Monday, August 31, 2009

Don't Trust in Inconsistent Material



Ezekiel 13:10-11
Because, indeed, because they have deduced my people, saying, ‘Peace!” when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar…there will be flooding Rain, a stormy wind will tear it down.

Untempered means not brought to a proper consistency or hardness.

There is a danger in building with the wrong material. Not long ago million dollar homes had to be torn down because of “Chinese dry wall.” Many contractors tried to save money by using cheaper foreign materials that cost them more in the long run. Something in the material was causing the cooper on electrical wiring to erode and sometimes cause fires in the homes. We can waste a lot of time and effort when we build with the wrong material trying to go a cheaper and faster route.

We can build up false hopes when we haven’t heard from God on what he wants us to build with. My hopes are built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness but there have been times in my life when I took shortcuts, listened to the wrong people, and built my house on materialistic substance that folded like a deck of cards. One of the ways we build our homes with inconsistent material is when we listen to prophets who tell us what we want to hear instead of what God is truly saying. It is so easy to tell people what they want to hear but we must be careful to tell God’s people what he needs them to hear. For priests and pastors to prophecy peace when there is no peace is like plastering a wall with untempered mortar. There was a saying back in the sixties, “no justice no peace,” meaning until we do right by God and by giving justice to the oppressed there would be no peace no matter how we tried to pretend that everything was okay. When you build with untempered mortar it puts your house in danger of falling during a storm. Mortar is supped to hold the bricks in the wall together, to fortify the strength of the brick but before the mortar is applied it must reach a certain consistency of hardness in order to hold the bricks in place. When we fall in love with prosperity preaching, and new age spirituality we don’t allow our faith to reach a certain consistency. It can’t hold us in the time of storm. Just like you can’t rely on inconsistent people in your life that come in and out, and come and go, you can’t rely on inconsistent material.

If you are going to take your faith to the next level you got to use “Tempered Material”, you got to use stuff that has built up some consistency:

1. Our faith thickens through trials and tribulation. James 1:3 because you know that he testing of your faith develops perseverance, perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

2. Our Faith thickens through consistency. Galatians 6:9 let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

3. Our faith thickens through meditating on the word of God. Psalm 1 blessed is the man who meditates on the word of God, day and night for he shall be like a tree firmly planted by the rivers of water.

4. Serving others thickens our faith.

5. Being consistent in our giving. Malachi 3:10 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit.

When we build our homes with untempered mortar God will allow storms to blow and floods to pour in and if you have plastered your walls with untempered mortar they will fall. Only what you do for Christ will last.

Dear God, build me up where I’m torn down, strengthen me where I’m weak, fill me where I’m empty. Help me to be consistent so I will not fall in the day of storm. God build up my spiritual discipline so that through my consistency I can become more like Christ and not let you down in the time of storm. My anchor grips and holds the solid rock, That Rock is Jesus. On Jesus Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Get Me Out of This Mess!

Psalm 143:11
Revive me, O Lord for your name’s sake! For your Righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble.

We’ve all been in trouble before. There have been times when we got into something we didn’t know how to get out of. Especially when we were younger, when we had made a mess of things we would call on Daddy or Mama to get us out. Usually your parents were quick to get you out because of their name. This was particularly true in small towns like where I grew up, the family name was important. Your parents tried to keep a good name and they would come to your defense if wrongly accused and scold you if you were wrong but they would still come get you out of your mess.

There are times when we get ourselves in a mess as adults as well. We stray from the path of righteousness and do things our way instead of God’s way with no respect for His name. But when we realize the errors of our ways and turn from our wicked ways God hears us because we are called by His name.

God had a reputation to uphold. He is Holy. When his children, who are suppose to be Holy, are walking around dirty that hurts God’s reputation. God is not going to make you clean up but He is there waiting for you to call Him so He can come get you out of that mess.

The Psalmist says,

1. “Revive me O Lord, for your name's sake!” When we stray away from God many times we are like the walking dead. We appear to be alive on the outside but inwardly we are dead. When we call out to God He’s able to revive us, to bring us back to life. God does this through his preachers who preach the Living Word. God’s Word resuscitates and the Spirit of God brings new Life.

2. For your Righteousness sake bring my Soul out of trouble. Many times our souls are in jeopardy because they are all tied up in mess. We have “soul ties” to other people through sexual immorality that only God can get you out of. We cannot be effective witnesses if we are caught up in wickedness, so God gets us out of trouble for his Righteousness sake. The key is that we must be ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired.’ When we get to that point and call on God He will answer because you are His child and He will get you out of your mess.

Dear God, get me out and keep me out. I’ve been sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore, but the Master of the ship heard my disturbing cry, now safe am I, draw me nearer blessed Lord to your precious bleeding side, draw me nearer to the cross where you have died and once and for all get me out of this mess. Thank you Jesus!
Amen.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I Pray That You May Prosper!



3 John 2
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Prosperity has gotten a bad name in the realm of televangelism and some pastoral circles. It has been reduced to the prosperity of the pastor with jet planes, jewelry, and Bentleys. Prosperity is more than big homes, and lots of money for the religious elite. Prosperity is the fullness of life that is promised to every believer who prioritizes the success of his soul before the success of material pursuits.

Prosperity in the original Greek means to travel along a good road, to be successful in acquiring profit or gain, to prosper to gain in business, to gain by work, be in a state of full completion of goals or tasks endeavored.

John’s prayer is for the believers to be successful in their business, their personal lives just as their Soul prospers. The priority is on the Soul. We must make it our business to prosper in the Soul before we prosper in the market place. We must reach our spiritual development goals before we reach our ministry goals. In other words God wants us to prosper from the inside out. We have to be a success on the inside before we can become a success on the outside.

