GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU RUTH 1

Sometimes when you begin to go through life and

situations are not working the way you desire, it
is because God has a plan for you. It is important
that you allow God to work out his plan for you
instead of you working it out for yourself.
At times I believe God is getting ready to do
something really good and I call that job training.

Ruth focused her mind on what she was doing

while she was in the field gleaning barley for
herself and Naomi “Ruth 1:7”. She did not realize
that what was happening was that God was giving
her first hand on the job training. As she gleaned,
her presence became obvious to Boaz and
immediately he developed an attraction to her.
When he looked at her beauty he desired in his
hear to get to know her better. So he developed a
plan. He told his workmen not to gather all of the
barley and the corn but to leave a little behind for
Ruth so that it would not be so difficult for her to
find enough food to take home to her mother-in-
law Naomi.

But because God had a plan for Ruth and her

humility pleased God, he was going to give her
more than she expected. In other words, “stand
still and see the salvation of the Lord” It was like
when the children of Israel was being delivered
from Egypt and Moses prayed at the brink of the
red sea for a miracle; God spoke to him and he
said stand still and see the salvation of the Lord
(Ex.14:13).
The blessing of the Lord was out poured upon Ruth
and she found favor in the sight of an earthly man,
but more importantly in the sight of God. God was
about to heal her heart because it was sad. God
knew that her heart was broken; he knew that the
heart of her mother-in-law was also hurting
because she had lost two sons. So God
intentionally allowed her to find favor with Boaz.

As we can see Boaz had a great night; he drank to

his heart’s content and of course fell asleep. The
wise mother-in-law Naomi knew that after he
became intoxicated one could say he wouldn’t
really be responsible for his actions, so she
encouraged Ruth to enter his chambers to uncover
his feet and lay down (Rth 3:7). When Boaz woke
up, he discovered her at his feet and said “who art
thou” and she answered, “I am Ruth thy
handmaiden, spread therefore they skirt over thy
handmaid for thou art a great kingsman” (Rth
3:9).

There are so many things that are keeping us

uncovered, but if you let God he will cover you as
Boaz covered Ruth, he will keep you from
exposure of the wind that is chilling and beating
against your life; that is chilling and beating
against your situations; allow God’s plan to take
form in your life and they will keep you in the time
of storm.

There are many storms in the lives of God’s people

that truly we all need to be covered and protected
from. But when God covers you, there are many
Boaz that will want to shelter under your blanket.
Just tell God you need him desperately, call upon
him, ask him to restore the things to you that have
been taken away and he will. He is a miracle
working God; he is the God who sits high and looks
low; he is the God who can make all wrong right
and all darkness light.

Naomi went into Moab with her two sons and her
husband. Both her sons and her husband were
taken from her in the land of Moab. But you don’t
find in this story that she complained too bitterly,
instead she said God had seen fit to take her
blessings; a slight complaint but not too bitterly.

Even though she had become withered and her

soul was grieved, she told her daughter-in-laws to
return to their mother’s house. This she did I
believe because she was a pleasant and good
woman. Here we can see both daughter-in-laws
wanted to stay with her but then Oprah decided to
return to her mother but Ruth decided to stay.

This act I believe demonstrated compassion and

love for a woman who gave her son as a husband.
How many of us would be willing to return to
Bethlehem with an old woman seeing she is
unable to work and can barely take care of
herself? How many of us would be willing to take
the responsibility to care for old Naomi. She had
no more sons for anyone to marry, and even if she
was able to bear more sons would one be willing
to wait until her son is grown to maturity to marry
him? Very few would; and even if one was able to
wait, they would probably become so old and
feeble that the young man would refuse to have
them as a wife.
Sometimes the problems of life beat us down so
much that we tell ourselves that all is lost, but God
at all times demonstrates that he has you under
construction and if you can accept that when
things go wrong you are being prepared for
greater things, then there would be less room in
our lives for worry and fear. God have a plan for
your life.

Can a man truly understand the plans of God?

Sometimes the preparation and construction of
man’s future goes under a great processing period
that is necessary to prepare man to be resilient in
spite of hardship and challenges. If you wait upon
the Lord, he will let you know when you are ready.
During the waiting period you sometimes have to
go through the processing plant. It is like you’re
being pasteurized as fine cheese is pasteurized. It
cannot be put in the plastic wrapper until it is
formulated to the right texture. The pieces of your
life cannot be put in the right order until God has
worked out his plan for you.

God deliberately placed Ruth into the field of Boaz

knowing fully well that Boaz would fall for her. This
was a deliberate plan of God for Ruth’s life. He
deliberately allowed Boaz to fall for Ruth so this
scenario could be used as testimony for others to
learn from. In other words, your success, and or
prosperity can sometimes be discovered in places
that you would deem impossible. This testimony of
Ruth is an undeniable experience which tells us
that out of the struggles of life we’re able to share
our experiences and strengthen others thru the
resilient strength we gain from our personal
experiences of defeat or triumph.
Life experiences are used to strengthen one. It is
important that we remember that Satan is always
waiting for something dramatic to happen in our
lives in order to place insecurity and lack of
stability in the mind of man so he becomes lost
and at times in-identifiable. When we place our
trust in God, strange things will happen that
boggles our minds; but reflect on Ruth each time a
situation occurred that brings lack of stability. She
was a stranger in the land of Israel, she was from a
place called Moab, but she found favor in the sight
of God. It was providential that the blessings
would be bestowed upon her, not only because
she was beautiful and fair to look upon from the
outside, but on the inside her heart was as white
as snow.

When we look at this text we can see that God

brought Ruth to precisely the right place at the
right time and in the right field where he knew his
plan would be fulfilled and she would meet her
Boaz. The name Ruth represents loyalty, abiding
love, and friendship.

We can see here in this touching example of love,

loyalty, and friendship from Ruth to her mother-in-
law that in spite of adversity, Ruth remained
faithful as the compassion in her heart touched
the soul of her mother-in-law’s, she responded to
Naomi upon Naomi’s command that she return to
her people. Oh mother, “entreat me not to leave
thee, or to return from following after thee: for
whether thou goest, I will go; and where though
lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my
people, and thy God my God” (Rth 1: 16).
Here we see an act of nobility as the gentle words
left the lips of a young woman, not knowing what
was ahead of her she made her choice. It was her
choice when God looked upon this noble decision
he decided to reward her with her husband Boaz.

When Boaz looked upon Ruth he said “thou art a

virtuous woman” (Rth 3:11). Even though she
returned from Moab and found herself in dire
need, she maintained herself with dignity, obeyed
the instructions of her mother-in-law, gained favor
with God, won the heart of Boaz into marriage;
thus we have the lineage of Christ because she
would later become the great grand mother of
David, son of Jesse .

Can a man understand God? Because Ruth

demonstrated friendship, sympathy, and
compassion, made herself desirable, delightfully
pleasing, and beautiful she was able to represent
love of the soul in its natural state, being pure in
mind and intentions. The divine substance of her
real greatness was the willingness to put off the
unreal and follow after the God that changeth not,
the God that never fails, and remained with the
God that always prevail. Ask God to lead you and I
invite you to follow.
 FAITH (HEBREWS 11. 1:17)

At times we are so busy in our lives taking care of

our daily affairs, we tend to forget that Christ had
faith and confidence in his heavenly father that he
would be able to make a difference in the world
that we live in.
Hebrews 11: 1 tells us that “Faith is the substance
of things hoped for and the evidence of things not
seen”. But it is obvious that faith was being
applied in the experiences of our elders in the Old
Testament.

Faith was a key element to their spiritual lives

development and well being. Faith enabled Enoch,
Noah, and Abraham, to be described as individuals
who lived by faith and applied faith to their daily
living.

Through faith we understand that God spoke the

world into being, framed every creature, then
made man in his own image and likeness (Gen 1:1,
21). We are the reason why Jesus Christ is
celebrated everyday. In Christ we live move and
have our beings because we developed and
applied faith which is the substance of all things to
our daily living.

During the crucifixion of Christ, not one bone in his

body was broken (Jhn 19:36), he died and rose
again ascended to his heavenly father safely that
we may have life and have it more abundantly.
The scriptures declare that “faith without works is
dead” (James 2:17). It also states that if our faith is
as small as a grain of mustard seed (Luk 17:6), we
can say unto the mountains, be moved and it shall
be moved because faith is having confidence in
God that with him, in him, and through him, all
things are possible to those whose faith is
steadfast.
Everyday God has something for us to behold. The
angel said behold I bring you great tidings of joy
(Luk 2:10). This tiding of joy is the message of
salvation that came through the birth of Christ, so
that we can exercise this message of hope and
work on developing our faith to a higher level of
confidence in God.

By faith, Able offered unto God a more excellent

sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous (Heb 1:4). If we bring
sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord faith
believing that as we praise and worship God , he
will descend his almighty blessings upon us then
truly we are giving a testimony of the power of
God in the lives of mankind.

As the scripture speaks of faith, we can see that

Enoch was translated meaning he was taken up
into heaven after his work on earth was done and
never tasted death (Heb 11:5); but Christ came
and tasted death faith believing that after death
there would be life eternal and glorification would
be added through his obedience to his father.

Let us use the life of Jesus Christ and his

unwavering faith in God as a pattern for our lives.
The scripture declares that Enoch’s body was
never found because God had translated him
because his works pleased God. Let us work as
servants of the most high God Jehovah to please
God. Let us not work to please man because in
being men pleasers we lose focus from the eternal
savior who can translate us from unrighteousness
to righteousness. With faith believing, we can do
all things; but without faith, it is impossible to
please God.
By faith Noah was warned in a dream of things not
as yet seen, but moved by fear at the instructions
of God he prepared the Arc (Heb 11:7). Faith is the
substance of things hoped for and the evidence of
things not seen. When the children of men saw
Noah building the arc they mocked him. They
thought he was a foolish old man, not knowing
that he was working through divine inspiration and
instructions from the mighty God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Things unseen was the flood that
would’ve destroyed the earth. Because the earth
was filled with the glory of God as the waters
covered the sea. Man needs to look beyond his
own self and unto the mighty God of Israel who
was able to warn Noah of the disaster that was
about to befall the earth. Through faith, Noah built
the arc, through faith not fear, Noah obeyed God
and placed all creatures in the arc of safety.

For forty days and forty nights, they were fed and
comforted by the hand of God and nowhere in the
scripture does it state that one was lost. Therefore
faith without works is dead. Put your faith into
action, go forward with your daily affairs using
faith as your tool to conquer and gain victory
where failure once stood.

By faith Abraham obeyed God and offered up his

only son Isaac (Heb 11:17). Could we offer up our
son unto God without murmur? As Christian
believers, we need to develop real faith in God
knowing that when we are tested we can
overcome because it is only a test to try our faith
to see if truly we trust God. When you truly trust
God you never worry about where your offering of
sacrifice will come from. Because we know God
will indeed provide that sacrifice of praise through
faith.

Therefore apply faith in your every activity of life

and the wonders of God will never cease.
 LOVE JOHN 4

When I think of God I think of love, and when I

think of love, I think of an electrifying power, a
spark of light that emanates directly from the
heart of God into the soul of man thus making
man an emotional being that functions with
varying affection and ineffable feeling towards
others.

Through this we know that God holds man in great

esteem because he made man a little lower than
the angels and crowned us with glory and honor
(Ps. 8: 5). When I think of love, I think of God who
gave us his only begotten son, this most precious
gem, this jewel that he holds so dear to his heart;
“For God so loved the world, he gave us his only
begotten son Jesus” (John 3:16). He gave us this
precious being that demonstrates agape love a
love that is unconditional that when used properly
its effect is like an unending circle.

Love is one of the attributes of God that is an

essential part of his nature. When God thinks of
his creatures that he created he descends love in
the very essence of their being. Let us take a look
at nature; what do you see? All I can see is love.
There is love everywhere and this love is inclusive;
it contains the very core of God’s being. If you do
not believe that God is in everything within this
universe glance at the leaves on a tree and there
you will find God duplicating himself over and over
and over again. God is in the wind; God is in the
water; God is in the grass in the field, and then
God is reigning in man.

