Friday, January 25, 2013

I AM DETERMINED

1 Corinthians 2:1-2
"And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."


I am DETERMINED to remain humble.  God is awesome!  He blesses and keeps His people diligently.  If we are not careful, pride and the spirit of entitlement will quickly, yet quietly creep in.  We must be DETERMINED to keep CHRIST at the forefront in our lives.  It must be done ON PURPOSE.

Get determined!  Believe it or not, the enemy can easily make MINISTRY (or the perception of it) your downfall.  It's never been about fancy robes, big crowds or eloquent speech.  JESUS AT THE CENTER!!!

Get determined!  ORDER IN THE CHURCH!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Don't Be Ignorant... READ!

I say this with as much love and patience as I can muster...

As God's people, it really bothers me to see so many arguing things, especially in regard to politics, without knowing the FACTS.  I certainly believe God speaks, but when He does, He doesn't share untruths with His people.

Unfortunately, many of us are so eager to stand for something that we rarely take advantage of the spiritual and NATURAL resources we have.  There's nothing unholy about READING, RESEARCHING and ASKING QUESTIONS from the source, before we begin preaching about a thing.

Let's remember that while God does send us into the marketplace, our job is first to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  If we can't preach Jesus, we have no business preaching at all!!!

1 Corinthians 14:38
"But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant."


Ignorance is NOT cute, and it's no wonder the world laughs at the church when we show our ignorance so freely.  Remember, men are supposed to see our GOOD WORKS and glorify our Father in heaven... not our inability to decipher truth from a lie.

READ.  PRAY.  Then ASK GOD before speaking on His behalf.  After all, God knows all the facts, despite our insignificant opinions!

ORDER IN THE CHURCH!!!

Saturday, January 05, 2013

The Spirit of Prophecy

Revelation 19:10, NLT
"...Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus."


True prophets speak of Christ.  They lead others into true worship... in spirit and in truth.  God's prophets don't waste time speaking about houses and cars... There are plenty of psychics and witches to take care of that foolishness.

The Scriptures say that the essence and purpose of prophecy is to speak of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  If the "word" doesn't point you back to Christ, examine the source.

Who cares what number is printed on your next check?  God doesn't need to announce your birth city or bra size to impress anyone!  There is too much foolishness in the church!  Many of us are literally following and encouraging warlocks in our midst.  Remember, God doesn't turn tricks to impress us.

We must stop being impressed by the gifts and tricks of people who are not sent by God.  A person can abuse gifts and solicit information from any spirit.  No matter how impressive the gift may be, none of that matters if it brings glory to the messenger, but neglects guidance into true worship and holiness.  Examine the fruit!

ORDER IN THE CHURCH!

Get Clean!

“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:16-17 NIV

I used to hear people say, "Cleanliness is next to godliness." Well, the word of God declares that cleanliness is REQUIRED for godliness... spiritual cleanliness, that is! There is no way to escape it... HOLINESS IS RIGHT and required! We must STOP doing wrong. True repentance bears the fruit of change. Yes, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God... [Notice the PAST tense...] That's no excuse to continue in iniquity. It's okay to have a past, but we need to let God mold our present. Turn away from sin!

ORDER IN THE CHURCH!!!