Separation

And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (Joseph, son of Israel; Genesis 45:7).

And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). 

Joseph, the eldest son between Jacob and Rachel, the wife whom he loved, was despised by his brethren.  First, they were jealous because they felt Joseph was favored above them. Secondly, they became enraged when Joseph told them about a dream that he had concerning them: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright, and, behold, your sheaves stood around about, and made obeisance to my sheaf (Genesis 37:7).

The scriptures teach that his brother’s hated him to the point of devising a plan to kill him.  But God had a different plan.  Joseph would be sold into slavery,  bought by an Egyptian officer named Potiphar, falsely accused of rape, thrown into prison, and by God’s divine purpose, exalted to second in command over the Egyptian empire.  Despite all of the bad things, the Lord was with Joseph, It was God’s plan from the beginning for Joseph to be ruler in Egypt during the seven years of famine that would plague the land and the surrounding areas (land of Israel).  God knew that with Joseph in charge, his people would be preserved.

Although you may not understand all of the trials that you must go through in this life, if the Lord is with you, you have no need to fear. In order for God to do great things in you and through you, he must remove you from your comfort zone. In your comfort zone, there may be close family ties, friends, old thoughts, selfish desires, etc.  Therefore, a separation must take place so that you can depend solely on the Lord.  Yes it is painful! which is a natural reaction to fear of the unknown, betrayal, and being misunderstood. But remember, we are the called according to his purpose, not our own. In closing, when God has a great plan, it requires a great sacrifice.  Are you ready?

written by - Brother Mark Johnson

War

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  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 6:10-12). 

We are in a war.  Brothers and sisters, we are in a war whether we like it or not. I am not talking about the war in Iraq or Afghanistan.  I am talking about the war in our heart and for our hearts. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were enlisted into the army of God (Read: Timothy 2:3-4 and Revelation 19:11-21).  This war is more real than what we see in the daily news. How do we know this?  We walk by faith not by sight (Read: 2 Corinthians 5:7).  Therefore, as believers, we deem the unseen (the spirit world) as the true reality.

The Enemy’s Weaknesses.  We know the strengths of our enemy (the devil); but do we know his weaknesses?  First, the devil needs permission. In the book of Job we learn that before he could tempt Job (Job belonged to God), he had to ask permission from God. (Read: Job 1 and 2).  Second, the devil is not omnipresent.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from waking up and down in it. Job 1:7.  And thirdly, the devil is not all-knowing. Satan told the Lord that man, for the sake of his physical well being, will turn his back on God.  But Job—after his children were killed, his wealth removed, his reputation tarnished, and his health taken away said this: Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither, the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord and shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 1:21 and 2:10)

Be on the offensive. Out of all the armor mentioned in Ephesians 6, we only need one offensive weapon; the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph. 6:17) How do we use the sword? Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15.  Pray. Study. Meditate. Apply. These things are present in a life submitted unto God. If we do them, the enemy will have no other choice but to retreat. Submit yourselves therefore to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Written by - Brother Mark Johnson

MEMORIES

Phil 3:13- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

 

In my life I have heard some horror stories of peoples’ past.  I have been privy to information that would make great books or movies.  Yet these are the true reports of hurting individuals that only have one thing that stands in the way of their present and future growth in God, their vivid past in their memory.  Like an ongoing nightmare our past can have a great affect on us.  It can literally paralyze us, stun our growth, and cause us to become dysfunctional or discombobulated.  The menacing memories of a horrid past can hold our future success hostage without ransom.  The graveyard is full of people who never reached their full potential or purpose due to their past.  Will you be one of them?  Do not let your past tax or victimize you any longer!

Paul consented to the murder and torture of many believers.  He was there, and consented, when Deacon Stephen was wrongfully stoned to death for telling the truth (Acts 7:58-59).  But on his way to Damascus, Paul had an encounter with Jesus Christ; it changed his life forever.  In Philippians 3:13, Paul was not saying that he would forget the things from his past; rather, the Greek word of “forgetting” can also mean to “neglect” or “lose out of mind.”  To neglect our past from having power over us would help us to live a victorious life in Christ.  Or to lose it out of mind would be to not let our past have dominion over us.  Paul without a doubt is the most prolific writer in history.  But let it be known that it was the Holy Spirit who helped him get over his past sins, which is what catapulted Paul into success.  He reached for the future by allowing his past to be just what it was, the past!  Paul set his sights on the things of God, and so should you.      

