The Power Of Gratitude
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, Family Life, Godly Principles, Healing, Inspirational Articles, Miracles, Prayers, Testimonies
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)
We are all familiar with this wonderful passage of scripture where the Bible tells us; “Be careful for nothing; but in every-thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (KJV) However the New Living Translation gives this Scripture greater meaning as it is written in a more modern vernacular.
Gods’ Word for us is that we are to “REJOICE” in everything letting the World see that even though they don’t believe as we do, that we are and will be considerate of them as well. We are to rejoice, not worrying about anything but praying for everything. I believe that sometimes Christians forget that God has our back. We forget that when God puts us on a path or gives us an assignment that God will be there with us until its completion. After all doesn’t the Bible say; “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble?” Ps. 46:1 (KJV)
The NLT version of the Bible says therefore; “tell God what you need and thank HIM for all that he has done.” Let me ask you a question? When God has done something for you, do you forget to say: “Thank you?” Not just the big things but the (so-called) small things as well. Do we forget that without HIS “Grace and Mercy,” we might have passed away in our sleep? Without HIS wonderful hedge of protection over us we could have been hit by a car, murdered, robbed or so many other misfortunate events could have happened to us. But HIS grace and HIS mercy protected you from all ‘hurt, harm and danger.’
On October 20, 2011 my oldest son who will be forty two years old November 21st was stabbed twice in his chest in New York City, once in this lung and once in his heart. He expired once in the ambulance and twice on the operating table in the hospital. My son and I haven’t had a relationship for several years; however he contacted me October 19, this is something that I’d been praying for, for many years. When I went to see him in the hospital, he had tubes coming out of him in several places including his chest and a ventilator was helping him breathe. I wasn’t overly worried, that is not to say I don’t love my son because I do, if I could have traded places with him I would have gladly done so. Unless you have children you may not understand that when we see our children, even though they are grown, even though they have beards or children of their own, we still see them as the little babies we used to care for (at least I do).
To make a long story short, I wasn’t overly worried because, I KNOW GOD. You see, God would not have put my son back into my life and then take him away. God is not cruel like that. God doesn’t give you something and then snatch it away in cruelty, that’s what the devil does. So I knew deep down inside that my son was going to be alright. That my friends, that is the power of Gratitude in action. When we are grateful and give God thanks, the Bible says; “we will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything that we can understand.” And that; “His Peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.”
Now you might be saying; “This isn’t about you, it’s about your son.” I disagree; God is great enough and powerful enough to take care of me, my son, you, your problems, Israel, Zambia and the problems of the entire world all at the same time. We must remember; to give God thanks in all things, and God will reward us with HIS Peace. By the way, my son was released from the hospital in a record eight days. His life was spared by a loving caring God…
Relationship with the One leads to the one
Current Mood:
Blessed
When will it be my turn? I find that many women begin asking this question as they witness their peers getting married and starting families. I must also include the men, as there are many men who have a desire to get married and start a family. Though, it seems women bear the brunt of this pressure. As Christians, it is our job to set the example on starting a family…the right way.
Through my personal experiences, I found that building a solid relationship with Christ opens the door for all other opportunities. Right relationships included. When we build a solid foundation in our relationship with the Lord, we give Him the opportunity to work on us and develop us.
“I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and obeys me. It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built.” – Luke 6:47-48.
The times when we become desperate are the times when we must diligently seek the Lord. Seek His Wisdom, His Power and His Holiness. So many times we make the mistake of falling in love with the idea of being married that we choose the wrong one. Therefore, it is imperative that we step back and allow God to choose for us.
Being of the mentality of wanting to get married, rather than desiring authenticity in our relationships, opens the door for disappointment. And when relationships fail to prosper we fall into this abyss of confusion, second guessing ourselves and questioning what went wrong. But who is more authentic than God! From these broken relationships God has a chance to heal us and build us. God can point out our miscues and through his Word, give us pointed advice on how to empower and ameliorate ourselves.
We must control our desire to rush things. Patience is a virtue and no one better demonstrates this than Ruth. Ruth lost the only life she knew, though her patience caused God to move on her behalf and grant her a new husband. Ruth completely humbles herself, works in the field among the other workers and collects scraps. Through her patience and humble spirit, she is granted the right one. The one God has for her.
