The Great I Am

Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

What a powerful scripture! During this time, God was speaking to Moses in a burning bush. Moses was at first startled, but quickly put to ease after God got His attention. Can you imagine watching a bush on fire and it not being consumed by the fire? In my own thoughts, I believe God was giving reassurance not only through Him saying I Am That I Am, but even by that very demonstration. Let's replace the bush with the Israelites and the fire with their current situation, problems, tribulation, and let God remain God. Okay, even though the bush(Israelites) was on fire(going through trials) the fact God was in the midst, no real harm came upon the bush(Israelites). Is that not like today? What may appear to be a hazardous situation is just an opportunity for I Am to show up! The fire made the bush better because God was in the midst! Even in our trials or tribulations, because of I Am are trials can not consume us rather He consumes our trials. What we seemingly thought was great in size He shows Himself all The more Greater! Then God says, I Am That I Am! The human mind can't grasp that statement. Lord what do You mean I Am That I Am? Well, I Am The Beginning and The End, A Strong Tower, A Promise Keeper, The Best Husband known to mankind, The Only Wise God, Your Salvation, Your King, Satan's adversary, Man's Redeemer, I AM THAT I AM! God is____________! Insert whatever you need Him to be and remember that anytime you are going through trials in life and tell the devil Who He Is to you as well. Satan already knows Who God Is, but we must tell Him Who He Is to us with all confidence and the devil WILL flee! For He Is The Great I Am!

Faith without Works

James 2:22 "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" 

One of my biggest pet peeves is the saying "Everything will work itself out". I think that saying is a lazy cop out and an excuse not to put in the work necessary to make things happen. Throughout the Bible God's chosen people had faith but they had to work for that faith to be revealed to the average person. The definition of faith is believing that which we cannot see but at some point God shows himself in allowing that thing we cannot see to be seen confirming our obedience and possibly drawing in non-believers.

If you read James 2: 14-26 in its entirety you'll see where faith was paired with works and made perfect. Also, remember when Jesus' disciples was fishing with no catches, remember the 2 fish and 5 loaves, remember the lepers Prayer and belief in God doesn't stop when we say amen; in fact, that is just the beginning. After we finish talking to God in prayer we have to be prepared to hear His reply and do the work He requires for that prayer to be perfectly answered. Perfect in His sight because it may not come out the way WE thought it should but it will come out the way it should according to His will.

Having food in your refrigerator doesn't mean you won't starve (unless you cook it...which takes work), having the funds to buy a book for class doesn't mean you're going to pass it (you have to study...work!), knowing you love someone and you want to be together doesn't mean you will be (unless you work together) and someone giving you a Bible doesn't give you salvation (you have to read it, receive it, believe it, and accept it...work!). Don't put so much pressure on faith...remember you have power too!

Exercise your faith...tap into your power source! #FearlessFAITH  

 

Don't Underestimate YOUR Power

Acts 1: 8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witness unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth"

In our day to day trials, tribulations, and circumstances we have the tendency to underestimate the power that we, as vessels of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has. When Jesus rose from the dead the Bible says He got up with ALL power and dominon in His hands and it also says before He ascended into Heaven He gave us access to that power through the Holy Spirit.

You'll at some point experience a moment when you go to God and it seems as though He does nothing in your time of need. This is because He's waiting on you to tap into the power of your spirit man that He has so graciously given you. The Holy Spirit comes as a part of your salvation. When I got saved I was asked if I believed Romans 10:9 which says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" and at that moment I was gifted with the Holy Spirit. That completes the Holy Trinity. Let me try to explain to you how this works...You pray to the Father through the Son with the power of the Holy Spirit. Ever gotten down on your knees to pray and you couldn't find the words yet that ends up being the longest most intimate prayer you've had with God in a long time or ever? That's the Holy Spirit. Ever been in a place where you had to defend the Word of God or act on the Word of God and you didn't know where the Words came from to do so but they just started flowing? That's the Holy Spirit. Ever been in a place and a small quiet voice tells you shouldn't be there and to leave? That's the Holy Spirit.

You are a vessel carrying around a powerful tool which is the Holy Spirit...don't be afraid to tap into your power source most importantly don't be afraid to listen to that small voice.

 

You have the Power and Authority to CHANGE YOUR SITUATION!

#FearlessFAITH

Forget NOT His benefits

Psalms 103:1 "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name" 

Psalm 103 is one of my favorites! Often times we focus on verse 1 but the real blessing and depth comes from what follows. This Psalm describes all of the benefits of serving our God. We can get so caught up in our current state and situations that we forget ALL the benefits of God which are beyond what we can ever imagine. Seriously, if God never does anything else for anyone else He has already done enough...it's written! Yet because of who He is He continues to bless us. For that we must bless His Holy name, but beyond that we must continue to serve Him...that's what He desires from us. What if this were reversed and God was singing a song about how we personally benefit Him and His kingdom? What would the list consist of? Would there even be a list on your behalf? What have you done for the kingdom? Our relationship with God should be a win-win type relationship...we have to benefit one another. How do you benefit the Kingdom? 

