Fellowship Friday: Are You a Servant?

 

Whose servant are you? To whom are you obeying?

King Saul in the book of Samuel was instructed to destroy a city, including the people and their possessions. King Saul kept their leader alive and their best possessions. He justified his actions by claiming he would sacrifice the possessions he did not destroy.

 

1 Samuel 15

^22 “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

 

Obedience is critical in serving God. Why is it critical????

 

Romans 6

^16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

 

These verses tell us our obedience determines whether we are God’s people. To be obedient, hearing is important. To be obedient trust is needed. To be obedient a relationship or more importantly an awareness of God as the AUTHORITY in your life needs to be present.

 

Reading the bible and praying helps fulfill all these criteria. God is not the author of confusion, so if you don’t know whom you’re serving, you’re NOT serving God.

 

John 10:27

^” My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

Knowing God and having a relationship with God is the best thing I have acquired in my life. I have been blessed in a myriad of ways from small to great things. I believe the distinction of the people of God is found in times of uncertainty or distress. When all is going well, even an atheist makes reference to God being good. I heard an atheist say after something good happened to them, “Maybe there is a God.” In these times of stress people are limited to their network, avenues and own strength.

 

The people of God are limitless because our God is limitless!! We serve him through obedience and there forth he knows us. Our distinction is not in how great our finances appear, how good we look, how perfect something in our lives might be, but simply our peace in midst of a storm, our hope in a hopeless situation, our faithfulness in spite of circumstances and our choice of obedience to live as God’s servants when the world opposes this lifestyle. Many claim to be Christians but obedience is an action word.

Psalms 40:5

“Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.”

 

When people receive something good in their lives they usually tell people about it and hope others can enjoy it with them. This blog today, the blogging website and every blogger to participate is evidence that there is a God, he speaks and he is continuing to do great things.

Psalm 95:7

^” For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice,”

Thirsty Thursdays: Peace Be With You

Growing up I knew of God but never really had a personal relationship with him. I went to a catholic high school (Saint Joseph Regional, a national powerhouse in football #JustSaying ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) whenever we would have mass the priest would always say “Peace be with you” and everyone would respond “and also with you”. I never understood why they said that, didn’t know the significance of it (along with many other phrases they would say). To me it just all seemed like a bunch of repetitive ritualistic sayings that were so monotonous it no longer had any meaning. It wasn’t until today’s reading that I truly learned what was meant by it.

We were made sinners through the disobedience of Adam (he just had to eat the forbidden fruit smh.) His disobedience opened the door for pain, suffering, death etc. Fast forward a bit and here comes along Jesus Christ. Our Savior died on the cross for our sins. When he rose he went to visit his disciples and said 21 “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:21-22. 

Not only did I not know that “peace be with you” were the words of Jesus Christ, but I always took it as a simple expression of “hey have a good day”.  But this was much more than just best wishes. “1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

This “peace” was a gift, which can only be given by Jesus. It was a bundled up care package of hope, grace and peace of mind with the assurance that he will always be there and will always provide.  No matter the trials and tribulations we may face, in the midst of our struggles God will be there to guide us, console us, strengthen us and love us. He will fill us with faith and hope to endure. It is why “although we walk THROUGH the valley of death…” we fear no evil, for he is with us, his rod and his staff comfort us. 

 

His grace, the unmerited love and favor of God, provides blessings even when undeserving. It can work through our issues and heal us of them. “17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 …But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:17-21. The Lord is our rock, our fortress, our provider, our everything. This journey will not be one free of troubles and speed bumps, but through it all he will be by our side. So continue to praise him, honor him and give him the glory while fighting the good fight PEACE BE WITH YOU!!!

 

Stay Thirsty My Friends!!!

Thirst Thursdays: Ron

 

Warrior Wednesdays: God's Pinky Promise

Everyone knows the strongest promise is a pinky promise. A pinky promise can not be broken! Every promise that God makes with us is a pinky promise. When God makes a covenant with us he will not break it.  It may take  longer than we would like to receive the promise but it will come to pass.

