What some might say is a “set back” God may be using as a “set up” for your greatest days ahead. Faith says God is using all things to work together for your good


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I'm flawed and imperfect. Yet covered in the grace and mercy that is found in Jesus Christ, there is strength


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God's Politics

Came across this interesting note, just wanted to share -
God’s politics is never partisan or ideological. But it challenges everything about our politics. God’s politics reminds us of the people our politics always neglects — the poor, the vulnerable, the left behind. God’s politics challenges narrow national, ethnic, economic, or cultural self-interest, reminding us of a much wider world and the creative human diversity of all those made in the image of the creator. God’s politics reminds us of the creation itself, a rich environment in which we are to be good stewards, not mere users, consumers, and exploiters. And God’s politics pleads with us to resolve the inevitable conflicts among us, as much as is possible, without the terrible cost and consequences of war. God’s politics always reminds us of the ancient prophetic prescription to ‘choose life, so that you and your children may live,’ and challenges all the selective moralities that would choose one set of lives and issues over another.


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“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it.”
― Stephen Colbert


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There are no victories without conflicts, no rainbows without rain.


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Hope in God's promises, therefore, is not a wishful longing but a faith-filled confidence for the future. It is simply impossible to trust one of God's promises and not anticipate its coming true. To know God is to trust Him. And to trust God is to trust His promises. And to trust God's promises is to be sure of their fulfillment. This assurance concerning the future, anchored in God's promises, is what the Bible calls "hope."

Scott Hafemann
The God of Promise and the Life of Faith. Crossway Books, 2001, p. 109.




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Truth Moment

I have realized that it is easier to preach a great sermon than to actually walk it out. I have had a rough week, but I find myself in a situation where I am having to believe God like never before. Usually, most preachers wouldn't admit something like that. Some think that just because we are anointed to deliver the word of God from a platform that we are above the issues of this world or setbacks. I WISH!!! Let me put it this way, I stayed up all night because worry was beating me down. Frazzled even. If I told you some of the absolutely ridiculous thoughts that played in my mind.....ok I'll leave that alone, but it wasn't good. So, I get up this morning and on my coffee table is a CD of a recent sermon that I preached called Great Expectations. I have received so many emails about this message. How powerful it was, how it empowered people's belief in what God can do. Some things from that message came flooding back to me instantly: Cast your cares on Him, Y? Cause he cares for you; He is able to do exceedingly abundantly far above all we can ask or think; Jesus said, Did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God? If you know me, I can get loud and I bring a force and a confidence that carries. I can PREACH!!! ;-) (LOL) BUT, when it was time for me to walk it out, where did that confidence go??? I have heard people say, "I can show you, better than I can tell you", but at times I find it easier to tell than to show. The same message that I preach, has to be alive in me. Not just words, but there has to be action, in my life. The Bible says, to not be hearers only, but doers of the word as well. Let me take it a step further, I can't be a hearer or a teller and not be a doer. It's easy for me to tell someone else to believe in the power of God, but I need to tell myself to do the same. God is great, and God is good. God is not just powerful enough to fix it, but because of His great love for me, He wants to fix it!!! The goodness of God that I experienced last year is helping to build up my faith through this situation NOW. (I'm using this space to preach to myself) The same things I tell others God can do for them, God can do for me. My hope is in the Lord!!! Ok, sorry for the rant, but sometimes I have to write it down to keep it in front of me. I don't care how hopeless it looks....Just because something is fact, doesn't mean it's the TRUTH. I have a letter that states facts, but God's word is TRUTH!!! Ok, I'm done. Just needed to free write some. Thanks for reading, Be Blessed.


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Think about it. One person stands up, says a few (or a lot) of words and every single time there is the potential that someone’s life can change forever. Amazing.


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I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am. truth grace

Change is good, Dollars are better. - Woody Paige

Don't worry about what the future holds; just remember Who holds the future.
- Mark Amend

Vision

I’m on this journey of sorts. There are things that God is putting in me to do, and at times it’s a little scary. Some of the things that are on the horizon seem a little scary. There are areas where I excel; things that I am good it. Consequently, when I look at where I am headed, it can be a little scary because it’s gonna take more than just mere talent and skill. I believe in the power of vision and praying over the vision. However, how we look at a vision can be skewed by our own ideas and intellect. We can either see the vision through God’s eyes or we can use our own glasses which may not be as clear. Things like doubt, unbelief, poor self esteem, lack of education, character flaws, etc. can make our view a little blurry. Am I the only one??? Doubt it. I’m currently reading an amazing book by my boy Steven Furtick called Sun Stand Still. There are many things in this book that will empower you, but there’s a portion that I keep going back to…..really helped me out……

Your vision should never be limited to who you are or what you think you can do. Apart from Christ we’re completely incapable of doing anything of eternal value.
The size of our vision isn’t determined by who God is. If it were, we’d all be curing AIDS and eliminating global poverty, and everyone on the planet would have heard the gospel at least seventeen times.
Instead, the scope and impact of your vision will be determined by who you believe God is- and whether you have the courage to respond accordingly....

