation to experience an intimate connection with our Creator, the one who has infused His Spirit within us.

The Understated Power of ‘Father’ in Prayer

While the components of prayer like words, faith, and desire hold their importance, the term ‘Father’ brings a unique strength to our prayers. It signifies a special bond reserved for believers, a connection unparalleled in the universe. It’s a relationship that transcends the ordinary, distinguishing us as recipients of His Spirit, unlike any other creation.

Practical Implications: Living the Connection

This understanding transforms our prayer life. As we address God as ‘Father,’ it’s not just about the fulfillment of our requests. It’s about engraving the awareness of this divine relationship in our hearts. Each prayer becomes a reminder of the redeeming work of Jesus, who bridged the gap between humanity and divinity.

By embracing ‘Father’ in our prayers, we don’t just speak to a distant deity; we converse with a loving parent who desires an intimate relationship with us. This is the heart of salvation, the very purpose of Jesus’s sacrifice – to rekindle the bond between mankind and its Creator.

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PRAYER: RELATIONSHIP MATTERS (PART 1)

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When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father…”

John 17:1

HOW JESUS REFERENCED GOD

It is very interesting to me how Jesus referred to God both when He addressed Him directly, as well as when He spoke of Him to others. When Jesus spoke to God, He called Him Father nearly every time that we have record of in Scripture. When Jesus taught on prayer, He said to use the term Father.

Why would the term Father be so emphasized? In order to answer that question, let’s explore what the word “father” means. In Hebrew, father is the originator and transmitter. By calling God His Father, Jesus was identifying His connection with and dependence on His Originator, the Person who He received all things from. This was His way of keying in on His relationship with the Father at every opportunity.

Taking this knowledge, it also explains why He taught us to do likewise in prayer. Just as Jesus highlighted His relationship with the Father, He taught us to do the same thing for the same reasons. Why is this matter so important? It is as important as it is because it emphasizes the fact, in every prayer and communication, that we are dependent on the power of our Originator and Transmitter for all things. It is because of our connection to Him that we prevail. It is because of our connection to Him that we are what we are and we have what we have.

Notice the prayer above, before He asked for anything, He pointed to the relationship that He has with God. This is because Jesus was depending on the relationship, or connection to produce the answer to His requests.

This is very important for us to grasp as it is the basis of our salvation. We are connected, or united with God…and we communicate that by calling Him by the Title that reveals it…Father.

So when you pray, do not gloss over the Title by which we have been privileged to refer to God. In fact, embrace Him as Jesus suggested and showed by example by calling Him Father, thus sharing your revelation of the connection that has been restored to you by Jesus.

God is your very own Father!

PRAYER: MY FATHER’S HOUSE (PART 1)

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Focus Passage

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. Matthew 21:12-14

Introduction

Upon seeing the mischief being done in the temple, Jesus made the above statement as a rebuke to those who were misusing God’s house. Now if God’s house was being misused, it stands to reason there is a proper use of God’s house. But the people decided to use God’s house as a money-making operation.

What is the proper use of God’s house, according to Jesus? The correct answer would be prayer, especially considering it’s a house of prayer. So then, in this series we will be looking at what prayer is, what prayer is not, as well as what constitutes effective prayer.

But for now, let’s look at Jesus’ verbiage here. He says they have made God’s house a den of thieves. A den is simply where people congregate. The word that stood out to me as I looked into this passage is the word “thieves.” What is a thief? A thief is someone who steals something from someone. Basically, it is one who transfers property (usually to self) without consent from the one who owns it or is the steward of it.

In the text, the people were buying and selling. So on the surface, the business transactions look legitimate. I see the seller and the consumer, but where is the thief in the scenario? In order to have theft, you need to be able to identify what the stolen goods were and there must be a victim. So it seems those 2 burdens are not met. However, upon closer observation, both burdens are proven in the text.

The Accusation and Explanation

The evidence of theft is actually found in the unchallenged accusation the Lord made. They took God’s house and turned it into a den of thieves. This makes God the victim. The people had taken something from God (His house) and repurposed it to be used for their own greed. What goods were taken? Once the money changers repurposed God’s house, people were not able to receive from it what they went there for. Thus, cheating them of what they should have received at the House of Prayer. You see, once God’s house was repurposed, God’s people could not receive what they should have received.

Imagine you own a chicken restaurant, but the restaurant was turned into a clothing store. Now you can get clothes, but you cannot get chicken. This is what happened to the House of Prayer. It was confiscated and converted into a money-making venue. As a consequence, when someone needed the benefits of prayer, they could not find them at the temple…because of the conversion that had taken place.

Notice what happened once Jesus dealt with the money changers and those who were buying and selling in the temple. The blind and lame came to Him and He healed them. How long, I wonder, had they waited in the temple for their healing? How many people left the temple because their needs were not met when they went.

This is one of the reasons why I hold no bad feelings towards people who don’t go to church, in particular those who once went but do not go now. I’m not saying this to mean they shouldn’t, but that I understand. God’s house is a House of Prayer, it is a place where healing should take place, but many, like in this passage have turned it into something else. If you went to a hospital because you were sick and found out they converted it into a dance studio, you probably wouldn’t go back there unless you wanted to dance. I think you get my point.

To be clear, I’m not making an argument against church attendance, but I am making the argument that the Father’s House is a House of Prayer and it is to be a place where people go and find healing. And I’m making the argument that if people are not receiving healing when they come, there is a serious problem…a problem that is not to be ignored but dealt with boldly.

Conclusion

So you see in our focus passage when God’s house is used for its intended purpose, people are healed. But once it’s converted to some other purpose, God is robbed and the people are left out. Why weren’t the lame and blind healed prior? They were not healed because the people who should have been praying in the House of Prayer were too busy making money to care about the problems of others.

LIMITLESS: UNCONDITIONAL (Part 2)

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Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Mark 9:23

THE CONTEXT

A man brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus’ disciples, but they failed to cast the demon out. This left the father with a demon-possessed son who would oftentimes be thrown into the fire and into water. When Jesus inquired as to how long this had been happening, the father said to Jesus this had been going on since his son was a child.

