If you haven’t noticed people are at their breaking point. People are just flat out mean, mad, and intolerant. We can see this in the rising number of road rage incidents. But it’s not just on our streets and highways. We also see it on airplanes where air-rage incidents have become commonplace. There have been attacks on health care workers and school board members. Students are attacking teachers. Bathrooms are routinely trashed and the list goes on and on!

David Brooks in the Times said, “Something darker and deeper” is afflicting our society. Too many Americans no longer care for the health and well-being of others. People’s patience for each has grown increasingly thin.

Jesus put it this way when describing the signs of the end times in Matthew 24:12-14, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

My brother and sisters, I encourage all to stand firm in love as Jesus instructed His disciples in the above passage of text! If you remember the first Ghostbusters movie then you remember it was Jackie Wilson’s song entitled, ‘ Your Love Has Lifted me’ that destroyed the evil blob that was spreading across NYC. If you’re too young to reference this point….watch it on YouTube or any other streaming device…this movie is a classic!

At the end of the day, we have to stay postive and remember that with God on our side, we will get through this together. There is no doubt that we can make a positive difference in our world by being the reason someone feels authentically welcomed, seen, heard, valued, understood, and loved despite of the declining world around us.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#YourLoveHasLiftedMeHigher

https://youtu.be/DEiR0DubZWo

When God scans the earth for potential leaders, He is not on a search for angels in the flesh. He is certainly not looking for perfect people, since there are none. He is searching for men and women like you and me, mere people made up of flesh. But He is also looking for people who share the same qualities He found in David. God is looking for men and women “after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

So, what does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? It means your life is in harmony and in sync with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. What breaks His heart, breaks yours. When He says, “Go to the right,” you go to the right. When He says, “Stop that in your life,” you stop it. When He says, “This is wrong and I want you to change,” you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God. That’s the bottom-line, biblical Christianity aka becoming sanctified.

My beloved brothers and sisters, God is looking for men and women whose hearts are His—completely and entirely. That means there are no locked closets. Nothing’s been brushed under the rugs. That means that when you do wrong, you admit it and come to terms with it. You long to please Him in your actions. You care deeply about the motivations behind your actions. God is not looking for magnificent specimens of humanity. He’s looking for deeply spiritual, genuinely humble, honest-to-the-core servants who possess a heart like David.

We live in a world that says, in many ways, “If you just make a good impression, that’s all that matters.” But you will never be a man or woman of God if that’s your philosophy. Never. You can’t fake and make it with the Almighty. You must face it until you ace it! He is not impressed with externals. He always focuses on the inward qualities, like the character of the heart . . . those things that take time, dedication, commitment, and discipline to cultivate.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#AfterHisOwnHeart

With God on our side we will get through these challenging times together. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a global crisis or a personal struggle, it’s important to remember that we are not alone, God is with us (Deuteronomy 31:8)!

My brothers and sisters, we can fully place our trust in God and rely on Him to what we can’t do and then by faith continue to do things we can do. Relying on God is the process of telling ourselves that we don’t have all the answers and committing ourselves to prayer when faced with frustrating situations. It requires trusting that God not only cares but also is real and able to make a tangible difference in our perspective lives.

We can find hope in this word of encouragement found in Jeremiah 17:7-8, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 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.”

This passage of text describes an awe inspiring life. Jeremiah gives us three positive benefits to being God-reliant: courage, confidence, and change. Undoubtedly, during seasons of drought, disappointment, and despair we need to employ all three!

At the end of the day when we live God-reliant lives, we will always have a secure source of confidence and courage, just as a tree sends out its roots to find an overwhelming plentiful source of water. We can be confident that God can change any situation, at any given moment and all we have to do is remember that with God all things are possible and we will get through this together!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#RelyingOnGod

Our modern day culture puts a lot of stock in credentials. It makes sense in a workplace setting because whenever we hire someone for a job, we want to know they’re capable of doing the work. If we ask someone for advice, we want to know they’re familiar with the subject matter. The more titles, diplomas, and achievements a person has to their name, the more we’re inclined to trust them. Generally, this is a prudent attitude for approaching the world, but God has a way of turning our preconceptions upside-down, especially when we try to apply them to Him.