In the middle of Soul and Success is good health. A natural result of being successful in developing your soul is good health. We must make sure we spend time seeking God by taking care of our temple and being about our father’s business. Jesus put it this way, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”

Many times, we are successful in business and a failure spiritually. We cannot maintain our success with a spiritually malnourished soul or a morally deficient mindset. The bible says, “A fool and his money will soon depart." So many successful people have crashed and burned because they had underdeveloped souls. The beginning of success is when we learn how to love the Lord our God with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
I pray that you prosper, be in good health even as your soul prospers. There is an order to your success:

1. Develop your soul first. Read your bible, pray to God daily and do good works towards others. When you seek God’s righteousness first God begins to develop a solid foundation to build your life’s work on. On Jesus Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. When we hear the word of God we are like the man who built his house on a solid foundation when we don’t put God’s word into practice we are like the man who built a mansion on sand and when the storms of life came the house immediately fell.

2. Be in Good health. Eat right, exercise at least 3 X a week, and be careful what you put in your temple. People who exercise live longer, eat better, and enjoy life more. The other day I took a fitness test to discover that if I increased my strength, increased my oxygen intake, and my flexibility that I would add seven years to my life. It’s important to exercise.

3. Prosper. Complete your goals, get on the right road, and the money will come to you.

Dear God, I pray that our souls would prosper, become enriched by yielding ourselves fully to you, as a result, I pray that I will be in the best physical shape of my life. Then God I know that you will bless me with riches and material success but not just for my own selfish consumption but I know that I am blessed to be a blessing. Father enlarge the territory of my soul and in turn I know I will be successful in life. In Jesus name I pray for the prosperity of all.

Amen

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Lift Him Up



Jeremiah 38:10
Then the King commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.”

Tony Dungy is a great Christian leader. A man who has known tragedy and triumph, He has been the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl while at the same time losing his son to suicide. The thing I like the most about Tony Dungy is his work in going into the “Dungeons’” to lift up young men in prison. His most publicized effort is when he went on his own accord to mentor Michael Vick while he was incarcerated for dog fighting. He saw Michael as a son he didn’t want to lose and while everyone wanted to condemn him, Coach Dungy still saw some good in him and lifted Michael up with the Love of Christ.

The same thing happened to Jeremiah the prophet. He was thrown in a dungeon simply because he pronounced Judgment upon Israel. He told them what God told him to tell Israel, “Either surrender or Die.” Because of their wickedness God was turning Israel over to the Chaldeans. The princes didn’t want to hear nothing about surrendering, so they threw Jeremiah in jail, but more specifically a dungeon which was nothing more than an empty well with mud in the bottom. Jeremiah was sinking waist deep in mud in a dark well with no food. Have you ever felt like you were in a deep well with no food and no one to help you out? We’ve all been in our own pits, thrown in because of mistakes or thrown in because we took a stand for what was right. Right or wrong we’ve all been in the pits of life.

Thank God for Tony Dungy’s and Ebed-Melech’s. Ebed-Melech was an Ethiopian Eunuch who was the servant of the King. He told the King what the men did to Jeremiah the prophet and how he would die from hunger without intervention. I think what gave Ebed-Meclech compassion to Jeremiah is that he knew what it was like to be oppressed. He was an Ethiopian who had been taken from his homeland, castrated and made a servant. He recognized Jeremiah to be a “man of God.” So he went to plead on his behalf. The King knew Jeremiah to be a prophet also, so he sent 30 men to lift Jeremiah out of the pit.

We need to make it our business or our ministry to find people who are stuck in pits and lift them up. We live in a throw away society where it’s easer to walk past pits than it is to make a pit stop. Can you remember when Jesus made a pit stop for you? “Jesus while on others thou art calling do not pass me by.” And he didn’t, now it’s your turn to make a pit stop for somebody stuck, you’ve got to lift him up!
How do we lift our brothers and sisters out of pits?

1. Give your support to someone whose down and can’t get up. America loves kicking people while they are down. Be a part of the minority and go to the rescue of people who are being kicked whether deserved or not. Where is the ministry for those who are down and out?

2. Help those who can’t help themselves. It’s easy to help people who we know we are going to get something back. But can you help somebody who may never be able to pay you back? Can you help somebody who is not popular and it may even hurt your reputation by helping them?

3. Get other people to help you lift up those who are stuck in bad situations. Notice Ebed-Melech went to the King and the King sent him 30 men. Go get some grants, some volunteers to come back to your neighborhood to lift up those that are incarcerated, those stuck in bad neighborhoods and put together programs like the brother in Chicago, who has the ‘Cease the Killing’ ministry.

4. Do for others what you would want them to do for you. What would you want somebody to do for you if you were stuck in a situation you didn’t deserve to die in but you found yourself in? You would want a Coach to come and lift you up. Be that Coach.

When the city was destroyed, God spared Jeremiah and Ebed-Melech because he helped Jeremiah. The life you save may be your own.

Dear God, show me who to lift up. Give me compassion and discernment on whom to encourage and lift up today. Show me the captives you want to set free. Thank you that Love lifted me when nothing else could help, Your Love lifted me! Thank you Jesus.

Amen.

Monday, August 24, 2009

God's Getting Ready to Perform That Good Thing



Jeremiah 33:14
Behold the days are coming says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing’ which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

Ain't you glad trouble don’t last always and that God’s wrath doesn’t consume us completely? There are two types of trouble. Trouble that comes from outside agitations beyond our control and trouble that comes from internal consequences due to our choices. Sometimes both are intertwined where nations are concerned.

In verse five of chapter 33, God says that he had hidden his face “from this city” because of all the wickedness. As you think of your city, do you think God has his face shining or it or hidden from it because of the wickedness in your city? In the case of Israel and Judah their wickedness had caused God to run his face, causing desolation, famine, and captivity. But even in the midst of a recession and national wickedness, God tells Jeremiah, “I’m about to perform that good thing!” Ya’ll know what that "good thing” is don’t you?

