BEING "BLIND" HAS ITS ADVANTAGES...

When you think about someone who is blind you may think that their life may be hard and difficult. Although, not being able to see your family and love ones faces and not being able to see the trees, or even your own face may be a bit discouraging. However, i do believe there are some advantages. How many of you have seen the movie "Ray"? It was a movie about one of the most talented legends in history, Ray Charles. He was blind...YET...he became a star. I'd like to wonder if Ray wasnt blind, would he had still become Ray Charles or just another ordinary man. Some say, and studies show that when you are blind, your other senses are heightened and become stronger. Your sense of smell increases, your hearing is more keen, and you can feel the presence of someone else around you without even hearing them speak or move. And i'd also like to say that the blind have an amazing trust level in those around them. Wouldn't you think? Well this is how it should be with God. We go through our periods of trust and faith in God but because we CAN SEE we get distracted and begin to lose hope. Life is full of distractions. But because we can SEE our problems, our SENSE OF HEARING Gods reassuring voice, is muted. Because we can SEE our defeat, we cant SMELL that victory is just around the corner. Because we can SEE tragedy, we cant TRUST that God is our protector. Because we can SEE the turmoil around us, we cant FEEL the presence of God in the mist of it all. NOW faith IS the substance of things HOPED for and the evidence of things NOT seen. I believe God in a sense wants us to take the advantage of being blind to this world and our circumstances and allow our spiritual senses to be matured and heightened. Again, i wonder if Ray Charles would had been a legend, had he not been blind? hmm.. only God knows. But ask yourself, how far could you possibly go..if you'd just allow yourself to be blind. How high will you soar? How much would your trust in God increase? How much more could you hear his voice? Being BLIND DOES HAVE ITS ADVANTAGES!
Be Blessed!

WE ARE NOT TRUSTWORTHY

In prayer this morning i learned that everyone can repent. Not only can everyone repent BUT there is something that everyone can find in their lives to repent about. The fact is, we are flesh, sinful at nature, and as far as im concerned there will always be a war between our fleshly desires and our spiritual desires. Now i know that most of your minds began to think of sexual sins and desires, when you see the phrase "fleshly desires", however, sex is not the only sin that our "flesh" desires. There's hatred,unforgiveness, bitterness, disobedience in any form, jealousy, backbiting, lying..etc. Now think about this. Have you ever heard or have said so your self that you cant trust anyone? Ever consider the reason we cant trust others just may be because we realize that we ourselves cannot be trusted? Yet who on this earth will admit that they themselves cannot be trusted?? Whatever it may be..can you trust yourself to say the right thing? Can you trust yourself not to cheat on your taxes? Can you trust yourself not to lust in the presence of that man/woman? Can you trust yourself to dwell on the right thoughts? Can you trust yourself to keep all side conversations holy? Probably not. Reason being, we are all of a fleshly sinful nature. And flesh is always subject to/and READY.. WILLING to fail. But God NEVER fails and He even commands us not to put all of our trust in man but to lean and depend on Him who will not and CANNOT fail. He'll never let us down nor forsake us. And just because we are flesh doesn't give us right to sin for He even promises to keep those who WANT to be kept. No, we are not trustworthy...but God IS and IN HIM you CAN depend! Trust Him with your life and with others.
Be Blessed!

HOW DIFFERENT THINGS WOULD BE LOOKING THRU THE EYES OF LOVE

"Seek to live in My love, which covers a multitude of sins: both yours and others. Wear My Love like a cloak of Light, covering you from head to toe. Have no fear, for perfect Love decimates fear. Look at each other through lenses of Love; see them from My perspective. This is how you walk in the Light, and it pleases Me. I want My Body of believers to be radiant with the Light of My Presence. How i grieve when pockets of darkness increasingly dim the Love-Light. Return to Me, your FIRST LOVE! Gaze at Me in the splendor of holiness, and My Love will once again envelope you in Light."
June 9 Jesus Calling "A 365-Day Journaling Devotional by Sarah Young

My God my God!...How different things would be if we would actually look at ourselves and others through the lenses of Love. Its not what you can prove that's wrong in someones life that pleases God, but how you can love them. Love COVERS...its COVERS a multitude of sins. Yet, we love to uncover and expose them. What benefit do we get from exposing someone? What benefit to we obtain for placing their sins forever before them? If God receives the repented heart and promises to cast their sins into the sea of forgetfulness... shouldn't we do the same? Are you pleasing God in how you judge others? For the greatest of these..IS Love!
Be Blessed!

