Contrary to what some believe, no one in the world has the power to change the past. In fact, most physicists agree that you cannot change the present by going back to the past.

In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul said this about leaving the past behind and pressing towards the goal, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,d but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Paul knew that some ‘people’ and the ‘enemy’ will use past guilt, shame, anger, regret, and disappointment to keep us cleaving to our past, so as to neglect and impeded the power and promises of God from manifesting in our present. The present is the moment in which God gives us His infallible, limitless, and incomprehensible grace so that we can successfully accomplish His will, plan, and purpose.

Undoubtedly, the past is left to the undeserved mercy of God and the future to His divine providence. My dear brothers and sisters, Isaiah 43:18-19 also reminds us to, “Forget the things that happened in the past and do not keep on thinking about them because God is about to do a new thing.” So today, let us all choose to earnestly let go of what can’t be undone (Past) and fervently focus our time, energy, and talents on what can be done (Present). Like Paul, let us all “press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us!”

#BeStrong

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#PressingForward

Is letting go and letting God in as easy as we think? If we really begin thinking about it, there is no denying how much easier it is to do the whole Proverbs 3:5 ‘trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding’ thing when your life is near-smooth sailing. After all, giving up control to God is so much easier when He is running your life the way you desire Him to. And it is easy to give control to Him when you’re met with challenges that don’t really require too much out of you.

So our lives become a whole lot more like… “Running to God; so long as He is not asking too much out of me” or “Okay yep! I’ll come to You with my troubles Lord, as long as you sort things out in the ‘right’ (my) way”. But the moment big obstacles comes our way, faithfully letting go and letting God take control of our lives becomes all the more challenging.

Let’s be honest, the real reason why letting go and letting God take control can be difficult is because we don’t fully know the character of God… We can trust God when times are tough — but only up to a point. We run towards God when things are hard — but only up to a point.

It is so incredibly easy to think that we trust God in all things and run towards Him in all things, but the moment our frightened, naked core is laid bare or we are faced with a challenge that requires more than we are comfortable to give, it becomes so clear that we don’t actually fully trust in the character of who He says He is.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 reminds us that, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

In short, the fundamental way we learn to trust God’s character is in the Bible. The Word of God is how He chose to reveal Himself to us. So, we must read, memorize, meditate on, and study His Word regularly, not simply to build up knowledge for the sake of having more knowledge, but because it directly impacts our worship.

My brothers and sisters, to let go and let God in means acknowledging God to direct our paths, letting go of lingering doubts, and submitting our lives to God alone. When God is in control of our lives, our lives become whole. So today, LET GO OF THE STRESS, PAIN, NEGATIVITY, ANXIETY, FRUSTRATION, DISCOURAGEMENT, DEPRESSION, AND LET GOD IN!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#LetGodIn

The term “the joy of the Lord is my strength” is found in Nehemiah 8:10. It’s after the children of Israel returned to Jerusalem from exile. They were listening to the law being read, were overcome with condemnation, and were weeping.

When Ezra was reading the law to the people it produced sorrow because their lives and behavior were not in alignment with the law. But instead of being rebuked and condemned, they were instructed to celebrate because of “the joy of the Lord.” Why would the Lord have joy when they were “a bunch of sinners?”

Well, the short answer is because of God’s indefatigable, infallible, and incomprehensible love. As many of you know, the children of Israel were never known for their perfect behavior. They were known for being the people of God. They were His and because of Christ we too are His!

You see, joy in Christ is not based upon the temporary experiences of life. Experiences are the wrong foundation for faith, that’s why some seem to fall away from Jesus as soon as trials come along (Matthew 13:20-21). No, our joy grows out of deep belief, repentant dependence upon Christ, from our obedience to Jesus’ Lordship, and upon our submission to the authority of God’s written Word, the Bible. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

In fact, our joy is the working of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As He guides us we manifest the fruit of the Spirit (which) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The apostle Paul instructed the Ephesians to …be filled (controlled) with the Spirit, resulting with believers communicating with …one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:18-21).

My brothers and sisters, as believers, our joy is in reality the Lord’s joy. His Holy Spirit generates the joy, the Word of God fuels the joy, and our surrenderedness expresses our faith that works in synchronism with the will of God to accomplish all this in His name and for His glory.

Today, I encourage you to surrender, to love, and to forgive as you have been forgiven.This week, I challenge you to sit at His feet, rest in His presence, take on His yoke/burden, and walk in His joy!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#ChooseJoy

Stop looking for the weeds!

