Author: daughtersofz

Love,

Pastor D.

Good Morning,

This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.  (Psalms 118:24) I have made a quality decision to be glad in everyday that the good Lord gives me to live in.  How about you?  It is a choice that we make, and then make our body and soul obey, by just living the most of that day in and for God.  I know that all of us have experienced some difficult and hard to bear trials, but it is our choice how we go through.  When I hear some of the tough trials that other people share with me, I know that they think that their trials are unusual and strange, and that nobody has ever gone through anything similar.  Usually I think to myself, how I have been through some of, or close to the same trials.  You know the Word says that, "there has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." (I Corin.10:13) So, every day we come closer to the good end that the Lord declares He is bringing us to.  I like that word will, it means to choose to; to be inclined to; to elect and desire; to decide in the mind that something shall be done; implying power to carry the purpose into effect; once decided then embraced and pursued to the desired end.  In other words we can decide to rejoice everyday and then pursue that course all the way until we are walking in what we have willed.  Listen to Habakkuk 3:17-18; "Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, though the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the victorious God of my salvation."  Here the prophet is declaring that no matter what he sees, no matter what trials, tests or tribulations that he may go through, he will rejoice in the Lord.  Grant it, he is not rejoicing in the problems, he is looking past those temporary problems, and keeping his eyes on the Lord, Who he can rejoice in at all times.  A lesson that we all need to take to heart.  Remember the Word says, "While we look not at the things (troubles, tests, trials, tribulations, etc.) which are seen, but at the things (the promises of the Word) which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (II Corin. 4:18) So when we choose to rejoice in the midst of these "light afflictions which is but for a moment, that is working for us a far more exceeding weight of glory," we become people whose 'will' to rejoice is steady and stable.  (II Corin. 4:17) Then let us rejoice; be triumphant and jump for joy, let's be happy and in high spirits and celebrate the Lord and what He is working out for us and in us.  We will join the prophets and we will 'yet' (nevertheless; notwithstanding; however; in spite of and nonetheless) rejoice in Him.

So you see, this is the day that the Lord has made.  Everyday is the day that walks you right into your destiny, no matter what it looks like or how it feels, God has planned your steps to get you where you need to be.  Keep looking to the good plan that God has for you, and you will rejoice in everyday that God gives.  He cannot lie!

Love,

Pastor D.

Good Morning,

"Take with me your share of the hardships and suffering which you are called to endure as a good first class soldier of Christ Jesus.  No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of civilian life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him." (II Timothy 2:3-4 The Amplified Bible) All of us have a share in the hardships and suffering that we are called to endure.  Let's not try to make this mean something other than what it means.  For to long as Christians, most of us that were brought up in the,'faith movement', went around acting as if we were never to have any hardships or suffering.  In fact we thought that if we were to confess the Word of God and believe, that nothing even similar to hardships or suffering would touch our lives.  In fact you would almost be an unbeliever to even mention that you were going through these things.  As disciples of Christ, we must stand and fight the fight of faith.  We are told to stand against the devil's strategies.  We are warring with principalities, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places not flesh and blood opponents.   God has given to us everything needed to win.  We only need to be strong in the Lord and in His power and might. (read Ephes. 6:10-18)

Notice, the underlined words like, share, which means portion, allotment, piece, slice, chunk, due; the full or proper portion or part allotted or belonging to or contributed or owed by an individual. The King James version says, hardness, instead of hardships and suffering, so let's see what hardness means it is to be afflicted; endure afflictions; suffer trouble, and to undergo hardships.  Well, there is no other definition found for hardship, which means that every Christian will have troubles and afflictions and suffer hardships in their walk with Christ.  The words tell us that we have a certain part that we will go through.  The most important thing that we must remember is that there is no way to escape this, so then we need to know how to endure. Endure means to hold out against; to sustain without impairment or yielding; to bear with patience.  Since we have enlisted in God's army, we should be engaged in His service.  Every time we endure without weakening and yielding to the hardness of trouble, we become more skilled and experienced as soldiers.  Our patience enables us to possess or control our souls; our will, emotion, and our intellect.  Which makes us a trained and victorious soldier, being cautious not to become entangled (or intertwine, to involve in order to confuse or perplex), with the affairs of this life. Remember, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things, this is what entangles us, along with afflictions and persecutions. (Mark 4:17-19)  Fight on soldiers, execute and contend with every carnal inclination.  If we don't faint, quit, or give in, we win.  The victory is guaranteed by the One who cannot lie!  "So we're not giving up.  How could we?  Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace.  These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.  There's far more here than meets the eye.  The things we see now are here today and gone tomorrow.  But the things we can't see now will last forever." (II Corin. 4:16-18)