Starting over MEANS starting over

This morning in prayer and scripture, we learned in Psalms 53, that there was a point where God had searched and couldnt find one person who truly sought after him. Now being the creator that He is, He very easily could have wiped everyone off the face of the earth and started over. Well He didnt. Instead He came down from heaven and wrapped himself in flesh and made what was wrong right. He gave us another chance. He made the ultimate sacrifice and for that we ought to be grateful! How many times in your life had you wanted to just throw up your hands and say "thats it! i quit! DO OVER!"? Nothing is going quite as you planned so you just give up and start over again. Some of you have; marriages, jobs, children, dreams, businesses, and goals, that may not be working as planned and you have decided to just give up and start over. That i do understand, been there done it and may even feel the same way too. But one thing i have learned this morning is starting over truly means starting over. It doesnt promise that things will be better, and nor does it promise that you wont face the same issues again. It just means you will be starting things over again. From the beginning. However, the process that God is wanting to take you through will still need to be fulfilled. You may start a different job, divorce and remarry, have more children, start a new business...BUT the process will still be the same process. You may have been more than half way through the process, but now you have to start over from the beginning because you failed to make the sacrifice. Whether its the sacrifice of love, patience, long suffering, peace, forgiveness, or understanding. Whatever it may be, wouldnt it be wiser to get it right the FIRST time, than to spend life starting it all over again?? God made the ULTIMATE sacrifice. What He's asking you to do compared to what He gave up is nothing. I pray that God has ministered to you today, that you will think for a moment..is it worth starting over, just to begin the same process over again? Starting over MEANS starting over.
"Those that wait on the Lord..HE SHALL renew their strength"
Be blessed!

HA!....COMPARED TO WHO??!!

Good Morning brothers and sisters!
Wew Lord! God is so deep and His revelation is indescribable!
How many of you have said this?.." I would never do that", " SMH, i dont see how someone could do that, i may have done this but THAT...that is a shame!" "I'm not THAT bad..he is off the chain for that one!"
Sound familiar to you? Ever heard the saying, "Never say Never??"..well God took that a step further this morning. Often times we look around at people and we compare ourselves and behaviors to theirs, and by doing this we get a sense of where we are on the good citizen, wife, husband, daughter, or employee meter. Mary goes out every weekend and leaves her husband home with the kids..i dont do that so im a good wife. Joe has been coming in late every day...im always 10 minutes early so i should get promoted. Her child is constantly in trouble...smh...so glad mine know how to act in public. All the while God is saying ..HA!...COMPARED TO WHO AND WHOS STANDARD DO YOU BRAG??
"You may not go out every weekend like Mary does but you still have not gotten rid of the ungodly conversations with other men like i told you to. Yes Joe may come in late every day but what about those office supplies and tools that you sneak home every night? Sure their children get sent home from school for fighting and disrupting the class, but yours curse YOU out and do NOT do anything you ask them to."
If you place a candle in a dark room, the room will appear lighter..but if you flip the light switch on..your candle is nothing bout a dim flicker.
God is saying when you compare your self to this wicked carnal world and its standards you just may appear better. But when you compare yourself to MY standards and MY holiness that i require, you're still as filthy rags.
Dig deeper today, dont be the one who gains the world's respect by "good" deeds, and yet loses his soul because you've measured with the wrong ruler. You dont want to meet God face to face, saying "that i deserve to go in because i was a good person" and hear God say...HA! ....COMPARED TO WHO?? There is MORE that He requires of US!

WHY CARRY IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO??

"Taste and see that i am good. This command contains an invitation to experience My living Presence. It also contains a promise. The more you experience Me, the more convinced you become of My goodness. This knowledge is essential to your faith-walk. When adversities strike, the human instinct is to doubt My goodness. My ways are mysterious, even to those who know Me intimately. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways and thoughts higher than your ways and thoughts. Do not try to fathom My ways. Instead, spend time enjoying Me and experiencing My goodness."
Todays Devotion from Jesus Calling a 365-Day Journaling Devotional by "Sarah Young"


Today God wants you to lay down every weight, every concern, worry, and/or care and just enjoy being in His Holy Presence. God is here to lift the heavy burden. If all He wants is for you to worship Him and rest in Him...why choose to be weighed down instead? Why carry IT SINCE you don't have to??? Today i encourage you to just let go and push through to the place of Holy's. Enter into His courts with praise and into His gates with thanksgiving, for He IS worthy to be praised!!!
Be Blessed!

You Don't Know My Name, I am Lord!

Now, most of us would say we know God. We know He is our creator and we were created to worship Him, but do you really know His name? God said, "I am Lord, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I am your father and the father of the fatherless. I am your refuge and your fortess. I am the feeder of the hungry and a gift giver, a giver of good things. I am Jehovah Jireh (I will provide), Jehovah Shalom (I come to give you peace in the mist of your storm), Jehovah Shammah (I am here and I will move among you), Jehovah Tsidkenu (I am the righeousness, and will lead you unto me). I am the lawgiver and the judge, I am your keeper. I am omnipotent, longsuffering, the light and living water. I am the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and the Lord of Host. I am Love, Lovingkindness, merciful, mighty, a strong tower, never changing, pefect, powerful, promise keeper, forgiving, I am your shield, your protector and through it all I will sustain you, guide you, uplift you, carry you, never forsake you, I am the miracle worker and all you have to do is seek my face, call on my name and I will hear. Know my name, I am the Lord your God!