Love is not only an attribute of God; it is also a

part of God’s nature. It is because of love that he
created man. Deuteronomy 7- 7:8 states: the Lord
did not choose you, because we were more in
number than any people; but because he loves us,
but because he wants to keep his oath which he
had sworn, because the Lord brought us out of a
mighty hand of bondage, and redeemed us unto
himself we know that his love is unconditional.

There are two distinctive words that appear in the

bible that makes reference to love one is Philo
which means, to have ardent affection and feeling
of (impulsive love). The other word Agapao means
to have esteem of high regard. In the English
dictionary, the word Agapao is that which conveys
God’s will for his children and the characteristic
terms of Christianity. When we speak of Agapao
love, this indicates the nature of the love of God
toward his beloved son and it is this quality that
we often make reference to when we use the
phrase God is Love.

If we look at John 14: 10, we see Christ in a state

of glorification of the father and the son. When he
makes reference to his fulfilled mission, he said
“and I have declared unto them my name and will
declare it that the love wherewith thou hast loved
me may be in them and I in them” (John 17:26).
Jesus is specifically telling us that as the heavenly
father loved him and placed himself into him as
love so will he love us, the creatures that God had
sent him to save and redeem.

God’s will to his children about their attitude

towards one another bring accountability of our
discipleship in the kingdom of God. In this world he
commends us to love one another as we love
ourselves. Man sometimes find it difficult to love
each other as they love themselves, but if we
reflect on the Agapao love that passes from the
creator to his son and then transforms into us we
know it is our duty to love ye one another as Christ
has loved us (John 13:34). Agapao love expresses
the essential nature of God as it can be seen in 1st
John 4:7,8 “Beloved let us love one another for
God is love, and love is of God, and everyone that
loveth is born of God and knoweth God for God is
love”.

Love is like the precious oil of obedience that

warms the heart. Love enables us to keep the
commandments of God. Without love we are
nothing. 1st Corinthians 3 tells us: “and though I
restore all my goods to feed the poor, and though I
give my body to be burnt and have not charity
(love) it profits me nothing”. Love is kind and
knows no wrong. Love is charity and suffereth long
(1st Corin. 13:3, 4).

Let us rejoice in God because God is love.

 BE OBEDIENT TO GOD-ACTS 5 -1:3

Annanias and Sapphira were individuals who loved

God and dedicated their lives to the church. They
were wealthy individuals. One day they decided
that they should do something special for their
church. So they decided to sell a parcel of their
land and donate the proceeds to the church; but
instead of keeping their promise of obedience as
they originally decided they both went contrary.
The scriptures declare the love of money is the
root of all evil (1st Tim 6:10) and as the statement
goes Annanias went in and gave a portion of the
money to Peter.

Now the word Ananias means gracious, which

could be interpreted to mean that God was
gracious to them as a family and blessed them in
abundance. But as can be seen, instead of giving
the full amount received for the land, they both
conspired and only gave a portion. I believe that
God has certainly given human kind a chance from
back then to now. Example: once Annanias gave
the money; the question was asked “did not you
sold that parcel of land for x amount of money?”
His response was “yes”. But Peter said, “Annanias,
why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost, and keep back part of the price of the
land?” (Acts 5:3); and in that same instance,
Annanias fell down and died.

The mission of Satan is to always rob God’s people

of their grace. So Satan entered into the heart of
Annanias and convinced his mind that the money
was too much to give to God. Satan told them it’s
too much money so only sow a partial seed in the
church; they don’t need all of that money in the
church; what are they going to do with all that
money? Live in a fancy house, drive a fancy car,
educate their children, e.t.c. You both have better
use for the money, only give them a portion and
keep the other half. So both wife and husband
yielded to the prodding of Satan and lost their
lives.

Charity is important in every aspect of our lives.

The scripture declares; “it is more blessed to give
than to receive” (Acts 20:35). True charity is when
we give selflessly of ourselves; as can be seen
Annanias and Sapphira met instant death because
of their disobedience. Today folks go to God
deceptively disguising themselves and believing
that God doesn’t know the truth; but through the
coming of Jesus Christ and his redemptive blood
man has been given the opportunity at a second
chance. My God how wonderful thou art that in
this 21st century man is allowed to be deceitful in
his heart, rob God of his tithes, and be permitted
to escape thru the grace of Jesus Christ.

Sapphira on the other hand, is described as a

beautiful and precious stone, so when we combine
precious and gracious the meanings of both
names, we can see that these two individuals were
destined for success. Be that as it may, their faith
was weak. Within the pleasantness of their
glorious prosperity we can see impurities and lack
of true confidence in God. When we find ourselves
in temptation, we need to pray fully ask God to
remove, cast away, and purify us with the
cleansing blood of our Lord and Savior.

Greed in itself is a sin that causes deception.

Deception caused Jesus Christ to be crucified,
Judas and his greed sold Jesus for thirty pieces of
silver, Annanias and Sapphira used greed as a
method to withhold from God their promise. The
scripture asked the question “Will a man rob
God?” (Mal 3:8). Sometimes we come to God when
we are broken and we pray with a desire to be
mended, in other words we are sowing a desire
into the mind of God. As we sow this desire into
the mind of God, we sometimes make promises
that if God will listen to us and answer our prayers,
then we will continue to do the things that are
right; but as soon as we receive our desired
answer, man begins to move back into the
direction from whence he came and forget that he
had made a promise to God; and when man
believes that all is well he finds himself in a lot of
trouble and have to go back to the source from
whence he came. Annanias and Sapphira was not
that lucky, God snuffed them out instantly but we
have a second chance. It is important to be
obedient to God.

I would like to tell you that God wants to take your

hand and lead you and guide you; but you have to
let him. I invite you to let God be your source of
strength; he is the strength of our lives. If you give
God that which belongs to him, he will allow you to
lift your eyes unto the hills whence truly cometh
your help; because your help comes only from the
Lord God which made heaven and earth (Ps.
121:1-2).

God doesn’t need you to sell your houses and give

the money to him because God himself is not
going to physically spend your money but if you
give that which belongs to God to the priest of the
church so that the word of God will be proclaimed
universally then he will always remember to bless
your going out and your coming in. God will
remember to bless your storehouses and your
bread baskets.

When you find yourself making indecisions for a

good and worthy cause I would like you to pray
this prayer “Oh heavenly father who is the God of
this universe thou God who knows all things and
sees all things speak through my mind, speak
through my decisions, help me Lord to make the
right decision, guide my thoughts, and let my
actions be always right so that the results will be
pleasing to you and be an upliftment for mankind”.

God is always watching you. His presence in your

life brings awareness of his true goodness that is
ready to bestow upon you all that is necessary for
your well being. Be honest, God is looking for
honest people to make champions out of them;
but when you deceive God you’re only deceiving
yourself.

Acts 5 is showing us that if we stand fast and be

honest we will be able to stand tall; if we forbear
with God he will prosper us. Remember, Satan
smiles when you become defeated; think of how
happy Satan was at the death of Annanias and
Sapphira; I am sure he jumped up and down with
excitement and puffed up his chest because he
gained another victory. Don’t give him any
victories. Remember that Satan waged a war in
heaven but Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon and prevailed (Rev 12: 7-9). Do not
deceive yourself, be obedient to God.

Deception comes into action when pride resists

the power of God’s presence in your life. 1st Peter
5:5 tells us that “God resist the proud and gives
grace to the humble”. Humble yourselves
therefore, always in the presence of God and he
will cover you with exalted mercies. Exalt
yourselves and you shall receive failure and
shame.

Psalm 139 (paraphrase) tells us “O Lord thou hast

searched me and known me, whither shall I flee
from your presence, where can I go, what can I
say, what can I do that you will not find out, you
know my thoughts oh Lord, you are in me, you
created me, so how then God can I try to deceive
you?”. David further declares “thou knowest my
down sitting and mine rising up, thou understands
all my thoughts thou compassed my lying down
and my rising up and thou God art acquainted with
all my ways. If I ascend into the depths of the sea
thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, thou art
there”. So how could Annanias and Sapphira
believe that God would not have seen their plan?
Remember now you hide from man, but you just
can’t hide from God. So don’t be deceived in your
inner thoughts; be obedient to God.

Our heavenly father whose omni presence is never

absent from us; he justifies our actions and
reactions because he is always acquainted with
our ways.

Hold to the words of God and remember Heb 4:12

tells us “the word of God is quick and powerful, it
is like a two edged sword piercing even to the
dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the
joints, and marrow. It is a discerner of thoughts
and intents of mans heart”. Build a barricade of
God’s light pure and intentional within you and
around you and the devil and his armies must fail.
Remember, Satan is always presumptuous and his
intention is always to destroy the property of God.
You are the property of God! So let his mercies
with perpetual harvest continue to bring you
prosperity and light.
 GOD HAS NO LIMITS- PSALMS 51

Imagine yourself as an empty vessel, a vessel that

needs to be filled. Then ask God to let the ocean of
life’s water flow through you and fill you up. Ask
God to let this ocean of life fill you with his ever
unchanging presence. Say “Lord, fill me so that I
will be able to stand strong in the eyes of my
adversaries”.

My conversation is telling mankind about bearing

the burden of our brothers; in other words to be
our brother’s keepers. By being our brother’s
keepers, this indicates strong action towards one
another and to God. By being our brother’s
keepers, the mercies of God is released and set
into motion. Since the redemptive spirit of Christ is
placed into action.
When we decide to be our brother’s keepers, we
remove self and begin to lean on the sufficiency of
God’s power that will allow his holy presence
within us to activate with a special kind of
understanding that will guide us to take the right
actions towards each other.

In other words to do right by our brothers and

sisters, we must first surrender our lives to God;
ask him to renew us. David declares in Psalm
51:10 “Create in me a clean heart o God and
renew a right spirit within me”. When the right
spirit of God is functioning within us, then we
discover we are limitless because God has no
limits and because God lives in us then we can
extend limitless brotherly and sisterly love without
condition.

We become limitless at times because we are

afraid to share. The more you share is the greater
the freedom of the universe will be open to you
and replenish that which you have given away.
God has no limits.

Why limit yourself when you share love with your

fellow man? Why limit yourself by harboring
unhealthy thoughts? Why limit yourself to stunt
your own spiritual growth? If you share not only
with your family, friends, and acquaintances, you
will be surprised to see how a magnetic force will
draw to you the good you desire. God is good and
because of his goodness there are no limits on the
blessings that can be bestowed upon you.
Ask the spirit of God within you not only to blot out
your brothers transgressions, but also to blot out
your own transgressions so that your soul will be
free to reach out to the less fortunate.

God is limitless; he is the God of the

impossibilities; and when you go to the God of the
impossibilities knowing that with man it is
impossible but with God all things are possible.
You can climb the highest mountain, you can
reach for the stars, because you know that God is
there as the shoulder to climb on. Sometimes
when you decide to serve the Lord, you discover
that life and its challenges give the appearance
that everything around you is crumbling; but if
your aim and your mission in the first place were
to serve humankind, then you must know that the
challenges of this material world will always war
against the spiritual world. Man in his earthly state
have not fully comprehend that he sometimes has
to decrease and allow the spirit of God in him to
increase.

God asked Cain “where is thy brother?” he

responded “I know not; am I my brother’s
keeper?” and God said “what hast thou done? The
voice of thy brother’s blood cryeth unto me from
the ground” (Gen 4: 9-10). Are you your brother’s
keeper?

To become your brother’s keeper you not only

tend to the needs of your immediate family and
close acquaintances but you reach out beyond
your immediate circle to folks that might be ill but
not necessarily those that you believe are in need
of your services. Sometimes it might surprise you
that folks who appear to be normal and happy are
some of your saddest, troubled, and disturbed
individuals. How do you know such a person?
Sometimes it’s your neighbor, sometimes it’s your
brother, sometimes it’s just an ally that needs you
to reach out to them. Never take it for granted
that all is well with someone else. A gentle smile
or even a simple phone call can make a big
difference in someone else’s life. Be your brother’s
keeper.

