When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. Colossians 3:4-7 We live in a world full of different lifestyles: Vegan, alternative, healthy, unhealthy, lavish, minimalist... the list could go on and on. We've come up with all kinds of lifestyles to pacify us in our human ways. But inquiring minds want to know : Is Jesus your lifestyle? Are you making room for Him to style you life? Another angle to this query would be, are you reflecting Jesus? Are you the mirror image of Him? Today we have tech called Screen Mirroring or Screen Casting. It works by displaying your phone, tablet, or computer screen onto a larger display like a TV, usually over Wi-F i . It requires both devices to be on the same network. Common uses include watching videos, sharing photos, and presenting. So in evaluating our lives, we need to ask ourselves: Am I mirroring Jesus' every move, intention, meditation, and His words — His style of life? Am I mirroring His forgiveness, servitude, gratitude, and attitude? Am I even on His NETWORK? Meaning am I in His Will? Am I in constant CONNECTION with The Father through His wifi-- which is The Holy Spirit? Unfortunately, outside of His network/Will/connection, there are so many lifestyle choices that are not of God. He never intended for us to make so many choices devoid of Him.  Adam and Eve made 1 awful decision and now we have lifestyles full of chances to make all kinds of bad decisions devoid of God.  Genesis 3:1-7 will give you all the tea! The awful decision wasn't just that THEY ate the fruit - (and stop blaming Eve, Adam was right there too...), it was that they CONSIDERED a contrary idea! An idea that God lied! Look at 3 aspects of Jesus life to follow: 1) Do you forgive like He did AND does? 2) Do you give like He did AND does? 3) Do you live like He did AND does? (I say " and does" because even 2000+ years later He's still doing it for us all!) He forgave while being crucified / murdered but you won't forgive someone talking about you.  Or you won't forgive someone who cut you off in traffic.  Or you won't forgive someone who stole from you. Or you won't forgive someone who abused you.  I don't mean to make light of any of these situations but If you are not physically nailed to a cross and beaten to the point your flesh is falling off, then you are supposed to forgive.  Notice I didn't say IF YOU FEEL LIKE you are physically nailed to a cross and beaten to the point your flesh is falling off -- I said if it's not physically happening -- THEN YOU have to forgive.  Just like Jesus did.  Luke 23:32-43 when He forgave the people crucifying Him. We whine and say IT'S NOT EASY TO DO -- but do you think it was easy for Christ? No!  He was just as human as you and me but more God! He was used by the Father to show US what to do in times of hurt, pain, betrayal and even while being MURDERED!  The Father wants to use YOU in the same way -- to show the strength of His glory through YOU! AND IF HIS SAME SPIRIT RAISED JESUS --THEN HIS SAME SPIRIT WILL RAISE YOU! Romans 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. I know what it feels like to be lied on, and beaten and to be down -- NOW I want to know what it feels to be raised up by the power of God THAT'S ALREADY IN ME! THAT'S ALREADY IN YOU!!! Raised up from that despair, depression, disease, suicide -- THAT SAME POWER IS ALREADY IN US! IT'S A PREEXISTING CONDITION! GENETIC TESTING : Genetic tests are done using a blood or spit sample and results are usually ready in a few weeks. Because we share DNA with our family members, if you are found to have a genetic change, your family members may have the same change. When we go to the doctor, they ask : "has anyone in your Mother or Father's family ever had cancer, diabetes, etc" -- bc  if they had it, it's assumed you may have a higher likelihood of having said diseases.  But why aren't we checking ourselves to see what is the likelihood of having much faith, healing and power! Not just any power but dead raising power and debt killing power!  Since Jesus said "THESE THINGS WILL YOU DO AND GREATER" -- then why aren't we checking for that!? Why aren't we doing the "GREATER" things? Practicing it! Honing it! Walking in it! BEING IT!  John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. According to Jeremiah 1:5 WE'VE BEEN PREDISPOSED TO HIS POWER!  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” So let's -Believe in HIS POWER like you believe when your doctor tells you you've got cancer!  -Believe in HIS POWER like you believe in the news!  -Believe in HIS POWER like you believe the lies your friends tell!  -Believe in HIS POWER like you believe in your checking account!  BELIEVE GOD! This is a whole lifestyle change that we can benefit from greatly! Who’s report will you believe? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Joshua 24:5 And in order to serve Him, you’ve got to believe in H im! You must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who trust Him. Heb 11:6 BELIEF IS A POWERFUL DRUG!

Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Luke 7:12-17 I JUST LOVE A HAPPY ENDING! *Tears But it doesn't end there... When God gives you a miracle or performs a miracle for you, you have a human responsibility to maintain said miracle.  One of the biggest material miracles in my life thus far is when God put it on someone’s heart to give me a car! Not just any ole car but a RED VW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE! I had only heard of these types of miracles on TV. But when it happened to me, I quickly learned that it’s cute and it’s fun to drive with the top down but I still had to maintain it.  I couldn’t just keep driving around in the Georgia heat without air-conditioning, which, by the way, went out within a year of having it.  I quickly learned I couldn’t drive it far if I never put gas in it, never got the oil changed or if I never got the tag and had the emissions done.  By reading this, you would think I'd never had a car before LOL The lesson is, when God performs a miracle for you, there is still human responsibility, and we have to maintain the miracle.  YES, you have to DO something. God ain't one of your lil friends LOL - can't have a one sided relationship with Him. To the woman who was found in adultery (...and no, she wasn't by herself but we conveniently leave that out... smh...), Jesus instructions on how she could maintain her miracle was simple. He said "don’t do it again." John 8:1-11 And right there in front of her accusers, Jesus' miracle was saving her from being STONED! Jesus is my type of petty LOL He'll give you a miracle and second chance, all while taking away the enemy's "power"! Seriously though, we have a responsibility to God to maintain the miracles He manifests. In the case of Jesus raising the man from the dead (no, not Lazarus-- another guy), he didn’t give any instructions on how to maintain the miracle. But we know since the previously deceased was a man, afterwards he probably needed to bathe. Just a wild guess... But that’s only one way you maintain that miracle — he probably needed to eat too. These things are understood as needing to be done to maintain his life as long as possible after the miracle.  Luke 7:12-17 Jesus did not even touch the man to make the miracle! Luke 7:14 says "Then he (Jesus) came up and touched the bier , and the bearers stood still." A bier (Pronounced BEER. .. they were technically holding his beer. ... LOL- I couldn't resist) BUT ANYWAY ... It's a stand, frame, or platform designed to support and carry a coffin or corpse during a funeral service See Jesus touched the circumstance/thing/situation the man was in and he did it in front of people! This could be a testament to people walking around talking about you’re dead —and in front of those same people, God will give you life and use your life to make them glorify HIM! Sometimes your prayer should be for God to just touch the situation and I guarantee you it will change.} The same goes for Lazarus. I mean, I don't believe Lazarus would have been a popular person after that miracle had he not taken a bath. I hope he took at least 2 in that same day LOL. In both situations pertaining to Lazarus and the other previously deceased gent, People didn't have to pray for the men to get food when they were hungry, they just went and prepared some food for them, or the men prepared it for themselves.  People didn’t have to pray for the men to get a bath. They just got up and went to get a bath. Some things we are praying for don’t need prayer - they just need doing. The miracle of feeding the multitude - (which was done TWICE by the way - don't believe me, click here ) - they took up the fragments, but do you think they just left it in the field? I’m sure some people took leftovers home because that’s what we do as humans. This is the only " all you can eat buffet " where you could take a togo box LOL. I would like to think someone said, "I’m going to be hungry later and I don’t want to have to cook or buy anything else." HA! So depending upon how much somebody took home with them, they maintained that miracle for at least a day or more IN THEIR HOME!  The moral: God can do a miracle for you in one place that will spill over into the other areas of your life. ... all you have to do is MAINTAIN IT! It's the ultimate gift that keeps on giving!

“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Christ doesn't just work inside the walls of a church building.  The building itself is just regular stuff; wood, glass, metal etc.  So put this building up for sale and whoever has it next doesn't have to use it for a church. In 1911, The Tabernacle in Atlanta used to be a church but now the building is used as a club and concert facility. And before you say it won't work - know that it's been VERY SUCCESSFUL since 1996, hosting acts like Prince and Dave Chappelle. One of my favorite shows to watch is where people renovate buildings.  People have repurposed churches to live in.  So the church building itself isn't what makes it a church - it's what we call it when we decide we're going to operate in it a certain way.  So the question begs : how do you operate OUTSIDE of it? Do you only act like the church while you're IN the church?  If so, you are the ones known in the streets as “church folk”. No shade - just real talk.  So here Paul makes mention of the people of God in Caesar's house. Yeah that Caesar- the ruler of Rome. He wasn't necessarily an enemy but notice this says in his house - not in the church. History reveals that Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.) was highly regarded by Jews for reversing harsh policies imposed by Pompey and granting significant religious and civic privileges. Following vital Jewish military aid in Egypt, Caesar permitted the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, reduced taxes, and recognized Judaism as a legitimate religion, allowing Jews to follow their own laws. For the people who are lost, What I'm saying is God never meant for us to JUST operate holy INSIDE the church.  The saying goes "we ARE the church". That means even if — AND ESPECIALLY -- If you're working for or in close proximity to the enemy, you are expected to BE THE CHURCH!  