Blog Archives - The Remarkable Blog

It's time to be a finisher.

5/29/2020

Ephesians 2:19-22 (TPT)
"So, you are not foreigners or guests, but rather you are the children of the city of the holy ones, with all the rights as family members of the household of God. You are rising like the perfectly fitted stones of the temple; and your lives are being built up together upon the ideal foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, and best of all, you are connected to the Head Cornerstone of the building, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ himself!
This entire building is under construction and is continually growing under his supervision until it rises up completed as the holy temple of the Lord himself. This means that God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!"

Whatever your dead dreams are? Whatever your dead desires are? It's time for a resurrection. It's time to reread the things you wrote down and ask God to show you the desires you had years ago. It is time to pursue what you were called to do before Jesus comes. You and I want to go into eternity hearing, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord." (Mat. 25:21)

When looking at the above photo, it dawned on me the decision of whether you are a starter or a finisher is the direction in which you are looking. We are created to go in the direction we look. Look at a Semi-Truck and you will go towards it. Look at your feet instead of the bottom of the slope and you will fall before you fly down that slope. We must look to the finish line. We must keep our eyes on the Finisher of our faith. He is not just the beginning, He is the end. The world may tell you, "You can't." But, God says, "You can do all things." Most people just need someone to believe in them and tell them that they can! and they will! The Bible is full of the affirmation you are needing. Pick it up. Read it. Live it. Do it.

ACTION STEP: This is what God is doing right now. God is raising up spiritual mothers and fathers to mentor the last-day army of proteges. Last day Christians need to be sure they are in a church that has the prophetic and the apostolic flowing in their lives to release their gifts, and then they can move on. Get in position to be a finisher. Get committed. Nothing can stop you! You are made in God's image.

Sound Doctrine for difficult days.

5/28/2020

With all the live streaming messages, Podcasts, You Tube videos, books, MP3's and more there seems to be an abundance of preaching the word but a lack of pastoring the flock. There appears to be people that know a lot about the Bible, but fail to intimately know the God who wrote it. This is by no means a bashing blog if you will, but a loving letter to inform the reader; that the Bible tells us in the last days even the elect will be deceived. We have all read in the multitude of counselors wise decisions are made. So, who are these wise counselors? A great explanation is found in this book I've been reading by David Garcia.

Allow me to share a potion of this book and then, I encourage you to purchase it and keep it on your bookshelf to return to often. The teachings are not life shattering revelation, but the writer does an excellent job at making the information digestible and applicable.

"...What does a pastor do? He guards his people. They walk in love." "...by the 1960's we had the age of the Evangelist. What do Evangelist do? They are the hand of God. They gather. They get people saved with signs and miracles.But, God kept moving by 1960's to 1980's you had the teachers. Teachers ground people. You have Joyce Meyers, Kenneth Copeland, that give the doctrine and ground people. At the beginning of the 1990's you have the restoration of the Prophets. Prophets give the guidance of God. They are pointers. The Prophets offer the mind of God. In this day and age we are at the age of the Apostle. The Apostle governs. He establishes the church and shows the heart of God."

This is not new information for me. I taught the 5G Force at one of are Five-fold Arsenal Schools we hold annually (well until COVID19). These offices need to be present in each of our lives. This is why we need to be in a Body. We cannot stay home and get our weekly spiritual fix from surfing the net. Who is guarding you? Truly who prays the enemy of your soul off of you? Visits you when you are sick and cast the spirit of infirmity off of you? Who saves your loved ones? Who gathers the lost in your city, your neighborhood? If you can get them in to a church building chances are if there is an Evangelist in the house that person will get saved. We all need teachers. Teachers can take something hard and make it easy. They can share a portion of scripture that we can't understand.

ACTION STEP: I urge you in this time we are living not to think you know what the Bible says, but find out for yourself. Have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray to God yourself. Find a local church and get to know the Pastor. He or she will have to give an answer for your soul. They will guard you. Sure, during this time of COVID19 it is great to feed yourself, but God wants us not just fed but guarded, grounded, governed and given proper guidance. I hope you get the book. I am glad I did. It was written in 2014 but is as relevant today as it was then. God bless and keep you as you endeavor to become all God has called you to be.

