Changing the Point

Have you ever encountered a person (possibly a non-believer) who wanted to argue every point of scripture you bring forth as being “fiction”. What was your counter-argument? Did you argue at all? Or did you use my tactic and just didn’t follow up with them? If so, who won?

I was listening to a sermon the other day and the minister referenced the book “The Art of Deception” by NicholasCapaldi. In this work, supposedly on critical thinking, the author instructs atheists how to win an argument with Christians regarding scripture. Their main tactic, it appears is to change the subject, or get you to focus on something else entirely. If a Christian is starting to win in a debate, they immediately shift the point. They change the focus on something in which you are particularly strong, and they are particularly weak; giving the appearance that they are stronger.

NPR did a story once about an atheist who was studying the Bible. The atheist began to believe that there may very well be something to this “Jesus thing”. At that moment, the enemy intervened and got the “non-believer” to focus on how hungry he was as it was close to lunch time. By focusing on his hunger, the “non-believer” forgot all about his near break through; redirecting the “non-believer” so that he missed the point.

How many breakthroughs have you missed by changing focus? How many opportunities to share the goodness of Jesus with others because they caused you to change focus? How many times have you focused on the word at church, and someone compliments your outfit and you missed the point? You are trying to focus on eating healthier and your co-worker tempts you with Krispy Kreme, causing you to lose focus. How many times has the enemy strategically cause you to redirect your focus?

So, how do we stay focused? How do we keep the enemy from “changing the point”? “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

That scripture kind of sums it all up for us doesn’t it. I’m sure you’ve heard that we have to study and show ourselves approved. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

We have to stayed prayed up and keep studying God’s word and not let the enemy change the point of our lives.

God Speaking

God Speaking

“God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

Like the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings, when I saw the devastation from the tornados in Oklahoma this week, I had to turn the TV off. It breaks my heart to see so many people hurt. Like you, I am also asking the question, “why, Lord?”

I was reading one of my historical Christian romance novels, a story about a recent tragedy in the family, and a character in the book stated, “All that’s good comes from God. All that’s bad, the sorrow and the pain, is but a natural part of life – or rises from our own sin and failings…Yet God is everywhere, in the sorrow and the joy.”

I have come to realize that some things have to happen in life, good and bad, to get us where we need to be in order to receive our blessing and to be a blessing to others. We don’t always understand because we are not in control.

When we pray, we don’t know God’s plan to fix things, or how he is letting things proceed naturally. I believe that when I receive a blessing, that I’m not the only one being blessed fromthat “shower” of blessings. Because we are sometimes so “selfish”, we think we are the only ones going through, and therefore, are the only ones that got through when the blessing arrived.

For instance, when you’re wondering how that bill is going to be paid, and then all of sudden that rebate check comes in the mail.Or when there is a miraculous cure for a disease or ailment. You are not the only one to benefit from the shower. I know this may seem farfetched, but think about it – While you’re praying for relief from your ailment, the doctor treating you is praying for a breakthrough in his career, and his wife is praying for her husband to be relieved from stress.  The cure for your ailment has just showered a blessing upon an entire family.

Sometimes there are blessings in the midst of a tragedy – someone was praying for protection from foreclosure, someoneneeded counseling after a tragedy. A home destroyed by a natural disaster may be the relief a family needed from foreclosure, or someone who experienced a great tragedy devotes the rest of their lives counseling others who experienced similar tragedies. While none of us want to be in the mist, we don’t know the “big” picture. We don’t know where the “shower” must fall.

A minister mentioned to me once that sometimes a family has to go through an unthinkable tragedy in order to become closer orto even save a marriage. God has many ways of getting our attention. Mandisa said it best in her song God Speaking:

“Have you ever lost a loved one
Who you thought should still be here
Do you know what it feels like
To be tangled up in fear
What if He's somehow involved
What if He's speaking through it all

Who knows how He'll get a hold of us
Get our attention to prove He is enough
He'll do and He'll use
Whatever He wants to
To tell us "I love you"

His ways are higher
His ways are better
Though sometimes strange
What could be stranger
Than God in a manger”

I am in no ways relieved by our recent tragedies, nor do I have an explanation for them all. I have to live by faith and trust thatit is all part of a larger plan that I cannot begin to understand.