Abraham is the father of faith because he lived a lifetime believing God's promise to make him a father of many nations. At times this  may have seemed like a hopeless situation."Who against hope believed in hope,that he might become the father or many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be."Romans 4: 18 Despite his age Abraham still hoped that God's promise would come to pass.

Although, both Abraham and Sarah were well past their child bearing years, Abraham remained strong in his faith knowing that God was going to make good on his promise. "And being not weak in the faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: "Romans 4:19 Can you imagine being 100 years old and having a child? That is an unrealistic idea for almost everyone, however with God all things are possible. Abraham knowing this continued to believe the promise of God.

During Abraham's journey he overcame numerous obstacles which increased his faith. With every victory he made sure to give God praise and wait patiently on the promise that was given to him. " He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;" Romans 4: 20 While we are waiting for our promise we may come up against many challenges, it is important that we keep our faith strong knowing that God will come through for us. It may not be on our time, but it will be in his time which is perfect.

Stay Blessed and Continue Warring for Christ!

Warrior Wednesday: Brittney

TRANSFORMING TUESDAY: If You Have A Problem, Jesus Is The Solution

We as people can be so judgmental at times. We point fingers at those who we label as "lost". We even point fingers although our situations are no better. We all do it at times; no one is exempt. One thing we should all stop doing is pointing the finger at other people's problems without offering a solution to that problem. Jesus will forever be a solution to any problem. The Bible tells us to cast our cares upon him.

Today's reading in Romans focuses on righteousness. The scriptures say that no one is righteous because we all sin and fall short. The only way we obtain righteous is through our faith in  Jesus Christ and this is made available to anyone who believes and that has always been the case. God is the God to everyone, which means his righteousness is available to all.

1 Samuel's reading focuses on the evil that we as humans partake in. As we know, none of us are perfect but that doesn't give us a pass to sin as we please. Although we are not perfect and we know that God is a forgiving God, we should still try to have some respect for him. We can't sin expecting God to forgive us just because. When we sin we also have to ask for forgiveness and we have to be sincere. We must try to be more like him which includes abstaining from sin. This includes the conscious effort of not placing ourselves in compromising situations. For example: 

• If I have a drug problem, I should not be around those who do drugs
• If I have an alcohol problem, I should not be hanging around bars
• If I have a stealing problem, then I should not be around high priced merchandise or anything that will prompt me to steal

The truth is we all need Jesus and he never turns away from us; we turn away from him. According to Psalms 57 he provides shelter, protection, love, and faithfulness. Whenever we cry out for him he is always there. I am almost positive that anytime anyone of us has cried out for his name, he has come to our rescue. He has protected us from evil and even enemies. The fact that you are still here is testament to his protection. This world is not getting any better. It seems as if no one understands the value of life. People are killing one another and themselves. Through all the chaos, God's love remains the same. So if you have a problem in your life, I know the solution!

Are you:

-battered

-abused

-confused

-lost

-lonely

-abandoned

-angry

-overwhelmed

-isolated

-destructive

-etc.

If you are any of these trust me when I say, I know the solution: Seek Jesus with your WHOLE HEART <3 

If you need prayer please do not hesitate to send in your prayer requests on our "Prayer Requests" tab. We are all here together to help one another. The Bible says in Matthew 18:20, "If two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them."

It's Never Too Late To Transform Your Tuesdays!!!

Transforming Tuesday: Jamera

Merciful Monday: When You Fall Short, Just Believe

Isn't it terrible when you fall short of something you are trying to achieve? We have all fallen short of at least a few of these goals:

• Honor Roll/Deans List- Five As and…one B+! :’(
• “The championship”-whether in Madden or in real life, we have all lost a sports championship by just one point, one touchdown, one goal!
• Getting the job- you applied for the job, internship, fellowship, [or whatever] of your dreams and you made it to the final interview round but lost out to another interviewee(s)
• Love- sometime around 1^st grade (and possibly later in life too) your crush chose you to be their boyfriend/girlfriend…untilllll you saw them with someone else a week later.

