The Maze of Life

 

Have you ever gone to the airport and watched and listened to the people coming and going? I recently had that opportunity. I had to pick up my nephew who was flying in from Minnesota. I pictured this little maze with a mouse running around trying to find it’s way to the prize, the CHEEESE at the other end. People were darting here and there to get to where they were supposed to go hoping they do not miss their flight to their destination.  Their eyes are focused straight ahead as they maneuver around people, luggage, and barriers.

I was pondering on this and the thought crossed my mind, “How many times do we run around, darting to and fro, trying to find our way to the end, the grand prize?” Like the mouse in a maze, we try one avenue only to find a barrier or obstacle so we try another way. This process goes on until we FINALLY get on the right path, the one that God had originally wanted us on. We dart through life doing a lot of good things, but are they God things? I don’t know about you but I have traveled paths that were good paths, which I thought were God’s paths, only to find that I missed the flight so to speak. Never loose hope because you have wondered down the wrong trail or wondered down the wrong path. It is so easy to get back on the right trail. All we have to do is ask God to forgive us for making the wrong choice and He does. Immediately we have gotten back onto the right trail towards the cheese.

Satan wants to deceive us. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. He can make things look so good that it must be God telling you to do something or go somewhere. Remember that he is the master of deception! In order not to fall for every deception he puts out there we must equip ourselves daily. Not just on Sundays. To equip ourselves we need to build a relationship with God. Spend time in prayer and just communicating with Him. Have a conversation with Him, and then listen to what He has to say because He will respond to you if you listen. The next thing to do is to digest the Word. Not just read it to say you have read the Bible. That would be like buying lunch at a fancy restaurant and just watching the food. It is not until that food gets inside of you that your hunger is quenched. Your body digests the food to energize your body so that it will function correctly. The Word, once digested, becomes part of you. It helps your spirit man grow and become strong.  Meditate on what you read. Make it a part of you not just a once in a while thing. I am talking to myself as well. We have all missed it in this area if we are at all honest with ourselves.

Praise and Worship are two other ways to keep the enemy from deceiving you. Create a lifestyle of praising God daily. Even down to the littlest things you have. All things on this Earth belong to God. God, the creator, inspired everything created, and then had man to create what we have,. Give Him the glory for each day that you have and for the wonderful provision He has bestowed upon you and your family!  God wants us to be prosperous but not to hoard up the prosperity. He wants us to share with others to establish His Kingdom here on Earth. It is never too late to start over. If you miss it, repent, then move on with God. He is waiting for you because He loves you unconditionally!

 

~Ronda Sullivan

Image Credit © Michal Wozniak | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Fitly Framed

God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here–in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.Ephesians 2: 19-22 (Message Bible)

The church has to be built according to the pattern that God gives. God is in the process of building His church. Once we are saved then we have to be fitly framed into God’s kingdom. That means you may have to team up with people you don’t get along with. This is where the chipping, cutting, and polishing begins. As you begin to mature you will be able to work with your teammates and get more done together than alone.

Fitly means in a proper manner, place, or at a proper time. To be fitted takes time. You might be fit in children’s ministry, but God may be fitting you somewhere else as well. Just fill in the blank with whatever area you are in. God has to do more work on us to get us ready for what He wants us to do.

Jesus had to be fitted to the cross. Someone had to nail His hands and feet. That was part of His assignment. He endured the cross as a man. He could have exercised His free will, and said He didn’t want to do it. What if Judas had not betrayed Jesus? What if Peter had not denied Jesus? It goes back to the message Apostle David preached, and how we can apply it to everyday life. I had been frustrated because God had not given me all I needed to finish this article. I was stuck!  I read what I had to my daughter, who said one thing, and it triggered the rest of my article. How awesome is that? God does not get in a hurry. He is always on time!

Don’t grieve God. Don’t break His heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted. Ephesians 4:20-22

~Tammy Sanders

Image Credit: Tammy Sanders

Where is Your Focus?

“Focus, focus, focus, you have to learn to focus.” How many of you have ever heard that in your lifetime? I know that I have. I have also been guilty of saying that same phrase or something similar. How about you?

As a teacher, I catch myself saying something similar like keep your eyes on your job, quit watching what someone else is doing. I teach students with special needs where there is a lot of repetition to master each task. There is also a lot of redirection to keep the focus on their task at hand.

In my classroom there are a lot of opportunities for students to get distracted. The slightest movement, change in routine, visitor to the room can cause them to lose their focus on their task. How many of us have bee guilty of letting the little things come in to take our focus off of the task that God has on doing? I have been guilty of that and I am sure you have been to. You might look at the new car your neighbor just bought and start thinking and focusing on wanting one as well. Before you know it, your focus is off of the task God has for you and it is on a new car. In Matthew it tells us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. When we seek God first despite the distractions He will take care of all that we need. He will provide for us.

So the next time that a distraction or circumstance presents itself to you just remember to keep your focus on God. Continue to seek Him in spite of what your circumstances are saying and He will take care of you.

