May 30, 2006

The Word May 30, 2006
The Power of Praise

Psalm 100 (King James Version)
A song of praise and joy

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 150:6

“Lord, please give me the faith to praise you in the middle of my distresses.”

May 26, 2006

The Word May 26, 2006
The Power of Praise

Read 2 Chronicles 20: 1-30

-This chapter shows another example of how God delivered his people through the power of praise. During this time, Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah. It was told to him that a “great multitude” was coming up against him. In fear, he prayed to the Lord and then called a fast in all of Judah. The spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, “And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you,” (2 Chronicles 20: 15-17).
-So, on the day of the battle they did just what the Lord had instructed them to do. However on their way, Jehoshaphat “appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever,” (2 Chronicles 20:21). As they praised God, the men who came to destroy them started fighting one another. They fought and killed each other until not one of him was left alive. When Jehoshaphat and his men noticed that they had all killed themselves, they went to collect the spoils. It took them three days to carry away all of the riches off of the dead men.
-In the mist of their battle they praised the Lord. They praised the Lord on the way to the battle. They praised the Lord as they looked down in the valley at the three tribes of men who had come to destroy them. They praised the Lord before the men destroyed each other. They praised the Lord before they found an abundance of riches on the dead men. They started praising the Lord after their prayer went out. “Lord, please give me the faith to praise you in the middle of my distresses.”

May 24, 2006

The Word May 24, 2006
The Power of Praise Through Fasting

-So far, we have learned two forms of praising God, one, verbally and two, in our fasting. Today, I would like to address fasting. When we fast it is a way of opening up ourselves to God. We are giving up something to have a communion with God. Think about the Old Testament; they were always putting forth sacrifices before the Lord. Fasting is our form of setting scarifies before the Lord.
-The giving up of food is the most common type of fast that most Christians observe. However, that is not the only type of fast there is. Let’s look at the story of a young lady named Tina. Tina is a Christian woman who wants a closer, personal relationship with God. One thing she loves to do is shop. Lately, she seems to be spending the majority of her time shopping and less time trying to develop her personal relationship with her heavenly Father. After all, the first commandment clearly states that we are to put nothing before God (Deuteronomy 5:7).
-A three-week fast from doing any personal shopping might be a good idea for Tina right now because she is putting her shopping before her devotion towards God. Remember, we fast to enhance our communion with God. So while Tina is fasting from personal shopping, she needs to spend her time studying the Word while focusing on her thoughts on the Lord. Whatever type of fast we are called into, it is important that we just don’t go on with our day-to-day routines. We need to spend that time getting a better understanding of God’s will for our lives.
-Another important aspect of fasting is, that we need to be directed by the Holy Spirit into a fast. Jesus said that he did nothing until the father told him to (John 5:19 & John 8:28). We need to operate under that same mindset. No matter how hard we try we cannot bear fruit without abiding in God, “without me ye can do nothing,” (John 15:5) God is not going to bless the outcome of a fast that he did not ordain.
-The Last thing that we need to understand about fasting is, it is something that is between God and yourself. If you consult a minister about a certain fast that you feel you have been called into, that is all right. We just need to ensure that we do not go around telling everyone about our fast.

“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6: 16-18.
“Lord, please show me how and when to fast according to your way and purpose.”

May 23, 2006

The Word May 23, 2006
The Power of Praise

Read Daniel 10

-Yesterday, we talked about praising God for our deliverance before we can actually see the outcome of our blessing. Today, we will address two issues; one, there are other ways to praise the Lord; and two, the reason we praise the Lord before we see the blessing.
-Daniel 10 gives the best illustration of the two issues that we are about to address. The chapter starts off by Daniel explaining how he “was in mourning three full weeks. I ate not pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled,” (Daniel 10: 2-3). In Daniel 9, Daniel said a prayer for the sins of the people. After his prayer, he started fasting. His fasting was another way of praising the Lord.
-After his three weeks had past, an angel came to him and told him, “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia,” (Daniel 10: 12-13).
-In other words, the angel told Daniel that as soon as he set his mind and heart to understand and humbled himself before the Lord, God heard his prayer. It just took 21 days to get to him because there was a fight to get there.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Ephesians 6:12

God heard Daniel and sent his angel to him the first day he prayed. So this is why we praise before we can see the blessing. God may have already sent your angle out to answer your prayer and for that we give thanks. “Lord, please give me the faith to praise you in the middle of my distresses.”

