Daily Nugget

Why is it easier to believe you are or we are a sinner than it is to believe we are saved through Jesus Christ? Have you asked this question before? I read Romans 5 today and verse 15 just vibrated in my soul and along came the question I am asking here.

We question our salvation often. Am I truly saved? We go up to the altar at church in an act of surrender - and for salvation prayers - multiple times over a period of time.

It's easy to weep over the fact or thought that we have sinned or are sinners and repeatedly say we are sinners when, in fact, we should be rejoicing daily that we are saved and salvation has been granted to us by one man, Jesus Christ. It has happened, not because we went up to the altar 20 plus time within 10 years to be saved or because we cried so much for forgiveness after doing something our conscious told us was wrong. It is a free gift for nothing we did and it is worth rejoicing about repeatedly! This does not mean we can do any wrong just because of this gift, but it does mean we should rejoice because of it.

Just as sin entered the world by one man, Adam, so did the grace of God, the gift by Grace, come through one man, Jesus Christ to all who receive it.

Paul writes in Romans 5:15 " But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many".

This free gift has justified many offenses/sins. Paul writes in Romans 5:16 "....the free gift is of many offenses unto justification". Romans 5: 17 " For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

So, just as we easily believe that we sinned because of Adam and Eve's disobedience in the garden of Eden, so we must believe that we have received the gift of righteousness through the obedience of Jesus Christ though his significant act of death (to self) on the cross.

Key words for our daily living and for death to disbelief: 1. Receive 2. Die To Self.

Receive (it). Receive the free gift. Jesus died freely for our sins. That act was not a simple act. It abounds to many who receives it - many who believe.

Think about this: When you get a gift from someone, most times it is because you were nice to them or you both had a good relationship - you have a past history of doing things together that left a good impression - maybe you worked on something together or grew up together etc.. In Jesus case, he gave this free gift without us even knowing him - but, He knew us and he said to his Father while on his cross, 'Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do'. Yes he spoke to those who beat him and crucified him, but he also spoke to the sinful nature of those to come. Before we were even born he knew us and knew that because of our sinful nature, we would need forgiveness. He was the most compassionate person that ever walked this earth.

This free gift we must choose to receive is not because of anything you or I did, nor is it a gift for one but not the other. It is a free gift for all. There are no distinction between who can receive it. It is not by any works we did. There is absolutely nothing you did or I did to receive this gift. All that is required is to receive. The consequence of Jesus selfless act of Jesus, lead to our deliverance from death and forgiveness by God's grace.

Die to self: You may not believe (100%) the story of Jesus death, you may not believe (100%) the fact that his death brings you the gift of righteousness (God's grace and freedom from death) and by that you are justified or forgiven 100% purely by one may, Jesus and his act of obedience.

Believing and receiving this fact, takes death to your self - to your mind in particular. Your mind may not be able to wrap around the 'how' because you have always identified yourself with the old nature of Adam.

It's easier to say you are a sinner or I am a sinner because that's what you and I know and that's what we have always said. But just as it is true that sin entered the world because of the consequence of Adam, the consequence of Jesus's death is also indeed true. 1 John 1:7 "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin"! Because it does, we must take time to glorify God. We must be excited about this fact otherwise, why then did Jesus die? For us to wallow in our old nature and cry daily?

To not be excited and to not glorify God for Jesus and the free gift he offered is one selfish thing to do. Something that came to mind is this: it is also as if we were there, the day of his crucification, pointing at Him saying 'Look at you, you call yourself the son of God, the savior of the world? Not believing his death, his resurrection and his purpose for dying is us not believing that He is indeed the Son of God, Savior of the World, The only person who redeemed us from death. But the good news is, Jesus death covers even that disbelief if we take time to receive it. One way we can begin to change our perspective and become born again (or reborn) is to simply rejoice and glorify God. I speak this to those who have received Christ as their Savior but also question their salvation again and again and do not rejoice wholeheartedly when the name of Jesus is mentioned or when given the opportunity to praise the name of Jesus.

