Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Give Up, But Give In…


I often hear people say that they wanted to throw in the towel… and they have.  Which means they gave up on something, or gave up on someone.  When we were children, it meant that we were taking our toys and going home, because we didn’t want to play anymore. 

As we live our life, for whatever reason, things do not go the way we planned, or the way we want them to and we give up.  We throw in the flag, we give in, and we surrender to whatever is coming on us at the time, the emotion, the circumstance.  When we say we give up, we simply make a decision to stop fighting. 

But what I almost never hear is that with that same energy we give up, why can’t we do that when it comes to God or His Word?  Why can’t we surrender to His Word?  Why can’t we give in to His Will being done in our life?  Okay, we give up on that, but why don’t we give in to God?  Why don’t we surrender to His direction, His call?

In doing so, we might find that when we really think we ought to give up, it might be just the time to give in.  And simply lift our hands to the Lord, and say, “Nevertheless, Your will be done.”

Give up if you must, but be sure to give in as you do so, to God.  You might find you really didn’t want to give up in the first place. 

But God is real.

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://www.ongoodground.org

Friday, October 24, 2014

No... YOU Go!

PRAISE GOD!  Had not planned on going here today, but GOD....
(Forgiveness is a beautiful thing!)

I was reminded of a Scripture recently and today, again… In Matthew 5:23-24, it says  “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

Up until a few months ago, I always thought that the Word said, If YOU have a problem with YOUR brother/sister, leave your offering and then go and get it right.  But after going through some things and God being the awesome Teacher and Father that He is, I got this revelation, the Word clearly says, “If YOUR brother/sister has an issue with you, YOU go get it right with them. “ The Bible also says, that as much as lies within you, be at peace with all men.  God expects us to be ministers of reconciliation.  Reconciling the world to Himself, yes, but also, reconciling ourselves to others.  Forgive, as your Father in heaven has forgiven you.  Pray for your enemies.  Pray for those who despitefully use you.  And I am sure there are others.

God calls us to do the opposite of what the world does, or our natural inclination would do.  He calls us to do opposite of what we feel like doing.  He calls us to walk in the spirit so that we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.  And that means if you realize, rather KNOW, that your brother/sister has a problem with you, YOU need to go and get it right.  YOU need to go and make peace.  Try and make peace, put out the effort to do so.  Much more is required of YOU and of us, if we are to walk after God in righteousness.  If we want to be God’s called, God’s chosen, we have to do things God’s way.

Now it may not always work.  It may not always end in peace.  Some people will choose to yet ignore you, deny your existence, and continue to call you out your name, lie on you, and mistreat you.  But you can rest in this YOU have done the will of the Lord and God will flood your soul with peace, as He whispers to you, “Vengeance is mine, I shall repay.”

But you have to do it God’s way.  Humble yourself in His sight and simply do what He has impressed upon your heart to do.    

So again, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that YOUR BROTHER has aught against YOU; Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

This is the holy Word of God.  What will you do with it?

But God is real.

A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://www.ongoodground.org

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

You Want to Go Where?!

One of the deejays of the radio station I listen to has a segment during her broadcast where listeners can help people who are looking for a church to find one.  I thought it was pretty helpful until one day…
 
A lady called into the station and she told the host that she was looking for a Pastor who was energetic and charismatic.  She wanted a mid-size church, where there was an awesome praise and worship team and a church choir who sang all the latest songs from the radio.  She was very specific in what she wanted from the church and that’s what hit me.  I thought, with her being that specific, what about the Word?  Thinking out loud, I voiced it, “She wants all those things but what about the Word, Lord?”  He answered me and said, “What about where I send her?”  Gulp.  That said a lot.

People want what they want, when they want it, how they want it.  And therein lies the problem, one of them anyway.

People are misplaced, out of whack, out of line and often out of order because they are going to church, not so that they can grow; not so that they can serve God, but where they can be entertained and made to feel good.  Some are coming to church to get their weekly “fix” being turned on by the music and the theatrics, but they are yet going home still wanting.  Still broken.  Still needy.  Because they are not coming to see Jesus.  They are coming for a fix; not to be fixed. 

How do I know that?  Go back and read everything the lady asked for, yourself.  All of those things are pleasing to the flesh.  The Word of God says sow to the flesh and you will reap corruption.  Sow to the Spirit and you will reap life.  This lady in particular wanted a church to satisfy her wants, not her needs and not what God wants for her.  Am I being harsh?  I think not.  She brought it on herself in making her requests known.  What was important to her, what is important to us, we make known.  Obviously the Word wasn’t important enough to be mentioned, otherwise it would not have been overlooked.