Imagine what this father had been dealing with over the years. His son was not safe around fire or water. Sometimes the demon would try to drown him and at other times it would try to burn him up. This father now brings his tormented son to Jesus’ disciples. Surely he will be delivered, I’m certain, the father thought. But even this led to disappointment as the father sought help for his son. But the father did not give up.

THE SOLUTION

After bringing Jesus up to date on his son’s condition and Jesus’s disciple’s failure to deliver his son, the man asked Jesus if He could have compassion on them and help them. In response, Jesus informed the man that his belief would determine if he received compassion. Jesus informed him that the possibilities were in his belief.

The father then responded to Jesus by crying out to him, Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief! Then Jesus rebuked the spirit and cast it out of the man’s son.

THE ANALYSIS

Let’s take a look at the scene and then we’ll explore in more detail what Jesus said to this father. The father brought his tormented son to men who’d been walking with Jesus. This should let you know that someone may be walking with the Lord and still not have the answer to your particular situation. This shouldn’t be, but it’s just the truth. Some people would have given up on their child’s deliverance once they failed to get a resolution from the men of God they went to for help. But this man was not of the mindset to let his pursuit end with the disciples. He took the matter to the Master.

This is precisely what we need to learn to do. Sometimes men will fail us. But their failure should never be the ending place of our pursuit of what we truly want from the Father.

Another thing that we need to evaluate is the length of time the father was dealing with this matter with his son. We do not know exactly how long this problem had existed, but we do know that it began in the son’s childhood and he’s still dealing with it as an adult. The fact that we know he got delivered should give you hope that no matter how long a problem has existed, it can be overcome through faith.

Now let’s look at what Jesus said to the hopeful father. Jesus told the man if you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes. This is such a powerful statement. Jesus let him know that it doesn’t matter what the demon attempted to do to his son over the years or the fact that his own disciples failed to bring deliverance. Jesus assured this father that if he can believe no matter what has transpired…ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

CONCLUSION

We all have had trouble. Many of us have had trouble that has lasted for years. I won’t be surprised if some of you who read this post have been dealing with things from your childhood until now. You may have attended church meetings and didn’t get your deliverance. But thanks be unto God that no matter what your history is, if you can believe, then compassion is available to you for your deliverance! Receive it now, in Jesus’ name!

LIMITLESS: UNCONDITIONAL (Part 1)

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And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Genesis 11:6

INTRODUCTION

After the flood in Noah’s day, man was faced with a new challenge. The earth had been destroyed previously because man imagined evil…continually. So God saw fit to wipe out most of the earth’s human and animal population because of the corruption mankind had allowed to develop.

Now man was afraid that what had happened before may very well happen again. Therefore, he began to plan for what he considered a possibility…another destruction of the earth by a flood. There is a natural tendency to fear or to think that what has happened in the past may happen again in your life. So here man tries to prepare for it by building a tower that will reach unto the heavens.

UNITY AND IMAGINATION OF MAN

Now there are 2 elements that God ties to their ability to accomplish such a feat as building this great structure called the Tower of Babel. The attributes that God names are 1) unity and 2) imagination. God asserts that a united group who imagines themselves doing a thing is virtually unstoppable. He says, “Nothing will be restrained from them.”

I understand that the context is that of a people who, due to their fear and unbelief, decided to build this structure for protection in defiance of God. However, there are principles here that we can extract from what God said about them.

There is strength in unity! So we need to understand that the greatest weapons that can be used against you are those that would cause division, if effective. If you will read the entirety of this passage, you will find that in order for God to stop them, He had to first divide them. In the earth, our greatest victories will be in our unity, but our greatest defeat can easily be traced back to our division. Let’s move on to imagination.

Let’s think about something here. Even though mankind was almost wiped completely out because of man’s misuse of imagination, God didn’t remove man’s ability to imagine. He chose to keep it intact. Why? This is because the imagination is man’s tool to create. And if you take away man’s ability to create, you have taken away his ability to act like his God.

So this should help us to understand that God is not a proponent of destroying a thing solely because it has been used to cause harm in the past. This is because God knows that the imagination can be used for good or evil. It’s a matter of choice.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Have you considered how these principles of unity and imagination can be used to serve your family, your church, or your job? God gave us these 2 elements as the key to being virtually unstoppable.

How do you use these principles at home, for example? You establish a vision or mission for your family. In order for unity to be established, you must sell the vision to your family and get them to “buy in” or agree to support the vision. Children must be taught the vision as the way the house is governed.

What about imagination? This is your plan as to “how” the vision will be carried out for the family. Each member of the family needs to have a clear understanding of both their own roles and how their roles connect with the roles of the other members of the family. They all must be committed to the vision.

Finally, you must think, plan and execute as if nothing will be restrained from you…because it’s the truth.

DON’T LOOK BACK: REACHING FORWARD

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Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13,14

REACHING FORWARD

This brings us to the second side of the coin. Once we have let go of the past and begin neglecting it, we must reach forward to what’s ahead of us. In fact, I’m inclined to believe that both gestures should be done simultaneously. So in actuality, you are letting go of the past and reaching for your future at the same time. So it is in your reaching for your future that you let go of the past.

How can this be done? The future that you desire must be so compelling to you that you are willing to relinquish the past in pursuit of it. The desire must have more meaning and significance to you than where you have been or else you will not reach for it. Now the word “reach” means “to stretch.” I remember when I took martial arts I had to stretch before class and during class. The benefits I gained were flexibility, speed and power. This means my kicks were fast and strong, plus I had the ability to kick high and from multiple angles. These were the benefits of me doing my stretches. Well, Paul here says he stretches in order to get those things that are before him. This means that Paul went beyond his comfort zone in order to get what he wanted. You see, you must either be committed to your future or your comfort zone. You must stretch beyond your point of comfort in order to have the future that you desire. I know we have been trained to blame others, but in order to have the future that you desire, you cannot blame anyone. Your solution is found in your letting go of the past and being committed to the stretch.

