Sistas Saving Sistas
For Christ II
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Self Care Is Not A Sin
Don't put someone else's happiness ahead of your peace of mind. We put others ahead of ourselves even if goes against our conscience. It’s okay to say, “NO.” It is for their good as well as ours.
Sent to Seek and Save the Lost
"Matthew 9:38, "Jesus told his disciples, pray ye therefore the lord of the harvest, that will send forth labourers into his harvest."
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
What is God looking for? He is looking for workers. Are we willing to be workers in the gospel? Brothas and Sistas, when we pray for God to send laborers out in the field sometimes He is calling US to go out and rescue those that are lost and perishing.
One of the most important jobs as Christians is to go out and seek and save those that are lost. That is part of laboring. How many of us are working in the fields; out there sowing into the lives of others instead of just talking about it? Too many times I hear Christians talking about what they are going to do but never actually do it.
I remember the story of the servant Isaiah. In Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah cried out "Here I am...Send me." When God asks who He can send we have to have the same spirit as Isaiah, willing to be obedient to go out in the field to serve. We were saved to serve. So how many of us will answer the call when God is ready for us to go out in the fields to work. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.
Brothas and Sistas, let's make up our minds to to be that worker that will go out and labor for the gospel while we have time to do it.
"Any man can work when every stroke of his hands brings down the fruit rattling from the tree but to labor in season and out of season, under every discouragement... that requires a heroism which is transcendent." Henry Ward Becker
Prayer of Faith
Lord, many carry your name but often will not commit to ministering to others who are in the world. But we have been called to be a light in the world because we bear your great name. Please do a work in our hearts so that we will be convicted to carry out the Great Commission. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
The Power of Love
https://youtu.be/h5Ua835sudU Slow Jam
"But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” Ruth 1: 16 - 17
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
I was talking to a young lady and I just happened to ask her if she was married and she said, "Yes." But when I inquired about her husband her response was very shallow. So when she inquired about different places she wanted to travel to I asked her, "Who would watch your daughter? Would it be your husband?" She replied. "No, my mother would watch her." I asked, "Is your mother watching your daughter because your husband is busy." She replied, "No." and I said, "I take it that you and your husband are separated." And she said, "Yes." She went on to give the reason eventhough I didn't ask. She said they were separated because he was repeating the same offense over and over. So I asked her "Do you love him?" and she answered, "Yes, I do, very much even to the point where I have reconciled with him four times for the same thing. "
This couple have been together thirteen years but have been married one and a half years. I asked her if she would be willing to take him back again and she said, "Yes." Then I asked her, "Why?" She said, "I love him very much even with his faults."
Brothas and Sistas, eventhough they were going through some issues in their marriage she loved him in spite of this one particular fault. She did not have justifiable grounds according to the word of God to divorce him but she decided to separate so that he can have time to get it together. Most people would have walked away by now but her love for him has withstood the test of time.
Brothas and Sistas, has the power of love in your marriage withstood trials? Has the power of love withstood the test of time in your marriage? Are you in it to win it? “God intends and expects marriage to be a lifetime commitment between a man and a woman, based on the principles of biblical love. The relationship between Jesus Christ and His church is the supreme example of the committed love that a husband and wife are to follow in their relationship with each other.” ~ John C. Broger
Take care till next week.
Minister Antonio Washington
Prayer of Faith
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your commitment to our marriages. Help us to trust you with our marriages. May we fully commit them to you as we stay committed to one another. In Jeus name we pray. Amen.
Tea Time With Tabby - How Is Your Brew These Days Weak or Strong & Fortified?
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
I hope and pray that you have all been well and know that you are loved child and heir to the Most High King, Jesus Christ. Today I must confess that my Tea has been a bit on the weak side this past week and coming into today. You may be asking yourself, "How could Tea that Christ pours be considered a weak brew?" Well Brothas and Sistas, that's where you have me. I have been brewing my own Tea of strength lately, making for a very overwhelmed and weak brew.
Brothas and Sistas, I can give you all the same excuses I have given the Lord; "I am too busy.", "Work is crazy." or "There is too much to accomplish and not enough time." The family drama, work place drama and good ole life drama is overwhelming. Yet as I sit here before each of you, I know that I am in the wrong. Not that any one of those things couldn't turn most of us into a tail spin but you see I have no excuse. None! Brothas and Sistas, it's all whining and no dining!
What do I mean by all whining and no dining? Simply put, I am not choosing to scoot up to the Master's table, my Savior and yours, where I can allow Him to Brew me a nice "strong, fortified, blessed, and best Tea for my Tea Cup tea". I am not feasting on His Word, rather I am consuming from the false feast that world has laid out before all of us.
I am allowing Satan to trick me into believing these three simple words, "I Got It!" Well the truth is, I so don't have it, not unless I am feasting and drinking the Brew of Tea the Master, my Savior and Lord, Yahweh. He is sitting at the table with the Tea of strength, wisdom endurance, insight, perfect plan and solution to all my dilemmas.
Can anyone relate? Can anyone else fall into this very same snare that will surely drop me into a pit of despair faster than I can say it if I don't or we don't choose to untangle our lives and run into the open arms of our loving Savior? Oh, I know what you are thinking, "I just said to untangle ourselves from snares and trappings of the evil one and run to loving arms of our Savior." Am I not trying to say "I got it" again? No, I am not because we don't need any more strength than you would find in a mustard seed to accomplish this feet. You see Yahweh will do all the work. All I (we) have to do is trust Him. Sistas, simply speak out His name, call out to Him and He will always come and save His beloved children.
You see all it takes is for us to let our Tea Cups yearn for His brew and He will be there to love on us and hold us up. He will give us strength we didn't even know we could muster up inside ourselves. You see He tells us all through His book of love and life instruction that HE is the Way, the Truth and the Light; He is Strong when I am weak and He is where my strength comes from. I alone am weak and frail. Yet with Him at my side, in my life, being my personal Brew Master I am strong even during the storms. I know that I can withstand all that the world and the evil one has to bring up against me for Yahweh, my Creator, My Savior, my Redeemer always stands in the gap for me.
