Self Appreciation [Random Thoughts]

It takes a lot to mold the character of someone into who they are now and it takes even more effort for them to get to a place where they are happy with whom they have become. People will never understand what it took to get you where you are or what you had to go through to get you to where you are and it’s understandable they never had to walk a mile in your shoes and face the challenges that molded you to become the person they see today. Most people come into the lives of people to CHANGE rather than seek to UNDERSTAND why that person is the way they are. If you would just dig deeper you would see the reason why that person is the way they are and why they do what they do, why they react the way they react and why they think the way they do. We are all a product of something we went through in life that carved into being the individual we are. People seek to change things which they do not understand. I have a story that made me who I am and it’s not a fairy-tale but it’s a story that birthed me and I am proud of the person I have become so you trying to change who I have become cause it doesn’t fit into your perfect world makes no sense to me. You can’t ask someone to fix something about themselves that they don’t see as broken. You only fix something about you that doesn’t work for you (hinders your progress and affects your relations with people) and hurts the other people not because it does not work for someone else. I was molded by life and experiences to become who I am now it took even more effort to get me to be happy with who I am, it took tears, it took lonely nights, it took hating myself, it took starving myself, it took loss of vision while still having sight, it took loosing myself, it took all those things to birth the person you see before you. I am not asking that you stay while you are unhappy, but I do ask that you leave me to appreciate myself and the person I have become because I know what it took to become self so even if I am the only person who appreciates and celebrates self, I will still appreciate and celebrate self!

ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD

1Sa 30:6 ~ "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters:but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." (KJV)

Over the past few days I have stuck on this verse, it keeps ringing in my head...David was distressed not because of his OWN doing, but because of the people...The reason he was not there to protect the women and children was because he was out fighting another army in service to the people.

CATCH THIS: THE VERY SAME PEOPLE THAT DAVID SOUGHT TO HELP WHERE THE SAME PEOPLE BRINGING HIM TO DISTRESS. ISN'T IT FUNNY HOW IN LIFE THE VERY PEOPLE YOU SEEK TO HELP, ARE THE VERY SAME PEOPLE WHO DON'T APPRECIATE IT. Instead of saying 'YOU WERE NOT THERE BECAUSE OF US, TELL US HOW WE CAN HELP IN BRINGING OUR CHILDREN AND WIVES BACK HOME' THEY WOULD RATHER STONE HIM TO DEATH...THEY DO NOT HAVE A SOLUTION TO THEIR CURRENT PROBLEM YET THEY WANT TO STONE THE MAN WHO GOD'S HAND IS UPON, THE MAN WHO WALKS WITH GOD FOR NOT BEING THERE WHEN THEY NEEDED HIM...

NB: LEADERSHIP IS NOT EASY. IT'S A LONELY AND TOUGH ROAD.

THE PEOPLE YOU LEAD WILL BE THE SAME PEOPLE EXPECTING A SOLUTION TO THEIR PROBLEMS FROM YOU ON ONE HAND YET THROWING VERBAL/PHYSICAL STONES AT YOU ON THE OTHER. IF YOU ARE IN A POSSITION OF LEADERSHIP TAKE HEART, DAVID ENDURED AND SO SHALL YOU ENDURE.

"DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE LORD!".

AS AND LEADER SOMETIMES YOU HIT ROCK BOTTOM WITH NO ONE THERE TO HEAR THE CRIES OF YOUR SOUL...IT'S YOU ALONE WITH GOD. THE BEST PRACTISE TO LEARN IS TO ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD, TO LEARN TO FIND SOLACE IN THE ARMS OF THE MASTER, TO FIND COMFORT IN THE SOFT HEART OF THE UNCHANGING GOD.

GOD'S STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN YOUR WEAKNESS, BY ENCOURAGING YOURSELF IN THE LORD YOU LET GOD BE GOD AND LET HIM HEAL, SOLVE, DELIVER, UNRAVEL AND ISSUE THAT EATS AT YOUR SOUL. HE IS A GOD A COMFORTING AND ENCOURAGING  GOD!!

VIEW FROM THE CROSS [SPIRIT OVER THE FLESH]

Matthew 16:25, 26 

Whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul?