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLBYcFqy/

BeStrong

TGBTG

#NAP

#Rejoice

#PrayWithoutCeasing

#GiveThanks

Undoubtedly, there comes a time in life when we experience the reality that neither the resources of the present moment nor the joys of the past are quite enough to keep us going. Sure, we eat, breathe, and move about, but we feel that faith, hope, and love in our lives are as the faint morning embers from the evening’s camp fire.

Let’s be honest, many people struggle with consistently maintaining faith, hope, and love at different times in their lives. Some of the most committed and godly leaders have struggled with doubts, just like everyone else. The very essence of faith, hope, and love is to believe in that which we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). As physical beings, we tend to put faith in what we experience with our senses. Spiritual realities are not tangible and must be experienced outside our senses. So, when that which is tangible and visible seems overwhelming, doubts can shroud that which is invisible.

No cap, it can be extremely encouraging to remember that, when we struggle with faith, we are in good company. Elijah the prophet experienced such a struggle. One of the greatest prophets of all time had just called down fire from heaven, killed over 400 false prophets, and outrun King Ahab’s chariot—a feat that would have been the envy of Jamaica’s Olympic gold-medalist Usain St. Leo Bolt (1 Kings 18:36–38, 46). Yet the next chapter finds Elijah hiding in a cave, depressed and asking for death (1 Kings 19:3–5). After all those miracles, he gave in to fear and doubt because a wicked woman hated him (1 Kings 19:2). During times of stress and exhaustion, we can easily forget all that God has done for us.

If you are being tested right now, I want to remind you the greatest power to overcome doubt comes from the Holy Spirit Himself, who “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). We can cry out as the man cried to Jesus, “I believe. Lord, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). And we can expect Him to answer.

My brothers and sisters, if this message is for you, never forget that God is working things out, even when you don’t see it or feel it! So, be faithful, thankful, and mindful that God is with you. Where faith, hope, and love grows, breakthroughs happen!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#FaithHopeAndLove

As the children of Israel stood at the precipice of freedom, Pharaoh and his blood thirsting team was closing in with the intent to slaughter them. With freedom in front of them and the enemy closing in behind them Moses cried out to the people in Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight your battles and you have only to be silent.”

When Moses said, ‘God will fight our battle’, what he is actually saying is that we do not have to anguish, be anxious, or be discouraged when bad things happen in our lives. Let’s be honest, when it seems like a situation or battle is hopeless or the matter at hand is too big or overwhelming, we may be tempted to doubt God. However, we must remember that no problem, battle or situation is ever beyond the scope of God’s sovereign power, wisdom and care for His children. Scripture affirms that God has promised to take care of us (Philippians 4:19), make good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and love us beyond measure (Romans 8:37–39).

Contemporary praise and worship songwriters Bryan Fowler and Shane Barnard penned these words to this very popular song entitled ‘You’ve Already Won’:

“I’m fighting a battle
That you’ve already won
No matter what comes my way I will overcome
I don’t know what You’re doing But I know what You’ve done
I’m fighting a battle that You’ve already won”

My brothers and sisters, God is in control, but that does not mean we won’t experience opposition —in fact, the Bible states the opposite (2 Timothy 3:12 and James 1:2-4). “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4). In order for a believer to live a life of endurance, character, and hope, we must put on our armor (Ephesians 6:10–17) and trust the Rewarder, Sustainer, and Deliverer. We “put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). Our confidence is in almighty God, who will fight our battles and bring us safely home (Jude 1:24–25). “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).

At the end of the day, God wants us to genuinely live by faith (Romans 1:17) because faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Most people cite Exodus 14:14, but for some reason they gloss right over what God said to Moses in verse 15; “The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.” In other words, God was saying don’t just stand there, move forward by faith because I’ve already won this battle (vv 16-30).

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#TheBattleIsAlreadyWon

If you’re going through something today, and you feel alone, abandoned, abused, and discouraged never forget the God on the mountain top is also the same God in the valley. There is no pain, problem, circumstance, or heartache that God’s power and grace can’t overcome. That being said, I grant you permission to begin praising God right now for what He has already done, what He is currently doing, and what He’s getting ready to do in and through your circumstance(s). My brother, Noel was spot on; sometimes God does allow calamities in our lives to humble us and so that we remember that His power will always match His grace. 

#BeStrong

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#NAP

#PowerInGrace

God treats us better than we deserve and scripture confirms this in Romans 3:23-26 (CEV). Paul said, “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, He freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered His life’s blood, so by faith in Him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past He was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when He accepts people who have faith in Jesus.”

My brothers and sisters, we are so blessed to be a child of God! Not only has the Father given His only Son so that we might experience salvation from His wrath. But He has caused us to be born again to a living hope. A hope that will not perish or be defiled. It will not fade. Instead, it is kept in the most secure place possible — it is kept in heaven.

