I was asked by my word press family-What Bothers Me And Why. I can name a few items below–
Do as I say not as I do. I see this on many jobs that I have worked in the past. Some people are quick to get on your case but when you catch them on a mistake, they laugh it off.
Child Abuse. Parents who physically and emotionally put down their children. Children are precious and tender. They need care and proper upbringing. Remember, they are our future.
People who are not upfront with you. I would rather have someone tell me the truth, even though it might hurt than to smile and talk behind my back.
Injustice. I personally saw a friend of my son confess to a crime that he did not do because his lawyer was court appointed. He was a teenager and the lawyer told him that since it was his first time, that he should confess to the crime and the judge will go easy on him. Court appointed lawyers do not care for their clients and unless you have a ton of money, it’s hard to see justice.
Well, that’s it for my list of complaints for the day. Let’s hear from you–What bothers you and why?
“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” (Prov 20: 27)
In our last post, we saw how God sees us as candles. A candle should be lit in order to be a light in the darkness. The Lord compares our Spirit man as a candle and he provides the light so we can see the real You inside. The Word of God says that we are hidden in Christ (Col. 3:3). Our spirit is in union with Christ.
As we use our prayer language, he lights up our spirit and allows us to see our hidden motives, presumptuous sins, and other areas that need correction. Praying in tongues is very essential for the believer to walk in the light. Back in the sixties, a popular song came out entitled: “Light my Fire” which was sung by the Doors.
Who Is Lightening Your Fire?
My question to you is–Who is lighting your fire? We need to realize that Jesus is the door (singular) and he is the one that lights our fire through the Holy Spirit. Be careful who you allow to light your fire. Brethren, there is such a thing as strange fire. Let’s look at the following verse below:
“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not (Lev 10:1)”.
Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron and were part of the priesthood. They decided to do things their way and offer strange fire which was not approved by God. As you read the rest of that chapter, they paid for that transgression with their lives. You may ask what is strange fire?
Strange fire is a carnal and Satanic type of fire; it begins with the tongue. James defines it as a fire. (James 3:6) When you gossip, use words to hurt others, or tear down a person behind his/her back, you are partaking of strange fire. Words can either build or tear down a person, church, or even family.
That is why it is essential to learn about praying in tongues. Scriptures tells us that the tongue no man can tame, but with God all things are possible. Using your prayer language will open the door to God’s mysteries and will allow you to discern the Holy from the Unholy.
Concluding thoughts
Ask yourself, am I allowing the Lord to tame my tongue? What can I do to always walk in the light that God intends for me? Is there any strange fire in me? Stay lit with the fire of God and keep your hands on the plow. Enclosed are two links that will expand on this important Biblical subject. God bless!
Today I was asked if I was seeking Security or Adventure. The answer to that question is none. As a Christian, I can have both..
Butseekyefirst the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ( Matt 6:33 )
Serving the Lord is an adventure. There is never a boring day with Christ. I believe the reason why people are frustrated and tired of living is because they have not found their true purpose and calling in life. If we spent some time seeking Christ instead of adventure or security, our lives can be rich and fulfilling. The good news is that we can have both worlds.
About the subject of security, it is an important thing to have. Insecurity can add to stress, sickness and despair among other things. The first rule of thumb to go by is to have peace. The peace that comes from above will cause you to relax and make better decisions. God will guide you with his Spirit.
He will give you the mind of Christ and that’s just the beginning of your spiritual journey. Personally, I have a lot to thank the Lord as far as security is concerned. He protected me when I got got shot a few years back in 1988. Fast forward to 2020, my son got shot 5 times. Another testimony on how God protected him. He is a walking miracle-Praise God!
These are among many testimonies of protection that we have seen in our lives to say that God is real. Once you taste of the Salvation of the Lord, you will never go back to the old lifestyle. Seek the Lord Jesus and he will add security and adventure in your life. God bless.
Time management. We all need it. In this time and age, we have a lot to distract us. I give thanks to the good Lord for all the technology that we have, but they can cause us to waste our time.
I heard the saying-“Time waits for no one.” To better understand time management, we need to go to the root of the problem. Identifying it will help us manage our time better. In my situation, I am retired and pretty much have control over my time. The habit that I have is that I am a night owl. I go to bed late at night.
