I think that I need to first understand to then be understood

Well today has been just off the chain horrible. Praise God for new days. Just put it behind you and hope for a new day tomorrow. Thank you God for giving me a chance to start over. God Bless and good night. Thank you God, this day is over. Debrief, distress, de everything. 

Spiritual Maturity

John 7:24
Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.

Thank you God for today. I will bless your name always. Lord help me with organization today. I have so much to do and so little time to do it. Keep me near you and watch over me. Thank you for your blessings. I love you.

Praying

Psalm 51:10-17 

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. 

Thank you God for another day. Thank you for hearing my prayers. Lord keep your watchful eye on me today. Help me to say the things that need to be said and to do the things I need to do. I ask for your mercy and insight in all of my dealings today. Teach me your ways Lord. Help me to grow closer to you. Keep me strong and alert. I love you and pray for you today and everyday. Be blessed, you are wonderful. We can do all things through Christ, who give us all the strength we need.

The Promises of God Repeated

Thank you for your blessings. Thank you for your trust. I am repeating this because this sermon helped me this morning. 

The Promises of God are YES and AMEN!
Bring back the remembrances of God's promises. Water the promises. The promise is good but maybe you didn't water the promise.

 Is this the day? Am I stepping out on something that is not going to happen. You must have the faith to confess that it will happen. Water and nurture the confession with faith. When the son of man returns, will he find faith? My hand is the faith that releases into the spiritual and pulls it into the natural.

This is the season of loosing faith. Awake from your sleep. Be ready. You don't know the hour or the day of his return. Stretch you spiritual imagination. God will burst into your life. Jesus has a tendency of bursting into our lives all the time. Jesus will break into your life and interrupt your daily schedule.

Sometimes Jesus is speaking to us and we don't hear him. What leaves do I need to fall off that are stifling my growth. Don't hold on to leaves that will kill you. Let them go. You will die spiritually, emotionally or even physically. Expect new hope, new joy, new peace. What do I need to shake off today?

 Maybe its the leaf of lying, selfishness, consumed with house, job, or a relationship, maybe its anger, wanting punishment for somebody that has kept you in a prison, maybe doubt, questioning, wanting less, living less, just existing.

 Name a leaf to shake off today. doubt, unbelief, low self worth. Shake it off so that I can live and bear the new things in my life. Speak to the depth of my spirit. Promises of God stir up, bring back to remembrance the promises God made over every life in this sanctuary and in our city and our state.

Throw off the old stuff so God can loosen new stuff. Throw it off in the name of Jesus. I shall live and not die. the promises of God are Yes and Amen.

 I am getting ready for a new life. One that God has prepared for me. My life will be fulfilling and loving. I will be mature and responsible. I will feel needed and loved. I will not ignore nor will I be ignored.

 I will do my best, for my God is a healer and knows how to mend my broken heart. When I have doubts about a promised relationship, God will reassure me that its solid.

God will have my back, I can trust God, God will allow me to put my trust in someone else to build a strong relationship together where no one can come in and tear us apart because we are joined together in love and commitment. We trust one another. We have a covenant with each other that we honor and will not break.

We will not be tempted to stray and disrespect one another. We believe that God has joined us together until the end. Divorce is not an option. We will work through our difficulties together. We find strength in each other.

 God is our shield and shelter. together, we are able to succeed. We love one another and care for each other with a gentleness and kindness that is reflected in our daily activities with each other. We are not hurtful and sarcastic and demeaning to one another. We love one another. We are in love with each other. We believe in each other. God has a plan and we are in that plan.

Responding to a Crisis

Joel 1:2-3

Hear this , you elders;listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your fore fathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.

Thank you Lord for today. Thank you for showing me how my inner life is in crisis. Help me to repent. Help me to see hope. Help me to not be selfish and needy. Help me to be thankful. Help me to move foreword. Help me to know that nothing last forever. Reality vs ideals. Dare to dream and dream big. May God bless you today and everyday. I love you.