Says Boaz: “…I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown.” – Ruth 4:10
It is so important to remember that only God knows who our true “soulmate” is. He knows us better than we know ourselves and only has our best interests in His heart. This is precisely the reason why we must build a strong relationship with Him, because to know God is to know ourselves.
“Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart.” – 1Chronicles 22:19
Marriage: God’s Ordnance For Mankind
While I may not be an expert on marriage and relationships, I do understand clearly what is said by the Word of God concerning the relationship between male and female. I was asked a question just yesterday by the wife of a good friend who was being inundated with comments by non Christians and probably Christians also, about the plight of another young woman. It seems that the woman in question was 28 years old with 8 children; her husband has been accused of abusing one or more of these children and the children were taken away from them. Her and her husband (as was told by the news) had abducted the children from children’s services and were on the run. What was said to my friends’ wife was: “That’s God’s fault for allowing her to have so many children.” My friends’ wife said that she was having a hard time answering these questions, that she needed some ammunition to help her in her defense of our Lord.
Let me first say that when God made humanity, HE told mankind (Adam and Eve); ‘be fruitful and multiply.’ God did not make man and woman to have sex outside of marriage, but we know that mankind has been disobedient since the ‘Garden.’ When we are disobedient to God, are our human bodies suppose to stop responding in the way that God created them? God gave us free will and with that free will, we are free to sin and disobey and we are free to live in obedience and righteousness, the choice belongs to us.
Probably one of the most important doctrines of marriage is mentioned in the book of Ephesians 5:33 without this I do not believe any marriage will work, it says: “Each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband (NLT).” What is most profound about this Scripture is that the Bible does not tell the wife to love her husband. It is assumed that if a woman gives herself to a man that she will love him, she is told instead to respect him because respect to a man is the most important thing that you could give him. The Bible is actually looking at it from the prospective of the opposite individual. If the man loves his wife he will not only respect her but he is willing to die for her. When a wife loves her husband she is giving him her love with all her heart.
Marriage is Gods’ Ordinance for mankind, why do we intentionally interpret the rules and regulations of marriage in a way that pleases us instead of being in obedience to God? Nowhere in the Bible does it say that either husband or wife is to be controlling, manipulative or abusive. Yet so many of us claim to be Bible believing Christians and we instead are seen as tyrants or bullies to our spouses. We can love other Christians, we can even love non-Christians but we have trouble showing real love toward each other. Gods’ people were saved to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, but too often we cannot be distinguished from those who do not know God.
Marriage is God’s wonderful way of providing relationships for mankind. It is His way of allowing us to be fruitful and multiplying. When God created Eve, He did so because it was not good for man to be by himself. Marriage is God’s way of saying to humanity; “I love you.” All we need to do is love Him back…
The Spirit of Intimidation: Big Problem Least Dealt With
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, Deliverance, Godly Principles, Testimonies, What Does the Bible Say About That?, Word of Exhortation
Current Mood:
Anointed & On Fire 4 God!
Though I wrote this article approxmately 2 years ago, it is this article that I receive the most response from – even to this day! Therefore, I am re-submitting this article again – as the points are still very much relevant today. And what I’ve since learned is that many people do not realize that intimidation is a spirit, a spirit very much alive and active – even in our churches! So I pray that as you read this, the Holy Spirit will begin to minister to you and bring you on the path of freedom!
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For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. -2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
- The Big Problem Least Acknowledged
- Intimidation Defined –Exhaustive
- It was Bigger than Just Me
- Spiritual Giftings Doesn’t Mean Spiritual Purity
- Even the Anointed and Pure Hearted Can Be Affected
- How Intimidation Binds the Strong Man to Plunder the House
- Coming Next: Breaking the Chains!
