Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8
In this final chapter of the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul is exhorting the church in Philippi to continue to stand firm in the faith, to find agreement in the Lord, to rejoice in Jesus at all times, to never be anxious about a thing, to remain prayerful and thankful in their communication with God, and to have a holy expectancy of God's peace in their lives. This peace from God, through Jesus will guard their minds and hearts. Finally Paul gives the church a list of eight things to keep their minds focused on. In 2008, we need to take heed to the letters of Paul, take inventory of our own lives, and ask ourselves the question, what am I thinking about? Jesus instructs us to love the Lord our God with all our heart,soul, mind and strength. The enemy will do everything in his power to attack us. And I believe if we allow the enemy to mess with our minds, it will pull us off the task of serving Jesus, that is why Paul writes "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 4:7). In order for our minds to be guarded we have to remain prayerful, and thankful, but we also have to think on this list of eight items. The word translated to 'think' is the Greek word 'logizomai' where we get the English word logarithm. Logarithms are thought provoking, and complex in nature. They take time, and effort to figure out. God wants us to give the same effort with these list of items. He expects us to take a inventory of our thoughts, and be responsible for what we dwell on. The enemy will try his best to get is to think on lies, dishonesty, unjustness, impurity, ugliness, negative reports/gossip, vices, and condemnation! But thank God for Jesus and His blood. Because we are redeemed by Christ, and filled with the Holy Ghost, we do not have to succumb to the tricks of the enemy. When we study our Word, we know that we are not to conform to the world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds(Romans 12:2). We know "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,(2 Corinthians 10:4-5)". TAKE YOUR MIND BACK. ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO RENEW IT! Only you know what you need to do to make this a reality. TURN THE MUSIC OFF, IF IT DOES NOT GLORIFY GOD, if that is your weak point. CUT THE TV OFF, IF IT DOES NOT GLORIFY GOD, if that is your weak point. REMOVE YOURSELF FROM CONVERSATIONS THAT PROMOTE GOSSIP AND SLANDER, if that is your weak point, because the Bible says, "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ(Philippians 1:27). When you think on the goodness of Jesus, and all He has done for you, then your thinking will be on point! When you dwell on the good news which is the Gospel, then your thinking will be on point! When you devote time daily to prayer and meditation, then your thinking will be on point! When you WALK IN THE LIBERTY THAT ONLY JESUS CAN GIVE, then your thinking will be on point. The enemy wants your mind so that you will be ineffective for Jesus, but I am declaring right now in Jesus' name, that the enemy cannot have it, and that we already have the victory!!
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?
Grace and Peace
Stan
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
A praise born out of rejection
And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah....
Genesis 29:35
We all know the story of Jacob and Rachel and Leah. Jacob worked for his uncle Laban seven years in order to marry the younger sister Rachel. Laban tricked Jacob, and Jacob ended up betrothed to the elder sister Leah. Jacob had to work another seven years for Laban to marry Rachel. When the work was complete, Jacob married Rachel, and rejected Leah. Chapter 29 verse 31 states "When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; .." God saw the pain, and blessed her womb. How many of us can praise God for birthing promise in us, even when it looked like we were rejected by people around us? How many of us can praise God for blessing a ministry of ours, when people in our own families doubted? How many of us can give God the glory for opening our figurative wombs, and birthing promise and potential out of a situation that seemed stillborn.