Love,

Pastor D.

var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-11726645-2']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
(function() {
var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();

Good Morning,

     "The world is unprincipled.  It's dog-eat
dog out there!  The world doesn't fight fair.  But we don't live or fight
our battles that way —–never have and never will.  The tools of our
trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing
that entire massively corrupt culture.  We use our powerful God-tools
for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against
the truth of God,
fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure
of life-shaped by Christ.  Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the
ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into
maturity." (II Corin. 10:4-5 Message Bible) 
We must learn how to capture every loose thought that tries to
manipulate our lives.  For we know that our thoughts chart a course for
our lives.  We can actually be the gatekeeper of our thoughts and change
the course of our
lives.  It is what we allow to go through our thought life consistently
that frames our lives.  Warped philosophies are running rampant in our
culture today.  If we are not careful to guard our thoughts, we will end
up allowing the unprincipled thoughts of this world to be the master of
our destiny.

     Too many in the church have sought to
imitate the world in order to reach the unsaved.  That has never been our commission from God.  Our
example is Jesus, His holiness and obedience to God was the most
powerful and attractive pull for evangelizing the world.  He still is.  "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:14) 

     We are to be
separate and unique and we will be that if we stick to God's Word.  We don't need
to water the church down to become viable to this generation.  Churches
have almost become the world to win a few, who were probably ready for
salvation anyway, and didn't need all the theatrics to come home.  The Word is what will save and keep people
loving God.  I'm not saying that we can't be creative,  we serve the
Creator, and His DNA flows through our veins.  What I am saying is the Word of God must be what
we build upon.  Listen to what Paul says," For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers
together) with and for God; you are God's garden and vineyard and field
under cultivation, [you are] God's building.  According to the grace (the special endowment for my
task) of God bestowed on me, like a skillful architect and master builder I laid
[the] foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it.  But let
each [man] be careful how he builds upon it, For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which
is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." (I Corin.
3:9-11 The Amplified) In other
words, my sisters and brothers, whether we are in full time ministry or a
layman for Christ, no matter what our station in life, we are
co-laborers with Christ and we are building the Kingdom, one stone at a time,
(people- stones).  Build means to form by ordering
and uniting materials by gradual means into a whole; to develop according
to a systematic plan, by a definite process; to be constructed.  Let's clear the ground of all that will obstruct the
building, all of the
barriers of this world's thinking, in order to lay the foundation
on Christ.  He said, My Word and I are one.  Therefore, we can't build
any stronger 'soul' than the one built upon the Word.  Let's make
everlasting gifts to the Father.  Come on, let's build ourselves, our
families, our churches, and every new convert, upon the Solid Rock.  Let's not
remove the ancient landmark.  The Word is a landmark that will never
change.  You can't be more stable than that.  All other foundations are
sinking sand.

Love,

Pastor D.

Good Morning,

     I want to be a delight to God, well pleasing to Him.  It is my
passion and desire to cause a smile to cross my Father's face every time
my name is mentioned.  I know that most of us who love the Father want
the same thing.  So this week I reminded myself again to place that
desire in the forefront of my mind, (we have to do a spiritual tune-up
regularly).  It is amazing that when you place the desire of pleasing
God at the front of your mind, how the course of your thoughts change
and your actions follow.  For instance, someone did something to me, that
would have normally sent my blood to boiling, but because I was
thinking only of pleasing God, I let it drop without giving it another
'evil and old' thought.  That is why the Psalmist said, "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)  The meditation of my heart will birth the words of my
mouth, and the actions that follow.  Then all that I say and think on
will be agreeable to God and His Word.  Meditation is a
murmuring sound which denotes a close or continued thought; the turning
or revolving of a subject in the mind; serious contemplation; to dwell
on a thought.  Well, when we dwell on
pleasing God, we will end up acting and speaking according to His Word. 
To be a delight to God we must go down deep, to the root causes of our
outward actions, that are disagreeable to His Word.  What is revolving in
your mind most of the time?  Listen to the words of wisdom, "they who are willfully contrary in heart are
extremely disgusting and shamefully vile in the eyes of the Lord, but such as are
blameless and wholehearted in their ways are His
delight."  Contrary means
to be adverse, in opposition of; moving against or in an opposite
direction, not merely different but inconsistent.  We have to be sure that we are not trying to twist the
Word in order to move in our direction.  God takes delight
in those who delight in doing His Word.  This applies in every area of
the Word, loving, forgiving, changing our behavior and conduct, what we
do, as well as what we say.  After all we are to become like Jesus, who
said, "sacrifice and offering You do not
desire, nor have You delight in them; You have given me the capacity
to hear and obey [Your law, a more valuable service than] burnt offerings and sin
offerings [which] You do not require.  Then said I, Behold, I come; in
the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight
to do Your will, O my God; yes, Your law is within my heart." (Psalm
40:6-10)  It is possible to do the will of God and bring Him
pleasure.  It is as we choose to do the Word moment by moment while we learn to let the
Word be what is revolving over and over again in our minds verses the
old thoughts of the old man.  We have the ability of God in us and upon
us, by the Word taking root in our hearts as well as the all powerful Holy Spirit.  When we
choose to let the old man reign, we are negating the power of God.  The
Psalmist said that God has given us, the capacity to hear and obey.

