Don’t Apologize For Peace

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Follow Peace, peace

Sometimes following peace may not feel so peaceful.

Last week I made an appoint to meet with someone about doing business.  In our meeting I felt a little uncomfortable and thought that maybe this was not the avenue that I should take.  I didn’t convey this to them and we scheduled another meeting for today.

However,  for this entire weekend I had this nagging feeling about the meeting on today.  The closer it got the more uncomfortable I felt.  Then on Sunday evening as I was thinking about the situation the Holy Spirit said to me follow peace.  So I laid the situation out before me to determined where I felt peace whether in doing  business with them or not.  I quickly realized peace was not in doing business with them.

In making the decision to follow peace I knew that I would have to disappoint this person.  I tried to think of ways to tell them that wouldn’t be so disappointing but at the end of the day the only thing I could do was to follow peace regardless of how I felt or how it would make them feel. You see, every time I’ve fail to follow peace I’ve suffered the consequences.

Therefore, I want to remind you today follow peace.  Even if it means momentary discomfort don’t apologize for peace.  It’s your compass to destiny.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one body and be ye thankful.”

When It’s Over It’s Over

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cars, it's over, letting go, when it's over

Hi there,

I just had to share this with you guys.  I pray it blesses you.

I have an old car a 1994 Dodge Intrepid.  Three weeks ago this old car let me know that it was ready to go to car heaven.  Actually, the Holy Spirit was telling me it was time for a new car.  Now, I must tell you I really liked my car.  It was reliable and debt free so getting a new car was not something I had in mind to do.  But then the water pump went out on the car.  I asked around about how much it would cost to replace it and after learning how much I said to myself “why put that money into this old car, just buy a new one.” Still I thought, do I really want to put money into buying a new car? Two of my sisters who just brought new cars said to me, “why don’t you sell your car for scraps? You could get between $200-300 if it runs (it did). While I pondered back and forth on whether to fix it, sell it for scraps or buy a new car, the tags on my car had expired, I hadn’t notice it.  Today, I received three tickets totalling $180 dollars.

Here is the lesson I’ve learned, when it’s over, it’s over. Don’t try to hold on to things that God says is over, it will only cost you in the end.

When Israel were told to gather the manna, they were told only to gather for the day.  If they carried it over to the next day it breed worms and stank because it was only for that day.  God delighted in giving them new and fresh bread everyday and He delights in giving us things that are new and fresh. Not only that Ecclesiastes. 3:1 tells us that “To every thing there is a season and time to every purpose under the heaven.”  In other words when the season of a thing is over don’t try to carried it into the next season.  Let go of the old and embrace the new things that God wants to do in your life today.

Don’t Stress About Rest!

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enjoy, family, Friends, happy, joy, laying back, peace, relaxation, rest

This weekend I spent my time just relaxing. No,  wait, I mean really, really, really relaxing.  I did nothing but lay around the house, listen to messages on the internet, and took many naps.  Then on Sunday evening I started to feel guilty about how I spent my time.  I thought, “I shouldn’t be this lazy, I should get up and do something.” I thought, maybe I should have used this time to do something more spiritual. Come to think of it, it reminds me of the V8 commercials when after drinking some other tastier drink you hit yourself and say “I should have had a V8.”  The stress and condemnation I was feeling had begun to undo all the rest and relaxation I’d received because if you’re not relaxed in your mind you not relaxed in your body.

God never wants us to feel condemned about anything.  I Timothy 6:17 says, “…who giveth us richly  all things to enjoy.”  Yes, He even gives us rest to enjoy.  Psalms 23:2 says, “He maketh me to lay down in green pastures.” This speaks of God giving us rest.   God not only knows how to give us rest but He knows when to give us rest.  He even created us in such a way that our bodies tell us when to rest. So, if you at times feel as though you want to lay around and do nothing, don’t stress about it, just rest.  Our times of rest gives our minds and body a chance to be restored, refreshed and renewed.  It’s God’s way of giving us strength for our journey.

Taking an entire weekend may not work for you right now but what about one day or half a day or 30 minutes.  The point is take time to rest and do something that you enjoy and don’t stress or feel condemned about it.  It’s God’s gift to you.  What are you doing to rest?  I love to hear how you’re taking time to rest and enjoy.

He Holds Me

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grip, His right hand, Hold, Holding, Jesus holds you

Psalms 63:8
“My soul followeth hard after thee; thy right hand upholdeth me.”

One morning I woke up with these words on my mind “It’s not so much that I’m holding Him as it is He’s holding me.”  I can’t tell you how much peace I felt as I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that Jesus holds me in His arms.  Yes, I know that we should always be aware of the fact that Jesus is holding us but let’s face it sometimes we don’t feel as if we’re being held.  Sometimes we feel as though the bottom is falling out from underneath us and there is no way to come up. But there is hope in the Word.

Hebrews 1:3 tells us that all things are upheld by the word of His power.   “Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” All things means all things. That means you and I are upheld by the word of His power.  Just as the sun doesn’t fall from the sky and the water doesn’t overflow the earth because He commanded it so,  we will not be cast down because He commanded it so.  The Father holds us by His mighty word of power.

I realize it dosen’t matter what situations or circumstance I may find myself in or what the enemy is using against me, I don’t have to fear.  I will not go under because He said so.

Psalms 37:24 says, “though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.  Jesus has a tight grip on us and He will never loosen His grip. He is in the midst of us to rescue us from the fall.

You see, it’s not so much that I am  holding Him as it is He is holding me.  This my friends is peace.  Now tell me are you trying to hold on or do you see you’re being held?

The Works That I Do

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Doing what Jesus did, great commission, greater works, Jesus, Working for Jesus

John 14:12
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

It never ceases to amaze me that the only prerequisite for doing what Jesus did is to believe on Him.  When we believe on Him the works that He did we can do.  So what are those works that He did? He healed the sick, He raised the dead,  He cast out devils, He opened blind eyes, and He caused the lame to walk.   All of this and more He said we can do when we believe on Him.

When you believe on Jesus you’re not just believing on one aspect of Him, when you believe on Jesus you believe on Jesus.  All that He is and all that He does.  St. John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”  I love this verse!  Jesus is full of grace and truth.  Jesus is full of grace to save, heal, deliver,  provide and protect.   Whether you believe it or not it’s who He is and what He does.  And since He is the Truth it is undisputable, and unchangeable.  All you need to do is receive it.

Jesus has given us His name to go and do the works that He did.  All of His grace and truth is in His name because He is His name and His name is who He is. St. John 14:14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it.”And St. John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.   Notice Jesus said  “I will do it” and then “He (the Father) may give it you.” In other words the Father gives and His Son does.  The Father has given us His Son to give us whatever we ask.  Jesus is the power of God (I Cor. 1:24).  Therefore when we use the name of Jesus it is as though we are saying, Father according to the power you used when you created the heavens and the earth and all there is therein I command the sick healed, blind eyes opened, I cast out devils and I receive everything I need.  Just think we’ve been chosen and ordained by Christ to not only bring forth fruit, but to receive from the Father whatsoever we ask.  All we need to do is believe on Jesus and ask.

Today, not only can you do the works that Jesus did but you can do even greater works. Go forth in His name and work!