Grammy Winning Singer Readies ‘Soulful Christmas’ DVD and Holiday TV Special

Closing out a remarkable year in music, Ann Nesby , the two-time Grammy award winning former lead vocalist to the Sounds of Blackness readies the release of her latest musical offering ‘Ann Nesby's a Soulful Christmas' for the 2009 holiday season.

‘Soulful Christmas' released on Ann Nesby's It's Time Child Records in association with Tyscot Records follows her acclaimed The Lula Lee Project album which debuted at #13 on Billboard's Top Gospel album chart and #57 respectively on the R&B chart this year.

Spending the summer promoting The Lula Lee Project , she taped ‘Soulful Christmas' with a live band at the Gospel Music Channel studios in Atlanta in front of a live studio audience.

“I wanted to be used by God to help them usher in the masses into the holiday season,” says Ann Nesby who excitingly marks this as her first ever Christmas show collection.

‘Soulful Christmas' highlights a few of the most noted holiday anthems sung only as Ann Nesby could deliver - “Jesus, What a Wonderful Child” leads the musical montage setting the tone for cheerful yuletide, the classically melodic “Silent Night ” finds an appropriate spot on this Christmas set, to her holiday staple from the Sounds of Blackness, “Soul Holiday,” featuring Grammy award winning songwriter/singer Big Jim Wright, musical director of the new hit BET late night talk show the Mo'Nique Show.

Read the rest here.

Soulful alum set on captivating listeners

Some students on the doorsteps of graduation may struggle with their future plans, but Temple alum and R&B singer Rafiya has not been one of those people.

Rafiya has managed to do several things in her young life, traveling the world at an early age, graduating from Temple with honors, teaching at a New Jersey High School and recording her upcoming EP, on which she sings in several different languages.

As the daughter of a Congolese diplomat, her father’s occupation allowed the now 26-year-old, who was born in Los Angeles, to travel to such places as Benin, Senegal and Cape Verde, to name a few, spending approximately three years in each country.

The experience of living in several different places has also affected her musically in terms of the instrumentation and arrangements on her EP.

The four songs on the EP, which is set to be released Nov. 17, were recorded in Philadelphia, New York and Paris. The EP features the recently released single “Amazing.”

Rafiya described her music as diverse and said it shows who she is as a person.

You can read the rest of story by clicking here.

News: African American Group Attempts to promote marriage

Group holds a conference to promote Black Marriage.  Click here to watch the video trailer!  You can learn more by visiting their website at HappilyEverAfterTheMovie.com.

PK Takes on Secular Music in Gospel

PJ Morton won't be the first preacher's kid to sing secular music, and he isn't likely to be the last!

Unlike those before him who were ostracized and condemned by traditional churchgoers and religious radicals for singing non-sacred sounds, Morton has decided to educate churchgoers rather than rebelling against them.

The 28-year-old singer, who is the son of renowned pastors Bishop Paul S. Morton (Changing a Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church in Atlanta) and Dr. Debra B. Morton (Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in New Orleans), has written a new book called 'Why Can't I Sing About Love?' that dispels the myth that all Christian singers must record and perform gospel music.

"I hope that the book causes people to see how big God is and that His affects reach far beyond the church and church music," he explained. "Also, I want people to realize that if we believe that the Bible is truly God's word, we can't overlook certain parts, specifically the book of love songs in the Bible. He created those as well."

Click to read.

How To Stop Sinning

Most Christians realize that they shouldn’t sin. So they try their best to live a good and moral life and not to live a life of sin. But as we will see from the bible, that way of living life is exhausting and ineffective and never brings true freedom from sin and its grip on our lives.

In a familiar scripture describing the problem we have with living a life free of sin, Paul said this, “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out. For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.” (Rom. 7:18-19 Amplified Bible)

Man! What a problem. We have the power to want to do good but we do not have the power within ourselves (that is our own flesh and our own trying) to do so. So because of this problem, God made a spiritual way of life for us so that we can obtain his power to do good. And that way of life is called "living by faith." But like anything else, we have to know what it means and how it works for it to ever help us. Knowing what it means to "live by faith" and then doing it is what will make the difference between a life of struggling with sin or a life of freedom from it.

Now most Christians know that we can never live a good enough life to gain eternal life. They know that in order to attain eternal life we must accept Jesus as our savior. But what they don’t always know is how to live a life of righteousness after they have accepted the Lord. So they simply try and try to do so in their own strength, but like Paul said, that is impossible. The things we want to do we have no power to do. It is the things that we don't want to do that we will end up doing. What then is solution?

Paul later described the solution when he said, “This I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh…” (Gal. 3:16)

"Walking in the spirit" is the solution and is simply another way of saying "living by faith." When we learn what that means and live that way, it will enable us to live a life free of sin. Like Paul said, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh!

Let's explain this a little. The Christian “walk” is no different than how we became Christians. It is by FAITH and not by WORKS of our own. In salvation, there was nothing we could do ourselves to gain eternal life and in exactly the same way there is nothing we can do ourselves to live a righteous life even after we accept the Lord. The key to living a righteous life after we have accepted the Lord is to believe, not to do, just like we needed to believe to become “saved.” If we do that, it will then be what we choose to believe that will empower us to do.

The bible says that a man becomes what he thinks in his heart “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Pr. 23:7) It is what we believe and think in our hearts that we will become and what we will do. It will not be by trying harder that we can accomplish anything. Jesus said, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies…” (Mt. 15:19) That is where all sin originates and that is where all righteous living originates. It is in the heart.

Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom 12:1-2) What Paul is commanding here is for us to live free of sin and then he tells us how to do so. And it is NOT by trying harder that we are told to live a holy life. We are told that it is by renewing our mind. It is how we think and what we believe that will transform us and enable us to do those things that we are suppose to do. This is a fight of faith, not of works. It is an inner fight. It is about what we choose to think and to believe, not how hard we try to live right.

But what is it that we are supposed to believe? And how is it that believing will enable us to live a righteous life?

It's quite easy so let’s take one example from the bible to see how this works. The bible says that we are “more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Rom. 8:37) Now in order to be and live like we are more than conquerors we must believe that we are more than conquerors, not try to be more than a conqueror. Trying to be more than a conqueror just won’t work. It is believing what the bible says about us that will transform us into the very thing that it says about us... "For as a man thinks in is heart, so is he." (Pr. 23:7) And in this case, it is believing that we are more than conquerors. This faith in God's word will then transform us into that which we believe... being more than a conqueror.

The key to this kind of faith is to believe what the bible says about us despite what we see in ourselves or think about ourselves. You see, when the bible says that we are more than conquerors, it is talking about the new inner spiritual man that was created within us when we accepted Christ as our savior. When we accepted Christ as our savior a real change took place. But that change was on the inside of us. Our spiritual man on the inside of us was changed into the very likeness of Jesus himself. (And Jesus is definitely more than a conqueror). It is in believing what the bible tells us about our new inner man that will bring that new man into our outer behavioral lives. It’s not a matter of trying harder. It is a matter of what we believe and how we think about ourselves. It is a fight of FAITH, not a fight of WORKS.

Our faith in God’s word will transform us and bring what is inside to the outside. Then and only then will we be able to easily live the life of Christ.

In the case of living free of sin, we must believe that we are already free of sin to be free of it. Ha! Think about it. The bible says that we are the “righteousness of God in him.” (2Cor. 5:21) If this is so, (and it is) we know that the righteousness of God never sins. So if we believe that we are the righteousness of God, the word of God will begin to transform us into that very thing making it easier and easier to live righteously and free of sin. Get it? It’s easy to understand, but it is an effort to begin thinking that way. In fact it will be a fight. It will be the "good fight of faith" that Paul commanded us to live. (1Tim. 6:12) And it is the only way to live free of any weaknesses or sin. Trying harder will only be a constant struggle with something we cannot do nor change and will NEVER transform us.

Probably we have all heard about the benefits of thinking positively and indeed it is very powerful, but when we think according to the Word of God it becomes supernatural power with the ability to literally transform our lives.

This does not mean that we should not "try" to live a good life. That would be ridiculous. We should always do what we can do. What it does mean however is that the real battle and the real victory (or loss) will take place within us, by how we think and what we believe. And it is this battle that we should always focus on. Thus we should always be developing our faith and transforming our lives by believing what the Word of God says about us rather than just trying and trying in our own strength to live up to its standards. Then, in time, living a good life will become more and more natural and more and more automatic. It will then be that the Word of God will be transforming us and empowering us to naturally do good works rather than trying in our own strength.

It always pays to remember the words of Jesus when he said, “It is the spirit that quickens (gives life); the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (Jn. 6:63 parentheshis mine) It is the word of God that has the power; it is not ourselves. And it is our faith in what the word of God says about us that will enable us to live a consistent life of righteousness... for it is "not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts." (Zech. 4:6)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Getting to Know Dr Jeremiah Wright

Rather than letting Fox News sound bites define Jeremiah Wright for you, take a look at his bio.

Life, Love and Legacy

Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.

The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. is a man of faith, a homiletic genius, a theological scholar and a pastor’s pastor. He is a family man who enjoys spending quality time with his wife, children, grandchildren, extended family and friends.

Steeped in Family Tradition and Educational Achievements

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Wright is a son of the parsonage and hails from a family steeped in educational achievements. A third generation family member to matriculate at Virginia Union University, Dr. Wright followed in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, Dr. Hamilton Martin Henderson who graduated from Virginia Union with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the late 1800s and finished seminary at Virginia Union in 1902. His father, Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr., also graduated from Virginia Union with two undergraduate degrees and from the seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 1938. The senior Wright also received a Master of Sacred Theology degree (S.T.M.) from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

Dr. Wright’s mother, Dr. Mary Henderson Wright, also graduated from Virginia Union and earned her first master’s degree before age 19 from the University of Chicago. She also earned a second master’s degree and her doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Foundational Strengths

With four earned degrees, a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from Howard University, a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry from the United Theological Seminary, Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. grew up in a home where reading books was a daily way of life. Wright read a wide range of sources from the Greek philosophers and Shakespeare to African American authors such as Carter G. Woodson (the Father of African American History) to Sterling Brown (one of the Harlem Renaissance artists), as well as one of Dr. Wright’s college professors.

Click to read more about Jeremiah Wright

New Book: Obama Marriage was Not Always Christ-Like

President Barack Obama whispers into First Lady Michelle Obama's ear during the White House Cinco de Mayo celebration this year Photo: PETE SOUZA/THE WHITE HOUSE

Their regular Friday "date nights" make the television news, and there was a stir recently when they caught Air Force One for a night at the theatre in Manhattan.

This weekend, in the aftermath of the D-Day celebrations, they are in Paris with their young daughters - having turned down an invitation for dinner with President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla in favour of a more intimate family event.

 

Click to read.

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Should Black Pastors Get out into the community?

As a college professor, I have regularly challenged black scholars to step outside the walls of the ivory tower to engage the black community. Sometimes, the purity of our chosen profession can lead us to feel that sharing our skill set with the world dilutes the quality of our work. I do not agree. Intelligence means nothing if it is not accompanied by courage, creativity and compassion for other human beings.

The same can be said about spirituality. Jesus was not a man who stayed inside the walls of his church, selfishly enjoying the spirit of God. He did not get so obsessed with the bureaucracy and goals of the church that he forgot about the infinite power that God provides when achieving a greater good. While many pastors yell and scream from the pulpit, some have forgotten that old expression, "What would Jesus do?"

Pastor Adepoju Oyemade brings such a spirit to the people of Nigeria and they love him for doing so.

I met "Pastor Poju" during a recent trip to Nigeria. I was immediately impressed with the manner by which the pastor has utilized recent freedoms in the country to take God to the people. But he has not only taken God to the people, he has used the power of free enterprise to introduce them to a whole new world. His semi-annual event, called "The Platform," is one of the most celebrated events in the entire country. The pastor brings together 20,000 citizens of Lagos, Nigeria and teaches them the value of entrepreneurship and tools for running a successful business. His work in the community earns him respect, and it is the kind of work that should be used as an economic development model for black pastors and business owners throughout the world.

Q: Tell us about "The Platform." Where did the idea come from and what gave you the passion to pursue it?

Continue reading Dr Boyce: Should Black Pastors Stay inside the Church?

"New Testament" Obedience

Many people believe that in order to please God and to be in good standing with him that they need to be obedient to his law of commandments. But the bible teaches that this is impossible and trying to do so brings a curse on our lives. Do you mean that if we try to keep God’s laws in order to please him that we will be cursed? Yes, as irrational as that sounds listen to this…

“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” (Gal. 3:10)

This is saying that if we try to please God by keeping his commandments that we must keep every single commandment completely and we must do it at all times. In other words, we must be perfect in our behavior. This of course is impossible to do. So if we base our right standing with God on keeping his law we will fail and bring a curse upon our lives.

Paul also said this about our ability to keep God’s law…

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwells no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Rom. 7:17-18)

Paul found that even though he wanted to keep God’s law and tried to do so, he couldn’t do it because of the weakness of his flesh. In fact, when he tried to do good, he would always do just the opposite. Have you ever experienced that problem? Consider if you tell yourself that you are NOT going to eat that last piece of cake. Whew! What a fight THAT can be. That piece of cake will even seem to “talk” to you every time you walk by it! Well, the bible says this... “the strength of sin is the law.” (1Cor. 15:56) It’s not that eating that piece of cake is sin but once you make a law against it, you’ve just strengthened its grip on you to eat it. And that is the way it is with all law. Law actually strengthens the grip that sin has on you. It cannot help you. It will only make matters worse.

But you see; this is why Jesus came. He came to keep the law for us and to please God for us so that in him we could be as pleasing and as acceptable to God as he is. However, in order to enjoy this blessing that Jesus came to bring us, we must exercise our faith. First we must accept Jesus as our savior and after we have done that, as Christians we must believe that what Jesus did was enough to please God for us! That means that if we have accepted Christ as our savior, we must believe that we are always pleasing to God and in right standing with him despite our shortcomings and our sins. We can never base pleasing God on our own lives. This is the only way to have peace and rest in God because in ourselves and in our own trying we can never keep all of the law.

Most Christians understand that in order to gain right standing with God they must do it by faith and so they accept Jesus as their savior. But after that, they live their Christian lives in fear of not being good enough and they try to please God and maintain a good standing with him by keeping his laws. But because it was not our own goodness that earned a right standing with God in the first place, it will not be our own goodness that will be able to maintain it. It just can't be done. It is only our faith in Christ that can do that.

Keeping the law is “Old Testament” obedience and is impossible to do. Believing that we are already good enough through our faith in Christ is “New Testament” obedience and the only way to please God. (Heb. 11:6)

The Old Testament was given to show man what he was required to DO to be right with God. The New Testament was given to show man what he was required to BELIEVE to be right with God. It is the difference between a life of “works” and a life of “faith.” It is a difference between a life of exhausting “trying” and a life of “resting” in the Lord.

