There Is A Problem

Before delving into the Word, please forgive me for not being as diligent as I would have hoped to have been this year. I am in the process of making a career and change in residence. All of my personal belongings have been packed and I resort to going to the library to write in my spare time. I do thank you for your patience and supporting this blog by checking in and reading those entries that may be new to you.

In studying the scriptures, when God recognized a problem, He resolved it. Problem: the world was void and without form. Solution: God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:2 KJV). Problem: God created the Garden of Eden so big there was no one to feed it. Solution: God created 3 rivers to nourish the garden (Genesis 2:10-14 AMP). Problem: It was not good for man to be alone. Solution: God created woman (Genesis 2:22-23 AMP). Now that last problem is a powerful statement seeing that God epitomizes what good is and created all. There was a problem and His solution was to create a woman. Selah.

Here is my question: How is it that man, God's creation, thinks he can create a better solution then the one God made? From having a dog as his best friend to marrying the same sex, how are any of those things better then the what God said and concluded that it is good (Genesis 1:31 AMP)?

Understand if you choose to do anything outside of what God has created as good, that's your right and you have the freedom to make that decision (Proverbs 18:21 AMP). Only, you can't then complain and expect absolution when crap happens. This is basic Christianity 101!!! You, whether you believe it or not, created a bigger problem by going outside of what God calls good.

I just learned a few weeks ago, one of my favorite speakers of all time passed away last year. The way I came about this information was surfing the channels on youtube and finding his face on a few of them. He had been out of the public view for a few years and I was surprised to see him back. But upon closer scrutiny, the channels were commemorating his passing. His name is Arch-Bishop Veron Ashe. He was introduced by Pastor Carlton Pearson way back in the early 90's and was regarded as one of the most dynamic and anointed speakers in the Christian circuit. He went on to be seen on the Potter's House and in various parts of the United States and Europe. I know when it was announced that he was anywhere in Michigan, I was there. In his sermon, he mentioned several times that he was married to the church and had not been married to anyone. Personally, I found that strange but not unheard of because speakers of the clergy like to use Paul as an example for not being married and still being anointed to do as God called them to do (or so we think).The problem here is that we were
never required, taught, or told to follow Paul. Fast forward: Veron Ashe passed away destitute and alone, according to the article linked here. It wasn't until later did I find that he is the grand child to Mary Kay Ashe, the multi-million dollar business mogul of Mary Kay Cosmetics. How much sense does that make?

My son is single and 30 years old. He has been talking to a pastor who is also single and in his mid 50's. The pastor claims that he believes marriage is a ministry and he has not been called to it. I warned my son to guard his heart and be watchful when listening to this man preach (Proverbs 4:23 AMP).

Another pastor had an uncle about 20 years older then himself. The pastor marveled how his uncle could keep himself celibate for so long and maintain holiness in Christ (his words). In his late 70's, the pastor made the declaration that he is ready to be married. The problem was the pickings were so slim, that no one was interested. Eventually, instead of him looking, he went back into the nature he was used to - single life. By his late 90's, the pastor told him it was high time for him to let go of his independence and come and reside with his nephew and wife. He did. One night when all of the other occupants were busy with their lives, the uncle tripped on a stair and fell tragically. He passed away - alone. What could anyone say, but to feel sad.

I just wonder how anyone can question the quality of their lives when they refuse solutions God has created and has freely given. Are you afraid? He created a solution for that (2 Timothy 1:7 AMP). Are you apprehensive because you have no example of a happy marriage? There is a solution for that (1 Peter 5:7 AMP). Do you love your stuff more then sharing it with anyone else? God knew and created a solution for that too (Matthew 6:1-20 AMP). So you see, there is no excuse or special privilege to those who truly wish to have their lives better off then what it is. Its really up to you.

Trust, when God says its not good to be alone- it really and truly ain't.

Get Ready, Get Ready, Get Ready....For What?!!

I was looking at one of my favorite speakers, Dr. Creflo A. Dollar, Senior Pastor of World Changers Ministries in College Park, Georgia. He is the first pastor that could make me understand the practical application of the Word and that it actually could be a life style rather then just so many words a clergyman says to a group of people just because he was hired to do it. Once I understood what was being said, I knew I could do it and not turn to the left or the right - like I have heard so many times in the past and it just didn't make sense before.

