Archives for July 2013

July 10, 2013

JUST CLAIM IT

Friends!! increase my territory Lord Out of All of Gods promises I ask for. Good friends are at the top of the list, and not for the sake of having friends. But Godly Christian friends, friends who will always encourage you in Gods name and His name only. Who’s mission on earth is like yours and that is to finish up God’s work here on earth so we who believe and have faith in a risen Savior may live throughout eternity in His pure and holy kingdom. In fact I have met some new friends this weekend who gave me the inspiration for my title today JUST CLAIM IT:

As they conveyed their unique story about JUST CLAIM IT, and how it worked for them, it awakened a sleeping giant in myself of all the promises God has given us to believe on Him, and just what He is willing to do for His faithful. It begins with them looking for a new home, upon finding one it was already occupied by someone in fact it was designed and built by the developer who built the subdivision where the house was located, so With him being a builder, and a developer it had everything a family could ask for.

But soon He died and his family moved in. But a year later they put it up for sale. My friends applied to get the house along with many others who were interested, but as Christians they claimed it in Jesus name not saying that the other potential buyers were not Christians, but moving on with the story. Each day they would go to the house walk around, sit on the porch, and at times wave at there soon to be new neighbors, always at the door greeting other potential buyers as they came in. Measuring for curtains and other accessories for there JUST CLAIM IT new home.

But to make a long story short God blessed them with this beautiful home, and at a price that only God could have  taken over the negotiations for them. But they were not too surprised because they had already CLAIMED IT in Gods name. And by the way I have been staying in this beautiful home for the last few days, but you are probably saying didn’t he say he just met them. You are right but I also said they were Christians, but that is another devotional topic for another day and time. But for now I go to Joshua to one of God’s promises when I think of my friends story.

Joshua 24:13-15  “So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness……….. then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…….. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” God is so ready willing and able to bless your life and everything you do. He will provide for your every need. He will open doors for you that you did not think would ever be possible.

Paul say’s in Ephesians 3:20 “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.” Luke also states in Luke 11:9-10…… “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” But it is all about CLAIMING IT in Gods name. God will always enter the soul of each child of His, through His own private door one that is set up for only Him to enter.

So When we move in Gods direction, our Savior takes a giant step toward that individual to forever embrace that person as one of His own and to give us what we ask in His name. John 15:7 says If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. The good news today! There is a king of kings and a Lord of Lords who is named Jesus Christ. And He has declared that every blessing recorded in His word is available to you for the asking.

But most of the time, You have not because you ask not. Ask now and receive the blessings that God the Father ordained specifically for you since the beginning of time. but there is another side to JUST CLAIM IT also. When you do ask God for something. The key to you getting it is, it has to be all about God and His glory James states it best in James 4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

so whatever you ask, make it all about Him and Him only. So my friends today have faith  in our God and  start living a life saturated in overwhelming blessings that focuses on Gods needs and not yours. Each faithful follower of Christ is born with a pure co­nnec­tion to God. But As we move around in this sinful world and we become more attached to earthly things, that co­nnec­tion weak­ens, and is some­times bro­ken. That is why our focus must be forever on Christ, His word, and Him Crucified.

So each day remind yourself that Salvation if accepted, is a gift if we choose to accept it. Life will always bring it’s chal­lenges, but there is always Gods blessings. Some of the many blessings God gives could be just a deep­en­ing knowl­edge of yourself and learn­ing that you are stronger than you thought because you gave it all to the Master, or it could be that God is teach­ing you grace in a way you never expected. Or it could just be a beautiful house, that each day you wake up you realize it was a gift from God and your thanks to Him will be to serve Him each day and give Him all the glory and honor each day of your life.

And now, let your prayers always be “LORD I’M AVAILABLE TO YOU. My will I give to You. I’ll do what You say do. Use me Lord To show someone the way, and enable me to say, My storage is empty, and I am available to You. Now I’m giving back to You, all the tools You gave to me. My hands, my ears, my voice, my eyes; so You can use them as You please. I have emptied out my cup, So that You can fill me up. Now I’m free and I just want to be more available to You.” So my friends today I will CLAIM the ultimate gift, which is eternal life.

And I am expecting him to honor that claim and redeem me, and my friends, family, love one’s, co-workers neighbors, and a world who is willing to listen to the good news of Christ soon return. I am expecting him to do this because, of His promises, and because I will remain focused and believe and have faith and love as He loved and endure until I see the clouds roll back before me, and I can see His face and the face of the one’s I loved so dearly who have been laid to rest in the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

So my friends today. Stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

Just a few JUST CLAIM IT Text for you to go through each day of your life until our Saviors soon return.