 

Three guidelines from these verses summarize the view from the cross, which we must adopt to counteract the self-centered worldview promoted by the god of this world.

 

First, we must sacrifice the lower life to gain the higher life. If you want to save your natural life (i.e., find your identity and sense of self-worth in positions, titles, accomplishments and possessions and seek only worldly well-being), you will lose it. At best you can only possess these temporal values for a lifetime, only to lose everything for eternity.

 

Furthermore, in all your efforts to possess these earthly treasures, you will fail to gain all that can be yours in Christ. Shoot for this world and that's all you'll get, and eventually you will lose even that. But shoot for the next world and God will throw in the benefits of knowing Him in this present life as well. Paul put it this way: "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:7, 8).

 

Second, sacrifice the pleasure of things to gain the pleasure of life. What would you accept in trade for the fruit of the Spirit in your life? What material possession, what amount of money, what position or title would you exchange for the love, joy, peace and patience that you enjoy in Christ? "Nothing," we all probably agree. Victory over self comes as we learn to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things.

 

Third, sacrifice the temporal to gain the eternal. Possibly the greatest sign of spiritual maturity is the ability to postpone rewards. It is far better to know that we are the children of God than to gain anything that the world calls valuable. Even if following Christ results in hardships in this life, He will make it right in eternity.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You alone are God. Help me to choose the higher life today instead of seeking the pleasures of this world.!  

RESCUE MISSION [TESTIMONY: VICTORiA'S FRIENDS]

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9-10).

Victoria grew up like many middle income families. She loved school and was even the in her homecoming court all four years in high school. After some tragic family deaths during her teen years, she began to experiment with alcohol and drugs. She was raped, underwent multiple abortions, and began working as a dancer at local nude dancing club, which she continued for more than four years.

After suffering nosebleeds from her cocaine addition, Victoria became very involved with the new age movement, nearly had a nervous breakdown, and eventually became suicidal. By the age of 28 she was homeless, stranded and fired from her job as a strip-club dancer. Barely 100 pounds, she was no longer profitable to the industry. Then a Christian gave her a Bible. The first book she read was Job and something gripped her heart. A church family took her into their home. They surrounded her with love and pointed her to who she was in Christ. Victoria says, "Jesus is the only healer of deep, deep wounds."

Now, years later, Victoria's compassionate heart is focused on reaching other lives on the brink of life or death. She founded a ministry called Victoria's Friends, which goes into the heart of the darkest places of the city in the strip clubs. Trained women ministry volunteers bring baskets to the dancers in their dressing rooms with no motive other than to show they care. Men stay outside the clubs and pray for the women going inside. It is the ultimate rescue mission. It is the love of Christ expressed in a simple, but powerful way. This act translates into relationships that are formed between those who continue to show their love for them.

Hundreds of young women have come out of this lifestyle because one woman decided to do what others had done for her - rescue her from the pit of darkness.

THE GREAT REVIVAL

Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? - (Psalm 85:6)

What does the word “revival” mean? We can gain a better understanding of this word by looking at its close relative, “revive.” To revive something means to bring it back to life again. We could just as easily use the word “restoration” in its place. To restore something is to return it to its original state.

Revival is kind of a church word. By that I mean, the secular culture doesn’t need revival; they need evangelism. Here’s the interesting thing: evangelism doesn’t necessarily produce revival, but revival always produces evangelism. Whenever there has been a spiritual awakening, there has been an evangelistic thrust that has come as a result. When God’s people are awakened, when they are restored, when they are revived, then they go out and start doing what they should have been doing all along, which is proclaiming the gospel.

One author wrote that revival is “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit, producing extraordinary results.” Another said, “Revival is a community saturated with God.” And A. W. Tozer defined revival as “that which changes the moral climate of a community.” When we pray for a revival, we are praying for a restoration.

In Psalm 85 we find this prayer for revival: “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (verse 6).

A revival is an invasion from heaven. It is when God is at work and we can’t explain it. That is what I want to see again—a time in which Christians are saying, “We don’t know how this started or entirely what is going on. All we know is that people are packing out our churches. People are coming to Christ. People are praying.”

We need revival, and the world needs the gospel. Let’s pray that God will revive us.

