Meditation: November 14

“For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.”  Ecclesiastes 9:12

Action taken without any knowledge of our time is the entrapment of the enemy. We would lose sight of all the benefits provided as a means of remaining on the path of freedom. What were the habits and where were the pitfalls of the past that once held us in their grip before we were enlightened. They are still there even though we may have been once delivered from them. But when we get out of step with God and begin to take matters into our own hands, in no time they catch up to recapture us. We must be a step ahead of ploys that could so easily cause setbacks. God reveals the strategies and schemes intended to dismantle the work of God in us and through us. Therefore it is required of us to walk in the Spirit in sync with the Lord is timing that we do not succumb weakness of the flesh and the wiles of the devil.

Meditation: November 13

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”  Matthews 7:21

Is ours a works salvation that qualifies us for heaven or a faith that translates into efforts that are pleasing to God? Many have believed that no evidence is necessary among the professors of religion. The right language without evidence may be impressive but does not possess the power to preserve one’s life for all eternity. In this life we are transformed into willing servants of the Lord. When His life enters into our souls, we wish to know what pleases Him that we may do what we have been enabled by His Spirit to know. The prideful would merely wish to parade around with knowledge left unapplied. They are held responsible even though they never tapped into the power that could have been used for the continuance of the works of Jesus Christ on the earth. Their professing Him as Lord is a signal to the powers that be of that they are equipped and skilled for spiritual battle. When we enter into His kingdom, the power that resides there reaches the earth through us to confirm our subjection to His Lordship.

Meditation: November 12

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

The knowledge of God is complete in itself. The expanse of His knowledge reaches from eternity past through time into the farthest regions of eternity future. It cuts through the plethora of knowledge of man leaving him exhausted of both mental and physical strength and remains unfazed by his futile attempts to disprove what He knows is true. It is with this knowledge that He knew the Prophet. It is the same knowledge in which each of us is known. He is aware of His intentions for our lives. There is a place personally reserved for each of us to fill. That spot may be vacant now, but in time the Lord expects us to occupy that place and fulfill our calling. His was to speak prophetically to the nations. Ours may be to touch one life. But each person is ordained by God to step into that place where God is able to take us where we need to go. None can excuse their apparent deficiencies as a reason to descend. He knows each ones weaknesses but calls him just the same. Our healing and future wholeness is predicated upon our willingness and obedience. We must take our places as to give no place to left vacant for the enemy to invade. This is what God knows about us and willing to allow us to see within ourselves.

Meditation:November 10

“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.” Proverbs 20:27

Our spirits have full knowledge of our true selves. It is not what we project, but who we are that the light of the spirit searches out. Experiences of the past are registered in the heart thus carving out our personalities. Our spirits reveal many of them as places in need of healing once it is awakened by the Holy Spirit of God. It is made anew for the saving of the soul. No longer are wayward behavior justified, for the awakened spirit can receive the conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit  as necessary for completing the inward work that He has begun. What a blessing to have the searchlight of God turned our way! Not only does He convict, but His grace is dispensed everywhere the light shines. He delivers us from those vices that beforehand we were incapable of seeing. No longer blind but now we can praise and worship Him from the depths of a changed heart. We are no longer who we once were. We are now becoming who we were meant to be!

“The World Stands at Attention”

“Blow the trumpet…. Sound the alarm!” (Joel 2:1) The whole world is currently hearing a singular sound. When the unexpected happens and shakes the entire planet earth, fera, doubts and questions grip peoples’  hearts. The insecurities were not created by the crisis, but more people became aware of them when the unexpected happens. What about the future, if there is to be a future? How widespread is this dilemma and are there other occurring tragedies to follow after this one? This pandemic, the coronavirus, has required the entire population of the planet to be quarantined. It is as if all the world has been placed on house arrest. When motion is restricted the economy suffers loss. When the economy suffers loss, necessities that sustain life are in limited supply. Where there is limited supply the demand is greater, crime increases. Safety and security are compromised, leaving people vulnerable to every vice known to man. 

 The alarm has been sounded. The prophetic Word of God is being fulfilled. The prophet Joel further says, “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand!”  The quality of character is being exposed among both the righteous and the ungodly. When the Lord Jesus Christ was born, the prophetic words of Simeon were spoken over Him. He said to His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35) The closer we are to the return of Christ the clearer we see ourselves as we really are. The objective of the prophetic Word was to build confidence in the hearts of those who would believe on Jesus once He was presented to them. His objective in coming was to redeem them from their sins and direct them on the path leading to eternal life. The beginning of His journey was to fulfill the promises made to Abraham, the father of faith. Then from those who are of the seed of Abraham, every nation on the face of the earth was to be blessed. But the majority of those to whom He was sent rejected Him. They considered what they had already attained as being sufficient. Their hearts were filled with pride because of their possessions and their misunderstanding of God’s promises.  His coming was a disruption of their peace. It was as a sword to them, an erupting disturbance that needed to be put in its place. Therefore, they put Him in His place. It is called the Cross.  