Leah conceived three sons, Reuben, Simeon , and Levi, and named them all according to how she thought Jacob would respond to the births. Isn't it just like us, to look to man for approval for a blessing from God. She believed that her sons would make Jacob love her, and become attached to her. But something happened to Leah between Levi, which mean being attached, and Judah which means praise. Leah realized that she was attached to Jacob despite of his rejections, and not giving God His due. Leah came to the conclusion that even if man rejected her, she would attach herself to God and give him the Glory. She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, NOW I WILL PRAISE THE LORD, therefore she called his name Judah! How many of us have a Judah praise in our mouths for God. How many of us can declare that despite rejection from man, a Judah was birthed in our lives! How many of us can reflect on our lives, and know that God has blessed us in the midst of our rejection. Some of us have been in relationships that WE wanted, but God did not ordain, and we see later on that it was for our good. Some of us have been rejected by employers, and in the midst of our rejection, blessings poured in! Some of us cannot see the blessings we have already received because of hurt and pain caused by people. But I'm here to tell you today that there is a praise in your soul born out of rejection. Folks even rejected our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! "Have you not even read this Scripture: 'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;.." Jesus was rejected by man, and exalted by God, and now He gets all the praise! Remember that there can be a praise born out of rejection!
Grace and Peace
Stan
Genesis 29:35
We all know the story of Jacob and Rachel and Leah. Jacob worked for his uncle Laban seven years in order to marry the younger sister Rachel. Laban tricked Jacob, and Jacob ended up betrothed to the elder sister Leah. Jacob had to work another seven years for Laban to marry Rachel. When the work was complete, Jacob married Rachel, and rejected Leah. Chapter 29 verse 31 states "When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; .." God saw the pain, and blessed her womb. How many of us can praise God for birthing promise in us, even when it looked like we were rejected by people around us? How many of us can praise God for blessing a ministry of ours, when people in our own families doubted? How many of us can give God the glory for opening our figurative wombs, and birthing promise and potential out of a situation that seemed stillborn.
Leah conceived three sons, Reuben, Simeon , and Levi, and named them all according to how she thought Jacob would respond to the births. Isn't it just like us, to look to man for approval for a blessing from God. She believed that her sons would make Jacob love her, and become attached to her. But something happened to Leah between Levi, which mean being attached, and Judah which means praise. Leah realized that she was attached to Jacob despite of his rejections, and not giving God His due. Leah came to the conclusion that even if man rejected her, she would attach herself to God and give him the Glory. She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, NOW I WILL PRAISE THE LORD, therefore she called his name Judah! How many of us have a Judah praise in our mouths for God. How many of us can declare that despite rejection from man, a Judah was birthed in our lives! How many of us can reflect on our lives, and know that God has blessed us in the midst of our rejection. Some of us have been in relationships that WE wanted, but God did not ordain, and we see later on that it was for our good. Some of us have been rejected by employers, and in the midst of our rejection, blessings poured in! Some of us cannot see the blessings we have already received because of hurt and pain caused by people. But I'm here to tell you today that there is a praise in your soul born out of rejection. Folks even rejected our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! "Have you not even read this Scripture: 'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;.." Jesus was rejected by man, and exalted by God, and now He gets all the praise! Remember that there can be a praise born out of rejection!
Grace and Peace
Stan
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Try as we may, we can't cover ourselves
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7
Since the beginning mankind has tried to cover its own transgressions with less than stellar results. As a matter of fact, it never works. Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, and lost the covering of God. That is why they realized they were naked. When we go outside of the will of God for our lives, we feel naked and exposed, and we should repent and get right with God. Adam and Eve attempted to cover themselves with material that WOULD NOT LAST! Fig leaves, that would cover their nakedness for a moment, but eventually disintegrate, and the process would have to start over. God saw this, and in vs 21, made garments of skin for the first couple. The skin would last, but it would not be sufficient to cover the stain of sin. God had to send His Son to dies on the cross, and make a sufficient sacrifice. And he(JESUS) is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.(1 John 2:2)
What separates our Faith from many other religions is the fact that there is nothing we can do to earn our way into eternal life. We are saved by grace through FAITH! It is the gift of God. The shedding of Christs' blood covered all sins of those who believe, past, present and future. We cannot ever fall into the falsehood that we can cover our own sins. Witness to those who don't believe, tell them about Jesus and how He saved your soul. Thank God for Jesus and that He is still covering, even today!