Relationship Building

Galatians 6:7-10 

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

Thank you Lord for today. I'm blessed to have another day. Lord help me to do right by all people, especially the ones I love. Help me to hep you. God is good. Please help me to not become weary in doing good. Help me to keep my mind focused and clear. I love you .

The Nobodies that God Wants

Luke 188:27

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Thank you God for today. I pray for those who are considered insignificant in our community. Today is God's day. Thank you for all that you do. The need is great. I pray for you and love you much. Have a blessed day.

Thank God

John 19:11

Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.

Thank you Lord for today. I shall bless your holy name. I have learned that if it walks like a duck, talks, like a duck, looks like a duck, smells like a duck, swims like a duck, then it's probably a duck. Trying to dress up the snake oil seller into someone that might do right is just another sham over the people. It brings down your credibility. He's able to fight his own fight. He won, as he has said. Stop drinking the kook-aid. Life will go on, but I will continue to not trust that man and we don't need to bow down to him and help him destroy us. Let him be purposeful. Let him unite the country. He's yet to actually SAY anything, just tweet. His agenda is different from yours. I trust God. Thank you for today Lord. 

Reassurances

Matthew 6:19-24 

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 

Thank you God for today. I will trust in you and believe in you. The prayers of my heart are many but none more important than keeping my faith in you. Have a blessed day and be a blessing to someone. Take care of yourself. I love you. 

The Aftermath

Micah 5:1-4 Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. 

Thank you Lord for another day. I will bless your holy name. We are in the wait and see game now. It's so futile. A degenerate republican president, a republican congress, so there is nothing that can stop total dehumanization of America. What's done, is done. The rich will flourish and the poor and middle class better buckle up because we are about to be sold poop for dinner. He will be soooo charismatic when he does it that they will believe it's good for them. How disgusting. Well, God has a plan though his timing in my life is always just a little off for me. So I need to get on God's timeline and maybe things will become aligned. I don't give up on God, I give up on man. Have a blessed day and be a blessing to someone. 

Welcome to 1950 White America

Galatians 5:13-26 

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 

Father God I come to you with a very heavy heart. Thank you for the love in my life. Thank you for today. We have been given a very hard blow. America has learned to hate again. This time they have taken it up a notch. Now they are rejoicing in the victory of this hate filled extremist and his following of strong, hateful,white people. What will this look like for us? The people who struggle for justice and equality? It has all the makings of oppression and depression for minorities. I am SHOCKED that she couldn't get enough support from her own white people. I'm wearing black today, I'm in mourning.

The Shepard and His Sheep

John 10:7-10New International Version (NIV)

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Thank you Father for your faith and trust in your people.  I thank God for giving us such a good Shepard. You are a good Shepard to your people. We love you and need you. My sacrifice is to love you, while you help our people. Let the people come to you and love you. You have changed our lives. I keep you close to me in my thoughts and prayers. I have doubts and fears but it will be alright. I love you. Have a blessed day and be a blessing to someone today.

Rejoice in the Lord

Luke 15:10

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Rejoice, rejoice. Thank you God for today. I have been having dreams that you are in Hawaii, on vacation. I hope if you are that you are relaxing. I dreamed you were at a funeral in shorts and flip flops. Then I dreamed you were on the beach. I don't usually have such vivid dreams. God and my subconscious are speaking to me. I'm just not sure what they are saying. Keep the faith. Stay dedicated to the church and pay tithes. Give of your time, treasures and talents. Keep close to God's word. Be obedient to God's word. Stay with God. Know the difference between God and religion. Keep God in your heart. I love you and pray for you.

Husbands and Wives

Ephesians 5:21

Submit to one another out of reverence to Christ

God brought me to this passage this morning. I have missed you and I must have channeled that out of my spirit. God is so perceptive. Thank you God for loving me and caring enough to keep me focused. Your will be done in my life today and everyday. I love you and pray that you have a productive day. Take care of yourself.