The good thing you’ve been waiting on since this judgment began upon our city. That good thing you’ve been waiting on to turn in your favor since you messed up. That good thing that felt elusive after everything spiraled out of your control. That good thing that seemed like it would never come back your way. God says, “I’m about ready to perform that good thing!” What is that good thing?

1. Verse six, he’s ready to restore health and healing to one of the unhealthiest cities. With all this talk of healthcare God has already promised universal healthcare when his people turn back to him.

2. Verse eight, he’s about ready to cleanse us from our sins. There’s some stuff we’ve done to mess up that God is about ready to clean up.

3. Verse nine, He’s about ready to restore our good name. The other day the NCAA wiped out our record because of some academic violation with Derrick Rose. The one thing we were proud of in this city and they took it away. But if we turn back to God, he will give us back our good name.

4. Verse eleven, I will cause the captives to return to their own land. God is about ready to give us back our homes and our business once this recession lifts.

5. Verse fifteen, God’s about ready to allow the land to be productive. Once again the sheep will be counted by the hand of the shepherd.

6. God is raising up new leadership. Verse 35 in those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness; he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

The Prophet was talking about Jesus. When we turn back to God through accepting Jesus as our leader then God will perform that good thing. Jesus talked about the good thing that he would do in Luke 4:18-19 (New International Version)

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."[a]
God’s about ready to do that good thing!

Dear God, we have sinned against you by every man/woman doing what was right in their own eyes. But through our brokenness, we humble ourselves and come back to you. I feel that you are ready to do that good thing. God restore your people and work it out for our good.

In Jesus Name.
Amen.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Don't Live A Lie



1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In the movie “Liar, Liar”, Jim Carey plays a father and attorney who has a problem of lying. He doesn’t do well telling the truth particularly to his son. On his birthday his little boy wishes that his daddy would always tell the truth after he breaks a promise of coming to his birthday party. It is hilarious because he speaks the truth all through the movie even in times when he wishes he could tell those “little white lies.”

What’s not funny is when we find ourselves going through life living a lie, not being true to others but more importantly not being true to who God desires us to be. We all have some imperfections, some places inside ourselves where we fall short. Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If we say we have no sin then we make God a liar and His Word is not in us. Sin is an archery term which means missing the mark. God, through His Word, has set standards for humanity to reach. He wishes that all his children could tell the truth at all times but we miss the mark.

John Maxwell, in his Leadership Bible, says that Leaders must value the truth more than anything else. John describes four lies we often tell ourselves:

1. We say we have fellowship with him, but walk in darkness. (1:6) God is light and when we belong to him we ought not fellowship with darkness. Oftentimes, the Holy Spirit is asking us, “What’s a child of God like you doing in a place like this?” You know in your spirit when you are somewhere that is dark because you begin to feel the contrast in your soul. What fellowship does light have with darkness?

2. We say we have no sin and deceive ourselves (1:8). Oftentimes, we don’t stop to take inventory of our own lives and we drift further and further away from our true selves because we will not admit that we have missed the mark of God’s holy standards.

3. We say we know him, but do not keep his commandments (2:4) Jesus said, “if you love me then you will keep my commandments.”

4. We say we are in the light, but hate our brothers and sisters in Christ (2:9) We can’t hate anybody and claim to be a Christian. They will know we are Christians by our love. That is why it is so important to forgive people when they have sinned against you because to harbor hate leaves room for the devil to come in.

When we lie to ourselves, our words, and lives don’t line up. We are living a lie. People lose confidence in our leadership, only when we tell the truth do people trust us. If you’ve been living a lie, confess your sins to God and he is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Dear God, I have sinned against you and you only, cleanse me inside and out. Help my life to be consistent with who I say I am but more importantly with who you say I am. Help me to keep it 100 percent all the time. I want to be a sermon lived more than a good preacher. Help me to live the truth, knowing the truth will set me free. Thank you for forgiving me of all of my sins and giving me another shot.

In Jesus Name.

Amen.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Are You On The Right Side?



John 21:6
And he said to them, “Cast the net on the Right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

In life there is a “Right side” for everything. In the United States, we drive on the “Right Side” of the road but in the Bahamas their “Right Side” is the Left side because they were under British rule and still have reminders of another system. In the early 60’s if you were African-American you had better not get caught on the wrong side of town or if you were white you didn't want to get caught on the wrong side of town either. In an argument, you want to make sure you are on the “Right Side.”

Depending on where you are it might be hard to discern which side is the “Right side.” In Politics, sometimes the Left could be right and the Right wrong, or the Right could be Right and the Left refuse to follow, but the question is “are you on the Right Side?”

One way to discover if you have been on the Right side is to see how productive you’ve been on the side where you are presently.

The Disciples after Jesus had been crucified went back to their old routines of Fishing. It was their comfort zone. But just because you’re comfortable with something doesn’t mean you are on the “Right Side.” They fished all night and didn’t catch anything. The next morning Jesus shows up on the shore. They don’t recognize him. He asks them, “Children do you have any food?" They say, “No.” He said, “Cast your nets on the right side and you will have some.”

When we are asked to shift your efforts to the “right side” it can be challenging because you have expended your energy for so long on the “wrong side” but when you hear the voice of Jesus it’s not hard to shift but you still have to be obedient before you see results. You have to get on the “Right Side.” Regardless of where you are politically you have to get on the “Right Side.” No matter what country you are in you have to drive on the “Right side.” No matter what your flesh wants you have to make sure you are on the “right side.” Get on the Right side of Justice, get on the right side of Righteousness, and get on the right side of Holiness, Get on the right of God’s Holy Will.

