How do you demonstrate love? What does it mean to say that you love someone?

When we say that we love someone, we respect them, we desire to be in their presence, we enjoy seeing them happy and we often place their needs before our own. We love them because we can feel and see the love that they have for us in return.

Recall the time when you had your first child and the joys of your eyes meeting theirs. Remember the first glimpse of them and how you examined that child from head to toe- the one hiding in the womb for nine months.

Remember the love you had for your parents growing up? You wanted so much to have their approval and to see them smile. All of your elementary school projects and drawings were images of you with mom or dad. You could not wait to get home to show them what you had made for them in school.

When you love someone or someone loves us, there is PROOF of their love. Love is an action that produces results. It’s not a thought or feeling, it’s concrete and confirmed evidence.

Jesus reminds us a few times, the results or proof of loving Him – IF we truly love Him.

John 14:15 (NKJV)
If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21 (NKJV) 
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

John 14:23 (KJV)
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

If we look at this verse, loving Jesus is not the same as keeping His word. Loving Jesus comes before keeping His word. In other words, ‘”if you love me, the results will be that you will do what I have asked of you.” Keeping the commands of Jesus is the RESULT of loving Him. The love you have for your Savior means that you admire Him in all His greatness and glory. You are grateful for all that He has done for you. You are satisfied with who He is and what He has done and is doing in your life because you know that He has your best interest at heart. You know that He has no hidden agendas but to introduce you to your Heavenly Father and the love that they share for you. Loving Jesus means that you do not want to offend Him or do anything contrary to what He says to do. Loving Jesus means that you want others to experience this love that you have received and you will do your utmost to deny yourself so that others can see His love shining through you. Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

What are some of His commands?

• Love others as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:39-40)
• As much as is in You, live peaceably with everyone (after all, He did say He gave you His peace. If you cannot do that, then you must question what is in you). (Romans 12:18)
• Do not be revengeful (He says vengeance is His and He will take care of that).
• Do not judge (remember the rat hole you were in before you condemn someone else). (Matthew 7:1-3)
• Pray for those who intentionally try to use you.
• Bless them that curse you. (Matthew 5:44-46)
• Repent. (Matthew 4:17)
• Let your light shine before others. (Matthew 5:16)
• Keep your word (let your yea be yea and your nay, nay). (Matthew 5:37)
• Seek first the kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33)
• Do unto others what you would want them to do to you. (Matthew 7:12)
• Deny yourself.(Luke 9:23-25)
• Forgive those who offend and make sure you are not the offender (Matthew 18:15-17)

Loving God goes beyond the words that we say. If you “luh” (or love Him), the proof is in how you represent Him.

 

 

 

Ephesians  2:10 NIV
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

When we make the decision to repent, change our ways, and live our lives according to the will of God, we become new in Jesus. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Everything we have done in our past, before confessing Jesus as our Lord and Savior, is considered “old.” Now, this does not imply that we will not have to be responsible for the things we have done. No, not at all. Whatever seeds you plant, they will grow and sprout. The fruit or results of your planting will either reproduce fruit of righteousness or sin. Because of God’s mercy and grace, He lessens the punishment, not giving us what we deserve. 

“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

What the scripture in Eohesians does imply is that now that we are new, we were created to produce good works for the glory of God to be revealed. As the scripture says in Ephesians, God prepared this effort of goodness in advance. 

• So it was not by mishap that you were touched to give your life to Christ. 
• You did not by chance happen to attend a church service with a friend and cry your heart out (as they say) because the minister seemed to be speaking directly to you. 
• It is not “strange” that the enemy fights you on EVERYTHING that seems to be good because God, our Father, ordained good to come from you. 

You may have failed, but you are not a failure.
Failure is not the essence of what and who you are. Failure of something in your life is just something that happened TO you. It is NOT you. Honey, that failed life event just gave power to your testimony. 

God created you, and He made you able to do good. Maybe you have not yet discovered what you were created for, but God has a plan for you. When you fit into God’s plan you will find that God truly made you “a work of His art.”
A donkey could compare itself to a horse and think it was a failure. But bae baeee a donkey was created for things other than running fast.

Pick yourself up! Walk in the goodness you were called to do. Find out what you were created to be and do. Then rejoice as you do it.

#PutAPraiseOnIt

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

1. You had to decide what clothing you would wear.
2. You had to decide what meal you would cook.
3. You had to decide what gas station you would go to.
4. You had to decide if your shower from last night was sufficient enough to just “wash up” because you made the decision to hit the snooze but a gazillion times, which prevented you from showering this morning.