How can we make this glorification authentic with 100% belief. Repeat the scriptures as is written in Romans 5:17 or Romans 5:5. Romans 5:5 seems to say that the Holy Spirit - the true witness of Jesus Christ's death and that the purpose of Jesus Christ death was to justify us and deliver us from death- will share the love of God towards us - in your heart. When the Love of God is poured into our heart, we will begin to experience the gift of his grace and begin to authentically glorify Him. So you hear people saying "I am a child of God". Some utter that out of their mouths but not out of their hearts. But the more you do say that the more the Holy Spirit will pour in God's love that will transform it from a mouth talk to a heart felt understanding. When you begin to say it, authentically, you will feel the difference.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God. Romans 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. How else will you hear, unless it is spoken. Speak the word of God as it is written so that the Love of God and the witness of Jesus Christ can share the Love of God into your heart. This is a daily practice and a step towards retraining our mind and receiving the free gift that has delivered you (us) from death. It's a steps towards new birth - through Jesus Christ - the only begotten son of God.

Characteristics of 'wise' men and women as revealed in Proverbs 9 versus 9-10 King James Version (KJV)

As I read verses 9-10, I started to see the difference in how a wise person thinks and an unwise person. Here is how a wise person thinks.

Give instructions to a wise man and he will be yet wiser. When given instructions, a wise person will listen, ponder and implement. By receiving and following instructions, they gain wisdom about what should be done. A wise person will heed to instructions from the Lord and to instructions from other 'wise' men and women.

A wise person, when taught, will increase in learning. They seek out ways to learn. They want to learn. From teachings, they will grow in wisdom and in understanding the practical ways to apply what they have learned. A wise person will take teachings and ensure it is applied appropriately.

A wise person fears the Lord. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". (Proverbs 9: 10). A person is getting wise when they begin to show that they fear the Lord. Although not mentioned, I think if you are wise and observing someone who fears the Lord, you will say - 'surely he/she has chosen the right path'.

A wise person has knowledge of the holy and that knowledge is understanding. Knowledge of the holy brings understanding. I am being pulled to write a bit about this it seems so here we go: Knowledge of the holy helps a person see the deeper meaning or the truth that is only revealed by the Holy. Revelation of scriptures is possible because of the knowledge of the holy. Knowledge of the scripture is not mere reading of the bible and knowing where scriptures are found; not just memorization of scriptures. Knowledge of the scripture gives Life by the Holy (Spirit). Knowledge of the Holy is understanding - an understanding that the scriptures are holy - each word spoken brings life. When a wise person have knowledge of the Holy, they also understand the 'holy' attributes they carry - the light of God and the life of God in them - given by the Holy--the Holy of Holies. Paul says he presented his body holy and acceptable before God and that was the least he could do. He described it as his reasonable service. He must have realized how Holy God is and how sacred was the knowledge He had of Him. He carried that knowledge, that knowledge was powerful (more than the powerful authority he had when he was Saul) -- that knowledge brings the understanding of how powerful, in humble way, it is to be a servant of the Holy God. It also brings knowledge and understanding that serving God - knowing the Word - is a two edge sword. On the one hand, it brings Life and gives Life to many, on the other hand, the one with that knowledge have to guard themselves or risk losing that special relationship with the Holy of Holies. They have to walk a very narrow path that not too many persons are able to do. With the knowledge of the Holy comes reverence. With that Knowledge you gain understanding! You carry an understanding so special that you desire to guard it with your whole heart and soul. With that kind of knowledge, Paul knew he had to present his body holy and acceptable unto God. He probably needed to do this daily out of reverence and perhaps to guard his own soul and spirit. He experienced something by the Holy (Jesus), that man could not explain to him as hard as they tried. Read his story (Acts 9 1-19) Through his conversion, he was made blind, then made to see, made to understand, made to gain knowledge of the Holy. With understanding (knowledge of the Holy) he went on to do great things for the Kingdom of God.

When I too look back on these words, I hope they add more understanding to my soul and spirit.

Reading Genesis 12. In this chapter the Lord tells Abram to leave his country and Abram does.

One of the things that I want to discuss is 'God speaks'.

We read many stories in the bible where God spoke directly to people and they heard him. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, that means, He must still speak to man today.

