Is it me or is it Him

Is it me or is it Him

“Prayer changes things”, we have all heard that profound statement. How about, “God told me that you are the one or to do something”? What happen after the prayer manifested or you where obedient to what God said and now you encounter some difficulties or challenges? So many questions and it seems we can go on for a lifetime without finding satisfactory answers.

Many believers approach to the Gospel with a false sense of reality. What do you think Christ meant when he said “Pick up your cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24) or “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and turns around is not fit for the kingdom” (Luke 9:62). There is WORK to be done and we are shying away from every opportunity to grow. To walk with Christ you will get dirty, you will go through battles, you will be engaged in warfare, you will experience seasons when it seems like you cannot get a break from challenges ect. The fact of the matter is that if you are a serious threat against the plans of the devil then you become a target.

Jesus said “If the world hates you remember they hated me first” (John 15:18-25), this means you are in good company if people you were once close to stop calling you, you don’t get invites to hang out, co-workers and family members start making up things about you or your spouse.  Christianity comes with a price and once you are able to take control of the inner struggles dealing with your mind (Mind Renewal) the easier your journey becomes. When you embrace each challenge as an opportunity to grow and to give the devil some blows then you will demonstrate the PEACE that Christ gives and count ALL things joy (James 1:1-4).

I am convinced that Christianity is not difficult, I am the one that is difficult because I feel the stretching of my flesh and the discomfort of been discipline, consistently doing the word without physical proof of instant results and been patient. When I take myself out of the way, God is able to accomplish a lot more. The limitation of growth is a lack of self disciple and a lack of trust that God knows more than I think (Isaiah 55:8-10). I encourage you to continue to walk the path that seems foolish to the world (1Corinth 1:27) because your Heavenly father has a plan to use your life to be light to a world that is in darkness. We are the salt and the light the world needs to find the Jesus Christ (Matt 5:13-14) Satan does not want you to be successful living the life your creator created you to live so he will go to extremes to distract you from the path God has set for you. I have good news for you, God will restore the years you have sown in darkness (Joel 2:25) and He will not take back the plans he has for your life (purpose of your life) according to (Romans 11:29).

By: Dean Brown

Victory

Recently I felt discouraged and all the messages, meditations, reading and words of encouragement I could hear where: Be courageous, Everything is going to be alright, You serve the God who sent His son to conquer the prince of this world (satan) (Romans 8:3-11), The rest of your life is the best of your life etc.

I went through the weekend seeking to get clear instructions from God and can I tell you that it seems like satan had other plans for me. I felt drained, powerless, defeated and heading to hopelessness. I quickly examined my actions and realized I was not speaking God’s word and taking authority over the thoughts in my mind (2 Corinthians 10:5). The mind is a battlefield and this was what satan was trying to get control. The mind is a battlefield and the devil playground if you will allow him to. This is why guarding the heart, mouth and eye gates are so important.

Realizing where I was mentally and spiritually, I started declaring something’s in my life according to God’s word and immediately sending the devil a warning that he has no strongholds in my life, Glory to God! I became excited about my situation because I know that it is temporal and subject to change. Later that night I felt in my heart the need to let go, let loose and allow God to bring His word to past. Throughout the process I was not enjoying life enough and allowing God to put things in place without my help, God does not need my help; He needs me to agree and trust Him. I was trying to learn where or when my input was necessary which comes with experience. See I am a child of God and He has started a good work in me and He will finish it (Philippians 1:6). That’s His job not mine. The fear I had and still have at times is not doing what God wanted me to do which is not a bad thing but like anything else there is a healthy dose and there is overdose.  Can you tell which side I was on? God does not want us to live in fear of anything and He never gave us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind (2Timothy1:7).

Situations will always come with various magnitudes and the bigger the magnitude of the situation will determine the amount of pressure you need to apply to your faith in God and this is the area where faith grows and character is developed. How a situation is handled now will give an idea of personal growth the next time you are faced with the same or similar decision. When temptation, test or trials presents themselves know first of all that God is not the tempter but satan is, but also know that this is an opportunity for growth and if you are not ready now or you did not handle things the best way don’t be too harsh on yourself because God is not mad at you but His love and power will allow you to be a conquer and victor the next time you are in that position or even if you are in that situation you can come out with a testimony that will set someone else free. For me, I have learned not to take challenges so personally because I would start casting blame and not realize the opportunities. As a father, I am able to navigate through these challenges, learn lessons, become stronger in my walk with God and become more able to pass wisdom on to my children. My wife and I have declared that our children’s lives will not reflect the hardships we had and we will be able to give them wisdom (natural and spiritual) our parents could not give to us.

By Dean Brown.
Live11Radio.com

Work Place

I constantly have to keep my mind focus on the word of God by not taking thought when others around me start discussing activities in their lives. Even during work especially after a weekend or holiday that’s when I realize that the voices seem louder. Everyone talking about their overwhelming weekend activities and is it a coincidence that none of their activities had anything to do with God or their so-called faith in Jesus. I may sound a bit harsh but I am extremely tired of people who say the know Jesus, they love Him and they are Christians when they never have anything to share about what He has done or what they desire to do for His Kingdom. I would be more at ease if none of these people said they were Christians.

As the week progresses then their problems start unfolding: Marriage, kids, job, family members other social relationships, health and so on. No peace, no joy, no fruit of the spirit growing in their lives. What I think is the worst part is that the persons who say that they are faithful to Christ are in the thick of these conversations and at times leading these unfruitful conversations.  Then I remember and read Matt 28:19-20 which tells us/believers to go and make followers of Christ, teaching them the word of God through our conversations/lifestyle and He will be with us.

I think that many Christians are not bold or zealous enough to share the gospel with others. Been saved is not for us just to get to heaven/ (fire insurance) but to encourage others to want to live for Christ. The term keeps been pushed around: “I don’t want to offend anyone”, this is just an excuse and an area we all can work on. Our lifestyle, conduct, conversations should be a reflection of who we serve. All of us are serving something or someone and we have to wear our salvation jerseys, hats, ride on our salvation rims and blast our salvation music. Living for God is not about behaving goofy or super spiritual but more so of renewing our minds, going to a church that teaches the word of God, diligently seek Him and ask Him to open your heart to his truth. Psalm 37:1-9

When I really got serious about living for Christ I had to get ride of the religious things I’ve been taught and get to know God for myself. The amazing thing that was revealed to me is that God created this world for His children to enjoy. Many things have been perverted by satan and we have to be very careful when we entertain certain thing. The bible says that we need to shun all appearance of evil 1 Thessalonians 5:22.  Having a personal relationship with God will reveal what is acceptable and what’s not. So let’s become the ambassador for Christ in the work place and everywhere we go. I am not talking about slapping people with the bible but rather your conduct. Romans 15:5

By: Dean Brown