In your decision making process, did you consult the Lord beforehand or after the results from the decision you made were not favorable?

When did you pray and were you fervent in your prayer to receive what your prayed for? Did you wait to hear from the Lord after the prayer? Pray. Then after you pray, you must wait. Regardless of how big or small the decision is, become more consistent with communicating with our Father. Don’t wait until there is no other option. Oftentimes we get so far gone into a situation that we forget or we do not remember how we have gotten to where we are. 

If we pray more consistently, it should also keep us from saying or doing something we should not.

Proverbs 16:32 (NLT)  Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Luke 5:12
And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

This verse is packed with power. Jesus was in a city and was met by a man FULL of leprosy. Leprosy is a skin disease. It may appear as bumpy skin or it may come in a form of discoloration- where a person’s  hands, face or other body parts are extremely light in comparison to the natural skin tone. Back in the Old Testament, when a person had this disease, they were known to be both physically and spiritually unclean. To signify to everyone else, this person was unclean, the leper had to wear torn clothes, live alone, and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ Leviticus the 13th chapter gives more details regarding the law concerning leprosy. 

This man does 3 critical things that forever changed his life:

1. He came to Jesus (Matthew 11:28)
2. He sought the Lord (Psalms 34:4)
3. He believed a Jesus (Hebrews 11:6)

First, the leper ignores every law to stay away from others, runs up to Jesus, and falls to His face. The act of bowing before Jesus is a sign of humbling yourself in honor, respect and recognition of who Jesus is. The leper had an effectual prayer. When you go into prayer, your first pit stop ought to be humbleness, gratitude and reassurance to the Spirit that you do know who He is.  Then the leper “besought” Jesus, which basically means he pleads and begs with Jesus to help him. He didn’t ask for food. He didn’t ask for money. He didn’t even ask for a place to stay. The leper wanted help for himself.

Here is where the praise party begins. Watch how the leper talks to Jesus. His words moved Jesus because they were words of faith.

“Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

The leper did not say to Jesus: “If you can, will you…?” You see, the word “can” expresses your uncertainty in the ability of someone or something. The leper had no doubt that Jesus could change his situation. He could’ve even said:

Lord, if you will, can you make me clean?

That would have been a question and once again, a form of uncertainty. In case you do not know (oh my Lord- I am excited again), the move of the Spirit in your life is according to the power in you, of which is demonstrated by the words we speak. Jesus can do beyond what we can even THINK or possibly imagine, but it is according to the POWER within YOU!

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let me give you an example. A student does not have to ask the teacher CAN they go to the bathroom. The student understands that the bathroom exists. It’s a question of whether the teacher is WILLING to let the student to go. There wouldn’t be a question of me asking Oprah if she CAN feature my book in her book club, because I know this is something that she has access to and that she does. Therefore, the question is if Oprah is WILLING. The leper did not question if Jesus COULD cleanse him. Bae baeeee, he believed that healing was something that Jesus had access to. It was a question of whether Jesus was WILLING. 

It gets good right here. In verse 13, Jesus tells the leper, “I will.” Then Jesus touches the man and tells him to be clean. O M G. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Why is that so critical? Well…well…well…

Just a book over in John (15:3), Jesus says that NOW we are clean through the words that He speaks to us. Whenever you’re studying the word of God, and you come across words like “shall” and “will,” bae baeee those are promise words. One thing we know is that when God makes a promise, He fulfills it.

When Jesus said in Luke 5:13 that “He Will” clean the leper, He promised the leper. The leper had to be cleaned because Jesus said…I WILL, BE THOU CLEAN. Do you get what I am saying to you? If we are clean through the word, Jesus promised (I will) and then Jesus spoke the words: “be thou clean.” OH MY FATHER ON TUHDAY

What about us today? Are we really crying out for the lord to make us clean or to clean up our situation? If He cleans YOU, the situation you have MUST change. Wouldn’t it have been crazy for the leper to make himself look like he still had leprosy,  after he was cleansed, and him knowing how living an unclean life brought him so much shame and misery?

Why do you wanna look like you still associated with uncleanliness? If Jesus cleans YOU, you will have no desire to be associated with anything that looked like you used to. Why would you as a woman want to dress like you’re still of the world, if you’ve been cleansed? Why would you as a man still want to wear your earrings, as the world does, IF you’ve been cleaned? Why do you want to still look like you are the life of the party if you don’t party any more? Why do you want to look like the supplier, if you don’t sell anymore? Why would you as a parent STILL not spend time with your children- seeking for “me” time, and dropping your children off to grandma every weekend, so you can hang out, IF you have been cleansed?