Sunday, April 8th, the message that aired was from an Easter Sunday service. Pastor Dollar began the sermon by stating that he received permission by the Holy Spirit to get up into their business (the congregants). I was intrigued, as I usually am by the message, I just never expected for him to say what he did. On Easter Sunday the sermon is as routine as it is on Christmas Sunday. Pastors who have had their ministries for any length of time almost never venture off of the script of the birth of Jesus during Christmas and His resurrection on Easter. You would think with so many people coming to church on those days that the message would be a little different in order to embrace the new comers or the novices so that they would have the desire to return through out the year.... but nope, year after year, the same thing over and over again until I made up in my mind that on those holidays when there are so many people to hear what is necessary, I decided to give up my seat seeing that I am there throughout the rest of the year. Nevertheless, this morning, Pastor Dollar began the message as expected. In describing the crucifixion and the state of Jesus' body, he told the reason why the other men had to have their legs broken and Jesus didn't. His point being, it was prophetic even before Jesus was born (Psalm 34:20 AMP). Pastor Dollar mention other things that happened in our lifetime that also are mentioned in scriptures. He then asked the question, with these things taken place, shouldn't you also be concerned that the rest of the bible will also happen as well?

It was typically quiet amongst the people. Whether they were thinking of the question asked or whether they have something in their own lives to clean up was between them and God. What wasn't expected was the direction he went after that. He spoke on sin, as most pastors would, then he got on the men. That's right, he actually said something that wasn't in the best light about the men! I was glued. The years and years I have gone to church services and heard how much women have to change this and that. If its not the way we look on the outside then its the look of our bodies. How we must accept our husband's crap and more and more and more. I don't know how some women could stand it. But this time, it finally was the men's turn. Actually, if no one else will say it, I will - it should have started there. But, with most pastors being men.....[sigh]. Seriously, view it here for yourself.

As a counselor, I have heard the frustrations of people on a continuum. In so doing, my job is to root through all of the complaints and actually try to find where all of the pain and hurt comes from. Most often, the underlying problem is not what they are complaining about. Many times there is childhood pain coming from an abusive or neglectful parent, neighbor, or family friend. If therapy is delayed, the direction of one's life is dictated by that pain in marrying the very people that caused the pain subconsciously or deliberately thinking that it's normal to be abused or treated with little to no respect. If the therapy is in church services hearing the Word in order for the person to straighten up, stop treating people like a day old newspaper, and turn your life around - then so be it. Its cheaper and it has more benefits (Isaiah 32:17 KJV). Its just putting the blame on someone else for the shortcomings of one person has to stop (Genesis 3:11-18 KJV). A child might be able to get away with that because of his/her lack of resources and life experiences - not a grown man or woman in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10 KJV).

Life comes with many decisions, yet for the born again believer the decision remains to be the same - life. When ever there is a choice of two or more things set before you, the answer is life. Case in point, you have three colors to choose from to decorate your office: blue, yellow, or cinnamon. What color should you choose? The one that is your favorite? The one that your boss likes? The one that will make the girl or guy you are trying to impress like you? Or the one that will cause the customers you serve feel relaxed when making their decision to use the company? What do you do? Who will you seek in finding the correct answer? Answer: you seek the giver of life - Jesus. In praying and acknowledging Him first, you are keeping life, abundance, joy, peace, and righteousness at the forefront. Success is eminent.

The message Dr. Creflo Dolllar came with, was much needed - for the women as well as for the men. It was like the spiritual food doesn't have to be diluted anymore. There is more then just a handful of us that can actually chew on the meat of God's Word and the vegetables are quite tasty too. Finally...finally....finally! Change has to take place with servings like these. Fighting the good fight of faith emerges power before, during and so much more afterward - if you stand. Because like it or not, being ready or not - Jesus is coming!

38 Years!

Seriously? What takes 38 years to do?

I was thinking on this particular scripture while getting ready for work and got so irritated at the man waiting at the healing pool for the angel to come and stir it up for him to be healed. I wondered about that man sitting there day in and day out for his moment. When was his moment about to happen? Thirty-eight years, he's had this affliction While some ministers would take this message and run with being diligent in the process of patience, I just don't see it that way. What was this man doing in that time that he was by this pool? He had to eat during that time. He had to sleep. He had to maintain with bodily functions. How did he do that? So why didn't he fight for his position? Aside from that, there were others that came and saw him year after year. He told Jesus that every time he would try to get in the pool, someone would jump in before him. So why weren't any of those people considerate enough for this man to have his turn? What was he thinking during that entire time? Did he get discouraged? Did he complain? Did he talk about others that passed him by? What was his attitude during that time?

I ask these questions because God is good. He would not frustrate His children. The Word tells us this over and over again. If your father in his evil ways would have good gifts for his children, how much more so would your Heavenly Father (Matthew 7:11 KJV)? The Word tells us that God tempts no man to evil (James 1:13 KJV). To complain would not promote righteousness, therefore it is evil and not of God (Philippians 2;14-15 AMP).