John 14:13-14 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask[a] anything in My name, I will do it.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

John 16:24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

John 14:14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

John 16:23-24 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him

Romans 8:37-39 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

JULY 7, 2013

WHAT IS THE GREATEST MIRACLE EVER PERFORMED BY GOD iS IT?
1. The virgin birth
2. Changing water into wine
3. Healing the sick
4. Healing the lepers
5. Healing the paralytic
6. bringing the dead back to life
7. Casting out deamons
8. Healing the death, blind and dumb
9. Feeding five thousand with only two fish and five loves of bread
10. Walking on water
11. Raising of Lazarus afterr being dead for four days
12. The resurrection of Jesus

Great!!! wonderful!!!! and marvelous!!!! are all adjectives describing miracles preformed by God in fact John states in John 21:25 “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” So today I lay back with my eyes closed and just wonder. Out of all of these great miracles that God preformed what would be considered the greatest of them all? And I can come to only one conclusion and that is it is not one that I have listed here today, or that was preformed when Christ was here on earth. But there is no doubt in my mind that the greatest miracle ever and I mean ever, ever performed by God was when He took a sinner like me and transformed my life from being the wretched person I was, to the one who recognizes and believes through the faith of God and His word every day of my life, the grace of God and what Calvary meant for my SALVATION and through this faith of mine I can say without a doubt that Lord, I am going to trust you totally and place all of my confidence, hopes and dreams of eternity exclusively, on Calvary and what Christ did for me. and if what he has done for me, is not powerful enough to save me, then I will go to hell, because I will not trust in anyone else but You. So today I can Sing these words with complete confidence and hope my Friends you can do the same :

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
T’was Grace that taught…
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear…
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares…
we have already come.
T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far…
and Grace will lead us home.
The Lord has promised good to me…
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be…
as long as life endures.
When we’ve been here ten thousand years…
bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise…
then when we’ve first begun.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
So my friends today. Stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

JULY 5,2013

The Rumble In The Jungle

The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30 1974, in Kinshasa Zaire. It pitted a 28 year old Foreman who seemed an overwhelming favorite against the 32-year old Ali. After being stripped of his license and title in 1967 Ali once again was given a chance to fight for the world championship. Ali had told everyone that he had a secret plan for Foreman. A plan strategy Ali later dubbed the rope-a-dope.

As a result, Foreman spent his energy throughout the fight throwing punches that either did not hit Ali or were deflected in a way that made it difficult for Foreman to hit Ali at all. As the fight drew into the eighth round, Foreman’s punching and defense became ineffective as the strain of throwing so many wild shots took its toll. The fight showed that Ali was capable of taking a punch and highlighted his tactical genius, as Foreman struck Ali with hundreds of thunderous blows, to no effect.

No one, least of all Foreman, anticipated that Ali would do what he did, which was to demonstrate so passionately his burning belief in his own ability to meet and master any other man on any terms. Six thousands years ago Satan thought he had stripped Christ of all rights to call this world His domain saying in his heart ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the Most High. (Isa. 14:13,14)

But God told us all, He had a plan for man’s salvation, and the victory would be won, not in KinshasaZaire, but on a site called Calvary. And no matter how many thunderous blows Satan would throw, they would be of no effect for in Gen 3:15 my Savior states “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.

“And now the Lord of glory was dying, a ransom for the race. In yielding up His precious life, Christ was not upheld by triumphant joy. All was oppressive gloom. It was not the dread of death that weighed upon Him. It was not the pain and ignominy of the cross that caused His inexpressible agony. Christ was the prince of sufferers; but His suffering was from a sense of the malignity of sin, a knowledge that through familiarity with evil, man had become blinded to its enormity. Christ saw how deep is the hold of sin upon the human heart, how few would be willing to break from its power. He knew that without help from God, humanity must perish, and He saw multitudes perishing within reach of abundant help.”(White)

So because of Calvary and Christ love for us “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (Romans 8:38) But Satan never realized what lengths Christ would go through to demonstrate so passionately his burning belief in his own ability and love for us, for

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7,8) So that we can live throughout eternity with Him. So if Christ was so willing to fight this battle on our behalf, what should our responsibility today be to show our love for Him. And how do we repay the one who did it all for us.