     Capacity means the power of containing;
the extent or comprehensiveness of the mind; the power of receiving
ideas or knowledge; active power and ability.  I keep hearing the word, power, we have the power and
the ability, both to hear and to do the Word.  We know what the Word says, "for if anyone only hears (listens) to the Word
without doing (obeying) it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his
own natural face in a mirror; for he thoughtfully observes himself, and
then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like." (James 1:23-24) Doing the Word, delights our Father and brings a
blessing upon us. (but he who looks
carefully into the faultless law, the law of liberty, and is faithful to
it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who
forgets but an
active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life
of obedience). Our lives of obedience,
can be achieved by our thought life revolving in the Word.  We can be
blameless and wholehearted in our ways, it is not impossible.  This is
the spotless, purified church, that the Lord delights in. 

Love,

Pastor D.

Good Morning,

     "I can't tell you how happy I am to learn
that many members of your congregation are diligent in
living out the truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. 
But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment
but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love
each other.  Love means following His commandments, and His unifying
commandment is that you conduct your lives in love.  This is the first
thing you heard and nothing has changed." (II John verse 3 Message
Bible)  "But we do [strongly and earnestly] desire for each
of you to show the same diligence and sincerity [all the way through]
in realizing and enjoying the full assurance and development of [your]
hope until the end, in order that you may not grow disinterested
and become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do
those who through
faith (by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and
confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) and by practice of
patient endurance and waiting are [now] inheriting the promises."
(Hebrews 6:11-12 Amplified
Bible)  Notice it is the people of God that show the same diligence
all the way through, from the beginning and until He comes or we go home
to be with the Lord, that actually inherit the promise.  It also
reminds us again, that living in the love of God, equals obedience to His Word.  We have talked about diligence before and we will go down that road
again.  Diligence means perseverance in carrying
out action.  The synonyms are activity, alertness, application, assiduity,
assiduousness, attention, attentiveness, briskness, care, carefulness,
constancy, earnestness, exertion, heed,
heedfulness, industry, intensity, intent, intentness, keenness,
laboriousness.  By these definitions alone,
we see that we have got to apply the Word on a consistent basis.  We must
labor with intensity and keep our attention on the Word.  This continual
activity in the Word keeps us from laziness and entering into doubt and
unbelief.  When you are busy doing the Word it will become all that you
are looking at.  Which will, in turn, make it easier for you to persevere
in it.  This will keep you alert and you will not be caught off guard
by the enemy.  Then we will become one of the many that live out the
truth.

     Remember, "we're
being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how
to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life.  This new life is starting
right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears."  Living in the truth, this God-filled life is what makes
us imitators of God.  "Therefore be
imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example] as well behaved
children, imitate their fathers." (Ephes. 5:1) Now we don't need to wait on those around us to rate our
God-scale.  If we live in the Word, we will allow the Word to reveal
what is truly going on in us as well as our behavior and conduct.  We
must be constant in relying on Holy Spirit's aid, to continue growing up
spiritually, never dwarfed by our circumstances.
  Every day we must look for the opportunity given by God to exercise our
spiritual muscles.  Looking into the mirror of the Word to see how much
we have grown and be grateful to God that He is not
finished with us yet, as we continue to mature.. "Test
yourself to make sure you are solid in the faith.  Don't drift along
taking everything for granted.  Give yourself regular check-ups.  You need
firsthand, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you.  Test it out. 
If you fail the test, do something about it."  (II Corin. 13:5-8
Message Bible)

 "Diligent, perseverance, consistent, alert, sincere"

Love,

Pastor D.