Meditation: December 28

“A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.” Proverb 1:5

It is a mark of wisdom to listen attentively rather than talking. It is the meditations of the heart that will adhere to the soul. Only then will wisdom become a part of you. Otherwise, the information will merely pass through the head and become information used to impress others, Questions asked reveal interest. It is wise to be aware that there is much to be learned in light of the little that is known. The disciple will seek out wisdom where it may be found. Then there can be a foundation laid for more truth to be attached.”For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”(Luke 8:18). The learner is wise enough to learn. The fool is content with what he thinks he already knows. Listen well with an open heart to truth, and the Spirit of God will give you understanding. 

Meditation: December 23

“For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” John 18:37

Jesus gave us a clear picture of the Nativity. There is a purpose for every birth. But His birth was not like any other. He knew why He was born and why and when He was to die. Many live and die never knowing why they were permitted to occupy a particular space in a particular period of time. The Nativity has to do with the place, conditions, and the circumstances of the birth of Jesus. “For this cause…” A cause that would affect the whole of humanity would come to light as the result of a child that was born. He was the gift given to us by God to save the world from the consequences of sin which was resident within all. His life was the resounding amen to the Truth of God. Christmas is about mankind coming into agreement with God. As Jesus bore witness to the truth, we are to be made witnesses of Jesus Christ. The world will know the reality of Christ through those us who hear and believe on the One who was born to live for us and to die for us. 

Meditation: December 16

“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” Isaiah 7:11

God extended an invitation to an evil king to request a sign. It was His challenge to reveal degrees of His authority either in heaven, the earth, or under the earth. The offer to the king was to choose for himself the means for which God would make His presence known. It would change the course of history and provide for those who would receive it a new destiny. It would be for him personally to empower him to govern in righteousness and peace. If any lacks wisdom, ask God. He condescends to our level. A wicked and perverse generation seeks after a sign in unbelief. They place the burden of proof upon God’s shoulders with a predisposed view what is real or not. God still allows Himself to be questioned by the unbelieving world with a willingness to provide evidence of the truth in contrast to error of her ways. Even though the king rejected the offer, Jesus came into the world as the sign and a wonder to the world. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Meditation: December 14

“Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2

Many are the thoughts of an active mind. Thoughts rush in as life’s experiences appear to build a defense against the truth. The rational mind is only able to see certain aspects of any situation. Our position on earth limits us from seeing the whole picture. Therefore, we must trust God who sees all and knows all before we wrongly judge a thing. Guard your heart from becoming bitter as result of circumstances. But by all means, guard your tongue from speaking idle words or rash words void of knowledge. Only the truth that comes down for heaven is able to produce within you the confidence that is needed. God in heaven has a panoramic view of all things and know how they are able to synergize together for the good of those who love Him. He gives knowledge both ahead of time to settle you.  But in times of reflection or in retrospect or reflections you will see that He was there all the while working in ways in which He alone is able. Therefore let your words be few and not spoken in haste, but wait on God to show you what He is in the process of doing.

Meditation: December 13

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

Divine guidance is the most precious possession of any being. To be equipped for great effectiveness is important, but to be directed towards the very thing for which one is appointed is of much more value. There are many who are equipped but misguided. They squander away their lives rather than using what God had made available to complete them. His intention is to show us the path of life. When we see the Kingdom of God, we will desire to enter in. He will then guide us on the path that we have been enabled to see. What greater joy can be experienced than this? When we know that our path leads to the fullness of life and that more abundantly! Only God is able to give us what we so desperately need. He has given us His Son. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Through having faith in His precious Word, we see what would otherwise have been missing in our search for significance. May all be led on this path to a greater purpose.

Meditation: November 27

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

One of God’s greatest gifts is a true and loving friend and a brother. He is there when others may have abandoned you and moved on. The love of a friend is not always soft and easy. There are occasions when tough love is necessary. An honest friend is not the person that agrees with our wrongdoings. He insists that his brother follow a course of righteousness. He is neither a fatalist nor an eternal optimist. He is acquainted with human frailties, but help to seek a path for recovery and restoration.