~Ronda Sullivan

Image Credit @© Bobby Flowers | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Thank God I’m Odd!

Growing up I never considered myself “normal” (if such a thing even exists). Some people embrace their uniqueness, but alas I cried many a night because I was different from everyone else in one way or another. But today, I can truly say that I am wonderfully blessed to be such an odd cookie! Let me share some of the ways God has used my quirks for His Kingdom.

 I took piano lessons for twelve years while growing up. None of the other boys at school played piano, but I seemed to enjoy it. Well, several years later, all of those lessons are paying off as God has been able to use me with the Praise and Worship team to minister to multiple people in a unique way that I would never have been a part of otherwise.

Another oddity about me is that I’m a gaming geek. I am 37 years old and I still love playing both video games and board games. Let me give one example of why I’m thankful for this! My best friend, who used to attend this church, had drifted away from God. Many people judged him, but I still cared for him as a friend. Fortunately, we both really enjoyed playing video games together, so periodically we would get together to play. For about two years, I simply loved him where he was and would confront him about his sinful lifestyle as I felt the prompting by Holy Ghost. Within a few years, he married and recommitted his life to Christ. He now has an active relationship with God and we are still best friends. I by no means take full credit, but God was able to use my “odd” passion for games to play a role in the restoration of my brother.

 Let me share one last quirk about me for which I thank God. I am a HUGE Survivor fan! (I’ve even planned out an audition tape for getting on the show.) I find the reality TV show absolutely fascinating. However, I have built relationships with people I would have never dreamed possible because of our common love for the show. In fact, I currently have influence in the life of both an atheist as well as a muslim because of our shared interests in Survivor. God has opened opportunities for me to demonstrate God’s love to those whom I would have had little in common with otherwise, all because of my weird obsession for a reality TV show.
Whether you now think I’m odd or not, I will guarantee you that you’ll never find another man just like me ever again. I am one odd cookie! But you know what? God celebrates the uniqueness of who I am, so why shouldn’t I? So I say, “Thank God I’m odd!”

 ~ Dr Matt

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Don’t Worry Be Happy

We live in very uncertain times. There are a lot of changes taking place in our lives from day to day. With the economy being what it is our money is being devalued. Each trip to the grocery store or gas station is shocking. I’ve watched people’s expressions of despair, depression, and even desolution. The job market is even more uncertain with lay offs, downsizings, and factory closings. Our elected officials certainly don’t have a solution, it seems they don’t even have a plan.

Families are being challenged, marriages are breaking up at an alarming rate. Children face uncertainty and instability like never witnessed in any other generation. There are more people including our children who are having to take anti-depressants to cope and deal with life.

We are living in a time of a great shaking. In Hebrews 12 verses 26-29 God’s word declares this shaking. The end will be His Kingdom coming which will never be moved. As Christians being born again into the family of God there is hope, peace, and an expected end for us. Life for everyone is challenging. To every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ there is hope in the midst of the storms of life.

I ‘ve layed out the challenges we all are facing. Jesus declared his followers are blessed which means happy. We don’t have to live being fearful of the uncertainty of life, our lives are in His hands. God is a good Father, He knows what we have need of even before we ask. Jesus said when these things began to take place for us to look up our redemption is near.

We have to keep our focus on him not on the things going on around us. The Psalmist David in Psalm 121 encourages us to look up unto the hills from whence cometh our help. We need to refocus our eyes, not looking at how bad things are, but knowing God is in control. As we seek first His Kingdom God will take care of us no matter what happens.

His Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  We can be secure in his peace and joy. Don’t Worry Be Happy the Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He is our peace in the midst of the storms of life.

~Ricky Robinson

© Rocky Reston | Dreamstime.com

Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. ~ 1 Timothy 6:12

 

We learn the commandment to fight a good fight of faith. Perhaps it’s easier to have faith for God to bless someone else, but not you. The thing I struggle with the most is believing that I am worthy enough for God to bless me. I know myself better than anyone else. I know the things I struggle with and the things that I do wrong each day.

I also know that I can’t hide anything from the Lord; He knows all of my secrets that I hide from others. For this reason my thought is, “how in the world could He ever bless me?” I often find myself speaking comfort, peace, healing and blessings over family, friends and others who are in need; however, when I need these things, I don’t bother praying. To an outsider, maybe this sounds humble; but I know me, and I know the underlying reasoning behind the lack of prayer. Trust me, it isn’t humbleness at all; it’s various strongholds in my life that have created ceilings.

I heard a wise man explain that he didn’t understand how a person could sit and take marital advise from someone who isn’t married. This statement struck me pertaining to my walk with the Lord and the example that I show to the world each day. If I don’t fight the good fight of faith, and speak blessings over my own life; how in the world would someone that I pray for each day believe that I am fighting a good fight of faith for them?

I truly believe that Holy Ghost is trying to show me that I am just as valuable to the Kingdom as anyone else. I have the right to be a daughter of the Father just as much as any other woman that He created. I also have the same authority that He has given everyone else. My life is important. I have chosen to fight the good fight of faith for my life, have you?