And our lives are not to be lives of endlessly and impossibly trying to be good enough to please God. Our lives are to be lives of rest and peace believing that we are already pleasing to God because of Jesus. It took me a long time to learn that. But I finally learned it. I used to get up each morning determined to be the best Christian that I could be. But that was instant failure and was followed by a day filled with anxious trying and a constant struggle with guilt for not always doing “good enough.” But now I get up each morning believing that I’m already the best Christian I need to be. (Jesus made me that way). And I go through my day believing that all the time (despite my shortcomings) and I am at peace and rest with God all the time. That’s a whole lot better way of life believe me. And it works! I have learned that it is my faith that pleases God and not my good works.

If you think about it for a moment, we can conclude that the fastest way to DISPLEASE God is to "try" to please him. That just doesn’t seem right but it is. It is accepting Jesus as our substitute in all things that pleases God! We are called to live by faith, not by works or by trying harder. And thank God for that!

Now this does not mean that it is ok to live any way we want. Sin is always destructive. It can hurt us and it can hurt those around us. Sin brings a sense of guilt and condemnation and sometimes a whole lot of trouble. And that certainly is not God’s will. But we are not called to live righteously in order to be righteous. We are called to live righteously because we are already righteous. It is worth remembering that good works do not produce righteousness. It is righteousness that produces good works. (Rom. 12:1-2, 2Cor. 5:21)

So… if you are a Christian and are trying to please God; JUST STOP IT!

Ha…! I know that doesn’t sound right. But it is. You cannot please God in the flesh. Instead you should be trusting that because of Jesus you are already as pleasing to God as you will ever be! And that means NOW and it means at ALL times. What Jesus did was good enough for now and for all time. Wow! What a great way to live… by faith. It’s a whole lot easier and the only way to be truly at peace with God.

The bible says (in no fewer that FOUR places) that, “The just shall live by faith.” (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38) Do you think that God is trying to tell us something?

So if you want life and peace and the blessing of God, living by faith is the ONLY way to do it! It is the “New Testament” way of obedience, not the “Old Testament" way. Old Testament obedience was to DO. New Testament obedience is to BELIEVE (and to rest).

"There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into (God's) rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his." (Heb. 4:9-10 parenthesis mine)

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom. 8:28)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Black Gospel News: Black Woman Becomes a Rabbi

When Alysa Stanton officially becomes a rabbi next month, she'll be walking into history.

Alysa Stanton, 45, will become the first African-American woman to be ordained as a rabbi next month.

She'll become the first African-American woman ever to be ordained as a rabbi and the first African-American rabbi to lead a majority white congregation, according to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Stanton, 45, will be ordained June 6 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she received her master's degree from the HUC-JIR, which is the rabbinical school of the Reform movement. Then in August, she will begin her new job at Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville, North Carolina -- long a Conservative synagogue and now affiliated with both the Reform and Conservative movements.

She describes her new position with great enthusiasm, saying the congregation -- while small -- has a lot of children, a sign of a bright future. And she says the congregation is vibrant and the region, where East Carolina University and a major medical center are located, is dynamic as well.

"My goals as a rabbi are to break down barriers, build bridges and provide hope," Stanton told CNN. "I look forward to being the spiritual leader of an inclusive sacred community that welcomes and engages all."

The HUC says the milestone reflects the diversity that permeates Jewish life.

Click to read.

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Where's My Blessing Lord?

Most Christians have a tendency of feeling guilty and condemned whenever they sin or make mistakes or think they fall short of God's standards. In fact, there can often be a looming sense that things will go badly for us when we sin; and that the more we fall short the worse we expect it to be. It is an expectation of punishment.

But in Christianity, it is not like that. If we have accepted Jesus as our savior, we can expect blessings not cursing, even when we sin, and even when we sin again.

Of course it is not sinning that brings the blessing; it is the fact that Jesus has already paid the price for our sin that we can expect blessings. And we can expect them no matter what our sin is or how often we commit it. That is called grace. In fact, the apostle Paul wrote, “…where sin increased, grace increased all the more…” (Rom. 5:20 NIV) That’s right, the bible says that the more sin there is, the more grace there is to forgive it and to still bless us. I know that just doesn’t sound right. We would naturally expect more and more punishment the more we sin, but we are not dealing with a natural God. With God, the more we sin, the more grace there is to bless us. Wow! That is an amazing truth.

This may sound then that because of these facts that it’s ok to go on sinning. After all, the more we sin, the more grace there is to forgive us. But that's certainly not the case. God’s grace is simply there when we need it. It was Paul again who said this, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." (Rom. 6:1-2) God forbids sin, no matter what, but he does not forbid it because he is offended or angry or because it creates a rift in our relationship. The reason that God does not want us to sin is because of the guilt and condemnation that we can suffer and that I spoke of at the beginning of this article. When we feel guilty and condemned because of our sin, we expect punishment from God, not blessing. It makes it extremely difficult to realize that God loves us, has forgiven us through Christ, and wants to bless us despite our sin. However, that is the truth and that is what I want to convey in this message.

We are never judged by God according to what we do. If we were judged by what we do (or don’t do) we would always be guilty and we would always be worthy of punishment. That is because we can never live up to God’s standard of perfection. There was only one human being that ever lived up to God’s standard and that was Jesus. That is why that it is only through our faith in him that we can have a right standing with God and be worthy of his blessing. And that truth will prevail despite all of our sin.

The thing that I would like to get across here is that the more we sin, the more we should look for and expect blessings from God, not punishment. If we do that, we will open our hearts and lives for God's grace and mercy and consequently his blessings. If we don’t do that, we will shut ourselves off from the blessings of God. And though it may be inadvertant, that would be a lack of faith in what Jesus did for us and would sink our blessing ship so to speak. So, despite the "natural" tendency to feel guilty and condemned when we sin, instead we should look for the blessings of God to overtake us.

Consider saying this to God when you sin; “Lord I messed up again, so where’s is my blessing?”

I said that in a funny way on purpose, but it is meaningful and true none the less. I made it sound as if we are looking for a blessing because of our sin, but it is really looking for a blessing despite our sin. It is having faith in what Christ did for us rather than having fear because of what we may have done. And that kind of faith is the only way to please God. You will never do it by trying to be good enough. The book of Hebrews says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him..." (Heb. 11:6) And if we take that step of faith, (expecting to be blessed despite our sin) we indeed will be blessed… It will be done unto us according to our FAITH. The alternative of doing this is to entertain guilt and fear. And if we are afraid of punishment because of our shortcomings and believe that God will not bless us because we did not live up to his standard; well, the bible says that we will be under a curse. We will NOT be blessed. Instead, we will be cursed. The book of Galatians says this, “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” (Gal. 3:10-11)

We must always remember that God’s only standard of living is his Son and it is only through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus that we can live up to that standard. And we must also realize that if we have accepted Jesus as our savior, we have done all we need to do, (indeed all that we can do) to please God and to be worthy of ALL of God’s richest blessings despite any amount of “short-comings” or sin.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Your Black News: New York Pastor Gets $600K Pay Package

Dr Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.com

I read today about the financial compensation package of pastor Brad Braxton of the New Riverside Church in Manhattan.  Here is the breakdown of Braxton’s compensation:

$250,000 in salary.

$11,500 monthly housing allowance.

Private school tuition for his child.

A full-time maid.

Entertainment, travel and "professional development" allowances.

Pension and life insurance benefits.

An equity allowance for Braxton to save up to buy a home.

On top of that, Braxton immediately hired a new second in command at more than $300,000 a year.

The total value of the package is estimated to be $600,000 per year. 

All I can say is “wow”.  No disrespect to this man or his congregation, but he would NOT be preaching at my church.  What was most problematic about the church’s decision to give Braxton such a ridiculous compensation package was that they didn’t seem to clear it with the membership, many of whom are filing suit over Braxton’s pay. As a Finance Professor, I must admit that I personally become uncomfortable hearing men and women of God talking about money more than I do.  I must disagree with Rev. TD Jakes, who said that “Jesus is a product”.  Sorry brother, Nikes are a product.  Cheeseburgers are a product.  Jesus is a spirit that should lead us to pursue a good that is greater than our bank accounts.  I am not sure how many pastors agree with that assessment. 

Black Celebrity News: BET’s Gospel Show to Get Cancelled

BET’s 106 and Gospel has been officially canceled.  But please tell me this:  Why in the “hayell” would you air a gospel show at 12 noon on Sundays?  Aren’t people in church at that time?

I swear…..some people can’t get a damn clue without the intervention of the Lord.

Technorati Tags: BET,106 and gospel,black news,black celebrity gossip

The Power To Do Good

The bible says that “If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” (Jas. 3:2 NIV)

That is something; being able to keep our whole body in check simply by saying the right things! The hidden idea here is that if we have a problem with our behavior or have bad habits, it is because of what we have been saying. I know that might not sound possible but as we will see, the bible teaches that our “doing” is inextricably connected with what we say and that if we can tame our tongue, we can tame our whole body.

The amplified bible makes it even clearer than that. It says this… “And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and curb his entire nature." (Jas. 3:2 Amplified Bible) That’s amazing… curb our entire nature!

The book of James explains that our tongue is like a rudder of a ship. It says that even though ships are so big they are turned and directed by a very small helm; even in great storms. (Jas. 3:4) And that is exactly how our tongues are. What we say is what we will do. I guess that is clear enough, but what does it mean and how does it work? We will get to that shortly, but first let’s consider a problem that James brings up in his book. After telling us that if we tame our tongue we can tame our whole body; he then tells us that no man can tame the tongue. (Jas. 3:8) How fair is that? Well, it is true what he is saying but the man he is talking about that cannot tame the tongue is a natural man, one who tries in his own "natural" strength and in his own "trying" to tame his or her tongue. That just won’t work. We must learn how to tap into God’s supernatural power to tame our tongues. The reason for this is that the bible says there is no good thing in our flesh; that is our natural man; leaving us with no power to do the things we want. Have you ever tried keeping a New Year’s Resolution? That should give you an indication of the power we have to do the things we want… like about none! Paul said this about himself, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. (Rom. 7:18-19) He was making it clear to us from personal experience that even though we might know the right thing to do and want to do them, there is no power in ourselves to accomplish them. Even the very best of people with the best of motives do not have the power within themselves to do good. That is why the world is like it is. We just don’t have the power within ourselves to do good no matter how hard we try! We need God and his power and that includes for the taming of our tongues.

I know that there is a more to this than meets the eye. As I mentioned, no natural man can tame the tongue; we must become spiritual men and women. So first there is the issue of accepting Jesus as personal savior and having the spirit of God dwelling in us; thus I will consider this problem of our tongue as Christians; those of us who have accepted Jesus as our savior.

What then is the solution to taming our tongues so we can tame our behavior? Well, it is really quite simple. Jesus said that it is “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” It is those things that we believe and think and have in abundance in our heart that we will say and it is those things that we say that will steer our life. Jesus went on to say, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things. And an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Mt. 12:34-35) It is what is in our heart in abundance that we will say and it is what we say that we will do. Listen further to the Lord when he said this, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies…” (Mt. 15:18-19)

This then makes it clear how to live the Christian life and it is really simple. It has nothing to do with being determined or trying harder; it has everything to do with what we believe and have in abundance in our heart. If we believe in our heart what God says and fill our heart with an abundance of his WORD it will transform and empower and direct our lives. That is where the power is. In short, if we think like God, (believing and being filled with his word) we will talk and act like God. And that is a good thing. (Rom. 12:1-2)

So, how do we fill our hearts with God’s word? Well, it will not entirely be through our own bible reading and study. In fact, if that is all we do, it will not work for us. That is because that is not the way God made the body of Christ to grow and to develop. In the book of Ephesians we read that Jesus gave gifts unto men (and women). These gifts are gifts of ministry. It reads like this… “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:” (Eph. 4:11-13)

Without submitting to the “five-fold” ministry gifts, we will never develop as we should. But we must be very discerning about the ministries that we submit ourselves to. Many ministries; in fact, I think most ministries (though they may be well meaning) teach the religion of men, and men don’t always think like God thinks. You can be as well meaning as you can but if you misunderstand the bible and rather teach what you think it says, you will not have the results the bible promises. The problem is that the religion of men often sounds biblical. That is why so many teach and listen to it and try to live it. Like I just said however, a good indicator that a ministry teaches the Word of God is that the word taught will bring results, being confirmed by God with consistent miracles, signs and wonders. God always confirms his word with signs following. (Mk. 16:20) The key is to find a ministry that consistently has the kind of results in prayer that Jesus had and to learn the word from them. Listening to them on a regular basis will help you get supernatural results in your life and will also help you to recognize the difference between God’s word and the religion of men. That will be the key to supernatural power working in your life instead of your own natural power which religion is always based on. Remember, we have no power within ourselves to please God. We must learn how to tap into God’s power to do those good things that God wants us to do and to have all the blessing that God wants us to have. Hosea said that, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” (Hos. 4:6) That should make it clear why sometimes our Christian lives are a struggle and do not have biblical results... We may think we understand God's word, but if we do not have the results the bible promises, there is a problem.

I’ll leave you with a short list of ministers that I have found helpful in the goal of filling our hearts with God’s word AND that will help clarify the difference between the word of God and the religion of men… Andrew Wommack, Bill Winston, Joseph Prince, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Joel Osteen, Fred Price, Charles Capps, and Leroy Thompson. I am sure there are others, but I am most confident these. Listening to the teachings of these ministries in abundance (along with our own bible study) will go a long way in the process of filling our hearts with God’s word and keeping that word flowing out of our mouths. And this is the only way to tame our tongues and thus keep our whole body in check. Trying hard to live right will just not work. We need the power of God’s word to do that! (Rom. 7:14-25, Jas. 3:1-4)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www.jbagati.com

Is Celibacy the Right Answer for Priests?

With relative certainty it can be said that 90 to 93% of Roman Catholic priests in the United States do not get sexually involved with minors. The discrepancy between those numbers and the report of the Bishops' Commission (4% priest abusers) can be reconciled and justified if one accounts for the under reporting of victims and perpetrators plus the reports from well monitored areas like Boston and New Hampshire where the figures of abusers runs over 7 and 8%. Many religious communities sustain a population of abusers at 10%. Where the safety of children is concerned it is necessary to give a wide berth rather than restrictive estimate to the dangers they face.

Of course sexual activity of any adult with a minor is criminal. In addition it is clearly a violation of celibacy that is expected of Catholic priests. To pretend that sex with minors is the only or even the most frequent violation of celibacy by Catholic priests and bishops is a fiction of the fifth magnitude.

I have never disputed the power of the ideal of celibacy—the complete and unflinching sacrifice of one's sexual life for the undivided service of others.

Nor have I ever advanced or advocated the argument that simply discarding the rule of mandatory celibacy will make priests more sexually responsible or mature.

The crisis of celibacy is far more complex than any change in law alone can remedy. But celibacy is undeniably a problem for priests.

To understand the problem of clerical celibacy and to debate cogently it is only right to seek what is known about how celibacy is practiced by those who profess it. And a great deal is already known.

A study of Swiss priests published on May 12, 2003, revealed that 50% of that clergy had mistresses. Father Victor Kotze, a South African sociologist conducted a survey of the priests in his country (1991) and found that 45% had been sexually active during the previous two year period.

Pepe Rodriguez published his book length study of the sexual life of clergy in Spain (La Vida sexual del Clero 1995). He concluded that among practicing priests 95% masturbate; 7% are sexually involved with minors and 26% have "attachments to minors;" 60% have sexual relations, 20% have homosexual relations.