Sometimes through a relationship with God, we

develop brotherly and sisterly relationships that
never fail and never dry up; some relationships die
as they really need to sometimes. Some
relationships run out of resources; whichever case
it may be, please remember that God is an
unchanging God. He is real, he is unstoppable, and
he never fails. Man will fail but God will always
prevail.

Get to know your limitless God and ask that his

will be pronounced upon your life and his amazing
grace of limitlessness will keep you always in
tuned to him. God is limitless.
 WHY I CHOSE GOD

In my daily life of struggle, I found myself into

what I would describe as a wilderness position,
when you find yourself in a wilderness position it is
a place where you are almost lost. My soul had
become so troubled, no one could really reach me,
this is a place of depression and despair. I felt lost,
and lonely. Even though I was married with a
husband and two children I often times felt that
life was very unkind to me because in this
marriage of inexperience and rejection, I found no
friendship or emotional support from my
companion. My children on the other hand,
brought me great joy and happiness. In their eyes
everything was okay but that’s because they were
too young to understand that I was living a life of
pain and agony.

In spite of what my children thought of me, I knew

deep down in my heart that I needed to find
myself; and I had to do so quickly because if I
didn’t I would’ve surely cracked under the
pressure.

One day after I had become separated from my

husband of many years, I went to church as I was
accustomed doing but just couldn’t find any inner
peace. I would like to point out that I was exposed
to many different types of religious worship as a
child. My family and I worshipped in the church of
God, then my mother moved over to the
Pentecostal. For a short period I lived with my god
mother who was a strict Anglican and at age
thirteen I was confirmed into Catholicism. One
would think I knew God; but in actuality, I really
did not know God. So I had all of this religious
exposure, but I was still so lost even when I
prayed, I still felt lost.

One day after my separation I went to church as it

was a regular practice of mine; my heart was so
overwhelmed, and my burden was so heavy. I
went to church almost every day on my lunch
hour. After a while I didn’t really know what I was
expecting to happen, but something inside of me
kept me going.

I can remember an incident that occurred with me

so clearly, I had one child in college and another in
high school; I went to church as usual but this day
it was different. The only money I had in the world
was 10 cents, there were no bank accounts, no
child support for my children, all I had was my job
and my God. So I prayed and put my 10 cents in
the offering basket not really knowing how I was
going to get home that afternoon from work
because I had given my widows mite without even
thinking about it. After I prayed and was about to
leave the church, as I stepped to the door I found
10 cents; I’m sure it was that 10 cents I put in the
basket, that God returned to me immediately.

Then another miracle happened, I started to walk

back to my office and as I was about to cross
Maiden Lane in the lower Manhattan area, I saw a
dollar bill floating in the air. I don’t know where I
got the speed from but I chased after that dollar
bill. When I finally caught the flying dollar bill I
discovered it wasn’t one dollar but rather it was
five big bucks; that meant car fare for the
remainder of the week and lunch.

I was never a very trusting person; I was always

afraid of telling others about my personal affairs
so I was basically alone most of the time. I worked
two jobs but still had financial difficulties. Then
one day a friend of mine introduced me to a small
religious gathering, the gathering was very
informal and folks welcomed me with open arms
and for the first time in a very long time I felt
comfortable amongst this group of people. It was
almost as if a certain kind of peace and tranquility
came over me. As I watched, observed, and
listened intently to what was being said in this
group, I was very impressed.

This simple group of individuals was expressive;

they enjoyed a certain freedom that allowed them
to actually speak about their God in an individual
and very personal manner. They gave testimonies
of compassion, no one judged anyone. They
worshipped God in a very simplistic and unique
way. There was nothing formal about the group,
yet there was a certain peace that emanated from
the leader of the group that somehow flowed to
the audience and touched the members. It was
there that I started to develop a little better
understanding of my God.

I learned that God can be as formal as one wants

him to be or completely informal as you would like
him to be. It was there amongst this very simple
group of folks that I learned that God is a miracle
working God. I also learnt in this very simplistic
group of folks, that our heavenly father will take
the things of the foolish to confound the wise. (1st
Corin 1:27). It was after my experiences within
their religious services that I now attended on a
regular basis why I decided to choose God as my
friend.

I chose God as my true father and director of all of

my earthly affairs. Today, as a pastor that
oversees a flock I can and will recommend to
those who find themselves without a sense of
direction to choose God. Please I ask, choose God;
he has the biggest arms that one could ever need
to embrace them. Choose God; he provides
comfort unimaginable and with God there is
profound love and true happiness.
 GOD IS ABLE JOB 1

When I think of the life of Job, I can visualize a man

of great faith. This man Job was from the city of UZ
(Job 1:1) and according to the writer, he was a
man of great stature in his country. But when you
analyze this book of Job it is easy to see that
despite his trials, Job was a man of great
perseverance.

James 5:11 speaks of the unwavering faith of Job’s

ability to endure, in spite of his frustration and
doubts. Job held on to the faith that God is able.
He did not act proud but instead he submitted
himself to God and resisted the devil. Job was able
to resist the devil because he remembered that
God resisted the proud and giveth grace unto the
humble. (James 4:6).

Children of God draw neigh to god and he will

draw neigh to you, humble yourself in the sight of
the lord and he will lift you up (James 4:7-8).

Job was a prosperous man; he had 7000 thousand

sheeps, 3,000 camels, 500 yolks of Oxen, 500 she
asses. He had seven sons and three daughters and
many servants. He was blameless, and upright; a
man that feared God. Yet Satan suggested to God
that as long as Job remained financially sound, he
would not be able to remain faithful to his God.
Satan challenged God to put forth his hand and
take all that Job had and he would curse him to his
face. (Job 11: 1). The idea was for Job to become
disheartened and flee from the presence of his
Lord and Savior.

In his test and trials, God was simply reshaping

and remolding Job for a latter day blessing. Job
being human was unable to see the good that
would follow after enduring great trials and
tribulation. According to the scriptures, he cursed
the day that he was born and Job opened his
mouth and said “let the day perish wherein I was
born and the night in which it was said there was a
man child conceived” (Job 3:1). But now wait a
minute, if you wait a minute and allow the power
of God to unfold the whole world would be able to
see the glory of God upon you in its entirety.

The question could be asked, why must man

suffer? Why must man continually be tested? Well,
the answer is very simple, the only begotten son
of God Jesus Christ never sinned but was made to
suffer death; he was able to conquer the last sin…
death.

In this life if everyone is with you and everything is

going well and you have no problems, then you
have no reason to seek the presence of God. Job
thought that all was well because he had every
earthly need provided for him. When things are
working well for you that is the time to seek God
and ask for his understanding. This is the form of
preparation; so that when things go wrong as they
often do, you will be able to recognize that God is
able to make all wrong right and every crooked
way straight. To heal our diseases and wash us
from our sins and make us whiter than snow.
Job's affliction was ordained by God. Remember
now, Satan challenged God to turn Job over to him
for a little while. God in his infinite wisdom allowed
Satan to afflict Job. Why did God do this to such a
just man? The answer is very simple; God used Job
to prove to Satan that even though he allowed him
to perplex Job, he could not touch his soul. God
wanted to show Job that he is an able God.

God changed the rivers of Egypt into blood, he

over threw pharaoh and his army, he turned water
into wine, he opened the eyes of the blind, he
made the lame to walk; so go ahead Mr. Satan
afflict my servant Job, take his children, take his
servants, take all his cattle, take all his wealth but
I Jehovah God will restore him. And though all was
lost from Job, he remained faithful and did not sin.

What happens many times in our lives, sometimes

God is getting ready to promote us but he put us
through what I call a testing period; its like being
employed on probation, and after your probation is
up, you become worthy of permanency. However
in the instance of Job, God was just simplifying
him, giving him a little test to see if he could
handle some of the little things.

There was a man who sent his servants out to

work his vineyard. One man invested his pound
and gained five pounds so he had ten pounds. One
man invested his pound and he had two talents,
but there was a steward according to the scripture
who received one talent, he took his talent and
buried it (Mat 25:20-24). Job did not bury his faith
in God. Job was able to sustain his mind and his
spirit so that he could remain steadfast and
unmovable in his faith.

Sometimes during our testing period, we suffer

assaults, insults, and abuse, but if we are able to
hold on we will be able to see the victory through
God.

To believers who serve God, there will always be

suffering and persecution, hostility and great odds,
but God is able. He will allow you to overcome
common trials that face us daily. Don’t step out of
faith; Job did not step out of faith. In spite of his
misery he held on to God. When you are walking
the way of God, you will fall into the fire; you will
be cast into the furnace as Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego (Dan 1:6), but please recognize
that the defining power of God is just grooming
you for greater things to come. Be assured Jesus
will cover you with his blood. Suffering must occur,
try to resist temptation, and realize you are just
receiving a meltdown so that you’re fortitude of
faith in Christ will become a wall of defense and
bring you deliverance irregardless of the
circumstance.

There is a word that has been spoken over your

life and no devil can change it. Job was not just
going through, what he was going through just for
himself; he was going through all of that so that
his suffering and affliction would become a
testimony for the world to use as building blocks of
faith. Job was not fighting people he could see;
Job’s war was not physical; Job was fighting a force
that considered itself untouchable. He was fighting
principalities and powers and wickedness from an
evil force whose ego was deflated when he was
cast out of heaven (Isa. 14:12). Eventually Job
triumphed over all the adversaries, his wife told
him to curse God and die (Job.2:9). She did not
know that God was about to restore even greater
prosperity upon Job in his latter days more so than
his former.

God is able, because he can do the things that will

allow us to love him more and more. Upon Job’s
restoration, his prior wealth was doubled; he was
given back seven more sons and three more
daughters. How great is God almighty who hath
made all things well.

When I read the story of Job, I see Job as a model

of integrity. A person that was able to hold fast to
his faith unwavering, using understanding and
reason to overcome the plans of the devil. Today
Job is a continued witness to the possibility of the
authentic power of God that demonstrate clearly
my God is able.

In spite of the philosophical lectures of Job’s

friends, believing that misfortune is always sent as
a punishment for sin, they were proven wrong.
Sometimes we suffer and it is not because we
have sinned but it is because there is some lesson
in the negative act conferred upon us to bring an
awakening to a situation that will let us know that
God is able.

In the end, God revealed himself as the powerful

all knowing God who does not have to explain or
justify his actions because he is the sovereign God
of this universe. This story teaches us trust in God
in spite of many bad situations. God is not bound
by our understanding or the lack of it. He is free.
When man is able to recognize how great God is,
then man will be able to see how little he is.
Submit yourself in humility and your troubles will
be solved. God is able.

God is good, he is just, he is fair, he restores, re

relieves, and he elevates. Often times our
understanding is challenged to teach us how to
wait upon the Lord; to teach us how to have
courage and trust in him, because God is able to
do all things.
 COMFORT OF GOD NEHEMIAH 2

Nehemiah was a man chosen by God to rebuild the

walls of Jerusalem. He was chosen because when
he reflected on Judah and saw the walls being
broken down and the gates being set afire (Neh.
1:3) he knew he had to do something to save his
precious Jerusalem. So he prayed to God and as he
prayed, God decided to work his purpose out
through him.
The name Nehemiah means comfort of God. So it
would be safe for one to assume that Nehemiah
was chosen not just to rebuild the walls of
Jerusalem but to bring comfort to the hearts of its
people.

Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the King

Artaxerxes. Now as a cupbearer, it means that he
had to taste all the foods before the king partook. I
guess as there is treachery in today’s world, there
was also treachery in the times before Christ. To
avoid the king being poisoned, someone was
assigned that task just in case there was poison,
the taster would die first.

A cup bearer is a very trusted person, one who

acts as an advisor to the king. He was the one that
made sure the king was safe.

In today’s society there aren’t too many people

that one can say they truly trust implicitly because
there is always the work of the devil that plays on
the minds of good people and causes them to
develop negative thoughts where positivity should
be in its place. Sometimes the most trusted
individual that we acquaint ourselves with can
become the most deadly of all enemies. Reason,
your confidence and trust is placed in your friend,
therefore they know your inner most secrets which
makes it easy for negative plots to be
implemented.

