Romans 3:23 reminds each of us that we have all miss the mark of God’s righteous and in I John 1:9 we are equally reminded that when we confess our sins to He remains faithful to not only forgive us, but He will also cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Let’s be honest, when we miss God’s bull’s eye of righteousness we still seek out God’s forgiveness, but why is it so challenging to forgive our brothers and sisters when they ‘miss the mark’ within our relationships?

Jesus said we should forgive someone seventy times seven in response to a question from Peter about how many times to forgive a brother who sins against him. Peter asks if forgiving seven times is appropriate, and Jesus responds “not seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). On one level, this number is wordplay—Jesus is taking the number that Peter gave and one-upping it, changing Peter’s expectations.

The parable Jesus tells after giving this instruction highlights what he means by “seventy times seven.” He tells a parable about an unmerciful servant who has amassed an impossibly large debt but is forgiven for it. The servant is described as owing 10,000 talents (Matthew 18:24) – as a footnote in the NIV translation states, a single talent was 20 years of wages for a day laborer. So, this servant owed a debt in the millions, a debt that given his job and status, he couldn’t possibly accumulate in the real world. Even in the modern-day world when some people rack up thousands of dollars of gambling debts, no bookmaker or employer would be stupid enough to lend that much money. Jesus is exaggerating to make a point about how huge the debt is, that it’s impossible to pay back. In the same way, when Jesus says “seventy times seven,” He is creating a number so large that counting it would be ridiculous. You could try to mark every time you’ve forgiven somebody for a while, telling yourself, “Well, seventy times seven is 490, once they’ve hit 491, it’s all over…” However, the work to track your forgiveness for that long would be silly. So, the point is to FORGIVE regardless of the number of offenses because we can’t put a number on forgiveness. We must forgive people always, without putting a limit on it.

I know the argument because I’ve unapologetically defended it before. Are we to forgive and pardon the offender at the same time? Well, read Matthew 18:15:20 because just before Jesus talked about 70×7 he gave a teaching on what to do if a believer sins against another believer.

Obviously, this is an exhaustive topic with many nuisances to factor and even more opinions to debate and with that being said I will close with this; there are still consequences for sin. If a person has not fully repented of their sin, then they should not be fully trusted as if they’re an innocent person. However, you should always forgive them and let go of the resentment towards them because hating them actually steals, kills, and destroys your personal joy and peace! (Sounds familiar, right…..read John 10:10)

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#ForgivenessIsFreedom

God’s general will is birthed from His inherent and indomitable Word. Understanding the divine wisdom of God’s knowledge reveals who He is and what He desires from each of us.

It’s no mystery why we have been taught, abandoning our will to God is not an option for those who seek to be an overcomer for His glory.

Jesus who was and is 100% God and man said prior his arrest and brutal persecution in Luke 22:42, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.”

There’s no doubt that the human will being surrendered to God is the foundation of the Christian life and yet there has never been a more unpopular subject.

In my opinion, the contradiction of wills starts and ends with power of the wills. God’s will is premised on infinite wisdom whereas the human will is prefaced on finite knowledge and with that being said, it’s obvious the former would be greater than the latter.

I could go on, but there’s really no need to pontificate this subject because whatever God set in motion before the foundations of this world will always come to pass. The major prophet Isaiah confirmed this truth in chapter 14 verse 27 and he said, “Nothing can stop God’s plan [will] for your life.”

My beloved brothers and sisters, God does not need our help to be responsible, but by saying ‘But thy will not mine be done’ we express that God is responsible and we declare to God in praise that God is responsible.

Undoubtedly, the most powerful prayers you can ever pray is, “God not my will, but let Your will be done.”

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#NotMyWill

Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us everyday. Unseen and unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed.

Noel Pinnock it’s been 180 days since your spiritual departure/promotion and not a day has past that you’re earthly presence have not been missed! I am slowly adjusting to this new abnormal and as you know it has not been easy by no stretch of the human imagination and to say it plainly…it sucks!!

However, when I remove my selfish biases, I am reminded that you’re better than blessed…you are with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and it doesn’t get any better than that!

My beloved embryo twin brother, I find myself cleaving to every earthly memory that I shared with you and I can wait till our Savior returns so that we can make new eternal memories together!

That being said and in the spirit of humility, I am not the only one that miss you. Since your spiritual departure your entire family, friends, and the community you selflessly served all have a hole in their hearts that only God can fill, restore, and heal!