Many times I have asked God so that I may hear his voice. I have not been privileged to hear the voice of God but I have experienced a knowing that I was in the presence of God. There is a strong sensation that comes upon me that is inexplainable. That sensation often leads to me doing something, most times praying intensely. I have not felt this sensation and gotten clear instructions along with it. I simply react to it as I am led by the Spirit. Sometimes I don't know why I react the way I react or for what reason I am reacting the way I react. Sometimes I see the reason after the fact. I pray to hear the voice of God though. I yearn for that. I feel I will make less mistakes if I did.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know exactly what God wants you to do?

That's what came to mind today when I read this story in Genesis 12 about Abram. I also for a minute reflected on Noah and Moses. They received clear specific instructions from God.

It has crossed my mind in the past, that after the fall of man (after Adam and Eve sin (Genesis Chapter 3), man must not have been far from the presence of God. It's evident because God actually made Adam and Eve's first clothing to cover their nakedness. He was still present with them. They had less of his fullness since sin had entered into them but there was still a relationship. They still heard his voice, but could not see him as before. Over the years as man sinned more and more, I imagine, that is how they got further and further away from His presence. When so far from his presence, how can we hear him?

When I read the stories in the bible from Genesis to Revelations, we read about certain men and women who had strong relationships with God. He spoke with and to them. They walked with Him and they obeyed him when He spoke.

It makes me understand a few things that has to be important to hearing God.

1. God must be present in our life

2. We must walk with him or understand that He is near and We must choose to walk with him daily, even if we don't see him.

What does walking with him daily even mean?

To me, it's first understanding that he is near. Believing that He is near. As we believe, we must seek him. We can't seek him with our natural eyes or mind though, we must get help to find him. We can start by having conversations with him daily. "Lord I don't see you but I know you are near. Help me to find you." That could be one way to begin the conversation. We must have ask for conversations with God daily until he leads us to how He wants us to pray and how He wants us find him. "Lord can you show me....?" "Lord can you help me....?" "Lord is this true I would like to know...? " We must never give up in seeking for God. Continue to do so daily.

We must not only converse with him but do what his Written Word instructs us to do .

Even if we don't hear his audible voice at the moment, He has instructions in the bible for guidance on how to be obedient to Him. We must obey those guidelines which are set for all man (male and female).

3. When we do hear from God, and receive clear instruction about our own personal life, we must continue to obey! By then if we had been disciplined in finding and seeking him even when we did not hear him, we would have developed a discipline of obedience!

Sin has taken us far, far away from the presence of God. We must do whatever is necessary to return to the presence of God. He is too important to us to not be in His presence. He is our Heavenly Father. And like the prodigal son, He will rejoice and prepare for us more than we can image, when we return. It must be our choice to return!

Our early brothers and sisters, like Adam, Noah, Abram, and Moses, had an opportunity to be closer to the presence of God because they were not as far removed from God as we are today. It was easier to hear the voice of God then - in my opinion.

But due to more and more sin entering into man (in this world), we are now further and further removed from God making it that much more challenging to come into his presence. We are often distracted by sinful natures and cares of this world. Even Jesus said, the way that lead to Life is narrow and not many will find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

We often do not choose to sit and pray and converse with God daily. There is always something else that comes up which takes priority over that. In my life, for example, when busy season begins, it is like that for me. Your life is different than mine, more than likely. My sitting still with God and walking or talking with him looks different every day. Many days I don't. That is my confession and it's something to seriously repent for because God says that we should love Him with all of our heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) When something comes to distract me away from God, and it does daily, if I loved God with all my heart I would not leave God to entertain that distraction or that thought at all. That's how very strong TRUE LOVE can be. So if I want to hear the voice of God, the unctions from the Spirit to read the bible, pray, talk with God, ask God for help and guidance must be what I obey (period) Over anything else...seeking God must be first in my life daily.

What are some things you easily choose to do before you speak with God? or before you read the Word of God?

We must work daily to come into the presence of God. It's the daily sacrifice we must make. (Romans 12: 1-2 - Paul says we must present our bodies a living sacrifice) I believe that we can hear the voice of God if we commit to a life of daily sacrifice.