 

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Back News: lGospel Singer Bebe Winans Assault Charge

Grammy-winning gospel singer Benjamin (BeBe) Winans has been charged with misdemeanor domestic assault after a dispute with his ex-wife in Nashville.

An arrest warrant filed Wednesday said 46-r-old Winans got into an argument with his ex-wife, Debra, aboutyea their children at her home.

"He pushed me to the ground in front of my children," Debra Winans told CNN.

 

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Black News: Fewer Americans Calling Themselves Christian

America is a less Christian nation than it was 20 years ago, and Christianity is not losing out to other religions, but primarily to a rejection of religion altogether, a survey published Monday found.

Survey finds percentage of of Americans identifying themselves as Christian has fallen over two decades.

Seventy-five percent of Americans call themselves Christian, according to the American Religious Identification Survey from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1990, the figure was 86 percent.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League said he thinks a radical shift towards individualism over the last quarter-century has a lot to do it.

"The three most dreaded words are thou shalt not," he told Lou Dobbs. "Notice they are not atheists -- they are saying I don't want to be told what to do with my life."

At the same time there has been an increase in the number of people expressing no religious affiliation.

The survey also found that "born-again" or "evangelical" Christianity is on the rise, while the percentage who belong to "mainline" congregations such as the Episcopal or Lutheran churches has fallen.

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Technorati Tags: black church,black churches,black gospel,black news headlines

What is the Black Church?

 

By Rev. Nicholas A. Pearce

Though often portrayed as a singular, monolithic entity, many scholars debate whether “the Black Church” truly exists. While the distinctive differences that have so long divided predominantly African-American Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and non-denominational churches are apparent, a potentially pernicious predicament currently demands our attention. While many people focus on the differences that exist among denominations and local churches, our attention must turn to one critical challenge we face within many of our churches. Young people are always labeled “The Church of Tomorrow,” which suggests two things: (1) that their spiritual gifts, leadership, and contributions are less meaningful, insignificant, and/or invalid at present and (2) the presupposition that tomorrow is promised. As countless young people leave the Church and still others sit restlessly in the pews waiting for a tomorrow deferred to finally arrive, the question we must confront is clear – when is “tomorrow” today?

The situation looks much like a track relay race. Our parents in the ministry were passed the baton of the Word of God by their parents and find themselves running the race of leadership as the next generation prepares in anticipation of receiving the baton in the exchange zone. Our forerunners in the ministry generally fall into one of three typological categories as they approach the exchange zone. (1) Some of our parents finish strong and cleanly pass on the baton to the next generation to run the next leg of the race. (2) Others of our parents, hearing the acclamation of the cheering crowd, decide to run an extra lap and skip the waiting generation in the exchange zone. Other racers with fresh legs soon pass by as these overzealous individuals run out of energy and solemnly realize that the baton was meant to be passed to the next generation. The overlooked and disenfranchised next generation ponders their befallen state and searches for other constructive outlets for their energy and talent that was intended to be expended in the race. (3) Still others of our parents approach the exchange zone with timidity, fearing that they will slowly fade out of the picture as they relinquish possession of the baton to a seemingly untested new generation. The combination of the outgoing generation’s insecure ambivalence to let go and the waiting generation’s consequent loss of self-assurance, the baton exchange is botched. No matter how well the previous lap had been run, no matter how talented the next runner may have been, the baton was dropped; the race was lost.

Does the Church have the luxury of leaving its young people and their gifts in a perpetual holding pattern, never to land? Can the Church afford to continue to mistakenly equate seniority with maturity as young people are prepared yet overlooked in the exchange zone? Will the Apostle Paul’s 1 Corinthians 12 treatise on unity in the body of Christ and the importance of each member thereof extend to a generation waiting to lead? Even a cursory glance at the state of the “Black Church” reveals an institution wrestling with its identity, struggling with being attractive while remaining authentic and grappling with the challenges and realities of a new day. Will an intensifying focus on devising better methods instead of making better men and women for the Kingdom of God cause the 21^st century Black Church to institutionally marginalize itself? God forbid – but let us earnestly wait for the day when tomorrow becomes today and the next generation carries forward the baton of leadership.

Rev. Nicholas A. Pearce serves as Associate Minister of the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, IL and is a doctoral candidate at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Contact: npearce1@alum.mit.edu

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Madea Wins in Hollywood

If anybody had a reason to doubt whether Tyler Perry has become one of the most bankable brands in all of movies, be skeptical no longer.

The domestic dramedy maestro's latest release, Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail," ran away with a big victory on the typically slow Academy Awards weekend, grossing a hefty $41.1 million, according to early estimates from Media by Numbers.

That opening sum is the biggest of all time for a Tyler Perry film, besting the $30 million debut of 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion." Too, it's the top bow in the history of indie studio Lionsgate, improving upon all the Tyler Perry and "Saw" flicks that came before it. The movie's per-theater average of $20,236 ranks in the top 40 for all wide openers ever.

And, no surprise, "Madea Goes to Jail" achieved all this success with a solid A CinemaScore grade from a crowd that included mostly older women. Watch Tyler Perry talk about his success »

Second place went to "Taken," which added another $11.4 million to its four-week tally, bringing said total to $95.2 million. Fellow strong holdover "Coraline" (No. 3) was next with $11 million.

"He's Just Not That Into You" (No. 4) declined a sharp 56 percent to bank $8.5 million on its third weekend. And Best Picture favorite "Slumdog Millionaire" rounded out the top five with $8.1 million -- a sum that brings its domestic total to $98 million.

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Christian Nutshells

Christian Nutshells are short sayings that sum up specific bible truths and concepts. They are bible truths in a “nutshell.” They are accompanied with scripture references for confirmation and further study and are food for thought and seeds to be planted in our lives. Here are a few. Hope you enjoy them…

ON THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

The message of Christianity is about what God has done for man, not what man must do for God. (Jn. 3:16, 1Jn. 4:10)

Jesus has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. (Mt. 8:16-17, 1Pet. 2:24)

We conform to God’s will by accepting Jesus as savior… it is not by any good works of our own. (Rom. 3:28, Eph. 2: 8-9)

It is impossible to please God except through faith. (Heb. 11:6)

The New Testament calls us to believe not to do. (It will be our believing that will empower us to do). (Rom. 12:2-3)

Trying harder will get you no-where with God; accepting Jesus as savior will. (Rom. 7:18-19, 8:8-10, Heb. 4:9-11)

God is not pleased with us because we live such a good life. He is pleased with us because we have accepted his Son. (Gal. 2:16)

God’s law was never meant to make us right with God. It was meant to prove to us that we couldn’t keep it and to lead us to Christ who could. (Gal. 3:24)

This is the work of God; that you believe on him whom he has sent. (Jn. 6:29)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering, (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Oneness!

Here’s “one” for you. I mean here’s one for you to think about…

Before Jesus went to the cross, he prayed this prayer,

“Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching,
That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us…” (Jn. 17:20-21)

Jesus prayed that those who believe in him would be one with him and with each other. And this prayer is continually being answered whenever anyone accepts Jesus as their savior. Whenever anyone accepts Jesus as their savior they become “one” with the Lord.

What I would like to do in this article is to help us understand the meaning of this “oneness” with the Lord and to help us grasp its really huge significance it has in our lives.

The best way I know how to describe the meaning of being “one” with the Lord is to use an illustration. The illustration I will use is of our own physical body. Our physical body is made up of many thousands of different parts, each being an individual part with its own name and its own function. Yet each and every part is “one” with our body. That is the way it is with those who believe in the Lord. There are many thousands of us, each being an individual with our own name and function, but each of us is “one” with Jesus and a very real part of his “body.” That is why we are called the “body of Christ.” Each one of us has our own individuality and purpose, yet we are as “one” with the Lord as my finger is “one” with me. Wow!

Granted, this is a spiritual relationship, but our relationship with God is one of faith (and is just as real as a natural relationship)! It is believing what God says about us, (even if we don’t fully understand it) that will influence every area of our lives.

Remember, spiritual concepts are not understood with the head, but with the heart, and if we choose to believe (or at least to be open-minded) about what God’s word says, his word “will” become a reality to us and it “will” be effective in our lives. That is how faith works. It brings things that are spiritual into the natural. So think about it; being one with Jesus as he is one with the Father? Whew! And consider the things that Jesus could do because was one with the Father. Now consider ourselves doing the same because of our relationship with God. This is the only way that we can do the “works” of Christ; being one with both the Father and the Son!

Yes, being one with Jesus is the only way that we can be “Christ-like.” And it is the only way we can do the works of Christ. There is nothing in ourselves that will enable us to do either. It is only being in him and being a part of him that we can truly be Christ-like and do his works. And we are so much a part of Christ that Paul could say, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, But Christ lives in me…” (Gal. 2:20)

Looking at this in a more dynamic way Paul is saying here is that when we accept Jesus as our savior, we are so much a part of him that when he was punished and died, we were punished and died also, and when he rose again from the dead as a new man, we rose again as a new man also, and even when he ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the father, we ascended with him. This may seem hard to imagine but it is well documented and explained throughout the writings of Paul. But whether or not we understand how this can be, if we can be open minded, (and spiritually minded) about this, the results it will bring in our lives will be astounding. (Rom. 6:3-5)

Listen to this; in the book of Ephesians, Paul said that God has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” “Far above all principality, and power and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come.” (Eph. 2:6; 1:21) Wow! I told you that the bible says that we rose and ascended with Jesus. This is our spiritual heritage AND our spiritual position. This is where we get our authority and our power to live and act and be like Christ! And it is all because we are “one” with him.

We are as much a part of Jesus as Jesus is with himself! It is called being "one" with the Lord. Wow!

I told you this was one to think about.

But let’s put this on a simpler level. If we are one with Jesus, is Jesus ever sick? Does he ever lack anything? Is Jesus loved and cherished by the Father and will the Father do those things that Jesus asks him to do? Is Jesus righteous and holy and wise and powerful and protected? I'm sure we all know the answers to these questions. Well, if we are one with the Lord, all of these benefits and all of the benefits that you can think of from being "one" with the Lord are ours too. It is endlessly extensive and it is very powerful!

We are not only “in” Christ, but we are part of him and he is part of us. We and God are ONE. Whew again! No longer do we just carry our own name, but we carry his name too. And he carries ours! (And don’t worry about being good enough for him to carry our name because having accepted Jesus; God has made us good enough). (2Cor. 5:21)

When Jesus died and rose again he made all of this possible for us. It is in the “new birth,” (when we accepted Christ as savior) that we were made “one” with him. We became part of him, being spiritually changed into his likeness and taking on the characteristics and the power that he has. There is no need to “try” to be one with God or to “try” to get any closer to him. We are one with him already and as close to him as we’ll ever be. Where we go, he goes and where we are he is.

The thing is, that in order for anything in the bible to become effective for us, we must first believe it! God has left that up to us. So our part in all of this is to believe what God has said about our "oneness" with him. And after considering all of this, hopefully you can begin to realize all of the possible benefits that this can produce in our lives if we do! (1Jn. 4:17)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering, (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

What Would Jesus Say about Black Men Living on the Downlow?

By Syreeta L. McNeal, CPA, JD

Recently, New York Knick’s basketball player, Eddy Curry, a married father of several kids, received notice of a sexual-harassment lawsuit by his former limo driver, Kuchinsky. Kuchinsky is alleging that Curry tried to solicit gay sexual activity from him while working as a 24/7 chauffer for the NBA hoop star and his family.[1] With the national press coverage of this story, I am reminded of the movie,Cover, which explored the current situation that appears to be facing many black families. Cover is a film about a devoted, churchgoing wife, and mother whose faith is shattered when she discovers that her husband is living a secret double life.[2] Also, there is a 30-minute internet movie, Results, which tackles the same type of betrayal and shows how the couple tackles it in the span of one night.[3] So, as it relates to married men who happen to cheat on their spouse on thedown low, I ask, what’s love got to do with it? I understand the question is paying tribute to the hit single by Tina Turner. However, I think people should explore the reasons why married men choose to cheat on the down low and should a wife, who takes a vow of fidelity with her husband, continue in the relationship after discovering the betrayal.

People might ask why a lawyer would write an article on a social topic such as married men who cheat on the down low. Well, a lawyer is considered an attorney and counselor at law. When a wife chooses to get a divorce due to infidelity from their husbands cheating on the down low, it is important for lawyers to understand the origin of the relationship and what caused the heartache to their client so that they can effectively provide legal advice and counseling for their client. In a majority of states, infidelity is just one factor in how marital property is divided between former married couples. Even though a wife might want her husband, who cheated on the down low, to get nothing and pay dearly for the betrayal, the courts in a majority of states will not find fault (e.g. infidelity) a determining factor in the division of marital property. Therefore, it behooves the lawyer to try other methods of counseling to explain the law to jilted married clients.

This article will analyze the meaning of love, the reasons why people get married, and what actions people should take to minimize the potential of being married to men who cheat on the down low.

Meaning of Love

Love has many meanings. Webster dictionary defines Love as a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (e.g. maternal love for a child).[4] Also, love is an attraction based on sexual desires (e.g. affection and tenderness felt by lovers).[5] Love is also an affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests (e.g. love for old schoolmates).[6] Also, love is a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion (e.g. love of the sea).[7] Love can also be used as a term of endearment.[8] Love is also the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.[9] Love is a sexual embrace.[10] In all, love embraces a form that is erotic, romantic, familial, platonic, and religious.

Similar to Webster dictionary, Christianity embraces four forms of love: Agapē, Philia, Eros, and Storge.[11] Agapē means charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional.[12] It is parental love seen as creating goodness in the world.[13] It is the way God is seen to love humanity and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for others.[14] Philia is defined as the human response to something that is found to be delightful.[15] Also, it is known as "brotherly love".[16] Eros is defined as sexual love.[17] Storge is defined as the needy child-to-parent love.[18]

One thing that is fascinating is the explanation of what Eros is. Eros is a very passionate love, with sensual desire and longing.[19] In the classical world, the phenomenon of love was generally understood as a kind of madness or, as the Greeks put it, theia mania ("madness from the gods").[20] This love passion is best illustrated by a scheme involving “love arrows” or “love darts.”[21] The source of the arrows is said to be the image of the beautiful love object itself.[22] If the arrows arrive at the lover’s eyes, they would then travel to and ‘pierce’ and ‘wound’ his or her heart and overwhelm him/her with desire and longing.[23] This creates an image of an “arrow’s wound” where an oxymoron of pleasure and pain is created.[24]

As illustrated above, love has different meanings. Saying “I love you” to a person can mean a variety of things. The issue for married couples who are dealing with husbands who cheat on the down low isnot whether they love their wives. The issue is what type of love does husbands who cheat on the down low have for their wives. In my opinion, this is the heart of the conflict that exists between married couples who have husbands who cheat on the down low. Next, it is important to understand why people marry.