Nehemiah was a great leader, a man of god,

powerful and eloquent. He was inspirational, well
organized and he had great confidence in his
purpose for God. I would describe him as being
quick and decisive in his response to people and
their problems. When he saw the condition of
Israel, he immediately felt the desire to put a plan
of action in motion. Once his decision to rebuild
was put in motion, I believe he became self-
sacrificing with an intent interest to serve God in
spirit and in truth. As he worked for God, he placed
God’s people first regardless of situations.

During the period that Nehemiah was re-building

the walls of Jerusalem there was physical attack
from the outside and from the inside upon him;
but the adversaries were all brought under
subjection by God, and God’s people were
restored with confidence because Nehemiah not
only built, but he gave sound advice. He took the
complaints of the people seriously and rendered
the envies of the adversaries useless. .

There are three main principles that Nehemiah

used to accomplish the re-building of Jerusalem
walls:

1) First he used compassion and this was the

springboard of obedience to God’s will to
show the people that useless opposition
cannot prevail when God’s plan was to be
unveiled.

2) He was able to get the cooperation of others

to work with him hand in hand to assist in the
implementing God’s plan. There was great
opposition, but in spite of the opposition,
Nehemiah humbled himself and probably
compromised and made the necessary self
sacrifice that allowed the work of God to take
action. If Nehemiah had tackled this task
 because he wanted self gratification, he
would not have been successful.

3) He placed great confidence in God and

prayed frequently and the promise of God
upon his life was fulfilled. Even though his life
was threatened, they were vain threats that
were rendered useless in the sight of God.

I believe he had courage and tenacity in refusing

to compromise with anyone while doing the will of
God. The main point in this story is that the holy
spirit of God is the executive arm on earth and
whatever he decides will take form.

Elihu the friend of Job spoke the truth when he

said “the spirit of God made me”. (Job 33:4). I
believe the spirit of God truly design people to be
exactly the way he wants them to be, example:
Nehemiah. In spite of adversity, he was able to
focus on the presence of God in his life and carry
out the work of God.

Ezekiel 36:26-28 states regarding the captive in

Babylon: “a new heart will I give unto you, and a
new spirit will I put into you; and I will take away
the stony heart out of your flesh and I will you a
heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you,
and cause you to walk truthfully in my statues;
and you shall keep my judgments with you; and
you shall dwell in the land that I give you, and you
shall be my people and I will be your God”.

Let the spirit of God work in you and you will be

able to rebuild your own breaches that have been
violated. God will bring you fulfillment of your
dreams and there will be no strife, no war, only
peace.

Many times we find ourselves taken into captivity,

but you have to be willing to grow your own
feathers, learn to crawl, learn to walk, and then
you will eventually be able to fly; so that God’s
plan for your life will be completed in spite of
opposition.

Nehemiah represents the joy and peace of our

spiritual well being when earnest faith and
simplicity is applied to the spiritual man. His
confidence in God stirs the mind and lifts it into
great confidence, compassion and love for his
people.

As the power of God inspired him, Nehemiah made

a positive decision to return to Judah and help his
people, using relentless efforts, faithfulness with
persistence and accomplished the rebuilding of
the great city Jerusalem.

Let us return to God and allow him to remold,

reshape, and reconstruct our lives so that as we
rebuild, our faith and confidence in God will focus
on positive work to eradicate negative errors from
the present conditions of our lives.

This plea for rebuilding or renewed focus should

be our ultimate source that can influence and
strengthen our higher state of being, and bring
boldness and courage that will allow victory over
seemingly opposing negative thoughts.
Nehemiah returned and rebuilt the walls of
Jerusalem in 52 days. A task that Tobiah and
Sanballat and others never thought possible (Neh
4:7). Prayer is the key; with fervent prayer, faith
and confidence, oppositions can and will be
conquered and God will give comfort to our souls.

When you are faced with unpleasant situations,

you may become disheartened, torn down, feeling
low, feeling unloved, and feeling no one cares
about you. My suggestion is to let go of those
negative feelings and remember Nehemiah; the
uprising of the people against him did not prevail
inside and outside of Jerusalem because his focus
and mission was not to overthrow the people but
to restore the city and bring joy to the hearts of
the people.

The blessings of God sustained Nehemiah

because of the covenant God made with his
people. Nehemiah prayed before the God of
heaven on behalf of the people and the covenant
blessing was out poured upon them with grace
and dignity (Neh 1:4).

Let us reflect at all times on this courageous

leader, who overcame overwhelming odds,
knowing that we too can become over-comers if
we allow the blessings of God to flow upon us.
SECTION TWO
REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF
YOUR YOUTH-ECCLESIASTES 12: 1

As we reflect on our creator we think of God the

father, God the son, God, the parent, God the
creator who is directly responsible for creation and
multiplication of all things.

When we think of youth, we think of mother,

father, children, and grandchildren. But it is
interesting to note that many of our youths have
strayed to a point of no return because sometimes
their foundation is weak. It is of utmost importance
that children be reared to recognize the
importance of the God presence in their
immediate environment.

When children are raised and taught to love God in

their youth, they may stray but in the long run
they will return to their original source which is to
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all
thy mind, with all thy spirit, and with all thy soul.

When we teach our children to honor God, we are

teaching our children to honor us as parents. Many
times children become extremely out of control to
a point where help has to be sought for counseling
beyond the walls of the home. Sometimes it is not
because the God presence or the God awareness
has not been taught but children get out of hand
sometimes because they are emotionally
challenged.

As parents we need to pay keen attention to the

behavioral pattern of our children. Be observant,
watch their play habits, and as they begin to get
older, observe the friends they associate
themselves with. Our children can be easily
influenced especially if they are emotionally
challenged.

There are various factors that cause children to

behave in certain manner. Sometimes they appear
quite normal but can begin to exhibit abnormal
behaviors as early as age two. I am not a
psychiatrist or a psychologist but I am a parent
who has been exposed to the conditions to which I
speak.

Even though children may be mentally or

emotionally challenged, whichever the situation
may be; if one pays keen attention at an early age
you will begin to see the tell tale signs. In spite of
whatever challenges our children may face, we
should raise up a child in the way it should grow,
so when it gets old it will never depart.

Some children will be led astray because of peer

pressure but in variably they return to that God
source which is the foundation that was laid for
them in their tender years. Therefore, we should
remind our children to remember their creator in
the days of their youth (Eccl 12:1), so that when
they fall down and bruise their knees, they will
remember that they have an advocate; an
advocate who will embrace their troubles, guide
their very footsteps, and take them back to their
absolute God.

According to Joel chapter 2:28 it tells us that “it

shall come to pass afterwards, that I pour out my
spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters shall
prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams; your
young men shall have visions”.

God gives guidance and direction to his creatures

and parents in return give guidance to their
children; but somehow young adults have this
unique ability to make something that is useful
into something that is useless and dull. Taking
away the luster and the excitement of their youth,
robbing them of that unique creativity that allows
them to be dynamic young adults; whose purpose
should be God driven and not the other way
around.

As parents, we should never lose the God given

vision to retain idealism and zestful vitality to
continue to teach our children to love God. By
teaching our children to love God, they will learn
how to demonstrate patience, faithfulness to duty,
loyalty in love, devotion and perseverance, and
above all things discipline and devotion.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 reminds us it is our duty to

exercise authority over our children and guide
them to remember our creator in the days of their
youth. God made man and man in return became
co-creator with God by duplicating themselves
each time they give birth to a child.

This chapter shows us how frail man is; today we

are here and tomorrow we are gone. Psalm 90:4-5
reminds us that “man is like grass, in the morning
it flourisheth and groweth up and in the evening is
cut down and widowed”; in other words we need
to serve God, not only when we get old and have
completed our lives. If we wait until we are old to
serve God, we can’t do cement work; we can’t
clean the church; we can’t run a youth program,
because we have now become broken down and
dilapidated. Therefore man should make it his duty
to serve God in his youth.

Serve God while you’re still strong; serve God

while you can still run the race for him. Bearing in
mind according to Isaiah “the race is not for the
swift, the battle is not for the strong, but it is for
those who can endure to the very end.” So when
parents teach their children to love God in their
youth, they are doing an impeccable thing
because they are training the mind of the child
that regardless of where they find themselves in
this life, they will always remember to return to
their creator, Jehovah.

We should recognize that we need to honor God

and be perfect in his council; walk gently in the
presence of God; recognize your limitations; and
establish your relationship firmly with God and find
enjoyment in doing them. Work hard to establish a
personal relationship with God so that if you go
astray, you will not have any problems returning
to his presence to do his work.

As you avoid harshness and cruelty to your

parents, you are avoiding harshness and cruelty to
your creator Jehovah God.
Be quick to listen and slow to speak; learn to walk
softly before your God and you will receive the
blessings of the most high.

Remember your creator in the days of your youth

and when you have slipped from the top of the
pole to the bottom, you can pick yourself up, dust
yourself off, pray without ceasing, and know that
your creator is listening.

EASTER JOHN 11

What does Easter mean to me? Easter is very

sacred; it reminds me of the agony, the pain, the
treachery, the deceit, and the death and
resurrection of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ,
and I know that he is risen. I know that he is risen,
because he gives me the hope and the faith to
face tomorrow. I know that he lives because my
fears of failure and defeat are subsided. I know
that he lives because he holds my future in the
palm of his hand; and because he holds my future
then I believe it will be good. My life is worth the
living just because he lives.

I know he lives because John 11:23 says “thy

brother shall rise again”; not only in the new
resurrection; but while I am still on earth.

Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha were fighting for

his affection but Jesus told them as John 11:40
states “if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God”; meaning that Lazarus would
rise from the dead.

We see that before the resurrection of Christ,

there was the resurrection of Lazarus. If we take a
look at John 11:24 we see Jesus conversing with
Mary the sister of Lazarus convincing her that
even though she believed that Lazarus would rise
in the day appointed; Jesus proved that he is the
son of God and so he performed the miracle of
resurrecting Lazarus by simply saying “Lazarus
Arise” (John 5:8).

Jesus declares”Come unto me, all ye that labor

and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”
(Matt 11:28) I entreat all those who are burdened
and heavy laidened to arise! Come to Jesus! Let
him make a change in your life. I invite you now to
let your soul arise and shake off its guilty stain. Let
the sacrificial lamb that bled on Calvary’s cross
wash you in his holy blood.

John 11:25-26 states clearly “I am the

resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,
tho he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?”

John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that

he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life” and we know that if God could
give us that which is precious unto him such as
the heir to his kingdom, our beloved brother Jesus,
then we ought also to love God with all our might.
We ought to love Jesus and to love our fellow man.
As we love Jesus and our fellow man, we are loving
our father and his only son.

When we do wrong against our brother’s and

sisters, we are doing wrong against God. One of
the greatest commandments that God gave to
Moses is that we should love our neighbor as we
love ourselves (Ex 20:17). It is Christ-like and good
that as we demonstrate love for each other so will
our heavenly father demonstrate his love and
goodness unto us.

The apostle’s creed declares “I believe in God, the

Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and
in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the
third day He arose again from the dead. He
ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of
God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall
come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in
the Holy Spirit, the Holy Church, the communion of
Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body and life everlasting”.

This gives us better understanding, greater joy,

and a better sense of well being to know that
Christ was indeed conceived of a virgin, gave his
life for us, and through his death and resurrection
we are consoled that there will be a better
tomorrow because he is our given advocate by the
great I am.

Revelation 21:1 states John the revelator saw a

new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
was past away; and behold I saw a holy city, a
new Jerusalem coming down from heaven
prepared as a bride adorned for a husband. This
holy Jerusalem is our savior Jesus Christ coming to
us with the good news that he paid a ransom and
all we have to do is submit ourselves to the calling
of salvation and the tabernacle of God shall dwell
with man.