The adversity may be external or internal. The troubled soul is in need of someone who will help him take an objective look at what he would otherwise be left unquestioned. There are many who fall off the cliff without warning. Their companions were too afraid to say anything thinking that they may cease walking together. While there are others who do not care enough to speak the truth in love. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” But there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Meditation: November 22

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3

There is a higher and a greater level of understanding that comes as result of faith. It is not blind and misguided but rather, sure and applicable to all aspects of life. The theories that surface from time to time require faith in speculations. More effort is required to disprove what is made evident than what a person of faith in God is convinced of. All that he believes is anchored on the truth that God is. There is first cause, something that came forth from out of nothing. How many philosophers and secular scientists have wrestled against this most important truth merely to end up with nothing but a sea of questions? One does not have to force himself to believe that God is. The evidence of His existence is all around us. It is those who are wise in their own eyes who would allow their minds to imagine a godless world.

The worlds were in fact framed by the word of God. That which emanated from God created all things. God spoke the worlds into existence. Therefore, the more significant element of life is God’s Word to us. He has spoken and continues to speak, creating newness of life where void and deadness once occupied. When we trust in His Word, we are able to comprehend by faith mysteries hidden in God for those who are born of Him. 

Meditation: November 19

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” Isaiah 28:16

With all that the Church and the believers must suffer in these last days, doubt may enter into the minds of many. Evil appears to triumph over good and decisions to support what is wrong outweighs the support of the truth. Yet God has made a promise to His people. His foundation is sure for He knows His own. The foundation stone or touchstone of the Lord has been laid in Zion which represents the Church. It is the support of all that God is erecting. He will hold His Church together to weather the storms of adversity because His very life is invested in her. This is the hope of the believer, not to be a reactionary to the sudden storms that may arise from time to time, for our lives are anchored in the hope of His promises. God will have the final word, but we must endure to the end. The time will come when what in the past has been ignored will be greatly treasured. People will flock to hear the Word of the Lord when all that they have desired to hear has failed them. Not only will they hear but also see the glory of the Lord rising upon His people. 

“Dimensions of Freedom”

This year has numerous prophetic overtones. 400 years ago, Africans were brought to America as slaves and stayed in bondage for 250 years. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Watchnight Services held in many African American churches originated to commemorate the time they spent awaiting the news that their freedom had come.   Yet it took two and one-half years before federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure the freedom of those who had been set free by proclamation. Finally, the Emancipation Proclamation was made real with the backing of military force. The information was withheld by many of the slaveholders until after harvest time, using their labor to harvest their crops. The news began to spread and over 250,000 enslaved were set free. The day marked for celebration was June 19th and became known as “Juneteenth.” 

This year, 2020 connotes vision. 20/20 vision is  the ability to see correctly. Vision provides one the ability to see ahead; to envision things as they ought to be. Israel was enslaved by the Egyptians for 400 years. They were subjected to harsh punishments and forced servitude. It was their cry to God that their voices were heard on High. God raised up a leader, Moses to lead them to the Promised Land. Pharaoh’s resistance was met with plagues that enveloped all of Egypt. Now in the  global pandemic of Covid-19, along with Global Warming, fires, hurricanes and floods, earthquakes, and other dilemmas are plaguing the world. Through all that is currently happening, a new paradigm is emerging. Laws were amended in the past, Civil Rights legislation and Affirmative Action; an African American was even elected as President of the United States. Yet the residue of slavery remains as systemic racism is deeply ingrained into the American psyche. The changes did not go far enough, yet the beneficiaries of the established systems have their consciences pacified. As long as the established system remained, true freedom would never be fully realized.  “So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.” (Ex 8:28) The leash, or the economic controls remain affecting the educational systems, the availability of jobs; the penal system overrun with the children of former slaves, and other crippling effects that prevent the realization of deeper dimensions of freedom. There remains an invisible ceiling that prohibits the advancement from going too far. The controls are there to regain the harsh grip that once was attached to the neck of the slave. 