Under God's economy not the worlds.

5/27/2020

1 Samuel 30:18-19
"And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all."
"

Prudence is not a name. Prudence means wisdom. David recovered all; that's the wisdom of God. We are in a bad economy right now, but we will get it all back and then some. That is what our attitude should be. We have to face each day saying, "I am under God's economy, not the world's."

The powerful last-day Christian exercises wisdom and sensitivity in dealing with his of her fellow Christians. In getting it all, don't run over people. If we have to hurt people, run over people, treat employees wrongly, then it is not God; and we are not walking in the spirit. David saw there were 200 guys who were tired and could not move. He left them to guard the supply lines. David took 400 with him. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and they whipped the enemy. The 400 said, "Don't tell us you are going to give what we captured to those guys," referring to the 200. "They did nothing, man!" David said, "No. It can't be that way. The man who guards the supplies and the man who fights will have equal share."

To me this is Intercession. This is prayer. We guard the supplies. We stay back and pray for those in battle, but at the same time we are every bit as much on the front lines. No one sees, but all is recovered! Keep praying saints of God. We've got a word from God. Our president has a word from God. We will recover. COVID thinks it has won, but you can not win against the people of God for it is HE that fights for us.

ACTION STEP: REHEARSE THE WORD! Refuse to repeat what the enemy is saying. Refuse to go by what things look like. Refuse to gravel like a child with no father and no hope, no provider, no King. No! Get up and brush yourself off, and see yourself as a child of the King--because that is who you are! Now, go recover all!

Name your Day and expect it! Take your wacks and move on.

5/26/2020

Joshua 24:25 KJV
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Let's name this day, "Great". A friend of mine went through a season of naming her day and she challenged me, unknowingly of course. Leaders tend to do that, again unknowingly of course. Never the less, the practice has stayed with me. And, Lord knows I need a better day than I've been having. This COVID19 has been some of the hardest days I've ever had. Many of you know I've had four teeth drilled on and refilled, one root canal, an allergic reaction to an antibiotic for an infected tooth that sent me into anaphylactic shock and now I am just recovering from a virus that put me in bed for four days. Needless to say, I am barely recuperated. But I'm making a comeback!

No, I'm not in sin. As a matter of fact I have been in the word and prayer more than any other time in my life. I am not run down, as I've been quarantined. I haven't been able to fly anywhere. This is just a plan old attack. So, I do what I can do, I withstand the devil, knowing this too shall pass. So today, I call you a GREAT DAY! Then, I always have my "To Do List". Today, I call my list COMPLETED! That sermon, that chapter of that book, that resource manual. You're done in Jesus name. Paybacks!!!

I love people, but have literally been too sick to talk. Now, that's sick. I can always find something to say. I read so many books and watch so many Christian true stories I always want to share, just give me someone to listen. You know what I am talking about. But, these last couple of months I swear the devil has been trying to kill me. Good thing for me, God is greater and He's not done with me yet.

So many of us preachers only want to share the mountain top experiences. Well, we have valleys too. And, like you we sometimes can't find a reason for them either. But, we get up. Brush ourselves off and start climbing again. You can too.

Remember the game above we use to play? How many kids will you have? Who will you marry. I got in trouble so many times playing this kids game. I am not the engineering type, but I could always find me a boy who liked me and wanted to impress me with his folding paper skills. Once, I even got paddled for tucking these under my skirt. Of course when the teacher made me stand up they fell on the floor. Mrs. McGregor I don't think liked me very well anyway; so I was the class example three wacks with the wooden paddle. In those days, this was normal. And when you got home, you got another wack for getting paddled at school. But, I got up and went right back to English class.

ACTION STEP: Jesus took His wacks for sure. He had days of pure hell on earth but He arose again! Victory was what He chose. He is our example. He is our Lion of the Tribe of Judah! If you are reading this early lick your paws and shack your mane back, give the devil a roar just to let him know your up!

Preparing our hearts to remember

5/22/2020

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

Today as we look forward to a long weekend, perhaps you are preparing for a social distancing backyard barbecue, a camping trip, or your family’s favorite tradition. I would like to remind my readers that this weekend is more than the “official” start of the summer. This weekend we take time to stop as a Nation and honor and remember the great sacrifices of the military personnel who’ve fought for and made the ultimate sacrifice in their quest for duty, honor and country. This pursuit has made our beloved nation a land of the free and the home of the brave!!