I’m sure you can relate to falling short in one of these categories, and feeling depressed, dejected, dumb, disheartened, or all of the above. Beyond these examples of falling short though, we do have one thing in common that we ALL fall short of. Romans 3:23 says in the King James Version: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  

It is a verse people love to quote, but one that we rarely stop and examine for its profound significance. I like how the New Living Translation says it, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” To me this means, we attempt to do what is right, but even at our finest moment when we think that we have passed with 100s across the board, there will always be that one B+. The fact is, we just aren't good enough to compare to God’s measuring stick.

Now you may be thinking: this is depressing, we can never win! But on the contrary, we have a wildcard and with this wildcard there is hope for us. That hope is Jesus Christ. Romans 3: 24-26 go on to say: “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus”

YET, GOD WITH UNDESERVED KINDNESS DECLARES THAT WE ARE RIGHTEOUS  I love everything about this statement. Let’s think about it for a second…God has already told us that we are not worthy of his glory. Yet, he is SO AMAZING that he has the power to declare us righteous because he is kind and because HE says so. All we have to do to receive this kindness is believe in Jesus.

So, I DARE YOU to believe today. Believe that God is fair. Believe that God loves you. Believe that Jesus died for your sins. Believe that you can overcome your shortcomings. Through belief, all things fall into place. Once you decide to believe and have faith in God, you will “truly fulfill the law” (Romans 3:31). You will begin to do right and you won’t fully know why.

Accept God’s unfailing love and kindness by believing today, and he will change your life.

Today’s Prayer: Dear God, I pray for each and every person reading his blog. I pray that they will stop focusing on their shortcomings and make the decision to believe in you today. I pray that you will shower you kindness and love upon them and show them what it feels like to be made whole despite our human brokenness. I thank you right now for giving us the opportunity for redemption and for declaring us right in your sight despite all the ways we are wrong. I believe in you Jesus. Amen.

  

Merciful Mondays: Jael

^“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 4:31

GUEST BLOGGER FOR MAY: Faithfulness

•• What happens when you are faithful? ••

Hannah womb was open.

Hannah was faithful. She consistently prayed, worshipped, & offered sacrifices to the Lord even after he opened her womb to birth Samuel, which she presented to the Lord. She was later blessed with 3 sons and 2 daughters.

•• What happens when you are unfaithful? ••

Eli's priesthood was taken from his family and given to Samuel.

Eli's ancestors were chosen out of all the tribes in Egypt under pharaoh to be priests for the Lord. But "Eli's sons had no regard for the Lord." "This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord ’s sight, for they were treating the Lord ’s offering with contempt." So as a result of their unfaithfulness the Lord declares "This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord ’s sight, for they were treating the Lord ’s offering with contempt. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life." (1 Samuel 31-33 NIV)

--Thoughts--

• Just as quickly as you receive something it can be taken away for you in a blink of an eye.
• Just as Hannah said in her prayer, "those who oppose The Lord will be broken," the Lord put Elis's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas to death on the same day.
• Blessings are passed down on to your children.
• -Even though we don't deserve it & it's not in our timing The Lord is forever faithful to us. We must be consistent in serving him, giving him all the glory & honor because our blessings are already on its way.
• Be faithful as The Lord is & he will keep the promises he has made to you.
• By being faithful to The Lord you receive great blessings.. Greater than your expectations..

**•My Testimony• **

--Unfaithful to The Lord --
Right before Hurricane Sandy The Lord was telling me it was

time to clean up and get rid of everything from my past. I would think about cleaning, then get distracted and didn't clean. When Hurricane Sandy hit my house I didn't think it would be that bad but,  in fact, it was worst than i could imagine. My house was completely flooded and I lost everything except for whatever I had with me. I took it as because I wasn't faithful to The Lord when He told me to clean up, He cleaned up for me and got rid of everything.