#FearlessFAITH

We get what we pay for

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

You ever heard that saying, "Ya get what ya pay for..."? I am sure you have. I want to relate that to this post. We all have this collective mindset that we are going to Heaven. By we I mean we as human beings. No one wants to think about satan or hell. By having these comical movies about ghost and raising the question if hell or satan is even real can be very life threatening. Some people think he is some mythical creature and think hell is some made up place like the North Pole both of these are false. God tells us that He will throw satan in the lake of fire once Jesus returns in Revelation 20:10. I say that to explain that how we live determines where our end destination will be eternally. Just like how we choose to live effects our natural state as far as getting a job, going to school, etc...our spiritual state works the same way. Although we all want to go to Heaven many of us are not which is also in The Word in Matt. 7:13-14. So, just like the popular phrase states, we get what we pay for in a sense. The leading scripture above which talks about how we basically earned what we paid for because the price of a life of sin is death twice. What is dying twice? First dying naturally and entering into hell which is the second death, a life of torture and misery. Thank God for a BUT! Anytime God inserts a but it means that there is Hope and Mercy on the other side of the verse. So it ends BUT the GIFT of God is eternal Life in Christ Jesus our Lord. See the difference? But the GIFT, a gift meaning something that was GIVEN to us. After the but is simply talking about salvation. Why do you think God added, "...in Christ Jesus our Lord." when He already stated Himself giving The Gift? He added it because people thought and still do think we can enter Heaven without acknowledging Jesus. He wanted to be clear that the ONLY way to receive salvation is through Christ and He is the reason we can inherit life everlasting.

Speaking of Heaven we had a solider called to the army this past week, her name was Maya Angelou. In honor of her death I want to end with a personal poem since she was a great black poet! They say you get what you pay for, but God has already paid what we couldn't afford. Don't be mislead or get it misconstrued. Hell is real don't be fooled. Especially knowing Jesus died for you to live in Heaven with Him and the angels. Don't find yourself in hell tangled, with the regrets like the rich man. You get what you pay for and Jesus already paid for your sins!

Do you Hear It?

Matthew 19:21 "Jesus said unto him, If thou will be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me" 

Shhhh...do you hear that? God is calling you! Listen closely...He's calling you out of bondage! He's releasing you into a new realm with new gifts, new knowledge, and a new life in Him - with Him. 

Scripture is timeless. In fact this same thing is written in the Bible in at least 4 places (Luke 18:22, Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, and Matthew 16:24). My favorite wording is Matthew 16:24 because it says "deny yourself" meaning give up things that YOU want to follow Me. What Jesus is saying here is essentially what He would say to us today; however, it would be give up your smartphone, ipad (tablet), computer, television, etc. We are a commited generation...committed to our careers, computers, cell-phones, hobbies, tablets, and etc. but we are no longer commited to one another and most of us aren't even committed to Christ. We are held captive by the things of this world so much so that we aren't able to bask in the REAL gifts that God has given us because we're so infatuated with the technology of our day. By no means am I saying all of this is sinful and we should discontinue use; I'm merely saying we can have these things, but we must be careful not to let these things have us. It's so easy to get caught up in the life of technology...it's cool, intriguing stuff! You know who uses cool, intriguing stuff as a distraction right? RIGHT! I don't even have to say it so this is why we must be careful. It's okay to use these things but once again don't let them use us! We must still be available to God...we must still engage in meaningful relationships, friendships, and kinships...we must still love thy neighbor...we must still serve the people of AND NOT of God...we must still give God total control of our lives. And when we do that we will then have freedom!

Over the years Marissa and I will often take time away from social media and even our cellphones to get clearer guidance from God. She'll text me "After today I'm no longer taking phone calls or text messages until God tells me otherwise" and without quesiton I reply "Okay" and vice versa. Sometimes you have to be willing to drop everything to cleanse youself so that God can replinish you. YOU have to free yourself from YOU sometimes to make yourself available to Him. It's not always the devil holding us in bondage sometimes we've enslaved ourselves to the things I listed above. Free yourself...God is waiting on you! 

#FearlessFAITH

 

What about your friends?

Proverbs 13:20 "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

Man how true is that verse! I personally know a lot of damage control could have happened if I chose my company more wisely. Heck, I wasn't good company myself until I accepted Jesus in my heart.

Kim touched on relationships last week. She talked about the whole spectrum. I want to speak a little on friendship. Hearing sayings and stories on how some friends are just for a season, I never thought it was true until I gained The Ultimate Friendship. You know my relationship with Christ & while that friendship grew others started to wither and fade away. My club buddies, cursing crew, and sisters from another mister soon turned into associates before my eyes. Even the guy I just knew I was suppose to be with I saw as a stranger. God opened my eyes that it was either them or Him. That friendship I thought I had was toxic to my spiritual relationship ESPECIALLY the boyfriend I had. What was so oblivious became crystal clear. It was toxic, unhealthy, fruitless companionships that had there good moments from time to time but led nowhere and that is not where any relationship compass should lead. A friend in a few words is someone who loves you genuinely and encourages you to be YOUR best. No superior judgment, conditions, mess, nor will they continue to lead you down the wrong path. A friend resembles Jesus because that's where true friendship begins! As soon as God opened my eyes and I finally let go of what I thought I had He began to bloom real friends into my life and I am forever grateful! I may not speak or hangout with each of them everyday but I know the love is constant no matter what. Funny because the same people I did do that with are long gone now and that love was questionable. Knowing friendship is not one sided, I too have to take account that I also was not a good friend or girlfriend before I got saved which I have admitted to them. It's crazy how right we FEEL when in reality we are totally wrong. Even in my salvation I know I could do better in my friendships and overall relationships with others. So what about your friends? Are they lifting you up or pulling you down? What about you? Are you a true friend? No one is perfect, but let's strive to be better! The best example on how to be a terrific friend is Jesus. Growing into His Likeness is a sure way to knowing who should we call friend and how to be one.