AS A MAN THINKETH

Proverbs 23:6-7

"Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,

neither desire thou his dainty meats:

 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

Eat and drink, saith he to thee;

but his heart is not with thee."

                                                                    This verse simply states that a human being is a human being because of his thoughts. His thoughts govern his life. A man with an evil eve is such in action because of his thinking/thoughts. For a long time I never understood what Jesus meant and why he would say in Matthew 5:28: "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." I have always understood sin to be an outward thing/action but never an internal action. So when God showed me this revelation that : "SIN ACTUALLY STARTS IN THE MIND, BEFORE IT MANIFESTS ITSELF THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS. YOU SINNED FIRST IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOUR ACTIONS COULD CATCH UP TO THE SIN OF THE MIND. SO SIN IS A MIND ACTION NOT A DOING ACTION. THE DOING FOLLOWS THE THINKING." 

2 Samuel 13:1-19

Amnon and Tamar

 "Now Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her. And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand. ’” So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him.” So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

 Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went."

Tamar's brother raped her not because he did it out of impulse, it's because he had been thinking about it for so long that it consumed him to a point where raping his own sister made sense in his heart/mind. [NB: Notice how after the act of sin, the "LOVE" that he thought he felt was turned into ""HATE" which was greater than the love he claimed to possess. THOSE ARE THE EFFECTS OF LUST, NOT THE EFFECTS OF LOVE. AFTER LOVE MAKING, LOVE GROWNS AND DOES NOT TURN TO HATE. LOVE SEEKS THE UNITY OF BOTH PARTIES NOT THE GRATIFICATION OF SELF]. He made SIN a reality by feeding into that SIN with his thoughts that manifested into a reality. God takes THOUGHTS and ACTIONS AS IF THEY WERE ONE. When God  says "I know the thoughts towards you" he is saying I AM DOING THESE THINGS TOWARDS AND FOR YOU. I AM MAKING YOU PROSPER, I AM GIVING YOU PEACE AND I AM MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE AN EXPECTED END. The thoughts of a man, believe it or not, govern his life. Always thought it was a strange phenomenon to be saved and still have your spirit at war with your mind until I heard Paul in Romans 12:2 saying "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." In order for us to prove and walk in the PERFECT WILL OF GOD WE NEED A TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR MIND WHICH WILL TRANSLATE INTO ACTIONS IN OUR LIVES WHICH ARE ALIGNED TO GOD'S PERFECT WILL.MIT ALL STARTS IN THE MIND.

Proverbs 4:23 says "More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it."

CULTIVATE A GOD-THINKING MINDSET AND YOU WILL HAVE A GOD-THOUGHTFUL LIFE. GOD SAYS AS A MAN THINKS, THAT'S WHAT HE IS. SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE A PERSON'S MIND AND THEIR IDENTITY, LOOK AT THEIR ACTIONS, THEIR ACTIONS SPEAK OF WHO THEY ARE. AMEN.

THE BLESSING OF THE LORD

Exodus 32:29

"For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day." -The blessing of The Lord operates in a life that is totally yielded to a God. 

Isaiah 44:3

"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty,

and floods upon the dry ground:

I will pour my spirit upon thy seed,

and my blessing upon thine offspring"

Every week as the sun sets on Friday evening the Jewish holiday of Shabbat[SABBATH] begins. This day of rest lasts until havdalah is said as the sun sets on Saturday and is dedicated to family, community and spiritual renewal.

Traditionally Shabbat includes special blessings that are said over the children on Friday night. How these blessings are said varies from home to home. Customarily it is the father who blesses the children by laying his hands on their heads and reciting the blessings below. However, in modern times it is not unusual for mom to help dad bless the children. She can do this by laying her hands on the children’s heads at the same time and reciting the blessings with her husband. Or, if the children are younger, she could hold them on her lap or hug them while their father blesses them. In some homes the mother says the blessings instead of the feather. It all comes down to what the family is comfortable with and what works best for them.

Taking time to bless the children on Shabbat is a great way to reinforce the fact that they are loved, accepted and supported by their families. In many homes the blessings are followed by hugs and kisses or words of praise. Of course, there is no reason you can’t do all four of these things: blessing, hugs, kisses and praise. One of the most beautiful aspects of Judaism is how it emphasized the importance of family and spending time together.