FAVOR JUST AIN’T FAIR

Job 38:3- Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

 

In human history, only Christ has suffered more than Job.  The enemy believed that Job only served God because he was extremely wealthy.  The hedge satan referred to around him in Job the first chapter was actually God’s hands protecting Job.  The enemy’s challenge to his God (Matt. 4:7) was for the Lord to remove His hands from Job, and satan claimed he could get Job to curse God.  SATAN WAS REALLY JEALOUS OVER GOD’S FAVOR ON JOB’S LIFE.  God gave Job into satan’s hands.  The old serpent destroyed everything Job owned.  He even murdered his children.  When Job would not curse God after all this, satan asked for permission to afflict Job’s body.  God gave it to him, with one stipulation: he could not take Job’s life.  Towards the end of Job’s ongoing saga he was bankrupt, without any family, and probably looked like a monster according to the biblical descriptions of his conditions.  Yet Job maintained his faith in God!  And God’s favor not only restored him, but gave him double for his trouble.

Job 38:3 has always awed me because God challenged Job to stop wining, and to prepare his mind to redirect his thoughts!  This is exactly what “Gird up now thy loins” means.  Job’s tribulation, test, trial, was to test his faith in God.  Job’s life lets us know that no matter how bad it gets, GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL.  His grace is sufficient for our every need.  It even strengthens us when we are weak (II Cor. 12:9).  Do not be overwhelmed by what you are confronting.  Do not think of the magnitude of your problem, but think of the greatness of your God.  God is demanding that you hear Him.  Open up His Word and find out what He wants to say to you.        

NEVER GIVE UP

Lam 3:22- It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

When the Prophet Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations, Israel was already in captivity to Babylon.  The weeping prophet, Jeremiah, had prophesied to Israel for over a period of forty years.  His message was in three parts: Repent—to appease God’s wrath, Judgment—will be the consequence for not repenting, and Restoration—Israel would one day return from captivity to rebuild their land.  I admire this prophet for his tenacity, relentlessness, and unfailing devotion to God and his nation.  Sad to say, Israel did not heed the call to national repentance.  They were scattered all over the world, until this day!  It is surely the mercy of God that they were not consumed.  The Jews have survived a holocaust, hatred throughout their history, and has held on to their religious traditions like no other nation in the world.  Surely God has, and will continue, to be faithful to His chosen people.

Jeremiah has long ago left the scene, but God:  He is still proving himself faithful and unchangeable.  Many give up on God, but He has never given up on anyone!  Every morning the Lord proves His faithfulness to us.  Even those who have a one-way ticket to hell will for eternity regret that they did not aspire to have the faithfulness that God showed them throughout their useless mortal existence.  As tough and rough as life can get, giving up is never an option to the believer.  There were times Jeremiah wanted to stop preaching and prophesying, but he was no match to the unquenchable fire of the Holy Spirit (Jer. 20:9).  Whether good or bad, up or down, happy or sad, David said, “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praises shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1).  Rise up you chosen vessel!  You were born for this (John 3:3, 7; II Cor. 5:17).  IT’S MORNING!

“A while back a former gang member came to our church. He was heavily tattooed and rough around the edges, but he was curious to see what church was like. He had a relationship with Jesus and seemed to get fairly involved with the church. After a few months, I found out the guy was no longer coming to the church. When asked why he didn’t come anymore, he gave the following explanation: “I had the wrong idea of what church was going to be like. When I joined the church, I thought it was going to be like joining a gang. You see, in the gangs we weren’t just nice to each other once a week—we were family.” That killed me because I knew that what he expected is what the church is intended to be. It saddened me to think that a gang could paint a better picture of commitment, loyalty, and family than the local church body. The church is intended to be a beautiful place of community. A place where wealth is shared and when one suffers, everyone suffers. A place where when one rejoices, everyone rejoices. A place where everyone experiences real love and acceptance in the midst of great honesty about our brokenness. Yet most of the time this is not even close to how we would describe our churches.”

—

-Francis Chan  (via ressinpieces)

Mmmm.  (via royaltorch)

SMH shame shame shame….wow

(via aliilove21)

Ouch! Truth hurts..