May 22, 2006

The Word May 22, 2006
The Power of Praise

Psalms 107: 6-8 (King James Version)
“Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habituation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”

-In the verses above, it states that when people are in trouble they cry out to the Lord. Think about that. When dreadful things happen, the first thing people say is, “Oh, Lord! Help me!” If troubles never came our way, we would not know that God could deliver us. Once we are delivered, then we praise the Lord. The word of God teaches us that God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3).
-However, we need to get to the point were we praise God in the middle of our distresses before we can see the results of the prayer. When we do that, we are saying that we believe that, not only, can God deliver us but he will. Our nature is to say thank you once we receive a thing. Say for example, you had a rich father and you needed him to send you money ASAP. He has never lied to you before, so you have no reason to believe that he will not come through for you now. Although you don’t have the money in your hand, you thank dear daddy and a since of peace comes over you. The ‘thank you’ is a form of praise.
The word praise is defined as “words that express great approval or admiration.”* Saying, “thank you,” brings peace over you. When we praise God during our distresses, it is a way of saying, “Thank you, I no longer have to deal with this situation.” Knowing that my situation will soon be over will bring peace. “Lord, please give me the faith to praise you in the middle of my distresses.”

*Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

May 19, 2006

The Word May 19, 2006
God Does not Always Work The Way
We Think He Should.

Read: 2 King 5

-During the course of the week, we have learned about different types of believers. I have learned in my life that I can be any one of these believers at any given time based on the situation. There are some areas in my life were I trust and there are some areas where I have a hard time trusting God like I should. The goal is to walk on the good ground in every area in my life.
-How do we do this? One way I believe people allow the devil to take away their faith, is by not being obedient to God. An example of this is given in 2 Kings 5. Naaman, in verse 1, is described as, “a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.” A little maid, who was brought away captive out of Israel, informed him that God had a prophet in Israel who could heal him. He must have believed her because he went to Israel in search of the prophet. What did he have to lose? He had leprosy. Some of the side effects of leprosy are clawed hands and paralysis of muscles of the face, eye, and neck. The key is that he heard and he went and with joy, am sure. Seeing how he now had hope that his leprosy could be healed.
-When we talked about the “suppose believer” in this situation, they would have heard they could be healed but they would have never got around to doing anything about it. The “credit” and “have faith in” believers would have acted just as Naaman did; heard and went with joy.
-Once at Elisha the prophet’s door, Elisha sent his servant to the door and his servant told him, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shall be clean.” This upset Naaman because he thought that Elisha would come out to him, call out to his Lord, lay hands on him, and then he would be healed. So, there is no doubt that he believed that he could be healed. The problem was that he came to the man of God with his own solution to the problem. Naaman even stated that the Jordan was not the cleanest river. He questioned why he could not wash in a cleaner river?
-How often do we believe in the solution that we want above the one God gives us? Just like Naaman walked away in his anger, this is where the “credit” and “have faith in” believers walk away. He walked away for two reasons the answer he got was not the one that he was expecting and because the task that he was given to do was unpleasant. Far to often, we believe we know what God would do in a situation. People are so quick to say, “God would never do that.” Many of us never take the time to learn who God really is. Upon studying his word, there are many times I was surprised to his reaction to things. When things didn’t go the way I thought God would handle it, then the disappointment comes in. In that disappointment, I lose my faith. Disappointment also comes when I don’t think I can handle the task
God has put in front of me. If He has told us to do it, He has given us what we need to accomplish it.
-So how would a “accept as true or real” believer handle this situation? The same way Naaman’s servant did. He told Naaman if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it, so why not this? In all of this, even if we do come to God with an expected outcome we need to be willing to let go of our ideas and receive God’s, even when it makes no sense. What kind of sense did it make to go and wash in a dirty river seven times? However, in his obedience he was healed. We need to learn to believe, trust, and obey God past what we see, how we think things should be, or at how difficult the task may appear.
“Lord, please help me to believe, be obedient to, and stand on your word.”