Then all of the events of history converged into one prophetic moment. The public lynching of George Floyd ignited global fires that brought years of oppression to the surface. With leadership  assisting in igniting the fire through inflammatory remarks, the light has now been turned on and is burning brightly. As it was on the Day of Pentecost,  new questions are being asked and new actions are being initiated. The unsettled state of the world has led us to an apex. Moses approached Pharaoh with the objective of freedom with a purpose. “Let My people go that they may worship Me.” This nation was established for the purpose of worship;   when true worship was withheld, the situation descended into newer and different forms of bondage. Taxation without representation; the Church under the control of the Government, and many other methods of bondage. Yet freedom to worship without worship in Spirit and in Truth leads to the freedom to enslave others with the disease of amnesia, forgetting why freedom was ever extended. This time, may we embrace the right definition of both freedom and worship. Then we will be free indeed. Free enough to even intercede for our former slave masters!  Pharaoh said  to Moses, “when you get to where you are going, pray for me.”

“Are Fathers Raising Their Children?”

The study of genetics provides evidence that each of us has behavioral traits that can be traced back to our ancestry. We are the product of many centuries of cultural attributes and evolving modifications of cultural norms. It is easy to accept ourselves as we are and expect others to do the same if we are completely satisfied ourselves and see no need for change. Can we be blamed for what dwells within us as a part of our lineage? Our desires and passions form our emotional frame and our personal agenda, the things that we pursue in life. The propensity towards a particular thing, if we research the history, will be discovered within a relative who was of the same persuasion, even if the trait was expressed differently. The origin of our genetics generated from first cause. The word “pater” in Latin means first cause or brought forth from. From this word we have paternal or father. Our first father, Adam sinned against God which set in motion a course of rebellion against Him. His rebellion was not part of his original formation but was introduced to him by another in whom it originated. Satan, who rebelled against God, appeared in the form of a serpent who deceived Eve and his rebellion incubated in the heart of Adam. When he validated the deception of his wife by deliberately yielding to her offer, he set in motion a course of sin for every successive generation. Sinning is an insult to the Father whose intentions are for the good of His sons and daughters. It is a statement through actions that speak of wisdom in contradiction to the instructions and disciplines originally provided. Yielding to words spoken from another source changes the genetic structure of the individual. The renouncing of father is the entryway of adopting another as father instead. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You are of your father, the devil.”

The good in the psyche of an individual, even before he or she is spiritually converted, is the result of training and discipline. Laws and prohibitions had to be established and enforced unless the hearts of rebellion inbred within the souls of men would run unrestricted. Their inhibitions would lead to self- destruction without parameters or the setting of standards. Sin is a reproach, or leads to God’sdispleasure and rebuke, but it also leads to death. God historically spoke to fathers through the prophets because the fathers were the closest to the children as authority to which they could identify. The fathers were given the role of instructions and discipline to their families. They were also held responsible if their assignments were neglected. Today the need for good home training is desperately wanting. Families need someone to speak what is right and wrong so that the line is drawn in the sand. For fathers to rightly instruct their children oftentimes it requires them to reach beyond the ways in which they were trained. Permissive fathers allow their children to literally raise themselves. They allow the popular opinion of a degenerate society, expressed through the media and the miseducation of a corrupted educational system, to determine their course. To raise our children rightly, the objective must be to set a higher standard than the one that was set for us, not just in the area of career choices, but including all the true essentials of life. Many of our children have lost their purpose for living while endlessly trying to make a living.

The original intent of the Father from which all fathering originated was to relate to His family inclusive of us. His desire remains to father through us. This is why He sent His only Begotten Son that through Him the order for life that never ends can be restored. God has given every father a job far greater than bringing home the bacon. We are to know the Lord and make Him known for the sake and safety of our children and our children’s children. Then generations can be restored as the path is paved by and through the testimonies of godly fathers.