I manage to get up at an early hour but during the day, I am tired. This state of weariness causes me to nap long hours. Add to this, distractions that come my way and by the end of the day, I have accomplished nothing. One thing I have to do is shake off my addiction to my smart phone and it’s apps. They can be a time waster for me.
I have seen some improvement in my life. During my time in the Navy, we used to have a POD ( Plan of the day ) and establish priorities. There have been times in which I have created my own POD to establish items of importance. Following such a plan makes me feel better because at the end of the day, I have accomplished my goals.
Now, I want to hear from you. What are your POD lists that you want to have? How do you manage your time? Inquiring minds want to know. God bless.
“For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.” (Ps 18:28)
What comes to your mind when you think of the word Candle? A birthday Candle? A Candle that is lit in the Catholic Church or Synagogue? I have news for you —You are a candle! How? You may ask? By your spirit!
The word says that man’s spirit is the candle of the Lord (Prov 20:27). God wants to give light to your candle consistently. His light will shine and expose secret sins and inner motives. I like what the Easy English Bible version has to say: “The Lord makes our human spirit like his lamp inside us. It shows us what we are really like.” (Easy version)
Our Independent Counsel.
We need the help of the Holy Spirit to examine ourselves. Back in the 70’s, when President Nixon was caught in the middle of Watergate, an independent counsel was assigned. This independent counsel was impartial and his sole mission was digging into the truth. Brethren, just as President Nixon could not investigate himself and needed an independent counsel, we need to do the same.
The Holy Spirit is our independent counsel. He will show us the truth and reveal the real you. This is not meant to condemn any particular person because I have some mess that needs to be dealt with myself. We are all a work in progress. The good news is that once God reveals the real you, the Holy Spirit will help you to change and be conformed to the image of Christ! Let us look at the following verse below:
“Examine me, O LORD and prove me; melt my kidneys and my heart.” (Ps 26:2–Jubilee Bible)
The King James version has kidneys translated as reins. When you dig into the Hebrew word meaning, we find some interesting patterns: The word reins comes from the Hebrew word “Kilyah” which is translated as kidneys. God led me to do a background study of the functions of the kidney and it acts as a cleansing agent, especially in matters concerning the blood.
The word reins also means the seat of emotions and affections (Mind). I am convinced that we have spiritual kidneys and that is the mind of Christ. Our mind is where we have our emotions, affections, and desires. When we work at renewing our minds, we get rid of the junk that is in our lives. The mind of Christ filters out what is not of God and as we spend time in the word, it will help us to change into the image of Christ.
The heart in Ps 26:2 is our spirit being. Our spirit is in union with Christ inside of us, but in order for it to raise up and take control, we need to use the mind of Christ to filter out the junk in our lives. Not doing so can hinder us and it will allow us to remain in a carnal state. Confessing the verses that have to do with our identity in Christ will allow us to have His mind and know His perfect will. There is much to share so in our next blog spot, we will continue our studies concerning being the candle of the Lord.
What do you think gets better with age? In my opinion, Life. Yes, I would agree that Life is full of troubles and challenges. Some may feel like Life may have dealt them a bad hand. I have gone thru many troubles and could find an excuse to complain about living. The good news is that I have learned to identify life and that is the Lord-
Jesus saith unto him, Iamtheway, thetruth, andthelife: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ( John 14:6)
Notice it says that Jesus is the life. This has helped me go through my challenges and testing. Years ago, I should have been dead. While driving a taxi back in 1988, I was shot and that incident marked a change in my life. Added to that, my son was shot five times four years ago and survived. Finally, I lost my father last year. So, life has not been a bowl of cherries for me and my family.
I look at life learning to count my blessings. If I had not survived that shooting, I would not have seen my four grandchildren grow up. It was during that time that God blessed me with a house of my own and a better job. Do I still have problems in my life? Yes, I do but I have learned that when you put Jesus first, he gives you the answers to all your problems.
He gave us the mind of Christ and that makes me a problem solver with the help of God. It is my desire to help people get solutions to their problems by teaching them the word of God so that they can become problem solvers and help others in life–Praise God. So, that’s my testimony on life. It gets better with age so long as Jesus is included in the picture. God bless.