Please take the time to watch this video and say a pray for the Armed Forces today. If the video does not show up here, you may view in your browser or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omd9_FJnerY

Action Step: This Monday, May 25, 2020, at 3 pm join millions of Americans as they stop and take a moment to remember the sacrifices that have been made so the United States of America remains free.

The Devil's Kryptonite

5/21/2020

Prayer is a weapon. Many times we fail to pick up our weapon and go to war. I know at times, I just roll over because I am just too tired to get up. For some reason it is usually between 3 AM and 4 AM that I struggle. However, I have learned the devil likes to sneak in and get his plans done while we sleep. It's time for the army of God to shake off their sleep and shake off their slumber. If we only knew what hung in the balance. But with our hand in the hand of Jesus reaching out to others, the devil can be stopped. We all know, but not all experience, the reality that greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.

John 14:18 KJV
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

ACTION STEP: Today I am leaving this short. Why? I want you to take the time it would normally take you to read this and pray. Turn on the music in the video below or click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0fPdnAruF8

Remember that if the You Tube doesn't show up below you can choose to view this in your Browser. There is a war going on. Prayer can stop the devil in his tracks. Prayer can open blind eyes, deaf ears, and impossible situations. You and I have the devils Kryptonite. Prayer is a sure weapon and it is our honor and privilege to be a part of God's arsenal.

Getting off the Hamster Wheel.

5/20/2020

Judges 2:18-19 (NIV)
"18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them.They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways."

We have the tendency to commit sin, then repent, then give our devotion to God, then when all is well, we sin again and we fall into bondage. This is the experience of Israel in the Book of Judges. Only Jesus can break this bondage of sin.

Joshua is a book of victory, triumph and success in claiming the promised Land.

Judges however shows the failure of Israel to conquer their enemies, claim their inheritance, and the huge effect that this had on their life and relationship with God.
This is true in our own lives even today.

We not only have victories, but we also experience failures and disappointments in life. And most of the times, because of wrong choices, our failures are much more than our victories.

Throughout this entire book of Judges, we see a repeated cycle, one that we will call ‘The cycle of sin’. We get use to this cycle and actually settle down, get comfortable in it and consider this cycle to be normal and natural. The problem is we are to be supernatural, and Jesus came to break the sin cycle, and set us free from what I like to refer to as the Hamster Wheel. We get on and wear ourselves out going no where and taking no one else anywhere either. As long as we get what we want we think we are okay. We lay back and drink the poison satan feeds us, which further dulls us into the slumber of sin. We have to wake up and get off the wheel. We were and are created for more than this kind of life.

Judges 2:19 (NIV) 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

The first thing we need to remember is that we have the tendency to be overcome by sin. And when we commit sin, the consequences on our lives and the lives of the future generation is devastating.

The words used in this verse concerning the downfall of Israel: FOLLOWING, SERVING and WORSHIPING other gods.

Let us look at these in detail. To "follow" means to pursue or to chase after an idol.
During this time, the place of the Almighty God in their hearts was slowly being replaced by man made idols.

Instead of resisting to the evil forces invading their hearts, they followed and pursued after other gods. We must avoid pursuing after idols, if we ever hope to have true peace and freedom.

The next word, to "serve" means to assist, to minister or to attend to other gods.
During this time, Israel was not just pursuing after idols, but they were comfortable serving them and caring for these graven images. Instead of serving the true God, they began to give more time on serving their idols.
They have really gone down deeper into sin.

And, the third word used, "worship" has the element of adoration and devotion.
They deteriorated in paying homage to their idols and lost touch in worshiping the true God.

The next sentence says: "They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways." It means that even though they were being rebuked or chastised on their evil practices, yet, they rebuffed and repudiate strongly any correction to challenge their evil practices.

They would not even listen to any form of correction or reproof. They just hold on tightly to their evil practices. They just closed their minds and pretended they could not hear God's voice. Their hearts become callous and their consciences were seared or numb. And this is what sin can do to people who are blinded from the truth of God's Word. This is a warning to all of us regarding the consequences of sin.
That is why we must avoid following, serving or worshiping idols of any kind. In fact, the Bible calls this situation as slavery to sin. And many people without knowing it are caught up or trapped in this cycle without a way out.