Hallelujah, when Jesus returns, He will bring His kingdom with Him. A kingdom that is perfect. One that will never be defeated. One that will last for all eternity. When Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom, we will be able to experience life as God designed. There will be no sickness, no death, and no disunity. There will be nothing that hinders our ability to live as God has designed.

We can completely trust all of this will come to pass because Jesus was raised from the dead. After three days in the grave — there was no way He was just faking it — He rose from the dead. After interacting with well over 500 people for 40 days, He ascended into heaven in front of the disciples and He promised to come back. His promise is guaranteed because we have been sent the Holy Spirit who works in our life day in and day out.

At the end of the day, Jesus demonstrated His righteousness when came to pay a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. That said, even if He did nothing else—He blessed us more than we deserve!

#BeStrong

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#NAP

#MoreThanWeDeserve

You better believe the ‘time’ for Jesus’ return is drawing is nearer as each day passes. That being said, which statement are you prepared to hear on judgment day?

A. “Depart from Me, I never knew you…”
B. “Well done, good and faithful servant…”

Well, I don’t know about you, but for me this is a no brainer question!!! However, in order to hear these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from Jesus, you must be saved. It doesn’t matter how good of a person you are; the unbelieving will never hear those words, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). And recognize that Jesus is not only your Savior; He is also your Lord (see Luke 6:46).

The phrase “Well done, good and faithful servant” comes from Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25. He tells of a master who left three servants in charge of some of his wealth. One of the servants did nothing to grow the investment. Two of them were productive caretakers and heard these words from their master. For every believer, we long to hear the same from God. So what must we do? Well, the answer is simple….you must accept Jesus’ free gift…..salvation.

Before salvation, we were slaves to sin and destined for death. But through faith in Jesus Christ, we received the gift of God, which is the salvation of souls unto eternal life: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16–17).

So, if the question mentioned in the meme makes you feel uncomfortable and you’ve never said ‘YES’ to God by putting your trust fully in Jesus, you can do it right now. There’s no better time than this very moment. To say YES, you can say a simple prayer like this:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you’re who you say you are in the Bible — that you are the Son of God who loves me, died for me, and rose again in power. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sin so I can be alive in you forever. Jesus, you are now the Lord of my life. From this day forward, with your help, I will follow after you.”

The Bible tells us, in Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

At the end of the day, you will either hear “depart from me” or “well done”.
“..the choice is yours….I pray that you choose wisely.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#TheTimeIsNear

It’s important to remember that all Christians including members of the clergy are human beings. Not to be negative but we are broken, messed up human beings just like everyone else. Just because we decided to put our faith in God doesn’t make us “better” people. Just because we believe in a perfect man in Jesus doesn’t mean we are perfect.

Let me be clear, this does not mean I am in any way excusing any and all actions of Christians. I cannot defend any of the wrongdoings by Christians or the church. I understand if you have felt betrayed or angered or upset by the actions of church members and leaders in the past. Some have committed seemingly unforgivable acts that may have broken your trust in them. However, what I am saying is that we shouldn’t expect Christians to be better than ourselves. Or just plain better people in general. Because they are people just like anybody else.

It’s not a coincidence that Paul was inspired by God to pen these words in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Make no mistake; we are all sinners because Adam passed on his sinful condition that leads inevitably to our personal sin and death. We all share Adam’s death sentence as an inherited condition (the “sin nature”) that is passed down to and through the human race and that every child brings into the world. Even before a child can be held accountable for personal sin, he or she is naturally prone to disobey, to tell lies, etc. Every child is born with a sin nature.

The late theologian and philosopher St. Augustine explained Adam’s transmission of his sin to us with a theory known as “federal headship,” a view held by most evangelical scholars. Augustine taught the concept of “inherited guilt,” that we all sinned “in Adam”: when Adam “voted” for sin, he acted as our representative. His sin was thus imputed or credited to the entire human race—we were all declared “guilty” for Adam’s one sin.

That being said, the more I learn about Jesus and who He is, the more aware I am of my own shortcomings. The more I understand about how perfect Jesus is and the amazing love He shows to everybody, the more I realize how flawed and imperfect I am. Becoming a Christian and growing in my faith has made me actually see how badly I need God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace. It has made me see how far I am from perfection.

At the end of the day, this message is not intended to grant provisional approval to sin or to make excuses for being imperfect. However, because of our sin nature we should never view anyone from a perfect lens. After Paul explained the priceless value of knowing Christ in Philippians 3:1-11, he said these words in vv 12-13, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,d but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#INeedJesus