Happy Sunday!
The only people on earth that do not have enemies are people that aren't doing enough! Enemies come with advancement, progress, and distinction. If your enemy has not revealed himself to you, it means you are not advancing, progressing, or being as different as you should be. - Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
When we become Christians, many times we falsely believe that everything will be perfect and there will be no struggles. This is a lie! When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior we simultaneously denounce the Devil and the old way of life. As we grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord we become more and more like Him. Use your Bible App and search the word enemy. BibleGateway using the KJV version produced 109 results for the word enemy. Why would the Holy Spirit include so many references about enemies? So glad you asked.
Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III continued his series, "Rated R", with a teaching on "The Necessity of an Enemy". Throughout the Bible, God instructed His people on how to deal with their enemies. An enemy is defined as anyone that sets themselves as an opponent to your progress. Don't miss this! In Psalm 3:1, David said..."O Lord, so many are against me. So many seek to harm me. I have so many enemies."(Living Bible). In Psalm 23:5 he also says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."(KJV). God did not move the psalmist away from his enemies. He blessed them right in front of his enemies, This is exactly what he intends to do for you!
Enemies assist with our developmental process. Our friends love us, affirm us, and confirm us. But our enemies create an environment for us to see the underdeveloped areas of our life and character. Our enemies serve as catalysts to cause reactions in us. The appearance of an enemy is an opportunity to mature. When our enemies insult and accuse us the proper response should be introspection. Did what they say hurt? Why did it hurt? Was there any truth in it? Then make the necessary changes to level up! You will never be insulted by anyone doing more than you! Psalm 25:19-21 says, "Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee."(KJV). Don't miss this! Our integrity and uprightness will preserve us from every enemy attack!
Jesus even instructed us about enemies, and how to respond to them..."You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you this: love your enemies. Pray for those who torment you and persecute you."(Matthew 5:43-44, Voice). Jesus went further to say, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."(KJV). Don't miss the word "falsely" in this scripture. Make sure what they are saying is not true! 1 Peter 3:16 says, "But answer them in a gentle way with respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then people will see the good way you live as followers of Christ, and those who say bad things about you will be ashamed of what they said."(Easy-to-Read Version).
Today, Dr. Bill Winston continued his series, Christ in You, with the subtitle, "The Greater Works". Many times during this series, he has reminded us that God does not wish to see anyone perish(2 Peter 3;9). Ezekiel 33:11 says, "Tell them, “As I live,” says the Eternal Lord, “I don’t enjoy watching the wicked die; I want the wicked to stop doing what they’re doing and live! Repent! Turn from your wicked ways. Why would you choose to die instead of live, people of Israel?”(Voice). Don't miss this! God doesn't hate your enemy! He loves them, and he sent his son to die for them too! BUT the Day of Vengeance has come...God intends for us to live far above the world and its limitations. Anything or anyone standing in the way of our progress and prosperity is in grave danger. You know the story of Daniel. Daniel 6:3 says, "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an Excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm."(KJV). Then his enemies began to search for a way to accuse him of wrong doing. Of course, they found no reason to accuse him but decided to use his prayer life against him. They encouraged the King to establish a law that no one could pray to anyone but the king for a period of time. Daniel 6:10 says, "But though Daniel knew about it, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs bedroom, with its windows open toward Jerusalem, and prayed three times a day, just as he always had, giving thanks to his God."(Living Bible). He was arrested and thrown in the lion's den. You know that God caused the lions mouths to be shut and Daniel survived. But do you know what happened to his enemies and accusers? Daniel 6:24 says, "Then the king issued a command to bring the men who had accused Daniel and throw them into the den along with their children and wives, and the lions leaped upon them and tore them apart before they even hit the bottom of the den."(Living Bible). OUCH!
Shift your thinking! Trust that the Word of God is True, and Truth! See your enemies in a positive light. See them as an opportunity to be better! You have no successful enemies! Isaiah 54:17 says, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."(KJV).