It’s important to recognize that blaming others will not help you achieve your future goals. You need to take responsibility for your future and let go of the past. By doing so, you will be able to focus on the present and future, without letting negative emotions control you. This doesn’t mean that you should forget the lessons you learned from the past. Instead, you should let go of the negative emotions and focus on the positive things that the past has taught you.

In summary, to achieve your desired future, you must be willing to stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone and take responsibility for your future. Let go of the past, but remember the lessons you learned from it. By committing to the stretch, you will be able to reach your desired future.

THE BLESSING OF STRETCHING

When you begin to stretch your legs, you may experience discomfort. This is because you are extending your legs beyond their normal range. Feeling uncomfortable is normal and expected. If you were to extend your legs to the point of ease and comfort, you would not be stretching. Stretching involves going beyond what is normal or familiar. It is the epitome of reaching for more. However, unless you understand the purpose of stretching and desire the result more than you desire comfort, you will sacrifice your future for present ease.

SUMMARY

So as you pursue your dreams, remember that you will feel some discomfort at first. That is part of the process. Go beyond your previous limits. Continue to challenge those boundaries. And before you know it, you will have grown by leaps and bounds when compared to where you first began.

DON’T LOOK BACK: LETTING GO OF THE PAST

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Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13,14

2 SIDES OF ONE COIN

In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul talks about one thing that he does. Although he mentions two things, we must understand them as two sides of one coin. On one side of the coin, Paul forgets the things that are behind him, and on the other side, he reaches forth unto those things that are before him. As we explore this one thing, we will discuss each side individually and then put them back together.

FORGETTING THE PAST

Let’s start with the first side of the coin, which is forgetting the past. What does Paul mean by this? Does he have amnesia? Of course not. The word “forgetting” in this verse means “to neglect.” When we neglect something, we don’t forget that it exists, but we treat it as if it doesn’t exist. We also treat it as if it’s not important. We invest our time, energy, and money into other things instead of giving attention to what we neglected.

Now forgetting the past doesn’t mean we erase it from our memory and pretend like it never happened. It’s about acknowledging the past and letting go of the emotional baggage that comes with it. We often hold onto grudges, regrets, and past mistakes, which can hinder our growth and progress. By neglecting the past, we are not allowing these negative emotions to control us, and we are freeing ourselves to focus on the present and future.

It’s vital to note that neglecting the past does not mean we forget the lessons we learned from it. The past can teach us valuable lessons that we can use to grow and improve ourselves. However, we should not dwell on the past or let it define us. Instead, we should let go of the negative emotions and focus on the positive things that the past has taught us.

In summary, Paul’s statement about forgetting the past means that we should disregard it and release ourselves from any emotional burden it may carry. By disregarding the past, we liberate ourselves to concentrate on the present and future, without allowing any negative emotions to hold us back.

DON’T LOOK BACK: THE STRONGHOLD OF THE PAST

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Remember Lot’s wife.

Luke 7:32

Your memory can be a blessing to you, but unfortunately, it may very well be a curse. Jesus made this statement above in reference to the miraculous deliverance executed to free Lot and his family from the wrath that befell Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Bible does not specify how long Lot and his family lived in Sodom. Nonetheless, they lived there long enough for Sodom to exert its influence on Lot’s wife. She was unable to refrain from looking back at the judgment as it befell the region.

Some details are excluded from the Bible regarding their exit, but I’m sure they heard the death cries of friends they’d acquired, people they did business with, and neighbors they’d left behind. The thought of what these people were suffering had to be painful. These thoughts had so gripped Lot’s wife’s mind that they outweighed the instruction to not look back.

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Gen. 19:26

What an example of looking in the wrong direction! God had given her and her family a new life…a new beginning. However, instead of this righteous woman focusing on her new life, she looked back at the one God was delivering her from and paid for it with her life.

What you give your attention to matters! Do not allow the pull of your past to so grip your mind that you look in the direction that it is calling you to focus on…no matter the logic or rationale. You must fight with everything in you to be single-minded, looking only in the direction of your freedom. Because this woman looked in the direction of the destruction, she suffered the same fate as those who were still in the place she was delivered from moments earlier.

This lesson perfectly illustrated how a person can be physically delivered from a situation, but their mind is not yet free.

Let this lesson serve as a reminder to you that your freedom is tied to the direction of your focus. Do not look in a direction where you do not want to go. Do not risk your future by focusing on your past.

Closing Point:

Notice the language in Genesis 19:26. Lot’s “wife looked back behind him.” This tells us the order in which they escaped to the city of Zoar. Lot was in the position of the rearguard. This means that Lot was standing between his family and the destruction of Sodom. The role of the rearguard is to protect the one who he’s assigned to so that if anything comes their way, he’s the one to get hit…not his protectee. But his wife chose to get out of position and away from his protection. In that moment, her husband was preventing her from seeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. So she positioned herself to see behind him. She had to put her eyes on what she was hearing with her ears. In her mind, she had to see what was going on. Her desire to look back cost her her life. It cost her husband his wife. And it cost her daughters the blessing of having their mom in their lives. The cost of looking back is way more than it seems in the moment of the pressure to backward focus.

DEVILISH DEVICES: UNFORGIVENESS

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Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2 Cor. 2:11

Your adversary wants to be at an advantage over you. Surprised? Right? I’m sure you’re not surprised that he wants the advantage over you, but you may not be aware of how he will get it. This verse is part of a letter wherein Paul is telling the church to forgive and love “if any have caused grief.” Paul tells them to prove or confirm their love for the one(s) who did them wrong.

You see, when someone fails another and causes them grief, in particular a repentant person, there’s a tendency to feel unloved or unwanted. Paul recommended that the church at Corinth confirm their love for the one who wronged them. I know it seems it should be the other way around, but it’s not. It is the responsibility of the offended person to show love to the offender. This is to be done for one reason, you do not want to give the devil the advantage over you or your brother for that matter.