When they were obedient, the net was so full of fish they were not able to draw them in. Then, they recognized that it was Jesus standing on the shore and they went to eat with him and he said, “Bring some of the fish that you caught and lets eat."
Are you fishing on the Right side?

Dear God, help me to stop and look at my life. Before I go any further help me to find out, “Am I on the Right side?” Is my life pleasing and productive or am I hiding in a place where I’m comfortable but unproductive? Father, let me hear the voice of Jesus and I will shift my energy to the side you tell me too. I’m hungry and my food is to do the will of him who sent me. Feed me till I want no more. I’m ready to get on the Right side!

In Jesus Name.
Amen.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Doors Being Shut



John 20:26
And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them, Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

There have been times in all our lives when we have tried to isolate ourselves behind shut doors. Times when we were afraid. Times when we were disappointed. Times when we have been traumatized when all we wanted to do was go somewhere and hide behind shut doors. People tried to convince us that it was safe to come out, that Jesus was alive but we refused to move and stayed behind shut doors.

The doors can be physical where we come home and seclude ourselves from the world because it’s safer not to interact due to fear of betrayal. The doors can be intellectual where we refuse to believe in Jesus because no man has ever come back from the dead and religious people with their hypocrisy have convinced me to stay behind shut doors. Shut doors can be emotional. It hurts too bad; I just need to sit here until it stops hurting.

But God has a way of sending Jesus through shut doors. Once Jesus was resurrected he was no longer limited by the physical. He walked through a shut door and he does the same today. If you will not come to him he will still come to you.

Jesus can overcome intellectual stubbornness. Thomas said, “I will not believe unless I put my finger in his hands and my hand in his side. “ When Jesus came through the shut door and told Thomas to feel his wounds Thomas believed and said, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me you have believed, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”

The Holy Sprit enables many people behind shut intellectual doors to experience Jesus intuitively before they can make adjustments in their intellectual reasoning. Sometimes you have to feel him before you believe him, but it's better to believe him before you feel him. In order to have a holistic faith, you need to feel him and believe in him.

Lastly, Jesus can come through emotional shut doors and restore balance by saying, “Peace to you.”

This morning whatever is troubling you I say Peace! Peace means nothing missing nothing broken. Peace means health and wholeness. Peace means God will provide. When Jesus says Peace, there will be Peace even behind shut doors.

Dear God, thank you for showing up behind shut doors. I almost gave up but then you showed up with so much Peace. I believe you are here with me because I feel your presence. I will stay in perfect peace because my mind is stayed on you. As I go out of my door today to face the world that crucified you, I pray your peace go with me so I too can go through shut doors.

In Jesus Name.
Amen.

Monday, August 17, 2009

I Just Want To Tell The Truth Man!



Jeremiah 23:17
They continually say to those who despise me, The Lord has said, “You shall have peace.” And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you.”

It’s getting harder and harder for people to hear the truth. People want to hear a message that conforms to their lifestyle and they want to believe there are no consequences to their actions. Without God’s word the word would sink into chaos and anarchy. As prophets, priests, and saints we have a divine mandate to tell the truth. Where the scriptures speak we must speak, where the scriptures are silent we must be silent. Too many false prophets are speaking what people want to hear. When people are living against God’s will and prophets tell them they will live in Peace they are not telling the truth. When people walk after the evil desires of their hearts and prophets tell them there is no consequence that prophet is false.

Oftentimes, prophets lose their voice because they are looking for a profit. You have to be sold out to God so you will not lose your prophetic voice to the highest bidder. God wishes that no one would perish but that all would be saved but we must be willing to turn from our evil ways through repentance and walk according to God’s holy will as exemplified through the teaching of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments...You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.

I just want to tell the truth man!
If you are going to tell the truth you must do as God told Jeremiah in chapter 23:22

1. But if they had stood in my counsel ...You can’t give the people what you have not gotten yourself. Everyday we wake up we have to make sure you spend time in the word of God and praying before we open our mouths. Gifts alone are not going to enable us to speak what comes from the mouth of God. The less time we spend with God the more we begin to regurgitate our own thoughts. In the Movie Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad shows young Malcolm a glass of water and a glass of water diluted with ink...”If you give this clean water to the people they will drink it…..if you give this dirty water to the people they will drink it. It’s your responsibility to make sure they have clean water.”

2. And had caused my people to hear my words...how can they hear without a preacher, how can they preach unless they have been called. We must make sure we preach, teach, and share God’s word every time we get the opportunity. One man once told a preacher, “If I wanted to hear someone’s opinion I would read the newspaper but I come to church to hear the word of God.”

3. They would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. When the word of God goes forward there is a conviction by the Holy Spirit which causes people to turn from their evil ways. Godly sorrow leads to repentance. A True prophet is bringing people out of evil not leading them into it.

Dear God, give me a pure voice and pure motives. Help me to speak only what I hear from you. Help me to teach transgressors your way after my heart has been purged and cleansed I am the clay you are the potter, take me, make me, mold me, shape me, use me, and fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can be used by you. I just want to tell the truth.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Bearly Making It or Bearing Fruit



John 15:5
I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.

During these times of extreme struggle there are many of us who are barely making it. Our salaries, our businesses aren’t what they use to be. In some parts of Texas they haven’t had consistent rain fall in over a year. Their crops are failing and their cattle are dying. They are barely making it. When we look at the grand scheme of things it is a miracle that we are still making it.

The way that we guarantee that we are fruitful in a famine is to make sure we are abiding in the true Vine.

Jesus said he is the True Vine and God is the Vine dresser. God’s promise is that if we abide in Jesus as branches into a vine we will bear much fruit but apart from God we can’t do anything. Now more than ever people should know that they desperately need relationship with Jesus in order to be fruitful. Being fruitful is not just about getting money but it’s that Zoë life that Jesus promised when he said, “I have come to give you life and life more abundantly.” Zoë { dzo-ay’}

Strong's Lexicon: Greek Origin
-Life
- the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate
- every living soul
- Life
- of the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through Him
- life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, and to last for ever.