May 18, 2006

The Word May 18, 2006
What Kind of Believer Are You?

Luke 8: 8 (King James Version)
The Parable
“And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit on hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 8: 15 (King James Version)
Jesus’ explanation of the Parable
“But that on good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

-This is the type of believer that I am striving to become; the “accept as true or real.” An example of this believer is, at birth my parents named me Phylitia. I know that is my name. As a child, I heard it and I believed that Phylitia is my name. Let’s say one day everyone starts calling me Tina. Despite everyone calling me Tina, I still believe that my name is Phylitia. That is what my parents named me and that is what is on my birth certificate. Now because everyone is calling me Tina, should I believe that now my name is Tina? No, I don’t because I know; it’s real to me that my name is Phylitia. Parents name their children and I am not going to turn from that name just because everything around me seems to be in direct opposition to that. So, I stand with the fact of no matter how it may appear; Phylitia is my name.
That is how we need to be with the word of God. We need to get past I believe God will deliver me and enter into I know He will deliver me. All of this must be done in patience, truth, and a good heart. No matter how long they call me Tina, I still must hold on to the truth.
“Lord, please transform my faith from; I believe, into I know.”

May 17, 2006

The Word May 17, 2006
What Kind of Believer Are You?

Luke 8: 6-7 (King James Version)
The Parable
“And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprang up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.”

Luke 8: 13-14 (King James Version)
Jesus’ explanation of the Parable
“They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”

-Today we are going to address two types of believers, the “credit” and the “have faith in.” To get the best understanding of the “credit believer” we need to define the word credit. According to the Encarta World English Dictionary it means, “praise or recognition for something done or achieved.” They believe the word of God because of His credit history. They have seen things that He has done for others. However, when times get hard they no longer believe. For example, they go to church and learn that by his strips we are healed (1 Peter 2:24). They even hear a personal testimony of how He delivered Sister So-and-So from cancer. Not even a few days later, they learn they have cancer. At first, they hang in there and believe that God can and will heal them. Over time, their cancer gets harder to deal with and that is where they loss faith. When things get hard they lose sight of God’s word.
-The “have faith in” believer is much the same as the “credit” believer. The major difference is how they lose their faith. Just like the “credit believer” they hear the word and receive it. However, they lose their faith because they choose not to let go of the cares of this world. Say they believe that “no weapon form against them shall prosper,” (Isaiah 54:17). Nevertheless, when that weapon attempts to take away some major thing in their lives, that is when they disregard the word of God and do everything in their power to keep that thing in tact. They do not wait for God to handle it for them. They take matters into their own hands.
“Lord, give me the faith in you to look past the hard pressing times and past the idea of losing my way of life. Give me the faith to stand in the midst of the storm.”

May 16, 2006

The Word May 16, 2006
What Kind of Believer Are You?

Luke 8: 5 (King James Version)
The Parable
“A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.”

Luke 8: 12 (King James Version)
Jesus’ explanation of the Parable
“Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

-Yesterday, we defined the four types of believers. Today, we will address the suppose - guess/think believer. They hear the word of God through a sermon or another means that God has sanctioned. However, they don’t believe what they have heard. They “suppose” that if they acknowledge God in all of their ways he will direct their path (Proverbs 3:6). As time goes on, if they have not invested time into getting to understand the word they were taught it becomes forgotten. They never tried to apply it to their lives. Practice makes perfect. When children are learning how to write, if they don’t practice and apply writing into their lives they will forget what they were taught. The word of God is the same for us. Nevertheless, before we can apply it to our lives we need to believe it. Luke 8:12 states, “lest they should believe,” we need to believe before we apply it to our lives. The lack of belief is what allows the devil to take the word away from them.

“Lord, help me to believe your word.”