Grace and Peace
Stan
Since the beginning mankind has tried to cover its own transgressions with less than stellar results. As a matter of fact, it never works. Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, and lost the covering of God. That is why they realized they were naked. When we go outside of the will of God for our lives, we feel naked and exposed, and we should repent and get right with God. Adam and Eve attempted to cover themselves with material that WOULD NOT LAST! Fig leaves, that would cover their nakedness for a moment, but eventually disintegrate, and the process would have to start over. God saw this, and in vs 21, made garments of skin for the first couple. The skin would last, but it would not be sufficient to cover the stain of sin. God had to send His Son to dies on the cross, and make a sufficient sacrifice. And he(JESUS) is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.(1 John 2:2)
What separates our Faith from many other religions is the fact that there is nothing we can do to earn our way into eternal life. We are saved by grace through FAITH! It is the gift of God. The shedding of Christs' blood covered all sins of those who believe, past, present and future. We cannot ever fall into the falsehood that we can cover our own sins. Witness to those who don't believe, tell them about Jesus and how He saved your soul. Thank God for Jesus and that He is still covering, even today!
Grace and Peace
Stan
Thursday, July 3, 2008
For the love of money: Will you stray from the faith?
.....men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.[b]
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[c] we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:5-12
We are living in a day and age where it looks like Prosperity has become the central theme of the Church. Some "leaders" in the church have even dubbed it the Prosperity Gospel. (Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news(gospel) that I proclaimed to you,which you in turn received, in which you also STAND, through which you are also being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received : THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS in accordance with the scriptures, AND THAT HE WAS BURIED, AND THAT HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES,...) Thank God for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and Him using Paul to write the above words to Timothy. Turning on the TV, going to a church, we seem to be in an era in the body where our "leaders" view godliness as a means of gain(vs. 5) They see God as the ATM in the sky, where if we send our prayers up, live right, and sow seeds into their ministry, God will bless my socks off materially. They tell me, if I want that house, speak it, and it will come to pass. They tell me God wants me in the best car,so claim that BMW 750li in the spirit, and it will come to pass,lol. You can purchase books on Living Your best life now, Repositioning Yourself, 7 steps to a new You, 8 Steps to being Wealthy in Christ, becoming a millioniare God's way, and on and on and on! These books are not evil, but do they expound on the epistles in the word of God, or are they pusing worldy values on the body of Christ? I'll leave that up to you.
Paul writes that godliness with contentment is great gain. The greek word translated as contentment is, autarkeia- ow-tar'-ki-ah: defined as, self-satisfaction, i.e. (abstractly) contentedness, or (concretely) a competence -- contentment, sufficiency. Godliness in itself should be enough. When you walk in godliness, it shifts your thinking from the world to the Word. You grow in your relationship with Christ, and your focus is on His commision, spreading the word, and making disciples.
There is NOTHING WRONG WITH MONEY.(Paul discusses what to do if you are rich in in verses 17-19) It is the desire to be rich(vs. 9) and the love of money(vs. 10) that will send the believer down the wrong path. The words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew are ringing in my head as I type. My Lord and Savior states, " Seek YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU AS WELL."(Matthew 6:33)
I know that this post is a little long, but it is my prayer that you read, are informed, and study yourself, to edify the body.
God bless you, Jesus keep you, and let the Holy Spirit guide you.
Stan
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[c] we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:5-12
We are living in a day and age where it looks like Prosperity has become the central theme of the Church. Some "leaders" in the church have even dubbed it the Prosperity Gospel. (Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news(gospel) that I proclaimed to you,which you in turn received, in which you also STAND, through which you are also being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received : THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS in accordance with the scriptures, AND THAT HE WAS BURIED, AND THAT HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES,...) Thank God for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and Him using Paul to write the above words to Timothy. Turning on the TV, going to a church, we seem to be in an era in the body where our "leaders" view godliness as a means of gain(vs. 5) They see God as the ATM in the sky, where if we send our prayers up, live right, and sow seeds into their ministry, God will bless my socks off materially. They tell me, if I want that house, speak it, and it will come to pass. They tell me God wants me in the best car,so claim that BMW 750li in the spirit, and it will come to pass,lol. You can purchase books on Living Your best life now, Repositioning Yourself, 7 steps to a new You, 8 Steps to being Wealthy in Christ, becoming a millioniare God's way, and on and on and on! These books are not evil, but do they expound on the epistles in the word of God, or are they pusing worldy values on the body of Christ? I'll leave that up to you.