Jesus says any branches that are not producing will be cut off. This is not the season to be unconnected and unproductive. Everybody that’s connected needs to be productive and fruitful. Just as God is the Vine dresser, the person that inspects the vines and Jesus is the branch, the person who supplies the blood and nutrients for the branches to produce fruit, so is your organization or family. You must stay connected and produce or else you run the risk of being cut off.

Another key is that when you are fruitful you still might get cut on but not cut off. Whenever you bear fruit you must be pruned so you can bear more fruit. Pruning is the process of removing certain above-ground elements from a plant; in landscaping this process usually involves removal of diseased, non-productive, or otherwise unwanted portions from a plant. In nature, certain meteorological conditions such as wind, snow or seawater mist can conduct a natural pruning process. The purpose of anthropomorphic pruning is to shape the plant by controlling or directing plant growth, to maintain the health of the plant, or to increase the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.

During this recession you might have been cut back but when your season to bear fruit comes back you will be more fruitful than you were before because you stayed connected to Jesus. Without Jesus we can do nothing.

Dear God, help me to abide in Jesus by acknowledging that he is Lord over my life. Thank you for cutting off my dead weight and helping me to be more productive. You have been my provider. You’ve been my way maker. You have sustained us through some of the toughest times. When our season of fruitfulness returns, help us all to realize that it was you who did it. Thank you for my fruitfulness and helping me to make it through my famine.

In Jesus Name.
Amen.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I'm Not Tired Yet



Jeremiah 12:5
If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?

Everyone gets tired at some point. Especially when you push yourself toward a goal and there is opposition we all get tired. But when you’ve been called by God your conditioning ought to be a little different from the average person. What sets believers apart from unbelievers is our ability to endure hardship without giving into physical fatigue.

I love watching the boxing documentary on HBO called 24/7 with boxers like Floyd Meriwether train for their upcoming matches. It is amazing to watch the rigorous routines they go through to get ready for a match. What many boxers will tell you is that the real fight is before the fight. These athletes have to condition themselves in plush times to get ready for all hell to break loose. If they can get their bodies ready when there is no threat then when they are under extreme pressure and fatigue in the ring, they can make it.

Jeremiah, the prophet, was like a heavyweight fighter. He had been called to prophesy to heavy opposition. The prophecy that Israel would be taken captive and there would be famine in the land had not taken place but Jeremiah was taking heat like a congressman at a Town Hall meeting on Healthcare. He was tired! Even anointed people can get tired when you face opposition from hateful and hard-headed people. But God reminded Jeremiah of his need for conditioning. If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, how can you contend with horses?

There is a song we used to sing called, “I’ve been Running for Jesus…I’ve been down and out, up and down almost level to the ground but I’m not tired yet, Running for Jesus. I’ve been laughed at, dogged out, 'buked and scorned, talked about just as sure as you are born but I’m not tired yet! Running for Jesus!"

When you are running you got to know who you are running for. When you start doing things for selfish motives and not divine assignments you can burn out fast.
How do you condition yourself?

1. Pace yourself. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (New International Version)
26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

2. Wait on the Lord. Isaiah 40:30-31 (New International Version)
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

3. Remember whose fight it is. 2 Chronicles 20:15
He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.

Dear God, condition me in the peaceful days so I can be ready to fight the good fight of faith. Help me to finish my race. Teach me how to endure hardships as a good soldier. I know that Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. No, No I’m not tired, I’m not tired yet. I’m running for Jesus.

Amen.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Is There No Healthcare?



Jeremiah 8:22
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?

Wouldn’t it be great if everybody who needed healthcare could get it? I have been to places like Africa where Children die from fevers because they have no doctors in poor villages or simple remedies like aspirin. Sometimes you don’t even have to travel as far as Africa to see people dying from poor healthcare. I can go down the street to Southeast Memphis or get on I-240 to North Memphis and find babies dying due to little or no pre-natal care. Memphis has the highest rate of Pre-natal deaths.

How noble it is for our President to “give a care” about Healthcare. I can’t believe the outrageous “staged” protests of some of these people who rudely interject their fears that the government wants to take away their choice for healthcare when in actuality the President wants to give them more options for healthcare. Why are our people in America dying from poor healthcare like people in Third world countries? Because we are no better spiritually just because we used to be better financially. Healthcare is tied to our spiritual well-being more than it is our financial well-being. Politics and money mongering have infiltrated the sanctity of healthcare. There used to be a time when whoever needed medical attention got it before the big insurance companies went into cahoots with the Hospitals, but deeper than that is the fact that God wants to heal the Land but the people have turned away from the great physician.

Jeremiah asks, ‘Is there no Balm in Gilead?’ He remembers the healing balm that grew on the trees there in Gilead, Free Healthcare, for his people but no it is no more because of the corruption of the leaders who sold out to Baal (false god) and literally sold the poor for a pair of sandals.

Jeremiah asks, ‘Is there no physician there?” There are doctors but if you don’t have insurance you cant see them. In Kenya people are going blind because of a disease caused by flies getting in the eyes of the people spreading disease and their lashes collapse scraping against the pupils causing blindness. With a simple outpatient surgery the blindness can be prevented but there are not enough doctors. They showed one nurse on CNN who had performed over 300 surgeries by herself. Where are the Doctors?

The questions Jeremiah asks are redundant questions. Yes there is medicine. Yes there are doctors. Then why is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?

