What are you going to do when fear grips you?

The enemy uses fear to hold many people in captivity. Following the recent incident in France and Mali many people are afraid to travel and those traveling are very paranoid of looming danger around them. This is a strategy of the devil and if we do not realize it, we too can become sucked into fear. The best way to combat fear is to speak to it and declare the word of God. The enemy is using his best scare tactic to keep people in bondage. Whether it’s getting on a plane, attending a public event, the enemy uses fear and terror to keep people from enjoying their life. So, as you pray for Paris, Mali and other countries in the light of all that has been happening, understand that good will always triumph over evil. God is good and he is not the one responsible for all the evil that’s happening. There is a real devil loose, reaping havoc in the lives of people. You and I are agents of heaven declaring the word of the Lord and being used by God to reveal light in world.

Psalm 27:1-3
The Lord is my light and my salvation—  whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

David made God his attraction, so he would not be caught up in fear’s distraction. Fear will take you off course, hold you back, keep you looking behind and take your focus away from what is truly real. When fear grips you, it brings anxiety. Speak to fear in the name of Jesus, and fear not. Take authority over it and use the living Word to replace those over powering thoughts (2 Tim 1:7). Take a page out of David’s book, praise God.

Don’t let fear cripple your faith and confidence in God.

Advancing the kingdom of God in the earth.

Wisdom in speech
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding (Prov. 4:7). Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them (Prov. 4:5).

Getting wisdom means that wisdom will become evident in our speech and our actions. When you allow yourself to speak whatever you want without any restraints, you will find yourself offending people and getting the manifestation of what you say. It may be good or bad fruits. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Prov. 18:21).” If you are the righteous, then you will need to train your mouth to utter words of wisdom (Prov 37:30). We should be the center of peace not the center of controversy.

I often watch what I say in conversation. Whether, scolding my children or in disagreement with anyone and better yet, I have to put a watch on my mouth when I am angry about something, less I say words I might regret later. It is important for me to use wisdom in speech. When your words are release you cannot undo the damage, even when you try to make restitution, things are not the same.

These are some good guidelines to follow

Don’t be too quick to bash someone
Don’t be too quick to judge someone
Think the best of others
Always use your love portion- it works every time
Always practice kindness
Try soft answers
Be a peacemaker
Build others up

We are all a work in progress, but let there be true progress in our conversation and relations to others. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Prov. 15:1).”

My prayer for you today is that your speech will always be seasoned with salt.

Be blessed!

Advancing the Kingdom of God in the earth!

Do you lack wisdom?

Do you feel like there are some decisions you need to make but you just don’t know how to decide? Or do you feel like you are at a crossroad in your life and not sure which way to go? This is a simple case of lacking wisdom and discernment.

If you lack wisdom, You should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James1:5).

Jesus has become wisdom for us
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Corinth.1:30.

There are many decisions that you may have to make in the coming weeks, months and years, but by simply taking the time to seek out the wisdom of God, you will be led down the right path. His wisdom is super-above any worldly wisdom.

Many might search out the wisdom of great men, who have made awesome impacts on the world. Yet there is one whose wisdom has not been fully tapped. His wisdom is past finding out. The Queen of the South came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, a wisdom no doubt many of us would like to exercise in this day and age. Yet we have an untapped source of wisdom that if we’d seek him, we will discover above and beyond what the world’s greatest mind can’t produce. Luke 1:31-32.

The source of wisdom is not Solomon- the wisest man that ever lived, but Jesus Christ, who became wisdom for us. Let us therefore, tap into His unlimited source of wisdom today.

Be blessed.

Advancing the Kingdom of God in the earth.

Don’t give UP too  soon

Know ye not that those who run in a race all run, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain it. (1 Corinth 9:24)

I have had some very challenging days behind me. Days I had to put the WORD to work deliberately or sink into depression. Days I have had to hold it together when it felt like things were falling apart. These were the days when I knew that my faith was the only thing that could carry me through. These days were actually the best days, because, when I was weak, then, I was really strong. Then I knew what I was truly made of, and the power of WORD to work all the time. (That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinth. 12:10).

Use the power of the WRITTEN WORD

When you are all alone in your whatever situation, don’t allow the devil to badger your mind, tear up on the inside. In life we are all going through changes, growing pains. Whether it’s a relationship, a  job, a health issue, etc., you may experience feelings of just throwing in the towel and quitting altogether, at least temporarily. Don’t let those changes whip your out of faith out of shape, without you opening your mouth and speaking the WORD. Refute every negative thing the devil throws your way. Refute the negative with the WORD of God. Don’t give when tough times come, they don’t last. Positive words will not be enough, the WORD of God is potent with power to bring about change and that’s enough. The Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword, it cuts on every side (Heb. 4:12).

The victory is yours, take it

We are more than conquerors, even when you feel like you are loosing. This is where you reassure yourself that you have already won, so you stand on the victory that is already accomplished in Jesus Christ. We don’t guess our way as believers of this great faith, we know the outcome already. Good or bad days, they’ll come but you get to pick, how you will participate. There is a lifeline extended to you, when you feel like you are sinking take it, use it, He’s Jesus. Don’t take for granted what he can do. Really, when you give up too quickly, you rob yourself from seeing the victory.