Paul writes that godliness with contentment is great gain. The greek word translated as contentment is, autarkeia- ow-tar'-ki-ah: defined as, self-satisfaction, i.e. (abstractly) contentedness, or (concretely) a competence -- contentment, sufficiency. Godliness in itself should be enough. When you walk in godliness, it shifts your thinking from the world to the Word. You grow in your relationship with Christ, and your focus is on His commision, spreading the word, and making disciples.
There is NOTHING WRONG WITH MONEY.(Paul discusses what to do if you are rich in in verses 17-19) It is the desire to be rich(vs. 9) and the love of money(vs. 10) that will send the believer down the wrong path. The words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew are ringing in my head as I type. My Lord and Savior states, " Seek YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU AS WELL."(Matthew 6:33)
I know that this post is a little long, but it is my prayer that you read, are informed, and study yourself, to edify the body.
God bless you, Jesus keep you, and let the Holy Spirit guide you.
Stan
The enemy meant it for evil, BUT GOD meant it for good!
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20
God's purpose for Joseph was not evident through the trials, but Joseph maintained faith in the God of his ancestors, and God kept him through the storm.
Romans 12:2 tells us to be "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." When we remain joyful in hope, no matter the storm, test, trial or tribulation, we know that Jesus will bring us through. That faith in the Lord works patience for the next trial we know will come, so we learn how to remain patient in affliction. Part of the learning process is to remain faithful in prayer. Pray without ceasing. Stay in the presence of the Lord, and transformation takes place. Our minds are renewed, and we no longer see the storm through carnal eyes. We learn that there is a purpose for that storm. Joseph's purpose was to save many people alive. The famine that hit the land, did not kill people because of the gift from God of interpreting dreams; because of Joseph's gift, many people were saved including his family. This passage is so full, but I will stick to the script. Joseph's RELATIONSHIP with God kept him when he was thrown in the pit by his jealous brothers. God kept him when he was sold to the Ishmaelites by his brothers. God kept him when he was sold by the Midianites to Potiphar. God kept him when he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison, but even in prison" the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love;he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer..(39:21)". I pray you see where I am going with this. We serve a God that is a keeper. Now matter what we are going through, Jesus said He would never leave us, nor forsake us. Rest in that comfort. Rest in the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. The same way God kept Joseph through his storms, and revealed the purpose for it in due time, He will do it for you. We as saints do not suffer for the sake of suffering. We should suffer for the Kingdom of God. We suffer because Jesus suffered for us, and the Bible declares in 1 Peter 3:14, "BUT EVEN IF YOU SHOULD SUFFER FOR WHAT IS RIGHT, YOU ARE BLESSED"! Blessings come when we suffer for what is right! Stand strong in the faith! Tell the enemy, YOU MEANT EVIL AGAINST ME, BUT GOD, Hallelujah, MEANT IT FOR GOD! You tried to destroy me, BUT GOD.....You tried to use my family against me, BUT GOD.....You came rushing in like a flood, BUT GOD.....You meant evil for me,BUT GOD.....You tried to lock me in a psychological prison, BUT GOD...You tried to distract me with the lust of the flesh, BUT GOD.......You tried to fool me with the pride of life, BUT GOD.... ...You tried to make this life unbearable, BUT GOD.....And that same God who has started a good work in you will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus, even through your storm! Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Jesus Saves!
Stan
God's purpose for Joseph was not evident through the trials, but Joseph maintained faith in the God of his ancestors, and God kept him through the storm.