While ascertaining these various scholastic accomplishments are commendable and impressive in man’s eyes, to God they’re not as important. In fact, I Corinthians 1:27 (AMP) says, “But God has selected [for His purpose] the foolish things of the world to shame the wise [revealing their ignorance], and God has selected [for His purpose] the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong [revealing their frailty].

Believe it or not, God loves unqualified Christians and the Bible is filled with unlikely ordinary people God used to do extraordinary things. Look at Moses, a murderer and an outlaw who fled for his life to Midian where he became a lowly shepherd. Look at David, an adulterer who arranged for the murder of his lover’s husband, and disobeyed God’s direction. Look at Mary, a young woman with no experience beyond her own faith. Look at Peter, an outspoken and impulsive person who cut off a man’s ear and who had the chance to defend Jesus, but he chose to vehemently denied him 3 times. Look at Matthew, a despised tax collector and pariah (outcast) in his own community. Look at Paul, a zealot who was actively persecuting believers for their faith. Undoubtedly, God looked past all these people’s perceivable shortcomings, sins, and faults and saw great faith and trust in their hearts.

If this message speaks to you and you’ve been standing on the sidelines or sitting in the bleachers, I want you to know God wants to use you. God wants the world to know His great love for each of us. He wants all to know that salvation comes through His plan alone; not by any efforts on our part. So, if for whatever reason you feel unqualified or unworthy, you are the perfect candidate God is looking for because He is able take one ordinary and unqualified believer and use him or her to extraordinarily change the world.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#GetInTheGame

I struggled with this message because I know there is so many people (including myself) struggling in our world today. It’s funny because as I was preparing this word of encouragement at 3AM this morning Ephesians 3:20 popped in my mind, but due to uncertainty I went back to bed to marinate on it a little more. When I woke back up to continue writing this word of encouragement that same scripture popped back up.

My brothers and sisters, take a look at what Ephesians 3:20-21 reminds us in the midst of our struggles; ”Now unto Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

In the book of Job, when Job had everything, he prayed. When everything he loved and owned was taken from him (including his health), he still prayed. Prayer isn’t about your circumstance, it’s about who God is!

If He did it for Job and everyone else throughout scripture, He will do it for you and me! All we have to do is give him the glory, praise, honor, and worship that He rightfully deserves in advance. Our plight, situation, or circumstance doesn’t call God into action; it is our faith in prayer that moves Him!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#NowUntoHim

In seasons of overwhelming uncertainty, there is an encouraging promise given by God to every believer. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous man run into it and is safe.” This verse is short and simple, but the promise is profoundly powerful.

So, the million dollar question is where do you run to when life knocks you down?

The reality is we do have a choice. They’re many different places we can look to find temporary peace and protection, but it’s only temporal. Let’s be honest, some of us including me have sought protection from our worldly hurts by running into temporary ‘shelters’ only to find that every source of worldly protection developed and promoted by man will ultimately fail us in the day of untimely or unwanted adversity, trouble, and pain.

Psalm 124:8 says, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 18:2-3 describes the strength that is found in God. “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”

I could go on, but I’m going to stop right here….

If this message is speaking to your situation I want you to remember that you are not alone. We are all susceptible to life’s unexpected blows and woes. However, I want to remind you that God’s strong tower is always opened for your refuge, recovery, restoration, and rest. Never forget the world makes many promises, but it will always leave you empty and hopeless in the end.