Now Brothas and Sistas, please understand that our God is a loving God and is the perfect parent to us which may mean that we have to walk through some deserts, some rocky roads, and challenging times in life, but we never walk alone. Through disobedience, not keeping the covenant, and following the ways we know are true and right, we face consequences; real life stuff; stuff that we may never think we can get through or escape from or ever find the freedom that comes from knowing and walking with our Savior.
Let me tell you straight out God has walked through some treacherous times and minefields in this life with me, some a result of my own disobedience and others at the hands of others evil flesh. Yet, I stand here today in the freedom of Christ. I also stand here today with a nudging at my spirit that I am starting to walk off the path that He has placed my feet on, as I fell into the trap of self reliance yet again.
If any of you are in this cycle where you just keep recycling the bad and are no't finding any peace, love, joy, happiness, or knowledge of and real deep down belief heart knowledge that you are loved by the God of Universe then I ask you to join me in praying that our feet will return to path God has set out before us, and that we will hunger to always remain at His table, feasting on His truth's and drinking the Brew of the day that was created singularly for you and I.
Brothas and Sistas, I pray that you will join me in asking the Father for forgiveness for wandering off into the wilderness of this life, departing from His strength that we have 24/7 access to simply by asking. Sometimes we can be so weak or so caught up in the snares that we can't even muster the words, "HELP ME, DEAR JESUS" yet I promise you 100% that if you simply allow that to become the words of your heart you will be heard; you will be strengthened. You will have enough and a nice strong brew made especially for you today wherever you are; whatever the snare, Christ has a Brew of holy healing for you filled with love, truth, gentleness, kindness, patience, hope, joy, and self worth. Not the kind that you can find in another person or in the things of this world as they are all fickle, short lived, have no real ability to give you peace, hope, love, joy, or self worth. Eventually these things in their earthly form will come up against you in means of control, destruction of your character, and destruction of the knowledge of who you really are.
How can this happen? Simply because we are still pouring our own Tea into broken and chipped Tea cups because we aren't holding our Tea Cups sacred as the Father does. It's my prayer for you and for me that this be the day that we take back our tea cups from the worldly deceitful, untrustworthy and return it to its rightful owner, its' Creator, the Potter who took and created it from nothing into a beautiful existence.
Brothas and Sistas, our Tea cups and ourselves long to be with the one true King; the King of Kings and Brew Masters of Brew Masters. Our lives are anxiously and excitedly awaiting for Him to start pouring into us love, amazing strength, and freedom. These truths can only be received when we find ourselves at the foot of the cross where we finally say, "Enough is enough." I have tried to do this my way for too long. I am exhausted, confused, depleted, degraded, unloved, disrespected, and simply unable to hold on any longer. Are you there?
This is where He will come, meet us and nourish us back to health. He will have many different brews for us, to retrain our hearts and minds where to go and where to remain, or where to never return. All the while He will be our strength or protector, our everything, but we must surrender ourselves to Him.
I don' know about you but my "I got it" doesn't feel so right anymore. I pray that you will come on this exciting journey with me and find that there is real strength in you, when you rely on Yahweh and not yourself. When you are no longer leaning on or trusting yourself made circumstances and especially not relying on our own understanding as your compass for life and you are now choosing to trust Christ to be all this and so much more for you.
Lord, in closing I confess that I have tried to be my own brew master recently and in the past and every time it winds up the same way. My tea cup can't hold water let alone all the various teas that this world would rather me be sipping on. Father, I pray that I will remember more quickly, with more gratitude and eagerness to only feast from your table to only allow you to pour into my Tea Cup, not this world or the people within it. May it always have a reserved for God sign hanging right before it. I pray the same for every person whose eyes and hearts You will direct to this devotional that You so graciously put upon my heart and poured out through my hands to the these keys.
May we all know and allow it to sink into our minds and souls that only You grant peace. Everything and everyone else that we trust with our precious tea cups can only pour a brew called chaos that is unless You, Lord are pouring truth, knowledge, and wisdom into their Tea Pots with the direction that You will be using them as vessel to pour your truths love, wisdom, rebuke, and healing into our lives. Give us wisdom and discernment. Don't allow us to be fooled by the many faces of the evil one. I ask all these things in Your Son, Jesus' name by Redeemer and Savior.
Till we meet next week, may you path be lit by shining crown of Christ our Lord,
In Christs' precious name,
Love,
Tabby
God Is Never Late
Even When It Hurts (Praise Song) Live - Hillsong UNITED
“Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘“You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.’”
Genesis 15:13(NLT)
Song:
Never Late
SINACH JOSEPH
Sometimes in life, it appears as if God has left the scene, especially when you need Him the most. But that’s never true, most often God is simply working His plan in our lives. He did the same with Israel, Abrahams descendants. In Genesis 15:13-14, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, but He also told him that his descendants would go into slavery for 400 years. Well, God is always true to His word, and they did. But He also promised they would eventually come out. And in steps Moses.
Now Moses had fled Egypt after he killed an Egyptian. He was in the wilderness for forty years before God spoke to him through a burning bush. Won’t God show up in the most peculiar ways? Never-the-less, God showed up and told Moses, to “Go and tell Pharaoh, ‘Let my people go!”’
I find that amazing that God would choose Moses, who had been in the desert for forty years. He knew the desert like the back of his hand. So, when the Jews were finally released from Egypt, guess who led them out into the desert? God and Moses—the One who promised deliverance and the man with desert experience. The Jews had never lived in the desert before, and God knew this when he sent Moses to navigate His people through a place they had never been before. The Jews might have given Moses a run for his money, but the desert Moses had mastery over.
I love seeing how God is always strategic and loving in everything He does. So, it makes me confident in knowing that God is doing the same thing in our lives.
