This week, we will continue our discussion on examining the kind of motivation that magnifies the Master (the Lord Jesus Christ). In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers, he shared that it was the love of Christ that compelled or motivated him for life and ministry. What I noticed from our text is the enormous statement of the truth (the love of Christ), not my love for Christ. This is significant because our love for Christ often navigates in a sea of fluctuations influenced by our flesh. Often our love for Him is caught in a cloud of carnal conditions. Without the dominate influence of the Holy Spirit we cannot accurate display the devotion that our Lord deserves.
Read MoreHave you ever heard someone say, “I have to get motivated?” What does it mean to be motivated and why is it a good thing? When we take the role of motivator in someone’s life we are basically providing a cause or reason to take action.
Last week, we began discussing how we can acquire an appropriate attitude about the sovereignty of God. This week I will continue to endeavor to erase any ill reverence for God and promote the proper praise and honor that a Holy God rightly deserves. But first let me ask you a question: Who is it that you regularly respect the most? Why? Is it because of their authority or influence, aptitude or ability, fame, popularity or financial power and wealth?
Read MoreWhen was the last time you saturated your thoughts about the sovereignty of God? As I purposed to process God’s sovereignty, I was immediately taken by this transcendent truth. What we elevate as extraordinarily significant: fame, riches, intellect, influence, or power is mightily mitigated by His majesty. Man at his pinnacle of success or at his very best (relative to this world) is tantamount to a comparison between a brief flare and burn of the tip of a match being struck and God as the brightness and the brilliance of the noonday sun.
Read MoreIf you have spent any time watching the Olympic Games this week, you might have noticed the frequent reference to an athlete’s determination. The word determination has come to be identified with the words grit, gumption and persistence, such as: "With countless hours of hard work, sacrifice, and determination an Olympian athlete positions him or herself to win a medal in the Olympic Games.”
Read MoreMaybe you have heard or even contributed to the debate: Who was more committed to your breakfast plate, the chicken or the pig? The chicken committed the eggs and the pig, the bacon and ham. My preference is eggs over-easy with a thick slice of ham and some good old fashion Georgia ice cream aka grits! My objective was not to make you hungry so let’s proceed to move from our bellies to our hearts.
Read MoreWhen I was a kid, we loved being outside and active in fun that did not cost a lot of money. The fun we enjoyed also would not have cost our innocence, reputation or witness for the Lord. Our fun was fueled by an imagination that reinforced respect and positivity as well as enhanced our experience of entertainment and recreation. There was nothing like a good game of Cops and Robbers or morphing into Marvel comic heroes at the drop of a hat. We did not need a shuttle to travel to outer space nor did we need a plane or train to transport us to the deepest jungles, rain forests, Antarctica or any place in the world no soul has ever seen. To get our heart rate up and our sweat on we had a blast with games like Red-Rover-Come-on-Over, Red Light, Hide and Seek, Hop Scotch and we balled with every ball in existence. What powered our cars and mode of transportation for play were not batteries but good old body power (our legs).
Read MoreVictimization can take many different forms. We can experience satanic victimization which includes spiritual oppression and possession. We can experience victimization as a result of secular philosophies, principles, pressures and practices. And finally, we can experience victimization at the hands of our self as a result of fleshly strongholds and deceptive hearts. Before one can process the path of personal victory and liberate oneself from satanic, secular and self victimization, it is absolutely essential that you have personally possessed, processed, and practiced the Power of God. What does scripture say about the Power of God?
Read MoreAbout six years ago my sons approached me about acquiring a pet. Due to a schedule that dictated a good degree of time away from the home in addition to the requirements of caring for a pet such as feeding, walking, entertaining, visits to the vet, expenses, license, etc., I made a case for a pet-free zone. But the holiday season soften my heart and I relented. So my oldest son went to the animal shelter and brought home two kittens: Boaz and Lila.
Read MoreThe past two weeks we have been considering spiritual heart failure, reviewing its definition and examination. This week we will turn our thoughts to the third element which is contamination. The word contaminate is defined as “to taint, pollute, or defile, meaning to make impure or unclean.” Contaminate also implies intrusion of or contact with (for a substance such as water) dirt or foulness from an outside source.
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