The righteous are as Bold as a Lion

For so many years you find people who are running with no reason to run.  That is how sin affects us in our life, we feel like we are being chased, yet there is no one pursuing us. Yet, once we have Christ we can be as bold as a Lion.  Our righteousness is not ours and does not come from us but comes from the Lion of Judah.  Therefore, when we are summoned to be as bold as a Lion, it means we surrender to Christ and allow him to be our fortress.  He is the only reason we can stand strong against the enemy and the influence of our flesh.  God knows the weakness of our minds and our desires, so much so that many of us relate the word desire to something bad. However, desire is a good word and God wants to give us what we desire, those things we know that stir our soul and not the things that make us “feel” good.  As we are called to be righteous, we are also not called to do it alone, He will provide brothers and sisters that we can stand strong with and Christ is the foundation.  I urge you my friends to stop running, because there is nothing pursuing you, it is only an illusion that keeps you on the run.  Turn and face the monsters that approach, but face them with Christ as your righteousness and you Shall be As Bold As A LION! Amen!  Proverbs 28:1

His word is for me and you

I was able to share what it means to be God’s Beloved today.  I have spoken about this for most of my Christian life. Well, at least the past 6 or 7 years that is.  I have spoken about it and now I have had the chance to preach about it and I came to realize that the words that I spoke were for me also.  Here I was with a room filled with broken women, who needed to know that they were worth it and God was telling me the same thing.  I was delivered today in a most amazing way, God’s truth through my own voice ministered to me.  I watched as the Holy Spirit grabbed a hold of those listening and embraced them where they needed it most.  We have all made so many mistakes in our life and with those mistakes and choices have come so many regrets.  It is not a coincidence that every time we begin to draw close to Christ, we start to have the thoughts of all the reasons why we are not worth his love.  Here I am standing in front of people speaking of how awesome our God is and how he doesn’t have an issue with our past, what he wants is our hearts.  There is nothing, Christ says, nothing on Earth, nor Heaven, nor Hell that can keep us from his love.  This means we are worth it and no matter how many times those voices come, we can stand firm with our belt of truth knowing that Christ is walking with us, every step is a step forward, there is NO TURNING BACK.  God has chased after all of us and he will continue to chase because his heart is broken for the lost as should ours be.  I listened as I spoke today about what it means to be His Beloved, it means that His focus is me and my needs and for you His focus is you and your needs.  He will not let a single one of us go astray and be led into danger.  He is the Hound of Heaven that will never stop chasing after His Beloved.  The more I have realized in my life that God’s truth is right the more I realize as a human I want to run.  However, Jesus comes and tells us, do not run from me, you are MY BELOVED and I AM NOT ASHAMED TO CALL YOU MY OWN!  When he speaks whether through a sermon, a conversation, a listening ear, a hug, a word of encouragement, or even a simple smile.. He speaks His truth which is Love, but a Love that is everlasting.  His choice was not only to give us salvation, but to carry the burdens that become to heavy for us to carry alone and through that truth and that understanding we can accept our role as his servants, because it is through our Freedom in Christ that others, who are lost and broken, can see His light shine through us.  I learned today that even as you stand and speak for Christ, when the Holy Spirit takes over, even your own words can minister to you.  My God is My Savior, My King, My Father and My Friend. AMEN!!

Awaiting

This is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I am “patiently” waiting on Gods answer.  Its amazing how nonchalant we are with our everyday decisions and say we are letting God be a part of it, then to realize for me I have no patience.  I want an answer to come so fast because I am like “Hey, Lord I am waiting on you.” and because of that the answer should come quicker.  Yeah it doesn’t work like that and as I have been waiting on decisions to make, more options for me arise and it becomes even more truthful for me that I will have to trust God completely in making the right decision.  Who would have ever thought that waiting on an answer from God would cause so much anxiety.  It turns out I am the one causing the anxiety because God already knows the answer, FRUSTRATING.  Then while all of this was going on a close friend of mine sends me a scripture and he says as he was studying, God placed me on his heart and the situation that I am in and gave him this scripture.  Jeremiah 29:11, yes it is a famous scripture that many people know, however, in this moment in my life it has become the most critical piece of scripture that has brought me some peace.  It was God’s way of telling me to chill and live life to the full as I wait to give you the answer that will be best for you, Anthony.  It has been pretty  cool for me in prayers of late that God adds my name as we talk.

Jeremiah 29:11-For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” AMEN to that and to Jesus for always looking out for me when I am most in need.