A. Lin. Thomas
Prayer:
Father,
I want to Thank You for knowing better than me. Thank You for Your perfect will, in your perfect way, and in your perfect timing. I realize that my desert experience is not out of Your control. In fact, it’s already been planned before the foundation of the world. May I gleen from this experience all the wisdom, understanding and strength that I need for the next part of my journey in this life. If this is pruning season, I welcome it with joy, to bear much more fruit. If this is a trial season, I embrace it with faith, knowing that the trying of my faith produces patience (endurance). To God be the glory, for You are perfect in every way! In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, Amen!
Don't Be Foolish- Listen To The Wise
"Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise riddles. Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:5-7
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
I have noticed one thing about a wise person..... they listen to others with knowledge; those who have been around the block a few years, so to speak. They also gain more understanding and guidance. A wise person may give you a thought provoking question.... you know that question that makes you go, "Hmmm."
Brothas and Sistas, I had never thought of it that way before. After hearing my son preach on Sunday, my sister also said, "I never thought of what he said and preached about that way before." You know it is sad too say but older people don't ever think they can learn from a person younger than them. The truth is, we all can learn something from younger people.
I'm speaking from experience. My mom told me a few years ago how she gained knowledge just by taking a stand for God. I was going through turmoil in my life during that time and I would try to encourage her while she was going through. She literally said, "I learned something from you." I pondered what she said in amazement and thought to myself, "Really, you learned something from me?" Brothas and Sistas, I have also gained knowledge from my own child, my son, when he speaks.
One of the most annoying types of people are those who think they know it all. You know, the person who has a dogmatic opinion about everything!!! I am talking about the person who is always talking too much, are closed minded to anything new, resents discipline and refuses to learn from anyone else. The bible calls that kind of person a fool. So don't be a know it all!! Instead be open to advice of others, especially those that know you well and can give you valuable insight and counsel. Brothas and Sistas, try learning from others and remember that only God knows it all. Amen.
Much Love,
Renee
Prayer Time
Dear Lord,
Thank you for those around us that are full of wisdom. Help us to humble ourselves so that we can receive from them regardless of their age. May we realize that you speak through them to give us much needed direction. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Sex God’s Way
"The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace." Psalm 45:13-15
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
One day while having a conversation with my wife in reference to sex, I was sharing with her about some of the shows that come on television. We began to talk about how we were both confused about the media and the show business world and the way they were using sex for something other than what it was ordained for. We talked about how they don't really understand the purpose of sex and what it was intended for. It can be devastating when sex is used inappropriately. So often I listen to people talk about how they are having casual sex without understanding that there is no such thing as casual sex such as what we view on television but there is really costly sex which leads to unwanted consequences.
I can remember having a discussion with one of my relatives about relationships. I was trying to understand his reason for not wanting to commit to one person and he said he wanted to try it out (have causal sex) before making a commitment and then he reminded me of how I used to be before I got saved. Brothas and Sistas, I then had to admit to him that the way I used to be was wrong and I didn't want him to follow in my footsteps. I wanted him to do things the right way.
So I got to thinking about married couples and this question came to mind, "Are we desiring true intimacy with our spouse?" I have witnessed so many couples lose their desire for intimacy once they are married. I am convinced that we sometimes fail to realize is that when we have sex before marriage it can cause psychological and spiritual scars which can be detrimental in a marriage relationship. Did you know that each time you have sex with a different person you become part of them and they become part of you. "Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." I Corinthians 6:16
Along with the spiritual scars, spirits come along with the individual that you are joined with sexually because spirits are transferable. This, my friends, is the result of having casual sex. Listen my Brothas and Sistas, desiring intimacy with your own spouse is not a bad thing. For when it is done the way God intended, we enjoy the experience of unrestrained passion and the desire to give ourselves to one another completely and exclusively. This brings about total satisfaction simply because it is only one partner and not many partners you are becoming joined to. It also brings about a strong and healthy marriage emotionally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. Trust me when it is done God's way you will no longer have a desire for anyone other than your spouse.
Til next week. Take care.
Minister Antonio Washington
Prayer of Faith
Dear Lord,
We are so grateful for your love and care. Your word gives us precepts for having sex within your guidelines. Help us to walk in obedience to your word so that we can be fully blessed. Help those of us that are single to commit to abstinence until they marry. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Tea Time with Tabby
“A Brew of Who Do I believe God Is”
1 John 4:8 [Full Chapter] New International Version (NIV) "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."2 Samuel 7:28 New International Version (NIV)
Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. James 1:17 New International Version (NIV) "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
Deuteronomy 4:31 NIV) "For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy."
Exodus 3:14 14 New International Version (NIV) "God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you."
John 1-1 New International Version (NIV) The Word Became Flesh "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Proverbs 18:10 10 New International Version (NIV) "The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."
Good Morning everyone,
I pray that your felt the Lord’s comfort overnight as you slept and awoke fresh and ready to sip in what He has prepared for us today. Let us Pray. Lord I thank you for all You are, I thank you that I can read your word and see and hear the truths of your character. I can see how You have demonstrated them over and over through time. May this Brew that you have placed upon my heart be honoring and worthy of you. Amen
Recently in small group bible study we were all asked to write down 3 words that described God the Father or who we believed, felt, were taught or assumed when we were younger. Then now. We were asked if that image had changed. We were asked to think of God as Father and if that changed that image now or in our past. Lastly, we were asked to write down who He was He in time in of crisis in our life and time of great joy Stop here and take a few moments and try this for yourself. Did He remain the same God to you consistently through this exercise? Did God’s character change, or better said what you believed His Character to be in each of those scenarios?
I will be perfectly honest for me it sure did! Growing up I believed that I could never measure up to God’s expectations. I didn’t believe that God could love me unconditionally. As my earthly father wouldn’t even tell me the conditions that I needed to meet gain his love, so how could I ever grasp the Love of the God of the Universe. I felt when I was younger that God could never forgive me, for I was always being found in fault, no matter the truth or the circumstances. Therefore, I surely could never measure up to what He would require. As His expectations had to be much more; being the creator of all. Anyone else have these same beliefs.