1. Greed. Big Companies are haggling over dollars while people are dying. In Sweden, the government mandates that every citizen purchases insurance that is affordable because the big companies have been deregulated and must be competitive in their pricing so there are more plans to choose from. Could it be that all this scuffling over universal healthcare is because some people have more to lose while the masses have more to gain?

2. Partisanship. The Democrats and Republicans are busy fighting while babies are dying. Does it really matter who gets the credit as long as the people get healed? I think this argument has less to do with who’s going to benefit and more to do with who’s proposing it. Let’s work together.

3. Sin. When we are disobedient to God and morally bankrupt there are universal consequences for our sins. When we can go into other countries and kill innocent people for oil under the guise of bringing down one man then we have a lot to give account for. When we run off to follow idol gods and worship our money, than God has to shut down our little god to show us that he is Sovereign. It’s time to turn back to the true and living God.

The cure:

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

The symbol on the sleeves of many doctors are two snakes around a pole. These symbols of snakes twirled around a bronze pole are taken from the Old Testament when God commanded Moses to have the people who were bitten by snakes (due to their disobedience/sin) to look at the pole and they would be healed. Once he lifted the pole in the air the people who looked on the pole were healed. That was the old healthcare system it was limited to a select group of people but then Jesus came along and introduced universal healthcare.

Jesus is the great physician who paid the price for universal healthcare on Calvary’s cross by his stripes we are healed but we must turn back to him. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up I'll draw all men unto me.

Dear God, help us to turn back to you instead of turning on each other. People are dying while we are arguing. Heal our nation spiritually and physically. From the Whitehouse to our house help us to turn back to you so the daughter and the sons of our people can truly be healed.

In Jesus Name.
Amen.

Monday, August 10, 2009

You Can't Stop My Praise



John 12:42-43
Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Isn’t it amazing how some people who are in relationship with you celebrate you in private but ignore you in public? They benefit from your gifts but fail to give you recognition for what they received. Has that ever happened to you? You see someone out with a group of friends, you speak but they act like they don’t even know you. That hurts. How can we be in relationship and you not even acknowledge who I am? Usually when that happens it’s because that person who didn’t speak is ashamed, angry, embarrassed, or afraid of disclosing their association to the person that was ignored.

I’m sure this is how Jesus feels sometimes when we are at work, home, or school and we never speak his name or let people know how much we love him because we are afraid of being ‘put out’ or ostracized because of our beliefs. We withhold our praise because we are afraid of the reaction of the status quo so we remain mute when we should be offering praise. How can we be silent when it comes to someone who’s been nothing but a blessing to us?

Jesus was taking a lot of heat from the religious leaders for proclaiming he was the Son of God. In actuality, he took heat because he was helping people outside the lines of tradition threatening the old guard. What was interesting is that some of the leaders in the old guard actually believed in him but didn’t confess it for fear of being put out. They believed but didn’t confess it. There is a difference between believing and confessing. You can believe something all day but nobody will know where you stand until you confess it. Many of us believe but very few confess openly that Jesus is Lord.

Why because we are in love with the praises of men instead of the praises of God. We fear we have more to lose with disappointing men than we do by disappointing God. Many of us participate in the demise of Jesus’ reputation because we will not speak up. We will not give him the praise he deserves. The old folks use to say, “You can’t make me doubt Him because I know too much about Him.”

Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. God doesn’t save you by remaining quiet. He doesn’t save you by trying to fit in. He saves you through:

1. Belief. You must know who Jesus is for yourself. It is impossible to please God without faith. Belief and faith must go together. Belief is knowing in your mind and acting out in faith what you know to be cognitively and intuitively true. You come to believe through revelation, study, and experience. You must believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord.

2. Confession. You must speak what is in your heart and on your mind as it pertains to God. 1 Peter 4:16

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. Confession is good for the soul. With the heart man believes and with his mouth he confesses.

Dear God, help me to be bold with my allegiance to you. I want the world to know that I love Jesus. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power unto Salvation for every person that believes and confesses shall have everlasting life. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you Oh Lord.

In Jesus Name.

Amen.

Friday, August 7, 2009

You See What I'm Saying?

John 9:27

And Jesus said to him, “you have both seen him and it is he who is talking with you.”

One of the most used sayings in conversations amongst the Ebonic speaking community is the phrase, “You see what I’m saying?” it is used whenever a person is trying to make a cognitive connection with an audible explanation. It’s not enough to hear what a person is saying but you have to see it in your mind.

Jesus came to show people He was the Son of God but they couldn’t see what He was saying. The bibles says that Jesus came to his own and his own received him not. Jesus said in verse 39 of John 9, “For Judgment I have come into the world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be blind.”

You See what I’m saying?

Jesus was talking to a man that had been born blind. Yet as he was passing by he spat in some mud, anointed the man’s eyes and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The blind man did what Jesus said and came up seeing. The Religious leaders heard what happened but they couldn’t celebrate with the man because they were more concerned that Jesus broke a religious code by healing on the Sabbath. You were not supposed to work on the Sabbath. They interrogated the man born blind and his parents, Trying to incriminate Jesus as a Sinner because of his unconventional way of helping the man to see. They demanded him to call Jesus a sinner. In verse 25 the man said, “Whether he is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know is that though I was blind now I can see.”

You see what I’m saying?

What difference does it make about methodology (spitting in the mud and putting it on his eyes) or Theology (healing on the Sabbath) if the man can see?!

The blind man said, “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

The Religious people were offended that this man “born in sin” was dare trying to enlighten them on who Jesus was so they kicked him out. Jesus found him and started talking to him. Now mind you he didn’t know it was Jesus because he was blind when he talked to him the first time and he was gone after he came up seeing. Jesus said do you believe in the Son of God?” The man who was born blind asked Jesus who is the Son of God that I may believe in him?” Jesus said, “you have both seen him and it is he who is talking with you.”

Then he said, “Lord I believe!”