I often find myself thinking if only we had more time together, but then the Spirit of God reminds me that we will spend the rest of eternity together and this spiritual truth is like an anchor to my soul.

No-No, even in my grief you would want me to encourage others who are presently “in the paint” of grief, pain, and hurt. If that’s you today, let me/us encourage you to read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Additionally, here are three guiding principles from these passages above that are presently keeping me grounded in this valley:

1. Don’t grieve in your own strength!
2. Don’t grieve without hope!
3. The Cross is real!

May the winds of heaven blow softly and whisper gently in your ear just how much we all love and miss you and wish that you were here, but we know and are learning to accept that it was God’s plan to bring you home with Him! ❤️‍🩹

Love you No-No!!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#Neva4Gotten

You better start declaring God’s word over your life. The enemy wants to mute your voice, BUT God wants YOU to break your silence! The devil is out here thirsty and he wants you to feel defeated and powerless because he knows that he is defeated and powerless!

In most cases, you and I sometimes fear that the battle might be too big for God to tackle, but that’s far from the truth. Luke 1:37 declares and confirms; “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” This is a very powerful and truthful declaration and to speak this truth over your life all you have to do is follow this pattern: _(insert the battle(s) you’re facing) and then declare that it is possible because nothing is impossible for God!

In the Gospels, we see Jesus healing the mute and the lame, those who are paralyzed in speech and in action. Unlike the spiritually blind and the deaf, the spiritually mute can see and hear the truth, but their mouth is unable to declare the truth.

In Hebrews 4:12, God’s word is said to be “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword.” The Greek word for quick means “alive, living, lively.” The Greek word for powerful means “full of energy, energized, active, effective.”

In Mark 7:37, the people were astonished beyond measure that Jesus brought the mute to speak. It is only through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit that we can declare His truth over our lives. It is only through Jesus that we can be freed from fear that the battle(s) we face (big or small) is too much for God to handle.

Jesus is the cure to all fear, because He is perfect Love. The Apostle John reminds us in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” If we call on Him, He will cast out the fear that causes our inability to speak and/or declare the truth or act on the truth that leads us to hope, strength, and breakthrough!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#NothingIsImpossibleWithGod

Yesterday, I shared my daughter’s devotional and today I will share my son’s devotional. He also had to work this past Sunday so I asked him to send me a script and tell why he selected it and here’s what he wrote:

JOHN 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

In this world it is inevitable that we will experience a time or have moments in our life where we aren’t fulfilled or pleased with where we are at. Whether that emotion be pain, depression, anger, or anything of that sort. We must know the true source of our peace. That is God. We all have a purpose here on this earth. Yes, we have Christ. Yes, we love God. However, that will never mean that we won’t face obstacles or take on the burdens of this world. God is the source of our strength and it is through Faith we will then be able to overcome these small (Compared to God) obstacles in our life. God is in control , He is the creator of all.

I saw a TikTok once and one of the guys that I was watching said… “When you learn to take your hands OFF the situation and allow God to put his hands ON the situation, you’ll then start to see everything unfold and work out for His glory and will.” It is important to know and understand that we have to give it to the Lord. That is why the Bible says, “Take heart!” Meaning don’t worry.. For He has overcome this world.

All in all, I can assure you that every doubt, worry, intrusive thought, painful time, or what you’re going through… If you submit it to the Lord and truly give it to Him. Everything will begin to lift off of you so that you may overcome the trial that you’re facing. Life is tough. Giving up is enticing at times. But we were not put on this earth to give into defeat. God is bigger than your problems, He is bigger than our fears. He is bigger than our enemy. It is He that will orchestrate our lives and provide us the tools, people, and strength to get where He predestined us to be. Keep moving forward. God always has his arms extended out to us. It is up to us to look up and give ourselves to Him.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#HandsOff

My daughter had to work this past Sunday so I asked her to pick a scripture and explain why she selected it and here’s what she wrote:

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Meaning🤍: I chose this scripture today because I wanted to focus on two things: healing and peace. I say healing because one thing about healing, in my instance, is taking things slow. Learning that I have no control over the things around me and what God decides to put me through. Now that doesn’t mean I can do whatever i want and be dumb with the people and things I allow to influence my life. But it’s the discernment that not everything is in my control. For example, meeting someone and then randomly they start showing you how they really are. In this case, I had no control over how someone acts, the only control I have is how I let it affect my life and how I plan to go through it.