Now even though I believed all this I still deep down felt that God was good in nature and spirit, and that He was real, and that He was Love. I even managed at times to believe that I was loveable enough for Him on occasion.
Fast forward to my late twenties and I am Finally a Mom and wow what a struggle and battle it was to become a mom. I had battled infertility for many years. During this season I had chosen to try to see God differently, but the old false beliefs kept me from believing the truth. As my battle ensued with infertility I believed I was being punished for poor choices, and for things that had been done to me. Surely, I was to blame. God had to pour out His punishment and judgement upon me. Yet how my fickle feelings and heart changed the moment I found out I was to be Mom. I found myself finally beginning to believe the truths of who God was and that all things do work together for His goodness and glory. This lasted for many years. Then a time of crisis came, and my son not only walked away from me, but he left his faith behind too. I was at a crossroad and knew that I had 2 choices to make. I could take the easy path and fall into to those patterns of thinking or I could choose to stand firm on the foundation that God had been building deep within me. Have you ever found yourself here?
Here my Brothers and Sisters is where our Faith the Truth of His Character and our Knowledge and or Beliefs about who and what God’s Character is begins to be tested and tried. Here is where we really find out what and who we really believe the God we worship on Sunday Mornings, and at weekly bible study and as we sing along to worship songs is to us. I chose to believe what He had scribed for us in about who He is in the bible. He good, faithful, everlasting, sovereign, compassionate, righteous and love. It was not easy to believe these truths; the enemy came at every angle and found every weak spot that I allowed him to enter. Yet our God is faithful. My son has come back to me but not back to the Lord, not even after the tragic car accident that nearly took his life for good. Yet my God is still Good. My God is Merciful and hears my cries and my heart always and He has a plan for of redemption for everyone even my prodigal son.
Brother’s and Sisters’ there is yet one more way that who we believe God to be is revealed through us. That is how we go about our everyday hum drum live. When we aren’t on the mountain top and when we aren’t deep in the valley. It’s during these times I believe that what and who we believe God’s character to be is revealed in its most authentic manner. Why may you ask? Well we aren’t in need of Him to rescue us from tragedy or sorrow, or illness, and we are at our highest point proclaiming His Glory and Goodness. It is here that others truly learn from watching, listening, encountering us who God really is to us. Don’t be fooled for a minute into thinking that co-worker who doesn’t know Jesus isn’t watching to see how you do day to day life with your God. She or He has likely witnessed a mountain or valley time but that’s not when they really learn it’s in the day to day.
Do you carry yourself in a way that reflects the fact that you are a child of God an heir to the King of Kings? Do you show grace and mercy at every opportunity or judgement and condemnation? Do you still take the time give thanks and speak of His goodness and faithfulness in the small things? Do you still read that devotional at lunch and try to find a way to work His truth into the conversation? Do you still show His compassion and hope when the situation will have no relevance that is obvious in your life? Brothers and Sisters, I tell you it is here where you will see hearts and lives change and either chose to find and follow Christ or not.
I ask you and I ask myself once again who do we believe God is and who, what, how, when are we revealing His True Character? Are we doing this in our day to day lives? Many are seeking and searching in this lost world, are we choosing to be a light for Christ or a path toward more darkness and despair?
None of us get this right all the time! However, if we invite the Lord our God into our everyday minutia that we foolish believe He doesn’t want or need or have time for, we will have a greater impact on demonstrating His true character. By allowing a lost world to know that there is hope and love and acceptance for every heart and every soul that earnestly seeks the Lord our God Jesus Christ. There is no sin, no guilt, no shame, no nothing that can keep His Love from us. The truth of the gift of salvation through Christ is for all who ask, repent and accept the truth of who God really is.
I encourage you to go out and be the Priest of the Lord that you were created and made to be to everyone you encounter today and every day. Make a difference for the kingdom of God without necessarily ever knowing that your actions in Faith provided the light needed to get a glimpse of the truth and real character of the One and Only True God for a lost soul! Do this today and every day!!!
Love,
Tabby
God’s Grace Is Sufficient
Even When It Hurts (Praise Song) Live - Hillsong UNITED
Song:
Trin-I-Tee 5:7 - God's Grace (Lyrics)
Jesus4Life
There is a story in the bible that I hear preached in a certain way, and every time I hear it that way, it makes me cringe. It’s the story of “A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda” (John 5:1-8). “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, [a]Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, [b]paralyzed, [c]waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.”
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
I always hear preachers, teachers, and evangelist preach this with such anger for the infirmed man and they preach it like Jesus was angry at his lack of faith. But I don’t see anger, only compassion for the infirmed man. I guess you would have to fully understand what it feels like to be infirmed or paralyzed. I’ve been unable to get out of the bed due to infirmity and my limbs wouldn’t work for months. So, I can only imagine the pain and mental agony this man was feeling day after day, year after year, and decade after decade. He was infirmed for thirty-eight years. I was that way for six months, and I didn’t think I was going to make it.
What really caught my attention about the story is that Jesus, personally went to the man to heal him for He knew there would be no other way except that God showed up personally to set that man free. People say that when Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be well, that the man began to make excuses for why he wasn’t well. But that’s not true, Jesus was simply asking for permission to take authority over the situation and only the man could give it to Him. Yes, the man explained that as a paralyzed man, he couldn’t move fast enough to beat the others to the pool, and he was left behind, year after year.
When Jesus said, “Rise, take up your bed and walk,” that wasn’t a rebuke of the man, but a command for the infirmity to leave. When the man gave Jesus permission, he unknowingly gave him authority. God never forgot the man, He just had to come and answer his need personally. I am so gratefully that God’s grace for us is sufficient to meet each and every need. And it’s not predicated on our ability only our faith. I don’t think the man’s faith was in question for the text explains that Jesus knew that the man had been in that condition for a long time. So, it’s obvious the man had faith, or he would not have even been at the pool waiting for the angel of the Lord to stir the waters, hoping that he could make it into the pool.