- Prayer For Overcoming Intimidation
- Other Scriptures to Study
Minister Naima Williams. Originally posted on June 23, 2009
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THE BIG PROBLEM LEAST ACKNOWLEDGED
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t’s amazing how much time and energy the enemy is willing to invest in order to close the mouths of the saints. Revelations 12:11 tells us that we overcome by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony, so it only makes sense that he would try to influence or stop the spoken word of the saints. This has been one of the many spiritual battles I’ve experienced throughout my life, and it seems to have intensified over the last few weeks. If you’ve read my eJournal entries titled Stand In Your God-Given Authority and A Call to Take Authority, then you know that one of the spirits the enemy used to try to close my mouth is the spirit of intimidation. It’s interesting how we use this word so loosely in today’s society not realizing how it can spiritually, mentally and emotionally cripple its victim. Additionally, many do not know that intimidation is actually a spirit, and this spirit seldom walk alone. The spirit of intimidation is often accompanied by the spirits of insecurity, inferiority, shyness, control and manipulation just to name a few. Up until recent, I used to get clobbered by the spirit of intimidation, and was its slave most of my life. But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ! (2 Cor. 2:14a). God has recently delivered me from the spirit of intimidation, and He is teaching me to walk each day in the power, love and sound mind He’s given me through Jesus Christ!
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ou know the old cliché that says never judge a book by its cover? Well, I admit to doing this myself over the years. I am grateful, however, that the Holy Spirit is helping me to steadily UN-learn this behavior so that I’m less inclined to judge others. This is not only because the Lord tells us to judge not lest we be judged in Matthew 7:1, but also because I myself don’t like being judged. I’ve had people misjudge me because I look a certain way and/or have a particular style, and as a result, many would make up their mind about me before even speaking to me, much less knowing me. Throughout the years, I’ve been frequently mislabeled as either conceited or overestimated as a woman with great confidence. I guess between the two the latter would be much preferred; however, neither was accurate. I was very insecure, shy and timid, but this was often hard to detect because the nervous energy I had would somehow transform into what appear to be an outgoing personality. I never really understood why this was neither did I plan it to be so. It was as if I had a built-in fail-safe that would self activate when needed.
INTIMIDATION DEFINED-EXHAUSTED
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ntimidation was a problem for me for as long as I can remember, but it was just recent that I began to realize how destructive this spirit is and how it can quench the Spirit of God in any believer (See Stand In Your God-Given Authority to read more). John Bevere, the author of Breaking Intimidation expounds:
The objective of intimidation is to restrain you from action and coerce or force you into submission. Intimidation wants to overwhelm you with a sense of inferiority and fear. Once you’ve retreated into submission, either knowingly or unknowingly, you are a servant of the intimidator. You are no longer free to fulfill the will of God but are doomed to the desires of your intimidating captor.
Consequently, the gift of God, His spiritual ability in you, is inoperative. Now your authority has been stripped from you in order to be used against both you and those in your sphere of influence.
The origin of intimidation is fear, which has its roots in our adversary, the devil. He is the originator of all fear and timidity (Gen. 3:1-10), especially v. 10). He will attack us by way of thoughts, imaginations and visions, or he will use circumstances and those under his influence to intimidate us. Either way, he has one objective: to control and limit us. (Page 46)
IT WAS BIGGER THAN JUST ME
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hen the Lord began revealing this to me, I asked Him to show me how this rooted in my life. A few days after that prayer He began showing me flashes from my childhood, and how as a little girl living in an abusive home, the doorway was opened for these spirits to set up strongholds. Without my knowledge or consent, these spirits attached themselves to me and my life at such an early age that I mistook their whispering lies for my own thoughts. As God began revealing this to me, I began to see how intimidation played a major role in my life, preventing me from living in the freedom and abundance that Jesus offers His believers.
SPIRITUAL GIFTINGS DOESN’T MEAN SPIRITUAL PURITY
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ontinuing down this path of discovery, I also began to see how this spirit infiltrated the body of Christ. This spirit is so camouflaged and so subtle that it often goes long periods of time without being noticed. Consequently, it gains enough strength and control to form strongholds in the church. I believe the answer to why it goes unnoticed for so long can be found in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.“ Because we have the tendency of looking at the outward appearance, we make the grave mistake of thinking giftings, anointing or ministry “success” indicate purity in heart and motives. Think about it. If you were living during the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, would you’ve been able to discern the heart and spirit of Judas Iscariot? This is a man who ate, traveled and somewhat lived with Jesus! Furthermore, did not Jesus himself charge him as an apostle? Did he not also heal the sick and cast out demons as well? (Read Matthew 10:1-5). SELAH
If that doesn’t do it for you, Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew 7:22-23 that anointing doesn’t mean a pure heart. “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” I really don’t think you can get any clearer than this.