The church is not made to fit us.  We are made to fit the church.  To fill in where there may be a need.  And God knows what that need is, that is why He needs to be the One we seek to find out where He wants us to go.  Not the radio station.  Not the announcer.  Not each other.  And definitely not us.

The church is a body.  Each one has legs, arms, a head and everything in between.  Each one needs each one to fulfill a specific purpose.

People want what they want.  They don’t want to go to small churches, they don’t want to go where is no choir, (where they plus the pastor might make the choir), where there is no praise team (but just maybe one or two who sing their hearts out to the Lord), where people who simply love the Lord without the hoopla are gathered together in His name and He is in the midst, just like He said.  They don’t want to go where there is no “musician,” (only someone slapping the tambourine from the depths of their soul).   They want what they want.  They want their flesh to be satisfied, even with giving God the praise.  [Side note… it doesn’t matter who is there, what song is sung, whether or not someone can sing, or even play an instrument, if you simply have a heart to worship the Lord you can do it without all of that.  Because you don’t just do it in the church, it starts in your private space.  That other stuff is made to enhance it].

Anyway… What people fail to understand in selecting the church that they want to go to, is that in that place THEY select, they will not prosper.  In that place they will not grow.  In that place they will not be not stretched beyond doing what they are comfortable with, what they already do, know how to do or want to do.

Going to the place that God sends you will be a wealthy place.  It might not feel like you are supposed to be there, but you’re not supposed to feel it, you’re supposed to know it.  It might be small, it might just have 5-6 members, no musicians, no awesome praise team, just one single person who sings from the depth of her belly.  It might not have a church choir, or the church choir might sing old songs (the ones they know that carried them through some things).  It might not have a youth ministry, where you can separate from your kid during service and send him somewhere else to learn, (or put the responsibility of watching him off on somebody else… yeah, there are some that do that).  It might not have any of those things.  But IF God has sent you there, it might get it.  God has placed on the inside of each one of us, talents and abilities, spiritual and natural.  He fits each one of us into the place He needs us to be so that that place can function and have all the parts it needs to grow into a glorious church.  The place that lady was looking for, only this one actually HAS the Word!   And you know if it has the Word, it has the Spirit of the Lord!  Can’t separate God from His Word.
The reason why some churches can do this and do that and sometimes in overflow, is because they have people there fulfilling their God-given roles.  If a church is lacking in some area, more than likely, it’s because the people that God is sending to meet that need want to be someplace else bigger and better, in THEIR eyes, at least.

And the funny thing is, their gift and their talents, remain dormant, because where they have gone the church is not using them.  That church already has an overflow of that particular talent.  God says your gift will make room for you.  Not you make room for your gift. 

Are you getting this?

We cannot simply go to a church where we want to go, just because we want to feel good.
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us.  All we ask is that you let us, serve it your way.  NO.  Church is not Burger King and we cannot have it our way.  This is not the church anthem and certainly not God’s.

Go where God sends you.  Let Him fit you.  And then you will grow into the glorious vessel, using all the talent and ability He gave you for the church.  And you AND your church will be blessed because of it.

Because God is real, I’m staying (and going) where HE leads me.

A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E



Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Mission Accomplished

The devil is an imposter.
He’s a liar, he’s a fake and he longs to be God
He has only one mission, you know.
To steal, to kill and to destroy.
And he won’t stop until it’s done
Staying right by your side
Pretending that he is with you,
That he is for you
Whispering sweet nothings in your ear
And then he gets you alone
And violates the very essence of who you were made to be
The spirit-filled being God is working on
He touches a soft spot
Encountering a nerve that can easily be unraveled
He caresses a hidden thought
Something that was only between you and God
How could he know, you ask
How did you know? You ask him
Because I understand you, he says
And then he comforts you in that thought
Feeding your desire to be loved
Feeding your desire to be understood
Feeding your longing to share
That thought
Satisfying that fleshly desire
You DO understand, you say to him
And you give in to it.
Living it out over and over in your mind
Replacing the Word you have hidden in your heart
With the need to be fed
Next thing you know he’s lying right next to you
As he continues to caress that thought,
Touching your heart,
Your mind,
Your soul,
Right down to the core of your being
And the desire to give in overcomes you
And he takes you.
You speak what he has whispered.
Quality time spent with loved ones, stolen by a harsh word
You say what you heard him say,
Devouring a friendship,
Tearing down a life that took a lifetime to build
You do what he suggested,
Ripping up precious seed that had yet to be watered.
He robbed you of that harvest.
His mission is done.
He has killed, he has stolen and he has destroyed.
And now
You are really alone.
Left to pick up the pieces of your broken thoughts and wounded soul.
Because you let him.
Mission accomplished, he says
And then he moves on to the next participant.