“He is all we can ever depend on, and we must strive always to seek Him and cling to Him. The rest...family, friends, our meager accomplishments—are but way stations on the road home. At their best, they help gladden our hearts and strengthen us on the journey.” 

Quotes used are from Child of Promise by Kathleen Morgan

Detoxification

I have been hearing a lot lately about "detoxing". Every radio station, TV commercials, books, all contain the “latest and greatest” on this phenomenon. I’m actually considering it myself.

Dictionary.com defines “detox” (short for detoxification) as the act of detoxifying; the metabolic process by which toxins are changed into less toxic or more readily excretable substances.

I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of making “toxins” less “toxic” or more able to be excreted from (taken out) my body – assuming I have “toxins” to begin with.

Let’s explore the word “toxin” for a moment – any poison produced by an organism…”  The way the information on detoxing puts it, we ALL have poisons raging throughout our bodies  that are causing a number of medical ailments – high blood pressure, diabetes, OBESITY, CANCER, the list goes on, and on, and on.

But, what if we think about detoxing our SOULS – assuming we have “toxins” to begin with (yes we do). Poisons rage throughout our souls – negativity, envy, hostility, outbursts of anger, selfishness, insecurities – the list goes on, and on, and on, and, on, and on. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and the life to come.”  1 Timothy 4:8.

If we are going to start “detoxing our souls”, we need to start with scripture – the word of God. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” Proverbs 4:23-27

In the scriptures, you will find all of the words of encouragement and the answers that you need to “detox” your soul. Don’t just read the word, but study the word and place it in your heart. “The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

To continue to “detox” our souls, we should make some changes in our prayer lives.  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Phillippians 4:6 We should get in the in the habit of “breath prayers”. It does not take a lengthy prayer to say thanks or to make a request. We can breathe a prayer in just a moment:

When getting up – “thank you Lord for last night’s slumber”.

When getting in the car – “praise God for gas!”

When standing in a line – “Lord, please place the will and know how upon these employees to allow this line to move more swiftly.”

When responding to a request – “Please, Lord, help me to make a decision that is pleasing in your sight.”

When we get in the habit of regular communication with our Father which is in heaven, we allow the toxins to be excreted from our souls to make room for the blessings our Father has for us.

There has been proven benefits of detox programs that have been communicated throughout the media by sponsors of various programs – lose  weight, more energy, improved hair, skin and nails, for example. There are many more benefits to “soul detoxification”.  Increase in faith and knowledge of the word – and more importantly, a relationship with God, our maker, who will help us through any type of “detox” we need.

A second definition for the word “detox” is “a period of medical treatment, usually including counseling, during which a person is helped to overcome physical and psychological dependence on alcohol or drugs”. Remove the words “medical” and “usually”; and replace the words “alcohol or drugs” with whatever dependency you have. Your soul’s detox definition might read as follows:

“A period of treatment, including counseling, during which I am helped to overcome physical and psychological dependence on money or sex”.

Allow Jesus Christ to be your counselor, study God’s word, communicate with him through prayer, and allow the Holy Spirit to detox your soul.

He Had Two Mothers

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I decided to use the text of a Mother’s Day speech I gave two years ago in this week’s blog.

Real Mothers are special people. Real mothers are an integral part of our lives. We wouldn’t be who we are without our mothers.

Some of the greatest people in history and today will tell you how important their mothers were to their lives. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls point guard, and the 2011 NBA MVP, for example, declared in his acceptance speech: “Mom, my heart, the reason I play the way that I play”.

This was also true of one of the greatest men in Old Testament history, a man named Moses. Moses became the kind of man he was because of the type of mother he had. In fact, who he was, was very much determined by the type of MOTHERS he had, because God gave Moses two mothers. And they were both good mothers because they both had some of the same instincts for their roles.

For example: They both loved babies -- now that may seem like a given… but not every woman loves kids. Not every woman wants kids. But these two did. And that WAS no small thing in their day because Moses’ two mothers lived in a culture of death.

