Author: lessonsnblessings

While in the season of great transition we become aware of our weaknesses and areas of vulnerability. Instead of despairing and coming in agreement with these weaknesses and allowing it to fuse onto our identities or manifest in our personalities, shore up those places of short comings with the Word of God, prayer, and apply the Blood of Jesus. Allow time for healing, restoration, and regrouping to take place, in other words take the pressure off of yourself and open up space in your life for God to work on, in, and through you.

This word of encouragement is especially for Continue reading “Intercessory Arrow: Target Weakness”

It’s Time to Go Higher!

The way to the heights of worship, praise, and adoration unto the Lord is not simply humility, it is also getting rid of offense. Offense is a sneaky culprit, because it camouflages itself as sensitivity and “hurt” feelings. It can persuade a person to justify harsh or wrong treatment of another, usually the “offender” because of the anger that is produced from the offense. It’s also sneaky because an offense does not have to be personally done against the person who becomes offended. All offense needs is an audience and attentive ears and voila! Offense is successfully planted in the heart of that person.

Proverbs 22:24-25 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Do not even associate with a man given to angry outbursts;
Or go [along] with a hot-tempered man,
Or you will learn his [undisciplined] ways
And get yourself trapped [in a situation from which it is hard to escape].

In the past when I would come across these verses from Proverbs 22 I would usually associate it with direct personal relationships. It is a little self-deceiving to believe that just simply avoiding people that “look” angry or seem to be hot-tempered is the only way to execute the application of this scripture. Because offense can be an undertone of a passionate outcry against or for something in a message that on the surface you agree with. This is why it is important to consistently study the Word of God and meditate (think deeply on it) so that you can resist offense, anger, and any other covert strategy of the enemy that would like to “set up shop” in your life.

Psalm 119:11 Amplified Bible (AMP)         
Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.

The Word of God and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit will alert you to any “twisting” or “deviation” from the Word of God in the way that it is meant for it to be applied. That does not mean that we are to “police” others in the conversations or messages that they speak, preach or teach, but it does enable you to make an informed decision on whether or not you will let that offense laced word take place in your mind, soul, spirit, and emotions.

Can a person truly go forward in the things of the Lord without dealing with the wounds of offense Continue reading “It’s Time to Go Higher!”

Before You See It

“We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn’t that what we’ve always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, “I set you up as father of many peoples”? Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do…” – Romans 4:17 (MSG)
https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Romans%204%3A17

 

Since before the beginning of this year, whether following the Gregorian or Hebrew calendar, many of us have been declaring and acknowledging that this year is a year of new beginnings, open doors, and lots of other significant expectations for this year. For some of us we have seen that play out in many instances already, while others are still looking for, waiting for, and hoping for the “new” to begin or show up in some way, shape, or form. Maybe you are hoping for a new job, new relationship(s), new items to replace the old or just new things that you never had or experienced ever before. The good news is that there is still plenty of year left for these new things desired or needed to happen. In the midst of waiting take a cue from the Apostle Paul, who expresses in Romans 4:17 to express faith, like Abraham did before you see the results.

This does not mean to simply mean to Continue reading “Before You See It”

Traveling New Paths -> It’s Counter Intuitive

So we’re approaching the end of February 2018 and the “brand newness” of the “new thing” that God is doing in our lives may feel like it’s wearing off. It’s sort of like when the “new car scent” starts fading out after owning a new car for a few months. In actuality the car is still relatively new, however because of the current usage and similarities with other cars that person has owned, it no longer “feels” new. Or you may be in a totally new situation or circumstance that you have never been in before and the novelty is gone. If you are feeling like the “new thing” is a new version of the same ol’ same ol’ then I have great news for you: It’s supposed to feel that way!

Traveling new paths with the Lord is counter intuitive. This is because you are not operating in what is familiar to you. The main point to focus on is this: If God said it’s new…. It is new. End of story. Do not process the things that you are experiencing in the new place according to the old or familiar places you have been in life. This is key for prospering in the new place that God has made available for you. Yes you may detect the enemy Continue reading “Traveling New Paths -> It’s Counter Intuitive”

Start New

So we have made it through the 1^st month in the year 2018, some of us feel like it truly is a year of newness, while others are dealing with the “same ole’ same ole” from previous years of our lives. Regardless of how we feel about it, process it, or form opinions about it: It IS a new year. New opportunities, new breakthroughs, new ways to praise and worship, and new ways to grow closer to God is already in progress!