Let me close with the Amplified Version Classic Edition’s rendering of this powerful verse: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong.” This is the proper Christian posture for the child of God. My brothers and sisters, run to God today, be encouraged, and be strong; He has you covered and He will always have your back!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#TheLordIsAStrongTower

I love the way Colossians 3:13 is translated in the NLT and it reads, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” In lieu of ‘make allowance’ other translations used the terms or phrases ‘bear with ’, ‘be tolerant’, ‘put up with’, and ‘forbearing’. I personal think to ‘make allowance’ is the most effective term to use because it properly captures the spirit of what Paul was telling the church at Colossae.

Here’s a little trivia about this translation; the NLT was created by a team of 90 top Hebrew and Greek scholars working with texts in the original languages. It was published in 1996 and the general purpose for the translation was to make the Bible understandable and accessible to all readers.

Now let’s get back to the text…

The Colossians, like most people today struggle with true forgiveness. You see, when we make allowances for people to act stupid what we are really doing is setting a realistic expectation for ourselves. In other words, we insulate our hearts from the adverse effects of harboring anger and resentment because we know at some point we too will eventually need that same allowance….if not more.

Jesus taught His disciples to forgive others in the same way God had forgiven them. Unfortunately, some Christians believe in the concept of forgive them and then banished them. Which is the polar opposite from the way God in Christ forgives us. God chooses to forgive us and then reconciles us back unto fellowship (1 John 1:9).

Look at it this way, God made allowances for every sin known and unknown to man and He crushed them on the cross on Calvary’s Hill. Paul said in Romans 5:8, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Paul knew that if the church was going to learn how to forgive like God forgives they must first, “be clothed with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

I briefly reviewed the *Barna study and it said, “Most Christians recall a point at which they gave no-strings-attached forgiveness, some express reluctance in specific cases. Around one in four practicing Christians (23%) has a person in their life who “they just can’t forgive.” This study also found that theologically, those who can’t forgive someone are more likely to say people go to heaven because of good deeds (39% to 21%). Practically, they are less likely to believe mercy influences their words or actions (46% to 67%).
Among those that took survey 87% of the respondents that received forgiveness said they have given it in return, compared to 64% of those who said they have not received unconditional forgiveness.

In closing, forgiveness is not an option it’s a command. It’s a command because in Christ Jesus God made allowances for every sin known and unknown to man. Therefore, if you have incarcerated people in your prison of unforgiviness and/or partial unforgivness, it behooves you to exonerate and pardon them immediately because by not doing so you jeopardize your own forgiveness with God. Jesus said in Matthew 6:15, “But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

• This study is based on quantitative surveys of 1,007 U.S. adults, 1,502 U.S. practicing Christian adults and 600 U.S. senior pastors of Protestant churches.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#LetItGo

Many of you know that my father is a renowned and now ‘semi-retired’ auto mechanic. As a child, watching him pull engines and then reinstall them would literally blow my mind away. One of the reasons his diverse automotive skill-sets are so profound is because he was self-taught or should I say ‘God-taught’.

I vividly remember watching him restore three vintage ford Mustangs, but the one that is most memorable to me was the red 66 model. A classic indeed, but before it was restored, it looked like a broke down bucket of bolts. The interior and exterior had better days to say the least. Dad kept her in a separate portion of his auto-mechanic shop and each day he would repair and/or restore a section of that ‘Stang’ until all of the broken parts were made new again. It took him a little while to get it all dolled up, but eventually he rehab that vehicle like it was brand new with all original parts.

Let me lift this up for you! Many of you know our Father who art in heaven and He is the renowned Creator and Restorer of the universe. He restores lost time, bestows new identities, creates new life, and make broke things new again! Revelation 21:5 says this, “And the One sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then He said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

My dad didn’t restore those vehicles overnight…it took time. In that same vein, in time God is able to make broke down things become new again. He alone has the power to make all things new, and He demonstrated that to us when He raised Jesus from the grave. My beloved brothers and sisters, God is in the business of restoration and resurrection. His Kingdom will come one day — Satan will be overthrown — but renewal, refreshment, revival, reconciliation, and restoration is also happening now on a smaller scale.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#brokethingsmadenew