Y’all know the story -- Pharaoh had ordered every male child born to a Hebrew was to be thrown into the Nile and drowned. And Moses’ birth mother – Jochebed – was a Hebrew woman. Thus, she had a choice to make. The society in which she lived made it virtually impossible to keep her child and she could have decided to simply allow her child to be thrown away. She could have chosen death (the easy choice)… but she chose life instead.

And this was not an easy decision for Jochebed to make. It required her to hide her child for 3 whole months always fearing that Egyptian soldiers would discover the baby… and not only would they kill her child but punish her entire family for disobeying the law.

Choosing life was not an easy decision. But then consider Pharaoh’s daughter. She knew this was a Hebrew baby. Exodus 2:6 tells us “She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said.” Her father had ordered all these children should die. It would have been so easy to let the child die. But she chose life instead.

Both mothers lived in a culture of death. Both mothers lived in a society that has decreed certain children shouldn’t live. And so do we – remember the Susan Smith tragedy, Shaquan Duley in Orangeburg – both drowning their children; and most recently, Hope Hawkins who was charged in the homicide of her four children who died in a house fire in Hartsville while left alone.

Moses lived because Jochebed and Pharaoh’s daughter never accepted that culture of death. They chose life. Moses lived… and became the kind of man he became… because his 2 mothers loved life, and loved babies.

Secondly – Moses became the kind of man he was because his mothers did everything they could for him. Jochebed did everything she could for her son. Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses’ adoptive mother, loved this boy - takes him into her home and makes him her son. She (like Jochebed) did everything she could for this boy as well.

Acts 7:22 tells us that “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.” Pharaoh’s daughter wanted Moses to have all the advantages her culture could supply. She wanted him to be more than a common laborer. She wanted him to be a leader of men/ a ruler of nations. And she succeeded in building him into a man who was powerful in speech and action. And so, she did everything in her power to give him an edge - an advantage fitting for the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Both of Moses’ mothers loved him so much that they did everything they could think to do to give him every advantage he could have. But only Jochebed gave Moses the one thing that changed his life. Pharaoh’s daughter supplied Moses knowledge of the wisdom of Egypt. She got him into the best schools. She arranged to find him the best teachers. She had supplied him with the ability to be a man who was powerful in speech and action. She had supplied him with all the training and education he needed to be a success in this world.

And yet Hebrews 11:24 tells us that the time came when Moses “…refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” There was something Pharaoh’s daughter had not supplied him with. Something was missing from his extensive education in the universities of Egypt. But what could it have been? What was missing? What was missing was a different kind of knowledge… a knowledge of who God was.

As parents and grandparents and uncles/ aunts we need to realize that even with the most advanced education our society can supply - without God at the center of our children’s lives there will be an emptiness that nothing else can fill.

In the last verses of Ecclesiastes, Solomon looks at all the advantages a man can have in life -- Wealth, and education, and power, and success. Yet, toward the end of his book he declares "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" Ecclesiastes 12:8. 

He later declares that “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.”

He meant that – without God – life become meaningless and empty. Only God can help us to reach the potential. Only God can help us to realize our promise and possibility. Once we know who God is… then we can realize that we’ve been made in His image. We are part of His plan. We have been created for a purpose and we have a reason to exist.

And that’s what Jochebed gave her son. She gave that knowledge of God by sharing HER faith in God. She told him what she believed. She told him what God had done in her life. She told him what God wanted for their people.  And because God was REAL to her… God became real for him as well.

Jochebed loved her son so much that she wanted him to know the most powerful force in her life. And she wanted Moses to know this God. She did that because she knew this was a hard and difficult world. And there would be times when Moses would doubt whether he was loved by anyone. When that time came, she wanted him to remember that he WAS loved by at least one: God. She wanted him to remember that God always cared for him and would watch out for him.

And that’s the reason our children/ grandchildren/ nephews and nieces need to know Him as well. There will be times they won’t feel worthy, lovable, needed. And they’ll need to know that God will never leave them nor forsake them.