IF your heart and your mind has been changed by the Jesus that I met, huntay you disconnect and dissociate with anyone or anything that makes you unclean. I mean, you changing phone numbers and everything. Why? Because I met someone who loved me enough to change my life. He accepted me when I was like the leper. I was an outcast and although I had no connection with Him because of my sin and how it separated me from Him, Jesus still touched me! It would be an insult to your Savior to behave in “mistaken identity.” That means, through your appearance, your conversation and how you have transformed to be like the world, someone would be shocked to know that you even go to church and you know His anointing is on your life.

If you’re asking Jesus to clean up your situation, and you’re not clean, you’re subject to going back to doing what you were doing before, ending up right back in the same situation (or worse). But if you ask Jesus to clean you, the situation has to change. 

I challenge you to open your hearts today to receive a word to change your heart and your mind. Once you transform your mind, your situation MUST change. Jesus WILL (change your life) if you CAN (simply open your heart). 

If you will, Jesus can. Thank you Jesus. I love you, more than anything. And I thank you for speaking a word over our lives. 

Get up! It’s Friday. I would like to provide you with a formal introduction of who I am, but before I do that, I must first tell you where I came from and what my background is (Aw shucks I’m only in the first paragraph and I’m excited). My Father, is God. Yep- the Creator. My Brother’s name is Jesus. He is my Savior. I just love Him because He loves me SOOO much and He shows it daily. He truly looks out for me. I could not have asked for a better big brother. Let me introduce you to them first and that will give you a better understanding of who I am. 

God revealed Himself to us and He made certain we understand that everything originates from Him, through Him and was made by Him. 

First, God introduced Himself to us:

Exodus‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’

God is “I AM”. What does this mean? He is whatever we need Him to be. The Holy Spirit strategically used “am” which is present tense, to describe Him. The word says: “I Am;” not “I was.” God is not dead. He is real, He is alive and He is well. He is “I Am!” (Oh Glory, I just inserted a praise break. Okay back to the devotion).

We then learned that God took a portion of Himself and made Himself as flesh to go through everything we will experience here on this earth. His name is Jesus. 

Matthew‬ ‭1:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.

John‬ ‭1:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made

Colossians‬ ‭1:15-16‬ ‭NKJV He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

‭‬‬Although He requires no introduction, but just in case it needed to be known or someone is uncertain, Jesus told us who He is (not was) also:

I am the way

John 14:6: Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

I am the bread of life

John 6:35: Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. 

I am the good shepherd 

John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep

I am the door 

John 10:9: I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture. 

I am the light of the world

John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke out again, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

I am the resurrection and life

John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies…

I am the vine

John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing. 

Through the scriptures, Jesus reaffirms that He and God are one. 

John‬ ‭10:30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ I and My Father are one.

‭John‬ ‭8:57-58‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”‭‭

If you look at who God introduces himself as and who Jesus introduces Himself as, replace the “I Am” statements above of who Jesus is with “God”:

• God the way
• God the vine
• God the good shepherd 
• God the light of the world
• God the door 
• God the bread of life 
• God the resurrection 

Oh my God this is so powerful to ME! They are ONE! “I AM” is God. Jesus is God in the flesh. Once we know who God our Father is, and who Jesus, our Savior is, they affirm who they are in us, by the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit):

John‬ ‭14:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

‭‭Here is when it gets real! I had to contain myself. Lord I thank you! Now you have been affirmed by the Spirit of the living God. You know who you are, whose you are and what you have on the inside of you. You can introduce yourself to this lost world, as a representative of Jesus Christ, for the glory of God. 

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

Now, please allow me to provide you with a proper introduction of who I am…

• I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)
• I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
• I am a child of God (John 1:12)
• I am a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9-10)
• I am a branch (John 15:5)
• I am the temple of the living God (Romans 12:1)
• I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)
• I am anointed by God (1 John 2:27)
• I am a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• I am a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9)
• I am healed (Isaiah 53:5)
• I am saved (2 Timothy 1:9)
• I am a victor not a victim (1 Corinthians 15:57)

I am…and you are…because He is! 

I was at the store one day with my children. All of a sudden I hear: “Noooo! I don’t want to. Give it here. I want it. I want it. Nooooooo!” My children look at me and I give them the momma look.

