New Year, New Levels, New Devils: SAME GOD

Have you ever experienced an intensified struggle, as you sought to obtain a particular goal as a child of God? Whether it was reaching a higher level of consecration, praise, worship, love, or sacrifice. There are seeds(inspirations) of destruction from our past which seek to taint(tarnish) the soil of destiny which God has for us. Going into this new year I believe that these seeds will not go away just because it's a new year. Even though our circumstances may change, God does not change. I prayed a prayer today for God to sever(detach) every connection from me that is seeking to hinder(prevent) me from accomplishing my will in the Kingdom.

As we come into a new year some of us will be elevated to new levels which means new devils(spiritual adversaries). Being naive will not defeat these adversaries. God does not have to change in order to be effective. We as children of God have a choice as to whether or not we are going to change our method of operation(modus operandi) in order to align with the will of God. As this new year arrives and we seek to be elevated to new levels while we war with new devils; there remains one constant which is the constant of "The Unchanging God." Malachi 3:6 states "For I am the LORD, I change not." Are you ready for new levels and new devils in this new year?

A Creation of God vs Being A Child of God

In the book of Genesis , Chapter 1:27 states that God created both male and female. This scripture shows that we are a creation of God. There is a difference though between being a creation of God versus being a child of God. The word child can also mean a type of son(Greek,huios) which can be likened to the type of son in which Christ Jesus was. The word son is "positional" and not "gender" specific. Romans 8:14 states "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons(Greek,huios) of God." Galatians 3:26 then goes on to state that "we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." If we are to call ourselves a child of God then we must ask ourselves if our lifestyle is personifying faith in Christ Jesus.

There are prerequisites to being called/considered a child of God. The mere fact of being created is not the only prerequisite(qualification) to being a genuine(non-counterfeit) child of God. This distinction has to be made because the spirit of confusion and error can cause one that is naive/ignorant(unlearned) to enter into eternal damnation (i.e. hell). True love will always guide you into truth. We must continue to examine ourselves and whether we are being led (guided,directed) by the Spirit of God or the spirit of error. Are you seeking to be more than just a creation?

Maintaining THE STANDARD: The Spotlight of Holiness

Standard: Archetype, barometer, benchmark, or pattern. As I reflect back I can remember a time in my life when I did not struggle with certain things, because I had no standard in regards to those things. The turning point in my life came when I made a conscious decision to begin pursuing after a Godly(righteous) standard of living. If someone does not have a standard for their body, then it becomes acceptable for them to do all sorts of inferior (ungodly) things with/to their body. If someone does not have a standard in regards to commitment, then it becomes acceptable to them when they fail to commit to their wife, education, children, job, church, God etc. I now realize that wherever there is a standard (i.e. godly standard, holiness) there is a struggle (internal battle) to maintain that standard.

Struggling is not a sin but rather a process. Allowing the process to defeat you and to cause you to miss the mark(standard) of God is when sin has entered in. The process is meant to strengthen us and not destroy us. Now that I have standards in regards to my lifestyle I realize that there is an inspiration(force) that continually wars against that standard. Ever since I made a conscious decision to follow after the standards of God it seems as if a spotlight has been shined. It seems as if demons that were once sleeping are now wide awake. Eyes that were not concerned with my lifestyle before are now watching my lifestyle like telescopes watch stars. People that were not concerned with what came out of my mouth before are now listening like never before. Is the standard for your lifestyle inferior (ungodly) or superior (godlike) ???

Refusing to Live for God: DEAD MAN WALKING

Dead: Having lost life; no longer alive. Lacking feeling or sensitivity; numb or unresponsive. Asleep, bloodless, or spiritless. If you took a fish out of water it would eventually die. If you uprooted a tree from the soil it would eventually die. If we as humans went without oxygen for a certain amount of time then we would eventually die. The water is the atmosphere in which fish can live. The soil is the substance by which the tree can grow, and oxgen is the element through which we as humans are able to breathe and remain living. Oxygen helps us as humans to live physically, but what helps us as humans to live spiritually? A person can be alive physically but dead spiritually. A computer can have both hardware(body) and software(soul), but still lack an online(spiritual) connection.