~ Christi Duncan

Image Credit © Tammy Sanders

Trust and Obey

God does some strange things at times. The sermon that Sunday morning was on tithing. When it was offering time, I heard God tell me to put my watch in the offering plate. As the plate went from person to person in the sanctuary, I found myself debating with Him. “Why do you need my watch? I need that watch to help me remember to take my afternoon medicine.” All I kept thinking of was the story of Abraham. God tested Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his most prized son, as an offering to him. Just as Abraham obeyed, I sadly and reluctantly flipped it off my wrist and into the plate to sacrifice it to God. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I knew it was best to obey.

It turns out the youth pastor of the church had a metal allergy. He could only wear certain type of watches. Apparently, that particular watch had the right kind of metal for him to wear. God knew he needed it more than I did.

Can you see in the second paragraph above how many times my questions were about me? I must have had a case of me-ismsat that time in my life. God apparently knew I needed a lesson in trusting and obeying in him. I was self-absorbed with my needs instead of what he wanted from me. What I really needed was dependence on him for his help.

In today’s world situation, we need to learn to trust him more with all our needs. Trusting in Him to teach us what we need to learn in life is not easy. and neither is obeying at times. As a child of God, He will take care of us. After all, His Word does promise that He will never forsake us. We must remember that there are others in our own community that do not have that security in God as we do. It is a good time for us to learn to trust and to learn to obey Him. I really believe God will honor us in the process of learning even in the little things of life.

~Gay Dowdy

Image credit:

WATCH
© Paavo Leinonen  | sxc.hu

God’s Kingdom

 

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. A lot of people misquote this verse. Saying thy will be done “on”earth. The kingdom of God is in us. Mankind was made out of the dust of the earth. In order for God’s will to be done on earth, first it has to be done in earth.

Religion wants to change man from the outside in. It wants us to conform to a certain image, order, or rule. So that we can glory in our works or outward appearance.You can wash and dress up a pig, but its nature will never change.

Being born again is a change of our nature. No matter how hard we try to turn over a new leaf or make a resolution, we fail. Even if we experience a degree of success, it always comes up short. We know deep down that we can’t live holy or righteous, but for short periods of time.

Thank God for a new nature. It’s much more than listening to or being directed by our conscience. We can have a seared conscience that we’ve hardened or supressed to the point of self deception.

God’s ways are so much higher than ours.

Our fleshly nature made from the dust of the earth can never bring forth His kingdom. By allowing His nature to live in us, we will bring forth His kingdom in the earth.

~Ricky Robinson

Image Credit © Tammy Sanders

Going in The Right Direction

 

Life can be challenging for all of us. Every day we are faced with choices and decisions. We need the right answers. We can use trial, error, and past experiences to make decisions. Being a christian and relying on the Holy Spirit for direction and answers surely helps. I am a firm believer that when we rely on the Lord, He will direct our pathways.

We were living in Jacksonville N.C. at the time and as I was praying, the Lord spoke to my spirit. He told me that he was going to give me a debt free house. Wow! I was elated. Like anyone who has every gotten a word from the Lord, I thought it would happen right away. We faced a decision of whether to stay in Jacksonville or to move back to Hamlet. I wanted to stay in Jacksonville and build the house. I prayed and the Lord said, “Wait.” Just what I wanted to hear.

Time went by, my faith was tried and tested. I grew impatient and discouraged, but I knew deep down in my spirit the Lord had spoken to me. Circumstances started changing. The railroad yard in Jacksonville closed,  and I was able to transfer to Hamlet.

We bought some property, picked out house plans, and prayed for direction from the Lord. One night we were at church, I was called out and given a word of knowledge. The Holy Spirit spoke through a man whom I had never met. He said. “Brother, the Lord didn’t give you that land not to build upon, He’s going to give you a house”. It was a word of confirmation to what the Lord had spoken five years earlier. I had waited on the Lord for direction. The word of knowledge at the right time, through the gift of the Holy Spirit in this man, and gave me the go ahead to build.

Three years later we had the house and best of all it was debt free. All praise to God who performs his word.

~ Ricky Robinson

Image credit:

ROAD MARKING
© Yali Shi  | Dreamstime.com

Actions Behind Your Words

 

Lately the word faith has been mentioned a lot at church in prayer and sermons. It’s made me stop and think, “How much faith do I have in God? ”How much do I REALLY trust Him to work in my life? We can all say that we trust God and we have faith in Him and in every area of our life. But faith without works is dead. You have to put some action behind your words. I know I’ve had to challenge myself to put some actions behind my words. And when you have people in your life that won’t let you slack with your actions, you know you can’t hide in the background.

I think many of us actually get to that point that we think we can hide in the background or we just have the mindset that our part isn’t that valuable. But we are wrong! Our individual part is just as important as the next person’s. We can’t take our part for granted or neglect it. We are to lend our supply.

And this is where our “putting action behind our words” takes place. We have to take one step of faith and do our part in the Body of Christ. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t act upon your faith!

 

~Monica Guzman

 

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ORCHID3 © Jozsef Bagota | Dreamstime.com