Why People Marry

Marriage is a social, religious, spiritual or legal union of individuals.[25] People marry for many reasons, but usually they marry for one or more of the following reasons:[26]
· legal, social, and economic stability;
· the formation of a family unit;
· procreation and the education and nurturing of children;
· legitimizing sexual relations;
· public declaration of love; or
· to obtain citizenship

In almost all Protestant forms of Christianity, they hold marriage to be ordained by God for the union between a man and a woman.[27]They see the primary purpose of this union to be to glorify God by demonstrating his love to the world.[28] Other secondary purposes of marriage include intimate companionship, rearing children and mutual support for both husband and wife to fulfill their life callings.[29]

Like love, people marry for a variety of reasons. What is extremely interesting is that when protestant Christians marry their primary purpose is for the union to glorify God. One example of the betrayal for protestant Christians is when married men cheat on the down low. This action is not one that glorifies God especially when the bible states that men (or women) who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God.[30] So, the conflict exists and men and women need to be aware of who their partners are before entering into marriage.

The Reality of the Conflict of Down Low Activity with Marriage

Some married men who cheat on the down low believe that down low activity is similar when men cheat with other women. I beg to differ. As these movies illustrate, a woman cannot compete with a man sexually. Women and men are not equal in physical form. Men and women have different sexual features and different purposes of use for these features. I equate the differences between men and women similar to placing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. Do like parts unite or do opposite pieces fit together?

If a married man cheats on the down low, they have a sexual attraction for another man. Sorry ladies. Physically, there is nothing you can do, except do a sex change, to sexually fulfill a man who wants to sleep with other men. A married man might love his wife, but the sexual love a wife is craving from her husband does not exist the way she wants or believes it should exist especially if this type of infidelity occurs after the coupled exchanged wedding vows to be married. There are always signs of men who have a sexual attraction for another man. However, you have to open your eyes and find out who your spouse truly is before you enter into marriage.

Attributes of Counseling Before Marriage

One way to discover whether your significant partner is ready to be married is to participate in marriage counseling. In essence, you are treating your marriage as a long term investment and gathering as much information about your spouse before you enter into marriage. As illustrated above, love has many meanings and people marry for different reasons. Just because someone says “I love you” is not all you need to know to venture into marriage. What a man and woman need to find out from each other is what type of love exists and is it reciprocally felt. If your potential spouse only feels an admiration for you and you feel romantic love for that person, then you need to find this out before you venture into marriage and not get married to the person. Also, what are the reasons why the man and woman are getting married and is it reciprocal. If your potential spouse wants to get married to obtain citizenship and you want to get married public declaration of love, then you need to find this out before you venture into marriage and not get married to this person.

Ideally, married couples expect their spouses to solely want them only. They believe their spouse will be the complement human being to help fulfill their needs mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. No one is perfect, but the union of a man and woman is expected to be one that works to perfection as seen in God’s light. When married men cheat on the down low, there is an erotic and sexual attraction for people of the same sex that their wife can’t fulfill. A potential spouse needs to know this before hand and not marry the individual especially if they seek their spouse to solely want them only.

Effective marriage counseling will be able to discover the compatibility of the couple. Marriage counseling should emphasize substance over form. The counseling should explore the type of love that exists and if it is reciprocally felt. Also, marriage counseling should explore the reasons why each person wants to marry and whether it is reciprocal. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with doing an extensive background check on people before getting married. When you choose to marry someone, you are making a societal and private contract that this individual is someone you will honor and cherish, to have and to hold, until death do you part. With any type of long term investment, you need to know what you are getting into. This is not to say that marriages will not have problems, but if you choose someone to be married to you, you are making a long term investment in that individual expecting that the good will outweigh the bad. Know what you are getting into so you canminimize suffering betrayals like having married men cheat on the down low.

Legal Disclaimer: This site provides information about the law designed to keep readers informed of pertinent legal matters affecting the African-American community. But legal information is not the same as legal advice -- the application of law to an individual's specific circumstances. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a lawyer in your specific location if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.

[1]http://www.nypost.com/seven/01132009/news/regionalnews/knick_gets_called_for_sex_foul_149982.htm
[2] http://www.coverthemovie.com/
[3] http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi3195994137/
[4] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Love
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_(religious_views)
[12] Id.
[13] Id.
[14] Id.
[15] Id.
[16] Id.
[17] Id.
[18] Id.
[19] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eros_(love)
[20] Id.
[21] Id.
[22] Id.
[23] Id.
[24] Id.
[25] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage
[26] Id.
[27] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_views_of_marriage
[28] Id.
[29] Id.
[30] 1 Corinthians 6:9

Technorati Tags: black relationships,african american love,african american relationships,on the down low,black men in america,black love,black men,black women,african american men,african american women

To Tithe Or Not To Tithe II

In an article dated December 28, 2008 I wrote the first part of "To Tithe Or Not To Tithe?" In it I shared that tithing (donating 10% of our income to God’s work) is often taught as a biblical requirement. This teaching is based primarily on a portion of scripture from the book of Malachi, chapter 3, verses 8-12. Through Malachi, God challenges his people to “prove me now herewith, (by tithes and offerings) saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it…” (Mal. 3:10 parenthesis mine)

The full measure of this portion of scripture says that if we don’t tithe, we are “robbing God,” and that there is a curse on us, and of course, God will not open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing that there is not enough room to receive it.

As I had said in that first article, the problem with this teaching is that this is an attempt by man to “earn” the blessing of God through his own self effort. Like all law, this law was given to men to prove to us that we cannot keep it to God’s standard of perfection and can never attain his blessings by trying to keep it. It is intended to lead us to Christ who kept the whole law for us; and it is through faith in him that we can obtain ALL the blessings that God has for us including this one promised through tithing. All of God’s blessings are free through Jesus.

Attempting to “earn” God’s blessing through tithing is the same as trying to “earn” our salvation by doing enough good works. Neither is possible. The only way to receive either is through our faith in Christ.

It was in Christ that was given to us ALL that God is and ALL that God has. The truth of the matter is that God already opened the windows of heaven and poured us out a blessing that we have not enough room to receive it when he gave us Jesus. This blessing of God, along with any other is already purchased for us and is ours when we accept Jesus as our savior.

In order for you to get a larger picture of this whole idea, along with a New Testament understanding of the role of “giving” (as opposed to tithing), and its importance in our lives, I will refer you back to the 12/28/08 article.

The reason that I am writing this follow up article is for those of you who decide to stop tithing. If you decide to do this as I have, it will take trusting that God has already given you the blessing that Malachi promised, and it will take believing that the blessing is ALREADY yours in Christ instead of trusting in tithing. And that may not be an easy thing, especially if you have thought for years that tithing was a requirement and that you may be bringing a curse upon yourself if you don’t. It posed a problem for me and may also for you. The problem I faced was one of feeling guilty and struggling with fear of breaking a law of God and of not being blessed. But if you think about it, it is that sense of guilt you may experience that should be a red flag indicating that you are indeed living under the law. Under grace, there is no guilt.

Guilt and fear is the way the law keeps people bound to it. And yet, the law can never help us. We can never keep it well enough for it to do so. In fact I don’t know anyone who has received a blessing so large that they could not receive it, despite years of diligent tithing. On the contrary, most of those I know are still just getting by. And that is because this blessing cannot be earned by our own efforts anymore than salvation can be earned by our own efforts!

So what do you do if you want to break free from the law? What you are going to have to do is to resist guilt and receive grace and freedom AND like I said, you will have to receive the blessing of God by FAITH. That means you must rely on Jesus and what he did for you, rather than on what you can do yourself. And if you think about it, that is a good thing. And that is why Paul calls this fight you're going to have to fight, the "good fight of faith." In this fight, you will need to trust God, not your tithing. Think about what scripture says; that it is through Christ that we are joint heirs, already inheriting with Jesus all that he inherited, and the bible says that he inherited all things. It also says that we are complete in him and that through him have been given all things that pertain unto life and godliness. We do not have to tithe to obtain these immense blessings. They are already ours and obtainable through faith. (Rom. 8:17, Col. 2:10, 2Pet. 1:3)

Now, if you fight this fight, faith will begin to grow in your heart, you will find a new rest in the Lord and the blessing of total provision will begin to manifest itself in your life. After all, that is what Jesus purchased for us. And I can vouch for this because ever since I stopped tithing, (nearly seven years now) my finances have steadily grown and so has my peace with God. I give now according as I purpose in my heart, and as God impresses me to give, and in all cases, my giving (not my tithing) has become sweet and joyous and fulfilling. It is no longer under compulsion or law or of necessity that I give. It is true freedom. Guilt and fear still try to get into my life, but I don’t let them in. Instead, I let the “blessing” in and ALL else that Jesus has purchased for me. I know now that I do not have to fulfill ANY law to be blessed by God except the law of faith because all of the blessings of God are a free gift. I know now that I am not under the law. I am under grace. And as long as I live by faith, the blessing will continue to grow in my life even to the point of not being able to have room enough to receive it. And as my faith grows and my provision grows; so does my desire to give. That is how it works and it is FREEDOM! It is the goodness of God that leads us to any kind of repentance, not the law of God. (Rom. 2:4, 3:27, 6:14)

What I could never accomplish by tithing or any other works of my own, Jesus accomplished for me. And it is through my faith in him that I attain ANY blessing from God and ANY ability to do good for him.

It is now a much better life. In fact, it great. It is one of faith, not of works, it is one of rest and trust in God, not one of futile, tiring trying of my own, a life that was filled with guilt and fear when I didn’t “do enough,” (which was all of the time). And this way of life works. And it will work for anyone who lives it because it is the word of God and the word of God always works. It is our trying harder to please God and to fulfill his requirements that don’t work. (Gal. 3:10-14)

It was a Psalmist who aptly wrote, “O taste and see that the Lord is good. BLESSED is the man who trusteth in him.” (Ps. 34:8)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Why I Let God Love Me

Ever since I came to know Jesus, I wanted to be more and more like him. At first, I tried my best to be as Christ-like as I could, but found that that was futile. Using a scripture that I have often quote, Paul the apostle said this, “For I know that in me (that is in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (Rom. 7:18-19) What Paul was saying was that even though he wanted to do well, because of sin in his flesh, he did not have the power within himself to do so. And so it was with me.

So to make a long story short, after some years of struggle and seeking how to be more “Christ-like,” I found that the bible actually teaches that if I had accepted Jesus as my savior, (which I had) then I was already Christ-like. It was Paul again who said, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God…” (2 Cor. 5:17) I was like Christ already but just didn’t know it.

…But what of my erratic behavior and my occasional bad feelings, attitudes and other faults I could see in myself? How could I be Christ-like if I embodied these “un-Christ-like” characteristics? Well, to make another long story short, I found that the “new me” that Paul talked about, the new “Christ-like” me, was my inner “spirit” man and that God had changed me on the “inside” when I accepted his Son. The key now was to get the new inner me from the inside to the outside.

So, shortening one last long story, I learned again from Paul that if I believed what God’s word said about me; that is, if I believed that I was already Christ-like, that a transformation would begin, and that my new “Christ-like” inner self would start to emerge into my outer, behavioral life.

Paul said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom. 12:2) He was talking about how we think about ourselves, and that we should think according to what God’s word says about us, not according to what we see in ourselves. And this way of thinking will in turn transform us, bringing the new Christ-like person on the inside to the outside… “For as (a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Pr. 23:7) This was exactly what I was searching for.

What I found was the New Testament way of living that Paul always talks about. It is living by faith rather than works, believing rather than trying.

What Paul taught was that in the Old Testament man was required to do, but in the New Testament man was required to believe. And it would be our believing that would transform us and empower us to do.

About New Testament living, Paul said, “… we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” (Rom. 7:6 NIV) And Paul calls this new way of living “walking in the spirit,” (having faith in God’s word) as opposed to “walking after the flesh,” (trying to live right in our own strength).

According to Paul, the Old Testament was intended to prove to us that we could not fulfill God’s requirements without Christ, but that Jesus would be everything for us; both to save us, and to enable us to live the Christian life God calls us to live. Without the Lord, we have only ourselves. Ouch!

(It’s no wonder Paul wrote more than half of the New Testament. He knew so much!)

But even though faith is the key to salvation and to a good Christian walk, there is something for our lives here on earth that is beyond and more encompassing than that. Paul talks about being “filled with all the fullness of God.” Wow! “, Filled with all the fullness of God!” That sounds amazing doesn’t it; but just as amazing as it sounds is as possible as it is. And Paul prayed for it to come to pass in our lives and explained how it could be done in Ephesians 3:17-19. Now, isn’t that what we are after…? If we can be filled with all the fullness of God, we will be filled with love because God is love. And of course if we are filled with God’s love guess what will flow out of us. It is love of course.

Now, simply put, if we want to be filled with all the fullness of God, we must let God love us. Until we let God’s love into our lives we cannot be filled with God because God is love.

When we accept Jesus as our savior, we let God cleanse us and forgive us and give us eternal life, (all part of his love). But there is much more he wants to do for us. Because God is endless, so is his love. He wants to love us endlessly.

People often complicate God. He simply wants to love us, he always has.

Think about God’s original intention in creation. He intended mankind to be blessed with every possible blessing and to live with him in a paradise forever, and his will hasn’t changed. In fact, he sent Jesus to reveal his will to us, and to restore to us what we lost in the Garden of Eden; for here and for hereafter. Jesus said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (Jn. 10:10 Amplified Bible) It is the enemy who deceives us and portrays God in a way that is judgmental, disapproving and condemning. Even though God will judge men on judgment day, we are now in a time of grace. Because he is love, God sent Jesus into the world not to judge men but to save and deliver us from judgment and condemnation.

Remember the woman caught in adultery? Though caught in sin, and accused by men, Jesus would not lay blame on her. In fact, he defended her from her accusers. And when all of her accusers had left, Jesus told her that he would not condemn her, instructed her not to sin anymore, and sent her on her way. (Jn. 8:3-11) What a loving, forgiving, merciful God! And it’s a good thing or we’d all be in trouble. But we are not. Jesus died so that we wouldn’t be judged! And he rose from the dead so we could have life. What he wants now is for us to receive his love, his forgiveness, his blessings and the instruction he has for us. If we do this, we will be filled and blessed by him to the full. And once filled with him, we too can be like him and be a blessing to those around us.

Isn’t that something? To do what we are supposed to do and to be what we are supposed to be, we have to let God love us. That’s amazing!

Thus, in order to be “filled with all the fullness of God” we need to live a life of letting God love us more and more.

Let me close this article with something else from Paul’s writings when he said, “And now I will show you the most excellent way.” Then he explained that the most excellent way was the way of love. He said, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:4-8 NIV)

This is the way God is and the way he wants to be toward us. So why wouldn’t we let him love us?

And how can we expect to love as he does unless we let his love into our lives?

That is why I let God love me… Because I want to experience as much of God as I can and be as much like him as I can. I want to be “filled with all the fullness of God.”

And just imagine… being filled with a love that never fails! That’s for me, how about you?

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering, (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

To Tithe Or Not To Tithe?

Many Christians are taught that if they tithe, (contributing 10% of their income) that God will “open the windows of heaven, and pour them out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it…” This is based on a portion of scripture from the book of Malachi, chapter 3, verses 10-12. (Mal. 3:10-11)

The problem with this teaching is that tithing is usually taught as “the law,” something that we owe God, and are required to do or God will not open the windows of heaven and bless us. However, if that were the case, it would be an attempt to “earn” this blessing from God; trying to merit this blessing through our doing and our keeping of God’s law of tithing. That makes this teaching similar to trying to “earn” the blessing of eternal life by keeping the Old Testament laws of God. And neither can be done.