The decisions and positions of this generation as a whole are no different or perhaps even worse than they were. At least in the past, many were religious, while today Christ, along with religion in many arenas, is completely rejected. Unbelief and disbelief do not change the Truth of God’s Word. There are those who do not know the Truth, and others who would not retain the Truth in their knowledge for the sake of expediency, often for social and poltiical reasons. The alarm is sounding to call the world to attention. It is a call to prepare for judgment. God, the Righteous Judge will judge all creatures both rich and poor, according to what resides within the heart. What we see today are merely the symptoms to alert us all that an adjustment towards correcting the error of humankind is inevitable. If the very purpose for which the Lord came as a Child to the earth is to be completely fulfilled, He will have to bring about radical changes first among those who are grafted in, then He will make known to the children of Abraham His original intent. The earth is trembling at the sound of His Word through the clarion call of the trumpet. The Lord is coming soon. May all the peoples of the earth make room for His return!

“2020: The Year of 20/20 Vision”

Vision drives towards purpose. Purpose gives life its meaning. Meaning affects our will to survive. We are not just to survive, but every day must be lived purposefully. Each step taken in life must be strategic as we move towards a goal that would bring fulfillment in this life and a legacy for those we leave behind. It was the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius that said, “The true worth of a man is measured by the object he pursues.”  Life’s goals become the defining statement or our epitaph when we are eulogized at the end of this mortal life. Statements are often made at funerals with the attempts to inflate the impression made on the mind whereas the dead often appears larger than life. While looking in the coffin, some would wonder if they had wandered into the wrong room. The person that they knew was altogether different from the one being spoken of. Then there are occasions where attributes were known by a select few but never brought into full view of the masses. Then those who hear of them wished that they had known the treasury of gifts and knowledge contained within the person taken for granted. 

As we enter in this New Year 2020, the Truth of God is being spoken, to bring out of the richness of His grace, dispensed to those who would allow it to have free course within them. The Heavenly Vision or sights set on God’s Kingdom and His standard of Righteousness will raise the bar of many who had previously merely settled for dead religion. They will then awakened to the reality that they had been living beneath their privilege. Since God had made provisions for us to have life and that more abundantly, biblical terms would be redefined according to His original intent. It is true, where you currently stand will determine what you see and how you see. That is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is often rejected or redefined. The tastes of many have been unrefined, thus the dregs and bitterness of sin had remained palatable. The question that is so baffling to many is how can so many be misled and guided in the direction of their own death and destruction? The answer is, all that is necessary is for a lie to become believable and accepted instead of the truth. The Holocaust in Germany under the leadership of Adolph Hitler provides evidence of this. Leadership that misleads is the most destructive force ever. Yet, it has been the tool of Satan even before creation. 

This year, 2020, The Year of 20/20 Vision, we will set the highest goal possible, and set subordinate steps leading to the completion of those set goals. We have history to show us the possibilities of both successes and failures. It was said, “if one does not learn from history, he is destined to repeat it,” Yet history is not our teacher. It can only serve as references. The Holy Spirit of God must be our guide. He will show us the path that we must go and on occasion take in directions of new territories to blaze new paths. We pray that this year will be a year of discovery. Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”  The clarity will come to those who are committed to engaging in a singular task that is greater than themselves and those to whom they have been called to help. Then Paul stated in Acts 20:20 “how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house.”  The mandate to make known to all will be greater than ever before as you rise up to lead the wayward in a path and direction of hope for their future. May what God envisions for you become your vision for yourself! New year, fresh vision. New year, fresh opportunities to live the life God intended for you to live to its fullest!

October 2018 Article “True Wisdom”

To believe in, or better stated; to place your confidence in a person or a thing is more than most have given full consideration to. It requires a level of trust with the willingness to submit your future to the object of your faith. The risk is higher and the effect is greater than what can be easily brushed off while the wound is healed by time. Time does not always heal the wounds of disappointments that reach deeply into the soul. I may believe you and hope that what you say and do is honest. However, if it is discovered that you were not completely honest, my loss was calculated by the amount of trust invested. But to believe in something or someone is placing the weight of my faith which governs my life determining decisions. I am the product of what I believe in. The measure by which I judge all things is determined by this. I make a distinction between what and who I believe on and who and what I believe in. To believe on a person is to trust them to do a particular thing or be a particular way. It places the burden upon their shoulders exclusively. But to believe in is when I get involved in the process. It has to do with what we are able to do together. I cannot complete my assignment without the one that I believe in. That person has become an intricate part of me. 