A woman bought a house and claimed it as "a starter home." She believed God for her dream house when the time was right. During some years, the neighborhood changed and the woman continued to wait on God  for the house of her dreams. Over 30 years passed. She became frustrated when anyone asked about her dream house. Her reply went from, "God will provide" to "I just don't care anymore." In all of that time as the woman continued to reside in that "starter home" she blessed others when it was befitting of her. She faithfully gave her tithes and her offerings. She thought of herself as being diligent with the small things God gave her to do. She would even go through other neighborhoods and watch the various houses that she would like to eventually reside in. Funny thing though, she never went through the same effort as she did when purchasing her "stater home". She never contacted a Realtor, did the research for the marketing prices of the homes, never looked into better locations, as she did when getting "the starter home". If the wait is extraordinarily long, the problem isn't what is God doing, its the consistent efforts in the one waiting.

What are you waiting for? What perfect work is patience doing for you (James 1:4 AMP)? Did you ask? The Word tells us about a farmer. He has patience for the seed sown to sprout up for the harvest he is employed to care for. The farmer is fully aware of the kind of seed sown and the state of the earth the seed was sown into. He is aware of the best conditions in which to sow the seed, otherwise his time of employment would have been for nothing. He expects for his harvest to be great. He has every reason to. He studied. He did the necessary research for his expectations to be met.

I have a number of things that God has called me to do. I was taking a certain amount of classes and other matters were doing well for me and then without warning - things came to a screeching halt. I didn't know why and it was extremely unnerving for me. I went before the Lord in prayer and what I believe I heard in my heart was about these two textbooks. These books were from a class by which the professor teaching didn't go over line by line nor had the students read for lecture or assignment. At the end of the term, he said for the class to read the books on our own and it would be to our benefit. Then he expected for all of the students to say in unison that we would. I felt like a child in Sunday School. We all said it and moved onto to the next semester. Still, Christian teaching isn't like secular especially when you are called to do a work. There isn't any such thing as skipping steps and making short cuts. The one called needs every single morsel to be effective in the calling. I kept looking at those 2 textbooks on my book shelf considering on reading them through eventually. Only, the next semester for me was like trudging through spiritual sludge. I had the worst time getting the classes and materials for the next semester and even when I did, it was the wrong things. I expected a full refund because classes had already begun and expectations were already assigned to the students. I was so behind. Not to mention that favor with men, governments, and on my job was at a stand still. People who normally treated me with high regard were now being disrespectful. Still with all that was going on, those books were not upper most on my mind. I missed the next semester. Money wasn't what it could be for me to attend classes. It was pretty rocky the semester after that and after that until I was seeing those that had no education were not only getting their degrees, they also completed their graduate courses. Now, I was getting not only frustrated but angry. I went before the Lord because it had to be somebody's fault and I know I was doing all that I knew how to do to be right. So if it isn't me or anyone else I know... then Lord....what's going on? I wouldn't get an answer but so happened to open my eyes from prayer and looked directly at those same 2 textbooks. When was I ever going to honor the answer to the question that anointed teacher asked of us all? I had to break the spine of that material to get back on the path I was assigned to.

This blog is to answer the questions that many of us have over the years of our own personal Christian walk. We either have come to a cross road and wonder which path to take or we have taken a path and wonder why there isn't as much blessing as there once was. We have made mistakes and don't realize how simple life use to be until much later. In asking the question: what happened, Lord? Or, is this all there is? Or, what's taking so long? The answer will invariably be something we did from habit or not thinking that it was too big of a deal to even consider. What we do know is that those small foxes that spoil the vine will cause production to ceased. That man at the healing pool frustrated me because all that he needed was right there and he waited for so long without doing anything. He could have built a fortress, devised a way to keep people from going in before him, he could have been right at the edge so that when there ever was a stirring he was automatically first. He could have thought of anything to do but just sit there for 38 years. He found a way to eat, sleep, and to have shelter. The same is true for my situation. All that I needed was right there. It was in front of me. All I had to do was open the book and read it. How simple was that?

The Word tells us that we are like trees planted by the rivers of living water (Psalm 1:3 KJV). The water is right there for the trees to have as much sustenance as the roots can hold. There is no need for the trees for anything. Fruit should be plentiful because of the provision. The Word tells us we also know a tree by the fruit it bares (Matthew 7:16 AMP). If the water is there and the tree continues to stand, what fruit should we see coming from you? Is the fruit obvious or are you waiting on the Lord to do what you can do for yourself? At the cross, Jesus said, it is done. The Lord is expecting a harvest. That sounds like the next move is on you. Selah.

Tighten It Up!

It is a phrase that is used when there is too much slack in a particular thing. I also use this term when telling my youngest son to clean his room. In this blog excerpt, I am using this term in that very manner. It's over due for Spring Cleaning.

