Monday, March 30, 2009

For Keeps Marriage Conference

Need rejuvenation in your marriage?
Need a break from the kids, work, & the stresses of life?
Need some fun and relaxation with your spouse?

Join us at the For Keeps Marriage Conference on Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 9am until 12pm.
Visit the website for more details.

Monday, March 23, 2009

God in Me

{On Saturday, March 21 I spoke at my church for our Women's Meeting and I wanted to share that lesson with the bloggers.}

The song by Mary Mary says
It’s the God in me.
You see her style you think she’s nice
You look at her whip you say the whip is tight
You look at her crib you thinking she paid
You look at her life you think she’s got it made
But everything she got; the girl’s been given
She calls it a blessing, but you call it living
When it comes to money she can be a hero
She writes them checks with a whole lot of zeros
But whatcha don’t know is when she gets home
And gets behind closed doors she hits the floor
And whatcha can’t see is she’s on her knees
It’s the God in me
You think I'm so fresh you think I'm so clean You think I'm so sweet
It's the God in me

Is it the God in you? Are we really striving to be more like God? Are we really working on having a relationship with God? Do we even know what that relationship looks like? We’ve gone through so many failed relationships that maybe we don’t know what a relationship is supposed to be like. We may not have had a good example of what a relationship is supposed to be. Maybe we came from a single parent home and didn’t have a relationship with our dad. Maybe we came from a two parent home but didn’t have a relationship with either parent. Maybe we were raised by another relative and didn’t know either parent. Our first experience with relationships usually begins with our parents. They are the most important people in our lives. But if we didn’t have a good example, then we may not know how to be in a good relationship now. Our past experiences usually shape our future relationships.

Webster’s definition of relationship is the state of being related or interrelated or the relation connecting or binding participants in a relationship & a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings & then a romantic or passionate attachment.

So how do you have or commit yourself to a good relationship? First we need a good relationship with God, so we may have other successful relationships.

First, we need to seek God. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; an all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)
Seeking God will not only make our relationship with God better, but it will also help our other relationships flourish. Because in seeking God; we won’t be seeking gossip. We’ll be so consumed in seeking God that we won’t have time to seek anything else.

Secondly, read the Bible. The bible is God’s way of communicating to His people. God talks to us through the Word. If we are reading the bible often we are listening to God speak to us. And when we do this often we won’t have time to listen to anything negative.

Third, we need to pray to God. Luke 18:1 says that men ought to always pray, and not faint. When we read our bible, God is talking to us; but when we pray- we are talking to God. If we are praying (or talking) to God always or often, then we won’t have time to talk about anyone else.

Then last, be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). When we are not conforming to the world’s standards, we are being obedient to God. The world says it’s okay to have premarital sex. The world says it’s okay to talk about your fellow sisters and brothers. The world says it’s okay to not need a man because you can do anything by yourself. The world says it’s okay to come to church when you want. The world says you don’t have to pray, fast, or read the bible. The world says don’t trust God we were created by evolution. The world will have you believing that you don’t need to get your relationship right with God. But if we are transformed or changed with a renewed mind in Christ, our relationships on earth will be better because we will have a new heart, a new spirit, and a new mind.

A new heart that will truly love those around us. A new spirit that will pray for those around us. A new mind that we will think differently about those around us.

What is your relationship with God like? Do you seek God daily? Do you listen to God by reading His word? Do you talk to God by praying often? Do you strive to be more like God?

What is your relationship with your fellowman like? Do you seek to do them good always? Do you listen to them when they need a shoulder to cry on? Do you listen without judging and without telling someone else? Do you talk to them and give them Godly advice or counsel?

Are you ready to get your relationships in order? Then renew your relationship with God today. And then renew your relationships with others. Remember that we are not perfect and we may continue to fall while we’re working on getting it right, but don’t let your fall keep you down. Get UP!
Again, Mary Mary says:
Get up cause you can’t stop, Get up got a lot to do; 24 hours almost gone. Get up don’t sit there; get up if you wanna get there. Clocks don’t stop & time won’t wait.
First – seek God
Second – Read your bible
Third – Pray always
Fourth – Be transformed

Your relationships with others should be a reflection of your relationship with God.
When people look at you – they should be able to say: It’s the God in you!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Perversion of Thought

The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5)

Since the beginning of time, man has had wicked or evil thoughts. That is no different from today’s mankind. The problem is our perversion of thought can turn something not so bad into something evil and totally misconstrued.

For example, a wife who has had her heart broken can begin to get over her pain, but suddenly her thought process takes her right back to the very day she received her pain and her mental rotors start turning and before she knows it, she is ready to hurt somebody (preferably her husband). Or that husband who has had a bad day comes home and nothing’s been prepared for dinner gets extremely upset and his psyche tells him his wife is no good and does not love him.

The perversion of thought. Our minds work in mysterious ways. The mind is so powerful that it can create a movie in seconds, download a video in a minute, and play it back rewinding sections at a time to show the same scene over and over. Our minds can pick up an image and hold on to it for years or the same mind can scan an image and completely delete it from the files never to be seen again. How is it that the mind can work so well?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21). Usually what is in our minds comes out of our mouths. So if we are not careful, we may say something we later regret.

So you may ask: how do I keep from having perverted thoughts? The answer is simple: keep your mind stayed on Jesus. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29). By seeking God, you will be praying, reading your bible, fasting, spreading the good news about God, changing your heart, etc. The only way to revert your perverted mind is to keep it on Jesus. Keep Him everywhere you go. Keep Him on your mind always. And when perverted thoughts come up, rebuke them, and pray to God. Ask Him to help you.

Don’t let your perverted thoughts keep you from living peacefully.