#selah

A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://sis.e.home.comcast.net
http://www.ongoodground.org

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Is It Real or Is It Memorex?

Sometime ago when we used tape cassettes to record, there used to be a commercial that challenged the buyer of whether or not what they were hearing was live… was real.  Most of the commercials featured Ella Fitzgerald singing a note that shattered glass while it was being recorded to tape.  And then when they played the tape back, the glass would shatter and then they would ask the question, “Is it real or is it Memorex?”  Memorex was the name of the brand they advertised to try and get you to buy.  The point of it all was that Memorex was so close to the actual thing that you could not tell it wasn’t real.  Even in this instance, the Memorex (the artificial thing) was able to shatter the glass… or so the advertiser wanted you to believe.

Some of us are claiming to know God.  Claiming that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, when “the evidence” against us speaks otherwise.  I once heard the question, “If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  Hmmm… unfortunately, the answer for some is a resounding no.  It seems as though nowadays people want to claim knowing Christ if it benefits them at that moment and want God to do something for them, but they deny Him with how they live their lives or when it comes time to actually taking a stand.

People are not taking a stand on many of the world’s issues anymore, believing that they are being judgmental if they do.  Let me just say this, just because you call something as wrong in the eyes of the Lord, does not mean that you are judging somebody.  It simply means you are stating what is wrong.  As children of God, we have the authority to judge matters.  Not the person, but the act.  So some of us are afraid to say anything, but in doing so, we are saying A LOT.  God says you can either be hot or cold, there is no middle ground.  Time to be real.  Real in our beliefs, real in our convictions.  Either you are going to stand for the Truth or not.  But you cannot continue to hide or that would make you to be a hypocrite.

A hypocrite is a play actor.  The dictionary defines it as one who is putting on a role.  The world labels Christians hypocrites, because truth is, many of us show ourselves to be one way, and profess ourselves to be another.  We say that we are Christians and yet do the very same things that the world does.  And not only do what it does, but how it does it.  We dress like them, we “party” like them, we drink like them, and we act like them.  And then we say we go to church, we believe God, we read the Word.  No, not so.  If you are in the Word, the Word will be in you, and most importantly in your actions.   You will be real.  One way or the other.  There will be no question about what you believe and Who you believe in.

If we truly come to know Who God is and have received His Son as Lord and Savior of our lives, there will be some signs that we have.  We will speak up against those things that are wrong.  We will walk in humility, taking pleasure in serving God, no matter what it is we’re doing.  We will pray for those who despitefully use us.  Pray for those we don’t think are worth praying for (how about that one).  We will begin to love as God loves.  To hate what He hates.  We will have a desire to live holy and separated lives.  No longer doing the things that we used to do nor having the desire to do so.  When we sin, (because we all do), it will actually hurt us.  So much so, that we will make every effort not to do it again, and truly be repentant when we fall short.  (Cause we will).  And let me say this, repentance is a turning in the opposite direction from what you have done, it’s not just saying sorry or I won’t do it again.

We will learn how to truly forgive.  To let things go the way we ought to, the way that God does with us.  We will give from a place of lack.  A place of sacrifice.  If it doesn’t cost us anything, if it doesn’t “hurt” us somewhere, it’s not a sacrifice.  These are just some of the signs that we know Who Jesus is and what He did for us mattered.  The Bible says in 1 John 2, that this is how we know we belong to God, because we keep His commandments.  We do what He says.  And if we don’t, we are liars.  It says that if we claim to know Jesus that we will walk the way Jesus did, following after His footsteps.  It also says that if we claim to love God and we don’t love our brother or sister that we are walking in darkness, blind.  And the truth is not in us.  The truth is Jesus.  The Truth is real.  Jesus is real.  And what He did for us was real.  And it has to be just as real to us, as it was to Him.  That is what will make us real.   

The apostle Paul was real.  He was the real deal.  Who he was and what he did, came from a pure heart.  Even before God changed his name from Saul, he was real.  True to his character.  True to his convictions.  Too many of us waver.  And that is why the world can’t see Who God is.  And when Saul became Paul, he became even more real, because he knew he served a real God and came into a relationship with Him.  It’s impossible to be the real deal without knowing the REAL deal.  It’s impossible to be the real deal without tapping into the real power source.  Where does your power come from?  Why are you able to do the things that you can do?  If your answer is you… it might be Memorex you’re working with.  If you’re answer is Christ, than you may very well be the real deal.  You can only do all things through Christ who gives you strength.  If you don’t believe that one, your power is insufficient. 