For some of us a lot of things will be new this year, for others it will look typical but that does not change the fact that new times and seasons Continue reading “Start New”

The Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you! This season hopefully is filled with joy and blessing for you, however if things are difficult or unpleasant for you I pray that this serves as a word of encouragement to you. During this season we make time for family, to show that we love and care for them, and if we have the means – we give gifts to bring joy to the ones we love. In the midst of all of this, the message of Christ’s entry into the world as human gives us hope for our lives and reminds us to be joyful and celebrate because He has overcome the world. What I want to focus on in this post is not the joy of giving, or the true meaning of Christmas, which are all good messages – and timely for this season. The main message of this post is on the gifts (either given to us or from us) that keeps on giving long after it has been presented.

What makes a good gift? Some would say it’s a good gift if it’s Continue reading “The Gift that Keeps on Giving!”

Take a Moment

It’s the Holiday Season! Full of planning, shopping, and gathering with family and friends. This is probably the busiest time of the year because in the midst of all of the holiday madness, work still has to be done at the job and around the house planning for next year is underway, and if you are in school this is term paper and exam prep season. There are so many things that want our attention: commercials, people in our lives, needs, and desires – it can get overwhelming! Now shift gears and think about the blessing it is that we who are born again can cast our care on to Jesus (1 Peter 5:7) and He will bear our burdens (Matthew 11:28-30). Take a moment to give every fear, worry, anxiety, and distraction to Jesus and allow His love to comfort, refresh and refocus your attention on the things that are important to Him.

Lately I have been listening to this song from back in the day called “Order My Steps in Your Word”. This song will forever be relevant because even if we know where we are going, it’s always better to walk in the pathway that God reveals to us. Psalm 119:104-106 is a really strong passage about the “ways” or “paths” that are available Continue reading “Take a Moment”

 

There has been a lot of talk over the years, prayers, calls to action, and prophecies that the Body of Christ will collectively move into the supernatural realms with signs and wonders following. In all of its biblical accuracy, this type of message is cause for celebration for some, and evokes absolute terror in others. A lot of Christians would not admit it openly, but there can be fear of the miraculous even among advanced spirit filled, “tongue talkin’, holy rollin’ Christians to newly converted “baby” Christians. The problem is that what most of us, including Christians, are taught about supernatural powers and events that do not have reasonable explanation is negative. Unfortunately scandals, folklore, and people who are confused, in error, or concealing agendas often discourage well-meaning Christians from wanting to get involved with anything supernatural at all. Now this is not to say that exploring Continue reading “Horror or Holy?”

The Pain is the Proof

Welcome to the season of new doors of promise and blessing and completion of the former vision for the Kingdom of God and all of its inhabitants! By now, hopefully you have entered into the new season and are chock full of faith for the move of God that you are anticipating. Leading up to this point of arriving to the gate of the New Year 5778 (Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year Celebration) I heard a lot of messages on Jacob and his various encounters with angels. I am very familiar with these stories, so it was enjoyable to learn new things from these scriptures or to hear a different perspective on them. So what does the title of this blog post, the New Year, and Jacob’s story have to do with each other? Well, I was looking over my life and in a place of curiosity and this question came to mind: How come there are so many promises and good things Continue reading “The Pain is the Proof”

Hard times, insurmountable troubles, uncertainty about the future = Difficult Seasons…. We’ve all had them, and the way we responded to the rough waters of life usually impacted the season(s) that came afterwards. This is not a message sent out to minimize your pain, hardship, loss, or disappointment. This is not some artificial sweetener designed to mask the taste of the bitter pill you’ve had to swallow. No this is just a yell from a fan on the sidelines, saying: “Don’t give up! You’ve got this! The Lord is with you and you are going to win if you don’t give up!” You see the perspective of the player on the field is different from the perspective of the fans in the bleachers. The perspective of the player on field is only concerned with staying in position, playing well, resisting fatigue and hits from the opposing team, staying aware of all of the teammates and opposing team players on the field, and maximizing opportunities to advance Continue reading “Survive & Thrive in a Difficult Season”