The author of the book Breaking Intimidation speaks a little about ministry success and relationship with God:
Even though the church is experiencing a refreshing at this time, sin must be dealt with. It is wonderful that people are so hungry for the power of God, but let’s not neglect purity of heart. We have seen too many ministers fall. But they didn’t fall when they committed their first act of immortality. No, they began to fall earlier—the day success in ministry became more important than their intimate relationship with God. We’ve not only seen this among ministers but also within their congregations. (Page 23)
EVEN THE ANOINTED AND PURE HEARTED CAN BE AFFECTED
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n the other side of the coin are those who are anointed and have a heart after God. It is these that the spirits of Jezebel and intimidation seek to neutralize. The unfortunate fact is that these spirits are oftentimes successful, even when going against those who we believe are mighty in the Lord. An example of this can be found in the story of one of the most powerful prophets in the Bible, Elijah. The story of Elijah begins in 1 Kings 17, with chapter 19 showing how through intimidation and fear, Jezebel put this prophet to flight. During my study of intimidation, I stumbled upon a website that provided an excerpt from a book titled The Tactics of the Enemy (author unknown):
For seven years, God had carefully protected Elijah. God fed him in the wilderness. When Ahab’s armies sought to kill Elijah, they were unable to lay a finger on him.
Finally, in a showdown at Mt. Carmel, Elijah called down fire from heaven and resoundingly defeated and killed the priests of Baal. All Israel fell at his feet in repentance, worshipping the true God. Elijah was the man of the hour. He was vindicated, victorious, and clearly in charge.
Nevertheless, when Jezebel sent Elijah a single threat, he suddenly turned coward and fled to the desert. Anxious, depressed, and miserable, he begged God to kill him!
Think about this. It makes NO sense. Elijah enjoyed supernatural protection for seven years. He watched fire fall from heaven and defeat his enemies, yet when a single angry woman threatened him one time, he lost every shred of vision and ran away. He moaned in self-pity and depression, begging God to kill him!
This is a great example of Jezebel’s powerful demonic “anointing” to intimidate, create fear, and cause men of God to withdraw. Jezebel steals your vision. Jezebel will even make you depressed and anxious when there is nothing significantly different in your circumstances. If there are difficult circumstances, this spirit will tell you they are insurmountable, impossible, and overwhelming. Jezebel will make you feel like dying when in reality, you are God’s man of the hour.
WOW! The writer continues:
Jezebel’s witchcraft will attack key leaders in her targeted area through intimidation. Those under attack may awaken one morning to find it takes effort just to breathe. All joy seems to depart. Spiritual life seems irrelevant. Demonic voices will echo in their minds “something’s wrong with you!” They may suddenly find themselves in unreasonable anxiety, fearing tragedy or death. Much of what is called “depression” in the ministry is simply Jezebel!
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his is exactly what I had experienced that day I wrote about in the eJournal entry titled A Call to Take Authority. I woke up to a series of mental attacks and didn’t understand why. Later on in the morning, the Holy Spirit told me to “take authority” and I did. In retrospect I now realize that He was preparing for what was to come a few days later (See Stand in Your God-given Authority). Not even realizing it at the time, I submitted to the spirit of intimidation, and as a result, I was knocked out of the spiritual authority God had positioned me in. I immediately began to experience the symptoms of intimidation and each day the symptoms grew progressively worst.
An intimidating spirit unleashes confusion, discouragement and frustration. Its goal is to cause you to lose your proper perspective. Everything will seem overwhelming, difficult or even impossible. The stronger the intimidation, the greater the discouragement and hopelessness. (Breaking Intimidation, Page 48)
These were the very feelings I had experienced; however, what was worst was that the Holy Spirit within me was quenched, the anointing went dormant and the sweet communion with God was interrupted. At the time I still didn’t understand what was going on, I just wanted it to stop. I prayed, repented, rebuked and bound evil spirits, and nothing I did seem to work. It was a few days later when God began to give me insight and revelation as to what was going on. Originally I was looking at what I was experiencing from a “me” perspective, but God then let me know that what I was dealing with was bigger than just me. He began to show me the spirits I was dealing with and have charged me with responsibilities I really can’t say that I wanted. BUT, when you’re used to communing with God and then that’s interrupted, you do whatever it takes to get back into communion.