--Being faithful to The Lord--
A couple months ago I was having transportation issues. My car got flooded during Hurricane Sandy so I had to car pool with people in order to get to work. The lady who offered to pick me up was charging too much. So as always I prayed to The Lord and kept in mind that He provides. To this very day The Lord has provided for me, and I believe that if I follow Him wholeheartedly and faithfully then He will continue to provide.

No matter what my situation is, I know that as long as I keep God first I will remain blessed by the Lord. Also, the Lord will deliver blessings that will be greater than my expectations.

GUEST BLOGGER FOR THE MONTH OF MAY: ANGIE

Salvation Sunday: UNASHAMED!!....... Who are you TRUSTing?

Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.". I love these two verses!!!

The question is are you unashamed. But, when you talk about being unashamed, there are many things to be unashamed for. My question is are you ashamed of God? Are you ashamed to trust God? Are you ashamed to let God take control? A lot of times we are ashamed to relinquish the power to someone. I know that I will not ask for help and say some things because I am too ashamed to say it. With God, there is no need to feel ashamed. Actually, God wants us to ask Him for help. He wants us to trust Him.

In addition, He wants us to trust what He has given us. In 1 Samuel, we see Saul doubting what God has called him to do. Saul said this in 1 Samuel 9:21 says
 "And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?".

With this, don't let your past hinder you from moving forward. When God calls you to do something or step up in your calling, He knows where you have come from. He knows what you have dealt with you. Remember He chose you for a reason and He knows it all and knows what is best for us!!! So don't doubt God. Actually, in chapter 10, we see Saul not doubting God's word. He acts upon what Saul said and trusts God to work it out. As we see, He was unashamed of God as He trusted God. Saul was looking for his livestock. He didn't go crazy and start stressing about the livestock and the "craziness" that Samuel spoke to Him. When he trusted God, everything worked out as promise.

It's time to be unashamed for Christ!!! Back to Romans 1:17, the just who are unashamed shall live by faith. That means we have to be for Christ. We have to trust Him and everything He says. Jesus knows what is in your reach and He knows when you need help. But, He wants you to access His power and ask Him for help. He wants you to trust Him!!! Don't add more stress to your life. Trust God!!!

Psalm 55:22-23 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will TRUST in thee."

Prayer: God, please help us to be more trusting and remind us that you have it under control. God, please touch my heart so I can be unashamed and be willing to ask for help. God, I am trusting You to take over and lead my life. I trust You God through it all. I trust You in the good and the bad. I trust You when I can't see the end or when I can't see a way out. You are awesome and I am giving it to You!!


God, through it all, I TRUST You!! It's not easy but I TRUST You!!

Stay blessed!!!
Salvation Sunday: Steven Gable

Saturday Sacrifice: He Hears Your Prayer

Save me, O God, by your name;
    vindicate me by your might.
² Hear my prayer, O God;
    listen to the words of my mouth.

³ Arrogant foes are attacking me;
    ruthless people are trying to kill me—
    people without regard for God.^[c]

⁴ Surely God is my help;
    the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
    in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
    I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.
⁷ You have delivered me from all my troubles,
    and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

God hears our prayers. Even when we feel like he doesn’t, he hears us.

He answered the prayer or request of the elders in Samuel 8.

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. ²² The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

We just have to wait, and continue to pray, and seek God with our whole heart. In those times of silence from God, he’s trying our faith. He is also stretching our faith which helps us to totally rely on him for everything.

Stay in God’s Peace, not in pieces =)

Saturday Sacrifice: Hannah

Fellowship Friday: God Will

In first Samuel chapter 7, the man of God speaks a principle from God:

^3 “And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord withALL YOUR HEARTS, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and HE WILL deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

God’s Principle

Return unto the lord with ALLYOUR HEART, serve him and HE WILL….