So Moms: WHY do you love your newborn child? For months this baby has brought you pain. They’ve made you break out in pimples and waddle like a duck. (black necks, big nose). They punched you in the tummy. They occupied a space that wasn’t theirs and ate food they didn’t fix.

You kept them warm. You kept them safe. You kept them fed.  But did these lil rugrats say thank you? NO! They start crying before they get here good. They don’t even tell you when they’re coming. You get all these pains, you scream, you swear, you bite bullets. Need I remind you?

And now look at us. Back pains, headaches, washed down in sweat. Muscles sore. We should be angry. But are we? No. They’ve brought pain to our bodies and nausea to your morning, yet you treasure them.  They wake us up every night for the next 6 weeks, but that doesn’t matter.

Why does a mother love her newborn? Because the baby is hers? Even more, because the baby is her blood, her flesh, her hope, her legacy.
It does not bother her that the baby gives nothing. She knows a newborn is helpless, weak. She knows babies don’t ask to come into this world.

And God knows we didn’t either. We are his idea. We are his. His face. His eyes. His hands. His touch. We are Him!

The love of a mother for her child is only a small taste of the love God has for us all – He gave his only begotten son so that we may live. Just like we mothers feel when we look at our newborns, our toddlers, our pre-teens, our teens, our adults. When God looks at you, He sees His finest creation. As I’ve mentioned to my princesses in Sunday School – AND HE KNOWS US BY NAME.

The Patience of Job -- Really!

One of my dear friends has been experiencing so many tragic and trying issues this past year. First, there was a house fire in which they lost most of their possessions and their home. Then, there was an issue where a family member was brutally shot and the spouse was charged with attempted murder. The parents are getting older and they’ve assisted with caring for the father because of an extended illness. There have been issues with a child misbehaving and grades in school have slipped. To top it off, recently, another child has been very ill and may very well have a chronic illness.

All of these issues remind me of the Book of Job. If you don’t know the story, you should read it. Job was a true and faithful servant of God whom Satan caused all kinds of calamities – lost all of his children and his possessions. Then he caused great pain and suffering upon Job’s body. His friends, AND his spouse said that he should just curse God and die.

Job, being a God-fearing man, refused to listen to those close to him and remained faithful and prayerful. At the end of the book of Job, God blessed Job with more children and more possessions than he ever had.

My friend, who is so faithful and God-fearing remind me of Job. My friend is always prayerful, always smiling, never has anything bad to say about anyone. You know Satan doesn’t bother those who are already doing his work.

Through all of the issues faced by my friend, I can still see the blessings showered upon that family; and I know it’s because of their faithfulness and constant prayer life. They praise God through all of their trials and tribulations.

Isaac Caree has the perfect song that illustrates that kind of faithfulness – In the Middle. In this song, he states:

Tears rolling down your face
And your heart feelin' like it's gon' break
And your earth feels like it's 'bout to shake
And you’ve taken all that you can take
Just remember where your help comes from
Realizing you got somewhere to run
Don't worry 'bout what you're going through
Instead of worrying, here's what you can do
Praise him anyway
In the middle of it

How many times have you felt like your earth was about to shake and you’ve taken all that you can take? How prayerful were you in the middle of your situation?

We are all guilty of praising and giving thanks when things are going good. But how thankful are we when we are faced with a crisis? You can have the worst day ever, but, there is always someone worse off than you. We have to remember to say thank you. But for God, we might be worse off. We have to give thanks for everything, little or big. Did you get up this morning? Did you have a meal today? Gas in your car? Did you put your own clothes on? Do you have two feet to put shoes on? Are you able to read this post? Give God praises for everything. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God”. Phillippians 4:6.

I know it’s hard, as I am not excluded from crisis from time to time. We have to remain faithful and “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

Through all of the trials that my friend is going through, I can still see the blessings that God is bestowing upon that family. As God-fearing Christians, Satin will temp us from time to time and will send calamities our way. It is how we praise God and give thanks in the middle of our crisis that will allow us to overcome.

Yes, my friend does have the patience of Job, and that family will overcome in time. In the meantime, please keep them and others facing crisis in your prayers.