We must seek God and we will find Him. He is the same, Yesterday, Today and Forever. We must believe that He can speak today and can speak to each of us. We must seek Him to Hear him. His sheep knows His voice He said.

Are you his sheep? Do you love Him with all of your heart?

I know that is an area that I must work on daily, now that this knowledge and information is being made known by the Holy Spirit. He reveals to redeem is what I have heard from some people.

I pray that He redeems me and anyone reading this who believe they do not love the Lord God with their whole heart based on the evidence of their fruit (ie. Do you choose God daily or do you choose distractions? Are you devoted to speaking with God daily,... How do you know that you love Him with your whole heart? What evidence do you bear, when you are tested, that you Love God?) Let each of us examine ourselves. (2 Cor 13:5)

Side note: I think I just got a new revelation about FRUIT. Let the Spirit of God continue to reveal. Amen.

References:

This morning, while reading Genesis, it occurred to me that we are all related - from the 1st, 2nd…..1000th plus generation.

When we hurt one another it is like Cain hurting Abel. Reflect on the story of Cain and Abel. You will find it in the bible, Genesis Chapter 4. Cain killed Abel over the acceptance of offering.

We were created to be fruitful and multiply the earth. You will find that in the bible, Genesis Chapter 1.

Later, we were scattered abroad, throughout all the earth, divided by languages - yet we are still from the same origin.

When most men were killed off the earth by the flood - the only remaining survivors, according to the Will of God, were Noah and his family. Out of Noah and his family came all the rest of us, and will continue to be, from generation to generation.

That's why one of the primary message of God is that we love one another - because we are all blood related - distant relationships but still related. If we can love our immediate family- that is our mother, father, sisters and brothers in our own household - we can find it in our hearts to love another outside of our immediate household. We can do this once we believe and realize that we are all from the loins of Noah and his family. We are all family scattered around the globe.

Let's dive in a bit about the word 'Acceptance" which I mentioned earlier on. The word 'acceptance' plays a big part in how we may develop animosity one to another. Most times when animosity arises, it is because one person did not accept the other person's opinion, offering or conversation etc. Think of other reasons and the foundation has to do with non-acceptance in some form -- there is some form of a disagreement.

Disagreement typically happens when acceptance is disrupted or when parties find it difficult to compromise, there is no 'accepted compromise' or when something presented or that occurred is not 100% accepted.

So when we find ourselves in a position where we are not accepted or where we do not accept someone else, whether it is their behavior, their works , their offering or what they are proposing, how should we handle it?

It's imperative that we seek God when we do not feel accepted or when we feel He, God himself, is not accepting our offering. It is clear that when we feel unaccepted, there is a very good chance that we will do something sinful. God warned Cain of this.

It could be us calling someone names, it could be paying it back, or getting revenge, it could be not speaking to someone indefinitely, it could be putting more danger in that person's path. When we sin one to another, we sin in God's eye towards Him.

God told Cain, why art thou wroth? and why is thou countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shall thou not be accepted? and If they doest not well, sin liveth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Genesis 4 v 6-7

God warned Cain and said sin would be his desire and yet, he did not seek God to find out how to avoid that nor did he repent. Instead, the very trap or warning he was given by God, was what he decided to walk into/do. He killed his brother Abel. And for that, God cursed him.

Cain might have thought he was removing his obstacle but instead, he created more obstacles for himself. His sin remained with him and he was marked for life.

Which do you feel is better? To live with the sin you committed or to repent of the sin you are about to commit?

Which do you think is accepted by God?

At the end of the day, what is most important is what is accepted by God.

Choose wisely when sin is lurking near your door because it will be when you do not feel accepted or what you are giving is not accept or acceptable.

Reference: (for further insight and Reading of the Word)

A young child following a parent’s lead, before they can see the world more clearly, is a perfect example of obedience to our Heavenly Father and what He wants of us all the days of our lives. This blog is not about a father raising a child but in a way it can be. Allow yourself to consult the Holy Spirit to hear more about obedience and what our Father wants from us.