A better breakdown : If you are within arms reach of the president and you claim to be a follower of THE WAY, it should still be SEEN among those you're around that you are.  Even if it costs you that cushy, benefits laden job, because as Esther had to be told by her cousin Mordechai  - "who knows if you were sent for such a time as THIS" — to tell the president what THUS SAYS THE LORD! Listen God ain't putting us in places OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH to blend into the background!  Matthew 5:13-16  states: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. This applies to you UNLESS YOU never had the light in the first place... Yes – that's shade -- to be able to throw shade you gotta have some type of light! And baby I got it -- HIS LIGHT!  So stop thinking all that God has put in you is only to be used in the church.  His Word says we are in this world but not of it!  John 17:14 You go to work every day and there are 1 and a half "Christians" there and bc you're scared, you're the half!  You're in the world being affected instead of INFECTING others with HIS LOVE AND LIGHT!  I'm not saying wear scripture pinned on your shirt like dollar bills like it's your birthday – but I am saying SHOW SOME SIGN!  Psalm 107:2 says Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble You ain't gotta be in the grocery store shouting and laying hands with extra virgin Olive oil on people – although many need it LOL - But every now and then your store visit should be interrupted because you felt the unction of the Holy Spirit telling you to go and pray for someone while you're in the meat section.  Yes it's happened to me quite a few times.  I'm like "man Holy Spirit – I just wanna get my snacks and go 😂 - That lady is enjoying looking at that high priced meat -- can i just go?" 😂 Pray in the grocery store⁉️ At the gas station⁉️ OUTSIDE of the church⁉️ YEP! OUTSIDE DOING THE LORDS WORK‼️ ON TUESDAY ‼️ AT 4:37 PM ... No praise team. No devotion. No announcements. 😜 No drums. No organ.  Just all outside acting like JESUS! 1 Corinthians 3:9  is clear, stating For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.  2 Timothy 2:15   also states Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. YES SHOW JESUS - In Caesar's house, in the highways and by ways, in all of Samaria and the world.... Acts 1:8   Not JUST in the church.  In the world – a church without walls.  I get it.  Walls make us feel safe.  During tornado season they say get away from windows and have as many walls as possible between you and the outside.  Walls represent shelter and hiding.  But God doesn't want us to hide the gifts, skills and talents He wants to use in us.  Read how The Parable of the servant with the one talent ends… you’ll see what I mean. Matthew 25:14-30 The story of the servants with the talents (money at the time) proves this.  He wants a return on what He's given.  Hiding the talents is crazy.  But the other 2 had to go outside of the Master's place to increase what he entrusted them with.  Like, you really can't be mad at people who started in the church but went outside of it and leveled up.  THE TRICK IS NOT TO ACT LIKE THE WORLD WHEN YOU GET OUT THERE! Matthew 9:37  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; You got out there and got caught up and didn't do what He wanted. Dulled His light. But the thing about God's grace is HE KNEW YOU'D TAKE A DETOUR OR 2-- and He's always available to redirect You.  Ask the prodigal son. Luke 15:11-32 So we're hiding behind the church walls with His gifts and His glory!  He's not pleased.  He'll let you hide for a season but when he's ready for His stuff to be used for HIS PURPOSE , you best believe He knows how to find you.  - Ask Moses. Hiding on the west side of the mountain. Exodus 3:1 - Or ask Joseph. Hiding in the pit and prison; albeit involuntarily but God knew where he was every step of the way! God is gangster. 🤣 He's keeping tabs and receipts. He's keeping an eye on His investments.  And when He's ready to call in a favor, he'll make you an offer you can't refuse 😂 Romans 12:1  puts it this way:  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. God is saying : "Man lissen --  My son shed his blood over you -YOU OWE ME!" God calls in favors at some of the WORST TIMES tho 😂 I mean, Sleeping GREAT -- drooling and snoring -- THEN HE WAKES YOU UP ALL OF A SUDDEN.... Talking about "I need you to pray for so and so.....!" Me: "BRAAAHHHH 😂😂 It is 3:17am I don't care NOTHING about so and so and ‘nem right now!" ME: "Did you wake them up to pray for me? Lord if I got to be up, they got to be up 😂 we all gone be up together -- looking at the ceiling and talking to the air..."🤣🤣🤣 But then when you get your spirit right and start telling Him how amazing He is... And start feeling His presence... Then you don't even realize you've been talking to the Lord about somebody else's stuff for over an hour!  And the sleep after that is remarkable! See He wants His stuff done when He wants His stuff done....  So you are a follower of The Way AND you're in Caesars house = the World, the white house..... You get the point… Are you praying in there or just staying and laying in there? You can still pray in secret. Matthew 6:6  And you can always pray in season and out no matter where you are. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Prayer is the ultimate carry-on! There and not just praying in Thanksgiving for your position, safety and the benefits but praying God's Angels set things straight in that place! Praying that God's will be done in that place.  You're not there for decoration brothers and sisters. You're there to pray God's Will be done AND YES YOU CAN PRAY WITHOUT shouting the building down – ask them folks marching around Jericho those 6x! Trust me -- there is a time and place for that shout and HE WILL LET YOU KNOW! Joshua 6:1-20 See, God ain’t scared of the world, your house or the walls they call the white house. HE RULES A KINGDOM! So as you’re doing His Will, even in enemy territory, KNOW HE IS WITH YOU! Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV) Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” NOW GO OUTSIDE & BE THE CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12  I will be referencing a few scriptures, but my main scripture today will be Proverbs 13:12 . It is a very familiar passage that I’m sure we’ve all read over so quickly at times that it may lose significance but sometimes certain scriptures hit different when you’re actually going through - as it says-  a deferred hope situation.  And I was dealing with some deferred hope things recently when the Holy Spirit told me  “yeah, that scripture– that’s the one” . So my question for you and thought today is : What is giving you life?   SO— We’ve all heard the statement used a time or 2, people saying: “Oh,  That so and so gave me life!”, referring to something they liked a lot EXAMPLES : That song/tv show/or an outfit gave me life!” Now if you’re like me,  you will be somewhere talking about some type of food … gave you life 😂 But nowadays, we use that statement more often than we do it’s predecessor,  which we all used to say something like  “GIRL these shoes are killing  me lol“- or I almost died laughing—but now we say things give us life! See– what some of us are learning is to be more accountable for the words we use even if it’s in small talk. But part two of that question-  of what is giving you life - and probably, a more important question might be—-  what things are you … giving life to? Are you giving life to your fears, your anxieties, your deferred hopes, or negativity? LETS READ Proverbs 13:12   AGAIN "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."  NOW - Think about the times that a desire was fulfilled. It felt like it gave you life right?  BUT First let’s be clear, desire is not a bad word.  Sometimes—church folk forget you had to have some type of desire in order to make all those babies with your spouse & desire for us all to be here 😂 — or maybe some of y’all didn’t have any desire— IT’S OK - IT’S OK… don’t feel bad sometimes it happens.😂 But Desire: is defined in Hebrew as a delight, longing, & a satisfaction. Now if you step back and look at that— can you see how the enemy has perverted it?  But that ain’t nothing new just something he’s been doing since the beginning. DESIRE is also  translated in Hebrew as a place in the desert. So how can desire be categorized as a place – and a dry place at that? Well delight, longing, & satisfaction are sometimes all states  of mind; in other words,  which state of mind OR PLACE are you in?  What place are you in where your delight, longing and satisfaction have dried up? Sometimes we get so caught up on the mantra that  God is good all the time and all the time God is good – and he is! But sometimes we forget  that our good and great God’s answer is sometimes NO . So your hope is deferred – which means to be PUT OFF & POSTPONED  because he said no —  And now you big mad 😂.  and that’s OK too – because He’s a big God — and He can handle it.  And anyway scripture says it’s ok to be mad — but don’t sin – that’s the catch.  We also forget that just because Phil.4:6-7 says " let your  requests   be made known to God…" doesn’t mean His answer to your requests will always be yes – just says "the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds…" because we need   peace for the NO or the not yet.   So what are you gonna do?😂. Whether you are big mad or little mad – the answer is still no. Tell me, what can you do when you have dried up desire, dried up longings, & dried up satisfaction toward something in a dry place or dry state of mind - from deferred Hope? The answer is in the rest of our foundational scripture that continues with one of my favorite words in the Bible, and that word is BUT  🤣 Stay with me, 🤣 See “But” negates everything before it. “But” — is put there to avert your focus and alert your senses to a different perspective. It’s very effective– watch this… If someone says, I love you, then what do you say back? And then they say – BUUUUT…..i can’t stay with you— That BUT just negated them saying they love you! SEE — RIGHT THEN AND THERE YOU START FEELING SOME TYPE OF WAY ABOUT THAT BUT🤣 So the scripture is doing the same thing,  “BUT” is directing your attention to something positive and away from the unpleasant. The scripture is giving you permission to focus on the desire, delight, longing and satisfaction that will give you life, new energy and new motivation to go on and see what the end gone be! The Elders use to say that LOL It’s saying that, even though you’re a dry state of mind,  Scripture wants to divert your way of thinking from disappointment to something that’s going to give you life in a dry place! Another scripture goes on to say in ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." HERE’S THE PART— "...Finally, brothers, whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable,  if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,  think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — practice these things , and the God of peace will be with you.” Did you catch that first part where it says: — whatever is true:  see right there— let truth give you life.  What truth — THE TRUTH   that Jesus is the way the truth  and the life!  Everybody these days is walking around, talking about THEIR truth,  but let me tell you – that is not THE TRUTH ! There is only one truth  that the believer should stand on, and that is the truth of Jesus Christ who is the living word! SEE Philippians 4:6–9  is a recipe for how to have life in a dry place. In short, it is saying to Meditate on the things … that give you life.  Meditating on these things is teaching us how to be obedient while suffering  —just do what he says and do what it says Jesus did in Hebrews 5:8  which reads:  — “although He was a Son, He had to learn obedience through what He suffered.” Now tell me this, —why do we think we don’t have to or won’t suffer? We want to be like Jesus so bad  until it’s time to suffer and learn how to be obedient. BUT THEN EVEN IN SUFFERING Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬  says  ‭‭“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” It repeats itself – why does it say it twice in one sentence? - because sometimes we all need to be reminded! Especially when we’re in a dry place,  sometimes you need to be reminded of the goodness of the Lord!  - That the joy of the Lord is our strength! Nehemiah 8:10 – that his word cannot return to him void!   