The Color Purple

When we are feeling silly, my friends and I love to quote lines from The Color Purple – “it go rain on your head”, “Harpo! Who ‘dis woman”, “you just a big ole ____”, “You sho is ugly”, are just a few that we can quote from watching the movie over and over and over and over again.

The title line from The Color Purple came to mind when I was driving to work one day this week –“More than anything God love admiration…I think it [makes God angry] when you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it”.

As I drive, I often marvel in God’s glory and how blessed I am to be able to enjoy it. The newness of the spring time -- everything fresh and green after a spring rain. The blooming flowers, birds chirping, clear blue skies, the light from a full moon at night AND in the early morning. And in the fall, all the beautiful colors in the landscape and trees – OMG!!! YOU ARE AWESOME.

Sometimes, when things are not going the way I want them to go, or as fast as I want them to go, I look out my office window to enjoy the scenery – bright green trees, the birds flying or dark clouds from an anticipated rain storm. All of these things remind me that there is so much more to life than what I’m fretting over.

My favorite hymn is “His Eye is on the Sparrow”. I used to just pay attention to the refrain – “I sing because I’m happy”; well, because I like to sing. But upon closer observation, I’ve come to enjoy the verse so much – “Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, why should my heart be lonely, and long for Heaven and home? When Jesus is my portion, a constant friend is He; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me…”.

When I hear this song, I am also reminded of the fact that God has enriched our lives so much with His creations. He takes care of all of His creations – from the birds in the air, the fish in the sea, to the plants in the meadow.

 “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all of your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you…" -- Matthew 6:26-29

Why should we worry about trivial things when there is so much more that’s enjoyable in this life. I must admit that it is hard to have and maintain that kind of faith. As we often try to “fix” things instead of giving it to God. As our Pastor alluded to this past Sunday, the battle is not ours to fight. But we always try to fix it instead of waiting on God. Give it to God, and meanwhile, enjoy this glory that he has so graciously provided us.

Our God has created a wonderful, glorious, HOME for us to enjoy. We just have to take the time to notice the “color purple” in order to appreciate it.

 “O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom has thou made them all: the earth is full of your riches.” – Psalm 104:24.

Church Marquees

I love to read church marquees. The messages are so inspiring and thought provoking. One of our local churches, St. Mark AME Church in Summerton (whose pastor is Rev. Aretha G. Johnson, a member of Liberty Hill), displays the following on their marquee – JOB FAIR—GOD NEEDS GOOD WORKERS. This message got me to thinking – what would a job fair or interview be like with God.

Who would one encounter for the initial interview – will it be Jesus Christ himself, since He is our advocate. “Well, my child, why are you qualified to be God’s Worker?” What will your response be?

When you pass the first interview, your 2nd interview may be with the Holy Spirit. “Show me, my child – how do you praise our God?” What will your demonstration be like? Will you break out into song and dance? Say a prayer? Preach a sermon? Maybe, cook a meal?

Then finally, you get to interview directly with God. Are you nervous? Do you keep all of the Ten Commandments? Do you “love” everybody? Do you tithe? How would you respond to these interview questions? What are the answers God is looking for? Why would he ask? He already knows…

Everyone is QUALIFIED to be one of God’s workers. You only need to have the desire to do God’s will. “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” [1 Peter 4:10] Everyone has a gift that can be shared for the glory of God. Maybe you are a great singer; maybe you can organize things really well. Maybe you are a great debater. You might be saying to yourself, “I can’t do anything well.” Yes you can. EVERYONE can be a worker for God.

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” [James 2:14-17]

We all have talents and gifts to share that may be used for God’s glory. We can’t all preach, sing, cook, or even clean. But we can all love. “What if I could speak all languages of humans and even of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. What if I could prophesy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing unless I loved others. What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others. Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails…Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. For now there are faith, hope and love. But of these three, the greatest is LOVE.” [1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 12-13, CEV]

I hope that this message has blessed you and inspired you to become one of God’s workers, in any capacity! We all live a purpose driven life that we can use to glorify God.

Sincerely,

Liberty Hill PR