You see what I’m saying?!

Don’t let anybody turn you away from the one who gave you insight. The proof is in your sight. When God gives you the ability to hear him he will also give you the ability to see him. It is my prayer that whenever I preach that I say, “Lord hide me behind Calvary’s cross that when I preach People can get a glimpse of Jesus.” You see what I’m saying?!

Dear God, the proof in who you are is in what you allowed me to see. Don’t let religious hypocrites make me doubt you over inconsequential arguments about methodology or theology. I once was blind but now I see, Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me….I see what you saying. Thank you.

In Jesus Name!
Amen.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Only He Can Set You Free



John 8:36
Therefore if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed.

Yesterday two Journalists Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, were flanked by the former US President Bill Clinton, whose meeting with the reclusive Jong-Il had secured their liberty during a surprise 20-hour visit to Pyongyang, as they gave their first account of their escape from a 12-year sentence of hard labor.
"Thirty hours ago, Euna Lee and I were prisoners in North Korea," said Miss Ling, struggling to remain composed. "We feared that at any moment we could be prisoners in a hard labor camp. Then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting.
"We were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton. We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was over."

Can you imagine the Joy of being a prisoner for 140 days thinking you were going to be there for 12 years doing hard labor only to come out of your cell to see your former President come all the way to get you to set you free?

They are not the only ones that need to be set free. Many of us have been enslaved, thrown behind bars we never should have been behind. The only difference is we put ourselves there.

Jesus told the Jews if you knew the truth then the truth would set you free. The Jewish people then were in denial and said, “We are children of Abraham, we have never been slaves.” Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. There is a difference between a slave and a son. Jesus is the Son of God and oftentimes we are slaves to sin. A slave can serve in the house but he has to leave the house after he’s finished working but the Son lives in the house somebody from the White House had to come and set the journalists free. Somebody from God’s House had to come to set the slaves free. The devil has us hostage but there is only one person who can set us free. Only one person the devil respects and his name is Jesus!

Through his death on the cross Jesus made a trip to Hell to set the captives free. There were many there including you and me who were glad to see Jesus standing in the room. He didn’t bring us back on a private jet or Air Force One but he brought us back on the 3rd day when he was raised from the dead.

If you have found yourself in the prison of sin facing hard labor this is how you get free:

1. You have to know the truth and the truth will set you free. When you know God through the revelation of Jesus his Son than the truth of that will set you free. Many people don’t want to accept the fact that Jesus is the savior of the world and remain captive but when you know the truth it will set you free.

2. Accept Jesus as your personal savior. It’s not enough to believe it you have to receive him. Jesus said, “Come unto me all you that labor and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you for my burdens are easy and my yoke is light.”

3. Whatever is keeping you captive ask Jesus to set you free and he will show up on your behalf. Jesus said, “behold I stand at the door and knock if any man or woman would open the door I would come in.”

Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to set me free! If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side, I’d still be rotting in my fail cell of sin but ever since Jesus came into my life what a wonderful change has come over me. I’ve been set free and I ain’t going back! Father, please go back and set all the captives free, my friends, my relatives, even some of my enemies. When they are ready to accept the truth of who you are and believe that Jesus is Lord please set them free. Because whom the Son sets free they are free indeed!

In Jesus Name!

Amen.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Their Clock is Too Fast



John 7:6
Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.”

You have to be careful trying to keep appointments going off of somebody else clock. Somebody might be having you leave prematurely because their clock is too fast. Malcolm X once said, ‘Never trust a man who doesn’t wear a watch.” You need to know what time it is in your own life. People will have you out there and it’s not even your time …it’s theirs.

Jesus’ brothers wanted him to go up to a feast in Judea to campaign or show some more miracles so people would be convinced that he was the Messiah. John writes that the real reason they wanted him to show up to the feast was that his own brothers didn’t believe he was the Messiah. Familiarity breeds contempt. The more people know you the less they know you. Sometimes people are too close to you to see God’s purpose on your life. You can’t let people thrust you into the front when it’s not your time.

Jesus told his brothers it’s not my time (to show them who I am) but your time is always. For people who are not connected anytime is the right time. But when you are connected to God there is a time for everything:

Ecclesiastes 3:2-4 (New International Version)
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

When Jesus went up secretly to teach in the temple, He taught with such authority the old establishment wanted to kill him but they couldn’t because it wasn’t his time.

1. Don’t let others pressure you into something you know you’re not ready for.
2. Go through the process before moving to the promise. Each of us have to go through the proper steps before we can get to where we are going.
3. Set your watch to God’s time. God’s timetable is different from your peers. The only way to set your watch to God’s watch is that you must be in conversation with the father through prayer.
4. Wait on the Lord. He may not come when you want him but he’s always on time.
5. Quit watching the clock. Time always goes slower when you are sitting around watching the clock. When you are being productive time goes by faster.
6. Your time is not God’s time. You can’t hurry God. A thousand years for God is like one day. So if you do your math Jesus has only been gone 2 ½ days.
7. Make the most of your time. We are living in the last and evil days, time is winding up. We need to work while it's day for when night comes no man will be able to come.

Dear God, thank you for being an on time God. Help me to set my watch to your clock. I will not be anxious for nothing. Keep me in the path of righteousness and keep me on schedule. Thank you for giving me an internal sense of being on time and arriving at my destination. You are an on time God!

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Do You Want to Leave Also?



John 6:67
Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

Hard times and harsh sayings have a way of separating fans from followers. Being a leader is one of the hardest things to do because you often have so many people with different agendas. Even when God gives you a vision and people are seemingly excited about the direction you are headed sooner than later you will hit a speed bump when the real are separated from the fake, the strong from the weak.