I have been a Christian for 35 years, and if you are anything like me, you know many many Christians who have tithed faithfully for years and years and have never obtained the blessing Malachi had promised tithing would bring. (In fact, I was once one of them myself). Most of these folks are still just getting by, and that is because the blessing promised in Malachi cannot be earned through tithing any more than eternal life can be earned by living a good enough life. Like all law, tithing too was intended to prove to man that he could not keep it according to God’s standard of perfection and instead to lead him to Christ who did.

Keeping the laws of the Old Testament merits us nothing with God. They can't because we can't keep them according to God's standard of perfection. Only Jesus could do that. In fact, all Old Testament law was given to prove to man that he couldn’t keep any law of God to God’s standard and couldn’t merit anything by trying to keep them. The "law" was given instead to lead men to Christ who kept and fulfilled ALL of the law of God for man and that included fulfilling the law of tithing. And it would be through our faith in Christ that we could obtain the blessings that keeping the whole law of God promised. (Gal. 3:24)

It was Jesus who earned ALL we would ever need or want and it is ONLY through faith in him that we can have any of it.

The truth is that God has already opened the windows of heaven and poured out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And he did it when he sent Jesus. God could give us no more than his Son, and it is his Son who contains all that God is and all that he has. (Col. 2:9-10) It is through Jesus that we have been given “all things that pertain unto life and godliness,” and it is through Jesus that we become “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.” (2Pet. 1:3-5, Rom. 8:16-17) And in order to obtain ALL of these blessings, we need to receive them through faith, the same way we received eternal life through faith. Faith is the channel by which we obtain any of God’s blessings. “Trying hard,” whether it is through tithing or anything else will never work. We can “earn” or “merit” nothing from God through human effort.

God’s blessings are a free gift and given through faith in Jesus. So if the bible says that we have already been given all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Jesus and that we have already been made to be joint-heirs with Christ inheriting all things with him, why would God now require us to tithe in order to obtain them? No, Jesus has already obtained them for us. Our requirement is to believe in order to receive. (2Pet. 1:3, Rom. 8:17)

Now this doesn’t mean that I am saying that GIVING is not important. I wouldn't say that any more than I would say it isn’t important to live a holy life just because salvation is free. I am saying however, that it is not a requirement to TITHE to be blessed by God just like I say that it is not a requirement to live a holy life to earn salvation. The bible teaches that both giving and living a holy life are VITAL and bring rewards in this earth, but are part of what we do in the natural in order to have a fully healthy life, not something we do to earn God’s acceptance, love or blessings.

Some of what the New Testament says about giving (not tithing) is this, “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall MEN give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Lk. 6:38) Giving is important just like planting seed is important. It is something we do in the natural world to reap a harvest, but it is outside of our relationship with God and it is in addition to what he will do for us through our faith. Besides, the New Testament teaches that giving is something that should be done “according as a man purposes in is heart…, it should not be done grudgingly, or of necessity;” and tithing is taught as a necessity. (2Cor. 9:6-9)

The real difference between tithing and giving is that tithing is “THE” law, (giving a prescribed amount in order to be blessed) while giving is “A” law, and “A” principle. What this means is that giving is governed by laws of sowing and reaping, planting and harvesting; “a law” and “a principle” that will always work in this natural world. But tithing and even giving are not a requirement to “earn” blessings from God. If we needed to do anything to merit blessings from God, we would merit NOTHING. Paraphrasing something Watchman Nee has said... if we try to merit ANYTHING through our own efforts, we lose EVERYTHING!

When we received Jesus as savior we received ALL that heaven has to offer. What we need to do to "have" them is to LET God pour out this blessing we cannot contain, not try to earn it ourselves; and we do that by believing that it is already ours. It will then begin to come to pass in our lives. (Mk. 11:24) After we do that, we can then give as we purpose in our hearts or as God leads and expect a return from our seed! Remember, God loves a cheerful giver, not one who gives under compulsion or requirement or law. (Read 2Cor. 9:1-9)

Trying to satisfy God through tithing in order for God’s blessing to come into our lives or in order to fulfill a requirement is the same as trying to satisfy God through good works for him to save us. Both are futile. We can never do enough, nor do them well enough to earn anything.

God’s love and blessings are free and offered to us through Christ. If we believe, we will receive and be blessed, if we don’t believe but rather try in our own trying to obtain, we won’t obtain. God’s blessings are not contingent on our obedience, but on our faith.

Tithing is not something that we must do... believing is!

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Says It's OKAY that Blacks were in Slavery!

I'm Bored Lord!

What do we do if we begin to feel bored with the Word of God? That question was recently asked me and I’ll do my best to address it here.

Like most problems that we face, (whether big or small) we normally need to deal with the issue on two fronts. The first front is the spiritual, and the second is the natural. On the spiritual side, our fight is a fight of faith; that is, what we BELIEVE and what we SAY. On the natural side, it is what we DO.

With this issue of feeling bored with the Word of God, the first thing in our faith fight is to stop believing and saying that we are bored. But you say to me, I am bored, that’s why I say it; but I say that is only how you FEEL, not how you ARE. What I mean is this… The bible tells us that if we have received Jesus as our savior that we have been changed, that we are new creatures in Christ, and that our new inner man is made to be exactly like he is, and Jesus is never bored with the Word of God. He is always enthused by it. If indeed we are like him, (and we are) that is the way we are too, no matter how we feel. This emphasizes the importance of walking in the spirit, (by what the word of God says about us) rather than in the flesh, (according to how we feel). It will then be our faith that will begin to change our feelings and/or our circumstances. (Rom. 12:2, Gal. 2:20, 1Jn. 4:17)

Living by faith like this, that is, believing (and saying) that you are not bored, (despite how you feel) will begin to change how you feel. The bible says that “As a man thinketh in his heart, (about himself) so is he.” (Pr. 23:7, parenthesis mine). In short, if you believe you are bored, you will be; if you live by faith, believing you are not bored but rather excited about the Word of God, you will eventually feel that way. As you think in your heart, you will be.

In all honesty, when I talk about how the Word of God works like this, it is very exciting to me. I begin to feel a living relationship with God’s word. It is not something that I just read or study; it is something that is alive and effective in my life; something that I can learn to skillfully use to affect any area of my life… motivational, inspirational, and hope-filled to me!

Now, on the natural side of things, there is something else we can DO to help ourselves when we feel bored with the Word of God.

There is a very simple principle we can remember, and that is this. If we want to warm up, just get closer to the fire. In this case, it works like this... There are men and women in ministry who are “on fire” with the Word of God and we should get close to them and to their ministries. And even more importantly than being on fire is that they have a good understanding of what the word is saying and how it can be applied to our lives. This will add real “life” to our Christian walk.

But here it the thing. When it comes to who we listen to and what we believe, it is vital to be VERY careful. I say that because there is a fine line between what men sometimes teach and what the bible teaches. Most often, teachers and ministers of the Word of God, (even though most are well-meaning) THINK they know what the Word of God is saying, but don't know what it is really saying. Recognizing this is vital because men's ideas (religious tradition) will make the Word of God of NO EFFECT, (even though it sometimes sounds right) while the truth will make you free.

I think that many Christians become tired, disillusioned, and even bored because they haven’t yet realized the difference between the tradition of men and the truth of the bible. One will bring life and vitality while the other will bring drudgery and disappointment. And the difference is sometimes very hard to distinguish. Religious tradition can be very gripping and can seem right and is taught by most people. This is why most of our churches do not experience a steady flow of God's supernatural power and do not have signs and wonders following their ministries.

The difference between religious tradition and truth is the difference between living our lives in our own human strength and efforts, or living by the power of God. Generally, religious tradition teaches about what we must DO to please God and to live a good Christian life, while the New Testament teaches what we must BELIEVE to please God and to live a good Christian life. It is the difference between trying or trusting; working or resting; doing or believing. And it is the difference between getting supernatural results or not.

It is believing that will tap into God’s power for our lives, not trying harder or doing better. The just shall live by faith, not by works.

Even though discerning the difference between “religion” and “truth” can be difficult at times, there are ministries that know some of the differences and they can teach those differences to us. (Mk. 7:13, Jn. 8:31-32)

Here is a short list of ministers that are well worth getting close to and that have a good understanding of what the Word of God is really saying. We can listen to them, watch them on TV, get their tapes and books and visit their websites in order to tap into their material and their teachings… Andrew Wommack, Bill Winston, Joseph Prince, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Joel Osteen, Fred Price, Charles Capps, and Leroy Thompson. I am sure there are others, but these I am confident with. If you listen to these ministries on a regular and consistent basis, they can help you begin to see the sometimes subtle difference between religion and truth and can inject a new interest, understanding and effectiveness of the Word of God in your life.

Well, that's it for now. If I don't write again until after Christmas, may you all have a blessed and joyful holiday!

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Plant, Then Water The Seed II

There is more to prayer than just asking God for what we want. In order to be successful in prayer, we must know that prayer is governed by the laws of prayer similar to the way electricity is governed by the laws of electricity. That is because spiritual things are no different than natural things; they too are governed by the laws of God. (Rom. 1:20)

In order to get the results from electricity that we want, we must know the laws that govern electricity and apply them properly. That is not up to God. That is up to us. It is the same thing with prayer. In order to get the results we want from prayer, we must know the laws that govern prayer and apply them properly. And when we do our part, God will do his.

God makes all things available to us, both in the natural and in the spiritual; but then it is up to us to learn how they work and to make them work for us. And if we do, the laws of God will always work if properly applied. That is why they are called laws. For example, if we learn and apply the laws of electricity properly, we will always have a proper flow of electrical power. Likewise, if we learn and apply the laws of prayer properly, we will always have a proper flow of prayer power. Jesus proved this fact because he always had results when he prayed.

However, there has been a mystique about prayer that has kept us from learning prayer’s process. Because of this mystique, many seem to have felt that prayer is up to God and that if he wanted to answer it he would, and if he didn’t, he wouldn’t. But Jesus never taught that... about spiritual or natural things. Think how it would be if we thought that way about electricity or anything else in this world. If we left everything up to God, we would never get the results we want. That is because God has not chosen to do things that way, in the natural or in the spiritual. He provides things for us, then leaves it is up to us to find out how things work and to make them work for us. That is the way prayer is.

So let’s talk about the laws of God for a moment. In my last article, I shared that Jesus taught us how everything in the kingdom of God works. He said that the kingdom of God was like a man who plants a seed, and that seed grows day and night until it comes to maturity and bears fruit. Everything starts from a seed. (Mk. 4: 26-32) And that is how prayer works too. It starts from a seed. And if the seed is nurtured properly, it will always bring prayer results, just the same as good seed in a garden will always produce if it is nurtured properly.

I also shared that Jesus said that spiritual seed is the word of God. And it is when we choose to believe the word of God, that we plant that seed. (Mk. 4:14, Lk. 8:11)

Now since the seed of God's word has the power to produce whatever it says, we need to believe the word of God as it relates to what we are praying for. (Isa. 55:10-11) For example, if we are praying for healing, we can choose to believe the word of God where Isaiah said, "... with his stripes we are healed." (Isa. 53:5) That is very specific to our request and will bring forth healing. However, we can also believe the word of God when it is very general and when it covers all kinds of petitions such as the time when Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” We can believe this simple statement in order to get our prayers answered too. (Mt. 21:22) And like I said in my Answer to Anonymous, we don't have to know the word of God verbatim, we just need to know the truth that it expresses.

So, after we choose to believe God’s word, that seed must be watered. And again, it is through the word of God that it is watered, (see my last article on this topic to get a little more detail). Now the primary way that we water our prayer seed, (that is, the seed of God’s word that we choose to believe and want to come to pass), is to read, study, listen to, and meditate on God’s word. We need to “feed” on as much of the word of God as we can… especially as it relates to what we are asking for. What we are doing when we do this is watering our seed and developing our faith in God’s word, and it will then be our faith that will bring to pass what we asked for in prayer. I like to call this part of the process "feeding the seed." It will then grow and produce results. (Mt. 21:22)

In this article, I would like to share with you another vital “tool” that must be used in helping bring forth answers to our prayers. We talked about our faith and now I want to talk about our words; that is, what we SAY about our prayer after we have prayed. Jesus said that whatever we believe in our heart and SAY with our mouth, we will have. (Mk. 11:22-23) If we think about that for a moment, we may realize how amazing that is and how powerful a tool we have in our hands, or should I say in our mouths. It will always be what we believe and what we say that we will eventually end up having. Again, our words, (like God’s) are seeds, and when believed will bring forth what we say. It will take time to come to pass, but it always will. This creative power is ours because we are made in the image of God and we do things just like he does. It was with his faith and his words that God spoke the world into existence, and it will be through our faith and our words that we will create the world that is around us, (and bring forth the answers to our prayers). If you believe it and if you say it, you will have it, no matter what it is. So, saying the right thing will bring to pass those things that you ask for in prayer.

Before I go any further let me share this. It is important to remember that it is God that will bring the increase to our seed… we don’t do that, but like Paul said, it is we who must plant and water the seed. It is God who will make it grow. (1Cor. 3:6)

So, getting back to the words of our mouth and how they relate to what we are praying for; we must realize that we cannot ask for something in prayer, and then SAY that we DON’T have it. If we do that, we WON'T get it. But when we pray, we need to start speaking "by faith" saying that we DO have the answer to our prayer even before it comes to pass, and then we will get it. It will then come to pass. We have believed that we have it and have said that we have it, and like Jesus said, it will now come to pass. I know that this might be a lot to swallow, but that is how the bible teaches that faith works. Actually, that is the kind of faith that God has and uses, and it is the kind of faith that will bring to pass whatever it is we are praying for. (Rom. 4:16-21; 10:9-10)

So, you see, the words we speak are extremely important in the answers to our prayers. The bible says that "death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it will eat the fruit thereof. (Pr. 18:21)

Our words are our faith in action and a vital part of our prayer.

Summing up thus far, we see that Jesus taught that when we pray, we must believe that we have the answers to our prayers and say that we have them before we ever get them. It is then that in time they will come to pass. (Mk. 11:22-24)

Can you see why people can have such problems getting their prayers answered? They really don’t know what it takes to get them answered. And please; don’t just believe me. Look up the scriptures that I’ve based this on. Both Jesus and Paul taught this and did this, and so did Abraham and God the Father!

I’ve shared in this article the basic principle of the power and importance of our words. Being careful about what we say and saying only those good things that we want is a great start and a solid foundation. But like all things, there is more that can be learned and applied. A good farmer always starts with the basics and then builds on them for better and better results. Maybe in the future I will share more with you about this. But for now, there may be enough to think about here.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Answer To Anonymous

This is in response to anonymous who had a question about my last article, “Plant, Then Water The Seed.”

Concerning answers to prayer, Anonymous asked about having more of a desire than a need and wanted to know where to go for “tools” to get that desire met if what they wanted was not exactly worded in the bible.