True wisdom is expressed through what you believe in. First, there must be enough historical evidence to be worthy of our faith. Its objective must be to set you on the right path. It must have the strength to survive under the scrutiny of opposing philosophies and systems bent on contradictions to be you wrong. It does not offer a quick fix or patchwork but rather, reaches deeper into the subject matter. Knowledge is the compilation of facts without a clear understanding of the end. The pride of knowledge that is void of wisdom is a pompous attitude and a condescending disposition. That person thinks that he knows more than he really knows. The introduction of new facts or the path leading to the future will over time expose the ignorance of the one who is knowledgeable but limited to a restricted field of knowledge. The religious and the irreligious are equally guilty if one restricts God to academics without experience while the other restrict Him to past experiences without His Word made available to be experienced. True wisdom is exercised when you take God at His Word after having received His Spirit and becoming the message that God is speaking to the world. 

One must be converted if he is to become wise. The wisdom that is contained within the Book for the Wise, the Holy Bible must be spiritually discerned. Conversion requires the power of God to transform one’s life, enabling him to see beyond the realm of created things. He is then aligned with the Creator who reveals Himself to Him and His relationship to all things created. It is within the context of all things created that the converted individual is enabled to know his purpose for living. Your worth is determined by God and your work is specific. He made you for the works that were created before the foundation of the world.  Fools engage in endless and purposeless activities and die never knowing the reason why they were ever born. The wise will worship God because His knowledge of God places him on a quest to know the One who knows Him best. This is wisdom, to know Him even as you are known by Him. 

Meditation: August 17

“And He said to them, ’It is not for you to know…’ ” (Acts 1:7).

We must diligently pursue knowledge. There is so much to know and the subjects are so vast. With the invention of the Internet, information can be gathered in moments where in times past it may have taken weeks, months, and even years. It is not to our advantage to merely gather in facts, but getting wisdom to rightly apply knowledge is more important than the knowledge alone. The question asked by the disciple of Jesus was a legitimate question. “Will You at this time restore the kingdom again to Israel?” It had to do with the fulfillment of prophecies and the rightful place of Israel. Jesus’ answer did not resolve their challenges, but rather challenged them. He told them that they were not privy to the information, but were privy to what was required for them to fully participate in fulfilling the prophecies. 

God does not always answer us as we would have Him to answer us, but further prepares us for participation in what He is doing. Knowledge becomes wisdom once one is totally involved in the process. And the only way to be totally involved is to receive what is needed for full participation. It is not an answer that we always need, but the power to execute once the information has been communicated. Too many people are just interested in knowing for the sake of knowing. God’s challenge to us is to receive from Him His Spirit and power. Then it is no longer a matter of just knowing, but making known to others what Christ has made known to us. 

Meditation: July 26

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1Cor 2:2).

 Once Jesus Christ is revealed to you, it is then necessary to measure all information by and through the knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Former experiences and former schools of thought may try to compete with this newly gained knowledge. The logical mind searches through former experiences seeking out ways to deny Christ or to diminish the impact of experiencing Him. Then Christ becomes subjective while other things become the objects of our faith. The intent is to get us to serve God for what we may gain personally rather than living for Him. To know Him as crucified is to live for Him alone. He gives us His resurrected life and we live in newness of life. No longer are we competing for the same prizes that the world is seeking after. Our goal is to know Him even as we are known. It takes determination for the message of Christ to remain relevant in an age of selfishness and self-centeredness. But when we are determined to know Him, He gives us the knowledge necessary to live the abundant life. It will be a fulfilling life with real purpose. 

Meditation: July 15

“I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah17:10

The Lord looks at the heart of every person and does not merely see its present condition. He looks into the heart at every contributing factor that motivates both mind and heart. We see the world and people through the lenses of past experiences whether good or bad. Our heart is set in a particular direction while our mind searches out new things to explore. God searches the heart in order to remove the debris that hinders our minds from thinking on things which are just, lovely, pure, and or a good report. Our thoughts will determine our action. Our truest motives are from either a pure or an impure heart. What God has ordained will continue to affect the lives of others bringing them to deeper and greater levels of understanding Jesus Christ. He must be seen in all that we do. When He is glorified through our efforts, our work will have eternal rewards rather than merely producing temporary relief.  He rewards the fruit of our doings and not our deeds alone.