ACTION STEPS: Consider these verses from the Bible.

Romans 6:20 "When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness."

That means a person who is controlled by sin has no ability on their own to do what is right. They just keep on doing what is evil.

John 8:24 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin."

That means a person who is controlled by sin keeps on sinning.

Titus 3:3 "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another."

Look at those down ward pull of sin: "foolish", "disobedient", deceived" and "enslaved".

It is like being sucked into a hole of total darkness without any possibility of deliverance. It is like running on a Hamster Wheel with no hope of getting off. That, is the condition of our hearts without Christ. And there are many people who have no knowledge of Christ and His deliverance, so they tread on through life. They only live for the present. They are not aware of their spiritual condition. And so, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die, not knowing they are already the walking dead, running the treadmill of sin with no hope of getting off.

If we have been delivered by Christ, we need to bring the message of salvation to them. They need the Jesus Jesus Christ in their hearts. We must reach the Lost with the Gospel. This is the Great Commission that God has given us to fulfill as a church.

Who controls the remote?

5/19/2020

2 Timothy 3:6 NIV
"They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,"

Who controls the remote control of your mind? Most people are in denial. If you tell yourself a lie long enough, you will believe it. The poison of divorce, hatred, slander, rape, abuse has been spilled all over the world. The devil is like quicksand; he sucks you in a little bit at a time. As soon as you try to pull yourself away with all your strength, he zaps your energy by controlling your mind--and therefore your life. You will never crawl out of the quicksand of your mind. Only God is able to change the channel of your remote control and set you free. The goal then, is to set boundaries and keep control of your mind by controlling what you allow in. This in large is done by controlling who you allow into your circle of friends. Influence happens by association. Bad friends as the old adage says, still corrupt good manners and one bad apple can spoil the whole bushel. Watch who you hang out with. Ask yourself would I ___________________-(LISTEN TO, WATCH THIS, DO THIS) if God were with me? If the answer was "No" then, don't do it. Take back the remote!!!!

What we watch on TV, the music we pump into our ears, the people we allow to get into our hearts and head, all control the remote. Our thoughts, unfortunately create our feelings and words create action whether they are truths or lies. So, how do we know if they are a truth, or a lie? We measure them against the word of God. If the truth we know sets us free, then the goal is to know Truth. Jesus said, He is the truth and the way. So, we need to know Jesus more now, than ever. The only way to get to know someone is to spend time with them. You may think you know Jesus, but how much time do you spend with him? You can think you know me, but if you have never spent any time with me, you only think you know me. You know who, you think I am. That is very dangerous, because anyone can paint you a picture of themselves, but their true self is revealed behind the paint.

ACTION STEP: So, stop telling yourself lies. If you don't, you will be deceived. You will start believing the lies you tell yourself. I personally believe many people who get mentally ill, first open the door to satan unknowingly; by just leaving a slight crack with a lie, then with each lie they tell themselves, the crack gets bigger. Sin always demands an increase. We don't start out desiring to be deceived, we become deceived, then with deceit comes bondage. We relinquish the remote. Now, satan begins to program us so he can steal, kill and destroy. Now is not the time to play games. Now is not the time to stick our heads in the sand. This is war, war over our very soul. Where will you spend eternity? Who will you take with you, into destruction? Or, who will you take with you into eternity, with God? The answer is found in who controls the remote.

Let the Sonshine.

5/18/2020

The last two days it was supposed to rain but, it didn't. This made me especially grateful for the sunshine. I got to do drive-byes to several of our church members. Most of them were outside, some were sitting, some were busy and others just admiring their lawns. We were all, out in the sunshine. For some reason, I got caught up in the idea of being "in" the sunshine. I thought, "Christ in us, us, in Christ." There was no where to go, that we were not in the sun. Why? Because it was shining. Even in the shade you could feel and see the sun. Inside the cars and the houses, you were still in the sun. I was thinking on this and sensed God saying, "When you are in Me and I am in you, then you are never in the dark. You can never be out of my presence. I will be there to light your path and warm your darkest moments." He is in us and we are in Him. There is no separation.