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Perfect Love
Happy Sunday!
God uses relationships and interactions with other people to grow us in love. But we generally choose to love only those that love us back. Even Jesus said, it's easy to love people who are easy to love. Matthew 5:46 says, "If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much."(Living Bible). But if we only love the lovable, who will love the rest?
I served in Children's Church today. As you know, I will try to listen to Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III before I go to my church, unless I'm rested enough to go to our 9 am service and serve at 11:15 am as well. Dr. Stevenson is preaching a series called, "Rated R" about relationships. It has been amazing and always on point. Today's message was "The Spirit of Fear". He said, "You will never be able to devote yourself to any relationship as long as you have fear". Let that sink in.
Why haven't you introduced yourself to the neighbor in 3B? Are you afraid that they will be needy and always want to borrow a cup of sugar, or your snow shovel? Why do you push the down button for the elevator when you see that one person pushed up? Are you afraid to be seen talking with them? Are you afraid of what people may think? Why don't you go to the movies, bowling, or roller skating? Why don't you travel? You really enjoy it, but what will people think or say about you being somewhere by yourself?
Fear distorts things. There is no fear in love. Perfect or mature love casts out or dispels fear. Don't miss this. When our love is mature we will be Fearless! 1 John 4:17-18 says, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."(KJV).
Phobos is the Greek word for Fear. We get words like phobia from this root word. It means to shriek back, to retreat, to run, or to cower. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath NOT given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."(KJV). Stop accepting fear from the Devil! He wants access to you and your life. He knows that when you operate in fear your faith is unproductive. Fear paints a deceptive picture of your opponent and seeks to make you see yourself incorrectly. Our relationships and their success are determine by our fear or lack thereof. Dr. Stevenson said, "Many of us are only as broke as our relationships!" Don't miss this! As I told my daughter today, "You are going to be with people forever". Even in Heaven, there are crowds too big to number. Don't think you will spend all your time cooped up in your mansion! You will be in worship services!
Have you ever heard of Six Degrees of Separation? It's defined as "the theory that any person on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries". Whether you believe this or not, your relationships matter! Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right information, and the right understanding requires that you be ready for the right relationships. Everybody will not be your friend, but don't be afraid to explore friendships. Proverbs 8:24 says, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."(KJV). The Message Translation says, "Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family".
One of my students made a comment about love that says a lot about how our culture views it. She was under the impression that love was always perfect, and never involved any trouble or challenges. As a class we read 1 Corinthians 13 together. I recommend you read it as well, and perhaps in another translation. It describes what real love is like. 1 John 4 tells us that God loved us first without any guarantee we would love him back. This is our example. We have to grow to the place where we can love first not knowing if this love, compassion, concern, or benevolence will ever be given in return. We can't let fear of being hurt, mistreated, or misunderstood keep us from obeying God's command. You did realize that loving one another is a command, didn't you?
Love and prayers, Cynthia
God uses relationships and interactions with other people to grow us in love. But we generally choose to love only those that love us back. Even Jesus said, it's easy to love people who are easy to love. Matthew 5:46 says, "If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much."(Living Bible). But if we only love the lovable, who will love the rest?
I served in Children's Church today. As you know, I will try to listen to Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III before I go to my church, unless I'm rested enough to go to our 9 am service and serve at 11:15 am as well. Dr. Stevenson is preaching a series called, "Rated R" about relationships. It has been amazing and always on point. Today's message was "The Spirit of Fear". He said, "You will never be able to devote yourself to any relationship as long as you have fear". Let that sink in.
Why haven't you introduced yourself to the neighbor in 3B? Are you afraid that they will be needy and always want to borrow a cup of sugar, or your snow shovel? Why do you push the down button for the elevator when you see that one person pushed up? Are you afraid to be seen talking with them? Are you afraid of what people may think? Why don't you go to the movies, bowling, or roller skating? Why don't you travel? You really enjoy it, but what will people think or say about you being somewhere by yourself?