Jesus answered that question like this… “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mk. 11:24)

In this one simple statement Jesus did two things. First, he taught that it was God’s will to meet our desires as well as our needs, and secondly, he taught how to get those desires met in prayer. Listen again to what he said, “...What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” This kind of believing is past tense and is an act of faith on our part. It means that when we pray, we must believe that we already have what we asked for even before it comes to pass. This is true bible faith, and it is this kind of faith that will bring to pass the thing that we desire.

This is the kind of faith that God has and uses. And it is the kind of faith that Abraham had in the miraculous birth of his son Isaac. In this instance, God used this kind of faith when he changed Abram’s name (which means exalted father), to Abraham, (which means father of many nations). God was claiming that Abraham was already the father of many nations before Abraham had any children and when Abraham and his wife Sarah were past child bearing years. The important thing here was that Abraham believed God and accepted his new name. He believed that he was who God said he was and that he had what God said he had before it came to pass, and in time it came to pass. This act of faith gave Abraham the distinction of being called the "father of faith." (Rom. 4:17-21)

We all have personal desires that God wants to meet even though they are not specifically spelled out in the bible. The thing to remember is that the answers to our prayers are not a matter of knowing an exact scripture even though it may be helpful if there is one and we know what it is. The answers to our prayers are a matter of knowing how prayer works and putting that knowledge into practice. Truth is truth and God's ways are God's ways. They will always work for you no matter how you say it. Use your own words when needed!

What anonymous should do is what Jesus said to do, and that is to ask for what they want and to believe that they have what they asked for before it comes to pass. Then in time, it will come to pass.

I know that this may raise other questions, (like many of the things that Jesus said) but because the Lord did not complicate this statement of faith, neither will I. This will work just like he said if it is put into practice. It is in my articles on this topic that I share in some detail how this process of prayer works and recommend other “tools” that the bible offers to enhance and help bring answers to our prayers. If however, there are other questions, please just ask.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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.
Phl 4:8

YouTube Christian Music Video with Alvin Slughter and colleagues

There’s much that can befuddle and have us feeling so out of sorts, I mean terribly bad about life and the matters that effect us, our families, friends, the global community, the struggles at home, the craziness on the job and confusion in many schools and lest we not forget the economy! As some folks say” What in the world!” That simply implies that much of what’s going on makes no sense to them at all! I just wish the 24 hour news stations highlighted more of the flip side-the brighter side instead of the “flops” that keep us reeling from the shock. Consciously we have to filter this information and challenge ourselves not always to focus on the dire reports. There's always a mental and spiritual flipside that we can deliberately choose to embrace. I trust that when a life affirming word is needed you run not to the telephone or the internet first, but search out your Holy Bibles. Scripture reminds us that we can speak life over our circumstances with God’s power to what appears to be bleak and negative. There’s power in His word! Trust that God's powerful word will envelope you with the assurance and love needed to handle all of life's issues.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Eph 3:19

We can resolve to keep living with fullness of joy, we can choose to keep the faith, keep believing in the face of disparity. I know making resolutions are the popular thing to do in preparation for next year. But, what about today friends? Instead of forecasting some resolutions that may be difficult to keep, let’s resolve right this moment not just in the start of January 2009; but today beginning a new! As Marian say's, "We have to change our minds!" Let’s change our hearts and minds to think on the good things of the Lord? Yes, doors will be open, opportunities will be realized and God’s sovereignty will forever remain constant.Join me in seeking more of God’s wisdom to navigate life’s path with zeal and determination-desiring a transformative power for new living. We can keep in mind that:

For I can do everything with the help of Christ whogives me the strength I need.

Phl 4:13

Friends, here are some wonderful website discoveries that may encourage all of us to resolve to: earnestly share our stories to encourage our bretheren, laugh out loud at the absurdities of living, reaching forward as we benefit in sharing with another, endeavoring to remember that our bodies are our temples as we seek to improve healthier living. Let’s also invigorate and stimulate our minds and happily gain new-a brand new perspective on life outside our communities and be sure to breathe again. I am going to take my own medicine! By no means am I an expert on encouragement, but here’s a little e-food for thought. You are invited to simply add to the list of websites and I dare you to go and grow, grow, grow into a better you! Pass the plate please. God bless you!

Adopting Healthier Lifestyles50 Million Pound Challenge

http://blog.50millionpounds.com/http://www.50millionpounds.com/

Keeping The FaithPrayKids! Online Magazinehttp://www.navpress.com/account/login.aspx?email=linda.meadows@hamptonu.edu&uid=linda%20Meadows&dest=/landing/praykids.aspx&sc=NL27.http://www.beliefnet.com/http://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/http://www.breatheagainmagazine.com/events.htmHumor

-Laughing Out Loud-Real Good Medicine:Man and bear - Salmon fight

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWeNyT66IqI

Insight-New InsightInterview with Charlayne Hunter-Gaulthttp://www.worldpress.org/Africa/981.cfmhttp://www.forbetterlife.org/http://www.dailypress.com/sports/columnists/dp-columnist-dsquires,0,4982467.columnist?track=rss

Charity- “Give and it will be given unto you”One laptop Per Child

http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

Persevering While Waiting on The Promises of God

Redefining perseverance

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19227137/?story=king1

Spreading Joy-7 yr old keyboard master MSN video.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&from=MSNHP

Joyfully Submitted by:
Linda Mose Meadows,author: The Blessedness of Believing A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lesson’s and God’s Promises
Enjoy other writings: Click on Blessed Chronicles http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/

Plant, Then Water The Seed

In order to get our prayers answered, a seed (or seeds) must be planted. That is because everything in the kingdom of God starts from a seed. (Mk. 4:26-32)

Well, you might ask, what is the seed we need to plant in order to get our prayers answered? The answer comes from the parable of the sower and the seed when Jesus said that the seed is the word of God. (Mk. 4:14, Lk. 8:11)

I used to think that our prayers were our seed. But they are not. Our prayers are the results that we want and that would be our harvest, not our seed. The seed that we need to plant in order for our prayers to come to pass is God’s word. And what it means to plant God’s word is that we believe in our heart what God has said.

So, let's go a little further...

The word of God that we choose to believe can be any truth from the bible, and it can be very general such as the time when Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Mt. 21:22) That is simple enough and covers all types of prayer requests. OR, the word we choose can be specific and relate specifically to what we are praying for. For example, if we are praying for healing, we can choose to believe the word of God when Isaiah said, “… with his stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5) That is specific and personal and will bring forth healing if believed. The point is, that there must be a seed from God’s word that we believe in order to get an answer to our prayer.

It is the seed of God’s word that has the potential to bring forth whatever it says, and it is our faith in God's word that will bring forth the answer to our prayer. Isaiah said this... “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isa. 55:10-11 NIV) So, like I said, the word of God has the potential to bring forth whatever it says. It is the spiritual seed we need in order to do so.

Simply put, when we pray, we need to believe a promise from God’s word in order for God to answer our prayer. The word of God is our seed! And our seed will bring forth what it says.

Now, a seed that is planted needs watering in order to grow! And guess what we need to water our seed with? Again, we need the word of God. Why? It is because the word of God is also called water. (Eph. 5:26) The word of God is called water too? Yes, it is very versatile. You might say it is multi-purpose; it can do a lot of things. In fact, the bible teaches us that the whole universe was created by the word of God. Remember, God said, “Let there be light: and there was light.” (Gen. 1:3) Throughout the bible, we see that the all things that are created started from the seed of God’s word. (Heb. 11:3) It is how God does everything. Like Isaiah said, God’s word is a seed and has the power to create. So if we apply it properly (as God did) it will bring forth answers to our prayers.

Now the primary way that we water our prayer seed, (that is, the seed of God’s word that we choose to believe and want to come to pass), is to read, study, listen to, and meditate on the word of God as it relates to our prayer. For example, if we are praying for physical healing, we should do personal bible study on the subject of healing, AND we should get books, tapes and teachings on biblical healing. We need to read, study, listen to, and meditate on as much of this material as we can. What we are doing when we do this is watering our seed and developing our faith in God’s word, (in this case healing) and it will be our faith that will bring to pass what we asked for. (Mt. 21:22) So, since the bible says that “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God,” it follows that the more word, the more faith; and the more faith, the faster our prayer will be answered. (Rom. 10:17) Remember, Jesus said over and over that it would be done unto us according to our faith. (Mt. 8:13, 9:29, 17:20; Mk. 9:23, 11:22-24 etc. etc.) The thing to remember is that we must be very careful where we get our teaching materials. We need to make sure that the ministry they are coming from has RESULTS, (and in this case results in healing prayer) because if they don’t have results, their teachings will not bring us results either...

Spiritual things are not automatic any more than anything else in this world. That is because spiritual things work the same way that natural things work. (Rom. 1:20)

In order to make things work in the natural world, we must know how they work and then put to work what we know to make them work. Take for example the power of electricity. Just knowing that there is a power called electricity and knowing that it can light and heat and cool our homes is not enough. We must know how electricity works and then we must put to work what we know in order to make it work. The same it is with prayer. Just because we know that there is power to answer prayer does not mean it will automatically work for us. We must know how it works and we must put to work what we know in order to make it work.

God said in his word that, ""My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." (Hos. 3:6)

The results we get from electricity, prayer, and everything else we find in life are based on knowledge. God makes everything we need available for us. But it is up to us to find out how it all works and to make it work.

In my next article I will share with you several other vital tools we can use to further nurture our prayer seed, but what is important for us to realize is that we too have a responsibility in prayer. It is not just God who will do it for us, (even if it is his will to answer our prayer). It is when we fulfill our part that God can fulfill his.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

GAME CHANGING PERFORMANCE

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.[fn1]
He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven.

Hebrews 12:1, 2 (NIV)

Grateful is what I am and yes indeed still in awe of November 4th ! My spirit is celebrating! I am encouraged to continue tapping the divine within! New posibilities, new thinking, new expectations are on the horizon for all. We voted as though our lives depended on it! And as a result of this public outpouring, we witnessed an evolution of change for the better. Yes, it was a relay race, and the voters passed the baton to then Senator Barack Obama.

Now we continually here in media conversations that focus on the need for clearance and smooth transition for President Elect Barack Obama. He’s being urged to speedily move to rectify a flat- lining economy, miserable job loss, a costly and unpopular war with military families in need, a heath insurance debacle and crumbling urban infrastructures and the beat goes on and on about what must be tackled now.

It’s aptly called the “handoff”-truly president elect must feel as though he’s running a marathon. Clearly the baton is in his hand and the world awaits the outcome of this final leg of the race. He’s in the anchor position. But thank God for our divine anchor Jesus Christ! The irony is President Elect is not yet sworn into his office of presidency. The people’s commitment to embracing Barack’s vision of change and hope, their resounding appearances and attendances at community rallies –and ultimately their votes were the baton. And we await the start of this race, anxiously anticipating a favorable race!Take a look at these instructions friends for running a successful relay race. Thanks Holy Ghost, this was an eye opener for passing a relay baton and determining whether you win the race:

How to Pass a Relay Baton By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor http://www.ehow.com/how_2106595_pass-relay-baton.html

Speed, coordination and working as a team determine whether you will win a relay race. Knowing how to effectively pass that baton is fundamental to achieving victory. There are two basic passes, and your team should be proficient at both

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Up Sweep and Palm Down Pass

Step 1

Time it so that when the approaching runner hits the mark, the outgoing runner starts to sprint.

Step 2

Reach back with the outgoing runner's receiving hand, arranging an inverted "V" with the hand.

Step 3

Move the approaching runner's arm in an upward motion and place the baton in his hand. He takes the baton from the outgoing runner.

Step 4

Always run through the pass, never slowing down in the timing of the exchange.

Down Sweep and Palm Up Pass

Step 1

Coordinate the team members so when the approaching runner hits her mark, the outgoing runner starts to sprint.

Step 2

Plan for the outgoing runner to reach back with his baton in hand parallel to the track.

Step 3

Turn the outgoing runners thumb in the direction of the torso with his palm facing up shaping a "V".Step 4Move the approaching runner's arm in a downward sweeping motion as the outgoing runner places the baton in the receiver's hand. The approaching runner takes the baton and sprints.

It’s been the exception to the rule. It’s time for a game changing performance. That President Elect Barack must hit the ground running, not resting and not wavering. From all appearances he hasn’t has a moment to breathe and revel in the fact that come January 20th he’ll no longer be Senator of Illinois but President of the great United States.

My prayer is that for just a moment he’ll rally around his family, friends, this nation and celebrate his great calling. In all of that let’s continue to bathe him prayer and cover him with God’s word and blessings as he begins to run this stretch of the lap. Friends reference step 3- his palms are facing upward, he sprints with his heart is pumping and victory is in sight! Surely we’ll win!

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Lord we thank you for this wonderful man you’ve placed among us-President Elect Barack Obama. You’ve planted a great vision and responsibility in him. He’s the human anchorman evoking needed change for this nation and this universe. We praise and bless you for that! We are grateful that you’ve planted his feet on the foundation of your word. He has a genuine heart to seek change for the betterment of human kind, we appreciate that Lord. When his heart is overflowing with the cares of this world show him your grace and comfort.

Let us not forget that when we are weary we can rely on you Lord for divine support, stability, and a supernatural anointing. This anointing reminds us as your children that security and mainstay belong to us in you Heavenly Father.

God, we realize that you alone are the voice that beckons us to hear your instructions and strengthens us to fear not! Lord we confidently know that our hope in you is our anchor. For all the days ahead we will remember to give you all the honor, glory and praise. Amen!

Enjoy this blog and the videos that capture a history breaking era. http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog

Joyfully Submitted by:
Linda Mose Meadows, Author of:
The Blessedness of Believing
A Devotional Journey of Life's Lessons and God's Promises

Enjoy other writings:
Click on Blessed Chronicles http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/

How Long Lord?

Have you ever asked that question? How long Lord? Probably all who have ever prayed have. But asking that question can come from a lack of understanding of prayer and how prayer works because prayer is a process.

Jesus said this; that everything in the kingdom of God starts from a seed, (and that includes answers to our prayers).

These are the Lord’s words…

“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mk. 4:26-29 NIV)

So, as Jesus said, everything in the kingdom of God is a process. It is a process of Seed, Time, and Harvest. A seed is planted, time must pass during the process of growth, and harvest comes when the fruit is ripe. And so it is with prayer. It is a process. It starts from a seed, and will take time to come to pass.

Skipping ahead a little in the prayer process, the important thing to note is that during the time period that it is growing, it is what we do (or don’t do) that will determine how long our prayer takes to be answered or even if it will be answered at all. That is because answers to prayer are no different than the growing of a plant from seed. When a seed is planted in the ground, it must be watered and protected and given the proper amount of light if it is expected to come to fruition. And it is the same with spiritual seed and our prayer. If we want our spiritual seed to come to pass and to come to pass in the shortest amount of time, we need to learn how to nurture it properly. In this article I will lay some of that important ground work for you.