Isaiah 5:10-11 – that he’s not a man so he can’t lie– & neither the son of a man that he should repent! Numbers 23:19-20 Sometimes we need to be reminded that if he said that thing  he’ll do it and if he spoke it — it will come to pass! It’s said twice because sometimes we simply need to be reminded to stay positive in a dry place when our Hope has been deferred. Then it goes on to say in Philippians 4:6-7  – while being in your dry place— "don’t be anxious for anything, but stay in prayer, stay in supplication and add Thanksgiving..." – see there’s the formula right there on how to stay alive in the desert - in a dry place!  BUT How can anything live in the desert?  Well let’s ask Moses —  he can tell you firsthand that even though everything out there looks dead there is life in the desert!  Everything around him was dead when he was exiled from Egypt  — there’s no trees, & for the most part, there’s no water!  He seemed to be the only living thing in a dry place.  But let me help you — God sustained his life in a dry place!  Which means if he did it then for him – he’s going to do it again for you!  So while you’re fumbling around in the dry place of the dried hopes and dried up longings and dried up desire –  remember to meditate on the things in Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬ So I’m going to leave you with this declaration:  we WILL have life– even with dry hopes, dry dreams, & dry longings,  because that “ BUT”   tells us that at some point —  my desire will be fulfilled and it is  a tree of life! And just like that tree planted by streams of water, in Psalm 1:3,  we will bear fruit, Our leaves will not wither and we will prosper  — even in a dry place—  Our tree will give shade – not throw shade… – 😂,  It'll give shade to those who seek it.  Shade from the wisdom that we gleaned, while speaking life & meditating on life in the dry place and that life we speak of and proclaim is in Jesus! AMEN! Remember- speak life!

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:14 Let the words of MY mouth… Dear Lord... those words of my mouth and this tongue !. It can either hurt or help. I've found out a lot of times when we think we’re helping we’re actually hurting people. We can have the best intentions, but sometimes there’s a thin line between concern and control. My husband told me that. And in my life I’ve seen it to be true. I’ve also witnessed myself doing it. I’ve since had to repent. My mother also used to say "it's not what you say, but how you say it." I am very blessed to have wise counsel around me. Scripture says: “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” ‭‭ James‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬  Scripture also states: “And divided/cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬-‭4‬  These scriptures show 2 prime examples of what the tongue can be used to do : Cloven means split. Cloven tongues are like the tongues of snakes. But in this instance, the cloven tongues refer to speaking in tongues. This is a gift from the Holy Spirit. 1️⃣In my human thinking, cloven tongues could mean 2 different things– almost making me believe that they (the folks at Pentecost ) could make a choice of what and how they wanted to speak. One being they spoke in different tongues; speaking what the spirit told them to speak, and that is true, because the Bible says that they were heard  speaking in foreign tongues, where the foreigners were able to understand what they were saying. 2️⃣The other choice could mean they could’ve chosen to speak, and use their tongues to create confusion and speak negatively toward each other. What I’m trying to say is - it’s a choice how you decide to use the tongue that the Lord gave you. You can choose to edify or you can choose to tear down. you can choose to help or you can choose to hurt. The choice is yours. Has anybody ever said something to you and it made you so mad your face got hot? LOL That’s what this is talking about.  And so many people just speak without thinking or they think about what they're gonna say and they know that it’s going to start a fire and they say it anyway.  You know those people, they are the ones who dwell in drama.  I call them drama queens. So we have to be careful with the choices we make with our tongues.  SEE - YOU CAN CHOOSE TO RESIST GOD. YOU CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS OR NOT. EITHER WAY HIS WILL WILL BE DONE ALL FOR HIS GLORY! “ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭16‬-‭18‬, ‭22‬-‭23‬  The word even says speak those things ( good or bad ) that are not as though they were.  "...in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." ‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬  So you can speak into existence destruction or creation. If we’re going to use our tongues to set things on fire - because sometimes you will you know, then maybe the prayer should be: "Lord, let the things I set on fire be negativity, hatred, ungodly disagreements, division & confusion. Father, let me sacrifice my flesh from the feeling that I just HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING and set those unedifying things on fire by speaking your word, and sending up a sweet, smelling savor from that fire into your nostrils!" Did you know YOUR PRAYERS can bring an odor like incense before the throne of God!? “And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints” Revelation 5:8 DAVID WOETZEL, B.S. speaks more in-depth about this in his article. https://www.icr.org/article/sweet-smell-god   Lastly, let us not forget that GOD even SEES the MEDITATIONS OF YOUR HEART! Yeah - just because you're thinking it and didn't say it does not let you off the hook. You are responsible for your thoughts too! He sees everything and nothing is hidden from Him. So my friends, don't let your intrusive thoughts get the best of you. And of course I have scripture for that: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 Family, Let us commit our lives anew to "think happy thoughts" and make sure your breath behind your words will be a sweet savor in the presence of our God. Just imagine these scriptures are like little bits of soap to wash your mouth out with LOL!