In the reading the people of Israel had drifted from God and were living in harsh times under the rule of the Philistines. Samuel speaks this Godly principle to them and this chapter confirmed its validity.

^4 “Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.”

^8 “And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that HE WILL save us out of the hand of the Philistines.”

^10 “And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.”

^12 “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.”

Israel cried unto God with this principle, and they learned that HE WILL help them when they serve him with ALL THEIR HEART.

This Godly principle is still viable today. I can speak of myself, 2012 I made the decision to return unto the lord and serve him with ALL MY HEART. I believed HE WILL help me create a better life. Sounds vague, because it was a vague prayer. I couldn’t articulate the meaning of better, except for anything better than my current state. 2012 I was walking to work, I had no transportation and no plans to excel despite my desire for more. Returning unto God and serving him with all my heart in 2012, I learned God HE WILL adhere to his word and principle. God helped me overcome the walking that lasted a year and helped resolve that issue. 2012 God restored a myriad of things in my life that steered me back to my former school. As the scripture also stated in Samuel, God restored cities that were taken back to Israel. God is a great God, so HE WILL do exceeding and abundantly more than we ask or think. My original prayer was based on transportation, but God saw and answered my true desire.

 

As a believer now serving God with all my heart, the challenge is now trusting in this principle. When you’re a believer you don’t have to return, but simply believe HE WILL. No matter what comes, we are living in God’s princilple and entitled to its benefits. As the righteous we know in lack of food, HE WILL supply. In lack of money we know HE WILL provide. In lack of clarity we know HE WILL lead.

To those whom don’t know God and desire to know him, this principle is in effect. When you seek him with all your heart, HE WILL allow you to find him and know him.

Jeremiah 29:13

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

 

Thirsty Thursdays: What's Your Refuge?

We've all heard the story about the three little pigs. They were sent out on their way and they all built their little houses. One little pig built his house out of straw, not the best of decisions. Straw isn't very solid or sturdy. Another one of the pigs built his house out of sticks. A bit better of an idea but still not solid enough. The third little pig built his house out of bricks, solid, sturdy bricks. 

As the story goes on, a wolf comes along, huffs and puffs and blows the first pig's house down then eats him. The first pig wasn't filling enough apparently because the wolf went to the 2nd pig's house made out of sticks, huffed, puffed, blew it down and ate him as well. Still unsatisfied, the wolf went to the 3rd pig's house, huffed, puffed and failed to blow the house down. He then tried to climb through the chimney but ended up in a pot of boiling water and became soup or stew, basically the pig's problem was no more. 

What's your refuge? In Psalms chapter 52 David talks about Doeg and how his refuge is built on weak, unstable, flimsy, feeble "ground". "You love evil more than good; you love lying more than speaking what is right. Selah You love all destructive words; you love the deceiving tongue. But God will take you down permanently; he will snatch you up, tear you out of your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living! Selah The righteous will see and be in awe; they will laugh at those people: "Look at them! They didn’t make God their refuge. Instead, they trusted in their own great wealth. They sought refuge in it—to their own destruction!" (Psalms 52:3-7 CEB)

God is like the house made of bricks, solid, sturdy, protective and a place of safety.  "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2. God should be the center of your life. He will be there through your trials and tribulations. He will help you through your adversities, strengthen you when you are weak and pick you up when you fall. He will always be there. Strive to live righteously serving The Lord doing his will.  Don't rely on evil, lies, your wealth or wicked ways; don't build your house out of straws or sticks

Stay Thirsty My Friends...

Thirsty Thursdays: Ron 

Warrior Wednesdays: Is God Trying to Speak to You?

Do you know when God is speaking to you? For many people it is hard to recognize when God is speaking to them. Many people would love to hear the audible voice of God, but he does not always speak that way. Sometimes he speaks in a still small voice, therefore, it is important to learn how to recognize the voice of the Lord. 