This tripped me out. It’s almost like saying; to have a small vision is not a reflection of my inadequacies as I see them, but a reflection of how I view the adequacy of God. God is not requiring us to make ANYTHING happen; He’s just asking us to believe he can make ANYTHING happen.


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HIS Promises....It's All I Got

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Who Keeps Paging Me???

I was watching the movie, “Bruce Almighty”, and it sparked some ideas. Immediately, I called a pastor and I began to lay out ideas for a sermon series. One scene stuck out of the many that could be used for multiple sermons; Bruce (Jim Carrey) is having this horrible day, really going through it. So, he begins to rant.

“The gloves are off Pal ….Smite me oh mighty smiter…..You are the one who should be fired….The only one around here not doing his job is you!” - Mad at God, ever been there?

While he is still in a foul mood his pager (old school) goes off. The number 555-0123 is on the screen. He looks at it and says,

“Sorry don’t know you, wouldn’t call you if I did.”

We later learn that this is a call from God (Morgan Freeman –that was cool), and that is why the statement, “Sorry don’t know you, wouldn’t call you if I did,” caught my attention.

Think about it! He is ranting, raving and screaming at/about God, but when God shows up he rejects Him by saying, “Sorry don’t know you, wouldn’t call you if I did.” I saw myself in this scene. I have been angry at God and I have complained about
God, but did not take the time to call to/ on God.

It’s funny because we assume we know God, but do we really know him? We say we know Him, but when he shows up can we recognize Him? When he doesnt appear the way we want or the way we assumed He should. Or does not move the way we think He should or we want, when we want?

Or our hypocrisy at saying we know Him, talking about Him, complaining about him- when we won’t even talk to Him? I’m guilty.

I recall times where I was facing an issue that I would worry and talk about, but would not simply take the time to pray about . I’ve even gotten mad at God and said, “Don’t you see what I’m dealing with?!?!?!?!?!?”

I have a list of “Wouldn’t call” moments and I have myself to blame for not allowing God to move on my behalf, or fix the situation. Maybe it was a faith problem. Or maybe my ego. The truth is we cannot afford not to acknowledge Him and blame Him for the ratty position or poor outcomes that we experience.
There is a God who is madly in love with people; we are his workmanship; his
creation and he genuinely cares about us. All he is asking is that you ask and believe. When he calls, answer.


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It's not wrong to feel fear. It is wrong to let that fear have the last word in your life. The people who accomplish the most astounding things for God's glory aren't the people who feel the least fear. Often they're the ones who deal with the most intense fear. But instead of letting that fear disable their dreams, they start increasing their capacity for faith. They act on the part of God's direction they do understand. And they leave the rest to him. - Sun Stand Still , Steven Furtick


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If you cannot help worrying, remember that worrying cannot help you either. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. If you worry you die, if you don't worry you die, so why worry?


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Sooner or later you will see the BIG PICTURE God is painting for your life instead of just the colors He's using at the moment.



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Stop Praying

It always amazes me when someone finds out that I am a preacher. You usually get one of two responses. Either that will be the end of all conversation or the conversation will become something like a Catholic Church confessional. This does not happen with Tre the Christian Rapper, but Tre the preacher is different I guess. I have tried it both ways on several flights, trust me on this one. Well today, I am in the FedEx store, and one of the clerks comes up to me and asks me to pray with her. She says to me that she is praying for God’s direction about her current relationship. She is currently living with her unsaved boyfriend. OH LORD WE REALLY NEED A BURNING BUSH WORD FROM YOU!!!!! Really??? I’m a pretty straight forward type of cat, so I looked at her and asked, “Are you serious?” She responded, “I have been praying about this for a while, but God has not given me an answer”. So I asked the most profound question I have ever asked in life, “Why are you wasting your time praying about that?” Now, going to good old Christian school when I was younger, two things that were said to me: There are no stupid questions and you should pray about everything. However, this question about praying, I would deem stupid. As I began to talk to her, what I realized was she was using prayer as an excuse for not obeying. What a concept, but are many of us any different? We know what God would have us to do, we know the right thing to do, we know what we are called to do, but we hide behind the ritual of “praying” knowing that God is not going to respond to our stupidity, because you already know what to do. I am not knocking the power of prayer, nor am I saying that we need not pray. What I am saying is we need to quit lying to ourselves when we already know the answer to some of these make believe questions that we are asking. God what do I do? I’m not God, but here’s your answer. OBEY!!!!!!!!!!! BE BLESSED.


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Just A Thought

Happiness keeps you sweet. Trials keep you strong. Sorrows keep you human. Failures keep you humble. But its God, that keep you going.


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What the world???

What the world???

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God has not promised skies always blue, flower-strewn pathways all our life through; God has not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God has promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way; grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love.

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“If a guy were dating my daughter but didn’t want to spend the gas money to come and pick her up or refused to buy her dinner because it cost too much, I would question whether he were really in love with her. In the same way, I question whether many American churchgoers are really in love with God because they are so hesitant to do anything for Him.” - Francis Chan