Romans 12:2 tells us to be "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." When we remain joyful in hope, no matter the storm, test, trial or tribulation, we know that Jesus will bring us through. That faith in the Lord works patience for the next trial we know will come, so we learn how to remain patient in affliction. Part of the learning process is to remain faithful in prayer. Pray without ceasing. Stay in the presence of the Lord, and transformation takes place. Our minds are renewed, and we no longer see the storm through carnal eyes. We learn that there is a purpose for that storm. Joseph's purpose was to save many people alive. The famine that hit the land, did not kill people because of the gift from God of interpreting dreams; because of Joseph's gift, many people were saved including his family. This passage is so full, but I will stick to the script. Joseph's RELATIONSHIP with God kept him when he was thrown in the pit by his jealous brothers. God kept him when he was sold to the Ishmaelites by his brothers. God kept him when he was sold by the Midianites to Potiphar. God kept him when he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison, but even in prison" the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love;he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer..(39:21)". I pray you see where I am going with this. We serve a God that is a keeper. Now matter what we are going through, Jesus said He would never leave us, nor forsake us. Rest in that comfort. Rest in the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. The same way God kept Joseph through his storms, and revealed the purpose for it in due time, He will do it for you. We as saints do not suffer for the sake of suffering. We should suffer for the Kingdom of God. We suffer because Jesus suffered for us, and the Bible declares in 1 Peter 3:14, "BUT EVEN IF YOU SHOULD SUFFER FOR WHAT IS RIGHT, YOU ARE BLESSED"! Blessings come when we suffer for what is right! Stand strong in the faith! Tell the enemy, YOU MEANT EVIL AGAINST ME, BUT GOD, Hallelujah, MEANT IT FOR GOD! You tried to destroy me, BUT GOD.....You tried to use my family against me, BUT GOD.....You came rushing in like a flood, BUT GOD.....You meant evil for me,BUT GOD.....You tried to lock me in a psychological prison, BUT GOD...You tried to distract me with the lust of the flesh, BUT GOD.......You tried to fool me with the pride of life, BUT GOD.... ...You tried to make this life unbearable, BUT GOD.....And that same God who has started a good work in you will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus, even through your storm! Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Jesus Saves!
Stan
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
My First Blog
Giving Credit where it's due, the Rev. Mark Tyler, PhD gave me the idea to start sharing my thoughts online. Dr. Tyler is running for Historian of the AME church, and utilized the blog format in his campaign. This is the direction we are headed, and the good Rev. was ahead of his time. We are praying for much success for you in St. Louis.
Next credit goes to Alfie, fellow 30Krunk representative(PSU), who gave me the push to get it moving. Good looks Alf.
THE AME Church. Philadelphia is the Mother district of African Methodism. The home of Richard and Sarah Allen, and the birthplace of a denomination that has spread the Gospel, and liberated people for over two centuries. We are called to be Ambassadors for Christ. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20. It is my mission to serve Jesus, live for Jesus, seek Jesus daily, and be His representative on Earth; to proclaim His glorious gospel which saved my soul from the Pit!
This blog is just the natural extension of my daily word of the day text messages, and Word of the Day facebook messages. It is my prayer that constructive conversations will come from the blog, and that lives will be enriched.
Grace and Peace
Stan
Next credit goes to Alfie, fellow 30Krunk representative(PSU), who gave me the push to get it moving. Good looks Alf.
THE AME Church. Philadelphia is the Mother district of African Methodism. The home of Richard and Sarah Allen, and the birthplace of a denomination that has spread the Gospel, and liberated people for over two centuries. We are called to be Ambassadors for Christ. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20. It is my mission to serve Jesus, live for Jesus, seek Jesus daily, and be His representative on Earth; to proclaim His glorious gospel which saved my soul from the Pit!
This blog is just the natural extension of my daily word of the day text messages, and Word of the Day facebook messages. It is my prayer that constructive conversations will come from the blog, and that lives will be enriched.
Grace and Peace
Stan
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