The sun shines on the just and the unjust. While we are on this earth God wants His goodness to be on all of us. God does not keep good things from His children. However, His children can refuse Him at any time. The only time, that any of us would refuse something good is if we were hurt, mad or deceived into believing the person giving us something was evil, with evil intent. Think on that. If I am mad at someone, I want nothing they have to give me. If I think someone has the intent to harm me, I want nothing they have. If a person has harmed someone I love, I want nothing from them. So, the devil tries to convince us that God does not love us. Convince us that God does not care, that He is evil. Sometimes, he convinces us and we refuse the goodness of God. We run from His presence straightway into utter darkness.

ACTION STEP: Have you ever thought evil of God? Have you ever thought God wanted to harm you? Thought God was mad at you? Have you ever been mad at God? When you see the sunshine today, think of all the people that the devil has deceived. Ask yourself, "Can I shed light into their dark heart so they might know the goodness of God?" Why would you do that? Because, it's the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance. You and I have the awesome opportunity to be used of God to let the Sonshine.

The choice of tomorrows leaders, is ours today.

5/15/2020

Exodus 2:1-3 VIV
"Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket[a] for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile."

The hour had struck for the enslaved Hebrews to be emancipated from Egypt. The prophecy given to Abraham about four centuries earlier (Gen. 15:13-14) was about to be fulfilled. The nation that Satan wanted to stamp out of existence was about to rise up and trample the world. To accomplish His purpose, God sent a baby into the world.
That is usually God’s way. F.W. Boreham observed it as he surveyed the year 1809. That year stood midway between two great battles that shaped the destiny of the world: the Battle of Trafalgar, which destroyed the naval might of Napoleon, and the Battle of Waterloo, which destroyed his military might. Everyone was thinking of battles. Nobody was thinking of babies; yet in that one year, William Gladstone was born in Liverpool (prime minister), Lord Alfred Tennyson was born in Somersby(british poet), Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Massachusetts (Supreme justice), Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky (16th US president), Frederick Chopin was born in Warsaw (Polish Composer and pianist), and Felix Mendelsohn was born in Hamburg (German composer, conductor and pianist). Boreham commented:
Which of the battles of 1809 mattered more than the babies of 1809? When a wrong wants righting or a work wants doing, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, God sends a baby into the world to do it. That is why, long, long ago, a Babe was born at Bethlehem.

And that is why, long before the birth of Jesus, another babe was born in a slave hut on the banks of the Nile. Moses towers like a titan across the vast pages of our Bible. He is mentioned in 261 verses in Exodus, 80 verses in Leviticus, 216 verses in Numbers, 35 verses in Deuteronomy, 51 verses in Joshua, and 47 verses in the other historical books. The book of Psalms and the Prophets also refer to him. He is mentioned in 37 verses in the Gospels, 19 verses in Acts, and 22 verses in the Epistles. The book of Revelation also refers to him. Altogether he is mentioned in 784 verses in the Bible: 705 in the Old Testament and 79 in the New Testament.

Moses is one of the greatest men God ever made. Known as the emancipator and lawgiver of Israel, he was also a scholar, soldier, statesman, and saint. He was one of the two men who were sent back from the otherworld to confer with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:18). He wrote the first song in Scripture (Exod. 15:119), and in glory, they still sing the song of Moses. Only now it is muted as the great stanzas of that song awake the echoes of the everlasting hills in “The song of the Lamb”(Rev. 15:3). Much of the credit for what he became must be given to his mother, Jochebed.

ACTION STEP: During this time of quarantining, I want to remind us all of the importance of our children. Those of you caring for and raising the leaders of tomorrow, you are of vital importance to the future of our nation and our faith. God has great plans for our country and the church. We must ever be preparing for what He has in store for us. We all need to pray for the young people of America and the world. Whether you are a parent or not, one day we will be old and the young people will be the ones making the decisions and leading the way. Which way will the leaders of tomorrow be leading us? I believe it depends on what they are being trained in today. What are we modeling? What are we teaching? What values are we instilling? The future will expose whether we are raising Moses or Pharaohs. The choice is ours.