I absolutely understand the man’s predicament, God had to personally come to me also to heal me in 1996. What a personal Savior Jesus is!!! Hallelujah!!! He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT).
Prayer:
Father,
Help us to never take your grace for granted, it’s the power of God unto salvation. And that salvation comes in many ways for us to partake of your merciful grace. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, Amen!
Make Up Your Mind
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. James says that that person should not expect
to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable unstable in all they do.”
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
Have you ever been to the beach and you were sitting on the balcony of your room or on the beach and you watched the waves come in and the wind blows? The harder the wind, the stronger the waves. This is exactly how we sometimes are as Christians. We can be like the waves of the ocean. James, the half brother of Jesus writes to the 12 tribes that were scattered abroad and to the Jewish Christians. Here we have what is framed within an overall theme of patience, perseverance during trials and temptations. James writes to encourage believers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ. He wants his readers to mature in their faith in Christ by living what they say they believe.
I would like to propose that we all have been affected at one point in time not being able to make up our minds, being double-minded, or wavering. James talks about that because you see James has been there. It took him a minute to believe that his half brother, Jesus was the Messiah. So as you can see James knows what it is to be a double minded person.
Double-minded means wavering in mind; undecided. It means being torn in two directions; having two minds. No Christian becomes double-minded overnight. It takes time to develop an unrelenting desire to pursue a particular course, until we part ways with that thing which is stabbing at Jesus all the time, we will still continually find ourselves in a state of inner turmoil.
Wavering means to lose strength, determination or purpose, to begin to doubt. Let's look at the contrast in scripture. James 1:1-8
Matthew 6:24 Hebrews 11:1, 3 He spoke of the one who wavers. A double minded person tries to serve two masters. As such he is unstable which means wavering.
Listen we can’t be both certain and doubting at the same time as a double minded person. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for. By faith the universe was formed by God's command. When the bible tells us not to waver it means don’t flinch as to what the word of God says. Isn’t it amazing how so many times we hold fast in the church but the moment we leave out from the worship experience we begin
to waver.
Listen God doesn’t move on our time but His time. You see we want to have the provision, but don’t want the burdens, we want the
victories, but not the challenges. We want deliverance without even going into the fiery furnace like Shadrach, Meshack, and Abenego. When you have your mind made up to believe God at His word, you will not waver in your faith.
Lazarus had been dead for 4 days and there was a stone in front of the grave. Jesus says to Mary, “Did I not tell you that I am the resurrection and he that believeth in me shall never die And they said, “Yes.” Then Jesus asked them, “Do you believe this? Because if you do then I will bring him back to life and they said, ”Lord, I believe.”
Can God count on you to wait on the Lord and be of good courage like David? Can God count on us to trust in His word when others tell you that you should give up? In the book of Mark Jesus says, have faith in God whatever it is. If you don’t have faith you will never see His answer, you will never see His praise, You will never see His power. How do I know? Look at James 1:7,
“He who doubts will receive nothing from the Lord.
When your in a battle, the only victory you have is faith that overcomes the world. The bible is filled with imperfect people and often times we want to emphasize on their imperfections. I believe we got it wrong. It is their faith that qualifies them not their imperfections. How do I know? In Romans 4:3 it says that, “Abraham’s faith was counted as righteousness unto him. Look there are a lot of imperfect Christians that don’t have faith but it is impossible to please God without it. Abraham being called by God didn’t waver but believed God.
We want God to speak to us but the words of the Lord are right here in this book filled with verses, chapters, line upon line and yet we say I need God to speak to me. Open the book and His words will speak to you what you want to know and hear. God’s delays are not God’s denials.
Have you been waiting on the Lord for an answer? "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint." Have you taken God at His word?" Don’t stop believing even when others say you should. They may give up, but don’t you give in. They may not endure but stand without wavering, hold fast to your faith. Carry on with the blessed assurance that
Jesus is mine and that nothing and I mean nothing is too hard for God and that all things are possible but whatever you do, Don’t Waver!
Even if you have walked with the Lord for years, a double-minded life will avoid, bypass, dodge much of the good which the Holy Spirit wants to work in you and through you. What we as believers desperately need is to fully surrender our hearts and minds to the Lord. Listen the reason why a wavering or double-minded person seems to have old habits hang on indefinitely, is because those old habits are the fruit of an
unstable heart and mind. “Whatever a man thinketh so is he.” Proverbs 23:7
The only way to enjoy the joy and peace that God has for us is to get back to a single minded approach to Christian Living....so make up your mind! Amen.
"If you don’t make up your mind, your unmade mind will unmake you." Eli E. Stanley Jones
Have a great day!
Minister Antonio Washington
Prayer of Faith
Lord, we admit that we need to desperately make up our minds. Either we are going to faithfully serve you and believe what your word says or we are going to be double-minded. help us to walk by faith and not by sight so that we can please you and be a better witness to those that do not know you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Tension Can Be A Good Thing
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
There are times when we feel like there is something keeping us from feeling peace and joy in our marriages. It often feels as though there is a disconnect because there are so many things coming up against us and our spouses all at one time. So why is there so much tension in some of our marriages?
Quite often we look at tension as a bad thing but you know tension can sometimes be a good thing. We believe that God uses those areas that bring tension to our marriages to not only bring us closer together in our marriages but ultimately it brings us closer to our destiny as a couple in Christ. Let's face it tension helps us to bring our attention back to God and His word. It helps us to rely on what He wants and desires for our lives rather than what we want.
Is it also possible that the tension we go through is God's way of motivating us to operate in our giftedness towards each other? Crisis can sometimes bring out the things in us that we would have otherwise never known were in us to bring about cohesiveness in our marriages. So once again not all things that we think are bad are bad for us. God uses everything that we go through; the good, the bad and the ugly to mold us and shape us after His will. Tension can be a good thing!
