ACTS 2:36 NIV
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

“Boss” is a modern meaning of the word “Lord.”

Somebody has to be the boss. Somebody has to make the final decisions. The flesh does not like authority and feels threatened when not in control and so it tries to control us. News flash: there will always be someone in an authoritative position, whether we accept their role as such or not. Which is why the Spirit was so intelligent to remind us to do this key thing:

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior,” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

• Pray for your manager so your time at work is peaceable.
• Parents pray for the administrators and teachers who spend so much time with our children throughout their day and lives.
• Wives, pray for your husbands that they may lead us where God directs.
• Children pray for your parents, that they would train YOU in the way that YOU should go.
• Congregants, pray for your overseers so they remain clear to feed the church of God with HIS word.
• Pray for the President so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives.
• Pray that you can lead someone today and everyday to make JESUS their Lord and Savior!

DON’T FORGET TO PRAY!

Can I tell you? It’s not a hard thing to let Jesus be your boss — in fact, it’s a wonderful privilege.

Jesus knows more than you do. And Jesus loves you more than you have shown love for yourself. If we loved ourselves as we appear to, we would disassociste with anyone or anything that would cause us harm. Instead, we find opportunity to gravitate towards it or them.

However, if we allow Jesus to be Lord over our lives and to call the shots, we would soon learn what we’ve been searching for, was given to us years ago.

Of course, if you choose, you can go your own way and do your own thing. You can try to do the best you can on your own — and then let’s have coffee and see how that’s working out! 👀 I know how it will work it because I had to make a mature decision to ask the Lord to order my steps and be submissive to His principles. 

Let me ask you this: If you owned a large important company, who would you rather run the company for you, a brilliant executive with a perfect track record of running many other companies successfully, or someone who has never run a company before?

You have control over something much more important than a company — your life. Who do you want to run it for you? Jesus, with a perfect track record. Jesus, who knows more about the future than you know about the past. Or, yourself?

Without the wise, loving, experienced, guidance of Jesus, you will almost certainly crash in life.

Trust in God and obey Him, and you will not regret it.

Jesus, I choose You to be my boss.

HEBREWS 4:15 NKJ
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Whatever you face, Jesus Christ has already faced it.

Jesus knows what it is like:

To be hungry.
To be tired.
To be lonely.
To be hurt.
To be hated.
To be beaten.
To be persecuted.
To be misunderstood.
To be mistreated.
To be mocked and laughed at.
To be betrayed by a friend.
To be tempted to sin.
To be responsible for employees.
To feel forsaken by family.
To feel hopeless.
To have no spouse.
To feel unrelated.
To have lost a loved one.
To have to pay taxes.
To have money stolen.
To have the responsibility to provide for a family.
To live under an oppressive government.
To experience extreme pain.

HEBREWS 4:16 NKJ
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Since He understands and has torn down the wall (veil) that separated is from being in the presence of our Father, we don’t have to be afraid to talk to Jesus about anything.

Not only does He understand, but He knows how to help you so that we can overcome and have victory.

Remember, Jesus loves you enough to die for you. And He also sent us a helper to intercede. Have you ever gone shopping on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving)? If there were different stores with different sales, you may have orchestrated a plan for one family member to stand in line at Walmart while the other was in line at Best Buy. Why? So that you would not miss out on the sale being offered. Well, The Holy Spirit is standing in line on our behalf, so we don’t miss out. He stands between us and our Father, almost like a defense attorney, defending our cause. Lord I thank you. Do you see how He loves us so? He has done many things to grant us a pardon for our sins, but we reject the plea bargain.

Jesus not only understands what you face, but He is able and willing to help you! Will you allow Him to help you?

Before folks became all technical 😆, we would rely on radio and television for information.

Remember this?

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for the following counties….take immediate shelter! When that warning came across the screen, I was done! Unplug everything. Don’t call me. Turn off all the lights. I’m in deep prayer. 

Most cities provide shelters for the homeless. These places are designed to provide temporary relief and comfort during horrible conditions. In the Midwest, where extreme winter conditions can cause death, a shelter is a welcomed safehaven for those who have no primary residence.

Refuse and Strength

It is so amazing is how The Lord uses the words “refuge and strength” together. I am quite certain it is intentional. Nothing God does is by chance or coincidence. 