“... As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and ...could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said , “Who was it that touched me?” ... And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”” ‭‭ Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭42‬-‭48‬ ‭ESV Today's blog chooses violence - so hold on to your pearls! There was a double standard displayed in the Bible. *GASP! Not to burst your bubble, but it was not by God or His Son Jesus but It was acted out by the boisterous crowd in this account. The folks in the crowd would have almost IMMEDIATELY sounded the alarm that "the Woman" was UNCLEAN had they known she was present! BUT -- what about all the ones she touched on her way to touch Jesus? They were all technically "unclean" – whoever she touched, right? But after she received the miracle, only her alone was healed & she alone was cleansed – so why is it we don’t hear of anybody saying "hey she touched me on her way in?!"   I think this is one of those situations where it becomes a double standard; being that it’s OK to call somebody else out when it’s them, but when it’s you, you say nothing. When it's somebody else, you judge.   It’s the old saying of throwing rocks and hiding your hands.  So basically, whoever she touched was pressing in on someone else, who was touching someone else who was pressing in on Jesus - now all of us are unclean! And only her faith got her clean and healed... No one wants to be called out or ridiculed for being unclean-- OR HAVING A PAST. Did it even enter their thoughts to say “hey she touched me so now I’m unclean - Why is it fair that she is healed when she wronged us!?“ So now you’re unclean and you say nothing... Could it be that now you’re too prideful to ask for help & press in on Jesus for your own healing (and forgiveness, indiscretion, sin, etc)? Are you so caught up in what others might say that you're too ashamed to ask for help? You're to afflicted by guilt to face what you inflicted on someone else. So you just melt into the background; like nothing even happened and yet still unclean. Even though you were there and witnessed "The Woman's" miracle, when you share the account, you have to leave out the part where she touched you or people will be side-eyeing you and calling you unclean and giving you the ridicule that you once put out!  We never read that these "infected" folks ever went and did any ritualistic cleansings or stayed away from others for a week; as was scriptural according to Leviticus for this day and time. So all the infected just faded away with their silent pacts between each other to keep it on the downlow... and life goes on. News flash! We are all unclean! Isaiah 64:6 starts by saying "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.." At the same time, we all should be pressing in on Jesus. We should all have faith that makes us whole. We should all give someone else grace as they’re going through their unclean season.  A double standard is 2 faced-ness! Excuse me as I make up a word.   - it shows that it’s OK for you to be called out but not OK for me to be called out. It shows partiality on your part.  It lacks compassion.  It’s giving thoughts and prayers, but five minutes later, not thinking about it and not having prayed about it at all. Double standards are common place. We are numb and used to them by now - unless it's exercised toward us. In this world of double standards, will you be like "The Woman" and press in or be like the crowd and regress?