The seven sons of Sceva were trying to do something, trying to operate like God, without His power.  They weren’t able to do what Paul did.  But yet they tried and when they did, the demons made an open show of them and said, “Jesus I know, Paul I know, but who are you?”  And the demons sent the sons of Sceva running naked.  Which is the same thing that will happen to you if you do not have a real relationship with the Living God.    Memorex.  Needing someone to play you, because you have no power of your own. 

God is the real deal.  Knowing Jesus in the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, that is the real deal.  Anything else is artificial.  Fake.  Anything else is Memorex.  A recorded copy of an original written to tape.  Is it real or is it Memorex?

Are you real or are you Memorex?  You really don’t have to answer.  How the demons respond to you and how you respond to them, more importantly, will find you out.   

Is it real or is it Memorex?

God is real.  Jesus is real.  And I am the shattered glass that proves it. 

A real (and broken) servant of the Lord,
Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://www.ongoodground.org




Thursday, June 5, 2014

The Way of Forgiveness

Saw a post recently that troubled my spirit quite a bit.  It was about forgiveness and how some see it.  It wasn’t the Truth though, because it wasn’t based on the Word, but on what somebody said.  What is truth?  Jesus said, “Thy Word is Truth.”  The Word of God is Truth.  Anything else is just that… anything else.

We have to understand that forgiveness is not something that mostly benefits the other person, it benefits us more than we know.  Unforgiveness hurts you.  If you refuse to forgive someone, they may hurt momentarily by your refusal, but you are the one hurt in the end, and even more so.  Because God requires YOU to forgive.  He doesn’t ask you.  He is not trying to coax you.  He is not comforting you.  And in some cases, well based on the Word, in most cases, God is not even HEARING you.

The Word says in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.   But if you DO NOT forgive others their sins, your Father WILL NOT forgive your sins.”  Hear this, if YOU forgive, then God forgives.  If you DON’T forgive, then God DOESN’T forgive you.  These Words are in red, which means they came from the very mouth of Jesus.

In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus said the way we ought to pray is this, “And forgive us our debts, AS WE also forgive OUR debtors.”  (Matthew 6:12).  Then in Colossians 3:12-13 it says as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and FORGIVE one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. FORGIVE AS the Lord forgave YOU.  Continuing in Ephesians it says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you (v. 31-32 NLT).

Sounds like we don’t have a choice in the matter.  We are to FORGIVE AS the Lord forgives us.  God doesn’t wait to forgive us.  It’s instant.  As many times as we break His heart, He forgives us.  He is not waiting until we are ready to be forgiven.  He is not waiting until HE IS ready to forgive us.  This is our example, and this is what we must follow.  Ready or not.

In the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) Peter asks the question how many times must we forgive?  And Jesus says, 70 times 7, which is at least 490 times.  So unless you have forgiven someone 490 times, you still need to forgive.  But Jesus goes on to tell the story about how the servant begged to be forgiven of his debts and he was forgiven by his master.  But then the servant had someone under him to come and ask of forgiveness and the servant refused to forgive him.  And the master returned to find this situation and the servant was tortured until he forgave.  At the end of the Scripture text, Jesus says “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you UNLESS YOU FORGIVE your brother or sister from your heart.”

This is us.  We are the servants.  God is the Master.  We constantly not only ask Him to forgive us but expect Him to forgive us and He does.  But when we as the servant have been wronged by others, we want to throw people in the dungeon and make them pay endlessly for what they have done.  These things should not be.  God forgives you.  You need to forgive others.  

We wonder why things are not exactly the way we want them to be.  Why we just can’t seem to get over certain hurdles.  Unforgiveness could very well be the thing that is keeping you back from receiving.  If you are praying and asking with unforgiveness in your heart, God is not hearing you.  He is practically saying to you, “Talk to the hand.” 

In Mark 11:25-26, Jesus said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”  But then He adds this, “AND when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, FORGIVE them, so that your Father in heaven may FORGIVE YOU your sins.”  Jesus said, “and when you stand praying” so if you ARE praying and if you have unforgiveness in your heart, you cannot expect for the mountain to move. 

IF you are praying God requires that you forgive.  So if you are not forgiving as you pray, you cannot expect to receive.  In other words you have no reasonable expectation to ask anything of God and should you ask of it, God is not even hearing your prayer for that or anything else, if you have not forgiven. 