I want to share, especially, with my WordPress family about about my sleeping habits. Our Daily writing prompt has asked us about the time we go to bed and wake up. I will start off with some of my peculiar habits. Bad habits are hard to break. I am a night owl. What is a night owl? It is slang for a person who goes to bed at a late hour.
Life has been good to me. I am retired and not doing bad financially. I am presently working full-time ministry and I do get help from the church. I enjoy praying, studying the word and writing among other things. Being able to work at home is a blessing. The down side is that I have been sitting down too long and have gotten a little lazy.
At night, I spend time learning Italian thru Duolingo, which is a free app and very helpful. I think that my knowledge of Spanish is a plus in learning Italian. Then, I do some reading and afterwards, watch a movie. All this is done with my phone and when I finish, my sleep is messed up. I cannot sleep until 3 am. About 6 hours later, I get up and get ready to start my day.
Presently, I am trying to limit my use of the phone and working to go to bed early. I used to be an early bird riser, especially when I was at the secular workplace. I found out that the excessive use of the cell phone can rob you of your sleep, so do keep me in prayer that I may change my habits. Getting up early has many advantages. Remember, it’s the early bird that catches the worm. God bless you and feel free to share your thoughts.
Thouwiltkeephim in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. ( Isaiah 26:3)
Life can be a challenge living it day by day. We are surrounded by bad news. Our children are acting up. Pressure on the job to perform or you’re fired. These and other things will make life miserable. Stress is a real thing. Medical studies have concluded that stress can lead to long-term sicknesses such as diabetes and heart problems.
As a Christian, I have my own personal strategies on dealing with stress and being comfortable in life–
Take time to laugh–Believe it or not, laughing is a good thing for your body. It helps improve digestion and the oxygen flows better in our bodies. In a study relating Cancer patients, doctors have found positive effects on the joy of laughter and can even help make significant improvements. ( Make sure you consult with your doctor before you apply these techniques. )
Meditate on the word–This is a technique that works. Get all the promises of God concerning peace and comfort. Pray it over you for 30 days and watch your stress levels go down.
Write down your concerns. Take a piece of paper and write down all your concerns and worries. Make sure you have a small trash can and use your imagination. Throw it in the can and say–Lord, I leave all my cares in your hands, in Jesus name. It works.
Chamomile tea can help. When you can’t sleep or need some relief from the rat race in life, have a nice hot tea of Chamomile. It’s not expensive and will help you relax and have better indigestion.
Finally, have a talk with your doctor on how to manage stress. A good doctor can be your best friend in times like these.
Don’t allow stress to take it’s toil on you. Learn to have a strategy and have peace and comfort for your life. God bless.
Nay, in all these things we are morethanconquerors through him that loved us. (Rom 8:37)
The above picture features my friend Pastor Jose Padilla and his wife Martha taken while visiting Washington DC. How does this relates to my future? Let me start by addressing the question on my daily prompt above about what am I excited about the future?
As a Christian, I would say that God holds my future in his hands. He promises me in his word that regardless of the circumstances, I am more than a conqueror. Having said that, whether you are a Christian or not, we need to look at life in a positive light. There is a saying that I like to use. Count your blessings.
Learn to be thankful for the little things. We tend to take life for granted and upon looking at some of the things in life, we are blessed. When I went to a Missions trip to Peru, I experienced first hand how blessed we are in America. Our church ministered in the jungle and some of the people lived in a tree house.
My greatest joy came when we helped a fellow Peruvian minister build a house for him. For just about less than $5,000, we managed to build him a nice house and he was moved to tears. Thank God for the generous gifts that came from our church, making it possible. Another concern was the disease of Malaria. Some people were affected by it, but thank God, he protected us.
Our church encouraged the Peruvian Christians and we helped build a sewing business for the ladies to have employment. We, also, encouraged them to look ahead to their future. Goals and visions are so important in having a positive outlook in life. When I arrived in the good old USA, I felt like kissing the ground. We are truly a blessed nation.
Don’t take things for granted and learn to have a goal and vision in life. These things will make your future look bright and exciting. Here is a link below that I wrote some time ago on our mission trip to Peru. Even though we had to move on to our ministry and are no longer associated with that church, the works continues through Pastor Jose Padilla and he is doing a great job. (1)
The Christian Corner Ministries 