Can you imagine what it’s like being the President of the United States? Trying to please all the different interest groups at the same time? Can you imagine the pressure of turning around a sinking economy and work with a Trillion dollar deficit, it’s like making bricks without straw? Can you imagine every night people from different news networks dissecting your every word to get different interpretations out of what you really said?

Nobody knew this more than Jesus. The Sixth Chapter of John is a pivotal point in the public ministry of Jesus. The multitudes come to him and they need food. The disciples are overwhelmed because they don’t have the finances to feed thousands of people, they are operating in a deficit. Jesus knows he’s going to work a miracle but he tests his disciples to see if their faith is up to par.

One of his disciples points out a little boy with his lunch. Jesus tells them to sit the people down on the grass. He prays and distributes the food and five thousand people are fed. Not only that but they have leftovers. Jesus tells them to gather the fragments because he doesn’t want anything lost. During this recession you need to hold on to your leftovers, don’t waste anything.

Jesus leaves with the disciples across the sea at night. Well he catches up with them in the middle of a storm and then gets in with them. As soon as he gets in the storm stops and the boat reaches the other side. Make sure you receive Jesus in the middle of your storm so he can get you over.

The next morning the people discover Jesus has moved on. They follow him to the other side not because they want more Word but because they want more bread. Jesus tells them in verse 27, “Do not labor for food which perishes but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the father has set his seal on him." Then he broke it all the way down, by saying, “If you do not eat my flesh and drink my blood you can’t be my disciple." Now this was a hard saying they didn’t know anything about crackers and grape juice that would symbolize his body and blood they took him literally and Jesus didn’t tell them any different because he was tired of people following him for bread. He knew who was following him for real and who had hidden agendas. The most hurtful thing being a leader is knowing that everybody following you don’t really love you and at any minute, at any sign of offense they will leave you. The bible states that day many of his disciples stopped following him. Jesus turned to the people he started with he turned to the 12 he had chosen and asked them will you leave also? They replied where else can we go to get word like you give? Jesus said, “Have I not chosen you yet one of you is the devil?" The burden of leadership is knowing that even amongst your closest there is one who will sell you out. But the question is, “Do you want to leave also?”

As Post modern Disciples of Christ more and more people are being offended by the words of Christ. God’s Word doesn’t change. Jesus gave a hard Word that was offensive talking about eating flesh and drinking blood. That was cannibalism. Why would Jesus use offensive language?! Because he was tired of carrying people who only wanted him for his Juice and what he could give them. Because he knew the religious Pharisees and Sadducees would have a fit but he never thought his true disciples would leave but he still had to turn around and ask them, “Do you want to leave also?

As post-modern disciples, we have a choice when more and more people are leaving the church because of offensive words that are the truth, we have a choice. When people walk away from Christ for an alternative life style contrary to the Word of God, we have a choice. When people love their money more than they love Christ, we have a choice. Do you want to leave also?

Dear God, don’t let me be a fair weather follower. There are times when I do not understand you but yet I trust you. Help me to represent you in a way that doesn’t betray who you are. Lead me so I can lead them. Forgive me for not being clear but thank you for letting me be bold. Hold me close...I don’t want to leave you and please don’t leave me alone. In Jesus name.

Amen.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Do You Want to be Made Well?



John 5:6
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

In the movie “instinct,” Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays a psychologist who is assigned a difficult patient, an anthropologist played by Anthony Hopkins. He is in a criminally insane mental hospital. Cuba is trying to help the doctor be free if he can only remember why he violently murdered some poachers in Rwanda. The psychologists discover a prison where a lot of men are sick because of their decisions and their surroundings. It is true, the crime they committed got them there but I was their prison thinking that kept them there. The guards had a system of letting the men go outside one at a time. Only the person with an “Ace” card could go outside for Recreation. Going outside was a privilege, a healing moment if you will. The problem was that only the strong benefited because they would bully the weak to get the Ace. The doctor changed the system and drew people’s names out of the box everyday to give everyone a fair chance of going outside for a taste of freedom. The doctor exclaimed, “Everybody goes outside! Everybody goes outside!”

What is it that is keeping you inside? What is it that is keeping you sick? Jesus found a difficult patient at the pool of Bethsaida. The belief was that an angel would visit the pool a certain time of day to stir up the waters. The first person in would be healed. Jesus found a man who had been there 38 years. He was approaching middle age and hadn’t moved! Many of us have been stuck in our place of potential healing a long time. Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” the man said, “every time I get ready to get in someone stronger gets in first.” Jesus came to change the system. It’s not about the quickest, or the smartest, or the strongest. Everybody gets healed! Everybody who has the faith and wants to be healed can get up and be healed! But the question is do you want to be healed?

If you want to be healed you need to do 3 things:

1. Rise up. When Jesus commands you to get up, no matter how comfortable you are you have to get up. For many of us it’s not that we are in prison but we’ve allowed prison to be in us. When a baby elephant is born into a circus. The trainer puts a chain around its ankle. As the Elephant grows the chain remains the same. The elephant as strong as he is could break the chain at any time when he is fully grown but the problem is that the chain is in his mind and he will never break free although he can. When Jesus tells you to break the chain he’s telling you to do something that you can but you have to be set free in your mind first. Do you want to be well ….than rise up!

2. Take up your bed. Whatever you’ve been depending on, get rid of false dependency. Get out of the bed of depression. Get out of the bed of lust and cyclical relationships. Get out of the bed of Laziness and go after your dreams. Get out of the bed of Self-pity and do it for yourself.

3. Walk. Go somewhere else. Get a change of scenery. Go somewhere you haven’t been before. You are getting too old to have only seen one particular scenery. Walk.

Dear God I do want to be healed. There are no excuses especially when you are standing over me telling me to get up. Thank you for changing the system and getting me out of this waiting room. I’m ready for total healing and I’m walking in my destiny.

In Jesus Name.
Amen.