Seed Time and Harvest

Genesis 8:22 says " While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." We have heard a countless number of sermons preached about this subject and we even talk about "walking into our season." We understand that there are seasons of life that we are to sow seed and we will reap those seeds at other times. While the sowing seems unbearable some times, we know that the harvest we reap shall fully out weigh the seed we have sown because God gives increase.

But there is another time when we like to throw around God's principal...

As HUMANS, there are times we have conflict with one another and God allows these situations for our growth, no matter how uncomfortable they are.  Some times we are quick to call those who do not agree with us our "enemy."  By the way, an enemy is any person who is keeping you from doing the will of God.  Just because there has been a disagree or personalities are too strong to see some one else can have a different opinion than you.  It is in these intense moments when we feel defeated or outdone that we declare "You gonna reap what you sow!" 

Galatians 6:7 says, "Be not deceived ; God is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap." The proper context of the scripture applies to the sowing we are doing here on earth and he reward we reap when we get to heaven, not God "getting our enemies back." This principle is not to be used in a vindictive way, but as a truth of the Holy Word.  It is true that as long as I CONTINUE to sow evil I will reap evil, but if I repent and turn from my evil ways, I am forgiven -WE are forgiven!  So then when situations came to us, they are for our learning!  They come to educate us so that we learn more about God and how to die to the things of our flesh.   

So rather than waiting in some one to reap evil things, let us be like Christ and say, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!"  The truth of the matter is we have at one time been God's enemy and had it not been for the blood of Jesus Christ and God's choice of us we would still be His enemy.

BE BLESSED, BE STRENGTHENED, BE ENLIGHTENED & BE ENCOURAGED 

What Are You Waiting For

So many times in life I have found myself thinking about my future.  I think back to all the aspirations I had during my senior year of school and everything I said I wanted to accomplish.  The reality of life is that I am now in that future still thinking about some of those things. Some of those goals have been realized, the bigger things I find sitting on the dream of reality in my mind. 

The truth of the matter is when planning for business, college teaches you to prepare for failure and draw these conclusions on how to recover from failure or what you will put in place to prevent it.  But no one, NOT ONE CLASS teaches you how to prepare for SUCCESS!  I realized that I was still looking at the cloud because I was living in FEAR!  I had to pray and be honest with God about what was keeping me from believing that God called me to be successful in business.

I have had several years of struggle that I had gotten used to.  I understand that those seasons come and go and they also vary in appearance.  I had to admit that I was FEARFUL of success and how to behave in a place of blessing.  It's not that I wasn't blessed in the place of my struggle but I must follow God closer as He takes me to new places in Him.  It has never been about the struggle nor is it about the success, its about trusting God enough to open the door when He sends the answer.

When Paul was in prison, the church prayed for him.  While they were praying, he was released and when he knocked on the door, Rhoda was so excited that he was at the door, she didn't answer it!  It is so important that if we ask God for something, according to His will, we take hold of the faith He provides to receive the promise.  Always remember that God gives us faith to believe what He has promised to us.  He does not need us to put words in His mouth, but take hold and trust the Word that comes from His mouth!

Be Blessed, be strengthened, be encouraged and be enlightened

Fulfilling Purpose as a Woman

It has been stated and backed up in the scriptures that woman was created to be help.  That means as women we have been anointed to help.  We are to be submissive to one another in the household of God.  We must always remember that submission is not about being controlled but being obedient to God.  We as women must understand that the role of man is to represent, RE-present is back to God, not to make us who God intended us to be.  They are covering for us.

Women who have fulfilled purpose

Miriam to Moses (Exodus 12)

Miriam was as help to Moses as he did the Lord’s work.  She sung songs of praise after God gave them victory (Exodus 15:20-21) so she was like the praise and worship leader.  Moses was her brother as well as her leader, present day Pastor.  She followed him and obeyed God through him until she disliked a personal choice GOD made for him.  She then got another leader, her other brother, to complain against him also.  Because she was rebellious and in sighted another leader to riot so to speak with her, God called her out of her place of service (Exodus 12:4-9) and told her of her wrong and God was angry with her for stepping out her place.  Because of Moses’ personal decision, she felt like she was EQUAL to Moses because God had used her to speak.  Her help to Moses started at his birth.  When his mother put him in the Nile River, his sister was sent to watch out for him and at the Egyptian Queens request, offered their mother to care for him until he was of age to return to Pharaoh’s Place.  Her stepping out of God’s ordained order caused her to be struck with Leprosy and kept outside the Tabernacle for 7 days. (Exodus 14-16)  Her life up until that point was one of service and help.  After God judged Miriam about her rebellion against leadership, you never heard of her disobedience to God again.