If you have children you know that look. That look that says: “You do realize that we do not play those games. You do not want to try me like that.”

We all have seen it at some point, right? We are either thinking about how we would respond to this embarrassing tantrum, maybe how the child has been raised (or not raised), how the parent of that child will handle the situation, or based on the vibes we feel, start praying for that child because when they leave the store…momma may not be as calm. The end result of our thought (or at least mine) is…”he/she is spoiled.” 🤔

According to the dictionary, to be spoiled means:

to give (someone, such as a child) everything that he or she wants; to have a bad effect on (someone) by allowing too many things or by not correcting bad behavior

The children of Israel became spoiled like that child. They had many tantrums. The Lord heard their cries for help to be freed from bondage. The Lord responded and freed them. Once freed, they complained of not having water, food and even said they would’ve rather stayed under bondage to Pharoah than die in the wilderness. The Lord still provided. They raised up against Moses. They taunted God by saying they would make a graven image and that image would become their God. Might I add, they did all this complaining while walking to a blessing.

God doesn’t raise spoiled children. He sent corrections in the form of plagues, diseases and death for taunting Him and speaking against His servant Moses. 

The tantrums of the children of Israel didn’t come without a cost. God finally became frustrated. The first generation of Israelites angered God so much, that He did not allow them to inherit the blessing He had waiting for them.  

“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”Numbers‬ ‭14:27-35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

How could Israel ever question God’s love and refuse to respond to it, after all He had done for them? We do the same things today. 

• We taunt God and threaten Him with returning back to sin if He does not do what we want Him to and when we want it. 
• We complain about not having what we desire, even while our needs are being met. 
• We get furious and angry, talking to the Spirit and “compraying”. Compraying is really complaining but we call that praying. 
• We place our own lives in deathly quicksand and then blame God as if He placed us there. 
• We talk against and about God’s people and His leaders, on things we have no understanding of. 
• We become angry and bitter at a gift – the gift of life, that quite frankly, we did not have to receive…all while walking to our blessing, which is eternal life with our Savior. 
• We question the validity of Jesus, following after other gods. 

As spoiled children, we want to receive from God our Father, through Jesus; we want the perks of having a Father who can give us anything, but we take Him for granted. 

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings:” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I do not doubt that some of our trials and issues we face today are not because of a spiritual suffering, but a direct result of being reprimanded for our complaints and murmurings that have come to the ears of God. And as Moses continued to plead on the behalf of the children of Israel, the Holy Spirit pleads as well for Jesus to have mercy on us. 

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let us not wander through life like the wilderness the Israelites experienced. God has provided us with divine direction, through His Son Jesus, for us to inherit a blessing that No man has seen, heard, or even entered into His heart, what The Lord has prepared for us. 

“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God created you out of love, with a specific purpose, for an eternal relationship with him. His love for you is greater than your sin and He proved it by continuously granting His grace and mercy. I urge you to not allow God to become fed up with your disrespect towards Him. 

Get up! Do not allow yourself to die and get caught up in the wilderness of life. Stop complaining while walking to your blessing. There is an eternal promise waiting on you if you just keep going. I’m praying for you and I hope you are praying for me as well. 

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:9-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What does it mean to be disrespected? How do you feel when you are disrespected? In its most simplistic terms, disrespect can be defined as doing or saying something that shows a lack of respect towards someone. To understand what disrespect means, we have to understand what it means to be respected.

Respect: a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way.

Disrespect comes in many forms. It can destroy relationships, families and friendships. Disrespect can also cause emotional pain, anger and resentment.  What hurts even more is the person who does the disrespecting, will brush it off, like it’s not important (and most likely it is not to them). When we feel disrespected by someone that we respect or a close family/friend, it hurts even more. Why? Because we are blind-sided; it’s unexpected and the reply is most often: “Nooo…from you?”

The Bible describes it this way:
For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. Psalm 55:12-13 (NKJV)

Some signs of disrespect include:

1. Ignoring boundaries– When someone clearly ignores what you have identified as deal-breakers, or things that are just unacceptable and completely cross the line.
2. Lying– This is really simple: If you respect someone, you will not lie to them.
3. Not listening/Ignoring – When you say something to someone and it’s as if you are conversing by yourself because they had no regard for what you said.
4. Pride – When someone places their needs and wants before yours or if the try to justify their actions/behavior.

Other words to describe disrespect include: Insulted, offended, rude, impolite and inconsiderate. Can you as an adult, parent, educator, grandparent, recall how you felt when that child was disrespectful? Oh, it’s a problem.