SPOILER: You won't like this... The picture says it all, I know the feeling, girl... Do you remember failing a class and epically bombing a really important test? Your teacher would say " in order to pass this class I’ll give you another chance and all you have to do is extra credit work? " You were relieved and fine until you found out exactly what the "extra credit" would be. Some times it seemed the extra credit was more challenging than the original assignment. Well, often times ---- let's be real, a lot of times, God does the same thing. Frequently, it seems as though He’s giving you extra credit stuff pertaining to your "self-proclaimed" enemies; those people who have mistreated, overlooked or mishandled you in some way. Like, they hurt your feelings --- or more than likely, just your pride, and He wants YOU to FORGIVE ! Yeah, YOU-- the one who was about to close this post. Go on... be obedient and forgive them. ( FREE GAME: There's something for you on the other side of your humility that He's trying to get to you. ) I promise this extra credit assignment is gonna be so worth it! Just ask a Job, Joseph and Jesus. Job praying for his friends after they accused him doing something wrong was his extra credit. God gave him back EVERYTHING --he'd lost --and then some, because he was obedient and prayed for them! [ HINT: Read the whole book of Job. ] Joseph's extra credit was him getting his family out of poverty after his brothers planned to kill him but changed their minds and threw him in a pit instead and sold him into slavery! Whew! Talk about sibling rivalry! [ Genesis chapter 37 ] And Jesus showing mercy and grace WHILE ON THE CROSS .....well what can you say -- He's the KING of extra credit. { Luke 23:24 } { # TeachersPet } TIP : BE LIKE HIM & COPY HIS NOTES! THE ANSWER KEY: Before you can truly pray for someone and prosper; YOU'VE GOT TO FORGIVE! WHHHHAAA!? I know what you're thinking : " So you mean to tell me I'M THE ONE offended, abused, kicked while down, harassed, talked about, lied on AND lied to, etc --- AND I HAVE to FORGIVE? !" (I said you wouldn't like it. I said it.) Hey--I don't make the rules, Ma'am and Sir. I just work here. Take it up with THE BIG GUY. He's been waiting to hear from you anyway... Those were just a few examples. But that Bible sitting on the table, covered in bills and dust, is chock full of REAL people who had an encounter with THE REAL GOD who personally walked them through how to REALLY forgive. HERE'S THE CHEAT CODE: You've got to WANT TO go to Him for His help. Lastly, Forgiveness and it's BENEFITS are for you! Now, If they don't forgive you or accept yours, honey, that's on them and they'll have to go to God on their own behalf. Moving forward, let me tell you a few of the things that forgiveness IS NOT : It's not ALWAYS making up to be besties again. It's not continuing to allow the wrong behavior. It's not continuing to talk about them behind their backs. The list could wrap around the solar system thousands of times but I'll stop with those. BUT I'll share with you what I've learned forgiveness IS --IT'S FREEDOM! Freedom that's connected to renewed joy, love and PEACE! ALL BECAUSE YOU CHOSE TO TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD! [ Proverbs 30:5 ] Well Class, that's it for today. Make sure you review " The Book " because you never know when there will be a pop quiz! HINT: THERE'S ALWAYS A POP QUIZ! * PS-- This is LIFE, class is never dismissed.

Dear devil, Are you big mad or little mad about making a weapon that does not work? (Asking for a friend.) Signed, God's Servant. According to Google: The Manhattan Project, the top-secret U.S. effort to develop the atomic bomb, took a little over two years to produce the first nuclear weapons. The project began in June 1942 and ended in August 1947. It cost almost $1.9 billion. The first atomic bomb, codenamed "Little Boy", was used in the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Unfortunately, almost some 80 years later we are still stunned at what that weapon did to a people. And writing this now, it is one thing I wish would have never happened. But it did. And we must fight to never let history repeat such a terrible endeavor. BUT........ What if the bomb had not worked? What if after all that time and all those billions of dollars spent, what if it never worked? What if every time it was tested, intricate little pieces came up faulty? Let’s be honest, what if the makers blew themselves up trying to make it? Now we would have a whole different story. The narrative would most certainly be ' when you build something to destroy someone else, it can also destroy you '. You could almost guarantee that the children that were playing on the streets of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are now grown and have their own children and grandchildren. You can almost imagine how far the city would’ve come had it not been destroyed by such an evil. I am in no way taking sides, I just wish Pearl Harbor hadn’t happened & Hiroshima, and Nagasaki hadn’t happened. I wish war was not a thing and weapons were not formed. But unfortunately, we are not in Heaven yet and so this is the world we live in for now. So again, I ask the question from the beginning: What is the whole point in making a weapon that does not work? It’s the question we ask of an enemy that daily makes weapons against us that just will never work. The only reason why it seems like the enemy's weapons are working, is because we believe what he says, and sometimes feel outnumbered and defeated. The truth of the matter is God’s Word says that just because a weapon is formed does not mean that it will prosper and it indeed cannot. God gave me a revelation about this by making me remember how people make fun of Ford; the automobile manufacturer. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my mechanic Father say the letters in Ford stand for "fix or repair daily", or "found on road dead". I’ve even heard him say he can’t understand why people would buy a Ford. My Dad won't believe Google says Ford is the top selling brand in the US. However, daily, the enemy is manufacturing and forging weapons against us that will never work. Yet and still, people buy into it. Just like a car manufacturer, the enemy has workers – and they are not all demons or his angels. Many are just regular human beings like you and I who, most of the time, are unwilling vessels, who don’t know that they are being used to further his purpose in the earth. None of the enemy's weapons are fancy, they are all just raggedy. Every weapon he makes and uses against you is familiar. Distraction is a weapon. Hate a weapon. Financial issues is a weapon. Self-esteem can even be a weapon. I heard somewhere that the devil doesn’t have any new weapons, he just uses what is familiar to you to get your attention and to draw you in. So every time he uses a weapon against you, and you don’t let him win with that weapon, he has to go back and tweak it, fix it, bang on it and blow in it like an Atari cartridge to try it again & see if it will work against you the next time. Hence, why I say his weapons are raggedy, Child! Every time he comes at me with a familiar weapon I imagine it being covered in duct tape L O L! When he comes at me and uses someone to cut me off in traffic and I want to cuss them out lol – but then I don’t – that means his weapon did not work. So therefore, he has to go back, and create another distraction that he thinks might get me the next time. Can you just imagine him using a wrench when he really needs a screwdriver, or him using double-sided tape when he really needs to use superglue? Maybe he gets his weapons from ACME ! LOL Every time he uses one of his weapons against you, he is basically just throwing something at the wall to see what will stick – to see what thing he can use that will make you give up and let him win. Now ain’t that just raggedy L O L If you can just get in your mind and in your spirit that none of his weapons are new or if you can just untangle your consciousness from thinking that you are alone going through something that nobody else has ever gone through, then you will notice that all of his weapons are garbage! I hate to burst your bubble, dear, but thinking that you are special enough that he would make a brand new weapon... that in and of itself, is the weapon of selfishness. God‘s word says that there is nothing new under the sun & the enemy's weapons are definitely not new. As a matter of fact, I believe his most effective weapon is his power of suggestion. Ask Eve. He simply suggested “ did God really say....?“. He never argued with her by saying "no that’s not what he said", he just simply suggested. He can suggest to you that you are broke and then you look at your checking account and agree. He can suggest that you’re ugly and then you look in the mirror and see a couple of blemishes and you agree. But no matter what his suggestion is, always compare it to The Word! The word will always show you just how raggedy his weapons are. When he says you’re broke, remind him that Philippians 4:19 says my "God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory". When he says you’re ugly, let him know that Genesis 1:27 says you look like GOD: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Every single one of his suggestions can be refuted and proven wrong. And every single one of his weapons needs to be fixed or repaired daily. I’m willing to bet that if you look around your life, you will find bits and pieces of his weapons that did not prosper against you. It’s almost like looking around a junkyard, huh? Well... time to get rid of the junk around you so he can't keep using it as weapons against you. “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.54.17.ESV

I’d like to speak to you about The Call of Confidence  u sing Hebrews 10:35-36  as motivation, it says: “ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Another translation reads: 35 So do not lose the courage or CONFIDENCE that you had in the past. It has a great reward.  36 You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. CONFIDENCE TRANSLATED IN GREEK IS: Parrēsia which means boldness .  Plainly speaking,  Scripture is saying here to keep the bold confidence that got you here,  but  don’t stop here,  allow your confidence to mature by continuing to exercise it by never giving up.  There are 3 human responsibilities I want you to remember: not lose your confidence Hold on to it Do what God wants with it  So you can— as vs 36 says: receive what He has ALREADY promised. The game is already fixed for you, all you have to do is follow His instructions and you’ll get what HE ALREADY PROMISED YOU! SEE You’ll need your confidence that got you here to get you to your next level and for some of you that may mean moving a little farther away in obedience with God’s plan for you life.  LISTEN CLOSELY &  Understand this—  sometimes  Good has to get out To become GREAT ! READ THAT AGAIN! For example: If Jesus had everything He needed in Nazareth to be who WE needed him to be, he would’ve never needed to leave! He had everything he needed there  — for a season.  Like when it was time for Him to perform his 1st miracle in Cana, He had to go there; couldn’t perform Cana’s miracle from Nazareth right —-  even though it was only a short 4.3 mile walk, according to Google.  See by the time He got there, His divine confidence had kicked in and it was key! Lastly- I’d like to share with you a word of wisdom— many years ago, right before he transitioned to be with the Lord- My favorite Uncle (Irvin)  Told me : “The end is just the beginning - you can’t get to the beginning without getting to the end.” So far, With your confidence,  you’ve boldly reached the end  of your last endeavor and even though it may have been challenging, educational and good, — now you’re faced with the beginning  of the next adventure! SO NOW is the time you have to leave  the end  of your good place And lean into the beginning  of your great place! I pray these words are encouraging and helpful as you forge ahead in life! Glory to God GOD BLESS! Selah✨