It's Time for a 180

A Turn Around in the Desert 180

Luke 1:80 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

If you want to find God go to the mountain top, if you want to find your soul go to the desert ~ Rev. Otis Moss, III

There is a process of preparation that you have to make before God can fulfill your purpose. You need a 180! You have to turn your life in the direction that God wants you to go and sometimes it starts in the desert. It's in the solitude of the desert where we are able to introspectively seek God and our true selves. The desert is a place devoid of luxury and distractions but it is also a place of development. God led the children of Israel through the desert for 40 years before entry into the promised land.

By the time you reach 40 you should have a firm grip on who you are and what your mission is, especially, after living in the desert. When we take a 180 like John the Baptist we should:

1. Grow. The word grow means to mature cognitively, emotionally and spiritually. What are you doing in the desert to ensure you are still growing?
2. Become strong in spirit. Your spirit man slowly grows when you pull away from worldly distractions in the desert.
3. Live in the desert until your public viewing. You can't leave the desert until God releases you into your assignment.

John came out of the desert as a voice of one crying in the wilderness. It's time for you to make a 180 and move out of the desert into your purpose.

One of my relatives told me that when you see somebody coming out of the woods you should talk to them because they can tell you what they learned and how to survive on your way into the woods.

Dear God,
Thank you for my 180. My turn around is now. The desert made me stronger, now I'm on my way out.

In Jesus name,
Amen

I Have to Change My Outfit

Ezekiel 42:14
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14 When the priests are ready to leave the temple, they must go through these rooms before they return to the outer courtyard. They must leave their sacred clothes in these rooms and put on regular clothes before going anywhere near other people.

Back in the 70’s I was a little boy watching my Aunts, as teenagers themselves, preparing to go out with their friends; whether it was a Parliament-Funkadelic concert in Nashville or the skating rink in the next county, they always had to get a “new outfit.” What they wore at home was not the same thing they wore out amongst the people. They had to make themselves presentable before they went out, hence the word, “outfit.”

In the Old Testament, God put more emphasis on the “in-fit.” When the priests went into the inner temple to serve God they had to wear special priestly garments made out of linen. They had to be consecrated. This is a good principle for us to hold on to. When we go before God we need to be consecrated. It’s not so much what we have on but what we have in. Our mindset and our hearts should be holy when we enter into the Holy presence of God. Our outfit ought to match our inner attitude of reverence for God.

When we go out to face the people outside, we need to change our “outfit.” It’s not that we are two different people but the posture we take before God is distinctly different in front of the people on the outside.

Ezekiel 44:19
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
19 And before they leave to join the other people in the outer courtyard, they must take off their priestly clothes, then place them in the sacred rooms and put on their regular clothes.[a] That way, no one will touch their sacred clothes and be harmed.[b]
The reason the priests had to change clothes in the Old Testament was because there was separation between the sacred and the secular in the Old Testament. If the common person touched Holy garments they would be harmed, or they would trivialize what was holy.

When Jesus comes on the scene in the New Testament, he changes the fashion and function of priestly clothes. Our inside and outside have the same function for God. Jesus is our great high priest. What he wore on the inside of the temple is what he wore on the outside. That’s why the woman with the issue of blood was able to touch the hem of his garment. She saw him as a priest but still felt comfortable touching his clothes. She said, “If I can just touch the hem of his garment I know I will be made whole!”  When she did touch him, Jesus stopped and said, “Somebody touched my ‘outfit’ because I felt my virtue leave my body.” Your outfit should match your virtue so that whether you are in the church or on the outside people get blessed by your “outfit!”

If your outfit doesn’t match your inside then it’s time to change your “infit” to match your outfit.

Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.

Dear God,

Help my inner life to match my outer appearance. Let my true self be healthier than my image. God change my outfit!

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I Almost Lost My Mind!

I Almost Lost My Mind!

Daniel 4:34

At the end of the seven years, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked to heaven. I was given my mind back and I blessed the High God, thanking and glorifying God, who lives forever:

Do you remember when you were younger and you did something so stupid that your mother came in the room to ask you, “Have you lost your mind?!” What she was saying was that it appears by your behavior that you had a temporary lapse in your sanity, otherwise, you would not be acting like this.

There have been seasons in our lives where we too have had temporary lapses in our sanity. Maybe it’s been months; for some it’s been years. It’s amazing how fragile the human mind is. It’s something that we cannot take for granted. It makes more sense to me every day when I remember what the old folks used to say, “I thank God because when I woke up this morning I was clothed and in my right mind.” I’ve seen too many people lose their mind and lose their place in God. I’ve seen too many people who were doing well at one moment and then their lives took a complete turn for the worst. They were no longer the same person.

You can lose your mind to psychological trauma. When something you encounter tries to break your will. When you see some homeless people walking around talking to themselves or terrorizing people with their unusual behavior, what you don’t know is that behind that behavior many of those people used to be normal. Something happened that caused them to snap. After all you’ve been through it’s a miracle that you haven’t lost your mind. God kept you!