Mary Magdalene was first to go to the sepulcher

after Jesus’ crucifixion, she stooped down
weeping, looked into the tomb and saw that Christ
was missing. Her love for Jesus and the fear that
someone had stolen his body caused her to run to
the disciples informing them that Jesus was
missing. Then ran Peter the beloved servant to
Jesus’ tomb, stooped down, went into the
sepulcher, and observed that the linen napkin was
laid aside separately from the garment that
wrapped Jesus’ body.
How wonderful is the power of God that no grave
could’ve kept the body of Jesus down.

Many times we take for granted that Jesus will

always be there for us but to have experienced the
fear of losing him not knowing whence he goeth or
who took him out of the tomb that must’ve been
real devastating for Mary Magdalene, Mary, and
the disciples.

Here is an example of God in action. We should

never take God for granted; we should always take
God at his word. The scripture declares not one
bone in his body would be broken and that he
would die, be buried, rose again from the dead,
and ascend to his father (John 19:36). This is the
fulfillment of the prophesy of Jesus Christ.

Mary Magdalene did not leave the tomb of Jesus;

she was compelled to stay. Her love for Jesus was
so profound that pain and agony wrenched her
heart. She remained spellbound in this place but
Jesus knowing fully well that she was suffering
because of her love for him transformed himself
into the likeliness of an angel and asked Mary
Magdalene, “why weepest thou?” and she replied
“because they have taken my Lord and I know not
where they have laid him” (John 20:13).

After this Mary turned around and saw Jesus

standing afar off. She thought it was the gardener
but Jesus called her by her name. “Mary”! When
she saw Jesus, she became excited! She said
“Raboni” meaning master. She was excited as one
would physically get excited to see someone they
loved dearly who had been away for a while. Her
excitement I am sure, made her wanted to throw
herself in Jesus’ arms; but Jesus compassionately
told her “touch me not, for I am not yet ascended
to my father” (John 20:17). Jesus knew he needed
to remain pure; hence the reason he told Mary not
to touch him.

Jesus was crucified, but he was not defeated. He

went down in agony and bloody sweat, but he
came up in victory and glory. This is to show us
that we may consider ourselves defeated in one
way but God will give us victory in another way.

By the trials and tribulations we face today, we

can somewhat anticipate where we are going
tomorrow. Your struggles of today will be your
blessings for your future.

Jesus is your hope; get an agreement with him. Let

the seed of hope take root into your affairs. Reject
negative forces and aim for a place where you will
find inner peace. Jesus purchased you by his
blood; he redeemed you through his resurrection,
and we know that because of his stripes, we will
one day live eternally with him.

John 14:2-3 declares, “In my Father's house there

are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have
told you; for I go to prepare a place for you; and if
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,
and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also”.

Let us work determinedly because of the love that

Jesus gave by submitting himself in death in
preparation of a place for us that we will be with
him one day in this mansion of glory after our
work on earth is done.

MOTHER’S DAY GENESIS 2:22

Happy Mother’s Day! As recognition is given to

mothers all over the world today; we applaud and
hail respect to these creatures that God has made
so uniquely in his image and likeness through a rib
from Adam.

Without mothers what a boring world this would

be! Mothers are those creatures that as the saying
goes sometimes they can’t live with us, but we
know for sure they just can’t do without us.

On this very auspicious day; let us give the best

give we can give to our mothers and I would like to
say the best gift is not just love but it should be
the gift of prayers. It is very important that when
we think of a mother, we send a silent prayer for
them, because their task on earth is certainly not
an easy one.

God gave us his son Jesus that was brought into

this world by a woman called Mary (Luk 1:31);
Jesus in turn gave his life, love, and obedience to
the only father mother God; so that our lives may
find profound meaning.

Mothers are convicted to their children to make

certain that they are loved and cared for in a
special and unique way. 1st John 4:4 tells us that
we are God’s little children and have overcome;
because greater is he that is in you than he that is
in the world.

Because of Christ, (women) mothers are given

expressiveness and recognition that they are
special.

Mothers are special because without them Adam

who is the bearer of the seed would have no place
wherein to place his seed for germination,
therefore women being the vessel prepared by
God is able to give birth and new life.

When a little child says “mommy” there is a

certain joy and love that wells up into the heart of
that mother but as children grow up, some tend to
abuse the love of their mothers with disrespect
and rejection. Therefore I say to everyone; when
you think of a mother, not only on mother’s day,
every day of your life, send a silent prayer for her.
Prayer is the major ingredient that is needed to
assist mothers to survive from day to day.

A mother is a burden bearer; no one knows her

pain. A mother gives birth, and after birth she
labors with this child, she works diligently, she
sings a lullaby, she places a band aid on the
bruised knees, she dries their tears, she reads
them bedtime stories; but as children get older,
some not all forget the hands that held them when
they were weak. They forget the heart that was
broken when they received a poor grade in school;
they forget to love their mother.

Let us send a prayer for mothers today. Let us

pray for mothers, not just my mother but your
mother, and their mother. Pray for mothers that
children will remember to extend gratitude not
only in material things, but also with emotional
attachment. Pray for mothers that their weeping
souls will be pacified.

Prayer can change things. There are many good

and sincere mothers who are grieving. Mothers are
weeping for their children who are dieing from
diseases; mothers are weeping for their children
who are behind bars; mothers are weeping for
their children because there is no emotional
support. Please pray for mothers; pray for our
mothers as mothers are constantly praying for
their children.

As you pray for your mother, pray this prayer:

“precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on let me
stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, I am sad.
Through the storm, through the night, lead me on
to the light. Take my hand precious Lord, lead me
on” (written by Thomas A. Dorsey).

Pray for mothers; when their way grows dim, when

the life of their children is destroyed uselessly and
ruthlessly, for no apparent reasons, no reason of
justification for the destruction of their children.
Pray for mothers; hear their call, hold their hand,
lest they fall; precious Lord; take the hand of every
mother and pray for them.

When a woman gives birth she is increasing the

fruit of her womb. It is important that we pray for
mothers and for the fruit of their womb; because
when we pray for the fruit of their womb, their fruit
can be increased in righteousness.

Through positive prayers for mothers, their

children can grow up and dedicate their lives unto
the righteous God, the God who is in the valley,
and the God who sits on the mountain.

Pray for mothers that they will develop faith and

courage to handle things when their faith becomes
frail. Pray for mothers that they will love their
children as it is written in 1st John 4:7: “For love is
of God; and every one that loveth is born of God,
and knoweth God”. Heaven’s plan for mothers and
the lives of their children is that they have to
develop strong faith that will be able to withstand
in times of trying situation because faith cometh,
faith comes through hearing and hearing comes
through the anointing power of God on your life.

Satan is on a rampage; he attacks the mothers

that are poor; he attacks the mothers that are rich,
he goes into palaces and mansions and he attacks
the most beloved mother; but mothers, don’t let
your faith be down trodden. God is love, and in
God’s love, there is truth and grace. In God’s love,
there is the indwelling spirit of righteousness that
will allow us to develop courage and
wholesomeness.

Mothers when you think of your children don’t

place them on a pedestal and believe they are
untouchable; all children are touchable. Satan,
when he comes into your home he is taking out
your choicest prize. He is taking out the best that
you have. Pray for mothers that they will develop
strong faith and great courage to be able to keep
their households together and watch over their
children.

Many homes are run by single parents who need

extra faith and extra courage and extra strength
to keep their families in tact. Sometimes in trying
to raise your family in the best way you can, you
are told you are not good enough. For those
mothers who have done their best and feel that
they are not doing enough, I would like you to
know that someone is praying for you.

Expression of thanks for mothers should also be

extended to grandmothers for every kind word of
inspiration that they have given to their children
and grand children. Grandmothers are the
shoulders that mothers stand on. They are our
rock of Gibraltar. Therefore, when you pray for
mothers please remember to pray for
grandmothers.

Sometimes a mother does not have her own

biological children; she might be a foster mother,
or the mother of a Sunday school class. Whichever
is the case, mothers are those unique creatures
that give encouragement and confidence to their
children, your children, and my children.

There is an old adage that states: become a

villager whose involvement in the village takes the
concerns of every child as theirs. The legacy of
every mother is their children. On this earth
human creatures are God’s gift to this planet; but
when a woman makes children they become her
gift to God.

Mothers should be reminded to rock their Godly

cradle like Rebecca did. May God bless you and
may you ever be able to defeat the wolf that
would snatch your young infant from its cradle.
God bless and keep all mothers.
 FATHER’S DAY- ARE YOU A DREAMER?
GENESIS 37-41

Joseph was a young man, beloved of his father

Jacob. Jacob found Joseph a special child because
he could be described as a child of promise. As the
story goes, Jacob was sent away to Padanaram, to
the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take
thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban
thy mother's brother (Gen. 28:2).

As the story goes we know that Jacob was made to

work not just seven years for his beloved wife
Rachel but twenty one years because the night of
his marriage he was given Leah as a wife instead
of his beloved Rachel.

As deceptive as this story appears, God’s plan was

being implemented. God knew that he wanted
these two sisters, Leah and Rachel, to become the
mothers of the tribe of the children of Israel. In the
plan of God, Rachel’s womb became barren, while
Leah continued to be fruitful; but as we can see,
God tested Rachel to see whether she would’ve
remained with her beloved Jacob faithfully in spite
of her barrenness.
When the time was appointed, Rachel gave birth
to Benjamin and Joseph. Joseph became the
beloved son of his father. The elder brothers
became extremely jealous because Joseph was
born with a special gift. God blessed him with the
gift of being a dreamer. Not only was he a great
dreamer but he also had that special ability to
interpret and give meaning to dreams as they
were presented to him.

So one day Joseph had a dream, the sun and the

moon and eleven stars made obeyance to me.
(Gen. 37:9). After Joseph told his father Jacob, he
replied “What is this dream that thou hast
dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren
indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the
earth?” (Gen. 37:10). Immediately after this
rebuke, Satan entered the heart of Joseph’s
brothers and they started the plan of action to
eliminate Joseph; but God was on Joseph’s side.

Jacob had twelve sons, Joseph being the last birth.

Joseph is what you would call a love child; he was
the son of his beloved mother Rachel that Jacob
worked twenty one years to obtain as his wife.
This special child encountered great jealousy from
his brothers because his father made him a coat
with many different colors causing them to desire
to kill their little baby brother.

I would like to mention here that as parents, it is

important that favoritism amongst our children
should be prohibited. Even if you feel special
about one of your children, you should learn as
parents to control your outer expression for any
one child in the presence of their siblings.
Because of the outward love that was expressed
to Joseph, his brothers hated him. Joseph’s
brothers decided that they were going to kill him,
but his brother Reuben came to his rescue and
stated “Let’s not kill him” (Gen. 37:21). The
brothers then decided instead of killing him and
having blood on their hands, they would throw him
in a pit. They left Joseph in the pit, killed a goat,
ripped up his beautiful coat of many colors, gave it
to old Jacob and told him that his beloved son was
dead.

Today when we reflect on fathers we can see a

goodly man with much love in Jacob, but the
problem here is that we can love our children to
the point of destruction. The brothers of Joseph
thought they had gotten rid of him when they
threw him in the pit. You can throw your brother
into a pit and leave him there to die, but if God
who is God, creator of all mankind, decided it is
not yet time, then for sure he is going to stretch
his hand out and pull you out of the pit.

In this instance, the pit for Joseph worked in his

favor. When the Medianite merchants passed by
and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, they did him a
favor when they sold him to the Ismaelites for
twenty pieces of silver. Silver seems to be a coin
that is used for deception. Jesus Christ was also
betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver (Matt
26:15). Here again we see that men who are
destined for greatness have to brace themselves
and understand that before they get to their
ultimate success, there are many steps to climb,
many hurdles to jump over, and many pits to be
pulled out of.
Joseph was in a pit, but he did not allow the pit
mentality to keep him bounded; instead he lifted
up himself after he was sold into Egypt even after
being imprisoned, he knew that if he held fast to
the God of his father, Jehovah, he would’ve been
able to overcome.

Joseph’s life was so complicated. This complication

came into being because he was predestined by
God to be the deliverer of his father’s family. If we
take a look at the birth of Jacob, we can see where
the struggle began from the womb with the two
sons being born, Esau and Jacob.