Many people think the chief device the devil uses is people doing things against you, and I admit that is indeed harmful. But have you considered that this may not be the enemy’s endgame? What the enemy is truly after is your unwillingness to forgive. The devil does not have an advantage over you by someone mistreating you, but he does gain the advantage over you through your very own unforgiveness and lack of love toward that person.

Here is why. God is love. When you are walking in love, you are walking in God’s realm and this is a position of power wherein you reign, regardless of what others may do with the intent to harm you. However, Satan doesn’t have the advantage at that point. He either is advantaged or disadvantaged based on your response. So every temptation the devil brings your way is really about moving you out of love and/or forgiveness in order to defeat you.

It’s kind of like checkers. Your opponent makes a move to make you think he wants you to make a certain move. But actually, he’s wanting you to make a move that will let him jump 3 of your game pieces. They may have sacrificed one checker to gain the advantage in the game. So when the enemy entices someone to harm you, his goal was to get you to retaliate or hold bitterness.

HOW DO YOU GAIN THE ADVANTAGE?

In order to keep your position of advantage, you must forgive the person who wronged you, just as God in Christ has forgiven us. Does this mean that you go to lunch with a person who abused you? No, it does not. But it does mean that you are not harboring hatred toward the person in your heart.

MEDITATION AND DESIRE

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1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalms 1:1-2

Your meditation should be consistent with your desire. Psalm 1 speaks of delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating in the law consistently…day and night. In this context, the subject is the law that should be delighted in and meditated upon.

This, I believe, should be a rule of thumb. Do not meditate on anything that you do not delight in. When it comes to relationships, find that thing about them that you delight in and meditate on that. When it comes to work, find that thing about it that you delight in and meditate on that. When it comes to events of your life, find that thing about the event that you love, and meditate on it. Let’s take a look at another Scripture.

MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

The thing that we need to learn is that not everything deserves our continuous thought. We tend to think that if something is true, then it merits our perpetual attention. However, a thing being true does not mean that we should think about it for an extended amount of time. The verse above suggests that the things we think about or meditate on should fit all the criteria above. How much depression would we remove from our lives if we only followed the advice given in this verse? So the next time you feel overwhelmed, take note of the kinds of things you’re thinking about and make adjustments as needed.

FREEDOM VS CONTROL

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And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Gen. 2:16-17

I’ve heard people say that you’re not free to do what you want, you are free to do what you must. I don’t agree with that statement. Freedom is only freedom if you can do the opposite of what is desired by another. That would be like telling a slave that you are free to pick cotton, chop wood and bale hay, but not what you want to do. That is not freedom, not because of the type of work it is, but because it removes the volition of the slave. Control is when you restrict someone from being able to disobey you. When God told the man to freely eat from all the trees except the one in the midst of the garden, He did not take away man’s ability to disobey Him. God told him what would happen when he eats from the tree He told him not to eat from. In this incident, you see what freedom looks like. You are not free unless you have the ability to disobey a stated order.

Look at the language of the 10 commandments. God never said, You can’t do…He stated…you shall not or you shall.

Ultimately, life is about managing freedom. The tool by which freedom must be managed is truth. This is because without truth there is no freedom. You see, the purpose of a lie is to remove or limit a person’s choice to the one selected for him. The purpose of a lie is to take truth off the table so that it won’t be an option in the mind of the person lied to. God will recommend or tell you which option to choose, but He will not make the choice for you. Neither will He take the opposite choice off the table so that you can only select the one He promotes. Remember, He said I set before you life and death, therefore choose life. He didn’t say I set before you life, but the devil set before you death. He claimed responsibility for setting them both before us.

Therefore, truth must be what your heart is set on more than anything else. Without truth, your freedom is at stake. And the opposite of freedom is slavery or control. Truth delivers you from all other masters. Jesus called Himself, the way, the truth and the life. What does this have to do with this lesson? You don’t experience life solely through desire. There is a way or path to all things. On that path called Jesus, you will find truth which takes you into life. Those 3 elements are all intertwined into one thing and found in the person of Jesus the Christ.

What about bad outcomes? God is not interested in fixing outcomes directly. He is interested in man obeying Him by choosing life and as a consequence man’s outcomes will naturally change. The problem is not death, it’s man’s choice of death that is concerning. It’s no different than the woman who aborts a baby once she already had unprotected sex with a man that she did not want to have a child with. The problem was not the pregnancy. The problem was the decision she made to have sex with the man who she did not want to father her child. You see man is trying to control the consequences of his actions instead of his actions that led to those consequences.

So what is freedom then? You are free when you accept responsibility for the outcomes in your life because you have taken responsibility for your own behaviors that led to them. Freedom means that noone is responsible for your life, but you, because you are not under the control of any other. Freedom ultimately means that you do things because you want to do them, not because you must. So you see, you are free to do what you want to do. Just please understand that there are results that come with those decisions as well.

THE CLEANSING EFFECT OF HOPE

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(Originally written on June 16, 2015)

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

1 John 3:3 (KJV)

In context, this verse is talking about believers purifying themselves (ourselves) because of their (our) hope in Christ. There is a truth that I would like to extract from this verse. This morning the Spirit of God spoke to me and he used this verse to show me the following lesson.

You can identify what your expectations are by what you are willing to let go of to have them. If you are not willing to let go of the things that are preventing you from having what you want, then you have not truly stepped into hope. What is holding believers back from receiving is not the devil. What’s holding believers back is their unwillingness to let go of the things that hinder their progress. 

They want God to give them something while they hold on to what is holding them back. Let’s use weight loss for example. A person will say they want to lose weight, but they hold on to poor ways of eating and they hold on to the couch. Real Bible hope would do the following instead. Decide what you want to look and feel like. See yourself like the finished you. Add the ingredients into your life that make for fitness, such as exercise. And eliminate the things that caused you to get up to the weight you find yourself at now.  

There has to be a laying aside of the weight that so easily besets you. The more stuff you carry, the more energy you have to spend to get to your destination. This causes you to spend more time en route because of the load you’re carrying.

We have been duped into believing we need something else to manifest our desires, but in truth, we need to let some things go.