If you are a parent and you ask your child to do something, before they open their mouth, their physical demeanor can depict a sign of disrespect. I have had to remind my children many times of who they are, their role and my role. But my reply is often that of shock because I was not expecting THEIR reply.

After having a quick lesson in “Disrespect 101”, and all the signs demonstrating disrespect, how would you feel if I told you, you have been disrespectful to God?

For they turned away from following him. They have no respect for any of his ways. Job 34:27 (NLT)

We ignore the boundaries. One of the biggest boundaries is sin. How dare we approach our Father, through Jesus, without true repentance and separation from sin? Did you ever have a “worst” enemy? Someone you knew was out to make your life miserable? Someone you avoided at all costs because you knew it would result in someone getting seriously hurt? Satan is a total disrespect to God. How dare we ask God to accept us as we are (and how we continue to be) without even TRYING to live as He commands? We lie about not having an issue with sin, attempting to cover up. I got a question? How can you cover up or hide anything from the One who created you? If you as a parent, can recognize when your child is lying, do you not think that the OMNIPOTENT Father, knows when HIS children are lying?

Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:2 (NLT)

God, the Father CLEARLY says that we cannot come to Him, without going through Jesus. Our behavior becomes prideful. Our prayers become selfish, placing our needs and desires before the purpose He has for us to fulfill. Sure, Jesus says to ask, but before asking for Him to do something for you, did you ask Him, what would He have for you to do?

The people of God disrespected Him so much, that He was hurt that He ever made them and destroyed the first world by water, with the exception of Noah, his family and some animals. The people of God insulted and angered God so much with their sin, that He completely wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah.  The people of God angered Jesus so much with their unbelief, that He did not demonstrate His power to the people of His own country- they were too hung up on who He was carnally and who His parents were (Matthew 13:53-58).

Do you know what would please our Father most? Do you know how we can demonstrate our respect for Him? By respecting His Son, Jesus and the sacrifices He has made. Our relationship with God, our Father was restored by the blood of Jesus Christ.

For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 (NLT)

Without respect, love is lost. Don’t lose your love for Jesus. Our life depends on our relationship with Him. I’ve learned that in order to gained respect, one must earn it.  In case you weren’t aware of the power His name possesses, I believe Jesus has earned and deserves respect:

• The Wonderful Counselor
• Prince of Peace
• Savior of the world
• Alpha and Omega (the beginning and the end)
• Author and Finisher
• The Son of God
• The Lamb of God
• My redeemer
• My protector
• My provider
• My waymaker
• The Almighty
• The Word (John 1:1)
• The Life
• The way
• The truth. 

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. Romans 5:6-10 (NLT)

Have you ever been in a place where you surrendered to the Lord and it seemed so hard to stop doing the things that are not pleasing in His eyes? Then you began to make excuses saying: “God understands. He knows my heart. I’m trying.”

He understands? Yes, God does understands. 

Here’s what He understands:

•  God understands we were born in sin. (Psalms 51:5)
• God understands our spirit desires to do His will and please Him but our flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)
• God understands there will be temptation but God also understands He made a way to escape. (I. Corinthians 10:13)
• God understands that we cannot change without His Spirit leading and guiding us (John 16:13)
• God understands sin has a power, which is why grace was given. (Romans 6:14)

Here is what God does NOT understand (imagine Him speaking):

• Why would you choose EVERYTHING else other than the sacrifice (Jesus) I made for you? 
• Why would you intentionally hurt the very one who always comes through for you (Me) only to need my help in the end?
• Why do you believe everything everyone else says, but you struggle with believing in me?
• Why are you so careful not to offend others and yet you offend me daily?

Remember the time your child got a bit sarcastic with you because you wouldn’t allow him to take the electronic game with him, and then, you so lovingly reminded him of whose funds were used to make the purchase for his happiness?

News flash: 

• Need God to remind us that Jesus did not have to die…at all? 
• Need Him to remind us that Jesus left Heaven, just to get us there, for our eternal happiness?  
• Need God to remind us that the ONLY reason He did all of this, as a parent never loses love for its child, and although we defame His name, bring shame and place it directly in His face…our Father…My Father…simply loves us. 

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What does all of this mean? God has standards. Yes He loves us, made us in His image, gave His Son for us, sent His own Spirit to keep us. BUT…God already told us what is required of us as His children.  He will not change His word to justify wrongdoing. Let me make this more clear. 