Fear distorts things. There is no fear in love. Perfect or mature love casts out or dispels fear. Don't miss this. When our love is mature we will be Fearless! 1 John 4:17-18 says, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."(KJV).
Phobos is the Greek word for Fear. We get words like phobia from this root word. It means to shriek back, to retreat, to run, or to cower. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath NOT given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."(KJV). Stop accepting fear from the Devil! He wants access to you and your life. He knows that when you operate in fear your faith is unproductive. Fear paints a deceptive picture of your opponent and seeks to make you see yourself incorrectly. Our relationships and their success are determine by our fear or lack thereof. Dr. Stevenson said, "Many of us are only as broke as our relationships!" Don't miss this! As I told my daughter today, "You are going to be with people forever". Even in Heaven, there are crowds too big to number. Don't think you will spend all your time cooped up in your mansion! You will be in worship services!
Have you ever heard of Six Degrees of Separation? It's defined as "the theory that any person on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries". Whether you believe this or not, your relationships matter! Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right information, and the right understanding requires that you be ready for the right relationships. Everybody will not be your friend, but don't be afraid to explore friendships. Proverbs 8:24 says, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."(KJV). The Message Translation says, "Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family".
One of my students made a comment about love that says a lot about how our culture views it. She was under the impression that love was always perfect, and never involved any trouble or challenges. As a class we read 1 Corinthians 13 together. I recommend you read it as well, and perhaps in another translation. It describes what real love is like. 1 John 4 tells us that God loved us first without any guarantee we would love him back. This is our example. We have to grow to the place where we can love first not knowing if this love, compassion, concern, or benevolence will ever be given in return. We can't let fear of being hurt, mistreated, or misunderstood keep us from obeying God's command. You did realize that loving one another is a command, didn't you?
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Trust Issues...
Happy Sunday!
Romans 10:11 says, "Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.”(Message).
If you can trust God for everything, then you can trust Him for anything. The Bible commands us to, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."(Proverbs 3:5, KJV). Surprisingly, the Word does not command us to trust in other people. Sure, we have to have a certain degree of trust to live in society with other humans. We trust that the driver in the other lane is alert, and competent. We trust that the server has not sneezed over our filet mignon. We trust that those we love truly love us in return. Jeremiah 17:5 give us more insight on trust, "The Lord says: Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mortal man and turns his heart away from God."(Living Bible). So it's more about not replacing our trust in a flawless God, with a a fleeting trust in flawed mankind.
Dr. Bill Winston continued the series, "Christ in You", with the subtitle, "Greater Works". We have been commissioned to live this life as God would have us to. We are each unique and gifted. We each have something special to offer the world. I've said it before, and I will say it again...you have something that someone in the world can't live without. Ray Boltz sang a song entitled, "Thank You for Giving to the Lord". Google it. It may help you appreciate that the simplest act of love and kindness can change the lives of others. Think about the people that have passed right by a serial killer, an suicidal person, or a family on the verge of destruction. A word, a prayer, or an understanding conversation could have made all the difference. The world has picked up on this and called it, "Random Acts of Kindness", but God has been encouraging us to do it all along. Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, "Do good wherever you go. After a while, the good you do will come back to you."(Easy-to-Read Version).
Dr. Winston gave us "Four Rules of Engagement" that we must know and put into practice if we are to do the Greater Works in these last and evil days.
1) Accept nothing less than what God has said in his Word.
2) Your experience is no longer the best teacher.
3) Don't settle for any unanswered prayer.
4) You can obey God's Word without full mental understanding.
Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."(KJV). The Word is the Key. Get the Word, get understanding, and trust God because he is faithful and will never allow you to regret your decision to trust Him!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Romans 10:11 says, "Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.”(Message).