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Proverbs 3:6

May 15, 2006

The Word May 15, 2006
What Kind of Believer Are You?

Luke 8: 4-8 (King James Version)
“And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable. A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had
said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

-The question of the week is; what kind of believer are you? Luke 8: 4-15 talks about four different types of believers. In the above verses, Jesus uses a parable to explain the four types of believers. After He used the parable, His disciples asked Him, “What might this parable be?” (Luke 8:9). Jesus then, in verses 12-15, re-explains in the parable in plain words so that the disciples could understand. During the course of this week, we are going to study the above parable and the explanation that Jesus gave His disciples.
However, before we move on we need to define believer. The Webster’s New World Pocket Dictionary gives four definitions. What I found interesting, is that the four definitions match the four types of believes that Jesus described.

Believer:
1. suppose, guess/think
2. credit, praise
3. have faith in
4. to accept as true or real

“Lord, please give me the understanding to know what type of believe I am and the ability to transform into the type of believe you would have me to be.”

May 12, 2006

The Word May 12, 2006

Lessons Learned

John 4: 39-42 (Kings James Version)
“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on
him for the saying of the women, which testified, He
told me all that I ever did. So when the Samaritans
were come unto him, they besought him that he would
tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many
more believed because of his own word; And said unto
the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying:
for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this
indeed is the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

-On May 14, 2006, it has been three months since God
started me sending these emails. Before I write, I
always pray and ask God to bless me with the words to
say. Then I pray for everyone that I send the emails
to. I ask that when each of you read/receive them (I
understand there is not always time to read them all)
each person gets what he or she needs out of them.
Only God knows what we need. I believe that He has
been answering my prayers because every now and again
someone will send me a reply to tell me how much a
certain word has touched him/her. Trust me these,
daily writings are touching my life as well. If no one
is being blessed; I am. There are times when I reread
them and it is as though I am reading them for the
first time. At that point all I can say is, “You go
Holy Spirit. Do your thing! Use me!”

-Now let’s deal with the word. In John 4: 1-42, Jesus
was by a well and asked this Samarian woman for a
drink of water. They talk for a little and then Jesus
starts telling the lady about her life. She then says,
“I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ:
when he is come he will tell us all things,” (John
4:25). Jesus tells the women that He is that Messiah.

-At this point, she is so excited that she goes back
to the town and tells everyone. They believe her and
go out to the water well to see. Later they tell the
women, “Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for
we have heard him ourselves, and know that this indeed
is the Christ, the Saviour of the world,” (John 4:42).


-At first they believed because of what the women
said and later they believed because they heard for
themselves. I hope that when I first started these
writings you read because you “believed the woman”
(myself) and now I pray that you start to believe and
listen to the Father for yourselves. He wants a
personal relationship with you. How do you get that
personal relationship with God? By reading and
studying the word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit
to give you divine revelations. When we are dating
someone and trying to get to know a person we spend
intimate time with that person. I believe that you
will enjoy your intimate time with the Lord. “Lord,
please show me how to develop a person relationship
with you.”

May 11, 2006

The Word May 11, 2006
> Abraham, An Example of Obeying God when it makes
> no Human Sense.
> The Test
>
> -I am sure that most people have some
> knowledge of the story about Abraham and how God
> told him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Isaac was
> Abraham’s promised child, in Genesis 15:5 it states,
> “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now
> toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able
> to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy
> seed be.” So, God promises Abraham that his seed
> would be great in number. However, in Genesis 22:2,
> God tells Abraham to offer Isaac up as an offering,
> “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son
> Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land
> of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering
> upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee
> of.”
> -Why would God do this? Why would God
> promise him a child and then turn around and tell
> him to present his son as an offering? Since this
> was something that Abraham never had to do, many
> people believe that God was testing him. I believe
> that to be true as well. Nevertheless, I don’t
> believe that it was a test to show God what Abraham
> would do. God is all knowing. He already knew what
> he was going to do, even before he asked him to do
> it. It was a test to build Abraham’s faith.
> -Tests build faith. Without faith building test
> how would we know what God is able to do. If
> Abraham was never asked to sacrifice Isaac, then how
> would he ever understand the full power of God? By
> obeying what God told him to do the word says that
> Abraham would be blessed, “And in thy seed shall all
> the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou
> hast obeyed my voice.” Abraham obeyed God because of
> his faith in what God could do. He did not
> understand, I am sure, how God was going to multiply
> his seed if his only son was dead. His faith pleased
> God and opened up a blessing for him, “But without
> faith it is impossible to please him: for he that
> cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he
> is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him,”
> (Hebrews 11:6).
> Lord, give me the faith that I need to obey your
> word(s) no matter how extreme the order may be.