You never loose when you never quit

You must note something, no one knows your story like you do. No one can live it, like you do. When the curtains come down it’s just you and Jesus alone to battle and to work it out. Rest assured though, that you and Jesus are a majority. The power of impact is not always measured in the multitude of the people involved, but the quality of those who are involved. Employ your faith in the process, this will be a battle you will never loose as long as you determine in your heart that you will never quit. The greater one lives in you, and he is always on your side, just don’t give up too soon. Hang in there a little longer.

What are you most likely to give up on? For most people it’s your dreams and vision. What has God spoken to you, that you feel like time has gone and it seems like nothing is happening or going to happen? Share your experience and let’s pray. – Coming Soon!

Have you ever felt like you were sinking in the sea of doubt or fear?

Peter can tell his story so very well.

Matthew 14: 22-31
Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him in the boat to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd (Matt 14:22). He used his alone time to go up the mountainside to pray. By the time he decided to follow his disciples the boat was already a considerable distance from land. It was buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it (Matt 14:23-24). By dawn Jesus did something incredible, he went out to meet them. Not with another boat, but walking on the water. So what do you think the disciples would do, seeing a figure of a man coming towards them? Yep! They cried out in fear (Matt 14: 25). Jesus immediately calm their fears, by speaking courage to them and telling them do not fear. One thing we must always understand, no matter what things look like, Jesus never tolerates fear. Fear is a natural response of man when he feels threaten by impending danger or evil. BUT, Jesus still does not give us a reason to fear, because there is really none. Fear is having more confidence in the worse happening than the good working out some how.

Let’s check out Peter’s experience

Peter was the bold one, willing to try strange things and always the first to speak up. He wanted to do what Jesus was doing and Jesus agreed. It wasn’t long before Peter was distracted by the rough waters, takes his eyes off Jesus and begins to sink (Matt. 14:30).

Jesus never allowed doubt and fear to ride and ignored it, he spoke to Peter unequivocally as Matthew 14:31 records,  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Peter’s focus was on Jesus when he stepped out of the boat, but it was only a few steps, when Peter takes his eyes of Jesus, sees the wind, becomes afraid and starting to sink. The very thing he focuses  his attention on, begins to engulf and consume him with fear. Fear grips Peter’s heart and as a result he begins to sink. But his story doesn’t end there, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Praise God he knew what to do. Jesus reached out his loving hand and caught Peter before he sunk. That’s amazing News for us. Because He is a loving God and will never let us sink in the sea of our fear, unbelief, doubt or despair.

That’s what the wrong focus will do. Focusing on the cares and issues of life will bring fear.

Jesus’s response to Peter resonates with us today, as a super lesson of trust. I could imagine Jesus asking me this question, “You of little faith,” “why did you doubt?” This is a universal question God asks all of us. How many times has he come through for us but when something challenging arises we still fear and doubt him. Why do we doubt God when we know how good and wonderful he is to us? Jesus will never let you fall. It is amazing that Jesus caught Peter just before he went down. He is there to catch us at all times. He is there to pick us up when we fall, correct us when we err. Yes and even when we doubt. He has a no tolerance policy on doubt, but he loves us anyway and will help to bring us to a place of faith in him.

My Prayer for you today is that you will focus on Jesus and not on all the things out there clamoring for your attention. And when you find yourself in despair, call out to Jesus, he is only a prayer away.

  Whose mirror are you looking into?

Many people measure themselves through the eyes of others’ opinion. Some people’s lives are literally consumed with the way people think about them. It is dangerous to allow another person to become your mirror in life. Sometimes they are your leaders, managers, parents, friends, or teachers. What if their opinion of you is not desirable. Will you allow mere man to define who you are, when they only see fragments of your life?

Take time to define or possibly refine your life through the eyes of God’s word. You are worth more than someone’s opinion of you. Seek your Creator. He knows your name, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Luke 12:7).” If he knows the very minute details of your life, surely he knows how to lead you into discovering your best life.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,… (Eph. 3:21).

We are afraid to ASK for anything, even when we desperately need something. Quite frankly the people we rely on have their share of issues to deal with, so we think we are intruding on their time and depleting their resources. Life experiences have caused us to be careful about what to ask for, when to ask and who to ask. What we do many time is, we create coping mechanisms and find ways to meet our own needs. If you are like me, you don’t particularly like asking people for anything unless it is absolutely necessary.

The great news is God is not bound by human limitations.  He can do whatever you ask for in prayer. The only limitation is you. Jesus said to the Centurion “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” What will you ask God to do today, when you know, Jesus says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matt 21:22).” The whatever factor qualifies us to ask for whatever. Do not allow pride or past experiences to deter you from asking God to meet that need in your life. So come boldly before his throne and ask. Jesus always commended those who approached him in faith. That’s all we need, faith in his ability not ours.

Be Blessed.