Bruce Lee became the greatest fighter ever because of what he was willing to walk away from. He separated himself from the things that didn’t contribute to being a great fighter. But he was able to separate himself from the things that held him back because of his expectation. His hope purged him of every trace of coward and he became the best at what he did because of it.

What are you willing to walk away from in order to walk into what you truly want to have in life? You cannot walk into your destiny until you let go of the things that hold you where you are right now.

YOU CHOSE YOUR DEVIL

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Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

John 6:70

I know I’m about to risk being misunderstood, but here we go. Jesus chose 12 men to follow him and he made all 12 his disciples. Where he went, they went because he chose them. They all knew what it was like to hang out with him in the streets, at parties, in the temple or wherever. In the verse above, Jesus made a statement in the form of a question. To be clear, Jesus didn’t talk like Christians today. If there is a devil in your life, you have been trained to blame someone else for the presence of that devil. However, here Jesus admits that He chose His devil. He doesn’t take credit for choosing the other 11 and then shifts the blame for this devil being in his life. He chose Judas. He chose the one who was filled with the devil just as He chose the ones who would later be filled the Holy Spirit. He chose ALL of the people who were in His circle.

He never said, the devil sent Judas based upon his pending betrayal. Oftentimes it is hard helping Christians because they are lying to themselves regarding choices they made and the consequences that accompany those choices. One key difference between Jesus and Christians is that Jesus consciously chose the one who would stab him in the back and many times we don’t anticipate the betrayal at the onset of the new relationship. However, whether we are aware of a future betrayal or not is not the point. The point is that, outside of family members, we chose the people who are in our circle.

To be clearer, I’m not talking about people committing crimes against you, but betrayal, in particular. Betrayal is basically when someone who you have reason to trust does something to you with the intent to harm you. Now, you cannot have betrayal without a level of intimacy. A stranger robbing you or raping you did not betray you because there was no reasonable expectation of trust. What they did was horrible and wrong, but it was not betrayal.  But a friend, which Judas was, had the ability to betray the Christ because of the connection they had. He was included when Jesus called the disciples his friends.

Here’s what some Christians do. When things are good, we talk about how God sent this great person into our lives, but then once they are not so easy to get along with or mistreat you, you say the devil sent them. And once the relationship is over, you tell people the devil sent them instead of being honest with yourself and the world that you chose this person to be part of your inner circle who you now see as the devil. You say the devil sent your ex-spouse, your ex-boyfriend, or so forth.

Here’s why this is so important!

The power of your life rests upon the foundation of truth. There is no power in blame because blame holds someone else responsible for your life. 

RUNNING WITHOUT WEIGHTS

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(Originally written on June 14, 2016)

Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Psalms 119:165 (NIV)

Note: This verse highlights a foolproof system. All I have to do is love God’s principles and nothing in the universe has the capacity to cause me to stumble. I can only stumble if my love for the law is unstable. This harmonizes with Paul’s statement that “love never fails.” Love, therefore, has a stabilizing factor about it.

  • Love (man’s part)
  • Peace (God’s part)
  • Eternal Stability (when God’s part and man’s part meet)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Note: This passage is about letting go of things that interfere with your race. This verse comes on the heels of Hebrews Chapter 11. Chapter 11 talks about the things that were obtained, but beneath the surface, it talks about the things that were let go of in order to run the “heroes” of the faith race. For example, Enoch, let go of his ties to planet Earth. Abraham and Sarah laid aside their family. Others laid aside peace with ungodly people. Moses for example, forsook royalty for the sake of being a deliverer for his people. They all had to let go of something in order to grab what the Father had for them. So the real question that immediately follows “What do I want?” is “Am I willing to walk away from something in order to walk into what the Father has provided for me?” What am I willing to relinquish so that I can run?”

I went back and re-read Hebrews chapter 11 with fresh eyes and here’s what I saw. In verse 24, it says about Moses, “When he had grown up, refused…” Immediately this showed me that refusal is a mark of maturity and faith. If he had not grown up, he may possibly have accepted what he refused.

As I’m typing, another example came to mind. Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife. Why? Because he was grown up. Joseph made a grown man’s decision and refused to have sex with another man’s wife.

A grown man is known by what he refuses to have in his life as much as by what he chooses to have in his life. In fact, although Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose rather to suffer with his people. This was definitely a grown man’s decision.

Other Examples in Scripture:

  1. The Hebrew boys refused the king’s food.
  2. The Hebrew boys refused to bow to an idol god.

Another observation I made with Hebrews 12:1 is that we are advised to throw things off solely on the bases of them hindering us. It doesn’t matter if it’s fun, enjoyable and we like it. The only real question is, “Is it hindering me from running my race?” If so, it must be discarded. I can clearly see where our error has been. We have allowed things to remain in our lives that in some way hinder us from progressing. We have focused so much in our day on getting things, but we have talked very little about what must be refused.

Note: As I was typing, I pondered what these verses listed above have to do with each other. Then I saw it. They are both about the ability to function without stumbling or being hindered. Psalms 119:165 highlights God’s principle of stability and Hebrews 12:1 lets us know we have to lay aside things that hinder our progress so that we can run the race that has been marked out for us.

VISION, LAW AND SELF-RESTRAINT

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Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 29:18

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Genesis 11:6

Vision – sight

Law – instruction

Perish – lose control, inability to restrain yourself

There are 3 basic components that control events or manifestations in our lives. The first is vision. The second is law. The third is control of self.

I will use fitness to illustrate the principle. In order to achieve fitness, You have to see beyond the present and envision or capture in your heart the end result that you would like to achieve. Once the end result is decided, now you’re ready for instructions that will become your law (set of rules to follow to guide your conduct). This is very important as you don’t need instructions until you have decided where you’re going. To expect guidance before making a decision would be like expecting your GPS to give you directions before you input your desired destination. Once instructions are given and you have received them, you must limit your behavior to that which the instructions dictate. The instructions must become your rule of conduct to carry you to the place you envisioned.