Esau was the first born to struggle out of the

womb of Rebecca, but as Esau was about to come
out of his mother’s womb, Jacob took his hand and
pulled back Esau so that he Jacob could’ve come
out first (Gen.25:26). Therefore, it is not by
accident or chance that Joseph encountered so
many struggles in his life because the problems
began with his father Jacob when he fought for
first place from within his mother’s womb.

Here we see the hand of God, predestinating the

youngest of the twelve sons. He would’ve been
bruised, he would’ve been rejected, he would’ve
been accused, he would’ve been sold into slavery;
yet he was a man predestined, endowed with
wisdom from God to save his people from
starvation.

As we can see, God’s plan for Joseph would come

into play when the time was right. At age 17,
God’s plan started to take root in Joseph’s life.
While in prison, the kings baker and the king’s
butler was thrown into prison. They both had
dreams and Joseph being endowed with the
anointing of God was able to interpret the dream
of the butler; but Joseph did not just interpret the
dream of the butler that gave him hope and
restoration for the king’s presence; Joseph asked a
special favor of the butler, he said remember me
(Gen. 40:-14)

Sometimes when one find themselves into great

depressing and stressful situations and they
become released, they forget the source that was
used to bring victory unto them; but the kind
butler remembered Joseph after the king also had
a dream two years after the butler was restored to
his position in the palace, and none of the
magicians of Egypt was able to interpret this
dream. Then the chief butler, after he noticed that
the king remained troubled, he told the king of
Joseph who had interpreted his dream that he had
while he was in prison and so the king sent for
Joseph.

As can be seen here, the plans of God was about

to become effective. Joseph was able to interpret
the king’s dream. Pharaoh told Joseph of the seven
lien heirs of corn that sprang up and ate up the
seven fat heirs of corn. Joseph interpreted and told
King Pharaoh that the seven lien heirs would be
seven years of famine, and the seven fat heirs of
corn represented the seven years of which there
would’ve been plenty (Gen. 41: 17-31)

At this interpretation, the king was very pleased

and ordered Joseph to be made ruler over all his
household and goods (Gen. 41:40). So we see that
God elevated Joseph. Joseph rose from a slave to
be ruler over the king’s household. We should be
careful what we do with God’s people because
that which is meant for evil can always turn
around to be good.

Even though Joseph was able to interpret the

dreams of the king and rose to great stature in
Egypt, the signs of the times was about to bring
thorns of inequity that would step in and create an
injustice in Joseph’s life.

Joseph the dreamer was going to become the

rescue for many or even what I would describe as
the economic structure of Egypt would fall under
his control and all systems, visible and invisible
would give warning to the people to watch and
pray because we know not when destruction shall
come upon us.

The evil that came upon Egypt caused havoc and

disruption of the lives of many; not only for
Egyptians but for the Israelites and other
surrounding countries to the point of Joseph’s
family coming in from Canaan to buy food.

When I think of God and his marvelous goodness,

it takes me back to a few lines in this precious
hymn written by Frederick W. Faber. As he wrote
these words: My God how wonderful thou art, Thy
majesty how bright; How dread are Thy eternal
years, O everlasting Lord, Thy endless wisdom,
boundless power, and glorious purity! To think the
thought; to breathe the Name, Bears and forbears
as Thou hast done with me, Thy sinful child.

Reflection of this hymn brings father Jacob to

mind, a reflection of the life of a man who in his
latter years would become beneficiary of his
predestined and beloved son Joseph. Joseph was
predestined to use his wisdom to save an
economic system that would otherwise have failed
had the intervention of God’s plan not be put in
effect immediately though the predestined son of
Jacob.

Fathers, remember that your children are a

reflection of your blood lineage. To mention
briefly, Jacob received his birthright through the
wisdom of a wise mother but the damage had
already been done from the womb.

We have to place the right concept of good into

the minds of our children, sons and daughters
alike so that they will be structured in bringing
great blessings from generation to generation.

However, in order for us to receive our blessings,

man must be willing to permit the blessings of God
to be released and flow upon them. As the
blessing is flowed from father to son, so will it
continue from generation unto generation.
Reverse the power of separation upon the lives of
our children, and allow the infinite mercies of God
to develop into our sons, real fatherhood and real
son ship.

It is the responsibility of fathers to work on their

families; to break the curse of jealousy and
separation within the family structure. Fathers or
mothers for that matter who show favoritism
amongst their children teaches them discord at a
very early age.
On the other hand, children must learn to
discriminate and accept good family values that
will lead them into right decisions and a positive
way of living.

I thank God for dads because I know somewhere

right now there are many dads that are hurting;
but be assured that your heavenly father is
watching over you.

Father’s please take responsibility to love your

children. Teach them to love God. Look beyond the
faults of your children and focus on their needs;
and as you do so, you too will become the
recipient of the great blessings bestowed upon
Father Jacob in his old age through his beloved son
Joseph.

God bless and keep you dads. Happy Father’s Day!

I AM SO THANKFUL PSALMS 100

Today I am so thankful that Jesus has given me

the opportunity to come before you to celebrate
with gratitude the season of thanksgiving.

Some folks believe may believe there is nothing to

celebrate, and that there is nothing to give God
thanks for; but in actuality there is so much be
thankful for.

The Pilgrims arrived in America from England in

the year 1620 and settled in Plymouth
Massachusetts. They were a religious group who
committed themselves to life based on the bible.
As we celebrate thanksgiving, we do so in tradition
of the original pilgrims that suffered much failure,
sickness pain and even death. This is really a
celebrating tradition which reminds us that
freedom and prosperity comes with a price. The
Pilgrims faith allowed them to endure the bitter
and treacherous winters of their times. Their
endurance made for provisions that would secure
the tradition of always giving thanks.

Therefore during this period, a day is set aside in

American history to observe the memories of the
pilgrims who were before us.

Psalms 100 tells us to make a joyful noise unto the

Lord, serve the Lord with gladness, enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

The pilgrims were folks that loved God and in spite

of their dreary lives, they served him with
gladness.

In everything we do let us be thankful to God. Be

thankful in good times and be thankful in bad
times. Be thankful when the car ran over your
most prized possession and you find yourself
standing bewildered asking God what is next. Be
thankful when you just got fired from your job,
because with faith God will provide a better job.

I know a young woman who worked for a very

prominent company. Her position was of such that
it required her to pay great attention to details.
She had some difficulties focusing on what would
be described as minor details. What she
considered minor, her manager considered very
important. He gave her such a hard time that she
started to develop a nervous stomach. Eventually,
she left the job going out on medical leave; but
God was preparing her for a much much better
position; but at the time, she could not see it.
When the negative was taking place in her life, she
was upset and devastated. Sometimes God just
turn sideways for a minute to get you prepared for
great victories that are about to come into your
life.

We remain friends to this day and often times we

reflect on that particular situation that caused her
so much grief and pain.

Today, she has reminded me often times how

thankful she is to God for those unpleasant
conversations with her previous employer; and I
remind her of the importance of always giving God
thanks.

Psalms 118:1 states “Oh give thanks unto the lord;

for he is good: because his mercy endureth
forever”. The prayer continues in this manner save
now, I beseech thee, o Lord: send now prosperity
(Ps.118:25)

Prosperity can be needed in many different areas

of our lives. Sometimes we need the prosperity of
rain to swell our grains. The pilgrims needed rain
to moisten their soil so better crops could be
brought forward. Even though the pilgrims lost
most of their crops; they remained thankful.

O let us give thanks unto the Lord because his

mercy endureth forever (Ps. 118:1). At this time
when we make such great preparation, let us
remember those who are less fortunate than
ourselves and pray for them and be thankful to
God that many of us are in positions to extend a
helping hand.

Sometimes when you wake in the mornings and

you roll over in those warm sheets with a nice
comforter, think of those who are sleeping on the
street corners without a blanket. Send a prayer of
thankfulness to God for your circumstance and a
prayer for those sleeping without a blanket.

Sometimes you have a thriving company that

continues to excel and just as you are about to
reach your peak, something happens that brings
you from the top of the ladder to the bottom of the
barrel; but please remember to give God thanks.

Today as you celebrate with family and friends, be

thankful to God for the ability to express good
thoughts and good feelings towards your fellow
man. Be thankful to God for the many blessings he
has extended to us; be thankful that he gave us
Emanuel God with us.

Be thankful to God that the limbs in your body are

functioning properly and that you are enjoying
good health. Be thankful for your family. Be
thankful for your congregation if you are a pastor
and pray that God will open your congregant’s
minds to receive blessings of wisdom and
understanding from above.

Did someone smile at you today? Be thankful for

that smile; and if someone frowned at you today,
be thankful for the frown. The smile brings
gladness to the heart even though it might be sad.
The frown brings the opportunity to remind you to
search yourself for possible errors and faults. Just
be thankful for being alive and in your sound mind.

Thankfulness is an expression of gratitude to God

for the many blessings he has bestowed upon you
from day to day.

Be thankful to God for your bank account. Be

thankful to God that your bank account is getting
smaller, and when you cant sleep at night, don’t
count your diminishing dollars; count your many
blessings because you can name them one by one
and it may surprise you to know what the Lord has
done for you. God is secretly working on a plan to
return your bank account to what it was and then
some.

Have you ever ask God: “Lord, what did you bless
me with today, that I need to be thankful to you
for?” Think! Ask yourself a question: “what can I
be thankful for today?” If you cant find one thing
that happened good for you today, then just thank
God for being alive.

Jesus said “I came that you may have life and

have it more abundantly”. (John 10:12) Every time
you think of a friend, be thankful for them. Every
time you think of an enemy be thankful to God for
them, because enemies are tools that allow
cunning works of negativity to transform into
joyful blessings of praise.

Be thankful that your faith in God is as firm as a

solid rock and Satan can never prevail, because
Jesus power saves and sanctifies.
I am thankful for the power of the redemptive
blood of Jesus Christ. Your offering of thanksgiving
should always be at the forefront of your mind;
because it will be multiplied ten fold upon you.

Be thankful unto God and bless his name for he is

good and his mercies endureth forever (Ps.100:4-
5).

Always remember to be thankful in good times

and bad times.
 CHRISTMAS LUKE 2:11

Christmas is a jolly time of the year. Christmas is a

reflection of a season when memories come rolling
in. Some hearts become sad and many hearts
become very glad.

In my analogy of Christmas, it really belongs to the

children. Jesus declares in the scriptures “suffer
the little children to come unto me and forbid
them not for of such is the kingdom of heaven
(Luk. 18:16).

The statement is rightly true because at Christmas

time, not only adults but children also are called to
pay homage and give reflection of Jesus in plays,
recitations, and be reminded that Jesus was once a
little child just like them.

I know of adults who truly love Christmas and even

acts as little children. At Christmas time, one
should meditate on Jesus and think of the wonder
of the child presence in their lives.
Jesus was born on earth but he was heaven bound.
We who are also born here on earth, our minds
should also be heaven bound.

Allow the presence of the Christ child to give light

into your heart that will bring transformation at
this season. If one should analyze the purpose of
Santa Claus, you will discover that Santa really
means love to little children and keep adults
responsible and active. How wonderful is Santa.
Santa represents the power of love; while Christ
love extends beyond Christmas. Who builds a
church to honor Santa? No one! But churches are
built in honor of Christ. Arts and crafts are created
to inspire the creation of Christ; souls are saved in
honor of Christ, while love and admiration is
poured out to Christ at Christmas time. So with
this Christmas season, send love to someone.

We ask Jesus everyday for many things. We ask

him for guidance, education, delivery of our
unborn children, and protection of our live
children. We ask God for houses and land; we ask
God for silver and gold; but what does God ask us
for? Nothing! Except to love him and to serve him
and him only.

He asks us to give forgiveness to those who have

wronged us. Think of how awesome Christ is. How
precious is our baby Jesus that we celebrate! Oh
come let us adore him. Let us bow down and
worship him! Because we ask everything of him,
but all he asks of us is our love.