Refuge means to run to a place where one can receive protection during times of crisis. Once you obtain the protection, you can collect yourself, calm down, and receive a little more strength to calculate and carry out your next move.

Psalms 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Oh MY Father! He has promised to give us refuge- a place of shelter during troubled times. And not just help…a very PRESENT help! 

Get this: God is not speaking on how He did “it” before (whatever your “it” may be), or what He will do later. He is helping and will help us right NOW! The the help is not temporal. It is here whenever we need it.

While in His arms (oh tears just came streaming down my face now), we are comforted and given His strength to endure life’s journey. We can “re-up” in Jesus, NOW!

Who do you run to? Can they help you NOW, or is their help delayed by next week’s paycheck or time schedule?

Help is here now, if you want it. All you have to do is ask for it! The biggest question is do you want the help that God gives?

The talk today will be the inauguration. There’s been so much division and difference of opinion. In the midst of any situation, we cannot forget what our Father told us to do and we cannot decide who we want to be saved and who we do not:

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭2:1-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So I ask you on this morning Did you arm yourself with the armor of God? Imagine the impact we could have and the souls we could bring to Christ if we literally prepared ourselves for spiritual warfare before our day began. The darts thrown at us through co-workers and management would have little to no effect, because we would’ve been prepared. The schemes setup by the enemy, through our children would be recognizable because we would be spiritually-minded and ready to respond.

A person in law enforcement knows that he/she is entering a battle; while they are unaware of what a day on the job will bring, they have specific attire and weapons to equip them for many scenarios.

We should be wearing our armor like we wear our clothes – every day! Just like law enforcement, we should prepare for the day and be able to respond to whatever comes our way. In fact, Jesus told us how to prepare.

Did you arm yourself with the armor God? 

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:10-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever been traveling and paid any attention the the skyscrapers and building designs in the downtown areas of a city? I was in Dallas a few weeks ago and saw some of the most unique buildings. Just the conceptual designs people are able put together to form tall structures is astonishing. 

Although I was in awe, the creativity of the architects cannot be compared to the Master Designer, who also happens to be my Father. He is yours as well if you’ve committed to being obedient to Him.

 In fact, here’s a thought: God shared with us His knowledge. So the knowledge we have is not ours. 

Genesis 1:26-27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Which means to me that everything we have all belongs to HIM in-tee-wayzzz!

The clouds swirl and scatter across the sky like pulled pieces of cotton balls. A large piece of metal, carrying people is able to maneuver in the air and glide so close to the clouds that it’s as if a person can reach out and touch them. Sometimes this metal, of which we call airplanes, shake and dip (turbulence) as a result of the weather conditions occurring below. Soon the plane begins to descend from the sky and the whole world (or at least the city you’re traveling to) becomes visible and appear as little board game pieces.

The ability to take a tangible, physical – large object and allow it to travel through an intangible object (air) that we cannot see but yet feel – is beyond explanation to me. Lord you gave man the knowledge to do this and to experience the wonders of your creation so closely, in the Heavens, through aircrafts and YET…some still don’t believe you exist. Some still don’t believe that the issue they are challenged, no matter how great or small, can’t be resolved by you!

I am persuaded, and it didn’t take much convincing…that you ARE the great I AM. Now, I ask that you use me, to walk so closely with you, that through my words of expression which are delivered in the form of writing and speaking, are able to persuade others of your splendor, majesty, gentleness and love. 

You ARE the Great I Am. 

John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Have you ever been at the checkout counter and realized that you forgot something? If someone was there with you, you’d ask them to remain in line so that you don’t lose your place.

What is so amazing is that we have this same mentality with the Lord.

“Hey Lord! Sit here while I do what I want. I’ll be right back.” The kicker is that we expect Him to stay and wait until we finish fulfilling our lustful desires, without having any spiritual consequences for our behavior. Then, when we are good and ready, we come back to the Lord, expect Him to give us everythibg that we desire, be able to get back into the SAME position, and not lose our “spot.”

How is it that we except and expect discipline from earthly parents but reject the discipline of our Heavenly Father?