Young Samuel heard the voice of the Lord calling him, but was unaware that it was him. He thought it was his mentor Eli. After going to Eli 3 times, Eli preceived that God was speaking to the child and gave Samuel direction on what to do the next time God spoke to him. If you are hearing the same message repeatedly this is probably God trying to get your attention like he was doing with Samuel. Be sure not to ignore God when he is trying to speak to you.  If you are unsure, speak to a mentor or someone who knows the voice of the Lord and ask for help.

It may seem interesting that God would speak to a young boy instead of the high priest, but God chose to speak to Samuel. You may not think God would give an important message to you, but God can use any and everybody. He is looking for those who will obey him and are willing to listen. Even if you do not fully know God or have a solid relationship you can still be chosen like Samuel. "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord..." Yet, God still spoke to him.

When God begins to call you respond like Samuel, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth." Be ready for the message that God has for you. 

Stay Blessed and Continue Warring for Christ!

Warrior Wednesday: Brittney

Transforming Tuesdays: This is HIS World & We Are Subject To His Mercy So Act Like It!

Whenever we think of God we seem to ONLY think about the good things he does. He blesses us, he keeps us, he delivers us, he guides us, he opens up doors for us. All of this stuff is great, however we can't stop our thinking there. Just as God gives us all of these things he can surely take it away. Just as Jael mentioned yesterday on Merciful Mondays, there has to be a reciprocal type of relationship. We can't just expect all of this stuff from God without putting work in. Just as we take his protection, guidance, love, and peace we have to give something in return. Now we can never repay God but we can give him our hearts, mind, soul, obedience, respect, and faithfulness.

Today's reading in 1 Samuel talked about the backlash or punishment for a lack of a better word, that Eli got because of the actions of his household. Prior to the distasteful actions made by Eli and his sons, the Lord promised them longevity in life and God eventually took that away from them. He also promised that Eli's sons will die on the same day and it will be a sign to Eli. When reading this passage I immediately was shocked at how harsh God was being. This eventually changed once I was able to sit back and reflect on the situation. How many times does God bless us when we don't deserve it? I always feel like I'm unworthy of his blessings. I say this because I'm human, born into sin, and I fall short all of the time. However, God always finds it in his heart to treat me not as my sins deserve. We are constantly subject to HIS mercy.

God promised Eli all of these blessings. He made them priests. He led his ancestors out of Egypt. He protected Eli and his family. He blessed them with status. He guided and directed their paths. The issue came when Eli and his sons did not do their part and they strayed from the promises of God. Most of the traumatic situations that happen to us are experiences that we place on ourselves. Do you think that God wants half of the things that happen to us to really happen to us? In my heart I know that answer is no. He loves us when we don't love ourselves.

I think it is always important to understand that God doesn't necessarily need us...we need him! When it is all said and done, HE IS GOD ALONE. We cannot out-give him or even out-love him. We are constantly subject to his mercy and not the other way around. I know a lot of us have to get out of this mindset that whenever we do something for God that we are doing him a favor. We're not! In Psalms 50 we understand just how powerful God really is. If he is hungry he doesn't need us to feed him because he made the animals. In the same breath, if he needed anything in this world he could have just that because the world is his. 

How can you ever repay a man who gave his only son so that we might have life? God didn't only do it for all of the Christians, he did it for the atheists, the Jews, the muslins, he did it for ALL of us. We can start by being faithful in offerings, obedient, kind to others, and respectful to him. Just as he has given us all of these wonderful things in life, he can surely take them away just as he did to Eli and his sons. Yes God is good and great, however he is still God and we are HIS people who are at his mercy.

Challenge: I challenge everyone to be conscious of the things that you do. Try to sacrifice something this week as a way of honoring God. Often times we take simple things for granted unaware of the consequences of our actions. It's a sad thing to know that something that you did will negatively affect generations after you. Hold onto God's promises and in the meantime when God gives you something, think of a way to give God something back in return.


It's Never Too Late To Transform Your Tuesdays :)
TRANSFORMING TUESDAY: JAMERA