Today conversation with myself and the Holy Spirit went something like this:

“Obedience is better than sacrifice” You have heard that before. Another way of saying this is obedience is better than disobedience because the consequence of disobedience is some sort of sacrifice and not in a good way. With disobedience you may sacrifice your joy, your peace, even your life. Disobedience brings regret and regret decreases your joy and peace.

Some disobediences require a lot of prayer. and maybe even fasting, to beg for forgiveness or feel worthy again to come before God.

Because of Eve and Adam, disobedience they sacrificed the most sacred place, Eden. They did not believe God. They disobeyed him. In the end, they sacrificed things that were so much more valuable than an apple that could make them see what Satan promised them.  They sacrificed eternal joy, their eternal relationship with God, eternal life. They were remove from the Garden of Eden, they now had to face death and more. The price they paid for their disobedience was so much greater than the promises told to them by some entity other than God.

Old Testament Sacrifices

Animal sacrifices in the days of Abraham, old testament times, were required to bring before God as way to ask for forgiveness and as a way to be remembered by God. God could accept or not accept your sacrifice as he did with Cain and Able. So, establishing a relationship with God through sacrifice was not guaranteed. Man had to bring sacrifice that was valuable to them. Animals in those days were very valuable. The more you had, the richer you were. It mattered how you brought the sacrifice to God.

Today, animal sacrifices are not required. We do not have to bring that type of sacrifice to God because the most acceptable sacrifice has been done for us by the blood Jesus The Christ (Jesus crucifixion).

What we have to do today

One thing has not changed when it comes to maintaining a great relationship with God; It is consistent throughout the bible; that one thing is obedience.

We no longer have to give animal sacrifice but we must continue to obey God. Obedience puts us in right standing with God.

All we have to do is obey God’s word, keep his commandments, walk in the spirit, walk by the spirit, worship God, follow the teachings of Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Once you are led by the Spirit, it’s easier to do the rest.

Obedience to just these is much better than giving animal sacrifices.

But if we continue in disobedience, we will still an even worse sacrifice. We will give up our rightful place to be with God in heaven. Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us.  We may not enter into that place in heaven and we may not have the gift of eternal life if we are not obedient to God.

So even though we do not need to sacrifice animals on the altar today to try to maintain right standing with God; if we are not obedience, we will sacrifice something even more valuable than animals eternal life that is being offered to us again.

God is offering us eternal life in exchange for obedience.

Jesus sacrifice

God was able to offer us eternal life because of Jesus cruxifixion.

Jesus cruxifixction was a sacrifice that was most acceptable and far more valuable than any and all animal sacrifices. Jesus blood cries out for us to be forgiven! Scripture says, his blood cries out better things.

Hebrews 12: 24 “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

Jesus was made to die not because he was disobedient (like Eve and Adam). His sacrifice was offered by God. Abraham prophesied of Jesus sacrifice:  Genesis 22: 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering”.

Like Abraham, Jesus was tested about being sacrificed and He obeyed God to the end, inspite of the pain He had to experience. Luke 22: 42 “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Jesus had to complete the sacrifice, He knew He was the one. Unlike Abraham he did not mention or hope that God would provide another lamb. He knew that he was the Lamb who had come to take away the sins of the world. John 1: 29 29 The next day he (John) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Abraham did not have to sacrifice his son, but God sacrificed his only begotten son because Jesus was the lamb that was prophesied about. There was no man and no one else worthy to be sacrificed to take away the sins of the world.

He  coming to earth was in itself a sacrifice of His Life. He did that to Glory the Father. In the end, in Jesus death, God gloried him. Jesus prophesied that in three days he would rise and God honored those words and Glorifed the son.

Things that Jesus did which we might never want to do

Jesus gave up His Life in heaven to be amongst us heathens on the earth.  He physically sacrificed his life so that sinners and haters of his Father and of himself could be saved. He did this all to Glorify God; so that God’s will could be done and not his own.

God in the end Glorified His Son

His son was phenomenal. He was cursed, bruised, lied upon, the weight of the world was upon his shoulders and he did not disobey God. Instead, he gloried and honored God all the days of His life on earth.

Jesus proved that man, when led by the Holy Spirit and when born of the spirit, could be obedient to God.