Let's first look at the difference between natural seed and spiritual seed (and where the difficulty in nurturing spiritual seed comes in). The difference is that we cannot always see spiritual seed growing while with natural seed we can. And that is why the bible decrees that we must live by faith and not by sight. (2Cor. 5:7) When it comes to prayer answers, we must continue to believe that they are growing and will come to pass. If we doubt that our prayer is in the process of being answered, it will not be answered. Remember, Jesus said that we must believe and doubt not when we pray. (Mk. 11:22-24) I know that doesn’t make it any easier, but that is the way it is. And that is why Paul calls this a “fight” of faith. It is a fight of faith because when we cannot see the answers to our prayers growing, there is always room for doubts to plague us. However, we do not have to accept the doubts. We can continue to “fight the good fight of faith” and believe that the answer to our prayer is on the way.

One of the best illustrations of this process and what gospel faith is like can be seen in the promise that God made to Abraham and Sarah (who were called Abram and Sarai at the time of the promise). God promised to birth a great nation out of Abraham, and out of his wife Sarah. But the thing was; at the time of the promise, Abraham was 75 years old and Sarah was 65. Both were beyond child bearing years and had gone childless in their marriage. Yet, Abraham believed God's promise that he would be the father of a great nation. Now a major issue for Abraham, (besides this promise being naturally impossible) was the length of time that it took for the promise to come to pass. Abraham had to stand in faith for 25 years before a son was miraculously born to him! Now, that’s a long time to believe such a seemingly impossible promise but that is what Abraham did. We can read what scripture says about Abraham… “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…, Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (Rom. 4:18-21 NIV) And Abraham did this for 25 years before he saw any results! Wow! What faith! And, what patience! And so, it was done unto Abraham according to his faith. And it will be done unto us the same way, if we believe God’s promises and doubt not.

You might be thinking here that I am saying that is will take 25 years for your prayer to be answered. Well, it may. It depends what you are praying for and what it is that must grow. Are you growing something small like a head of lettuce or are you growing something big like a Red Wood Tree? What Abraham was waiting for was pretty big.

The thing to remember in all of this is that even though a plant grows so slowly that you cannot "see" it growing, it is. Looking at time lapse photography shows us that. Well, your prayer is the same way. You may not be able to "see" it growing, but it is. God is working behind the scenes and your prayer is coming to pass little by little.

The bible says, “When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’ And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” (Heb. 6:15 NIV)

So, in order to see God’s promise of answered prayer come fully to pass, we must realize that prayer is a process and we must have the same kind of faith and patience that Abraham had... And we must have it no matter what happens and no matter how long it takes.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Labor to Rest II

One of the most counter-productive things Christians do is trying to get things that they’ve already been given.

Let me explain. The bible says this about all provision from God… “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him…” (2 Pet. 1:3 NIV) This is past tense and refers to what we have received when we came to know Jesus as our savior. When we accepted Jesus as our savior, we received everything we needed for life and godliness…, EVERYTHING…, ALREADY.

This is no different than the concept of salvation and the gift of eternal life. Salvation has already been given to mankind through the life and death of Jesus Christ and is not something we can attain ourselves through trying. That would be "counter-productive," and would not gain for us eternal life. Salvation and eternal life is something that we must RECEIVE in order to have. (Eph. 2:8-9) It is receiving Christ as savior that gains for us salvation and eternal life. It is not obtained by trying to get it, (or even asking for it). Well, it is the same thing with everything else we need after we have accepted Jesus as savior. It has already been given to us through Christ and is not attained by trying to get it but obtained by RECEIVING it.

For example…, Christians seem always to be asking God for power, when power has already been given to us. There are many scriptures in the New Testament that attest to this. Just one of them says this, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2Tim. 1:7) So, this scripture says that we have been given power already. We need simply to receive that by faith to "have" it. In other words we just need to believe it. And not only that, but this scripture also says that we have been given a spirit of love. So, trying to be more loving or asking God to help you be more loving would also be counter-productive. In order to obtain what God has already given us, (in this case to be more loving) we must receive it, not try to get it. God can’t give you something that he has already given you.

Another example…, Christians are always trying to attain righteousness and trying to be and to live righteously, but the bible says that righteousness has already been given to us. It says that we have been … “made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5:21) Righteousness can be obtained only by receiving it; that is, accepting by faith that we are righteous already. When we believe that, (rather than trying to be that) we will begin to see a transformation in our lives. A righteous life style will begin to grow and become natural, where we will not be trying to get it in our own effort but increasing in it through the power of God’s word. Christianity is a fight of faith, not works. (Rom. 12:1-2)

Here’s a good one. Many Christians are “trying” to get healed from God when the bible says that we are already healed! Isaiah said “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isa. 53:5) We are healed already! We need to believe that to see it. The book of 1 Peter says the same thing. (1Pet. 2:24) We do not get healed from God by "trying" to get a healing but by believing that we are healed already. Then you will begin to see a transformation in your life where healing will begin to come.

I know that this whole concept sounds a bit strange, and to the natural mind it is. Natural man needs to see things before they believe it, but in Christianity, it is just the opposite. We need to believe it before we will see it. That is called faith. And it is our faith that will bring it to pass. Watchman Nee said in his fabulous little book, “Sit, Walk, Stand”… “Christianity is a queer business! If at the outset we try to do anything, we get nothing; if we seek to attain something, we miss everything. For Christianity begins not with a big DO but with a big DONE.” (“Sit, Walk, Stand,” page 14) Everything we need has already been acquired for us by Jesus and simply must be received.

All of this is related to the verse of scripture I am focusing on in this article… “Let us labor to enter into that rest…” (Heb. 4:11) In other words, it is our job to enter into the rest of the finished work of Christ BY FAITH…, that is, to believe that what we need has already been given to us through the Lord, not try to get it. That is where the “rest” in Christ is and that is where your needs will be met and your prayers answered. (Mk. 11:24)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Labor to Rest

This statement, (labor to rest) sounds like a contradiction in terms. Actually I took a little liberty in using this statement because the bible says it like this… “let us labor therefore to enter into that rest,” which to my ear still sounds like a contradiction. But really, it is not. (Heb. 4:11)

This would be a contradiction… trying to do something that is already done. That would be a contradiction, or trying to get something that you already have. That too would be a contradiction. And in fact, it is these two contradictions that this scripture is addressing, (and trying to help us avoid).

Many Christians and many non-Christians try to do something that is already done and they try to get things that they already have. Allow me to explain by looking at my opening scripture. It is really not that complicated.

The scripture, "let us labor therefore to enter in that rest" is found in a chapter that addresses two specific issues.

The first issue addressed is that of our salvation and entrance into heaven. What it says is that what must be done to obtain our salvation and gain entrance into heaven has already been done for us. It was through the life and death of Jesus that accomplished this for us. There is nothing left for us to do except to “enter into that rest” by faith or maybe better said, to trust in Jesus to save us. There is no human effort, (besides our faith) that is needed to gain entrance into heaven. And as I will explain, any attempt to gain heaven in our own efforts is a contradiction and is futile… in essence trying to do something that is already done.

So again, what this portion of scripture is saying is that what needs to be done to gain entrance into heaven is already done for us by Jesus Christ. We need do nothing except to “rest” in his finished work by faith. AND once we do that, (having accepted Jesus as our savior) we are then called to trust in the fact that acceptance with God and a future eternal life in heaven is ours! Period, with no more to do! “That” is where the rest is for the people of God. And "that" is what we are to labor to enter into. It is a fight of faith, not trying!

Now, the reason that this scripture says to “labor” to enter into that rest is because it is simply hard to believe. It is hard to “let go and let God,” and to trust Jesus to save you. Because of our humanity we feel that there must be something we must do. But heaven is not gained by good works or good intentions or trying to live a good enough life. That just isn’t possible. God’s standard is perfection and Jesus is the only one who could live up to this standard. None of us can attain that because we are imperfect beings. Thus, it is only by faith in Christ and in what he did for us that can “save” us. Besides, we have ALL sinned, and it is only Jesus that died for those sins. Without him, we would have to pay an eternal price for sin ourselves. (Rom. 3:23, 6:23)

If we can come to grips with this scripture, (and all of chapter 4 of Hebrews) we can receive Christ as savior and rest in the fact that in Christ all we need to do to enter heaven is already done. This means that all struggle of “trying” to gain God’s favor and “trying” to be good enough to get to heaven plus all the worry and unrest and uncertainty of our eternal destination will cease. A new peace and a new rest will enter into our lives. Then, the importance of good works and a good lifestyle will take on a new meaning and be more rewarding. No longer will you feel pressured, driven and guilt-ridden trying to live up to a standard that you cannot attain. You will in essence be off the exhausting treadmill. You will be at rest.

So, if you have already accepted Jesus as savior, think of it this way. Trying to be good enough to be in right standing with God is counter-productive and brings a lack of peace. Trusting that you already are in right standing with him will bring rest! (“Labor therefore to enter into that rest”). But if you have not accepted Jesus as your savior; if you feel that what you do will be good enough to get you into heaven, it just won't be. Salvation cannot be earned. It can only be obtained by receiving Jesus as our savior, not by trusting in our own good works…

I will look at the second issue that Heb. 4:11 addresses in my next article. And that issue is about how Christians “try to get things that they’ve already been given.” Until then, enjoy your rest in Christ!

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

TD Jakes: How to Fight with the Devil

Return To Normalcy

Jesus came to return us to normalcy because what we experience on this earth is not normal. It may seem normal to us because this is all that we have ever known, but it is not normal at all.

The condition of the earth and the condition of our lives are not what God had intended and are not “normal.” What I mean is that because of sin, the earth as we know it now, (and the condition of humanity) is in a fallen state and is in a defective condition from God’s original creation. And it is God’s original creation that is normal.

It’s hard for me to describe what original creation was like because it is hard for me to imagine. The bible however states that God originally placed man in the Garden of Eden. The Hebrew word for Eden is delight. God placed Adam and Eve in a Garden of Delight! We could call it a paradise; But probably a paradise beyond even in our grandest dreams. It was like a heavenly paradise. (It was in fact a replica of heaven that God was giving man to live in. He wanted us to have a place of our own that was just like his). And in it, there was nothing but delight. There was absolutely nothing imperfect, flawed, deficient or harmful in any way. There was no death, no suffering, no sickness, no pain, no war, no destructive weather and no lack of any kind... just delight. Hard to imagine! But that was God’s creation and his perfect will for man and was to be our normal experience forever.

But as most know, the bible tells us of the sin and fall of Adam and Eve, and how death entered our perfect realm of existence. But this death was not only physical death nor was it just the cessation of life. This death included every kind of suffering imaginable and penetrated every area of our lives. A clear picture of what this death entailed is to say that anything not found in God’s original creation is a part of the death that came upon man. So, since all that was in God's original creation was a delight, we can say that anything we experience that is not a delight is part of this death.

But God is a good God and was not willing that man suffer from his mistake. So he promised to send a redeemer to bear the punishment of our sin and to restore mankind and the earth to the pristine “normal” condition he had originally intended. And that is exactly what Jesus did. He came to earth; he bore our sin, and to all who receive him as their savior, restored what God had always wanted for man.

But you say; I don’t see everything restored! Everything continues as it always has. Don’t worry; if you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you will in due time see the full restoration of all things. The bible states that the earth’s restoration is delayed because God is “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” What God is doing right now is giving mankind time to find out about and accept Jesus as savior so that as many as can enter the “new heavens and new earth” will have that opportunity. But eventually time will “run out,” Jesus will return, judgment day will come and all things will be restored to “normalcy” and it will be for eternity for all those who have accepted Christ. (2Pet. 3:9)

Nonetheless, we do not have to wait until Christ’s return to enjoy “normalcy” and a restoration to our personal lives. What I mean is this. Jesus came to restore God’s life to man both in eternity AND in the present. (Jn. 10:10) And to make a long story short, it is through the example of Christ’s perosnal life on earth that we can see what is available to us as well. And what we see in Christ's life, (before he chose to go to the cross), was that he had a life free of all harm, despite the presence of evil and evil men. The life he lived was one of “normalcy” and health and wisdom and protection and abundant provision even though he dealt with sin and death and harm and destruction just like we do. And this is the kind of life that we too can experience. In fact that is the very kind of life that Christians have already inherited. Paul said in the book of Romans that if we are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ then we are … “heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…” Everything that God is and has and all that Jesus had and all he earned is our inheritance. And we inherit them for the here and now because benefactors inherit the benefits of a will when the testator dies, not when they die. (Rom. 8:17)

If we have accepted Jesus as our savior, we have been made to be exactly like him and given the same authority over evil and protection from it that he had. And all the provision and power and grace that Jesus had is ours too. Think about it. We can be living “above” the natural as Jesus did, experiencing the supernatural as a “normal” thing. But what many Christians think is that we must wait to get to heaven to experience this kind of freedom from harm, and some even think that suffering and harm is all part of God’s will for man. Well, suffering never was God’s will for man and it still isn’t. God and God’s ways do not change. (Jas. 1:17, Heb. 13:5) So what God has done is to provide a way for us to appropriate the same kind of life Jesus experienced, and he did it through his promises. We can have eternal life in heaven AND we can ALSO have a protected, abundant, supernatural life here on earth by believing God's promises to us.

But the bible says that God’s people are “…destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” The problem is that Christians do not know that this kind of life is available to them or they do not know how to get it, or they don’t believe it is theirs when told about it. It is no different than salvation and eternal life... Many people do not have the forgiveness and eternal life available in Christ because they do not know about it or do not know how to get it or they do not believe in it when told. (Hos. 3:6, Rom. 10:13-17) But we don’t have to be like that. We can believe and we can receive and we can enjoy ALL that Jesus came to give us. First, we can receive Jesus as savior and the eternal life he offers AND secondly, we can receive the protected, fulfilled and abundant life that comes with it. Our lives can be filled with the delight that God originally intended, being delivered from evil as Jesus was. But it is all up to us what we have. It is not up to God. If it were up to God, we have already seen through his original creation what he would give us. But because we have a free will what we have in life is our choice.

Jesus said that he came “that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10) And in all future articles that I write I will continue to build your faith in this “good news.” And the good news is that God loves you, wants to return delight to your life and has done so through Jesus Christ. Along with that, I will also teach you how to obtain that abundant life for yourself. First, I would recommend that you read my book, "Suffering (God’s Will?)". This book is a vital biblical foundation of God’s will of delight for you, and will clarify many passages of scripture that have been traditionally misunderstood and been misleading. I explain in my book how the enemy has used certain scripture to “twist” our thinking to erroneously believe that evil is at times good and is God’s will for our lives, and that God sometimes purposely uses evil as a tool. This the enemy has done just so he can hurt us. And then I suggest that you be ready for the publishing of my upcoming book, “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer and How to Fix the Whole Thing.” This book will explain to you how prayer works and how it involves more than you may have thought. It will reveal to you why people don’t always get the prayer results that are promised in the bible and will show you how to get results for yourselves. In it I share how I applied biblical prayer to obtain results in my life, including healing from an illness that was medically documented as permanent.

God spoke in the Old Testament saying, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deut. 30:19) Both death and life are available to us, and God commands us to choose life. It is up to “us” as to what we choose and it is up to “us” to learn how to get the life that is promised. We don’t have to choose death, poverty, sickness, or affliction. We can resist death and all of its destruction and we can obtain the abundant life that Jesus came to bring. It won't be easy however. There are many obstacles and trials and tribulations that will hinder you. Like Jesus said, “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” (Mt. 11:12) Because of the fall of man, the good things in heaven that God wants us to have are surrounded by obstacles, hindrances, and barriers, but like Jesus said, we can take them and we must at times do it by force. And if Jesus did it, so can we.