It really is that simple.  Simple faith.  That is what Jesus told Peter.  If he had mustard seed (child-like) faith, he could remove the mountain.  But faith works by love.  And your faith will not work if love isn’t involved.  And in this case, that love is forgiveness.  Whether they say sorry or not. 

When Jesus was on the cross between the two thieves, those people making fun of him and those that put Him on the cross, never asked for forgiveness.  But Jesus on His deathbed, asked of His Father, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Jesus forgave us long before we even did anything.  Is it really too much for Him to ask of you to forgive? 

When Stephen was in the process of being stoned, killed for believing in Christ, the Bible says he looked up to heaven seeing the glory of God and said, “Do not lay this charge at their feet.”  What was he saying, forgive them.  But you know what he forgave them first.  And they were not asking.  Still too much to ask of you?

And then Jesus says this, (for those who still refuse to get it), if your brother/sister repents, you ought to forgive them.  Luke 17:3-4, Take heed to yourselves: If your brother/sister sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven more times in a day, and seven times in a day turns to you again, saying, ‘Forgive me; you are to forgive him.”  There are no excuses why we cannot forgive, other than we just don’t want to.  And you know what, that is not good enough for God.  He not only requires it of you, He commands it from you.

God shared two things with me recently.  One I was reminded of that I might have seen or heard, "Forgiveness is accepting an apology that was not given."  The second He spoke to me personally, "Forgiveness is being able to apologize for something you did not do." 

So if I have stepped on your toes today, forgive me.  If I have already done something to you and you forgave me for that, forgive me again.  For your Father in heaven says, “Forgive and you shall be forgiven.  If you do not forgive, neither will I forgive you.”

That’s the way it works.

God is real.

From a “forgiven” and “forgiving” servant of the Lord,
Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://www.ongoodground.org

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Get Married!


I like to watch judge shows.  Judge Judy, Judge Brown, Judge Mathis, People’s Court, in particular.  But I like Judge Judy the most.  In fact there was a prime-time special on last night that told how she got to be “Judge Judy” and gave a little background on her personal life.  Interesting and entertaining, to say the least.  But I like Judge Judy because she is a no-holds barred kind of judge, who will tell you the truth.  In your face, truth.  Sometimes she’s a bit harsh, and some may consider her mean, but I am yet drawn to her style.  (Yes, I know, some of you are probably saying, because I’m the same way… harsh and mean, but that’s okay, I still love you.  At least you will get the truth from me, even if it has to hurt sometime)

But anyway, I like Judge Judy, because what you see is what you get.  I can’t help to believe she is the same way whether she is in court or at home around her loved ones.  I think they get every side of her, and I believe there is a loving one, a desire to see people better, which is why I believe she is so hard on some.  In fact, in watching that special, that was revealed when she was a family court judge in one of the 20/20 interviews.  She is willing to love, but ready to correct if need be.

And one of the things that she says all the time, is “If it doesn’t make sense, it’s not true.”  Well, I beg to differ with that one, in that, that’s what faith often looks like.  It sometimes doesn’t make sense.  But know this, if God told tells you to do it, just do it.  Sense will come later. 

Judge Judy also says this a lot, often to couples who have been living together.  “You want the trappings of marriage, but you don’t want to be married.”  And then she says, “What else?”  And continues, “I am not going to sort out your mess of who owes who what? You want somebody to do that, get married and then go to divorce court!”  Ouch!!  But I love it because that is the truth.  Plain and simple.

Some people want the trappings of marriage.  They want to celebrate being a couple for x amount of years.  They want to celebrate their “dating” anniversary.  (I have one too and it’s okay to celebrate it, but don’t act like you’re married and expect gifts and all that other stuff.  It’s not the same.   You want that, as Judge Judy would say, get married!) They want to share their bed, but not their living space.  Share their belongings, but not their finances.  They want to be considered as married, especially when it comes to receiving benefits but they don’t want to commit.  They don’t want to sign up.  They don’t want to, or feel as though they don’t need to, get that piece of paper that says, ‘I am in it for the long haul, no matter what.’ 
See when you get married, that says something.  It says, ‘You’re willing.’  You’re willing to sacrifice some things, you’re willing to give up your space, money, time.  You’re investing in someone else.  For real.  Yeah, some may say, “Oh, but being a couple, being engaged for 20+ years is the same as being married.  We’ve made a commitment.  We’re practically married.”  No… you are not. Common law or no law, no matter how long it’s been.  If you haven’t gone through the rules of the land, you are NOT married.