May 10, 2006

The Word May 10, 2006
The Story & Lessons of Jonah

-The last part of the story of Jonah is very interesting. Jonah was mad at God for saving the Ninevites, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry,” (Jonah 4:1). Jonah was so upset because he “refuses to believe that the people of this hated foreign city deserve salvation,” (Encyclopedia Britannica Online). This is the reason he did not want to go there in the first place.
-After God saved the Ninevites, this is what Jonah prayed, “And he prayed to the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of evil,” (Jonah 4:2).
-How often have we acted like Jonah ? When Jonah should’ve been thanking God for giving him a second chance, all he could do was dwell on the evil doings of others. Who are we to judge how others are living? Look at John 12:47, Jesus did not even judge man. If God wants to forgive the evilest person you could think of, that is his business. We just need to thank God for how he is forgiving us.

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47

-I don’t want God judging me. “Lord, please keep me mindful to not judge others.”

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:” Luke 6:37

May 9, 2006

The Word May 9, 2006
The Story & Lessons of Jonah

-Once Jonah was out of the belly of the fish, God gave him another chance to do what God told him to do in the first place, “And the word of the Lord can unto Jonah the second time, saying,” (Jonah 3:1). God is so great he gives us chance after chance to walk in his path for us.

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” Proverbs 24:16

-The key is to get up from the situation that caused us to fall, repent to the Lord, and turn from what ever got us in that situation. The people of Nineveh did that exactly. Jonah finally told the people, “yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown,” (Jonah 3:4). The next verse states, “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them,” (Jonah 3:5).
-A sackcloth was worn as a sign of mourning or penitence. Penitent means sorrow for sins or faults. That was a part how they repented to the Lord. Thank God Jesus died on the cross so we don’t have to walk around in sackcloth. All we have to do is pray, ask God for forgiveness, and turn from our sinful ways.
-“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not,” God gave them a second chance (Jonah 3:10). When we repent and turn from our “evil way” God will forgive us and give us a second chance. Lord, please show me how to repent and help me to turn from my “evil ways.”

May 8, 2006

The Word May 8, 2006
The Story & Lessons of Jonah

-One interesting thing about God is that he will allow us to go through our issues. For three days and three nights, Jonah cried out to the Lord from the belly of the fish. Why did God allow Jonah to wait so long? Why did he not deliver him the very first day? God does things in his time and when He is ready to do them. He could have allowed Jonah to stay in the fish for a week or two. Far too often, we put ourselves in situations that we had no business in. Then when things start going wrong we want God to pull us out right away. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap," God will allow you to go through your messes (Galatians 6:7). Thank God for his mercy, without it we would not be able to endure the outcomes to what we have sown. "Lord, thank you for your mercy and loving kindness."

A Spiritual Poem from The Psalms of Shambee

I refuse to look back

All of the choices I’ve made,
Some made me happy,
Some made me sad,
All of the things I’ve done,
Some were good,
Some were bad,
But one thing I refuse to do,

I refuse to look back

I read,
What the Angel’s told Lot and his family to do,
But I read his wife looked back,
Because her heart wasn’t true,
I mean she turned to salt instead of running away,
Maybe she felt it wasn’t her friend’s fault,
For dying that way,
Somebody better take a good look at that,
I did and I decided,