Maybe we can show our gratitude by our works, but once again salvation is free, and we must never forget that. As I ended my devotional yesterday I will repeat myself and say. While the one who lives by faith is not saved by his works, his works show that he lives by faith. His faith is revealed in his works, and thus he is promised life eternal. Gods work here on earth can only be finished by dedicated Christians who are willing to give it all for the Master. We don’t have any time to squander it away on what this world has to offer because what this world has to offer will surely pass away but Salvation is Eternal.

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

July 4 2013

Under His Wings

An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God’s wings. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, so that those under the cover of her wings would live. (Author Unknown)

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…” (Psalm 91:4)

A Hymn of Faith in Habakkuk 3:17-18 states “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls  Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” What a disastrous situation being described by Habakkuk but like Habakkuk sometimes God appears to be silent amid all the trials  tribulations and heartaches that goes on in our life from day to day and year to year. Like Habakkuk, we must wait in faith and trust in an unseen God until the time when the world will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of our Lord, and His presence that will forever shine throughout eternity in His pure and holy kingdom, But before that time comes while we are In the midst of all the turmoil evil, and injustice in the world we live in, only our complete faithfulness, constancy, and dependability In God and His word will take us to the promise land.

And like the mother bird who gave her life so her children might live, our Savior could have flown to safety also, but He refused to abandon His children. On Calvary Christ remained steadfast through it all, simply because He remained focused and through His faith, love and His endurance to stay the course  was He willing to die for those under the cover of his wings so that  those who have faith and believe would live with Him throughout eternity. Oh what love our God has shown for us.  For in Romans 5:7-9 Paul says “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” And He did it all for His children.

So now how do we repay the one who did it all for us evan though salvation is free we must never forget that, while the one who lives by faith is not saved by his works, his works show that he lives by faith. His faith is revealed in his works, and thus he is promised life eternal. We as Christians have a lot of work to do to finish up Gods work here on earth and as we look at our world today, time is very short, we don’t have any time to squander it away on the foolishness of this world. So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

Faith Is Simply taking God at His Word

Never diminish your faith in God by praying a prayer of defeat, and not one of total fearlessness and determination, that God will answer your prayers. John 4:46-53

“So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way……… and himself believed, and his whole house.” Faith is not sight ,smell, taste or touch it is simply taking God at His word which if he does not speak to you directly like he did Moses it is through his holy word the bible for in Acts 27:25 it says Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. The bible tells us, that the nobleman believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. Here we observed, our Lord and Savior did what this man requested him to do, but not in the way the nobleman wished or had requested of Him. So this tells us that God will save all to the uttermost who call upon him, but not always in the way in which we may desire. But we must always believe and have faith that Eternal life is the free gift of God, and he has a right to give it as he pleases; and he always gives his gifts in a way in which his glory is best promoted, and our eternal interest secured.

For Peter states in  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And what’s so wonderful about this story  is in verse 53 it says and himself believed meaning he had faith, and his whole house believed. The sickness of the child became the pathway of  salvation for the entire household. so my friends remember it is never just about us. Jesus commanded His disciples to GO into all the world and PREACH THE GOSPEL. The key word is Go. meaning Go to our families Go to our friends Go to our neighbors GO to our co-workers and go to all the world and tell them about the good news of Christ love and His soon return.  So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget  to STUDY&PRAY

Your victories today will not be sufficient for a victory tomorrow

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through dry places seeking rest and finding none. Then it says, “I will return to my house from which I came. When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. (Luke 11:24-26)

Luke 11:21-22, Says, even a strong man cannot protect his house if someone stronger comes along. So we must never fool ourselves into thinking we can out think Satan “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places”.

(Eph. 6:12) So Gods word tells us that we cannot protect ourselves from Satan, but God can protect us, if we only have faith and believe. John wrote, “You are of God, little Children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). But first, Christ must be in each of us intimately.

So just to get rid of our sins without allowing Christ to take full control, will only allow Satan to re-enter our lives with those same sins we thought we had gotten rid of, only now, “it is worst than the first”. So my friends remember our victory today will not be sufficient for a victory tomorrow, if Christ is not the Master of our mind and body. For our heartfelt words each day must be “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I

now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20) So study Gods word daily, pray without ceasing for a double portion of His Spirit, and stay focused on your Salvation through Christ, because our life does depend on it, because one day, God will say to each and everyone, EITHER ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you’ve been trustworthy with a small amount, I’ll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master’s joy!’

OR, He will ask you, one final question, why was, house wives of Atlanta, Scandal, the internet, and Macy’s more important then studying My word and doing My will? Now, “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” My friends Remember, Your Choice! Your Decision! Your Salvation! STUDY&PRAY