If you can trust God for everything, then you can trust Him for anything. The Bible commands us to, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."(Proverbs 3:5, KJV). Surprisingly, the Word does not command us to trust in other people. Sure, we have to have a certain degree of trust to live in society with other humans. We trust that the driver in the other lane is alert, and competent. We trust that the server has not sneezed over our filet mignon. We trust that those we love truly love us in return. Jeremiah 17:5 give us more insight on trust, "The Lord says: Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mortal man and turns his heart away from God."(Living Bible). So it's more about not replacing our trust in a flawless God, with a a fleeting trust in flawed mankind.
Dr. Bill Winston continued the series, "Christ in You", with the subtitle, "Greater Works". We have been commissioned to live this life as God would have us to. We are each unique and gifted. We each have something special to offer the world. I've said it before, and I will say it again...you have something that someone in the world can't live without. Ray Boltz sang a song entitled, "Thank You for Giving to the Lord". Google it. It may help you appreciate that the simplest act of love and kindness can change the lives of others. Think about the people that have passed right by a serial killer, an suicidal person, or a family on the verge of destruction. A word, a prayer, or an understanding conversation could have made all the difference. The world has picked up on this and called it, "Random Acts of Kindness", but God has been encouraging us to do it all along. Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, "Do good wherever you go. After a while, the good you do will come back to you."(Easy-to-Read Version).
Dr. Winston gave us "Four Rules of Engagement" that we must know and put into practice if we are to do the Greater Works in these last and evil days.
1) Accept nothing less than what God has said in his Word.
2) Your experience is no longer the best teacher.
3) Don't settle for any unanswered prayer.
4) You can obey God's Word without full mental understanding.
Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."(KJV). The Word is the Key. Get the Word, get understanding, and trust God because he is faithful and will never allow you to regret your decision to trust Him!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Who you with?
Happy Sunday!
We must align our relationships to prepare for success. - Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
Your Network determines your Net Worth. - Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
History with it does not mean it should be in your future. - Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
Deuteronomy 13:6-9 says, " If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people."(KJV).
Seems harsh, but the writer just happened to be the meekest man that was on the face of the earth at that time, Moses. (Numbers 12:3). Yes, we are living in the New Testament, but any relationship that leads you away from God needs to be killed. Don't get it twisted, kill the relationship not the person. LOL! Samson, Solomon, and Cynthia can all testify about how important it is to encourage strong, godly, relationships. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Don’t be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.”(Easy-to-Read Version).
Life is precious! God has not given us a spirit of fear, but tomorrow is not promised. We need to make today count. Today is an investment in your future. Each day use your time wisely, and don't allow other people to waste your precious time. Set goals, make plans, and purposefully move forward. Don't let this year be just like last year. Never be afraid to say, "NO!" Don't beat yourself up when you miss it, and don't let the Devil condemn you! Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now NO condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."(KJV).
Love and prayers, Cynthia
We must align our relationships to prepare for success. - Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
Your Network determines your Net Worth. - Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
History with it does not mean it should be in your future. - Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
Deuteronomy 13:6-9 says, " If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people."(KJV).
Seems harsh, but the writer just happened to be the meekest man that was on the face of the earth at that time, Moses. (Numbers 12:3). Yes, we are living in the New Testament, but any relationship that leads you away from God needs to be killed. Don't get it twisted, kill the relationship not the person. LOL! Samson, Solomon, and Cynthia can all testify about how important it is to encourage strong, godly, relationships. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Don’t be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.”(Easy-to-Read Version).
Life is precious! God has not given us a spirit of fear, but tomorrow is not promised. We need to make today count. Today is an investment in your future. Each day use your time wisely, and don't allow other people to waste your precious time. Set goals, make plans, and purposefully move forward. Don't let this year be just like last year. Never be afraid to say, "NO!" Don't beat yourself up when you miss it, and don't let the Devil condemn you! Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now NO condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."(KJV).
Love and prayers, Cynthia
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