“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:7-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

• “Lord stay here, while I go hang with my friends who don’t even acknowledge you. I’ll be back.”
• “Lord, just a minute. This guy caught my attention. I know he says he doesn’t believe in “all that” church stuff butI believe that I can show him the way. I can get Him saved. I’ll check him out and I’ll be right back.”

Remember that checkout line I talked about earlier? You went back for one thing, passed down another aisle and then realized that you forgot the milk. By the time you returned to the counter, your hands are filled with stuff.The  person with you had to let others get in front of your position to keep the line moving.

Stay in line with Jesus. 

Why chance getting passed over? By the time you return, you have 7 other spirits more wicked than the first issue you were dealing with (Matthew 12:43-45).

Let’s not place the Spirit on hold in our lives. Someone’s spiritual birth (even if it’s your own) is depending on you.

1. There are miracles yet to be performed. 
2. There is someone crying to know Jesus and not religion. 
3. There is someone who truly believes that Jesus is real but he/she need the proper introduction. Unfortunately, some of us have put Jesus on hold. 

The Lord has granted us mercy and grace through our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

“he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” ‭‭Titus‬ ‭3:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What is the first thing you do or say when you receive some not so good news? Well, I can tell you what I do…

“What? Lord Jesus, Help!” Thoughts fill my mind on what happened. My heart begins to race. I begin searching for people I can reach out to that may have more details.

Here’s a thought: Do the details really matter? Like if someone got hit by a car, does it matter if they were jaywalking or if someone ran the red light? The point is they were hit. I think it’s just our nature to desire to know more. It’s a coping mechanism. In otherwords, I can handle my food being off my plate if I ate it all, versus someone passing by and inadvertently knocking it over. The question is, how will I handle this bad experience? If it’s the latter, how will I respond to pain of looking at my food on the floor. 

It seems the people who understand problems and pain, also know how to navigate through life, with grace and humility. I’m working on me everyday but I believe that I have learned the key.

There is possibility in your pain. 

Let’s sit this on the table though: The possibilities aren’t clear when the pain is present. When my husband and I loss what would have been our third child, you could not tell me that there was something positive on the other side of that pain.

I was in the Lord, married, and doing everything I knew to represent Jesus well. When I learned I was pregnant, I immediately thought that this could be our son. However, I never found out the sex of the child. On Wednesday, November 26, 2008, the day before Thanksgiving, I miscarried. I was 2 1/2 months.

Questions filled my mind. I was angry and frustrated. I wanted to know if I had angered my Father or if I did something to offend my Savior. I thought of women who live life without conscience – with no spouse, and seem to have NO issues with pregnancy. They just pop them out like popping ice cubes out of an ice tray.

Well…I’m just saying

I wanted to ask God why, but not come off rude. Honey listen. I realize God can destroy and entire country in one day AND make it completely disappear with no trace of existence except through word of mouth. Umm I’m not stupid to approach Him as if He owes me anything. 

2 more children later, I realized what the possibilities were and are.

• Your problems produce pain. 
• Your pain produces a war cry. 
• Your war cry produces a war story. 

It’s possible that the child could have had a birth defect that would’ve been too much to bear with our large family. So my Father implemented a little pain management on my behalf.

It’s possible that I would’ve experiences health complications during delivery and my Father blocked it.

It’s possible for me to now minister my pain to help someone achieve their purpose. 
I have had to share with women my agony and frustrations with this particular pain on countless times. I came to the realization that as long as I humble myself as a servant of Jesus Christ, there is possibility in my pain, because Jesus is in the midst of my problem. He is right there.

Mark 10:27
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. 

All of your pain and frustration serves a greater purpose. Everything is coming together to develop you and wean you from the spiritual bottle and prepare you for adulthood.

It’s possible to push through the pain and to really grow and learn from it because JESUS is there. He is comforting you, promoting you, and cheering you on to get through it.

There’s purpose on the other side of pain. Push through and deliver the purpose.

Each day is filled with decisions. Everywhere we go and everything we do, a decision must be made.

• You decided what clothing you would wear.
• You decided what meal you would cook.
• You decided what gas station you would go to.
• You decided if you would have time to stop at Starbucks to get coffee or if you’d be late for work. 

There is also a decision we must make with controlling our verbiage and the tone that we use. This decision is one we do not like to take ownership of. We place onus on someone else, based on how that person treats us, when in reality, there is no excuse.