The institution of marriage is that for a reason.  You have signed up to be joined together.  To pay your locality’s fees for a marriage license.  You have agreed to take on the other’s financial state and welfare (their credit score actually becomes yours).  To give up your personal space, when it is not convenient to do so for you.  To give up a piece of yourself when you don’t “feel” like it or are not in the mood.  To have someone that you must answer to even though are you an adult.  I could go on and on about the sanctity of marriage having just celebrated my 32nd year, and I am sure others could as well, but for this purpose I will end here.

The point is this, people want the trappings of marriage without being married.  They want the trappings of success, without putting in the word, the sacrifice, the dedication, the commitment.  They want the bells and the whistles, the prestige and the power, without doing what it takes to get there.  People desperately seek after the anointing, but don’t want to go through the tests and the trials and the tribulations to get it.

People want the trappings of Christianity without Christ.  What?!  Yeah!  You heard me.  They are quick to call themselves a child of God, to call themselves “Spiritual” or “godly,” without having any form of godliness.  They want to be called a Christian, but don’t want to believe.  Don’t want to accept the teachings of Jesus Christ.  They don’t want to forgive, they don’t want to sacrifice, they don’t want to love their enemies, they don’t want to work, they don’t want to commit.  Notice any similarities, here?  Selah.

\Commitment, work, sacrifice, love, dedication, honor, even the piece of paper.  That’s what it takes.

What piece of paper you say for a Christian?  The one in heaven where God has signed your name, as receiving Jesus and accepting Him as Lord and Savior.  A piece of paper in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  It’s real, you know.

It takes yielding to Him.  A simple belief that Jesus Christ is Lord.  A confession that comes from your heart out of your mouth, for you to get there. 

And until you are ready to do what it takes, to put in the time, to put forth the effort, to put in the work and commitment, to sign up, you will continue to have the trappings, but not the marriage.  A marriage made in heaven to and by the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Getting back to Judge Judy and what she said about those who are not married, might be something God is saying to some of us, “I am not going to sort out your mess…”  Only unlike Judge Judy, once you make a commitment to Him, He WILL.

In the words of Solomon, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”  Trappings and all.  First in the natural, then in the spiritual.  For real. 

God is real. Oh, yes He is.  Marry Him.

Be blessed.

A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E




Monday, May 19, 2014

I ReleaseYou

I just want you to know I release you. 
You will not hold me back.
You will not keep me from receiving the promise God has for me
or fulfilling the plans He has for my life.
I am filled with a purpose.
I am filled with a destiny.
I just want you to know I release you.
I will not allow you to continue to build a nest in my hair
I will not allow you to build walls around my heart
stopping others from entering
and receiving what you don't appreciate
I release you.
God has filled me with His purpose.
My destiny is in Him.
Others will value what you failed to acknowledge
Others will esteem what you could not recognize
And I release you.
Because I finally realize that though you have been a part of the plan
You are not a part of my destiny.
You were meant only to be a pawn in my development
A thorn in my side for God to take me to where He needs me to be
New heights, new dimensions.
And you can no longer hurt me
You can no longer deceive me
You can no longer take hold of my thoughts
or step all over my heart crushing me
and causing me to bleed
Because I now know my purpose
And so I release you.

I just thought you should know.


ButGodisreal @Copyright 2014

Monday, April 7, 2014

Momentary Pleasures


I was at the hair salon, sitting under the dryer when a lady came in with three little ones, under the age of 2.  (I believe she might have been babysitting).  She’s getting one of the babies’ a haircut, while the other two, a boy and a girl are just walking around. 

The little boy sees a plant. And I could see in his eyes him debating on whether or not he is going to touch it.  It’s colorful, has texture; looks pretty interesting to him.  He goes over to it and just stands there looking at it. Almost like he is listening (or not) for his next move.  He reaches out his hand to touch it.  I could see the curiosity all over his face.  He turns his head to glance at his caretaker to see if she sees him.  He doesn’t look for anyone else; totally oblivious to me watching him just a couple of feet away.  What seems to matter most to him, is whether or not the one that is taking care of him is looking.  She’s not.  He goes for it, putting his hand out to touch it.  She makes a move and he draws back, pulling away.  He watches her and she looks away.  He goes for it again, this time touching it, admiring its texture, how it feels and how it looks.  He is really into it… it’s written all over his face.  And all that seems to matter to him at this point is how much he enjoys it.

