A Place from Whence to Give

17. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18 NKJV

The Bible declares out of the heart flow the issues of life. The heart has experienced many issues over time: some good and some bad. However, a heart that abides in God, out of it will flow rivers of living waters. This heart is not governed by the world's way of giving; giving from a place of reciprocation (if you do for me I'll do for you), a place of obligation (because you feel you have to) or a place of  judgment (I'll give, but I''m going to talk about you later). Help us Lord!!!

Our text is reminding us to give from the heart of God; no strings attached, looking for nothing in return and to give from a judgment-free zone. Know that if it were not for the grace of God, there we go...needing help from someone ourselves. Let us keep things in perspective. The wealth, riches, homes, cars, clothes, all of which comes from God!

Therefore, when we give, let us give from a heart of our heavenly Father. Let us open up our heart to meet the needs of others to make them whole. If you're looking for a place from whence to give, look no further than your heart and give from there!

Your thoughts!

Unhealthy Alliances

 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.  2 Chronicles 19:1-2

We connect with people for many reasons. One reason we connect are the similarities we share in life. Another reason we connect with others could be because we desire what others have and being around them helps us attain those things. Whatever the reason for the alliance, it should be for healthy reasons and not for unhealthy reasons. On the flip side, some alliances we make can be unhealthy and are born out of hidden agendas, false motives and sheer ignorance.

In our text King Jehoshaphat clearly has aligned himself with someone who is evil. In 2 Chronicles 18 we find that Jehoshaphat, operating out of self, has connected with King Ahab who does evil in the sight of the Lord. We too, at times like King Jehoshaphat have been guilty of linking ourselves with people who practice doing evil. We call ourselves going to their aide, but in all actuality we are simply satisfying our own ego and giving in to the familiar spirits that keep us connected to these people. We allow the enemy to pull us into righteous indignation (when really that can be disguised as judgement) and we forget that they are workers of iniquity. I'm not talking about the person who "sin and come short of God's glory." I'm talking about the person who consistently practice sin, causes division and operates in witchcraft. These people have a form of godliness without power!

We have to be careful who we link ourselves with. The Seer Jehu asked King Jehoshaphat, "should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?" When we make a decision to purposely have unhealthy alliances, just know the wrath of the Lord will be upon US. Let us no longer be hood-winked by Satan by believing connecting with such people is a good thing. Unless you are hearing from the Lord (not from self and thinking it's the Lord) we ought to keep our distance and simply PRAY!

What fellowship does light have with darkness, 2 Corinthians 6:14. Remember, bad company corrupts good people!

Your thoughts!

The Purpose of a Shake

 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe -Hebrews 12:28 AMP

When things have settled in the natural, often times to mix things back up, it will require a shake. Salad dressing for instance, before use, require a shake or two to allow the ingredients to be placed in it's most useful form so it can be tasteful to the palate. Other things such as a sheet or blanket, before being placed on a bed require a shake so that things that may be on it, i.e. lint, can come off and it can take it's rightful form.

The kingdom (mindset) that we as believers have received through Christ Jesus, has within it a dual purpose. It's first purpose is to shake off those practices and attitudes that do not line up with God's kingdom. The second purpose is to reinforce its power within us, so that the things of this world will not shake us! 

When we show forth gratitude to and for God, when we do the work God has placed in our hands to do and do it through reverential fear and love for God, He will be a consuming fire to everything that comes our way. This my brothers and sisters is the purpose of God's shaking!

Your thoughts!

The Perfected Power of God

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The power of God is manifested in our weakness. I realize this may be a difficult truth to absorb, but once we have understanding, it will prove to be one of the greatest tools we can possess, to get through difficult seasons in our lives. God's power gives us the ability to stand in the midst of trials and troubles. His power gives us the strength to fight temptation. God's explosive power, when operating in a born again believer, annihilates all the workings of the enemy. The key to ignite this power is repentance, submission and belief in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! 

Here, Paul explains in a sense, even in our darkest hours, we win! The key is to not allow despair or condemnation to creep in, although the world (our flesh) says it's alright to be there. Know that when we are weak, it is in that moment of repentance and surrender, we gain the perfected power of Almighty God! God's healing power, saving power and regenerative power is perfected when we acknowledge are weak and He is strong!

Your thoughts!

The Weight of God's Glory

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Corinthians 4:17

If we knew the things we encountered in life that were disappointing and hurtful, would be used later for a greater cause, I believe the time we spent suffering would have been cut short. When we suffer for Christ's sake, know that there is a lesson involved: a lesson we need to get before we can move on to the next level in Christ Jesus. But when we make a decision to sit around, feel sorry for ourselves, complain and gossip about it, we add more time of suffering because we refuse to see it through God's eyes.

At times we tell ourselves God has abandoned us or God is mad at us, but the truth of the matter is He wishes above all that we prosper and be in good health: good financial health, good relationship health, and good spiritual health. Our momentary afflictions are just that...meant to be a moment, but we choose to look at the way the world deals with its problems, instead of looking to the will and the Word of God for the answers to our problems.

When we change our perspective, that in turn will cause our position to change and we can view things from a seat in heavenly places, looking down on our circumstances, instead of our circumstances looking down on us. The next time a problem arises, think about the outcome, the end of a matter; that you are an overcomer and the weight of God's glory exceeds anything you have to endure.

Your thoughts!

What Does Your Free Look Like?

 "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" John 8:36

In the prior verses, the Jews who were talking with Jesus, revealed they were the offspring of Abraham, therefore, they had never been enslaved to anyone (John 8:33 ESV). Not discerning what Jesus was saying, they took His statement literally, thereby missing His point.

Jesus was explaining to them, if a person is practicing sin, they are slaves to that sin and needs to be set free. I'm so glad Jesus died for my sins and in doing so, He set me free from the penalty, bondage and shame of sin. Because of my freedom, I look different, I talk different and I act different. My free looks like peace that passes all natural understanding. My free looks like joy that is unspeakable. My free looks like love that gives me the strength and courage to love even my enemies.

If God's Son Jesus sets you free, you will be free in your deeds! So, what does your free look like?

Your thoughts!

A Pure Heart

 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, Psalm 5:8

Ever wonder what a person with a pure heart might look like? Not in the sense of their outward appearance; but how might that person act or respond in the face of challenging times. We all have at some point misjudged a situation, thinking we were in control, but when the rubber met the road, we fell short. How does one even obtain a pure heart?

A pure heart is one that has been healed, renewed and restored from a perfect heart...the heart of God. This heart, once redeemed, will no longer allow the circumstances of life to taint it. This heart will beat to the drum of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a heart that will love beyond fault because it understands where sin is, grace abounds that much more. 

A pure heart will look through the lens of Christ in adversity and see God! Have you seen God lately?

Your thoughts!