POINT: Stepping out of order causes God to move His hand

Mary and Martha were sisters of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. He went to their house when He wanted to just relax so to speak.  The sisters were always at service when Jesus came to visit. (John 12: 2-3).  Martha served while Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with ointment and weeping His feet with her hair.  When Jesus came to visit them before He raised Lazarus from the dead, John 11:1 and Luke 10:38-41, Martha was upset because she was serving as Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Jesus spoke to Martha to correct her attitude telling her that Mary was doing what was most needful, she was giving attention to Jesus alone. 

POINT: Even though we are called to serve those in our house, community, friends & visitors, we must never forget to sit at the feet of Jesus before we serve.  We must go to Him so He tell us how to help.

They were all walking in purpose, serving and helping, but one thought herself equal and the other wore out from serving without communion with God.  God’s primary purpose for womankind is to be a help and support to whoever you come in contact with. 

Purpose – is found through prayer and is backed up by the Word of God.  It is something set us as an end to be attained.  It is not always gift oriented but your gift is necessary to carry out purpose. 

Ø  What is your purpose and how are you operating in it?

Ø  Purpose is never about you, God just included you in it

Ø  Things that can distort purpose:

1.      Friend

2.      Family

3.      Dreams/goals

4.      Status / position in society

Ø  What keeps you from being free in your purpose? 

The Importance of Prayer

Prayer is our conversations with God that reveal His will to us and develop relationship with Him.  We also come to know the voice of our Father so we won’t be easily led astray by the voice of the enemy or even ourselves. 

In Luke 11:1, Jesus tells the disciples that men ought always pray.  There should never be a second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year that goes by that we haven’t been prayerful.  Does this mean we are walking around always in tongues and rolling on the floor?  No, it does not.  It means that we are to keep a prayerful spirit.  It means that as we begin our day, we begin with God and listening to His will.  It means as we go through our day, we stay in CONSTANT communication with the Father.  The communication is how we know Him from the counterfeit. 

When growing up with our parents, or parent, if ever we became separated from them in the store, if we called out to them they would answer us.  Even if they hadn’t yet realized we had gotten separated, they would recognize the voice crying out as their child.  Because of the time communicating with one another, it was undeniable that their child is calling to them and the nature of the parent is to respond.

In the same manner, when a child wonders away or is even in another part of the house from their parent(s), if their name is called, it is no mistaking that the parent has called.  Even if I am not sure I would go to them just to make sure they had not called me and I missed it.  I never wanted to miss it if my parents called me.  This should be our attitudes when listening and talking to God.  God is more than just someone to vent to and our problem solver.  We often tend to treat God like a garbage bag- when something is wrong, we stay close in His face and when He makes a way, we leave God until the next time.

We must conclude that God has a heart of love and He wants to talk to us ALL the time.  We get upset because people have a limit on how much conversation they have with us.  Not God!  He longs to talk to us.  He longs to share His will and reveals His plan to us.  We must make the time to communicate with Him.

Keep on praying!!

Be blessed, be strengthened, be enlightened, and be encouraged

Keep Moving

Every person on this earth has had trial and tribulations- no person has been exempt.  Please do not sit back and think that you are the only person in the middle of their process.  The process may nit be great but it is necessary to make you who God has called you to be. 

Stop waiting on your process tochange, it has been designed to change you!  You will not die in the process, so do not give up.  GOd is with you and it is He who knows the way to take your soul (Job 23:10).  Think back to the decisions you made that had you crying, left you broken. Now remember the faithfulness of God who healed you and is makingyou whole! 

Do not stop because you are in process!  Pray more, fast more, seek God more!! He loves you with an EVERLASTING LOVE!

Be Blessed, be strengthened, be enlightened, and be encouraged!