HOW INTIMDATION BINDS THE STRONG MAN TO PLUNDER THE HOUSE
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here are still lots to tell, as this is a meaty subject, and it is one that I will be sharing with you over the weeks to come. What I want to make sure that I leave with you is the absolute awareness that intimidation is in fact a spirit, a spirit that is sent by Satan; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV). Since this spirit is sent by the enemy, we know that the ultimate agenda of this spirit is to kill, steal and destroy all of mankind, especially the saints of God. In effort to help the enemy accomplish his ultimate goal, this spirit, which works closely with the spirit of Jezebel, looks to enter the strong man’s house and plunder his goods; but they must first bind the strong man (Read Mark 3:27 and Matthew 12:25-30).
If the Spirit of God within a believer is quenched, then the believer is in fact bound, and this almost always causes a domino and/or rippling effect. The book I’ve been referencing throughout this entry, Breaking Intimidation, mentions:
What would happen if all believers functioned in their place? What tremendous things we would see. Revival is not for the preachers but for the entire body—when every person takes his position.
Remember, the gift is the ability God gives us. We are not responsible for that which we were not entrusted with. The leg is not responsible for sight. Even so, the will of God can only be accomplished by the enabling of the Spirit. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Cor. 3:5).
It is the joint operation of these gifts the enemy wants to stop. When successful he can severely hinder out growth! He knows he cannot stop God from giving these gifts, so he is after our freedom to exercise them. Intimidation is the primary way he hinders this. (Page 40)
If there is a spirit other than the Holy Spirit that is controlling a person, family or church, than that person, family or church is in fact bound; and again, this almost always causes a domino and/or rippling effect. The author also makes another valid observation and point:
There are those who bear the title of pastor or leader, yet they are controlled by the manipulation and intimidation of others—usually the people who should be undergirding them, such as wives, associates, board members, deacons, intercessors and so forth. They run the show behind the scenes by controlling the person with the title of leader.
This also happens in homes. Parents are intimidated by their children; husbands are intimidated by their wives. They are not the head of their homes. It is important for a leader to consider the counsel of those around him, whether in his home or his ministry. (Breaking Intimidation, Page 52)
You may be thinking to yourself that you wouldn’t or couldn’t be a victim of such a thing (spirit) or that you would be able to spot such workings (manipulation, control and intimidation) a mile away. However, you must keep in mind that the working of these spirits is often camouflaged and subtle, and they can do an enormous amount of damage for years while going unnoticed. The enemy rarely comes at us in his true form because he knows he would have a fight on his hands. However, coming disguised allows him to do serious damage for long periods of time because your guards are down and unsuspecting.
Below are a few other quotes from the book that I wanted to share in this entry:
People who have strong personalities will use intimidation to make a lie look like the truth. You must stay in the spirit to overcome the strength of such attacks. (Breaking Intimidation, Page 86)
Usually intimidation will accuse you of the very weakness it seeks to hide. Those who act pure outwardly but have an impure heart will always attack the pure in heart. (Breaking Intimidation, Page 87)
Naima- I personally have had this happen to me a lot!
Jesus constantly faced intimidation. The impure Pharisees and lawyers tried to discredit Him or catch Him in His words. If they could only intimidate Him, then they could control Him. So they said He was a traitor, a glutton, a drunkard, and a demon-possessed sinner, which were the very characteristics many of them possessed. By refusing to come under their control, Jesus exposed their hearts.
Why do the impure seek to intimidate the pure? To relieve themselves of conviction and to maintain control. If successful, they don’t have to examine their hearts and repent. (Breaking Intimidation, Page 87)
COMING NEXT: BREAKING THE CHAINS!
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n closing, I have seen people smilingly admit to being intimidating, not realizing that in essence what they are admitting to is allowing this spirit of fear work through them. For many years of my life, I used to be that way myself. After having the revelation God has shown me, I now understand what this truly is and this spirit can do damage to individuals as well as the body of Christ.