Upon the birth of Jesus, the three wise men saw

the star in the east and followed it to the cave
where Jesus laid (Matt. 2:9-11). When they
discovered baby Jesus, they presented him with
gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11).

In tradition of the gift giving, we celebrate

Christmas by going out and spending money we
really don’t have. Instead of spending money that
you don’t have just remember, all that Jesus want
from you is love; not material things, just love. O
come let us adore him; all he needs is love.
An unknown Author describes Jesus in this
manner: he grew up in a village. He worked in a
carpenter shop until he was thirty, and then for
three years was an itinerant teacher, he never
wrote a book. He never had an office. He never
had a family, he never went to college. He never
put his foot inside a big city. He never did one of
those things that usually accompany greatness.
He had no credentials but himself; yet he bored
our sins and granted us forgiveness.

Think of the child that entered into history and

changed the lives of many. There are many
arguments today about Christmas. It is a time that
is supposed to bring happiness and peace.

Many reflect at Christmas time; some of these

reflections bring painful memories. For instance,
parents have children who grow up and begin to
cultivate families of their own. Christmas time
sometimes brings sadness because parents and
grandparents are forgotten.

Success sometimes causes us to forget to make

that phone call to say merry Christmas, I love you.
Sometimes ordinary people forget the friends who
help them along the way. Christmas is even a time
to tell someone you have offended: I am sorry.
At Christmas time remember to pick up your
phone and call someone who has been good to
you and say: I love you. Husbands and wives at
Christmas time may embrace at the joy of a well
received gift and even look forward to a better and
more peaceful tomorrow in their relationship.

At this Christmas season, please give the gift of

hope. Hope for a better tomorrow through the love
of Christ. Because of Christmas, great hospitality is
extended because of the birth of Christ. Please
touch someone at Christmas time and tell them
how much you love them; and above all please
remember to forgive someone who has hurt your
feelings and cause you pain. Forgive them, it is
Christmas time.

God loves you and so do I. Merry Christmas!

YOU ARE NEXT IN LINE FOR YOUR BLESSING
2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 2

I believe you are next in line for a blessing. There

is a blessing lined up for everyone upon the face
of this earth; and I’m sure you are next in line for
your blessing.

Through the mighty sights and wonders by the

power of God, the gospel is preached that Christ
should build a foundation on earth that man
should find salvation.

We need to be strong in the Lord and in the power

of his might. In other words, the strong should
bear the infirmities of the weak (Rom. 15:1). Then
we will become pleasers of Christ and not pleasers
of ourselves.

Ephesians 1:3 declares “Praise be to the God and

father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us
in the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ”; because he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world that we
should be holy and without blame before his love.

In other words, we were predestined to be the

sons and daughters of God subjected to the will of
his kingdom in that we will gain recognition
according to our works on earth.
Genesis 12:2 states: “I will make you into a great
nation and I will bless you; I will make your name
great, and you will be a blessing”. Here we see
God speaking to Abraham and his wife Sarah who
would conceive and bore a son called Isaac in their
old age, thus bringing the fulfillment of the
prophecy of God.

Hebrews 11:11 states “Through faith also Sara

herself received strength to conceive seed, and
was delivered of a child when she was past age,
because she judged him faithful who had
promised”. In other words, God was conveying a
message to Abraham to let him know if he would
continue to be faithful he would be next in line for
his blessing.

Sometimes we go from day to day asking God

secretly, Lord when will my day come? Lord is
there a time for me? Lord will I be next in line for
a blessing? Sometimes we ask God: “Father, when
will my next blessing come down the parachute?
Shall I be next in line for a blessing?”

Well I am here today to tell you that God hears

and will answer all your prayers. Your blessings
are there waiting for you, you just have to
conceive the idea of the blessing you desire.
Present it to God, leave it at his feet, believe and
accept in your mind that whatever you ask for will
be granted unto you; and I guarantee you; you will
be next in line for that blessing.

According to Isaiah 65:16 it states: he who

blessed himself on the earth; shall bless himself in
the God of truth; because the former troubles are
forgotten and because they are hid from thine
eyes”.

God knows the truth about our former troubles;

however he wants to let you know that he has not
hid his eyes from your problems. Therefore, let not
your heart be troubled, because you are next in
line for a blessing.

Walk with God, believe in him; God never fails.

Because of doubt, we sometimes miss out on the
blessings that are already ours. You are rich, and
yet you allow worrying and fears to make you
poor. I do not believe in poverty, but I believe that
if the mind conceives it, we accept it, and believe
it, then we become recipients of our belief.

Limitations are transferred through the mind and

the blood lineage from generation to generation. I
invite you to cancel the limitations that are being
sent to you by the devil. He just wants you to be
further detained and detached from your
blessings. If you allow your mind to conceive and
believe that you are poor, then you are poor. I
may not be rich financially, but I am rich in the
grace of God.

God is the architect of this universe. He is your

father and my father. God is rich in the abundance
of mercies with great wealth to share. Since God is
my father and your father, then we automatically
become heirs of the kingdom of heaven, which
places us to be next in line for our blessings.

With doubt and fear, you defeat your greatness for

success. Remember you were born and created in
the image and likeness of God. Additionally, you
are co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven, so how can
you be poor? You may not know where your next
bread is coming from; but if you believe in the
richness, in the abundant blessings that have no
limitations, directly poured out from the throne of
grace, then you are next in line for your blessings.

The people of God should not accept lack, even

though there are many who lacketh. Because as
servants of God, predestined and chosen to be
who we are; we should not see limitations and
accept them in our lives.

What kind of blessing are you seeking? If you are

looking for a husband, you can find one. If you are
seeking for a wife there is a good one waiting for
you. However, these are physical and emotional
desires and needs. To some they are extremely
important, and the components of these desires in
their lives are what these individuals believe they
need for total completion on this earthly plain.

Some folks agree to live a life of celibacy and

some folks need the physical and emotional
companionship. Whichever it is that you desire,
believe in God; have faith. Believe that there are
no limitations to what God can do for you; because
you are next in line for your blessings.

Before you were born, God had a plan for you. You
were pre-selected to be who you are today. Once
God has chosen you, hell can’t stop you, heaven
will receive you. No earthly conditions or
limitations can stand in your way; you will
stumble, you will fall; but grab hold of the image of
God; recognize that the direction you were
heading was wrong; change your course of
direction; change your plan of action, and focus on
your desired blessing, because you are next in line
for your blessing.

God wants to bring honor to you, not dishonor.

God wants to bring tangible blessings that will
have positive effects on your life. Present
struggles will cease once you honor and serve God
in spirit and in truth.

Use integrity in your decision making and a fresh

deposit of blessings will be placed into your
storehouse.

Paul declares “for out of the heart, much affliction

and anguish is out poured, but God wants you to
rejoice and give thanks unto him which will cause
his triumphant grace, mercy and peace, and great
blessings to be poured out on you” (2 Cor. 2:4).

Be blessed continually, because you are next in

line for your blessing.
THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY FEET
When Israel knew not where to go, or what to do
they cried out to God and God made a fiery pillar
to glow by night so they would not stumble or fall
(Ex.13:21).

Moses their leader, I am sure was burdened and

confused with having to lead these children who
were rebellious. Moses prayed an earnest prayer
with confidence in God in order to remain strong.
Even though the scripture tells us that Moses was
not an eloquent speaker (Ex.4:10), I believe he
had inner self confidence that enabled him to say
the correct things displaying confidence in his
ability to lead God’s people effectively.

The words from Psalm 119:105 (Nun) “thy word is

a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my
pathway”. I am sure Moses prayed in confidence
and demonstrated confidence in his speech
towards the children of Israel. Moses’ soul was
bewildered time and time over as he walked into
the wilderness seeking the council of God to guide
him as a gentle dove.

God in his infinite wisdom, when he looked at

Moses and looked at the children of Israel and
their rebellious nature, said about his servant
Moses: my holy laws you have loved, therefore my
lamp shall light your pathway.

Even though one may be afraid and have grave

affliction, the words of God should always dwell in
their heart, reminding them that his word shall be
a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their
pathway (Ps.119:105). Reminding them that even
though they may be physically alone, the angels of
God are watching over them. God is telling his
people though they may be afflicted, if they obey
his words and keep their hearts in tune; he will
bless them because their ways have become
pleasing and they are blameless. If they listen to
the word of God, they will always be a light in the
sun that shineth for all mankind to see.

The word of God should be good news to the ears

of believers. The book of Psalms in particular are
words of consolation to those whose hearts are
troubled.

Isaiah 60:1 states”arise and shine for the light is

come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you,
for behold the darkness shall cover the earth and
gross darkness the people; but the lord shall arise
upon thee, and his glory shall be upon you,
because my word that you have kept shall be a
lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path
way”.

If you will keep the commandments of God and

live a holy life becoming an example for others to
follow, then you can remain a light. In other words
review your life, make changes where necessary,
change the atmosphere in your surroundings, and
you will see a change when you wake up each
day. You will feel exuberant, blessed, and highly
favored; because the word of God is a light unto
your pathway.

In order to truly enjoy the blessings of God, it is

important that we apply faith in every step of the
way because Hebrews 11:6 tells us “without faith
it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh
to God must believe, that he is a rewarder of
them, that diligent seek and serve him.”
In order for the lamp of God to shine on your
pathway always, you need to ask God a question.
Say God: “what would you have me to do? In order
that my steps might be ordered by the Lord whose
word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my
pathway?” (Ps.119:105).

To receive the blessings of God, you must believe

in the word of God. Inspiration is imparted to us
through direct communication with our savior; but
it is up to us to let God’s word rise and shine in our
hearts so that the glory of God can be a lamp unto
our feet and a light unto our pathway
(Ps.119:105).

Light is revealed to man through darkness, your

appreciation of light comes after you have come
out of great trials and tribulations. Example blind
Bartimeus received his sight by Jesus (Luk 18:42-
43).

The appreciation of light comes only when we can

really take belief that God is a lamp unto our feet
and a light unto our pathway (Ps.119:105). One
usually appreciates the positive only after they
experience the negative.

If Satan doesn’t hinder you a little bit, you can’t

really appreciate heaven. When we think of
heaven, a place where many Christians desire to
be, we need to visualize the chains of hell tying
Satan and his army up and tell Satan: I rebuke you
in the name of Jesus!

The children of Israel failed to realize that Moses

was the bearer of God’s word that was the light
that shineth in all darkness. God has preordained
you for your blessing. Your blessings might be
temporary tied up; but wait a minute, and be
reminded that your blessings are only temporary
delayed. They will take root and spring up as the
lily of the valley because they are watered by the
hand of God.

In order to truly gain your blessings, you need to

be a blessing to someone else; and as you bless
someone else, God will surely remember to send
someone to bless you; because he is the God of
miracles. He is the lamp unto your feet and the
light unto your pathway (Ps. 119:105).

Everyone faces discouragement, everyone faces

disappointment, but remember, Jesus does not
always come when we call him; however, he is
never late; he is always on time because he is
your rock in a weary land and a present help in the
time of trouble (Ps.46:1-3).

One has to be steadfast and unmovable meaning

grounded in Christ once they make up their mind
to truly serve him; and may I remind you, once
you decide to go to God keep this scripture in
mind “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness, and all else shall be added unto
you” (Matt 6:33).

Amos 8:11 tells us “behold the days come, saith

the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land,
not a famine of bread nor a famine for thirst for
water, but of hearing of the word of the Lord”.
Man must learn not only to be hearers of the word
but be doers of the word (Matt 7:24) because then
he will be able to build a solid foundation in Christ.
The word of God will guide us; the word of God is
our chart and compass. The word of God is the
light that removes all darkness and confusion from
our minds.

Jesus is the word that settles all arguments, Jesus

is the word that brings comfort when you are
comfortless, and in the word of God there is no
compromise. Be confident in the Lord and know
that through him you can do all things (Phil. 4:13).

The sense of loss, fear and failure can be

eradicated because the word of God is life; the
word of God is love. It is comfort that keeps the
heart constant and stable; it brings steadfastness.
The word of God is patient; the word of God is like
honey.
Stand on the word; it is our spiritual heritage,
never compromise the word, take confidence in
the word of God. The word comes from the heart;
let the word be your world view; because God has
not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power.