Some of the reasons that Jesus came to earth were to show us what a “normal” life was, to make a way for us to have it, and to teach us how to obtain it. So let’s choose that life and let’s find out how to acquire it for ourselves and for those around us.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Redeemed From The Curse

The bible says that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is every one who is hung on a tree.” (Gal. 3:13)

This scripture is simply saying that Jesus bore any and all punishment for our sin when he died on the cross. This he did so we wouldn’t have to.

Sin can be described as breaking the law of God, and all sin carries a penalty. This is the “curse of the law” that the bible is talking about or better said, the “curse of breaking the law.”

Listen to this. If we look in (Deut. 28:15-68), we will see that there are over 100 curses for breaking any part of God’s law. These curses include all the components of spiritual, physical, and emotional death. This passage says that those who do not keep ALL of God’s law will be cursed in the city, in the field, in their basket and store, cursed in their body, land, and increase of their family, flocks, and sheep. They will be cursed when they come in and cursed when they go out. They will be cursed with sickness, crop failure, war, captivity, business failure, poverty, defeat, insanity, slavery, cannibalism, etc. and etc.. This obviously is bad news because we have all broken God’s law in one way or another.

But as we have read in the book of Galatians, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, “becoming a curse for us.” What Jesus did for us was take the curse of the law upon him, so that we would not have to. And more than that, Jesus took our curse so we could enjoy the blessing of Abraham. The book of Galatians goes on to say this, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:14 NIV)

So, going to (Deut. 28:1-14) we see what the blessing of Abraham includes. It includes being set high above all nations, being blessed in the city, in the field, in the fruit of our body, the fruit of the ground, the fruit of our cattle, the increase of our families, flocks and sheep; blessed in our basket and store, blessed when we come in and blessed when we go out; when our enemies rise up against us, they will be smitten before us, and our all of our storehouses will be blessed. All we set our hand to will be blessed. We will be blessed in the land that God gives us, and we will be an established, holy people, known to be the people of God and feared. We will be plenteous in goods, cattle, fruit of our bodies, and lands. God’s good treasure will be opened to us, we will have rain when needed, being lenders not borrowers, the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath… all the elements of life, health and prosperity. This is good news for all who have accepted Jesus as their savior.

Jesus bore the curse so we could have the blessing!

Let’s look at this as a big picture. Because Jesus bore all the sin of the world, he also bore every curse and affliction that sin could possibly cause. He did this so that if we accept him as our savior we could be free of sin and any of its consequences AND have all of the blessings of life and health while we are alive... as well as eternal life in heaven when we die.

The book of Matthew says this, “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick; That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (Mt. 8:16-17) This scripture gives a fuller meaning to Jesus redeeming us from the curse of the law. It means that when Jesus bore our sins, he ALSO bore our sickness and infirmities.

So, in Christ, we are not subject to sin or the curses it brings. We can be free of ALL of sin’s consequences and the curse of breaking the law. And this means here and now. Just like we can experience forgiveness here and now, we can experience freedom from any of the curse here and now.

Did you ever notice that before Jesus went to the cross he never suffered any consequences of sin? He had never sinned so, he was never sick or had any infirmity or affliction or any lack of any kind. It’s not that he was never subject to attack by these things, (we are all subject to their attack while still on this earth) but he had authority over them and nothing or no one could ever harm him. He had perfect and total protection from the "curse of the law," and he was able to control all curses and all evil that came against him. In fact he could even deliver others from them. The point is that in Christ all of our sin is removed, making us as sinless as he is, and making into the "righteousness of God." So all the authority and protection Jesus had over evil is available to us as well. (2Cor. 5:21, 1Jn.4:17)

Well, you say, what about the sins I commit now. Isn’t there a consequence for them? The answer is no, the price has already been paid! Jesus died for all sin; past, present and future. If he did not die for our present and future sins as well as our past sins, there would be no forgiveness for them because Jesus is the only one God sent to pay that price for us. The book of Hebrews says, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Heb. 10:14) If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, all sin is forgiven; past, present and future. So, if we sin now, we simply need to receive forgiveness because forgiveness has been purchased and is available to us. It is there for the taking. The truth is that we are forgiven already so we just need to believe that and walk in forgiveness at all times. (2Cor. 5:17-19) And if we do, sin and the consequences it brings will have no power over us. We will have to believe and stand firm in faith, resisting evil in order to experience this blessing, but it is ours if we want it and if we know how to obtain it. (Mt. 11:12)

Even though we have to wait for heaven in order to enjoy these benefits without a fight, the victory is ours now and we can have the benefits of redemption here on earth. Jesus said that, “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33) That means that Jesus has overcome and defeated anything evil or harmful so that through him we can enjoy the victory that he won in this world. And there should be no question as to whether or not these benefits are God’s will for our lives. As the bible shows us, they are all part of what Jesus died to purchase for us, and are all part of the salvation package. This Gospel is good news! In fact, it is The Good News! (Jn. 3:16)

So, when you receive your forgiveness, receive also your healing, and when you receive your healing, receive also your prosperity, and when you receive your prosperity, receive also your hope. And that is just for starters. These and ALL the blessings of Abraham are available to us through faith because we have been redeemed from the curse of the law… in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us through Christ Jesus.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Spirit, Soul & Body II

The bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new and all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ…” (2Cor. 5:17-18)

But how is it that I am a new creature? I know that when I accepted Christ some things changed. But how is it that I am completely new. I may feel different and see some things differently but I am still me. And how is it that old things are passed away? There are still a lot of old things that I have. I still have old thoughts, feelings, emotional and physical problems. And how is it that all things are of God? That just doesn’t seem possible. I still have a lot of things that are not of God in my life. Just what is this scripture talking about, and just how can it be true?

Well, Paul is talking about our spirit. You see, the bible teaches that man is made up of three separate parts; spirit, soul, and body, and when you accept Christ as your savior, it is your spirit that is so radically changed. Your soul, (which is “who” you are; and comprises your mind, will and emotions) and your body, (which is your physical body) may be affected to some degree, but it is your spirit that is made new, and made like God. And because your spirit is your nature, (the very essence of “what” you are), Paul can say “if any man be in Christ, “he” is a new creature… (See 1Thess. 5:23)

Before we accepted Jesus as our savior, (becoming “born again,”) our spirit was “dead” in sin. It is not that our spirit did not exist; but because of sin, it was simply separated from the “life” of God. But when we accepted Christ, our sins were forgiven, the life of God was birthed once again into our spirit, the characteristics of our old spirit (and old life) passed away, and our spirit became changed and new; spiritually alive, connected to God and as righteous as he is. “That’s” how we are new creatures in Christ. It is our spirit within us that is made new. How else can we be holy and perfect enough for heaven? It certainly it is not from the outside, from what we “see” of ourselves. It is our spirit that is “a new creation.” It is our spirit that is made righteous and Christ-like and holy and complete and qualified for heaven, not our flesh. (2Cor. 5:21)

But most Christian’s don’t look at themselves as they are in the spirit, which is new and Christ-like. Rather, they look at themselves as they are in their natural lives and in their behavior; with faults, weaknesses and sin. They live according to the flesh instead of according to the spirit. They do not understand what it means to “walk in the spirit,” and they live by works instead of faith, trying to be in good standing with God and trying to change themselves, and trying to be good enough and trying to add up. They “try” to be good Christians and pleasing to God rather than “believing” they are already pleasing to him. But you can never please God in the flesh. It is only by faith that you can please God and be in right standing with him, and it is only by faith that real outer change can be made in our lives. Now, I am not saying that we should not “try” to be good Christians. We have a “natural” life and should do the best we can in it, but it is not in the natural that we will gain or maintain a right standing with God. Nor is it by trying harder that we will bring any real transformation in our lives. It ALL must come by faith. (Rom. 7:18, Heb. 11:6)

The point I am making is that “living” our lives as Christians is no different than how we became Christians. It is by faith. It does not come by doing the best we can. To those who understand salvation and gaining eternal life, you know that being good enough will never attain eternal life for us. Being good enough is never good enough; it can never bring about forgiveness and the change in our spirit that is necessary. That has to come from God. And it is only through faith in what Jesus has done for us that God is able to “save” us. And it is the same after we are saved. Trying to please God and maintain our right standing with him or trying to bring “change” in our lives by doing the best we can is just not possible. We simply do not have the power within ourselves to do either. It too has to be done by faith. (Rom. 7:18, 2Cor. 5:7, Eph. 2:8-9)

Now let’s address another misconception which is connected to all of this. I had said that a man or a woman’s spirit is their very nature. It is the essence of what they are. And because of sin; before we are born again, our spirit (and thus the very essence of our being) is the nature of sin. But once we are born again, our spirit becomes the nature of righteousness and of God. None-the-less, because of the struggle we have with sin and sinful desires after we have accepted the Lord, many Christians believe that we have two natures; one that is the nature of God, and the other the nature of sin. But that is impossible. Let’s consider a simple illustration. Think for a moment of your neighbor’s pet dog. It has only one nature and that is the nature of a dog. That is because that is the very essence of its being. That is what it is. It cannot have a nature of a dog and a nature of a cat. It can only have one nature, not two. It is the same with Christians. They cannot have two natures. They cannot have a righteous nature AND a sin nature. They can have only one nature, and that is the nature of God. “That” is the very essence of their being. The struggle we have with sin and sinful desires does not come from a sinful nature. It comes from our flesh. Paul clearly explains this in the book of Romans when he says that the reason he cannot do good even though he wants to is because of sin in his flesh. It is not because he has a sin nature. He said clearly that his sin nature was dead and gone. (Rom. 6:6-7, 7:17-20)

Now the reason that we still have sin in our flesh is because our flesh is not yet redeemed. It is not yet changed like our spirit is. We are waiting for the redemption of our bodies which will take place at the resurrection. It is then that all those who during their lives had accepted Christ as their savior will receive new and immortal bodies, like the one Jesus received when “he” was resurrected. Until then we must deal with bodies that are corruptible, susceptible to sickness, suffering and death. (Rom. 8:21-23, 1Cor. 15:51-54)

But we are not helpless or bound to a life of sickness, and suffering, and struggling with sin. God has made it so that our soul can be a “bridge” to our new spirit and through our soul we can gain a “transformation” in our bodies and in our behavior. What I mean is this. Instead of believing that we are like we see in the flesh we can choose to believe that we are like we are in our new spirit. And that kind of faith will, over the course of time, transform us on the outside into what we are already on the inside. (Rom. 12:1-2) Paul calls this “walking in the spirit.” This is the only way a Christian can have peace with God and confidence in their salvation. And it is the only way they can have victory over sin. Paul said, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Gal. 3:16-17, 2Cor. 5:7)

It takes a while for this concept to sink in. It is not natural. It is spiritual. It is living by faith and not by sight. And simply put, that means to believe what God’s word says about you (or anything else) even if it is different than what you see in this world. Your faith will then change what you see. It will be done unto you according to your faith. So, if you begin to think of yourself strictly as God says your new spirit is, a transformation will begin. The power of God’s word will begin to transform you into exactly what it says your spirit is, empowering you to live a Christ-like life in every way. If you believe that you are a saint, and perfect in Christ, you will be able to live righteously, healthfully, wisely, and powerfully. Your faith will be a bridge to your new spirit. However, if you believe you are a sinner and incomplete and imperfect, seeing yourself as you are in the natural; you will be bound by the very things you believe. You will have used your faith as a bridge to your flesh.

Believing is the course of the day since Jesus instituted the New Testament. The Old Testament was about what man was required to do. And that proved impossible. The New Testament is what man is required to believe. It is faith that will attain for us forgiveness and eternal life, it is faith that will bring peace and rest in God, and it is faith that will free us from problems we experience, enabling us to grow and develop and walk the Christian life.

You don’t need to become a better Christian. You need to believe that you are the best Christian you need to be. You don’t need to become more loving and forgiving. You need to believe that you are already loving and forgiving. You don’t need to try to get healed. You need to believe that you are healed already. And all of this faith will be based on the truth of what your new spirit is.

Jesus said this, “It is the spirit that quickeneth, (or gives life) the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (Jn. 6:63) It is in believing the word of God that brings life and results. Trying harder does not. We are called to believe, not work. It is God’s word that will work. In the book of Isaiah, God said this about his word. “…it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing that I sent it.” (Isa. 55:11)

It is up us to believe and to live by faith and it is up to the word of God to accomplish that which it says; and if we believe God’s word that is exactly what it will do…! Like it says in the book of Zechariah, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit (that is my word) saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zech. 4:6, parenthesis mine)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

FAMILY SOJOURN

photo © Dorothy Alexander

Lucille Clifton was born in Depew, New York, on June 27, 1936. Her first book of poems, Good Times, was rated one of the best books of the year by the New York Times in 1969.Clifton remained employed in state and federal government positions until 1971, when she became a writer in residence at Coppin State College in Baltimore, Maryland, where she completed two collections: Good News About the Earth (1972) and An Ordinary Woman (1974). Read mre about Lucille Clifton on Poets.org @

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/79

blessing the boats

by Lucille Clifton

(at St. Mary's)
may the tidet hat is entering even now

the lip of our understanding

carry you out beyond the face of fear

may you kiss the wind

then turn from it

certain that it will love your back
may you open your eyes to water

water waving forever

and may you in your innocence

sail through this to that

This was my third Jones Lewis Family reunion celebrated with my husband's side of the family in Baltimore, Maryland; Dougie and Janice did an exemplary job as our host family from the start of the weekend through Sunday farewell gathering afternoon spent in their backyard.
Truly it was a memorable occassion and quite a whirlwind weekend filled with cutural and family appreciation. New connections were made, conversations had with favorite family members, laughter and lamenting opportunities had while we meander through the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture.

Why I never thought about Art History and eventually becoming a curator is beyond me? I love visiting museums, truly it's a great meeting place, and yes there's history, culture and art under one roof.

This was my second visitto this fine museum, but this moment provided me with an opportunity to journey through the exhibit A People's Geography. As my husband entertained and chased little Courtney around the museum, I eventually caught up with them in the gallery that featured A People's Geography: The Spaces of American Life and there was Lucille Clifton's blessing the boats poem painted on the wall.

There I stood transfixed rereading her blessing. I felt the words were as powerful as the beautiful quilts, the artistic impressions and the historical video.

I thanked God for how eloquent and appropriate Ms. Clifton's words were for this family sojourn. These were words were stenciled not only on this wall, but in my heart. Wordsthat captivated my soul. Words meant for our time, our ancestors and the generations yet to be born. Words that were a blessings for any visitor, any travelor to behold.

Here we were in the midst of this celebration of family and culture, why it couldn't have occured in a more approriate setting! Thank you and may God continue to keep you Sister Lucille!

Every Word of God is pure;
he is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.
Proverbs 30:5

Joyfully Submitted by :
Linda Mose Meadows
The Blessedness of Believing
A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises

http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/
blessedlm@hotmail.com

All rights reserved, no use without prior written permission of Linda M. Meadows