Gods word will not return void.

Jesus declared that he will rise on the third day in reference to his cruxifixion. John 2:19 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

God honored those words. After three day Jesus rose from the grave. God gloried the son and in so doing, men glorified God for sending his son.

Lesson learned

The important thing I’ve learned is that man can be obedient to God if led by the spirit and born of the spirit!

Trust God always. For Abraham to carry out the actions to sacrifice His son, meant he truly trusted God and would do anything for God even if it meant sacrificing his son. One of God’s commandment is ‘Thou shall not kill’. Yet Abraham trusted God enough to continue with what God asked, he also knew God’s voice. Abraham obeyed God and even during a painful experience he did not give up the hope that God would provide a lamb, if not that day, someday.Scripture reference: Gen 22 v 10

Guard the Light in your heart.  Talk less. Say what will edify someone or do not speak. Keep away darkness, like anger, bitterness or resentment, from entering your heart. The less you speak, the better you will guard you heart. 

Work on putting into your heart, what you want to get out.  Put in light and you will speak light.  Put in the Word of God and you will speak Word of Light.  You will speak of things that bring life.  The Word of God is Life and Light. 

‘Be slow to anger’, as is written in the word of God.  This is said for a reason.  Anger puts into your heart a foul spirit that lingers and lingers.  To resist getting angry, do not join in every conversation. Choose your conversations wisely.  

There are times to defend and to confront but be mindful. Sometimes it is wise, for your heart sake, ‘to agree quickly with your adversary’, like the Word of God advises. Make peace quickly or just turn the other cheek. That does not show weakness; that is wisdom. What matters most is guarding your heart. 

The Word of God, is your best guard. The Word is a two edged sword. Ephesians 6:17 “take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  A helmet is used in life to protect your head. In my opinion, one of the purposes of the helmet of salvation is to guard your mind. When your mind is guarded by the Word of God; your heart is also guarded. With your mind is guarded, it is easier for your heart to receive the things that the Word of God requires. Consequently, it is also easier to guard your heart this way. The Word of God says to ‘take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit’ These are powerful ‘spiritual weapons’ that will aid you to resist, anger, bitterness, resentment and any thing that easily besets you. They are mighty. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4)

Guarding your heart requires the Word of God to receive discernment of when to speak and when to be silent; and the Word of God is required to pull down strongholds. 

The Word of God will pull down things that normally would have upset you; you will walk as if they were not there. It clears your path. It clears your mind. The Word of God will empower you to resist emotions you would not have been able to resist. There is power in the Word of God, so much more power than you can imagine. 

Today I am reading Revelation. I don’t know what lesson will be learned yet. But at this moment, I feel that everyday, God, more than likely, wants to give us a revelation for the day. Something which we can use to strengthen, encourage or guide us to go though the day. We should expect revelation daily or ask for it.

I opened the book of Revelation to Chapter 1. In the first verse, I am told that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him.  I asked who is ‘him’?  In the past I have thought this was revelation given to John. But today, I believe the book of Revelation reveals the revelation God gave to Jesus Christ about things that must shortly come to pass. I say that because in the last sentence of verse 1 and continuing on to verse 2, it is written that the revelation of Jesus Christ was sent by the angel of God to John.  John is a servant of God who bare record of the testimony of Jesus Christ. This testimony of Jesus Christ reveals all things that he, Jesus Christ, saw that must come to pass.  John witnessed the angel bringing to him this testimony and he wrote it in the book called Revelation.  The book of revelation is the revelation of what God gave to Jesus Christ of things that must come to pass.

God showed unto Jesus Christ ‘things which must shortly come to pass’ (verse 1, Revelation Chapter 1). Those things were delivered to John by the angel of God. John recorded it and was a witness to this day.

We have the book of revelation but we must also ask for revelation of God’s word if it is not understood.  In verse 3 it reads “blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: fo the time is at hand”.

Bless the Lord at all times, let His praise be continuously in your mouth. (Psalm 34:1) 

The Word of God says that we should bless the Lord at all times....  The challenge is “At All Times”. I believe the reason we might want to bless the Lord at all times is because He sustains us at all times. Yes He does.  Even during what we consider bad times, He is still our life source.  We exist because of Him.  