The caretaker catches a glimpse of him and begins to walk towards him.  She sees what he is doing, but this time he doesn’t seem to care and he doesn’t pull away.  He keeps on touching in, enjoying every moment, while staring directly in her face as she makes her way to him.  It felt too good to let go and he doesn’t, until she comes and snatches him away from it. 

As I was sitting there watching that little boy, I heard the Lord speak… just how much we are like this little boy sometimes.  We have a caretaker, too.  God.  We’re under His watchful eye, all the time.  And we know that.  Yet and still when we see something that catches our eye, that catches our attention, though we are hesitant at first, knowing that our Caretaker is watching over us and it may not be pleasing to Him, our desire for that thing overcomes what we know and we go for it.  Not caring whose watching, oblivious to who sees it. Touching it, feeling it, admiring it, (whatever that it may be) every moment of it, as long as we can.  No longer from a distance.  Up close.  Front and center.  At first, trying not to get caught, yet yielding to the desire and knowing that if we do, we are going to have fun doing it.  Until our Caretaker comes and snatches us away.  Only thing is though, if He has to do it, it’s going to hurt.  Ouch!  (We need to check ourselves before God does).

Our momentary pleasures are just that, momentary.  While the consequences of that moment, last a lot longer and hurt.

God is real.

Be blessed.

A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E



Thursday, March 13, 2014

Muscle Like Faith

I took a fall recently.  And I hurt my back.  And the next few hours were okay.  I was in pain, but only when I moved the muscle.  So I went to the gym and tried to do a workout, ending up only on the treadmill.  But did you know that walking affects the muscles in your back? I had not realized that until I tried doing so.

I endured about 45 minutes of walking on the treadmill and by the time I got home, my back was roaring.  I soaked in some warm tub water and when I got out, I basically only hurt when I bent over.  By the time the evening rolled around, the pain was practically gone.  Praise God!

In all this, God brought to my remembrance how we must work our muscles.  Though sometimes things come on us and causes us some pain, if we would work through the pain, it eventually goes away. 

The pain we feel in our bodies stems from a muscle that must be used, that must be worked, in order to stretch and to tighten.  The muscle must be exercised to be made stronger.  So like our faith.  Our faith is like a muscle.  And in order to work our faith we have to exercise it.  We have to allow it to be stretched, to be pulled, to be tightened, so that it can be (and we can be) stronger.

When things hurt us in our walk, we have to continue to believe God’s Word through it.  That’s how we work our faith muscles.  That is how our faith will be made stronger.  And eventually the pain does go away.  I’m a witness!

But what God also taught me is that muscles are supposed to hurt when you exercise them.  When muscles are worked and begin to get tired, it is not supposed to feel comfortable.  When our faith muscle is being tested and tried, it will not feel good.  Who in their right mind gets excited and feels good about tests?  Especially faith ones!  BUT, God said, holding on releases some of the pressure.  When I held on to the arms of the treadmill, it released some of the pressure on the muscles in my back.  When we hold on to God, when we hold on to His Word, when we hold on to the promise that He has made us, it relieves some of the pressure.  Hallelujah!

God helps us to exercise our faith.  He helps our faith to get stronger, if we lean on Him through our tests.  Remember that the next time your faith is being stretched.

God is SO real!  And He is with us through the test.    

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://sis.e.home.comcast.net
http://www.ongoodground.org

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Opened Windows Opens Doors


The enemy is always on the prowl.  He is always looking for a way into our lives that he might be able to wreak havoc, so that he can do what he does, kill, steal and destroy. Lives, homes, finances, health, relationships.  If you can name it, he will attempt to destroy it.  Nothing is off limits.  But in order for him to do this he has to do what he does best, deceive.  So what he does with us, as he did with Eve, is take that Truth that God spoke to us and twist it just enough for us to believe that it might be true.  And he does this in various ways.  He uses people.  He uses our own imagination (which is why the Word tells us that we must take every thought and subject it to the obedience of Christ), but the enemy uses what he will and twists what he can to get us where he wants us to be.  In a bad place.  Out of the will of God. 

The thing is this, sometimes we see it and while we don’t fall for it hook, line, sinker, we yet fall for it.  We try to stop his evil work, by casting him out.  And for a time we think it works, because things are still.  They seemed to have settled.  The atmosphere is ‘quiet.’  But in the meantime the enemy is yet walking around our house waiting and watching for another opportunity.  Because what we have failed to do in our casting out is humble ourselves.  We have allowed ourselves to be deceived, because the Word says that we can stomp on the serpent’s head and if we put on the full armor of God we will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  And what the deceiver did was tell you that, because it IS the Word, but he failed to tell you the whole Word.  (We have to know and do ALL the Word, otherwise we won’t be able to fully operate in ALL the power God has given us).  The enemy didn’t whisper that God gives grace to the humble.  He didn’t tell you the part in the Word that says you have to submit yourself to the Lord, to resist the devil and then he will flee.  The enemy told you just enough Truth to make you believe you have done the will of the Lord.  So your casting out did not work.  Your window is still open. 