Proclaim the word of God as Proverbs 2:1-2 tells

us, “If you will receive my words and hide my
commandments with thee so that though incline
thine ear to wisdom, and apply thine heart to
understanding”, then the power of God’s word will
always be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto
our pathway (Ps.119:105).
 DANIEL 1-3
Daniel is the son of Abigail and David (1 Chro. 3:1)
and he was taken captive into the Babylonian area
and placed into the palace of king (Dan. 6:13).

Upon his arrival into the king’s palace he was

renamed Balthazar. In spite of this name change
Daniel remained humble in the presence of his
captors. He was deemed intelligent. The word
Daniel means God is my judge and because God
was the judge of Daniel and his activities it can be
seen that Daniel became a man of great integrity.

I believe after carefully studying the book of

Daniel, it can be seen that Daniel was a man of
clear thinking, good judgment with divine
understanding. Like his father David, he was a
dreamer and used his prophetic visions to warn
the king of Persia of events to come as they were
revealed to him thorough the power of God. Daniel
cultivated an open mind, and held strongly to the
purity of soul, he held fast to his belief and faith in
the God of Israel.

Daniel a man of great faith had three friends:

Hananiah, Mishael and Azaria. They all served the
king and learnt the principles of the Babylonian
people. It should be noted according to the
scripture that the name of Daniel’s friends were
changed to Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Even though they were taken from their birth

culture and Jewish heritage; Daniel and his friends
remained faithful to their God Jehovah. They
increased in wisdom and knowledge thus gaining
favor in the king’s court. They refused to eat the
meats of the king’s table and requested for their
portion of food pulse and water (Dan 1:8, 12).
Because of their belief and faith in the God
Jehovah, a decree was handed down that anyone
who does not bow down and worship the king
would die.

Daniel’s three friends refusing to bow to the idols

of the Babylonian palace were thrown into a fiery
furnace (Dan. 3:19-21). The king of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar thought that he would have been
able to convert these three children to worship his
pagan Gods.

Here we see their faith and confidence in God

being tested. Whenever you’re tested hold to the
unwavering faith in the God Jehovah.

Daniel’s friends were bound hand and feet; the

oven was heated seven times hotter than normal
(Dan. 3:19) but God who is God says he will never
leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He will be with
us until the end of time; but our faith and
confidence in him must be firm.

Think of the awesome power of God. Daniel’s

friends were in this fiery oven; their faith and
confidence in God was of such, that they were able
to kneel upon the fire and not one scratch was
placed upon them. God is an awesome God, he
reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power and
love, our God is an awesome God (lyrics: Kirk
Franklin). Cast me in the fire but I will never get
burned (lyrics).

Psalms 27 declares “the Lord is my light and my

salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?”

Presently America is facing great turmoil and

financial challenges. The housing market
continues to decline, banks are being closed,
unemployment has sky rocketed, the economy as
a whole has depreciated; but one thing is sure, the
enemy will not prevail because America is a
praying nation.
The cries of the people of America will go up to the
high courts of heaven as Daniel and his friends’
prayers were heard and answered, deliverance
came to them, so will deliverance come to
America.

2 Chronicles 7:14 states “if my people, which are

called by my name, shall humble themselves and
pray and seek my face, then I will hear from
heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their
land”.

As God kept Daniel in wholeness, so will he keep

America in wholeness. As America remain in
wholeness, so will the inhabitants of America
remain in wholeness, because the God of Daniel
will overlook our errors and heal our land.

Nebuchadnezzar’s plan was to destroy the children

of the righteous God. God’s intervention is always
on time, it’s never late. Place your confidence in
him and all will be well.

Leadership means to exercise power and control

over decisions. Sometimes even before you have
the answer to a decision, leadership skills must be
demonstrated before we can succeed. It is clear
that Daniel and his friends demonstrated great
faith in the eyes of adversity and in my opinion,
applied leadership skills to defeat Nebuchadnezzar
who would’ve killed them. Their faith allowed the
presence of God to bring a miracle to them that
completely boggled the minds of the people of
Babylon.
The enemies of God’s people need to rethink their
strategy because God will always defend his
people because we know that righteousness exalts
a nation (Prov. 14:34).

Daniel survived being thrown in the lions den.

Keep in mind that man in his physical self cannot
do anything, but man placing ultimate confidence
in God can do almost everything.

Surrender your physical needs to your spiritual

God Jehovah and he will give you a fresh supply of
mercy every time. God is waiting to take you out
from your fiery furnace right now. We just need to
be reminded to humble our selves and seek his
face.

Daniel humbled himself and he received

exaltation. He was determined in his pursuit to
communicate with God so that it could be seen
that his God is a God of miracles.

Daniel’s faith was of such, that he fasted and

prayed for the nation and its’ people. He wasn’t
praying for himself, he was praying for the nation
of Israel (Dan. 9:1-27). He fasted and prayed for
24 days. He saw the vision that no one else could.

You too can see the vision of God. I encourage

everyone to pick up the pieces of their lives and
move to higher ground because the Lord is the
strength of your life and he will make that which is
impossible, possible (Ps. 29:11).

God bless and keep you.

 HONOR GOD MATTHEW 6

Why should man honor God? I believe God should

be honored because he is the greatest architect
that ever was or ever will be.

He created this world out of nothingness, then he

created man out of the earth and crowned us with
glory and honor (Ps. 8); so what is man, that God
should be mindful of him? Or the son of man that
thou shouldst visit him? The psalmist David
declares that God has made man a little lower
than the angels and have crowned him with glory
and honor (Ps. 8)

If God who is all knowing and all powerful can

bestow Glory upon man, why then should God not
be honored? Mankind should honor God from the
moment they awake until they fall asleep at night.

The scripture declares: when we pray to God, we

should enter into our closets (Matt 6:6). Let me be
clear here…I do not believe that Paul is making
reference to a physical closet made out of sticks
with a hammer and nails. This closet is the closet
of our hearts where we pray to God in secret and
he brings us outward reward. We need to be still
and permit the presence of God to take control
over our beings when we go into prayer.

When you go to pray shut out disturbances;

telephones, children making noise, e.t.c. In other
words try to separate your mind from outside
interferences and pray to your God. Pray to the
heavenly father who sees all things, hears all
things and knows all things. Make your requests
known and open the doors (the doors of your
heart) and bear in mind, the God who sees in
secret will reward you openly (Matt 6:6). Tell your
heavenly father you need an answer.

Jesus declares in Matthew 6 that we ought to pray

as follows: “Our father which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will
be done in earth as it is in heaven, give us this
day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as
we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for
ever. Amen”.
The name of God is Holy, therefore he is holy and
we should give reverence to him and worship his
name in the beauty of holiness at all times.

According to the Nelson dictionary, holiness means

clean and pure. Jesus Christ is pure and clean;
therefore when you go into your closet and set
yourself apart from the outside world, you are
speaking to God in pureness and sincerity of the
soul.

The presence of God should be acknowledged at

all times. If we will go to God with purest of heart
and make our prayers and supplications be known,
his comforting arms is waiting to embrace us.
Then as we pray, we should tell God: Let thy
kingdom come and let thy will be done in my life
(Matt 6:10). When we say thy kingdom come, thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven; we are
making a plea to God. We are submitting our will
to his presence. With faith his power will be
manifested to us in the twinkling of an eye.
When God’s will is truly being done in your lives,
you will feel a change; you will see a change and
this will be done right before your very eyes. You
will begin to see dreams be brought to fruition;
you will begin to see goals and plans begin to take
shape, and that which was only a dream become a
reality.
When you truly submit to God, heaven’s total
subsistence will be granted unto you.

The Lord’s Prayer continues “give us this day our

daily bread” (Matt 6:11) here we are making
another plea on our behalf and on the behalf of
others. Sometimes it is not just us that need that
daily bread but it could be our neighbor or even
our adversaries. It is very important that you pray
for your adversaries because when their fiery darts
are hurled in your direction, your prayer of
goodness towards them will block them as a shield
directly from heaven.

Forgive! Give us this day our daily bread and

forgive our debts as we for give our debtors (Matt
6:12). Wow!!! There is a problem here and it is
that Mankind approach in their prayer to God is
that very few people know how to submit their will
in prayer to God. When you submit your will
completely to God, you are born again in his will
and not your will. In other words, you have given
over yourself to God totally and completely;
therefore you say: let thy will be done in my life
and not my will.

After you have submitted yourself completely to

God, his will will be done in your life. He will direct
your pathway.

David declares in Psalms 37:4 “Delight your self in

the Lord and he will bring you the desires of your
heart”. Total Submittance of your will to God will
bring you your desired fulfillment.

This prayer also speaks about forgiving our debts

as we forgive our debtors (Matt 6:12). Once we are
able to accept that forgiveness is a necessary
ingredient that will bring us closer to God then we
are halfway through our problems. When we
forgive someone who wronged us, we are
releasing that person; we’re releasing that pain,
that hurt, that anger that would otherwise have
kept us in the state of degradation and utter
confusion.

Then Jesus went on to say Lead us not into

temptation. But deliver us from all evil (Matt 6:13).
In this statement we are seeking Gods guidance
and protection. We are asking god to instill in us
direction so that the many temptations will not
cloud our path way. We are asking God to lead us
to be our guardian and our guide, we are asking
him to hold us lest we fall, lead us not into
temptation heavenly father, keep us from the
plans of the devil, protect us as you protected
David from Goliath. God, you know that there are
so many Goliaths waiting to destroy your children.

There are Goliaths in your homes, goliath in the

churches, goliath on the jobs, goliath in the
children, goliaths who are waiting to rob us as we
walk down the streets. So it is necessary that we
keep steps with the master to avoid temptation.
The temptation to steal, to rob, to destroy our
neighbors; there are so many different
temptations that crosses our pathway and many of
these temptations are the hindrances that blocks
our way from righteousness.

I want to assure you that the steps of the

righteous are ordered by the Lord (Ps. 37:23). He
is your deliverer; he promises to deliver you from
all storms. He is your shepherd, you shall never
want. God wants you to know that you shall not
want because he will never leave you nor forsake
you. He is your deliverer from all evil (Heb 13:5).

The lords prayer continues as it states for thine is

the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and
ever (Matt 6:13). Here God is telling you that you
have acknowledged him. You have submitted your
will to him and have received the power of
Forgiveness. The guiding hand leading us away
from temptation will always be available to
embrace us as we journey.

Now is the time to reverence God, to honor God,

and to give God your all because his power and his
glory will give us victories in all of our endeavors.
Things don’t always go our way, and when that
happens, we look to others to cast the blame; but
the kingdom and the power and the glory of God is
the light that is waiting to engulf you; it’s the light
that keeps your earthly pathways straight.

If we take a look at John 13:4 it states that after

the supper of Christ was ended; Jesus knowing all
things that would take place, he took a basin and
a towel and poured water into the basin and
girded him self with the towel and began washing
the feet of his disciples and drying them with the
towel; but Peter‘s lack of understanding would not
permit Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus in loving
humility said to Peter “if I wash you not you will
have no part with me” (Jh 13:8)

In this example, Jesus left a command behind,

demonstrating that the master is not greater than
the servant and we should be in constant service
to each other. Because thine is the kingdom, the
power and the glory we ought to remember that
Jesus demonstrated the act of being a servant so
one will not feel superior to the other.
We need to face the awesome truth that there is a
formula like mathematics that is used in the
service of God. Your position might be head of a
church; but being head of the church makes you
the greatest servant because you answer to all of
your parishioners and you must serve them.

God’s will must be done on earth so that he will be

pleased in heaven. When we are faced with
opposition, we should continue to move right
along lovingly in the service of God.

When we lose the importance of service, we lose

the importance of self sacrifice, and then we miss
out on the importance of giving lovingly through
the power and glory of God.

Continue to give service so that your light will

shine on earth and man will see the glory of God
upon you and honor your father which is in
heaven.