"No relationship is all sunshine, but once you’ve learned how to play in the rain, you’ve discovered the secret to surviving the passing storm together – 'Happy Wives Club
Blessings,
Antonio and Michelle Washington
Prayer of Faith
Dear Lord,
We thank you for the tension that arises in our marriages for we know that you are molding us and shaping us after your image through them. We know that you are using tension to move us towards our destiny and bring those areas of giftedness out so that we may be a blessing to our spouses. Thank you for your great wisdom in working all things out for our good and your ultimate glory. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Teatime With Tabby A Brew to Realign the Heart and Soul
Psalm 34:10 (NIV) "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."
Job 5:17 (NIV) “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."
Galatians 5:10 (NIV) "I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty."
Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV) "Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."Good Morning Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Praise be to God that we were granted yet another day to be here and make a difference in someone’s life for Christ. Let’s grab our teacups and head over to the Grand Brew Masters Table for our Brew of the day. Has anyone else ever considered their walk with Christ much like caring for their car, their home, their health, their job, etc…. If you have ever considered this what and how do you go about keeping your heart and mind aligned with Christ? What is that we are called to do to keep our Tea Cups and Tea Cupboards full, tidy, and ready? If you haven’t ever considered this idea do you ever get to a place where you don’t see, hear, or recognize the zeal, the commitment or the voice of God in your soul? Has anyone found themselves in either place? Do you currently reside here or have you even been here?
Brothers and Sisters, it is hard not to find ourselves in these latter days with the madness and evil that exists in our fallen world today. It is so easy to fall into the worldly view of it doesn’t matter if I seek to be like Christ in this world as I can’t make a difference as an individual. It’s easy to fall into the trap of questioning God and forgetting that He is God and we are not when we don’t get the answers we desire. When we don’t have the capacity as a human to understand His ways it’s easy to lean this way and allow the world to start pouring our daily brews when there are children suffering without hope for a cure, and terrorist groups killing the innocent in mass.
Jesus tells us in His word repeatedly that we will face hardship, and we will not understand all that we see and experience. How do we go from this place of passive faith, or lack of faith, or lack of action in faith? I tell you that this is current struggle for me. I find it hard to pray, hard to keep my heart and mind aligned with the things that I know are true and right. My life has taken some twists and turns.
Then the writer was sharing the truth behind this verse and hit me like lead balloon. “This verse was originally spoken to Jeremiah about the fate of Jerusalem. However, this promise is true in specials ways for us as well. God wants us to call to Him. God often waits for us to ask before He blesses us with what He longs to give us.” Heartlight Daily Devotions. Have you ever considered this? I surely had not in the way I believe this writer was sharing this word. For me it really made me sit up and realign my thinking. Why was I being so arrogant to expect that God would lavish me with what I wanted or believed I needed without any effort on my part? I had forgotten this relationship is just like any other; I must do my part and you must do your part if we expect to reap the harvest.
Brothers and Sisters, how do we go about making this alignment check? How do we go about re-ordering our steps and get ourselves back on the path of righteousness? Well, I have amazing news and truth about this for each of us. It is a very easy 3 step process:
1. Repent - We must first clear the deck, sit with our heavenly father and ask for His forgiveness. We must be completely and honestly do good housekeeping our Tea Cupboards.
2. We must accept the grace and forgiveness that God provides. This is tougher than it seems in a few ways. Often we don’t feel worthy of the Gift of Grace and we must ask the Lord to refresh our hearts and minds to receive this. As if we don’t we can and ourselves in a kind of negative pride and place of arrogance. We can place our past mistakes, failures, poor choices, etc. above God’s grace by saying," I am too____________ a sinner for God to forgive me." Do you see we are saying that we did or who we were is greater than our God’s Grace, Crazy right, but we do it?
3. Choose every day and some days moment by moment to be a reflection of Christ in your choices, attitude, actions, struggles, frustrations, and words.
Brothers and Sisters, as we come to a close today with our Tea Party it's my hope and prayer that each us will seek to be more like our Savior, and each of us will seek to be aligned in our hearts and minds with the truth, love, and grace of our Savior Jesus Christ!
Till next week, Walk-in Grace and Love, and be Grace and Love for a hurting world.
Love,
Tabby
Something Is Waiting For You
"And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:9-11
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
This weekend I was blessed to attend a Women's Conference from Thursday till Saturday. The theme was "Iron Sharpens Iron". I wasn't really sure what to expect but I was expecting God to show up as He usually does. I was seeking confirmation in reference to some things that God was telling me to do.
The first night of the conference was good but I still hadn't heard from God. The word that night was excellent but it wasn't the word for me. I really can't explain it. There is something about when you hear Gods voice for your specific need. I guess God was giving me a rest because it was the first night and I was tired but let me tell you on Friday afternoon God came through using one of the speakers and I just kept fighting tears that entire day.
The speaker was speaking about being Intentional about whatever you are called to do. She referenced the scripture where God told Moses that he has been hearing the cries of His people and that Moses needed to go to Pharaoh so the people could be delivered.
Brothas and Sistas, she said, "God hears the crying of His people and He has to waste time trying to convince Moses to Go." OMG! that really ripped through me. She said a lot of other things but that sat in my spirit all day. I immediately envisioned people crying and unable to get deliverance because God is still trying to convince me to do what He has equipped me to do. My God!!! The thought that someone is in limbo because I am struggling with fear, doubt etc., instead of just trusting God and preparing for the assignment.
God gives each of us a particular assignment and because we don't see ourselves as God sees us we try to avoid it as if God doesn't know what He is talking about. We act as if God is confused. Brothas and Sistas, if God called you for a particular purpose and He has called each of us for a specific purpose we need to trust Gods decision even if it appears way too big when we look with our physical eyes.
Our assignment is not for us but its for others. Our gifts are for the edification of the body. God made a deposit in us before the foundation of the world and that deposit (gifting) has a destiny attached to it. When we are disobedient it not only affects us but those that the assignment is attached took.