There is an order with God.  It is not until we humble ourselves and submit to the Lord that the devil will flee.  So whatever else we try to do is insufficient.  The enemy has not gone anywhere, because our open window was not adequately shut.

The open window, that he has been able to break in, lift up, or however else you want to word it.  And now he has been in our house for a time, when we are not even aware that he is still there, and often by the time we will realize it, he has not only opened our window, but opened our door.  Because we have let him.  Opened windows opens doors.  And now it’s not only him, but it’s his companions as well and they walked right in your front door. 

The devil has found a way in through your open window and now he is walking about your house, opening the door, to more of his demonic forces.  So while it might have been pride that set us off, now that the door is opened, it’s bitterness.  It’s disobedience, it’s unforgiveness, it’s hostility, resentment, anger, greed, lust.  All kinds of other feelings could have walked in your door, because your window was opened.  But get this not only feelings but other things too.  Since you may have stepped from under the protective hand of God when you did not submit to His Word, sickness, poverty, lack, may also enter in because your window was opened. 

Be careful.  If you find yourself feeling some type of way, if all of a sudden things are just not good enough, people are an issue, you might have an open window.  If you find yourself confused and not knowing what to do, if you're lacking peace, your house might be a little drafty from the open window.  Whatever it is, ask the Lord to show you.  He will.  And then get it right His way.  Submit yourself to the Lord.  Submit to His Word and to His will.  Humble yourself, before you unwillingly and unbeknownst extend an open invitation for some very unwanted visitors to drop by.

Close your windows and your doors will stay closed too.

God is real.

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://sis.e.home.comcast.net
http://www.ongoodground.org


Friday, February 21, 2014

Stay Out of the Belly!

People often say when they are confronted with their sin, "Who made you judge?"  "You are not my judge!"  "You do not hold the keys to heaven and hell."  "God did not send you to tell me that!"  "Who are you to tell me what I did wrong?  What about you?"  "Who died and left you boss?"   "If God wanted me to stop doing that He would tell me Himself."  "God loves me just the way I am."  All kinds of things we hear.   And it's all foolishness.  Foolish speaking.  Excuses as to why they WON'T stop doing what it is they know they shouldn't.  And very often they put it back on you and why you had to tell them that.   Making you out, of course, to be the bad guy.  Totally turning the tables and changing the subject.  But get this, and getting you off the course and out of the will of God.

But I read in the book of Jonah where God was sending him to the people of Nineveh, strictly to preach to the people because of their wickedness.  Now Jonah had some issues himself.  He didn't think the people were deserving of grace.  Like some of us think sometimes.  We don't think some people are worthy of saving, in fact, I would go so far and say that sometimes we think they can't be saved.  (Not anyone reading this of course... hint, hint, right?).  But Jonah had his own issues, yet God STILL SENT him to the people to tell them about their wickedness and their need to be saved.  

Jonah did not want to go, for whatever reason. He knew they were sinners and he knew God wanted to save them. And God wanted Jonah to declare the Word to them, but instead, Jonah ran.  And the story continues with Jonah ending up in the belly of a fish and repenting because of his decision to run.

Now I have to say this, if God has told you to declare a Word to people, you better go and do it.  Regardless of how you feel about them, regardless of how they will take it.  Regardless of whether or not it is popular.  Speak the Word God has given you to tell that person, those people.  Go in boldness, knowing that you have the Spirit of the Lord upon you to do so.  Just go.

And if you are the recipient of that Word, repent and do what God asks of you.  Don't blame the person for telling you so, the Truth about yourself.  Don't shoot the messenger, as they say.  If you weren't doing what you were doing in the first place, the Word would not have come to you.  Realize that it is the love and the mercy of God that has been sent to you and receive God's messenger and live.

Either way, it's all about receiving God's grace and especially if you are the messenger.  Understand that God has graced you to deliver the Word.  Do it or end up in the belly of a fish, humbled and gulping your way out.

God is real.

A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E

http://butgodisreal.blogspot.com
http://sis.e.home.comcast.net
http://www.ongoodground.org