You can lose your mind by becoming detached from God by insisting on our own way. Hell has been described as a place where God let’s you have your way. Tim Keller said that the people who are already in hell would not come out even though they are being tormented because in their mind they have what they want. Hell begins little by little when we refuse God’s rule over our life and he eventually turns us over to a reprobate mind.

You can lose your mind when you think you are god and you think that you don’t need God. It’s dangerous when we think we are God and we are in control over our own lives. That’s the beginning when we lose our minds.

King Nebuchadnezzar refused to acknowledge God and began to take credit for what God did. He also oppressed the poor and ignored the warning of the prophet Daniel. As a result, God took away his sanity and caused him to crawl around like an animal, with his hair like eagle feathers and his nails like animal claws.

The good news is that he got his mind back! How?

1. At the end of time. The Message version says that it was seven years! Seven is the number of completion. I hope that it doesn’t take us that long to get back to a place where God restores our sanity but there is a set time that God gives each of us before we can get it together.

2. He raised his eyes toward heaven. He shifted his perspective back to God. Some of us have been so focused on the physical that we have missed the supernatural reality of God. It’s time to put our eyes back on God and take them off of the material.

3. God restored his sanity. God is the only one that can put us back in our right minds. When we surrender ourselves to God and accept Jesus as our savior, he will give us the mind of Christ. When Jesus healed the demoniac Mark says that he was sitting there, clothed, and in his right mind.

4. He Praised the Most High. King Nebuchadnezzar now realized that there was a Power higher than him. Every chance we get we need to Praise God for all that he has done.

5. He honored and glorified him who lives forever. There is a life after this one. King Nebuchadnezzar decided that he would honor God and glorify God with his new found life. He had lost seven years walking around like a crazy person, lost in his own thoughts and now that God had restored his sanity, he made a decision that I’m going to live my life for God now.

Dear God,

Restore my sanity. I’ve been here too long. I almost forgot who I was. My sin and my arrogance caused a temporary loss of sanity. I’m glad you’re a heart fixer and a mind regulator. Thank you for putting me back in my right mind. I have a mind to praise you! I have a mind to serve you! I have the mind of Christ!

In Jesus Name,

Amen

This is Just a Test!

Daniel 1:12 & 15
Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink…at the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.

Fasting without prayer is just a diet. I have to believe that Daniel and his friends did more than just change their diet. They were put to a test because they knew that what they were being offered might offend their God. Have you ever been offered something that could offend God if you ate it? Participate in it? Or consumed it? Sometimes, you have to pull away from what’s being offered even when it comes from the King’s table. Everything that looks good ain’t good for you. The biggest test is when somebody offers you something that looks good but you will have to turn it down for what God has for you. The test is that what you turn down is going to taste better short term but what you gain from God will taste better long term. This is just a test!
Why did Daniel and his three friends ask to be tested?

1. The King’s menu didn’t match his value. Was he looking for a “value meal?” No, he knew that the King’s food went against dietary restrictions that God had given them through Moses. Sometimes, we are so glad to be sitting around the King’s table that we forget our values. Don’t be so eager for promotion that you leave your values and faith behind.

     2. His Conscious didn’t match his context. Sometimes, we live by the rule, “When in Rome do as
         the Romans do.” But when your conscious sends you a message that something is wrong you
         should listen. I Corinthians 10: 27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat
         whatever is put before you(AL) without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says
         to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who
         told you and for the sake of conscience

      3. His heart didn’t match his hunger. When you have a heart for God you just lose your appetite
          for things that don’t bring God glory. If you really love God he will change your appetite for
          things that are detrimental to your spiritual well being. John 4: 31 Meanwhile, his disciples
          urged him, “Rabbi,(AC) eat something.”32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat(AD) that
          you know nothing about.”33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have
          brought him food?”34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will(AE) of him who sent me and to
          finish his work.

Daniel asked for an alternative diet that we call the “Daniel fast,” vegetables and water for ten days. When they came back to compare Daniel and his three friends they were ten times better than everybody else. God gave them knowledge, understanding, and the ability to understand visions and dreams.

Here’s your test, what are willing to give up so that God can give you more?

Dear God,

Help me to give up my choice for your good. Fasting is not something I have to do it’s something I choose to do. What others offer me does not compare to what you can give. Father increase my understanding, my knowledge, and help me with my vision.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I'm Alive Because of This!

I’m Alive Because of This!

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.

There is something we all can give credit to as to our well-being. Some people can boast about the work out regimen and how staying fit is adding on to their quality of life. Some can boast about their eating habits and how a more balanced diet of fruits and vegetables along with protein and water consumption has done their body good. Some people can give credence to their newfound spirituality that has grounded them into a higher consciousness

All of these are good directives toward a healthier life but when I look over my life one thing overshadows them all and that is this, if it had not been for the Lord on my side I would have been overwhelmed and consumed by the worries of this world.