Our attitude should be like this statement ‘whatever your will is Lord, let it be’. We should maintain a humble attitude and humble spirit with the Lord.  Our mind sometimes need to come in align with the scripture. That’s why God says, Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word (Romans 10:17).  We should train our minds by saying scriptures that put it (our mind) in align with the Word.  Say the scriptures out loud so that our ears hear it.  Like this scripture “I will bless you with all of my heart, soul and mind”.  (paraphrased Matthew 22:v37) 

Jesus says “Thou shall love the Lord they God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” True love does not wither towards someone, when you have a bad day.  True Love of God will not wither away when you feel you are not getting your way. True Love towards God will praise Him at All Times less something unfortunate happens. That is also the fear and reverence of God that we should consider. When we do not praise God a more unfortunate situation might happen.  Remember God is our Life. He sustains us.

I remember the story of Jesus when He came upon a fig tree that did not bear fruits for Him to eat. He was hungry and the tree did not have fruits to feed Him. He was not pleased and took away the tree’s bearing ability. He said to the tree “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever” (Matthew 21:19) and it was so (Mark 11:21-22).  When we do not bear fruits; when we do not praise God; when our praise is vanity; God might cause those gifts we have to dry up. Our voice is a gift; our life is a gift; our ability is a gift.  The life we have is not our own.

When we are told by the Word to comply to something, the simple rule of obedience is to comply. Just do what God says to do not wondering why. Faith in God’s Word is crucial for our life and our ability to live a quality, productive life.  That is how his is order and we must obey. Of course he also gives us free will, or we have a mind that now thinks it is in control due to the original sin in the garden. Our mind became separate from God’s mind and God’s will.  But if we truly desire to receive His fullness, we must be obedient to His Word. Praising God at all times we will reap far greater benefits than not praising Him at all times. Should we chose to not praise Him and listen to our mundane excuses or what our mind prefers to do; what we sacrifice will be far greater than what we enjoy temporarily. Jesus in just one sentence caused a tree to wither. In just one command. He loves us yes, but we must not take His love for granted and disobey His simple plea to us. 

When we read in the Word of God to Bless the Lord at all times, we should comply.  He knows the reason why.  I believe that it is out of love that He desires that we praise him. He can not bless us the way he wants or speak Life into us the way He desires, if we intentionally do not bear fruits. Praise is evidence of the fruit of the spirit; one of the fruits of the spirit is love. It is evidence of our Love of God. It demonstrates how our spirit is towards God; or how we feel towards Him and how we choose to obey him. Present our bodies holy...this is our reasonable sacrifice.  Obedience is a sacrifice. It’s not always easy to obey God’s word to Praise. But it is a reasonable sacrifice. Praise is one way of expressing Love for God.  Praise is also one way of resisting the devil so that he can flee from you. Blessing the Lord at all times, ensures God inhabits about you.  Scriptures say, God inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3). We look for things God can do for us as we praise Him, but could it also be that when we praise God, we bring him to the Earth to do His great works however way He would like to? 

Saints of Christ, bless the Lord at all times, let His praise be continuously in our mouths.

When you are going about your days, from Monday through Sunday, if you are not plugged in with a Christian fellowship, it becomes easy to get caught up in the everyday things that you do. Everyday things like work, family, chores, for example, can keep you busy. If you are not yet disciplined in the ways of Christ, or not regularly attending a Christian fellowship for example, you can get lost in your work, family or chores and spend no time with God. Your work, chores, and family ‘to do’ can overtake your mind to where they become first.  

God says of Himself, I am the first. “‘I am the Alpha”...

True you might not have intended for it to happen, but one day you realized that you have been overwhelmed and  have allowed other things in your life to overtake you. You have tried to stop and find time for God but you are not strong enough to do so. Your mind says you should stop, but your will power is not strong enough.