Are you connected to the true source of life? or are you just operating with hardware and software but lacking the true connection. Just as roadrunner is the name of the modem which Time Warner uses for its online connection; Jesus is the name of modem which God uses in order for us to have a connection with him. Jesus stated " no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Without the right modem you do not have online access and without Christ Jesus we do not have access to the Father. Have you made a decision with your lifestyle not to live for God and therefore become a DEAD MAN WALKING.

When Your Pain Saturates Your Peace: The Mission of Your Affliction

Affliction: A condition of pain, suffering, or distress. Adversity, anguish, calamity, depression, distress, grief, hardship, illness, suffering, or tribulation. Have you ever looked through the eyes of someone and it seemed as if pain overshadowed their atmosphere. Before you could reach(connect with) them you first had to deal with the pain which was saturating their peace. Just as water from the ocean saturates the sand on the shore is how pain seeks to saturate our peace. Less than a month ago I spoke to woman who was fighting with cancer in her body and she said that she refused to go through chemotherapy because two of her family members had previously died from the treatment. She had been living with cancer for three years. As she sat there in front of me I repeated to her what I heard my pastor say. I said "as long as the death does not get into the cancer the cancer can't hurt you."

Tears began to flow from her eyes. She said that she had never heard that perspective before. I have come to realize that there are purposes for our pain. The pain that Jesus experienced on the cross had a purpose. With his stripes (bruises, wounds) we are healed. We must ask ourselves "has our pain(suffering) accomplished the mission for which it was intended." The pain which was sown(planted) at Calvary is the reason we now have access to a harvest of peace and healing. The pain that we go through can be the seed which births a harvest of peace and healing in our atmosphere, which can ultimately benefit those around us.

HIP HOP WORSHIPPER: Which god are you Waving your Hands to?

Worship: extreme devotion or intense love or admiration of any kind. Exaltation, praise, celebrate, magnify, or sing. What spirit(s) are you inviting into your atmosphere as you wave your hands in worship to lyrics of lust and violence. Whether the influence is coming through the lyrics or through the beat there is still an influence moving through your atmosphere, just as thoughts ride through your mind and birds fly through the air. In the Old Testament a wave offering was usually done unto the Lord. When someone symbolically waves their hands to an inspiration besides The Lord then which lord are they waving to? Who are they offering(sacrificing) their soul (heart, mind, and will) to?

If the substance(inspiration) of a beat/lyric is from the substance of a tainted heart and tainted mind than can God be glorified in a tainted atmosphere. Whether someone enters into an act of worship with their lips(singing) or with their hands (waving) it is still a form of worship. If tainted water is mixed with pure water then do you still have pure water. Who are you worshipping as you sing, when you dance, and when you wave your hands? I used to listen to Hip Hop and wave my hands to lyrics which did not glorify God but there has been a transformation and now the Lord that I worship is different from the lord that I used to worship. Who are you worshipping and why??

Portrait of a Divine Beauty: Rendezvous in the Garden

Rendevous: A meeting at a prearranged time and place. a place appointed for assembling or meeting. Affair, appointment, engagement, gathering point, purlieu, or blind date. As I was sitting at work last week I began to think of the different ways in which God can speak. I realize that he can speak through words, situations(experiences), and symbols. As I sat there at my desk I also began to think about what must have been going through Adam's mind once God brought Eve unto him. Adam was in the midst of an "Eden Experience," and all he had to do was "open his eyes" and receive what God had placed before him. How was God speaking to Adam through Eve as He placed this divine portrait of beauty into his presence.

God did not speak with words in this scenario but rather with imagery. God placed the perfect portrait of divine beauty into Adam's atmosphere and he admired both the external(physical) and internal(spiritual) qualities of the portrait. Only God knows how many strokes it takes to paint the perfect portrait. I believe that no matter how beautiful the Garden of Eden was, it could not be compared to the portrait of divine beauty which was placed within Adam's atmosphere at that moment in time. Adam's focus was on what God had placed before him and nothing else. Adam's perspective was focused on what God had for him at the appointed time in the appointed place. Could it be possible that God has painted millions of portraits of divine beauties, but men have been blinded to true and divine beauty and have therefore missed out on what God has had for them?