PRAYER FOR OVERCOMING INTIMIDATION
In weeks to come, I will begin sharing on how to break the chains of intimidation from your life. In the interim, if you are serious about learning more about this subject, then I recommend that you read the book titled Breaking Intimidation by John Bevere. He does an excellent job at exposing this spirit in great detail as well as how this spirit has impacted the church. Additionally, you can begin your deliverance out of the world of intimidation by praying the following prayer:
Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus, confessing that intimidation has caused me to stumble. I ask Your forgiveness for thinking of myself as inferior, for I am created in your image, and I am Your workmanship. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is in me. Therefore, the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me and causes me to face life with hope and divine energy.The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Lord, You said that Your would never leave me or forsake me. Therefore, I can say without any doubt or fear that You are my Helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me. Greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world. If God is for me, who can be against me? I am free from the fear of man and public opinion.Father, You have not given me a spirit of timidity– of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear — but You have given me a spirit of power and of love and of a calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.
Scripture References:
1 John 1:9
Luke 17:21
Colossian 1:29
Hebrew 13:5
Romans 3:31
2 Timothy 1:7
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 1:19-20
Psalm 1:27
1 John 4:4
Proverbs 29:25
Philippians 4:13
(Prayers that Avail Much by Germaine Copeland, page 102)
OTHER SCRIPTURES YOU CAN STUDY:
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Matthew 21:23-27
And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
A double minded man and his spiritual life
Current Mood:
Anointed & Blessed & Delivered & Free & Happy & 
Humbled
Living in the world as we do today where everything is always moving and evolving one may find it really hard to stay stable. The way the economy is with so many people loosing jobs and homes people find themselves doing things they themselves said they would never do, which may leave some looking at them in a whole new light. In the Bible the Apostle James warns against being double minded. Being double minded can damage anyone on their spiritual journey in so many ways.
James 1:8 states that “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
Prayer Life:
One of the areas that is damaged is a double minded man’s prayer life. A double minded man prays with doubt. However going to God with doubt you are shortening your relationship with God. Many get upset with God when they feel as if their prayers have not been answered in the amount of time that was set by them. Which creates a doubt within them. When you go to God you have to be sure of the blessing in which you are asking. Go to him without a doubt that what has been asked has already been answered. Also make sure that what you are asking for is according to his will, also make sure your attitude and the way you live your life is in tune with God, and your intentions and motives are also in tune with God. If you make sure these things are done then there is no way that you will have a double minded prayer life.
Faith without work is dead:
There are some people who attend church, read the scriptures while in church, pay their tithes each and every Sunday, go home and do nothing until the next Sunday when they repeat all the steps again. The thing about God is CONSISTENCY. Your cup overflowed that Sunday so you felt that you did not have to do anything that you would be blessed off of the word that you recieved and that would be enough. The thing is, it is not enough for God. Not only does he want you to hear his word but also DO his work within the world. What good is it if you know of something that could possible save someone’s life if you don’t get the word out there?
Matthew 7:26-27 states “
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
God’s word is to be put into action, thus building a strong foundation for you. Doing his work will assure that how you live is not a double minded life.
Purify your heart:
God purifies your heart and with some he does it over and over again. Once God purifies your heart, what you do with your new pure heart is up to you. Some of us feed our hearts with new ways that line up with the will of God. Others gain a new heart only to fill it up with the same old things as before which forces them to ask God for a pure heart all over again.
It is important that our intentions align with the teachings of God. We may start out on something with good intentions but due to the influence of coworkers, friends and family what could and should have been good intentions has now changed. You must stand firm on the foundation of God, his love for you never waivered and yours should not either.
A double minded man does not stand firm in his beliefs. It takes just a tad bit of faith and a whole lot of believing. A double minded man does not really know their purpose they are unsure of themselves which make their spiritual journey one that has no foundation and he is living a very dangerous spiritual life. Be sure of yourself and the direction that you are going, this will ensure a prosperous spiritual life.
God’s Love Permeates All
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, Inspirational Articles, Words of Encouragement
Current Mood:
Faith-filled
Have you ever done something or said something and immediately thought, ‘Man, I wish I could take that back’? Maybe you cut someone off on the road while driving. Or maybe you were in the midst of an argument and dug down to the core because you were really trying to hurt the other person. Regardless of our faults, it is important to remember that God still loves us.