No Excuse People of God

by Brother Mark Johnson

Rom. 8:1- There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

People of God, how can we expect our spouses to be submitted to us, our children to obey us, or our co-workers to respect us, when we are not submitted unto the Lord and are disobedient to his word!  Truly, we earnestly desire the benefits of being children of the Most High God, but we despise the responsibility and the labor required.  First, our responsibility begins with our personal relationship with Lord.  We can accomplish this by loving the Lord with all of our being and putting Him first in everything that we do.  Ask the Lord, “What would you have me to do?”  Then patiently wait for the answer, and respond in obedience.  Second, faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).  Therefore, you must be faithful in your home before God can take you to the next level in Him.  Are you up for the challenge?  I hope the answer is yes, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). You are not destined to fail, but rather to succeed abundantly in whatever purpose God has implanted in your heart. 

Jesus is coming again.  The Lord will not accept excuses then, neither is He accepting them now!  We have the written Word of God, the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles, and most importantly, the witness of God’s glory in the person of the Holy Spirit inside of us.  God himself dwells in us. Selah (meditate on this).  We have what is needed, so let’s stop using excuses.

Pick a Side.

Deuteronomy 30:19- I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live….

Why do we continue to torture ourselves with sin?  We position ourselves in compromising situations in which we attempt to play both sides.  Both sides being the flesh and the Spirit.  Now, depending on which has the most influence in our lives, determines whether we dive into sin or dive into righteousness.  All we need is the right motivation, the right encouragement in either direction.  Although God provides a way of escape (I Cor. 10:13) the flesh seeks to remain in bondage to sin. 

Be honest with yourself, the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).  The flesh does not want to be free, it wants to be enslaved, and it desires to be entangled in the affairs of this world. When we “fall” into sin, it is because we are sitting on the fence and we have refused to pick a side and be 100%.  In doing so, we leave our victory in the hands of fate or chance.  Chance, my friends, is not sure.  However, God’s word is.  God wants us to position ourselves to be holy and to be righteousness.

How do we do this?

1. Pray. Be honest with God for he knows your heart. Ask him to fill you with his Holy Spirit so that you may be led of the Spirit.
2. Read, Study, and Meditate upon the Word of God “daily.”
3. Apply the Word of God in every aspect of your life
4. Be vigilant.  Don’t stop fighting. 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

UNDERAPPRECIATED OR UNAPPRECIATED

II Cor. 12:15- And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

“Overworked and underpaid.”  How many times have we heard the last statement?  What is worse is when some people cannot even say thank you.  Like a husband who just expects his food to be ready when he gets home, then he eats and never thinks to say, “Thank honey.”  Or our children who are notorious for thinking that they are suppose to get what they want no matter what the cost to us?  Maybe you have a family member who constantly borrows money, but never offers anything in return.  I had a neighbor once that I brought all my tools to.  He asked me why I kept doing this.  I told him that I like to keep my tools together; and since he had the bulk of them, I would need to give him what I had or bought!  It is no wonder some of us feel underappreciated.       

It’s not a good feeling when people take advantage of you.  Unfortunately, we do have a few that does not control their inner selfishness.  But here’s a twist: What good we do, let us do it as unto the Lord.  Winning the affection, affirmation, acceptance, adoration, and attention of those around us should not be our intention.  Check your motives?  Some of us are underappreciated because we are trying to appease man instead of doing what is pleasing in the sight of God!  When God is our focus, then we will do what is right to be in right standing with Him.  Eph 6:6. “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7. With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men….”  God will never forget what you do out of a pure heart.  Remember: although you may be doing something for your fellowman, ultimately God rewards for all loving and good deeds.

RELEASE YOUR BURDEN

I Peter 5:6- Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Our memory can be a great friend or a great foe.  It can bring back the sweet loving embraced of someone we love, or it could remind us of the horrible abused suffered in the past by an offender who only wanted to fill their twisted desire.  The previous memory is a burden that can turn a good day into a day of vexation of spirit.  Many of you have carried the burden of abuse all your life, and it was committed with this in mind.  The enemy tried to destroy your beginnings to arrest your future.  The abuse was not random, but carefully orchestrated with the intent to do maximum damage.  You were targeted; it was a hit to assassinate your character and inner peace.  But thanks be to God!  You can give him your hurt and pain and not have to carry it anymore.

God will not take our memories away, but He will help us to look at them differently.  Instead of just seeing the horrific act, we could see the act as a vain attempt that failed miserably.  It was intended to make us bitter, but instead it has made us better!  In the past we were victims, but God has made us victors.  Yes we were twisted for a while—maybe even a long time—but now through Christ we triumph!  Why?  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Cor 5:17).  Humble yourself before God, and when you least expect it He will exalt you and you will magnify Him.  Your biggest care is yourself.  Therefore cast yourself on Jesus, and He will show you how much He cares.