There is a schedule that children follow for school. Every class occurs at a specific time. There is a time school begins. There is a time when school ends. There is an appointed time for lunch. There is an appointed time for recess. The administrators of the school are not going to delay the start time just because the parents woke up late, the buses are late or your car broke down. There is also a specific curriculum that has to be followed and each student must know the information being taught before graduating to the next grade level. A student will not graduate without meeting the requirements of each grade level. If the world has standards and ordinances why wouldn’t the Lord? God WILL NOT CHANGE! 

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? (‭Numbers‬ ‭23‬:‭19‬ NLT)

There’s no excuse for sin. Here is the real issue: Sin has a power. It was demonstrated to us in Luke the 4th chapter. Jesus was able to defeat the power of sin by living the words of God and reminding Satan of what His Father said. Then the Angels came and ministered to our Lord so that He could receive strength. Here is where we get off track. 

When we are led into temptation, (whether we place ourselves there or we are tested) we do not resort to Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit cannot come and minister to us and strengthen us because we did not rely upon Him for strength initially. Pretty soon, the power that sin has, begins to control us. We felt that we were strong enough to break away but if we were THAT strong, why are we still struggling with separating ourselves from death? I do not know how I can strongly express this through verbiage other than capitalization:

THERE. IS. NO. OTHER. BOOK. WRITTEN. ON. THIS. EARTH. WHERE. ONE. RECEIVES. POWER. FROM. THE. WORDS. SPOKEN. IN. AND. THROUGH. A. BOOK. All scripture was given by the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit represents POWER. 

“Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:20-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So then we can conclude that the Bible is not JUST a book but a physical representation of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit represents power. Why would Jesus tell His disciples to wait until they were endowed with power from on high if there was no power able to keep them?

In conclusion, yes God understands. He understands that you have decided to conform to the world when He said separate.

When will you understand that grace is not an excuse to sin?

When will you understand that the POWER of God supercedes any power in existence and He gave that power to us? God fully understands, it is His children that lack a full understanding of who He really is!

“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you ever been trying to get the attention of someone? They claim they could not hear you but you KNOW they heard you. 😡

I have five children. This happens alll the time. I can be in the room right next to them and they will swear they didn’t hear me:

Me: Asia. A-asia….Aaaaaaaaaaa-siaaaa

Asia: coming mom. 

Me: Asia when you coming?

Asia: I’m on my way. Here I commmmmeee. 

Me: GIRL YOU KNOW YOU HEARD ME CALLING YOU. THAT’S ALRIGHT. I AM GOING TO ACT LIKE I CANT HEAR YOU WHEN YOU ASK ME FOR SOMETHING. 

(My inward thoughts…now I forgot what I wanted)

Asia: Ma, I promise I didn’t hear you. 

Me: Well, why did you say you were coming but you never did?

Asia: Blank stare. 😳

Me: Don’t answer. I don’t want you to lie. 

Funny right? Most children do that. We as adults do that as well. Watch this. 

How many times has the Lord called you and you pretended as if you did not hear Him? 

How long will you wait to answer Jesus because there is something that you don’t want to stop doing to hear what the Spirit has to say to you? 😳

You know you heard the Spirit and you felt the Spirit drawing you to the altar to surrender. Do not pretend as if you cannot hear Him. In the day you need Him most, what if He would feel the way I felt, when I told my daughter that I will pretend as if I cannot hear her when she asks me for something? 

The amazing thing about the Lord is He is not like us. Although you may have erred, you’re still anointed. Although you run from His precious Spirit, He has still given you gifts. Consider the most talented artists and athletes we look up to today. While most of them do not represent Jesus, He still gave them the gift. They choose not to acknowledge Him for worldly gain and pleasure. 

“For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” Romans‬ ‭11:29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If there has ever been a time for real believers and followers of Jesus to stand up – that time is now. The scriptures are being unfolded before our eyes daily. Every day around the world, something devastating is happening. We hold the answer to the problems that this entire world is facing. If we choose not to surrender our will for the will of God, we are holding the freedom of someone who is in need of our testimony. We are holding the strength of someone who is in need of our encouragement. We are delaying the freedom of someone who is in need of our introduction to Jesus. You may be even holding yourself hostage. 

Take courage. Get up. Jesus is calling.

When you read this scripture below, replace the name “Jacob” and “Israel” with your name. This is how we remove the words from the pages of the Bible and make them real in our hearts and minds. 

“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:1-2, 10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