God’s love for us is absolutely unconditional. Though it is important that we strive to live as Christ, we are not perfect. And the Lord accepts us and loves us regardless of our situation and circumstance. We are all sinners and our purpose on this earth is to learn the lessons that God’s Word teaches while ameliorating ourselves to live in His image. Still, God loves us in spite of our rights and wrongs, our goods and not-so-goods. John 3:16-17 explains the fullness of God’s love for the world,
“For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”
Remember the story of Moses? Before Moses became a great leader for the people of Israel, he was just a regular man. And at one point he actually decided to take justice into his own hands. Moses saw an act of injustice and killed an Egyptian. Despite his actions, God loved him just the same; and even raised Moses up to new heights. It is imperative to understand that though we must live to do good, God loves us in spite of our faults.
Let’s look at God’s unconditional love from another angle. No one said life would be easy. As Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, “…The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle…” but through the journey of life we develop endurance. And endurance is God-given, a product of His Love.
We go through financial hardships. We lose loved ones. We lose relationships. These are all a part of life and through these trials, God is building our endurance. We think that because we are suffering that God has abandoned us and that He no longer loves us. It is quite the opposite; God is working even harder in these situations to show us how much He loves us. As Abraham believed, so should we,
“…because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who brings into existence what didn’t exist before,” Romans 4:17.
When we rise from these tests, we are stronger and much wiser. God still loves us and desires to teach us to be more like Him, the reason for life’s challenges. But He will never give us more than we can bear.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One,” says the Lord in Revelation 1:8. As the Lord is everlasting, so is His love. Always remember that.
How Is Your Relationship W/God..? Self..? Others..?
Romans 2:17-24 NLT 17 “You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. 18 You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. 19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. 20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.
21 Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?* 23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”
In these modern days of hypocrisy, in these days when even those who appear to be the most pious of believers find themselves in handcuffs or openly scandalized, we dare wonder what kind of relationship anyone has with the Lord and or people. You would think that people with an advanced knowledge, people who have studied theology and the Bible most of their lives, having so many degrees and awards that they possess many variations of alphabets behind their name, you would think that they would have a fear of the true and living God that would prevent them from sinning against the very one to who they claim belief.
Let me make myself perfectly clear, this doesn’t mean that men and women of God do not sin. It does mean however that these people should sin less, especially if they have the responsibility of teaching others about the Lord. While I have witnessed many ungodly acts committed by Christians, I am always taken aback by pastors who really have don’t give God, the Bible or Satan any credence. Pastors who teach one thing and live totally opposite of what they teach.
If we were to liken the Jew with the Christian who has knowledge of God, then indeed the Gentile does blaspheme the name of God because of us. If we are to be an example to the world and are instead hypocrites then it is us, the Christian who has crucified our Lord. What kind of relationship can we then have with the Lord if we are disobedient? What relationship can we have with our fellow man, if they cannot trust us to be truthful with God, how can we be trustworthy and truthful to mankind?
We are in an age where relationships with everyone including our family are fleeting. Relationships do not hold the same importance to many people as they once did. The mother who is willing to die for her children may now be the cause of their deaths. The father who would work day and night to make sure that his family would survive is now willing to walk away from his wife and children leaving them destitute and with the possibility of becoming homeless.
“ No, a true Jew (Christian) is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.” Romans 2:29 NLT
Christians need a change of heart; we need to remember our first love and the original principals of the Bible that was taught to us by our fathers and mothers. It is time to repair our relationship with God so that we can have a true relationship with mankind. God wants us to be me more than what we have been in the past. We are to be true men and women of God.
About the Author
Name: Rev. Raymond E., aka "Brother Raymond"
Email:
Web Site: http://www.BrotherRaymondandFriends.com
Bio: Rev. Raymond E. Williams Jr., was formerly an Associate Minister at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, in St. Albans, New York. His area of expertise is outreach. He still heads the Prison Ministry Teams at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Williams is the founder of Brother Raymond and Friends (Homeless outreach ministry). He is also the former Editor of The Herald and The Minister's Speak newsletters (church publication). Rev. Williams is currently an Associate Minister at St. Marks Missionary Baptist Church located in South Jamaica, NY. To learn more about Rev. Raymond E. Williams go to his website at the web address given above.
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