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Grace should always be the focal point of our speech and conversation. We should talk of the great things and wonders of grace, which God has done for us, that  would be edifying to our Savior and for the glory of God.

Our conversation should always be graceful, so that we can minister grace unto the hearer. If you don’t speak graciously, how can you minister grace?

If we focus on what we say and how we say it, then there’s no room for obscene words, subliminal messages, filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting, as the scripture says.

Ephesians 5:4
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Think about this: If we feared God in our speech, we wouldn’t have to think twice about what to say. The reason why so many evil things proceed out of our mouths is because the fear of God is not before our eyes.

Words are powerful. Not only can they destroy lives but also bring healing. Here’s the perfect example of the latter: The words of God caused us to turn from the err of our ways.

John 15:3
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

The choice is yours. What power will you demonstrate through your words on today?

About 6 years ago, on a warm summer morning, my family and I made plans to place some meat on the grill. Not for any occasion; just to have some meat from the grill. There’s nothing like firing up the grill in the summer. It’s faster, healthier and more flavorful. 

On this particular morning, I decided to get up before my family to get things going early so that we could enjoy the rest of the day.  I prefer to grill in the mornings anyway. My husband had purchased this “fancy” grill, not like the traditional Weber. It was stainless steel with pull-out trays to place your cooking utensils on,  racks and all sorts of gadgets. I didn’t think it would work any different than the traditional grill- simply because it had a few more bells and whistles. Shoot it’s just a grill, right? 

I began piling up the coals and mesquite wood chips to add some extra flavor. Mmm hmmm. I lit the coals and as always, added the charcoal fluid. Immediately upon adding the fluid, I was engulfed in flames. I began screaming and patting myself. Let me remind you no one was awake. The blinds were closed, the door was not opened but cracked; no window was open for anyone to hear me screaming because again, I was up early in the morning, preparing for our afternoon meal. 

Oh glory Jesus. 

But, just as quickly as I saw flames surrounding me, they were gone! I literally heard the sound of a “swoosh” and I felt wind.  What happened? I checked my surroundings, patted myself, looked at myself and began screaming and praising the Lord. I cried so hard. I ran in the house. By this time my husband was coming out of the bathroom. He asked what was wrong. I shared with him what had just happened. He was in shock. All he could say was wow. 

God had covered me. 

There was a sensation of a burn on a couple of my fingers- you know, the type of sensation you would receive when your hand inadvertently touches the rack while removing food from the oven. At the time, my hair was longer than it is now. It smelled like smoke and was singed along the edges near my forehead and on the very ends where my hair would lay on my neck. Honey, that was a sign that my God had covered me. 

• I should’ve had 1st degree burns…
• I should’ve been burnt to a crisp, especially on my face. 
• I could’ve been dead, on the porch, found by my family trying to pat myself from flames.

But God sent my guardian angel to cover me.

You talk about praising God? I woke up the entire house praising God so hard. They were in awe. I went to my room, prayed and then laid across the bed weeping uncontrollably and reflecting on what had just happened.  Then I heard a voice say:

Psalms 91:4

I immediately got up and read the scripture. 

Psalms 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Chile- It was over.

OMG YOU COVERED ME!!! The Lord let me know that He had covered me. 

All I could imagine was myself being covered in flames, and just like the character Superman taking his cape and twirling  it around to shield someone…

My angel took its wings and the sound of its wings made a “swoosh” noise to cover me. My  angel took its wing and shielded me. Oh glory to your name Jesus. 

I don’t care if no one believes me. This isn’t about convincing anyone. It’s about a blessed assurance and hope. I know that JESUS IS REAL! and I know what happened on that day. He has proven himself to me countless times. 

If you stop, pause for a moment and reflect, you too have a “But God” situation or two that have occurred in your life.  

By the way, there’s an old saying: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So, I went back to my good ole Weber grill. We went out to eat on THAT day. Lol. 

Lord I thank you for dispatching your angels to cover us and keep us from seen and unseen danger. I love you forever. I do not need a reason to make my life a living sacrifice for you, but if I did, you have given many examples of why I should do so. 

Thank You Jesus for keeping and covering us.