It’s the same with emotions and energy. In a sense, I have no control over my life events however, I have to use spiritual discernment to choose how I let it affect my life. This scripture just made me think about that; slowing down and realizing that I am not my emotions, because God makes everything happen for a reason and quite frankly everything is a test. In my eyes that test is: are we going to put our faith in God? Are we going to give him our burdens and trust in him? We already know what God is capable of but are we willing to trust him when we are faced with a challenge?

Personally, at times I let my emotions get the best of me and I don’t trust God enough. I sometimes cave into how I’m feeling and shut down and this scripture reminded me to stop doing that because God has always been on my side.

Even when I fail to place my my entire faith in Him and I question Him, He’s right there and He pulls through. It also kind of reminds me of what you always tell me. “It isn’t as bad as it seems.”

This leads me into my second point: peace. I don’t believe happiness is something I should chase because it is just a fleeting emotion along with anger, sadness etc. What I do chase is peace, being able to actually feel like i’m breathing and not suffocating in my own thoughts. In the flesh, peace reminds me of a nice warm day with cool breezes, no actually worries or deceiving thoughts going through your mind. Just enjoying what’s in front of you. But spiritually, peace to me is sitting under a tree with God just resting. This scripture is exactly how I always spiritually perceived peace, even as a baby. So this is why I chose this scripture today! I love you papa!

I pray this word of encouragement bless you the way it blessed me!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#YouAreNotYourEmotions

As many of you know life can be really good and life can be really difficult. However, Solomon offers us some wise counsel to live by in Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 and he said, “Consider what God has done: Who can straighten. what He has made crooked?When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.”

Wisdom, in this case, is to be resigned to it. We must think this reality through and accept what is impossible for us to change. All too often, though, we allow life’s big or small difficulties to depress us and dominate our lives to such an extent that we do virtually nothing positive about the things we can change or cannot change. That is when Satan wins because, having put ourselves into a weakened attitude, we more readily cave to his devices.

Read verse 14 again. This verse contains further wisdom to defend against those difficult times when it seems that nothing can be changed. Solomon essentially counsels us to learn to “roll with the punches.” We must make careful efforts to make the best of the situation, understanding that God has seemingly withdrawn Himself for our good. God is love; He is neither forgetful nor a harsh taskmaster. We have a hard time seeing that the level of difficulty we are experiencing is good for our growth. He is not doing it to smother us but to benefit us in the end.

Family and friends let me encourage by saying God, from His sovereign height, has determined to keep us somewhat off-balance for His purposes. God has commanded that we must live by faith. So trying to figure out the precise reasons for every situation is not only often impossible, but also a huge waste of time, effort, and energy. This counsel may not satisfy some people because of its simplicity, but it is right: all we have to do is trust Him and keep pressing towards the mark of the upward prize in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:12-14).

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#KeepFighting

God is always up to something good, but my spirit is encouraged because I believe He is about to do something magnificent and unprecedented! I am THANKING Him for what He has done and PRAISING Him in advance for the manifestation of His purpose, direction, and blessings!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#GetReady

I’ll be the first to admit that I am a continued work in progress. Salvation transpires in an instant, but the work of sanctification takes a lifetime to complete. The good news is that when I mess up, I can rest in the truth that God is not finished with us yet.

Though I struggle, I do find strength, vision, and motivation in what Paul said in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

I am learning that God’s pleasing and perfect will is not a mystery. In fact, it’s rather quite simple. God wants you and me to become more and more like His Son everyday!

Most people, Christian or not, consider themselves to be morally good. They try to follow their internal moral compass, helping those around them, perhaps even knowing that they have failings, but trying to balance them out with good. The truth is that the Bible says we’re all sinners (see Romans 3 or Isaiah 64:4), that we never would have sought God without His help, and that even the good things we do are motivated by selfish or sinful desires.

At the core of our faith is the life-altering truth that we are far worse sinners than we could ever know, yet Jesus still loves us. Yes, we are being sanctified but when we fail, and inevitably we will, we know that our identity, or our standing before God, is not wrapped up in our “success” as a Christian, but drenched in the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

The message of the cross is the realization that frees us to share about our failures and to be thankful to be a Christian. It’s what allows us to accept rebukes, criticism and advice with humility. It is also what allows the church to welcome and accept all who would seek to know God, as we who were once far off have been brought near ourselves.

So, if you are work in progress, I want to encourage you to keep on keeping on and always remember that what God starts, He also brings to perfect completion (Phil 1:6).

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#WIP