The republican’s keep asking the American people, ‘have your lives been made better the last four years?” I’d have to ask, ‘in what way?; Economically?! No! It’s gotten worse but somehow I survived the worst economic downturn since the great depression. Psychologically?! No there were times when my soul was downcast but then I lifted my head toward the hills from whence all of my help comes from and my soul was strengthened when I reminded myself of who I was in God. Spiritually?! Yes! There were some times when my faith wavered but it also got stronger through my ups and my downs. These last four years could have been worse if not for courageous leadership and our faith in God.

It wasn’t the cooperation between the republicans and the democrats that got us through the last four years but it was because of God’s compassion that we were not consumed.

God will not let trouble last too long. There was some perfecting God had to do and the thing that kept us was every morning was that God’s mercies were new. This corporate correction that came to our nation because of our capitalistic greed has tested the faith of everyone in this nation. How we survived it depends upon how we responded to it. My response was that I turned my face to God and cried out to him. As a result, God’s mercy kept me from being consumed. His mercies were new every morning.

I asked my sons 17 and 13 years old, what was the difference between Grace and Mercy? They said, “Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve and Mercy is when God holds back on what we do deserve.” The only reason I’m still alive is because his mercy, his loving kindness is new every morning.

What’s going to keep us the next four years is learning the lessons from the past, going forward and seeking God with everything we’ve got! If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways, then God will heal their land.

Dear God,

Thank you for keeping me. Help me to seek first your Kingdom and your righteousness and every thing else will fall into place. I love you Lord and I’m excited about where you are taking us.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Can God Count on You?

Can God Count on You?

Revelation 11:1
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “God and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.”

There was a great disagreement on the floor of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) last night over the inclusion of the language of “God and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” When they tried to count the verbal vote it was hard to distinguish between the “yes’” and the “no’s,” but the measure still passed. It’s hard to tell why they were divided on the inclusion of the language but it is telling of the time we live in. There is uncertainty in the significance of modern Israel and the placement of God in our platform.

I’m not as alarmed at the divisiveness of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) of its inclusion of God anymore as I am at the RNC (Republican National Convention) using God language but ignoring the inclusion of the poor. God wants to know if he can count on you. In Revelation 11:1 God gave John a measuring rod to measure the temple, the altar and to count the worshipers there. He didn’t count their verbal rhetoric but monitored and measured their actions. He wanted to know how many worshipers were there, not delegates, not people saying one thing and doing another. You see it doesn’t matter if you are at the DNC or if you are attending the RNC, you must worship God in Sprit and in Truth.

You can use his name all you want but just because you use it on your platform doesn’t mean you will be included in that number that no man can number. Jesus was aware that everybody that put his name on their platform were really not true worshippers, just name droppers.

Matthew 7: 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 15: 8 “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

God is counting Worshipers not lip servers. Who are Worshipers?

1. Those who are submitting themselves to the Lordship of God. Worshipers are those who do the will of the Heavenly father.
2. Those who are reconciling with their brothers and sisters. Matthew 5: 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
3. Those who are looking out for the least of these. Matthew 25: 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Jesus is not concerned with your political party affiliation or even if you put his name on the platform but he is concerned about true worshipers. There will come a day when it doesn’t matter if you are republican or democrat but what will matter the most is if you are a true worshiper of God.

Dear God,

Count me in! I am yielding myself completely to your will for my life. Use my life to give you Glory. Use my life as a pleasing sacrifice upon the altar of service. Let the world be your sanctuary and use me as your servant.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Can You Stand in the Gap?

Can You Stand in the Gap?

Ezekiel 22:30
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

God is looking for somebody to stand in the gap and raise a standard. There are gaps in our educational systems where schools are failing our children and God needs people who can overcome the learning achievement gaps. There are gaps of poverty between the haves and the have nots, God is looking for someone to stand in the gap for the least of these. There are gaps of wickedness and Injustice, God is looking for someone to stand for righteousness and justice.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best, "If we do not stand for something, we will fall for anything.” There has to be a standard that we live by. God’s word is that standard and when we live out his word in the marketplace, workplace, and our communities, we stand in the Gap and we lift up a standard.
This November we get the opportunity to stand in the Gap one more time when we stand to vote for the President of the United States. There are so many gaping holes in our society that need our attention. Education, healthcare, economy, jobs, housing, etc. It’s easy to conform to the apathy prevalent in our communities, deception amongst our religious leaders who are divided on issues used strategically to sabotage our unity through manipulative propaganda. We must be sober and alert or we will miss the most crucial time in our nations’ history to stand in the gap.

When we vote we should take a stand for the poor. We should take a stand for kids in schools that are better off being called “failure factories.” We need to take a stand for people who cannot afford healthcare. We need to take a stand for the new homeless, the “working homeless,” people that are working but can’t afford to keep their homes. If you don’t take a stand in November, no one else will stand for you after November.

Dear God,

It’s time for us to stand for Righteousness, to stand for Holiness, and to stand for Justice. There are too many gaps and not enough people willing to stand. Here I am Lord, willing to stand, put me wherever you need me so that you can save this land. Land of the free and home of the brave.

In Jesus Name,
Amen