The Shabbat Blessing for a Son

The traditional blessing said for a son asks God to make him like Ephraim and Menashe, who were two of Joseph’s sons in the Bible.

English: May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe

Transliteration: Ye'simcha Elohim ke-Ephraim ve hee-Menashe

Why Ephraim and Menashe?

Ephraim and Menashe were the sons of Joseph. Just before Joseph's father, Jacob, dies he calls his two grandsons to him and blesses them, expressing his hope that they become role models for the Jewish people in years to come.

On that day Jacob blessed them, he said, "In time to come, the people of Israel will use you as a blessing. They will say, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe'." (Genesis 48:20)

Many have wondered by Jacob chooses to bless his grandsons before blessing his 12 sons. Traditionally, the answer has been that Jacob chose to bless them because they are the first set of brothers who did not fight with each other. All the brothers who came before them in the Bible – Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers – deal with issues of sibling rivalry. By contrast, Ephraim and Menashe were friends known for their good deeds. And what parent wouldn’t wish for peace among their children? In the words of Psalms 133:1 "How good and pleasant is it for brothers to sit peacefully together."

The Shabbat Blessing for a Daughter

The blessing for daughters asks God to make them like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. These four women are the matriarchs of the Jewish people.

English: May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.

Transliteration: Ye'simech Elohim ke-Sarah, Rivka, Rachel ve-Leah.

Why Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah?

As matriarchs of the Jewish people Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah each posses qualities that make them worthy role models. According to Jewish tradition they were strong women who kept faith with God during tough times. Between the lot of them, they endured martial troubles, infertility, abduction, envy from other women and the task of raising difficult children. But whatever hardships came their way these women put God and family first, eventually succeeding in building the Jewish people.

The Shabbat Blessing for Children

After the above blessing are recited over sons and daughter, many families recite an additional blessing that is said over both boys and girls. Sometimes called the "Priestly Blessing", it is an ancient blessing that asks God to bless and protect the Jewish people.

English: May God bless you and protect you. May God’s face shine toward you and show you favor. May God look favorably upon you and grant you peace.

1 Samuel 2:7-8

"The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich:

he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,

and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill,

to set them among princes,

and to make them inherit the throne of glory:

for the pillars of the earth are the Lord 's, and he hath set the world upon them."

Having given you background into the blessings of the Jewish people and how they are administered, my emphasis is really on the BLESSING OF THE LORD here as used by the Jewish people as a blessing for their children. "May God bless you and protect you. May God’s face shine toward you and show you favor. May God look favorably upon you and grant you peace." When God blesses us we always assume that God blesses ONLY with material things. If we lack material things we doubt if we are really blessed by God. The bible says in Proverbs 10:22 - "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." Yet when you look at the blessing of the Lord at large it consists of FAVOR, PEACE, WEALTH AND PROTECTION. 

FAVOR - "Excessive kindness or unfair partiality"

PEACE - "Silence; stillness"

WEALTH - "The state of being rich; prosperity; affluence"

PROTECTION - "To defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss"

The blessing of the God encompasses all of these 4 factors and when God has blessed you there is no way in which FAVOR, PEACE, WEALTH AND PROTECTION will ever not be over your household. I always wondered why Jacob would wrestle with God for a blessing whereas he was already blessed by his father Isaac. GOD showed me what Jacob saw, that it is not enough to be blessed by men but you also need the Blessing of God over your life. The Jacob story goes:

Genesis 32:24-30

Jacob wrestling with God for his Blessing

"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel:for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

IN CONCLUSION, THE BLESSING OF THE LORD BREEDS[IT GIVES BIRTH TO] FAVOR, PEACE, WEALTH AND PROTECTION. LOOKING OVER THE LIFE OF JACOB YOU SEE THESE FOUR ELEMENTS AT WORK INTERCHANGEABLY IN HIS LIFE. MAY GOD POUR OUT HIS BLESSING OVER YOU AS YOU SEEK HIS FACE AND MAY FAVOR, PEACE, WEALTH AND PROTECTION BE THE PORTION OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.