Brothers and Sistas, I plead with you that if you know what your assignment is with the guidance of the Holy Spirit operate in it even if it scares you because someone is waiting for you.
Be blessed,
Gina M
Prayer
Father, God
We ask for forgiveness for every time you have told us to move in a particular area and we've made excuses because of fear or doubt or just lack of trust. Father, cast down any obstacle that the enemy places in our path that keeps us from our purpose. We thank you that you would even use us as part of the plan. Father, prepare us for the people that you have assigned to us and show us how to prepare. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
We Are Not Alone!
“Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” Psalm 91:1
10-13
Good morning Brothas and Sistas.
Have you ever been in a season where you have so many things coming at you all at once and you feel as though nothing is going to let up? This is the time that most of us give up and want to check out of the insanity that is going on all around us. But I want to encourage you to hang in there. Help is on the way. Help is already here!
Brothas and Sistas, we are not alone! God and His angels are working behind the scenes. Did you know that God dispatches His angels to fight on our behalf and to minister His word to us in times of chaos? “Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” Psalm 91:1 10-13 But you see there is one stipulation. We have to make God our dwelling place.
That my Brothas and Sistas, means that we must make Him a priority by spending time with Him. The closer we are to Him the more protection we receive. It’s all about relationship. He is our covering.
It kind of reminds me about the relationship my husband has with all of his children. I am reminded of my two oldest sons, in particular, who would often be picked out of a group of kids who were different races by police officers who wanted to charge them with a crime that made no sense. My husband who is retired FBI would always go to their rescue and have his badge handy. You see my husband was once a special agent with the FBI. His position gained him certain privileges and protection that our kids benefited from. It’s all about relationship!
Because of our position in Christ we benefit from the privileges and protection handed down to us from our heavenly Father who promised to “never leave us nor forsake us!” Even when we can’t see His presence, He is there! Brothas and Sistas, there is no need to fear! WE are not alone!
Prayer of Protection
Thank you Lord for sending your angels to give us much needed protection. We are so grateful for you being there when we need you the most. Help us to draw near to you so that our relationship can be close. We pray all these things in your precious name. Amen.
So You Said I Do
"So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:6
Good morning,
Let's continue where we left off.
Brothas and Sistas, if you can be in a position where you and your spouse are spending more time with your co- workers and rarely call or talk to your spouse on a regular basis then there is a problem. One of the reasons why you both are argumentive, frustrated or irritable is because you have forgotten that you said, " I do." to one another and not to someone or something else.
Look couples we have to remember to make one another a priority again. We must learn to forgive so that we may let go of those lottle things that divide us and eventually allow us to have interest in someone else. We made a committment to one another and the world is watching us and how we respond to challenges as couples but how we respond to one another.
When there is no communication between each other then you set yourself up for an entanglement. When this happens the person becomes your sounding board as they listen closely and attentively waiting for that right moment to respond, not with what you should hear but rather what you want to hear. It is the role of your spouse to be a soundging board not someone else.
Couples when we first said, "I do." our spouses were everything to us. We did not take them for granted. We listened intently, made time for them and they were our first priority. Let's take the time to remember the vows we made to each other. God put us with our spouses for a reason and He has a great plan in mind. Let's not only honor the vows we made to God but also the vows we made to each other.
I will see you next week.
Minister Antonio Washington
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Tea Time Tabby Surrendering Your Will for God's Will
Good morning Brothas and Sistas,
I hope and pray that I find each of you resting in our Lord's grace, hope, and will. So let's grab our Tea Cups and allow our heavenly Savior to refresh our cups with a brew I like call "Surrendering it all for His will."
Now this at first might seem like a medicinal brew of Tea, but what I have been learning about this very brew is that it is one of my favorites next to the sweet, sweet Brew of Salvation.
As many of you may know I can be kind of a "control freak" about things in my life. I have been known to hold so tightly to some things in my life of which God had no intention of pouring blessing into. Truth be told I have likely missed out on a lot of Sweet Tea in my days. Yet we serve such a faithful, loving and grace filled God that He doesn't choose to keep record of my wrongs or yours. He doesn't lord over me all the missed opportunities for the many blessings I have squandered or simply missed when He called out "Tea Time" over the years.
I have been on an amazing journey with Him recently, where as I shared previously, I had to get to the very edge of my Tea Cup before I began to let go and let God. I had to surrender my will, my ways for His will and His ways.
There were a few specific things that I have chosen to hold too tightly to. I have often even demanded my right to be right, my right to not really surrender to my God what was never mine to begin with.
Are any of my fellow Tea drinkers who are reading this today. I am the proud mom of a nearly 21 year old son and I have 4 other children through my marriage to my husband. All of our kids are grown from 19-32 yrs old. Now most would say that by now I must have learned how to surrender my right to be right with all those teenagers and certainly with the older ones. I must have learned that I had to surrender their life choices and decisions over to God or simply drive myself crazy.... I wish I could tell you that I had.
Brothas and Sistas, eventhough 4 of the 5 aren't my biological children I still somehow believed for a long time that I had the right to cling to them tightly and play "Lord of the Ring". All the while professing that I had most certainly released them to their Heavenly Father. I was choosing on a daily basis to believe that I was taking my lead and my guidance and direction for them straight from the Father. After all a good Christian mom would make you say grace at meals, not take the Lord's name in vain, or attend church when you are at our home on Sunday. Right?????? Absolutely these are all good practices, but that wasn't what God wanted me to be focusing on. He wanted me to be walking out a life of full surrender all in and letting His light shine through me; letting His aromatic Sweet Tea just draw them into Him in His way and His Time.
Recently God has just put upon my heart that He is so glad that I love His children so much and that He is so glad that I think I know what His plan is for them, but plainly put, I don't! The Lord had to bring me to place where I could see that I was keeping them from the life that He has designed for them and that I needed to step back and really surrender them fully to Him. He showed me that I needed to let life come up and maybe knock the wind out of them a little. "Why?", you may ask. "After all don't we serve a loving God." Oh yes, we do certainly belong to a very loving God. You see with me in the middle they had no reason or cause to seek after the one that created them. The one that wants to bless their lives and fill their Tea Cups full of special brews He has designed perfectly for each of them individually as well as each of us individually.
