All posts filed under: Christian Life

One Word that should define your entire life

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Consecration “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man or woman, who is totally dedicated to Him.” What is Consecration? The word first and foremost means to “be set apart.” It is the act of separating from a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God. The Hebrew words kadosh and Greek  hagiazo are translated by several different English words: holy, consecrate, hallow, sanctify, dedicate. In the Old Testament God is said to be kadosh or “holy.” The Hebrew word originally meant “to be separate.” The Holy One of Israel is separate because He is God. “I am God, and not man; the Holy One in your midst” ( Hosea 11:9 ). Hosea pointed to both the otherness or separateness of God and His nearness. The holiness of God came to mean all that God is. To the prophets, God’s holiness included justice, righteousness, and many ethical concerns. “God who is Holy shall be sanctified in righteousness” (Isaiah 5:16 ). When people or things were “consecrated,” they …

Shh! – Victory is in progress

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Too often we talk ourselves out of the miracles and blessings God wants to release in our lives. Our constant complaining, nagging and grumbling sometimes delay or even hinder us from experiencing the breakthroughs we so desperately want. Moses tried to talk his way out of becoming a mighty deliverer. Gideon tried to explain his way out of reaching his full potential. Before the parting of the red sea – the Israelites were on the verge of turning around and going back to Egypt because of their incessant negative speech and grumbling. Before the taking of the promised land – they literally delayed the taking of this good land by a negative report that completely stalled – if not put off the mission. Before the miracles of bread falling from the sky and water gushing out of the rock, Israel’s continued grumbling, nagging and quarrelling and murmuring became too much for God to handle, let alone his prophet. At this juncture in the history of Israel (Joshua 6), they are about to take a fortified city and …

Fallin

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There you go again… you did it. You promised God that it will never happen again. But there you go again… dealing, sniffing, lusting, gossiping. You told yourself it was all over. But there you go again… angry, grumpy envious, sensual. You have fallen. Well, it is not okay, but it’s okay. “Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.” So get up! Commit again… Try again… Quote: Chinese Proverb Video: Trip, born William Lee Barefield III

He’s got the Whole World in His Hands

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…he upholds the universe by the word of his power… Hebrews 1:3 God is the one calling the shots, running the show… not you… You may as well get used to it! He’s got the world in his hand. That includes you, your dreams, your hopes and your aspirations. It will do you good to just step out of His way, because he never relinquishing the power.

Can you Hear me now?

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The Call of Wisdom Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did …

Extra Extra Read All About It

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It always starts with one word First, somebody told it, Then the room couldn’t hold it, So the busy tongues rolled it Till they got it outside. Then the crowd came across it, And never once lost it, But tossed it and tossed it, Till it grew long and wide. This lie brought forth others, Dark sisters and brothers, And fathers and mothers– A terrible crew. And while headlong they hurried, The people they flurried, And troubled and worried, As lies always do. And so evil-bodied, This monster lay goaded, Till at last it exploded In smoke and in shame. Then from mud and from mire The pieces flew higher, And hit the sad victim And killed a good name. I am looking forward to the day when people would realize that they should never say anything about anybody behind their back. I hope people will realize that if they can not say something about somebody in their presence, they cannot say it at all to anybody else. By overlooking this simple principle, some people …

Keep your Vows even when it Hurts

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A few weeks ago, I felt compelled to meet with a brother from our congregation. I didn’t want to scold him, nor rebuke him, I simply wanted to talk to him about standing me up several times. He is one of those guys who’s very quick to volunteer for a project. You know, guys with very good intentions, willing to help, but really do not realize that they are over committing. I didn’t want to break out in a brand new teaching series on how to make and keep your vows; neither did I want to discourage his enthusiasm. But I had to tell him that he didn’t have to approach me every week to commit to something and not actually do the thing. I wanted him to actually think and plan about how he wanted to serve, than pursue it passionately. However, I did share the following scripture and thought with him: the faithful followers of the Lord, keep their promises even when it hurts. Psalm 154 NLT What I do not mean by keeping …

I am a work in progress!

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Have you ever wonder why start-ups often keep the Beta test phrase label on their products long after their launch? They leave it on there to stress that the product is not finished – it is a work in progress. There is still room for improvements. What do you think will happen to us if we could embrace the idea of “Permanent Beta” and apply it to every area of lives – Allowing space for growth in our spiritual, social, and professional life. Permanent Beta – is a one day at a time commitment to personal, professional and spiritual growth and development. Each day represents an opportunity to develop you craft, sharpen your skills, improve your serve and show Christ in his ever-increasing glory. I have heard people dismiss or cover up their sluggishness with the phrase – “I’m a work in progress.” But this is not a passive excuse to spiritual, or professional laziness. The goal is to open up your life to the Lord, to trusted friends with continued humility and a teachable spirit, …

Detours

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Life is sometimes full of twists and turns: You are up – than you are down. You are in love – you are out of love. You are Healthy – than you are ill. You are Employed – than, unemployed Other times, life is great, you are moving toward your dreams, goals and your destination is just around the corner and boom – roadblock. All of a sudden, you hit a brick wall. What do you do when you find yourself on this roller coaster ride of ups and downs? What do you do when disappointment hits? How do you handle detours, opposition and roadblocks? Quite often, when life serves us an unexpected blow or a pill too hard to swallow, we quickly get discouraged and think it’s the end of the road. Sometimes we blame others or simply just give up. A few years ago a young violinist by the name of Lukas Kmit was playing at a Jewish Orthodox synagogue in Prseov, Slovakia. While he was performing, the cell phone of one of …

How life’s pressure affects Good Judgment

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Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 I am confident that every one of us know the story of how Abraham and Sarah were desperate to have children. Even though they had a promise from God there was always an inexplicable delayed either by God or some unforeseen circumstance. Like you and I, these giants of faith did the very same thing we do when we are under pressure. They decided to take matters into their own hands. I have seen it happen over and over – couples with a horrible marriage, people dealing with illness or the loss of a family member or friend – when people come under pressure they always try to take matters into their own hands. As we see with Abraham and Sarah – it never works – it always backfires. So the word of God proposes a different and sometimes difficult approach. As difficult as things might …