I refuse to look back

I read,
What the lord told Saul to do,
But he refused to kill them all,
Because his heart wasn’t true,
I mean he went from being the King,
To being tormented and getting no rest,
Who told him to save the best?
Somebody better take a good look at that,
I did and I decided,

I refuse to look back

I read,
That faith cometh by hearing,
And hearing by the word of God,
But will the righteous be yoked with ungodly friends,
And forget their job!
Somebody better take a good look at that,
I did and I decided,


I refuse to look back

May 5, 2005

The Word May 5, 2006
The Story & Lessons of Jonah

-When Jonah was thrown into the sea, it states, “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights,” (Jonah 1:17). In the belly of the fish Jonah cried out to the Lord. Can you image being in the belly of a fish? That had to be scary and painful. Jonah even described it as "the belly of hell," (Jonah 2:2).
-When we are disobedient to the Lord, He will allow certain pains, sorrows, and suffering to come upon us. In Hebrews, 12:6 it states, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom be recieveth;” if the Lord loves you, He will punish you when you disobey Him. He does this so we will call out to Him in our times of need, so that we can see His true power. It also is a way for us to start a relationship with Him. When we are going through something and someone does something to help us get through that situation, that is when we can start to, not only, build a relationship with that person, but trust. The entire second chapter of Jonah, for 10 verses, he was crying out to the Lord. Jonah did not come out of the fish until the 10th verse “And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land,” (Jonah 2:10). Lord, please open my heart to you and cause me to want a real relationship with you.

May 4, 2006

The Word May 4, 2006
The Story & Lessons of Jonah

-On Monday, we talked about running from the presence of the Lord and as stated on Monday, we would address this issue again. Going back to when Jonah was on the boat and the storm came upon the sea. The word states, “But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken,” (Jonah 1:4) the key words in this verse is “the Lord sent.” Jonah in, all of his, running shows us that we can’t run from the presents of the Lord.

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from
thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thy are there. If I take wings in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy
hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
Psalms 139: 7-10

-When we call ourselves running from the presence of God we are not fooling any one but ourselves. The above verse even states that even if we make our “bed in hell” his presence is there. Where are you going to go? It reminds me of the song "No Where to Run to Baby, No Where to Hide." Lord, keep me mindful that when I try to run from your presence I am only fooling myself.

May 3, 2006

The Word May 3, 2006
The Story & Lessons of Jonah

-Picking up where we left off from yesterday. Jonah had just told the men to throw him over into the sea. The men really didn’t want to just throw poor Jonah in the sea. So, they tried to row the boat to land. That plan did not work. Then the men cried out to God and said, “We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee,” (Jonah 1:14). After that, the men threw Jonah into the sea and it became clam. “Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows,” (Jonah 1:16).
-When we disobey God he can/will use that situation for his glory and purpose. Remember when the storm first started the men were all running around praying to all kinds of different gods. The word stated, “cried every man unto his god,” (Jonah 1:5). It did not state that the men cried unto God, but “his god.” Like every man had his own god. After they threw Jonah in the sea and it was clamed, they saw the power of the Lord. Now they prayed to Jonah’s God. God used that situation to show those men who the true God is. Lord, please use me to your glory in every situation that I am in; even the situations that are brought on due to my disobedience. Please turn my crooked paths straight.
“And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them,” Isaiah 42:16.

May 2, 2006

The Word May 2, 2006
The Story & Lessons of Jonah

-To get to Tarshish, Jonah had to take a boat across the sea. As Jonah is out to sea, “the Lord sent out a great wind onto the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken,” (Jonah 1:4). The men on the ship all start praying to there gods. After some time, the men realize that Jonah is the cause of the storm. The men ask, “What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be clam unto us?” (Jonah 1:11). Jonah’s reply was, “Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea;” (Jonah 1:12).
-When Jonah sinned and disobeyed God, his sin not only affected him but others around him as well. We need to be mindful of the affects that our sins may have on others. We may not always see what that affect maybe, however, we need to stay mindful that there will be an affect on our self and others for our sins. Lord, please give me a hungry to want to stay in your presence and keep me mindful of the fact that my sins affect others around me and well as myself.