Some people do this every season. It is why you see when the garbage truck comes around some have more junk at the curb then others. Then you have those who can find a use for everything they have whether it is broken up or just so old no one else can see a use for it. When the revelation knowledge comes for them to give up some things then there is a pityful garage sale a little too late. No one can use certain technological products that are obsolete. It's a waste of time having a garage sale when you waited too long to get rid of stuff.

Personally, I look at my closet that can get stuffed from time to time. I like to keep certain garments just to see if I can still get into them after so many years. But when they get too big and its been more than three years, I see no purpose in keeping them. I purchase mostly classical pieces that can stay in style for a longer length of time and are a blessing to those who can recieve them.

Spiritually though, it takes that time with the Lord in being quiet and hearing what He says (1 Kings 19:12 KJV). Then after that hearing, we are suppose to act on what we heard (Romans 10:17 NIV). Whether it is not to talk so much, use the talents you have instead of getting a second job, or clearing stuff off of your desk, closet, or house. It's the smallest of things to do and you would be surprised at how much more clearly one can think when those things are cleared away.

I have been watching a few shows about Hoarders and how they behave or what made them hoarders to begin with. Many times it was something traumatic that made them react in such a way. Your trauma may not be as horrific as someone else's and yet the reaction can be the same - or can it? Does hoarding happen all at once? Some became hoarders because of how they lived as children. But I believe once you establish a home of your own, you make certain decisions and maintain them. For the most part, it is a mental disease and has to be treated as such.

Spiritually; however, there are those who have attachments to things and have kept them within, thinking no one will know or see those things but them. You would be wrong. God sees the hearts of men and if He is the greater one living on the inside of others (1 John 4:4 KJV), they see it too. Not to forget that the truth always comes to light (Luke 12:2 KJV). So that which you believe is secret, when angry or reacting in some other emotion, that which is hoarded on the inside will be blurted right out. How does one clean that up when it has been exposed for all to see?

When Mel Gibson left his first wife with all of those children. I felt sorry for her that he would do such a thing when she had been with him all of that time. I even thought he was more attractive that he had so many children with the same woman and decided to stay with her for all of those years. Then when creating The Passion of Christ, he just reached another level of suave and debonair. Alright, he got drunk and said some things. It wasn't his best moment, but still - he created the movie about Jesus! Wow - right? Then this week his second wife released some audio tape of him going on and on about how he was really feeling about her. It was hateful, demeaning, and it exposed what he had been harboring about certain people for a long time. She had heard all of this before or her reaction would have been much different. What had his first wife been through for all of those years? I no longer felt sorry for her but could actually envision her dance of relief and utter joy that he finally left her for someone else. Mel Gibson's career after the inward appearance of his heart has been exposed to all? Its pretty obvious - isn't it?

It is a good example for us as Christians to keep a vigilant watch over our selves and those God would have us get up in the wee hours of the morning to pray for (Ephesians 6:18 AMP). Having unforgiveness in our hearts about a matter or person will lead to a lack in some other place in our lives (Matthew 6:14-15 KJV). It will start off very subtle and before you know it because you got use to it, it has become a mountain (Mark 11:23 KJV). Naturally we tend to view (think, ponder, speak, hash and rehash) the problem more then the solution. This practice is magnifying the situation we would rather get rid of. God is the All Mighty not the situation.

Oprah had a hoarder on her show. She was a mother of three grown children. She knew that the problem started when her children were leaving the home to establish lives of their own. So she began purchasing and collecting things to fill her empty nest. Her husband remained quiet. He just believed her shopping was making his wife happy and he allowed for the clutter to overwhelm him, her and their home. When she was ready to receive the help that she needed and finally relinguished her hold on all of the stuff, the therapist gathered and sorted through the mounds and mounds of things and categorized them in a warehouse for her to see. The family including her, marveled at how much she packed into a three bedroom, three garage home. The warehouse was the size of a football field. Then while she was coming down from the horrific sight, they walked over to another large room that the therapist covered with a curtain. He revealed all of the appliances and televisions that couldn't fit in the warehouse. The entire family began to cry.

Why does it have to get to that point? Why do we have to get so angry that all of the suppressed rage comes out to where families are destroyed, feelings are hurt, and relationships are damaged beyond repair. Wait... look at those descriptive words. Destroyed...hurt... and damaged. Who does that (John 10:10 KJV)? What would you have to do with him? Is he your friend? Does he give you comfort? Who are you listening to? Who haven't you forgiven? When did you stop watching? Why aren't you vigilant anymore (1 Peter 5:8 AMP)? When did you slack up on your responsibilities? What is it going to take?

Do you see your mess now? Are there some things that you can let go of? Do you see the purpose of blessing those who spitefully use you? Now can you pick up the slack and really tighten it up this time.