According to Genesis 11, nothing shall be restrained from a group or a person who uses his imagination. The word restrained in this verse means “inaccessible.” Therefore, God is saying your imagination gives you access to the thing imagined. This is why you cannot look at what someone else accomplished or didn’t accomplish to determine your limitations. Each person’s limitations are within the bounds of their own imagination. And God’s conclusion of the matter is that nothing shall be inaccessible that you have imagined yourself being or doing.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 26:3

The word “mind” in this verse means creative imagination. Now the word imagination is connected to possibilities not necessarily what is already manifested. So the verse is saying that God will keep you in what you create in your mind. Therefore, if you want God to keep you in something different, you must first create something different in your mind. This verse also suggests that if you don’t create something in your mind, God has nothing to keep you in because He will keep you in what you create in your mind.

The word “perish” also means “to uncover.” Therefore vision covers you. Your vision is to clothe you. To be without vision is to walk around naked. It has the idea of being “exposed.” So vision protects you from being exposed to certain elements.

In conclusion, if there is something that you desire to experience or possess, you need to first envision yourself having it and or experiencing it. Then you must develop a plan that will get you the results you desire. Finally, once the plan has been made, you must execute the plan with the full expectation of achieving the desired results.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF IDENTITY

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Introduction

There is a matter that I have been studying and allowing the Father to teach me about over the years that he has given me the green light to talk about now. And that subject matter is…identity. My hope is that as you follow along and do your own research your vision will become clearer about who you are, why you are here, and the power you possess as a human being. This lesson will also deal with redemption, at some point, so that you can see the authority you have as a believer…and walk in it as you should.

God has invested so much into mankind. As a consequence, we should give him due honor by accepting what he has done and using our lives to glorify him.

Before we get into the heart of this lesson, I’ll spend the first couple of weeks laying a little foundation…sort of getting the ground ready for the subsequent broadcasts. Being an introduction to our topic, this lesson will be relatively brief. As our groundwork, I will be talking about what I want to call “the philosophy of identity.”

Now,  in order for man to understand his role in the world, I think he must have a good understanding of his environment and the context in which he lives. Otherwise, he is prevented by his own ignorance, from being the best that he can possibly be. Life is very similar to a movie, I think. Imagine you are the president in this movie, but you don’t know you are the president. You think you are the gardener. So on the set of the movie, you are busy trying to plant flowers and trim bushes when you need to be talking with world leaders and solving problems that exist in our nation. Who you are is very important. But who you believe you are is MOST important. There must be an alignment between who you are and who you think you are to master your role in this world.

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

There is a saying that “No man is an island.” What that means is that no man lives in isolation. No man exists on his own. No one is independent. There is no one on the earth that doesn’t need other things or other people in order to live. There is ONLY one being in the universe who is INDEPENDENT. That being is who we call GOD. Everyone else needs the following 4 things to exist.

  1. God
  2. the Heavens
  3. Other people
  4. the environment (around you)

GOD

WHO IS GOD?

God is the creator of the universe. He authored the worlds. We live because of Him. The Bible says, it’s in him we live, we move, and have our being. In the book of Genesis, we really don’t have an introduction to who God is when the book opens. The book begins by talking about what he did. He spoke the world into being over the course of 6 days and then rested on the 7th day.

God spoke and created the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the hosts of heaven. God spoke and brought the plants, flowers, and trees into existence. He spoke and created animal life, both on the earth and in the water…and so forth.

So perhaps, in truth, the first chapter of Genesis could be recognized as God’s introduction of Himself.

THE ATHEIST

Well, what about the atheist. Does he still need God in order to live? The atheist is not exempt. An atheist is not someone who is living without God. An atheist is someone who uses God’s strength but doesn’t give God credit because he doesn’t believe God exists. Man’s unbelief does not remove God completely from the atheist’s life. The life, even of the atheist, is upheld by God’s power. It’s still because of God, the atheist lives. The atheist is just unaware of the source of his own life.

THE HEAVENS

THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE STARS

This is not an exhaustive list, but to name a few things…man needs the sun, the moon, and the stars.

These celestial creations provide light and heat energy. They have also been put in place to designate time and season. These trigger many of the other elements that man needs in order to live. The sun enables the food sources that man needs to eat for his own survival to receive the nutrients they need.  Without the sun, the moon, and the stars, man would die. So man is definitely in need of the heavens.

OTHER PEOPLE

PARENTS

Regardless of the relationship you have or don’t have with your parents, you needed them to have life. You would not have existed without them. If you grew up as I did, your parents put a roof over your head, food in your mouth, clothes on your back, and more toys in your hands than you could count.

Even if you never knew your parents or had a bad relationship with them, they were necessary for your life to exist. It was through your parents that you entered the world.

SPOUSE

If you are married, you need your spouse. You need their love, their care, their input, and their touch. You need their agreement. Your spouse is a necessary component of your life if you are married.

EMPLOYER

If you have a job, you need your manager…even if you don’t like them. If you own your own company, you need your employees and your clients or customers. If you’re a doctor, you need your patients and your supporting hospital cast. You need them ALL. There is purpose in other people.

THE ENVIRONMENT

SHELTER

You need a roof over your head. You won’t live long without shelter. Your body needs protection from the rain, snow, and other elements.

FOOD

You can live an estimated 1 to 2 months without food. This means basically, if your food is cut off for too long of a time, your body will die.

WATER

You can live an estimated 3 days without water. In other words, if you do not hydrate, your body will be dead in less than a week. So you definitely need water in order for your body to live.

So you need the environment.

Conclusion:

  1. Why are you talking about all of these things we already know? The reason I’m taking the time to go over these things is that you need to understand them all in the context of the role they all play so that you will better understand the role that you play on the earth.
  2. I’ll refer again to the point I made in the opening, it is most important for you to know the role you play. Imagine a lion who thinks he’s a gazelle. He would think he’s to be treated like food when he was created to be a predator. To kind of give you a clue where we are going with this, there was a time when ancient Israel thought they were grasshoppers and their opponents were giants. This mis-identity cost many their lives. Your correct identity means everything. You will never be all you can be so long as your image of yourself is misconstrued…and it could cost you…your life.