If you recall in the Word of God, God worked for 6 days and He rested on the 7th.  He tells Moses that we should remember the sabbath day and keep it Holy.  Exodus 20:8-10  “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it Holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all they work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God:  in it thou shalt not do any work.....v11 the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

There is a reason God wants us to not work for 7 days.  The first word in verse 8 of Exodus Chap 20 says “Remember...”.  God needs us to ‘remember’. To remember what? To remember Him; to remember his commandments.  This commandment is to not work on the Sabbath day.

It’s so easy to forget God; forget his commandments when we are lost in living on our own ~ meaning we are so busy we forget God.  We don’t have a need for Him.  God does not want us to get trapped into that kind of thought because He knows where that road leads. The end result is not good. It leads to eternal damnation.   So in His care for us, He gives us commandments.  He wants us to ‘remember...’ them.  The motivation behind remembering and doing His commands should be not to do it because you are commanded to do it. In other words, you should not do so regretfully or with an attitude as if it is taking up time when you could be doing something else.   We have to guard our heart against that.  

Our motivation should be because we want to obey our Father. It should be out of love.  Why? Because He is our Father.  We must honor our Father.  He took his time to create us in His image. Without Him, we would not be.  He should be the Alpha in our life and we should Love Him and obey Him. If we love Him we will naturally obey Him.

Have you ever found yourself saying, “after I reach this point in my work I am preparing for tomorrow, I will go and read my bible?” Or, “after I finish watching this TV show I will go and pray”? Shouldn’t it be, ‘after I pray I will go and watch TV’? Or ‘after I read my bible I will go and work’?  These attractions/things do not ‘‘care’ for us. They do not put an ounce of breath into our bodies. Try asking God, Father, when should I pray?  Father, when should I read my bible?  Father, how should I pray? The point is to let God be the Alpha in your life; not yourself nor your work.

V11 of Exodus 20 states “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Prepare.  Daily prepare yourself so when the day comes when you must go before the Lord or enter through the gates of the Lord with force, you will be ready and find favor, like Esther did before the king in the Holy Bible.  

Feeling alone?  Remember, Jesus.  He cares and He can be your best friend.

Separate yourself from any thought that says, you have no friend or that no one seem to care.  Sing praise or worship songs. Soon you will enter into a place of rest and a knowing that Jesus is with you. We tend to forget, because He can’t be seen. But although He is an unseen God, He is also a God in our very present help of trouble. He is always willing and ready to be our friend and so much more. Don’t forget that HE IS.

It is true we should love one another however, try not to look to be loved by people. We are humans and although we do what you can to mean well, our love is not consistent and not always pure. Our thoughts are not always pure towards one another. So, we fail at loving genuinely and at developing lasting friendships often. We are not yet perfect. So, try not to judge when you are not getting love as expected. 

LOVE is from God. Set your mind and heart towards Him everyday. Quietly spend quality time with Him daily to remember that He is with you.

If someone loves you, and you are blessed to say you have a friend, praise God, because Love comes from God. If you are able to love, where someone calls you a friend, praise God, because Love comes from Him.  Don’t be puffed up when you love and don’t expect love in return. Give it freely. If you don’t get love back, remember to praise God. 

How people respond to love may not be as you expect, so don't expect. Instead remember, God is Love. (1 John 4 v 16).  He gives Loves to whomever comes to Him to receive Love.

When you fear to lose the eternal peace and joy of being in the Kingdom of God, it is the beginning of wisdom.

When you understand that eternal peace is greater than the temporary joy of the lust of the flesh, you are gaining wisdom.  

When you’ve been through enough pain and fear losing the peace of God, so you make decisions to walk in obedience to God, you are gaining wisdom. 

Make decisions to not satisfy the lust of the flesh. 

Daily Nugget

Because you cry after an experience in your closet with God, or after an experience in your prayer time or after an experience at your place of worship, and feel relieved from certain bondage at that moment or feel you have surrendered to God, does not mean that your trial and tribulation is over.  

Today after a wonderful prayer time with God, and after I shed a good amount of tears, I was quietly looking in my closet for what to wear when these words were dropped in my spirit.  “Do not think that because you shed tears today that your trials and tribulations have ended, even Jesus wept and after he wept, he still had to go through His tribulation. Pray for PEACE.  The Peace that passeth all understanding. His Peace will keep you in the midst of your trials and tribulation.”