I must say when I received this conviction from the Father, Satan tried to get in my head and twist it all up. But God being God patiently waited for me to get my flesh out of the way and understand that I had a choice to make. I had to choose to surrender fully or know that I would surely be missing out on one of the greatest blessings known as freedom that we only receive from complete and total surrender. He showed me deep in my heart that I needed to set this example for our kids, my family and anyone else that I may cross paths with.
The reason being is that when we walk in complete surrender those we love and those we meet will see a difference in us that only God can pour into our Tea Cups once we empty them out in total Surrender. Once I made the choice to surrender my will for His will not only in my life but the life of my family and children God made my heart flicker with such a release, fullness of total redemption, and complete healing from the ugliest wounds of my past and present.
Brothas and Sistas, I suddenly understood that God only wants me to work on my relationship with Him. Everyone else needs to come to the edge of their Tea Cup like I did. Then they too can find Him there and make the choice to accept Him for who He is or to choose to believe the lies of the Evil One and continue to walk by the flesh and not by faith. You see I couldn't do this for husband, my parents, my siblings, my children or dearest of friends. Now this revelation didn't come over like a drop of a sugar cube in steeping Tea Cup, it has taken God's grand patience, and love to grow my faith enough to choose to put down my flesh, to pick up my faith and let go and let God.
God has set me free from so much baggage simply because I finally got it. I finally understood that surrender is not weak, surrender is not giving up on anything, surrender isn't a sad thing, surrender is the perfect cup of Tea on the rainiest day of your heart. My heart was so quickly filled with joy and anticipation as to what and how God would work in my life to shine His light on the lives of my children, family and friends.
What God has been teaching me is that in surrender there is such release, freedom, new found hope, healing, warmth and love.
I liked to share a few verses with you that God may chose to use to capture my heart and maybe yours too. I hope that you choose to allow Him to fill you Tea Cup with this very gracious, freeing brew of Tea called "Surrender."
Romans 8:28-30, Colossians 3:1-3, Luke 9:23, Matthew 16:24-26, and Galatians 5:24
Brothas and Sistas, what God promises us is the more we surrender to Him; the more inner peace and true joy we will have simply by choosing the attitude of surrender. Yes, just as salvation is choice we make to accept and walk with Christ, surrender is the next step on the path to full and true intimacy with Father. As we draw nearer to that truth and choose to have an attitude of surrender. Every day we will grow stronger in our faith and in understanding of His will for our lives we will each learn to understand how to hear His voice and His call on our lives. Our Tea Cups will run over with His loving Spirit.
I pray that you will each seriously take inventory of your hearts and ask the Holy Spirit as to what it is that you are holding so tightly too that you need to choose an attitude of surrender so He can fully bless you.
I hope and pray that you will each experience the amazing freedom, grace and forgiveness that comes with a heart and attitude of surrender.
Write to me and let me know what you are choosing to surrender to God's will and God's plan so I know how to pray for you.
Until Tea Time next week remember hold less tightly and choose to boldly surrender your will for the will and perfect plan of God. Surrender all to the Lord as He can't wait to joyfully bless your choice. In thanksgiving and praise to Lord of redemption, Jesus Christ.
Love,
Tabby
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Satan's Deception
Marchttps://youtu.be/hev0pLk9a-A
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"Genesis 3:1
GM Friends of God,
Friends, we live in a culture that is so full of deception it's everywhere, all around us, illustrated by these kinds of outlandish advertising claims. Sometimes it's easy to see through the falsehood and sometimes it's not so easy, I believe you all know what I'm talking about. Just to name a few..."Melt 10 pounds in 10 minutes!... A workout so easy you do it in your pajamas!" LOL! How I wish that was true!!!
here's another one......"Look better and feel Younger in just minutes a Day.... The key to a healthier happier life." It's an Ad for an oxygen chamber and it's price tag is $3,999.95 . Here's one more.... "Become a world class violinist instantaneously." Really?
Deception in advertising appeals to our natural human longings. We want to believe sometimes that those unwanted pounds will mysteriously melt away in just 10 minutes-- no sweat, no discipline, no cost, no effort or no pain. That's why we buy the pills, diet drink powders, and buy exercise equipment sold on infomercials. "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Genesis 3:11).
A clever and cunning pitchman whose intention was to change Adam and Eve's thinking about God and His ways designed the first advertising campaign. Satan's objective is to drive a wedge between God and His creatures. Satan knows that he has to trick us into believing his lies by deceiving us the same way he did with Adam and Eve. Satan does this by planting seeds of doubt in our minds about what God has actually said to us in his word.
His next step will be to try to lead us to be careless with God's word, and suggests to us that God had said something that, in fact He had not said. The same way he had Eve misquoting what God has said. The truth is that God had said, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden except one." (Genesis 2:16-17). God was more than generous. Can you imagine how many trees there were in that Garden? But Eve allowed Satan to trick her up by distorting God's truth, and deceiving her. In this case Adam and Eve's sin separated them from God.
Deception is a terrible thing, God wanted Adam to obey but God gave him the freedom to choose. Friends we also have the freedom to choose right or wrong. Let's not allow the enemy, Satan to deceive us with his flattering tongue his lies and deception, to distort our view of what God's word is telling us.
Satan promises us peace but gives us pain. He promises Joy but gives us misery. He promises us love but gives us hate. He's a liar he and was a liar from the beginning the scripture says. He will always be a liar he's the father of lies. So friends when left with a choice, always choose to obey God and you can't go wrong.
Much love,
Renee
Prayer of Faith
Dear Lord,
We praise you for giving us a spirit of discernment so that we can see the enemy's deception. May we walk in your truth daily so that we will not be swayed by the lies of the enemy. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.h 15, 2022