WHAT IS A PROPHET (PART 2)

Featured / Terrence Burton / Leave a comment

Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing,
but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Amos 3:7

The Servant of the Lord

The prophet is an employee of God. He is not man’s slave. The prophet’s allegiance is to God first. Let me explain. First, the prophet does serve people, but he is responsible and accountable to God. He is not to speak what people want him to say when speaking from his office. He is to speak for his boss. As the prophet is the ambassador of heaven sent into the earth to make God’s decrees, he receives his words from God, not from man. He is not to use God’s mouth to decree men’s vain pleasures, but God’s proclamations.

God’s servant, the prophet, is not to speak what others desire him to speak, but what the Father desires. I remember years ago a friend took me to look at a house that he wanted to buy. I perceived why he took me there even though he didn’t say. He wanted me to prophesy the house to him. But the Lord told me as we pulled up that he was not going to get the house. So my friend asked if I had anything to say. I told him that I did not. I knew that I was to either say what God says or nothing at all. So I chose to say nothing at all about the matter. Grant it, it may feel uncomfortable being silent, but the prophet of God has to be as comfortable in silence as he is in proclaiming the words of God. Both are serving God’s purpose. Just as your mouth is not always running, God’s mouth is not always running either. The prophet serves people, but he’s God’s servant to people.

Now as a servant, the prophet is charged to do what God says to do. Often the prophet is seen as God’s spokesman…and indeed he is. But the manner in which the prophet speaks may vary. The prophet may speak in words or in demonstration of the Spirit. His job is to convey God’s message to mankind in the manner the Father deems fit. But not only is the prophet to speak God’s dccrees, He is often tasked with doing supernatural feets in behalf of God. So the prophet may be used by God to heal the sick, raise the dead and other such things, as his ministry dictates. He is to serve to mankind whatever Heaven decrees.

A closing thought about the prophet as God’s servant

A servant doesn’t decide what he will do, but rather he is told what to do. Likewise, when operating from his office, the prophet understands that it is his job to go where he is told, to do what he’s told to do and to say what he’s told to say. The prophet is not to operate as one who serves self, or has his own agenda, but he embrasses the agenda of the God who sent him.

WHAT IS A PROPHET (PART 1)

Featured / Terrence Burton / Leave a comment

Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing,
but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Amos 3:7

The prophet is a receiver of God’s secrets

Although the prophet is known primarily for his voice, the ability of the prophet to hear is equally or possibly more important. When I say hear, I’m not limiting the prophet to hearing sounds or voices. I use the word “hear,” losely to describe the prophet’s ability to receive information from Heaven. Sometimes the prophet receives information from Heaven in the form of words, but He may also receive information in the form of dreams, visions, out of body experiences or a combination of methods. Either way, the prophet has the responsibility to be in a posture to receive information from God.

Now, this does not always mean that the prophet is to proclaim what he hears or that he should proclaim as soon as he hears. The prophet needs to be sensitive to the Spirit of God in order to detect the timing in which God wants the word He has shared with the prophet to be spoken to others.

Now the prophet is one who hears what God says because God entrusts the prophet to know things that are hidden. This means the prophet is to be reliable for God to entrusts His secrets to him. As the prophet becomes increasingly reliable, God entrusts the prophet with more of His mind. God reveals secrets to His servants the prophets, but those secrets must never become gossip. The prophet is never to use what God has revealed in secret to spread rumors or to breed hatred. Therefore, the prophet must maintain the honor of what God has entrusted him with in that same spirit of honor.

Why Would God Share His Secrets?

There are 3 reasons that God shares His secrets that I will communicate here. 1) Intercession, God shares with the prophet so that the prophet will be a more effective intercessor. This way the prophet is praying precisely what and how he should pray. 2) Confirmation, It is easier for the person to whom the prophet speaks to receive the word when they know that there is no other way for the prophet to know except God told him. 3) Correction, This reason is the same as for confirmation. The person who is in need of correction may see the seriousness of their sin when the prophet, who has no way of knowing what they are doing, brings correction to them from God.

  • PRAYER: RELATIONSHIP MATTERS (PART 2)

    And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46 A CHANGE OF TONE As I read this verse, I saw what I perceived to be a problem. For me, it was a very Read more

  • PRAYER: MY FATHER’S HOUSE (PART 2)

    Focus Passage And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. Mark 11:17 SUMMARIZATION As discussed in the previous lesson, the people had turned God’s house into something other than what God had Read more

The Quiet Strength of Meekness

/ Terrence Burton / Leave a comment

Meekness is often misunderstood as weakness, yet Scripture presents it as a posture of deep, disciplined strength. It is the steadiness that comes when the heart is anchored, not easily provoked, and confident in God’s sovereignty. Meekness doesn’t roar; it remains composed even when circumstances press hard.

In wisdom literature, meekness is tied to humility before the Lord. “The meek shall eat and be satisfied” appears alongside promises of God’s nearness to the humble in the Psalms (Psalm 22:26). Rather than being trampled, the meek receive sustenance from God Himself. Their strength is rooted not in self-assertion but in quiet trust.

Solomon reinforces this when he writes, “Only by pride cometh contention” (Proverbs 13:10). Meekness, then, becomes the antidote to unnecessary conflict. It de-escalates, listens, discerns, and chooses restraint where pride would choose reaction. This is the kind of inner stability that Proverbs calls wisdom—strength guided rather than scattered.

The New Testament deepens the picture. Paul urges believers to “walk worthy… with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering” (Ephesians 4:1–2). Meekness becomes relational heavy material, helping believers maintain unity and patience with one another. James later describes it as the “meekness of wisdom” that characterizes a life shaped by purity and peace (James 3:13). Far from passive, meekness actively stewards strength for good.

Even in the Gospels, the promise attached to meekness is astounding: “The meek… shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Inheritance speaks of future stability, enduring influence, and divine approval. The world may overlook the meek, but heaven recognizes the power of a life anchored in quiet obedience.

Meekness is not the absence of power—it is power brought under holy discipline, directed by trust, and steadied by wisdom.

Takeaway: Meekness is strength under control, producing peace, wisdom, and lasting stability.

— Terrence Burton

Guarding Your Heart

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The inner life quietly shapes every outward step. Scripture teaches that the heart is the wellspring of thoughts, decisions, and desires, making it the true battleground of spiritual stability. To guard the heart is to protect what governs the entire course of life.

Proverbs offers the central call: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The word keep suggests watchfulness—an attentive guarding similar to a city sentinel. What enters the heart eventually grows roots, shaping responses long before a moment of pressure arrives. This makes diligence essential, not optional.

The psalmist understood this deeply, praying, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Guarding the heart requires more than human discipline; it requires divine renewal. When David prayed for a clean heart, he wasn’t asking for a surface adjustment but a complete realignment of his inner life. His words remind us that guarding and cleansing are intertwined.

Jesus also highlighted the heart’s central role in shaping words and actions. He said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things” (Matthew 12:35). What we treasure—what we allow to settle and dwell within—eventually becomes visible. Likewise, Paul counseled believers to let “the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15), showing that the guarded heart is not tense but anchored, ruled by peace rather than turmoil.

Guarding the heart is not isolation from the world but alignment with God. It is the daily choice to protect the inner life from corrosive influences and to fill it with truth, peace, and righteousness. What is cultivated within becomes strength without.

Takeaway: A guarded heart becomes a steady life, shaped by truth, renewed by God, and anchored in peace.

— Terrence Burton

Lessons from a Quiet but Courageous Leader

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Some figures in Scripture speak loudly without many recorded words. Caleb is one of them—a man whose courage didn’t flare up once but remained steady over decades. His life reminds us that faithfulness isn’t a moment; it’s a long, unwavering posture of the heart.

Caleb first stands out in Numbers when he and Joshua return from scouting the land. While others focused on obstacles, Caleb “stilled the people before Moses” and declared that the Lord would give them victory (Numbers 13:30). His confidence didn’t come from ignoring the giants—it came from remembering the promise. The contrast reveals a deep truth: faith sees the same facts as fear, but draws different conclusions.

Decades later, his testimony remained the same. When the land was finally ready to be divided, Caleb reminded Joshua of the promise: “Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God” (Joshua 14:8). That phrase—wholly followed the Lord—is repeated about him multiple times. It marks a life not shaped by moments of passion but by consistent obedience.

Even at eighty-five, Caleb’s zeal had not dimmed. He said, “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me” (Joshua 14:11). This wasn’t physical bravado; it was spiritual endurance. His request was bold: “Give me this mountain” (Joshua 14:12). The very place others feared, he embraced. Caleb teaches that faith doesn’t retire—it keeps stepping forward.

His story closes with God honoring what He began: Caleb received Hebron as an inheritance, a land that once intimidated the nation. His steady trust transformed a place of fear into a place of blessing. The long arc of Caleb’s life shows what happens when a person holds tightly to God’s word and refuses to let circumstances rewrite conviction.

Takeaway: Caleb’s life shows that steadfast faith isn’t loud—it’s consistent, courageous, and anchored in God’s promises.

— Terrence Burton

The Beginning of Wisdom

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Wisdom isn’t merely accumulated knowledge—it’s the alignment of the heart with God’s truth. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that real understanding grows from reverence, humility, and a willingness to be taught. Wisdom literature invites us to slow down, listen, and let God shape our perspective.

Proverbs opens the door with clarity: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). This isn’t fear in the sense of terror, but a deep, steady reverence that places God at the center of our decisions. When the heart bows before Him, the mind becomes receptive to His counsel. Proverbs also reminds us to “trust in the LORD with all thine heart” and not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6). Wisdom grows where trust is rooted.

Ecclesiastes adds another dimension by exposing the limits of human pursuits. Solomon concludes that life’s meaning rests not in achievements but in living with God‑oriented clarity: “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Wisdom cuts through noise and returns us to what matters. It steadies us when life’s patterns feel uncertain, anchoring the heart in eternal priorities.

Psalm 111 ties wisdom to worship: “A good understanding have all they that do his commandments” (Psalm 111:10). Obedience isn’t mere duty—it’s the rhythm of a life shaped by God’s character. When Scripture directs our steps, wisdom becomes lived experience rather than abstract principle. Over time, these steady practices form strong neural pathways of discernment, shaping how we respond to challenges and opportunities alike.

Takeaway: Wisdom begins with a heart that reverences God and grows as His Word guides everyday choices.

— Terrence Burton

Walking in the Light

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The path of discipleship is rarely dramatic; it’s a quiet, steady walk shaped by daily choices. Scripture describes this journey as walking in the light—living with clarity, honesty, and a heart aligned with God’s ways. The light doesn’t just reveal where to step; it transforms the one who follows it.

John’s words are foundational: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” (1 John 1:7). Walking in the light is not merely moral clarity—it’s relational clarity. It strengthens unity, reduces hiddenness, and anchors fellowship in truth. Light naturally exposes what darkness hides, yet Scripture presents this exposure as healing rather than harsh.

Psalm 119 reinforces how the Word guides this walk: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Lamps of the ancient world didn’t illuminate miles ahead; they lit only the next step. Discipleship works the same way. God shapes the journey one obedient moment at a time, building a stronger neural pathway for faithfulness with each decision.

Paul’s counsel to the Ephesians brings a practical edge: “Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). This walk involves discernment—choosing what aligns with truth and stepping away from what dims spiritual clarity. He adds, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). Wisdom keeps the believer aware, alert, and intentional.

Jesus describes discipleship as a path where “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness” (John 8:12). Light is not something the disciple produces—it is something received. It becomes a steady direction, not dependent on feelings or circumstances.

Walking in the light doesn’t remove difficulty, but it removes aimlessness. It turns the ordinary steps of life into a deliberate journey shaped by truth, clarity, and consistent obedience.

Takeaway: Discipleship grows through steady, daily steps in the light, guided by Scripture and grounded in truth.

— Terrence Burton